Insights Archive

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  • What Makes Bitcoin’s Latest Bull Market Different?

    Bitcoin has experienced multiple bull markets, and this latest one, which began in 2018, is markedly different from the last. Between late 2018 and the time of this writing in November 2020, the digital currency's price has climbed more than 500%. Analysts have cited a range of factors as helping drive the latest bull market, including institutional investors, central bank money printing, and the involvement of major payment providers. This…

  • How Would A Trump Re-Election Impact The Markets?

    From a financial historian's perspective, 2020 will go down as one of the most active years in the modern era. A number of events sent the capital markets into a state of flux, namely the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Amid the presence of COVID-19 and subsequent economic shutdown, the world's currency, commodity, debt and equity markets experienced unprecedented volatility. Governments and central banking authorities took dramatic steps to stem the tides…

  • Financial Impact Of 2019-20 Australian Bushfires

    The Australian fires of 2019-20 brought acute environmental and economic damage to the continent. Following an extended period of abnormally dry, windy weather, Australia experienced one of its worst fire seasons on record. From September 2019 to January 2020, "bushfires" decimated an estimated 20 million acres, accounted for 25 human deaths and half a billion animal fatalities. Aside from being an environmental catastrophe, the economic implications stemming from the fires…

  • Will Quantitative Easing Stop The Coronavirus Pandemic Economic Fallout?

    The early 2020 onset of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought chaos to the financial markets. From its initial detection in Wuhan, China to the outbreak's late-February global explosion, the virus unhinged markets worldwide. No asset class was spared from COVID-19's wrath, beit equities, commodities, bonds or currencies. In an attempt to mitigate the negative economic implications of the coronavirus, central banking authorities turned to aggressive monetary policies. Led by…

  • How Will Brexit Affect The Economy Of South Africa?

    As soon as "leave" became the outcome of the 2016 U.K. Brexit Referendum, the future of trade between South Africa (SA), the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the European Union (EU) was thrown into flux. Upon the 31 December 2020 Brexit transition deadline passing, a new set of parameters will govern the multi-faceted commercial dynamic. South Africa's Trade Relations With The U.K. And EU South Africa's trade relationship with the EU…

  • What Is The 2019 UK General Election’s Impact On The GBP?

    On 30 October 2019, British Parliament approved a general election that was scheduled to take place 12 December 2019. This event could impact the pound's price because it could grant either the Labour or Conservative Party a majority, making it easier for the U.K. lawmakers to finalise Brexit with the European Union (EU). If Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party attains a majority in Parliament as a result of the…

  • What Cryptocurrency Traders Can Learn From 2018

    Digital currency traders can learn quite a bit from what happened in the market in 2018. If market observers conceptualise 2017 as the year that cryptocurrency investors drank too much, 2018 was when they felt the hangover. The digital currency markets flourished in 2017 and gained significant value while attracting significant interest from investors. However, they crashed the following year, alienating some who had put their faith in this asset…