GeoMacro | Tactical Risks & Opportunities
Near-term geopolitical analysis, focused on the 0-3 month horizon. Publication frequency shaped by urgent global events.
The odds of a near-term US-Iran deal have gone up slightly, but the odds of a Russian provocation that divides NATO have also gone up.
I spent the last week in London, speaking to a wide array of BCA Research clients. Throughout the early part of the week, well connected friends and sources in the Middle East warned me that a renewed US attack on Iran was imminent (by Friday, May 22, after the market close, bien sûr). Several clients with hefty AUM’s – and thus an impressive geopolitical consulting budget – in London confirmed that the US attack was all but assured.
Equities have thrown caution to the wind for much of April and early May. We do not disagree with the sanguine mood, but caution that the Hormuz saga is far from over. Still, the AI capex mania continues and the labor market is firming in the US, suggesting that there is more upside to equities.
Aggregate Senate betting market pricing appears too pessimistic on Democrats relative to state-level odds and early polling, suggesting a potential mispricing and a relatively sanguine attitude towards the still-unresolved conflict in Iran and its aftermath.
The tenuous ceasefire holds, with the "new geopolitical equilibrium scenario" remaining in place. Enough crude trickles through Hormuz to avert a global recession, but not to alleviate building inflationary pressures, a product of a complicated geomacro context that is not transitory. The Fed will look to ignore these in the short term, fueling the equity rally in the US. Chinese equities may pop thanks to the upcoming détente. When does it all end? Beware of major IPOs!
The surprisingly solid ceasefire between Iran, the US, Israel, and GCC countries broke on May 4 with a ballistic missile and drone attack against the UAE. According to reports, UAE defense forces intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones, launched by Iran.
The Iran war is likely to re-escalate later this year even if shipping somehow resumes in the very near term — and yet an early reopening is looking less likely.
Peru is well established to elect a pro-market government in the June 7 run-off, with institutional constraints limiting left-tail policy risks. We will go long Peruvian assets when Hormuz volatility subsides.
Red Light. Green Light. So much for the “all clear” in the Hormuz saga.