Current Account with Clay Lowery
Hot topics in the financial industry from a U.S. politics and policy point of view.
2 years ago

Episode 70 – In a New York State of Mind – Proposed Sovereign Debt Legislation and its Consequences

with IIF's Sonja Gibbs, Managing Director and Head of Sustainable Finance

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's Sonja Gibbs, Managing Director and Head of Sustainability, to discuss recent legislative actions in the New York State Senate around a proposed bill on sovereign debt. Sonja and Clay discuss the contents of the bill, titled the "Sovereign Debt Sustainability Act," the overall impact of the bill should it be passed, industry reaction to the proposition, potential beneficial next steps and more.

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2 years ago

Episode 69 – Lessons from the Banking Turmoil of Spring 2023

In this episode of Current Account, Clay revisits the banking turmoil of March 2023 and its lessons learned. The episode incudes a breakdown of how the turmoil began, including the incidents involving firms such as SVB and Credit Suisse, what the landscape looks like one year later, what impact these specific situations may have analyzing risk and supervision, future implications of the turmoil and more.
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2 years ago

Episode 68 – Oh Mexico: Investor Interest and Presidential Elections

with IIF's Martín Castellano, Head of Latin America Research

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's Martin Castellano, Head of Latin America Research, to discuss the present economic state of Mexico and the upcoming Mexican Presidential Elections after recently returning from an investor trip to the country. The discussion includes overall trends in Mexico, explaining the situation around offshoring and its implications, what the outlook for the upcoming elections might be, the role of Mexico in relations between the U.S. and China, and more.

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2 years ago

Episode 67 – Surfing the Debt Tsunami

with IIF's Emre Tiftik, Director of Sustainability Research

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's Director of Sustainability Research, Emre Tiftik, to give an update on the current state of global debt. The podcast includes discussion on predominant trends on the current tally of over $310 trillion of global debt, outlook for the debt landscape in 2024, impact of geopolitics on debt, the concept of the United States being "the world's largest emerging market," funding strategy for climate finance, debt restructuring approaches and more.

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2 years ago

Episode 66 – Economic Impact of Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Resetting the Scene Two Years Later

with IIF's Ugras Ulku, Head of EM Europe Research and The Peterson Institute's Elina Ribakova, Nonresident Senior Fellow

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's Ugras Ulku, Head of Emerging Market Europe Research, and Elina Ribakova, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics, to give a detailed update of the economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on a global level. The discussion includes topics such as detailing Ukraine's necessity of foreign aid, how the Russian economy has responded to the international sanctions regime, what future sanctions may look like, what impacts a continued conflict may have on Ukraine and the global economy, and the unique approach to the Russia's reserve assets.

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2 years ago

Episode 65 – Economic Impact of Escalation of the Conflict in the Middle East

with IIF's Garbis Iradian, Chief Economist, Middle East & North Africa, and Ivan Burgara, Economist

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined again by IIF's Garbis Iradian, Chief Economist, Middle East & North Africa, and Ivan Burgara, Economist, to revisit the economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East. The trio discuss the likelihood and impact of two proposed scenarios: One in which the conflict is contained to the region and one where the conflict escalates beyond the region. Both scenarios are analyzed on a regional and global impact level.

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2 years ago

Episode 64 – Trump - the Sequel? Analyzing Economic Policy in a Second Trump Term

with Yuka Hayashi, Trade and Economic Security Journalist

In this episode of Current Account, Clay looks at the economic impact of what a second Donald Trump presidential term may be. Joining Clay is Yuka Hayashi, a journalist specializing on trade and economic security matters with over three decades of experience, including stints at the Dow Jones Newswires and Wall Street Journal. Clay and Yuka discuss what Trump's main priorities are, the feasibility and impact of his highly discussed universal tariff policy, how a Trump return to office may impact trade relations, how personnel selection will influence policy and much more.

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2 years ago

Episode 63 – Taiwan: A Predictable Trajectory?

with David Sacks, Fellow, Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by David Sacks, Fellow, Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations to talk about the recent elections in Taiwan. The topics include an analysis on the election's proceedings and process, how the election impacts the relationships between the United States and China, the United States and Taiwan, and Taiwan and China, and how the 2024 United States Presidential Election may influence the upcoming term.

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2 years ago

Episode 62 – Geopolitical Risk in 2024: The Buckets are Full

In this episode of Current Account, Clay reviews the outlook of 2024 through the lens of geopolitical risk. He breaks down the analysis into three sections - or buckets: The ongoing conflicts across the world, the status of the US-China relationship and the pending worldwide elections. The podcast includes discussion on how these topics will impact the economy in their respective regions and globally.
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2 years ago

Episode 61 – Shaving the Fuzz? A Recap of COP28

with IIF's Sonja Gibbs, Managing Director of Global Policy Initiatives and Head of Sustainable Finance

In the first Current Account episode of 2024, Clay is joined by IIF's Sonja Gibbs, Managing Director, Global Policy Initiatives and Head of Sustainable Finance, to discuss the recent COP28 Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The discussion includes reviewing key topics discussed at the conference, the state of sustainability in the present day, how carbon markets look to develop in the coming year, what the short and long-term future looks like for sustainable finance and more.

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