Weekend Reading #267

This is the two-hundred-and-sixty-seventh weekly edition of our newsletter, Weekend Reading, sent out on Saturday 11th May 2024

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What we're thinking.

Markets were fairly quiet this week with a bit of two-way volatility but there is no doubt now that data in the US is beginning to weaken, something we haven’t seen for a very long time. Remember in markets to be careful what you wish for. Historically when the Fed cuts, markets do not take kindly to it. At the moment we seemingly are in a window until the first cut and hence a possible sweet spot. But probably once again not time to be too carried away. 

What we're doing.

I’ll be flying over to HK next weekend catching up with friends and colleagues, and perhaps most importantly taking part in the annual APAC FIX Conference which is now celebrating its 22nd year in Hong Kong. For those that don’t know, FIX is the messaging layer which connects all of our global financial systems, meaning staying up to date with what's going on in the world of FIX is crucial. If you’re around and fancy catching up, drop me a line and I’ll see if we can fit something in. HS

What we're watching.

I tried watching Baby Reindeer, the Netflix series everyone is talking about. It was utter rubbish. I don’t need to see graphic scenes of drug infused sexual abuse. I get it, there was a guy who was stalked, and he wrote a show and starred in it himself, thus reliving all of his trauma etc. Piers Morgan even managed to interview the real-life stalker that the show is based on. Funnily enough it turns out she is a bit of a nutter. Lots of hype, well done to the publicists et al. But seriously it's just really grim. Save yourself. 
 

Redeye on ITV of all places was pretty good fun. Most of it takes place on a flight from London to Beijing but it's all about the deep state and those kinds of things and some doctors who gets caught up in the middle. Pretty well put together and good entertainment. DC 

What we're reading.

Ransomed daughter by Eric Bishop was short and full of action. I read his previous book, The Body Man, a full novel which I kinda enjoyed and when I saw this, the idea of a short story appealed to me given time and attention constraints. It was exactly what it promised, and it didn’t take long to get through. Another international spy thriller of sorts. Worth a few hours of reading. DC

What we're listening to.

This interview with Israeli journalist, Ari Shavit, is superb. It highlights that not everything we see and hear is binary. The conversation is around how the campus protests are viewed from Israel, but it gets really deep into what it means to be an Israeli who wants to live in a secure country, free from attack and also to have empathy for Palestinians. Shavit speaks of how since the last round of peace talks, Israel turned rightwards, led by Netanyahu and wonders how it's possible to get back to where the country was before. This was a heartfelt conversation, warts and all. DC
 

Before I left Jakarta earlier this week, it was suggested to me that I check out the blues bar at the Fairmont Hotel for a 2-hour blues performance by a lady by the name of Kemala Ayu. Jakarta is known for many good things, but I wouldn’t have put blues music anywhere on that list, but a few moments into the gig quickly proved that stereotype wrong. A quick search on Google served up a wiki entry (in Bahasa) describing Kemala Ayu as the “Anita Baker of Indonesia”, and as far as her voice goes, that’s a more than reasonable claim. Of course, as with every blues gig, the instruments are equally important, and the band was excellent in accompaniment and solo improvisation. The only part of the evening that I found a bit of a shame was that the room was rather empty for a performance by such an accomplished group. It might well be that the blues aren’t at the top of the trending genres list these days, but I’m glad I took that suggestion and went to something a bit different from the usual options of “catch a film” or “hang out in a mall”. EL