America was forced to confront the Soviet Union’s nuclear arsenal back in the 1980s. Amid that conflict, President Reagan delivered a speech that rings true today. “I urge you to be aware of the temptation of pride, the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore…

As Russia and Ukraine prepare for negotiations that the world hopes could bring an end to the month of intense violence in Eastern Europe, the country hosting the negotiations, Turkey, could soon play a key role in Vladimir Putin‘s chess game against NATO. The Turks and Germany could play huge roles in whatever NATO delivers as…

Apologies to all for having not written much in the past three weeks. The Ukraine War has been unfolding with such unforgiving speed and complexity that I’ve just not had time. While the pace hasn’t exactly slowed, the conflict is settling into a couple readily identifiable patterns that enable me to peer forward a bit. First,…

Russia claims to have made good on $117 million in interest payments due this week on two dollar-based bonds. But its status over sanctions could put those or future payments in limbo and risk Russia defaulting on foreign debt for the first time in more than a century. The foreign currency reserves Russia has to pay…

Hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyrr Zelenskyy spoke to Congress, President Joe Biden announced the U.S. will provide $800 million in additional aid to Ukraine, in addition to the $200 million sent earlier in the week. The package consists of defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, along with military education and training. “This new…

The Federal Reserve is hiking the federal funds rate multiple times in 2022 in an attempt to depress 40-year-high inflation. The move is meant to reverse easy monetary policies put in place at the start of the pandemic. From March 15, 2020, to March 16, 2022, the Fed’s target interest rate was set to “near…

As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, world leaders have pushed back to punish Russia. President Biden announced Friday he is working with European Union and G-7 leaders to remove Russia from having Permanent Normal Trade Relations or Most Favored Nation status. “Revoking PNTR for Russia is going to make it harder for Russia to…

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order directing the Treasury Department to study the impact of cryptocurrency on financial stability and national security. The order also urges the Federal Reserve to explore whether the central bank should create its own digital currency. According to a White House fact sheet on the order, it outlines “the…

President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a Tuesday speech, President Biden said the goal of the ban is to target “the main artery of Russia’s economy” and “deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.” “This is a move that has strong bipartisan…

If you thought that January was as bad as it could get for your stock portfolio, I suggest you prepare yourself. Because it may just be the beginning of a long and painful market correction we’re about to see. I’m not here to tell you how to invest your money or to tell you where…