My partners and I have been deeply engaged with the markets, watching developments unfold in real time. We have seen this movie before. This is not our first encounter with extreme volatility, nor will it be the last. We live in a world addicted to instant reactions but we do not respond with panic. We…
Author: YH Wong
The penguins are cheering but the ice has cracked
Ladies and gentlemen, the tariffs have been delayed. Cue the confetti, pop the bubbly, and yes, cue the penguins waddling around in Wall Street vests, flapping in celebration. Wall Street surged with the Nasdaq rising +12.2% and the S&P 500 up +9.5% despite ongoing US-China frictions. The upside reversal was breathtaking and unsurprising but beneath…
The calm in the storm
Yes, it is true. I was at a partner’s office the other day, and even the cleaning lady asked me about tariffs. That is when you know things are getting real. “Is Trump mad? What is going to happen to the US dollar? Will the American empire collapse? Hey, what is Warren Buffett buying?” These…
Navigating the mud
Just wrapped up another video call with key partners as Trump moves forward with what we are calling the riskiest reengineering project in modern history – lots of alarming headlines out there. As the global sell-off deepens around the world, volatility has climbed significantly. This is one of those times when a zero return might…
Survey Monday
Markets around the world faced extreme volatility in the wake of Liberation Day, with waves of selling triggered by a confluence of political symbolism, liquidity constraints, and broader risk-off sentiment. Trump unveiled the steepest American tariffs in over a century, taking aim at nearly every major US trading partner. The minimum baseline tariff will be 10%…
Overdrive mode
The widely watched S&P 500 ended last week down sharply in the two days following Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff directives. According to Bespoke Investment Group, there have only been three other periods since 1952 when the current five-day trading week began that we have had two-day drops of 10%+: October 1987, November 2008, and March 2020….
Even the penguins felt it
I just finished watching a powerful clip where Singapore’s Prime Minister raised concerns about rising global trade tensions, drawing a sobering parallel to the 1930s, a time when escalating economic conflicts helped pave the way to global war. This is not just a history lesson. It is a reminder of how fragile the global system…
The effects of tariffs
Markets have tumbled in response to Trump’s latest tariff announcements, and as expected, we have been flooded with news, hot takes, and apocalyptic headlines, some insightful, others clearly designed to spike your blood pressure. Yes, there are valid reasons to be cautious about where the economy and markets might be heading from here. However, emotional…
Back to school
It is Liberation Day, so what happens next? Today marks what President Trump calls Liberation Day, the moment America reclaims its rightful place in global trade. Or at least, that is how he sees it: “Over the decades, they ripped us off like no country has never been ripped off in history, and we’re going…
The importance of succession planning in family businesses
Succession planning is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of running a family business. Having worked closely with families over the years, I have seen first-hand the challenges that arise when there is no clear plan for the future. This article from Vistage Worldwide offers valuable insights for business owners looking to secure their legacy…