Author: Daniel snow

He bombed. Two words and the world went akilter. We get that. Visions blind us: a blocked Strait of Hormuz; $100 per barrel oil; a de-stabilized Iran and mullah revenge; our troops in harm’s way; and no end to Israel-Iran missile volleys. Monday’s reaction in the market? Always the same. Big institutions sell stocks, which are so-called risk assets, even as we know from the rise in the S & P 500 all of these last 40 years that stocks are hardly risky. No matter, the institutions want cash. They always want cash. They don’t know any better. They want…

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A cargo ship cruises toward the Strait of Hormuz off the shores of Khasab in Oman on Jan. 15, 2011.Marwan Naamani | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — The recent flare-up in Middle East tensions isn’t denting Chinese business optimism about opportunities in the region.Chinese shipments to Dubai’s logistics hub have risen by 20% this month from a year ago, as locals stock up on batteries and daily necessities, according to estimates from Bear Huo, China general manager at FundPark, a fintech startup that lends money to small Chinese businesses selling overseas via internet platforms.”Overall, Chinese merchants are relatively optimistic,” he…

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