DDIntel - Geopolitics, Market Outlook, and Human Behavior

Political economy is the study of both economics and politics. It looks at how governmental policy has an impact on economic outcomes. Since the establishment of advanced and pre-advanced economies, politics has always impacted the economics of states and nations globally. One aspect of governmental policy affecting economics is war. 

For example, during the first and second world wars, politics significantly affected the economies of warfaring countries and states across the globe. War not only costs the nations involved but has a collateral impact on the wider global economy. On the other hand, conflict can cause an economy to boom due to increased aggregate employment.

Furthermore, sometimes states invade one another or go to war for economic gains, creating a trade-off between politics and economics. When a nation invades another, it can have huge economic impacts for those involved and the wider international community.

Over the last few weeks, there have been rumors that Russia may invade Ukraine again; such an invasion may negatively impact the stock market, increasing volatility and causing economic shocks.

DocJulien is an experienced scientist in drug development and molecular imaging. He specializes in using molecular probes to detect cancer and treatment efficacy assessment. DocJulien’s research interests also include using mAb and ADC as a treatment against various types of cancer. 

DocJulien is an expert in his field and is available for a DDIChat session regarding science and technology. You can book a DDIChat session with him today.

Our DDI writer Nuno Fabiao has just finished his first book How to Succeed in the Blockchain and Bitcoin Ecosystems. Nuno has been a thoughtful leader on the topics, especially from a social-economic perspective.

Here’s just a fraction of what you’ll learn from Nuno:

·         What are the constraints of the present financial system.

·         How the blockchain and the Bitcoin network are being built.

·         How cryptocurrencies and tokens work in the real world.

·         What are the less risky tokens to start investing in.

Over the last two years, experts have been wrong regarding the nature of the stock market. The consensus has been wrong since 2020, and 2022 looks even more unpredictable. Sylvain Saurel outlines in his latest article why there is a fog on the horizon for 2022 and no consensus for a trend emerging in the stock market. He puts some of the blame on the new Covid-19 variant Omicron alongside other factors.

Creating a startup is difficult, let alone building a successful one. In reality, most startups fail to take off due to several different reasons. One of these is cofounder disagreements. As a result, to create a successful startup, you need a great cofounder team. Matt Ward delves into this topic further in his article, explaining 7 key things you need to remember when choosing the right cofounder. Matt explores the skills required to be a cofounder, the values and goals of a cofounder and why family is always a bad idea when choosing a cofounder.

It is well known that there is a link between Autism and Epilepsy. It is estimated that around 30/50% of children born autistic also have epilepsy. Likewise, those with epilepsy often are born with autistic traits. In her interesting article Dr. Natalie Frank explores the relationship in more detail while examining the recent medical breakthrough treatment for co-occurring epilepsy and autism. She outlines what this miracle treatment is and its effects. 

Over the last month, scams have been on the rise in the NFT world. Yesterday, famous rapper Waka Flocka Flame had his Opensea NFT wallet hacked, costing the artist $19,000. Likewise, NFT projects have been hacked across the spectrum using platforms such as Discord. In his insightful article above, Abhimanyu Bhargava outlines 12 things you can do to keep your NFT wallet secure and avoid being scammed. He suggests keeping your wallet on a separate system, using a hardware wallet, and other tips to keep your valuable NFTs safe.

Humans are creatures of habit, but often when faced with adversity, they like to avoid problems. In Jerry Lawson’s article above, he explains, using historical examples, how humans often leave issues rather than trying to solve them. He explains this comes down to our inability to alter our behaviours and thought. It is an insightful read that you should check out to understand more about human psychology, culture, and social development.

Russia is potentially preparing to invade Ukraine. Such a manoeuvre could cause significant volatility in the stock market, making western countries more likely to enforce military actions. Simon Constable’s article above explains why this is and how a potential invasion could cause market shocks. He also describes how the attack could be more damaging than the Covid-19 Omicron variant economically. It is a great read that uses political economy to demonstrate how geopolitics can impact economics.

Russia and Ukraine have always had a tricky relationship. Since the Crimea war and beyond, the states have been at loggerheads. Ukraine is seen as a strategic vantage point and buffers against western encroachment for Russia. Ukraine is a valuable ally against Russian influence in Europe for the West. Although geopolitics is not as important as 100 years ago, Russia is starting to give off possible signs of another invasion. As a result, the political landscape is continually changing. However, politics is not the only factor influencing possible attack, but rather economics. Adam Tabriz’s article above highlights why Ukraine has high economic importance.

Voice-controlled technology was all the craze five years ago. Built-in voice-activated software in phones such as Siri, Cortana, and Alexa has been integrated into our mobile and at-home devices, but no one uses them. Why is this? Why could such a well-received idea fail to take off? The answer comes down to the difficulty in changing human behaviours. Giles Crouch explains more in his latest article. He provides an intuitive discussion on what happened to voice and smart speakers.