When a daisy chain of retrocessionaires exists, a single weak link can pose trouble for all. In assessing the soundness of their reinsurance protection, insurers must therefore apply a stress test to all participants in the chain, and must contemplate a catastrophe loss occurring during a very unfavorable economic environment. After all, you only find [...]

Watching, monitoring, and analysing the economy and her markets is as much about tracking discourses (and how they change) as it is about perusing data material on various leading and lagging indicators. And thus, as I am still knee deep into putting the last touch on my thesis [1] I thought that I might as [...]

The Economist published an excellent analysis on the future of reserve currencies in the world (link).

RUSSIA IS MASSIVE BUT DISAPPEARING
Russia with 6,592,800 square miles (17,075,400 square kilometers) spanning 11 time zones is easily the largest country in the world covering about 1/8th of its landmass.  The BRIC  economies, Brazil, Russia, India and China are both similar and different.  With only about 142 million people, tremendous natural resources and about 8 million [...]