Elections

This week's report is guest-authored by my colleague, Marko Papic, BCA's Chief Geopolitical Strategist. In a highly controversial piece, Marko argues that Donald Trump's strategy of focusing on the concerns of white working class voters may represent the GOP's best hope for winning this year's presidential election. As such, we expect the political debate to remain highly charged over the coming months, possibly to the detriment of risk assets.

In recent travel, our clients remain focused on downside risks to today's range-bound markets. And for good reason. Uncertainty regarding Chinese reaction function is the biggest source of political risk in today's markets. We discuss it in detail in this month's report, along with an update on our views of Brazil, Russia, and Turkey. In addition, we examine the potential casualties of the European immigration crisis and the likelihood of Donald Trump becoming the president of the United States.

In recent travel, our clients remain focused on downside risks to today's range-bound markets. And for good reason. Uncertainty regarding Chinese reaction function is the biggest source of political risk in today's markets. We discuss it in detail in this month's report, along with an update on our views of Brazil, Russia, and Turkey. In addition, we examine the potential casualties of the European immigration crisis and the likelihood of Donald Trump becoming the president of the United States.

In this Special Report for the U.S. "Super Tuesday" primary elections, we offer a short primer on what you really need to know about the nomination process. We explain why Clinton's nearly inevitable victory will still take time, and why a "brokered" Republican convention in July is not enough to stop the Trump juggernaut. This sets the stage for our coverage of what promises to be a wild election with important consequences for American productivity, economic growth, and political risk.

Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party is poised to win the presidency and possibly the legislature in elections January 16. The result will be icier cross-strait relations in the coming years that will add a geopolitical headwind to Taiwanese assets, even as it struggles to cope with a low-growth world. Taiwan still has advantages over other emerging markets, but its outlook is darkening.