The first known use of the word “gridlock” occurred in the early 1970’s, and is generally attributed to officials within the New York City Department of Transportation. In its original context, the noun refers to a traffic jam in which a grid of intersecting streets is so completely congested that no vehicular movement is possible. By extension, the term has since… Read More

Like many that have come before it, the second quarter of 2011 offered a full palette of potentially grave scenarios. Media headlines and expert commentators alike focused our attention on the “soft patch” being felt throughout the global economy (growth rates below 2% in most developed countries), the fact that domestic unemployment remains challenging (1-in-6 Americans lack the work they desire), inflation that’s… Read More

Global financial markets extended their rally during the first quarter despite significant unrest across parts of Northern Africa and the Middle East, a massive earthquake, tsunami and partial nuclear meltdown in Japan, renewed sovereign debt issues in Europe, and continued inflationary pressures in several key developing economies. Although these exogenous shocks did cause a temporary spike in the “fear gauge” commonly known as… Read More

Wrapping it up into a single sentence, 2010 could be described as the year in which global equity markets managed to tack on impressive gains despite an anemic economic recovery and a host of other macro concerns. Not only did the world survive, but we realized once again how well societies and companies can withstand misfortune and still churn forward…. Read More

Oceanic tides, or the cyclical rise and fall of seawater, are one of the most powerful forces on Earth. Tides are caused by slight variations in the gravitational pull of the moon and sun, and the rotation of our planet. Many parts of the world experience mixed tides, where successive high-water and lowwater stands differ appreciably. Given the recent experience, we… Read More