Macro Hive Conversations With Bilal Hafeez

Jesper Koll is Board Director at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), founder and board director of Asia Society Japan, and Global Ambassador @ Monex Group and the Tokyo Financial Center. He previously served as Chief Strategist and Head of Research in Japan for major U.S. investment banks, including J.P. Morgan and Merrill Lynch. In this podcast, we discuss:
Japan's Holistic Socioeconomic Model
Transitioning from Abenomics Macro to a Stock-Picker's Market
Defence Exports as Prime Minister Takaichi's Flagship Industrial Driver
Breaking Factional Deals: The Shift Toward Political & Corporate Meritocracy
Takaichinomics & the 370 Trillion Yen Public-Private Industrial Policy
Corporate ROI, Overseas Earnings, and Energy Constraints (Modular Reactors)
The US-Japan $550 Billion Deal vs. Domestic Revitalisation
Bank of Japan Policy Normalisation & JGB Market Liquidity
Dollar/Yen Outlook & US Monetary Policy Spillovers
Demographic Sweet Spots & Japan's Pragmatic AI Strategy
The Evolution of Startup Culture & Established Corporate M&A
China Realities, Taiwan Synergies, and Korean Competition

Shahin Vallée is a former advisor to the President of the European Council (Herman Van Rompuy) and to the French Minister of Economy (Emmanuel Macron). He is also a researcher in political economy at DGAP (German Council on Foreign Relations) and a leading economic and political analyst. In this podcast, we discuss:
French Budget vs. Political Crisis
The Far-Right vs. Far-Left Runoff Scenario
French Polling Mechanics & Constituency-Level Risks
Le Pen's Fiscal Rule & Brussels Confrontation
Mélenchon's Surge & Centrist Fragmentation
General Election Scenarios & Governance Gridlock
ECB Interventions & German Political Friction
2027 ECB Leadership Transition & European Risks

Tomasz Nadrowski is a portfolio manager at the Amvest Terraden Critical Minerals Fund. He was a former Director at the World Economic Forum and Vice President of Business Development at AngloGold Ashanti, then the world's largest gold producer. Tomasz has spent over fifteen years managing commodity and mining equity portfolios for hedge funds and family offices across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. 

He is fluent in seven languages and a regular contributor to Oxford Analytica. He combines deep industry knowledge with a strategic understanding of how resources, markets, and power intersect in today's shifting geopolitical landscape. He is also the host of the podcast Tyranny Today. In this podcast, we discuss:
End of Pax Americana & Asymmetric Tech
Vulnerability of Maritime Chokepoints
The Sword Over the Shield (Wars of Attrition)
Western Re-Industrialization & Refining Bottlenecks
Rise of Western Hemisphere Energy Dominance
China's Critical Mineral Valve & "Game of Chicken"
Russian Gray-Zone Warfare in Europe
AI as Human "Unburdening"

Alex Edmans is a Professor of Finance at London Business School and is one of the world's leading academics on company purpose, social value, and profit. Alex has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. In this podcast, we discuss:
Amateur vs. Professional Behavioural Errors
Direction Right, Speed Wrong in AI and Tech Bubbles
The Limits of Contrarian Strategies
Herding Mechanics and Social Network Traps
Slow Uptake on Corporate Intangibles
Subtle C-Suite Tells: AGMs and Corporate Jets
Arithmetic Misreactions and Narrow Framing
The Anchoring Trap & Disposition Bias
Overconfidence in Amateur Stock-Picking
Exploiting a Long Investment Horizon

Paul Cavey is a China-focused Asia economist with twenty-five years of experience covering the region. He runs East Asia Econ. Previously, he was a macro strategist in the global bond team at Wellington Management, head of China economics at Macquarie Securities and chief China economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. In this podcast, we discuss:
AI Hardware Demand & Regional Supply Chains
Taiwan's Real GDP Expansion vs. Korea's Terms-of-Trade Shock
Taiwan's Negative Real Interest Rates & Inflation Outlook
East Asia's Resilience to Global Energy Shocks
Bank of Korea Policy Hikes & Won FX Dynamics
Japan's Fiscal Revenue Boom & Manufacturing Catch-Up
BOJ Policy Path, Persistent Inflation, and Yen Weakness
China's Property Slump & Incremental Credit Easing
China's Auto Export Surge & Sovereign Tech Stack
Sovereign Balance Sheet Divergence & CGB Market Dynamics