July 16, 2021

Market Narratives Podcast

The great rupture, the essence of money and the future of humanity | Viktor Shvets

Last week I have recorded a podcast with Alex Proimos of Market Narratives and Investment Magazine. The focus was on my recent book (‘The Great Rupture – Three Empires, Four Turning Points and the Future of Humanity – Do we need to be free?’) and implications for variety of key issues from technological innovation and financialization to the role of money, and whether we need corporates at all. We have also discussed state of labour markets and whether public sector financing is stretched and what will happen to the bond and capital markets. These are long duration topics that have relevance for today’s fund managers as they navigate the twilight zone between liberal capitalism of yesterday (including conventional investment strategies dependent on private sector primacy and relatively free market signals) and a far more communitarian and statist future that is rapidly coming into view.

July 8, 2021

MacroVoices Podcast

I have tremendously enjoyed my podcast with Eric Townsend of MacroVoices. It was a wide ranging discussion but the primary focus was on the question of inflation-disinflation pendulum and reasons why I believe disinflation would ultimately prove to be the stronger force with price of everything eventually gravitating to zero. We have also debated the role and functioning of private sectors and why public sectors will become the arbiter of the strength of swings of the pendulum and whether capital markets would be ultimately nationalized. My conclusion was that a return to the 1970s is not on the cards but the next decade or two will be different to the preceding two decades.

May 10, 2021

Bloomberg’s Odd Lots Podcast

February 26, 2021

Portico Advisors Interview

February 2, 2021

Bloomberg Daybreak Middle East Interview

January 11, 2021

Bloomberg Interview

China Will Never Do What the West Asks: Viktor Shvets (Radio)

Viktor Shvets, Managing Director and Head of Asian Strategy at Macquarie Capital, discusses the latest on the markets with Juliette Saly and Doug Krizner on Bloomberg Daybreak Asia. (Source: Bloomberg.)

January 1, 2021

BBC Marketplace Interview

December 24, 2020

CNBC Interview

Some areas in China might ‘gradually become less investible,’ says Macquarie

Viktor Shvets of Macquarie Capital says a question remains over investors’ willingness and ability to purchase Chinese financial assets going forward amid political, social and ESG (environmental, social and governance) pressures. (Source: CNBC.)

December 22, 2020

CNBC Interview

There is room for cryptocurrencies going forward: Macquarie Capital

Viktor Shvets of Macquarie Capital says a question remains over investors’ willingness and ability to purchase Chinese financial assets going forward amid political, social and ESG (environmental, social and governance) pressures. (Source: CNBC.)

November 22, 2020

CNBC Interview

The whole world is an asset bubble today, says strategist

Viktor Shvets from Macquarie Capital notes that almost all assets are expensive on a historical basis, but says he’s not worried about the bubbles bursting. (Source: CNBC.)

November 10, 2020

Pi Capital Dial In Interview

Pi Capital Dial In Interview

Do we need to be free to be innovative, prosperous or even happy? Viktor’s book learns from the past and projects into the future and the lessons of the last five centuries were unequivocal – without freedom, there could be no prosperity or happiness. However, does it still hold true in the Information Age? Humanity is at a major turning point, and how we respond to the merger of technology and financialization will decide our future. As we hurtle towards that uncertain future, will it be capitalism or communism, feudalism or despotism? For the first time in at least five centuries, we have an opportunity and tools to build a different society and economy. Will we embrace the challenge? (Source: Pi Capital.)

October 23, 2020

Life on Planet Earth Podcast

New Communist Manifesto!? Viktor Shvets Says Repaying Globe’s Huge Debt is Crazy!…

What will happen if we try to converge money supply and nominal GDP?

Since the 1980’s, money supply in the US grew 2x-3x faster than nominal GDP. Similarly, if we place US household wealth and nominal GDP at 100 in 1980, by 2Q20, household wealth stood at 1,300 but GDP lagged at merely 700. What is the difference between the two numbers? My answer is financialization and inequalities. These were decades of slowing productivity, and the societal demand for perpetual growth (irrespective of consequences) could only be satisfied by bringing future consumption to the present and anchoring it through levitating asset prices.

How will it end? Are we prepared to say goodbye to our pensions or exuberant house prices? My answer – the only socially and politically palatable solution is an ever more powerful state that will aim to reduce tensions. In the podcast with John Aidan Byrne, an Irish American commentator, I debate these issues, including what will happen if we fail in our responses to the merger of Information Age and Financialization.

October 14, 2020

CNBC Interview

China is the only emerging market that investors want to buy: Macquarie

Unlike China, the other emerging markets lack a clear growth path forward and lack sufficient attractive areas for investment, says Viktor Shvets of Macquarie, calling them “just mediocre.”

October 6, 2020

Hamilton Wealth Management Webinar

Viktor Shvets, October 2020, Webinar – Thought Leader Series

It was my great pleasure to present my recent book – ‘The Great Rupture’ – at the webinar sponsored by Hamilton Wealth Partners. I have known Will for more than three decades and we were colleagues at two investment banks in Australia, UK and Hong Kong.

While it was a wide ranging discussion, the focus was very much on how radically different Information Age is likely to be when compared to more conventional industrial societies and economies. We have also discussed investment implications, including the likely persistence of growth and thematic strategies, inability to resurrect any form of mean reversion as well as shorter term issues of inflation and how today’s expansion of monetary and fiscal policies might impact investment strategies. It was a far deeper discussion than the conventional disinflation to inflation debate. Finally, we have touched on China, and discussed whether it is indicative of our common global future.

I hope you enjoy the webinar.

October 4, 2020

Bloomberg Daybreak Asia Podcast

Stimulus Is All That Matters in a Dysfunctional World

Viktor Shvets, Head of Asian Strategy at Macquarie Capital, discusses the latest on the markets with Juliette Saly on Bloomberg Daybreak Asia. Shvets says his advice to other investors is to “largely ignore” the uncertainties that are out of control because “you can not quantify something you don’t know.”

He also says that fiscal stimulus and monetary support is all that matters in a world that’s not functioning. (Source: Bloomberg.)

September 24, 2020

Equity Mates Investing Podcast

Expert Investor: Viktor Shvets – Future of humanity and impact on investing

It was my pleasure to be interviewed by Alec and Bryce from Equity Mates Investing. In a wide ranging discussion we have touched on many issues from my own best and worst stock calls and the lessons that one can learn from them to how current investment climate is changing and whether conventional compounding still works. We have also discussed the inevitability of MMT and even whether one should still consider embarking on an analytical career. While most conclusions were simply natural extensions of arguments contained in my recent book – ‘The Great Rupture’, the most important question for most people is one of timing, strength and durability of likely changes. As Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, once said: ‘There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen’. He was expressing his frustration with the slow pace of disintegration of the Russian Empire. In retrospect, he did not have to wait for long. Neither do we, with the pace of change accelerating almost on a daily basis.

I hope you enjoy the podcast.

September 14, 2020

CNBC International Interview

Separation between ‘Anglo and Sinosphere’ is permanent, says analyst

September 9, 2020

Bloomberg Daybreak Podcast

September 3, 2020

Double Shot Podcast Interview with Gareth Vaughan

Author and Macquarie strategist Viktor Shvets on the impact of the Information Age and financialization, and how they are creating a different, new world

Policy alternatives for a disrupted world

In this podcast with Gareth Vaughan, the editor of interest.co.nz, we have focused on policies that might help us dock at Thomas More’s Utopia island rather than Dystopia and get us away from Mad Max and far closer to Star Trek.

We discussed: virtues and vices of central planning vs free markets, the role of technology in allocation of capital and as a facilitator of inventiveness, pros and cons of basic income guarantees, role of data regulations and the likely changes in educational systems and finally the need for a new Marshall plan for the least developed economies. We have also discussed what will happen if natural human inertia and resistance to change triumphs and a more dystopian and Orwellian world becomes a reality – War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength. The key warning from my book (‘The Great Rupture’) – technology and financialization might be able to create illiberal and brutal societies that no longer suffer from lack of ideas, inventiveness or prosperity.

I hope you enjoy the podcast.

August 24, 2020

Bloomberg Interview

August 13, 2020

EDUK8 Podcast with Brandon Na

Head of Global Strategy for Macquarie Group & Author Viktor Shvets poses “The Great Rupture”

It was my pleasure to be interviewed by my friend, Brandon Na, who is a successful West Coast entrepreneur and an educational consultant. Unlike my previous podcasts that focused on the economic and market implications arising from my recent book (‘The Great Rupture’), this interview dwells on an equally important issue: likely changes to our educational systems, diminishing importance of narrow skills, and the need to reassess what is meant by human capital.

I argue that education is one of four key policies that will likely reshape the Information Age, with others being: (a) need for basic income guarantee, (b) changes in the regulatory, taxation and competitive environment, and (c) Marshall Plan for the least developed parts of the world. Ultimately, policy makers and societies will have no choice but to recognize that our growing irrelevancy and declining marginal contribution of labor and capital make these policies obligatory. The only question is whether this happens before or after much greater dislocation?

The podcast also discusses many other topics, such as: why has economics evolved into a mathematical science; the critical importance of studying history, and what motivated me to write a book? I hope you enjoy this rather long podcast.

August 6, 2020

Eureka Report Podcast with Alan Kohler

How To Approach Investing In The Current Environment

In the follow-up podcast with Alan Kohler, editor of Eureka Report and the Editor in Chief of InvestSmart, we focused on specific investment implications arising from my recently released book – ‘The Great Rupture’. The first podcast discussed the main thrust of the book and it was posted in early July.

In today’s interview, a wide range of topics included growth vs value investment styles, changing role of labor and capital, differences between tangible and intangible capital, importance of state and MMT style policies, likely inflationary outcomes as well as my thoughts on gold, technology and crypto currencies. The world is changing and so must investment styles.

August 5, 2020

Bloomberg’s Odd Lot’s Podcast

There’s No Going Back To Pre-COVID Capitalism

It was my pleasure and privilege to be interviewed by Bloomberg (Odd Lots podcast) with Tracy Alloway and Joe Wiesenthal as the hosts.

The topic was my recently released book – ‘The Great Rupture’. In an extensive interview, we have discussed many issues, but the most important conclusion was that although COVID-19 by itself is not the prime mover, it has accelerated the decades’ old pre-existing trends, making it impossible to return to the conventional liberal Industrial Age economic and investment models. We have discussed the role of technology and financialization, and how these are reshaping our societies, and also debated the role that natural human resistance to change played in the evolution in the past centuries and in our current responses to dislocations, from the Black Monday in 1987 and GFC to the pandemic. Finally, we have discussed how demographic changes are likely to strengthen the role of the state in political, economic and investment life, further reinforcing the disruptive impact of technological revolution and financialization.

I hope you enjoy listening to this podcast.

July 29, 2020

Good Future Podcast with John Treadgold

Viktor Shvets: As debt and the information-age collide, what will the new-economy look like?

I really enjoyed doing this podcast with John. We have discussed a huge range of topics from economics, politics and finance to generational change and its impact on public and private sector policies; environmental issues and last but least, lessons from history. I hope you enjoy listening to our discussion.

July 9, 2020

Bloomberg Daybreak Asia Radio Podcast

Viktor Shvets on the Markets

Viktor Shvets, Head of Asian Strategy at Macquarie Capital, discusses the latest markets news with Doug Krizner and Paul Allen on Bloomberg Daybreak Asia (Source: Bloomberg).

June 29, 2020

Eureka Report Podcast with Alan Kohler

Viktor Shvets – Author of The Great Rupture: Three Empires, Four Turning Points, and the Future of Humanity and Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific

It was my privilege to be interviewed by Alan Kohler, editor of Eureka Report and the Editor in Chief of InvestSmart, and my very good friend for many years. The subject matter was my recently released book, ‘The Great Rupture – Do we need to be Free – Three Empires, Four Turning Points and the Future of Humanity’.

Over fifty minutes, we have discussed and debated most of the key conclusions from the book, from liberal capitalism and communism to monetary, fiscal and MMT policy tools, role of intangibles as opposed to conventional capital to geopolitical upheavals, China – US rivalry and the future of humanity – are we on a threshold of a new Renaissance? It was a great discussion and I hope you will enjoy listening to it, despite its length, and in the near future, I also hope to be able to share the second part of our discussion.

Here is the link and I am grateful to Alan for allowing me to share it with you.

April 28, 2020

Bloomberg Daybreak Asia Podcast

Viktor Shvets on Markets

Viktor Shvets, Global Markets Head of Asian Strategy at Macquarie Commodities, discusses the latest on central bank policy and the markets with Doug Krizner and Juliette Saly on Bloomberg Daybreak Asia (Source: Bloomberg)

December 2019

BNN Bloomberg Interview

Fed Always Goes Too Far, Macquarie’s Shvets Says

Viktor Shvets, head of Asian strategy at Macquarie Commodities & Global Markets, talks about Federal Reserve policy and the implications for financial markets. He speaks with Yvonne Man and Rishaad Salamat on “Bloomberg Markets: China Open” (Source: Bloomberg).

October 3, 2019

ABC News Interview

Extended Interview with Viktor Shvets

Dumping stocks and piling into gold happens every time there is a new shock data print or a provocative tweet from the US President. Viktor Shvets is a managing director at Macquarie. He’s head of Asian strategy, and he’s global strategy co-ordinator (Source: ABC News).

September 16, 2019

CNBC Interview

China not using the tools that can accelerate its economy: Expert

The slowdown has very little to do with trade, says Viktor Shvets, head of Asian strategy at Macquarie, Commodities and Global Markets (Source: CNBC News).

August 15, 2019

Bloomberg Odd Lots Podcast

What Negative Interest Rates Mean for the World

A very engaging discussion about the ramifications of persistently low and negative interest rates. Goes into Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) and neo-Keynesian aspects and argues why current approach Fed has been taking, mainly that lowering rates will increase economic activity and growth, will have to evolved over the coming few years if we are to get rates back up to a respectable level, and increase growth. (Source: Bloomberg Odd Lots.)

August 15, 2019

CNBC Interview

Strategist: Yield curves predict ‘absolutely nothing,’ and central banks ‘never run out of bullets’

  • “My view has always been that yield curve predicts absolutely nothing,” says Viktor Shvets, head of Asian strategy at Macquarie Commodities and Global Markets.
  • “It has to be made clear: Central banks never run out of bullets, ever,” he says.
  • While fiscal responsibility and structural reforms are good ideas in theory, they almost never work in practice, the strategist adds.

(Source: CNBC News)

August 15, 2019

CNBC Interview

The yield curve tells you ‘very little,’ says Macquarie

Viktor Shvets of Macquarie says the yield curve predicts “absolutely nothing” and only tells the market that there will be a recession “if you don’t do something about it” (Source: CNBC News).

August 8, 2019

Bloomberg Daybreak Asia Interview

Viktor Shvets, head of Asian strategy at Macquarie Commodities and Global Market, talks about monetary and fiscal policies and the implications for financial markets. He speaks with Shery Ahn and Paul Allen on “Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia.” (Source: Bloomberg)

July 17, 2018

Bloomberg Interview

April 14, 2019

Bloomberg Interview

Viktor Shvets, head of Asian strategy at Macquarie Commodities and Global Markets, discusses China’s credit market and his outlook for the economy. He speaks on “Bloomberg Markets: China Open.” (Source: Bloomberg)

March 4, 2019

CNBC Interview

Viktor Shvets of Macquarie Commodities and Global Markets discusses the changes happening in labor markets. He also says inflation “will never come through,” and the Federal Reserve stopping at neutral may not be enough to reverse disinflation in the global economy (Source: CNBC News).