Weekly Perspective

As August looms, Our team received this courtesy of the team at Goldman Sachs which we wanted to feature in light of the uncertainties before us in the Economic landscape due to Tariffs and other decisions by the Trump Administration: Midyear Investment Outlook: Staying the Course At the start of the year, the Goldman Sachs Investment Strategy Group (ISG) released its 2018 outlook, making the case for staying invested in the equity markets, despite an increasingly uncertain and unsteady political and geopolitical landscape. In response to subsequent spikes in market volatility and intensifying geopolitical headwinds, ISG released a midyear outlook,  Taking Stock of Our 2018 Outlook: (Un)Steady as She Goes,  reexamining the underlying factors driving markets. Given the steady backdrop of broad-based economic and earnings growth, robust employment and wage growth, and improving business investment, ISG reiterates the recommendation to stay fully invested, with a strategic overweight allo

It has been quite a month in our World as we bid farewell to July and gear up for a very busy August here in our properties.    The elections in Pakistan , Zimbabwe and Mali along with the continued controversies s urrounding the President of the United States has been quite a scene to be witness to .  This is as Israel passed the Nation-State Law that led to a resignation by an Arab Member of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament .      Syria, in the meantime, is also in the news as the end of the War appears to be in sight  even though the war continues onward with no end in sight.   We also were witness to changes in the Media Landscape as the parent of the Sydney Morning Herald, FairFax Media was bought out for 4 Billion Dollars and Disney's buyout of 21st Century Entertainment Assets was finalized.    As we gear up for a new month in our properties, we decided to embrace the new month with a high note about what can be possible with this "Rewind" courtesy of Al Jaze

Tehran From the Vantage Point of its' largest Structure:  Borj Milad (Milad Tower)  Rial Collapses and Gold Increases (Courtesy Iran Farda)  It has been an interesting week in our World as we have continued to assess the on-going realities in Iran.     The week began with comments from President Rouhani noting how The US had a chance to either come to terms with Iran or go to war--warning President Trump not to Play with a Lions Tail because it will have consequences.   This is as a question was asked by many in the Iranian Disapora captured in this headline from the LA Times' Sarah Parvini: Iran has seen a number of Cabinet changes by the President as the Currency has collapsed and the price of Gold Coins (a harbinger of Economic Health) has began to soar as People take refuge in such resources.    The war of words has continued so far--including the Parliament Speaker calling the President a Thug and The latest that came out of the Commander of the Quds Force.    Qasem Sulema

As our team continues its' on-going assessment, please enjoy these selections on another realistic check on the reality at hand as Trevor Noah also reflects upon the visit by @BarackObama to Africa on the occasion of #Madiba100:

On the Realities in Iran:  How Iran's Currency has lost its' Value It has been quite a weekend in our World.     We hereby commend Israel for facilitating the evacuation of 800 Syrian White Helmets and their families from Syria.   We are also of the view that is shared by many that it appears that Bashar Assad has apparently won as we saw reports of how things seem to be getting back to normal in Syria. Beyond Syria, there is Iran.   The US Secretary of State made a speech at the Reagan Library over the weekend that we hereby present courtesy of the State Department laying out the Trump Administration's assessment of the situation in Iran--as the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, came out swinging with his own attack on the Trump Administration.     Late Sunday night, President Trump responded in kind on Twitter In Capital Letters: To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HI

As we welcome all to Friday here in our Properties, our team decided to do things a "little different" as we hope all enjoy this live feed from the International Space Station which is available live by clicking on it here  as we go dark in our Properties throughout the weekend:

#Helsinki2018 aftermath continues.  Our team picked up analysis from some in the Conservative Media noting that the so-called "Left" or "Resistance" was in a state of Hysteria.   Jonathan Capeheart of the Washington Post compared the GOP reaction to what happens when the GOP comes out with its' "Thoughts & Prayers" Foreign Policy Edition especially in light of this very interesting article in Bloomberg View.  The Day after and the Aftermath was noted by Seth Meyers and Trevor Noah : As we went to press, the President walked back his comments yet again in an interview with CBS News as he held President Putin responsible in spite of what was discussed regarding Ambassador McFaul and Bill Browder that we released guidance on yesterday   

As the aftermath of #Helsinki continues, this was the latest courtesy of MSNBC--this is as President Trump gave an interview to CBS News stating that he holds Vladimir Putin responsible and he conveyed it to him during their one-on-on e.      This is also as apparently the case of Bill Browder came up and the question was asked at the Daily White House Press Briefing regarding questioning the former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul  and a Professor at Stanford: Our team created this grid of a meeting President Obama had while Ambassador McFaul served on the White House Staff with reaction from among other people including former Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. Truly Interesting times....

As we went to press here in our Virtual Studios here in Laguna Niguel, it is Wednesday in South Africa and officially Mandela Day.    Former US President @BarackObama delivered the annual Mandela Lecture and we hereby present the whole event courtesy of the Obama Foundation which also featured comments by the President of South Africa and the Widow of Nelson Mandela.

As our team went to press, President Trump had left Scotland after a 2-Day non working getaway at his resort to meet with the President of Russia in Finland.    Before he left, though, he gave an interview to CBS News which was reported out by the Team at the Washington Examiner in this manner--and an apparent suggestion that The UK should sue the EU --which the UK Prime Minister noted she decided not to take:    Trump calls EU 'a foe' ahead of Putin meeting President Trump described the European Union as "a foe" in an interview aired  Sunday , ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland. "I think we have a lot of foes," Trump told CBS News. "I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now, you wouldn't think of the European Union, but they are a foe." Read the full story here. As the President called for a massive increase in spending, the team at the National Priorities project provided a snaps