Jacob Shapiro

Global Macro Adviser - The Strategic Funds Jacob L. Shapiro is a geopolitical analyst with over 10 years of experience providing clients with the context, foresight, and extensive analysis they need to solve for the unknown and enhance their understanding of global and regional affairs. He is the founder and chief strategist of Perch Perspectives, a human-centric business and political consulting firm that applies geopolitical expertise to business strategy for Fortune 500 companies and governments. Formerly, he was the director of analysis at Geopolitical Futures and a Middle East analyst at the global intelligence firm Stratfor. A loyal student of history and geography, Jacob wields both in order to empower his clients to make accurate, informed decisions and gain a more holistic view of the events and issues that impact them. Jacob always maintains a distinctly global focus in his work, but he also has extensive experience tackling problems in supply chain, agriculture, technology, and energy markets.

Why Iron Ore Prices Mean More Than You Think

If you were a commodities-focused investor and had success over the last decade, iron probably had something to do with your performance. Indeed, according to this chart from S&P Global Platts below, iron ore futures "drastically" outperformed most other metals and mining equities since 2015.

Wheat Prices Critical for 2022

Since launching our ambitious series on commodities, we have spent a significant amount of time on energy. That's with good reason: according to the latest reading of the U.S. Consumer Price Index that has markets jittery and the Federal Reserve dreaming of interest rates, energy prices are up 33 percent, compared to 6.8 percent for all goods. But if energy prices have spiked suddenly, hiding in plain sight of the global inflation story are food prices, which have steadily increased since May 2020, when pandemic-related economic shutdowns started impacting agricultural supply chains.

A Hydrogen-Powered Paradigm Shift

Today, hydrogen is largely used for industrial purposes, either in oil refining or the production of ammonia fertilizers. (If you didn't read our missive on fertilizers, click here). But hydrogen has a lot more potential than that. Hydrogen can also be used as a fuel. It can be transported via pipelines or ships, just like liquified natural gas.

Data is the Revolution

To understand the importance of data, and how to express that importance in terms of investments, let's start with something that is simultaneously simpler and more complex: A map. This is just not any old map, however. The image below shows the plumbing of the modern economy – the underseas cables that create the digital environment that allow you, dear reader, to consume this content wherever in the world you are sitting.

Data is the Revolution

To understand the importance of data, and how to express that importance in terms of investments, let's start with something that is simultaneously simpler and more complex: A map. This is just not any old map, however. The image below shows the plumbing of the modern economy – the underseas cables that create the digital environment that allow you, dear reader, to consume this content wherever in the world you are sitting.

Why Global Fertilizer Prices Affect Everything

Last year around this time, fertilizer prices were approaching their lowest levels in a decade. Fast forward 12 months, and fertilizer prices are now at decade highs, increasing to levels last seen in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

Why Global Fertilizer Prices Affect Everything

Last year around this time, fertilizer prices were approaching their lowest levels in a decade. Fast forward 12 months, and fertilizer prices are now at decade highs, increasing to levels last seen in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

Catching light(ning) in a bottle – An intro to the US electricity grid and its markets…

Electricity is an unorthodox commodity. Technically, of course, electricity is a fungible economic unit. One megawatt can be replaced with another megawatt – it doesn't matter whether the electricity in question is generated from a nuclear plant, from a solar panel, or natural gas. Like most commodities, electricity is traded in markets and in just about any quantity.

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