Archive

January 29, 2025
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AI: Attack Of The Clones

  • AI investors were shocked by China’s DeepSeek successfully matching the performance of OpenAI’s GP4-o1 at a fraction of the build cost and despite export restrictions.
  • Innovating a more productive use of capital does not negate the potential gains from increasing processing power. Either way benefits the economy with faster AI progress.
  • Foundation model IP needs better protection against the attack of cloning distillation techniques to reap a return on investment while pushing the performance frontier.

By Philip Rush

January 27, 2025
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Russia, Ukraine and Trump’s Legacy

  • Contrary to the prevailing view among the commentariat, Russia’s economy alone will not bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table over Ukraine, even if Donald Trump follows through on his threats. But we may still see a deal this year. This would be good news for European equities.

By Alastair Newton

January 20, 2025
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US vs EU

  • European leaders are underestimating Donald Trump’s animus towards the EU and his readiness to do Europe down as part of his zero-sum MAGA agenda. Spurred by the tech titans, he will target the EU’s regulatory strength and trade. Europe’s likely response remains uncertain.

By Alastair Newton

January 08, 2025
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Oil in 2025

  • The threat of trade wars makes forecasting the oil price this year unusually hazardous. However, based on the ‘known knowns’, one can safely assume that the downward pressure we saw through 2024 will persist. My forecast for Brent crude on 31 December is, therefore, USD65 per barrel.

By Alastair Newton

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