Finance & economics | Buttonwood

The pitfalls of trading geopolitical risk

Beware the armchair general—especially if it’s yourself

TALK TO THOSE who regularly buy and sell financial assets in the world’s trouble spots and you soon come across a perennial source of irritation. Everybody is an expert. The prospect of conflict turns every know-nothing spreadsheet jockey into a military strategist or Kremlin-watcher. Buttonwood shares this indignation on behalf of newspaper columnists everywhere. Making bold statements based on a little knowledge is our racket. Move along, please. We’re already working this corner.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “The art of war”

Putin’s next move

From the April 24th 2021 edition

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