Topics on Markets, Business & Economy

Today’s situation is not easy. Here are our thoughts on some of the current topics in Financial Markets, Business & Economy

Foundation - Market System/Value/Price

• Market

  • Anatomy of a Market - What is a market and how does it operate?

    • Market Participants - Understanding Buyers & Sellers in a Market

    • Products - Understanding the thing that is bought and sold in Markets

    • Transactions - The process which results in the exchange of products between two market participants

  • Market system - Understanding a market from a systemic point of view

  • Market ecosystem - Understanding the system that hosts a Market

    • Market access - Ability of a participant to access the market

    • Market-making - The act of creating a market

  • Quality of Market or Market-based System - Several parameters define the quality of a market or market-based system

  • Marketplace - When you have a congregation of Markets

• Product

  • Definition - What is a Product?

  • Product accessibility - Ability to access the product to derive value.

  • Product transferability - Ability to transfer the ownership of the product.

  • Product usage cost/price - The cost & price structure of usage of a product.

• Value

  • Definition - What is Value?

  • Types of Value - What are the various types of Value?

    • Acquisition cost

      • Purchase cost

      • Transaction cost

    • Maintenance cost

    • Exit value

      • Consumption value (or Conversion value)

      • Sale value (Transfer value)

  • Evaluation of Value - How do we assess Value?

  • Understanding the process of Valuation

• Price

  • Definition - Poking at Price: What exactly is Price and how does it differ from Value?

  • Price discovery - The process of discovering a high-quality price

  • Liquidity - Liquidity defines if price-discovery is possible

    • Liquidity structures: L1 | L2 | L3

  • Volatility - Volatility defines variance of price discovery with time

Portfolio Management

• Market Activities

  • Investing vs. Trading

  • Arbitrage

• Investment Strategies

  • Diversification vs. Concentration

  • Dollar-Cost Averaging

  • Growth Investing

    • Growth at Reasonable Value

  • Value Investing

    • Value Trap

  • Cyclical vs. Secular Investing

  • Defensive

  • Hedging

• Risk Management

  • Types of Financial Risks - Market Risk | Credit Risk | Liquidity Risk | Operational Risk

  • Management of Risks

Investing Styles

• Passive Investing

• Macro Investing

  • US Macro

  • US-Canada Macro

  • Global Macro

• Equity Investing

  • Overall Rating (A++, A+, A, B++, B+, B, C++, C+, C, F)

  • Growth Rating (GA++, GA+, GA, GB++, GB+, GB, GC++, GC+, GC, GF)

  • Cyclical Rating (CA++, CA+, CA, CB++, CB+, CB, CC++, CC+, CC, CF)

  • Value Rating (GA++, GA+, GA, GB++, GB+, GB, GC++, GC+, GC, GF)

  • Dividend Rating (DA, DB, DC, DF)

• Thematic Investing

  • Yield generator

  • Systemically critical

  • Market leaders

  • Artificial Intelligence

  • Opening the door to the Metaverse!!

  • Electric Vehicles

  • Cryptic crypto?

  • Digital Transformation

  • Cloud Computing

  • Cybersecurity

  • 5G Telecommunications

  • Plant-based diet

  • Space race

  • If I had invested a million dollars ten years ago?

Macro-Economy

• Are dot plots by the Fed a mistake?

• To hike or not to hike?

• Are we heading for a recession? Latest CPI read - slowdown on deflation

• Will the Fed pause first before pivoting?

• Why did the Fed fall behind the curve?

Research of Market Events - Bulls & Bears | Bubbles & Crashes

• History of Markets: A study of major market events through history - from the first documented bubble/burst to the most recent crisis

• 2023 - Banking Crisis (ONGOING)

  • Timeline of Credit Suisse collapse

  • Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB) - The Timeline

  • Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB) - Who is responsible?

  • Collapse of Signature Bank (SBNY)

• 2021/2022 - Inflation spike & Rate Hiking cycle (ONGOING)

• 2021 - Archegos Capital Management - A review of its sudden collapse and the resulting impact

• 2020 - 2022 SPAC Mania and Collapse

• 2020 - 2022 Crypto Mania and Collapse

• 2020 - Covid Pandemic and Recession

• 2013 - Taper Tantrum

• 2010’s - The longest Bull Market

• 2010 - Flash Crash

• 2009 - 2010: European Debt Crisis

• 2007 - 2010 Great Financial Crisis

• 2004 - 2007 Housing Bubble

• 2000 - 2003 Dot Com Bubble Bust

• 1995 - 1999 Dotcom Bubble

• 1998 - LTCM Collapse

• 1998 - Russian financial crisis

• 1997/1998 - Asian financial crisis

• 1990 - Recession

• 1980’s - Roaring 80’s

• 1980’s - 1990’s - Savings & Loans Crisis

• 1984 to 1989 - Japanese Asset Price Bubble

• 1987 - Black Monday

• 1981/1982 - Volker Recession

• 1970 to 1982 - Inflation surge

• 1979 - Iran Energy Crisis

• 1973 - Oil Embargo Crisis

• 1969/1970 - Recession

• 1960’s - The Go Go Years

• 1960/1961 - Recession

• 1957/1958 - Recession

• 1953/1954 - Recession

• 1948/1949 - Recession

• 1945 - Recession

• 19337/1938 - Recession

• 1929/1933 - Great Depression

• 1925 - 1928 - Florida Land Boom

• 1920’s - Roaring 20’s

• 1921 - Recession

• 1918/1919 - Recession

• 1913/1914 - Recession

• 1907 - Panic

• 1840’s - Railway Mania

• 1716 - Mississippi Bubble

• 1711 - The South Sea Bubble

• 1634 - 1637: Tulip Mania - The Formation and Collapse of the first documented Bubble in Modern Market History

Topics on Product Management

Understanding the Basics

• What is a Product?

• What is a Service?

• The difference between Product vs. Service

• What is Product Management?

• Who is a Product Manager - Basic?

Understanding the Context

• Know your Sector & Industry

• Know your Business

• Know your Customer

• Know your Product

• Know your Business Unit

• Know your Team

• Understanding the Business Cycle

• Understanding the Product Lifecycle

Understanding the Key Players

• Who is a Product Manager - In depth?

• Who is a Product Owner?

• Who is a Product Owner?

• Who is a Scrum Master?

• Who is a Business Analyst?

• Who is a Graphical Designer?

• Who is a Software Developer?

• Who is a Quality Analyst?

• Who is a Project Manager?

• Who is a Portfolio Manager?

• Who is a Program Manager?

Creation Management

• Market Research

• Ideation

• Research & Development

• Innovation

• Prioritization

Development Management

• Business Case Development

• Market Strategy Development

• Roadmap Management

Launch Management

• Testing

• Market Testing

• A/B Testing

• Launch Planning

• Launch Management

• Rollback Management

Operations Management

• Data collection

• Data processing

• Visualization

• Interpretation

• Story-telling

• Action management

Exit Management

• Monitoring Lifecycle progress

• Planning alternative Lifecycle paths

• Exit Decision: Sale vs. Replacement vs. Retirement

• Sale Management

• Replacement Management

• Retirement Management

Topics on Project Management

PROJECT MANAGEMENT BASICS

• What is Project Management?

• What is a Project?

• What is NOT a Project?

• What is a Program?

• Basics of a Project Portfolio?

• What are the differences between a Program and a Portfolio?

• What is the difference between Projects and Operations?

• When do we need Project Management practices?

• Why do we need Project Management?

PROJECT TYPES

• What are the various types of Projects?

• What is Waterfall project?

• What is an Agile Project?

• What is a Technology project?

• What is Web-Development project?

• What is a Digital project?

PROJECT ROLES

• Who are the people involved in a Project?

• Who are the people involved in an Agile (Scrum) Project?

• What is a Team?

• Who is a Project Manager?

• Who is a Portfolio Manager?

• Who is a Program Manager?

• Who is a Product Owner?

• Who is a Scrum Master?

• Who is a Business Analyst?

• Who is a Graphical Designer?

• Who is a Software Developer?

• Who is a Quality Analyst?

• Who is a Project Sponsor (or simply Sponsor)?

• Who is a Stakeholder?

• What is PMO?

Project Scope Management

• What is Project Scope?

• Basics of Project Scope Management - How to manage the scope of a Project and keep it on the Track?

Project Schedule Management

• What is Project Schedule?

Project Cost Management

• What is Project Cost?

Project Quality Management

• What is Project Quality?

• What is Quality?

Project Risk Management

• What is a risk?

• What is project risk?

• Basics of Risk Register

• How to create a Risk Register?

• Two major types of risks

• What are risk attitudes?

• Risk response strategies for negative risks

Project Stakeholder Management

• Who is a Stakeholder?

• What is Stakeholder Management?

• Basics of Stakeholder Register

Project Release Management

• What is a Project Release?

• What is Project Release Management?

• Demystifying Go/No-Go

 Opinion Pieces

• Are dot plots by the Fed a mistake?

• To hike or not to hike?

• Are we heading for a recession? Latest CPI read - slowdown on deflation

• Will the Fed pause first before pivoting?

• Why did the Fed fall behind the curve?

Inceptone System Design Framework

• What is a System Design Framework?

  • What is Inceptone System Design Framework?

  • What is System Design?

• What is an Entity?

• What is a System?

• What is a Super-system (or eco-system)?

• What is a Sub-system?

• What is an Element?

• What is a Connection?

• What is a Model?

• What is Modelling?

• What is a Structure?

• Types of Systems:

  • Integrated System vs. Disintegrated System

  • Dynamic System vs. Static System

  • Centralized System vs. Decentralized System

  • Intelligent System vs. Non-intelligent System

  • Simple vs. Complex System

  • Multi-factor Complex Systems

• Properties of Systems:

  • Degree of Integration

  • Degree of Dynamism

  • Degree of Centralization

  • Degree of Intelligence

  • Degree of Complexity

• Patterns in System Design

  • Integration

  • Decentralization