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English analysis

Page 3 of 5. Selected l0g analysis pieces translated from the French corpus, newest first.Back to the latest →

6 min readmacroCopper: the shortage arriving via Hormuz and El NiñoAn updated overview of the copper market as of 26 June 2026: LME price, ICSG data, sulphuric acid, the Strait of Hormuz, El Niño and electrification demand.6 min readchinaChina: behind the fall in crude imports, a new market powerChinese crude purchases collapsed to 7.79m b/d in May 2026. Hormuz, inventories, refining margins and electrification explain a decline less simple than it looks.4 min readoilOil: the Chinese inventory that caps pricesBrent fell back to around $71 in early July 2026, weeks after threatening $100 during the Iran shock. Behind this invisible ceiling, a disciplined buyer: China, which stopped chasing the expensive barrel and drew on its record reserves.5 min readfinance"The American people as shareholders of AI": anatomy of a presidential scamA line dropped aboard Air Force One sends chip stocks up by tens of billions. Why "the people's stake in AI" will not happen in this form, and why the announcement is the only deliverable.4 min readgeopoliticsStrait of Hormuz, April 2026: the state of a blocked chokepointSince 28 February 2026, the Strait of Hormuz has been de facto closed. What the official sources (EIA, IEA, CRS) say about the blockade, the oil shock and the shock absorbers, as of 10 April, with an update on the way out of the crisis.4 min readgeopoliticsIran and its Hormuz tolls in USDT on Tron: a masterclass in OFAC evasionHow the IRGC gets paid in dollars without Uncle Sam being able to touch a cent: a sovereign toll in USDT on Tron, yuan payments via CIPS, and the whole toolbox of sanctions-evasion 2.0.9 min readmarketsSemiconductors: the stack of constraints behind AIRecord sales, GPUs, EUV lithography, foundry, memory and reshoring: reading semiconductors as a chain of bottlenecks rather than as a mere AI theme.7 min readcryptoMiCA, Binance and Lagarde's shadow: what is established, what is narratedTwo weeks before the end of MiCA's transitional regime, the largest crypto platform in the world has no European licence. The press attributes the Greek blockage to an intervention by Christine Lagarde, which neither the ECB nor Athens confirms. A sourced untangling of the facts and the narrative.12 min readcryptoAgent payments: how an AI settles the bill, and who holds the railsAn AI agent now pays on its own, in stablecoins, below the cost of a card transaction. Under this discreet plumbing, the mechanics of the x402 protocol that resurrects the HTTP 402 code, the battle for standards (Coinbase, Google AP2, Visa, Mastercard) that is really a complementary stack, the dependence on USDC, and a still poorly mapped security. A deep dive into the most solid vector of the crypto-AI convergence.27 min readcryptoFrom attention to intention: the agentic economy and the resurrection of the 402 codeThe advertising model that funded the web is not dying, it is mutating. AI agents, micropayments, stablecoins, MCP, A2A and x402 protocols: a sourced, quantified investigation into the internet's native payment layer, its overstated promises and its regulatory constraints.8 min readinflationPersistent inflation risk in 2026: the Iranian energy shock, upward revisions and challenges for central banksAn analysis of fresh May-June 2026 data: US CPI at 4.2% YoY (highest since April 2023), core 2.9%; euro-zone HICP 3.2% (highest since September 2023). Impact of the Iran/Israel conflict on energy prices (oil up to ~$120/bbl, US energy +23.5%). ECB June 2026 projections: HICP 3.0% in 2026 (revised +0.4 pp). Scenarios for the second half and macro-financial implications.9 min readfedWarsh's first FOMC: the easy status quo, the rest much less soThe Fed should leave rates unchanged this 17 June, for the first FOMC chaired by Kevin Warsh. The real stake is elsewhere: a dot plot caught between a token cut and inflation at 4.2%, a bond market already pricing a hike, and a chair who wants to shrink the balance sheet. The figures against the statement.12 min readmacroThe basis trade: at its highest per the Fed, moribund per the marketOn 22 June 2026, a Federal Reserve note sized the hedge funds' bet on US debt: an $830 billion basis trade, nearly double its 2020 peak. At the same time, practitioners call it losing steam. Two readings of the same arbitrage, and why the gap matters.11 min readmacroRecord auctions: the weekly referendum on US debtOn 9 July 2026, the Treasury placed its 30-year bond at the highest yield since 2007, with a second consecutive tail but solid foreign demand. How to read the auction tape, that permanent referendum on America's ability to finance record deficits while the Fed, foreigners and the basis trade retreat.7 min readfinanceSemi-liquid private-credit funds and gating: the HLEND (BlackRock) case and the lessons for retail investors in 2026A factual analysis of record redemptions on private-credit funds open to wealthy investors. A detailed explanation of tender offer funds, the gating mechanism, and the concrete implications for individuals facing the withdrawals seen in 2026 (HLEND, Blackstone, Apollo).11 min readbanksQ2 bank earnings: reading the risk behind the profitOn Tuesday 14 July, five Wall Street giants open earnings season with profits expected sharply higher. But beating the consensus is the least instructive part. The real signal is in the interest margin, the direction of provisions and above all banks' growing exposure to private credit. A reading grid through the risk prism, anchored to the bank-health guide.10 min readecbSintra 2026: ECB hike, Warsh panel, tokenisation sessionECB Forum on Central Banking 2026 (29 June to 1 July): the ECB's 11 June rate hike and its projections, Kevin Warsh's first international panel as Fed chair, and the tokenisation session around the Bank of Korea's Project Hangang. Facts and attributed remarks, sourced.31 min readcryptoEthereum and TradFi: the real-world test of programmable financeWhy Ethereum matters for traditional finance: stablecoins, tokenisation, rollups, roadmap, risks and possible impact on global infrastructure.16 min readcryptoCrypto and AI: anatomy of a convergence, between real plumbing and narrative casinoThe decade's two flagship technologies are converging. Behind the buzzword, a two-faced reality: on one side a plumbing that already works (agents paying in stablecoins, decentralised compute, cryptographic verification), on the other a casino of speculative tokens that collapsed in 2025. A rigorous map, the players, the regulatory framework, and the dividing line between the real and the mirage. With academic references.12 min readprivate creditPrivate credit: redemptions accelerate as mega-IPOs soak up capitalRedemption requests at the large private-credit funds reach $12bn in Q2 2026 while fundraising collapses. Mechanics, contagion channel and the effect of mega-IPOs, on primary sources.