Breaking a negative spiral – Sound Economies with Mel & Peter, 5 November 2026
US and France are attempting to break out of downward spirals, but we are not as optimistic – both economies must fix the persisting consumption squeeze and catalyse stronger growth while cutting debt. Beyond the US midterm “blue wave”, we also look at Indonesia’s nickel production hit by El Niño and China’s attempts to reverse the strong yuan and stocks sell-off.
Timestamp:
(00:00) – Episode rundown
(00:20) – Intro
(00:48) – Quick updates
(02:30) – El Niño already drying up Indonesian nickel refineries
(05:50) – Chinese government intervenes in currency, stock markets
(14:40) – Fitch Ratings downgrades outlook on France
(20:42) – US midterm election outcome
(26:30) – Our global outlook
(29:06) – Lundgreen’s Invest – High-Tech Defence Fund secures quadruple exit
“Sound Economies with Mel & Peter” is a weekly podcast where our founding CEO Peter Lundgreen and Manila-based Chief Economist for Southeast Asia and China Mel Lopez discuss what’s happening in economies around the world and their views of the global financial markets.
Tune in to this episode on Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
