Macro Research Library

Our permanent repository of institutional-grade macro dossiers.

Zeitgeist Series Macro & Geopolitics

Zeitgeist 2026

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Executive Summary:

The Margin Squeeze: The US economy is facing a $400 billion annualized growth gap with GDP growth slowing to 1.4%. Simultaneously, the implementation of a 15% global import tariff has depleted inventory cushions, placing severe mathematical pressure on corporate margins.

The AI Restructuring Pipeline: To counter margin pressures, corporations are aggressively replacing high-cost labor with agentic AI. Early execution, such as Block reducing its workforce by roughly 40%, resulted in massive market capitalization gains, catalyzing a broader 12-24 month enterprise planning cycle that threatens millions of white-collar roles.

The Hidden Macro Lag: Because displaced high-earners typically rely on 3-6 months of severance and 12-18 months of liquid savings, headline indicators like jobless claims remain deceptively steady. This "severance buffer" is temporarily masking a projected 3-4% reduction in discretionary spending.

The Tariff War and the Sell America Movement: A Unified Economic Analysis

Executive Summary:

Structural Capital Flight: Foreign central banks and major institutions are executing a structural exit from US assets. China reduced Treasury holdings by $86 billion over a 12-month period, while BRICS nations collectively sold approximately $200 billion to reduce dollar exposure.

The Fiscal Cliff & Reshoring Friction: As the national debt approaches $40 trillion, interest payments are projected to consume $1 trillion in 2026. Meanwhile, the transition costs of aggressive tariff regimes are overwhelmingly borne by US importers and consumers (94% in early 2025), acting as a severe consumption tax and contributing to a stagflationary environment.

The Pivot to Parallel Architectures: In response to shifting US policies, central banks are accelerating non-dollar infrastructures. The US exported $12.5 billion in physical gold in a single month to settle deficits, while Russia and China now bypass SWIFT to settle 80% of their bilateral trade in local currencies.

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Macroeconomics Capital Flows

The US-Israel Iran war and the IMEC: Geopolitical and Economic Analysis

Executive Summary:

The IMEC Counter-Narrative: The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor establishes a direct 6,400-kilometer connection acting as a decentralized, multi-polar counter to China's Belt and Road Initiative. By utilizing an overland bridge, it explicitly circumvents volatile maritime chokepoints and neutralizes asymmetric threats.

The Proxy Network Collapse: The post-October 7th systemic dismantling of Iran's "Axis of Resistance" and the projected 2026 regime collapse profoundly alter regional risk premiums. This forced pacification permanently secures vulnerable IMEC nodes and is expected to exponentially accelerate foreign direct investment into the Gulf States.

Disruption of Competing Routes: The collapse of the Iranian regime represents a catastrophic geopolitical shift for IMEC's competitors. It invalidates Beijing's strategy of using Iran as an insulated energy corridor, threatens Russia's INSTC, and forces competing architectures to integrate into the broader Western logistics framework.

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Geopolitics Trade Architecture