The CONVERSATION examines the immense historical significance of the Plaza Accord in 1985. DICK BOVE, chief financial strategist at Odeon Capital Group, draws upon the lessons of this international agreement signed on September 22, 1985 at New York City's Plaza Hotel as America faces, once again, an almighty and surging dollar in 2022. "The US dollar is simply too strong [today]," says BOVE, noting how the surging dollar—on parity with the euro as of publication—is siphoning huge flows of money out of overseas economies into the US. For that and other crucial reasons, such as the inflationary impact of a strong dollar overseas, a new Plaza Accord is required to lower the value of the dollar, he says. BOVE notes the social anarchy that can follow a soaring dollar in debt-ridden and weak economies overseas, citing Sri Lanka as a recent example.  

With the invasion of Ukraine by Russia constantly in the headlines, BOVE rips Western media coverage as questionable and misleading, and missing the big picture: Russia reportedly builds hypersonic missiles, redefines how nuclear weapons can be used and utilizes its natural advantages in energy and agriculture. MAT VAN ALSTYNE, Odeon co-founder and managing partner, argues that Russia should not be underestimated as a small nation as measured by GDP, given Russia's decades of military experience and its productive capacity and as an economy which seemingly is functioning well despite sanctions. JOHN AIDAN BYRNE lays out the case for why Russia may not be on the right side of history in its latest bloody adventure in Ukraine. The CONVERSATION also looks at the markets, inflation, upcoming earnings season and much more.

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