Current Account with Clay Lowery

In this episode of Current Account, Clay recaps a busy week in Washington, centered around the 2025 Spring Meetings hosted by the IMF, World Bank and IIF. Clay begins by analyzing potentially the largest focal point of the meetings: Trade. To help elaborate on some of the discussions, the episode features a number of snippets from speakers at the IIF Global Outlook Forum, highlighted by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent,...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by Eugene Ludwig, Founder and CEO of Ludwig Advisors, to discuss a variety of updates within financial regulation - specifically those in the spotlight as President Trump continues to fill his regulatory cabinet. Clay and Gene start the discussion by assessing how the current administration seems to be approaching regulation, before diving into topics such as increased White House ...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by Rebecca Patterson, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and globally recognized investor and economic researcher, to discuss a potential new feature of the Trump Administration - A Mar-a-Lago Accord. Clay and Rebecca begin by explaining potential motives behind such an accord, followed by detailing the process of making it a reality, the impact the accord may have o...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by Jenny Cosco, Global Head of Government Relations & Regulatory Strategy at LSEG, to discuss recent trends related to market risk and vulnerability. Jenny and Clay discuss some of the key market trends in 2025, how deeply volatile trends could be the pattern of the future, how markets seem to be combating volatility with resilience, regulatory frameworks that may bolster marke...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's Martin Boer, General Manager and Chief Representative, Europe, to discuss some of the recent developments captivating the European economy. Joining Clay from Brussels, Martin is able to dive into a number of key areas of focus in the region, including the path of Europe on the road to greater growth and competitiveness, potential implications for the financial industry on ...

In this landmark 100th episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's Gene Ma, Head of China Research and Chief Representative of the Asia/Pacific Region, to provide an update on China. Fresh off of the "Two Meetings" sessions, Clay and Gene first provide an update on economic trends from China, before analyzing a potential shift to a more consumption-led economy, how China is responding to President Trump's tariff p...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by Jeffrey Rathke, President of the American-German Institute at John Hopkins University, as well as host of The Zeitgeist podcast, to discuss the results and implications of the recent elections in Germany. Clay and Jeff first recap the events that led to these elections back in November of 2024, before analyzing the results of a voter turnout not seen since reunification: Implica...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's Martín Castellano, Head of LatAm Research, to discuss recent economic developments in Mexico, fresh off a recent investor trip to Mexico City. The discussion centers around the impact of President Sheinbaum's initial few months in office, response to recent actions and discussions led by the Trump administration, Mexico's outlook for growth, overall economic trends in the ...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay analyzes a topic gaining momentum in recent weeks - sovereign wealth funds and the potential of one in the United States. Clay first gives some background on sovereign wealth funds at large and examples of successful funds across the globe, before diving into three main points: How sovereign wealth funds are funded, what the objectives of these funds are and how a new U.S. fund may fit into ...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay discusses developments around the recent tariffs and threatened implemented by United States President Donald Trump on countries and regions such as Colombia, Canada, Mexico, China and the European Union. Clay dives into why and how the Trump administration may use tariffs as a bargaining tool in trade discussions, describing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and its ro...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's new Deputy Chief Economist, Ashok Bhundia, to discuss economic developments amid South Korea's recent political events. Clay and Ashok recap key points over recent months before discussing the impact these events have on both monetary and fiscal policy, how markets have reacted to the political uncertainty, the forthcoming process to gain clarity on a political leader and ...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay kicks off 2025 by looking ahead to agenda of the recently inaugurated 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump. This discussion includes highlighting key points such as economic strategy surrounding tariffs, inflation and trade relations, the ongoing nomination and confirmation process of many key cabinet members and potential recurring characteristics of these appointees, and the a...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay takes a look back at 2024 and some of the key topics and issues throughout the year. The summary includes four sections of highlight: The current and ongoing status of conflicts across the globe, a trend of anti-incumbency throughout recent global elections, a review of the economic year and how the incoming Trump administration will influence these and other issues.

This IIF Podcast was hos...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF's Managing Director of Digital Finance, Jessica Renier, to provide an update on digital assets and their development in recent months and years. Clay and Jessica provide a brief roadmap of progress in CBDCs, cryptocurrencies and tokenization technologies before discussing digital asset innovation from the official sector, various developments across jurisdictions, how the in...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by Douglas Beal, the Global Head of Social Impact and Just Transition in Financial Institutions at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), to discuss the recent COP29 meetings held in Baku, Azerbaijan. After discussing high-level takeaways from the conference, Clay and Doug shift the conversation to topics such as explaining the "Just Transition" and the social implications of tra...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by Andreas Kluth, an opinion columnist for Bloomberg covering US diplomacy, national security and geopolitics, to discuss the ongoing political and economic developments in Germany. Clay and Andreas dive into how and why the coalition government recently collapsed, the accelerated election timetable over the next few months, explain the "debt brake" and how it ties into r...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay dives into the long-awaited results of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections, which saw Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump secure his second term at helm, focusing on the economic strategy and fiscal policy implications of this outcome. Clay begins with the initial reaction to not only the outcome of the Presidential election, but the outcomes of the House and Senate races a...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by IIF Economist Jonathan Fortun to discuss recent economic and political developments in Japan. Clay and Jonathan discuss a brief overview of the recent series of elections in Japan, before diving into the Bank of Japan's recent measures, how recent events may impact international relations, the recent pattern of coalition governments in major economies and more.

This IIF Podcast ...

In this episode of Current Account, Clay gives a live report from the 2024 IIF Annual Membership Meeting, with the help from a handful of IIF Staff members. Clay first reviews major themes, takeaways and discussions, including remarks from U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, before handing it off to his colleagues: Melanie Idler, an Associate Policy Advisor for Regulatory Affairs, covers the Regulation-steered p...