The Institutional Risk Analyst

Whereas in the early part of the year, mortgage lenders were looking forward to lower interest rates and higher lending volumes, the start of hostilities in Iran suddenly reversed this narrative. As we discussed this week in our podcast with Julia LaRoche, the war with Iran will likely keep inflation and interest rates elevated for months or years to come.

When we want to know what is happening in the world of energy, John Dizard is our first call. His views on the approaching economic collapse due to the US-Israeli war against Iran are disturbing but also suggest some investment themes that we address at the end of the discussion. "Unless there's some miracle within the next few days, we're heading towards diesel rationing in Europe, jet fuel rationing, serious shortages."

As of December 31, 2025, Athene had the ability to draw up to an estimated $30.7 billion via advances, inclusive of borrowings then outstanding. But when the funding agreements are added, the total exposure to the FHLBs from APO is over $50 billion vs $74 billion in total capital and retained earnings for the FHLB system.

In this week’s edition of “The Wrap,” we feature our view of the top-ten key events in Washington and on Wall Street over the past week. Don’t forget to watch “The Wrap with Chris Whalen” on The Julia LaRoche Show  every Saturday on YouTube to catch our discussion of what’s hot and what’s not in the world of finance and investing.  March 20, 2026 | Gold and silver prices continued to pare gains from the past 90 days, even as deliverable supplies of both metals are shrinking