Barron's Advisor Edward Fishman: Weaponizing Finance and What It Means for Portfolios
Jul 15, 2025
Edward Fishman, an economic statecraft expert and author of "Choke Points, American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare," delves into the evolving world of economic warfare. He discusses how the U.S. leverages financial tools and sanctions as new realities reshape market risks. Key topics include the historical Nixon Shock's lasting impact, the rise of de-dollarization amid geopolitical shifts, and the complexities of global economic interdependence, especially between the U.S. and China. Fishman emphasizes the need to monitor economic indicators in this dynamic landscape.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Cloud Infrastructure as New Choke Point
- Future choke points may shift from banks to cloud infrastructure hosting stablecoin transactions.
- The U.S. already exercises sanctions power over companies via access to cloud servers.
Economic Warfare Evolves Continuously
- Even if the dollar's sanctions power diminishes, new choke points will emerge for economic warfare.
- Private sector builds choke points; governments regulate access to enforce policies.
China's Economic Weapon Examples
- China imposed sanctions on U.S. drone maker Skydio, forcing it to ration batteries due to reliance on Chinese suppliers.
- China also pressured the U.S. by controlling rare earth minerals vital for high-performance magnets.
