Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates.

This week’s edition of Friday Focus begins with a look at the forces and factors driving the current global sell of in financial assets. Currencies, bonds and equities were all pressured by the Bank of England’s surprise move to stabilize the UK’s long-duration government debt market and bail out pension funds that were at the risk of liquidation. Are we starting to see real stresses emerging in international markets as geopolitical risks grow and central banks continue the relentless hike of interest rates? What could this lead to in the weeks to come? The program concludes with Janice’s thoughts on a recent talk given in Toronto by big geopolitical thinker Robert Kaplan. Friday Focus subscribers can access an audio version of Kaplan’s Q&A with Rudyard on the Munk Debates website here.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue.

More information at www.munkdebates.com.