
Warren Hammond's Personal View: Geopolitical risk surges as April and June warnings unfold
Acts of Violence – The World Is on Edge This Summer. Image: LinkedIn/warren-hammond
Home » Warren Hammond's Personal View: Geopolitical risk surges as April and June warnings unfold
Acts of Violence – The World Is on Edge This Summer. Image: LinkedIn/warren-hammond
On 2nd June, I published a note entitled 'The Personal View: Acts of Violence – The World Is On Edge This Summer.'
In it, I warned:
'June and July 2025 will shape up to be two of the most geopolitically intense, heated, combustible months in recent memory… not defined by a single headline, but by a drumbeat of destabilising, violent, and politically consequential events.'
This warning is reiterated. All June and all July will see persistent and intense acts of violence, terror, war, and conflict.
Since the warning was issued on 2nd June, we've witnessed:
– Israeli airstrikes on Iran's Natanz nuclear site– Iranian missile retaliation centred on Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem– Waves of rocket fire in Gaza and southern Lebanon– A mass shooting in Graz, Austria– Riots in Ballymena, Northern Ireland– India–India-Pakistan tensions reignited with border clashes and terror threats– A firebomb attack in Colorado– Casualties in Kherson, Ukraine, from Russian drone strikes– Rising tensions on the Kyrgyz–Tajik border
– The UN confirming 118+ attacks on schools, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure globally
Back in mid-April, I published 'The Personal View: The Thucydides Trap, War Cometh.'
I stated:
'A rising tide of systemic confrontation is unfolding… This is the Thucydidean Trap, when a rising power threatens an established one, and miscalculation often leads to escalation.'
In both notes, I flagged the geopolitical risk escalation and identified the market implications:
– Exposure to energy security risk and oil-sensitive names
– Tactical positioning away from travel, tourism, shipping, and logistics
These weren't just warnings. They were calls to act. Markets are still mispricing the persistent asymmetric volatility ahead.
Entering March 2025, my note, 'The Personal View: How to Position Your Portfolio for the Market Turmoil Ahead (2025–2028),' explicitly forecasted a wave of market volatility tied to tariff wars, leadership failure, military escalation, oil shocks, and cyber threats, including the unfolding Iran conflict. This was not a reaction; it was anticipation. The note forecast persistent, structural volatility through 2028.
This same framework guided my early February 2020 short call ahead of the COVID crash, and my April 6, 2020, pivot to go long the S&P 500 with a multi-year target of $8,500, a call made amid panic, volatility, and disbelief.
The fuse has been lit. June and July 2025 will continue to see the world on fire..
Share your thoughts in the comments below. How are you preparing for this volatile period?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
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Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
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Our institution's renewed commitment to transformation demands a heightened sensitivity to human suffering and indifference, not only in the context of South Africa, but also beyond,' the statement read. Speaking to Daily Maverick, Professor Ashraf Kagee from Stellenbosch University's Department of Psychology said he believed that individual academics and institutions 'must be vocal and outspoken in condemning human rights violations of this nature'. 'I think we need to be very clear that we do not ever want to see a world where this is possible; where this is acceptable. And we need to marshal all organs of society, the institutions, the corporations, the governments of the world to address this matter, to isolate Israel, to put as much pressure on the Israeli government and its supporters in the West to make this genocide stop immediately,' he said. 'It's remarkable that almost two years since the genocide began, nothing has been done to stop it. 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Professor Sandy Liebenberg, the HF Oppenheimer chair in Human Rights Law at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Law, said several universities worldwide had done audits of their relationships with Israeli universities and severed ties with those complicit in human rights violations. 'We would like to see the management of the university putting out a statement at least distancing itself from and condemning the gross violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law that's unfolding. But, perhaps more fundamentally, we would like to see some kind of audit committee set up to look at the contacts which might exist between Stellenbosch and implicated institutions – Israeli universities that might be complicit in human rights violations,' she said. In response to questions from Daily Maverick, Stellenbosch University spokesperson Martin Viljoen said: 'Stellenbosch University (SU) recognises the severity and far-reaching impact of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. 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