In this speaker series, Jean Boivin, Head of the BlackRock Investment Institute and Global Head of Research, presented a broad survey of the recent microeconomic conditions. He explains that it was incorrect to frame the Covid-triggered inflation as transitory due to the abnormal recovery cycle, one in which supply shortages persist after consumer demand has recovered. Later, shifting focus to geopolitics, Jean believes that the Russia-Ukraine conflict underlines the West’s fragile dependence on fossil fuels, and provides an impetus for transitioning to green energy. Other types of green initiatives, while less apparent in their immediate benefits, are gradually rising in popularity as society places more weight on them.