Andrew Busch

Andrew Busch was the first Chief Market Intelligence Officer (CMIO) for the U.S. government at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).  As CMIO, he was charged with improving and enhancing the government’s understanding of the markets.  Mr. Busch created and directed a new research group, Market Intelligence Branch (MIB), for the agency. As CMIO, his job was to provide objective research on the financial markets to the CFTC, SEC, US Treasury and Federal Reserve.  Energy, agriculture, interest rates and technology (Bitcoin, blockchain, AI) were some of the areas of research covered by the team.

Andy provided briefings to White House, US House and US Senate staffers on a wide range of issues including:  extreme market volatility, China’s influence on the global commodity markets and the impact of Fintech & virtual currencies on market dynamics.  In his role as CMIO, he was CFTC Chairman’s liaison to the private sector and met with a wide range of market participants including proprietary trading groups, futures and swaps exchanges and Fintech startups/investors.

Mr. Busch led the formation and execution of new channels to attain market research and knowledge as well as distribute this information directly to educate the public and agency.  Andy created the first podcast for the agency, “CFTC Talks”, to gain access to a wide range of market participants, top researchers and members from the US and UK governments.  Guests included:  Nobel economics prize winner Robert Shiller, Dallas Federal Reserve President Rob Kaplan and UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Nick Cook.  The program was the most successful in the history of the U.S. government with over 75k downloads in over 90 countries.

Prior to joining the CFTC, Mr. Busch was CEO and founder of a boutique financial markets and policy research firm, Bering Productions, Inc (BPI).  Before BPI, he was the Global Currency and Public Policy Strategist for Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Chicago.

Economy: where do we go from here? How to Overcome, Adapt and Thrive!

“Economy: where do we go from here?” is an in-depth study of the economy from a speaker with a deep understanding of how the markets and the economy are shaped by world events like infectious disease and elections.  Andrew details the supercharged trends and new opportunities awaiting those that are prepared.  He’ll share why a vaccine will greatly help and how it will influence growth. Andrew is not only a noted economist, he’s an infectious disease expert and author. (World Event Trading) He provides context for understanding a Biden administration and what it’ll mean for growth. There are many reasons why he’s known as “the great calmer downer” especially during difficult times.

Election Outcome and Beyond: Impact on the Economy, Business and Jobs

The outcome of the 2020 election will have the largest swing in economic policy in our lifetimes. Even without a unified Democratic Congress, the Biden administration will bring large changes impacting the entire economy. Fiscal stimulus, tax & trade policy and clean energy/environment will all see big changes. Banks, insurers and tech will likely see regulatory shifts that may disrupt their business models. Also, how does a COVID vaccine change the focus for policy? Andrew Busch tackles all of this and answers the key questions: what does it mean for your industry and how you can prepare for it? In this keynote, Andy objectively breaks down the policies impacting the economy, business and jobs. He’ll give you the winners and losers in each sector of the economy. Trade, tax, energy and environment will all be impacted and discussed. Andy takes your audience out of the current COVID chaos to provide confidence in the future.

ESG: the future of energy is now

Environmental, Social and Governance or ESG is considered one of the hottest investment themes today for clients and investment professionals. Andy explains why a Biden victory and the new EU budget will supercharge interest in ESG. This is already happening as record amount of money has flowed into sustainable focused ETFs and open-end mutual funds in both in 2019. Most striking, money flowed into ESG equity products in 2020 when almost all other equity funds saw money leave. But what actually is it and how do you define how to invest in companies that say they are doing it? How will this impact lending and borrowing for energy firms? As a former regulator and CMIO of the CFTC, Andy Busch explains how ESG came about, what the risks are and how ESG is trickier for investing than it looks. How does it fit into a bigger picture of the economy and how will it drive trends? After working for the agency that approved bitcoin, Andy brings a unique perspective to explaining why the SEC is not likely to approve ESG and regulate it. And why this will matter to all investment professionals and investors.

Ag Economy: a big shift

Drawing from his experience as the US government’s first Chief Market Intelligence Officer (CMIO), Andrew Busch deciphers the current U.S., global and political economic landscape, explaining the key challenges facing the agriculture world today. He answers the question, “Where Do We Go from Here?”

For audiences, he answers the critical questions: why are the Ag markets volatile, how will this impact agriculture and when will it end? As CMIO, he created objective research on the financial markets to the CFTC, SEC, US Treasury and Federal Reserve. As an authority on the markets, he provides policy insights for what works, what doesn’t and what to expect in the future.

Key takeaways:

• How will the Biden administration change the policies currently in place at USDA, USTR and Treasury?
• How will a vaccine change the outlook for global exports?
• How will supercharged trends like WFH, digitization and AI impact farming via ethanol and environment?