I could do that

August 31, 2021 | Mark Ryan


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Down in Vancouver this week for a family thing, and tripped over a memory as always.

 

Today, the Grouse Grind is a grueling hike in North Vancouver, so-named because of its steep incline and proximity to the posh, populated West Vancouver. The stiff climb roughly follows the terrain under the gondola to the ski lodge at the top. It’s not only an iconic climb, but a status symbol, and the de facto yoga pants capital of the world.

 

But, growing up in the shadow of that mountain, a different term separated gondola riders from the kids whose dad’s didn’t pay alimony. We called it “walking up the mountain.”

 

Or down. Mostly. He'd probably have done it without the dare, but on wintry afternoon my brother decided it would be fun (and free) to grab on to the icy metal foot of the gondola, to prove his superhumanity. His buddies watched in horror as he hung on, bare-handed, for three or four hundred feet, then let go, flailing into a snow bank. Temporarily knocked unconscious, he woke-up disoriented, completely surrounded by the stifling snow. But he was in his element really. And eventually struggled out, and walked home, completed soaked and half frozen – in his jeans and jean jacket. He walked right by me and in to his room, with barely a grunt.

 

The first thoughts to tweak my partly-developed brain when he told us later were: “Hm. I gotta try that. Pretty sure I could make it.”

 

Little shop of horrors – the Fed’s repo facility

The record uptake of the Federal Reserve’s Reverse Repurchase Facility has caused some fear among investors that systemic stresses might be brewing beneath the surface. But the drivers remain rather mundane, and we expect conditions to normalize later this year.

Regional developments: Government of Canada bond yields rise amidst positive risk backdrop; U.S. fiscal policy clears a hurdle, markets eye Fed chair’s speech; Upcoming German elections tough to call; South Korea hikes interest rates

 

Full Story Here:  Global Insight Weekly

 

Enjoy your weekend, and what remains of our summer!

 

Mark