Hello! My name is Douglas Johnson. And welcome to Malaccan Trader.
My worldview is deeply informed by years of international travel. While I now work in Florida, I spent a large portion of my academic career in East Asia; my professional activities tilt toward the Gulf States. National borders tend to be artificial to me.
For career context, I have meandered through securities research, private banking, investment management, and institutional sales. My years working for major Wall Street firms were exceptional. I now have hybrid challenges, advising billionaires, consulting with multinationals, and negotiating between moguls. This heritage informs the commentaries that I publish and the work that I embrace.
If I could turn back the clock, I would spend far more time encouraging others to develop their sense of personal agency. Building up, rather than tearing down, is a skill that often seems lost on Wall Street.
Douglas Johnson, Managing Director
Over the years, I have pursued deals for issuers and investors in non-traditional markets. My career-long commitment to emerging markets in general and the Muslim world in particular has led me to focus on the Islamic crescent, stretching from Casablanca to Jakarta. For me, doing business “over there” cultivates a deeper understanding of human behavior.
Credit for the texture of my work should be paid to intellectually- and emotionally-rich colleagues. Some of these associations date to my years on the corporate treadmill, others have complemented my entrepreneurial efforts. Their insights remain invaluable to me, despite the fact that time and distance have worn heavy on many of these relationships.
I am routinely asked about my best investment decision. It must have been those so-called Chinese incense burners. What about my favorite project? Unequivocally, it was the work for a certain faith-based multinational in Rome. Do I have a most-liked city? Both Istanbul and Kolkata nurture my affection. Do I prefer one classic painter over another? The Spaniard Francisco Goya was both the last old master and the first modern artist.
Coffee is a known vice, leading me to spend years searching worldwide for the perfect bean. I am hesitant to disclose publicly the exact plantation that cultivates this treasure because of the potential for surging demand. But if you meet me at Land’s End, you are welcome to use my military-grade driver for the two-day roadtrip. Just brace for an unconventional journey.
Learn more at wallstreet.dj
Banner: Modern-day evidence of Portuguese influence in Malacca is limited; this period warehouse in Kochi, India still stands. Credit: Tmax at Adobe Stock.
Endo’s 1966 novella is commonly overlooked in literary circles because of the intellectual discomfort that it causes. Focused on the life of Portuguese missionaries in seventeenth-century Japan, the book raises questions of faith and suffering, without providing a clear-cut resolution. Issues of philosophy explain why it took some 50 years for the material to be turned into a credible film for Western audiences—by Martin Scorsese. On the surface, Silence appears to be Endo’s simplest novel, but those who approach the book as a quick read will find it deeply absorbing, if not disturbing. Silence is a masterpiece, regardless of your worldview.
