As paraphrased by my favorite financial presenter, Tom Keene of Bloomberg Radio, it’s not the prices of assets that spook investors, but rather the rate of change.

Every day during the trading week, Mr. Keene’s “good morning, good morning, good morning” at 7:00 a.m. serves as a personal point of focus. It offers an opportunity to listen to a well-respected market observer and commentator who is hyperattentive towards the pedigree of the market participants in discussion and focuses on the whispers rather than the noise of the crowd. By blending economics, investment, finance, and most importantly, international relations, Mr. Keene’s observations of the market are pretty insightful and informative. What started as an opportunity to learn the English language evolved into a habit, as behind the curtain of market analysis and news, was a well-informed market education.