Weekly Radar (10 February, 2023)
--
Chiefs vs. Eagles: Who Will Reign Supreme in the Superbowl Showdown?
—
This championship game will be a close call, with the two top-seeded teams featuring great quarterbacks, awesome defenses, and two of the best head coaches in the NFL. Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni is confident and aggressive, but it’s difficult to pick against Chiefs’ coach Reid, who has a strong record when coming off a bye.
Reid has been the head coach of the Chiefs since 2013, leading them to multiple Super Bowl appearances. He has a reputation for his innovative game plans and strategic play calling. Reid has also been successful in postseason play, especially when his team has had a bye week.
On the other hand, Sirianni is in his first season as head coach of the Eagles. He is known for his analytical approach to the game and has made a strong impression on the team with his confidence and aggressive play-calling. He also has a strong track record as an offensive coordinator, and the Eagles have seen improvement under his leadership.
Both coaches can lead their teams to victory, and it’s a tough call to determine who will come out on top. The advantage is with Reid and the Chiefs, who have a more experienced quarterback and a successful track record in postseason play. But the Polkamarkets Community believes the Eagles, being the underdog, have what it takes to pull off the upset, with their victory priced at 0.585 GLMR as of this writing.
The stage is set for a legendary battle with fans on the edge of their seats. Who will come out on top and claim the championship title? The answer will be revealed in an unforgettable showdown.
Will the upcoming “El Niño” heatwave lead to breaking the 1.5ºC temperature threshold and topple a climate crisis?
—
According to The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), there is a 50–50 chance of the global average temperature reaching 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level in the next five years. This is a significant increase from 2015 when the probability was close to zero. The update is based on the expertise of top climate scientists and leading climate centers worldwide. The 1.5ºC threshold was established in The Paris Agreement. A global temperature increase beyond that point can lead to an inevitable world climate crisis, experts have been warning.
And the odds for this to happen already this year have dramatically increased, as early forecasts suggest the return of the El Niño climate phenomenon later this year to cause global temperatures to rise “off the chart”, delivering unprecedented heatwaves and making it “very likely” the world will exceed 1.5°C of warming.
The phenomenon in question is a natural oscillation caused by ocean temperatures and Pacific winds, which switch between El Niño on the hot side of the spectrum, its cooler counterpart La Niña, and neutral conditions.
The scale of the likely El Niño occurrence this year is as yet unclear, but many seasonal forecast models suggest the arrival of moderate El Niño conditions from summer 2023.
So, here’s the big question on everyone’s mind in the Polkamarkets community: will the 1.5 ºC temperature increase become a reality during 2023? Currently, the consensus is a resounding “yes,” with this position priced at 0.898 GLMR. But let’s cross our fingers and hope this prediction proves incorrect to avoid the irreversible tipping point in the battle against global warming.
Under the Polkamarkets Radar
What does 2023 hold for the US Economy?
—
The US economy faced severe challenges in 2022, with inflation spiking, fears of a recession spreading, and interest rates rising.
But 2023 could bring changes as many economists predict that inflation is expected to slow down due to the actions of the Federal Reserve. However, the very same actions could also lead to a recession and more job losses.
The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates since March 2022 in an effort to control inflation. By making borrowing money more expensive, the Fed expected consumer demand to cool, resulting in a slower price hike. This type of action, however, can have two types of second-order effects.
Many economists predict a mild recession. The United States could see two-quarters of negative GDP growth in the first half of 2023, and the unemployment rate could reach 5.6% by the end of the year.
On the other hand, other economists say that the US could avoid a recession altogether. In this “soft landing” scenario, the extra savings households accumulated during the pandemic could cushion the economy. The prices would go down, but increased interest rates wouldn’t lead to debt defaults.
In addition to these scenarios, there is always the possibility of something unpredictable happening in the economy. The US economy has faced many challenges in recent years, and it remains to be seen what 2023 will bring.
Will the country face a recession? If so, how severe will it be, and how long will it last? These pressing questions are on everyone’s mind but remain under the Polkamarkets Radar.
About Polkamarkets
Polkamarkets is an Autonomous Prediction Market Protocol built for multi-chain information exchange and trading where users take positions on outcomes of real-world events–in decentralized and interoperable EVMs.
