• October 29, 2011

European Summit: A Plan with No Details

Where is the peace dividend that was supposed to come after the end of the Cold War? Where are the fruits of the amazing gains in efficiency that technology has afforded? It has been eaten by the bureaucracy that manages our every move on this earth. The voracious and insatiable monster here is called the Federal Code that calls on thousands of agencies to exercise the police power to prevent us from living free lives.

It is as Bastiat said: the real cost of the state is the prosperity we do...

• October 28, 2011

Featured Video: John Mauldin Presentation on the Endgame

Watch special video of John Mauldin, president of Millennium Wave Investments, as he gives a powerful presentation on Endgame: The End of the Debt Supercycle. This important speech was filmed at the Strategic Investment Conference 2011 in La Jolla, CA.

• October 21, 2011

Featured Video: Rosenberg, McCulley, Mauldin, Gave and Barnes Discuss Economic Differences

Watch special video of David Rosenberg, Paul McCulley, John Mauldin, Louis-Vincent Gave and Martin Barnes as they discuss their different economic viewpoints. Moderated by Jon Sundt, president and CEO of Altegris. This animated panel discussion was filmed at the Strategic Investment Conference 2011 in La Jolla, CA.

Note: I'm still recovering from a bad flu I caught from my granddaughter, as I travel back from South Africa. Sorry there won't be a letter this week. Please check back again next...

• October 15, 2011

Can “It” Happen Here?

"Bankruptcies of governments have, on the whole, done less harm to mankind than their ability to raise loans."

- R.H. Tawney, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, 1926

"By a continuing process of inflation, government can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens.

- John Maynard Keynes, Economic Consequences of Peace

"Unemployed men took one or two rucksacks and went from peasant to peasant. They even took the train to favorable locations to...

• October 14, 2011

Featured Video: Neil Howe Discusses the Four Keys for Decoding America’s Future

Watch special video of Neil Howe, historian, economist, and demographer, as he discusses the Four Keys for Decoding America's Future. This fascinating presentation was filmed at the Strategic Investment Conference 2011 in La Jolla, CA.

• October 8, 2011

An Irish Haircut

Just as only four short years ago it was All Subprime, All the Time, and then it was the Credit Crisis, now it is Europe. (When) will Greece default and which banks will implode as a result? Is there another banking crisis in our future? I just came back from a whirlwind four-country visit to Europe, and I will try to offer a few insights. This week we start with Ireland, move to the problem of Europe at large and, if we're not out of space (and your patience!), we'll visit some...

• October 7, 2011

Featured Video: Papic, Faber, Mauldin, Barnes and Tepper Debate Fed’s QE Strategy

Watch special video of Marko Papic, Marc Faber, John Mauldin, Martin Barnes, and Jonathan Tepper as they debate the Fed's QE strategy. Jon Sundt, president and CEO of Altegris, moderates. This lively panel discussion was filmed at the Strategic Investment Conference 2011 in La Jolla, CA.

• October 1, 2011

Tough Choices, Big Opportunities

This week I am in Ireland and going from meeting to meeting with a wide variety of people. And this week's letter is a wide-ranging interview with me, conducted by that doyen of financial-world interviews, Kate Welling. She really is one of the best, and she has graciously given me permission to share the interview with you this week, while I am researching next week's letter on Ireland and Europe. I hope you enjoy reading it half as much as I did recording it.

(Sorry for the letter being...

• October 1, 2011

Featured Video: Marko Papic Presents Overview of Geopolitical and Financial Risks

Watch special video of Marko Papic, senior analyst at STRATFOR, as he presents an overview of the geopolitical and financial risks around the world. This informative presentation was filmed at the Strategic Investment Conference 2011 in La Jolla, CA.