A short book review from an investing classic. I enjoyed the turn of the century historical context, the booms and busts of the time and the different character of the investment management industry. For example, when Livermore was on holiday in Palm Beach Florida, he had to go into the physical trading houses to see … More Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre
A short personal reflection on leverage. TLDR: I’ve grappled with the hypocrisy of a sound money activist utilising debt and decided to leverage my ideas through bitcoin [6 minute read] I am not a fan of debt. Why? Because unsound money, low interest rates and easy debt have numerous negative consequences on society, including inequality, … More Leveraging Good Ideas
2020 Sound Money Recap In 2020 we established that “sound money is the challenge and opportunity of our lifetime.” Central banks have pursued aggressively loose monetary policies since the 1970s, trying to solve every problem, social, economic, political or financial, with lower interest rates and debt. They’ve ignored the consequences like deteriorating economic growth, falling … More Sound Money Monthly: (ed. 6) Invest capital into a sound future
TLDR: Central banks positioning themselves as a solution to climate challenges is dangerous. They’ve promoted unsustainable debt fueled consumption for 50 years. Consumption is great but it needs to be based on production otherwise it’s unsustainable and bad for the environment. Micro level policy is futile while unsound money remains. Sound money is the environmentally … More Sound Money Monthly: (ed. 5) Central banking is an environmental disaster
TLDR: The foundations of social trust are being tested. Our unsound monetary system with its negative consequences is a driver of this trust deficit. Communities that adopt sound money assets take a proactive step towards trustworthy relationships and away from the insidious consequences of unsound money. Youtube summary video: Trust – there’s simply not enough … More Sound Money Monthly: (ed.4) Where can we place our trust?
Have you ever wondered why it’s challenging to buy a house and save for your family’s future? Debt and its unequal impact on wealth is the focus of this edition of the Sound Money Money. TLDR: Debt is driving wealth inequality. Society will remain at loggerheads until the short-term policies which encourage debt growth are removed. … More Sound Money Monthly: (ed. 3) Debt’s unequal impact on wealth
Have you ever wondered how we managed to accumulate so much debt? In this edition we’ll tackle the causes for the biggest debt bubble in history. You’ll learn about short-termism, interest rates and the feedback into politics. Don’t worry, I have no desire to talk about politicians, elections 2020 or go down the Donald Trump … More Sound Money Monthly: (ed. 2) “Slang in die Gras” / Snake in the Grass
Have you ever wondered why economic conditions are challenging for the man on the street, despite easy access to credit for cars, homes and shopping? In this first edition of the Sound Money Monthly we cover the most important macroeconomic trend, debt. (16 minute read) TLDR: Economic opportunities for the masses and social mobility are declining, … More Sound Money Monthly: (ed. 1) Debt constrains our future prospects
Have you ever wondered why economic conditions are challenging, despite easy access to credit for cars, homes and shopping? In this edition of the Sound Money Monthly we cover one the most important macroeconomic trends, debt. (16 minute read) TLDR: Economic growth, job quality and social mobility are declining. Yet the policy response is the cause … More SM (ed. 1) Debt constrains our future
More credit is not the panacea for debt! That is the message from Garet Garrett’s 1932 book, the Bubble that Broke the World. The overuse of debt was a critical cause of the Great Depression (I detailed the other causes here and here). America was a funder of WW1 before entering the war and extended … More The Bubble that Broke the World
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