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November 21, 2011 Dallas, Texas, USA Did you hear about the latest civil unrest in Syria? Police in full riot gear swarmed peaceful students who were staging a completely non-violent, human-chain sit-in at a university campus. The Syrian police came up at point-blank range and hosed these kids down with pepper spray. If
Denver based Barnhardt Capital Management is a futures brokerage firm that focuses on agriculture, round-the-clock broker access, and inexpensive commissions. At least, it used to be. Barnhardt shuttered its operations yesterday after six-years in the business. The firm’s founder Ann Barnhardt posted the reasons online for the entire world to see: “I could
I had lunch yesterday with one of the sharpest financial minds I’ve met in a long time at a rather picturesque setting overlooking Evergreen Lake, west of Denver. The restaurant patrons were all well-to-do residents of this wealthy community… in fact, the whole area is like a bubble, largely shielded from any negative
November 16, 2011 Golden, Colorado Longtime readers know that I don’t spend much time in the United States; I usually swing by for a month or so each year to visit friends and family, and the period in-between visits can often stretch 6-months or more. This is sufficiently long enough that I notice
November 14, 2011 Manila, Philippines [Editor’s note: Tim Staermose is filling in for Simon Black today.] In the back of a chauffeured SUV limo, my friend Phil recently told me, “What I love about coming to the Philippines is that I feel like a rock star… not like at home where I’m a
November 11, 2011 Las Vegas, Nevada There’s a lot to cover today, so let’s dive into this week’s questions. First, Charles asks, “Simon, when you write about international diversification, I appreciate that you have so much personal experience. Multiple passports, overseas business, foreign bank accounts, storing gold abroad, etc., you’ve actually done it
November 10, 2011 Manila, Philippines There’s a key concept in economics called the law of diminishing returns. It sounds complex, but it’s actually very easy to understand. Imagine for a moment that there are two towns cut off from each other by a vast river. Communications and trade are infrequent at best. But
Christina Romer is the most dangerous woman in America right now. As an economics professor at the University of Berkeley, she’s charged with educating the next generation of productive citizens. She also formerly chaired the Council of Economic Advisors under President Obama. One would think that a person with that level of influence
November 7, 2011 Manila, Philippines [Editor’s Note: Sovereign Man Chief Investment Strategist Tim Staermose is filling in for Simon today.] Last week, I sent my 4th Pillar subscribers an issue warning them of a sharp rally in the US dollar. Since then, the euro has fallen from above 1.40 to 1.379. The pound
November 4, 2011 Taipei, Taiwan Late in the evening on November 4, 1605, an English soldier named Guy Fawkes took up his position deep in the cellars beneath the House of Lords in London’s Westminster Palace. He was armed with 36 barrels of gunpowder and intended to blow up the building, taking King
November 3, 2011 Taipei, Taiwan In our regular conversations, we’re constantly talking about the importance of diversifying overseas, what I call “planting multiple flags.” But international diversification is more than just second passports and offshore bank accounts. You see, every country on the planet has something to offer. Sure, asset protection is important…
November 1, 2011 Fukushima, Japan I had to come see for myself. What does the worst radiation and natural disaster in history look like? Chaos. Devastation. Cataclysm. Right? Actually… none of the above. Fukushima and the surrounding prefecture is as quaint and picturesque as ever. Eight months on, there are hardly any signs
Date: October 28, 2011 Reporting From: Tokyo, Japan I can’t begin to describe how excited I am to be visiting Tokyo while the Japanese yen is at its all-time, historic high. My timing couldn’t possibly be worse. For reasons that are completely incomprehensible, the yen is still viewed as a stable ‘safe haven’ currency
October 27, 2011 Shanghai, China I’ve spent the last few days at a Chinese offshore strategies symposium here in Shanghai as a guest of the conference organizer. It’s been a fabulous event, full of camaraderie and relationship building, all set in one of the Pudong district’s finest hotels. But beneath the overall good
October 26, 2011 Shanghai, China Stunned. That probably best describes the mood of China’s vast pool of property owners. For the last few years, anyone with as much as a taxi driver’s salary has been speculating in the real estate market, scooping up off-plan properties at terms that would make a Countrywide mortgage
