Author Archive

by Bill Bonner Kurt Richebächer died two weeks ago at his home in Cannes, France, at 88 years old. R.I.P. One of our greatest complaints is the way the modern world pays homage to its dead. When a good man finally has the mud tossed on his face, he is almost instantly forgotten; so little notice... »

“All fluctuations in a currency’s value, which can be noted in the foreign exchange market and currency’s exchange rate with gold, are the result of the mismatch of supply and demand.” by Nathan Lewis Despite claims to the contrary, proper currency management is simple. A currency’s value is determined by the balance of supply and demand.... »

When looking at the commodities market, it’s hard to decipher what is critical information, and what is just media fluff. Below, Kevin Kerr explains how to tune out the noisy chatter – and zero-in on the significant data from news and media outlets…    by Kevin Kerr    Sometimes when I turn the TV on and listen... »

It takes a great deal of courage to stand with only 300 men against 100,000. However, unlike the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, the small group of men who goaded President Bush into Iraq did so at no great personal sacrifice. As Bill Bonner explains, it is the common man who will suffer... »

What are the long-term costs of paper monetary systems? How can an economy develop in a healthy, sustainable manner when wealth’s scale constantly changes? by Dan Amoss, CFA Paper money is popular under democracies. Under the control of a central bank, paper money provides modern economies with... »

Like a comically misplaced banana peel, the subprime mortgage industry has slipped up more than a few big names in the housing industry. But as Bill Bonner explains, when the collateral on these loans rests on white lies, lenders are left slipping and sliding…with nothing to grab hold of. by Bill Bonner ... »

Without billions of dollars invested in new electricity resources right now, imagine brownouts, blackouts, shutdowns, and worse on a scale 10 times greater than anything we’re seeing today. That’s why, asserts Kevin Kerr, one of the best places to have your money right now is – electricity. by Kevin Kerr Opportunities... »

Article by Bill Bonner Probably the greatest disappointment to a modern man over the age of 50 comes when he looks in the mirror. We say that not as a man who has just had his vacation in a bathing suit, but as one who has spent the last couple of days reading the financial press.... »

Article by Kevin Kerr Over the last decade the commodity markets have changed to the point that to some they may be unrecognizable. Since 1848, the open outcry and hand signal method of trading on commodity exchange floors was the only way to go. Enter electronic trading in the early 1990s, and soon the old... »

Recently, Chris Mayer reported on the pressing issues facing power grids all over the world. Today, he points out the investment opportunities that relate to this power crunch. Read on… THE PERFECT STORM IN POWER by Chris Mayer The Perfect Storm dramatized the events surrounding a powerful nor’easter that raged over the Atlantic Ocean in 1991.... »

It goes without saying that, throughout the years, there are many people who truly deserve their wealth, because of their hard work or useful contributions to society. However, as Bill Bonner explains, today’s ‘upper echelon’ is quite different, since their wealth is not really based on anything – let alone... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: In the U.S. economy, “cash” is being turned into “trash” at a steady pace. The smart money is buying with abandon because it knows the paper bits floating around today will be worth less than the paper bits floating around tomorrow. Justice... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: As investors, every year can’t be 1982, when you could buy just about anything because just about everything was cheap. Every investor must make do with the market he finds himself in. Chris Mayer explains… NO REFUGE IN THE HERD by Chris Mayer My 4-year-old daughter heard... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: The fall of the dollar is like a car accident…you want to cover your eyes and walk away, but you can’t help but watch it with a sense of amazement. And if you look through the history of currencies, you’ll find that all printed money eventually... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: It is an old wisdom that the scale of the boom excesses essentially determines the severity of the following process of economic and financial readjustment. But what will the coming correction hold for the U.S. economy after the fall of the housing market? Dr. Richebächer explores… MONETARY... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: Demand for natural gas has been on the rise for a lot longer than you would think – and in the next few decades consumption of natural gas is expected to rise more than 20%. Justice Litle takes a look at this ... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: It recently came to the attention of the public that the hedge fund Amaranth Advisors managed to lose $6 billion in just a few days, due to a miscalculation of the price of natural gas futures. We aren’t all that surprised. Hedge... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: What constitutes a financial “disaster”? What causes these disasters? Below, Byron King reviews a book, History of Financial Disasters, which looks to answer those questions – and more. Read on… THE NATURE OF DISASTER by Byron W. King What is a disaster? The Latin ... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: We may have thought we had it bad with the heat this summer here in the United States, but in Spain, the summer of 2006 brought wildfires and drought. Chris Mayer reports on the effect this water shortage has had on the... »

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: What will happen when the Hindenburg of derivatives meets a spark from the housing bubble blow-up? We don’t know. But we had a ringing sound in our ears earlier this week. We thought we heard bells. Bill Bonner explains…  LIARS’ LOANS by Bill Bonner On... »