“Populist policymaking can be extraordinarily destructive.” – The Lonely Realist Both Republican MAGAism and Democratic Party Progressivism have found sizable voter bases among “ordinary people who feel that their concerns have been disregarded by established elites” – an exercise in populism that today has found favor...
“That is, investment timing is everything…, except over the past decade and a half when ‘buying the dip’ has been all the 'timing' needed.” – The Lonely Realist [“Timing is Everything” was written earlier this week, before “the dip.” Did you or will you be buying this...
“America has become the poster child for creeping socialism.” – The Lonely Realist There is no such thing as “State capitalism.” That’s a term invented to put a positive spin on State control of markets and industries – in other words, it’s a code-phrase for socialism....
“China’s advantages in the production and refinement of rare earth elements are significant.” – The Lonely Realist TLR this week received a number of emails disagreeing with TLR's assertion in last week's commentary that China’s virtual monopoly over rare earth elements – that is, its 70% share...
“ETFs and rare earths (and even soyabeans) are economic weapons.” – The Lonely Realist An ETF is a public investment fund that trades on stock exchanges in the same way as a single stock (and with more liquidity than a mutual fund). An exchange traded fund...
“We are witnessing de-dollarization. Are we nearing a finale?” – The Lonely Realist A Dollar is “fiat currency,” a piece of paper. It has no intrinsic value. People believe in it because they have faith in America's economic and foreign policies, its judicial system, its Constitution,...