“Wars are messy, their consequences unpredictable.” – The Lonely Realist “The implications of developments in the Middle East for the US economy are uncertain.” – Jerome Powell (March 18, 2026) History teaches that wars are disruptive. They have unanticipated spillover effects, including by creating interest rate and...
“It’s about energy.” – The Lonely Realist Today’s TLR is a brief follow-up to this past Thursday’s “The Iran War”: One month ago, writing about whether the US Dollar might surrender its reserve currency status, TLR noted that America and China are in a competition for global...
“Is the Iran War a terrible mistake or a brilliant geopolitical gambit?” – The Lonely Realist Thomas Paine in 1776 said: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Wars do that. What happens to Iran and the Middle East after America’s and Israel’s bombing campaign ends?...
“Gold is a rare, corrosion-resistant precious metal used for thousands of years as a currency, in jewelry and, more recently, in technology.” – The Lonely Realist Physical gold, as well as silver, is many things…, but it’s not an “investment asset.” Gold/silver are trading assets. Something...
“AI is coming for your job.” – The Lonely Realist “And then will be coming for you.” – Cassandra TLR recently had a thoughtful conversation about Artificial Intelligence with Cassandra, the mythical oracle TLR often consults about the future -- noting, however, that although Cassandra at times...
“America will never be the same.” – The Lonely Realist Whether you’re a fan or a critic of Donald J. Trump, in the 12 short months of Trump 2.0, the President has accomplished every goal he set. He deserves further credit for successfully executing on his...