The Law of Unintended Consequences March 6, 2009 By John Mauldin Unintended Consequences The I-Factor Rating Agencies Gone Wild Knights to the Rescue ~~~ Rules have consequences. And sometimes they have unintended consequences. If I told you that the US government was going to give multiple tens of ...

Buy and Hope Investing February 27, 2009 By John Mauldin More About the Long Run Stocks for the REALLY Long Run If You Don’t Like the Numbers, Then Change Them Buy and Hope A Few Thoughts on Taxes and Budgets Nouriel Roubini, Yahoo Tech Ticker, and Me New York, Las Vegas, and La Jolla ~~~~ Thi...

When I sit down each week to write, I essentially do what I did nine years ago when I started writing this letter. I write to you, as an individual. I don’t think of a large group of people, just a simple letter to a friend. It is only half a joke that this letter is written to my one million ...

One of the best gauges of an economy is tax collections. No one pays taxes unless they have to, so collections are a real-world, real-time analysis of the US economy. And the best source I know of for tracking taxes is The Liscio Report, by Philippa Dunne & Doug Henwood. Tax collections are down...

Trading With the Big Boys January 30, 2009 By John Mauldin This week we are going to do something a little different. I am in Bermuda taking a little weekend R&R after a speech, as well as working on my book. There is not the time for the usual letter this week, but I have asked Barry Ritholtz t...

There is a reason I call this column Outside the Box. I try to get material that forces us to think outside our normal comfort zones and challenges our common assumptions. And this week’s letter from Hoisington Investment Management Company does just that. Let me give you two quotes to pique y...

I meant to take yet another Friday away from my writing, but as I am researching for next week’s annual prediction issue, there is so much material that begs to be covered that I thought I would put out a short letter with 3 or 4 points as a preface to my prognostications of next week. This we...

This week I have a special Outside the Box for you. My long-time friend Doug Casey wrote a very prescient piece back in 1997. He has updated it somewhat for today’s times. The critical part is a summary of the work of Richard Strauss and (friend) John Howe and their book The Fourth Turning, wh...

I Meant to Do That December 19, 2008 By John Mauldin The Fed has taken interest rates to zero. They have clearly started a program of quantitative easing. What exactly does that mean? Are we all now Japanese? Is the Fed pushing on a string, as Japan has done for almost two decades? The quick answer ...

There are things in today’s markets that are simply astounding. They should not exist, yet they do. Why should US bills trade at negative interest? How can oil be trading at all-time highs in terms of spreads over the next year? Bank debt and bonds are trading at discounts not to be believed. ...