Democracy, the most celebrated religion of both the Left and Right, has spread like wildfire… Zimbabwe has recently fallen for more democracy. Social movements in the Middle East — with the most recent one known as the Arab Spring — are inching the area toward more democracy. Even in reclusive Saudi Arabia democracy is slowly […]
Continue readingInternational Man: Let’s start by defining our terms. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines philanthropist as “one who makes an active effort to promote human welfare.” What do you make of this concept? Doug Casey: Who can possibly be against philanthropy based on that definition? The problem is that most philanthropists don’t actually care so much about […]
Continue readingIn any country, during prosperous times, the great majority of people go to work each day with the understanding that productivity results in an improved life. Even for those of humble means, the existence of prosperity around them is a daily assurance that, if you work hard and/or work smart, your life will steadily improve. […]
Continue readingAt the time, the book was ground-breaking. Back in 2007, Nassim Taleb published a book called The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. He promoted not to try and speculate or predict wild, outlier type events… but to prepare and plan for them. The 2008 Financial Crisis launched Taleb into infamy as Black […]
Continue readingInternational Man: What are your thoughts on the mining business? Doug Casey: Gold mining was once an excellent business. For example, take the Homestake Mine in Deadwood, South Dakota, discovered in 1876, about the time of Custer’s Last Stand actually. After they went into production— selling shares in local saloons to raise capital—their dividend was […]
Continue readingRecently, many political hopefuls on the Left in the US have “come out” as socialists. Some may have been socialists all along, whilst others may merely be hoping to cash in on the popularity of avowed socialist Bernie Sanders in 2016. Whatever the answer, those on the Right have gone into attack mode, fervently stating, […]
Continue readingEarlier this year, gold prices hit all-time highs in most major currencies. The British Pound… the Canadian Dollar… the Australian Dollar… the Indian Rupee… the Japanese Yen… the Chinese Yuan… the South African Rand… and more. It also broke above $1,500 in dollar terms. The highest it’s been in 6 years. This shouldn’t come as […]
Continue readingInternational Man: What are the speculative opportunities you see in the commodities markets? Doug Casey: I’ve traded commodity futures since the mid-seventies. I don’t recommend futures for most investors. It’s not that commodities are more volatile than stocks—they’re not. But it’s very easy to overleverage with the margin available; I’d say 95% of the public […]
Continue readingGovernments are in the flimflam business. Pared down to the bare essentials, governments can be very useful in passing and enforcing a small number of very basic laws. These laws should be limited to policing those who would seek to aggress against others, or their property. Governments may also have a value in providing protection […]
Continue readingDoug Casey’s Note: David Stockman is a former congressman and director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan. Now, anyone with connections to the government should elevate your suspicion level. But as you’ll see, David is a genuine opponent of government stupidity. Although his heroic fight against the Deep State during the […]
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