Gold, yuan, and the end of dollar rule “He who owns the gold makes the rules.” — Anonymous A reader on Sunday’s post mentioned The Wizard of Oz. That single word—Oz—sent me back to an essay I wrote over two years ago called The Land of Ounces. I went back…
A Three-Part Mini-Series — Part Two “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens.” — Genesis 11:4 Every tower begins with a promise. People surrender tangible wealth—time, money, labor, health—in exchange for the promise of something greater. This essay traces one of…
From 2018 to the present “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” — Winston Churchill Sometimes it pays to go back and read things I’ve written before. It sheds new light. In my post Things Are Not as They Appear, I traced the long…
Three Forces & the 1983 Pattern That Explain It All “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” — Winston Churchill If you follow markets, you’ve probably seen the headlines: Gold down nearly 20% in two months. Bombs are falling in the Middle East. Oil is above $100 a…
“Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein My oldest son graduated with honors in mechanical engineering in May 2025—and still doesn’t have a full-time job. He moved back home and spends his days sending out applications between rebuilding…
Parallels Between 1929 and Today’s Financial Fragility “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933 In the final months of 1929, America looked unstoppable. Cities glowed with electric light. Streets swarmed with automobiles. Radios carried jazz, ball scores, and a steady stream of…
“In the end, money is just a belief system — and when that belief falters, people reach for what’s real.” — Ray Dalio If you’ve been following the precious-metals world lately, you’ve probably noticed a growing sense of unease — and for good reason. Gold and silver have been rising…
“It’s not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” — Mark Twain When I was a little girl, I had big questions. Why do we have to sleep? Why do we die? Why do we need money to…
“Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value: zero.” — Voltaire Last week, I read Scott Bessent’s paper, “The Fed’s ‘Gain of Function’ Monetary Policy,” which presents a striking critique of the Federal Reserve’s unconventional monetary strategies. Bessent argues that over the past decades—particularly following the 2008 financial crisis—the Fed has engaged…
“There is no theory of the spark. Only of the combustible material.” — Charles Kindleberger In March 2023, Silicon Valley Bank insisted it was safe. By nightfall, depositors had withdrawn $42 billion—the fastest bank run in U.S. history. Another $100 billion was queued for the morning. The speed was new….
“Outstanding, sophisticated, and mesmerizing…a spiritual intrigue similar to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.” —ForeWord Reviews