In the event that the Mayans got it wrong, and the world does not end today, I am calling it quits for the year. And what a year it has been. Over 26 trips and 40 speaking engagements in 20 countries, I managed to log 75,000 flight miles, a distance of roughly three times around [...]

Global Market Comments December 20, 2012 Fiat Lux Featured Trades: (JANUARY 4 CHICAGO STRATEGY LUNCHEON), (WHO NEED GOLD?), (GLD), (SLV), (PPLT), (PALL) (FAREWELL TO SENATOR DANIEL INOUE) SPDR Gold Trust Shares iShares Silver Trust ETFS Physical Platinum Shares ETFS Physical Palladium Shares

I was greatly saddened to learn of the passing of Senator Daniel Inoue of Hawaii yesterday, the Senate’s longest serving member, and a close friend. After 50 years in this August legislative body has came to dominate the all powerful Ways and Means Committee, eventually becoming the President Pro Tem. He was 88. As a [...]

Global Market Comments December 19, 2012 Fiat Lux Featured Trades: (WHY I BAILED ON MY EURO SHORT), (FXE), (EUO), (THE VERY LONG VIEW ON CHINA), (FXI), (CYB), (WHY IS GOOGLE SO HOT?), (GOOG) Currency Shares Euro Trust ProShares UltraShort Euro iShares FTSE China 25 Index Fund WisdomTree Dreyfus Chinese Yuan Fund Google, Inc.

I have long sat beside the table of McKinsey & Co., the best management consulting company in Asia, hoping to catch some falling crumbs of wisdom. So, I jumped at the chance to have breakfast with Shanghai based Worldwide Managing Director, Dominic Barton, when he passed through San Francisco visiting clients. These are usually sedentary [...]

Global Market Comments December 18, 2012 Fiat Lux Featured Trades: (WHEN DAVID TEPPER TALKS, PEOPLE LISTEN), (SPX), (THE SEDUCTIVE ALLURE OF BRAZILIAN BONDS), (EWZ), (BZF) S&P 500 Large Cap Index Brazil iShares Wisdom Tree Dreyfus Brazilian Real Fund

OK, let’s say that you don’t own bonds, but someone is holding a gun to your head, dangling you by your ankles outside a window on a high floor, or threatening to cut you off their Christmas card list, if you don’t buy some. Maybe you are sick to death, bashing your head against the [...]

Global Market Comments December 17, 2012 Fiat Lux Featured Trades: (WHY MY SHORTS ARE MISSING), (IS COPPER THE NEW RED GOLD?), (JJC), (DBB), (ECH), (JCX) (SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER) iPath Dow Jones-UBS Copper Subindex Total Return ETN PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust Metals Fund iShares MSCI Chile Index Fund