• ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DISCLAIMER!!!

Wexboy

~ A Value Investing Blog

Wexboy

Tag Archives: austerity

Baby Boomers…Yes, It’s All About Them!

06 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by Wexboy in Uncategorized

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

alternative assets, American Dream, austerity, baby boomers, consumerism, emerging markets, entitlement spending, fall of communism, frontier markets, globalisation, Japan, Me Generation, Millennials, USA

In my last post, I acknowledged logic tends to fly out the window in a market correction, and fear & greed take over the driving. My advice was to take a deep breath, just accept the fact we don’t always know what’s coming next, and to positively transform the compulsion to do something anything to relieve your market-induced stress. Because a correction’s a wonderful upgrade opportunity, a chance to (re)deploy your weaker portfolio holdings & cash into higher quality growth companies – those compounders you hardly ever get to buy. Happily, things look a little rosier now (a special thanks, Japan!), and hopefully we’re now heading into a traditional year-end rally…

Of course, long-term performance is the best reminder to always remain invested in the market. Unfortunately, fear & greed can quickly undermine such compelling logic. Companies face a similar issue – it takes a great leader to keep a company set on its long-term growth trajectory, despite all the setbacks it will obviously encounter. The idea great leaders are great storytellers is interesting in this context – it suggests numbers & analysis aren’t enough, people often require a compelling narrative to motivate & help them stay the course. In terms of the markets, the more you can interpret & understand the narrative of the past, the better equipped you will be to see the long-term narrative arc & how it might continue playing out in the future.

So, let me share some of my market narrative. Remember, it’s a story – it doesn’t require proof, and it won’t necessarily remain set in stone. [Accordingly: I’m sure I’ll include plenty of links, but I’ll try resist the temptation to jam this post full of graphs & figures]. You may nod your head, agree, and ponder the implications for your own portfolio – or you’ll replace it with your own narrative…and that’s good too. I’m going to focus on the US here: i) because it’s the growth-engine of the world, and ii) where the US goes, much of the world tends to follow. I’ll also focus on the Baby Boomers – because they bloody deserve the blame…for just about everything! [I promise you’ll hear this more & more in the years to come]:

The Boomers grew up to a constant refrain: A never-ending list of the immense sacrifices and hardships their parents & grandparents endured during World War II & the Great Depression before it. Quite a dose of survivor guilt to be saddled with… Except when they started to come of age in the ’60s, they looked ’round and saw they were actually living in the richest & most powerful country on earth. Hardship and sacrifice seemed like rather quaint & irrelevant concepts, while sexual & political liberation beckoned as a far more enjoyable way to embrace young adulthood. Unfortunately, just when getting a job, getting married, and having kids began to enter the equation, everything turned to shit…

Continue reading →

Advertisement

A Greek Tragedy…?

27 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Wexboy in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

austerity, Big Brother, budget deficit, citizenship, Debt/GDP Ratio, default, Europe, European sovereign debt crisis, Greece, Occupy Wall Street, politicians, remittance economy, tragedy of the commons, US, venality

Two key (related) themes echo through recent articles about the Greek sovereign debt crisis. I’ve the distinct & nagging feeling something’s missing here? Hmmm… Anyway, the first theme is the expression of outrage at Greek politicians, their profligate ways and their general shiftiness. Sure, it’s always fun to criticize politicians, but why bother really? What exactly did you expect of them? I’m bemused by the air of superiority displayed in some articles – nah, nah, nah, my politicians are better than yours! Rubbish, there’s nothing unique about Greek politicians in a global context – they’re just a little further down the road to hell…

Let’s think about what makes them tick: Well, they say politics is an unpredictable business – true, you just can’t second-guess stupidity sometimes. But otherwise, you mostly just need to consider the actors’ motivations. Depressingly, this seems to boil down to Money, Power, or both! OK, Duty’s another possibility – reluctant leaders are often the best leaders. But how often, in the past decade or two, have you seen a politician consistently serve out of a clear sense of duty?

Continue reading →

Whither the US, Europe & the EUR/USD..?

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by Wexboy in Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

activist investors, austerity, Bundesbank, catalyst, CNBC, distressed assets, Edward Gibbon, emerging markets, EUR/USD, Europe, Event Driven, Fed, frontier markets, idiots, Japan, Japanese debt crisis, NAV discount, private equity funds, Red Bull, student debt, US

OK, I confess, this isn’t really about the EUR/USD FX rate. I was beginning another article, and my despair over the developed markets & their prospects just kept interfering..! But let’s try keep this somewhat brief – maybe I’ll return again after reading my Gibbon – and hopefully it will prove a good lead-in for my other article.

Despite the dismal performance in the US & Europe (why even talk about Japan..?) over the past decade, I just can’t get too hopeful from here. I sighed, and resolved again to just ignore the news, when I heard the growing swell of anti-austerity political dissent in Europe (and even fresh mutterings about EUR exit, and devaluation).

Continue reading →

Enter email address to track this blog by email.

Join 2,324 other subscribers

Wexboy on Twitter:

Tweets by Wexboy_Value

Wexboy Top Posts

  • 2022...Post-Pandemic Hangover
  • Hitting The Century (X – Distressed)
  • NTR plc - Breezin' Right Along...
  • FY-2018: What The Market Gods Giveth, They Also Taketh Away...

Wexboy Archives

  • January 2023
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • July 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • July 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • July 2019
  • January 2019
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011

Wexboy Categories

  • Uncategorized

Blogroll

  • Above Average Odds Investing
  • Alpha Vulture
  • CantEatValue
  • Cheapskate Investor
  • csinvesting
  • Deep Value Investments
  • Element Value Investor
  • Expecting Value
  • Harriman Intelligence
  • Insider Monkey
  • Interactive Investor Blog
  • Investor Soiree
  • Long Term Value Blog
  • Mallet's Conspiracy
  • Mark Carter
  • Oddball Stocks
  • Philip O'Sullivan's Market Musings
  • Ragnar is a Pirate
  • Reminiscences of a Stockblogger
  • ShareProphets
  • Simple Value Investing
  • The UK Stock Market Almanac
  • Tom Winnifrith
  • UK Value Investor
  • Value Investing France
  • Value Investing Journey
  • Value Uncovered
  • valueandopportunity
  • valuestockinquisition
  • ValueWalk
  • Valuhunteruk

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Wexboy
    • Join 2,324 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Wexboy
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar