Once it is averred that inequality is wrong and the government ought to do “something” to make people more equal, tyranny is always around the corner. Equalization methods and strategies may vary, but some degree of coercion is guaranteed once it is decided to equalize human beings. The philosopher Antony Flew characterized egalitarianism as a procrustean ideal—some must be stretched to breaking point, while others must be cut down to size, in order to ensure that...
Read More »Crypto Soars
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump favored the crypto industry, including appointing "crypto-friendly" regulators. Moreover, one of the plans he mentioned several times was the creation of a federal strategic reserve of crypto assets. Trump's decisive victory, along with the Republican sweep of Congress, makes it even more likely the crypto industry and related cryptocurrencies will benefit from a Trump presidency. Accordingly, in the aftermath of the election,...
Read More »Exuberance – Investors Have Rarely Been So Optimistic
Investor exuberance has rarely been so optimistic. In a recent post, we discussed investor expectations of returns over the next year, according to the Conference Board's Sentiment Index. To wit: "Consumer confidence in higher stock prices in the next year remains at the highest since 2018, following the 2017 “Trump” tax cuts." (Note: this survey was completed before the Presidential Election.) We also discussed households' allocations to equities, which,...
Read More »The Road Ahead
Like many of you, I was happy that Donald Trump won the election. Kamala Harris is a committed Marxist, supporter of baby killing, and passionate advocate of the woke ideology. In foreign policy, she would have been guided by the neocons who control brain dead “President” Joe Biden.But we shouldn’t be complacent. Trump is far from ideal, and we need to do all we can to work against the policies he favors that are inimical to a free society. Beyond that, we need to...
Read More »EUR/CHF Price Forecast: Attempting a bearish breakout from a Triangle pattern
EUR/CHF is trying to break out of a Triangle pattern. If it succeeds it will probably lead to further downside towards the price objective for the pattern. EUR/CHF is attempting to break out of a Triangle pattern it has formed over the last three months (see chart below). EUR/CHF Daily Chart A bearish close on Tuesday will indicate a decisive breakout has happened and suggest the start of a likely strong decline. The market activity prior...
Read More »Make Money Free Again
Two days after Donald Trump became the first American since Grover Cleveland to win nonconsecutive presidential elections, the Federal Reserve announced a quarter percent cut in interest rates. Following this announcement, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell held a press conference where he said that he would not comply with any presidential request that he step down before his term ends in May of 2026.Powell claimed that the president lacks the legal...
Read More »Here Come the Awful Neocon Trump Appointments
The first Trump term was notable for countless terrible appointments Trump made. This was true in terms of both politics and policy. On the political end, Trump appointed people who routinely sought to undermine him politically. Many of Trump’s own appointees would go on to campaign against Trump in 2020 and 2024. Trump’s more clueless followers assured us that this was all, somehow, 4-D chess. Of course, it wasn’t. The 4-D chess trope has always been, as the kids...
Read More »Higher Yields Help Extend the Dollar’s Gains
Overview: The dollar continues to ride high. It is up 0.20%-0.50% today against the G10 currencies. Most pairs have extended last week's moves. The Dollar Index, which was near 100 in late September is approaching 106.00. Emerging market currencies are all weaker, as well. The dollar is being helped by higher US yields. After yesterday's holiday, the US 10-year yield is up five basis points to near 4.36%. The two-year yield also is five basis points higher to almost...
Read More »The Battle on Lake Geneva—Mises vs. the Statists at Mont Pelerin
Europe was slowly, painfully recovering from WWII. Liberalism—which had seemingly won the day against fascism in the West—was seeking to revitalize itself. It had tried before the war—through the Walter Lippmann colloquium—to moderate itself back into relevance. Many of the figures from the colloquium were intent to try again, with lessons learned from the war. One attendee—Ludwig von Mises—had no intentions of moderating, and was even more convinced that such a road...
Read More »Why “Majority Rule” Doesn’t Work
What is the Mises Institute? The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order....
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