For years I provided reader commentary on sites such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Online and Seeking Alpha. I recently decided to concentrate my contributions to a dedicated commentary and analysis article site, to provide the reader with data analysis and useful data references and information links intermixed with any commentary. The focus of topics is economics, finance, trading and investing. If there is one central theme, it is to debunk popular economic and finance arguments that are used to underpin poor monetary, fiscal and financial regulatory policies, with risk navigation signals and messages for investors and traders.
My “commentary career” started the day the Federal Reserve bailed out Bear Stearns in March 2008. You might say that something just “clicked” inside my head, and I suddenly realized that our financial system had turned a dark corner into an overt display of “crony socialism,” whereby risks taken became complicit with an increase in moral hazard, and “systemic risk” was being used as a crutch to justify any number of federal backstops or bailouts, regardless of ethical responsibility and property rights. In July 2008, the WSJ published a letter I wrote regarding the federal takeover (“conservatorship”) of Fannie & Freddie. A staunch critic of the Federal Reserve and our pecuniary heritage, I have since written several years’ worth of commentary on economics and finance, with the intent to both educate and learn.
My experience in trading and investing spans over ten years, having day traded during the tech boom (and bust) and having maintained an investment portfolio that well outperformed the S&P 500 over a ten-year period (2001-2011). Recently, my trading focus has been on futures and options ('options traders tend to be natural skeptics'), and as a natural-born skeptic, I maintain a healthy sideline of liquidity for market opportunities (read: I am never "fully invested").
My inspirations change, but they include Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, Henry Hazlitt, Hyman Minsky, Charles Kindleberger, Milton Friedman, Peter Schiff, Jim Rogers, Nassim Taleb, Robert Shiller, Tom Woods, Walter E. Williams, H.L. Mencken and Jesse Livermore. Murray Rothbard has written more than anyone I can think of regarding our money and the concept of “free banking.” May we all look forward to a future of free capital markets and a sound currency system. In the mean time – we must navigate precarious waters filled with desultory regulation, special interest bailouts, an ever-growing sovereign debt, a monopoly banking system, uncertainty and latent chaos.
My “commentary career” started the day the Federal Reserve bailed out Bear Stearns in March 2008. You might say that something just “clicked” inside my head, and I suddenly realized that our financial system had turned a dark corner into an overt display of “crony socialism,” whereby risks taken became complicit with an increase in moral hazard, and “systemic risk” was being used as a crutch to justify any number of federal backstops or bailouts, regardless of ethical responsibility and property rights. In July 2008, the WSJ published a letter I wrote regarding the federal takeover (“conservatorship”) of Fannie & Freddie. A staunch critic of the Federal Reserve and our pecuniary heritage, I have since written several years’ worth of commentary on economics and finance, with the intent to both educate and learn.
My experience in trading and investing spans over ten years, having day traded during the tech boom (and bust) and having maintained an investment portfolio that well outperformed the S&P 500 over a ten-year period (2001-2011). Recently, my trading focus has been on futures and options ('options traders tend to be natural skeptics'), and as a natural-born skeptic, I maintain a healthy sideline of liquidity for market opportunities (read: I am never "fully invested").
My inspirations change, but they include Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, Henry Hazlitt, Hyman Minsky, Charles Kindleberger, Milton Friedman, Peter Schiff, Jim Rogers, Nassim Taleb, Robert Shiller, Tom Woods, Walter E. Williams, H.L. Mencken and Jesse Livermore. Murray Rothbard has written more than anyone I can think of regarding our money and the concept of “free banking.” May we all look forward to a future of free capital markets and a sound currency system. In the mean time – we must navigate precarious waters filled with desultory regulation, special interest bailouts, an ever-growing sovereign debt, a monopoly banking system, uncertainty and latent chaos.
Professional Information:
Small Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Trader, Investor, Researcher, Editor, Writer, Artist, Coach
Time Period: Dec 2005 to present
Prior Professional Life: Program Manager (Industry) and Research Professor (Academia)
Small Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Trader, Investor, Researcher, Editor, Writer, Artist, Coach
Time Period: Dec 2005 to present
Prior Professional Life: Program Manager (Industry) and Research Professor (Academia)
Content Websites:
(1) Essays in economics, history, philosophy, politics, culture, science, technology: EidolonSpeak.com
(2) Frequent commentary on economics, finance, trading and investing: EconIdeal.com
=>Check out my Home page: HERE
=>Check out my Home page: HERE
Educational Information:
Degree: Ph.D.
Field of Study: Physics
Other Interests:
Skiing, Diving, Mountain Hiking & Biking
My Photography & Art: WhitehawkArt.com
Editor/Contributor at ArtWithWine (wine, art and travel reviews)
Contact:
Please contact me by e-mail
Contact:
Please contact me by e-mail
The Econ Ideal: On the Road to Free Market Capitalism, Free Banking and Sound Money
