Most Popular
1. It’s a New Macro, the Gold Market Knows It, But Dead Men Walking Do Not (yet)- Gary_Tanashian
2.Stock Market Presidential Election Cycle Seasonal Trend Analysis - Nadeem_Walayat
3. Bitcoin S&P Pattern - Nadeem_Walayat
4.Nvidia Blow Off Top - Flying High like the Phoenix too Close to the Sun - Nadeem_Walayat
4.U.S. financial market’s “Weimar phase” impact to your fiat and digital assets - Raymond_Matison
5. How to Profit from the Global Warming ClImate Change Mega Death Trend - Part1 - Nadeem_Walayat
7.Bitcoin Gravy Train Trend Forecast 2024 - - Nadeem_Walayat
8.The Bond Trade and Interest Rates - Nadeem_Walayat
9.It’s Easy to Scream Stocks Bubble! - Stephen_McBride
10.Fed’s Next Intertest Rate Move might not align with popular consensus - Richard_Mills
Last 7 days
Stock Market Brief in Count Down to US Election Result 2024 - 3rd Nov 24
Gold Stocks’ Winter Rally 2024 - 3rd Nov 24
Why Countdown to U.S. Recession is Underway - 3rd Nov 24
Stock Market Trend Forecast to Jan 2025 - 2nd Nov 24
President Donald PUMP Forecast to Win US Presidential Election 2024 - 1st Nov 24
At These Levels, Buying Silver Is Like Getting It At $5 In 2003 - 28th Oct 24
Nvidia Numero Uno Selling Shovels in the AI Gold Rush - 28th Oct 24
The Future of Online Casinos - 28th Oct 24
Panic in the Air As Stock Market Correction Delivers Deep Opps in AI Tech Stocks - 27th Oct 24
Stocks, Bitcoin, Crypto's Counting Down to President Donald Pump! - 27th Oct 24
UK Budget 2024 - What to do Before 30th Oct - Pensions and ISA's - 27th Oct 24
7 Days of Crypto Opportunities Starts NOW - 27th Oct 24
The Power Law in Venture Capital: How Visionary Investors Like Yuri Milner Have Shaped the Future - 27th Oct 24
This Points To Significantly Higher Silver Prices - 27th Oct 24
US House Prices Trend Forecast 2024 to 2026 - 11th Oct 24
US Housing Market Analysis - Immigration Drives House Prices Higher - 30th Sep 24
Stock Market October Correction - 30th Sep 24
The Folly of Tariffs and Trade Wars - 30th Sep 24
Gold: 5 principles to help you stay ahead of price turns - 30th Sep 24
The Everything Rally will Spark multi year Bull Market - 30th Sep 24
US FIXED MORTGAGES LIMITING SUPPLY - 23rd Sep 24
US Housing Market Free Equity - 23rd Sep 24
US Rate Cut FOMO In Stock Market Correction Window - 22nd Sep 24
US State Demographics - 22nd Sep 24
Gold and Silver Shine as the Fed Cuts Rates: What’s Next? - 22nd Sep 24
Stock Market Sentiment Speaks:Nothing Can Topple This Market - 22nd Sep 24
US Population Growth Rate - 17th Sep 24
Are Stocks Overheating? - 17th Sep 24
Sentiment Speaks: Silver Is At A Major Turning Point - 17th Sep 24
If The Stock Market Turn Quickly, How Bad Can Things Get? - 17th Sep 24
IMMIGRATION DRIVES HOUSE PRICES HIGHER - 12th Sep 24
Global Debt Bubble - 12th Sep 24
Gold’s Outlook CPI Data - 12th Sep 24

Market Oracle FREE Newsletter

How to Protect your Wealth by Investing in AI Tech Stocks

Last Chance for Financial Crisis Truth

Stock-Markets / Credit Crisis 2008 Sep 28, 2008 - 11:50 AM GMT

By: Money_and_Markets

Stock-Markets

Best Financial Markets Analysis ArticleMartin Weiss writes: On this fateful Sunday morning, while Congress inches closer to approving the greatest financial bailout in history, while we teeter on the brink of what the President himself calls "a financial panic," and while you and I enjoy the momentary luxury of a quiet respite, it's time to sit back and take a long, hard look at what's best for us, our country, our children and their children as well.

This is a defining moment of your lifetime and mine. It's the moment I have been writing you about — and helping friends like you prepare for — week after week, month after month.


Now it is here.

Wouldn't it be ironic if, after all your diligent preparation, you got caught in the melee, or if you let the opportunities for yourself and your loved ones pass you by? All due to a fleeting distraction? Perhaps due to a fluke of fate?

That is how critical this moment is. And that is why I am here with you today to help make sure it's the right moment for the right decisions for you.

It's Also the Last Chance for Our Business and Political Leaders To Step Up and Tell The Truth

Unfortunately, that has not been what they usually do. Most have been lying to you — deliberately and consistently.

Time after time, they swore on a stack of bibles that the out-of-control speculation was "under control," that the sinking housing market was "unsinkable," that the uncontainable debt crisis was "contained."

When everything began to fall apart, they tried to persuade you it was "nothing to worry about."

When something began to give you nightmares, they tried to dissuade you from taking "hasty action."

But most of the time, they were aware of the dangers. They knew your future was in grave jeopardy. They saw it in their own government data and talked about it behind closed doors. They even made not-so-secret preparations for this day.

They didn't suddenly discover these threats yesterday.

Now, finally, they're saying something akin to what we've been saying all along. In a sudden gusher of frankness,

Sound familiar? If you've been with me for a while, it should.

Major Wall Street Firms Overexposed To Risky, Impossible-to-Value Assets

Take a look at our Money and Markets issue of December 3, 2007, "Dangerously Close to a Money Panic" , in which I shared hard data on how a money panic could ...

Bullet "Threaten the solvency of major Wall Street firms like Bear Sterns, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch or Morgan Stanley." Now, less than ten months later, every single one has failed, has been bought out, or is looking desperately for a merger partner.

Bullet "Increase the risk of future failure among large banks like Bank of America, Citibank, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase or Wachovia." Now, Wachovia is close to failure; and many others, not far behind.

Bullet "Even force certain kinds of money market funds to break their solemn promise of preserving your capital." Now, for the first time in history, we've witnessed a major money market fund to do just that — break the buck and deliver outright losses to its investors.

Letter to Ben Bernanke

Or, go back to January 28 of this year and see my open letter to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. That's when I warned them of:

"a vicious cycle more powerful than anything we've seen ... debt troubles sinking our economy and the sinking economy triggering more debt troubles."

And that's when I advised them:

"Don't let the U.S. government get dragged down into the quicksand. It's too deep.

"Don't bail out the banks, the bond insurers, and the thousands of other gamblers in the derivatives casino. They're too big.

"Don't get entangled in the giant web of bets and debts they've created over the years. It's too complex."

Now they're agreeing with my deep concern for the future ... but only for one reason — to justify taking all the steps and making all the mistakes I warned against.

I don't presume to know more than they do or have all the answers they don't have. But here's where they and I fundamentally disagree:

They are the paramount pessimists, with little or no faith in our country's ability to survive a financial crisis.

I am a profound optimist, with every bit of confidence in our ingenuity and resources to tackle the crisis without federal bailouts, clean up the bad debts on our own, and ultimately, recover with a cleaner slate.

The financial meltdown will be traumatic. It will turn many people's lives upside down. It will hurt and hurt bad. But as I wrote to Bernanke, Pelosi and Paulson in January:

"No matter how dire the situation may be, it's not the end of the world. We've survived worse, and we're still here. We'll survive this crisis as well."

The irony of this saga, however, is the one final truth that Washington and Wall Street have yet to face:

The financial crisis will continue and will deepen one way or the other. At this late date, there's nothing they can do to prevent it.

Whether Congress succeeds in passing legislation this weekend or not ... whether the package is strong or weak ... whether Monday's market brings euphoria or panic ...

No one can set back the clock ten years. No one can reverse the debt bubbles already created. No can undo the structural damage already done. The bad debts, like the truth, must come out.

In our white paper submission to Congress , we demonstrate why and propose concrete solutions.

Plus, in our press conference and press calls yesterday, we followed up with more. We talked to the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Business Week and others. And the same point I've made here with you, I made there with them:

Washington's entire argument is flawed at the core. They insist that the disease — the debt crisis — is so severe that we risk a total meltdown and a great depression.

But in the same breath, they argue that their cure — despite all past bailout failures and despite very nasty side effects — is somehow going to prevent the consequences.

They can't have it both ways. And our white paper demonstrates they're wrong on both counts: The debt disease — no matter how widespread — is not fatal for our country. And their so-called "cure" — no matter how expensive — is not the answer to our prayers."

This leaves you with no choice. You cannot wait to see how long Wall Street's celebration will last or how soon Washington's plan will fail. You must take protective action now.

I have warned you. Now the President, the Fed Chairman and the Treasury Secretary have also warned you. There's no reason to wait one moment longer.

Take advantage of any stock market rally to get out of all stocks we have not specifically recommended.

Take advantage of any temporary reprieve in the housing collapse to sell all the real estate you don't want to live in.

Move your money to cash, and stash that cash in the safest, most liquid investment in the world today: a money market fund that invests almost exclusively in U.S. Treasury securities or equivalent, such as Capital Preservation Fund , Weiss Treasury Only Money Market Fund or any of the other excellent Treasury-only funds we have continually recommended. The yield is low. But that's the price smart investors are paying for safety today, and it's worth every penny. It's better than the best bank.

Buy insurance against what could be one of the blackest Black Octobers in modern times, using the inverse investments we have been continually recommending throughout this crisis.

And then go for the massive profit opportunities that are especially possible at times like these.

This coming Tuesday, September 30, is the last day before Black October and before we issue a bundle of new recommendations to convert crisis into opportunity.

It's also your last day to save 50% on our Safe Money Report , designed to help you keep your savings safe and multiply your investments even in the worst of times.

Visit our current Web page for our latest report on this crisis and for instructions on how to join. You have only today, plus two days left.

Prudent steps are the right decisions for you and your family. And what's good for your finances is good for our country's.

Good luck and God bless

Martin

This investment news is brought to you by Money and Markets . Money and Markets is a free daily investment newsletter from Martin D. Weiss and Weiss Research analysts offering the latest investing news and financial insights for the stock market, including tips and advice on investing in gold, energy and oil. Dr. Weiss is a leader in the fields of investing, interest rates, financial safety and economic forecasting. To view archives or subscribe, visit http://www.moneyandmarkets.com .

Money and Markets Archive

© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.


Comments

Cynicus Economicus
01 Oct 08, 01:03
Credit crisis

Well, it seems that everyone has woken up to what it a very bad (but entirely predictable) situation. However, there is still a lack of understanding about the real roots of the crisis.

Having thought for a long time about the world economy, in my case my concern was primarily the UK economy, it became apparent to me a long time ago that the situation was going seriously awry.

Whilst seeing that the economies of the West were unsustainable, I searched for the underlying causes. The result is summarised here:

http://cynicuseconomicus.blogspot.com/2008/09/banking-crisis-what-is-really-going-on.html

I believe that recognition of the underlying problems is the key to rebuilding of the Western economies, as that is what will be needed once the current dramatic events run their course.


Post Comment

Only logged in users are allowed to post comments. Register/ Log in