Image by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pixabay I’ve been quite critical of private investments. They’ve grown tremendously over the past decade. Drawn to their seemingly high returns and low volatilities, investors have poured billions into them, reallocating funds from traditional public stocks and bonds. While the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) aggressive policy hikes slowed inflows for some..
Image by stokpic from Pixabay Investments in alternative assets (alternatives) have grown tremendously over the past decade. Drawn to their professed portfolio benefits, investors have reallocated capital from more traditional assets, like public equities and bonds, into various alternative investments. Some can hardly get enough. Yet, for all the affection, there’s nothing truly alternative about..
Image by Tim C. Gundert from Pixabay Many types of currencies have been used throughout history. Sometimes commodities defined them. Other times, private bank notes circulated as mediums of exchange. Today, fiat currencies reign supreme while some eye cryptocurrencies as the future. Like so many aspects of money, currencies are hotly debated. This results from..
Image by jplenio from Pixabay Cryptocurrency (crypto) is full of potential. It’s also teeming with confusing jargon and grandiose promises that give the most famous of cults a run for their money. Blockchain, DeFi, DAOs, NFTs, Metaverse, and more proliferate the lexicon. To an outsider, crypto can be extraordinarily intimidating. However, below the complex veneer..
Image from Pixabay. Gold is lots of things to lots of people. To some, it’s the ultimate store of value and a source of financial freedom. To others, it’s just a shiny rock with an inflated, emotionally-driven price. Gold’s most popularly used to hedge inflation risk; to preserve purchasing power from thieving bureaucrats and central..
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay The hype never ends when it comes to cryptocurrencies. These days, the Metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have the spotlight. Like their predecessors (blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum) they carry intimidating labels and lofty promises brandished by their supporters. After all, it doesn’t get more “meta” than the Metaverse…
Image by WorldSpectrum from Pixabay “Bitcoin fixes this.” I cringe every time I see this popular meme. I find it worse than nails on a chalkboard. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency (crypto) supporters seem to wheel this tired trope out for every problem they see, particularly at economic ones. To their credit, they genuinely want to..
Image by Miloslav Hamřík from Pixabay It’s all Bitcoin all day in my Twitter feed these days. Quiet are the Tesla bears, the Fed-obsessed, and even the gold bugs. The HODLers are out in full force celebrating Bitcoin’s parabolic, seven-fold resurgence from the ashes of $5,000 (as of the morning of this writing). Frankly, I’m..
Image source Universal Studios via Wikipedia I often feel like the financial markets are crumbling around me. It’s not their price levels that trouble me, but their health. The capital markets are a tremendous boon to humanity. However, intrusive central bank and government policies seem to increasingly strangle the golden geese of capitalism and free..
