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BEST OF DOUG NOLAND
May 20, 2008
I was compelled to share some thoughts with respect to the "asset
Bubble" debate. Actually, the subject matter is now little more than a
distraction from more pressing Credit and pricing issues. Somewhat
strangely, U.S. asset inflation is no longer the overriding concern.
Instead, I ponder the ongoing issue of the current extraordinary
financial backdrop: a global economy that continues to operate in a
unique environment without a functioning monetary regime. There is no
mechanism – gold standard, Bretton Woods, or otherwise – to in anyway
limit the quantity or quality of global financial claims inflation. It
has become full-fledged unfettered "wildcat" finance unlike anything the
world has ever experienced.
It is tempting to fixate on the asset Bubble issue. Yet a more pressing
need is for the Federal Reserve and global central bankers to begin
working towards the implementation of some type of functioning monetary
"regime," with the intention of returning some semblance of order to
international finance. And similar to anticipating new U.S. central
banking doctrine, one can bet confidently that change will not arrive
ahead of "post-Bubble impetus". No doubt about it, Heightened Monetary
Disorder - the cost associated with the Fed’s U.S. Credit system bailout
- is increasingly on display. Destabilizing speculation is returning
with a vengeance, and it’s anything but limited to commodities markets.
Doug Noland is a market strategist at Prudent Bear Funds. Their website
is www.prudentbear.com. |