Get out your chopsticks! Brush up on your sushi! Learn to read backwards and upside down! Yes…we’re going to Japan! The gist of the Japanese situation is this: The bubble burst in 1990. But rather than let their big businesses go belly up, the Japanese used every trick in the book. Counter-cyclical deficits up the…Read more…

As Chuck wrote yesterday, the markets were feeling confident that an agreement on a second financing accord for Greece was going to be finalized yesterday. The euro (EUR) continued to rally on the news through most of the day, but the talks stumbled over the issue of pension cuts, and EU/IMF officials had to give…Read more…

“Every human problem is an investment opportunity if you can anticipate the solution,” the old gentleman told me. “If not for thieves, who would buy locks?” I just met this remarkable fellow, full of wisdom on investing, yet hardly known beyond a small group of fans. His name is Thomas Phelps, and he’s had quite…Read more…