Category: Chris

2013 In the Rearview Mirror – Part II

Earlier this week we took a look at the public calls we made for the first half of 2013. Today I’ll cover the last half of 2013. Let’s take a walk down memory lane. Before I do that however, I owe our readers an apology. As I was working on this summary,

Read More »

More Pain for the Yen?

In late 2011 I started shorting the Japanese Yen. I spoke about it here, here and again here. I even tried to employ my skills in evaluating private equity deals to evaluating Japan. I was coming up empty. I’ve employed a basic position of long the USD/JPY cross, long XAU/JPY

Read More »

Drag-Along Rights – Why Investors Use Such Agreements

Frankly I am often puzzled as to why investors simply buy common stock, all too often taking what the market offers them. It’s no secret that the majority of what we do right now is investing in private equity. Today I’m going to provide yet another reason why getting involved in

Read More »

“James Bond’s” Predictions for 2014…and Beyond

I first met Joe in Mongolia last year. He is one of the most fascinating men I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. A spook from the cold war with stories that would not be out of place in any spy novel. Truth truly is stranger than fiction. This is not

Read More »

Low Growth in the Developed World… Increasing Capital Flight to Asia!

The first wave of modern globalization took place during 1870-1913, when both capital and labour moved freely across international borders. Things have changed a lot since then as ever increasing  restrictions have emerged for capital mobility, due in part to a surge in nationalism and increasing levels of government interference

Read More »

9 Reasons We Passed on This Deal

Ideas…like grains of sand on the beach. I’ve mentioned this before in my post “8 Reasons Not to Sign an NDA” and it bears repeating. Unless you have a proprietary product involving intellectual property, a scientific process or something which is entirely unique and therefore valuable, you are immediately devaluing

Read More »

Life Through the Lens of a Central Banker

I am a central banker. Let me tell you my story. I look presentable, nice suits, am well spoken, I have impeccable credentials. I wear a vacuous stare, though I like to think of it as a stern expression. My most honest feature, other than low wattage IQ, is that

Read More »

The Error of My Ways

“Now, this debt ceiling — I just want to remind people in case you haven’t been keeping up — raising the debt ceiling, which has been done over a hundred times, does not increase our debt; it does not somehow promote profligacy. All it does is it says you got

Read More »