By MoneyMorning.com.au
If you want to avoid the biggest mistakes most investors make, today’s posts are the most important Money Morning posts you’ll read this week… maybe this year.
First, we’ll set the scene…
“In its first formal evaluation of China’s financial system, the [International Monetary Fund]… today blamed ‘heavy’ government involvement in the country’s banks and watchdogs for reducing market discipline and corporate governance.” – News.com.au
“The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today announced a new lending facility aimed at helping ‘bystander’ countries protect themselves from contagion during financial crises.” – News.com.au
On one hand the IMF says “heavy” government is bad… because it reduces market discipline.
On the other hand the IMF stands ready to interfere and bail out countries that lacked market discipline.
Because make no mistake, there are no “bystander” countries. All nations and banking systems are up to their armpits in the cesspit of ill-discipline.
As we wrote yesterday, “Greece borrows from Italy… Italy borrows from France… France borrows from Germany… and even Germany borrows from someone – the French, Italians and Greeks probably!”
Even saver nations, Germany and China, must share the blame. Savers carelessly loaned cash… searching for higher returns, believing nothing could go wrong. But it did.
This is something we’ve thought about for the past few days. We’re preparing a speech for the Daily Reckoning Doomers’ Ball…
It’s a small sold-out ticket-only event taking place this Friday in Melbourne. Daily Reckoning editor, Dan Denning has asked each of the editors (Dr. Alex Cowie, Murray Dawes, Greg Canavan and I) to come up with our biggest ideas or forecasts for 2012.
The gist of our idea is: make sure you’ve got a Plan B investment strategy… ask yourself, “What if…?” before you invest a cent.
Cheers.
Kris.
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From the Archives…
The Onward March of the State
2011-11-11 – Kris Sayce
Lose a Shirt, But Gain a Wardrobe
2011-11-10 – Kris Sayce
Neither a Borrower Nor a Seller Be…
2011-11-09 – Kris Sayce
Roman or Zimbabwean
2011-11-08 – Kris Sayce
Lighting a Match to Inflation
2011-11-07 – Kris Sayce
For editorial enquiries and feedback, email moneymorning@moneymorning.com.au