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Spain: The Hole In Europe's Balance Sheet

Today's offering for this week's Outside the Box starts off with a quote from Titus Maccius Plautus: 'I am a rich man as long as I don't pay my creditors.' Even 2200 years ago, it seems that problems of credit were an issue.

I talked last Friday about the US being faced with a number of bad choices. But it is not just the US. Today we look at a piece from my friends at Variant Perception based on London. They are a relatively new institutional research house. I have been reading their material for some time and have begun to look very much forward to it. They do some very good in-depth analysis. I asked then to shorten a piece they did on Spain and Spanish banks for this week's Outside the Box. Spain will soon be faced with a number of very uncomfortable choices, but for now they appear in denial.

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Published 08-31-2009 3:24 PM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Deflation, Debt, Economic Outlook, Spain GDP, Spanish Housing Marlet, Eurpoe, Spain

Slow Long-Term Growth, And Government's Response

This week I am really delighted to be able to give you a condensed version of Gary Shilling's latest INSIGHT newsletter for your Outside the Box. Each month I really look forward to getting Gary's latest thoughts on the economy and investing. Last year in his forecast issue he suggested 13 investment ideas, all of which were profitable by the end of the year. It is not unusual for Gary to give us over 75 charts and tables in his monthly letters along with his commentary, which makes his thinking unusually clear and accessible. Gary was among the first to point out the problems with the subprime market and predict the housing and credit crises. His web site is down being re-designed, but you can write for more information at insight@agaryshilling.com. If you want to subscribe (for $275), you can call 888-346-7444. Tell them that you read about it in Outside the Box and you will get not only his recent 2009 forecast issue with the year's investment themes, but an extra issue with his 2010 forecast (of course, that one will not come out until the end of the year. Gary is good but not that good!) I trust you are enjoying your week. And enjoy this week's Outside the Box.

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Published 08-10-2009 3:50 PM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Inflation, Deflation, GDP, Consumer Spending, Gary Shilling, Government, Financial Crisis, Debt, Capital Spending, Long-Term Growth

Debt and Deflation

There is a reason I call this column Outside the Box. I try to get material that forces us to think outside our normal comfort zones and challenges our common assumptions. I have made the comment more than once that is it unusual for two major bubbles to burst and for the conversation to be all about rising inflation and not a serious problem with deflation.

As Niels Jensen pointed out last week, the most important question that an investor can ask is whether we are in for deflation or inflation. And this week we read a well reasoned piece on deflation. This is one of the more important essays I have sent out. You need to set aside some time to absorb this one.

Van Hoisington and Dr. Lacy Hunt give us a few thoughts on why they think it is deflation that will ultimately be the problem and not inflation we are dealing with today. This week's letter requires you to think, but it will be worth the effort....

Published 07-13-2009 2:37 PM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Deflation, Japan, Dr. Lacy Hunt, Van Hoisington, GDP, Bonds, Economic Forecast, Velocity, Fiscal Policy, Economic Data, Debt, NBER

Make Sure You Get This One Right

There are those who sweat over every decision, worrying about how it will affect their lives and investments. Then there is the school of thought that we should focus on the big decisions. I am of the latter school.

85% of investment returns are a result of asset class allocations and only 15% come from actually picking investment within the asset class. Getting the big picture right is critical. In this week's Outside the Box we look at a very well written essay about the biggest of all question in front of us today. Do we face deflation or inflation?

This OTB is by my good friends and business partners in London, Niels Jensen and his team at Absolute Return Partners....

Published 07-06-2009 11:14 AM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Inflation, Deflation, GDP, P/E Ratio, Niels Jensen, Money Supply, Absolute Return Partners, Deflationary Spiral

Quarterly Review and Outlook - First Quarter 2009

There is a reason I call this column Outside the Box. I try to get material that forces us to think outside our normal comfort zones and challenges our common assumptions. And this week's letter does just that. I have made the comment more than once that is it unusual for two major bubbles to burst and for the conversation and our experience to be rising inflation and not a serious problem with deflation.

Van Hoisington and Dr. Lacy Hunt give us a seminar on why they think it is deflation that will ultimately be the problem and not inflation we are dealing with today. This week's letter requires you to think, but it will be worth the effort.

Now, if you put all of the various inputs together, Hoisington and Hunt show that theory suggests we will soon be dealing with deflation. It's counter- intuitive to what we hear today, which is why the Bank for International Settlements used the stagflation word in a recent report. The transition that is coming will not be comfortable....

Published 04-20-2009 4:14 PM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Inflation, Deflation, Japan, Dr. Lacy Hunt, Van Hoisington, GDP, Bonds, Economic Theory, Hoisington Management, Government Debt, M2

Roadmap To Inflation And Sources Of Cheap Insurance

What happens when inflation once again returns. As this week's Outside the Box writer, James Montier, writes, we may want to start thinking now about inflation insurance and he mentions a few ways to do so. But this letter is a must read for his bringing to light a speech by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke in 2000 given to the Japanese, where he suggest inflation targeting:

'In the speech, he laid out a menu of policy options that are available to the monetary authorities at the zero bound. First, aggressive currency depreciation, as per Romer's analysis of the end of the Great Depression. Second on Bernanke's list is the introduction of an inflation target to help mould the public's expectations about the central bank's desire for inflation. He mentions the range of 3-4%!'

I think you will find this week's OTB to be exceptionally thought provoking. Montier is one of my favorite economic thinkers (and a good friend). He works for Societe Generale in London in their Cross Asset Research group....

Published 03-24-2009 9:35 AM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Inflation, Deflation, Japan, GDP, James Montier, Gold, Insurance, Great Depression, Inflation Swaps, Societe Generale, Sovereign CDS, Dividend Swaps, TIPS, Ben Bernanke

Long-Term Outlook: Slow Growth And Deflation

This week I am really delighted to be able to give you a condensed version of Gary Shilling's latest INSIGHT newsletter for your Outside the Box. Each month I really look forward to getting Gary's latest thoughts on the economy and investing. Last year in his forecast issue he suggested 13 investment ideas, all of which were profitable by the end of the year. It is not unusual for Gary to give us over 75 charts and tables in his monthly letters along with his commentary, which makes his thinking unusually clear and accessible. Gary was among the first to point out the problems with the subprime market and predict the housing and credit crises. You can learn more about his letter at http://www.agaryshilling.com. If you want to subscribe (for $275), you can call 888-346-7444. Tell them that you read about it in Outside the Box and you will get not only his recent 2009 forecast issue with the year's investment themes, but an extra issue with his 2010 forecast (of course, that one will not come out for a year. Gary is good but not that good!) I trust you are enjoying your week. And enjoy this week's Outside the Box....

And if you have cable and get Fox Business News, I will be on Happy Hour tomorrow Tuesday the 17th at 5 pm Eastern. Have a great week....

All In

There is an ongoing debate on the current nature of the economic environment and what should the response be by government. Today's Outside the Box by Paul McCulley takes up one view, arguing that we need a federal response and stimulus package to protect the overall economy and save capitalism from itself. Tomorrow, I am going to send yet another view arguing that by doing so we are hurting the prudent investor and businesses that did not over-leverage and behaved responsibly. Both are important to understand. And as I will argue on Friday in my 2009 Forecast Issue, both are right. And that is one of the great economic paradoxes that we are faced with today. Navigating through this period is particularly challenging, but I think it is critical that you understand what Paul says today and what Bennet Sedacca will say tomorrow. Understanding what is going to happen, whether or not we agree with the philosophy behind it should be our goal, as it will make us better able to respond with our own portfolio and business decisions....

Published 01-06-2009 1:34 PM by John Mauldin

Filed under: The Fed, Deflation, Politics, Ben Bernadke, Paul McCulley, Government, Pimco, Bailout, TARP, Economic Crisis, Welfare, Socialism, Minsky

A Daily Snapshot Of Market Moving Developments

This week we look at David Rosenberg's latest missive. While listing a number of negative data points, the thing to watch for is all the deflationary news. I have been pounding the table for YEARS that deflation is going to be the problem, and there would be massive stimulus from the Fed to fight it. We are now coming to that inflection point. Rosenberg is one of my favorite main stream economists and the North American Economist for Merrill Lynch. I would say enjoy this week's Outside the Box, but it is not enjoyable reading, but you should read it anyway....

Published 12-22-2008 12:21 PM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Housing, Deflation, Japan, Consumer Spending, Consumer Price Index, Global Economy, Gold, Depression, Merrill Lynch, Germany, Barack Obama, David Rosenberg, Commercial Real Estate, Employment

The Paradox of Deleveraging Will Be Broken

We are clearly not having as much fun taking off leverage as we had putting it on, or at least the vast majority are not. This week in Outside the Box we look at some very thought-provoking insights from my good friend Paul McCulley, who helps us think about how we got here and what will be the end point. From the letter: 'But what ailed Lehman was but a manifestation of what ailed, and ails the global financial intermediary system: the presumption that grossly levered positions in illiquid assets can always be funded, because those doing the funding will always assume the borrower is a going concern.' You need to read this when you have the time to think. The quotes from Keynes are important....

Published 11-24-2008 1:30 PM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Deflation, Paul McCulley, Financial Crisis, Pimco, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Deleveraging, Lehman Brothers, Shadow Banking System, John Maynard Keynes

Quarterly Review and Outlook - Second Quarter 2008

There is a reason I call this column Outside the Box. I try to get material that forces us to think outside our normal comfort zones and challenges our common assumptions. And this week's letter does just that. I have made the comment more than once that is it unusual for two major bubbles to burst and for the conversation and our experience to be rising inflation and not a serious problem with deflation. Van Hoisington and Dr. Lacy Hunt give us a seminar on why it will be deflation that will ultimately be the problem and not the current inflation we are dealing with today. This week's letter requires you to think, but it will be worth the effort. Remember our lesson from Economics 101. If you raise the supply of something, in normal markets the price goes down. And if you increase the price, suppliers will respond by producing more....

Published 07-07-2008 9:05 PM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Inflation, Deflation, Economic Forecast, Hoisington Management, Consumer Confidence, Monetary Conditions

Japanese Deflation... A Liquidity Wild Card

Introduction This week in Outside the Box we turn our eyes on Japan and as promised offer a report by macro-maven and good friend Greg Weldon. Japan is the world's second largest economy and a major source of liquidity. While China has captured the...

Published 08-06-2007 11:54 AM by John Mauldin

Filed under: Credit, Liquidity, Deflation, Japan, Greg Weldon

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