This Week on Bear radio: Gold as antidote to uncertain times

In this episode Doug Eberhardt explains how gold should be a part of every portfolio, providing safety in both inflation and deflation. Additionally, Doug compares the deflationary experience in Japan to what is happening in the US. Our panelists also discuss how there is no economic theory that adequately explains why nations with increasing money supplies (like Japan) can experience deflation.

You can check out Doug’s web site for more insights on deflation and advice in gold investing.

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Linked:Seattle Radio - An insider's view of Microsoft's past and future

Listen to ex-Microsoft employees discuss how the company is addressing the challenges and opportunities before it today, and what lies in store. Is Microsoft headed to genteel decline, or is it about to embark on a new era of growth and technological development? Be sure to check out the Linked:Seattle community at http://bit.ly/LinkedSeattle.

You can also check out an article I wrote about my experiences at Microsoft here:
http://bit.ly/oOUh4

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NOTE: Click here for a list of all the Linked:Seattle radio show recordings. You can also check out my own "Entrepreneurs Northwest" podcast shows (http://bit.ly/epnwfeed).

This Week on Bear radio: Options expiry shenanigans and summer doldrums

In this episode we discuss the strange way stocks behave on options expiry weeks and whether real action in the market will have to wait till the fall and the end of the summer doldrums. For good measure, we also talk about how recent finance reform legislation does nothing to prevent future financial panics.

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You can find all the Optimistic Bear shows here: Optimistic Bear

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Japan: the picture of a multi-decade bear market

When most people think of bear markets they tend to imagine a relatively short-term affair that reaches a bottom, over a year or two, and then recovers for many years (or even decades) in the future. Bear markets, in short, are just temporary blips as stock markets (and economies) move on to ever greater heights. Japan’s experience with a bear market that is over 20 years old shows that these simplistic assumptions regarding bear markets don’t always hold true.


A close examination of the Nikkei stock index for the last 30 years is a harrowing study in how pernicious, and grinding, bear markets can be. What is perhaps the most shocking is to see that this multi-decade bear market was punctuated by periods of considerable recovery, and growth, which would last anywhere from 1 to 5 years. There were numerous times where the Nikkei rallied 50%, or even more than 100% over a span of several years, only to lose all those gains and fall into a deeper pit.

The persistent trend downward is unmistakable, standing some 75% lower than its 1989 height as of June 2010, but this masks the times where it looked quite convincingly as if Japan was finally turning the corner.

As the United States embarks on its own deflationary journey it is important not to lose sight of what has happened in places like Japan. It is quite probable that America will also see strong rallies, and periods of apparent recovery (lasting for years, in fact), only to see all those hopes dashed as the economy goes into yet a deeper funk to lower lows. Deflation is a slow process and does not go in a straight line.

This Week on Bear radio: The view from North Carolina

In this episode a caller from North Carolina tells us that the economy hasn't hit bottom there, and that from his perspective as a bank loan officer (with national exposure) a double-dip recession is already baked into the cards. We also delve into the profits and pitfalls of tax lien investing.

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You can find all the Optimistic Bear shows here: Optimistic Bear

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This Week on Bear radio: Should congress borrow to fund unemployment insurance?

In this episode veteran Wall Street Banker, Bruce Krasting, joins us to talk about how the recent congressional legislation to extend unemployment benefits by borrowing even more money is the final straw. According to Bruce, unemployment insurance is small potatoes compared to the trillions in stimulus an bailouts that have been spent so far, but the insanity has to stop somewhere. Bruce also shares his view on how deflation is likely to win out in the short term, and his views on how emotion can irrationally drive individual stock prices high or low.

You can check out Bruce’s blog on finance at http://brucekrasting.blogspot.com/.

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You can find all the Optimistic Bear shows here: Optimistic Bear

You can find all the Entrepreneurs Northwest shows here: Entrepreneurs Northwest

Weekly Economics and Finance round-up

The Optimistic Bear discusses the week's economic and financial news with his guests. Is deflation or inflation up ahead? Has the economy turned the corner? What is going to happen to real-estate, commodities, stocks, or gold prices? Tune in to hear a deeper understanding of why things happen in the economy, and what it really means to you or your business.

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You can find all the Optimistic Bear shows here: Optimistic Bear

You can find all the Entrepreneurs Northwest shows here: Entrepreneurs Northwest

Linked:Seattle Radio - Entrepreneurship in Seattle

In this episode Paul Scarpa tells us about the challenges his startup is facing and Jennifer Cabala (of Seattle 2.0) tells us the attributes of successful entrepreneurs. We discuss the pros and cons of self-funding new ventures and the need to have a balanced approach that covers not only engineering but marketing and sales too. Be sure to visit the Linked:Seattle entrepreneurs group.

Listen to internet radio with Linked:Seattle Radio on Blog Talk Radio

NOTE: Click here for a list of all the Linked:Seattle radio show recordings. You can also check out my own "Entrepreneurs Northwest" podcast shows (http://bit.ly/epnwfeed).