Especially since financial central bank stimulus will drop as fiscal stimulus ramps up. The author is right that we are at the end of a very long cycle. If Trump understood economics he probably wouldn't have run because this Presidency will make whoever is elected look like a economic loser.

I agree that a widening of energy solutions are good. I also agree that cheap energy has been a big driver of our economy and has allowed the US to run massive deficits given oil prices are usually denominated in US dollars.

That said, the US faces headwinds in gradually rising energy costs and a strong driver for any other productivity growth besides maybe automation, although that will drive even more people out of work and require more educated individuals. That sad fact remains that there is more goods, services, and labor than is required which is a drain on the economy. Automation will make even more of everything and further increase labor over supply. Sadly we need demand but our current, now broken banking system with QE and massive amounts of debt makes it impossible for more demand and ability to service the growing deficits that come with more consumption.

The simple fact is nothing is simple in economics and that which looks straightforward often creates more dilemmas than they solve. The Federal Reserve needs to learn from its past mistakes quickly before they utterly destroy themselves and capitalism in America.

A December rate hike has been in the cards for ages. A backing down of this would imply a very bad future given that would be the only reason not to go through with it. It is debatable how good or bad Trump will be when in office given his utter lack of clarity on most everything economic besides running a massive deficit if allowed.

A December rate hike has been in the cards for ages. A backing down of this would imply a very bad future given that would be the only reason not to go through with it. It is debatable how good or bad Trump will be when in office given his utter lack of clarity on most everything economic besides running a massive deficit if allowed.

There literally is nowhere else to put your money besides maybe gold. That said, the rising dollar is going to create major headwinds going forward and no it's not China's fault. It is Actually the US' fault for threatening a trade war with the whole world.

Sad, but a good call. Too bad Greecexit and Italyexit doesn't happen for the EU. It would be bad for the EU for a while but then the EU could breathe a sigh of relief and try to get the others countries to agree upon fiscal sanity of some degree.

Berkshire has reached a scale any additional investments they do have very little effect on the whole and although Buffet managed the investments as investments well and took active roles in them, this is a rarity more than the norm. One can not expect management to remain this savvy.

Haha, that's a trick question. The simple fact is both are deeply flawed candidates and both are ill equipped for dealing with economic matters at all. Both also seem interested in blowing even greater bubbles by enlarging our deficit. We will see how Trump handles it, but as I have commented before, the short term upturn and the next downturn is something they inherit, not make themselves. We will see how Trump deals with it and am glad he has a Republican House and Senate to guide him.

Conglomerates are frowned upon by value investors and even Warren Buffet. Generally they become unmanageable, they often swap assets from profitable to unprofitable sections of the business which lowers value not creates it, and it becomes hard to determine what exactly you are investing in. There are innumerable reasons why conglomerates vastly underperform regular companies besides the simple fact that they do so.

Beware of #Berkshire, it is looking more and more like a conglomerate than a savvy well managed value investment vehicle. $BRK-A