Immense global debt and too much easy money will generate an international bear market soon, warns Jim Rogers, investment guru and bestselling author of “Hot Commodities.”
Speaking in an interview with Barron’s magazine this week, Rogers stated that he doesn’t see too many investment opportunities and that mounting debt and central bank’s obsession with easy money will create a weak environment.
Rogers did say, however, that stock indexes worldwide may seen temporary gains because central banks are hitting the panic button and keeping short-term interest rates artificially low. Unfortunately, for everyone else, it will end badly, says Rogers.
“The next time around, we are going to have a very serious problem, I’m afraid. So basically what I’m saying is that I’m not racing around looking for markets,” Rogers told the business publication. “Right now as I look at the world, I’m not terribly optimistic. The American stock market has been in a bull market now 6½ years. In America we’ve had economic setbacks every 4 to 7 years since the beginning of the Republic and chances are we’re certainly getting closer to being due for some kind of correction, bear market even.”
He noted that the next bear market will be much worse “because the debt is so much higher.”
“You know we had a problem in 2008 because of high debt, but since then debt worldwide has gone through the roof,” explained Rogers. “I mean nobody has reduced their debt, no nation has reduced its debt since 2008 – the debt has gotten higher and higher.”
Many of the major economic problems will transpire in the U.S. because it has been ground zero for excessive money printing and low interest rates, which have been aped by central banks everywhere else. This, avers Rogers, will be the first time in recorded history that central banks – Japan, Great Britain, Greece, Europe and other countries – are printing vast sums of money at the same time.
“Having said that, you look back at previous bear markets they usually start with a small, marginal country that snowballs and the next thing you know we’re all in trouble,” stated Rogers.
Leave a Comment