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John Authers, the FT’s investment editor, writes a weekly column examining the long term market trends that affect investors globally.
Read this week’s column and an archive of previous columns below. - -
Long View: Classic films shed light on commodities boom
The commodity boom is both a farce in the US markets and a tragedy for the poor trying to work the land
Long View: When it’s time to ask for whom the bell curve tolls
Quantifying risks can be useful, provided they do not take the place of common sense, or imagination, says John Authers
Long View: Even the great investors get the right bets wrong
We all make mistakes. But when great investors such as Warren Buffett and George Soros make a mistake, the lessons for the rest of us are so much more interesting
Long View: So is there anything out of the question?
Passover starts tonight. The world’s Jews will gather to commemorate the Hebrews’ flight from Egypt. Central to the undertaking is the asking of four questions. So, in the Passover spirit, here are four core questions that demand to be asked about the highly confusing state of the markets
Long View: The end of the beginning of the credit crisis
It is now a month since Bear Stearns told the New York Federal Reserve that it was about to file for bankruptcy protection, triggering a market drama. Wall Street now hails the event as the beginning of the end of the credit crisis.
Long View: Think the worst and then prepare your strategy
It is time to copy all good business school students and practise Realistic Worst Case Scenario investing. Putting aside the argument between bulls and bears over the long-term direction of the market, what is the RWC? What does it imply for how we should invest?
Long View: Contrary to your expectations
Everyone wants to be a contrarian. But Monty Python showed that we cannot all be contrarian at once. That is why I fear a popular contrarian investment call now is doomed to fail
Long View: The unholy week that repeated itself
The panic triggered by the near-collapse and subsequent rescue of Bear Stearns was the most terrifying moment for world markets for decades. Volatility continued until Thursday, when most of the world’s markets took a breather for Good Friday.
John Authers: The only thing hard and fast is the credit crisis
We are always tempted to try to impose order on chaos, and find a common thread to link disparate events. This is a human need and – as I wrote a few weeks ago – it can lead us into some mistakes.
John Authers: Commodities’ rally may signify trouble
We are on the horns of a commodity dilemma. If we believe the judgment of the credit and stock markets, then the US financial services industry, the engine of the world’s markets, is in a critical state. Meanwhile, the bond and currency markets show that confidence in the US economy has collapsed.
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