Investing Articles

Crazy Economist Defies Gravity and Generates Infinite Returns!

March 17, 2011

The Skousen Hedge Fund Trader (www.markskousen.com) may now hold the world’s record for best return in one day:  9,100%!  When Warren Buffett announced Monday morning that Berkshire Hathaway bought out chemical company Lubrizol (LZ) for $135 a share, our March $120 call options went from 15 cents to $13.80 almost immediately. If you annualize it, the calculator can’t [...]

Read the full article →

What It Takes to Be an Objective Scholar

April 1, 2000

Economics on Trial IDEAS ON LIBERTY April 2000 What It Takes to Be an Objective Scholar by Mark Skousen “It was the facts that changed my mind.” -Julian Simon (1) During the 1990s we watched the Dow Jones Industrial Average increase fourfold and Nasdaq stocks tenfold. Yet there were well-known investment advisers-some of them my [...]

Read the full article →

Who is the Greatest Economist of the 20th Century?

February 5, 1999

WHO IS THE GREATEST ECONOMIST OF THE 20TH CENTURY? “But half a century later, it is Keynes who has been toppled and (_________________), the fierce advocate of free markets, who is preeminent.” –Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, The Commanding Heights, p. 15. Who deserves to be the greatest economist of the 20th century? This question [...]

Read the full article →

A Golden Comeback, Part III

November 29, 1998

Economics on Trial THE FREEMAN NOVEMBER 1998 by Mark Skousen “A free gold market … reflects and measures the extent of the lack of confidence in the domestic currency.” – LUDWIG VON MISES In the past two columns, I’ve highlighted the uses and misuses of gold. Despite occasional calls for a return to a gold [...]

Read the full article →

A Golden Comeback, Part II

October 29, 1998

Economics on Trial THE FREEMAN OCTOBER 1998 by Mark Skousen “Gold maintains its purchasing power over long periods of time, for example, half-century intervals.” Rou JASTRAM, The Golden Constant1 In last month’s column, I focused on gold’s inherent stability as a monetary numeraire. Historically, the monetary base under gold has neither declined nor increased too [...]

Read the full article →

A Golden Comeback, Part I

September 29, 1998

Economics on Trial THE FREEMAN SEPTEMBER 1998 by Mark Skousen “A more timeless measure is needed; gold fits the bill perfectly.” –MARK MOBIUS When speaking of the Midas metal, I’m reminded of Mark Twain’s refrain, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” After years of central-bank selling and a bear market in precious metals, [...]

Read the full article →