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Independent financial advisers founded in 1975
Over £1.4 billion client funds under management
17 industry awards for advice since 1989

By Mike Williams, Genesis Managing Partner

Founder and Managing Partner of Genesis Asset Management, New York

Letter from America

Dislocation & Doomsday Clocks

By Mike Williams | Thursday, 29 January, 2015

Note the increasing use of the term "dislocation" in investor circles.

It's the latest of the new Wall Street buzz words describing a correction or setback. But "dislocation" feels like a harder punch to the gut, right?

We Stand By This....

Since 2012, we have suggested the following -

"We believe where we stand now, in the context of economic time, looks a lot more like 1982/1983 than it does 2000 or 2007.

We admit to one very serious fear -

"After years of roller-coaster rides in the markets and two bear collapses over the last 12 years, our concern is we are rapidly approaching a new secular breakout for the markets. There will be far fewer times to take advantage of epic panics for long-term value. No, it won't make sense and it won't be backed by any news. Just like 1982 unfolded after a decade of the 70's, which we called 'the lost decade' at the time. Sound familiar?"

And see the problem with secular breakouts -

"They are tougher to invest in because they quickly lead to the same 'altitude sickness' which stung so many back when the Dow Jones had never traded at 1,050 before'. Imagine that today? As prices rise into price levels that have never been witnessed before, our brains cannot any longer understand opportunity - we only see risk - often caused by the stinging pain of the most recent economic and market setbacks. We suspect it will be many, many thousands of points from now before the crowd loves stocks again."

Doomsday Clock Ticks

I point this out because last week I saw a headline about a Doomsday Clock moving closer to midnight.

Now, I must admit I never knew there was a Doomsday Clock sitting somewhere. Nor was I aware that a team apparently works on where that clock's hands should be.

Apparently, last week it was moved to "just 3 minutes before midnight".

Now you know how nutty I am - so I will tell you why this darn article was so exciting to me.

You'll note that there have been "only two other periods of time where we were so close to midnight - 1949 and 1983.

But here's the dirty little secret of all that fear-mongering; were you to step back and somehow become able to bet the ranch on the future of America and mankind's growth and expansion ahead, two really good periods in time to have done so would have been 1949 and 1983.

Embrace the doomsday fear mongering.

Use corrective waves to your long-term advantage.

The energy, technological, internet, robotics, biotech, nanotech, cloud, medical tech, medicine, military technology and industrial breakthroughs unfolding as we speak are setting the stage for an age of growth unlike anything we have seen before.

Sadly, the masses have found it far easier to embrace dislocation and Doomsday Clocks than all of the opportunity the future holds.

©2023 Alan Steel Asset Management Limited is authorised & regulated by The Financial Conduct Authority. Please note that the Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate some forms of tax advice. Company Registration: SC58014

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