Synopses & Reviews
and#147;The next financial collapse will resembleand#160;nothing in history. . . . Deciding uponand#160;the best course to follow will requireand#160;comprehending a minefield of risks, whileand#160;poised at a crossroads, pondering theand#160;death of the dollar.and#8221; The international monetary system has collapsed threeand#160;times in the past hundred years, in 1914, 1939, and 1971.and#160;Each collapse was followed by a period of tumult: war,and#160;civil unrest, or significant damage to the stability of theand#160;global economy. Now James Rickards, the acclaimedand#160;author of Currency Wars, shows why another collapseand#160;is rapidly approachingand#151;and why this time, nothing lessand#160;than the institution of money itself is at risk.
The American dollar has been the global reserveand#160;currency since the end of the Second World War. If theand#160;dollar fails, the entire international monetary system willand#160;fail with it. No other currency has the deep, liquid poolsand#160;of assets needed to do the job.
Optimists have always said, in essence, that thereand#8217;sand#160;nothing to worry aboutand#151;that confidence in the dollarand#160;will never truly be shaken, no matter how high ourand#160;national debt or how dysfunctional our government. Butand#160;in the last few years, the risks have become too big toand#160;ignore. While Washington is gridlocked and unable toand#160;make progress on our long-term problems, our biggestand#160;economic competitorsand#151;China, Russia, and the oilproducingand#160;nations of the Middle Eastand#151;are doing everythingand#160;possible to end U.S. monetary hegemony. Theand#160;potential results: Financial warfare. Deflation. Hyperinflation.and#160;Market collapse. Chaos.
Rickards offers a bracing analysis of these andand#160;other threats to the dollar. The fundamental problem isand#160;that money and wealth have become more and moreand#160;detached. Money is transitory and ephemeral, and it mayand#160;soon be worthless if central bankers and politicians continueand#160;on their current path. But true wealth is permanentand#160;and tangible, and it has real value worldwide.
The author shows how everyday citizens who saveand#160;and invest have become guinea pigs in the centraland#160;bankersand#8217; laboratory. The worldand#8217;s major financial playersand#151;national governments, big banks, multilateraland#160;institutionsand#151;will always muddle through by patchingand#160;together new rules of the
game. The real victims of theand#160;next crisis will be small investors who assumed that whatand#160;worked for decades will keep working.
Fortunately, itand#8217;s not too late to prepare for the comingand#160;death of money. Rickards explains the power ofand#160;converting unreliable money into real wealth: gold, land,and#160;fine art, and other long-term stores of value. As he writes:and#160;and#147;The coming collapse of the dollar and the internationaland#160;monetary system is entirely foreseeable. . . . Only nationsand#160;and individuals who make provision today will surviveand#160;the maelstrom to come.and#8221;
Review
"A succinct, lucid and compelling account of the causes and consequences of the great meltdown of 2008"
—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "A rigorous yet highly readable look at why booms and busts occur and how to keep them from wreaking havoc on the real economy"—Bloomberg
“A succinct, lucid and compelling account of the causes and consequences of the great meltdown of 2008… essential reading for anyone interested in getting a crisp, if opinionated, overview of how the global financial system seized up in the fall of 2008 and what may happen in the months and years to come if serious reforms and new regulations are not embraced.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“A rigorous yet highly readable look at why booms and busts occur and how to keep them from wreaking havoc on the real economy.—Bloomberg
“An impressive, timely argument on behalf of transparency and stability for a financial system conspicuously lacking both.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A fast-paced and apocalyptic look at the financial future, taking in financiers' greed, central banks' incompetence and impending Armageddon for the dollar...Rickards may be right that 'the system is going wobbly.'"
and#8212;The Financial Times
The Death of Money makes a valuable contribution to our economic discourse."
and#8212;Forbes
"James Rickards' The Death of Money is ... making it a veritable golden age for smart books on the current state of the global economy."and#160;
and#8212;Politico
and#8220;A terrifically interesting and useful book . . . fascinating.and#8221;
and#8212;KENNETH W. DAMand#160;former deputy secretary of theand#160;Treasury and adviser to three presidents
and#8220;The Death of Money contains very big, provocative ideas clearly explained andand#160;delivered in an evenhanded tone that steers away from the sensational proclamationand#160;yet successfully undercuts conventional market wisdom. Rickardsand#8217;sand#160;insight enables him to connect the dots in a way that few others can. A worthyand#160;successor to Currency Wars.and#8221;
and#8212;JOHN HATHAWAYand#160;portfolio manager, Tocqueville Gold Fund
and#8220;The Death of Money is an engrossing account of the massive stresses accumulatingand#160;in the global financial system, especially since the 2008 financial crisis. Jimand#160;Rickards is a natural teacher. Any serious student of financial crises and theirand#160;root causes needs to read this book.and#8221;
and#8212;JOHN H. MAKIN, PH.D.and#160;resident scholar, American Enterpriseand#160;Institute; former chief economist, Caxton Associates
and#8220;A crucial primer for investors and consumers for what lies immediately aheadand#160;for the United States and a world that remains entirely dependent upon the dollar.and#160;The Death of Money is an important new book for those who worry about theand#160;future of our country.and#8221;
and#8212;R. CHRISTOPHER WHALENand#160;noted bank analyst; author of Inflated
and#8220;Rickardsand#8217;s analysis of the inflation-deflation paradox, dangerous adversaries toand#160;the dollar, and the Fedand#8217;s strategy is insightful. Following his bestseller Currencyand#160;Wars, this book is even better. A great book makes you think differently aboutand#160;the worldand#8212;and this one does just that.and#8221;
and#8212;DON YOUNGand#160;twenty-five-time Institutionaland#160;Investor All-Star Analyst; former board member,and#160;Financial Accounting Standards Board
Synopsis
This myth shattering book reveals the methods Nouriel Roubini used to foretell the current crisis before other economists saw it coming and shows how those methods can help us make sense of the present and prepare for the future. Renowned economist Nouriel Roubini electrified his profession and the larger financial community by predicting the current crisis well in advance of anyone else. Unlike most in his profession who treat economic disasters as freakish once-in-a-lifetime events without clear cause, Roubini, after decades of careful research around the world, realized that they were both probable and predictable. Armed with an unconventional blend of historical analysis and global economics, Roubini has forced politicians, policy makers, investors, and market watchers to face a long-neglected truth: financial systems are inherently fragile and prone to collapse.
Drawing on the parallels from many countries and centuries, Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm, a professor of economic history and a New York Times Magazine writer, show that financial cataclysms are as old and as ubiquitous as capitalism itself. The last two decades alone have witnessed comparable crises in countries as diverse as Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, Pakistan, and Argentina. All of these crises-not to mention the more sweeping cataclysms such as the Great Depression-have much in common with the current downturn. Bringing lessons of earlier episodes to bear on our present predicament, Roubini and Mihm show how we can recognize and grapple with the inherent instability of the global financial system, understand its pressure points, learn from previous episodes of "irrational exuberance," pinpoint the course of global contagion, and plan for our immediate future. Perhaps most important, the authors-considering theories, statistics, and mathematical models with the skepticism that recent history warrants—explain how the world's economy can get out of the mess we're in, and stay out.
In Roubini's shadow, economists and investors are increasingly realizing that they can no longer afford to consider crises the black swans of financial history. A vital and timeless book, Crisis Economics proves calamities to be not only predictable but also preventable and, with the right medicine, curable.
Synopsis
Unabridged CDs, 9 CDs, 11 hours Read by TBA
This myth-shattering book reveals the methods Nouriel Roubini used to foretell the current crisis before other economists saw it coming and shows how those methods can help us make sense of the present and prepare for the future.
Synopsis
"A succinct, lucid and compelling account . . . Essential reading." -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times Renowned economist Nouriel Roubini electrified the financial community by predicting the current crisis before others in his field saw it coming. This myth-shattering book reveals the methods he used to foretell the current crisis and shows how those methods can help us make sense of the present and prepare for the future. Using an unconventional blend of historical analysis with masterful knowledge of global economics, Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm, a journalist and professor of economic history, present a vital and timeless book that proves calamities to be not only predictable but also preventable and, with the right medicine, curable.
Synopsis
The sequel to national bestseller Currency Wars predicts the next collapse of theand#160;monetary system and shows investors how to survive it The international monetary system collapsed three times in the past hundred yearsand#151;in 1914, 1939, and 1971and#151;and the next collapse is already in sight. This time the dollar wonand#8217;t save us. In fact, the dollar itself will be the cause of the crisis.
Central bankers and the head of the IMF candidly admit that monetary policy is in unchartered waters. The world is witnessing no less than a global money experiment. Savers, investors, and everyday citizens are the guinea pigs in the central bankersand#8217; laboratory.
Bestselling author James Rickards explains why money and wealth have now become separated. Money is transitory, ephemeral, and may soon be worthless if central bankers continue on their current path. Wealth is permanent, tangible, and has real value worldwide. Gold, fine art, and land are forms of wealth. Investors who convert paper money into real wealth will survive the coming monetary maelstrom. But those who do not will lose what they have.
Rickards illuminates the death of money unfolding before our eyes, and helps readers prepare before itand#8217;s too late.
and#147; Unsettling . . . fascinating . . . a thorough analysis of how nations have manipulated their currencies . . . with disastrous consequences.and#8221; and#151;and#160;Fort Worth Star-Telegram
and#147; One of the scariest books Iand#8217;ve read this year . . . The picture that emerges is dark yet comprehensive and satisfying.and#8221; and#151;and#160;Bloomberg BusinessWeek
and#147;One of the most urgent books of the fall.and#8221; and#151; Politico
About the Author
Nouriel Roubini is a professor of economics at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He has extensive senior policy experience in the federal government, having served from1998 to 2000 in the White House and the U.S. Treasury. He is the founder and chairman of Roubini Global Economics, an economic and financial consulting firm, regularly attends and presents his views at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, and other international forums, and is an adviser to central bankers around the world.
Stephen Mihm writes on economic and historical topics for The New York Times Magazine, The Boston Globe, and other publications. The recipient of numerous fellowships, he was the Newcomen Postdoctoral Fellow in Business at Harvard Business School from 2003 to 2004. He is currently an associate professor of history at the University of Georgia, where he teaches courses on American political, cultural, and economic history.