Monday, December 14, 2020

Asset Inflation

 Asset Inflation


Headlines abound with terms like "mania" and "exuberance" in regards to recent stock market IPOs, journalists should rather focus on the collapse of the dollar.

With Fed Funds rate at essentially 0% consumers aren't stupid. Money is flowing like lava from a Hawaiian volcano into real estate and stocks (especially platforms.) Why? Well the chart above helps to illustrate approximately 100 years of the dollar's decline. Granted, a lot of things have become cheaper, or weren't even available to purchase a century ago (iPhone anyone?), but some things never change: the flight of dollars into real estate, gold, and businesses has been real.

What does this mean for the average investor? Well the average investor, one who typically does not receive pre-IPO shares or hold significant private equity wealth, is troubling. Given the market's recent spike to all-time highs it can be argued that stocks are frothy. Same thing with real estate. Gold may still offers value, in my opinion, to say Bitcoin.

Bitcoin has eaten up the traditional safe-haven status of gold. Bitcoin is an asset that is easily traceable, easily seizable, extremely tax-inefficient, hard to do business with, and limited in supply to 21 million units. Obviously ILAF isn't a fan.

What is a prudent investor to do? Where else can money be allocated? It is hard to believe bonds or CDs offer anything greater than an arena of cash storage with most likely a real yield that is negative...that's right, you are paying a bank to hold your money. They in return offer you protection on the amount (not the value) of the declining asset. Your opportunity cost is the true victim.

A good farmer, and investor coincidently enough, weighs the opportunity cost in making a decision. The future is nebulous, but the past often provides a looking glass into what has worked in prior situations. Most notably, I would turn your attention to the 1918-1920 time period in global history. The Spanish Flu most coincides with our current predicament.

With 50 million dead in the span of several years, which also coincided with World War I, Spanish Flu could arguably be categorized as humanity's singular worse disaster. Technology has offered some relief today. The world is also significantly more unified in a response (Operation Warp Speed should clearly be the Nobel Peace Prize Winner.) So politically, medically, and financially the "world" has acted considerably more in concert than 100 years ago. If the current scenario plays out similarly to the 1920s (which I think it will) prepare yourself for even more asset price gains...think Roaring 20s all over again, and a baby boom to rival the end of WWII.

Bottom line? After covering your monthly nut for housing, medical, education, etc. turn those remaining dollars into ownership in something more sustainable than cash...real estate, gold, business ownership, etc. Oh yeah, and don't forget to save something for the Big Guy! Trump Tax Cuts are 1st on the chopping block under the new Joe Biden regime.