John T. Reed’s news blog

Once again, the WSJ is whispering “hyperinflation” is a crowded theater. This week’s “cover our ass with multiple warning articles” item is an op-ed on page A17 by William Walker titled “The Coming Demand Surge Brings Back Memories of 1970s Inflation.” Google the title to read it. . As always in this informal Journal series, they refuse to use the work “hyperinflation.” I suspect they fear being accused of being tin foil hat wearers. . As always in this informal Journal series, the punch line is in the final sentence: “Once [inflation] gets its claws into a demand-fueled, supply-constrained economy,...

I have an article about NFL rules changes. It is about getting rid of noncompetitive plays. One rule I advocated was adopted although I have no reason to know they got it from me. It made sense to me and them. That is the rule that a PAT kick is now from the 25, not the two. If you want to go for two, you go from the two. https://johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-football-coaching-blog/68591619-boring-football-plays-that-should-be-eliminated  Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article about NFL overtime. The team that wins the toss has a 28-20-4 record. That shows the coin toss is determining the winner of...

In today's WSJ, Andy Kessler says the stock market is acting as if "Assets go up; cash is for losers." My version: assets that are not denominated in dollars can go up, down, or sideways. Cash or other assets denominated in a currency that hyperinflates become worthless. You need a diversified portfolio of non-dollar-denominated assets including some liquid ones to buy food, fuel, and medicine. Later in the column, Kessler says, “Low-yielding U.S. Treasury bills and bonds are safe because they are backed by the US government, by cash flow of tax dollars and by the country’s assets (think land...

Throughout my real estate investing career, which started in 1967 when I was a senior at West Point, I have repeatedly read about structural changes in real estate. . Predictions of 150 our of the last two structural changes These were “things are going to be different from now on” articles. It has been said that economists failed to predict 148 out of the last 150 recessions. But futurists have predicted about 150 out of the last two structural changes. Structural changes come into high relief in the long term. There was a structural change called the industrial revolution. The...

I have mentioned before that the Wall Street Journal seems lately to be running a subtle campaign to QUIETLY warn against inflation. I think, like a lot of others knowledgeable enough to recognize the danger, The Journal wants to get on the record having warned readers about the risk of hyperinflation. If and when we get hyperinflation, it will likely be worse than the Depression, still the most traumatic financial event in US history and one of the most traumatic financial political events in North American and European history. Arguably, the Depression led to the rise of Hitler and Mussolini...