Businessman, economist, investor and author Jim Rogers joined Crush The Street for a wide ranging interview about the economy with some dire predictions where he asserts that 2016-2017 "will not be good" as he explains how the central banks have lost total control over the markets, what he believes they will do next and why he thinks that "whether it falls apart this year or next, it is going to fall apart - it has to," due to the mistakes the central banks have made in the past.
When it all falls apart Rogers assures us that "we are all going to suffer" before stating that he can think of very few places across the globe that won't suffer.
Rogers also discusses China's economy, precious metals, the U.S. Dollar and oil prices, but what really resonates is towards the end of the interview when he is asked to offer advice in 2016 and he says "Be knowledgeable, be worried and be prepared because it is going to be a mess," before stating "a lot of us aren't going to make it."
A look at what is happening right now in Venezuela gives us a window into America's future as we witness what happens when a nation collapses, as food line queues start at 3 am, with shoppers saying "Sometimes there’s food and sometimes there isn’t."
This spells misery for all but a handful of privileged officials and hangers-on. Real wages fell by 35% last year, calculates Asdrúbal Oliveros, a consultant. According to a survey by a group of universities, 76% of Venezuelans are now poor, up from 55% in 1998. Drugmakers warn that supplies of medicines have fallen to a fifth of their normal level. Many pills are unavailable; patients die as a result. In Caracas food queues at government stores grow longer by the week. Shortages will get even worse in March, worries a food-industry manager. Violent crime is out of control.
According to The Economist, it is going to get worse for Venezuela as they point out the predictive analysis from the IMF, and as they fall back to the same pattern that Rogers discusses in the interview above, asserting that we are seeing central banks print money to cover an unsustainable debt:
The government has admitted that in the 12 months to September 2015 the economy contracted by 7.1% and inflation was 141.5%. Even Nicolás Maduro, Chávez’s hapless heir and successor, called these numbers “catastrophic”. The IMF thinks worse is in store: it reckons inflation will surge to 720% this year and that the economy will shrink by 8%, after contracting by 10% in 2015. The Central Bank is printing money to cover much of a fiscal deficit of around 20% of GDP.
A look into the effects of the "Great Recession," tells us exactly what will happen during the next one, which by many accounts will be far more devasting that the financial crisis of 2007–08 and U.S. subprime mortgage crisis of 2007–09.
The effects of the "Great Recession," included, but were not limited to; A rise in unemployment;Housing prices fell; Stock Market prices fell; Residential private investment fell; Net worth of U.S. households and non-profit organisations fell; U.S. total national debt rose; Income levels have dropped substantially and; Approximately 5.4 million people have been added to federal disability rolls as discouraged workers give up looking for work;.
According to The Lancet Psychiatry there is also an elevated risk of suicide during times of economic downturn.
Even the MSM is admitting that many local economies have still not fully recovered from the last recession:
A county-by-county breakdown of local economic performance was issued Monday in the association's 2014 County Economic Tracker. The study spans all 3,069 U.S. counties and suggests the majority of local economies have not fully returned to pre-recession stability.
BOTTOM LINE
The Great Recession hit Americans hard with many still suffering the effects, the central banks have lost control over the markets and have backed themselves into a corner where they do not have many more resources to continue on with the illusion of recovery, making it clear that when the next collapse happens it is going to make the 2008 crisis seem like a walk in the park.
At ANP we agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Rogers........ Be knowledgeable, be worried and most importantly... BE PREPARED!
