Posts by Tony Westfallen
The Old Man’s Views
How are we going to cope when the lights go off?
In the digital age, electric power is the lifeblood of our society; without it, all hell breaks loose. Although, I do not foresee a period when the internet goes down. I can anticipate a period or periods when our access to the internet is limited and restricted. I remember the 1970s. A time when…
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The Old Man’s Views
With the world going to shit, let’s keep it light-hearted this week
Lenin said, “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen”. For a political junkie like me, the past few weeks have been full of happenings. Kim Kardashian got a fine for doing what everyone else does? I know nothing about the woman, other than she became very wealthy because…
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The Old Man’s Views
Thought Process: Why I pulled the trigger and bought BTC
Over recent weeks, I have been suggesting to readers that buying BTC on a scaled-down basis could prove fruitful. Over the same period, most people have been bearish on crypto, and many have preferred ETH to BTC. And possibly, the majority of pundits might well be proven correct. However, it might be a good…
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The Old Man’s Views
What are we going to do now?
I shed a few tears on Monday when my Queen, Elizabeth, was finally put to rest. Her burial signified an end of an era, and like any end, it means things will change. In the UK, we can debate the Monarchy’s future; will Charles III will be a good King? How long will it…
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The Old Man’s Views
I take a few weeks off, and the world turns upside down. Or has it?
Refreshing the batteries by getting out and seeing a few different sights is always good. However, losing your Queen is devastating. The Queen is dead. Long live the King! That sounds all well and good, but for many of us, the loss of Elizabeth II is a hard pill to take. I don’t…
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The Old Man’s Views
Summertime Blues?
Your favourite Old Man is going on holiday, and as the markets decline, it sure seems like a good time to take a few weeks off. Indeed, considering the state of the economy, this might be the last one I can afford for a few years. I’ve been bearish for the best part of a…
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The Old Man’s Views
A week of absurdity (No, I am not talking about raiding Mar-A-Lago!)
Breaking News! North Korea buys Russian Oil with Euro, European court issues arrest warrant for a Dutch programmer at ECB. Although it was the job of ECB programmer to improve the functionality of the ECB printing press. The court decided that because North Korea used some of the newly printed money to buy Russian Oil,…
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The Old Man’s Views
There is more action on the beaches than in the markets!
Another week has passed, and it seems more traders are on the beach than in their offices. There are lots of stories on LinkedIn, but most of them are just promotional. I am spending much of my time arranging my Airbnbs and ensuring my guests have a decent holiday visiting Portugal. Sadly, the same cannot…
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The Old Man’s Views
Congratulations to the England Women’s football team!
Years of dedication and effort paid off! A team of people, who suffered to become the best at what they do, have finally achieved the success they have earned. As an Englishman, I can’t remember when I was so proud of English footballers, or at least it’s been a long time (I was nine years…
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The Old Man’s Views
Thank God for the Sunshine. But not the drought.
Once again, it’s been a week with very little substance to report. Joe Biden is still the worst President in American history. Last week he told us he had cancer, 24 hours later, they told us he had Covid. This week I expect they will say to us he has caught Monkey Pox! (which he…
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The Old Man’s Views
When the sun is shining, all is right with the world
Summer “silly season” is upon us, and if you are not now taking a well-earned break, you should do it. Downside momentum is still with us, but it has dramatically decelerated to a point where some people are now looking to go long for a quick rally. I hope the rally takes place because it…
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The Old Man’s Views
As an adviser during these dangerous times, how are you dealing with questions and complaints?
As I’ve never been a salesman, my direct involvement with non-professional investors has been minimal, However, that does not mean I have not received complaints when my advice goes wrong, and investors lose money. After spending hours on the phone and listening to clients’ complaints, salespeople can become much angrier than their investors, and they…
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The Old Man’s Views
It’s holiday time, so no more doom and gloom?
The sun is shining, the holidaymakers are happy, and it’s time to enjoy life. We are still far from seeing a return to economic growth, but by now, most people have committed to what they will do investment-wise, so what’s the point of remaining grumpy? We’ve all made our bets. Now it’s time to see…
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The Old Man’s Views
Is the End of the World Nigh?
6-months later, and YouTube is suddenly awash with videos by esteemed oracles, claiming, “Most people do not know what’s coming”. Hopefully, the readers of my shit have been preparing for months! Today’s social media, like the mainstream media, is about as valuable to traders as bicycles are to a fish. SP500 has had…
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The Old Man’s Views
To err is human, but you need a computer or a politician to mess up completely
I am not one for delving deep into every technical product’s nitty-gritty. But it appears that there are a few programming errors across the crypto blockchain industry, which is worrisome. I am no expert on such matters, and it would be wrong for me to criticize or point fingers, but there is no question…
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The Old Man’s Views
Nowhere to run to baby, nowhere to hide!
That’s a song by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas from 1965. It is also the current situation for the whole of humanity. Having preached about the coming of the present economic situation for over 6-months, I am not going to carry on preaching. Let me discuss where I am. I have fared much better…
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The Old Man’s Views
Are We in an Investor’s Market or a Speculator’s Market?
Do you know enough about market movements to keep your money invested? With a very impressive start to the week, the gung-ho brigade started to flock back to social media and forecast massive gains. Yet 24-hours later, all we could hear was, WTF! Emotion is a beautiful thing! Back in the real world,…
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The Old Man’s Views
Questions We Need to Ask
In these crazy times when global economies are about to fall off the cliff, there are some questions we need to ask. No one knows what will happen tomorrow, so everything is a guesstimate. Qualified, maybe, but still a guesstimate. Most serious analysts are still expecting weakness as we go forward, both on…
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The Old Man’s Views
This Is Not the Time to Stick Your Head in the Sand. Be Pro-Active.
Before HODL came into the lexicon, we used to say, if in doubt, get out. With the short-term picture becoming increasingly uncertain, I have lightened up my exposure to most speculative instruments. I have in my wallet a few coins which I have discussed over recent weeks, which I have been lucky enough to…
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The Old Man’s Views
Happy Birthday to Me! …Or Is It?
Today, my oldest contract should have come into play. But the government cheated me by unilaterally changing the terms and conditions. When I started paying into my pension back in the 70s, they told me I would start receiving it today…on my 65th Birthday! However, somewhere down the line, some young civil servant decided…
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