A reader left a long comment on the Seeking Alpha version of our post about the financial problems awaiting Generation X that included the following list of worries that could hold the equity market back.
- Russia taking back the original USSR and eastern Europe
- China going after Japan/Taiwan
- Israel and its on-going escalation with Iran, Hamas, and every other mid-east country
- North Korea vs. anyone and everyone
- The Iraq fiasco and our stupidity to seek a potential alliance with Iran?
- Opening the gates to illegals, including cartel members.
I omit many of the minor potential military conflicts and, of course our own staggering economy.
Before one labels me a pessimist, let me say I do not have a pessimistic bone in my body. I am, however a hyper-realist.
My un-edited response (I didn’t look up the proper spelling of Khodorkovsky)
You reasonably cite the current list of issues confronting the world and its capital markets but from 30,000 feet none of these are new.
Today’s problems with Russia are no worse than the real cold war and there have been problems with Putin for a long time (he jailed Mikhail Khordokfsky and shut down Yukos).
Worrying about China is certain not new, before they were going to stop buying our debt now it is the some islands near Japan.
Anything to do with the Middle East? That’s thousands of years in the making and will never end.