Financially Forward: Gerald Harris

There’s been so much attention given to the soaring price of Bitcoin and the amazing gains in some heavily shorted stocks that other business stories are getting lost in the shuffle. But one of these, while not as immediate or as dramatic, is quietly gaining momentum and if this trend continues it will change the way we define money and, more important, the way we use it.   

Everybody wishes they had as many Bitcoin as Stefan Thomas has, yet nobody would want to be in his shoes.  Even Thomas feels uncomfortable in them. 

Money makes money, and the money that money makes makes money

- Benjamin Franklin

What do food companies do to prevent prices from soaring and shortages from developing?  They turn to whatever sources are available, no matter how unusual those are.  And that’s exactly what the food industry did. But rather than appreciate their efforts, some people were shocked, others angered, and many more revolted.  That’s because those other sources are farms that turn insects into feed for animals, and in some cases, into food for human consumption.

People infected by COVID reacted to it in different ways.  Some had such mild symptom that they were hardly aware of them, while others became severely ill.  Interestingly, industries that were impacted by the virus also reacted very differently. 

Following the market these days brings to mind the Yiddish expression, “The problem is that the bride is too pretty.”  That’s because making money has become too easy and investors too sure the market will continue in its winning ways.  Investing is not supposed to be so easy and in the past frothy markets like this one have sometimes been followed by very painful declines.  So what lies ahead?  Will the party continue or is a sharp decline in the making?