Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

The U.S. is in the midst of stocks, bonds and housing bubbles; plus, mix in the volatility of a raft of record-setting obligations: Student Loans, personal credit card debt, auto loans, public retirement, and the National Debt; then add a sprinkle of dysfunctional politics, social unrest, and international tensions; and the resulting witch's brew seems certain to collapse given any number of catalysts. The world at large is no better situated, and in many cases even closer to the brink; in fact, there's a good chance that The Collapse will begin somewhere else.

But what will cause The Collapse? Because of Central Banks intervention, the Stock Markets won't be the trigger; same with bonds; in fact, anything that can be solved by printing money isn't the worry. Where else can we look for the trigger? Generally, a collapse is guaranteed when consumption exceeds production, but we’ve got oodles of production capacity, especially with “Free” Trade. What could stimulate consumption while depressing production? A huge natural catastrophe? State confiscation for a big war effort? A religious revival, like environmentalism, that convinces people to stop consuming? A Trade war that decreases imports? Maybe even something social that discourages work ethic while encouraging consumption, like mass retirement or implementing a Universal Basic Income.