By Nico Isaac
When EWI President Robert Prechter sat down to write the first edition of "Conquer The Crash" in 2002, the idea that the United States would enter a period of what news authorities coined "economic Armageddon" several years later was unheard of.
Flashing back, the major blue-chip averages were rebounding off a historic bottom, the notorious dot.com bust was making way for a powerful housing boom, Fannie Mae’s chief executive was named “the most confident CEO in America,” then President George Bush was enjoying a 60%-plus approval rating, Gulf War II hadn’t begun yet, and when it did, a “quick and easy victory” was supposed to follow, and the Federal Reserve was largely credited with slaying the big, bad bear via the sharp blade of monetary policy.
Five years later, the tables turned. The U.S. housing market endured its worst downturn since the Great Depression; Fannie Mae’s CEO was ousted amidst a mortgage crisis of incalculable damage. George W. Bush left the oval office with a record low approval rating of 25%, and the expected “cakewalk” victory in Iraq became a “quagmire” and national dilemma.
Anticipating these and other “shocks” to the global system is the unparalleled achievement of “Conquer The Crash.” Here, the following excerpts from the book put any doubt to rest:
Housing: “What screams bubble – giant historic bubble – in real estate is the system-wide extension of massive amount of credit.” And “Home equity loans are brewing a terrible disaster.”
Bonds: “The unprecedented mass of vulnerable bonds extant today is on the verge of a waterfall of downgrading.”
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac: “Investors in these companies’ stocks and bonds will be just as surprised when the stock prices and bond ratings collapse.”
Politics: “Look for nations and states to split and shrink.” And — “The Middle East should be a complete disaster.”
Credit Expansion Schemes “have always ended in a bust.” And — “Like the discomfort of drug addiction withdrawal, the discomfort of credit addiction withdrawal cannot be avoided.”
Banks: “Banks are not just lent to the hilt, they’re past it. In a fearful market, liquidity even on these so called ‘securities’ [corporate, municipal, and mortgage-backed bonds] will dry up.” (176)
If the tools in Bob Prechter’s analytical toolbox, namely Elliott wave analysis and socionomics (Prechter’s new science of social prediction based on the Wave Principle), enabled him to foresee these “sea changes” in the economic, social, and political landscape — the only question is: What else do the pages of the “Conquer The Crash” reveal?
Well, your opportunity to find out just got a whole lot easier. Right now, you can download the 8-chapter Conquer the Crash Collection, free. It includes:
Chapter 10: Money, Credit And The Federal Reserve Banking System
Chapter 13: Can The Fed Stop Deflation?
Chapter 23: What To do With Your Pension Plan
Chapter 28: How To Identify A Safe Haven
Chapter 29: Calling In Loans & Paying Off Debt
Chapter 30: What You Should Do If You Run A Business
Chapter 32: Should You Rely On The Government To Protect You?
Chapter 33: Short List of Imperative ‘Do’s’ & ‘Don’ts"
Visit Elliott Wave International to learn more about the free Conquer the Crash Collection.
Nico Isaac writes for Elliott Wave International, a market forecasting and technical analysis firm.