Financially Forward: Gerald Harris

The year between last Rosh HaShanah and this one will likely be remembered as a difficult one, with rising global tensions, division at home and painful losses in markets. Among the prayers millions of people will have in mind this year is that Hashem bless the world and resolve these challenges very quickly.  All of us are desperately in need of these blessings.

Investors with a long-term horizon don’t worry about the day-to-day market moves; only the long-term matters to them.  Day traders, on the other hand, hang on every twist and turn in stock prices.  They try to make a quick profit and move on to the next trade.  They love volatility and, fortunately for them, there’s been plenty of that lately.

We haven’t heard much about this – yet.  But a growing number of countries and high-tech companies are actively preparing to get involved in this exotic new industry.  Based on the talent and money they are pouring into it, clearly they see great potential.  And, no pun intended, this industry could get off the ground in the very near future.  And while no one can say that a traffic jam is building in space, a surprising number of countries are definitely heading to the Moon.  

The problem is all too obvious and reaches from coast to coast.  More than half a million Americans suffer from this.  The federal and state governments have spent tens of billions of dollars to help, but the improvement is hardly noticeable. Meanwhile, the problem is getting worse and no one can think of a solution.

Saudi Arabia is an energy and financial powerhouse, blessed with incredible reserves of oil and gas, a tremendous amount of cash, and access to even more. The combination of these assets gives the Saudis great political power in the Middle East and regions far beyond. 

Even if you follow the news only occasionally you’ve undoubtedly heard that large parts of America are experiencing exceptional heat and prolonged drought.  But did you know that large parts of Europe are facing the same problems?  While each of these developments is bad on its own, the combination makes things even worse.