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One of the people I remember from my days as a kid on the Lower East Side was a rav who survived the camps.  People who understood these things considered him a tremendous talmid chacham. Unfortunately, his horrendous experiences in the camps took a toll, and long after the war was over he was incredibly cynical.  It was unmistakable.  Whatever he talked about – whether it was the then-current-events, politics, family – everything was oozing with cynicism.  

Most people would agree that the current banking crisis is very complicated. But there’s one aspect of it that’s especially confusing: the very differing investment advice we are getting.  Some experts are recommending that investors “buy gold,” while others urge them to “buy silver,” and still others say, “buy commodities,” “buy Bitcoin,” “buy the dip,” or “don’t buy anything at all.”  How can anyone not be confused? 

Financial experts agree that US government bonds are the safest investment in the world - but don’t try to convince officials at Silicon Valley Bank of that.  They invested the majority of the bank’s deposits in US Government bonds, only to watch them crash. Now investors are asking: Are other banks also at risk? Can the carnage spill over into stocks? Will depositors lose their money?

What happens if the power goes out?  Although this is not a new question, it remains very timely because the grid is being attacked repeatedly and the attacks are becoming more sophisticated.  Let’s hope the grid remains intact, because if it’s knocked out, our lives would quickly become a nightmare.

Unlike those of most other CEOs, Warren Buffett’s annual letter to shareholders is not just a corporate update.  It’s a major event, one that Wall Street anticipates, discusses and analyzes in great detail.  This year’s letter was no exception.  However, unlike those written in years past, there were several surprises.

Democrats and Republicans are usually at each other’s throats, and recent hearings in Washington are an example of this.  But those hearings go far beyond politics as usual: They’re mind-boggling and shocking, and will not fade from the news and be forgotten.  The issue: the Government’s Covid relief programs were ripped off big time.