Buying at the Point of Maximum Pessimism: Six Value Investing Trends from China to Oil to Agriculture

Chapter 4. Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?

The title of this chapter is a question in Latin: Who will watch the watchers? Many observers of the U.S. government during late 2008 and much of 2009 posed the same question as budget deficits, loose money, and financial rescues with taxpayer money cascaded into a waterfall of financial irresponsibility. The lighthearted corollary of this chapter title may come from Ronald Reagan’s famous quote that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” By no means intended to alienate people along political lines, this quote is only given in reference to the unprecedented levels of government intervention that have occurred in the United States ...