The crazed doom-and-gloom prophets of our world have this troubling ability to occupy the airwaves, becoming strangely confused with qualified experts. Gerald Celente is the latest soothsayer operating on his hunches — now being celebrated on Digg, Reddit, and just about every damn aggregator imaginable.
His predictions sound suspiciously similar to the storyline for Brian Francis Slattery’s excellent new novel, Liberation, but Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is determined to deliver. By 2012, Celente forecasts revolution in America, food riots, and tax rebellions. In four years, America will become an undeveloped nation. Holidays will be about food rather than gifts. Mass hysteria, dogs and cats living together. Doom and gloom.
The media — or, rather, FOX News and conservative websites — is listening to Celente because he “predicted” the 1997 currency crisis in Asia, the subprime mortgage disaster, and the dollar dipping south. But Infowars, a website run by paleoconservative radio show host Alex Jones, is basking in this dystopic news like an AIG executive riding high on Uncle Sam’s dime. What’s particularly strange is that Infowars hasn’t bothered to quibble with Celente’s statements, much less point to any of his inaccurate predictions.
How does Celente do it? From Invest in Yourself by Mark Eisenson, Gerri Detweiler, and Nancy Castleman:
According to Gerald Celente, Director of the Trends Research Institute and author of Trends 2000, the key to tracking trends is to read two newspapers every day with a purpose — either The Wall Street Journal or The Financial Times, plus The New York Times or USA Today. Look for stories with social, economic, and political significance, be it about the difficulties older suburbs face or the current currency crisis. (You’ll know by the headline or the first paragraph.) Skip the stories that are purely human interest or that are about something that hasn’t happened yet (for example, a jury resuming deliberation on a sensational trial).
When a crisis does occur, tune in to the extra in-depth analyses that you’ll find in accompanying background pieces probably in more than one of the newspapers. Read them as though you’re a “political atheist,” Celente recommends — not for what you want or hope, but for what is really going on, not only in your own profession or industry, but for trends that may directly or indirectly shape the future.
Aside from the Dale Carnegie-style language here, much of Celente’s “suggestions” seem more like a series of guidelines on how to become a successful “futurist” predicting a good deal of generalist nonsense that scares the shit out of people, using language lifted from a newspaper story’s barebones and riding on a few hunches. Of course, it also helps to have an aesthetic touch — something along the lines of a desktop covered with 12 globes, just so you can impress a New York Times reporter who comes by to write a small profile.
Since Infowars could not be bothered to perform even the most rudimentary act of journalism, the time has come to see if Celente’s record truly cuts the mustard.
- In May 1993, in a story about fiftysomethings losing their jobs written for the Orange County Register, Celente was quoted. He was advising IBM at the time during a period of downsizing. What was Celente’s golden advice? He informed displaced executives to “go for some kind of counseling.” Asked to comment on this situation, Celente offered the same doom and gloom boilerplate that he’s telling us today: “The Industrial Age is ending. All the systems are breaking down and that means disappointment and disillusionment for the people who grew up in the ’50’s.” He elaborated, “These people believed in the Ozzie and Harriet way of life. That concept is dead. So is the concept of retiring at 65.” These were hardly prescient or specific thoughts, but they were certainly dramatic enough to make it into an Orange County newspaper.
- Why not get topical? Let’s take Celente on a more specialized subject like restaurants. In 1993, Celente predicted “growing demands for take-out food, high- and low-end restaurants, and restaurants that offer live entertainment. Middle-range restaurants with mainstream fare will suffer.” Aside from the fact that Celente’s prediction accounts for about 90% of restaurants, doesn’t the fact that human beings need to eat remain a comfy ledge to launch a prediction?
- In 1998, Celente told Money Magazine that, as the population grows older, “Americans will be spending more time at home than ever before both for pleasure and business.” Imagine that. You grow old, retire, and then you suddenly have more time. How the hell did Celente know?
- In the September 21, 2000 edition of Newsweek, the great futurist weighed in on mindless chores. Why are they called mindless? “Your mind can’t be going all the time.” And when any problem becomes bigger, it becomes bigger than burnout. “It’s road rage, it’s air rage, it’s Columbine, it’s stress — and people don’t get it.” I’m wondering if it’s also the kind of impulse that will cause you to make impetuous predictions about the United States’s future.
- Asked by CBS News in May 2005 to comment upon where Dillard’s planned to go, Celente had this to say: “There is nothing Dillard’s has that you can’t find in 1,000 other places. America is vastly overstored.” Take out “Dillard’s” and sub it in with another department store chain name, and you begin to see what little Celente’s remarks say.
- But if we’re in for a future of doom and gloom, Celente has been sending us some mixed messages. He told the Associated Press in May 2005, “The bottom of the luxury market is not going to fall out.”
- Talking with the Associated Press in September 2005, Celente suggested that Wal-Mart could deflect its negative image with its philanthropy. That’s hardly a stunning insight. Any positive action has the probability of causing a company to look good. This is rudimentary probability. But what profound thoughts did our great seer tell the AP? “We try to refrain from making value judgments — what the motive is. But the fact is that [Wal-Mart was] there with trailer trucks being turned away. Amazing, isn’t it?” Amazing indeed. Presumably, the AP reporter who talked with Celente did so because the reporter needed somebody to describe the situation as “amazing” or “magnificent.” Some casual modifier that might be confused for profound thought.
- Celente was asked to weigh in on Internet trends by the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Patricia Yollin in December 2006. “People are more electronically connected and less humanly connected,” opined our great psychic. And if that general piece of advice wasn’t enough, Celente also took the time to badmouth public displays of affection, pointing out how unacceptable it was to put PDA in “techno jargon.” Perhaps Celente confused PDA with another type of PDA, but what he didn’t seem to tell the reporter was that acronyms have existed long before the Internet.
Here you have a history of a man who not only makes his living spouting this generalist nonsense at corporations, but who is listened to by the media. If we weren’t all scared shitless, this wingnut would be chased out of boardrooms and newsrooms with pitchforks.
But who needs rational thinking when you have the comforts of defeatism? If you really want to get your dose of passive-aggressive dystopia, just call up Gerald Celente. He’s on Line 2 and he’ll take your money when you have no faith in humanity or when you don’t have a clue about how to do your job. Have him rant in your newspaper. Give him money to advise your corporation. Above all, don’t look at history, science, or specific statistics. Because Celente will boil them all down for you with one of his seemingly pithy and mysterious predictions. And he’ll be right. Because like a trusted astrology columnist or a two-bit faith healer, Celente leaves just enough room in his answer to wiggle out. And you swallow it every time. Because you’re too scared to think for yourself, or do a background check on the guy in the lobby waving his arms.
Uh, this is a really weird article, probably much more paranoid than stuff you’ll find on infowars. I guess I will mention that in the ALex Jones article they reference a UPI article where CElente predicted the 2008 panic almost a year before it happened. I wrote the article that UPI referenced in making that report. Isn’t it worth something, that in regards to a very current event, Celente was one of the few to really hit the nail on the head? If you can’t give the man his due, then your criticism rings very hollow.
Oh and it is true that at infowars they tend to bathe themselves in glee too often…while that is a fault of theirs, they are simply happy that someone who has been a success in the mainstream world is validating their oft-ridiculed conclusions.
Isn’t it amazing that The Amazing Kreskin is able to read your mind at dinner theater? How about that? I mean, sometimes he doesn’t find his check. But what the hell, if you can’t give Kreskin his due, then you aren’t consulting your tree rings.
Thanks for this article Edward. What a shame that so-called journalists have turned – for the most part – to sensational gloom and doom stories in order to gain audience share or to drive internet traffic. Sometimes the viewers/readers have to remind ourselves that it’s a business! Unfortunately, the idea of getting both sides of the story – not to mention basic journalism skills – too often goes out the window. Thank you for taking the time to research the other side of this story. Sadly, the information you gathered is not sensational enough to be mentioned by the mainstream media.
Mr. Celente says people don’t know their history but the founding fathers lived very hopeful while facing really bad odds.
We need to go on each day doing what is right having hope in justice, truth, and a better America for our children.
We are all not happy about the bailout and other alarming things but we should not be sucked into fear. Fear offers us what kind of future?
Very interesting analysis! I loved the bit about the globes. It also struck me, reading the set of instructions, that there is a fair deal of detachment going on here, he can’t be thinking about anything in any depth – knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing” is a phrase that comes to mind.
But Melissa, the globes are a bit of a clue: how about a better WORLD for our children? Most of it’s outside America. (And so is most of the activities of those US corporations, so yes, the rest of the world is pertinent!)
I mean so ARE most of the activities…
ed:
right on. I did some of my own research into celente and his predictions. I wrote it about it here, on my Culture Crash blog — http://blogs.computerworld.com/fox_news_obama_gloom
cheers,
dt
I think the author is confused, confusing Celente with a prophet and not a modeler. Celente looks at what is going on, and unbiasedly predicts what will happen based on the entire current model–which includes phycology and history.
It is the BIAS that would drive him out of rooms with pitch forks, because the result, not logic would be in dispute.
I was hoping for some false predictions list, but got nothing more than a confused author that didn’t put forth one clear false prediction. By the way, the industrial age ended in america in the 90’s.
It’s undoubtedly true that Gerald Celente offers a selective resume when touting himself. But it’s equally true that he’s not the charlatan you suggest.
The man bases his forecasts on the premise that current events form future trends (see his first book, “Trend Tracking”). Synthesizing large numbers of reports showing diverse perspectives of current events — reports he reads every day so he can see progressions — he looks at where we are, examines how we got here and observes where the trajectory is headed and what it could mean if it were to continue.
And while I think a couple of your comments about his forecasts are valid, I also think it’s very easy for you to take parts of selected quotes from him and pin them together with the intention of making Celente look foolish. A consequence of this, however, is that you end up engaging in the same sort of dilettante pandering you accuse him of engaging in.
This is a very emotionally charged article. I’d guess that the author lost a lot in the stock Market in October and just finished getting through the denial stage. Now he is on to the anger stage with some denial still mixed in. Next is bargaining buddy. My wife called me doom and gloom a couple of years ago when I was buying commodities that ended up paying off hugely. I’d say that author is jealous of Gerald’s portfolio. If you don’t listen to people like Gerald Celente you will end up getting burned.
Ok fine. Let’s just say Gerald and every other doom and gloomer predicting hard times ahead is completely wrong. Don’t store any food, water, protection, or precious metals. The store shelves will always be full, and you will always have your job. There, all better now.
I think Gerald is quite good at commenting on articles about himself.
This guy is like Nostrodamus.
If you wait around enough something will happen which you have roughly predicted. And like a Monday morning quarterback, there is a lot of telling you when they were right and tactfully forgetting when they were wrong.
I’m just going to wait and see…take certain precautions. Removing the fear factor, check out what is plausible. Trends are out there….
Yeah, his whole prediction last year about the “Panic of ’08” and the (then) upcoming “Economic 9/11” thing was way off target. What an idiot Celente is! I’m just glad that we are sitting here enjoying financial prosperity, watching all of our stocks rise in value!
sounds like he wants you to swallow the cool aid. After all that is how he makes his $ people need to start thinking for themselves instead of listening to this wack job or others like him. Maybe some of his theories will play out but hopefully the human race is more optimistic than he is giving us credit for and will find a way to deal rationally with the challenges ahead
Excellent article, but I must disagree with the notion that this guy qualifies as a real futurist. Great futurists like Alvin Toffler or Ray Kurzweil spend the vast majority of their time talking to people who are much smarter than themselves. They talk to the people actually making something, scientists, venture capitalists, designers, etc. This is the value they bring to corporations. Celente is a Luddite Liberatarian who relishes the notion of devolution. That’s what comes through in his “predictions.” Any real futurist would tell you can’t know the future, but this inability to know must not stop you from engaging the future meaninfully.
Also, a lot of people “predicted” the sub-prime meltdown. They just didn’t get on the news.
This author Edward is a complete fool. Celente has been dead accuarate in forecasting the economic meltdown we are in the midst of. Edward the author here must be living in HUD housing and living off Gov’t welfare. As he obviously is Completely oblivious as to the global markets and economies.
Edward you could not make yourself look anymore foolish than you have with this article. Good job you have proved to us all you are a completely unaware, blinded, foolish, idiot.
Not liking or trusting Jones a.k.a. Tokyo Rose I’m biased from the start about who he has on.
Celente isn’t any better than anyone else who is paying attention and has a little common sense.
I’ll bet he reads a lot of newsletters we don’t know about.
Too bad our own people in Congress couldn’t have had half the insite he has. Barney Frank declared in August that Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac were solid going forward. The people on the east coast elected Barney Frank again even after his blundering statement and lack of direction.
I’ve been scouring the web for negative press about Celente, and this is the best you could come up with? Someone help.
Opinions are like a-holes everybody has one. So why would you pay someone for theirs.
Hi Ed,
I myself am, in a small way, a ‘predictor’ of social trends – not nearly in as big-time as Mr. Celente, but I do have a couple of ‘bullseyes’ in my track record.
I’ve only heard of Celente in the last 24 hours and have taken a close look.
Now I’ve read your take on the matter.
Sorry man, but you are waaaaay off the money.
Nobody can reasonably expect any futurist to be 100% accurate. Celente’s batting average is far too high for him to be dismissed as you do. Your ‘evidence’ is paper thin and you have subtly twisted some of the facts to bolster your viewpoint.
The simple-minded will be misled by you – as indeed they have been by Obama. Like that person, you talk (write) real smooth – but there’s little substance to what you say. (Tip: run for President – you’d be in with a big chance…)
Logically, therefore, there is something suspect about your thinking. Perhaps you better find another line of work (think “President”?).
My apologies for being so direct, but I call it as I see it. I don’t like seeing the unwitting being mislead. Increasing numbers of people have been (especially in the past month) been coming at me with “wow, you sure have been right about these events…”
Have a nice day, Ed.
PeterForde
http://www.trendsresearch.com/forecast.html
check out his forecasts and results then rewrite your article with a little truth
In regard to the wall mart criticism for example one must understand that the perceived generalism is in my estimation a specific consultative piece of advice worth billions. This is the kind of things these companies are looking for, when they are already spending millions annually on branding and image control a nugget of truth can make all the difference in the minds of many. But you obviously do not see that.
His success is dependent on being right you see and while I hope he is wrong about 2012 and so on he has been less then general in this regard so maybe you should plan out your future instead of going after Celente. See Celente’s recent interview from 11/08 at http://www.kylesainz.blogspot.com
[…] Gerald Celente, the hokey Nostradamus of our day. Celente also makes “predictions” and has foreseen doom in the near future. […]
When I hear somebody forecasting –
“revolution in America, food riots, and tax rebellions. In four years, America will become an undeveloped nation. Holidays will be about food rather than gifts. ”
I dont see any place for “wiggle room” in those comments. Celente placed all his credibility on these statements and DID NOT leave any escape hatch.
Martin Weiss did the same thing. Just today Martin Weiss just stated the Depression has already started.
These guys are laying it all on the line.
You just don’t like doom & gloom (well,neither do I) but the reality is that we are finally paying for all the sins of the last 4 decades. Just accept it and be glad you are a part of history. One day you will look back at this and be able to tell your grandkids how you got through it.
[…] http://www.edrants.com/gerald-celente-futurist-fraud/ […]
I think Celente is brilliant, mainly because he forecasted everything I’ve been forecasting for the past decade 😉 , in particular:
— that the invasion of Iraq would be an unmitigated disaster;
— that the U.S.A. was technically bankrupt and would suffer a Great Depression;
— that we were witnessing a sea change in global econoic and geopolitical power that would turn the U.S.A. into an ‘also-ran’, mainly because its populace has been dumbed down, intimidated and beaten up by powerful Neocon-Zionist and other self-serving interest groups (to be fair, Celente doesn’t mention Neocon-Zionist);
— and, finally, that we are in a vicious cycle of self-defeating materialism (a statement that Edward Champion tries to belittle as a worthless generalization).
The fact is that the doomsayers have been spot-on, and the only chance of saving America (and the rest of the globe) is for more people to acknowledge the mess we’re all in, as well as to plan for the even greater mess that people like Celente have forecasted. I don’t see what purpose it serves to make fun of Celente, especially as nobody (including Edward) has yet been able to provide one single example of a major incorrect forecast by this extraordinarily perceptive individual.
I am a CFP(R) and I am a Director at Major World known financail publisher I trained many thousands of Stockbrokers here is my take:
When I first heard of Gerald I though he was a complete idiot my buddy kept playing his song so I took a few minutes and decided to check this guy out
What I discovered bothered me apparently he was very passionate and a very highly charged pragmatist so I did a fact check to determine exactly if what he had said had an ounce of reality to it.
What I found was as follows:
Moreso recently for whatever reason Gerald Celente has been extraordinarily accurate in the 1 to 2 years following his predictive trend especially in recent events doom pop hope love war tech postive negative markets energy elections personal life ect.
However GCs deep analysis is virtually nonexistant while the level of accuracy is uncanny there is clear lack of scientific analysis in what he proffers as the Trend while this may be proprietary any hard onlooker understandably must take issue
GC seems to be getting better with age his Trend Analysis was dead on for 2008 in fact it was so accurate he should be prosecuted for inside information its so dead on in fact one wonders how he did this its quite increduable
Not all of GC Trends were or are accurate in the past however it does appear what he is saying for 2009 may be again be accurate and the reader might do well listening in balance since his base facts I have verified.
Sorry I don’t agree Mr Celente’s reputation is hardly tarnished and is still intact at this juncture since his work stands up in a Jury Trial and the libel against him as offered here does not hold up – at least not at this point. I suggest you consider carefully some of GCs insights and reach sensible conclusions – maybe the author can become an “atheist” writer the piece is quite jaded there are more elegant ways of scribing a diagreeable nature with people and things
It is called trend analysis. Not everything will happen just as it is said to happen. You would be wise to listen and prepare for what GC sees coming. It is not about gloom and doom, it is about being prepared (having a plan) if these thinkgs do in fact happen.
Too many Americans walk around thinking that “it” can’t happen to us because we are the USA. I think you should all go see a movie or read the book “I.O.U.S.A.”. We are acting just like the Roman Empire… when it all went to hell.
The Roman Empire was the best/longest of its time. They made it 250 years. We as the USA are at 233 years and counting. Historically speaking there is a Depression about every 80 years. Let’s see, the last Depression was 1930… sounds about right. In the next few years our wonderful Government officials have put a law in place that will force people to withdraw money from their 401K’s (that is if we still have control over them… there are congressional hearings as we speak about confiscating them so that the Government officials can control them like they do your SS). The number of people required to withdraw will increase exponencially each year (baby boomers). You can read about that in Prophecy by Robert Kiasoki (Rich Dad/Poor Dad author). So, it is not hard to see how things could go south in a hurry. I am not saying that they will, I am saying that they could.
If you believe they could, then you need to be prepared (make a plan). Do it for your family. Servival is about planning for the worst case.
One point about the above article. Luxary will not fall because the rich will not be affected as the middle class. Remember the Rich get richer and the poor get poorer. If you would like to see what I am talking about you can youtube Kiasoki predictions of 2008. They were not spot on, but the point is that he had a plan. To find opportunity in the midst of the problem and to profit from it. Maybe you will understand what it means to follow trends if you watch that video series (4 parts).
Then again you can always think that the USA is “too big to fail” and become part of the problem because you refused to open your eyes to what is really happening in America.
Read Martin Weiss’s latest free newsletter, this guy is brilliant & very prudent and has been accurate since the 80’s –
http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/starting-now-americas-second-great-depression-3-28428
Bill I just read Martin Weisses free newsletter he is so far off on what to do its astonishing. He is 100 percent correct on the depression but if you follow his general advice its a disaster. You have to move out of the dollar not into “dollar safety” To keep on this Thread GC is releaseing a major Trend Analysis in 8 days love or hate the man he has my admiration for not being a sheep and never giving investment advice. Marin Weiss gave some very bad advice here, a heartwarming tale, and its shocking that while GC has a Trend that shows a 90% dollar collapse MW is suggesting you move all of your assets into Treasuries thats the last thing you should do right now so maybe he had it right in the past but he is way off in my opinion
Goldman,
Martin Weiss predicted the very thing we are going through back in 2003. I remeber when he did that because I remember thinking at that moment in time that things were relatively OK. Martin’s strategy right now is not HOW MUCH money you can make but HOW TO hold on to whatever money you have. In the newsletter he sent out Oct 1st he recommened getting as liquid as possible and buy 3 month T-bills so that you could move your money around WHEN you had to. His advice was not to tie your money up in any long term investments. Also, Martin Weiss doesn’t make any money by giving that advice.
Talk to some of the people that have been following Martin Weiss’s advice over the years and they will confirm that Martin Weiss is very sound.
The original point I was trying to make was that Martin Weiss predicted the coming depression just like Gerald Celente. Both these guys have predicted financial news with a fairly good degree of accuracy.
All the goofballs on CNBC or Fox News said nothing. All these guys were all telling people what stocks to buy and predicting how great the stock market was going to do.
Martin Weiss recommends to pull your money out, sit on it, and wait for things to stabilize. The waiting part could take some time, but now it is extremely volatile and nobody knows where the bottom is yet. Right now Martin revised the DOW bottom from 7200 to 5500. When he revised the Dow was at 7600. He hasn’t changed that yet.
I wonder if anyone can figure out what this means?
‘ A days wage for a Denarius, but dont harm the oil and the wine ‘.
NOBODY ON THIS WORLD CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE. ONE CAN ONLY SPECULATE IT. AS FOR GC, I SEE A MAN WHO IS SPECULATING EVENTS BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS AND I HONESTLY SEE NO HARM IN DOING SO.
WETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, USA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD WILL EXPERIENCE ECONOMIC MESS BEYOND OUR WILDEST IMAGINATION.
I thought your op ed piece was nothing more then a hit piece. I didn’t see any solid debunking OBTW i’m not a follower of Gerald Celente but my gut tells me he’s on to something. So Pollyanna go ahead and believe things are gonna be fine, no they’ll be great and stock up on the latest Iphones and bobbles.
I really enjoyed this article and would love to read more of the authors articles. Thank you for the article.
CELENTE ONLY NEEDED TO BE RIGHT ONCE
If l’d listened Champion twelve months ago, today I’d be sitting on 50% loss of my stock portfolio. It I had listened to Celente (rightly or wrongly) I’d still have my money.
So who is the schmuck here? Is it Celente of this Champion dope?
If Celente never makes another accurate prediction. One was enough.
Champion belongs to the chattering class. Full of advice to others yet dead broke himself.
actually, going through the list of disses actually GIVES Celente more credibility than condemnation. Telling IBM that the US Industrial age is pretty much over? I knew that back in the early 80’s and saw it come to a head with NAFTA and China’s Favored Nation. Predictable? Yes. Telling someone the obvious when they don’t want to hear it: Human nature.
Yes, people have to eat, but that doesn’t MEAN that they eat in restaurants. As a boy, I was lucky to go to McDonald’s or DQ once a month. Sit down restaurant? I remember the diner in Woolworth’s back in ’61 and the soda fountain at the local ice cream shop. Restaurants have become the norm for eating because of double income families, where there’s no one at home to cook dinner. Likewise, microwaveable food is a constant.
Predicting retired folks staying home? Hell yeah. Who can afford to go out? If it’s a choice between buying your meds or shooting a round of golf, even a diehard golfer will choose the meds.
About Dillard’s? No big secret there. Folks that used to shop and Bloomies and Macy’s are heading to WalMart.
I have to think that Mr. Champion is avoiding the reality of what we face in this country today. It is quite easy to knock someone for speaking out in the form of a prediction but we have seen much of this play out in one form or another.
We have problems. We have some big problems and they are growing bigger. What do you think Mr. Champion? Think this wonderful economy is ready for a quick turnaround to prosperity? You better think again.
It is very conceivable that this nation will see rioting, chaos and other associated aspects of discontent. People are simply no in good moods these days. They are angry; and rightfully so.
It’s a big country Mr. Champion. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that everyone thinks like you. There is a large segment of our population ready to storm the halls of Congress tomorrow.
We are getting a big screw and they are responsible.
That’s right people listen to Edward Champion and
ignore the doom-and-gloomers like Celente Peter Schiff and Jim Rogers who, for the past few years, have been consistently warning us that the economy is about to implode.
The fact that my retirement account is up 280% because I listened to people like Celente Schiff and Rogers and rolled my IRA into a precious metals account while my brother kept feeding his traditional IRA and is now down $160,000 over the same time period, is just a fluke.
Thanks God we have people like Edward Champion out there to help set the rest of us straight.
I wonder if Mr Champion gets his info from Ben stein?
I’ve been saving in a 401K for retirement over the last 10 years and have been looking for investment advise from a variety of resources. Research into trends has saved me over 1/2 of my balance (saw an article that convinced me to roll out of stocks into money markets before the 2000 stock crash), and then another by Christoper Laird in PrudentSquirrel/Financial Sense and got out of the market in the summer of 07. Laird’s predictions are in par with Celente’s; but, if you want to know why we’re heading in the direction of a great Depression, Laird’s articles give you the nuts and bolts. You won’t have to take someone’s word on future predictions, you’ll be able to see it for yourself. Basically, the credit markets are leveraged at a ratio of 60 to 1, up to 1000 Trillion Dollars, all on paper. Now the markets are deleveraging because the consumer is tapped out and defaulting and the Fed’s throwing 5 trillion at the crisis can’t free up the markets: it’s just too big. We’ve had a consumer driven economy (Artificially low interest rates to prop up consumerism) far too long and now it’s time to pay the piper. But unlike the 1930’s, we have a record number of the population supported by a Federal Check…we’re not the same people we were 80 years ago…we’ve lost our sense of independence and self reliability and turning to the government to take care of us…and they’re the ones that caused this mess in the first place. I’m going to get prepared best I can…’hope for the best/expect the worst’! Good luck to you all!
My guess is that he is CIA
Sure America is down but the coming NAU will
put silver coinage in the pockets of Americans
and lift them to new heights.
will there be riots ? you bet there will be riots.
will the govt put them down? you bet they will ,with
extreme prejudice.
the NAU is coming get ready for Canadian type laws and get ready to let the good times roll.
the vast Majority of Americans do not care about the patriots,the constitution or even the flag.
50% of them do not vote and when the chips are down would go work on building the NAFFTA Super Highway to put food on their tables.
thats reality for you. Celente is right and even he will be the first to admit that outcomes can change when the variables change. The NAU is one hack of a variable
I’m just a little puzzled. The author noted that Celente had several correct predictions. “the time has come to see if Celente’s record truly cuts the mustard” was the author’s quote. He then listed a series of predictions over the last 20 years – and all of them were true. Exactly how is this debunking? I mean if the author, who is trying to demonstrate Celente’s fallibility, can’t even come up with one false, way-out-there prediction, exactly why should I believe him? What the author has done is make Celente look like a genius. Read his bullet points again. Mostly he just says that anyone could have made the same prediction. Well anyone else didn’t, so there.
I am not his fan but your comment here seems even more biased. People in stock market predict stock price based on current trend and knowledge. I don’t see anything wrong that he predicts future based on trend. You did mention the cases when his predictions were inaccurate. How about those that are accurate? Also, media reports every word from Bernanke(use to be Greenspan). Look at what they said in the past 3 years. Have they ever mentioned the current image? Yes now media covers a few gloom-doom people, simply because they have predicted exactly what would happen. Media never gave a chance to these people before. Let the people here from them and decide who is more fraud, Gerald or Bernanke.
Celente has been on target. It is because of his predictions 2 years ago that I was prompted to move my investments to a safe, stable haven and have literally rescued my retirement funds. I owe Celente. I’d like to buy him a drink when he is in town. Had I not been focused on Celente’s trend forcast I would now be out about $100,000 clams.
This author doesn’t point out that Celente forecasted the 87 crash, the Iraq war, and the dot.com pop. Also he’s on CNN and other so called left wing channels. Celente uses data from economics, history, political science, tech, and several other factors when he makes predictions. Alex Jones actually predicted 911 but Alex says flat out he gets his info from declassified government documents and IMF World Bank documents. Plus people inside Bilderberg meetings. He flat out says he doesnt predict anything, he just uses the Freedom on Information act to get info.
Also older Americans are staying home more and not getting out in the community and communicating with friends and neighbors like the used to over 10 or 20 years ago. They are staying home renting movies or watching TV. THis is having a huge impact on their outlook on life, mental health and information they receieve and this is what Celente was surely trying to get at but went over the author’s head.
Things have been very gloomy over the past several years and they are getting worse and worse not only for the economy but for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the AMerican way of life. To say everything is peachy for the good ole USA is just really, really dumb
I am not trying to blow my own horn here, but I too predicted the stock market crash of 2008 in September of 2002, and I am just a lowly maintenance mechanic for a food company! It did not take a genius to figure out something was wrong with the economy when in my case, in 1998 I was able to borrow 400,000 dollars on two properties that I owned while unemployed!
The mortgage brokers I worked with that helped me borrow $400,00 dollars while unemployed, used my 2 houses as collateral, took their commission and ran when it was all said and done. Three months later my loan notes were sold, then resold, then resold again to another investment group, finally ending up at Wells Fargo Bank.
Duh…..is that mortgage model sustainable?….Hell no! This is just one more example of Right Wing Greed! I must respectfully disagree with the right wingers…greed is not always “good”.
This article is way of base. You must work with the mainstream media. I’ve been listening to Celente on whatever show I could catch him on and have been reading his web page/journals for a little over a year. He has been on the money and has been called a wakko by many. People need to get some class and admit that they were wrong for believing everything that has come out of the banksters mouths and give some credit to the people that made multiple great analysis. Now VP Biden is talkin about another stimulus in the amount of $600-700 billion which means print more money and further devalue the dollar. Celente warned us of these garbage practices. But the sheep will all line up and say “brilliant idea, brilliant” and a couple of months later when it will take a suitcase full of money to buy a loaf of bread this author will write another article disrespecting Celente.
I also predicted it in the fall of 08, but everyone here seems to be on the doom and gloom, but obviously none of you people (or very few) have never seen or heard the man for any amount of time because he is not all doom and gloom. He states that there will be ample oppertunities for the smaller communities to do well after the initial shock of the collapse.
One need only turn to God and read the Bible to know that things will get much worse. Read Jesus own words in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13. Gerald Celente is saying what others are afraid to even think. Jesus is coming and before He does, things will become darker and darker. REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Gerald is not offering us a fear you stupid asses, he’s asking us to re-evaluate our priorities. What do you think for how long the rest of the world will slave for us (Chinese for example-they work for 59c a day)? Or for how long we can have troops stationed in 130 countries in the world? Or for how long US automobile industry is going to keep making and selling us shitty, 3mi/gallon car?
Things don’t last forever, let alone BAD things, and what’s going on right now in our country is BAD. We have to start learning to live modestly, or we’re doomed…or they told you in you daycare that prince will come and wake up the beauty with the kiss??? Morons…
Here’s another economic FORECAST article and link below. By-the-way, the sky really is falling. So watch out for people who begin to snap like tightly wound rubber bands. I saw a person leap out of a one story building the other day. It’s getting that bad. “Bring out your dead.”
http://www.321gold.com/editorials/wiegand/wiegand122208.html
Come on folks! This guy is a snake oil salesman! We are not going into a depression nor is the world as we know coming to an end. I am a investment banker and have done very well, I say this so folks know I have a little insight in this. Any fool has known we had a real estate bubble, also any fool knew gas prices over the last 3 years broke the back of our economy. It’s that simple folks, there is no secret. Celente is a punk and a media whore and makes very little money at his so called profession. If you notice all his quotes are from news outlets, no CEOS, no Bank Presidents, no Business owners. Among my peers this guy is a joke!
Atheist Pig-Fucks love Academic Abuse.
You have clearly had too much naked illogical atheistic drivel to ever be objective on this issue. Since you like to abuse academic language, I hope you don’t mind my abuse of the vernacular. Firstly you suck the oozing shithole of an aborted cow fetus because you say he is inaccurate in his predictions because his predictions are too obvious, and generalized, to be considered predictions. Unfortunately you have failed your way into the depths of dick cheese from a sweaty unwashed homeless man because science itself is based off of a predictive model using Hypotheses. You could call all scientists “Soothsayers” for making informed guesses at phenomena, but you instead choose to fuckwittedly refer to a guy who uses the same model of prediction on social and economic phenomena by this loaded term. Since you are a shit headed cock gobbling ass tobogganer, who only uses such terminology when referring to material you wish to ride the bandwagon of so-called de-bunkers onto what you collectively perceive as outrageous, unscientific, Christian, laughable, “Paleoconservatives”, I don’t think anyone could expect anything less from you.
What I find interesting in Mr Celente’s trend analysis for the coming years is the notion that we will be going more towards a local type of market as opposed to global. Buy local, support your local community, etc.
I do not see that as gloom and doom but rather as a return to a more humane way of life, which is good news to me.
Is Celente any more or less a fraud than Bernanke and Paulson, or economist like Krugman and his Keynesian buddies?
Nobody knows the future but some understand the past better than others.
Celente saved me thousands of dollars in my IRA by predicting the last crash. He has actually called out a date (Feb 09) for massive retail failures, retail bankruptcies and layoffs. That’s not a general statement. If he’s right we will certainly be able to judge.
Celente has claimed that as the Fed reduces interest rates to spur the US economy, the dollar will lose its value, and will eventually to worth about 10% of its current (2008) value. Well, the Fed HAS dropped rates to almost zero, and the dollar has not tanked — if anything, it has gone up against the Euro as well as most international currencies (except the yen) since he first wrote his article. So he is wrong so far on one of the fundamental aspects of his argument. If the dollar starts dropping rapidly, I will start to believe him. Does anyone know where he recommends investing?
All i know is that by listening to Celente, Robert Prechter, and to a lesser extent, Peter Schiff, I made more money, faster, than I ever have in my entire life.
Don’t let patriotism, faith in capitalism, or dogmatic optimism rule you. Wake up and smell the data.
Larry, the fundamental question is inflation or deflation?
Celente and Schiff both say inflation. Prechter says deflation first, then inflation later.
If you think inflation, your answer is dump dollars and buy gold now.
If you think deflation followed by inflation, then the answer is to put your cash in the safest place possible (treasury direct, mattress) and buy the gold/real estate at the bottom.
But in both cases, dump your stocks NOW, because either way they are going DOWN.
And of course if you think everything is going to recover and go back to ‘the waaaaay we weeeeere’ then you should “buy and hold” (teehee)…
Jealous much?
I guess the only way you’re going to get more hits is if you bash a guy that is very public about his beliefs, and gets his calls confirmed time after time.
Moron.
This is in reference to so called Investment Banker John Stein – you punks missed forecasting the melt down by a mile and are still trying to steal from the gullible people by saying turnaround is near. If the blood suckers on Wall Street and CEOs were so smart why don’t they bring their respective companies out of insolvency without begging everyone in the world to bail them out. I think Celente will loose credibility the day vermin like CEOs and Bank Presidents (think Fuld, Blanken etc.) endorse him. If anything good comes out of this crisis is to wipe the IB profession clean.
Larry,
I am also watching as the Fed lowers rates nearly all the way and the dollar is not tanking, and wondering the same thing you are. I think there are a lot of other confluences at hand in that the dollar is still the worlds reserve currency and although the mess started in the US the fallout world wide is as tough on everyone else seemingly. But what goes up must come down and our books do not look too good at all. Celente points out that it will get real bad in late Feb and into March, but up until then the magic of the newly elected President will sustain things more or less. We know that stimulus package is going to be rolling out soon and that will stimulate……for a while
Tonight for the first time I heard Celente on an AM talk radio program. I am in agreement with him that the central banks and paper fiat money are the root of the financial malaise. Until this is addresses, workers will not have the value of their wages. I salute Celente and also I appreciate your excellent critical approach to his instances of shallow commentary. Today, Jan. 2 2009 he is one of the few voices stating clearly that it is the bankers who are destroying the country. Good luck and “take care.”
I am not even sure what this article is about. Are you trying to obfuscate the current situation by saying those who predicted it were vague in their statements.
Do we not have a fiat monetary system that was doomed to implosion? Do we not have many, many people in the financial industry who don’t even understand the monetary system?
Did all the financial geniuses deny the coming recession? Are all those same people simply doing the same nonsense that created the problems to begin with?
What is the point of this article? You don’t like the fact that there are people out there saying that we are in bad shape, and it is going to get worse?
Didn’t take a genius to predict the crash of ’08 a year in advance. The indicators were obvious. But Celente’s not only a fraud on the future, he can’t even see the past. Example: he describes the ascendancy of Barack Obama as mainly the result of Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement. “With the undisputed Queen of TV in his corner, the Obama campaign suddenly transformed into a flawlessly packaged Oprah production…. every event was staged to perfection… as if by magic, Obama, an adequate public speaker, became the master of the Teleprompter…” etc. Only a fool who was paying no attention to Obama’s career could make such a preposterous statement. He didn’t see Obama’s speech at the 2004 convention? He didn’t pay attention to his virtuoso performance in the 2006 Senate race? He never heard of Axelrod or Plouffe? Or are his sole sources of news USA Today and Fox?
“the vast Majority of Americans do not care about the patriots,the constitution or even the flag.” David
I agree with this statement and would have to say that Celente is not just a “doom” theorist… Everyone is skilled in area and in the research I found, this guy seems to do his homework. America people have a huge problem with the troops whether its said outloud or not. Some people dont even know how many stripes are on the flag … OR WHAT THEY STAND FOR… The truth is the country is fading and something will give… I dont believe that it will be as bad as celente sais it will be, I mean the people of america are obsessive by nature, and we will come together through common interests and I believe that common interest will be the change of America. God bless you all.
K
You know you can talk about celente and infowars and doom and gloom but the simple fact is that our money is produced by private banks and is barrowed by our government by corporations and individuals and it is perpetual debt that keeps our economy alive as long asthere is debt then there is money but when people cant work and make money to pay the debt then our economy fails and it is because the bankers want it to you want to know about whats going on with the economy me then copy and paste this link then you see the predicament we are faceing its not doom and gloom its the plain truth about money and how its created and what happens to countries and governments whos econy are based this way
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279
If Paul Krugman is now talking Depression (NYT 1/5/09) I guess we really are in deep doo doo, Gerald Celente not withstanding.
Here you go:
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2007/11/19/Forecast_US_dollar_could_plunge_90_pct/UPI-48761195499806/
You know, I only recently heard of Celente and was very impressed by his list of specific and accurate predictions. However, the skeptic in me has a hard time accepting this sort of thing, so I googled, “Gerald Celente” “fraud” to get the other side. Unfortunately, I came upon this article, which offered nothing more than a few instances where he was vague and obtuse, but provided no serious refutations to the several accurate predictions he’s made. I expected to see an article highlighting a large number of incorrect predictions and arguing that if you throw enough shit against the wall, some of it is bound to stick. Instead, your refutations are kind of beside the point and do nothing to directly contradict the very real prognostic successes he’s had.
Those who say Mr. Celente is a wingnut miss the point the same as those who elevate him, or any amongst us, to a prophetic level. The ebb and flow of the events in our lives are as constant as that of the tide.
My problem with the dogmatics in our world is their utter adherence to ideaology. Sean Hannity is an idealog the same as Alex Jones. His followers, for lack of a better term, are as loyal and rabid as his counterpart’s. Niether camp would ever truly concede a point. Even when such a concession occurs it is not profound nor is it very sincere. Typically it is merely a matter of appearance.
I listen to NPR as much as WABC, here in New York the home of Rush and Hannity, I read the Times, The Journal and the Post. Not because I am laying some gesture of balance before the Gods of the time, but because I have come to recognize that all of us maintain an agenda that is not always evident. Even to ourselves!
An example: during the freeze up of our commercial credit markets in October and November we kept hearing about how it was a result of sub-prime mortgages. And yet that seemed incredible to me. To easy an explanation. The local news here in New York was concentrating coverage on the institutions that were folding the way Merril Lynch was. Hannity and Rush was pinning the whole thing on the left as a result of Fannie and Freddie and the fact that they were largely run by members of the democratic party. Truthfully the Journal was talking over my head and the cable channels were talking below me and saying nothing of any substance. Only a single program on NPR took the whole thing apart. From the opening of the sub-prime mortgage market, to the securitization of thousands of these mortgages into bundles that didn’t accurately market them as elevated risk assets, to the credit default swaps and short selling that took down AIG who insured these securitized debt instruments. Financial institutions were collapsing left and right and that froze the commercial credit market where the Walmarts, 3M’s, and ConAgras of the nation go to get short arm loans. This is when we almost collapsed. This was the genesis of the bailout. When Henry Paulson began getting panicked calls at the Treasury from corporate giants saying “We can’t cover our payroll next week” the panick ran through the economy. We were in mid-collapse, and almost no one was getting to the heart of the matter.
Ultimately I gathered most of my information from a two part special of NPR’s “This American Life” that dealt with the subject. And I only came upon it when I saw it on my Itunes podcast calendar.
The point? Don’t take your information from only one source that you deem safe or reliable. Nor should you discount information from any source. We are humans and smarter than we think. I am a carpenter and bang nails for a living, and I live to be informed. To synthesize an understanding from all the aggregate information floating around me.
Not preaching…just saying…
People with his reach though, run the risk of generating self-fulfilling prophesies. Lately I’m thinking maybe if all the media would stop saying “No end in the real estate downward spiral” then maybe the downward spiral would actually end. Who’s going to buy a house with everyone saying it’ll be worthless in a year?
Sometimes I suspect people like him are part of a conspiracy to cause economic disasters that they can collectively take advantage of.
I came upon some of Celente’s old material and thought I’d poke around the Web and see how’s he’s been doing lately. Pretty well, I’d say.
Boy, they are are tons of doom and gloom Infowar type of people defending GC. If he doesn’t come up with analysis how he came about his predictions, you want to give this guy credence? Oh, please. I knew we were going to get hard soon with so much risk the banks took. You guys are ridiculous
Today is January 13, 2009 and next week President elect Obama will be our Commander in Chief. Because our nation and the world’s economy is in unprecedented times I cannot see how someone can predict our future based on the past.
Our next president’s team of leaders are so eager and bright the challenges we face will not exceed our willingness to succeed. That is my prediction.
Wow, this is the only half wit with a negative oppinion on Gerald Clelente I could find. Remove your anger my son and you might see a little better. It seems as you are the one using his name to get traffic to your crackpot blog.
The only reason this guy (Celente) is showing up on conservative media right now, is that the cons are looking for anyone who is not optomistic about the future, so that they can validate their negative views of Obama before he’s even done anything.
Walker – You committed one of my pet peeves…unless you are in the military (which you may very well be), Obama will not be your Commander-In-Chief. He’s just your president. The president is not C-I-C of the American people. Sorry…that has been driving me nuts for the past 8 years. I wanna puke every time I hear Bush referred to as C-I-C of the American people.
K Thomas you fucking tool, intellectual fraud that’s what you are, you probably think Obama is the messiah. If you wanna point fingers start pointing at the FED first and then to scumbags like the author of this article who a year ago probaly would of told you to stay invested in your stocks. Fucking Tool, go listen to fucking NPR and CNN leave the real news and info to the alternative media
The system, whether social of economic can only exist if we believe in it. Once we stop it falls apart. I’m under the impression Mr. Celente whether intentional or not is attempting to undermine our belief in that system. Following a trend or pattern may lead us to a conclusion that we were meant to be led to the whole time.
There is no doubt that certain organizations use the media to manipulate the population(sheeple),and in order to do that they
create trends. Gerald notices them.
It certainly makes me question his motives and intentions when I see him being embraced by FOX, CNN, The NY post and Oprah.. All of these organizations are not reputable when it comes to journalism or truth. It could be considered guilt by association.
One thing that I feel is true, is when enough people believe the sky is falling, in this case it might as well be.. Better to be safe than sorry.
Ed Hate to burst your bubble but Gerald is not the only one to predict the 2008 stock crash (before it happened) and Civil unrest in 2012. Unfortunately not a very bright outlook for a Nation that continues to turn it’s back on God…
He speculates on future events based on current trends and facts. I am skeptical about the 2012 undeveloped USA. However all the trends he talks about are here now, the real question is where they will end up at.
There are major economic shifts, which have been in progress for a while are having their effects felt.
A tax revolt for the same reasons happened before at the end of the 1970’s. At the Local, State and National levels are now out of money and are now coming up with new fees, fines, assessments, permits and on on – let’s call them what they are TAXES. The question is how long will it take before people get feed up. Three years does not seem long enough to me. One way this could happen faster is if lazy dead beats, over spenders and losers the of the last few years are given an endless stream of government handouts and the working, working class is squeezed harder and harder with more and more fines, fees and taxes. Then it could happen much faster.
Revolution, food riots? Who knows? That’s the doom and gloom thing like if the US defaults. Even if this were to happen it will not be the end of the world. But some major adjustment in lifestyles will happen. I personally think when this phase is over Americans will be poorer and more divided. This is a natural outcome of the separation of the productive & smart and the unproductive & lazy. This will happen no matter what government does or what PC wishful thinking says .
No I am don’t own gold. I have shorted it when the opportunity presents itself. If you are smart with your wealth you will do very well I think. There are many wonderful opportunities coming.
I’ve listened to Celente a few times on George Noory’s show. I got so depressed I thought about killing myself a few times. Even though I should know better judging from the shows he goes on.
This article is just a bank-sponsored propaganda piece about someone who is brave enough to level with the American people about the deep hole they are in.
The reason the author is whining, is because people are actually turning off their spin-boxes, and searching out individuals who were not trying to sweep the tyranny under the rug.
[…] Y como hemos tratado desde siempre, en pro de la búsqueda de puntos de vista disonantes, he aquí “La Contra”; un artículo que dice que Gerald Celente es simplemente un charlatán. Clic. […]
Umm, this article would have made sense to me if your list of stuff had included predictions he got wrong. Instead you just listed a few simple quotations of little significance and spouted bizarre, disjointed commentary on them.
Well I’m not a bank sponsored propagandist and have to say this guy was completely wrong about inflation and tax rates for the past 3 years. It’s easy enough to model future hyper-inflation when oil is $140, but now what will he say? I guess now it will be be hyper-deflation. Tell us something accurate about the future instead of taking current conditions and framing them in the worst possible light because what you’re doing now is a fraud.
..correction- I meant interest rates, not tax rates.
A very pathetic attempt at an article. Who is your prime audience, IQ class 90 and lower? It doesn’t take a genius to know that if Mr. Celente is right about the food crisis and troubled times ahead, they won’t be troubled for all. The rich are still getting richer. Its the middleclass who’s getting screwed.
Do you really want predict just like Celente? Just follow these easy instructions:
1) Take the hottest money-making trend, give it some staying power, and then make it crash. (ex: “Gold will plateau two years from now, and then will suddenly crash! OMG!!!”)
2) When sh!t does hit the fan, take several common-sense strategies on how people save money, and their consequences. Instant predictions! (ex: “Less gifts during Christmas! Families moving in together! People trying to save energy! Stores lose money!”)
3) Throw in some extreme examples of really messed up stuff, and give some general explanation. (ex. “We are going to have another school shooting within the next six months! And it’s ‘cuz kids are f#$king crazy!”)
4) While you’re at it, talk about how technology will help out a particular segment of society. (ex. “Elderly populations over the next 10 years will be more internet-savvy, and will increasingly join social networks! And kids will use more interactive learning software in school in the next five! How do I come up with this stuff?!?”
Just follow these steps and, with a little help of a good PR manager, you can be on Oprah too.
I am not Gerald Celente and I can tell you
there will be riots in the streets of america
by april 2009
there will be 15 million unemployed by october
wake up
the Illumniati and masons and bilderburgs
control everything
but someday they will meet a king
that will smash them to pieces
until then who cares
grow a garden grow some chickens
get married if there are any straight woman left out there
have sex have some kids and live your life
any asshole that can only write to attack someone else is just a waste of time
why dont you youtube Peter Shiff
is he wrong too?
I am not at all happy with the people who don’t like Gerald ! He is a fairly funny, old codger, a feeble minded old-fart who scams the U.S. Goverment out of their taxes just like the boot leggers of old. I’d bet he even pisses the bed, from time to time. Knowing he is dishonest, makes me feel good, in an odd way. If it weren’t for dim witted fellows like him, I might feel below average..but compared to him, I am a Superman ! Thanks ol’ Man, it’s unknowledgeable, using liars like you who really give us nice guys a boost! I only regret I shall never meet him, since I do not find my way often in the company of rats.
I do not like his recent forecast of food riots and America becoming a banana republic and so on… and I do not actually think those things are true in the way he presents them.
Nevertheless, I find this article to be just awful. The complaints about his “bad predictions” turn out to be just so much noise about how “anyone could have done it”. Well, many other people did NOT do that, so it must not be all that easy.
I tried to find video or an article written of his last prediction that the US would fall into a depression prior to the collapsing economy and couldn’t find anything. I’ve determined that this guy is a crack pot.
Whether you want to call it recession or depression, it is materializing as we speak (write). Is it fraudulent to construct predictions using past experiences as grist? Celente is merely using all tools at his disposal to try to formulate some future scenario which might impact the lives of Americans. I do not get the invective tone of the article in this regard nor do I object to seeking to understand one’s environment past, present and future. Celente is a trend spotter, not a soothsayer.
Look there are forecasters in everyday life. If Gerald Celente professed himself as a Nostradamus or a prophet then I would take Mr. Champion’s article to heart but the truth of the matter is, Gerald Celente is only a speculator no different than a wall st analyst looking at charts. Of course no one can predict the future but one can look at trends and try to evaluate a potential outcome which is what Celente is doing. If anyone takes a person as a prophet then you deserve what you get.
I think it is useful to follow trends and make evaluations based on them. To take it to some other level is ridiculous.
Ok the author pulled a very old trick. Swap words. He transplanted trend anaylsis with Psychic. The guy uses historical trends and transposes them on current trends. In 1939 The government “closed” the banks and put you in jail for 20 years if you owned gold. In 1939 we had manufactureing to lean on… today we don’t. In 1939 Roosevelt called Stalin Uncle Joe and was impressed with the way he ran his country so he modeled programs after Marxism. Today we should know better. I found this guy because he was talking about the same trends I was already following. I also believe that Commercial property market will tank this year. Knowing that this is coming makes this spending bill that just past CRIMINAL. Trying to trash this man is a way of saying “how could we of known?” A senator once “predicted” if Dem’s keep ignoring reality while legistlating we will hunting them with dogs in the near future. I guess he as well was just pointing out the obvious.
It does not take a wizard to make these predictions they are obvious. Guns, ammo, and safes are having a banner year. Many know what is coming without his input. He is right on the money but surely he is not the lone perso with this with this wisdom.