The most profitable way to be wrong over the past five years was to bet that frantic printing of money by central banks would create inflation – so buy gold. Since the start of 2007 gold has risen at an annualised 19 per cent, a tasty return, particularly when compared to equities.
Yet, there’s been no sign of consumer price inflation, even as the US Federal Reserve explicitly targets asset price inflation (Fed jargon calls this the “portfolio channel” for monetary transmission of quantitative easing; in English that translates as rigging the market). Read more
James Mackintosh is the Financial Times' Investment Editor, writing and presenting the daily Short View column and video. In 16 years at the FT his posts have included comment editor, motor industry editor and hedge funds correspondent, as well as spells in the Parliamentary lobby and Paris. He was the first reporter hired for FT.com, joining two weeks before it launched.
John Authers is the Financial Times' Senior Investment Columnist, writing the Saturday Long View and a regular Monday column. In a 22-year career at the FT, his previous posts have included global head of the Lex column, investment editor, US markets editor, Mexico City bureau chief and US banking correspondent. His latest book is The Fearful Rise of Markets. 