Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of August 26, 2014

Article Excerpt

From time to time a novel investment idea comes along. It may or may not have any lasting value. But it may still attract a following and gradually rise to its height of popularity. Often, it seems to hit that popularity peak just when it can do the most harm to its believers. One recent example: peak oil theory. This theory, which got its start in the 1950s, is based on observations of the cycle of production and depletion of existing oilfields. It says that global oil production will inevitably hit a peak (if it hasn’t already), then head relentlessly downward. Peak oil theory became widely known and commonplace in the first decade of this millennium, along with rising acceptance of predictions that the world was running out of oil. Best-selling authors trumpeted the idea that we were headed for oil prices of $250 a barrel or higher. This was supposed to have all sorts of terrible repercussions, from the collapse of…