Purpose

We live in interesting times. Credit is contracting after booming like never before over a 25-year period. Governments, predictably, are fighting this necessity, because they too got in the game and took on more debt than they could handle, and too large an unwind of credit would expose them to failure as well. Watching this play out -- the forces of markets versus the forces of government intervention -- will be the defining struggle of this generation, much as the Great Depression was for those who lived through the 1930s. Having worked in the financial services industry with many of the products and asset classes involved in this crisis, it is my hope that I can share some of the knowledge I've gained over the years.

The inspiration for this blog's moniker comes from the god Shiva in the Trimurti of Hinduism. From wikipedia:

The Trimurti (literally indicating three forms or trinity), is the representation of the three projections of the Supreme Reality, each with a specific cosmic function. These manifestations are that of Brahma (serving the cosmic function of creation), Vishnu (serving the cosmic function of renewal and preservation), and Shiva (serving the cosmic function of dissolution or destruction that precedes re-creation) – the three popular Hindu gods. Our daily existence reflects these three cosmic functions as birth, life and death.

As a believer that markets are but a manifestation of the cyclicality that is human nature, it's clear to me that we're living through a Shiva phase where debt is being destroyed, which, while painful, will ultimately set the stage for rebirth should governments allow market forces to work. It is my sincerest hope that we have learned our lessons from the 1930s and don't repeat the mistakes of our forefathers.