How to Survive Stagflation – With a Profit in Your Pocket
June 10, 2008 at 11:15 AM EDT
Increasingly in recent weeks commentators have begun speculating about the dreaded “S-word”- stagflation- and whether or not such a protracted period featuring both high prices and high unemployment would blight the U.S. economy. The stagflation debate arose anew on Friday when a worse-than-expected employment report and a record single-day surge in crude oil prices made economists once again consider the possibility that the U.S. economy could drop into a recession even as inflationary pressures spiraled higher. For economists, this is viewed as the ultimate “worst-case” scenario. The probability is probably low. Nevertheless, it’s a real-enough possibility that investors should prepare for…