The Vancouver Sun has an interesting article on the possible economic effects of an influenza pandemic. It ends with a list of preparedness suggestions for consumers, which are well worth thinking about:
Insurance: Do you have medical insurance? Check the fine print on your life insurance. Does it cover death by pandemic?All this may sound a bit intimidating, but remember...carefully following these steps may enable you to get rich quick!
Income: Be ready to withstand a period of no income at a time when financial markets are depressed.
Debt: Reduce it.
Hide: Be prepared to "hole up."
Risky investments: Get out of commodities and high-tech products if a pandemic is on the way.
Flee to quality: Gold, cash, government bonds and blue-chip stocks with high dividends.
Buy low: Be prepared to take advantage of cheap stocks and other investments as world markets rebound from an 18- to 24-month pandemic period.Something to look forward to, definitely. The Invisible Hand may forbid certain types of precautionary public health measures, and it may reward short-term behavior that's incompatible with long-term viability...but at least it gives you an opportunity to cash in on the disasters it helps to create.
6 comments:
What an absurd world this is.
Phila, when your comment traffic is 80% spam it's time to shut off anonymous comments.
E-P,
I think you're right. Word verification is now in place, which should put these pricks out of business, for now...
Blocking out spam has similarities to containing by innoculation the spread of infectious diseases. If enough people do it (i.e. block the spam), I imagine that the spammers reduce their intensity in kind.
But then when you consider the case of Boulder, CO and their attitude towards Whooping Cough vaccination, you can see how the spammers will remain an annoyance for years to come.
http://www.immunize.org/exemptions/allen.htm
The Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver Province have a bad habit of erring on the side of tabloidesque panic.
I'll take your word for it. But I think these are valid considerations. Actually, most of it's good advice whether a pandemic hits or not. This is not a good time to be in debt, IMO...not in the USA, anyway!
The Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver Province have a bad habit of erring on the side of tabloidesque panic.
I'll take your word for it. But I think these are valid considerations. Actually, most of it's good advice whether a pandemic hits or not. This is not a good time to be in debt, IMO...not in the USA, anyway!
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