How to Listen When Markets Speak: Risks, Myths, and Investment Opportunities in a Radically Reshaped Economy

A New York Times bestselling author and leading expert on market risk argues that seismic shifts in the global economy will trigger a multi-trillion-dollar migration of wealth, outlining new rules of investing for the forward-thinking.

“I can’t tell you how much I learned from How to Listen When Markets Speak. The historical perspectives and insights are something every investor needs to know. Buy this book.”—Mark Cuban

From Wall Street to the White House, the fantasy of an eventual “return to normal” is still alive and well, nurtured by dangerously outdated theories. But the economic world as we know it—and the rules that govern it—are over. In the coming decade, we’ll witness sustained inflation, a series of sovereign and corporate debt crises, and a thundering of capital out of financial assets into hard assets.

Few are prepared.

Lawrence G. McDonald, founder of the economic research platform The Bear Traps Report, got a real-world education in market risk when, as a Lehman Brothers VP, he watched the firm ignore flashing warning signs before its collapse. His analysis led him to identify twenty-one indicators for gauging the health of an economy and detecting early signals of opportunity and danger.

In How to Listen When Markets Speak, McDonald unveils his unique predictive models, connecting surprising dots between past, present, and future and outlining actionable trading ideas for staying a beat ahead of the markets. Readers will learn:

• How disastrous Fed policy will collide with an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape to keep U.S. inflation near 3-5% for the next decade
• How growing demand for oil and gas, underinvestment in urgently needed energy infrastructure, and cozy Russia–Saudi Arabia relations will lift the base price of energy to historic levels
• Why hard assets and rare minerals like lithium and cobalt will outperform growth stocks, U.S. treasuries, and overcrowded passive investment strategies—and how to detect bearish and bullish trends in advance
• How passive investing and the vehicles intended to democratize finance have fueled bubbles and ideological skew by large market participants, leaving millions of 401(k)s and IRAs at risk
• Why America will likely lose its position as a global superpower and holder of the world’s premier reserve currency, and may be forced to slash Social Security, Medicare, and military spending

Rather than merely doomsaying, How to Listen When Markets Speak equips readers to make sense of our current moment, resist reactionary narratives and baseless analysis, and preserve their wealth in turbulent times. When markets speak, it pays to listen.

Lawrence McDonald is risk consultant to hedge funds, family offices, asset managers and investors across twenty-three countries. One of Wall Street’s most respected financial experts, McDonald has made more than 1,400 media appearances. Previously, he was a vice president of distressed debt and convertible securities trading at Lehman Brothers. 

James Patrick Robinson, a dedicated craftsman of narrative born into a family of writers in England, truly embraced storytelling at the University of East Anglia. Influenced by literary greats, he pursued history of art, European literature, and creative writing. Transitioning to screenwriting post-graduation, James initially adapted his father’s techno-thrillers before honing his skills in realistic dialogue and structure at The New York Film Academy. He notably adapted the bestselling Lone Survivor into a screenplay in 2007 and contributed to the research and structure of the 2009 New York Times bestseller A Colossal Failure of Common Sense. 2022 marked his debut in book writing with How To Listen When Markets Speak, co-authored for Larry McDonald. Now residing in the U.S. and managing the Robinson Speakers Bureau, James is penning his first novel in the traditional manner—longhand with navy ink on white paper, a testament to his deep-rooted passion for storytelling.