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As FT Alphaville readers may be aware, we have long bestowed the title of worldâ??s most bearish man to this man: RBSâ?? Bob â??The Bearâ?? Janjuah.
But as we noted on Monday, the permabear will be moving on from post job at RBS â?? and will most likely be in gardening hibernation until at least the salmon season.
Which means â?? temporarily at least â?? the title was in real danger of falling to any of the following:
Alas for Bear Grylls and the other grizzlies, it has fortunately come to our attention (via the New York Times) that there is in fact another and better prospective candidate for most bearish bear in town.
He is this man:
His name is Robert Prechter and he thinks the Dow will fall well below 1,000 over within the next six years. Whatâ??s more, he even speaks in Nostradamic verse:
If I'm wrong, you're not hurt. If they're wrong, you're dead.
And for a quick take on the market forecaster and social theoristâ??s views, the New York Times sums up them up as follows :
Mr. Prechter is convinced that we have entered a market decline of staggering proportions "â? perhaps the biggest of the last 300 years.
In a series of phone conversations and e-mail exchanges last week, he said that no other forecaster was likely to accept his reasoning, which is based on his version of the Elliott Wave theory "â? a technical approach to market analysis that he embraces with evangelical fervor.
Originating in the writings of Ralph Nelson Elliott, an obscure accountant who found repetitive patterns, or "fractals,"? in the stock market of the 1930s and '40s, the theory suggests that an epic downswing is under way, Mr. Prechter said. But he argued that even skeptical investors should take his advice seriously.
Which leaves us with no other choice. Arise, Robert Prechter, henceforth â??Bob the Bear IIâ??.
Related links: [Bob and Kevin on AV] Guest editing for the day"? "â?? FT Alphaville "?Some horrendous Keynesian/monetarist nightmare' "â?? FT Alphaville Bob the Bull "â?? FT Alphaville [Bob and Kevin on AV] Guest editing for the day"?- FT Alphaville The Great Depression II "â?? FT Alphaville
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