getAbstract

Home | Knowledge Packs | Travel Packs |
Blog | RSS Feeds | Free Summaries

When Giants Fall

An Economic Roadmap for the End of the American Era

by Michael J. Panzner

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009

Category: Economics & Politics

Get the summary
When Giants Fall

getAbstract rating

Overall (?)

rating 7 (7)

Importance

rating 7 (7)

Innovation

rating 6 (6)

Style

rating 8 (8)

Level of Expertise (?)

rating 4 (4)

User rating

  (7.0)

In this summary you will learn

  • Why America’s best days are past
  • Who the rising world powers are
  • How political events may unfold
  • How to prepare for increasing troubles

Why you should read When Giants Fall

Books about the future usually mix and match four broad categories: The present is great or awful, and the future will be great or awful. This book builds on the awful end of today’s economic problems. Michael J. Panzner reinforces the seesawing anxiety some people already feel about America and the future by contending that these dreary times will almost certainly worsen. People have been selling books about America’s demise for decades and maybe one of them will be right someday, but this one is pretty dire. getAbstract admires Panzner’s diligence and hard work, but notes that he offers few, if any, mitigating beds of roses to brighten his forecast. Instead, he blends generally negative economic, ecological, demographic and geopolitical news to project a downward trend that would scare even the most daredevil economic rollercoaster rider. Trends that harm America are likely to injure many other nations also, so some positive, mutual pushback seems inevitable, though Panzner cites instead how other nations would benefit from a weaker U.S. Given the reporting on negative trends and dangers he amasses to explain his pessimism, it would be no wonder if Panzner is depressed. If he’s right, there will be plenty of depression to go around.

About the Author

Michael J. Panzner has worked for 25 years for major firms, such as HSBC, Soros Funds, ABN AMRO and others, in the New York and London stock markets. He is a faculty member at the FT Knowledge/New York Institute of Finance. He is also the author of Financial Armageddon.

Comment on this summary

Be the first to write a comment! Sign in to share your opinion