Stock Market Crashes of 1998 & 1999: The Asian Crisis & Your Future

by Ravi Batra

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0939352761
• ISBN13: 9780939352760
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Liberty Press
• Length: 219 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.

Customer Reviews

batra probably right again

Batra usually gets hammered by establishment critics for his unconventional, left-of-center stands. He predicted a great depression in 1990 in a book he wrote in 1985, and, indeed, 1990 witnessed a severe recession. Even after the recession, the recovery was slow. Real wages fell for 80% of workers until mid-1996, a statistic which indicates to me that the 1990s really haven't been so grand. In this book he makes a compelling case that the stock market is a bubble -- overinflated and ready to crash. He also predicted the market would recover some after the Fed cut rates -- right again. the only weakness in this book is that it needs better editing, as there were some grammatical errors in it. Nevertheless, there is some sound analysis in it. Batra bases his conclusions, in part, upon economic history and empirical fact. He shows that economies that utilized protectionism and state intervention succeeded quite well in many cases. I would bet that we will see another stock market crash this year, in accordance in with Dr. Batra's predictions. Most of his policy solutions would help alleviate the world's deflationary condition; they are also backed by egalitarian leanings. While I don't expect an 80% collapse of the market, 30% down on the Dow this year strikes me as quite likely. And seriously, Batra is a good economist. He has written intensely mathematical papers which deal with trade theory in a complex world. In every book or article he writes he makes it clear that tariffs can serve a beneficial social purpose. On the whole, the book is quite good. Batra could use a better editor, but his occasional grammatical errors are justified by his rush to publish quickly. He is both a skilled and moral economist.

Another gripping and readable book from leading economist

Ravi Batra published this book in 1997, after the Asian crisis exploded on the scene. So far his predictions for the US economy have been right on the mark. He predicted the US stock market would drop in August 1998 -- and it did. He said the market would recover some of its losses if the Fed then raised rates -- both happened. For 1999, he predicts another crash, resulting in the collapse of the "American Business Empire." Batra always offers interesting insights in his books. Like his earlier classic, "The Downfall of Capitalism and Communism" (1978), he credits much of his socio-historical analysis -- as well as ideas for economic reform -- to his late Indian teacher P.R. Sarkar (1921-90). He may be wrong on 1999, but after the Asian crisis spilled over to Russia in 1998, and to Brazil more recently, I wouldn't bet on it.