Noah denkt™ - The Power of Balanced Reasoning |
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Napoléon III versus Trump I
Review of our forecasting performance in 2017, inspired by Émile Zola’s 1871 novel “The Kill”,
first drafted on Jan. 3, published on Jan. 5, 2018
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s the time of the year again, when Noah denkt™ looks back on the year gone by to qualify its economic
forecasting acumen. This year, however, this poses somewhat of a problem. Sadly, we have hardly made any
economic predictions throughout the year other than maintaining our view that theTrump presidency will
ultimately do more damage to the economy than help it. In fact, we have been so turned off by the knee-jerk
reaction of the stock market to the rambling goodies delivered by Trump Presidency (tax cuts, government
spending, deregulation) that we couldn’t even focus on the economic coverage any more. Instead we have
immersed ourselves in studying the analytical expertise of literary luminaries such as Honoré de Balzac or
Henry Miller to find some intellectual reprieve from the socio-economic deterioration of which the Trump White
House is only a symptom not the cause.It therefore comes in handy for this year’s year-end review that we are
just finishing the reading of Émile Zola’s 1871 novel “The Kill” (“La Curée”). There are such serious similarities
in this novel to our present time that we simply cannot resist in including it in our annual evaluation exercise.
“The Kill” which is the second book in Émile Zola’s 20 volume series “Les Rougon-Marquarts” talks about the
rise of a Paris financier (Aristide Saccard) during the real estate boom years of the 1860s in Paris. It describes
how a self-obsessed Emperor (Napoléon III) flooded the city with capital in the vain attempt to glorify himself
with the specter of brilliance and adventurism. It details how subject financial narcissism unleashed the “animal
instincts” (Jamie Dimon) in the Parisian financial community and it has us understand how such mindless greed
eventually ended in tears once the fundamental strategic miscalculations of the Napoléon reign came to light in
the disastrous Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71.
Now, to be frank, Zola’s book is not first and foremost an economic study of the causes that led to the Long
Depression in the 1870s. His work is primarily a socio-psychological analysis of the Saccard family and the
circles they move in. “The Kill” consequently ends three years before the Napoléon daydream finally comes
undone. At that time, Mr. Saccard’s fortune’s are still by and large intact. And yet the ominous signs of the later
breakdown of the entire financial system are already there to see for those who want to see them. The
Moroccan Port Company had just failed miserably, the Bank “Crédit mobilier” had crashed and Napoléon III’s
1862 Mexico invasion had ended a year earlier in a shameful and humiliating retread. So by 1867 the Emperor
himself is already talking about “some black spots that are darkening the French horizon” (see footnote*). Zola
specifically refers to that famous Napoléon III speech of Aug 27, 1867 in his description of the Cotillion dance
during the final ballroom spree hosted by Aristide Saccard and his wife Renée.(see footnote**). It is hence fair to
say that there are ample allusions in Zola’s work to the fact that the intellectual deficiencies of the Napoléonic
leadership will ultimately cause a serious bust in the French society and financial system. Here is the most
important reference to that effect: [For our own English translation of the following excerpt, please see footnote *** ]
We are intrigued by this description since subject reality lends itself quite forcefully to comparisons with the
current Trump Presidency. It is true that the US society isn’t yet in a state of political apathy. It hasn’t accepted
authoritarianism yet and wide sectors of the US electorate are still up in arms (in particular the media) about the
unhinged presidency they are being confronted with. The fact however remains that the all-important financial
community isn’t participating in this resistance. Quite to the contrary! The stock market in particular is acting as
if the specter of an eventual constitutional crisis weren’t looming in the background. Instead it mindlessly
rejoices in the fact that liquidity abounds, that taxes are being cut and that governmental spending is projected
to be bountiful. Like Aristide Saccard, the Jamie Dimons of New York deem themselves to be just as much in
the middle of promising warm rain of money as the Parisian financiers were back in the 60s of the 19th century.
Such lack of foresight and such unrestrained celebration of greed will have to end just as much in tears as it
did in the 1871. And the reason for this being the equally self-obsessed leadership of the current Napoléon III
in the Washington White House. Now don’t get us wrong. We do believe that massive infrastructure spending in
the US is long overdue as is the improvement of the US tax code. However a warm rain of money, the kind of
which Trump has in mind, should only be showered onto the domestic markets if it is being managed by a
leadership that has a profound, nuanced and level-headed understanding of the world we live in. After all, we
are talking about the all but last full-throttle bullet the government still has at its disposal to project the country
onto the path of sustainable growth. Such stern injection of cortisone should hence not be squandered easily.
Alas, the Trump cosmos is so full of his own personal needs for gratification that there is little room to even
discuss, let alone implement, the much needed social reforms (schools, vocational training etc..) that otherwise
should have accompanied the final bullet money showering which is being fired in the US now.
Noah denkt™ is hence quite skeptical about the sustainability of the economic confidence which is so lavishly
being generated in US at this time. But then again, we were wrong about the Klinsmann reforms in German
soccer too. So all hope is not lost, even if we cannot see it.
As for Europe the specter is more promising. There are some dark spots there too (overly generous ECB
policies, Greece, populist parties make inroads, Brexit etc…) but by and large the European theater is still
relatively sane. But how can that possibly save us if the US were indeed to drown itself in its own quagmire? -
Again, let’s hope against all hope. Have a good and prosperous 2018 and many more years to come.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnote*: “Des points noirs assmbrissent notre horizon”, says Napoléon III in a speech on Aug 27, 1867 (see editorial
comments on page 314)
Footnote **: “Ce sont des “Points Noirs””, he has M. de Saffré say as he leads that Cotillion dance (see page 314)
Footnote *** : Here is our own English translation of the quote above:
Review of our forecasting performance in 2017, inspired by Émile Zola’s 1871 novel “The Kill”,
first drafted on Jan. 3, published on Jan. 5, 2018
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s the time of the year again, when Noah denkt™ looks back on the year gone by to qualify its economic
forecasting acumen. This year, however, this poses somewhat of a problem. Sadly, we have hardly made any
economic predictions throughout the year other than maintaining our view that theTrump presidency will
ultimately do more damage to the economy than help it. In fact, we have been so turned off by the knee-jerk
reaction of the stock market to the rambling goodies delivered by Trump Presidency (tax cuts, government
spending, deregulation) that we couldn’t even focus on the economic coverage any more. Instead we have
immersed ourselves in studying the analytical expertise of literary luminaries such as Honoré de Balzac or
Henry Miller to find some intellectual reprieve from the socio-economic deterioration of which the Trump White
House is only a symptom not the cause.It therefore comes in handy for this year’s year-end review that we are
just finishing the reading of Émile Zola’s 1871 novel “The Kill” (“La Curée”). There are such serious similarities
in this novel to our present time that we simply cannot resist in including it in our annual evaluation exercise.
“The Kill” which is the second book in Émile Zola’s 20 volume series “Les Rougon-Marquarts” talks about the
rise of a Paris financier (Aristide Saccard) during the real estate boom years of the 1860s in Paris. It describes
how a self-obsessed Emperor (Napoléon III) flooded the city with capital in the vain attempt to glorify himself
with the specter of brilliance and adventurism. It details how subject financial narcissism unleashed the “animal
instincts” (Jamie Dimon) in the Parisian financial community and it has us understand how such mindless greed
eventually ended in tears once the fundamental strategic miscalculations of the Napoléon reign came to light in
the disastrous Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71.
Now, to be frank, Zola’s book is not first and foremost an economic study of the causes that led to the Long
Depression in the 1870s. His work is primarily a socio-psychological analysis of the Saccard family and the
circles they move in. “The Kill” consequently ends three years before the Napoléon daydream finally comes
undone. At that time, Mr. Saccard’s fortune’s are still by and large intact. And yet the ominous signs of the later
breakdown of the entire financial system are already there to see for those who want to see them. The
Moroccan Port Company had just failed miserably, the Bank “Crédit mobilier” had crashed and Napoléon III’s
1862 Mexico invasion had ended a year earlier in a shameful and humiliating retread. So by 1867 the Emperor
himself is already talking about “some black spots that are darkening the French horizon” (see footnote*). Zola
specifically refers to that famous Napoléon III speech of Aug 27, 1867 in his description of the Cotillion dance
during the final ballroom spree hosted by Aristide Saccard and his wife Renée.(see footnote**). It is hence fair to
say that there are ample allusions in Zola’s work to the fact that the intellectual deficiencies of the Napoléonic
leadership will ultimately cause a serious bust in the French society and financial system. Here is the most
important reference to that effect: [For our own English translation of the following excerpt, please see footnote *** ]
- “A cette heure, Paris offrait, pour un homme comme Aristide Saccard, le plus intéressant des spectacles.
L’Empire venait d’être proclamé, apres ce fameux voyage pendant lequel le prince-président avait réussi
à chauffer l’enthousiasme de quelques départements bonapartistes. Le silence s’était fait à la tribune et
dans les journaux. La société, sauvée encore une fois, se felicitait, se reposait, faisait la grasse matinée,
maintenant qu’un gouvernement fort la protégeait et lui ôtait jusqu’au souci de penser et de régler ses
affaires. La grande préoccupation de la sociéte était de savoir à quels amusements elle allait tuer le
temps. Selon l’heureuse expression d’Eugène Rougon, Paris se mettait à table et rêvait gaudriole au
dessert. La politique épouvantait, comme une drogue dangereuse. Les esprits lassés se tournait vers les
affaires et les plaisirs. Ceux qui possédaient déterraient leur argent, et ceux qui ne possédaient pas
cherchaient dans les coins les trésors oubliés. (…) Dans le grand silence de l’ordre, dans la paix aplatie
du nouveau règne, montaient toutes sortes de rumeurs aimables, de promesses dorées et volupteuses.
(…) L’Empire allait faire de Paris le mauvais lieu de l’Europe. Il fallait à cette poignée d’aventuriers que
venaient de voler un trône un règne d’aventures, d’affaires véreuses, de consciences vendus, de femmes
achetées, de soûlerie furieuse et universelle. Et, dans la ville ou le sang de décembre était à peine lavé,
grandissait, timide encore, cette folie de jouissance qui devait jeter la patrie au cabanon des nations
pourris et déshonorées.
Aristide Saccard, depuis les premiers jours, sentait venir ce flot montant de la speculation, don’t l’écume
allait couvrir Paris entire. Il en suivit les progress avec une attention profonde. Il se trouvait au beau
milieu de la pluie chaude d’écus tombant dru sur les toits de la cité.
Émile Zola: La Curée, Pocket 1990, ISBN 978-2-266-19802-8, p 82-83
We are intrigued by this description since subject reality lends itself quite forcefully to comparisons with the
current Trump Presidency. It is true that the US society isn’t yet in a state of political apathy. It hasn’t accepted
authoritarianism yet and wide sectors of the US electorate are still up in arms (in particular the media) about the
unhinged presidency they are being confronted with. The fact however remains that the all-important financial
community isn’t participating in this resistance. Quite to the contrary! The stock market in particular is acting as
if the specter of an eventual constitutional crisis weren’t looming in the background. Instead it mindlessly
rejoices in the fact that liquidity abounds, that taxes are being cut and that governmental spending is projected
to be bountiful. Like Aristide Saccard, the Jamie Dimons of New York deem themselves to be just as much in
the middle of promising warm rain of money as the Parisian financiers were back in the 60s of the 19th century.
Such lack of foresight and such unrestrained celebration of greed will have to end just as much in tears as it
did in the 1871. And the reason for this being the equally self-obsessed leadership of the current Napoléon III
in the Washington White House. Now don’t get us wrong. We do believe that massive infrastructure spending in
the US is long overdue as is the improvement of the US tax code. However a warm rain of money, the kind of
which Trump has in mind, should only be showered onto the domestic markets if it is being managed by a
leadership that has a profound, nuanced and level-headed understanding of the world we live in. After all, we
are talking about the all but last full-throttle bullet the government still has at its disposal to project the country
onto the path of sustainable growth. Such stern injection of cortisone should hence not be squandered easily.
Alas, the Trump cosmos is so full of his own personal needs for gratification that there is little room to even
discuss, let alone implement, the much needed social reforms (schools, vocational training etc..) that otherwise
should have accompanied the final bullet money showering which is being fired in the US now.
Noah denkt™ is hence quite skeptical about the sustainability of the economic confidence which is so lavishly
being generated in US at this time. But then again, we were wrong about the Klinsmann reforms in German
soccer too. So all hope is not lost, even if we cannot see it.
As for Europe the specter is more promising. There are some dark spots there too (overly generous ECB
policies, Greece, populist parties make inroads, Brexit etc…) but by and large the European theater is still
relatively sane. But how can that possibly save us if the US were indeed to drown itself in its own quagmire? -
Again, let’s hope against all hope. Have a good and prosperous 2018 and many more years to come.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnote*: “Des points noirs assmbrissent notre horizon”, says Napoléon III in a speech on Aug 27, 1867 (see editorial
comments on page 314)
Footnote **: “Ce sont des “Points Noirs””, he has M. de Saffré say as he leads that Cotillion dance (see page 314)
Footnote *** : Here is our own English translation of the quote above:
- At this hour, Paris offered, for a man like Aristide Saccard, the most interesting spectacle. The Empire had just been
proclaimed after this famous voyage during which the Prince-President had succeeded in warming the enthusiasm of
some Bonapartist departments. A silence had settled in both in parliament and in the newspapers. Society, saved once
more, congratulating itself on the outcome, went into a profound sleep, now that a strong government was protecting it and
taking all worries away from it. The only concern left in that society was how it was going to kill time night. According to the
happy expression of Eugène Rougon, Paris was sitting at the table and dreaming merrily about dessert. Politics
frightened, like a dangerous drug. The weary minds turned to business and pleasure. Those who had it were digging up
their money, and those who did not possess were looking in the corners for forgotten treasures. (...) In the great silence of
Imperial law and order, in the flattened peace of the new reign, all kinds of kind rumors emerged, golden and voluptuous
promises. (...) The Empire was going to make Paris the bad place of Europe. This handful of adventurers who had just
stolen a throne needed to install a reign of adventures, of wicked affairs, of consciences sold, of women bought, of furious
and universal drunkenness. And in the city where the blood of December was scarcely washed away, grew, at first still
timidly, a folly of pleasure which was to throw the country into the shed of rotten and dishonored nations.
Aristide Saccard, from the earliest days, sensed the coming flood of speculation, whose foam was going to cover Paris. He
followed the progress with deep attention. He was in the middle of the hot rain of Écus falling thick on the roofs of the city.
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| Keywords: Similarities between the Napoléon III rule in France to the Trump Presidency in the US according to Émile Zola's novel "The Kill", financial investment lessons to learn from Émile Zola's 1871 novel "The Kill", the real estate boom in Paris in the 1860s |