Synopsis

With a nineteen-year history of making bold yet astonishingly accurate forecasts, it is little wonder that when Dr. Stephen Leeb speaks, smart investors take heed.

In his 1986 book, Getting in on the Ground Floor, Dr. Leeb prophesied the great bull market of the 1990s. In his 1999 book, Defying the Market, he warned investors of the coming collapse in technology shares. And in February 2004, when crude oil cost under $33 a barrel, Dr. Leeb's book The Oil Factor predicted soaring energy prices were just around the corner.

Now, in THE COMING ECONOMIC COLLAPSE, Dr. Leeb proves that the U.S. economy is standing on the brink of the biggest crisis in its history. As the fast-growing economies of China and India push global demand for oil beyond production capacity, Americans will experience a permanent energy shortfall far worse than the one in the 1970s. The result will be severe financial hardship for most people, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for investors to become incredibly rich.

Backed by meticulous research and analysis, Dr. Leeb exposes the psychological "groupthink" that has caused leaders in government, Wall Street, the oil industry, and academia to ignore the approaching crisis, until now when it is almost too late. He debunks the myth that petroleum supplies are limitless, and reveals the truth about an alternative energy source that is fast becoming cheaper than oil. In addition, he offers practical solutions such as:

* The #1 skill investors need, and why advice from most financial experts will prove disastrous

* How to make a fortune in oil, gold, and other inflation-sensitive sectors

* Today's leading alternative energy stocks, the new super-growth industry

* Steps the government must take immediately to avoid crippling energy shortages.

THE COMING ECONOMIC COLLAPSE is an urgent call-to-arms to avert an all-but-certain catastrophe and a survival kit for an era that offers us only two financial choices: poverty or wealth.

Table of Contents

Authors Note ix

The Bursting of the Tech Bubble: Did Our Most Recent Brush with Disaster Teach Us Anything? 1

A Collision Course with Disaster 13

The Collapse of Civilization: Causes and Solutions 29

Our Psychological Blind Spots: Conformity, Authority, and Groupthink 39

The Madness of Wall Street: How Investors Can Profit by Overcoming Groupthink 47

The Most Dangerous Crisis of All 64

Chindia and the Future of Oil 76

The Havoc That Will Result from {dollar}200 Oil 90

What the 1970s Teach Us About Investing in the Coming Decade 102

The World of Tomorrow: Decline, Stasis, or Armageddon? 115

Planning for Survival: Alternatives to Oil 129

Misplaced Priorities: Our Biggest Obstacle Today 145

Your Personal Choice: Insane Wealth or Pitiful Poverty 160

Making Money in the Coming Collapse 120

The Next Hot Investment Sector: Alternative Energy 183

Bibliography 197

Index 202

About the Authors 212