History may not repeat itself, but it certainly can rhyme!

The Fire Horse Disrupting the Disruptors!

1966 - The Last Chinese Year of the Fire Horse

Since this is Food for Thought — Imagine the Unimaginables for 2026 was coupled with the Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse, I thought it may be interesting to look back 60 years when the last Year of the Fire Horse occurred —1966! History may not repeat, but can certainly rhyme. The Year of the Fire Horse is one of expected high energy and significant change for the better and/or worse.

 So what happened in 1966 which may be relevant to some unimaginables in 2026?

Unimaginable #1: Europe Comes together !

• In 1966, Europe was in the throes of recovery, Germany esp. experiencing its “Wirtschaftswunder” or economic miracle that started in 1948 with the help of the US Marshall Plan. Italy was also a beneficiary. It seems there is nothing more beneficial than losing a war to the USA. In 1966, French President Charles de Gaulle withdrew
...

Happy Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse! 

Imagine the Unimaginables for 2026 

“Predicted volatility; fortune favors the brave but tests the unprepared”

Happy Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse 2026! We have now officially crossed over from the observant Year of the Snake or for me the Ouroboros which was dominated by many circular events and circumstances. If you have not yet read my "Imagine the Unimaginables" posted Feb. 7. please do so if you have time before reading further: https://www.invest-a-vision.com/blog.

The Year of the Ouroboros was also one of "moving fast and breaking things!" Some may even characterize it as crossing some real red lines, lighting up resistance and a greater readiness to fight with the realization that there is no going back and accepting that it is for the better. The Year of the Horse will display a greater energy of recapturing the founding principles outlined in the American Declaration of Independence 250 years ago and the Constitution assuring...

Happy Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse!

Imagine the Unimaginables for 2026 

“Predicted volatility; fortune favors the brave but tests the unprepared”

In my financial career in institutional equity sales, I always took delight in conjuring up ideas or events unimaginable that could happen and the markets have yet to discount. Food for Thought. So I thought this year I would carry on the past tradition by combining events unimaginable in 2026 with the transition into the Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse starting on February 17th. We are now experiencing the end of the Year of the Snake which I chose to call the Year of the Ouroboros. The discovery of the Ouroboros symbol, a Dragon-Snake forming a circle by eating its tail which meant it devoured negative disruptions resulting in a kind of positive rebirth (my interpretation). Here are links to my two Ouroboros-Year of the Snake Blog pieces: https://www.invest-a-vision.com/blog/2 and in the second one: are hints of Unimaginables pu...

Ouroboros Part II: “Feel the Moment” and Imagine the Unimaginable

 In Part I, I presented the Chinese New Year of the Snake (2025) with the idea that the snake this year will be more of an Ouroboros--a Snake/Dragon eating itself away with the prospects of renewal or rebirth once it is finished. What made this even more relevant is the fact that the Year of the Snake follows the Year of the Dragon. The idea behind Part I is that it's publishing occurred shortly after the start of the Chinese New Year of the Snake which coincided with the announcement of the Chinese AI company, DeepSeek causing a huge, perhaps temporary disruption in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) world. Here is a link to Part I: https://www.invest-a-vision.com/blog/2.

Now I get to feel the moment as more and more journalists are using the Ouroboros analogy when discussing the “circular” financing activity triggering the tremendous rally behind AI related stocks and the build out plans for data centers meant to...

 January 29, 2025 - February 16, 2026: The Chinese Year of the Snake 

    Imagine the Unimaginables -

                                                           - Food for Thought!

Depending on who you ask, the Year of the Snake in 2025 can be full of quite a few positive possibilities and this could be especially welcoming after a very uncertain and exhausting 2024. It is said the snake brings wisdom, transformation, a kind of calm observance inspiring creativity. Seems like a lot of wishful thinking as the Year of the Snake starting January 29, 2025 has been quite a turbulent one.

One of my favorite exercises is to conjure up Food for Thought and Imagining the Unimaginable. In the world of finance and investing, this is trying to imagine what is not yet priced in the markets, expecting the unexpected. On Monday, January 27, stock markets got caught out by an announcement from a Chinese “start up” Artificial Intelligence (AI) company called DeepSeek who announced an open-sourced l...

Music Moves Me Part 3 or Better, Yet -- Music Moves Us!

I just gave a speech at my Toastmasters Club Mercury in Berlin. It was all about being under the spell of Berlin Magic most of my adult life. Music also plays a role in the magic of Berlin.I just know that I have written twice on this blog about how music moved me when attending concerts of the Berlin Philharmonic and the German Chamber Orchestra. These concerts influenced me and some Food for Thought so much that I shared it with you all (https://www.invest-a-vision.com/blog/music-moves-me). These two orchestras are both bold and superlative in their contributions to Berlin Magic--a city than never sleeps, a city on the edge and a city in continuous transformation. Magic is so diverse in its definition and inclusivity. People, Things and Places can all cast spells on us. Music too.

It seems according to the linked article below that Music moves everyone around the world in pretty much the same way. Could this be the magic we ar...

Invest-A-Vision Gets Re-Started AGAIN (!) - Originally Got Started in November 2016, then re-started in November 2020, now yet another attempt in November 2023...

The original and this entry were inspired by music, music that has moved me. Originally in 2016 and again recently, the music inspired, invigorated me in a way that appears naively so--a reflection of my optimistic nature? The concert then offered a vision of promise, but the bubble burst in November 2016 with a political victory that personified the prevalence of overwhelming disgruntled discontent and the desire to change back to what many thought made America great, but unfortunately not for all Americans. This Blog is not meant to be political, but more the desire to express and to explore how sentiment affects financial and economic decision-making and what it means for the world's well-being.

Here is the Blog Entry for the First Re-Start in November 2020:

Invest-A-Vision Gets Re-Started - Originally Got Started in No...

 Like a Rolling Stone

Women Disrupt and Create

Feminine Freedom!

Go Ladies - Go for Change!

Happy International Women’s Day - 8 March 2023!

 Is it time to renew and revitalize the Women's Liberation Movement started in the 60s?

Going Full Circle!

I listen to a number of Podcasts regarding Finance&Economics, Music and News and came across one about developments in Popular Music production with a bit of history and analysis from "Plain English”* (links  at the end). Another Podcast, “Today Explained” featured the story, “The Rockstar Maesto”** of Gustavo Dudamel who has brought classical music to the masses in Los Angeles. Now he’s announced that he’s taking his talents to New York, which could revive classical music on one of its biggest stages. They reminded me of some work I did in 2018 trying to construct a Music Indicator which would try to analyze if popular music reflected not only cultural trends, but also economic ones. And if so, would those trends influence sentiment...

Originally posted November 2016

After attending a concert in September 2016 at the Berlin Philharmonie in Berlin, Germany, I am inspired to debut the Invest-a-Vision blog which is meant to be an interactive site for discussing the realization of visionary inspirations through investing time, imagination, confidence, expertise and naturally finance or money.

The concert was two pieces composed and directed by the American, John Adams, Composer in Residence in Berlin for the 2016/17 season. He is known in the classical world as a minimalist described well in this link for those unfamiliar with his work: A guide to John Adams’s music

His compositions are physical, experimental and visual and not melodious. The first piece, “Harmonielehre”, Part I is what inspired me. Loud and repetitive, causing my eyes to journey through the orchestra searching for the source of the powerful sounds and feeling the forcefulness of the flow. It was brave and free and it felt inviting with a ‘Go for it’ ...