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Sold Out

How Broken Supply Chains, Surging Inflation and Political Instability Will Sink the Global Economy

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Sold Out

By: James Rickards
Narrated by: James Rickards
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The global supply chain is broken, perhaps for good. How did we get here and what happens next?

Empty shelves, queues for petrol and energy shortages: crises more familiar to those who lived through the 1960s and 1970s have now become a reality as global shipping times are squeezed, containers lie unopened at docks and supply shortages push up inflation, increasing the cost of consumer goods from milk to cars to building materials.

In Sold Out!, economic forecaster James Rickards (The Road to Ruin, The Death of Money) explains why the shelves are empty, who fractured the supply chain and why shortages will persist. Drawing on years of financial expertise, he breaks down the history and structure of business around the world to offer readers a behind-the-scenes look at what is happening and the steps they can take to mitigate the worst of what's to come. By going beyond the headlines to explain how globalised trade really works, Rickards presents an essential guide to navigating the coming storm.

©2022 James Rickards (P)2022 Penguin Audio Economics Forecasting & Strategic Planning International Macroeconomics Management & Leadership Theory Business Capitalism Banking Taxation US Economy Tariff Socialism Great Recession Export China
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I try to keep an open mind about differing political views but I stopped listening when the author started rambling on about the bad science behind climate change. His denier views on climate change went too far,
this is a shame because the topic of the book is very interesting to me, but I'm not going to submit myself to hours of his loony views, just so I can get to the essence of the books message.

far too political for a book about logistics

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Typically well-researched and insightful perspective on supply chain disruption and what lies ahead. This latest piece from Rickards does not disappoint. Highly recommended!

Another masterclass from Rickards

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Fantastic book!! Feeling more prepared for 2023 and what comes next. Very insightful and mind opening.

Fantastic book !!

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This has been a fantastic book to listen to, and give us great insight to the current state of play globally with respect to supply chains and personal wealth management… I would highly recommend listening to James’s other books as well

Fantastic listen

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The audio sounded unprofessional at times, with bumps of the microphone, slurred speech and constant upwards inflections that sound like he is repeating something he learned by rote, or is simply guessing.

The story was repetitive, and somewhat paranoid in regards to scientific information, dictated by right wing echo chambers and conspiracy theories.

His assesment of history and statistics was concise, expansive and was more than required to make his point. It got boring at times. His commentary about political influences seemed unfiltered and (almost- but not) equally scathing across both sides of the aisle.

His understanding of geopolitics seems particularly good, as does his fiscal and financial IQ.

But his understanding of science seems to be garnered from Fox talking points, based on spin and without a consideration of the alternative to the narrative he is pushing.

His review of the Covid pandemic response was that of a Monday quarterbacks by the water cooler. It was a delusional take on how he would have made the perfect plays, not giving due thought to the massive impacts of the alternative actions that were never taken. It was impotently infuriating in its double standard and lack of understanding.

Vaccines were never intended to stop the spread, they were intended to relieve the pressure on hospitals and keep more people alive and active, which after all, is the basis of a healthy supply chain, as he keeps saying.

And I have no idea how he can conclude that masks don't successfully slow the spread of the disease. They have been proven endlessly to do exactly that.

As for climate, well he's already lost scientific credibility with his COVID assessment.

But to deny what is plainly happening before our eyes at such a rapid rate, that is coinciding exactly with the the greatest burn-off in the planet's history (over 100 years of industrial development), is more than ignorant and naive, it's downright disturbing.

And it's stupid, because industry can make a fortune out of providing the solution. To criticize those with the foresight and will to make a difference to what is an obvious and logical outcome to our actions (the great burn-off) stinks of either cronyism, or a sublime lack of imagination or understanding.

I suffered through this chapter to hear more about his clear inside knowledge of the financial system, which seems far less based on opinion, and more based on understanding of patterns through history and the interconnected nature of money systems.

It was worth the listen, as long as you can endure the ridiculous rantings of pseudo-scientific thoughts that are like fingernails down a chalkboard to any lucid mind.

And please, let's leave this Davos Great Reset rhetoric in the corridors of the insane asylums. I've never heard a more stupid conspiracy theory, and yet ironically, he is calling for a massive reset to the entire global supply chain infrastructure and economic alliances that will ultimately cost us our purchasing power, potentially impoverishing (to some degree) billions of people.

I'm for it, by the way for the long term health of the global community, but surely this is a some kind black irony between the pot and the kettle?!

Entrenched and unimaginative viewpoint

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If you want to gain an insight on the economy and causes of inflation “Sold Out - is a must read.

Incredible economic insights

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The first chapter or so was interesting enough. it went downhill from there into endless lists of numbers.

Slow and boring

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It feels bloated with sections which restate what has already been said and it feels short on meaningful analysis. Also, his regurgitation of falsehoods regarding masks and vaccines efficacy make it hard to take the author seriously. Imagine if you opened a book about modern political developments in South East Asia and a good chunk of it just claimed the Kennedy assassination was a CIA plot. It just reveals the author as a bit of a kook at best and a hack at worst.

Verging on conspiratorial

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I toughed out a couple hours of this hoping it would get past the boring wikipedia article level fact dropping only for it to devolve further into right wing talking points about Biden lying, COVID vaccines not working and crying about "do-gooder investors" and treating renewable energy.

starts boring, ends in political rants

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Rickards doesn't believe in climate change, or the efficacy of lockdowns, masks or vaccines to control Covid. I find it difficult to take his lecturing on supply chains as authority when I know in these other areas he frequently ignores facts that don't support his thesis.
In addition, the beginning of the book was basically a 2nd year accounting lecture on supply chain terminology which was not only incredibly boring, but wasn't actually necessary in framing the rest of the content.

Selective facts lead to propaganda

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