Mike Wilson
The Navigator
Judgement in the fog, money, risk and the call others cannot make.
Mike Wilson reads as The Navigator through a layered, cycle-within-cycle framework, economic, business, and market rhythms stacked and cross-referenced, that demands continuous recalibration rather than static conviction. His insistence on rate-of-change over absolute levels gives him methodological bearings in turbulent conditions. What sharpens the archetype is the contrarian instinct beneath it. Wilson does not simply read the map at Morgan Stanley, he is willing to bet against the crowd when the cycles diverge from consensus.
“We're cycle analysts, not to be confused with psychoanalyst, but it's kind of related. Understanding cycles is critical. Generally starts with the economic cycle, then the business cycle, and then understanding market cycles and marrying those two.”
“The rate of change matters way more than the level in every indicator you're looking at. That can apply to macrodata and microdata, and that should tell you whether an asset is going to be appreciating or depreciating.”
“All my good calls have been going against the grain, whether bullish or bearish. We tend to be more contrarian because that's where you make the big money.”
Masters in Business: “From Investment Banker to CIO with Mike Wilson”
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