In the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, Holly Golightly stayed out all night and then had "breakfast" at the famous Fifth Avenue jeweler, Tiffany & Co. -- meaning, she ate a pastry and sipped coffee while "window shopping" before Tiffany's opened. Holly dreamed of owning the jewelry she saw.
Be it Fifth Avenue in Manhattan or another city's high-end shopping district, many people may soon follow Holly Golightly's lead in real life. For now, however, the luxury splurge persists:
"The demand for luxury will be the last fever to break; its latest push to a solitary all-time high and its reliance on the financial industry (which is actually leading in the opposite direction) signal that the mass pursuit of opulence is about to be quelled for a long, long time."
Financial Forecast, November 2011
One measure of luxury's pursuit is the Fine Wine Index. It recently climbed to a new high, although the chart below shows it getting the "hiccups." Note the downturn at the far right of the price pattern:
The latest Financial Forecast also mentions that "The Merrill Lynch Luxury Index reached a closing price peak on July 22 and now stands as the last stock index to achieve a new all-time high."
In fact, the luxury craze has become so pronounced that high-ticket items are not just being discussed as a personal splurge but as an alternative investment.
CNBC featured a video (11/22) titled, "Alternative Investing - Luxury Watches." The text goes on to say, "We take a look at whether luxury time pieces could add value to your portfolio."
Even so: the trip from prosperity to hard times can be shockingly brief. Only a few city blocks separate Fifth Avenue and the South Bronx.
Now is the time to prepare for what may be a rapid economic deterioration ahead.