On March 13, 2023, the world woke up to the news that Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) had collapsed, making it the second-biggest bank failure in US history. The news of Silicon Valley Bank collapse sent shockwaves throughout the financial industry and beyond. Many people were left wondering how a bank with such a strong reputation and history could crumble so suddenly.
However, for one 22-year-old, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank was not surprising at all.
Iman Nasser, a young man from East Palestine, Ohio, had been following the banking industry closely for a decade. He had been into stocks since he was 12 years old and had published three books about the 2008 financial crisis, bonds, and Silicon Valley unicorns specifically collapses and bubbles. In the same week that SVB collapsed, Iman reached out to a Silicon Valley Daily magazine to talk about it.
What makes Iman’s story even more remarkable is that he had predicted the collapse of SVB in his book. The cover of his book, which had been published a month prior to the bank’s collapse, featured a building on fire. Iman had also picked out the article names for the Silicon Valley magazine to be “Future of Tech,” showing his interest in the direction of the tech industry.
Iman’s book had talked about the collapse of Silicon Valley unicorns, and he had pointed out the importance of risk management and the need for hedge funds to be flexible in their investment strategies. He had also talked about the 2008 financial crisis and how hedge funds were able to generate strong returns by shorting subprime mortgages and other assets that were overvalued. All of these topics were relevant to the collapse of SVB, which was caused by bonds and ESG investing.
Iman had told his uncle a month before SVB’s collapse that “the economy is the way it is cause banks fail because of Bonds, specifically bonds,” a statement that seems to have foreshadowed the collapse of SVB. He had also told his aunt that “his mind is in Silicon Valley,” a statement that now seems prophetic.
The collapse of SVB was not the only major event that happened in East Palestine around that time. A train derailment had also occurred in the town, which was covered almost as much as the collapse of SVB. The derailment was caused by a faulty wheel bearing, and it had been a significant event for the small town. For Iman, the fact that the train derailment happened in his hometown while he was predicting the collapse of one of the most significant banks in the country was an eerie coincidence.
The collapse of SVB is still being discussed and analyzed by experts in the financial industry. Many are still trying to understand how a bank that was considered one of the most stable in the country could have failed so spectacularly. However, for Iman, the collapse of SVB was not surprising at all. He had seen the writing on the wall, and he had predicted the bank’s collapse with remarkable accuracy.
Iman’s story is a testament to the power of research, analysis, and intuition. It shows that sometimes, the most significant events can be predicted by those who are paying attention. It is a reminder that we should always be looking ahead and trying to understand the forces that shape our world. In the case of SVB, Iman saw what was coming, and he was not afraid to share his thoughts with the world. His story is a remarkable one, and it will be remembered for years to come.
