Of course, McCullough did not foresee the attack on Ukraine – but he did foresee the precipitous fall in stock prices. The former hedge fund manager had been preparing his clients and subscribers for a stock market crash since the beginning of the year. His forecast at the time: an economic decline in the U.S., Western Europe and Russia – accompanied by stock market crashes in all three, starting around March. All it would take, he said, was a small trigger.