December 31, 2023 | Can We Repeat 2023?

In these way-too-interesting times, there aren’t many publications that would trumpet a New Year’s Eve headline like the one above. It topped the front page of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, however, a tribute to the Sunshine State’s winning performance on the playing field. Two college basketball teams, University of Miami and Florida American University, made […]

December 31, 2023 | Looking Back and Forward

It’s that time of year when we start thinking about the old and envisioning the new. This has always been a special season for me, perhaps because of my unusual quirk of really wanting to divine the nature of the future—not just an investment in economics but in general. This week’s letter will be in […]

December 30, 2023 | Trading Desk Notes For December 30, 2023

We’ve had a historic 2-month rally in stocks and bonds in anticipation of several interest rate cuts in 2024 due to falling inflation – what’s next? The leading stock indices (and many individual names) traded higher for nine consecutive weeks, with the DJIA and the NAZ 100 ending 2023 at All-Time Highs.   The DJIA rallied ~5,450 points (~17%) from […]

December 30, 2023 | Next Strain of COVID Might Cause Heart Failure

  Some scientists have warned a new strain of COVID-19 could cause potential heart issues. This new strain, known as JN.1, will reduce cardiac function in many people, according to the report. GB News has reported that Japan’s top research institute, Riken, has issued a stark warning that the ACE2 receptors that the coronavirus attaches […]

December 30, 2023 | NATO & Russia Moving Toward War

  QUESTION: News from Russia is claiming there will be a major war with NATO. I do not understand if Russia is no longer Communist; what is the real issue that we have to move to World War again? SV ANSWER: It’s just time. Having met a Neocon face to face, all I can offer […]

December 30, 2023 | Thanks For a Great First Year

Hi everybody, On January 3, this newsletter will be one year old. Amazing how fast the time went by! Thanks for a great experience. Being part of this growing community and hearing your thoughts about the crazy world we’ve inherited has been both fun and educational. Going forward, there are several things I’d like to […]

December 30, 2023 | This Week in Money

• Ross Clark:  Stock Markets, S&P, Nasdaq, Gold, USD, Canadian Dollar, Crude Oil
• Danielle Park: (7:26) Financial Challenges in 2024, Debt, Recession, Bonds, Real Estate
• John Rubino: (33:58) Economic Outlook 2024, Recession, The Great Taking

December 30, 2023 | Tech Talk for Saturday December 30th 2023

The Bottom Line For 2024, look for North American equity markets to follow the U.S. Presidential Election  cycle. The Dow Jones Industrial Average in the fourth year of the U.S. Presidential Election years since 1930 has a history of moving higher. Average return per period is 8.0%. However, “Mind the Gap”. The 8% gain also […]

December 29, 2023 | No Let Up

It seems to me that the forces at play in silver, both working for and against sharply higher prices, show no signs of letting up. However, common sense and logic dictate that such diametrically-opposed forces point to an eventual end to the stalemate – with the only real question being when. Since these opposing forces […]

December 29, 2023 | Gold Is Now Definitely An Impulse Buy

Recently, Costo began selling gold bars on its website (see Did Gold Just Become An Impulse Buy?). The bars were a big hit, generating revenues of $100 million in the most recent quarter. Now Walmart has opened its own Precious Metals Shop: Who’s next? If gold works for the biggest-box retailers, expect Target and other similar chains […]

December 29, 2023 | Here’s to Hitting Some Home Runs in 2024

  Friends and Followers – Work hard and dream big. I hope that 2024 is the best year ever for you – and that many of your hits are home runs.

December 29, 2023 | Princely Finance and Taxation

One would have hoped that financial rip-offs committed by medieval princes would have been permanently shelved when liberal enlightenment ended the divine right of kings. Instead, the divine right of bureaucrats has forced too much in-your-face and in-your-wallet government. Today’s supposedly classless version of greedy royalty. But there is hope. The remedy lies in benign […]

December 29, 2023 | Is it Time to Get Into Gold Again?

One of the worst years ever for bankers as 60,000 jobs cut

December 29, 2023 | Will Canada See a Real Estate Bust in 2024?

What would a Universal Income do to inflation and housing?

December 28, 2023 | Bonds are Pricing Storm Clouds That Equities are Ignoring

Bonds are betting that falling inflation and rising unemployment will prompt policymakers to cut interest rates next year aggressively. After selling off in 2021 and 2022, the world’s bond market has rebounded sharply into year-end. The Bloomberg Global Aggregate Total Return Index (shown below) has risen nearly 10% over November and December, its best two-month run in […]

December 28, 2023 | States to Deem Silver and Gold Legal Tender

Several US states are considering legislation to reclassify gold and silver as money rather than commodities. Bills filed in Oklahoma and Missouri aim to eliminate state capital gains taxes on the sale of gold and silver, and to treat these metals as currency. Other states like Arkansas and Utah are also considering introducing similar legislation. […]

December 28, 2023 | New Excitement in the Bond Market

Gold more interesting than Gold shares.  Receive 50% Off VR Trader Newsletters! Enter Promo Code 2022HALFOFF.

December 28, 2023 | Stock Markets Setting Up for a Major Correction?

Do you really own what you think you own?

December 27, 2023 | TMobile Provides Government Access to Your Texts

(Click on above image for clear resolution) TMobile now has the authority to read your personal text messages. The mobile provider quietly updated their terms of conditions to monitor SHAFT (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco). The list of questionable categories may now be monitored by the Cellular Telephone Industries Association (CITA) as we move […]

December 27, 2023 | EPB: Employment Trends Recessionary into 2024

Explore the Sahm Rule, a key recession indicator by economist Claudia Sahm, signalling economic downturns when the unemployment rate’s 3-month average rises by over 0.5%. Currently, at 0.3%, its upward trend sparks speculation about a potential 2024 recession. Here is a direct video link. 

December 26, 2023 | People We Should Know: Vivek Ramaswamy

The US presidential campaign is like a boxing match where the undercard is way more interesting than the main event. On the Democrat side, RFK Jr. is stomping all over Establishment verities like open borders and vaccine mandates while stealing a big chunk of what was once seen as Joe Biden’s base. On the Republican side, Donald […]

December 26, 2023 | The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in America, December 2023 Update

Today’s S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index for “October” is a three-month moving average of home prices whose sales were entered into public records in August, September, and October. That’s the time frame here. It uses the “sales-pairs method,” comparing the sales price of the same house over time, thereby eliminating the issues associated with median prices […]

December 25, 2023 | Revolution v Civil War

  A revolution cannot be used interchangeably with “civil war.” For you see, a civil war occurs when the people are divided and fight one another; a revolution occurs when the people join forces and overthrow the government. As indicated in the Oxford dictionary: Revolution – a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, […]

December 24, 2023 | Skill Stacking, Part 1: Handymen Will Inherit the Earth

There’s a debate over the best way to achieve career success: Should you become great at one thing or good at multiple things? The first strategy is obvious — get a Ph.D. in a useful subject and do that one thing better than almost anyone else. But the second strategy — known as “skill stacking” […]