May 6, 2024 | Balance Sheet Woes
Happy Monday Morning! The housing market is taking an early turn, cooling swiftly in the month of April. The month of April usually marks the middle of the busy spring selling season so it’s rather unusual to see things fizzle out this early. The problem wasn’t so much that home sales were weak, up from […]
May 6, 2024 | Liminal Space
I’m entering my annual post-SIC decompression period. I say that only half-jokingly. The last two weeks were my version of a dive deep into the sea, where you see shocking things and endure crushing pressure. The weeks of preparation are fun, but the sheer volume of information creates its own kind of pressure. You don’t […]
May 5, 2024 | Gold, Oil and Putin’s Grand Plan
Some of you may remember Gary Liebowitz, a troll that I 86’d from the site years ago. He still harangues me now and then, and I am saddened to report that his rage has only worsened, especially where Trump is concerned. Here’s a pungent note from Gary that just plopped into my email box. I […]
May 5, 2024 | Capital Gains Taxes Loom Over Blue States – Welcome to the Great Reset
Eleven states may face capital gain taxes to comply with the Biden Administration’s 2025 budget, in which the government must hunt the people for taxes to pay for a fraction of their spending. The concept of capital gains was not within the original Constitution. The Founding Fathers established a completely new nation in an attempt […]
May 4, 2024 | Trading Desk Notes For May 4, 2024
The dominant market theme YTD, “the Fed will stay higher for longer,” softened this week Price action across equity, interest rate and currency markets this week was buffeted by US economic and inflation data, concerns about Treasury and Fed policy decisions, currency intervention by the Japanese finance ministry, and concerns about critical corporate reports. The net takeaway from […]
May 4, 2024 | More Good News On The Silver Deficit
Ah, the silver story. It just keeps getting better. Here’s an update from the Silver Institute: Industrial Silver Demand Sets Record Record use of silver in industrial applications set a new high in 2023 at 654.4 million ounces (Moz). Ongoing structural gains from green economy applications underpinned these advances as they did in 2022. Higher […]
May 4, 2024 | This Week in Money
- Victor Adair: Stock Markets, Gold, Oil, Currencies, Copper, Cocoa
- Rick Ackerman: (14:01) Interest Rates, Gold, Silver, Oil, Bitcoin, Inflation, Deflation
- Wolf Richter: (43:28) Interest Rates, US Consumer, Government and Business Debt, Auto Sales, Canada’s Housing Bubble
May 4, 2024 | Tech Talk for Saturday May 4th 2024
The Bottom Line The Fabulous Four (Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta) dominated technical action by broadly based U.S. equity indices last week. Higher than consensus quarterly results by these dominant companies prompted analysts to increase significantly first quarter earnings and revenues estimates for the S&P 100 Index and the NASDAQ 100 Index. Their strong earnings gains […]
May 3, 2024 | AstraZeneca Admits Vaccine Had Lethal Side Effect
Vaccine manufacturers and health agencies have been silently admitting that their “safe and effective” COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have deadly side effects. AstraZeneca (AZN) is the latest manufacturer to admit that their vaccine was lethal as a class-action lawsuit attempts to hold the pharmaceutical company responsible. One of the first cases filed against the company came […]
May 3, 2024 | Artificial Intelligence is an Existential Threat to Humans
The excitement and hype regarding Artificial Intelligence continues to influence stock markets positively. While most people have not yet seen much impact on their lives, billions of dollars are being committed by a multitude of companies who wish to compete for a top spot in the future of AI. Will AI meet current expectations? Is […]
May 3, 2024 | Why the TD Bank Could be Fined $100’s of Millions
EV’s draining GM’s bank account.
May 2, 2024 | Art of the Collapse, May 2024
There are so many wars (and related civil unrest) these days, that it’s hard to keep track of which meme/satire/diatribe is aimed at which crisis. But April included April Fools’ Day, so at least we have a logical place to start: CNN Publishes Real News Story For April Fools’ Day (Babylon Bee) – Fooling thousands […]
May 2, 2024 | Large US Crude Inventory Build Drags WTI Below US$80/B. There is an Inventory Excess Around The World, Even Lower Prices Expected in the Near Term
GLOBAL ECONOMIC, POLITICAL & MILITARY UPDATE Rising and pernicious US inflation now means that the US is unlikely to see a pivot and a cut in rates before the US elections. The Fed’s favourite inflation measure, the core personal consumption expenditure price index (excluding food and energy) increased 3.4% annual rate from a year ago […]
May 2, 2024 | The Great Unwind Accelerates
A stream of big companies are guiding down their outlook this week with reference to distressed consumers pulling back. See: Long-predicted consumer pullback finally hits restaurants like Starbucks, KFC and McDonald’s: Starbucks announced a surprise drop in same-store sales for its latest quarter, sending its shares down 17% on Wednesday. Pizza Hut and KFC also reported shrinking […]
May 2, 2024 | US Home Prices Nearing All-Time Highs
Home prices in the US are near all-time highs. As I repeatedly stated, we can no longer look at real estate on the national level. Demand and value are contained to certain states and areas of certain states that the public has deemed most desirable, largely due to political factors such as taxes. Yet, […]
May 2, 2024 | Will a Boycott of Loblaw’s Bring Down Grocery Prices?
Hints on how to “recession proof” yourself
May 2, 2024 | Gold, Silver, Metals – All In Long Term Breakout
Chinese stock market uptick good news for metals investors
May 2, 2024 | US Marijuana Stocks Going Sky High
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May 1, 2024 | Jerome Powell on Stagflation
“I don’t see the ‘stag’ or the ‘-flation’,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said during his Wednesday address. Powell believed inflation would be “transitory.” He believed that the economy would come down for a “soft landing.” He believed we would enter the year and see numerous cuts due to waning inflation coming closer to the […]
May 1, 2024 | The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in America amid the Now-Fizzled Rate-Cut Mania & Erstwhile Plunge in Mortgage Rates
The brief and now bygone era of Rate-Cut Mania. Today’s S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index, dubbed “February,” is a three-month moving average of home prices whose sales were entered into public records in December, January, and February. Today’s data therefore reflects Rate-Cut Mania that lasted from the beginning of November until February 13, when the […]