ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT DECISION
January 11, 2026 | The Bipolar Economy
Extreme mood swings are characteristic of a psychiatric condition called bipolar disorder. Patients can cycle between euphoria and depression. This is difficult because we all need balance to live normal lives. We spend most of our time in the muddle-through zone between the extremes. Living with a bipolar person is difficult. Living in a bipolar economy is […]
January 11, 2026 | What is the Yen Carry Trade?
The Yen carry trade is when big investors borrow money in Japanese Yen (because Japan has very low interest rates), then convert that money into US dollars and invest it in things that pay much higher returns, like: US government bonds Stocks (especially big US tech stocks) Emerging-market bonds and currencies They make money from the gap between Japan’s low rates and […]
January 11, 2026 | Why the Bull Market Doesn’t Need MAGA
The Dow is poised to hit 50,000 this week, a milestone that would have seemed surreal when the blue chip average, plagued by covid, was bottoming near 18,000 six years ago. Although there can be little doubt that Trump helped kick stocks into high gear, one could argue that a powerfully bullish economic cycle made […]
January 11, 2026 | Trading Desk Notes for January 11, 2026
“Uninvestible” Daren Woods, the Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobile for the past nine years, delivered a succinct message about Venezuela to President Trump at the White House on Friday. Big Oil will NOT be spending zillions of dollars in Venezuela any time soon. There will NOT be a flood of crude coming out of the country […]
January 10, 2026 | Will Iranian Government Fall by February 2026?
In the past few days, Iran has experienced the biggest protests against the ruling Islamic Republic since it crushed the 2022. The rial has fallen by more than 90%—but that dramatically understates the disaster. The real decline is closer to 97-98% depending on your baseline. The regime is the weakest it has ever […]
January 10, 2026 | Tech Talk for Saturday January 10th 2026
The Bottom Line Focuses this week are on fourth quarter reports released by major U.S. banks. The sector moved higher last week in anticipation of strong fourth quarter earnings gains triggered by widening interest rate spreads. Earnings and Revenues Consensus for S&P 500 companies Source: www.factset.com Analyst earnings and revenue estimates recorded slight changes last […]
January 9, 2026 | Venezuelan Oil is a Headline Risk For Canada
Venezuela, Trump, and the Oil Scare for Canada Venezuelans woke up Saturday to dramatic headlines stating that Nicolás Maduro had been removed and that the United States was now calling the shots in Caracas. President Trump justified the move on narcoterrorism charges, but his public remarks focused overwhelmingly on one thing: oil. Specifically, Trump argued […]
January 9, 2026 | The Gold/Silver “Rebalancing” Correction Will Run Its Course
Think of what’s happening to gold and silver this week as the price of success. They rose so much over the past year that funds that hold commodity futures contracts now have to sell some of their gold/silver positions to maintain the required balance in their portfolios. In other words, this is a very short-term […]
January 9, 2026 | Trump Withdraws from 66 Globalist Organizations
President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organizations, including 35 non-United Nations (UN) organizations and 31 UN entities, “that operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.” America’s sovereignty was at risk under the past administration that partook in the Build Back […]
January 8, 2026 | Two Great Policy Changes
The US government gets plenty of well-deserved criticism, especially from us gold bugs. But it is doing some things right. So credit where credit is due. Consider these two massively sensible policy changes from just the past couple of days: Goodbye Carbs The Agriculture Department just converted the food pyramid from this carb-heavy monstrosity… …to a […]
January 8, 2026 | GTA Housing Meltdown Continues
Next month will mark the fourth anniversary of the late, great top of the February 2022 housing bubble in Ontario, Canada. Historically, real estate bear markets have taken 4 to 6 years to bottom. Data suggests that we aren’t there yet; mean reversion continues to unfold through the economy. Toronto Real Estate Market Collapse Continues: […]
January 8, 2026 | China Loses Access to Venezuelan Oil
China became Venezuela’s largest oil purchaser through oil-for-debt deals. Socialism failed, and the nation was desperate for funds, especially after being ostracized from Western trade. Beijing supplied Venezuela with credit in exchange for heavily discounted crude. China’s access to cheap oil from Venezuela came to a sudden halt after the US takeover. China was […]
January 7, 2026 | TM: The 4th Turning’s Market Dangers
There are many thought-worthy macro insights in this discussion. My sharing does not suggest my endorsement of the new ETF being promoted Today’s guest has long predicted that widespread systemic change would occur during the 20-teens and 20-20s — as America and much of the rest of the world experience a replacement of the old […]
January 7, 2026 | The Left’s Top Dark Money Network of Donors
Arabella Advisors, the world’s most influential fund for left-wing politics, has rebranded but not dissipated. Arabella Advisors infamously created the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a dark money nonprofit that funneled hundreds of millions to persuade voters to support “progressive” causes, with the backing of George Soros, Bill Gates, Pierre Omidyar, and Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss. […]
January 6, 2026 | Jubilant Hopes For 2026
After three years of unusually high stock market gains, Wall Street equity analysts entered 2026 with record bullishness and no “sell” recommendations. After being burned on recession calls in 2022, no mainstream economist is calling for a recession in 2026, and no strategist is willing to forecast a flat or down market. Major asset classes […]
January 6, 2026 | Entering Geopolitical Chaos
QUESTION: You said this invasion of Venezuela set s precedent. Would you please elaborate. Mikki ANSWER: Russia could then kidnap Zelensky and point to Venezuela. China is already demanding Manduro be returned to Venezuela immediately. The computer is showing that this is by no means over. The computer has been showing this would begin the […]
January 5, 2026 | The Perils of Price Discovery
Happy Monday Morning! The Vancouver housing market ended the year with a whimper. Home sales fell 13% year-over-year in December, with both new listings and total inventory continuing to climb. It was a historical year for the Vancouver housing market. The fewest annual home sales since the year 2000, a 25 year low. Source: Steve […]
January 5, 2026 | Venezuela vs. Canada: Why a Venezuelan Supply Surge Remains Unlikely Despite Regime Change
The US-led capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, and his removal to face charges in New York has sparked speculation about a rapid Venezuelan oil resurgence. Venezuela boasts the world’s largest proven reserves at 303 billion barrels – far exceeding Canada’s 163 billion (mostly oil sands). Yet reserves in the ground do not equal barrels at the […]
January 5, 2026 | Health Prepping: Hold Off on That Knee Replacement
“If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans” — Woody Allen, It’s a common story these days: An active person works hard and saves for a retirement that, they expect, will feature hiking, biking, and tournament-level pickelball. But when the big day arrives, so does multi-joint osteoarthritis, which makes most of the above […]
January 5, 2026 | Real Estate Weakness Likely To Persist in 2026
New year, same problems; these segments offer some insight. This week on Move Smartly, I’m joined by Doug Hoyes, Licensed Insolvency Trustee and co-founder of Hoyes, Michalos & Associates, one of the most experienced consumer debt relief firms in Canada. Doug works on the front lines with households facing financial distress, giving him a real-time […]
January 5, 2026 | Is the Fed Injecting Money Due to Silver? Or Is there a Different Crisis?
QUESTION: Marty, you have been silent on the rumors that the Fed is bailing out JP Morgan who they claim was short silver. If there is anyone who has been behind the curtain and confronted the banks, that is you. Would you please comment on this topic. EL ANSWER: JP Morgan is on our […]
January 4, 2026 | 2026: The Year to Be Optimistic
Every Sunday morning, I wake up to what has become my favorite newsletter: The Rational Optimist Society Newsletter. It generally highlights companies both large and small who are at the cutting edge – the very frontiers of knowledge in score of industries that are busy creating the future while the vast bulk of the media […]
January 4, 2026 | Why Did Trump Really Take Venezuela? It Wasn’t Just Oil!
COMMENT: You said these podcasts that Venezuela had the oil but the big question is China. Would like to expand on that now? Socrates showed the dollar taking off in October 2024 and the fourth quarter was a turning point. But it now shows volatility rising from February on. It looks like this is not […]
January 4, 2026 | So Much Is Riding on Silver!
The speculative frenzy in silver has provided welcome relief from AI claptrap, but will it last? There are a hundred theories about why silver has come exuberantly to life after lagging gold for so long. I’ve been puzzled myself, since my technical runes suggest that gold futures could make an important top at $5132, about […]
January 4, 2026 | 2026: the Year to Be Optimistic
Every Sunday morning, I wake up to what has become my favorite newsletter: The Rational Optimist Society Newsletter. It generally highlights companies both large and small who are at the cutting edge – the very frontiers of knowledge in score of industries that are busy creating the future while the vast bulk of the media […]