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 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 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” […]

December 24, 2023 | Time to Consider a VAT?

  First, let me wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or your favorite personal form of greetings for this time of year. I realize as you read this you are more focused on Christmas and the approaching New Year and family, so this will be a shorter letter than normal, but still a topic that […]

December 24, 2023 | Celebrating Christmas in Unmerry Times

[The following was written by my good friend James Trabulse.  A devout Catholic, Jim regularly attends a Latin mass. He is also a gifted trader who brings rigorous science and outside-the-box thinking to nearly everything he does, including playing golf, staying healthy, cooking savory dinners and training Olympic-caliber athletes. RA ] Merry Christmas, and may the Lord’s blessings […]

December 24, 2023 | Klaus Wishing You Zee Merry XMas

December 23, 2023 | Trading Desk Notes For December 23, 2023

DJIA and NAZ hit All-Time Highs after closing higher for eight consecutive weeks Who would have thought, back in October, with stock market sentiment crushed under the weight of “higher for longer” and the 10-year Treasury yielding more than 5% (a 16-year high) that eight weeks later, the venerable DJIA would have rallied over 5,300 points […]

December 23, 2023 | Wikipedia’s Definition of a Woman?

      Wikipedia has degenerated into nothing but a government propaganda avenue. Here was their definition of a woman with the photograph of the transgender Rachel Levine, Biden’s 17th Assistant Secretary of Health. Apparently, this offended so many that Wikipedia removed this page and replaced it with the following. The mere fact that they […]

December 23, 2023 | Tech Talk for Saturday December 23rd 2023

The Bottom Line  Encouraging U.S. economic news released on Friday added to the possibility of the proverbial Santa Claus yearend rally that normally lasts to the first two trading days in January. The November Core PCE Price Index on a year-over-year basis came in at 3.2%, nicely lower than consensus at 3.4%. Equity and bond […]

December 22, 2023 | Get Ready for Excitement and Surprises in 2024

The year 2024 will be full of surprises and uncertainty. A possible recession, the direction for the stock market, the housing bubble in Canada and changes in interest rates and inflation are all on the agenda for investors as we enter a new year. What are some of the most likely surprises? A surprise cannot […]

December 22, 2023 | Peace

Wishing you love, light, and, above all, inner peace. May we make wise choices and have the strength and commitment to see them through. May 2024 be a year of revelation and enlightenment. I love the beauty and simplicity of this quartet. No gimmicks needed. Here is a direct video link.

December 21, 2023 | Christmas Spending in the US to Break Records

  Americans are planning to increase their holiday spending this year, according to a Gallup poll, which believes Christmas spending in 2023 will be the highest on record since they began collecting data in 1999. The average American estimates they’ll spend on Christmas or other holiday gifts is $975, which is up from last year’s […]

December 20, 2023 | The GOP Backs Trump – Kennedy Warns of Civil War

Finally, the Republicans have come together as a party to condemn the absolute tyranny of current administration. The leading GOP candidates have put their criticisms aside to express their absolute disgust at the Colorado’s Supreme Court’s ruling to remove Trump from the ballot. No candidate was more outspoken in his disgust than Vivek Ramaswamy who […]

December 20, 2023 | Debt Defaults Leaping

Canadian debt delinquencies, insolvency proposals, and bankruptcies are all rising sharply for households and businesses. Equifax president Sue Hutchison discussed the latest data on BNN yesterday. We are in the early days of this distress cycle with three-quarters of pandemic-era low-rate mortgages to reset at higher rates in 2024 through 2026: “We expect to see tremendous […]