Independent thinking for complex markets and current events
Want to fix America? Here’s a good starting idea. h/t theSilverVigilante
https://www.ft.com/content/b153ea78-d31f-3ec7-a0d2-d0d0226e2ce8 🔥 US NATGAS PRICES DROP 5% TO FRESH 3-1/2-YEAR LOW ON MILD FORECASTS (Reuters) – U.S. natural gas futures dropped about 5% on Wednesday to a fresh 3-1/2-year low on near-record output, ample amounts of fuel in storage and forecasts for warmer weather and less heating demand… pic.twitter.com/pJQyHq4y2y — PiQ (@PiQSuite) February 14, 2024 …
by Chris Black Why would Russia want to attack the West? What purpose could it serve? The only explanation is comic book evil. That is the logic of the entire American Empire: everything is a comic book. If they even art doing a troop buildup – and they’re not – they would be doing it …
Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest has destroyed $14 billion in wealth over the past decade. A Morningstar analysis found that Ark Invest topped the list of wealth destroyers among other investment companies. “These funds managed to lose value for shareholders even during a generally bullish market,” Morningstar said. Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest has destroyed an estimated …
Legislation offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the “Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2024,” would conduct an audit of the U.S. Federal Reserve by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for the first time since the Dodd-Frank legislation of 2010 required an audit of the central bank’s purchases of mortgage-backed securities. This time around, the GAO would look …
In an unprecedented development, the Federal Reserve’s urgent crisis escalates as its decade-long bond-buying spree, valued at $7.7 trillion, reveals a shocking loss, with unrealized losses on the balance sheet surpassing $1.3 trillion for the first time ever. The amortized cost now stands at 20.4% more than the mark-to-market price, presenting an alarming financial discrepancy. …
More Than 3,700 Babies Were Born With Congenital Syphilis in 2022 — 10 Times More Than a Decade Ago and a 32% Increase From 2021 NEW YORK (AP) — Alarmed by yet another jump in syphilis cases in newborns, U.S. health officials are calling for stepped-up prevention measures, including encouraging millions of women of childbearing …
The surge in retirement concerns is a glaring red flag that cannot be ignored. With the shadow of a possible recession looming, the stakes are higher than ever. In the face of persisting inflation and wavering consumer confidence, the Fed’s responsibility to secure a soft landing in 2024 becomes a dire necessity. After years of …
via thetimes.co.uk: The government is to hand over £170 billion to the Bank of England to cover losses on its bond-buying scheme over the next decade, new analysis by the central bank suggests. Losses on the Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) programme, which are backstopped by the Treasury, are forecast to rise significantly as it sells …
by j_stars Is this why the treasury had to borrow 782 bill from the fed this quarter and the next because nobody is showing up for the bond auctions?
"The consumer is in excellent shape." Me: checking sales of luxury goods… – Gucci: -7%– Yves Saint Laurent: -12%– Bottega Veneta: -7%– Other: Balenciaga/Alexander McQueen etc: -15% Probably nothing. pic.twitter.com/dnhRqpGx0G — Genevieve Roch-Decter, CFA (@GRDecter) October 24, 2023 "Consumer spending is on the decline for the first time in a decade as inflation pushes prices …
Cities like Phoenix on the brink of recording all-time high eviction numbers, as a growing number of apartments resort to desperate measures, including offering three months of free rent, amidst an unprecedented construction boom. The housing rental market is absolutely FUCKED. We've been reporting cracks in vacancy rates for over 6 months. Its ugly, we're …
China is surging NUCLEAR weapons production, will DOUBLE its arsenal to 1,000 warheads by 2030, and is exploring new intercontinental ballistic missile system to threaten U.S., Pentagon warns China already has more than 500 nuclear weapons That is more than U.S. officials previously thought military intelligence 2 words combined that cant make sense Beijing slammed …
I think the real problem is companies staying private too long with inflated PE valuations. SPACS are just an easy way to liquidate to bag holders… h/t Odd_Explanation3246
via BBC Payments made with cash rose for the first time in a decade last year as consumers struggled with rising prices. But the number is still dwarfed by debit card use which accounted for half of all payments, its highest ever level. Consumers often say they find it easier to manage their money using …
California lawmakers will send a state excise tax on guns and ammunition to Gov. Gavin Newsom after years of failed attempts by Democratic legislators. The Senate voted 27-9 on Thursday to approve Assembly Bill 28, which would require manufacturers, vendors and dealers to pay an 11% tax on guns and ammunition to fund violence prevention …
China export prices see their biggest drop in a decade. In developed countries “cheap consumer goods from China aren’t looked on as favorably as before." https://t.co/hGkrNMqZZm pic.twitter.com/S6rsl36shr — Lisa Abramowicz (@lisaabramowicz1) August 9, 2023 #China may be even more important than we figured!? Close correlation between daily World GDP Nowcast and #PBOC #liquidity injections… pic.twitter.com/kpdKOO3e5J …
According to recent reports, lenders in the United Kingdom have experienced the most significant surge in mortgage defaults in over a decade. Over the past three months, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of borrowers who are struggling to meet their mortgage payment obligations, marking the highest level since mid-2009. ⚠️UK LENDERS …
A scientist claims he has increased his lifespan by 20 percent after living 93 days underwater. Joseph Dituri, 55, a retired Naval officer, has been living inside a 100-square-foot pod at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for 93 days, researching how a pressurized environment impacts the human body. The mission was also designed to …
The number of people diagnosed with a heart rhythm condition that puts them at increased risk of a stroke has now passed 1.5m for the first time, according to our new figures. Our medical director Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director, said: “These figures show a quite astonishing rise in the number of people diagnosed …