Independent thinking for complex markets and current events
The Guardian: Low-carb diets work. Why does the American Diabetes Association push insulin instead? The American Diabetes Association takes millions from companies that stand to profit from our reliance on drugs. Is that affecting their guidance? For a glimpse into how big business influences the $4tn US healthcare system, look no further than the world’s …
Despite a surge in corporate buybacks, executives are offloading stock at a pace unseen in over a decade, raising concerns about underlying market sentiment and future prospects. The dwindling percentage of publicly traded firms witnessing net purchases from their executives, plummeting well below historical averages, suggests a departure from the norm in a healthy market …
Once again, the UK government shamelessly backs arms sales to Israel, fueling outrage amidst airstrikes and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Despite mounting pressure, their review finds no reason to halt export licenses. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has confirmed that UK arms sales to Israel will not be suspended. The announcement follows mounting pressure on the …
Americas’ Unemployment Problem In 2023, the United States reported an unemployment rate of 3.4%, marking the lowest figure in 54 years with nearly 11.2 million unemployed Americans. Despite this historic low, the narrative surrounding America’s Unemployment Problem reveals a complex and multifaceted issue. The early months of 2024 have shown a robust labor market, yet …
28,577 job cuts this month so far, our highest week since we began tracking data in September #MacroEdge pic.twitter.com/qWRmCEoscN — MacroEdge (@MacroEdgeRes) April 5, 2024 Although the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment report issued Friday showed that the unemployment rate “changed little” last month, a separate report found that layoffs reached a …
HEARTBREAKING IN CALIFORNIA: In chilling new helicopter footage, Savannah Graziano, a teenage kidnapping victim, is tragically shot dead by police while running towards them for help, despite one officer's desperate plea to fellow deputies to 'stop shooting her'. WATCH pic.twitter.com/QiK5v2hTPW — Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 2, 2024 Savannah Graziano, a 15-year-old who was abducted by …
The Reverse Repurchase Agreement (RRP) market primarily affects US Treasury securities but can also influence other short-term interest rates and financial markets. Inching toward RRP reversal. Watch out! Fed counter-injections did wonders in the past year, but face a major roadblock in the quarter ahead. pic.twitter.com/eYAxPuZuys — Steve Donzé (@steve_donze) March 29, 2024 NYC Bancorp …
“San Francisco man” stabs a 94-year-old Asian woman in broad daylight multiple times. You’d think they’d send him to jail but the judge gave him probation. Also he was charged with murdering a guy in 2016 but the judge said there wasn’t enough evidence so he got let go. In… pic.twitter.com/7kcf0EDKOk — Ian Miles Cheong …
via Mike Shedlock If you live in Illinois, get the hell out before unions take every penny you have. Illegal Vote Pandering In Chicago, The Chicago Teachers’ Union is Pushing Students to Vote for Mayor Johnson’s Tax Hike. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has announced a “Student Power Forum” taking place on Friday, March 15, which …
The Joe Biden Admin Is Once Again Selling Out The American Cattle Rancher The USDA Is Lifting It’s Ban On Beef Imports From Paraguay After 25 Years Due To Foot & Mouth Disease 🚨 The USDA Is Lifting This Ban Even Though They Have Not Done An On-Site Inspection Since 2014 “The… pic.twitter.com/c6qXJOzkjj — Wall …
AP: Russia's economy is growing despite Western pressure After more than two years of the special operation in Ukraine, little has changed economically for most Russians. And this despite large-scale sanctions that have seriously limited Moscow’s trade with Europe, the United… pic.twitter.com/6HPQ1aUAQv — Sprinter Press (@SprinterPress) March 12, 2024 https://apnews.com/article/russia-economy-putin-election-ukraine-97a5f92113e54cd9af0aa31778069a3e An interesting graph from Sky …
This is insane — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2024 This government-mandated DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is turning into a disaster. Chip manufacturers are scrapping American projects, moving overseas, all because of the idiotic rule that prioritizes skin color or sexual preference over competence. The competency crisis is escalating, with DEI now infiltrating even …
Despite sanctions, Russian revenues from the sale of raw materials increased by 80% – WION Despite Western sanctions, Russia's oil and gas revenues grew by more than 80% in February, reaching $10 billion, WION reports. The Finance Ministry said Tuesday that oil and gas taxes… pic.twitter.com/aMObFw8Umv — Sprinter Press (@SprinterPress) March 6, 2024
by Chris Black This stands true for basically every industrialized/”liberal” country, and by liberal I mean so-called democracy. That’s because there is no way to incentivize women to have kids. The Guardian: South Korea’s demographic crisis has deepened with the release of data showing its birthrate – already the world’s lowest – fell to a new …
(Bloomberg) — There’s a subtext to this year’s blistering rally in US risk assets: When it comes to the dollar, there is no alternative. The greenback is just shy of the record it reached during the pandemic and on pace for its best year since 2020. As measured against the currencies of America’s largest trading …
According to End Wokeness: 1.5% of lawyers are black women. LSAT score average: White test takers, 153 Asian test takers, 153 Black test takers, 142 An entire NY state Supreme Court bench is compromised of black women. The mathematical probability of this being random and based on merit is literally zero. 1.5% of lawyers are black …
Japan’s gross domestic product shrank by 0.4% in the last quarter of 2023, the Japanese Cabinet Office said — far below the 1.4% growth estimate. This followed a third quarter of 2023 in which GDP growth shrank by 3.3%. Most economists officially define a recession as “two consecutive quarters of economic contraction,” CNN said, so …
Rising continuing claims? Still looks like it. pic.twitter.com/vMgMV5LJO1 — Don Johnson (@DonMiami3) February 15, 2024 Here's a proper zoomed-in view against the average – while initial claims remain low-low, continuing claims index is higher than many past averages. pic.twitter.com/Q1FCkHJqJX — Don Johnson (@DonMiami3) February 15, 2024
Biden campaign uses banned Chinese spy app. Biden campaign bragging about using a Chinese spy app even though Biden signed a law banning it on all federal devices https://t.co/hEXKGuNrvr — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) February 12, 2024 The reelection campaign for US President Joe Biden has joined TikTok, despite the White House banning government agencies from …
Welcome to the market rollercoaster, where optimism is the name of the game. Investors are reveling in the highs – 75% are singing praises, 20% are keeping a level head, and 5% are eyeing the potential pitfalls. Now, here’s the plot twist: experts are buzzing about not one, not two, but five rate cuts on …
Oh, the epitome of educational excellence! Spending $47,000 per student to achieve the remarkable feat of ZERO passing math proficiency. Bravo, Illinois! https://twitter.com/eyeslasho/status/1754894367439900947 Spry Community Links High School, in the Heart of Little Village in Chicago, says its vision is to “provide a challenging and supportive environment…to enable our students to succeed in the 21st …
by confoundedinterest17 Constitution Avenue in Washington DC is actually becoming Tobacco Road. No, not the dysfunctional family of Georgia sharecroppers during the Great Depression, but the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC). On Monday, after we got the first part of the Treasury’s Quarterly Refunding Announcement (QRA), in which the Treasury unexpectedly announced a big drop in its borrowing …
A Maryland woman got an email thanking her for the purchase of a new phone at Verizon. Minutes later, her contact information at Bank of America had changed. The problem? She didn’t do either transaction and had two-factor authentication on her accounts. We all know criminals have multiple ways to steal your identity, but 7News …
The Yahoo Finance article sheds light on a concerning decline in consumer confidence, especially among American families earning under $100,000. While the inflation rate has ostensibly dropped to 3.4% in December 2023 from a peak of 7.2% in December 2021, the alleviation is not translating into relief for many households. The culprit? Skyrocketing interest rates. …
In a political whirlwind, Donald Trump emerges victorious in the Iowa Caucuses, securing a massive landslide according to Jake Tapper. The news came so early that even Tapper, a CNN correspondent, remarked, “This is the earliest I can remember ever calling such a thing.” What makes this triumph even more remarkable is the context provided …
via independent: The EU’s imports of refined oil imports from India grew to record levels in 2023 at the same time as New Delhi’s imports of Russian crude oil more than doubled year on year. It means consumers in Europe likely received unprecedented volumes of petrol, diesel, kerosene and other oil products that originate from …
Despite the U.S. publicly declaring an end to arms supplies to Ukraine, recent events indicate a continued influx of military aid from NATO allies. A plane carrying ammunition from the United States landed in Rzeszow, contradicting official statements. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s surprise visit to Kyiv resulted in the announcement of a substantial £2.5 …
Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard after only six months in the job Gay’s salary as president of Harvard is unspecified but earned $879,079 in 2021 Outgoing Harvard president Claudine Gay will retain a salary of around $900,000-a-year from the university, despite being forced to resign amid a plagiarism scandal. Gay, 53, resigned on …
Stocks rose to start the last week of the year, pushing the S&P 500 closer to record levels. The S&P 500 climbed 0.42% to end at 4,774.75, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.54% to settle at 15,074.57. The Dow Jones industrial Average gained 159.36 points, or about 0.43%, to close at 37,545.33. The Nasdaq 100 …
by confoundedinterest17 Alarm! New home sales dropped like Biden’s popularity in November, down -12.2% from October. While existing home sales bounced very modestly off record lows in November, it has been the ‘strength’ of new home sales – with buyer heavily subsidized by homebuilders – that has held up the housing market. Of course, investors don’t …