Independent thinking for complex markets and current events
Ted Cruz claims Hillary Clinton committed the same crime for which Democrats are persecuting Donald Trump. He asserts that during the 2016 presidential campaign, Clinton’s campaign paid over $1,000,000 to create the Steele dossier, which contained false allegations against Trump. Cruz argues that if Trump’s actions are considered criminal, then Clinton should also be held …
For years, a peaceful, million-dollar farm in Indiana hid a dark secret: It was a serial killer’s playground. When cops finally raided Herb Baumeister’s 18-acre property in Westfield, north of Indianapolis, they uncovered some 10,000 pieces of human remains — mostly crushed and burned skeletal fragments of the teenage boys and young men whom he …
by confoundedinterest17 I saw former President Obama criticizing former President Trump for not passing “transformative” changes. That is, Trump didn’t sign any Obama-like transformative changes (like Obamacare). Truimp did try to slow down the damage done by Obama and his transformative agenda (e.g., open borders, wealth redistritution, green energy) that Biden has attempted to continue. …
More trouble for China's yuan ahead. Already high drama w/onshore rate (CNY) right at the 2% daily limit day after day. Offshore continues to be substantially weaker. Given what the Chinese reported from their economic situation, can't blame CNY or CNH. Economy is not responding. pic.twitter.com/nTzeSxVe9r — Jeffrey P. Snider (@JeffSnider_EDU) April 17, 2024
Green agenda proclamations rolled forth in North Carolina on Thursday with another visit by the vice president. Among the projects that can be assisted in the $20 billion grant awards through the Environmental Protection Agency are electric vehicle charging stations. Evidence of North Carolinians agreeing with the government’s shove, however, remains circumspect. More contextualized by …
by confoundedinterest17 We are experiencing a situation known as House Latitudes. Where mortgage rates are so high that the mortgage market is struggling to recover from Bidenomics. Mortgage applications increased 7.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 8, 2024. The …
by confoundedinterest17 Another Biden program bites the dust, this time his big push to encourage everyone to buy an electric vehicle (EV). Meanwhile, Biden keeps going on vacation (as if he REALLY cares about middle America). Cars and light trucks are seeing declining YoY sales in January (-0.7%) as M2 Money growth remains negative. Automotive News was the …
by confoundedinterest17 As some fans celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs Superbowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers (the game was so much like bread and circuses from the Roman Empire except for who is being thrown to the lions), we have been distracted from the horrible state of the US economy. Just review that horrible December …
by confoundedinterest17 Oh Susie QT. The Fed loves you. And The Fed has put a spell on the economy. Where do we sit today? Bank credit growth has been negative for the last 26 weeks. As M2 Money growth has stalled. What will The Fed do? While the FOMC may start the discussions around tapering QT …
by confoundedinterest17 Americans are addicted to gov. And government is addicted to spending (and creating more debt). Let’s look at wage growth for government apparatchiks relative to private sector workers. While wage growth overall was modest, it is government wage growth that is driving it – now at a record high! Source: Bloomberg And on the back …
BREAKING: BRICS The U.S. Dollar remains king and is now used in 48% of international payment transactions, the highest level in more than a decade pic.twitter.com/fzFSXIlUFg — Win Smart, CFA (@WinfieldSmart) December 20, 2023
by confoundedinterest17 Both the US Federal government and California’s government are facing a fiscal inferno. Thanks to a softening economy and inane fiscal policies. At the macro level, we see that The Federal government has gone wild spending money and borrowing it. Much more than businesses and households. Biden’s wild spending reduces the degrees of freedom that …
by confoundedinterest17 Back in red? As US fiscal policy deteriorates further thanks to endless Federal spending (not to mention seemingly endless wars under Biden and Nobel Peace Prize winner Obama), we are seeing pain in the bank lending business. Commercial and industrial (C&I) loan lending standards is tightening (blue line) to levels typically seen in recessions. …
by confoundedinterest17 Going down! The US housing market, that is! Federal Reserve Jerome Powell said at the luncheon in New York City that “Inflation is still too high”, meaning that rate cuts are on hold and maybe a rate hike or two may come. According to the National Association of Realtors, • Active inventory declined, with for-sale homes …
via naturalnews: When Elon Musk took the helm of Twitter, the American people expected the platform to uphold the constitutional right of free speech like never before. Though Musk has taken major steps forward by revealing the hellacious amount of censorship by the previous Twitter regime, he is still failing to follow through with his …
Sometimes – you don't have to be great – you just gotta be average… pic.twitter.com/H2vpjXzWZJ — Don Johnson (@DonMiami3) August 15, 2023 Biden called and he wants his 1980 Senate seat back pic.twitter.com/cbPod1B6ip — Don Johnson (@DonMiami3) August 15, 2023 Nice chart Eric👍 Also, employment growth is always positive in the first 8 months of …
by confoundedinterest17 We are back in the USSR! And the economy taking commands from Washington DC! Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic the occurrence of remote work jumped, out of sheer necessity. The technology was already available, but the pandemic accelerated its adoption and bypassed the hesitation of employers to allow people working from home. In many cases, …
https://twitter.com/GRomePow/status/1688978516279513088 How do you have 11 Owner-Occupied rentals?!? pic.twitter.com/CqL80zEkhI — Darth Powell (@VladTheInflator) August 7, 2023 They'll never tell you the truth. It's always going to be a "soft landing." pic.twitter.com/6qLSPMAbb4 — Minsky Moment (@BP_Rising) August 8, 2023 Mortgage rates just topped 7% — The Long View (@HayekAndKeynes) August 8, 2023 MOODY'S: US BANK DOWNGRADES …
Bidenomics: Small Business Outlook Remains Dismal For 19th Straight Month The Biden White House has been struggling to get the American public to buy into its positive spin on the economy, which it has dubbed Bidenomics. On Tuesday, a survey of small businesses indicated why that is such a hard sell. Small business owners have …
by confoundedinterest17 I wonder which season the US economy is in, according to President “Chance the Gardener” Biden. If you believe the recovery talk (from the reckless Covid economic and school shutdowns of 2020), all is well in the (economic) garden. For example, M2 Money Velocity (GDP/M2), is almost back to where it was just …
by confoundedinterest17 Will this be the last time for a Fed rate hike? Today, The Fed raised their target rate to 5.50%, up 525 basis points from 0.25% on 3/15/2022. That is one big rise in rates over a short period of time. Will they stop with one rate hike? If The Fed Funds Futures …
by Dismal-Jellyfish https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/snapshot/Snapshot_July2023.pdf Overview of the July 2023 Snapshot GDP growth slowed: Q1 GDP was about .5% below what it would been if since Q42019, it grew at a rate close to long-term forecasts. Consumer real spending on services up 2.6%—still greater then 2%… Average hourly earnings up 4.4% in June. The employment-to-population ratio for …
Options traders are loading up on contracts that will jump in value should equities see a big drop NEW YORK, July 12 (Reuters) – Options traders are taking advantage of muted U.S. stock market gyrations to load up on contracts that would jump in value should equities see a big drop, boosting the number of …
by Dismal-Jellyfish Source: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm All items less food and energy: Inflation and Housing: The overall index for items excluding food and energy increased by 0.2% in June. The cost of housing, represented by the shelter index, rose by 0.4% in June. Rent increased by 0.5%, and owners’ equivalent rent (for homeowners) increased by 0.4%. However, …
by BoatSurfer600 Source: Sagar Singh LinkedIn Labour market still remains hot as shortages loom. The stagflation is upon us in Europe. pic.twitter.com/Nyt39eG6JV — The Macro Guy (@SagarSinghSetia) June 28, 2023 Remember 2008? It’s happening again! Some European countries are exhibiting activity similar to the 2008 GFC. The cyclical sectors of the economy are facing a …
by confoundedinterest17 The film “The Core” was a silly film, but core inflation in the US is a serious problem for the middle class and low-wage workers. It remains elevated despite Treasury Secretary Janet “The Marxist Gnome” Yellen saying it was “transitory.” Looks pretty permanent to me! The Federal Reserve’s preferred measures of US inflation …
by confoundedinterest17 It is truly a Fed Inferno! Money supply growth fell again in April from Jerome Powell And The Fed, plummeting further into negative territory after turning negative in November 2022 for the first time in twenty-eight years. April’s drop continues a steep downward trend from the unprecedented highs experienced during much of the past …
by BoatSurfer600 Source: https://zensecondlife.blogspot.com/2023/06/technological-meltdown.html?m=1
via businessinsider: The US should expect the dollar’s share of global reserves to slowly decline, but no alternatives exist that could completely displace the greenback, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday. Her comments came during a Housing Financial Services Committee in response questions about the risk of de-dollarization. Asked by Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, …