Almost a Peoplenomics report this morning – which you can thank our subscribers for. The detailed charts will be up for them tomorrow.
While it is a major talking-point amongst believers in conservative economics, the notion that this year has been marked by a huge “Trump Bump” in the markets, a more even-handed appraisal of facts suggests it not a good idea to “get on that bandwagon” just yet. To be sure, the Trump administration has changed a lot of status quo operations back in “Swamp Land” and much of it is for the better.
However, we still hold to a lot of “old-fashioned” values; one of which is that your “money” should be worth something. So should your savings.
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The nation is not presently “looking out for your purchasing power.” Indeed, the so-called “dual mandate” of the Federal Reserve articulates congressional guidance (or a miserably weak form) that the Fed should maximize employment and moderate long-term interest rates. The notion is that if these two things happen, America will enjoy something approaching stability.
Where voters get “wrapped around the axle” of the double-speaking political class, is when they don’t understand data analytics and take “the data” at face value, not thinking about it clearly. While it’s a grand idea to “Make American Great Again” (MAGA), the task is terribly more complex than the 7th-grade US Media portrays.
In addition to old-time conundrums of capital formation, skilled labor, and innovative design, the unaddressed challenges ahead will include “Human Replacement.” As we have argued, mainly on our Peoplenomics.com subscriber side, there is a compelling reason to tax the work product of robotic system imputing an income tax analog on the output of machines because for ever machine that displaces humans, the burden of social support on government grows.
Your Chart Declares Your “Party”
To illustrate the public’s bias, I’m going to show you two charts this morning. They will compare stock market performance of the S&P during the first year of three presidential terms. The first chart looks at the raw point gain during each of those first years:
Naturally, the Conservatives will point out (correctly so) that Obama was inheriting a collapsing mess that bottomed in the spring of 2009. From this heavily over-sold condition, it is only natural that the market would “bounce-back” more in this period. From the political perspective, the easier “sell” would be the comparison of Obama Term 2, Year 1 with Trump Term 1, Year 1.
While the partisans line up to duke-it-out on this point, we continue our inquiry: What about the percentages gained by the S&P in these periods? A vastly different picture emerges:
This analysis demonstrates that Obama had a wildly more successful first year in Term 1 than was his follow-on performance. Here, the Conservatives will quickly point out the 2009 low is the culprit.
There’s one other aspect of all this: The impact of inflation. If we decrement the December S&P for the years in question? Would that ‘even the playing field?’
NO; While the 2.72% inflation in 2009 would indeed knock the Obama percentage down 5 points, it also knocks Trump down 2-1/2 points.
“What’s Ure point? Are you saying Trump’s bad?”
The point I’m making is that like climate, political figures tend to look for ways to “market the results of natural forces” that operate largely outside of the politi-sphere. Populism is fine, and Making America Great Again is a dandy concept.
What’s still missing, however, is the break-through new technology that will “kick it up a notch” and set the world ablaze with new hope and ambition.
People forget about long-term economic cycles. They also forget the S-curve of growth some marvelously articulated in the works of the extremely bright like Andrew Odlyzko and Cesare Marchetti.
By the way, with Bitcoins trading down in the $14,250 region this morning, you owe it to yourself to read Odlyzko Recent Papers on Technology and Financial Manias. Pay particular attention to the Odlyzko paper on Sir Isaac Newton losing a pile in the South Sea Bubble. Not for the detail, so much as the new directions in Bubble research implied.
Around here, we’ll hold to our simple view – articulated more clearly by larger brains than ours – that the Shakespearian “tide in the affairs of men” could easily be the popularization of the economic long wave.
You just don’t get to see it while you’re stuck in either the partisan or dolt roles so carefully marketed by systemic oppression of innovative thinking.
As long as you’re made a partisan in BS politics, and so long as you don’t see fiscal decisions in their longer-term contexts in concert with technology S-curves, you’re stuck in the cheap seat in the outfield.
The reality is presidential “success” is as much luck of history, timing in the larger economic, technology, population, war, and religious cycles, as specious claims and jingoism of populist promoters.
While I haven’t gone back and done a longitudinal study of the matter, an intriguing question comes about: Is America in a slow, inevitable decline, based on constraints on resources, limited innovation, and global dependencies?
In other words, when one looks through the lens of history, weren’t our greatest percentage gains in times of either war or exploitation of natural resources? If you think the answer is yes, then it implies that “years to come” could be ugly. Absent some non-radioactive power source breakthrough (thorium, cold fusion, zero-point?) we are definitely seeing signs of the “oil glut” coming to an end.
So, as it does, and as rampant partisanship supplants data, research, and longer-term logical thinking, does America simply become an “unmanageable country?”
Self-Balkanizan is our greatest enemy and its largest “weapon in the inventory” is social media. Warring “organizations” are already engaged in the virtual warfare. Start to make notes because there are constant efforts to suck you in and your money with you.
Although it has taken much longer than I would have ever guessed, I think the existence of Social Media is the #1 problem facing the world right now. Just as Radio had to be regulated in the last Depression to moderate radicalism, when we get to our next big financial blow-down, remember the Internet is just radio for your screens. And the armies of opinion are there playing convert or kill and you’re in their sights.
There: Feel better now?
Bonds Close Early
The Dow looks to open up 80. As Stocks cheer $9 trillion year, downer for the dollar. I figure the dollar decline is mostly because our National Debt keeps going up.
Gold’s making a minor move up – coming back toward the $1300 per ounce level. Doesn’t mean gold just saw a change in its intrinsic value, so much as it just takes more of the ever-more watered-down scrip to buy it.
Remember, your dollar buys four-cents on the dollar compared with purchasing power in 1913. And we’re heading for three-cents…
Meanwhile, the crypto mania continues: South Korea students dive into virtual coins, even as regulators crack down.
Eyes on the NorKs
North Korea: South seizes ship amid row over illegal oil transfer.
You should be carefully tracking the rapid advances the NorKs have made in sea-launched missile systems. As one of our sources noted:
“. What is scariest is the ICBM missile designed by the Soviets which can just be dropped off of a ship and then fire itself out of the ocean. NO submarine with a launch tube required … just any old freighter with a crane to pull it out of the ship’s hold, drop it in the ocean … and it is ready to fire about 60 seconds later!! It can also be fired from sunken barge, etc.. Apparently the NK’s are building the barge type needed for firing the weapon from a barge.”
And that should scare most Americans much more than the pacifistic MSM are letting on.
Climate Change
Forecasters Warn of Hypothermia and Frostbite For Swathes of the U.S. as Deep Freeze Sets in.
We’re not the only ones to call it: President Trump Said the Freezing East Coast Could Use Some ‘Good Old Global Warming.’
Fair to Mostly Useless
Tracing of S. Carolina killer’s hands advertised online.
Why Solange canceled her New Year’s Eve show. *(Who?)
And the Biggliest Story of the morning? Why is gin and tonic getting pricier?
We are planning a grassroots campaign in 2018 to make it a federal crime to drink G&T’s when the temperature outside is lower than 75.
We now return to mixing up our sourdough pancakes.
Hey George, I’m getting a lot of references to President Carter/Iran/hostage type event. I try not to get emotionally attached to the data. But it has been coming up bunches. Hmmmm….
Grady getting any data with these references?
A missing commercial plane? Plane keeps coming up.
Book marked for later read.
Anyway, I gotta roll. Later old dude.
Can we run a concurrent campaign for drinking burbon on the rocks when it is over 75?
Whooooaaa I just saw someone who was there standing in The road and then poof, they were gone. Freaked me poor,
Anyway, I’m going back to being silent for a while.
Later dude.
Out, not poor. Stupid auto correct. Lol
Lay off that “stuff” before you’re having an accident. ;-)
Sorry but I’m not a Trump man as he twits and tweeters like a bird in the gilded cage just more of the sorry old re-hash of previous administrations,more weapons and training for ISIS in Syria,more weapons for the Ukraine,weapons that they never can pay for,more troops for Afghanistan,more troops for Africa,more tax cuts for the king of sleazy welfare corporations, and the wealthy,but wait I did get a $4 increase in my S.S.,hmm now just what can I buy for four bucks…
I believe as the Deep State goes down (in process, but will take some time), the suppressed tech (free energy, etc.) will be revealed. Amazing times ahead.
George, are you aware of Trumps Ex-order posted on the Whitehouse website on Dec 21. It freezes assets of anyone involved in Human rights abuses or corruption? i.e child or human trafficking. Is the swamp now being drained?
Interesting comment on gin. A female friend of mine seems to be caught up in the meme. BTW, is “biggliest” really spelled with two g’s?
Mostt off the timee
Hopefully solid state Lithium battery within five years. 500 mile range with a few minutes to recharge should
help reduce oil.
I still wonder if the U.S. Navy had recovered a North Korean missle and we have determine how good their technology.
Is this real ?
The criminals behind 911 are going to be prosecuted.
Is it true it was filed in a court in Nevada today December 29th
http://nesaranews.blogspot.com/2017/12/criminal-action-filed-in-united-states.html?m=1
Only the gullible will fall for this kind of fake news. When it’s got on a docket, not some wet web dream, get back to us.
Yep you’re right it’s a little early for me this morning to be doing anything so just saw that and put it out there without even looking into it thanks
Just to remind, the scariest thing in the world is; I from the government and I’m here to help you! and I brought our banker along! If you loose money investing then you need to do the opposite.If you make money investing keep doing the same thing. Just don’t forget your silent partner only remains silent as long as he gets his cut on time every time. Confession is good for the soul failure to “voluntarily” confess and you could win an all expense paid 10 yr vacation at a facility of your uncle’s choice! Rules are for the peasants of course. If you do happen to make a lot of money don’t spend it all in one place. A report will be filled out and sent to Fincen as suspicious activity. Happy New Year subjects.
Cheerleader much? How quick we forget, no?
The ‘Trump bump,’ as if it were some magic incantation. Ha. Let’s add another $1.5 trillion to the national debt cutting corporate taxes again. We could add still another 10% to the already raging stock market Obama left (despite the Rs’ best efforts to torpedo things).
When the economy doesn’t collapse again in another few years, like a coked up runner, then you can crow.
Wake up. We should be paying down our national debt for the inevitable automation rainy day, not on money orgies for the upper 10%. Mike.
George, The Malaysian plane MH370 was STOLEN! Sure a couple of parts were found in the ocean, but those parts can easily be removed and replaced. I have av charts from the area and was party to a project there. Also avid reader of ICAO accident reports. A great NOVA program “Why Planes Vanish” is a worthy flick to watch. Almost everyone has a cell phone, inconceivable that out of 227 passengers +12 crew, not one email message or phone call made! Is that realistic? So to make it short, in point form here is my take on this.
1) Two with false passports get on the flight. How often do you see that? How many times have two people with bombs got on the same plane? Two people are required to fly the plane.
2) A meticulous plan, pick a red-eye flight where people are relaxed and not suspicious of anything. Control of plane seized by two false passengers before flight takes off.
3) After take off, vents opened in flight, passengers asphyxiated, no need for any control, no concerns about emails or phone calls.
4) Transponders shut down after reporting point between transition from Malaysian Area Control Center to VietNam Area Control Center. Pilots responsibility to report to Vietnam control center. Forty five minutes lost before VietNam control center asks if the plane left Malaysian airspace.
5) Plane flew back west across Malaysia. Fishermen reported a HUGE plane flying VERY Low. Makes sense, because for the plane to fly back, it has to be VFR! Can’t be IFR, because flight has to be under air traffic control, otherwise plane will collide with other IFR traffic that can be spaced between 3 to 15 nm. Check,
https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Separation_Standards
6) Part of the flight caught by military radar near Butterworth MIL base confirming the flight did arrive west of Malaysia. From there, it flew around for something like 4 hours!
7)Reading accident reports where a suicidal person was on board, plane crashed most of the time within the hour!
8) When plane took off from KL, it was fully loaded with fuel. Too heavy to land on some short surreptitious strip, has to burn off fuel. Cannot dump fuel as the trail would make it easy to spot the plane.
9) Plane will be rebranded, repainted and used as an instrument of terror.
10) My conspiracy theory. If BS, so be it! Time will tell!
Interesting, Anonymous, because shortly after that incident, I was at a meeting where a private investigator who specialized in IT and was plugged in with law enforcement was speaking. I chatted with him privately and he said there had been a lot of chatter on the dark net about the plane — that it had indeed been stolen and flown somewhere (Pakistan??) for possible use later in a terrorist attack, when the missing plane was off everyone’s radar (sic). Time will tell, I guess.
Can you say Deago Garcia?
“Remember, your dollar buys four-cents on the dollar compared with purchasing power in 1913. And we’re heading for three-cents…”
Are there national charts of the distribution of IQ available for the public to peruse? I wonder where we stand worldwide?
In answer to your question “Is America in a slow, inevitable decline, based on constraints on resources, limited innovation, and global dependencies?” Well Duh. And the really scary part is that many of the natural resources and/or parts we would/will need for our self defense are not even manufactured / mined in this country. Think lead and steel.The great steel mills that were able to produce tanks and guns and ships, all gone. And as to your question
“does America simply become an “unmanageable country?” Seems to me that we are all ready there. But worse than that, while there have always been racial, religious, financial, social, political and regional divisions within our country, during the period between 2009 and 2017 those divisions have intentionally been exploited to a point that I do not believe we as a nation can be healed.
So true.. a family member was heading out on deployment. While visiting he just had to show me that all of his equipment was produced outside the USA.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/05/backdoor_found.html
Since we no longer manufacture but depend on them. Then why would it be logical to oppose those we depend on for our own security?