The Real Problem is 2025 – Kangaroo Kourt Follies

There is a huge pre-election distraction being played out in America this summer.  It reopens in July – the 11th – when the “convicted” Donald Trump will face sentencing after being the first American president in history convicted of a felony. There’s a long list of legal flaws in what we have come to think … Read More

Market Fear – Data Salad – New Prepping Threat Considered

Fear. You can smell it in the markets.  Yet this is only the first whiff.  The kind you get off the stockyards along I-40 up in the Texas Panhandle, long before Amarillo.  Palpable. Fortunately, also tradeable. Fear Looks Like This: Discussion:  First, this is an Aggregate Index. Second is the (yellow, large) Wave 2 up may … Read More

The Unprepared States of America

Just as I was writing this morning’s column on Tuesday, a wild storm line went through and we haven’t see power since.  There’s even a chance we won’t get power back until Thursday or even Friday. The good news for us is that we have a generator and transfer switch plus all those golf dart … Read More

Abnormal Operations

Our usual publishing is way off schedule today. We had a set of severe thunderstorms go through the area Tuesday morning and honestly, we have no idea when the power will be back on line.  The generator is working like a champ, but until the extra kick from the solar comes back up (around 10 … Read More

Housing Shows Biden Inflation

Just in from S&P: NEW YORK, MAY 28, 2024: S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) today released the March 2024 results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices. The leading measure of U.S. home prices shows that all of the major metro markets reported month-over-month price increases. YEAR-OVER-YEAR The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price … Read More

Housing Due, L4L vs. HFL, the A.I. Bubble

We will post the Case-Shiller/S&P/CoreLogic Housing data when it crosses.  Usually have it up by 8:15 AM Central, or so. L4L versus HFL While we’re waiting for the Housing report (we’d expect it to be hot), the strategic economic issue facing America is what to do with persistent inflation. Under more normal economic conditions – … Read More

ShopTalk Monday: Greenhouse Water Engineering

Greenhouse Development work continues at Uretopia as we wend into Summer. To recap for newcomers, about two years back, son George II and I were messing around with Ground Screws and (in a flight of fancy) I decided to put up a greenhouse.  A lean-to against the Music Studio’s west (outside) wall, it seemed like … Read More

ShopTalk Sunday: Holiday Shop Projects!

Summer is nearly here, and with it, more time in the shop. Sometimes, You Get Lucky Take this morning, for example. Stepped in the shower and…the water never got hot. We had put in a new water heater back in March. Divel did the heavy work on this because, at 75, I’m trying to manage … Read More

HamTalk Saturday – Early ShopTalk

Peoplenomics is now up for subscribers, so for the masses, a couple of short, but interesting topics to glom onto. The Oscilloscope Review II As I told you recently, I ordered – and had to send back – a Vevor 7 inch LED oscilloscope.  The reason was there was an issue with the upper right … Read More

Holiday Bumps

One of the hardest decisions a small trader can make is whether to hold a position on a Holiday weekend.  So, today we will consider just a bit of the recent data in this regard. Around us, the world situation continues to devolve.  With liquid reinforcements, a roast thawing out, and a whole bunch of … Read More

Durables on “Bounce-Back”-What Could Go Wrong?

I’m really glad you asked that.  The “What could go wrong” part.  Because the plain and simple is “A whole crap load could let loose.” Before we look at our loose, intuitive future modeling, though, we have a pile of data and recent news note which may influence the Just Ahead part of life unraveling. … Read More

Wake Us Up When… CFNAI. Jobless Claims, Holiday

This is another one of those mornings when I could sleep – there is just something about this market that can’t be trusted, in our view.  The same kind of “down in the gut” we’ve been having about Bitcoin, too. Speaking of which, BTC hypers were back screaming “Buy!” when we approached the $72,000 level Tuesday. … Read More

Minimalism and Downscaling

25-years ago we coined the term “UrbanSurvival” on the leading edge of what became the prepping movement.  Today, there is what we think will be another long-term trend change in play. Young people are warming to minimalism and downscaling. We’re no strangers to the downscaling concept.  Having made the decision to downscale in 2002-2003.  But … Read More

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