Stock markets will be interesting this week on a number of levels.
On one, we may get some insight into how “News and Wars” drive markets. As Germany goes for MONEY over PEACE as Minister: Germany won’t block Poland giving Ukraine tanks reports the Associated Press.
The Russians, of course, seeing this coming, have been bracing at home: Preparations for conflict with NATO: Anti-aircraft systems in every corner of Moscow-Kremlin fortified, V.Putin’s residence, government buildings, reports the Greek site War 24/7.
War is – like a deadly cancer – metastasizing in lower Europe. As Ukraine up-armors, the Turks are trying to get some Cold War era British missile frigates to bulk up its naval forces in the short-term. All while the U.S. is selling arms to both sides of the (energy-based) war pending between Greece and Turkey. F-35s for Greece and F-16s for Turkey.
The war business is, pardon this: booming.
Walls Work
With demonicrats losing a bit of sway in the District of Corruption, we see evidence continuing to build about the effectiveness of WALLS to define and secure a Nation.
Previous examples we’ve pointed to include the Great Wall of China (one reason China has a 2,500-year history), the also famous Berlin Wall which until 1989 divided Germany since WW II. And sensible Israeli’s have walled off Palestine; whose behavior has been so bad that neither Egypt nor Israel want the land and people.
All historical context for the story over here: Greece Expanding Border Wall, Calls for EU Help on Migration. Which is a tale totally full of wall irony. Especially poignant upon a review of the story on Filmmaker this morning that ““We Had To Shoot the African Scenes in Greece” | Anthony Chen, Drift.”
Irony never gets rusty.
Musical Chairs, Biden Style
Slow Joe Biden’s Chief of Staff is out. Jeff Zients to be named Biden’s next chief of staff, replacing Ron Klain. I’m reminded of a song, now.. Thomas Dolby, wasn’t it? She Blinded Me With Science. We expect to be “Blinded by Zients” now…
Biden apologists are making the best of it Biden’s Cabinet is sticking around, bucking the turnover trend of his predecessors. We are told more changes at the Cabinet are coming as Joe’s Ship of Fools sets sail for the polls in 2024.
If there’s a world left.
I Didn’t Mention?
OK, there’s just one problem not covered so far.
As you might expect (since Ure’s been a reporter for north of half a century) I know a few people who know a few things.
As SOME of the people I (might) know have been real, by-God serious (as in working for Uncle) people of the “Men Who Stare at Goats” variety yuou hear things.
What I’m hearing now is sometime between, oh, first week of April to about the 20th of April – somewhere in there – we are in for some massive “entertainment.”
Not sure what this means but picture a world that is gold on the inside and then expands out to white on the surface such that there is “no safe place.”
The term “divine intervention” is used. Some see different colors (white to purple). Thing is, while (sorry) we can’t be more specific other than to offer the proximate date range, something big…as in REALLY big…is 74-days ahead popping in remote seeing circles.
To paraphrase one (since we talked of other things) “We don’t need to worry about money, now. It simply doesn’t matter….”
We have a number of very sensitive readers so watch the Comments section for feedback and maybe Andy can inquire of The DUDE on our behalf. HE is seen driving this. (DUDE, not Andy, just so we’re clear…)
For Now, Money Matters
Eventually, we have to get to the subject of our headline: For now, Money Matters, although perhaps to a lessening degree, depending on what the looking glass crowd sees and what you Believe in, if you follow.
Dow futures were down 26 earlier while the S&P was down 7. Giving us a view ahead of:
So, the next pause should be down in the area of the white “3” in the lower right. IF our intuition about such things works out.
But the commercial hype is in ahead of the open, so no telling – yet.
For Whom the Axe Swings
There was a hint of times ahead as the National Association of Business Economics issues its outlook Sunday: January 2023 Business Conditions Survey Summary reporting that the “NABE Survey Panel Suggests Probability of 2023 Recession Remains Elevated; Continued Wage Growth and Weaker Sales to Put Pressure on Profit Margins.”
Right in line comes the latest HR grenade in tech as Spotify Seen Cutting Staff as Soon as This Week as Tech Layoffs Mount – Bloomberg.
Seeing a trend?
Tomorrow morning, we get Purchasing Managers and the Richmond Fed’s lookahead after the open. Wednesday (spine-tingling stuff here) Business Uncertainty mid-morning (and Korea’s GDP if you care in the afternoon).
Thursday is Data Dump Day this week: Durable Goods, GDP, new UI Filings, International Trade and perhaps the cherry on top will be retail inventories and the Chicago Fed National Activity Index. Friday has Personal Income and Expenses scheduled, but these are always framed as “too little of the first and too much of the second…”
Silly Parties
With the demonicrats tearing down the Constitution and with repugnantcans putting up (at best) a half-assed defense, we look at the future of American Politics as needing a new Marketing Schtick.
We think it’s made a guest appearance as Fox reported VP Harris required people to sign ‘attestation of vaccination’ paper to attend her Florida speech: reports.
Clear? Democrats are moving in the direction of being the Broke, Borderless, and Vaccinated Party. Obviously, no ticky, no laundry at Kam’s hoe-down (a dandy, double-entendre, don’tcha think?). This could go one of two ways for the repugnant’s: They could become the Real Border, Data, and Science Party, OR they could keep up the infighting and continue back-stabbing one-another to death.
The Repugnant’s incompetence continues to be a national embarrassment as Santos’s financial woes pile up, threatening his political career | The Hill. Which we view as another rerun of political expediency triumphing over morality, honesty and sanity. You go, Pugs.
Digital Scrap Heap
10-dead from a Chinese New Year’s Party in Monterey Park this weekend. Sad, but we’re not clear on a few things. BERNAMA – Flags in US shall be flown at half-mast following Monterey Park shooting – Biden. Have we just failed to notice national flag lowering’s for previous mass shooting victims? Meantime, California lefties are selling the idea it “could have been worse except for our gun laws...” Yeah, sure, you betcha. “Don’t wake the woke to the fact Criminals and Crazies don’t follow Laws,” writes the man whose office is 160-feet from his shooting table on his 100-meter range and a Gunfighter’s Inc. Kenai holster…
Lights Out! No, not an odd reference to my friend Delilah Rene from back in my broadcasting days. Nope. Talking about Pakistan suffers big power outage after second grid failure in three months | Reuters. Things keep edging toward the shitter, over there: There’s the possibility of a very hot religious war. See last week’s post on Reddit: First pakistan map proposed by muslim league’s Rahmat Ali to divide India for Muslims : MapPorn.
Cryptomeria is still making the rounds. As seen in Binance SWIFT partner to ban USD transfers below USD 100k – ThePaypers and as XRP price gathers steam for 45% upswing as Brad Garlinhouse prepares for landslide victory against the SEC (fxstreet.com). Us? Still no crypto (and no vax, either). Feeling more Amish every day – not a bad thing, that. With BTC knocking on $23,000 we wonder again why the CROOKED/WOKE movement hasn’t turned on this energy squandering, climate wrecking Ponzi scheme. But again, don’t wake the woke.
ATR: ShopTalk Follow-Up
My friend, Dr. J, is sending me the plans for the 50 Cal. Ammo Can (tall) bug-out VHF ham station based on the Radioddity DB25 which will be cool.
I’d passed along the contributed Ammo Can kit from William of the Radio Ranch. Dr. J’s very key point: It’s not in an EMP proof can…
While we were talking, it occurred to me that an equivalent could be made for a low power HF radio, too. So I’m working on that in background. I’ve already got an HF Signals uBitX 6.0 and looks like it could be shoehorned in. (Measurements pending)
The idea would be to package the radio, mini tuner, a 4:1 QRP balun, and an 80-10 OCFD out of thin but strong wire. Mini coax for feeding it (30 feet do?), mic, power cable, and Morse code key would round it out.
This leaves only the power problem in either case (the VHF or the HF radio can): How much battery could go in a third can? You’d want as much lithium ion as possible, charge controller and power leads. Three ammo cans and a solar panel, or two, and seems like that would be pretty good coms.
For some great presentations on NVIS HF, search Youtube.
Toss in one of those cheap $100-class laptops that pop up on Best Buy deals now and then, ported over in advance to Linux, and loaded with FLDigi which then gives you voice, Morse, and all the main digital modes. FLDigi is supported on Linux, Mac, BSD, and Windows.
(Tired of Ham Radio talk yet?)
Being into Retro Radio Restorations, I’m excited as hell about the scheduled delivery this week of an old BK Dyna Jet 606 tube checker I snagged last week on eBay. Have an old Heathkit TC-2 and a Precision Apparatus Company (PACO) unit but the BK is simple to calibrate and handles a few transmitter finals, like 6146’s, for example.
OK, on that note off to work on what is quickly turning into an ebook on Future Forecasting with a HUGE amount of material contributed by G.A. Stewart of the Age of Desolation website. On Peoplenomics.com Wednesday.
Write when you get rich,
George@ure.net
