Annual Forecast Issue (Part 1)

Normally, our Annual Forecast is a single issue, but I wanted to try something  bit different this year.  Instead of going through our usual Major Systems of Life (food, shelter, transportation, energy, environment, and finance) I thought it would be useful to look at two overarching generalities, as well.

So in Part 1, some comments on the global problems of investing and “why we work” plus a perspective on 2020 and what’s coming from “the Dream Realms:   It’s a surprising take on tech and economics.

Which we will delve into right after charts and a few “warm-up” headlines.

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27 thoughts on “Annual Forecast Issue (Part 1)”

  1. George
    Bear with me if you will, I am a latent psychic and have been all my life. I had the blessing of “second sight” as my family has called it since childhood. Glimpses of what will occur, some important much mundane was my life. Until the blue beam incident over Norway occurred. Since then the Swiss cheese syndrome as you call it has now clouded what used to be sight. But it is not only the sight, but also my past seems to have been altered. Houses which I lived in have disappeared, pictures which I was in no longer have me in them and so on. I thought I was going insane until I spoke to a friend of mine since childhood who also has had the same happen to him. Since we ran together in middle school high school and college, we were together often for photographs and such and in one particular picture we both seem to have been disappeared from it. It seems since the beam incident we are living in another reality. I can not prove this, but I know things are not the same as they once were. Close, but not the same. Sorry for taking up so much bandwidth, but the Swiss Cheese comment sparked the rant.

    • I appreciate the thought. Not all will see it. But it could be “the cheese” has two “flavors” to it. In the first, as you experience it the changing of reality is real enough – and likely tied to those events others of us experience as time anomalies. But the other – and this was the point of sharing what I did this morning – is the whole notion of virtualization will be the big trend down at the human progress level in 2020, the AR, MR and VR all move us towards a convergence, but into (or at) what end, we don’t know. Your further comments are welcome…as we share this “sight” thing.
      – – –

      For readers who are not aware, our elite subscriber refers to the 2009 blue beams of light over Norway in 2009.
      Officially, and in Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Norwegian_spiral_anomaly, this had a
      “science explanation.”

      However, many sensitive people disagree. While it’s possible, both could be right and that a failed missile tyest could have been an indicator not the actual change, we may never know. However, there is a rich history in Norway, particularly with regard to the Hessdalen Lights (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hessdalen_lights#History_and_description) that may indicate the 2009 “missile” event was just a runaway/scaled version of the long-standing (since at least 1930) Hessdalen light series which remains unexplained even today.

    • You should consider yourself lucky. I spent untold hours trying to increase my psychic abilities to no avail. I may try remote viewing because that uses your psychic abilities. First I am trying to learn to play the guitar. If I knew how hard the guitar was on the fingertips, I would have selected the electric organ.

  2. George – the the painted on wall displays remind me of the Arnold movie where he goes back to MARS in Total Recall – lots of full wall coverage displays in that movie.
    I for one am expecting & waiting for magnetically buoyant POV’s to become commonplace like in the Jetsons.
    Lithium ion is heavy,clunky, and volatile when exposed to air – promised Liquid Glass Cell Batteries -big whoop.
    Of course at my age – “Jane his wife” is more my speed, but Judy is still the space babe of my fantasies…yes ECD is a bit of a FREAK..supa freaky! brown chicken brown cow..

    As for BTC – the $6500 range is more of an opportunity than a valuation problem -imho

    • If Jane or Judy is Sharon Stone, I agree. The fight scene with Arnold & Sharon was one of the best. Too bad she didn’t last longer in the movie.

    • I consider Bitcoin $6,500 an opportunity to lose money. The trend is down. Reality is taking over as it will in the stock market at URE INDEX 30,666.

    • BTC – An opportunity? Lots of great opportunities drove people to the “poor house.”

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania

      Amazing parallelism tulips spawned other clones (flowers), just as BTC did.

      Perhaps most telling statement about those “opportunities” was said by Nout Wellink, former President of the Dutch Central bank.

      “In November 2013 Nout Wellink, former president of the Dutch Central Bank, described Bitcoin as “worse than the tulip mania,” adding, “At least then you got a tulip, now you get nothing.”

      • Too bad ole Nout, the financial genius, didnt put $1000 bucks in Bitcoin in 2013.
        BTC ranged in price from about $600 – $1000 in 2013 – 1 Bitcoin would have cost $1000 at the high of the year.
        Today he would be ringing the register with a 600% gain – not to shabby for NOTHING.
        $7000 – 1000= 6000/1000= 600%

  3. On malls…not all are closing and many here in the Bay Area are re-defining and renovating at a rapid pace. Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo just completed a $250,000 renovation complete with a mix of retail, dining and entertainment. The new portion of the shopping center will incorporate a Cinepolis, a nationwide luxury cinema that offers reclining seats, a full bar and waiter service at your seat. Another entertainment draw will be Pinstripes, an upscale bowling alley with a built-in bistro. The remodel also includes a full food court, in conjunction with other full service sit-down restaurants. The retail space will be surrounded by floral landscaping, abundant greenery and an inviting outdoor plaza. Three other malls in the Bay Area owned by Westfield, are undergoing similar improvements. But…The Bay Area is a different animal. Great weather allows for people to embrace the outdoors and gives the area a sense of community…like a town square.

    On real estate…still crazy…still on the upswing. The fact that I get up to 10 offers on homes valued from $1.2 million to $2.5 million, still blows me away. From my humble beginnings in the Midwest, $2.5 million buys me 10 homes…here I get 10 offers on one home. Which of course means that 9 buyers from that one home they didn’t get, are still out there looking for other $2.5 million dollar homes. The cycle never ends.

    With interest rates still at historical lows, I don’t see that robust trend ending anytime soon…especially with all the incredibly wealthy people that are “made” here everyday. My team had a record year and I am a data hound…so one of the metrics of our teams sales that amazes me, is that the average DOWN PAYMENT on the homes we sold was $498,000. That’s over $180,000 above the average cost of a home in America. Here it’s not even enough to cover a down payment. Yet…the buyers keep coming…putting 20-35% down on homes worth millions.

    BTW, BTC up to nearly $6,900.

    • That seems like a lot of renovation for $250,000. Did we miss a zero or two? Maybe I could get that outfit to remodel my house for $250.00.

      • Trump did zero here in California. He has tried to destroy because we didn’t vote for him. We are very self sustaining state. California’s 3 trillion dollar economy is doing well despite Trump, and most certainly not because of him.

      • “That seems like a lot of renovation for $250,000. Did we miss a zero or two?”

        Lol lol I was just thinking the exact same thing.. especially if a garden shed sells for a million five lol lol lol..

    • @MARKZ

      and to think that YOU have President Trump to thank for that prosperity , even in the s–thole that california has become….MAGA 2020….

    • People’s expectations adjust to the environment. Costs go up, pay goes up, everything goes up and we have a local bubble. SF is not unique. How about $1,000 for a one bedroom apartment in Washington, DC, or more (?) in NYC?

      The cost of living around Washington, DC is ridiculously high to those who don’t live here. For those of us who do, it’s normal. I like to remind my friends who complain that if they can live here successfully, they can live anywhere successfully, albeit with less money.

      • $1,000 for a one bedroom is high? Where is this Again? Try $3,000 rent for a one bedroom of around 700 sq ft. That’s the average here and other big cities…and we have a housing shortage. But, I don’t see that as a high rent either. It’s our normal and salaries support that. Remember…everything else is cheaper here like very low utility bills due to our near perfect weather, lower produce costs year round, lower car insurance, etc.Everything is relative.

      • “Costs go up, pay goes up, ”

        That’s how it should work.. and it may for a few.. but the average wont see any increases or way below. Around here base expenses has outpaced income so there hasn’t been any increases. Even with those trying to survive on set incomes. This tear they gave a 1.5% increase during a year we here the increase in living expenses increased 5.9%
        The increases look good from one angle but in reality are not. From the 1970’s till now minimum wage would be shy thirty dollars an hour..yet 30 dollars an hour minimum would shut down the economy.

        Went to the xmas party of my wife’s company..the conversation came up about the attitude of the owner.. his general demeanor etc.. I had to bite my tongue not to say anything..( wife kicking my leg to ) the thing is he hasn’t realized it.. kind of like a small loan I took out years ago 8% god I just couldn’t fathom why it took so long to pay off.. and would contemplate this from time to time through the years..then one day I was sitting on the patio and my daughter was talking about the 10% school loan for the grand dau8 and she said the daily interest rate..
        I started to laugh.. she was puzzled but it dawned in me that instant why. It wasn’t 8% it was a simple 8% or 96% yearly lol lol
        His problem is that.. he may be taking in millions a month but his income cannot meet his outgo.. it looks good but is deceiving. He will sell out if he doesnt revamp his company..reduce staff..one thing come up will put him in a spin..

        https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/chapters_19/7-Inflaton.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjH76TztsPmAhWKXM0KHbt2AAEQFjACegQIDhAM&usg=AOvVaw1mTqeHn2CAQENT3RDOvu_v

  4. I’m amazed that with known debt, and the repo game in play, PMs have made very little movement! That, and of course, the “impeachment” theater. I really don’t know what to think.

    What about “virtual PMs”? Of course, naked shorting is one kind of virtualization, but I wonder if there are others? I’m strongly of the opinion that I’m missing an important variable, or more than one.

  5. A few years ago I thought that IBM’s “Watson” could have easily replaced our inefficient Congress. However, I keep reading a lot about our inefficient Congress, but nothing seems to ever get mentioned about IBM’s “Watson” (though here are many very smart and educated folk here). Of course I try to keep up with it. ;-)

      • Thank you George, and I checked out yippy.com — suddenly realizing that I can’t keep it up any longer (pun not intended) with what’s going on in the world. There is just too much information available and I will have to cut down consuming.

        Your capacity always amazes me. Keep up you good work for the benefit of mankind. It may not matter in the end ;-((.

  6. Hey G. ; it’s 9pm here in penn’s woods. just caught NBC news…lol FLASH……on impete. had a quick flash ….big crash Thursday……………REAL strong feeling…..peace & Love to all

  7. “Having a couple of “wish list” items on Amazon so you don’t have to hunt very far for plastic sheeting and good air filtration components along with fans to run air.”
    ___________________

    Chinese plastic sheeting is common, now, and is an entirely different critter than real Visqueen. It is both photochemically reactive (as are the vinyls and polyvinyls in cheap tarps) and it is also atmospherically reactive and temperature-sensitive. Voice of experience: It will degrade in free air over about a 5-6 year period, with no sunlight present, and at temperatures of zero (or maybe 10 below) or lower, becomes so brittle it will shatter on flex. I have Visqueen that’s been hanging as a garage bay barrier without issue, for more than 30 years. Caveat emptor…
    __________________

    “The steak and lobster platter that is totally indistinguishable from the fresh cold water lobster flown in from Maine and the finest Kansas City dry-aged steak would presumably have the same value as the nominal, real, foods themselves.”

    Since I’m sensitive to genetically-modified food, I question the possibility that printed food could ever have a genetic profile sufficiently compatible with my GI system as to supply me with usable nutrition without the accompanying sickness incumbent with my consumption of many GM foods.

    Nice thought, though…

    • My point was that when the artificial and the natural actually achieve a high-enough levels of functionality, their price differentials usual vanish…

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