The stock market is being terribly indecisive this week, and as explained to our Peoplenomics.com subscribers, we’re in a position where the markets could break either way. Massive rally, or game-ending collapse over coming months.
One way to get a handle on the economic future is to read the news headlines. And the one due out this afternoon that should give us a lot of insight into “what next” will be what’s in the Federal Reserve’s Consumer Credit report due out today at 3 PM Eastern, which will give the markets one hour of trading to begin working out what it means.
The Consumer Credit report is misnamed. If you’re a banker, it’s not. That’s because on their side of the table it looks like they are extending credit. But in fact for the majority of people, what they are offering is debt.
There are two kinds of debt in the report’s top three lines: Total debt (again, they call it credit, which is like an abuser calling violence “presenting an opportunity for behavior improvement) followed by Revolving Debt (credit cards and such)( and Non-Revolving which will include student loss (a fine disaster in the wings) and things like Mobile homes and such where there is at least some recourse.
The markets this morning are on hold, watching the rest of the world (RoW): Japan was up almost half a percent overnight, while China was up 8-10th’s of a percent. But it’s a mixed bag in Europe where the Germany market was up from oversold, but maybe not because here comes weak German economic data.
The biggie (and it will hurt the EU) is Russia is starting to take the gloves off and is promising to cut off imports of goods from the EU for their naked power-grab in Ukraine, and to make the point, Russia has 20,000 combat ready troops on their own border in case the EU/NATO tries to pull a fast one and seize parts of (still contested) eastern Ukraine.
Russia has extended Edward Snowden’s visit for three more years.
As we try to look ahead, wondering what the use of the term “eyewatering” in predictive dream language from the www.nationaldreamcenter.com Project August project means, we can only suppose that in coming weeks we should be reading a lot of accounts of either tears caused by events, or because of the reference to watering, perhaps it will be tear gas in large quantities.
Ebola: Fears for Tears
We can’t help but notice in the Chicago Trib’s story about how Ebola is now on four continents (including ours due to incomprehensible policy decisions) that eyewear is being worn by medical professionals. And masks as well.
Is the mainstream waking up to the fact that airborne transmissibility of Ebola is possible to likely – something that’s been known since 1995 yet covered up by the me-too, misleading mainstream?
More after this…
Two Million Dead Gets Life?
The story out of Cambodia about how two top Khmer Rouge officials were tried by a UN Tribunal, they were given sentences of life in prison.
Huh?
While in a one-off case, life in prison might make sense, especially ifs there are extenuating circumstances, these guys according to historical evidence orchestrated 2-million deaths.
How it is that we can waterboard terrorism suspects and not mass murderers is one of the more savory quirks of human thought.
Seems to me (and I’ve interviewed a lot of prosecutors in my reporting career) that what’s a deterrent to crime is certainty of punishment.
But with three hots, a cot, and better medical care than on the outside, where is the deterrence?
How about governments come up with really disgusting prisons: We have the technology to make real “Hell on Earth” kinds of institutions: chemical pain-inducing drugs, beatings, waterboardings, shock treatments…you know, Dante without the sulfur.
And then video tape it and put it out in schools.
Make it as disgusting as possible. People puking in pain, passing out, being reawakened and the like, only to have more dished out.
THAT would be a deterrent, would it not?
Terrible thing to think about, but when what we’re doing isn’t working, thinking the unthinkable might just reduce all kinds of anti-social behaviors.
Carnage in the living room, but not pain in prison? WTF?
Let me ask you: What kind of rep to Mexican prisons have? And federal easy-time jo0nts for the likes of the Stewarts and Madoffs? GMAFB.
You want to stop crimes against humans at all levels? Aversion therapy. Oh, but it’s not nice…
Of course,; do-gooders would protest, and there’d be no money in the prison industry since people would actively behavei9n order not to spend 6-months of hell on earth.
But you want solutions, they are available. Just not thought about, except by Hollywood screen writers who sell $14.99 tickets galore to gore at home. Just boggles the mind, does it not?
Hawaii Gets Blown
More than trade winds as Hurricane Iselle is not slowing down and this could be the first direct hit by a hurricane in 22-years.
Hopefully, our Hawaii correspondents will send pix and reports as it comes ashore.
Madness on Bordering
The National Review has a decent article on how S.A. gang members are being turned lose in America.
Nice going by the Washington Cartel…recruiting campaign, is it? “Just little baby chilluns,,, coochy-coochy-koo…say, that’s somefine gang-shit tats you got there”…Mind-f*ckmedia and you wonder why the world doesn’t make sense anymore?
Economic Paybacks, II
Bottom line: Blood pressure check 123/78…so the news isn’t that bad this morning…