A Silver Lining to Bond Disintermediation

Bond market isn’t growing as fast as the stock market. In relative terms, it’s shrinking. Which, we think offers a novel opportunity to offload the Federal Debt onto individual shareholders. The process takes a wee bit of explaining, but our point is that while the Federal Debt screams toward the $30-trillion level, there is a … Read More

Kabulshit while the Markets Line Up Suckers

Whether Joe Biden is a traitor, or merely incompetent, will likely be judged in the future.  Not our job.  We don’t ask about blackmail, control files, and such.   However, we have to call Kabulshit on the release of ANY names of Americans or Afghan workers who supported our efforts in the sand/rock box.  NOC lists … Read More

Markets: Pause for Data, ‘Stan Mess

Data, huh?  Mean like the weekly unemployment claims and the GDP report, or the corporate profits report? Well, let’s take ’em one at a time, starting with U.I. filings: So does this mean things are really that good? No.  Take up the question of people whose bennies have run out as a side discussion. Then there’s … Read More

China Lights it Up?

Nature abhors a vacuum – and the Biden mess in Afghanistan is creating a huge one.  With the Chinese having said – almost forever – that reunification with Taiwan will happen – the pending debacle still in the early stages of unfolding in the Middle East may offer China an unprecedented window of opportunity. Will … Read More

Turnaround Tuesday? Fixing the “Confuserator”

A short sit-rep because honestly, not much has changed overnight.  A number of readers are worried about the Covid Confuserator so we’ll get a wrench after that, here in a sec.  But first? Global Theater Review Let’s walk through a somewhat abbreviated “threat board” this morning because pre-holiday doldrums loom. Push Back Crash Worries to … Read More

CFNAI, Invade Australia? And “What Do You DO?”

Chicago Fed National Activity Indicator is just out. Led by improvements in production-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) increased to +0.53 in July from –0.01 in June. Three of the four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index made positive contributions in July, and three categories improved from June. The … Read More

ShopTalk Sunday: Lathe Work & Shop Prepping

As I advised Peoplenomics readers Saturday, the direction of writing around here has gone wandering off on its own.  Tied to the keyboard, I’m forced to follow but the destination is becoming clear. Let me back up a ways and tell you the story from the top. Remember the Lathe Project? A week or two back … Read More

Preview of Coming Attractions

Between events in the shop this week, and Biden pulling troops before others, we see a vision of the future that looks horrific.  This will come out on Urban in pieces, but this morning for subscribers a high level overview of what’s likely to come from America’s simmering calamities. Along with the ChartPack which is … Read More

Collapsing into Fall

Since there isn’t much in the way of hardcore economic news today, a really short column is in order. Markets: Short-term Glum Things will suck again, at least at the open.  At least so say the futures.  The market high in our Aggregate came on Monday, the 16th. So we will have to fiddle our … Read More

Rally Hopes Fade, Fall Debacle Looms

We might have made a little lunch money this week.  The reason is the market declines from Friday the 13th have been amazing. I mean besides Damning pic of a weak leader: Devine (nypost.com). The real driver is taper talk at the Fed.  Seems the party-punch spikers have figured out that sobriety has to come along some … Read More

Book Update: The 100-Year Toaster

My book Packing to Die: Suitcase Between Your Ears is now available on Amazon for Kindle.  Feel free to buy several thousand copies. In a few days, the paperback version should be ready, as well.  Amazon’s had a “hitch in their print-along” this week. Not my error! I hear a number of other authors have … Read More

Nine Critical Failures in Afghanistan, Plus a Data Point

Going short the market near the close Monday didn’t take a genius. The speech in the movie Patton delivered brilliantly by George C. Scott sums up the feelings around here: “Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. That’s why Americans have never lost and will never … Read More

Color Me Skeptical

But do notice that after touting “speak to the National at 3:45 PM” the Slow Joe ran the clock out on the stock market.  Which closes at 4:00 PM. Ure – appalled by such transparent scamming – might have gone short. If Biden had good news maybe his time-keeping would be more accurate. More in … Read More