After putting on a good show part of Friday, markets weakened at the close.  And with the opening of the Beijing Olympics, we’re only 13-days from the wrap-up of events there. Already, though, bullets are flying in Ukraine.  Not a lot of ’em, but enough to tell markets “This problem may not be going away.” … Read More

UrbanSurvival readers tend to have IQ’s well over 110.  If you’re reading us on a regular basis, congrats!  You’re probably too smart to be sucked into herd-think. Lately, our attention has been sliced & diced (“But wait, there’s More!”) by events that all (on close inspection) have a common theme. Money! Our guiding principle during the … Read More

While 115,000 (and likely more) Russian troops are pressing in on Ukraine, we are more concerned in the very short-term about Narrative Collapse. You won’t see this in the MSM *(because 5 companies own 90 percent of media and they’re all hip-deep in the Big Swindle) – the Narrative Collapse has them scared shitless because … Read More

We need to focus on Luck, once in a while.  Any discussion of Personal Finance that doesn’t include heavy weighting to Luck is absent a solid foundation.  Should be obvious to anyone who understands statistics and the long, deep schism between Religious and Reductionism. More importantly is the matter of how event in physics are … Read More

We are blessed that we have not had to issue the dreaded “Assume the crash position found on the card in the seat pocket in front of you…” advise, yet.  But it’s getting closer. A few short headlines before an incredibly serious column today: Russia sends written response to U.S. as Ukraine negotiations continue. Odds … Read More

Early stock futures had the markets set to give-back half the Friday Bear slaughter.  We’ll be hoping for more, having thrown in with the negative Nelly’s late last week. We will keep this morning’s column short.  Since the major focus around here is still spring cleaning of the office.  And getting ready for taxes which … Read More

Two items to go over today.  One is the visiting firefighter learns cutting and welding.  The other is a longish discussion of tool use. To hell with Covid.  I have a bigger problem: Messy Bench Disease. MBD. One of the continuing problems around the ranch – and my office – is that I have a … Read More

As uncomfortable as 2021 was, 2022 is still setting up to be even worse.  This as shortages, a trucker’s convoy over Covid, and changes in seasonal weather appear. On top of Russia proximity to Ukraine and Taiwan jitters over what follows the Games. In the meantime, markets seem to have genuinely lost even the last … Read More

Super short column today because we may be down to “short strokes” in terms of “How does all this work out?” Data First: Inflation Shows Labor’s out with Employment Costs – which are one of the price drivers when you go shopping: “Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 1.0 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month … Read More

There is a near-genius level post in the comments section from overnight which has an odd “echo of future” if you read it just so. Fellow noticed the story about a week back that mentions a small flotilla of Russian landing craft had put out to sea;  Russia’s Landing Ships Are Headed To The Mediterranean … Read More

Personal Hysteresis and Latency Planning. Which is totally worth  (verging on absolutely  necessary) considering when markets are running hard and fast while we’re all trying to figure out how to make “the most” out of what have turned into very uncertain times. We’ll begin with some basics of “cause and effect” then move to a … Read More

Just out from Case-Shiller/S&P/CoreLogic: “YEAR-OVER-YEAR The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported an 18.8% annual gain in November, down from 19.0% in the previous month. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 16.8%, down from 17.2% in the previous month. The 20- City Composite … Read More

We sat out the manic Monday market decline – and furious rally that followed Monday – for a number of reasons:  Statistical and Medical, mainly. Lot of anti-aging notes at the bottom of this morning’s column (see ATR below). We’ll do the medical in the Around the Ranch section.  But, as to the statistical?  The … Read More