Shop-Talk Sunday: What is “Enough Tools?

Earlier this week another “Tool Project” came home:  The radial arm saw. To be sure, it will be a bit of work getting it into 100% to my standards of readiness.  There may be some paint, a few rust spots to be “cured” and lots of elbow grease.  Plus, a missing elevation crank has been … Read More

Ahead: Reliving the 1930’s (In Advance)

With a mix of terror and remorse, we line up the “history that logically follows” as the markets prepare for collapse.  Just this week, for example the Federal Reserve’s H.6 Money Stocks report owned up to swelling M1 (cash and equivalents) at an annualized rate of 88.5%. While “doubling the money” (or close enough for … Read More

One Week to a Holiday! Markets Ponder Vitamin D?

Normally, when you come to U.S. National Holidays, there is a modest upward bias to market action.  Whether it’s from people anticipating good times (oh, and MAYBE a beer or six), or whether it’s just that pessimism fades in bright sunlight (from Vitamin D going up?), we don’t know. The reason, suggests a 2017 paper … Read More

Markets: Red Lines, IMF, Virus, and Depression II

Thursday Data Festival!!!  Which we will jump into in a moment (there’s a lot of data today). First, we want to arrange the data plate that may leave you grabbing at the breakfast table.  To hold on for a “white knuckle experience.”  Deep breath, first…  [aauuummmm manu padme auumm]  (This is the Texas spelling…) Irwin … Read More

MMT: Marxist Monetary Treachery

If stock market behavior, of late, hasn’t “hung together” for you, we have the answer!  A very short – and pithy (as in “I’m pithed”) at the academic crookery involved in selling the scam called “Modern Monetary Theory” to the witless and stupid that comprise 80% of Americans. But, before we go into the fact-free … Read More

Oh Yeah: “Earthquake Tireds”

What was it I said in the column this morning?  Here, let me help: “And I’m pretty-sure I had the “earthquake tireds” last night…so we shall see…In  the Valley Between Eclipses, now.“ Why are we NOT surprised at: Event type:                       Earthquake Region:                           Oaxaca, Mexico Geographic coordinates:           16.035N, 95.909W Magnitude:                       7.4 Depth:                           23 km Universal Time (UTC):             … Read More

Forget 19! Up-Crash Momentum

Dow Futures were up 250-earlier.  So what if CV-19 casea are growing?  Hospitalizations up?  Few showing up for rallies?  Police being “defunded”?  Icons falling?  Who cares?  Making Up Money is the “New Sheriff” in finance. Our Guess? Last-gasp of a failing global economic system.  Torpedoed, in large measure, when “Slippery Dick” Nixon took the U.S. … Read More

CFNAI – Strategic Waiting – Social Media and MMT

We will “roll backwards” this morning. There is much to think about as the Summer Doldrums begin to swirl between the ears.  Sure, a bit of tiredness this morning.  But, is it a precursor (“earthquake tireds”) or just the result of taking Sunday off from my “High Photon Diet?”  (Down 10-pounds, thanks for asking!) Social … Read More

Prepping: Unlimited Personal Energy

In a Life-or-Death situation, here’s a useful tool:  Being able to “tap-in” to almost unlimited energy.  While, at the same time, remaining clear-headed and detached from what’s going on around you.  With this skill you can make clear-headed decisions with some immunity from calamitous events. This is the mental dimension of prepping.  We talk about … Read More

The "New WEH" [Web-Empowered-Human]

“A Training Routine for Digital Knowledge-Fishing” is our focus today. Originally, I sat down to write up my plans for a ideal survival computing platform….  But, suddenly, there was this whole way of becoming “Web-Empowered” that doesn’t seem to get much notice. Moreover, it crosses a lot of “traditional societal views” in the process.  That … Read More

More on the Fed’s “Making Up Money”

“Economists” call it “Modern Monetary Theory.”  Wiki it and you’ll find the idea is dreadfully simple – make it up: “MMT argues that governments create new money by using fiscal policy. According to advocates, the primary risk once the economy reaches full employment is inflation, which can be addressed by gathering taxes to reduce purchasing … Read More

Trumps “Enemies List” – B.B.B.T.

Breaking:  Weekly Unemployment Data Just out from Labor: “In the week ending June 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 1,508,000, a decrease of 58,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 24,000 from 1,542,000 to 1,566,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,773,500, a decrease … Read More

Big Day Tomorrow

If MIGHT be really interesting.  Pepto for the open. Sometimes, we have a pretty solid feel for how things MIGHT play out.  From this morning’s (8AM) Peoplenomics ChartPack comments: “Although I don’t offer financial advice, there would sure be a grand and graceful solution here if the market rallied a bit, perhaps into the European close … Read More