Sound of Distant Blunder: Jobs, Wars, and Tears

by

The End of the World is not yet at hand.  Yet, if you pay close attention, you can “almost hear it” at times.

Let’s start with the market knock-down Thursday which will continue into this morning according to futures prices.  Our Aggregate Index approach to markets shows pretty clearly the decisive area we’ve now entered:

The ghostly/ghastly white arrow makes the point that we broke below the newest emerging declining trend channel Thursday.  We are likely to see a “goal line stand” around the end of the ascending trend line below that.

What we MIGHT infer from such tea leaves is a decline today (to the lower trend level) and then a half-assed rally Monday.  Which would give commercials and greedy day trading pricks (like me) a chance to consider shorting around Monday highs before the Consumer Price Index report next Tuesday.

We don’t offer this as “trading advice” – it’s only entertainment.  Which (being geniuses) we somehow manage to pay income tax on.  Go figure.

Bank Failures Ahead

By our reckoning, there shouldn’t be any additional bank failures for another month of three.  But those are likely because of “Dead Companies Walking.”  Which means, all of these silly (to outright stupid) venture-based monstrosities with no sales an only good fairytales to tell in Silly Con’s Valley.

My consigliere explained them simply (*since I’m slow and dull-witted):  When a company has a huge amount of capital, debt service being near zero allows the fairytale to keep “adding chapters.”  But when rates return to historical levels (6-8 percent) all this blows up.

This is when the bankster class, leaching on the fairytale writers, find themselves short and rather than sell the Big House in Los Gatos, they make moves to foist their business malfeasance off onto the General Population.

Hinting thusly and so-wise is Everyone’s freaking out about SVB because everyone else is freaking out about SVB.

We’re not too worried for the banks – they will live the life of tax-advantaged, bailed-out, luxury via crypto cons, offshore accounts, and tax loss carry-forwards.  At least it’s a life for some…

Speaking of the Crypto Con

Notice how BTC crashed under $19,700 overnight?  Old Man Sense still works.  If something seems too good to be true?  Usually is.

A thousand dollars outdated, we nevertheless offer Bitcoin Price Drops Below $21K As Biden Unveils New U.S. Budget of further confirmation of our warnings since the concoins arrived:  The Government cannot and will not allow its lock on money to be wrested from those sweaty-smarmy bureaucratic hands.  If you believe otherwise, get thee to Reality Counseling, post haste.

Dot Connecting

A Collapse of Silly Con Valley “dead companies walking” and a mass depopulation of the “unicorn companies” – startups with a billion in market cap and only entertaining stories to sell qualified investors who should know better.  Now toss in a “coming to Jesus” of the liars (and worse) in made-up money?

I’m a pretty good writer (at least on volume, if not quality) but damned if I can write a happy-ending with any legs to it.  Result? Our wise readers asked me if we’d seen any fresh bank failures?

We pulled down the data (.xlsx file bankfails as of today here) but the short answer is since 2000, there have been 563 bank failures, none recently, and only 24 when the first dot bomb bungle imploded.  Most of the damage was in Housing-sullied banks.

So much for the foreplay.  Let’s return to Screwed – streaming version – with a check of the…

“The Unicorns Died Broke: sounds like a dandy title if you like writing a novel and care to mix woke, runaway environmental silliness, reparations for all, with a splash of retro Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire, though.  Go ahead, send me a review copy or a galley when you’re done.  But be quick about it.

You know Slo’s budget mentioned “equity” 60+ times? Ohio won’t be the last of America’s train wrecks, we’re nearly certain.  It’s a good day to stay off bridges and out of high buildings.

Federal Jobs Report

Let’s begin in the pig stye, since this is where we’d expect to find hogwash.

“Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 311,000 in February, and the unemployment rate edged up to 3.6 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, retail trade, government, and health care. Employment declined in information and in transportation and warehousing.”

Exsqueeze me?  Almost a third of a million new employees hired and the jobless rate goes UP?

Now, the first sniff of Reality is in the jiggering of population and workforce…

Anyone wanna tellabrother where 419,000 new workers came from?

And then we move on to total number of people (allegedly working):

Guidance:  The headline +311,000 is political BS.  The real number is the +177,000 in the data above.  Which when you look at the population (+150,000) suggests employment should get better, not worse… But jobs didn’t “rise by 311,000 unless you’re statistically challenged.

And from there, the number of these “new jobs” that were ESTIMATED into existence in the CES Birth-Death Model.

176,000.  (See here.)

Near as we can figure it, 1,000 more people is the real increase on a hard-nosed, statistically reliable basis plus whatever truth is to be believed in the CES model estimate. Good God.

All that and the funny business with Silvergate Capital Is Shutting Down — Shares Are Tanking | The Motley Fool and the government figuring a way to keep its lock on money shenanigans with their own crypto scam: SWIFT to go forward with next phase of CBDC experimentation | The Financial Express and a fine time is assured all those in attendance.

Septic Friday

Since the “profits” this week have left us feeling a little “flushed” how about we check out the rest of the septic field and see what headlines are clogging the pipeline to Collapse, shall we?

I mean, ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to reprise the roll of Mr. Whipple in the Charmin ads. Also called “George the Grocer” the similarity in first names is pertinent, methinks.  Although finance was a better topic choice than proctology because “Money is the Important New Shit.”  Besides: ever look for a proctology blog?

Blowing a Big One?  Alaska volcano dormant for a century delivering ominous warning signs: ‘Significant unrest’.

“Ham Sandwich” Trump tracker:  Trump offered chance to testify to New York grand jury:… My reference is no slur.  Rather, a reference to New York State chief judge Sol Wachtler was famously quoted by author Tom Wolfe in The Bonfire of the Vanities saying “a grand jury could ‘indict a ham sandwich,’ if that’s what you wanted.  We do ham sandwiches on wry.

Dead Men Budgeting:  Ever notice in all this talk about budgets in D.C. how the Pinnochio Club (congress) and the Ovalists all talk about solving a budget crisis long after they’re gone from office?  Just looking at the story (because it’s such obvious electioneering bullshit) Biden’s 2024 budget to cut deficits by $3 trillion over next decade – CGTN brings me to the point.  Why didn’t he just come out and say he’s got a plan for a balanced budget by 2099?  Such hype – I want it all fixed RIGHT FRICKIN NOW because at 74 I don’t have 10-years to be f**king around waiting for results from these peckers. (Maybe you do and I’m just impatient.)  Feels like the “little teapot” song from childhood.  “Bend me over and pour me out…” (or something like that).  “Tip?” “Bend?” Like it matters?

(Are we having fun yet?  Shall we keep going?)

If this is Love from a Benevolent Deity?  NASA warns of asteroid that could strike Earth – on Valentine’s Day 2046 – Study Finds.  Thanks God. Not good enough to simply do a Sodom and G-spot replay?

Similarly, unsweet: Zero-calorie sweetener could be linked to health risks, study says – mlive.com.  Back to honey in the tea instead of the “laced stevia” stuff. Truly a mess.

War and Pills

Oh boy.  Cyberattack on Russia or nuclear attack? – “Nuclear dropped, take iodine pills & run to shelters” – What moves cause concern… Is this the beginning of Vlad’s countdown to nukes?

Musk is Getting Close

We are pleased to report that Elon Musk, who we reckon can build a plant and intellectual mecca pretty-much anywhere has decided on a spot about 180 miles from our Uretopia to his Utopia:  Elon Musk Is Planning a Texas Utopia—His Own Town. Town of Bastrop, which would make near enough to be “neighbors.”

What I find interesting is that whatever his search criteria were, they came up with a similar answer to what we did when we decided to move here back in 2003.  Great minds think alike?

Or…there goes the neighborhood…

 Around the Ranch

Tax weekend for me.  We always overpay.  We always get something back.  It’s just a matter of how much.

The real problems in life?  Well, don’t have too many of them.

Elaine’s working on a painting, my version is the ceiling repairs in the guest room which I’ve been shirking, postponing, and excusifying (I have advanced degrees in these). Michael Georgealo’s mural?  The warm weather is past and it’s almost time to ditch the diesel in the greenhouse and do the spring tune-up on the swamp cooler.

Never a dull moment, but wouldn’t it be nice?

Lawn mower is on the tickle trickle waiting for the first run at the lawn which will be along in a week, or so.

The two new feral cats turn out to be a couple:  Sam (the Siamese) is the husband of the small and now very suspiciously fat-looking long-haired black cat with white accents.  They’re nearly inseparable – which is nice to watch.  Didn’t know cats had such a strong mating/loyalty thing going.  Geese? Sure, but feral cats?

Ahead: Monday looks pretty boring, so down today, and a Monday rally with a Tuesday wipeout seems like a reasonable outlook.  Except reason and finance are in whole other parts of the dictionary, so who knows.

Gotta get the outside garden greenhouse going, too… so much to do, so little ibuprofen.

Have a great weekend – ShopTalk Sunday will be along, uh, guess when?

Write when you’re thinking, not just woke,

George@Ure.net

51 thoughts on “Sound of Distant Blunder: Jobs, Wars, and Tears”

  1. Europe’s banks sucked into global rout as high rates reality hits home
    https://www.reuters.com/markets/us-bank-sell-off-sends-ripples-through-europes-lenders-2023-03-10/

    This caught my eye …

    “European bank shares tumbled on Friday in the wake of a dramatic sell-off in U.S. lenders as concern spread that the sector will be vulnerable to the rising cost of money.”

    Hmmm … “the rising cost of money.”

    Damn, I thought ya paid off your “costs” WITH money. (?)

    Sounds like “The Cost of Freedom” we use to here. – The cost of (Financial) Freedom?

    So, how much do monies cost?
    Where do I buy monies?
    Why are coin monies various sizes but paper monies are all the same size?
    Why is there so much Interest in monies?

    Meanwhile in other news, the media brainwashing of simple minds continues …
    Pick a headline, any headline.

    • “Hmmm … “the rising cost of money”

      or hmm..could it be the reduction of VALUE of money…..
      a house that sold for 15000.00 twenty years ago.. just was sold and bought by my friends kid for 159000.00
      ther weren’t any improvements..in fact he had to make some vital repairs..
      I was shopping for a different van.. twenty year old van with old blue book valuation of 3500 is selling for shy 20 and one ten years old for 21 that they had to jump to get it started..
      a fast burger and fries soda that use to sell for 3 in the nineties is now 11..want some ketchup for the fries well thats another .25…
      in the nineties groceries for a family of 4 and 2 grandkids was under 500 a month.. now it’s 500 per person..if you get a coffee and pastry you spend 10 easy more depending on the pastry..
      the minute confidence is lost..you will see rockets going off at the checkout .
      we are now upside down in taxes.. and that was before spend it all joe got going..and not putting any if those emergency let’s fix our infrastructure trillions was created or any of the let’s give it to Ukraine..
      I see the tsunamis collapse of the financial world. we are mirroring Argentina.. we are now not taking in enough tax revenue and our deficit is spiraling out of control.. IF.. we are not able to pay a potion of our obligated expenses.. it will happen over night..it’s like not being able to pay your water and sewer bill..or the electric. they don’t care what you make . pay it or we shut it off.. write a bad check and they’ll tag a couple hundred on in a heartbeat..
      at present a big Mac and fries and soda is around 10 grand in Argentina.. a loaf of bread is 39 million in Zimbabwe..
      what I hear from the people I know is they are buying now while they still can get it..

      • think about the interest on what we owe china..the interest is what.. I believe just in what we owe china per year at this point is what.. 1.6 trillion this year.. not a penny on what we are obligated to pay though.. that is just the interest on what we borrowed.. we are upside down.. and lets face it .. it is easier to go to war with china than to try and dig up that much money to pay them.. next year that will increase as well..
        the only real way to deal with it is to go belly up and start fresh.. bankrupt.. do away with all the services that we are accustomed to.. and start with a fresh slate.. OR… raise taxes acordingly.. and since it would cost every man woman and child an estimated four million a minute for five years to pay off what we owe.. ( not counting the funds we are tossing into the ukraine war) this is a steep amount.. I can tell you my funds and bank account would only last a few hundredths or thousandths of a second of that first minute.. and it is the same with the vast majority of the wage earners today..
        after visiting with people that survived the last depression .. many went to bed thinking they had this great savings only to wake up and it was all gone.. the same with the Weimar depression..
        https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS856US856&q=money+worthless+in+the+weimar&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj__bDX9dH9AhVgkWoFHWDsDGYQ0pQJegQIChAB&biw=1567&bih=735&dpr=1

        IN greece women to feed their children were forced into prostitution to get a can of soup
        https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/greek-women-forced-prostitution-the-6921080
        the elderly had to hit the streets.. dumpster dive for food..

        • Well.. you could just take the Blue pill and think everything is rosy to.. but I believe it is becoming so obvious that even if you took the blue pill it would still look like someone is trying to make you eat shit and die LOL….when I think of the Democrat message to everyone this movie scene comes to mind..
          https://youtu.be/vi2LyTUx4sY

  3. The FED will hand out an emergency stimmy that will segue us into CBDC. As far as we know the banks go over the falls this weekend. Nobody is going to tell us the reason there is change on Monday. The screens will say, “You may notice a change to your bank as you wake up today….”

    “Russia’ took your money in a cyber attack. Who’s going to challenge that official word?

    I have a feeling next month’s collapsing cities during the ‘Days of Darkness’ is going to be brutal and vicious. Every reset is probably brutal and filled with madness. Explains the foundling trains. Nobody mentions where train loads of unwanted children came from.

    Perhaps during the last Reset most adults went mad – possible sun spots or something – and the children ran off hiding until the madness left.

    “Between 1854 and 1929 the United States was engaged in an ambitious, and ultimately controversial, social experiment to rescue poor and homeless children, the Orphan Train Movement. “

    • My mother’s uncle had a farm. He took in some of those kids.
      And then worked them to death.
      They came from NYC.

      • The American Civil War was also full of children. Where did all the children come from? More than NYC. Seems like there were a lot of extra kids for some reason.

        ” Unlike later wars in American history, young people were involved in all aspects of the Civil War, including fighting on the battlefield. William Black, the youngest wounded soldier, was twelve when his left hand and arm were shattered by an exploding shell.”

        “The youngest soldier to fight in the Civil War was a boy named Edward Black. Edward was born on May 30 in 1853, making him just 8 years old when he joined the Union army on July 24, 1861, as a drummer boy for the 21st Indiana volunteers.”

  4. Old friend and meticulous furniture building, hobby carpenter was also upper chain Signals Corp WW11 and Professor of Forensic Dentistry.
    He was all about the mouth, so to speak. snick
    Told me back in early eighties to beware artificial sweeteners. i.e. no long -term studies prior to approval and we were guinea-pigs. Sound familiar? His take was the taste buds ruled the enzymes, etc. automatically injected into digestive system. No real sugar=wrong enzyme. Health impact is unknown.
    I have spread that to everyone I thought could handle more of my tin-foil ever since.
    Thank you George

    • Don’t use artificial sweeteners since I found out about Saccharin and all the nasty attributes that it manifests.

      Been using molasses to sweeten up things, sorghum molasses is the sweetest … has a distinct flavor and I’m ok with that.

      Black Strap Molasses is my medicinal favorite. To get full benefits, it has to be diluted (melted down) in hot water, then drink it. – well, coffee is basically hot water, so that’s my way.

      Really good stuff. If you haven’t, look up the benefits.

  5. Comrade Ure,

    it is with greatest sorrow (not) that I post news of US/NATO getting their collective asses handed to them – stuck on “daggerz” as it were.

    “Disaster: Russian Hypersonic Missiles Wipe Out US/NATO Secret Command in Kiev, Dozens of Top US Officers Vaporized.” – is headline over at inteldrop. Got to scramble some eggs to make a Russian omelette, I guess.

    Seems Russians just cant stop..”addicted to the shindig” and Vllad has just gotten started stomping out Nazism in eastern Ureope. No not regular troops – ruskie law forbids it, hence the vagner “musicians” been playing Rockmanoff on the nato banderist terrorists.

    So deeply moved am I by the lose of nazi lives in ukey theater that I wish nominate Yulia Paevskaya for Urban Survival Women of Courage award. You know mirror our fearless leaders in celebrating “great” courageous nazi Women. Say hello to slo’s new favorite female hero -https://www.theinteldrop.org/2023/03/09/disgrace-biden-decorates-female-nazi-tattoo-icon-involved-in-child-kidnappings/

    Think a picture of this fine individual would great atop Urban Survival header..placed just to the Right of current header next to the L in SurvivaL.

    Feeling REPRESENTED ? Ure values and what not..hmmmm – Tells a person alot regards Values/Who and What you support..strange days indeed.

    Natasha – Wave goodbye to the Moose&Squirrel, they no canna stopa ze DaggerZ,

    • With the serious issues faced by the damage to those power plants, it proves Russia isn’t afraid of all things nuclear.

      Just a little discussion about it between then and the next week or so …

      https://thebulletin.org/2023/03/the-narrow-field-of-options-for-safely-managing-ukraines-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant/

      In a proxy war, you send equipment, and soldiers under the guise of mercenaries … but you ain’t in it. – likewise, you don’t set off an atomic bomb, instead you damage the shit out of the nuclear things already in place = proxy.

      I always said, nuclear power plants seem to be placed around the world, like one would place flea bombs throughout a house.

      This War is like a dirty pool game … lots of slop.

      • .., and a beautiful opportunity for a false-flag event – the U.S. to blow the nuclear plant.., blaming Russia – thus the need to bomb Russia.., [ U.K. would agree.]

  7. “Dead Companies Walking.”

    consider the MOM and POP shops to…. our local store closed after almost a hundred years of being open.. they couldn’t make enough to pay the electric bill.. luckily it was the two kids and dad that ran it.. when I first moved to this village.. they had three checkouts open and a couple of hired workers..
    the same with the local gas and coffee stop.. I was hired as a part time shift manager.. one of my jobs was to do the books.. I opened them up and was instantly mortified.. the total income for a week was 3500.00… and that didn’t include the cost of the stock the costs assoviated with the building or the employees wages and there are three shifts each with three employees and a manager …. then on top of it.. the taxes all doubled .. the guy is a young man whose parents helped him buy the station.. since he isn’t making any money at the place.. my guess is he won’t be open to long..
    the Dollar General.. the old store owner was considering running the dollar general.. he was telling me the costs involved just with the monthly rent.. and nothing about the stock back stock etc.. there isn’t anyway that that store is making enough to stay open.. we actually have a twenty dollar bet on how long that will stay open.. he figured five years I gave it fifteen.. the reason I gave it such a long time.. is the guy that owns the companies.. makes big money in his other endeavor and he has thirty seven dollar generals.. so if one store needs two cans of this.. that is how they do their ordering.. ( just like I restock my pantry ) the store manager makes fifteen dollars an hour there.. the rest around nine to ten .. no bennies..
    those are Dead Companies Walking.. ( I wasn’t expecting the taxes to double so I might have to come up with the twenty)
    that is why the cabinet shop I worked for started though a bunch of big buck bennies invested in it in hopes of loosing money for tax purposes.. gotta throw some away to save paying uncle Joe and Aunt Kammy..
    So you are not just talking about some big schmuck companies.. but brick and mortar everywhere.. especially the mom and pop stores.. Like our local grocery store.. they made so little that their labor was a labor of luv.. then take BLM and Antifa and their terrorist activities that is seen as justified.. they destroyed the mom and pop stores in their neighborhoods.. I visited with one friend that said.. oh it was just owned by.. ( racial discrimination of another culture) .. the mom and pop store couldn’t re-open.. they now have to burn gas to go get groceries almost thirty miles away.. the same person that was racially prejudice about the owners of the local store.. is now complaining ( yes worse than I do LOL LOL LOL ) about the long drive they have to make to buy their necessities.. imagine that.. their grocery bill went up that much.. now prices going up to boot.. I know our grocery bill went up about three hundred just for travel expenses..
    Its always about the business model.. just like pork raising hogs.. company owned businesses make money.. individual farmers loose money.. I see it as a way to acquire their property.. and have total control..

  9. “we nevertheless offer Bitcoin Price Drops Below $21K As Biden Unveils New U.S. Budget of further confirmation of our warnings since the concoins arrived:”

    Hmm.. I can see how they can do that.. heck Cali taxes Cow Flatulency.. what difference is there from a fart to a mental image of a coin or flower.. I know you thought about daisies.. pay your taxes now.. Zelenski needs it.. forget about the bridges and roads the infrastructure or the grid… we need bombs and bullets ASAP..

  10. “Exsqueeze me? Almost a third of a million new employees hired and the jobless rate goes UP?

    Now, the first sniff of Reality is in the jiggering of population and workforce…”

    I am sorry G.. but if you drop OFF of the list you are no longer counted.. LOL LOL LOL… so that in my mind would explain that oddity.. the jobs of those that fell off of the books are no longer counted and their jobs even though a few were hired wasn’t enough to fill all of those fast food jobs open..

      • LOL LOL that is an easy one G…. They didn’t.. they did raise the starting part time wages for new hires.. but limit their hours. It looks good on paper but in reality it has less substance than those cow farts that california taxes farmers for.. they make more per hour but less per payday.. the employees at the facility that my wife works at.. haven’t gotten an increase in what close to ten years now.. not quite ten.. but then he can’t afford to keep the door open at all.. I don’t even need to see his books LOL.. I was talking to the one in charge of fiduciary and he spilled the beans on what income is there.. looks good on paper…. the administrator was planning on quitting the end of January because of that.. but the place she was hired on at.. let her know what her hours would be and she would actually loose money so she stayed.. more per hour .. less per payday and more travel expenses.. Kind of like my wife ( the boss) telling me no on some things I want to get.. see she has this idea.. that you have to have an adequate income to be able to afford the stuff I would like to acquire.. and if it isn’t coming in.. you have to juggle.. its the illusion if I cut insurance rates..we would be swimming in dough like most we are insurance poor…. yes you do make more part time new hire.. but.. you actually make less.. like lets take a favorite shopping spot.. the big chain.. they have what I am guessing twenty full time big employees.. that get good wages and decent benefits.. the rest are all part time.. the income looks better.. heck back in nintey I made less than five dollars an hour my wife as a charge nurse made four dollars and seventy five cents per hour…. way less.. in 87.. I made less than four dollars an hour.. but I had health insurance.. then when I went to the county to drive truck.. my wage was six bucks an hour the electric companies linemen made twelve and fifteen dollars for the experienced linemen.. ( we use to play cards with them during their slow periods..) .. but I had insurance with the county.. at the end of the month my total income was 307.00 after the deduction of the insurance costs. Linemen today make a considerable more than that.. .I had to work two full time and one part time jobs to make it.. my daughter had speeding tickets so car insurance was 350.00 a month..
        today even at the banks.. they hire part time tellers.. a skeleton crew of full time.. the ceo of a hospital was making a million a year.. the second up was making close to that back in 94 .. they downsized and one night we were sitting around his pool having a cold beverage while watching the kids play and he was telling me about how insulted he was because a hospital in colorado only offered him a half million.. the floor walkers were making under five bucks and hour.. I told him laughing I wish someone would insult me that way LOL LOL..

      • good lord man.. don’t invest in a crack pipe.. get some Kush and sit back and relax.. LOL LOL LOL

  11. Yesterday I came back to the ranch after the weekly Executive Committee meeting to find 2 long boxes sitting in the middle of the drive and a smallish young UPS lady struggling to drag one to the side by the fence post. The boxes looked like they had been through Hell and had been taped up with a couple hundred yards of packing tape. I saw a small faded picture of what looked like a garden in a corner next to a faded shipping label that only the barcode was distinguishable and thought, could it be? We loaded them into my truck and I brought them to the shop. I slid one down on the floor and made a surgical slice down the side. Yep, it is! The 2 rolls of 6 mil greenhouse plastic I ordered 2 years ago had arrived. Thing is I had reported these had not arrived to the supplier and they sent me replacements 18 months ago. Since I’m down to 1 40′ hoop house I should be good for 16 years or so now.

    Stay safe. 73

  12. “Similarly, unsweet: Zero-calorie sweetener could be linked to health risks, study says – mlive.com. Back to honey in the tea instead of the “laced stevia” stuff. Truly a mess.”

    That study was flawed. Nothing to worry about. Listen to Dr. Eric Berg (he has a huge following) explain about four key points about the study before you jump to conclusions.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0oPkpa3ovSo&feature=youtu.be

  13. Kind of twisted logic – but, is it possible that the New Jobs number is directly related to the Federal Reserve ? Meaning., this “official number” gives ‘The Fed’ incentive and justification to raise the interest rates above what would be needed to fight inflation – as they can now point to a very hot jobs market and start warning about an over-heating economy? “The Fed” wants the jobs-market to collapse, to bring down inflation pressure., and what better way to do that, then to raise the interest rates – higher and faster then actually needed ? They can point to this fantasy number as proof and justification to bitch-slap Wall Street, the Job Market and the economy with a 3/4 point jump in rates. Kind of all fits together.., sort of…..

  14. All of these “Dream Banks” will have a very high failure rate due to higher interest rates., and under normal conditions it seems “The Fed” would cut the interest rates giving these ‘banks’ a chance at surviving.., but they can’t cut rates due to inflation pressures. To fight inflation they will have to raise rates to get to the magical 2.0 to 2.5 % inflation level.., thus they are going to wipe out a lot of these Silicon Valley type banks. It’s one, or the other.., Silicon Valley Banks, or Inflation. The Fed can’t do both.

  15. All: lots of distractions this day. Watch US Treasuries rate (precipitous fall over the last 48 hours). The TNX low today so far was 3.674% after failing to remain above 4% let alone take out the prior 4.2%+ recent high. There hasn’t been a “flight to * quality” during this >year long bear. Something’s different. Egor

    * OK, quality is eye of beholder, given US has a printing press …

  16. To me, it’s no big thing.., several investment groups have been warning their investors about Silicon Valley Bank for a couple of months due to higher interest rates.., however –
    – Silicon Valley Bank has been shut by the FDIC.
    Trading was halted for shares of the financial firm early Friday after the stock plunged more than 86%.

  17. Re: “The Tipping Point”
    feat: Tears for Fears

    Folks,

    St. Michael’s Church, Kiev, was again the backdrop today for Mr. Z’s message clad in fatigue. He was accompanied at the service to a fallen leader of the right wing Da Vinci’s Wolves by the telegenic Finnish PM Ms. Sanna Marin who happened to be in town. “The Jerusalem Post” helpfully advises that the ‘Wolves are of the ultra-nationalist “Right Sector” affiliation.

    https://novynarnia.com/2022/12/12/duk-pravyj-sektor-stav-67-yu-mehanizovanoyu-brygadoyu-zsu/

    Here is an interesting last summer account of Right Sector sometimes being in left field by “Unherd’s” experienced war reporter, Aris Roussinos, lugging about a MSc from Oxford.

    https://unherd.com/2022/06/on-the-frontline-with-the-right-sector-militia/

    • Re: “All Along the Watchtower”
      feat. “princes kept the view”

      Folks,

      “The Guardian” offers waypoints in its coverage of the tragic event that unfolded yesterday at a Kingdom Hall in Hamburg, Germany. Apparently police received a slew of 47 calls for assistance as shots rang out and reached the scene at 21:08 local time. “A special operations support team happened to be in the neighborhood” arriving on scene at 21:09.

      The now-deceased alleged perpetrator’s January 2023 manifesto has been removed from online book retailer sites. The book overview remains archived for the moment:
      “Never before has the attempt been made to make clear the interaction between heaven and earth and to make visible the influences of the spirit persons [God, Jesus Christ, Satan] on humanity, society and individuals.

      Contrary to popular belief, God, Jesus Christ and Satan are not abstract beings in heaven. No, rather we are dealing with very powerful spiritual beings who have feelings, just as we humans do, and therefore also act partly impulsively out of feelings.

      The signs of the times and the current world situation point to a certain imbalance, not only in our society. …”

    • Re: Special Report

      Folks,

      The Beeb has issued cautionary advice to viewers concerning Saturday’s upcoming MOTD (match of the day) footie show. The program will “focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry”. This follows the national broadcaster’s premiere sports presenter criticizms of changing government asylum policy.

      One rests assured that DJ George will not be filtered.

      God save the King!

  18. I was right about the continued sell-off on the DowJones., but it sure took them a while to get around to it. Down 380 – thinking of getting out…,

  19. “We do ham sandwiches on wry.”
    Hey… I’m a ham! Now if I could find a couple of cuties to sandwich me…

    So Musk is buying in to Ure neighborhood? I guess he didn’t like my hot property on an active volcano ? I guess I picked a good place to keep the riff-raff out… complete with a 2500 mile wide moat!

    Hmmm… about that April thing…. Mercury goes retrograde on April 21.

  20. on the topic of writing. I met Min Jin Lee last night. very delightful lady and a little rough around the edges like me.

    she came up and stood next to me at a gig. I didn’t know her. I said hi, you important. she laughed and said im Min. maybe and shrugged. she said who are you? I said Andy. she said are you important? I said maybe.
    She said she came in second for the Nobel peace prize for her book, Free food for millionaires. I said awwe man. I know that feeling. I came in second at the pinewood derby my first time too. won the second time. she said pinewood derby? i said yeah. she laughed then took the stage at a gig I was at.

    pretty nice lady. not sure why DUDE is having me meet all these people I meet. it’s cool. I meet so many people. been talking to a fella who manages a 21 billion dollar hedge fund I met the other day too…. pretty nice fella.

    I probably get her book. give it a gander.

    just checking in. hope all is well.

    ohh tube snake boogie just came on the radio. I’m at MPOP tonight. should be a good night. haha.

    all is well. listing to speeches by Rick Flair to pump myself up before work. and drinking red bull.

    have you heard of that movie out called cocain bear? it’s based on a true story. hahahaa.
    I need to seee that.

    as always tons and tons and tons more but I don’t say everything I see. and I seeee alot alot.

    mostly being quiet. I know, unbelievable. hahaha. have to give space to allow DUDE to reveal more. always a big fan of More.

    :)

  22. Why Yes It Would.

    Wouldn’t It Be Nice

    The Beach Boys
    Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older?
    Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long
    And wouldn’t it be nice to live together
    In the kind of world where we belong

    You know it’s gonna make it that much better
    When we can say goodnight and stay together

    Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up
    In the morning when the day is new?
    And after having spent the day together
    Hold each other close the whole night through

    Happy times together we’ve been spending
    I wish that every kiss was never ending
    Wouldn’t it be nice?

    Maybe if we think, and wish, and hope, and pray
    It might come true
    Baby, then there wouldn’t be a single thing we couldn’t do
    We could be married
    (We could be married)
    And then we’d be happy
    (And then we’d be happy)

    Wouldn’t it be nice?

    You know it seems the more we talk about it
    It only makes it worse to live without it
    But let’s talk about it
    Wouldn’t it be nice?

  23. Kitten Talk.

    Take as needed.

    Little black kitten with lovely green eyes fell in love with hub. She was one of 10 strays behind their shop. The only one of 10 to venture towards a human. He calls me and says, there is a little cat here what do I do? I says, open up a can of tuna! Fast forward, I have commented on her before in this comment section. She is Ms. Kitty, best little lady ever.

    So, of course, back yonder, when she was that young shop kittie, he calls me and says, this here little kitty is getting fat! Hmm….I knew, but he didn’t know. So, we prepped a place for her. A dog cage, nice sized, filled it with a place to sleep, some rags, a kitty box, water/food. The bottom pan, in the cage, is plastic, easy to remove and wash and keep clean in case of accidents.

    She would go in and out of it all day long, as she was still feral. BUT, when she had her kittens, we found them and brought all of them into the shop, and she stayed in that cage during the week with her babies, and closed up tight on the weekends with the necessaries so she was safe from the other feral cats and what nots, plus it lowered her stress level.

    Anyway, two of the MOST beautiful kittens you ever saw. At 9 weeks, they went to quite posh homes, and were loved.

    WARNING: cats will mate again once those kittens are gone (or before), so IF you do not want another litter, you will have to get on it!

    So, get ready, make a home that she feels comfortable in. Having kittens in the wild is not easy on her, and she may lose them. IF she sees her little home ahead of time, she just might use it.

  24. Proposed South Dakota amendment to UCC would prohibit cryptocurrencies, but not CBDC

    Legislation has been introduced in the American state of South Dakota to amend the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) to limit the definition of money to exclude cryptocurrencies. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) would still be considered money under the proposed new definition.

    https://cointelegraph.com/news/proposed-south-dakota-amendment-to-ucc-would-prohibit-cryptocurrencies-but-not-cbdc

    The bill passed. Governor Kristi Noem and her staff read & studied the bill. They came to the conclusion it would pave the way for the U.S. to go to a CBDC-only means of exchange — then she summarily vetoed it.

    Congress could learn a lot from Governor Noem.

    Hat tip to Tucker…

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