trendsjournal.com – History Before It Happens

December 19, 2023

20231219202129

NETANYAHU SAYS ISRAEL WILL STRIKE ‘EVERYWHERE IN LEBANON’ AS IDF RENEWS ATTACKS ON BEIRUT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that the IDF will continue to strike targets “everywhere in Lebanon” after his military carried out a strike on a private school in a Beirut suburb, claiming that Hezbollah was using the facility to house equipment.

SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER

Elon Musk’s two-year-old xAI startup has bought the Musk-owned X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, for $45 billion in stock.

ISRAELI PAPER CONDEMNS SETTLER-SOLDIER RAIDS IN WEST BANK’S JINBA AS LATEST EXAMPLE OF TREACHERY

A top Israeli newspaper published an op-ed last week that shined a light on the violence that Palestinians in the West Bank have been forced to endure under the new security framework in the region…

AS FORECAST: BLACK SEA TRUCE EFFORT DOES NOTHING TO END WAR IN UKRAINE

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustrations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for refusing to agree to a limited Black Sea ceasefire deal.

ISRAEL RAMPS UP ATTACKS ACROSS LEBANON, DRAWING WARNING FROM HEZBOLLAH’S LEADER

Israel carried out deadly drone strikes in Lebanon last week—including a pair that killed four, despite a fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah that has been routinely broken by the IDF.

U.S. REFUSES TO RELEASE DATA ON INITIAL STRIKES ON YEMEN, DESPITE SIGNAL CHAT ERROR

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters last week that the American strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen earlier this week were precise and successful, but the Pentagon has yet to reveal what targets were hit or the casualty count.

GOVERNMENTS, CORPORATIONS TOP $100 TRILLION IN BONDED DEBT

The governments and corporations in the 38-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have more than $100 trillion in bonded debt outstanding, almost as much as the entire world’s GDP, which is between $105 trillion and $110 trillion, a new OECD report has found.

FOREIGN INVESTORS ARE RETURNING TO CHINESE STOCKS

China’s sudden emergence as a global player in artificial intelligence, combined with Beijing’s easier hand of regulation, is drawing foreign investors back to Chinese equities.

NETANYAHU GETS BIG WIN: MORE MONEY FOR MORE WAR

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu achieved a significant political victory last week after the Knesset passed a budget that will increase spending by 20 percent—with a focus on military spending and domestic issues that made his extremist coalition purr.

GOING OUT OF BUSINESS TRENDS

The economic landscape has presented an array of challenges that will profoundly affect the business community this year.

CONSUMER SENTIMENT PLUNGES

Consumers’ view of the present and future state of the U.S. economy is cratering, according to the final March survey by the University of Michigan.

MAJOR PROTEST CONTINUES IN TURKEY OVER MAYOR’S ARREST

A massive protest broke out on Saturday in Istanbul, Turkey, demanding the release of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu—the chief political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

VANCE VISITS GREENLAND, ACCUSES DENMARK OF UNDERINVESTING IN ISLAND’S SECURITY

U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland last week to visit American forces at Washington’s northernmost military base and send a clear reminder to the island that the Trump administration is not backing down on its vow to claim the island from Denmark.

METALS PRICES SKYROCKET AS TRUMP’S TRADE WAR INTENSIFIES

Copper and gold are fetching record prices and silver futures are trading at levels not seen since 2012 as investors seek safe havens and U.S. manufacturers stockpile raw materials ahead of rising tariffs.

“INFERENCE” IS THE NEW BATTLEGROUND FOR AI CHIP MAKERS

Nvidia leads the world in making ever more complex and costly chips that train AI models. Now chip makers looking to take a piece of Nvidia’s market share have found a new path to that goal.

BODIES OF 8 PALESTINIAN MEDICS RECOVERED AFTER REPORTEDLY BEING MOWED DOWN BY IDF TROOPS WHILE RESPONDING TO EMERGENCY CALLS

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced Sunday that the bodies of eight of its medics were recovered after vanishing last week when they came under heavy fire by the IDF while responding to emergency calls in Rafah.

ECONOMIC UPDATE—MARKET OVERVIEW

The cover of this week’s Trends Journal says it all. The reason gold prices are spiking is because those with a brain bigger than a pea—who are not devoted to their political party and are not locked in a narrow minded liberal/conservative, left wing/right wing container—see and understand the socioeconomic and geopolitical dangers ahead.

WHEN REALITY IS DISTORTED—BEYOND THE MARKETS

For over a decade I have attempted to convey to those who follow my work from all over the world that we would be moving into an entirely new system with a new set of rules, an entirely new paradigm.

Small Piles Of Rare Earth And Precious Minerals

METALS PRICES SKYROCKET AS TRUMP’S TRADE WAR INTENSIFIES

TECHNOCRACY BRIEFS: LAB GROWN HUMANS FOR BODY PARTS, AND GENE EDITING RICE FOR HEART “HEALTH”

Humans grown from embryonic stem cells, incubated in artificial wombs, created for the purpose of supplying research flesh, or organs......

Businessman's Hand Gestures With Pointed Finger

BARBARIAN NETANYAHU SAYS U.S. PROTESTERS FOR GAZA PEACE STAND FOR ‘BARBARISM’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week addressed a conference on antisemitism in Jerusalem and thanked those in attendance for standing “with the forces of civilization against the forces of barbarism.”

U.S. President Donald Trump At A News Conference

TRUMP: THERE WILL BE BOMBING IN IRAN IF NO DEAL

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will order the military to bomb Iran if Tehran refuses to agree to end its nuclear program, which the country has insisted is for civilian use.

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Global Economy

SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER

Elon Musk’s two-year-old xAI startup has bought the Musk-owned X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, for $45 billion in stock.

SPOTLIGHT: TRUMP’S TRADE WAR

The European Union (EU) is preparing a list of concessions to offer Donald Trump in exchange for easing or lifting tariffs on vehicles and other items that are already in effect and scheduled to rise on 2 April.

TOP TREND 2024, A GOLDEN YEAR FOR GOLD: INDIA’S INVESTORS FLOCK TO GOLD AS STOCK MARKET TANKS

India’s investors are shifting their portfolios toward exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on gold as the country’s equity market has crashed. (See “Trillion-Dollar Sell-Off Hits India’s Stock Markets,” 18 Mar 2025.)

The Israel War

Exterior View Of The Knesset, Israel's House Of Parliament

ISRAEL’S KNESSET VOTES ON BILL THAT STRIPS POWER FROM THE COURTS

Israel’s Knesset last week delivered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu another victory after it passed a bill that strips independence from the country’s court system and grants more power to politicians, in what has been called a “judicial coup” for the embattled leader.

Palestinians Seen With Their Belongings After Fleeing From Hamad City

GAZA DEATH TOLL

Israeli forces continue to carry out new attacks across Gaza and enforce a complete humanitarian blockade.

BARBARIAN NETANYAHU SAYS U.S. PROTESTERS FOR GAZA PEACE STAND FOR ‘BARBARISM’

Trends in AI

AARDVARK PUTS WORLD-CLASS WEATHER FORECASTS ON YOUR DESKTOP

The “Aardvark” weather forecasting AI will bring to personal digital devices the same world-class forecasts that AI has recently made far quicker and less expensive than has been available, the developers said.

“INFERENCE” IS THE NEW BATTLEGROUND FOR AI CHIP MAKERS

Nvidia leads the world in making ever more complex and costly chips that train AI models. Now chip makers looking to take a piece of Nvidia’s market share have found a new path to that goal.

DEEPSEEK STICKS TO RESEARCH, NOT REVENUE-SEEKING

Unlike AI Western developers, Chinese company DeepSeek has reacted to its recent fame and soaring sales by focusing even more heavily on research, not chasing greater and greater revenue.

Hi-Tech Science

HIGH-TECH SCIENCE SPECIAL REPORT: SERVICE ROBOTS ARE HERE TO HELP

Japan, with one of the world’s oldest populations, faces a labor shortage. The lack is particularly acute in restaurants, where servers work hard, pay is low, and grumpy customers must be kept happy.