Spooked by the prospect of losing their jobs and another economic shutdown this fall, Americans are cutting spending, paying off installment debt, and hoarding cash. Retail sales cratered in April, falling 16.4 percent from March, an unprecedented one-month plunge, and 21.4 percent lower than a year earlier. March’s decline was 8.3 percent. Furniture sales retreated...
Author: support
Post
THE GREAT DEFLATION?
Prices for U.S. consumer goods, excluding groceries, declined in March and April, falling 0.8 percent in the latter month, the largest one-month slide since December 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gasoline and energy prices, which are now heading back up a bit, led the price shrinkage, contracting by 10.1 percent. Excluding...
Post
U.S. MARKETS
Yesterday, the Dow closed up 911 points on continued hopes of reopening the locked economy and hopes for progress on a COVID virus vaccine. Today, the Dow fell nearly 400 points after a report questioned the results for that potential coronavirus vaccine. NASDAQ dropped 0.54 percent. Brent Crude fell a bit, closing at $34.51 a barrel while West...
Post
HONG KONG: PROTESTS VS. COVID
As reported in last week’s Trends Journal, protests started heating up again on the streets of Hong Kong after the months-long string of demonstrations were stopped by stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus. The city government proclaimed over the weekend that the majority of social-distancing restrictions would remain, including the ban on any public...
Post
SAUDI ARABIA: WASHINGTON’S 9/11 ALLY
Since the worst attack by a foreign enemy on American soil took place on 9/11, both the mainstream media and Washington have made concerted efforts to underreport the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the attack were Saudis. The most recent example was revealed on 13 May when it was reported the...
Post
DISSING DISTANCING
According to cellphone location data, citizens across the U.S. have been moving around a lot more recently, despite the continuing imposition of government ordered restrictions, and they are moving closer together. As states slowly begin the tedious task of reopening and lifting certain bans, the data shows people are adhering less to social distancing. Data...
Post
WISCONSIN STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS STRUCK DOWN
Last Wednesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared the state’s stay-at-home orders were “unlawful, invalid and unenforceable.” The 4-3 ruling referred to the restrictions as a “vast seizure of power.” Writing on behalf of the court’s majority, Justice Daniel Kelly noted, “This comprehensive claim to control virtually every aspect of a person’s life is something we...
Post
KILLING THE ELDERLY
As we have been reporting since the COVID-19 outbreak, across America and around the world, the vast majority of those dying from COVID are the elderly, particularly those with significant pre-existing health issues and living in nursing homes. In many European countries, the number of deaths from elder care homes is around 50 percent. In...
Post
U.S.A. FREEDOM ACT = SPY ON YOU
Last week, the U.S. Senate made it clear that politicians, both Republican and Democrat, are not interested in protecting the privacy rights of their constituents. Last Wednesday, they voted to reauthorize the right of law enforcement officials to spy on citizens’ web browsing histories without getting a warrant. A small group of dissenting senators had...
Post
FROM BON APPETIT TO AGITA
It’s a whole new COVID World of going out and eating out. Having a nice time, socializing, enjoying the vibe… from Michelin-starred to McDonalds, you will have new rules to obey. For those hooked on Big Macs, as well as McDonald’s employees, they’ll have to abide by the company’s 59-page dine-in reopening guide. Highlights include:...