TRENDS ON THE ECONOMIC AND MARKET FRONT
U.S. IN RECESSION, 46 PERCENT OF AMERICANS SAY
The U.S. is not in a recession, economists say, but nearly half of Americans disagree.
ECONOMIC UPDATE – MARKET OVERVIEW
Last Friday, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded regional lenders, including U.S. Bancorp, Zions Bancorp, Bank of Hawaii Corp., Washington Federal Inc., Western Alliance Bancorp, Associated Banc-Corp., Comerica Inc., UMB Financial Corp., First Hawaiian Inc., Intrust Financial Corp., and First Republic.
WEAK TRANSPORT STOCKS POINT TO ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN
The Dow Jones Transportation Index, made up of 20 transport-related stocks from airlines to trucking companies, has lagged behind the overall Dow Jones Industrial Average by about 6.9 points since February, The Wall Street Journal reported.
M&A SLUMP HITS BANK REVENUES
Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley were among the major banks reporting a slump in revenues from their investment banking divisions, which structure and consult on mergers and acquisitions.
LOAN AVAILABILITY HAS TIGHTENED IN KEY MARKETS, FED REPORT SHOWS
The U.S. Federal Reserve’s “Beige Book,” a periodic summary of business conditions across the country, shows that it is now harder for businesses to secure loans in California, New York, and Texas, Wall Street on Parade reported.
BANKS PAY HIGHER INTEREST IN ATTEMPT TO HOLD ONTO CUSTOMERS
Small and regional banks are finding they have to pay higher interest rates on deposits to keep their customers.
CONGRESS: THE INSIDE DEAL. MEMBERS SOLD BANK STOCKS AHEAD OF CRISIS
At least eight members of Congress or their close family members dumped or cashed in on bank shares in March as the industry’s crisis was unfolding, according to data compiled by data firm 2iQ’s “Capital Trades” watchdog project and reported by The New York Times.
OBSCURE FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANKS WERE LIFELINE IN BANKING CRISIS
The 11 federal home loan banks (FHLBs), an obscure corner of the government’s financial apparatus, played a key role in saving banks from possible failure during the March banking crisis triggered when Signature and Silicon Valley banks failed at the same time.
TRENDS ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FRONT
WHEN THE ECONOMY FALLS JOBS GO WITH IT
This is week 36 of our reporting the long trend-line of layoffs that signal recession in a country near you. And now, with The Street betting that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates 25 basis points on May 3rd, the economy will slow down and the job cuts will increase. Here are the latest list of job cuts:
EUROZONE SEES FIRST-QUARTER GROWTH CONTINUE IN APRIL
Initial data indicates that the 19-member Eurozone’s economy expanded in this year’s first quarter, skirting the recession that many analysts had predicted.
EUROPE’S BANKS BRACE FOR LIQUIDITY PINCH AS LOANS COME DUE
In late June, European banks are due to repay €478 billion in loans—equivalent to about $525 billion—to the European Central Bank (ECB).
ECB SHOULD CONTINUE HIKING RATES DESPITE BANKING CRISIS, OFFICIALS SAY
The European Central Bank (ECB) must ignore turmoil in the banking industry and continue raising its key interest rate to beat back inflation, a majority of the bank’s governing council members agreed at their 16 March meeting, the Financial Times reported.
U.K. INFLATION ABOVE 10 PERCENT: “OFFICIAL” BLAMES WORKERS OF SLAVELANDIA
Inflation in Britain ran at 10.1 percent in March, barely down from 10.4 percent in February and higher than the 9.8-percent average that analysts had expected.
AUSTRALIA’S CENTRAL BANK WILL UNDERGO MAJOR REFORM
After being criticized for not warning the public about impending changes to its key interest rate and slow response to inflation, the Royal Bank of Australia (RBA) will undergo major reforms, including establishment of an interest rate-setting committee and a revamped culture, Australian treasurer James Chalmers announced last week.
SPOTLIGHT: REAL ESTATE
In this section:
● Home Foreclosures Soar 22 Percent in First Quarter
● Home Sales Slipped Again in March
● Home Prices Fall Most Since 2012
SPOTLIGHT: OFFICE BUILDING BUST
In this section:
● Pension Funds Lose Billions in Commercial Real Estate Bust
● Insurance Firms to Office Building Owners: You’re on Your Own
● Manhattan’s Largest Office Landlord Disappoints Analysts
SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER
As forecast, the Merger and Acquisition trend which we have been long reporting would peak when the Federal Reserve would aggressively raise interest rates and cut off the cheap money supply. That time has come. Indeed, the higher interest rates rise, the less M&A activity now and in the future.
UKRAINE WAR TREND UPDATE
UKRAINE’S ‘DREAM’ COMES TRUE, RECEIVES NATO PATRIOT MISSILES FOR AIR DEFENSE
Ukraine said last week that its “dream” came true after the arrival of the first shipment of Patriot missile systems from NATO that are intended to provide the country with a new level of air defense.
MILLEY: NOT STOPPING RUSSIA IN UKRAINE WOULD MEAN MASSIVE JUMP IN U.S. DEFENSE BUDGET
Gen. Mark Milley, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the result of not supporting Ukraine’s war effort against Russia now would mean Washington would be forced to double its defense budget.
SPAIN, U.S. GET TANKS READY FOR UKRAINE IN ANTICIPATION OF NEW OFFENSIVE
The U.S. announced last week that it will ship 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks to Germany within a few weeks and Spain said it already sent its first batch of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as the West anticipates a new offensive waged by Kyiv to retake land seized by Russian forces in the last 14 months.
NATO’S STOLTENBERG VOWS TO SUPPORT UKRAINE UNTIL VICTORY OVER RUSSIA
Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, said during a visit to Kyiv that the alliance is united in its goal to stand beside Ukraine for as long as it takes for the country to emerge victorious against its bitter enemy Russia.
AS WE’VE WARNED: RUSSIA SAYS THREAT OF NUCLEAR EXCHANGE WITH U.S. GROWING
Vladimir Yermakov, Russia’s Foreign Ministry's head of nuclear non-proliferation, said in an interview on Monday that the risk of a nuclear exchange between Moscow and the U.S. is increasing by the day.
FEATURED TRENDS GUEST ARTICLE by Dr. Joseph Mercola
HOW ARE THE COVID SHOTS AFFECTING MOTHERS-TO-BE?
Compared to the flu vaccine, COVID-19 shots are associated with a significant increase in adverse events among women of reproductive age.
FEATURED TRENDS GUEST ARTICLE By John & Nisha Whitehead
SPEAK YOUR TRUTH: DON’T LET THE GOVERNMENT CRIMINALIZE FREE SPEECH
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”—George Washington
TRENDS IN THE MARKETS by Gregory Mannarino
EXPECT AN INFLATIONARY DEPRESSION
Collectively world central banks have been working in concert for many decades to devalue their respective currencies-FASTER. Moreover, this process of devaluation is going to accelerate.
TRENDS IN TECHNOCRACY by Joe Doran
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: THE DEGROWTH AGENDA CRUSHING CONSUMER DEMAND
Sustainability is a euphemism for Degrowth. Degrowth is a euphemism for De-Human.
THIS WEEK IN SURVEILLANCE
AI is being drafted to “secure the homeland.” That’s according to DHS Secretary Allejandro Mayorkas.
TRENDS IN CRYPTOS
STUDY SHOWS BITCOIN DEX USE CORRELATES WITH “POOR MONETARY GOVERNANCE”
Are citizens in countries and regions with capital restrictions, less monetary freedom, and greater monetary instability more likely to turn to Decentralized Exchanges to transact in Bitcoin?
BLOCKCHAIN BATTLES
The Republican controlled House Financial Services Committee tried to extract plain answers last week from SEC head Gary Gensler regarding government suppression of the crypto sector, and cryptic “regulation by enforcement” actions by the SEC.
TRENDS IN THE COVID WAR
WALENSKY FINALLY ADMITS COVID-19 VACCINES DON’T STOP THE SPREAD, INSISTS SHE DIDN’T MISLEAD PUBLIC
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a House committee last week that it was not misleading when she told the public during the COVID-19 outbreak that those who get vaccinated will not carry the virus, nor would they get sick.
MORE APPARENT FAUCI LIES COME TO LIGHT VIA TWITTER FILES
Dr. Anthony Fauci appears to have been caught in yet more lies concerning his activities while serving as a top policy czar during the COVID war.
STUDY PROVES: FACE MASKS INCREASES RISK OF STILLBIRTHS, TESTICULAR DYSFUNCTION
German researchers said the common face mask worn during the COVID-19 outbreak can cause cognitive decline in children, testicular dysfunction, and stillbirths due to the inhalation of toxic-chemical build up in the “dead space between the mouth and mask.”
TRENDS IN GEOPOLITICS
U.S. BLASTS BRAZIL’S LULA FOR ‘PARROTING RUSSIAN AND CHINESE PROPAGANDA
The U.S. showed how quickly it can turn on “friends” when disagreements in policies arise and Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was the latest victim of Washington scorn.
NETANYAHU TRIES TO THROW COLD WATER ON SAUDI ARABIA’S PEACE DEAL WITH IRAN
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, warned Saudi Arabia not to put too much stock in the Chinese-brokered peace deal with Iran and that countries fooled by Tehran end up in “misery.”
MORE SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA, MORE GERMAN GAS SHORTAGES
Germans were warned last week that they will face a gas shortage if there’s a cold winter next year given that storages are only required to be filed 40 percent by the end of January 2024
CHINA: INTERFERE ON TAIWAN AND FACE ‘DANGEROUS’ OUTCOMES
China’s top diplomat warned countries to stay out of its relationship with Taiwan or face the possibility of a “dangerous” outcome after South Korea’s president weighed in on the issue and while the U.S. conducted its largest military exercise with the Philippines ever.
YELLEN: BIDEN WILLING TO DAMAGE U.S. ECONOMY TO CONTAIN CHINA
The Biden administration is so bent on containing China’s rise that it is willing to jeopardize the U.S. and global economy to see that Beijing does not overtake the U.S., Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said during a speech in Washington last week.
TRENDS-EYE VIEW
U.S. MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX GROWS AS VETERANS AND TROOPS FACE GROWING HUNGER PROBLEM
The weapon contractors get fatter while U.S. troops and veterans grow hungry.
HUNTER BIDEN PROBE BOGUS, IRS SUPERVISOR ALLEGES ‘PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT’ FOR PRESIDENT’S SON
George Carlin famously said: “It’s one big club, and you ain’t in it.”
WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY FOR CHILDREN IN U.S. JUMPS…WHO CARES ABOUT DIET?
It’s the quick fix to fast food!
The U.S. has seen a fivefold increase of minors undergoing weight-loss surgery to finally lose weight – marking the further reliance of the population on medical intervention than making the effort to lead a healthy lifestyle.
DEMOCRATS UNDERWHELMED WITH BIDEN. WHO WILL BE THE NEXT U.S. PRESIDENT?
President Joe Biden supposedly got more than 81 million votes for president in 2020 to defeat Donald Trump—the most ever—but Democrat voters seem less than enthused about another term for the lifelong politician.
AI, AGENT OF TRUTH, CHAOS AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU CARE TO SPIN UP
Neural Net, Large Language Model (LLM) and related technologies that power ChatGPT, Google’s Bard AI and other generative AI platforms are rooted in programs that anyone of sufficient technical know-how and computing resources can make use of.
HOW THE PENTAGON AND US INTELLIGENCE THOROUGHLY CO-OPTED CIVILIAN AI
From enticing tech corporations with billions in direct development incentives contained in the CHIPs Act, to swooping in and hiring prominent civilian executives who head AI development at major companies, the U.S. government won the war of whether Silicon Valley would be drafted to weaponize AI.
SPOTLIGHT ON NEW WORLD DISORDER: PLANTATION WORKERS OF SLAVELANDIA TAKE TO THE STREETS
About 155,000 federal workers across Canada went on strike last Wednesday that included picket lines at more than 250 locations—mainly at government buildings.
TRENDS IN HI-TECH SCIENCE by Ben Daviss
BLOCKING ONE ENZYME COULD REVERSE ALZHEIMER’S DAMAGE
Cutting back sharply on the activity of an enzyme known as CDK5 in the brains of mice with symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease sharply reduced the brain damage that defines the illness, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
U.S. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WILL SPEED BATTERY DEVELOPMENT
Stanford University and the U.S. energy department’s Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) have combined forces to create the new SLAC-Stanford Battery Research Center. Its focus is on merging government investment and the technological savvy of Silicon Valley to invent “batteries and energy storage technologies with the goal of developing a sustainable path for electrifying key economic sectors, including transportation, the electric grid, industry, manufacturing and development.”
THE BODY IS THE BATTERY
More than nine million people around the world are born with diabetes. Those lucky enough to be able to control it rely on electronic pumps to shoot insulin into their bloodstreams when needed.