TRENDS ON THE ECONOMIC AND MARKET FRONT
ECONOMIC UPDATE – MARKET OVERVIEW
Now here this, now here this: The Greatest Recession has begun and the banking crisis that Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase said was over after the Feds made a sweetheart deal with him to buy out First Republic Bank will worsen.
CORPORATE BANKRUPTCIES TO REACH 13-YEAR HIGH, DATA INDICATES
Through April, at least 230 U.S. corporations have filed bankruptcy this year, more than any year’s first third since 2010, The New York Times found.
JAPAN’S STOCK MARKET CLIMBS TO 33-YEAR HIGH
The Nikkei 225 stock index has risen 16 percent this year and the broader Topix index 13.9 percent, making Japan’s equity market a surprise star performer in 2023.
YUAN’S VALUE SHRINKS AGAINST THE DOLLAR
On 17 May, the value of China’s yuan shrank both domestically and internationally, rising past the key benchmark of 7 to the dollar, another sign that the Asian giant’s economic recovery has stumbled.
HEDGE FUNDS’ BEARISH OIL BETS SIGNAL RECESSION AHEAD
Speculators trading derivatives based on oil and fuel price moves have taken the most bearish positions on oil prices since 2011, according to Bloomberg, indicating they see a recession ahead that will tank oil prices.
RECESSION: MOST SMALL BUSINESSES HALT NEW HIRES
For the second consecutive month, most small businesses report they have no plans to add workers over the next 12 months, according to a Wall Street Journal survey.
HOME SALES FALL AGAIN IN APRIL
Last month, U.S. home sales continued their slide that began in January 2022 and reversed only for a month—in February this year—before resuming their decline.
U.S. OIL AND GAS FIRMS SLASH DRILLING PROGRAMS
The number of oil and gas drilling rigs working in the U.S. has slid 6 percent since the end of 2022 and stood at 731 during the second week of May, Baker Hughes, a major oilfield services firm, reported.
TRENDS ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FRONT
SPOTLIGHT: TOP TREND 2023, OFFICE BUILDING BUST
One of the tech industry’s greatest blunders, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, was allowing employees to work remotely.
Now every industry is accepting that new reality.
WHEN THE ECONOMY GOES, JOBS GO WITH IT
The list of firings each week gets longer. Welcome to week 40 of job losses. As we have kept noting, higher Inflation and interest rate hikes are causing companies in many sectors to lay off employees. To illustrate the employment trends and the socioeconomic implications, each week we will list job losses.
COMPANY STOCK BUYBACKS SET RECORD, SPARK INVESTOR COMPLAINTS
The world’s 1,200 largest corporations bought a record $1.3 trillion worth of their own stock in 2022, three times the dollar value of the same purchases made ten years earlier, the Financial Times reported.
“BREXIT HAS FAILED,” BREXIT LEADER NOW SAYS
In a 15 May BBC television presentation, Nigel Farage said, “Brexit has failed.”
INVESTORS TRADE IN THEIR DOLLARS FOR EMERGING MARKET BONDS
With high interest rates and inflation easing, emerging economies are drawing a fresh influx of investment in their own local currencies.
CENTRAL BANKS’ INFLATION BUNGLE HAS COST THEM CREDIBILITY
Last week, the Bank of England Museum hosted a “Festival of Mistakes,” highlighting notable financial blunders and panics of the past.
TURKEY’S CENTRAL BANK DRAINS GOLD, FOREIGN RESERVES NEAR ELECTION
The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey saw its foreign currency reserves dwindle by $9.5 billion from 1 April through 12 May and its gold stores shrink by $7.9 billion ahead of mid-May’s first-round presidential election, the Financial Times calculated from the bank’s data.
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, has indeed peaked. Indeed, they “slowed to a trickle”... and here are the latest “trickles.”
UKRAINE WAR TREND UPDATE
WWIII: U.S. SUPPORTS PLAN TO PROVIDE UKRAINE WITH F-16s
President Joe Biden told G7 leaders last week during a summit in Hiroshima, Japan, that he will support plans to get Ukraine F-16 fighter jets, and will begin training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation aircraft in an effort to expel Russian forces from the country.
BIDEN LIES: BROKE HIS VOW NOT TO PROVIDE UKRAINE WITH ADVANCED WEAPONS OF WAR
President Joe Biden’s administration has been a top promoter of the Ukraine War but the White House has insisted—since the outset—that American troops will not fight Russia in Ukraine and will not provide weapons seen as a red line by Russia.
DURHAM REPORT PROVES U.S. LIES TO ITS PEOPLE TO PROMOTE “HATE RUSSIA” PROPAGANDA
Special Counsel John Durham released his long-awaited report into allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 election that resulted in Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton and found the FBI never had sufficient evidence to investigate the claims.
FEATURED TRENDS GUEST ARTICLE by Paul Craig Roberts
THE FBI MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR RUSSIAGATE
The long awaited U.S. Justice Department “Russiagate” report by Special Counsel John Durham exonerated President Donald Trump from false charges and performed the important public service of making law and order conservatives aware that their beloved FBI is a criminal agency that created a false narrative for the purpose of discrediting President Trump and preventing him from reducing the dangerous tensions between the two main nuclear powers by normalizing relations with Russia.
FEATURED TRENDS GUEST ARTICLE by Dr. Joseph Mercola
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? THE FORGOTTEN BENEFITS OF DEEP SQUATS
Many health benefits are associated with deep squats, including improved bowel elimination, production of synovial fluid in the hips and knees, muscle growth that is associated with glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, improved balance and better communication between your brain and muscle groups.
FEATURED TRENDS GUEST ARTICLE By John & Nisha Whitehead
U.S. SUPREME COURT ALLOWS IRS TO CARRY OUT SECRET, WARRANTLESS SEARCHES OF INNOCENT TAXPAYERS’ BANK ACCOUNTS
WASHINGTON, DC — In a unanimous opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court is allowing the IRS to go on secret, warrantless fishing expeditions through innocent taxpayers’ bank records in order to identify and collect unpaid taxes from family members and associates who have no legal interest in those bank accounts.
PRESIDENTIAL REALITY SHOW® 2024
RFK JR. ENDORSES BITCOIN AS AN ESSENTIAL WAY TO PROTECT POLITICAL FREEDOMS
It turns out the Canadian Truckers Convoy protest against vaccine mandates did more than presage how the U.S. led West would attempt to weaponize the financial system and the dollar against Russia.
TRENDS IN THE MARKETS by Gregory Mannarino
THE GLOBAL DEBT MARKET TIME BOMB IS CLOSE TO GOING OFF
Consider this. As you are beginning to read this article, global debt is surging higher. In fact, global debt has never been higher than it is today. But in the few minutes that it will take you to finish reading this article, global debt will have surged even more.
TRENDS IN TECHNOCRACY by Joe Doran
IS BARD AI DIRECTING ITS OWN DEVELOPMENT?
Is it just a case of AI fantasizing, along the lines of the 80’s Eurythmics hit “Would I Lie To You?”
WOULD CHATGPT-4 OR BARD AI SURVIVE A CHAT WITH ALAN TURING?
How close to human-like “consciousness” are the most advanced publicly available generative AI systems, like ChatGPT-4 and Bard AI?
GOVERNMENT AI REGULATION WILL FOCUS ON CENSORING AMERICANS AND WOKE OBJECTIVES, NOT THE REAL DANGERS OF AI
If it didn’t before, the rapid evolution of generative AI technology has the full attention now of world elites.
TRENDS IN CRYPTOS
COUNTERING ANTI-BITCOIN LAWFARE
Suing Bitcoin out of existence? One might think that Bitcoin would have little to no fear regarding lawsuits. It’s a decentralized phenomenon with no company behind it, has a transparent ledger and code, and a perfect history of protecting the integrity of its ledger.
BLOCKCHAIN BATTLES
Ripple Networks has debuted an upgraded platform based on its XRP ledger technology geared toward comprehensive central bank CBDC creation and management.
TRENDS IN THE COVID WAR
NEW STUDY SHOWS HEALTH RISKS THAT COME WITH WEARING COVID-19 FACE MASKS
German researchers found that people who wear face masks for any extended amount of time face a number of health risks—especially pregnant women.
COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS KEEP KILLING: DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS HIT NEW HIGH IN 2022
The upward trend of overdose deaths that started during COVID-19 lockdowns continued in 2022 that saw nearly 110,000 people die from overdoses across the U.S., which is the highest ever recorded and eclipsed the previous high the year earlier.
COVID WAR, NOT THE VIRUS, KILLING KIDS. DEATH RATE AMONG YOUNG AMERICANS RAISES ALARM
Young Americans are dying at the highest rate in 15 years and the driving cause is the death of the human spirit caused by COVID-19 lockdowns, according to new research.
AS FORECAST: COVID FEAR SPIKED DEPRESSION
A newly released Gallup poll found depression has never been so prevalent among Americans—especially the young.
COVID-19 FALLOUT: KIDS HAVING TROUBLE SPEAKING THANKS TO LOCKDOWNS
Alarming studies are beginning to emerge that show a significant increase in speech delays for children after politicians needlessly locked them down and kept them from socializing during the COVID-19 outbreak.
COVID WAR SYNDROME: ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME IN 2023 ON “TARGET”
Target, the ubiquitous chain store known for selling everything from coffee machines, toothpaste, and big screen TVs, said last week that it will lose about $1.3 billion from its bottom line this year thanks to “theft and organized retail crime.”
TRENDS IN GEOPOLITICS
U.S. WANTS TO TURN TAIWAN INTO A PORCUPINE ON STEROIDS
Last October, we reported that it is the Biden administration’s goal to turn Taiwan into a “porcupine” so if China invades, it will be a bloody conflict that drains Chinese resources.
UN VENERATES PALESTINIAN DISPLACEMENT FOR FIRST TIME
The United Nations last week commemorated the displacement of about 700,000 Palestinians during Israel’s founding in 1948 for the first time, drawing new focus to the deteriorating conditions in the region.
U.S.A.: #1 MASS MURDERER AT THE HIGHEST PRICE
Freedom isn’t free, especially when you happen to be unfortunate enough to live in a country targeted by the U.S. in its post-9/11 War on Terror.
G7 MEETING FOCUSES ON WEST’S BALANCING ACT TO ‘DE-RISK,’ NOT ‘DECOUPLE’ FROM CHINA
Countering China seems to be the ‘soup du jour’ during last week’s G7 meeting in Hiroshima.
TRENDS-EYE VIEW
SUPREME COURT UNANIMOUSLY UPHOLDS INTERNET SECTION 230 PROTECTIONS
In what tech companies argued was a victory for “free speech,” the Supreme Court upheld a law that shields websites from liability regarding content posted by users.
DEGROWTH: JOHN KERRY MAY BE PUTTING U.S. ON PATH OF NETHERLANDS STYLE FARMLAND CONFISCATIONS
U.S. Biden Administration “climate czar” John Kerry has not openly called for farm confiscations in the U.S., similar to what is now happening to Netherlands farmers.
DEGROWTH: BBC HIGHLIGHTS LOW CARBON “LIFESTYLES” WHERE CARS AND TRAVEL FREEDOM WILL BE “THING OF THE PAST”
A recent article by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is advocating for radical “individual and systems” alterations in human activities and behaviors as necessary to avoid crisis-level climate change between now and 2030.
NON-SUGAR SWEETENERS DON’T HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT, AND CAN BE HURTING YOU: WHO
Artificial sweeteners should not be used by individuals as a weight-loss tool because they are ineffective in the long term and could have a negative impact on your health, the World Health Organization said last week.
YOUR SANDWICH IS KILLING YOU, PART II
Earlier this year, we reported on how the common sandwich—dripping with mayo and stacked with processed meats—is killing you.
NEW YORK TIMES CELEBRATES TUCKER CARLSON’S FIRING, SAYS ‘FAR-RIGHT’ LOSES ‘A FOOTHOLD’ IN MAINSTREAM NEWS
Mainstream news outlets call anyone who does not swallow their propaganda and speaks out in favor of freedom and individual liberties “far-right” in an effort to tarnish the message as racist and extreme.
CONFIDENCE IN SUPREME COURT HITS ALL-TIME LOW IN 2022: POLL
American confidence in the Supreme Court is at its lowest point ever amid continued fallout after the court’s decision to overrule Roe v. Wade last June, according to a new survey.
TRENDS IN HI-TECH SCIENCE by Ben Daviss
HELION PLEDGES COMMERCIAL FUSION POWER BY BEFORE 2030
Fusion power startup Helion Energy has pledged to supply Microsoft with 50 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity before 2030 or pay financial penalties.
MAGNETIC TREATMENT RELIEVES SEVERE DEPRESSION
If you’re deeply and chronically depressed, signals between two parts of your brain probably are flowing backwards.c
SCREENING DRUGS FROM WASTEWATER WITH POMEGRANATE
Pharmaceutical drugs have flooded wastewater and water treatment plants have few ways of screening all of them out. The drugs enter groundwater and public water supplies, causing dangerous reactions in wildlife and entering our drinking water.
TRENDS IN AI
MICROSOFT REPORTS A STEP TOWARD AI THAT THINKS LIKE PEOPLE
Experimenting with a new artificial intelligence (AI), Microsoft engineers told it to figure out how to stack a book, a notebook computer, nine eggs, a nail, and a bottle into a stable arrangement.
AI DEEPFAKES AID AND ABET PHONE SCAMMERS
Most of us have seen emails purporting to be from a relative or close friend: “I was traveling in a foreign country and I got arrested and I need $3,000 bail to get out of jail! Please, grandma!”
AI OPENS $50-BILLION DOOR FOR PHARMA INDUSTRY
An anti-psoriasis drug owned by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. in Japan could be the first drug to reach the market that has been created by artificial intelligence.
WHEN IS SEEING NOT BELIEVING? WHEN IT’S AI.
For years, software designers and tech-savvy pundits have warned that computer technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are approaching the point at which anyone could invent videos, audios, and photos so realistic they would fool literally anyone.
AI COULD IGNITE A NEW FINANCIAL CRISIS, SEC CHIEF WARNS
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) by financial firms could pose a “systemic risk” and set off a financial crisis, Gary Gensler, chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, told a Wall Street conference in a 16 May speech.
CHATGPT AS YOUR NEW FINANCIAL ADVISOR? NOT YET.
When an artist asked ChatGPT for advice on retirement planning, it told him to open a Roth IRA and some CDs and arrange automatic deposits into his account. “It’s a lot of information thrown at you pretty quickly,” he said.