TRENDS ON THE ECONOMIC AND MARKET FRONT
WALL STREET’S TOP BANKERS ARE BAILING OUT OF BANK STOCKS
James Gorman, Morgan Stanley’s CEO for the past 12 years, has sold $48 million worth of his hoard of Morgan stock so far this year, bringing the total he has cashed in to $78 million. Ted Pick, who will take over for Gorman in January, has sold $30 million worth of his shares, according to the Financial Times.
ECONOMIC UPDATE – MARKET OVERVIEW
What a difference a month makes. The U.S. equity market continues its November spike.
FED NOT READY TO DECLARE VICTORY OVER INFLATION, POWELL SAYS
U.S. inflation is not yet tamed and the U.S. Federal Reserve is more likely to raise interest rates than cut them if any change is needed, Fed chair Jerome Powell said in a 9 November speech to a conference of the International Monetary Fund.
YOUNGER AMERICANS FALLING DEEPER INTO DEBT; DELINQUENCIES INCREASING
Americans under age 50 were more than $9.5 trillion in debt in this year’s third quarter, compared to about $9.3 trillion in the preceding three months, marking the largest quarterly increase since 2022’s fourth quarter, U.S. Federal Reserve data shows.
TROUBLED COMMERCIAL PROPERTY LOANS REACH 10-YEAR HIGH
The value of commercial property loans that have missed at least one payment grew by $4 billion, about 30 percent, in this year’s third quarter, data service BankRegData said. The total value of delinquent loans so far this year is about $10 billion.
TRENDS ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FRONT
WHEN THE ECONOMY FALLS JOBS GO WITH IT
Everything is just fine, just ask the gamblers on The Street. Forget about how Inflation and interest rate hikes caused, and are still causing companies in many sectors to lay off employees.
GOING OUT OF BUSINESS TRENDS
In recent times, the economic landscape has presented an array of challenges that have profoundly affected the business community. Some of the most significant challenges include soaring inflation rates, escalating interest rates, looming fears of a recession, and a tangible decrease in revenues for many sectors…
HIGH U.S. INTEREST RATES SPARK “CRISIS” AMONG EMERGING NATIONS
Many emerging nations are being thrown into a “silent debt crisis” by high interest rates in the U.S., the World Bank has warned.
TOP TREND 2023, MIDDLE EAST MELTDOWN: MIDEAST WAR SENDS ISRAELI BUSINESSES INTO FINANCIAL CRISIS
The Israel-Hamas war has had catastrophic impacts on Israel’s $488-billion economy, with 350,000 military reservists—about 8 percent of the country’s workforce and a large share of the retail customer base—called into service.
EUROPE’S INTEREST RATES WILL STAY HIGH, CENTRAL BANKS SAY
Top-line inflation in Europe is easing, but central bankers are warning they do not expect to cut interest rates any time soon.
TOP TREND 2023, GOING GREEN, LIKE IT OR NOT: RISING COSTS SQUEEZE CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS
Higher interest rates and inflated prices for hardware are pinching financing for clean energy projects, The Wall Street Journal reported.
NATIONS BOOST FOSSIL FUEL PRODUCTION, VIOLATING CLIMATE PLEDGES
In the 2015 climate summit, world leaders promised to cut fossil fuel production and use to a level that would limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures.
EV SALES SLUMP IN U.S., EUROPE
Even though electric vehicle (EV) sales in the United States topped 300,000 for the first time in this year’s third quarter, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have stalled in Europe and the U.S., prompting manufacturers to slow or halt production and dealers to slash prices to move the cars off their lots.
BRITAIN’S ECONOMY STAGNATES IN THIRD QUARTER
The U.K.’s economy showed no growth in this year’s third quarter from the second, “entering what is expected to be a protracted period of stagnation on the cusp of a recession,” The New York Times reported.
U.K. GROCERY INFLATION FALLS TO SINGLE DIGITS FOR FIRST TIME IN 18 MONTHS
Inflation in British grocery prices fell to 9.7 percent in the four weeks ending 29 October, the first time monthly food price gains have been limited to single digits since July 2022, research service Kantar reported.
GERMAN SHIPPING COMPANY SEES PROFITS TORPEDOED
German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd reported profits this year through September were almost 80 percent below those of last year over the same period, falling to €3.2 billion.
WEWORK FINALLY GOES BUST
WeWork, the global chain of co-working spaces that was once valued at $47 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month after seeing its stock price plunge by more than 98 percent this year.
TOP TREND 2023, MIDDLE EAST MELTDOWN: MIDEAST WAR CUTS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
Bookings for international air travel fell 20 percent below 2019 levels in the three weeks following Hamas’s attack on Israel, according to travel data service ForwardKeys.
LUXURY CONGLOMERATE RICHEMONT REPORTS DISAPPOINTING SALES
Richemont, the Swiss luxury conglomerate that owns the Cartier, Montblanc, Piaget, and Van Cleef & Arpels brands, among others, reported third-quarter sales that fell below analysts’ expectations.
SPOTLIGHT: OFFICE BUILDING BUST: WORSE TO COME FOR OFFICE SECTOR
While the Office Building Bust is very old news for Trends Journal subscribers—we had forecast this three years ago—it is now just making it into the mainstream news.
SPOTLIGHT: CHINA’S ECONOMY
China’s economy will end this year with a 5.4-percent growth rate, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected, increasing its outlook for the country from the 5 percent it had foreseen in its October forecast.
THE ISRAEL WAR
LAND GRAB: ISRAEL SEES INDEFINITE PERIOD OF ‘SECURITY DUTIES’ IN GAZA AFTER WAR
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared Israel will reoccupy Gaza at the end of the current stage of the Israel War.
WHO: CHILD KILLED EVERY 10 MINUTES BY ISRAEL IN GAZA
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said Friday that Israel’s bombardment of civilians in Gaza has taken its toll on the children in the enclave, killing, on average, one child every 10 minutes since the start of the conflict.
ASHKENAZI NETANYAHU: NO CEASEFIRE, THOSE WHO PROTEST AGAINST WAR ARE TODAY’S NAZI SUPPORTERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to budge on growing calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and said those protesting in favor of such a stoppage are nothing more than today’s Nazi supporters.
ISRAEL’S PRIME TARGET REMAINS GAZA’S HOSPITALS
Israel has continued its attacks on hospitals across Gaza in its effort to destroy Hamas after the 7 October invasion that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis.
SAUDI ARABIA CALLS FOR AN END TO THE WAR RAVAGING GAZA
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Arabian crown prince, on Friday repeated his call for Israel to end its blockade in Gaza along with its brutal bombing campaign that has killed over 11,000 and injured tens of thousands more.
BLINKEN: FU! NO CEASEFIRE AS ISRAEL DESTROYS GAZA, KILLING AND WOUNDING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, lashed out at those who called for a ceasefire in Gaza during a Group of Seven meeting, and said, “those calling for an immediate ceasefire have an obligation to explain how to address the unacceptable result that would likely bring.”
14 PALESTINIANS KILLED DURING ANOTHER ISRAEL RAID IN THE WEST BANK
A major Israeli raid on the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp resulted in the killings of at least 14 Palestinians.
RUSSIA, CHINA SEE ISRAEL’S RELENTLESS BOMBINGS IN GAZA AS CHANCE TO SHOW WORLD IT’S MORE HUMANE THAN U.S.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza gives Russia and China an opportunity to present themselves to much of the world as countries that stand for peace and human rights—while the U.S. finds itself—once again—marred in a conflict thousands of miles away.
U.S. WARNS THAT ISRAEL’S STRIKES IN LEBANON WILL LEAD TO WIDER CONFLICT
Lloyd Austin, the U.S. defense secretary, had a phone call with Israel’s top defense chief, Yoav Gallant, and raised concerns about a widening conflict.
ANTI-ISRAELI-WAR PROTESTS BREAK OUT AROUND THE WORLD IN OPPOSITION TO GAZA GENOCIDE, FACE MEDIA BLACKOUTS
The genocide in Gaza has sparked massive protests around the world by those who oppose Israel’s military action and blockade in one of the world’s poorest and most densely populated cities.
CHINA CALLS FOR CEASEFIRE IN GAZA AMID HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
Mao Ning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Monday that the current situation in Gaza is “quite dire” and said Beijing supports “all efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict and restoring peace” in the coastal city.
FEATURED TRENDS GUEST ARTICLE by Philip Giraldi
THE ISRAEL EXCEPTION TO FREE SPEECH
Last Tuesday there took place a disgraceful display of visceral malignancy in the United States House of Representatives Chamber in the south wing of the Capitol building.
FEATURED TRENDS GUEST ARTICLE by Paul Craig Roberts
THE SHIFT IN FOCUS FROM UKRAINE TO THE MIDDLE EAST RAISES THE CHANCES OF WORLD WAR
The neoconservative/Netanyahu agenda of reopening the Middle East wars in the interest of Greater Israel has shoved Ukraine off the screen.
FEATURED TRENDS GUEST ARTICLE by Dr. Joseph Mercola
OMEGA-3—A SIMPLE WAY TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF DISEASE
The Omega-3 Index test measures the amount of EPA and DHA, the two long-chain omega-3s found in marine sources, in red blood cell membranes, expressed as a percentage of the total fatty acids in the membrane
TRENDS IN THE MARKETS by Gregory Mannarino
MARKETS: A SYSTEM OF CONTROL, MORE WAR, MORE DEBT
Over the weekend U.S. debt got downgraded to negative, and with that, the U.S. carried out more airstrikes in Syria. (As we have covered and predicted would happen right here, the U.S. debt situation along with expanding war would, and will, get much worse even from here).
TRENDS IN TECHNOCRACY by Joe Doran
HUMANS: JUST ANOTHER TECHNOLOGY
Congressman Thomas Massie recently tried to throw up a roadblock against impending regulations that will place “kill switches” into automobiles.
THIS WEEK IN SURVEILLANCE
This past week saw several by turns startling and ominous signs of an ongoing, largely unheralded War For Natural Humanity, as I have named it in my three volume series culled from content mostly written for The Trends Journal.
TRENDS IN CRYPTOS
DARKBLOCK SHOWING HOW NFTS CAN BE THE KEY TO WEB3
As an author and content creator who has long dealt with a few major distribution platforms for my creative work, I have been keeping close tabs on web3 development.
BLOCKCHAIN BATTLES
IRS proposed crypto reporting regulations treat cryptos far differently than other asset classes. The regulations seemed designed to damage crypto adoption in the U.S., says Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange operating there.
TRENDS IN THE COVID WAR
COVID LOCKDOWNS CONTRIBUTED TO ‘COLLECTIVE TRAUMA’ IN U.S., APA SAYS
The COVID-19 “national health emergency” may have ended in May, but the impact of needless lockdowns are still being felt by Americans who have seen historic jumps in chronic illness and mental illness in the months since, according to the American Psychological Association.
PARENT TRUST IN CDC A CASUALTY OF THE COVID WAR
On the heels of our reporting and forecast last week that the COVID War is turning to the battlefield of childhood immunizations, the CDC just released numbers bearing us out.
TRENDS IN GEOPOLITICS
CHINA CONTINUES TO FOSTER TIES WITH LATIN AMERICA, URUGUAY LATEST EXAMPLE
Former diplomats say the U.S. is missing out on what could be strategically important ties in Latin America, as China continues its outreach in the region as the Biden administration struggles with ineffective engagement.
WAR IS THE ONLY ANSWER: GERMANY SAYS IT WILL DOUBLE MILITARY AID FOR UKRAINE
German politicians agreed in principle to double the country’s military aid for Ukraine in 2024 as the war shows no sign of ending.
U.S. AT WAR IN SYRIA: THREE ROUNDS OF ‘RETALIATION’ STRIKES AFTER ATTACKS ON AMERICAN TROOPS IN REGION
The U.S. military carried out a third round of retaliatory strikes against Iranian-linked militants in Syria on Sunday in response to what the Pentagon has described as repeated attacks on American troops stationed in the region since the Hamas attack on 7 October.
ZELENSKY: NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky perfectly portrays this week’s Trends Journal cover: FOLLOW YOUR POLITICAL LEADER. DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD! YOU’RE NOTHING MORE THAN A PIECE OF SHIT.
U.S., NATO ANNOUNCE THEY WILL SUSPEND KEY COLD WAR ARMS TREATY WITH RUSSIA
Washington and Brussels announced last week that they would suspend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe after Russia announced that it would end its participation.
SPOTLIGHT ON CENSORSHIP
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
For many years, we have been forecasting Censorship 2.0, the new way of the world among so-called democratic nations to censor freedom of speech.
SOUTH KOREA CLAMPS DOWN ON PRESS FREEDOM UNDER THE GUISE OF TARGETING ‘FAKE NEWS’
Top politicians from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s People Power Party have announced new efforts to crack down on the news media by resorting to lawsuits and new regulations to weed out so-called “fake news” outlets.
NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER RESIGNS AFTER SPEAKING OUT AGAINST GENOCIDE IN GAZA
The New York Times announced last week that a reporter resigned after violating the paper’s policy when she signed an open letter condemning Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
SPEECH IS DEAD IN U.S.: COLUMBIA SUSPENDS PRO-PALESTINIAN GROUPS THAT HAVE CALLED FOR CEASEFIRE
New York’s Columbia University announced last week that it suspended Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine for allegedly expressing threatening rhetoric and “intimidation,” New York Jewish Week reported.
GERMANY CRACKS DOWN ON THOSE WHO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ISRAEL’S ATROCITIES IN GAZA
Germany is grappling with pro-Palestinian protests and critics say it is banning free speech in the country in its effort to atone for its Holocaust atrocities against Jews during WWII.
TRENDS-EYE VIEW
DON’T EAT WELL OR EXERCISE: TAKE WEIGHT-LOSS DRUG WITH SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS?
Another drug designed to help the obese and diabetics lose weight has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
TRENDS IN HI-TECH SCIENCE by Ben Daviss
MASSIVE STUDY FINDS NEW KINDS OF BRAIN CELLS
Twenty-one teams of scientists around the world have collaborated to make the most detailed catalog yet of human brain cells.
NEW RECYCLABLE PLASTIC HEALS ITSELF AND CAN FEED SEA LIFE
Working with a plastic called epoxy resin vitrimer, researchers at the University of Tokyo have created a new kind of plastic that is plastic-strong at room temperature, repairs itself when cut, breaks down into its recyclable ingredients when heated, and dissolves in seawater into edible material that can nourish marine life.
ANTIBIOTIC “WARHEAD” KILLS LYME BACTERIA
Lyme disease is rampant, with 14 percent of the world’s adults having or having had the illness, according to BMJ, a British publisher of medical journals.
TRENDS IN AI
NEWSPAPERS ARE THE LATEST TO ACCUSE AI DEVELOPERS
The News Media Alliance (NMA), a trade group of more than 2,000 newspaper publishers, has released research they say shows that AI developers rely more heavily on copyrighted newspaper stories in training their AIs than they do on generic content randomly taken from the web.
CHATBOTS RE-EDUCATE MATH TEACHERS
When AI popped into educators’ awareness a year ago, many math teachers panicked: with AI able to solve math problems for students on demand, what would be the point of assigning homework – or what would be the point of teaching math at all?
AI RIVALS HUMAN PROFESSIONALS IN TREATING DEPRESSION
In treating depression, AIs such as ChatGPT were better at adhering to standard treatment protocols than human professionals and also showed less gender or class bias, according to a study from Oranim Academic College in Israel.
OH, AND THE UN TOO
Governments around the world are debating how to guide AI. China and the European Union have laid out sets of rules. In the U.S., the Biden administration has issued an executive order. Earlier this month, Britain hosted an AI “safety summit” to initiate discussion of what to do.