TRENDS ON THE U.S. ECONOMIC FRONT
MOST AMERICANS LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, NEW STUDY FINDS
Six in ten Americans live from one paycheck to the next, slightly more than the 55 percent who reported a hand-to-mouth existence 12 months earlier, according to a new survey by LendingClub, an online loan company.
ECONOMIC UPDATE – MARKET OVERVIEW
When the “officials,” “dignitaries,” “experts” and “authorities” speak... all the little boys and girls who call themselves men and women listen to, believe and do what they are told.
AMERICANS DRAIN THEIR SAVINGS TO KEEP SPENDING
U.S. households built up a cash cushion of about $2.1 trillion during the COVID War, when the national savings rate soared as high as 30 percent of income as many Americans stashed their federal stimulus payments into their savings accounts.
AUGUST JOB OPENINGS A MILLION LESS THAN IN JULY
In August, the number of open jobs fell to just under 10.1 million, about 1.1 million fewer than in July but still leaving 1.7 jobs available per unemployed worker, CNBC noted.
JOB MARKET LOSES MOMENTUM BUT REMAINS STRONG
The U.S. economy sprouted 263,000 new jobs in September, the U.S. labor department reported.
U.S. MARKETS MAY BREAK POST-MIDTERM STREAK, ANALYSTS SAY
After each of the last 40 midterm elections, the Standard & Poor’s 500 has gained an average of 15 percent in the following 12 months on a sense of clarity about short-term tax, fiscal, and economic policy, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“RATE SHOCK” WEARS ON MARKETS
Around the world, central banks are raising interest rates at the fastest clip in at least 40 years, stressing some...
TOP TREND: NEW WORLD DISORDER. DOES STRONG JOBS REPORT SIGNAL BIG RATE HIKE?
The U.S. economy’s addition of 263,000 jobs in September shows the labor market is strong enough to withstand another three-quarter-point interest rate increase when the U.S. Federal Reserve meets in early November, The Wall Street Journal said.
TOP TREND 2022, DRAGFLATION: ANALYSTS CHOP EARNINGS OUTLOOK FOR MAJOR U.S. CORPORATIONS
Since July began, analysts at the largest U.S. banks have pared $34 billion off their expectations for third-quarter growth among American corporations listed on the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, FactSet reported.
TRENDS ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FRONT
STRONG DOLLAR MEANS WEAKNESS IN EMERGING NATIONS
Sri Lanka and Zambia have defaulted on their debts, with another dozen countries at, or already tipping over, the edge of insolvency, Reuters reported.
OPEC+ CUTS DAILY OIL OUTPUT LIMIT BY TWO MILLION BARRELS
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia, and its other allies, known collectively as OPEC+, have agreed to cut daily oil production by two million barrels a day in an attempt to lift oil prices back up above $100 a barrel in the face of a weakening global economy.
ECB FEARS INFLATION WILL LAST FOR YEARS
The European Central Bank’s [ECB’s] governing council is expressing concern that inflation in the Eurozone, which ran recently at 10 percent, will become “self-reinforcing” and last for years as the euro remains weak and governments pump stimulus money into national economies to soften the impact of soaring energy costs, the Financial Times reported.
WHEN THE ECONOMY FALLS JOBS GO WITH IT
Dragflation: Economic growth declining and inflation rising... plus the pressure of interest rate hikes that are drying up the cheap money pool are causing companies in many sectors to lay off employees. Job cuts in September came in at 29,989, up 46.4 percent from a month earlier. Job cuts have jumped 66 percent year on year in September according to the Challenger report.
SHIPPING LINES CANCEL CARGO VOYAGES FOR LACK OF DEMAND
During what normally is the busiest time of year, ocean cargo lines are canceling sailings due to lack of demand as retailers cancel orders or place no new ones.
THOUSANDS OF GERMAN RETAILERS POISED TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS
More than 15,000 German stores face bankruptcy brought on by energy prices that have risen an average of 147 percent since the beginning of this year, the German Retail Association (HDE) said last week.
DRAGFLATION: GERMANY’S FACTORY OUTPUT SLUMPS AS ENERGY CRISIS TAKES HOLD
German factories turned out 0.8 percent fewer goods in August than in July and 2.9 percent less compared to February, just before Russia invaded Ukraine, the national statistics office reported.
DRAGFLATION: IMF CUTS GLOBAL GROWTH FORECAST AGAIN
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reduced its expectation for global economic output for the fourth time this year, paring it to 3.2 percent this year and 2.9 percent in 2023.
SPECIAL UKRAINE WAR REPORT
SERBIA: EU LATEST SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA WILL CRIPPLE ECONOMY
A top Serbian government official lashed out against the latest round of sanctions to be imposed against Russia and called them the first package that also takes aim at Belgrade.
AS WE FORECAST: UKRAINE WAR WILL ONLY GET WORSE UNLESS THERE IS A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION
Two days after the Ukrainians launched explosions on Russia’s strategic Crimean Bridge, Ukrainians in some cities woke up to a new reality on Monday and now find themselves targeted by Russian missiles.
WHITE HOUSE GAVE PUBLIC GREEN LIGHT TO UKRAINE TO BOMB CRIMEA BRIDGE, DID BRITAIN PLOT ATTACK?
The White House signaled publicly to Ukraine that targets in Crimea are fair game just before the bombing of the Kerch Bridge, which connects mainland Russia with the peninsula and used as an important supply route for Russian troops.
IF ONLY WOMEN WERE IN CHARGE! GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER URGES WIDER WAR WITH RUSSIA, ESSENTIALLY ASSURING NUCLEAR CONFRONTATION
There is a constant mainstream media line that “If only women were in charge, there would be no war. Forgetting about the long list of women warmongers including Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Hitlery Clinton, Samantha Power, Susan Rice, Condoleezza Rice, Madeleine Albright, and the war mongering lady now leading the war charge is the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
U.S. UKRAINE ASSASSINATED MAJOR PUTIN SUPPORTER’S DAUGHTER
The New York Times, citing intelligence sources, published a report last week detailing that Ukrainian authorities were behind the car bomb that resulted in the death of the daughter of a top supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The young woman died in a blast likely intended for her father.
PRO-NAZI WAR HAWK UKRAINE AMBASSADOR’S SON DODGING DRAFT IN GERMANY
Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin who is known for his tough-guy act, was embarrassed on social media by a German politician who noted that his 20-year-old son is avoiding military service in Ukraine because he is going to school in Germany.
U.S. AT WAR WITH RUSSIA: SPECIAL FORCES ARE ON THE GROUND IN UKRAINE
There are more U.S. special forces and CIA agents in Ukraine today than there were at the beginning of the war, according to a published report.
PUTIN: UKRAINE’S CRIMEA BRIDGE ATTACK ‘ACT OF TERROR’
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called the bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects mainland Russia to Crimea an “act of terror” carried out by Ukraine’s secret services.
FEATURED GUEST ARTICLE by Dr. Joseph Mercola
IS TECHNOLOGY STEALING YOUR EYESIGHT?
An epidemic of myopia, or nearsightedness, is occurring at younger ages. Too much screen time and not enough time outdoors have been pinpointed as the likely culprits.
FEATURED GUEST ARTICLE by Paul Craig Roberts
THE RULE OF POWER
Last week PayPal, an online service for making and receiving payments, announced that at PayPal’s “sole discretion” $2,500 would be seized from accounts of those PayPal decided were guilty of spreading misinformation.
TRENDS IN TECHNOCRACY by Joe Doran
FIRST AMENDMENT SHOWDOWN: MISSOURI VS BIDEN
The case is Missouri vs. Biden. It could bring the trampling of American free speech rights by the Federal government centerstage, if there’s still any honesty or integrity left in American jurisprudence.
RADICAL AMERICANS FUNDING LONDON “JUST STOP OIL” PROTEST
Will their bank accounts and crypto accounts be shut down? This past week saw chaos in London, as a radical group called “Just Stop Oil” formed human blockades across major city streets, glued themselves to police vehicles, and were even dragged to the curb by angry motorists.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SUBVERTS CONSTITUTION WITH “AI BILL OF RIGHTS”
This past week the Biden Administration issued a “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights,” setting out a legal framework for how AI should be developed.
TRENDS IN CRYPTOS
BLOCKCHAIN BATTLES
LIVE WEB3 BASED GAMING WILL TAKE CENTERSTAGE AT ESA ESPORTS ARENA IN ISTANBUL. The Esports industry—also known as competitive video gaming—has grown exponentially over the past decade, including inclusion at many colleges.
BINANCE BLOCKCHAIN HACK FORCES NETWORK SHUTDOWN
The Binance blockchain, one of the largest in crypto by market cap, this past week dealt with one of the worst attempted exploits the crypto sector has seen yet.
TRENDS IN THE COVID WAR
FEDERAL COURT SINKS CRUISE LINE’S EFFORT TO IMPLEMENT VACCINE PASSPORT IN FLORIDA
Florida can keep enforcing its ban on businesses from requiring customers to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status in a closely watched legal fight that was seen as an important victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
GEOPOLITICS
GERMANY ON HIGH ALERT: NORD STREAM PIPELINE AND NOW RAILWAY SABOTAGE?
German rail lines were targeted by saboteurs who severed cables that are essential for the country's rail network system, raising new concerns about more incidents across Germany.
U.S. AIMS TO FLOOD TAIWAN WITH WEAPONS TO TURN ISLAND INTO A ‘PORCUPINE’ IF CHINA INVADES
The U.S. wants to arm Taiwan with so much weaponry that the tiny island off the coast of mainland China would be able to stand up to an invasion.
ISRAEL KILLS 4 PALESTINIAN TEENS
Israeli forces continue to carry out raids in the occupied West Bank with deadly consequences, including one this weekend that resulted in the deaths of four Palestinian teenagers.
BIDEN WARNS WORLD THAT RISK OF NUCLEAR ARMAGEDDON IS HIGHEST SINCE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
President Joe Biden was at a Democratic fundraiser in New York on Thursday when he told the audience that the risk of nuclear Armageddon is at its highest point since the Cuban Missile Crisis.
TRENDS-EYE VIEW
NEW ENGLAND WILL LIKELY SEE PUNISHING NATURAL GAS PRICES THIS WINTER
Magical thinking has now led to an impending crisis in New England which relies more heavily on natural gas for home energy and heating than anywhere else in the country.
UNIONIZATION, TOP TREND 2022: OKLAHOMA APPLE STORE VOTES TO UNIONIZE
Employees at an Apple store in Oklahoma voted to unionize and be represented by the Communications Workers of America—becoming the computer giant’s second store in the U.S. to vote in favor of union representation.
TOO FAT TO FIGHT: U.S. ARMY TO CANCEL WEIGHT LIMITS FOR TROOPS AS RECRUITMENT NUMBERS PLUNGE
The U.S. Army will reportedly end its weight requirement for troops after it fell 25 percent short of its recruiting goal in 2022 and will instead focus on an overall fitness score.
TRENDS IN HI-TECH by Ben Daviss
A BETTER WAY TO TURN STUBBORN PLASTICS INTO FUEL
Mixed or hard-to-recycle plastics could be turned into fuel by heating them in an oxygen-free chamber. However, the process—called “pyrolysis”— can only handle certain kinds of plastic and several of the tests are struggling to operate at commercial scale.
A BETTER WAY TO MAKE BIOPLASTICS
Scientists at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center and Washington University have devised a smoother production process to turn waste carbon dioxide—CO2—into biodegradable plastics.
NEW FORM OF PLASTIC FEEDS MARINE LIFE
The world is literally swimming in plastics, with an estimated 5.25 trillion bits of it in our seas and about 46,000 pieces per square mile of ocean, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.