Leaders in some of the world’s richest countries are deeply unpopular and this past year’s elections in major countries show that the public is ready to take a stand and vote them out.
ECONOMIC UPDATE – MARKET OVERVIEW
So far, it is not a happy economic holiday season. Tis the season for the Plantation workers of Slavelandia to do their Christmas shopping, but while the Fed says inflation is going down, the reality is that prices keep going up... as we have detailed in previous Trends Journal issues.
(YOU) TOKENS ARE COMING
“A new system with an entirely new set of rules, a new paradigm is coming.” For nearly a decade I have been making the above statement to those who follow my work, referring to what I know, and we all know is coming.
THE WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF BITCOIN
The price of Bitcoin, having passed $100,000, will continue rising as speculators scramble to lock down the last of the digital currency.
KNOWLEDGE AND MEANING: A MEDITATION FOR THE SEASON
Yes, the daily news headlines provide a distorted sense of what’s going wrong “around the corner and around the world,” to quote faux newsman Ted Baxter from a classic (“Not a Christmas Story”) episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
PUTIN ACCUSES THE WEST OF PUSHING THE KREMLIN TO ‘RED LINE,’ CONSIDERS NEW RULES FOR MISSILES
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that that the West was pushing the Kremlin to a “red line we can’t step back from” and announced that Moscow could jettison its restrictions on the mass production and deployment of short- and medium-range missiles, according to a report.
TRUMP ASKED IF HE ‘TRUSTS’ NETANYAHU, SAYS HE DOESN’T TRUST ANYONE
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, the newly minted Time Person of the Year, gave an extensive interview to the magazine that was vague on top geopolitical issues, and when asked if he trusted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said he does not trust anyone.
Global Economy
SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER
Private equity giant Blackstone is hoping to raise $5 billion to invest in life science ventures, according to a proposal the firm sent to the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana that was seen by The Wall Street Journal.
SPOTLIGHT: CHINA’S SHIFTING ECONOMIC POLICIES
At China’s Central Economic Work Conference last week, officials indicated Beijing will cut interest rates, raise its budget deficit, and lower banks’ reserve requirements next year to make more room for economic stimulus.
GM PARKS ITS ROBOTAXI PROGRAM
After 10 years and $10 billion in costs, General Motors has abandoned its plan to create a self-driving taxi, saying the costs would continue mounting as competition becomes more intense.
The Israel War
GAZA DEATH TOLL
Israeli forces continue to kill starving Palestinians as Washington insists it is working on a new ceasefire deal.
TRUMP ASKED IF HE ‘TRUSTS’ NETANYAHU, SAYS HE DOESN’T TRUST ANYONE
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, the newly minted Time Person of the Year, gave an extensive interview to the magazine that was vague on top geopolitical issues, and when asked if he trusted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said he does not trust anyone.
ISRAEL TO SURGE SETTLER POPULATION IN STOLEN GOLAN HEIGHTS, FORTIFY MILITARY POSITIONS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will continue to hold on to the stolen Golan Heights, “cause it to blossom,” and fill it with Israeli settlers, drawing criticism from neighboring countries.
AI
AN AI-POWERED LIVESTOCK HERDER THAT CHECKS HEALTH OF COWS AND FIELDS
Australia is a major beef exporter with 30 million cows spread across hundreds of thousands of square miles, many of which can be dry.
OPENAI PARTNERS WITH DEFENSE CONTRACTOR
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT that launched the current Age of AI, has signed a contract with Anduril Industries, a military industry startup specializing in robotic and autonomous systems.
BOTS ARE BEGINNING TO PEEL INTERNET SEARCHERS FROM GOOGLE
Perplexity is a $20-a-month service that returns AI-generated answers when a user searches for information on the Internet. Since launching in August 2022, it’s gained about 15 million users.
Hi-Tech Science
FORGET OZEMPIC—NEW MICRO-PILL IS BETTER, RESEARCHERS SAY
Weight-loss pharmaceuticals such as Ozempic and Wegovy are among drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They bump up insulin production to reduce blood sugar and slow digestion so you feel fuller longer.
YOU MAY SOON BE ABLE TO PAINT YOUR EV WITH SOLAR CELLS
Mercedes-Benz is well along in developing a solar “paint” that can cover a car’s body in an energy-generating film that makes energy from sunlight.
GOOGLE SCORES QUANTUM COMPUTER BREAKTHROUGH
Quantum computers, which take advantage of subatomic particles’ strange behavior, have taken a giant step forward in Google’s new “Willow” quantum computer chip.
