The three main U.S. stock indexes turned in a positive performance on Friday but not even the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 500-point leap was enough to overcome ongoing worries about heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf and the implications of the bond markets’ midweek sell-off over fears of deteriorating U.S. fiscal conditions.
Tag: U.S. Economy
SPOTLIGHT: PANIC IN THE BOND MARKET
On 18 August, investors dumped government bonds amid heightened fears that inflation will continue to rise, government deficits are out of control, and a flood of AI-related bond issues are diluting bond values, the Financial Times reported.
SPOTLIGHT: AI BORROWING TESTS ITS LIMIT
We have greatly detailed that in the very near future, possibly this October, there will be a Dot-com Bust 2.0 that will crash the equity markets and spike gold prices.
WALMART REPORTS SLOWEST SALES GROWTH IN SIX YEARS
In its latest second quarter, Walmart’s sales grew 2.6 percent, the slowest rate since the COVID year of 2020 as worried consumers cut back purchases.
U.S. BUSINESSES WERE BUSIER IN AUGUST, PMI SHOWS
Companies in the U.S. private sector did more business in August than in July, according to S&P Global’s flash purchasing managers index (PMI) this month.
DIESEL PRICES REBOUND, THREATENING A NEW ROUND OF INFLATION
On 18 August, the price of diesel fuel averaged $5.47 a gallon, bouncing higher on renewed fears of an extended Iran war.
ECONOMIC UPDATE
Chief Seattle said that “All things are connected like the blood which unites one family.”
U.S. NATIONAL DEBT TOPS $40 TRILLION
On 18 August, the U.S. national debt officially reached $40.05 trillion after the Treasury Department reported borrowing $432.3 in July to pay its bills.
TRADERS ARE ABANDONING CRYPTO FOR AI IN PAST YEAR: REPORT
Some traders who were once excited about the potential for cryptocurrencies to surge in value and turn small investments into fortunes have begun abandoning crypto in favor of AI stocks, with one former crypto investor telling The Wall Street Journal that he feels like a “caveman who found fire.”
MEN ARE LEAVING THE U.S. WORKFORCE, THREATENING SOCIAL STABILITY
The workforce participation rate among men ages 16 through 54 – the prime working age span – has fallen to 66.8 percent, the lowest since 1948, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.









