Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - This World Is a Ship, Not Your Home

 

“One day an aged beggar, covered with ulcers and almost naked, stretched out his hand, and Martin, seeing the Divine in him, took him to his own bed, ignoring that he was not clean.  One of the brothers, considering he had gone too far in his charity, reproved him.

And Martin replied: ‘Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness.  Consider that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed sheets, but with even a torrent of tears I could never wash the stain from my soul that harshness toward the unfortunate would bring.’ ”

Arthur M. Granger, Vie du Bienheureux Martin de Porrès, 1941

"This world is a ship, not your home."

Thérèse de Lisieux

"Prayer is not calling God in to bless our activities.  Rather, prayer takes us into God’s presence, shows us His will, and prepares us to obey Him.   God will use your prayer times to soften your heart and change your focus.  As you pray for others, the Holy Spirit will work in your heart so that you have the same compassion for them that God does.

If you do not love people as you should, pray for them.  If you are not as active in God’s service as you know He wants you to be, begin praying.  You cannot be intimately exposed to God’s heart and remain complacent.  The time spent with God will change you."

Henry Blackaby, Prayer Changes You

"Some people come into your life as blessings. Some come into your life as lessons."

Teresa of Calcutta

"When we see how God gives Himself to us, all that is common becomes wonderful; and it is because of this that nothing seems to be common, because this way it is, in itself, extraordinary.  Consequently it is unnecessary to make life full of strange and unsuitable marvels and miracles.  It is, in itself, a miracle, a revelation, a constant joy even with the prevalence of annoyances and shortcomings."

Jean-Pierre de Caussade, L'Abandon a la Providence divine

"Peter understood that neither Nero, nor all his legions, could overcome the living truth — that they could not overwhelm it with tears or blood, and that now its victory was beginning.  He understood with equal force why the Lord had turned him back on the road.  That city of pride, of crime, of wickedness, and of a lust for power, was beginning to be His city."

Henryk Sienkiewicz, Quo Vadis, 1898


Although I mentioned it to a few friends I never seem to have noted here that the young man was married last month in Hangzhou, China, the beautiful jewel on the Westlake.  The changes that have occurred in China since I was last there for business in 1998 are profound.

There is a wonderful little Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception there, which was founded by missionaries in 1661.  My joy is almost complete, in many ways.  I wish the queen had been here to see this.  And like most parents, I look forward to seeing our grandchildren.  

It's the little things that gives us hope, and remind us of who we are, and thereby make life worth living.

And so we had the wash and rinse that I had expected.  

Stocks gave up most if not all of the gains they enjoyed yesterday.

Gold wobbled a little, but silver was smacked lower by the wiseguys in sympathy with equities.

VIX rose sharply.

Is the market really this flighty, if not bipolar?   Or have we just handed the reins of our country over to the plundering class, and their servants?

Non-Farm Payrolls report tomorrow.

"Isn't it a riddle and awe-inspiring that things can be so beautiful, despite the horror?  I've seen something wondrous peering through my joy in the beautiful, a sense of its creator.  Only people can be truly ugly, because they have free will to separate themselves from this song of praise.  It often seems they will drown out this hymn with cannon thunder, curses, and blasphemy.  But I have realized they will not succeed.  And so I want to throw myself on the side of the victor.”

Sophie Scholl, Munich, 1941

Have a pleasant evening.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - The Father of Lies and of Madness

 

“Civility means a great deal more than just being nice to one another.  It is complex and encompasses learning how to connect successfully and live well with others, developing thoughtfulness, and fostering effective self-expression and communication.  Civility includes courtesy, politeness, mutual respect, fairness, good manners.”

Pier Massimo Forni, Choosing Civility, February 28, 2002

"So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof.  Let us never negotiate out of fear.  But let us never fear to negotiate.  Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us"

John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961

"I recall having cautioned you all that we have entered a period of hysteria several times. I saw this phase coming years ago. And here we are.

1.Exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement.

2.A psychological disorder whose symptoms include conversion of psychological stress into physical symptoms, selective amnesia, susceptibility to autosuggestion.

At other times I have referred to what follows from hysteria as 'the madness.' That is when hysteria is driven into action, sometimes by those who would seek to use that madness for their own ends. And as you recall I often say, 'the madness serves none but itself.'

I think there is a lot of fear and uncertainty out there. And it is going to get worse. And in such a time it is even more important to stick to the facts, maintain your composure, keep a cap on the rhetorical flourishes and excesses, and remember that if you do not know what will happen, that the other guy might be right as well. Age has taught me that those who see things in pure black and white are often just color blind and nearsighted.

It is those who can proceed calmly and with serenity who will pass through this period relatively well, and even if they do suffer some unavoidable misfortune, they can do so without regret."

Jesse, A Plea for Civility, 14 April 2013

"Why do you not understand what I am saying?  It is because you cannot bear to hear my words.   You are from your father, the devil, and you willfully carry out your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand with the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks in accord with his nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

John 8:43-44


What else can one expect to happen if a social system is created that values money and power above all else?    That chooses to create and act within its own false reality?  

Where the thought leaders of a nation prefer to say nothing, or go along to get along, to promote and prophesy illusions?

The 'elite' of the West have struck a monumental Faustian bargain for money and power.   

And there will be hell to pay.  For them of course, but for many, many innocents. 

Stocks soared.

Gold and silver rallied hard up to overhead resistance.

VIX did not decline, which was interesting.

The Dollar fell sharply.

Non-Farm Payrolls on Friday.

The geopolitical situation is on a rolling boil, whether we wish to ignore it or not.

Forewarned is forearmed. 

What matters most in the long run is your soul, and the souls of those that you love. For that is what this is all about.

Have a pleasant evening.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Drunk with Hate Under the Searing Sun of Satan

 

“We became aware someone among us in this spiritual dark night of the soul was raising the standard of love on high.  Someone unknown, like everyone else, tortured and bereft of name and social standing, went to a horrible death for the sake of someone not even related to him.  Thousands of prisoners were convinced the true world continued to exist and that our torturers would not be able to destroy it.

To say that Father Kolbe died for one of us or for that person’s family is too great a simplification.  His death was the salvation of thousands.  That’s how we felt about it.  That was a shock full of optimism, regenerating and giving strength; we were stunned by his act, which became a mighty explosion of light in the dark camp.”

Jerzy Bielecki, prisoner at Auschwitz, as quoted in A Man for Others, 1982

"Behind the concrete, the visible events, behind all objective, logical considerations, we find the irrational element: the struggle against the demon, against the servants of the Antichrist.  Everywhere and always demonic powers lurk in the dark, waiting for the moment when man is weak.  Man is free, to be sure, but without the true God he is defenseless against the principle of evil."

The White Rose, Fourth Leaflet, Munich, 1942

"Kolbe looked directly and intently into the eyes of those entering the cell.  Those eyes of his were always strangely penetrating.  The SS men couldn’t stand his glance, and used to yell at him, Schau auf die erde, nicht auf uns!   Kolbe was a psychic trauma, a shock for the SS men who had to bear his look, a look that hungered not for bread, but to liberate them from evil."

Bruno Borgowiec, prisoner at Auschwitz

"The foolish ask nothing better than not to have to understand anything, and they even used to get together and try not to understand, because the last thing of which a person is capable is to be malicious and foolish all by themselves.  Without understanding, they form spontaneously into herds, not according to any particular affinities but in obedience to the petty ideology.  They would far rather kill than have to think."

George Bernanos, Under the Sun of Satan

“The mob believes everything it is told, provided only that it be repeated over and over. Provided too that its passions, hatreds, fears are catered to. The grosser, the bigger, the cruder the lie, the more readily is it believed and followed. The mob has no memory; needless to pretend to any truth: the mob is radically incapable of perceiving it: the mob can never comprehend that its own interests are what is at stake.”

Alexandre Koyré, Réflexions sur le Mensonge

"A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

John 1:5

“The most deadly poison of our times is indifference.   The Cross is the school of love.    It is easy to get drunk with hate.  Hate is not creative, only love is creative.  These sufferings will not cause us to crumble but will help us, more and more, to become stronger.  

No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict.  Beyond armies of occupation and the catacombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love.  And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we are ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?”

Maximilian Kolbe, executed at Auschwitz, August 14, 1941

Risk re-entered the consciousness of the markets today as Israel released a missile strike on Beirut.  

And so all the usual things happened.

Stocks declined.

VIX rose.

Gold and silver rallied.

The Dollar moved sideways.

It was a small move, although striking in an urban area is a step towards a wider war.

They say that truth is the first victim in war. 

The US media are servile to the 'deep state.'   No astute observer of the day can doubt this.

It is also hard to watch some of the nations of Europe lining up their populations for a loss of life and economic decline. 

And for what?

FOMC tomorrow.

Have a pleasant evening.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - All Along the Watchtower - There Must Be Some Way Out of Here

 

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be with the coming of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given away in marriage, up until the very day that Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came, and swept them all away...

And they said to him, 'Where will this happen, Lord?' And He said to them, 'Where death is, there will be a gathering of vultures.'”

Luke 17:26-27, 37

"Hear the word of the Lord, that the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, proclaims to you: repent and change your ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place.  Do not put your trust in deceptive words, saying: 'This is the house of the Lord, the house of the Lord, the house of the Lord.'

If you truly change your ways and your deeds, if you are upright in your dealings with your neighbor; if you do not oppress the foreigner, the other, the orphan, and the widow; if you do not shed innocent blood in this land; and if you do not follow other gods and thereby cause your own destruction, then I will allow you to live here, in the land that I gave as a gift to your fathers long ago.

You have been placing your trust in deceitful words that are empty. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, tell lies, worship the god of the land, and follow other gods about whom you know nothing, and then come and stand before me and say, 'We are safe,' all the while intending to continue doing these despicable deeds?  Has this house which bears my name become in your eyes a den of thieves?  Be assured that I am fully aware of what you are doing, says the Lord."

Jeremiah 7:2-11

Then Jesus said, “Did I not say that if you have faith you will see the glory of God?”  And so they removed the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said,  “Father, I thank you for hearing me.  I know that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the people standing here, so that they may believe that it was you who sent me.”

When he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with linen bands, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Then Jesus said to them, “Untie him, and let him go free.”

John 11:40-44

Today was a good day to ignore the markets, and to wait for the two big shoes to drop later this week: the FOMC decision on Wednesday, and the Non-Farm Payrolls report on Friday.

So after the usual sturm und drang, the major stock indices finished largely unchanged.

Gold and silver took back their  declines and finished largely unchanged.

VIX ended unchanged from its open.

The Dollar managed to hang on to a little rally.

So, barring exogenous events, the risk of which are certainly heightened as has been pointed out many times, the markets are likely waiting to see what the Fed's verdict on the economy might be.

Besides the deluge of dark and corporate money in politics, which is the root of all our evils, the biggest problem we are facing is the growing power of monopolies to fix pricing and bend regulations to their will.

It's a nasty business.  And it festers compliments of the credibility trap which is preventing any meaningful reform.

Given the general level of cynical corruption of justice proliferating the halls of power in the West, I have a fairly dour outlook for the intermediate term.   I admit to being biased against most politicians, but that is because occupations focused largely on the accumulation of money and power tend to attract the worst people to its ranks.  

Wall Street and the C suites of the corporate monopollies are the very heart of darkness.   And for now, as they have done so in the past, they seem to have taken control of the levers of our economy.

And the band played on.

Have a pleasant evening.