Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - The Reign of the Moneyed Interests and Malignant Narcissists

 

"This cartoon by Joseph Keppler, who was both the editor and main cartoonist for Puck, which became one of, a very popular satirical weeklies in the post-Civil War period, expresses a general public discontent and concern about the growing impact and power of large businesses in the United States in the Gilded Age, particularly as this indicates, by businesses that have become monopolies in one way or another, and their control over the political process.

This is the period of time when the Senate is beginning to be conceived of as a millionaire’s club. It’s not quite called that yet, but it’s getting there, and certainly the sort of power and influence of business has become palpable.

And this is a wonderful snapshot, if you will, of the relationship between the two, with the bloated figures, having squeezed their way through the door saying, 'Entrance for Monopolists,' and surrounding the Senate with the Lilliputian figures of the different senators, all of whom would be recognized by viewers because their faces are quite realistic.   And the influence is quite clear between the monopolists and their impact on the legislators who are either going to be manipulated by or intimidated by these figures.

The quote from the Gettysburg Address referred to the democracy, 'the government by the people and for the people' as opposed to, in this case, the corruption of it, which is, 'by the monopolists and for the monopolists.'"

Josh Brown, The Bosses of the Senate, November 20, 2022

“Against such foolishness we are defenseless. Reason falls on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed – in such moments the foolish person even becomes critical – and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental.   In all this the foolish person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

For these are a rebellious people, deceitful children, unwilling to listen to the commandments of the Lord. They say to their seers,‘Do not see!’, and to the prophets,‘Say nothing of what is right. Tell us only the things that please us — prophesy illusions.'"

Isaiah 30:8-10


Stocks continued their downward spiral, following a much weaker than expected Non-Farm Payrolls report and a rise in the unemployment rate.

So far this is just a correction.   Today the SP 500 tagged the 50% Fibonacci retracement for this current bubble up rally.

Gold and silver held their ground reasonably well.

The Dollar was knocked down 1.23.

VIX rose higher.

Gold and silver seem to be retaining their 'safe harbor' status.  Although we must be reminded that in a thankfully rare general liquidation panic everything is sold.   

Including the souls of many recognizable figures, who seem to have no hesitation prophesying lies and bending their knee to a donor class of malignant narcissists.

This increasingly reminds me of 1913.

And because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.  

Need little, want less, love more.  For those who abide in love abide in God, and God in them.

Have a pleasant weekend.

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.