Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Risk On - Everything - First Trading Day of New Decade

"In no sense is this QE." - Jay Powell

"Wash the plate, not because it is dirty, or because you are told to wash it, but because you love the person who will use it next."

Mother Teresa of Calcutta


"How contrary are the teachings of Jesus to the feelings of nature. Without the help of His grace it would be impossible not only to put them into practice, but to even understand them.

Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what God wants us to be. Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.  Without love, deeds, even the greatest, count as nothing.”

Thérèse Martin de Lisieux


"We pray for the big things, and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small, and yet really not so small, blessings.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Stocks were sharply higher on the open, on enthusiasm sparked by stimulus to their domestic markets by the Peoples' Bank of China.

The futures pulled back sharply in the first hour to almost unchanged, and then slowly gathered themselves and rose to new highs in the late afternoon hours.

This was clearly a momentum trading rally, and part short squeeze.

Gold and silver were higher along with the dollar, while VIX fell.

And thereby I am calling it 'the everything rally.'

The spokesmodels were talking about 'the new normal' on financial TV this afternoon.

This is going to be a very interesting year.

Have a pleasant evening.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Where Are You Going, Lord? - Last Trading Day of the Decade

“Pity the nation that raises not its voice, except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero and aims to rule the world with force and by torture."

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, New Poems, City Lights


"The fact that these foolish people are often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that they are not independent. In conversation with them, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with them as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of them. They are under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in their very being.

Having thus become a mindless tool, the foolish person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy the human soul.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers From Prison


"As everything in what used to be called creation becomes a commodity, human beings begin to look at one another, and at themselves, in a funny way, and they see price tags. There was a time when people spoke, at least occasionally, of 'inherent worth'— if not of things, then at least of persons.  It is sometimes said that since everything is for sale under the rule of The Market, nothing is sacred.  The Market is not omnipotent— yet. But the process is under way and it is gaining momentum."

Harvey Cox, The Market as God


"Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do."

1 John 2:18-21

Today is the last trading day of the decade.

The next decade will be interesting if history is any guide for us.

The most shocking thing about this last decade was the falling away of so many of the faithful— and for so insignificant a vanity.

The markets were jammed higher into the close on the thinnest of trading. Bravo.

Have a pleasant evening.

And may God have mercy on us, His foolish and obstinate children.

See you next year.

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - The Spice Must Flow

Wall Street Banks and the Fed

"In the last days the culture of society will become angry and hard, and a trial for those who love God. For people will be self-centered, lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great accomplishments, and strut around in their prideful arrogance, mocking all that is good and kind. They will neglect to love even their own families, and act ungrateful and lawless.

Many will become addicted to hateful and malicious thoughts and hateful words. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, angry despisers of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and blinded by clouds of conceit.

They will demand and find their delight in the pleasures of this world, and ignore their need to serve God. They may act religious, but they want to serve themselves."

2 Timothy 3:1-5


"Paul turned the Emperor and said, 'When they permitted you to mount your father’s throne, it was only on the assurance that you’d keep the spice flowing.  You’ve failed them, Majesty.  Do you know the consequences?'”

Frank Herbert, Dune

Risk as measured by the VIX rose, the Dollar continued to fall, and stocks gave up some of their recent gains from a very overbought short term condition.

Gold and silver advanced a bit.

Tomorrow will be New Year's Eve, so trading may be thin to moribund in the afternoon, unless something happens.

The US financial sector is running on hot money.

The spice must flow.

Have a pleasant evening.

Flight to Safety

When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.

Merson, Rest on the Flight to Egypt