Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - A Desolate Abomination - Financialization of Nearly Everything

 

"Ordinarily, the financial risk in a market, and hence the risk to the economy at large, is limited because the assets traded are finite.  There are only so many houses, mortgages, shares of stock, bushels of corn, [bars of silver], or barrels of oil in which to invest. 

But a synthetic instrument has no real assets.  It is simply a bet on the performance of the assets it references.  That means the number of synthetic instruments is limitless, and so is the risk they present to the economy...

Increasingly, synthetics became bets made by people who had no interest in the referenced assets. Synthetics became the chips in a giant casino, one that created no economic growth even when it thrived, and then helped throttle the economy when the casino collapsed." 

US Congressman Carl Levin, Wall Street and the Financial Crisis: The Role of Investment Banks, April 27, 2010

 

"The principal inventors, hustlers , borrowers and culprits were the nation's 15-20 largest and best known financial institutions - including the ones that keep making headlines by demanding more bail-out money from Washington and giving huge bonuses.  These same institutions got much of the early bail-out money and as of December 2008 they accounted for over half of the bad assets written off. The reason these needed so much money is that they government had let them merge, speculate, expand and experiment on dimensions beyond all logic.  

That is why the complicit politicians and regulators have to talk about $100 billion here and $1 trillion there even while they pretend that it's all under control and that the run-amok financial sector remains sound."

Kevin Phillips, The "Disaster Stage" of U.S. Financialization, April 7, 2009

 

"I have chosen this time and this place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too often abounds and the truth is too rarely perceived--yet it is the most important topic on earth: world peace.

What kind of peace do I mean?  What kind of peace do we seek?  Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war.  Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave.  I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children--not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women--not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.

Today the expenditure of billions of dollars every year on weapons acquired for the purpose of making sure we never need to use them is essential to keeping the peace.  But surely the acquisition of such idle stockpiles--which can only destroy and never create--is not the only, much less the most efficient, means of assuring peace."

John F. Kennedy, Commencement Address at American University,  June 10,1963

 

Stocks ripped higher today, as traders reconsidered the as-of-yet unknown impact of the Omicron variation in the covid virus. 

VIX thereby declined, but still remains elevated.

The Dollar was slightly higher.

Gold and silver were under some pressure after rallying overnight.

There will be a Non-Farm Payrolls report on Friday.

Read this:  Wall Street Has Deployed a Dirty Tricks Playbook Against Whistleblowers for Decades.

And who could have seen it coming?

Have a pleasant evening.

 

 

 

 

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Turkey Drop - Non-Farm Payrolls Next Week

 

"Reasoning is no use; facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved — indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can be just pushed aside as trivial exceptions." 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

 

“Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom.  If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so.  If nothing is true, then all is spectacle.  The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.  Post-truth is pre-fascism."

Timothy Snyder

 

“Religion used to be the opium of the people.  But now we are witnessing a transformation: a true opium of the people is the belief in nothingness after death, the huge solace, the huge comfort of thinking that for our betrayals, our greed, our cowardice, our murders, that we are not going to be judged.” 

Czeslaw Milosz, The Discreet Charm of Nihilism

 

"Foolishness has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves. In this respect our townsfolk were like everybody else, wrapped up in themselves; they did not believe in plagues." 

Albert Camus 

 

Stocks dropped like a rock overnight as word of a new, virulent variation of the coronavirus came out of South Africa.   It has already spread abroad.

The Dollar dropped back to the 96 handle, expelling a great deal of its recent speculative excess.

The VIX rocketed higher.

Gold rallied hard overnight, but was slowly whittled down in the quiet New York trading to unchanged.

When the time comes gold will move like a flood, sweeping all manipulation aside. 

Silver was lower, as it tends to follow equities a little more closely in times of stress.

There will be a Non-Farm Payrolls report next week.

It is a little surprising how strong the current of delusion is running these days.

People lie to themselves, and believe in the lies of swindlers and swine, almost routinely.  

And to quiet their consciences they try to aggressively block out all things contrary to their delusions.

God and nature do not care that you do not care.  And they will not be silenced.

But when things come to their resolution, beware of falling true believers, caught up in their vain gods of pride, and graven images of fear, hate, and malign indifference.

God's mills grind slowly, but exceedingly fine.  Always.

Have a pleasant weekend.

 

 

Thanksgiving Day - Repentance, Forgiveness, Thankfulness

 

"Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths.   Lead me in your truth, and teach me: for you are the God of my salvation; and I wait for you all the day.   Remember, O Lord, your tender mercies and loving kindness, as they have ever been of old." 

Psalm 25:4-6 

 

"Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say, rejoice; show patience and consideration to all, for the Lord is always near.  Let nothing make you anxious; but with prayer, and by supplication, and with thanksgiving, let your needs be made known unto God; and the peace of the Lord, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 4:4-7 

 

“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.  I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.  I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.  He has not created me for naught.  I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.  

Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away.  If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him.  If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about.  He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers.   He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.” 

John Henry Newman 

 

"Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, rejoice. Let your gentleness and consideration be known to all, for the Lord is always near. Do not be anxious about anything. But with prayer, and by supplication, and with thanksgiving, let your needs be made known unto God. And the peace of the Lord, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 4:4-7 

 

"Remember us, O Lord, in thy loving kindness and tender mercies, as ever they have been from old." 

Psalm 25:6 

 

Remember to feed the least of His creatures, the birds and animals.  And bring comfort and fellowship to the hearts of those you meet, with a kind word and a smile.  Each of us has our own burdens and troubles to carry. 

And it is our duty and joy to lessen the troubles of others, out of gratitude for His love of the unworthy, of us.  I remember all of you in my thoughts and prayers, as always, my brothers and sisters in the Lord. 

And I give thanks for you and your goodness. 

Let us commend ourselves to His merciful forgiveness, and trust our futures to His loving kindness and tender mercy.  Let us permit ourselves to be fashioned to His will, not for His sake, but for ours. 

Be kind to those who are around your table today, even those who may be 'difficult.' 

And pray for His mercy and enlightenment, if that difficult one is you. 

Do not wait for God to show you the consequences of your sinfulness and pride. 

Need little - Want less - Love more. 

For those who abide in love abide in God, and God in them.