Archive for the Economy Category

China Invaded . . . And Won!  Oh Well. (January 29, 2024)

Posted in China, Economy, Kleptocracy, Trade on January 29, 2024 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “How does one explain why there is such a fuss over China possibly invading Taiwan when there was so little effusion over China invading the USA.”

J          “And winning.”

. . .

K          “For most of our adult life, the American economy has been and is being destroyed, disemboweled and dismembered.  A crook like Harry Stonecipher destroyed, disemboweled and dismembered a brilliant American jewel – Boeing.  A thug like Jack Welch destroyed, disemboweled and dismembered a shining American icon – General Electric.  Destruction from within a company.  And economic criminals like ‘Mitts’ Romney and Peter Singer and so many others destroyed companies from without.”

J          “In the patois of our age, would ‘Domestic Economic Terrorist’ appropriately describe them?”

K          “And then they get appointed to a presidential cabinet position or even run for or get into the White House.”

 . . .

K          “Those in power are only concerned with Washington and Wall Street not with Waukesha and Wabash.”

J          “Our friend the ‘War and Wall Street Party’ grinds on and over and around and through us.”

. . .

K          “Look at how it was accomplished.  With the active cooperation and complicity of the Ruling Class of the United States, China invaded the Greater Midwest writ large of America. . . and took over.  The invasion was undertaken not with people and bullets but instead with United States politicians/businessmen and plant closings.  The good people in the Greater Midwest writ large know that they have been conquered and vanquished.  China also stormed the beaches and invaded the two Golden Coasts . . . and took over.  However, the fools on the two Golden Coasts do not know that they too have been conquered and vanquished.”

. . .

J          “Someone was sounding that message more than five years ago.  The Mandarin language class on Tuesday nights prepares one to interpret the conversations of the prison guards at the re-education camp.  And some of us will be quickly identified and shipped to the re-education camp.  Or shot on sight.” 

. . .    

[See the e-commentary at Mitt’s “Destructive Destruction”: The Bane of Capitalism (July 9, 2012) and Volkswagen (VW).  The Bottom Half Of The German Engineering Class Must Go Somewhere.  Boeing? (July 1, 2019).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

We could be getting into trouble

Three “D” USA Economic Policy:  Destroy, Disembowel and Dismember

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The Economic Equinox:  Half Light; Half Dark? (September 25, 2023)

Posted in Economy on September 25, 2023 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “From my vantage point out my Overton Window, matters still look far more dark and ominous than light and optimistic.  The economy is on final approach with flaps flapping and landing gear up on course for a very hard landing.”

J          “It is dark, it is very dark, but they manage to avoid crashing.”

. . .

K          “True inflation is much higher than acknowledged by those in power and is only going to go higher because of the lag effect of the rate hikes; even the coming recession will not drive down the cost of necessities for the over-extended consumer who may not be able to drive up the economy any longer.  Fuel prices are going to move up.  Multiple interrelated sovereign debt crises loom on the horizon.  The stock market is basically seven companies with anemic price/earnings ratios propping up dozens of indexes and funds; many other unprofitable companies are unable or soon will be unable even to finance and extend their maturing debts.  Commercial real estate is set to collapse in a pile of rubble and rebar.  The Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) may not to be undergirded with any collateral; they are Ephemeral Traded Funds.  And then the gazillion dollars of derivatives could unfurl and unfold in a cataclysmic and cosmic collapse.  And then there is the slow fuse burn of de-dollarization which ultimately will render the United States a second world country.”

J          “It is profoundly unhealthy for one to aggregate everything that is going on all at once.  No one understands.  No one cares.  Everyone is cranky.  Everyone is angry.  The population may pop.”

K          “There is that.”

. . .    

K          “The fissures have not fused.  The fractures have further fractured.  I just do not see how the economy sustains.”

J          “They will resiliently kick the can down the pot-holed highway.”

. . .

J          “Failure to pass some manner of continuing resolution could be a trigger.  They will do something at the last minute.”

K          “There will come a time when they do not do something critical in a timely manner or there is nothing that can be done.”

. . .

K         “Does it strike you as ironic to bandy around the words ‘sustainable’ and ‘resilient’ to describe an economy that is hollow and shallow?”

J          “One must maintain a wry sense of humor.”

. . .

J          “Rake the leaves.”

K          “One last mowing.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at What Is With Our Friend Sweden And Our Friends The Swedes?  The Swedish Central Bankers Reward One Of Their Criminal Home Boys:  Bernanke.  The “Real” Nobel For Peace (War?) Rewards Hypocrisy And Dishonesty.  The Nord Stream Pipeline Terrorism Investigation Is Dodgy. (October 24, 2022) and Spoiler Alert:  Yup, Uncle Sam Did It . . . Or At Least Approved It (March 6, 2023).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Boogie ‘til ya puke

September 26 – anniversary of the unprovoked USA-approved international terrorist attack on the Nord Stream pipelines

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The Ultimate Monopolist, The Federal Reserve, Dictates Economic Policy; The Surviving Monopolists Dictate Price And Quality (February 6, 2023)

Posted in Economy, Federal Reserve on February 6, 2023 by e-commentary.org

. . .

J          “The Federal Reserve has an almost absolute and certainly unconstitutional monopoly on economic policy in America.  Congress has abandoned its policy and oversight duties and only spends money that does not exist.  America is a command economy with an unelected cabal of buffoons many with a high school mentality sporting ‘piled higher and deeper degrees’ making fundamental decisions about investment, production, distribution and income determination in secret by decree.  The scheme and the scam have not served the public well.  So there you have it.”

. . .

K          “Eighty-nine percent of Americans think we live in a free market economy.  Over the last two decades, I have watched industry after industry after industry after industry after industry after industry taken over by one major player.  Never have as many industries been as monopolized by one major player as they are today.  That results in higher prices, lower quality and fewer innovations.  So there you have it.”

. . .

[See the book “Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy” by Matt Stoller and “A tale of two worlds” by Alasdair Macleod in “Goldmoney.com” dated February 1, 2023.]

[See the e-commentary on monopoly almost a dozen years ago at On Freedom and Liberty (May 24, 2010) and the e-ssay even more years ago reflecting on the greatest institutional threat at Who Is Your Big Bad Bogeyman? (March 26, 2007).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

The bigger the top, the bigger the pop

So there you have it

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2023:  Inexorable and Immanent? (January 2, 2023)

Posted in Economics, Economy, Federal Reserve on January 2, 2023 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “The Fed is caught between a rock and a hard place.”

J          “The Fed is caught between a hard place and a rock.”

. . .

K          “Uneasy.  Very uneasy.”

J          “Not easy.  Very not easy.”

. . .

K          “The excitement I expected in 2022 looks like it festered and percolated last year.  This year the festering and percolating brew may explode with consequence.”

J          “It could be consequential.”

. . .    

K          “Is this the year?”

J          “They will manage to punt making any big decisions and kick the can down the road and limp the economy along.  They always do.  At least so far.  To date.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at Twenty Sixteen (January 4, 2016) and The Great Checkmate And The Great Seesaw: Interesting Rates (April 11, 2022).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Lord, give me coffee to change the things I can change and wine to accept the things I can’t.

Coffee and friends:  A perfect blend.

Wine improves with age.  I improve with wine.

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Hold ‘em?  Fold ‘em? Who knows? (June 13, 2022)

Posted in Economy, Song Reference, Stock Market on June 13, 2022 by e-commentary.org

[DuckDuckGo is completely blocking www.e-commentary.org.]

. . .

K          “Fold ‘em?”

J          “Hold ‘em?”

. . .

K          “Uncertain times.”

J          “Certainement.”

. . .

K        “Every measurement, every metric, every benchmark, every instinct, every impulse, every pulse screams that the financial system should have exploded and imploded years ago.”

J          “The only thing the little person in the American criminal enterprise system can do is buy and hold in and for the long term.  The system is otherwise rigged to plunder the little person and protect the big person.”

. . . 

[See the e-commentary at The Great Checkmate And The Great Seesaw: Interesting Rates (April 11, 2022), Careening Toward A Global Totalitarian Authoritarian Behemoth?  And Then There Is The Fed’s Self-Inflicted Great Checkmate. (January 3, 2022) and “Bitcoin”, “Ethereum” . . . “Blockchain Technology” Say What? (July 3, 2017).]

Bumper sticker of the week:

Hold ‘em?  Fold ‘em?

A day late and a Bitcoin short.

“You’ve got to know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em,  Know when to walk away, know when to run.  You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table, There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.”  “The Gambler” written by Don Schlitz and sung by Kenny Rogers.

Hard come, easy go.

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