Asian stock markets are down in trading Monday by some pretty eye watering percentages: Japan’s Nikkei down 8%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng down 10%, China’s Shenzen Composite down 11% and…I give up. It’s easier to find the least worst losers which is any index which is only down 5% or less on the day (Thailand and Australia are only down 4%). Dow Futures are of course down and Trump supporters are saying stick to the plan it’s working! They might change their tune if the Bank Holiday they face involves shutting down use of their ATM cards. We shall see.
I tend to think of war as a situation where almost everyone loses to enrich a very tiny sliver of those at the very top, economically speaking. A trade war, in my opinion, is no different. Jackfruit may grow on trees but it doesn’t like the soil conditions in the USA (I wrote an entire book about it in 2021 based on our three trees in Thailand. Plus I had a lot of time on my hands). Although pharmaceuticals and certain rare Earth materials are exempt from the Trump tariffs, food is not. Everything is a banker’s trick.
Now should you panic? Not at all. My very good astrologer informed me that with Venus and Mercury going direct, their opposition to Saturn will ease after April 12. My best guess is that there will be some backroom business deals made in an attempt to make sure the fantastically rich get even richer. The other side will fold its cards, or Trump will suddenly change his tune and the stock market casino will go wild with thunderous applause! As for the rest of us, I’m doubtful of the marketing script but with crude oil in free fall shouldn’t gas prices at least go down? Let’s call it globalism versus the globalists. Of course the majority have been stripmined and fleeced for years.
My broader worry is that this is the opening salvo to WWIII and some Revelation-esque steering. They’re shaking the jar full of ants right now. That part is obvious.
And the terrorists, and the warlords, and the Soros funded NGOs bussing in “peaceful protestors.” All sides are funded to shake the jar.
I realize now that both of my parents were simply way ahead of their time. My father’s strange rants about how the United States was !&*#$@ worse than Russia (this was in like the year 1984) and my mother’s concern about the Rapture, the Second Coming of Christ and daily reading of Revelation was, well a little wacky back then. On a long enough timeline…
Ahh the central Christian Buddhist debate:
I’m still trying to figure out how I went from being viewed as some sort of peace and love far left hippie into being branded as a far right MAGA cult member when my positions on most things have not changed much in decades:
Regarding market moves we were walking past the gold shop in Nai Yang so I decided to snap a picture of it. Now 24 carat gold is a huge thing in Thailand and many Asian countries for barter, exchange, buy, sell and trade. They won’t usually deal in US gold as they don’t trust the stamps of purity (which are rarely for 24 carat anyways). I remember specifically that when I came to Thailand in early March of 2024, my special number (319) was posted at a few gold trading outlets, which means the price then was 31,900 baht. That was 13 months ago. Now I’m wondering if or when the gold sign will turn over to 50,000 baht.
I suppose there’s nothing to do but watch the show. Tomorrow, however, is another day…
This black monday has been a very long time coming.
Trump and Musk aren't doing this to get rich. Barrack, Hillary and Brandon went into government to get rich. Trump and Musk were already rich. You can posit myriad other motivations, but money (and little boys) aren't among them.
I have no choice but to believe that they are willing to take the tremendous risks involved because they think it is the right thing to do. I'm not altogether sure, and I'm even more skeptical as to whether it will.
Don't be too harsh on Bobby Kennedy. Politics is the art of the possible. What you and I want would seem to be impossible at the moment. Per Peter Goetsche and others, the MMR is somewhat effective and among the least damaging of the vaccines. I believe that nonetheless it the balance of risk says, don't take it. However, if Bobby has to back off a bit in order to get an honest autism study, that's the deal he had to make and I'm happy for it.
The CDC could not make shots mandatory. They left it up to the states to do that, which they did. I think that those regimes will be changing fairly rapidly. It will be up to the courts as much as the federal government. Bobby is against forcing needles into anybody.
My measure of the Trump team is that they are making enemies of all the right people.
"i hate the fence you think i'm sitting on"
is this mike yeadon quote? i smell wisdom