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Saturday, August 31, 2019

What A Wipeout, Hedge Fund Gold Bets Increase, China Can Play The Game…But They Are Losing, Plus A Reality Check

As we get ready to kickoff trading in September, what a wipeout, hedge funds increase gold bets, China can play the game, but they are losing, plus a reality check.

The post What A Wipeout, Hedge Fund Gold Bets Increase, China Can Play The Game…But They Are Losing, Plus A Reality Check appeared first on King World News.



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Daily Digest 8/31 – The Rich Aren’t Spending, Great Barrier Reef Health Downgraded To “Very Poor”

Economy

New recession warning: The rich aren’t spending (Adam)

Luxury real estate is having its worst year since the financial crisis, with pricey markets like Manhattan seeing six straight quarters of sales declines. According to Redfin, sales of homes priced at $1.5 million or more fell 5% in the U.S. in the second quarter. Unsold mansions and penthouses are piling up across the country, especially in ritzy resort towns, with a nearly three-year supply of luxury listings in Aspen, Colorado, and the Hamptons in New York.

U.S. Yield Curve Steepens as Mnuchin Considers Longer-Term Bonds (Thomas R.)

“There was no need for Mnuchin to make remarks that could prompt selling of Treasuries,” said Hidehiro Joke, a bond strategist at Mizuho Securities Co. in Tokyo. “He might have tried to lift long-dated yields given that the yield curve inversion is seen as a sign of recession and cools sentiment.”

Dow closes more than 300 points higher as China tamps down fears of trade-war escalation (Thomas R.)

A spokesman for China’s commerce ministry was quoted in news reports as saying the country wouldn’t immediately respond to the latest round of tariff increases announced by President Donald Trump on Friday. Those increases came after Beijing announced a round of retaliatory tariffs.

USDA to probe beef market after Tyson Foods slaughterhouse fire (Sparky1)

Profit margins for the packers are above $400 per head of cattle slaughtered, up from around $150 before the fire and well above the previous record of $308, according to Denver-based livestock marketing advisory service HedgersEdge.com.

The USDA will investigate whether there is evidence of price manipulation, collusion or other unfair practices, according to a statement.

The Best Performing Stocks Aren’t Usually the Safest. They Are Right Now. (Thomas R.)

After the 2002 instance, the S&P 500 went on to gain 22% over the next 12 months, but following the 2008 occurrence, the S&P 500 dropped 28% over the same period. Those statistics don’t help all that much, but they do confirm what many investors have been feeling: We’re at a moment where it’s almost impossible to tell which way the market is headed next. “Outsized momentum performance can be followed by large positive or negative market returns,” Mezrich writes

More Force Won’t Fix the American Diet (Adam)

It’s fascinating to contemplate the implications. Here we are debating the healthcare system as a major political issue. Politicians on the stump are calling for this and that. And yet the number one problem with American health can be solved simply by making better choices. The best fix for the vast number of issues rests with the volition of every person.

Del Monte to Close Four Plants (Sparky1)

Production will be transferred to the remaining six North American facilities of Del Monte Foods, the American arm of Del Monte Pacific Limited. Almost 200 full-time and more than 600 seasonal employees will be affected.

Del Monte Foods shut plants in three other states last year.

World’s 2nd-largest Ebola outbreak surpasses 3,000 cases (Sparky1)

The grim milestone comes a month after the World Health Organization (WHO), the global health arm of the United Nations, declared the ongoing outbreak an international emergency. The WHO’s director-general has described the outbreak as more complex than the deadlier 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa due to the region’s political and security instability, attacks on health workers, a highly mobile population and community mistrust and misinformation.

The Hardscrabble Farmer: On Food (thc0655)

I am sure that to the average American consumer I am somewhere above the homeless beggar and just below the landscaper both economically and in appearance. Our truck is neither new, nor is our daily uniform of Carhart style work pants, farm T-shirt and hiking boots striking in appearance, but we are happy in our chores and proud of what we do. I treasure the relationships we’ve built with the people in these related businesses and the friendships that have come from our efforts as well as opportunity to improve our local environment and everything that depends upon it.

Prime minister says Pakistan will respond if India attacks (Sparky1)

India on Thursday said it has information that Pakistan is trying to infiltrate “terrorists” into the country. Pakistan’s army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Ghafoor, rejected the Indian claims, saying Pakistan was a responsible state and “we would be insane to allow infiltration” across the Line of Control that divides the countries in Kashmir.

Central Banker Desperation (GE Christenson)

Their “feel good” stories about fiat currencies, stocks always rise, bonds represent good value, the economy is doing great, the elite manage well, Wall Street cares about “the little guy,” deficits don’t matter, debts can increase forever… are wearing thin. The truth will surface.

Perdue Takes Call from Trump with Midwest Farmers (Sparky1)

The crowd held its collective breath as Trump jumped into addressing trade. “I can make a quick deal with China, and I can carry that deal into a tremendous amount of agriculture products. Immediately I would be a hero, I would easily win the election. And that would be that, but it would be the wrong deal. Or I can do it the right way like it should have been done over the last 35 years, and do it the way we are doing right now, stay the course.”

Jim Grant: This madness will all end with higher gold (Herman J.)

James “Jim” Grant is an American writer and publisher and the founder of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, a twice-monthly journal of the financial markets. He is the author , most recently, of The Forgotten Depression: 1921: The Crash That Cured Itself. Grant’s television appearances include “60 Minutes,” “The Charlie Rose Show,” Bloomberg TV, CNBC and other well-known financial news sources.

Mass. medical board suspends doctor’s license after cache of weapons found (Boomer41)

Bonanno was arraigned in Tuckahoe Village Court on several counts of criminal possession of weapons charges. He can request a hearing at the Division of Administrative Law Appeals within seven days.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine licenses more than 40,000 physicians, osteopaths and acupuncturists in the state and is responsible for investigating complaints and protecting the public’s health.

Prenatal fluoride exposure linked to lower intelligence in children (newsbuoy)

Fluoride has been added to water, salt, milk, and dental products in many countries for more than 60 years to prevent cavities and improve bone health, according to the authors. They pointed out that although there are some known side effects to excessive fluoride exposure, like tooth staining, there have been few studies of other potential health effects.

Experiments with the HAARP Ionospheric Heater (newsbuoy)

The VLF group is involved in several projects using HAARP that involve improving the rather poor efficiency at which HAARP is able to generate ELF waves, as well as using those ELF waves to study the ionosphere and magnetosphere. The following is a sampling of recent work in the VLF group but experiments are ongoing and new ideas are always being sought.

Conservatives Are Being Targeted By A Complex 4th Gen Warfare Campaign (thc0655)

The tactic is not just about “divide and conquer”; that’s only one small part of 4th Gen. It’s not only about causing internal strife or civil wars. It’s also about tricking a group into tarnishing their own public image, tricking them into taking hypocritical actions, tricking them into abandoning their defining principles, and tricking them into following leadership that is owned and controlled so he/she can lead them to ruin.

City dwellers continue to collect bailout money meant for farmers (Sparky1)

EWG calculated its city-dweller count by filtering MFP recipients based on residency in a zipcode within one of America’s 50 largest cities. The results are noteworthy because MFP eligibility rules require recipients to be “actively engaged in farming.” However, a closer look at the official definition of “actively engaged” reveals potential avenues for payments to be made outside the program’s stated intent. To qualify, recipients are typically required to perform some kind of farm labor. But landowners and individuals in vaguely defined managerial positions can qualify, even if they don’t work on-site. All this is to say—and the new findings show—that you don’t necessarily need to be a farmer to receive bailout money meant for farmers.

Elon Musk adds Tesla insurance to diverse empire (Thomas R.)

“Auto insurance is one of the most competitive marketplaces in our economy and America’s mutual insurers welcome those automakers that are offering coverage,” a spokeswoman for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, told Fox Business Wednesday. “Any company offering that coverage, however, must be subject to the rigorous solvency and consumer protection regulations adopted by the states to ensure they will be there when needed.”

Trump’s EPA to Propose Retreat on Methane Rules for Oil Wells (Sparky1)

The proposal comes at a time of increasing anxiety about the effects of climate change. It also threatens to undermine the oil industry’s sales pitch that natural gas is a climate-friendly source of electricity — a cleaner-burning alternative to coal that can help power an energy-hungry world for decades to come.

Chris Hayes Explores The Impact Of Trump’s Tariffs On American Farmers (Don R.)

Ohio soybean farmer Christopher Gibbs says President Trump was “never ever forthright with the American people” about China tariffs.

Dorian could be the strongest hurricane to hit Florida’s east coast since Andrew (Thomas R.)

At 105 mph, Dorian is the strongest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season so far. If it makes landfall as a Category 4 storm on Monday as forecast, with sustained winds of around 130 mph, it will be the strongest hurricane to strike Florida’s East Coast since Andrew in 1992, according to CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller. By late Thursday, Dorian was a Category 2 storm.

Study: The “forever chemicals” in your takeout bowl may pose more dangers than previously thought (Sparky1)

Now, a growing body of research casts doubt on the presumed safety of short-chain PFAS. In their extensive review, the Auburn University scientists strike an unequivocal note: There is cause for serious concern.

Unknown Disease Prompts Culling of Pigs (Sparky1)

Dar refused to identify the affected area or province and disclose the number of pig deaths while containment efforts were underway. The results of the lab tests and other details would eventually be disclosed to the public, he said. A recent increase in deaths of pigs raised by farmers in backyard farms and pens was reported to him on Friday, Dar said, adding that it prompted increased monitoring and stricter quarantine screening in airports and seaports nationwide.

Great Barrier Reef health outlook downgraded to “very poor” due to ocean warming (Adam)

Canberra, Australia — The government agency that manages Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has downgraded its outlook for the corals’ condition from “poor” to “very poor” due to warming oceans. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s condition report, which is updated every five years, is the latest bad news for the 133,360-square-mile colorful coral network off the northeast Australian coast as climate change and coral bleaching take their toll.

Gold & Silver

Click to read the PM Daily Market Commentary: 8/29/19

Provided daily by the Peak Prosperity Gold & Silver Group

Article suggestions for the Daily Digest can be sent to dd@peakprosperity.com. All suggestions are filtered by the Daily Digest team and preference is given to those that are in alignment with the message of the Crash Course and the "3 Es."

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Friday, August 30, 2019

As investors around the world look for signs of what to expect next, bullion banks and commercials remain very close to being all-time record short the gold market! All-Time Record

The post appeared first on King World News.



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The Layoff Survival Handbook

Executive Summary

  • How to reduce your odds of being laid off
  • How to prepare for a layoff
  • Essential steps to take during the layoff process
  • Post-layoff success strategies
If you have not yet read Part 1: Mass Layoffs Are Back. Are You At Risk?, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
Whether or not you perceive your job to be in imminent jeopardy, there's a series of sensible steps to take now to defend yourself against becoming the victim of a layoff. These steps will not only reduce your risk of being let go, but they'll boost your performance, the value you offer an employer, and increase your satisfaction with your career. What's not to like? And should you be unable to avoid a layoff, you'll be far better offer for having put these preparations in place beforehand. Especially if we re-enter a period of mass layoffs like 2007-2009, when millions of other sacked workers will be suddenly competing for the few existing job openings out there. The best way to begin protecting the security of your job is to...  (Enroll now to continue reading)  
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Mass Layoffs Are Back. Are You At Risk?

Imagine the following scene playing out at work tomorrow:

You arrive in the morning to find a note reading ‘HR wants to see you’. About what?, you wonder.

Seeing your HR manager already in the conference room with the door closed, you fidget as you wait. A knot begins to form in your stomach that gets tighter as the minutes tick by.

Suddenly, the door opens. A colleague stumbles out, looking ashen-faced. Then the HR manager’s head emerges, notices you and says “Ah, please come in”.

“I’m sorry to tell you that the company is letting you go,” she begins. “Sales have slumped and we simply can’t employ as many people. It’s nothing personal.”

And just like that, your job is gone.

You’ll get a month’s salary as severance pay, plus two-weeks more if you sign a ‘non-disparagement’ clause. And they’ve just handed you a pile of forms that supposedly will guide you through the process of applying for COBRA health coverage and unemployment benefits, should those be necessary.

And that’s it.

Oh, they’ve already taken your computer back to IT. You’ve got 15 minutes to collect any personal items and say your goodbyes. But please don’t linger. We’d hate to get Security involved…

Thanks for your service! And best of luck in your next venture!

What would you do if this happened to you tomorrow? Really chew on that for a minute.

Would you feel surprised? Liberated? Petrified?

What would your job prospects look like? Are you confident you could get re-hired quickly? Or are you looking at months (or longer) of unemployment?

What will it do to your household finances if you’re out of work for a prolonged time? Are you the primary breadwinner? Do you have other income or substantial savings that can sustain you? If not, how would you plan to make ends meet?

Most people are caught flat-footed by layoffs. There’s a complacency a steady paycheck offers that’s instantly ripped away by a pink slip. Few people are ready — emotionally, professionally, or financially — for the abrupt ending to the status quo a layoff brings.

Mike Tyson once eloquently quipped: “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Similarly, everybody can afford to be optimistic about tomorrow until they get canned.

Have ‘Layoff Anxiety’? You’re Not Alone.

If the thought-exercise above gave your stomach butterflies, you’re not alone. Nearly half (48%) of US workers report experiencing ‘layoff anxiety’.

And, this is during the “good times”, folks. Officially, we’re still in the longest economic expansion in US history.

What’s it going to be like when this long-in-the-tooth expansion ends, as all inevitably must?

And as we’ve been furiously covering here at PeakProsperity.com, it sure looks like the end is fast arriving. The inverted yield curve in US Treasurys, slowing US growth and negative growth rates in major European economies, anemic global shipping volumes, and a raft of other dependable indicators are flashing warnings that the world economy (including the US) is plunging towards recession.

A recession that corporate America is woefully unprepared for, due to record levels of debt.

9 Trillion Reasons To Reduce Headcount

In response to the past decade of extremely cheap and plentiful credit supplied by the world’s central banks QE (quantitative easing) efforts, company executives have borrowed much more aggressively than in the past. Often to repurchase their company’s own shares in hopes of boosting its stock price (and thus their stock-based compensation packages).

And a worrisome number (hundreds of $billions) of such corporate loans made over the past several years have been low quality, high-risk, and covenant-lite.

As a result, today’s US companies are as or more dangerously leveraged than ever before. More than $9 Trillion of debt now burdens the balance sheets of America’s corporations:

Corporate indebtedness charts

As growth continues to slow and corporate profits decline, debt service takes up an ever-greater percentage of cash flows. At some point, headcount cuts become unavoidable.

The Robot Took My Job

On top of that, as we’ve been long warning about here at PeakProsperity.com, employers currently have a tremendous perverse incentive to automate and replace human labor with technology.

The simple and harsh truth is that it’s expensive, and becoming more so, to employ humans. Wages, health care, retirement benefits, workers comp, OSHA regulations, lawsuits, training, vacations, sick days — it all adds up. Machines free employers from all of those costs, headaches and potential liabilities.

Meanwhile, technological advancements in robotics and AI (artificial intelligence) are on an exponential track. Capabilities are skyrocketing and costs are coming down. With the ability to borrow at rock-bottom interest rates, is it any surprise that companies are investing in automation as fast as they can?

White-shoe consulting firm McKinsey predicts that 50% of current work activities are at risk of being automated by 2030, and that by that time, 400-800 million workers worldwide will be displaced by technology — creating “a challenge potentially greater than past historic shifts”.

A historic transition away from human towards automated labor is underway. It’s happening in every industry and will impact every job function, at every level of the org chart.

And unlike with outsourcing or off-shoring, once these jobs are successfully automated, they’re “gone” as far as human workers are concerned. They’re never going to be un-automated.

It Has Already Begun

Remember the mass layoffs of 2008 and 2009? When thousands of people instantly lost their jobs as companies started jettisoning workers?

Well, they’re back.

In 2019 so far, we’ve seen reductions-in-force reported across a number of industries from the likes of HSBC (4,750 jobs), Nissan (12,500 jobs) and Deutsche Bank (18,000 jobs). Other well-known brands letting employees go include Siemens, Uber, US Steel, Kellogg’s, Ford, Disney, and United Airlines.

At this stage, it’s not (yet) like the carnage seen during the Great Recession. Remember how god-awful scary this was, as hundreds of thousands of people were laid off every month for two years?

Job losses between Dec 2007 and Dec 2009

8.8 million jobs were lost during this period. When layoffs are that widespread, it’s just a numbers game. Amongst yourself, your family, and your friends — at least some of you are going to fall victim.

How bad could things be next time? Bad enough to take protective action, we think.

And it’s not that hard for us to make the argument that the future wave of mass firings may be substantially worse. So don’t rest on your laurels.

Signs Of Trouble To Watch For

What early-warning indicators can you monitor to assess whether your company, or your specific job, is at risk?

Company Risk Factors

First, it helps to look at the industries that shed the most workers during the Great Recession. History doesn’t repeat itself exactly, but it often rhymes:

Jobs Lost By Industry During Great Recession

Do you currently work in one of these industries? If so, the above chart should give you a general sense as to how yours will fare relative to others should we indeed re-enter recession soon.

But not all companies within an industry are created equal. How can you tell if you’re currently employed by one of the more vulnerable players?

Here are classic signs of trouble to look out for:

  • Declining financials — Does your company have a higher Debt/Equity ratio that its industry peers? Are revenues and/or earnings flatlining or decreasing? Are Accounts Payable increasing as a percentage of total Liabilities? All are potential indications of a company on shaky ground.
  • Freezes — Has your company announced a freeze on new hires, budgets and/or bonuses? These are all signs of tightening pursestrings, and they constrain prospects for future growth. It’s rare for sizable layoffs to be announced before any, if not all, of these is tried first.
  • Postponement of key projects — similar to freezes, big deployments are often pushed back or shelved completely in attempt to reduce costs before headcount cuts are considered. Of course, once you reduce your planned projects, you then realize you don’t need as many people…
  • Consolidation — this is when business units are collapsed together for ‘greater efficiency’ and ‘cost savings’. This is a sign that pennies are starting to be pinched, and soon “cost savings” starts to look an awful lot like “employing fewer people”.
  • Being acquired — in good times and bad, employees at a company being acquired are at greater risk. Acquisitions are intended to unlock “synergies”, which often is a fancy way to say “if we combine our companies, we can fire all the people who have redundant jobs”. Since they don’t have relationships with the power players at the acquiring firm, those being acquired are usually the first to be shown the door.
  • Your company is “pivoting” — “pivoting” is the new smokescreen term for “What we’re doing isn’t working so let’s try something else”. True, it’s wise to abandon a doomed path. But not if you’re just trading it for another half-baked idea. While there are examples of pivots that turned a failing enterprise into a world-class success (did you know that YouTube initially started as a dating site?), those are the exceptions.
  • Bad news/too many rumors — “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”. When your company is unfavorably covered by the trade media for long enough, it’s usually for good reason. Just ask the folks who work (or used to) at Sears, Theranos, JC Penny, Toys “R” Us, or Forever 21.
  • Senior management leaving — when the rats at the top start leaving the ship at the same time, it’s time to worry. They know a lot more than you do about your company’s condition. Right now, I’d be really worried if I worked at a place like Tesla…
  • Sudden stock drop — a strong stock price makes up for a lot of operational deficiencies (such as, in the example of Netflix, Uber or We Work, losing billions in cash flow every year). But when investors abandon the dream underlying your company and the stock starts tanking, life can quickly get a lot worse. Profitability and positive cash flow suddenly becomes matters of life and death. Those working at a high-flier Tech unicorn or starry-eyed start-up need to be attuned to how quickly things can turn should investors sour.

Is There A Target On Your Back?

Layoffs are like tossing sand bags out of a sinking hot-air balloon. You throw a few overboard to see if that stops the fall. If it doesn’t, you chuck out a few more.

They tend to happen as a sequence. In the first wave, the obvious underperformers are let go. That’s the easy decision, and may even be positive for morale. But if the company is still in trouble, another wave –maybe more — will be needed.

So, how can you tell if you’re at risk for the next wave in the series?

Here are some common predictors:

  • Your workload is lightening — workers with spare capacity offer a lower ROI (return on investment). Either your company’s throughput is diminishing (a bad sign) or your boss is re-directing your work to other people (a very bad sign).
  • Increase in status reports — if you’re suddenly being asked to rationalize and report on all of your activities, it’s usually a sign that someone higher up the chain from you is trying to “justify” the resources in your department. It’s a signal that the future of your department — or you, specifically — is under review.
  • “Too” young — historically, younger workers are often the first let go in a layoff as they have the least work experience and the least seniority within the organization. During the GFC, unemployment among young workers nearly doubled from 5.4% in 2007 to 9.2% in 2010.
  • “Too” old — in a growing number of industries (Tech, in particular), it’s increasingly common for older workers to be laid off first. Younger workers often are more familiar and facile with the latest software and technology, and they’re often substantially cheaper to employ. They’re willing to work longer hours for less pay and don’t have the benefits footprint that older workers with families do. ‘Ageism’ is fast becoming a common legal complaint in today’s layoffs.
  • Your boss suddenly departs — while this may or may not be a sign that your department is losing status within the company, it often means you’re losing your strongest champion within the organization. If your boss leaves abruptly, be sure to connect with her privately to get the inside scoop. Now that she’s not speaking for overall management, she’ll likely to be fully transparent with you about the company’s condition.
  • Friction with your boss — while never a promising sign, if you and your boss aren’t getting along, chances are you won’t be at the top of his list of employes to fight to keep during a RIF (reduction in force). In fact, if you’re suddenly experiencing badwill where there was none before, it could be that he’s trying to build a case for making your layoff an “easy call”.
  • Being ‘asked’ to take a pay cut — this is a pretty clear sign that you’re less essential to the company than you were previously and/or that your company is *really* hurting cash flow-wise. If you’re ‘asked’ this, take it as a sign from the universe to start updating your resume.
  • Being asked to train someone else or an outside firm on your responsibilities — this is another clear “wake up call” that your job is likely on the chopping block. Unless you know for sure you’re getting promoted, take this as a message to expect a visit from HR soon.
  • Your spider-senses are tingling — companies are social institutions by design; they’re made up of people (at least, they still are for now). If you notice the execs and senior managers looking stressed or spending a lot of time huddled in conference rooms, if the water cooler talk revolves around company problems, if perks start quickly disappearing, if people start shunning you — these are all warning signs you should heed. Don’t ignore your gut.

How To Reduce Your Vulnerability

After taking an honest assessment of your job situation, would taking some precautionary measures against a layoff make sense?

[Spoiler alert: if you’re one of the 132 million full-time employees currently working in the US, the right answer is pretty much always “yes”. There’s simply no good reason to trust your primary/only income source to blind faith.]

In Part 2: The Layoff Survival Handbook, we detail out the steps to take now to reduce your vulnerability to a layoff, and the critical steps to take right away should you become laid off.

Many of these will enhance your career trajectory and satisfaction even if a pink slip never arrives. But should one do, you’ll be far better off for having taken them.

Given the mounting recessionary risks ahead, we all need to prepare for what’s coming.

Click here to read Part 2 of this report (free executive summary, enrollment required for full access).

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Bullion Banks And Commercials Remain Near All-Time Record Short The Gold Market!

As investors around the world look for signs of what to expect next, bullion banks and commercials remain very close to being all-time record short the gold market!

The post Bullion Banks And Commercials Remain Near All-Time Record Short The Gold Market! appeared first on King World News.



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A Look At Where Things Stand In The Gold & Silver Markets

As we get ready to go into a long holiday weekend, here are a couple of thoughts from two of the greats on the gold and silver markets.

The post A Look At Where Things Stand In The Gold & Silver Markets appeared first on King World News.



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Craig Hemke – Gold and Silver by the Numbers

from Financial Survival Network

When we last spoke with Craig Hemke of TF Metals Report it was May 30, 2019. He vehement in his belief that a new gold bull market was underway. Almost 3 months later and we now know that Craig was right. He was hoping for a 1485 gold price, but his expectations have been exceeded. At this rate gold could be way over $1500 by December 31, 2019. And the stocks could really catapult and that would all be fine with Craig.

Click Here to Listen to the Audio

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Arwen Becker – A Zoological Approach to Retirement

from Financial Survival Network

Not really. Arwen Becker was a zoologist when she found herself in need of finding a career that paid the bills. Perhaps understanding those animal spirits helped her understand the human need for a comfortable and happy retirement. It’s no secret that people are living longer, but their money isn’t. That’s why the need for a retirement plan is now great than ever. And that’s how zoology affects retirement planning.

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Daily Digest 8/30 – Good News Friday: Helping Children Learn To Eat Well, The Milky Way In A Single Photo

This is Good News Friday, where we find some good economic, energy, and environmental news and share it with PP readers. Please send any positive news to dd@peakprosperity.com with subject header "Good News Friday." We will save and post weekly. Enjoy!

Economy

A major study pinpointed the 5 habits of people who don’t feel lonely (tmn)

Those who say they work just the right amount are least likely to be lonely – the loneliness score of those who work more than desired increases by just over three points, while those who work less than desired showed a 6-point increase in loneliness. Not surprisingly, those who report working less than desired are less likely to report having feelings associated with being less lonely (e.g., feeling outgoing and friendly, there are people you can talk to, etc.), compared to those who work more than desired.

The Joys of Being a Late Tech Adopter (jdargis)

In other words, by waiting and opting for a previous-generation model, I get to enjoy a fast, long-lasting watch that tracks my workouts and shows my calendar notifications, among other perks, for a steep discount.

Helping Children Learn to Eat Well (tmn)

“I never use the word dieting, and I never use the word weight loss, because of the negative connotations,” Dr. Taveras said. “But I can recommend that a family switch from sugar-sweetened beverages to water, or replace processed, calorically dense foods with fruits and vegetables — is that a diet? It’s a nutrition plan.”

The Detroit Zoo plans to be entirely powered by renewable energy by 2021 (Thomas R.)

DTE expects several other wind-only sites to come online by late 2020, to cover larger businesses like the Detroit Zoo. They will enable the zoo to offset the 7,425 metric tons of carbon dioxide carbon dioxide it releases each year.

DTE provides electricity to 2.2 million customers in southeastern Michigan. It launched the green energy offset program in the spring of 2017, and aims to reduce its carbon emissions across the board 80% by 2040.

Do plastic bag taxes or bans curb waste? 400 cities and states tried it out. (tmn)

While a straightforward ban may seem like the most effective way to stop people from using plastic, researchers and consultants suggest another strategy is working better: a tax on all non-reusable bags, which may or may not be combined with an outright ban on some plastic.

Jupiter’s new moons get their official names (Sparky1)

Five of Jupiter’s recently discovered moons have been officially named.

The Entire Plane of the Milky Way Captured in a Single Photo (Thomas R.)

Is it possible to capture the entire plane of our galaxy in a single image? Yes, but not in one exposure — and it took some planning to do it in two. The top part of the featured image is the night sky above Lebanon, north of the equator, taken in 2017 June. The image was taken at a time when the central band of the Milky Way Galaxy passed directly overhead. The bottom half was similarly captured six months later in latitude-opposite Chile, south of Earth’s equator. Each image therefore captured the night sky in exactly the opposite direction of the other, when fully half the Galactic plane was visible.

Meet the pilot who defied KGB orders to drop flowers on Baltic Way human chain (Thomas R.)

“There was an injunction banning all flights that day, including regular flights by Aeroflot, the Soviet airline. But as I had not received any order to stay on the ground that day, I felt I was not doing anything very bad,” Lithuanian pilot Tamošiūnas recalled, smirking.

The night before the Baltic Way human chain, he and another pilot, Kazimieras Šalčius, painted the tails of their AN-2 aircraft, replacing the USSR flag with the colours of the Lithuanian one: yellow, green and red.

Hubble’s New Portrait of Jupiter (jdargis)

The bands are created by differences in the thickness and height of the ammonia ice clouds. The colorful bands, which flow in opposite directions at various latitudes, result from different atmospheric pressures. Lighter bands rise higher and have thicker clouds than the darker bands.

Gold & Silver

Click to read the PM Daily Market Commentary: 8/27/19

Provided daily by the Peak Prosperity Gold & Silver Group

Article suggestions for the Daily Digest can be sent to dd@peakprosperity.com. All suggestions are filtered by the Daily Digest team and preference is given to those that are in alignment with the message of the Crash Course and the "3 Es."

The post Daily Digest 8/30 – Good News Friday: Helping Children Learn To Eat Well, The Milky Way In A Single Photo appeared first on Peak Prosperity.



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Fun on Friday: This Post Blows

As I write this, Hurricane Dorian is taking aim at Florida. What’s fun about that? you might ask. Well, nothing. And I don’t want to minimize the potential for disaster. But the hurricane hasn’t hit yet and the runup to a storm provides a lot of amusement and some educational moments. I just can’t resist. […]

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Silver on Rocket Fuel! SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap Aug. 30, 2019

Gold has had a pretty solid month, but silver has been going up like it’s on rocket fuel. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap, host Mike Maharrey takes a close look at the silver market and what’s going on there. He talks a little trade war, saying that maybe we shouldn’t be talking […]

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Thursday, August 29, 2019

Something To Think About Plus The Chart Of The Day

As we kickoff Friday's trading, here is something to think about as well as the chart of the day.

The post Something To Think About Plus The Chart Of The Day appeared first on King World News.



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WOW: Look At This Tumble, Another Record, Banksters, A Little Problem, Plus Gold & Silver

Look at this tumble, another record, banksters, a little problem, plus gold and silver.

The post WOW: Look At This Tumble, Another Record, Banksters, A Little Problem, Plus Gold & Silver appeared first on King World News.



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How To Ride The Gold (& Silver) Bull

Gold & Silver webinar banner

The prospects for further gold and silver price appreciation has rarely looked this strong.

Declining — heck, negative! — interest rates around the world. And central banks, including the all-important Federal Reserve, publicly committed to bringing them even lower going forward.

Recession warnings are multiplying everywhere: Slowing global growth. Inverted yield curves galore. Exploding government and corporate indebtedness.

And with stocks and real estate suddenly showing vulnerability, it’s perhaps little surprise why gold has finally vaulted above the trading range its been mired in since 2013. Capital is suddenly starting to look for safe havens.

And despite the nice jump in price gold, silver and the mining stocks have enjoyed so far this year, we’re still in the early innings (perhaps still the first!) of this new precious metals bull market. If history is any guide, the real action still lies ahead.

In fact, if the early 2000s bull run is any guide the average gold stock will multiply four times from current levels — and the better ones could go up 10 times or more.

But you’d be amazed how many investors can miss out on the majority of big gains, or even lose money, during a precious metals bull market. Those just sitting on a position of bullion will not reap the prodigious returns a smartly-positioned investor will.

Intelligent allocation is everything.

And just as important as buying is knowing when to sell. (Hint: It’s not at the top of the market.)

So, how can you position to take full advantage of this new gold & silver bull market? And not screw up this rare opportunity?

We’ve assembled top experts on resource investing to share their recommendations in our upcoming free webinar on next Wednesday, September 4, 2019 @ 7pm ET/4pm PT

Featured faculty include Rick Rule, president & CEO of Sprott US Holdings and renowned resource investor;  Chris Martenson PhD, economic analyst and co-founder of PeakProsperity.com; and Brien Lundin, editor of the world’s oldest precious metals newsletter and producer of the world’s longest-running investment conference.

You can register for this free webinar, by clicking the blue button below. Don’t worry if you can’t make the live event on September 4th; a replay video of the full webinar will be sent to everyone who registers.

The post How To Ride The Gold (& Silver) Bull appeared first on Peak Prosperity.



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Victor Tiffany – Another Bernie Bust?

from Financial Survival Network

Victor Tiffany founded Bernie or Bust, a group that is as anti-ruling class as President Trump. He believes, and rightfully so, that Bernie was screwed in 2016 when Clinton got the nomination. He thinks this time out that it could happen again. Bernie’s running against several fake progressives that will make it hard for him to capture the prize. First and foremost on the Bernie Agenda is climate change. Victor believes that no amount of sacrifice is enough in the pursuit of this elusive goal. Otherwise, the planet will go extinct. We disagree on this point, but we do agree that everyone’s voice needs to be heard and that only through rational debate can policies be established that solve real problems.

Click Here to Listen to the Audio

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Bruce Frohnen – Fighting for America’s Soul

from Financial Survival Network

Americans have been forced from their homes. Their jobs have been outsourced, their neighborhoods torn down to make room for freeways, their churches shuttered or taken over by social justice warriors, and their very families eviscerated by government programs that assume their functions and a hostile elite that deems them oppressive. Conservatives have always defended these elements of a rooted life as crucial to maintaining cultural continuity in the face of changing circumstances. Unfortunately, official “conservatism” has become fixated on abstract claims about freedom and the profits of “creative destruction.” Professor Bruce Frohnen writes in his new book, Coming Home: Reclaiming Americas Conservative Soul, that “Conservatism has never been the only voice in America, but it is the most distinctively American voice, emerging from the customs, norms, and dispositions of its people and grounded in the conviction that the capacity for self-governance provides a distinctly human dignity. Emphasizing the ongoing strength and importance of the conservative tradition, the authors describe our Constitution’s emphasis on maintaining order and balance and protecting the primary institutions of local life. Also important here is an understanding of changes in American demographics, economics, and politics. These changes complicated attempts to address the fundamentally antitraditional nature of slavery and Jim Crow, the destructive effects of globalism, and the increasing desire to look on the federal government as the guarantor of security and happiness. To reclaim our home as a people, we must rebuild the natural associations and primary institutions within which we live. This means protecting the fundamental relationships that make up our way of life. From philosophy to home construction, from theology to commerce, from charity to the essentials of household management, our ongoing practices are the source of our knowledge of truth, of one another, and of how we may live well together.”

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Stocks Up But Look At What Is Collapsing, Plus Another Bull Flag For Silver

On a day when stocks are trading higher, look at what is collapsing, plus another bull flag for silver.

The post Stocks Up But Look At What Is Collapsing, Plus Another Bull Flag For Silver appeared first on King World News.



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Daily Digest 8/29 – ‘Retail Armageddon’ Coming Soon, Is $2k Gold On The Horizon?


Economy

Global stocks under pressure as bond markets ring recession alarms (Thomas R.)

Johnson will limit parliament’s ability to derail his Brexit plans by unveiling his new legislative agenda on Oct. 14, a government source told Reuters, stoking fears of an economically disruptive no-deal departure from the EU.

The pound, already trading lower on the day, was last down 0.6% at $1.2210.

Addicted To Fines (tmn)

High fine communities can be found in just about every state, but they tend to be concentrated in certain parts of the country. Rural areas with high poverty have especially high rates. So do places with very limited tax bases or those with independent local municipal courts. And these jurisdictions are far more common in the South than elsewhere. The states that stood out in our analysis were Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, plus New York. Fines and forfeitures accounted for more than one-fifth of general revenues in the most recent financial audits for 52 localities in Georgia, and 49 in Louisiana. By contrast, several Northeastern states with high property taxes had no localities exceeding the 10 percent threshold.

Exclusive: Fake-branded bars slip dirty gold into world markets (Thomas R.)

Four of the executives said at least 1,000 of the bars, of a standard size known as a kilobar for their weight, have been found. That is a small share of output from the gold industry, which produces roughly 2 million to 2.5 million such bars each year. But the forgeries are sophisticated, so thousands more may have gone undetected, according to the head of Switzerland’s biggest refinery.

Is $2,000 Gold On The Horizon? (Thomas R.)

And as a newcomer to the scene, the company appears significantly undervalued, meaning that they have the one thing that every investor is after: discount gold.

We’re talking about a stock that has a modest market cap of around $12 million, but is currently sitting on gold reserves estimated to be worth billions.

The Message of Measles (jdargis)

Almost everyone who contracts measles exhibits symptoms; this is not the case with, say, polio, a disease in which three out of four people don’t show any symptoms at all. “The measles vaccine really works, and the virus finds those who are unprotected, either because they haven’t been vaccinated or because they don’t have immunity from a prior measles infection,” Bruce Gellin, the president of global immunization at the Sabin Vaccine Institute, in Washington, D.C., told me. “So you can see it spreading. You can see where you’re vulnerable, on a mass scale.” It’s a little like sticking a punctured tire in a barrel of water. Measles finds the leak.

Sell Kraft Heinz Stock Because the Turnaround Task Is Enormous, Analyst Says (Thomas R.)

Guggenheim analyst Laurent Grandet reiterated a Sell rating on Kraft Heinz on Tuesday. He wrote that, while the new appointments are an “incremental positive” in that they show Patricio’s “sense of urgency…to make changes to the top,” he is still bearish on the shares “given the enormity of the task ahead and the uncertainty around the ultimate success of a potential turnaround.”

‘Retail Armageddon’ will hit in 5 days says industry CEO (Thomas R.)

“You know what’s going to happen on the 1st? Most of the apparel is going to get hit and about half the footwear is going to get hit and this is our selling season,” he said. “We know the president loves Christmas…we hope he doesn’t want his administration to be the Grinch. We don’t make that much money and 15 percent is going to take away the profits of retailers.”

Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar to pay $1.2 million for selling expired, obsolete products (Thomas R.)

“We continue to believe that the DG-branded motor oil products at issue meet both the company’s standards for quality and value, but also all applicable federal and state labeling, marketing and placement requirements where they are sold,” Dollar General said in a statement.

On the issue of expired drugs, Dollar General said it “took immediate action to address the situation, and we continue to work with our store teams to ensure that the company’s expectations regarding expired products are clearly communicated, understood and implemented.”

SC Johnson, ‘A family company,’ threatens to sue Oklahoma AG over use of signature slogan in Johnson & Johnson opioid suit (Thomas R.)

“The reference to Johnson & Johnson as ‘a family company’ comes from the way it tries to appear to the public. Our trial, in part, was about unmasking this company for what it was found guilty of yesterday, being the kingpin behind the deadliest man made epidemic in our nation’s history,” he said.

How insurance companies are fueling a rise in ransomware attacks (tmn)

The mayor, Witt, said in an interview that he was aware of the efforts to recover backup files but preferred to have the insurer pay the ransom because it was less expensive for the city. “We pay a $10,000 deductible, and we get back to business, hopefully,” he said. “Or we go, ‘No, we’re not going to do that,’ then we spend money we don’t have to just get back up and running. And so to me, it wasn’t a pleasant decision, but it was the only decision.”

Colossal Crude Oil Inventory Draw Carries Prices Higher (Thomas R.)

Oil prices were trading up on Tuesday prior to the data release despite the appearance that the United States could be softening its stance on the Iranian nuclear deal and the subsequent oil exports that would be unleashed on the market in the rather unlikely event that the Iran vs. the West showdown wrap up in quick form. It also ignored news from China that it would seek to increase its domestic demand for products to weather the tariffs imposed by US strong-arming, indicating China’s future unwillingness to give up ground in the trade talks.

City crows may have high cholesterol because they eat fast food (tmn)

Jukka Jokimäki at the University of Lapland in Finland was surprised the fast food didn’t have a bigger negative influence on the birds’ health. “There are probably some other urban-related factors that are more important for the crows,” says Jokimäki, adding that other aspects of city life may tax crows’ health, such as car collisions and disease.

Gold & Silver

Click to read the PM Daily Market Commentary: 8/27/19

Provided daily by the Peak Prosperity Gold & Silver Group

Article suggestions for the Daily Digest can be sent to dd@peakprosperity.com. All suggestions are filtered by the Daily Digest team and preference is given to those that are in alignment with the message of the Crash Course and the "3 Es."

The post Daily Digest 8/29 – ‘Retail Armageddon’ Coming Soon, Is $2k Gold On The Horizon? appeared first on Peak Prosperity.



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Bank of England Governor: Dollar “Too Dominant” as Reserve Currency, Needs to Be Replaced

During a recent interview on RT America, Peter Schiff said investors should stay away from the dollar, not only because of the looming recession, but because its days as a reserve currency could be numbered. Is this just hyperbole, or could the US dollar really fall off its throne? America’s enemies would certainly like to see […]

from SchiffGold.com https://ift.tt/2zvQr4e

How Long Can Over-Leveraged Consumers Prop Up the Economy?

Earlier this week, Spencer Schiff wrote an article noting the importance of consumer spending to the US economy and the consequences that will follow if Americans suddenly tighten up their wallets.  Schiff isn’t alone in his concern. A mainstream economist sounded a similar warning during a recent CNBC interview. In his article, Spencer pointed out […]

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Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Golden Trigger That Will Send The Price Of Gold Dramatically Higher

One of the greats in the business discusses the golden trigger that will send the price of gold dramatically higher.

The post The Golden Trigger That Will Send The Price Of Gold Dramatically Higher appeared first on King World News.



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Albert Edwards – MMT Fully Loaded, A Remarkable Chart, Silver, Plus What’s On Fire In The Gold Market

As we move through another wild week of trading, Albert Edwards discusses MMT fully loaded, plus a look at what just happened for the first time ever, something that is hard to believe, a remarkable chart, silver, and what's on fire in the gold market.

The post Albert Edwards – MMT Fully Loaded, A Remarkable Chart, Silver, Plus What’s On Fire In The Gold Market appeared first on King World News.



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(Another Bonus!) Off The Cuff: Why Negative Rates Won’t Work

In this week’s Off The Cuff podcast, Chris and John Rubino discuss:
  • Why Negative Rates Won't Work
  • Why We Won't Bounce Out Of The Next Recession
  • The Rich & Poor Alike Will Suffer In The Next Downturn
  • The Only Official 'Plan' B Is Panic At This Point
Recorded two weeks ago, we've only just now had the space to run this podcast. In it, John Rubino does a masterful job breaking down why negative rates are unnatural for a reason -- they simply don't do anything positive for the economy. Click to listen to a sample of this Off the Cuff Podcast or Enroll today to access the full audio as well as all of PeakProsperity.com's other premium content.
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The post (Another Bonus!) Off The Cuff: Why Negative Rates Won’t Work appeared first on Peak Prosperity.



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