Z-News Daily

Michael J. Kramer’s assessment was stark: “My global liquidity model shows that the drain is not over yet; bonds and stocks are affected.” His words echoed through the financial sphere, underscoring the severity of the situation.

US Food prices have risen by almost 17% in nearly 4 months. This is a level comparable to the 2023 average. Yet another example of the recent inflation rebound.

Congrats housing market, March was the best you'll see for the rest of the year

As the US sails through the murky waters of economic uncertainty, recent indicators paint a troubling picture. The first quarter of 2024 saw GDP growth fall short of expectations, raising concerns about the nation’s economic trajectory. But it’s not just sluggish growth that’s causing ripples; inflation has been steadily climbing for the past four months, defying predictions and accelerating at an alarming rate.

Ukraine has a long tradition of mineral production, having been a major producer of iron and manganese ore, as well as titanium, phosphorus and rare earth elements and also holds a number of gold deposits. The government is keen to develop its mineral resources base, not least the deposits of those metals used in innovative technologies and has launched a comprehensive programme of online auctions for fields with deposits of strategic and critical minerals. The webinar will last for 90 minutes and is free of charge for participants.

The mainstream media, with Democrats supporting them, seems to be spreading the idea that Americans hate Trump. They claim Trump is only supported by the “fringe” of the right. That his views are so radical, that Americans have no choice but to keep Joe Biden in office. But is that really the case? Signs suggest that Americans are not behind Biden’s vision for America.

The solution to a problem shouldn’t make the problem worse. But apparently, California’s policy makers missed that memo. On April 1st, the state instituted a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers, the highest in the US. With California’s absurdly high cost of living, the policy appeared to make life more manageable for low-income residents. Unfortunately, as the adage goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” California’s new minimum wage is poised to hurt the same fast-food workers it aims to help.

A San Diego County official has branded the city the “new epicenter” for illegal immigration and claimed that Border Patrol has become “the ‘Uber’ for migrants” entering the county.

Those seeking to buy a house as shelter for their household can’t compete with the wealthy seeking assets to snap up and hoard for appreciation. Those seeking to rent a dwelling are up against corporate hoarders of homes such as Blackrock, which owns 7% of all rentals in the US, and wealthy households pulling dwellings out of the year-round rental market to feast on the profits generated by revenge-spending vacationers.

As economic indicators flash warning signs, the Sahm Rule and Goldman Sachs McKelvey indicator converge to declare the onset of recession since October 23, 2023. With employment outlooks turning bleak, early business surveys hint at a downturn in both manufacturing and services sectors for April, casting a shadow over the trajectory of the economy. Amidst mounting concerns, analysts scrutinize these signals for insights into the depth and duration of the impending economic downturn.

Seizing assets? Two can play at that game... Just days after Washington voted to authorize the REPO Act - paving the way for the Biden administration confiscate billions in Russian sovereign assets which sit in US banks - it appears Moscow has a plan of its own (let's call it the REVERSE REPO Act) as a Russian court has ordered the seizure of $440 million from JPMorgan.

Given that bank accounts, and actually, cash itself, have long proven to be an utterly unreliable way to protect one’s savings, it has now become a necessity for all responsible and forward-planning individuals to seek out an alternative. There is none more time-tested and more resilient than physical gold, stored securely outside the banking system. Not only does it offer the most robust protection against inflation and crises, but it also offers a solid insurance against the excesses and trespasses of the State.

A St. Petersburg court ordered the freezing of funds owned by US banking giant JPMorgan Chase (among the main investors in the Weapons Lobby – Gospa News ed) in Russia on Wednesday. The ruling was made in favor of the country’s second-largest lender VTB, which has filed a lawsuit seeking to recover $439.5 million that is blocked abroad under US-led sanctions.

In a country that prides itself on openness and responsibility, a concerning reality has emerged: the actual state of the U.S. economy may be significantly worse than what official reports suggest. Recent reports have raised concerns about the nation’s financial stability. These reports have challenged the optimistic projections and cautious hope that have been dominant. The warning signs are increasing and point toward an economy that could be on the edge of a crisis. This crisis could have far-reaching implications for both households and businesses. Among the concerns are stagnant wage growth and skyrocketing consumer debt. With the November elections approaching, these reports have raised red flags and have severe economic implications.

This indicates that over $2 billion worth of multifamily Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) loans have been flagged for potential default. The implication is that there may be financial distress in the multifamily real estate sector, possibly leading to increased defaults and financial instability in the CMBS market.

This is absolutely insane: Nvidia stock, $NVDA, is now up a massive 17% from its low just 5 trading days ago. The stock has jumped from a low of $756 to $880+, adding ~$320 BILLION in market cap. This week alone, Nvidia has added market cap equivalent to the entire value of Costco, $COST. It has added nearly DOUBLE the total market cap of McDonald's stock, $MCD. We now have $2 trillion+ companies trading with more volatility than penny stocks. A historic opportunity for traders.

A year after the failure of Credit Suisse, the Swiss government says UBS may have to find as much as $27 billion to absorb potential losses and protect taxpayers from ever having to bail out a major bank.

Economic aides to former US President Donald Trump are looking for options to stop countries from shifting away from the US dollar as it faces a growing challenge from emerging markets, including BRICS nations, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

The FDIC just seized the troubled Philadelphia bank, Republic First Bancorp and and struck an agreement for the lender’s deposits and the majority of its assets to be bought by Fulton Bank. Republic Bank had about $6 billion of assets and $4 billion of deposits at the end of January, according to the FDIC (considerably smaller than the $100-200BN assets with SVB and Signature).

President Joe Biden has the worst job approval rating since Eisenhower during his recently completed 13th quarter in office, according to a new poll by Gallup. While Biden clocks in at 38.7%, the previous low was set by George H.W. Bush at 41.8% in 1992. Donald Trump and Barack Obama averaged 46.8% and 45.9% respectively during the same point in their presidencies. Prior to Bush, Jimmy Carter is the only other president with a sub-50% average in his 13th quarter.

GPU microchips are made with gold as well as other metals like minum, silicon, gold, and copper because of their useful conductive properties. Of course, the monetary value of gold provides an incentive to minimize its use, but the chemical properties of gold remain so useful that manufacturers continue to use gold in chips and sometimes in internal computer wiring and switches despite their cost. As competition for the best GPUs heats up and the price of GPUs is likely going to rise due to advances in artificial intelligence, the cost of the metal in GPUs will become less relevant to the overall cost of gold. This means that manufacturers can use more gold in their products without dramatically increasing the cost of their GPUs and other products.

Recycling explained. New Study Shows Recycling is a Scam, DIY and car review Scotty Kilmer. Should I recycle? The truth about recycling trash and car parts. Where does trash go? Why recycling is a waste of time and money. Getting scammed. How recycling works. Car advice. DIY car repair with Scotty Kilmer, an auto mechanic for the last 56 years.

In a dramatic turn, interest rate futures now forecast less than two rate cuts for the entirety of 2024, a stark departure from earlier projections of six to eight reductions beginning in March. This shift in sentiment reflects growing uncertainty as CPI inflation consistently exceeds expectations, prompting cautious anticipation of tomorrow’s crucial PCE inflation data.

The intricate dance between economic indicators unveils a sobering reality: as US government debt skyrockets, Gold emerges as a beacon of stability, outperforming Bonds in a landscape of uncertainty. With national gasoline prices surging past $3.70 per gallon amid persistent inflationary pressures, concerns deepen over the prospect of breaching the $4.00 mark for the first time in two years. Despite the Fed’s efforts to tighten monetary policy through rate hikes and balance sheet reduction, the market remains awash in liquidity, prompting speculation of further rate hikes should inflationary pressures escalate and expectations become unmoored. As the economic landscape teeters on the brink of uncertainty, our exposé delves into the hidden truths behind today’s economic crisis, offering unparalleled insights that demand attention.

Are the financial markets headed for trouble? There was quite a bit of panic on Wall Street on Thursday after more bad economic numbers were released. But honestly I simply do not understand why the financial markets responded with such surprise. By now it should be apparent to everyone that we have a “Weekend at Bernie’s economy” that is being propped up by unprecedented levels of government spending. If we actually tried to live within our means, we would immediately plunge into a depression. Our politicians definitely do not want that, and so about every one hundred days they are adding another trillion dollars to the national debt, and the vast majority of that borrowed money goes directly into the veins of the corpse that we call the U.S. economy.