Clinging to Market Myths


Posted originally on Sep 10, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |

2017 Trump Rate Hike P Fed Rates

COMMENT: The comment you posted was correct. Jim Cramer always said bad news is good news. He and everyone else continue to advocate for lower interest rates, and you have shown that when rates decline, so does the economy and stock markets. It looks like Trump is not much better with his constant attack on the Fed.

Joe

Trump Rally 2017 2020

ANSWER: I am a trader – not a promoter, academic, or a TV host. When you actually have skin in the game, you cannot trade based on stupid theories. The fact that these people can say that BS time and time again that lower rates are suitable for the economy, makes the word STUPID and a compliment to their mental capability, for they have not yet invented a word to describe their cognitive ability, which seems to be so myopic that they are at the level of an ameba.

Unemployment Y 8 2 24

I agree, Trump’s attack on the Fed is absolutely dead wrong. The Fed has lowered rates during the Great Depression and every single recession right up to the 2007-2009 recession with ZERO impact whatsoever. No matter how loud I scream, they will NEVER change this propaganda, and they will not only doom the country, but also cause a lot of economic harm to people who act on this propaganda.

ECB Bank Rate 1999 2025
EU_GDP Q 5 1 25

The ECB went NEGATIVE on interest rates in 2014 and maintained that until 2022, with ZERO impact on reversing the economic downtrend. They will NEVER learn, and this is what 2032 is all about. Those in power neither understand how the economy functions nor do they care about trying even to figure it out.

socialism.meme_

No matter what you show a Democrat, it just makes them “feel all warm and fussy” inside to hurt people who have more than they do. They refuse to look at history and show just once where their theories have EVER worked a single time. We have the same entrenched stupidity on the right with this nonsense that lowering rates is good for the economy. We are doomed because of this foolishness on both sides and the REFUSAL even to look to see if this propaganda is right or wrong.

CALLMONY MA

The stock market has NEVER peaked at the same level twice in history. The peak in Call Money was 1899, and the reason was a financial crisis in Britain that forced capital to be recalled from the emerging markets, which was, back then, the USA. The capital outflows led to shortages in cash, causing rates to rise. In 1929, the biggest rally occurred, with rates at their lowest, as capital from around the world concentrated in the USA following World War I.

Gold Rally 82.5

The goldbugs have told everyone to sell stocks and that only gold will rise. Like the Marxists, it just makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside to hate stocks and preach only gold, but will NEVER investigate what they are saying. This is what makes it so hopeless.

Irving Fisher Comments 1929

Even during the Great Depression, the most famous analyst was Irving Fisher. He predicted that the market had reached a new plateau and implied it would never crash. He was dead wrong, and his reputation was severely impacted. Irving Fisher’s contemporary public reputation was utterly destroyed by the 1929 crash, primarily because of a famously ill-timed statement.

Galbraith Great Crash

Galbraith’s socialist philosophy clouded his view of the Great Depression, blaming speculation and the private sector while ignoring the government defaults from Europe and Asia that contributed to the collapse of 9,000 banks. The primary issue in analysis is that people often start with a theory and attempt to prove it, rather than genuinely learning from the data.

Every single BS theory these people espouse is just utter nonsense. They have NEVER looked at markets and are incapable of basic research. They open their mouths and spit out words merely because everyone else does, and they are scared to death of peer review by yet other idiots. Yes, I have fought against the bankers, the Deep State, and various intelligence organizations, and all try to silence me and put out BS, desperate to try to prevent people from simply understanding reality.

Ptolemy I Tetradrach portrait Alexander

Even the complete nonsense that currencies are FIAT and only gold will survive is another absolute piece of raw BS. Again, they just take the Austrian School nonsense and never look at the monetary system at that point in history, when in fact the exchange rates between currencies were purely based on the metal content. There was no real superpower or centralized dominant economy when they were trying to come up with explanations of a process they did not fully understand. The first non-metal monetary system was based on a central ledger system of entries in ancient Egypt. Money was essentially equivalent to wheat that they deposited in a bank, and they were the first to implement a GIRO banking system in the world. You could transfer money from your account to another (GIRO), which did not appear until the Italian bankers of the Middle Ages. The Egyptians did not use coins until they were conquered by Alexander the Great in 332BC. So for thousands of years, it was purely book entries in a bank.

Athens Owl 449 413BC Egyptian Imitation

In order for Egypt to engage in international trade, it issued imitations of Athenian Owls. This proved that the value of an Athenian Owl was worth more than the metal content. They could have issued their own coinage, but did not. They imitated the Athenian Owl because that was the recognized currency in international commerce. There was a premium to the metal content or “fiat”; it was backed by Athens itself, not the metal content. Instead, its value comes from the trust people place in the government that issues it and the fact that it is the only legally accepted form of money for paying debts and taxes. The word “fiat” comes from Latin and means “let it be done” or “by decree.” Essentially, the currency has value because the government says it doesor because the people trust that government over others.

Celtic Imitation of Greek Stater Philip II
Philip II Imitation
Imitation Alexander III

The Celts routinely imitated the coinage of Macedonia, starting with the gold of Philip II and then the silver of his son Alexander the Great. Again, this demonstrated that there was a premium to the coinage over and above that of the metal content. This is the very definition of a fiat currency, whose value is based on the fact that the government issues it.

SeptimusSeverus India Imitation gold aureus

India was the source of the spice trade. They dealt extensively with Rome and Roman coins that circulated in India. They too imitated Roman coinage, and again, the value of the currency was NOT the metal content, but who do you trust? Proof of that statement is here, an Indian imitation gold aureus which weighs nearly 60% more than a genuine gold aureus of Rome.

Venice Genuine and Indian Imitation

India was still imitating the coinage of the Venetian Empire during the 18th century. Issuing gold in the form of the most recognized currency in world trade confirms that the value of the currency was more than the metal content.

1780 Maria Theresia Thaler

The Austrian Maria Theresia Thalers are perhaps the most imitated coin, for they were used in international trade by far. She died in 1780, so they continued to strike coins dated 1780, the year of her death. Again, the metal content is generally correct, showing that the coins were acceptable internationally.

OldTheories Theory Myth r

Fortunately, you will NEVER convince a fool that he is foolish. There will be plenty of these people who will refuse to listen. They MUST lose their shirts, pants, the house, car, the wife, and the kids before they will ever understand. We learn ONLY from our mistakes – not our victories. So there will be a herd for us to trade against.

Bacon Francis on a fool

Vietnam Erases 86 Million Bank Accounts – The Great Reset in Motion


Posted originally on Sep 9, 2025 by Martin Armstrong | 

Fraud Prevention

Vietnam has erased and/or frozen 86 million unverified bank accounts as the nation surrenders to the globalist Great Reset. Anyone wishing to function in society must surrender their biometric data to maintain a bank account. The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) claims that the measure was a system cleanup aimed at preventing fraud. In actuality, the measure is one step closer toward a national ID system that enables the government to control its citizens’ every move.

This is a data-cleansing revolution,” said Pham Anh Tuan, Director of the Payment Department. “While the total number of bank accounts remains 200 million, by September 2025, once the legal framework is complete, all accounts without biometric data will be closed to prevent scams and fraud. After seven years of promoting non-cash payments, we are moving toward real efficiency.”

Vietnam recently implemented a nationwide digital ID (e-ID) system called VNeID that requires both citizens and foreign residents to surrender to the matrix and permit the government to store their personal information in a centralized database. Fingerprints, facial biometric data, photographs, passports, nationality, criminal records, and even medical records will be stored in the government database. Participation is not optional.

Digital ID 2

Project 06 launched in January 2022, hailed as a technological revolution to digitize the country. Project 06’s full name is the “Project on Developing Data Applications on Population, Identification, and Electronic Authentication to Serve National Digital Transformation in the 2022-2025 Period (Vision 2030),” which aligns entirely with the World Economic Forum’s plans for the Great Reset. The concept has been sold to the people as a convenience measure, but in truth, the aim is centralized, unrestrained control over the entire population.

Everything from banking to renting an apartment is linked to the digital ID. One wrong move and the government can completely erase someone from the system. One glitch in the power grid and the nation will come to a standstill. The Vietnamese government has the power to halt a person’s life instantaneously.

High-level Vietnamese officials met in Davos in January 2025, and shortly after, began voicing concern for bank accounts that were unverified through biometric data. Vietnam has been actively seeking OECD membership and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, citing that Project 06 will enable the nation to meet the OECD’s guidelines for regulatory reforms. Vietnam was one of the last nations disconnected from the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) that requires members to share banking information under the pretense of preventing tax evasion.

Digital Identity Chart

Vietnam signed the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAAC) with the OECD in March 2023, enabling automatic exchange of tax and financial information with over 146 jurisdictions. In early 2025, shortly after Davos, Vietnam joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) for Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR), broadening its commitment to AEOI and international tax transparency. In February 2025, Vietnam activated CbCR exchange relationships with 29 jurisdictions including the entire European Union.

Globalist entities defy democracy and demand the complete surrender of national sovereignty under the belief that the world population must be controlled by one centralized force. The majority of world leaders have willingly surrendered, unaware of the full extent of power a small unelected few will yield if the Great Reset succeeds.

Migrant Men Legally Permitted to Harass Girls in the UK


Posted originally on Sep 9, 2025 by Martin Armstrong 

Adult men are legally permitted to harass and intimidate young girls in the United Kingdom. Liberal governments insist that migrants should be above the law in all scenarios. These men are unvetted and from non-Western cultures that have an entirely different view of women. Crime has significantly spiked, and yet, the courts are punishing women who attempt to defend themselves from potentially dangerous men.

In Scotland, a 21-year-old migrant approached and began to verbally harass two young sisters. The man used the opportunity to gain 15 minutes of social media stardom and began filming the two young girls after intimidating them to the point where they are visibly upset and screaming for him to leave them alone. “I’m f**** 12 mate. You’re f***** battering kids mate. Coz you’re f***** kid bashers,” the younger sister said. The older sister valiantly protected her sister and warned the adult male, “Don’t f***** touch my little sister she’s f***** 12.” The foreign man continued to harass the girls and urged the children to “show the knife” as he filmed.

Authorities responded to the incident by arresting the 14-year-old girl for wielding a knife and an axe. The man was not arrested or questioned. Instead, he was permitted to film, harass, and publicly humiliate these young sisters for his own amusement because the UK government has abandoned all rationale.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 7.40 pm on Saturday, we received a report of a female youth with a bladed weapon in St Ann Lane, Dundee. Officers attended and a 14-year-old girl was charged in connection. She will be reported to the relevant authorities.” There was no mention of the man.

The man will not be charged under UK law. Any adult who saw an adult harassing children would immediately intervene. The UK government, however, intervened on behalf of the migrant and accused the schoolgirl of criminal mischief. This is the new norm across Europe—migrants are above the law.

Around 16% of the UK’s population is foreign-born. MIGRANTS COMMIT ONE IN FOUR SEXUAL OFFENSES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. There are countless stories of grooming gangs and rape across Europe, and the men are never charged. In fact, the Labour Party covered up the massive grooming gang scandal that was carried out by Pakistani nationals because they did not want negative press. The women, or young girls in this instance, are prohibited from self-defense. Where is the outrage?

Hollywood & Gold


Posted originally on Sep 9, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |  

Gold Int Rates

COMMENT: Mr. Armstrong, I just had to write to say thank you. Gold is going up with stocks, despite everyone else being indoctrinated with ineffective theories. They keep saying the same stupid shit and pay no attention to the fact that they have continually been wrong. These people are psychopaths and have cost people a fortune and ruined marriages, as I saw with a friend. The stock market and gold have risen with the highest interest rates, the dollar, and it all depends on what you call the outside wildcard. Anyone who doesn’t invite you to these interviews isn’t worth my time. They cannot be trusted in my book.

Hollywood 2

This is why they make movies about you and no other analyst. Can people invest in the Hollywood movie being made about you? I know people invest in film. If this is about your career and promoting cycles, I think everyone should be chipping in. The world needs to be exposed to your work. You are the only one who makes common sense economically, and you know geopolitics like the back of your hand. They are running out of ideas for films. Their endless Superman movies clearly evidence that. Will there be such an offering to invest in your film?

FS

ANSWER: I am not sure if there will be any offerings to invest in the Hollywood version. I do not get involved in fundraising. I am supposed to have the script in a couple of weeks. The head of the studio is coming to visit in a few weeks. I know they are very serious about this, and they see it as an opportunity to showcase cyclical analysis to the world, which is why I agreed to participate. A top writer is now doing the final polish, from what I have been told.

They wanted something like The Big Short. I was told that the film brought in approximately $133.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $28 million. Obviously, this is why people invest in producing films.

I am not sure who will be playing me in the movie. I believe they then pitch it to A-class actors, so the whole cost thing, I am sure, depends on who they get. I do believe they have most of the funding in place. These people are big producers, not first-timers. When I learn more, I will let everyone know. I am uncertain whether there will be any opportunities for investors. I am not familiar with that market.

IBEUUS M Array 9 8 25

I will do an update on the markets on the Private Blog this week.

Britain’s Free Speech Crisis: Comedian Arrested For Daring to Speak Out Against Transgenderism


Posted originally on Rumble By Charlie Kirk show on: September, 5, 2025

Is Lithuania Better in the EU?


Posted Sep 5, 2025 by Martin Armstrong | 
Lithuania

Deputy Minister Agila Barzdienė believes that joining the European Union was the economic “reset” the nation needed. On the surface, Lithuania’s GDP has risen since joining the EU in 2004, but this is not the product of some magical European design.

“Economically, it’s an obvious leap. Lithuania’s GDP has almost doubled, foreign direct investment has increased eightfold, exports have increased sixfold. Wages have increased sixfold, and inflation has been kept at 2%,” Barzdienė stated. “For example, in 2004 the average Lithuanian could not afford a good cup of coffee in Milan, but today he does not feel the difference between Vilnius, London or Lisbon, and this is an important indicator. Now the average pre-tax salary is about 2000 euros, after that it is 1300-1400 euros. By 2030 we hope to reach 90% of the EU average salary.”

The growth was largely the result of capital inflows, cheap credit, and foreign investment chasing “new” markets after the fall of the Soviet Union. The EU absorbed these nations, promising prosperity if they would only surrender their sovereignty. Lithuania has benefited in the short run, but it is now just as handcuffed to Brussels’ mandates. Net Zero policies, sanctions, and globalist directives all come with hidden costs. The Baltic states are exposed to energy insecurity after Brussels cut off Russian supplies, and yet their leaders cheer for policies that undermine their own industries. They are also on the frontlines for NATO expansion as the bloc attempts to corner Russia.

Lithuania has drastically increased defense spending in recent years as the nation braces for an alleged Russian invasion. “The government is striving to keep at least 1.3 billion euros from the defense budget (in 2026 it will be 5-6% of GDP) in the national economy. Investments are being made in startups in the defense sector, and the DEVITUS program has been created with a budget of 300 million euros,” the deputy minister commented.

Yet, the nation believes it is closer to war than ever before as a result of its alliance with the EU. Lithuania has implemented a new defense mechanism to prevent a land invasion—dragon teeth. These “dragon teeth” are large triangular concrete blocks that are intended to block the path of war tanks. “We are starting from the tactical level — specific obstacles on the border — and later we will combine the entire engineering plan into one conceptual system,” said Raimundas Vaiksnoras, commander of the Lithuanian army.

Lithuania will hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council in 2027. By 2027, according to the computer models, the world will begin to feel the full impact of war, and discontent will rise into 2028. Moldova was sold the globalist dream of Brussels. The short-term pay off is not expected to last.

Xi Questions Whether the West Will Choose Peace or War


Posted originally on Sep 4, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |

Beijing’s historic military parade brought the new axis powers together in a show of alliance. China’s Xi Jinping hosted Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un during the largest military parade in Chinese history. Xi summarized China’s display of military excellence by questioning whether the West will choose “peace or war.”

“Today, humanity is again faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told the crowd of more than 50,000 spectators, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history.” Every nation believes its involvement in conflict will place it on “the right side of history,” but it is the victors who write history.

Putin Xi

“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social during the parade. Trump asked China to remember the American troops who fought to expel invaders during World War II. “The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and ‘blood’ that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader.”

Trump has managed diplomatic ties with Putin and Kim, but his relationship with Xi has never been amicable. Xi said that his nation “is never intimidated by any bullies,” while others believed that Trump’s comments highlighted America’s growing concern of Chinese dominance.

Yuri Ushakov, a top aide to Putin, insisted that the three nations were not conspiring against the US. “I want to say that no one organized any conspiracies, no one was weaving anything, no conspiracies,” Ushakov told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, who is close to the Kremlin and has previously interviewed Putin. “Moreover, no one even had that in their minds, none of these three leaders had that,” Ushakov said.

NorthKorea.Russia

Kim accepted Putin’s praise of North Korean troops and promised to honor their pact. “As I said during our previous meeting, if there is anything we can do to help Russia, we will certainly do that, and we will regard this as our fraternal duty. We will do everything in our power to assist Russia.”

China has remained nearly neutral over the past three years as the world became deeply embedded in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Europe is on the precipice of deploying troops to Ukraine and solidifying the start of World War III. This historic military parade was not merely about the 80th anniversary of Japanese troops leaving China after World War II. The massive event was a message to the West that China has firmly aligned with Russia, and if the West does not choose peace, China is willing to join the war.

NATO to Spend $1.5 Trillion in 2025


Posted originally on Sep 3, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |  

NATO

NATO is not at war, and yet, the alliance has spent more on funding Ukraine than on any other conflict. The Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014-2025) determined that the alliance is expected to spend $1.59 trillion USD in 2025, up from $1.5 trillion in 2024.

The United States continues to uphold the alliance financially, with an estimated annual payout of $980 billion. Canada and Europe are predicted to spend a combined $608 billion on NATO expenses or an average of 2.76% of their GDP. Poland spent more per GDP than any European member at 4.48%, followed by Lithuania at 4% and Latvia at 3.73%. Nordic alliances such as Norway and Denmark are expected to spend at least 3% of GDP on NATO this year.

Before the Russia-Ukraine war, members were spending around 1.8% of GDP. That figure shot up to 2.6% in 2024, now sitting at 2.76%, and WILL increase as a result of the 5% of GDP pledge by 2035 that was agreed upon at the June 2025 Hague Summit.

There is an uneven response to the escalating conflict as certain nations are accelerating toward confrontation while others remain wary of becoming involved financially. The concept of creating a unified Europe to end all wars was a moot point. European leaders heed different risks concerning the war. This is not just about weapons and soldiers. It is about capital flow reallocation.

Trillions will be pulled out of productive use and sunk into defense. That creates fiscal strain, inflationary pressure, and accelerates the collapse of social programs. Defense budgets soared across Europe ahead of World Wars I and II. War produces absolutely nothing but inflation and destruction.

Ahead of the First World War, defense expenditures across Europe began to surge in the decade before 1914. Governments shifted capital from social programs into armaments. Britain expanded its navy to counter Germany, while Germany doubled down on land armies. The press sold it as “deterrence.” In reality, it was preparation for the inevitable confrontation that the cycle dictated. This is precisely how they are deflecting current NATO spending, as if the allied members must multiply their contributions to deter Russia.

The same pattern unfolded before World War II. During the Great Depression, military spending in Germany, Italy, and Japan accelerated while their economies stagnated. By 1935, Germany had already abandoned Versailles restrictions, pouring money into weapons while ordinary Germans endured wage controls and shortages. The rhetoric was that this spending would “create jobs,” but it created war.

Rome followed this path as well. By the third century AD, the military consumed the treasury. Coinage was debased, taxes rose, and confidence collapsed. It was the cost of endless frontier wars that eroded the economic foundation of the empire. Once capital fled, the empire was finished. The same capital flow shift is what we see today with trillions diverted from productive enterprise into defense, financed by debt, which will only accelerate inflation and contribute to the sovereign debt crisis.

NATO’s report outlines more than mere budgets, as it shows where each nation is aligned on the Panic Cycle, propelling warfare. Socrates is projecting the rise in volatility into 2026, and the Panic Cycles align. The West has chosen the path of militarization, and that is precisely what history warns precedes systemic breakdown.

Hospitals in France to Prepare for War by March 2026


Posted Sep 3, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |  

Lose the War

France’s Ministry of Health has urged all hospitals to prepare for war by March 2026. President Emmanuel Macron repeatedly stated that he is ready to deploy French troops to Ukraine’s front lines, and now, the entire nation must prepare for the inevitable.

Hospitals throughout the nation have been urged to prepare for a “major military engagement” in Europe, according to a leaked memo first published by Le Canard Enchaîné. The memo, dated July 18, 2025, instructs hospitals to brief staff on “wartime constraints.” Staff must learn how to survive the psychological and physical pressures of wartime trauma.

Plans are in the works to accommodate patients returning from combat zones, with emergency centers slated to open near airports and train stations to “enable the rerouting of foreign soldiers to their home country.”

The Ministry of Health is preparing for a dire situation—hospitals should expect to receive between 10,000 and 50,000 wounded personnel over a 10 to 180-day window, depending on France’s involvement in the war.

Health Minister Catherine Vautrin attempted to downplay the leaked memo, but did not deny its existence. “Hospitals are always preparing – for epidemics, for surges. It’s normal for a country to anticipate crises and their consequences,” she claimed. Yet, the language used in the letter clearly details that hospitals must prepare for wounded soldiers arriving from a foreign battleground.

Socrates has indicated a shift from localized conflict to widespread warfare by 2026. I’ve warned all who have asked to high-tail it out of Europe before it is too late because once all hell breaks loose, this conflict will spread like a contagion that engulfs the entire continent.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Blames Russia for EU Immigration Crisis


Posted originally on CTH on August 29, 2025 | Sundance

During a meeting in Latvia to organize EU defenses, European Commision President Ursula von der Leyen outlines how Russian President Vladimir Putin is to blame for the EU importing millions of Mideast and African immigrants.

It’s not the fault of the European nations their states are riddled with criminal conduct at the hands of migrants. No, it is Vladimir Putin who is to blame.  This is the mindset of the European leadership.  WATCH:

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