Posted originally on Nov 2, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
Next week, those attending the World Economic Conference and Virtual Plus can access this report from your portal. It concerns the prospect of capital controls that governments routinely implement during periods of war to prevent capital flight. This also includes some other capital controls imposed for other reasons. It is a guide to what to expect from our claimed “representative” Republics that represent only the self-interest of those in power and never the population.
This report will be available to non-attendees and non-virtual Attendees for $300 after the conference.
Posted originally on Oct 31, 2024 By Martin Armstrong |
According to data provided by the Commerce Department, the US economy grew 2.8% during Q3, beneath expectations of a 3.1% increase. GDP has slowed from the 3% posting during Q2.
Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) rose 3.7% last quarter, marking the strongest performance since Q1 of 2023. The US federal government’s spending is factored into growth, albeit another reason why these data points never provide a true indicator of economic growth in the long term. The government managed to increase spending by an astounding 9.7% — 14.9% of which was spent on defense.
Personal consumption expenditures price index increased 1.5%, providing a bit of good news for Fed who looks and causing optimism about a rate drop during the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Core PCE remained at 2.2%.
Consumer spending, one-third of US GDP, has risen, but Americans are spending more on less. The government is not releasing the true figures or painting an accurate picture of the economy. Sure, consumer spending is up, but personal savings fell to 4.8% from 5.2%. Americans are spending more, but they are also falling into debt.
The US remains the safe haven for international capital. We saw a 5.87% increase in capital flows to the US on a monthly basis based on the Global Market Watch, and Socrates predicts it will continue to increase.
Posted originally on Oct 30, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
Donald Trump has long stated that he would end the war in Ukraine if elected president. Confident in his ability to do so, the former president has stated he could end the conflict in 24 hours, and has guaranteed to do so before he actually enters the White House. He finally revealed how he intends to accomplish such a feat.
It begins by revisiting the failed Minsk Agreement – the entire premise of the current war. François Hollande and Angela Merkel representing France and Germany at the time brokered the agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitored negotiations and both sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire. Russia withdrew troops from Ukraine for one primary reason — the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were to be occupied territories that would have the autonomy to vote in their own elections.
These regions were never Ukrainian territory. It was occupied by Russians for centuries. The people there had a right to their own lives. The Ukrainians demanded they no longer speak Russian and they sought to deny them even their own religion and they were to report to Kyiv instead of Moscow. This was like Mexico reclaiming Texas and demanding English was to be outlawed and only Spanish was to be spoken and all religions were to be outlawed except allegiance to the Archbishop of Mexico.
The ethnic Russians in the Donbas did not want to submit to a central government from Kyiv itself. The Obama Administration really opposed this sort of settlement on the grounds of old-world empire theory predicated on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Such policies have led to the death of hundreds of millions of people over the centuries.
Europe brokered the Minsk Agreement as a ploy to buy time. Angela Merkel admitted a few years ago that they negotiated in bad faith with Putin simply to allow Ukraine time to fortify itself thereby buying time to build its army. She also said that at the time, NATO was weak and could not provide support to Kyiv to the extent they do currently. The Minsk agreements were signed to pretend to resolve the Donbas conflict.
WHY would Putin ever agree to any agreement with Ukraine when they NEVER comply with what they agree to. It is now abundantly clear that the Minsk agreements were NEVER intended to be carried out by the current Kyiv government. They were simply used to buy time to build up their forces for war against Russia.
Another stipulation is that Ukraine may never join NATO. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not battling Ukraine but the NATO alliance that has them cornered. NATO has become the aggressor in this conflict that has grown to such proportions that admitting Ukraine would instantly lead to World War III under Article V that demands all NATO members attack in unison.
Trump’s former advisors have stated that America would have no role in enforcing any peace treaty agreements. This is not our war. “There are two things America will insist on. We will not have any men or women in the enforcement mechanism. We’re not paying for it. Europe is paying for it,” his former advisor added.
A strong leader like Donald Trump who does not align himself with the neocons could possibly persuade Putin, but who will persuade Zelensky? Zelensky’s Victory Plan includes the annihilation of Russia which is precisely what the neocons have been after. Who will convince the allies who have provided trillions in funding to Ukraine? Let’s also remember that the neocons are on both sides of the political spectrum and Trump would have trouble convincing his fellow Republicans to walk away from this war.
I’ve said it numerous times, but one of the most impressive traits Trump displayed to me was empathy. When I went to visit Mar-a-Lago in 2020, Trump said he was tired of calling mothers to tell them that their sons died fighting in the Middle East. It was the first time I heard a politician actually discuss the citizens on the battlefield who are sent off to die in these neocon war games. Trump said that there had been war in the Middle East for most of known modern history and America simply had no place there. Likewise, America has no place in Russia or Ukraine.
Socrates states that Trump could slow down the war cycle, but he cannot prevent the inevitable. It is true that Donald Trump could delay the onsetof the growing global conflict BUT he cannot alter the cycle. Our computer shows that war could break out by 2027, and the financial implications will be fully felt by 2028.
Posted originally on Oct 29, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
Socrates highlighted 2024 as a year for rising geopolitical tensions. Elections everywhere are drenched in conspiracies and fraud accusations. Protests have erupted in Georgia as the governing party has accused Russia of interfering in the election. President Salome Zourabichvili refuses to accept the results and believes the people wanted to side with the pro-West party that aspired to join the European Union.
“We’ve seen that Russian propagandawas directly used,” said Zourabichvili, a fierce critic of Georgian Dream, the governing party. She said the government has been “working hand-in-hand with Russia,” and “probably” received help from Moscow’s security services.
The European Union took it a step further and urged the Georgian authorities to “”swiftly, transparently and independently” investigate “irregularities.” “Those irregularities must be clarified and addressed. That is a necessary step to re-building trust in the electoral process,” the European Commission and High Representative Josep Borrell said in a joint statement, stressing the need for “constructive and inclusive dialogue across the political spectrum.”
Brussels has long has issues with Georgia’s attempts to integrate into the EU because the nation does not hold the same values as Brussels, plain and simple. The EU has been urging Georgia to adopt its same policies on everything from social issues to trade but Georgia is its own nation.
Now, the Georgia Dream secured 54% of the vote. Irakli Kobakhidze of the Georgian Dream party told the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg that irregularities happen in many elections but he firmly believes the outcome is the will of the people. “Of course we have to address these irregularities happening on the day of the election or before,” the Georgian prime minister told the BBC. “But the general content of the elections was in line with legal principles and the principle of democratic elections.”
Russia has denied the allegations. Denying the results of an election has become commonplace as we just saw with Venezuela, Moldova, and elsewhere. Republics everywhere are showing extreme strain as those in alliance with the New World Order will not accept an incoming party that does not align with their ideals.
Posted originally onOct 28, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
People believe that NATO will simply back down if Donald Trump is re-elected as he is strongly against the war in Ukraine. This is simply not the case as NATO began planning for a Trump victory months ago.
Chief Jens Stoltenberg attempted to created a 100 billion euro fund that was intended to be “Trump-proof” earlier in the spring. However, his plan was abandoned in June 2024. Stoltenberg then wanted every member to pledge an annual package of $43 billion on non-lethal aid for Ukraine. Yet, there was dissent within NATO as nations like Italy said they were not actively at war with Russia, while others wanted to wait to see how much US Congress would pass on to Ukraine.
Last week, NATO defense chiefs held a meeting to discuss how to continue the war in the event of a Trump victory. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured NATO that the neocons in Washington are committed to continuing aid packages to Ukraine. “We can’t expect that the US will continue to take on an outsized burden” in supporting Ukraine, a senior NATO official said on Thursday, “which is why the Secretary General wants to see NATO leading on security assistance, rather than one ally taking that on.” The official noted that the Europe must now “step up” in case someone enters the White House who is actually seeking peace.
America and Europe are ramping up their efforts to arm Ukraine ahead of the election. Both are now using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine. Biden said he is “emptying out” all of the funding that Congress has already approved for Ukraine. The other goal is to provide Ukraine with the means to manufacture their own munitions, with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien commenting that “billions” have been invested on the matter. “Every day, we are building long-term capability to Ukraine,” Austin said on Friday. “That will help to spell success for Ukraine in the long haul.”
The Neocons have weeks to finalize a plan. How do they ensure the Ukraine war continues if Donald Trump becomes president this November? The answer may shock the world.
Victoria Nuland’s husband, Robert Kagan, has resigned as the Editor at Large from the Washington Post.
WASHINGTON – […] The Post’s newsroom and editorial team erupted in outrage. Robert Kagan, a neoconservative columnist and editor at large at the Post, resigned in response, he confirmed in a statement to POLITICO. A spokesperson for the Post declined to comment on Kagan’s resignation. (more)
Allow me to take you back two-years, to November of 2023 for a reminder.
CTH ARCHIVES – Everyone in/around U.S. politics knows the Washington Post, owned by Big Tech Amazon, is effectively the PR firm of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). No one inside the DC beltway does not understand this basic truth.
Therefore, when the husband of State Dept official Victoria Nuland, a man named Robert Kagan, writes an op-ed in the CIA newsletter, effectively calling for President Trump to receive the Julius Caesar treatment, the non-subtle message is for the CIA to repeat their Kennedy performance and kill President Trump.
As alarming as this acceptance might sound, there are no intellectually honest people who would deny it.
WaPo/CIA – Let’s stop the wishful thinking and face the stark reality: There is a clear path to dictatorship in the United States, and it is getting shorter every day. In 13 weeks, Donald Trump will have locked up the Republican nomination. In the RealClearPolitics poll average (for the period from Nov. 9 to 20), Trump leads his nearest competitor by 47 points and leads the rest of the field combined by 27 points. The idea that he is unelectable in the general election is nonsense — he is tied or ahead of President Biden in all the latest polls — stripping other Republican challengers of their own stated reasons for existence.
[…] Are we going to do anything about it? To shift metaphors, if we thought there was a 50 percent chance of an asteroid crashing into North America a year from now, would we be content to hope that it wouldn’t? Or would we be taking every conceivable measure to try to stop it, including many things that might not work but that, given the magnitude of the crisis, must be tried anyway?
Will those who balked at resisting Trump when the risk was merely political oblivion suddenly discover their courage when the cost might be the ruin of oneself and one’s family? (more)
Victoria Nuland’s husband, Robert Kagan, the Editor at Large for the Washington Post and the man who called for the assassination of President Trump, has now resigned because the CIA newsletter would not endorse Kamala Harris!
Posted originally on Oct 24, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
I reported how the US deficitreached the third-highest on record after surpassing $1.83 trillion. Instead of questioning why the deficit rose 8% in a single year, the government believes that the taxpayers should simply pay MORE into the failing system. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declared that she is not concerned about the widening deficit. Why? The Internal Revenue Service will hunt down citizens to close the gap.
Yellen said that IRS agents plan to collect $2 trillion in unpaid taxes, surpassing the measly deficit. I do believe some think that statements like this mean the government is going to hunt down major corporations and billionaires. That would not be ethical either, but records show that the main group audited last year was the middle class. This way of thinking is extremely dangerous. The US government is desperate for funds and they MUST shake down their citizens to recover what they can. It’s a canon event in the rise and fall of civilizations – soaring taxes are a guarantee when dealing with the eventually fall of a nation.
“By making sure that we stay on a sound fiscal path and that does require deficit reduction over the coming years,” Yellen said. “I believe it’s very important that we remain focused on keeping the real net interest cost of the debt near historic levels and certainly under 2%.” Yellen praised the Biden-Harris regime for “giving the Internal Revenue Service the resources that they need to close what is estimated over the next decade to be a $7 trillion tax gap.”
The Inflation Reduction Act was never intended to reduce inflation or HELP Americans. Yellen said earlier that the act was passed to push forth climate change iniatives which are all a ploy to collect more taxes and control the global population. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel praised the Inflation Reduction Act for giving the IRS the ability to hunt absolutely everyone. “With the help of Inflation Reduction Act funding, we are adding focus and resources to areas of compliance concern, including high-income and high-wealth individuals, partnerships and corporations,” Werfel said.
They call it underpayment. Even if you pay your taxes, they will punish you for paying too much or not enough. Either way, the IRS can successful extort money from any American. The Treasury declared that they “recovered” $1.3 billion in taxes last year rom the “wealthy.”
Last year, billionaire class was not targeted, as 80% of all audits were on filers earning under $1 million. Yes, there are far more taxpayers in the middle and lower brackets. However, the IRS merely claimed they would prioritize hunting higher earners; they never explicitly said they wouldn’t come after ALL Americans.
The entire hunt for taxation has been a war on the middle class, who is unable to file massive write-offs and cannot afford to continue paying Uncle Sam on every incoming and outgoing transaction, plus savings, income, and everything else from birth to death. Washington effectively lowered our purchasing power by fueling inflation through absurd fiscal and social policies, and now they are asking people to give them even more of whatever money that remains. Washington continues to spend taxpayer funds on initiatives that the people have never once voted on.
It will become far easier for governments to extort the people when they introduce CBDC. Uncle Sam will think you have hidden any cash on hand from him, cash that belongs to him, once they force us to digitize our dollars. They are also thinking of new ways to shake down the public. A tax on realized gains would destroy absolutely everyone. It is completely absurd that those in power believe the people could cover their spending. No one stops to take accountability. There are simply NO mirrors in Washington. Inflation will continue to rise above GDP and we will enter a period of stagflation. This is why I have warned countless times that private and tangible assets are a safer bet compared to cash as we move into 2028.
Posted originally on Oct 24, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed yesterday that North Korea has deployed troops to Russia. “That is a very, very serious issue and it will have impacts not only in Europe, it will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well,” Austin warned. Zelensky is now panicking as two nations with nuclear capabilities are fighting against Ukraine.
North Korea denies the allegations. “My delegation does not feel any need for comment on such groundless stereotyped rumors,” a North Korean representative to the United Nations said during a U.N. General Assembly session this week. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there is a lot of “contradictory information” spreading. “This should not cause anyone any concern, because this cooperation is not directed against third countries,” Peskov added.
South Korea is eager to aid Ukraine, with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believing 3,000 troops have been deployed, with an additional 10,000 North Korean soldiers expected to arrive in Russia before the end of the year. Zelensky believes two brigades each composed of 6,000 North Korean troops have already made their way to the battlefield.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned Seoul “not to fight in anti-Russian hysteria, but to think about the consequences for the security of South Korea, which could lead to the entry of the Republic of Korea into the Ukrainian conflict, if such decisions are made.” Yet, South Korea said the involvement of its northern enemy gives it the green light to begin heavily arming Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Zelensky is blaming NATO. “My position is very clear. We gave away our weapons but got nothing in return. Only a full-scale war and death. Therefore, today we have only one way out. We need NATO because we don’t have weapons that can stop Putin,” Zelensky said, later adding that he had asked both Trump and Biden for additional assistance since the US is the primary donor to NATO. “We gave up our nuclear weapons. We did not get NATO. I asked them if you could name me other allies or another ‘security umbrella’, some security measures and guarantees for Ukraine that would be commensurate with NATO. No one could tell me,” stated Zelensky. What would a “security umbrella” entail here? His Victory Plan banks on the total annihilation of Russia.
North Korea may be a small, hermit kingdom, but it has an army of 1.2 million troops. Earlier in the month, North Korea denounced NATO’s condemnation of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, warning that the entity could face “tragic consequences” if it continues to pursue an anti-North Korea stance. “NATO, no more than a tool of the U.S. for war, slandered the intensified legal cooperation between independent sovereign states while distorting the essence of the Ukrainian incident,” an unnamed ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency.
I mentioned in an earlier blog post theECM cycle for North Korea. North Korea recently removed all verbiage of reconciliation with the south from its Constitution. South Korea is absolutely enraged at this recent revelation and is eager to retaliate. Llyod Austin’s statement about North Korea’s involvement impacting the entire Indo-Pacific region should not go unnoticed as China may be the final player who must become involved to spark World War III.
Posted originally on Oct 23, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
The United States Treasury reported a $1.833 trillion budget deficit for the fiscal year ending September 30. This marks the third-highest deficit on record, but it is solely due to government spending. The highest deficit happened in 2020 during the disaster of COVID, and second behind is the clean-up year of 2021 when the deficit dropped to $2.772 trillion. Bidenomics is nearly as harmful as global one-in-a-lifetime disaster.
The deficit widened 8% or $138 billion from the reported $1.695 trillion in 2023. The department stated that a large chunk of spending went to the reversed decision to forgive $330 billion in student loans after the Supreme Court declared Biden’s attempted bribe to young voters unconstitutional. Democrats are now blaming Republicans for “tax cuts that led to low revenue levels that increased the debt.” Their spending is always our cross to carry, and we will inevitably be punished through taxation.
The government is to blame on both sides. We are funding three major wars yet claim we are not a nation at war. America spends as if it has endless money. Why? Because the US Treasury knows it can never pay off all its debt. It doesn’t intend to pay it off and it is highly likely they let the reigns loose long ago since the actual number matters not. Now we are being crippled by the interest alone on these debts. There was a 30% annual increase in spending on interest alone on the public debt. The government spent $890 billion on interest alone. For reference, the US defense budget was $866 billion last year. Interest rates rise in times of war, sinking the nation further into debt. Again, this is not isolated to America as we will see defaults cripple both nations in Asia and Europe before reaching American soil, hence the capital movement into US equities.
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This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
Centinel2012 