Posted originally on Aug 5, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
In what will be a landmark legal decision, a federal judge has ruled that Google has violated antitrust laws by maintaining its monopoly power in the markets for general search services and general search text advertisements. This ruling was issued on August 5th, right on our model by Judge Amit Mehta. This concludes a very lengthy legal battle initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of state attorneys general that began back in October 2020. It was alleged that the tech giant engaged in anti-competitive practices by establishing exclusive agreements with browser developers, mobile device manufacturers, and wireless carriers, according to the ruling. That was the critical centerpiece of this case
Google’s search has also been skewed for political manipulation.
Determining what is real and what is not real is not an easy task today. When I do research I only use trusted sources or government sources. Trusted sources are those that have a history of being correct over long periods of time. Govenrment sources are always vary iffy as they are developed by the administrative state and that means that “politics” is the most important factor in what they write. I have many decades of experiance looking at government data and first releases are almost never right. The final version, three or more months later, is going to be as good as it gets. The final (more acurate) values are almost always three months back.
Despite everything I do some of my posts are blocked on other social media web sites. So if you are interested in seeing what you are missing then you should follow my blog by getting a notice when a post goes live. On the right side of my blog are a series of informative windows and the fourth one down is where you enter an email and that will get you a message every time a post goes live. I normally post 10 to 12 items starting in the morning around 9:00 AM EST with a 10 minute intervals between them.
US Treasury Secretary and establishment puppet Janet Yellen has denied the advice of her own advisors to encourage debanking practices. Twenty Republican Attorney Generals have reached out to Yellen to remind her that she is not permitted to impede with state laws to weaponize her department against the Democrat’s political opponents.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody declared US Treasury has “forsaken its statutory role and instead chosen to intervene on behalf of activists seeking to hijack the financial system for their political ends.”
This has been happening across the world, and instances of debanking for political purposes have reached new heights in 2024. In April, 15 AGs attempted to reach out to Bank of America over a “troubling financial pattern” of debanking Christian organizations. “Bank of America has a track record of de-banking religious organizations,”the letter states, followed by examples of banks suddenly freezing funds of Christians and churches without warning. Why? National security, of course.
Banks were instructed by government to search transactions for keywords such as “Trump” and “MAGA” to look for “domestic terrorists.” They asked banks to look for people who had purchased certain books such as religious texts. Purchased a gun? You’re a potential terrorist and threat to the government.
“The Treasury Department has once again forsaken its statutory role and instead chosen to intervene on behalf of activists seeking to hijack the financial system for their political ends. It is even more disappointing that the Treasury Department would use “national security” as cover for large banks’ abuse of power to achieve those ends,” the most recent letter claims.
All of our freedoms are revoked under the premise of “national security.” This would be akin to permitting the government to rob your house to protect you from intruders. There are state laws in place to protect the people but the federal government believes they can deny these protections in the name of national security. Florida’s HB 989, for example, is intended to protect consumers from discrimination. That law aims to protect gun manufacturers, the fossil fuel sector, religious organizations, and others who do not adhere with the BUILD BACK BETTER agenda from being denied the right to operate in America’s financial system. “No consumer or business should be denied services based on political beliefs or religious views or because of some arbitrary social credit score derived from ideological agendas,” the AGs added in their latest letter.
Again, this is a worldwide phenomenon of governments weaponizing banking institutions. The UN-backed Net-Zero Banking Alliance aims to jeopardize anyone not adhering to the climate change agenda financially. Over 144 banks have signed on board. I reported last year that abullion dealer I personally know suddenly had his credit lines revoked. Governments genuinely believe the people are underpaying taxes by at least 35%. They want to eliminate all financial hedges against government and financially cripple those who do not abide by the agenda.
Yet another reason why all governments must go digital. CBDCs will permit governments not only to track every sale and purchase, but it will give them the POWER to prevent purchases instantaneously.
Posted originally on Aug 1, 2024 By Martin Armstrong |
Russia has announced that it will implement a digital ruble by next July. Moscow will begin using cryptocurrency for some foreign transactions to bypass sanctions and SWIFT. As of November 2024, Russia will permit crypto mining, so long as it is carried out under the watchful eye of the government.
The Bank of Russia will oversee crypto mining and overriding capabilities. The Russian government, alongside the central bank, will select mining pool participants and protocols. Gone are the days when anyone could seemingly anonymously mine crypto, as Russia is one of many nations that will begin to require complete government oversight.
Beginning on September 1, Moscow will attempt to use crypto for foreign settlements while creating a new electronic platform through the National Payment System (NPS) within the EPR framework. The central bank is already stating that it must monitor activities to “identify risks” relating to national security and terrorism. This is precisely why other nations will also begin closely examining crypto transactions to ensure that the government has the upper hand.
As for the digital ruble, all operations will go through the Russian central bank. All of the CBDC will be stored through the central bank, which they ensure is for citizens’ safety. Each digital ruble will carry a unique code, similar to a banknote, and people may transfer rubles from one digital wallet to another – all under the watchful eye of government. The decree for the digital ruble was signed into law last August, but authorities believe the average person will begin using it by 2025.
Bank of Russia head, Elvira Nabiullina, claims the digital ruble will be optional. “If they want – they’ll use it, if they don’t – they won’t. No one is forcing anybody to use the digital ruble,” Nabiullina said. Yet, what happens when the seller or buyer is only accepting digital rubles? There is some vague language about digital rubles having codes for specific usage to deter crime. Governments want control and there is no better way to control the people than usurping the money supply and what can be considered “money.”
Removing Russia from SWIFT prompted these actions. “Over 30 regulators are currently working on national digital currencies,” Olga Skorobogatova, the first deputy chairwoman of the Bank of Russia, reported. “I think that this speed, with which the regulators have delved into this field, speaks volumes about the fact that, in 5-7 years, several countries surely will step forward with their own national digital currencies. Then, we can discuss the questions of direct integration. In that case, we no longer need SWIFT, since these are different technological interactions.”
The move to CBDC was an inevitable next step. The International Monetary Fund developed a coin long ago and other nations have been working alongside their central banks for years. It will be easy for Moscow to force its citizens and businesses to make the switch as they’ve already been removed from SWIFT and have had their foreign assets frozen for simply residing in the wrong nation. There is a reasonable fear that their money is not safe.
The year 2025, one year away, will bring about the rise of countless CBDC. The ultimate goal is to create one centralized currency. We saw that it epically failed in Europe as those nations are now under the control of the One World European government, the unelected officials in Brussels who silence their own member states from dissenting. Yet to begin, nations will begin pushing for the use of digital currency before outright canceling “hard money” under the premise that they are protecting their citizens. In all actuality, the elite believes all the money in circulation belongs to them, and the only way to guarantee maximum taxation is to transition the people to a controllable, non-tangible monetary system.
Posted orriginally on Aug 1, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
Serving debt is the largest cost of Washington’s debt crisis; America currently spends $2.4 billion in daily interest fees alone. The debt and spending simply cannot keep up with what America is bringing in. The federal govt spent $658 billion on interest fees in 2023, a 38% jump from the $476 billion in servicing debt in 2022. That’s 2.4% of the entire national GDP spent on interest expenditures alone.
The Congressional Budget Office believes the US defense expenditures will reach $870 billion this year to put into perspective how wasteful these interest payments have become. The CBO also believes interest costs will spike to $892 billion by year-end, rising to $12.9 trillion by 2034. The previous high came in during 1996 at $468 billion.
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation broke the projected cost post 2032 to be $38,600 per American citizen. Not only is the US unable to pay this debt but those in government continue to spend TRILLIONS of dollars on programs that have not benefitted the people. This is one of the reasons that the US government is looking at a complete overhaul by the time we reach 2032 for it can not leave it for the next generation without consequences.
Posted originally on Aug 1, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
There has been so much disinformation and sensationalizing of Quantitative Easing that this has led to academic economists who lack any trading experience to propose Modern Monetary Theory for its seems nobody actually comprehends what the hell is really going on. Much of the problem stems from this ancient theory that if you increase the quantity of money, then inflation will follow. This all predates massive government debt.
Much of this Quantity Theory of Money has its origins in Sir Thomas Gresham (1518-1579), who represented the English Crown on the Amsterdam exchange. People would not lend money to England because Henry VIII was debasing the currency to be able to repay his loans. He confiscated the Catholic Church and started the Church of England all because he was broke and confiscated wealth from the Catholic Church in England. Gresham became an adviser to Henry VIII’s successor – Elizabeth I. Thus, Gresham’s Law became bad money drives out good money, or the undebased currency.
These theories, which even gave rise to Austrian Economics, were all pre-collateralized debt of governments. There was no such market for posting sovereign debt as collateral to borrow or trade in markets. The economic models all changed, but academics have never understood traders. Lacking that experience, you will never see the actual trends.
Where Gresham observes from trading that debasing the money caused higher quality money to be hoarded when the foreign exchange value between currencies was ENTIRELY based upon the metal content, John Law (1671-1729) was also a trader on the same floor of the Amsterdam Bourse. He observed what has become the theory of Supply and Demand. It took two traders to witness how the market moved to develop these ideas. Both men were self-taught since the field of Economics did not begin until 1902. Not even John Maynard Keynes nor Adam Smith held decrees in economics.
The other self-taught economist who was also a trader was none other than David Ricardo. At the tender age of just fourteen, David entered his father’s business, but in 1793, he set up his own operation and made a fortune as a trader on the London Stock Exchange. Ricardo’s most important work was Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (1817). This book deals with all the controversial questions of political economy at the time: value theory, economic growth, rent, etc.
His other works include The High Price of Bullion (1810), which was the origin of understanding deflation; David’s Essay on the Influence of a Low Price of Corn on the Profits of Stock (1815); Proposals for an Economical and Secure Currency (1816); and the Plan for a National Bank (1824).
Ricardo is most famous for his ‘Theory of Comparative Advantage’ and ‘Rent’, which effectively argued that, for example, Saudi Arabia could grow lettuce in a desert with tones of water that might cost $10 to grow when it can buy it for 50 cents elsewhere. Thus, a nation should exploit what it possesses with a Comparative Advantage rather than squander its resources and restrict free trade.
Quantitative Easing (QE) does not increase the Supply of Money—it is only a maturity swap. Today’s total money supply includes debt, unlike during the pre-19th century. This has erroneously given rise to Modern Monetary Theory, for they pointed to QE and said there was no inflation, so we could just print without repercussions. It was merely a swap of maturities when you finally realize that debt is now money that pays interest as paper money began during the Civil War.
When paper money stopped paying interest, the term “Greenback” emerged, meaning there was no interest payment schedule on the reverse, just green ink. Paper money began as essentially debt or bonds that circulated as cash.
If your Definition of Money is Wrong – So is Everything Else that Follows
Posted originally on Jul 31, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
Bob Chapek, who replaced Iger as CEO in 2020, pretty much destroyed the company with his WOKE agenda. You really had to wonder if he understood Disney was a family brand. He stepped down immediately in November 2022, which confirmed his terrible leadership. Bob Iger, one of the most successful CEOs in the history of The Walt Disney Company, returned to run the media empire once again. Now, the 2023 low MUST hold of this stock is going to crash. A yearly closing below 82.25 points to this stock collapsing to the $20-$21 area, perhaps into 2028. Last week, this stock fell to 89.21. The company reported a net loss for the second quarter. The damage to Disney’s reputation with WOKE has been truly profound. This stock needs a weekly closing back about the $102 level to suggest it will consolidate, but even a year-end closing below 105.85 will indicate that Disney remains vulnerable for 2025. With a recession on the horizon, the high price of theme park fees will undoubtedly reduce sales as we move toward 2028.
Posted originally on Jul 31, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
The Fraser Institute conducted a study that found Canadians are experiencing the worst standard of living in the past 40 years. Conditions are beneath what was experienced during the 89 recession, the Great Recession, and even the early stages of the post-pandemic. What is going on in Canada?
Justin Trudeau uprooted Canada’s fiscal landscape and his policies have only further sunk Canada into a decline. I reported that household debt in Canada exceeds 100% of GDP. Government spending toppled $1 trillion in 2020 in response to the pandemic, decreasing only 7.8% to $969.5 billion the following year. Government spending toppled C$520.17 billion during Q1 of 2024 alone. Justin Trudeau is aiming to turn Canada into a “BUILD BACK BETTER” nation that operates not like a true capitalist society but like the unelected government-driven economy we see in the European Union.
Canada’s immigration policy has become a free-for-all, with its population reaching an all-time high this year after surpassing 41 million. Nearly all population growth (99.3%; 240,955 people) was solely attributed to migrants arriving in Canada. The taxpayers are expected to subsidize the lives of migrants and turn a blind eye to the drastic uptick in crime. Canada was once a safe nation with a high-trust society. Crime has risen by over 40% and the entire landscape of Canadian society is changing. These people are often living in squalor and there are not enough housing units or jobs for all migrants, let alone all Canadians.
Similar to the US, Justin Trudeau is boosting job postings by ramping up hiring in the public sector, which has grown by over 17% since 2019. For comparison, the private sector only grew by 4% during that same timeframe. The public sector simply does not add to the economy in any meaningful way. These tax-funded agencies simply multiply and deduct from overall GDP.
Similar to other Build Back Better nations, Canada has lost its edge in trade. The countless green initiatives have crippled entire sectors, and rising taxes have made it a less desirable place to conduct business. Canada experienced a 51.2% reduction in mining, oil, gas, and quarrying from 2014 to 2022, as one example. Business investments have decreased by a third under Trudeau, yet he continues to spend.
‘“Building back better” represents a shared vision for a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery that strengthens the middle class, creates more opportunities for hard working people to join it, and ensures people have good jobs and careers on both sides of the border. Our leaders also recognized the opportunity for clean growth driven by workers, communities, businesses, and innovation.”
These government leaders are utter failures who are incapable of implementing meaningful policies. They destroyed the world economy under COVID and then sought to BUILD BACK BETTER. Instead, they’ve driven away smart money and business, fostered an environment for rising crime, and decreased everyone’s quality of life with inflationary policies. It is time for the voters to wake up and realize that the people they put into office are directly responsible for their deteriorating economic situations.
Climate change has become the untouchable charitable cause that no one can question. COVID-19 was merely a stepping stone for the lucrative tax opportunity that is climate change and the green agenda. As it is a global issue, it gives rise to the need for globalized institutions and coalitions. The G20 meeting stressed the importance of developed nations collaborating to prevent climate change by taking the people. Brazil wants to impose a 2% global wealth tax on the richest individuals and redirect that money toward changing the climate. They have no plan in place for using those funds, but everyone cheers when politicians want to tax the hated rich as if those funds will benefit the population at large. Still, the US is seeking a steeper contribution to this imaginary widely celebrated problem.
Janet Yellen declared that it will take $3 TRILLION ANNUALLY into 2050 for nations to meet their climate objectives. They deem climate change “the single-greatest economic opportunity of the 21st century,” but logical minds will see it as the biggest economic obligation. “Neglecting to address climate change and the loss of nature and biodiversity is not just bad environmental policy. It is bad economic policy,” Yellen told the G20. Not one member objected or questioned her proposal.
There is no plan in place to collect $3 trillion, but those like Yellen have already made proposals to tax people on absolutely everything. She would even like to tax people on what they do not have, like unrealized gains. Yellen plays the fool but she has the credentials to know better. Janet Yellen knows that these measures will contribute to inflationary conditions and contribute nothing to economic growth. Yet, governments are utterly broke and at a point where they cannot continue borrowing perpetually with no plan to pay off their debts. A new scheme to extort the people is necessary.
Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) are funding a large portion of green initiatives. These banks are operated by numerous nations or large financial institutions, such as the World Bank or International Monetary Fund, and have special financing opportunities. The idea of using a centralized bank that does not belong to one nation is a major hurdle toward economic globalization.
They are creating an issue (climate change) that the world’s population must collectively defeat through taxation. It would be easier for them to spend and collect trillions from the population at large under a centrally backed currency, digital for good measure. They are testing the waters now to see how and who can hold the power to become the world tax authority.
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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
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