The U.S. Economy Is Now Dangerously Detached From Reality

From the article:

“The downturn in consumption and industry also seems to be supported by the Baltic Dry Index, a measure of global shipping and rates.  The BDI has fallen to near historic lows THREE TIMES in the past year, which to my knowledge, has never happened before.  In the past, the BDI has been a strong prophetic indicator of future market volatility.  Usually, around a year after a severe decline in the index, a dangerous economic event takes place.  The BDI made its first sharp drop to all time lows at the end of January 2012, exactly a year ago.”


The U.S. Economy Is Now Dangerously Detached From Reality (Alt-Market, Feb 8, 2013):

Recently I was asked to give a presentation on the current state of the global economy to a local group of concerned citizens here in Northwest Montana.  I was happy to oblige but when composing my bullet points I realized that, in truth, there were no legitimate economic numbers to examine anymore.  You see, financial analysts have traditionally used multiple indicators of employment, profit, savings, credit, supply, and demand in their efforts to divine the often obscured facts of our financial system.  The problem is, nearly every index we used in the past, every measure of capital flow and industry, is absolutely useless today.

We now live in an entirely fabricated fiscal environment.  Every aspect of it is filtered, muddled, molded, and manipulated before our eyes ever get to study the stats.  The metaphor may be overused, but our economic system has become an absolute “matrix”.  All that we see and hear has been homogenized and all truth has been sterilized away.  There is nothing to investigate anymore.  It is like awaking in the middle of a vast and hallucinatory live action theater production, complete with performers, props, and sound effects, all designed to confuse us and do us harm.  In the end, trying to make sense of the illusion is a waste of time.  All we can do is look for the exits…

Read moreThe U.S. Economy Is Now Dangerously Detached From Reality

The Rise Of The 4Th Reich – DHS Informant: We Are Preparing For Massive Civil War (Video)


YouTube

Egypt Runs Out Of Dollars … Is It Next On The Devaluation Bandwagon?

As Egypt Runs Out Of Dollars, Is It Next On The Devaluation Bandwagon? (ZeroHedge, Feb 10, 2013):

Late on Friday Venezuela shocked the world when instead of reporting an update on the ailing health of its leader, as many expected it would, it announced the official devaluation of its currency, the Bolivar by nearly 50% against the dollar yet still well below the unofficial black market exchange rate. By doing so, it may have set off a chain reaction among the secondary sovereigns in the world, those who have so far stayed away from the “big boys” currency wars, or those waged by the Big 6 “developed world” central banks, in an attempt to also “devalue their way to prosperity” and boost their economies by encouraging exports even as the local population sees a major drop in its purchasing power and living standards. So in the game, where the last player to crush their currency inevitably loses, the question is who is next. The answer may well be America’s latest best north African friend, and custodian of the Suez Canal: Egypt.

As Reuters reports, in the ongoing underreported counterrevolution against the Muslim Brotherhood’s US-backed regime, the local population is increasingly scrambling to preserve their local-denominated paper wealth by converting it into the same currency that Bernanke is hell bent to crush some by some $85 billion per month. Problem is – Egypt is out of dollars.

Read moreEgypt Runs Out Of Dollars … Is It Next On The Devaluation Bandwagon?

Paul Krugman: ‘We Should Kick The Can Down The Road. It’s The Responsible Thing To Do’

You can’t make this stuff up!


Paul Krugman: “We Should Kick The Can Down The Road. It’s The Responsible Thing To Do” (ZeroHedge, Feb 9, 2013):

The below article, recreated in its grotesque entirety, is a real, serious Op-Ed written by a supposedly real, non page-view trolling, Nobel-prize winning economist, in a serious paper, the New York Times. It can be classified with one word: jaw-dropping.We can only hope that some time in the next five years, when the global economy is in ashes following the implosion of the final central bank bubble, that the US department of injustice will prosecute authors of such drivel (and all those sell-side analysts who have had Buy recommendations in the 2009-2013 period) with the same ferocity it has demonstrated toward those US-downgrading rating agencies, which are now supposed to be solely accountable for the Second Great Depression and the $30 trillion or so in misallocated capital in the past five years.

Kick That Can

By Paul Krugman

John Boehner, the speaker of the House, claims to be exasperated. “At some point, Washington has to deal with its spending problem,” he said Wednesday. “I’ve watched them kick this can down the road for 22 years since I’ve been here. I’ve had enough of it. It’s time to act.”

Read morePaul Krugman: ‘We Should Kick The Can Down The Road. It’s The Responsible Thing To Do’

NDAA UPDATE: Is the NDAA Lawsuit Headed To The Supreme Court? (MUST WATCH VIDEO)

Must Watch Video: Is the NDAA Lawsuit Headed to the Supreme Court? (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Feb 7, 2013):

The NDAA lawsuit is one of the key topics I have written about over the past year or so.  For those of you that aren’t up to speed, one of the most popular posts I ever wrote was NDAA: The Most Important Lawsuit in American History that No One is Talking About.  Basically, Section 1021 of the NDAA allows for the indefinite detention of American citizens without charges or a trial.  Journalist Chris Hedges and several others sued Obama on the grounds of it being unconstitutional.  Judge Katherine Forrest agreed and issued an injunction on it.  This was immediately appealed by the Obama Administration to a higher court, which promptly issued a temporary stay on the injunction.

Yesterday, oral arguments began in front of this aforementioned higher court; the 2nd Circuit.  As Chris Hedges states in the interview below, if they win the case then it will likely be brought in front of the Supreme Court within weeks.  On the other hand, if the Obama Administration wins and the Supreme Court refuses to hear the appeal, Hedges states: “at that point we’ve just become a military dictatorship.”

To get a full update on the progress of the NDAA lawsuit make sure to watch this video.


YouTube

Ron Paul Calls On United Nations To Confiscate Domain Names Of His Supporters

See also:

Ron Paul Files International Trademark Complaint Against His Own Fans

Flashback:

Ron Paul’s Biggest Supporter Is Bilderberger, International Financier Peter Thiel

Ron Paul And Freemasonry: Ritual And The Scottish Rite

No.1 Trend Forecaster Gerald Celente: Ron & Rand Paul Have Killed The Freedom Movement! … ‘LOSE ALL CREDIBILITY’! (Video)


Ron Paul Calls on United Nations to Confiscate Domain Names of His Supporters (RonPaul.com, Feb 8, 2013):

Earlier today, Ron Paul filed an international UDRP complaint against RonPaul.com and RonPaul.org with WIPO, a global governing body that is an agency of the United Nations. The complaint calls on the agency to expropriate the two domain names from his supporters without compensation and hand them over to Ron Paul.

On May 1st, 2008 we launched a grassroots website at RonPaul.com that became one of the most popular resources dedicated exclusively to Ron Paul and his ideas. Like thousands of fellow Ron Paul supporters, we put our lives on hold and invested 5 years of hard work into Ron Paul, RonPaul.com and Ron Paul 2012. Looking back, we are very happy with what we were able to achieve with unlimited enthusiasm and limited financial resources.

Last month, after Ron Paul expressed regret on the Alex Jones show over not owning RonPaul.com (in an interview titled “Ron Paul: The Internet Is Our Last Chance to Awaken America“), dozens of supporters urged us to contact Ron Paul to work out a deal.

We sent Ron Paul the following respectful offer [View/Download PDF File], explaining that we’d prefer to keep RonPaul.com due to reasons explained in our letter.

Read moreRon Paul Calls On United Nations To Confiscate Domain Names Of His Supporters

Ron Paul Files International Trademark Complaint Against His Own Fans

Flashback:

Ron Paul’s Biggest Supporter Is Bilderberger, International Financier Peter Thiel

Ron Paul And Freemasonry: Ritual And The Scottish Rite

No.1 Trend Forecaster Gerald Celente: Ron & Rand Paul Have Killed The Freedom Movement! … ‘LOSE ALL CREDIBILITY’! (Video)


The former congressman really wants control of RonPaul.com. His followers aren’t pleased.


Ron Paul Files International Trademark Complaint Against His Own Fans (Buzzfeed, Feb 9, 2013):

Ron Paul has filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization against the proprietors of RonPaul.com and RonPaul.org, according to a blog post on their site on Friday.

The authors of RonPaul.com see the move as the ultimate betrayal from a politician who, more than many others, depended on an astounding level of grassroots support on the Internet in order to keep his longshot presidential campaigns running.

“Last month, after Ron Paul expressed regret on the Alex Jones show over not owning RonPaul.com (in an interview titled “Ron Paul: The Internet Is Our Last Chance to Awaken America”), dozens of supporters urged us to contact Ron Paul to work out a deal,” the owners of RonPaul.com write.

They say they offered Paul the use of RonPaul.org as a “free gift” but wanted to keep RonPaul.com. Their price, should Paul really want RonPaul.com, was $250,000.

“Claims that we tried to sell Ron Paul “his name” for $250k or even $800k are completely untrue, and there is little doubt that our mailing list would have enabled Ron Paul to raise several million dollars for the liberty movement this year. It would have been a win/win/win situation for everyone involved,” they write.

Even more shocking to the proprietors is that Paul’s complaint was lodged with a U.N. agency, an organization that garners mistrust among libertarians.

Read moreRon Paul Files International Trademark Complaint Against His Own Fans

Hacker Reveals George W. Bush’s Naked Self-Portraits

Hacker reveals George W. Bush’s naked self-portraits (The Raw Story, Feb 8, 2013):

Personal information stolen from several email accounts belonging to people close to the Bush family reveals the nation’s 43rd president has developed an affinity for painting himself bathing, of all things.

Photos included in an information dump turned over to The Smoking Gun include President George H.W. Bush in the hospital, the elder Bush posing with President Bill Clinton, a family photo of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and even President George W. Bush posing with a cardboard cutout of himself wearing a mustache and beret.

Three of the images also show paintings Bush created, including one of himself in the shower, another of himself in a bath, and a third of him crouched over a canvas depicting a church.

A hacker going by the name “Guccifer” claimed the stolen messages include addresses, phone numbers and email addresses that go directly to both former presidents and their families, along with a security code for a gate outside the younger Bush’s home in Dallas.

Read moreHacker Reveals George W. Bush’s Naked Self-Portraits

Bush Family Emails Hacked, Posted Online

Investigation launched into how Guccifer posted photos and personal emails of ex-US president George HW Bush online


George HW Bush: the emails were said to contain details of the state of the ex-president’s health and his family’s phone numbers. Photograph: Getty Images

George Bush’s family emails hacked (Guardian, Feb 8, 2013):

An investigation has been launched into how a hacker managed to access the email accounts of the former US president George HW Bush and members of his family.

A number of Bush family photographs and personal emails were posted online by the hacker, who goes by the name of Guccifer.

Read moreBush Family Emails Hacked, Posted Online

French Socialist Nightmare: ‘The State Cannot Do Everything’

French Socialist Nightmare: ‘The State Cannot Do Everything’ (Testosterone Pit, Feb 8, 2013):

The preannouncement came Thursday evening: PSA Peugeot Citroën, France’s largest automaker, would have a write-down of €4.7 billion. On top of a hefty operating loss. It would be colossal. An all-time record. Rumors spread immediately that PSA would need a bailout. The second in four months.

PSA passenger car sales in France dropped nearly 17% in 2012 from an already awful 2011. In January they dropped another 16.7%. Sales for all automakers dropped 15%, and PSA’s market share had eroded further. Kia-Hyundai sales jumped 21.2%, the only major automaker with gains. Even Volkswagen Group got clobbered: down 23.9%. PSA isn’t internationally diversified enough. It doesn’t have much in China and nothing in the US, the largest markets in the world, both growing. It’s mired in Europe where auto sales have ground to a halt. It’s bleeding €200 million a month. It’s trying to lay off 8,000 workers and shutter its plant in Aulnay-sous-Bois. And its Banque PSA Finance was bailed out last October with €7 billion in taxpayer money.

The government was so worried that it was actively studying a bailout, sources told the Liberation after the losses were announced. It was just hypothetical. “But if a capital infusion would become inevitable, the state could participate,” the source said. Instantly, a cacophony of discord erupted—within the Socialist government.

Read moreFrench Socialist Nightmare: ‘The State Cannot Do Everything’

Timothy Geithner Admits: ‘I Never Had A Real Job’ (Video)

Geithner Admits: “I Never Had A Real Job” (The Daily Bail, Feb 8, 2013):

UPDATEGeithner Joins CFR As Distinguished Fellow (CFR Press Release)

For once, Turbo told the truth on a weekend talk show.  Sort of.  We could add that Geithner never paid taxes like a real taxpayer either.  Geithner’s ongoing attempt to distance himself from Wall Street’s decade of fraud is laughable.  As President of the New York Fed, Geithner was criminally negligent in his role as Wall Street’s chief regulator.

Timmaaayy tells the truth.

“I find that the charge that — the myth that I worked in Wall Street all my life, somewhat amusing.  But it is part of a narrative that hardened.  People came to view the judgments we were making through the prism of a myth … it’s actually very damaging.  It’s completely false, of course, and it, you know, should have been corrected a long time ago.  What I say is that I never had a real job.”

Flashback – Geithner with Fareed Zakaria – WSJ

This is worth watching:

Max Keiser on Geithner’s AIG Crime

Christopher Dorner Sends DVD, Letter And Bullet-Riddled Coin To CNN’s Anderson Cooper (CNN Video)

Description:

Suspect Christopher Dorner sent a DVD, letter and bullet-riddled coin to Anderson Cooper. Fmr. LAPD Chief Bratton reacts.

Related info:

Christopher Dorner Manhunt: Police Hunt For Suspected Cop Killer – Full Uncensored Manifesto From Retired LAPD Officer Christopher Dorner

Emergency Declared: Massachusetts Nuclear Plant Loses Power, Shuts Down During Blizzard

Mass. nuclear power plant loses power, shuts down during snowstorm; NRC monitoring (Washington post, Feb 9, 2013):

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says a power plant in Massachusetts has lost power and shut down during a massive snowstorm.The NRC says the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth experienced an automatic shutdown at around 9:15 p.m. Friday after losing off-site power. Spokesman Neil Sheehan says the plant has declared an unusual event, which is the lowest level of emergency classification.

Read moreEmergency Declared: Massachusetts Nuclear Plant Loses Power, Shuts Down During Blizzard

‘China Accounts For Nearly Half Of World’s New Money Supply’

“China Accounts For Nearly Half Of World’s New Money Supply” (ZeroHedge, Feb 8, 2013):

When it comes to the creation of money in China, and specifically the asset side of the ledger, or loans, there is much more confusion than consensus, primarily because nobody knows who it is that is creating the money: private or public entities, SOEs, the PBOC, regional banks, shadow banks, or your next door neighbor.Another thing that is largely misreported: what the actual assets pledged as collateral to new loans are. Because while it is well-known that corporate debt in China is now greater as a percentage of GDP than in any other country, the comprehensive picture is still confusing (albeit GMO did a fantastic summary recently of what is known) as reporting standards are still non-existent, and the government flat out lies about its balance sheet.

Yet one very simple shortcut to get a sense of what is truly happening in monetary China is to peek at the liability side of the consolidated balance sheet, and one line in particular, namely deposits. Because unlike in the US, where the vibrant equity Ponzi scheme has rarely been stronger, in China it is still all about the cash and as a result the bulk of the newly created money once again return back to the banking sector in the form of a deposit. Ironically, that is what banking should be about (instead of the entire industry being a glorified hedge fund) although in China even this practice has gone on way too far, and like in Europe, has long passed the point where there is real collateral value backing up the new money created (which explains the emergence of various letters of credit collateralized by copper still not dug out of the ground which reappear every time Chinese inflation spikes above 5%).

So how do deposits look when comparing the US and China? Well, after having less than half the total US deposits back in 2005, China has pumped enough cash into the economy using various public and private conduits to make even Ben Bernanke blush: between January 2005 and January 2013, Chinese bank deposits have soared by a whopping $11 trillion, rising from $4 trillion to $15 trillion! We have no idea what the real Chinese GDP number is but this expansion alone is anywhere between 200 and 300% of the real GDP as it stands now.

Read more‘China Accounts For Nearly Half Of World’s New Money Supply’

Venezuela Launches First Nuke In Currency Wars, Devalues Currency By 46%!

Coming to a country near you … soon.

Got gold and silver?


–  Venezuela Launches First Nuke In Currency Wars, Devalues Currency By 46% (ZeroHedge, Feb  10, 2013):

While the rest of the developed world is scrambling here and there, politely prodding its central bankers to destroy their relative currencies, all the while naming said devaluation assorted names, “quantitative easing” being the most popular, here comes Venezuela and shows the banana republics of the developed world what lobbing a nuclear bomb into a currency war knife fight looks like:

  • VENEZUELA DEVALUES FROM 4.30 TO 6.30 BOLIVARS
  • VENEZUELA NEW CURRENCY BODY TO MANAGE DOLLAR INFLOWS
  • CARACAS CONSUMER PRICES ROSE 3.3% IN JAN.

And that, ladies and gents of Caracas, is how you just lost 46% of your purchasing power, unless of course your fiat was in gold and silver, which just jumped by about 46%. And, in case there is confusion, this is in process, and coming soon to every “developed world” banana republic near you.

and just as we (and Kyle Bass) have warned – this is what happens to the nominal price of a stock market as currency wars escalate… how do those US investors who flooded Venezuela with cash feel now? bringing back those VEF gains is going to hurt…

The chart above is a free lesson in nominal vs real: the hardest lesson for some 99.9% of the world’s population to grasp. One person who certainly knows how to devalue a currency in real terms is FDR, whose 70% devaluation of the USD courtesy of executive order 6102, is merely an appetizer of what is about to be unleashed upon the US.

From Bloomberg:

Venezuela devalued its currency for the fifth time in nine years as ailing President Hugo Chavez seeks to narrow a widening fiscal gap and reduce a shortage of dollars in the economy.

Read moreVenezuela Launches First Nuke In Currency Wars, Devalues Currency By 46%!

Davos 2013: Henry Kissinger Says Iran Nuclear Crisis Close

Flashback:

Henry Kissinger: ‘In 10 Years, There Will Be No More Israel’

Bilderberg 2012: Detailed Member Bios, UK Guardian’s Video Report



A nuclear war in the Middle East would be a “turning point in human history,” says Mr Kissinger

Davos 2013: Kissinger says Iran nuclear crisis close (BBC News, Jan 24, 2013):

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has warned that a crisis involving a nuclear Iran is in the “foreseeable future”.

The Nobel Peace laureate, 89, was speaking about prospects in the Middle East at the World Economic Forum.

He said nuclear proliferation in the region triggered by an armed Iran would increase the chances of an atomic war – “a turning point in human history”.

He also urged the US and Russia to co-operate in resolving Syria’s conflict.

Read moreDavos 2013: Henry Kissinger Says Iran Nuclear Crisis Close

UKIP’s Nigel Farage On EU Propaganda Blitz Against Online Critics: ‘EU Parliament No Better Than A Banana Republic’ (Video)


YouTube Added: 07.02.2013

‘EU Parliament no better than banana republic’ with PR campaign (RT, Feb 8, 2013):

As eurozone leaders lock horns over the budget deal, speculation is rife the EU is set to invest millions in a PR campaign against online critics. It puts the EU Parliament on a par with so-called ‘banana republics’, MEP Nigel Farage told RT.

“The words ‘legal’ and ‘European Union’ don’t fit together. Nothing matters here, there are no rules,” says the UK Independence Party’s Nigel Farage of the EP plan to spend huge sums of taxpayer money on social network smear campaigns against those who speak out against it.

Read moreUKIP’s Nigel Farage On EU Propaganda Blitz Against Online Critics: ‘EU Parliament No Better Than A Banana Republic’ (Video)

MI5 To Install ‘Black Box’ Spy Devices To Monitor Britain’s Entire Internet Traffic

UK government plans to track ALL web use: MI5 to install ‘black box’ spy devices to monitor British internet traffic (Daily Mail, Feb 6, 2013):

  • MPs’ report outlines spooks’ take on the draft Communications Data Bill
  • It shows they are keen to implement nationwide surveillance regime
  • They want ISPs to install ‘black boxes’ that can inspect all internet traffic
  • Spies claim they are only interested in ‘communications data’
  • Campaigners warn it will give spies unprecedented surveillance powers
  • UK spy agencies want to install ‘black box’ surveillance devices across the country’s communications networks to monitor internet use, it emerged today.

    A report by an influential committee of MPs tells how spooks are keen to implement a nationwide surveillance regime aimed at logging nearly everything Britons do and say online.

    The spy network will rely on a technology known as Deep Packet Inspection to log data from communications ranging from online services like Facebook and Twitter, Skype calls with family members and visits to pornographic websites.

    Read moreMI5 To Install ‘Black Box’ Spy Devices To Monitor Britain’s Entire Internet Traffic

    Is The Financial System Of Europe On The Verge Of A Meltdown?

    Watch The Financial Markets In Europe (Economic Collapse, Feb 7, 2013):

    Is the financial system of Europe on the verge of a meltdown?  I have always maintained that the next wave of the economic crisis would begin in Europe, and right now the situation in Europe is unraveling at a frightening pace.  On Monday, European stocks had their worst day in over six months, and over the past four days we have seen the EUR/USD decline by the most that it has in nearly seven months.  Meanwhile, scandals are erupting all over the continent.  A political scandal in Spain, a derivatives scandal in Italy and banking scandals all over the eurozone are seriously shaking confidence in the system.  If things move much farther in a negative direction, we could be facing a full-blown financial crisis in Europe very rapidly.  So watch the financial markets in Europe very carefully.  Yes, most Americans tend to ignore Europe because they are convinced that the U.S. is “the center of the universe”, but the truth is that Europe actually has a bigger population than we do, they have a bigger economy then we do, and they have a much larger banking system than we do.  The global financial system is more integrated today than it ever has been before, and if there is a major stock market crash in Europe it is going to deeply affect the United States and the rest of the globe as well.  So pay close attention to what is going on in Europe, because events over there could spark a chain reaction that would have very serious implications for every man, woman and child on the planet.

    Read moreIs The Financial System Of Europe On The Verge Of A Meltdown?

    Facebook Developing App That Will Track Your Every Move – Even When It’s Turned Off


    The loading screen of the Facebook mobile app: The social network is developing a new smartphone app to track the location of users in an effort to target them with localised adverts
    • App intended to alert users when Facebook ‘friends’ are nearby
    • It will also help the social network target localised adverts
    • Privacy campaigners warn it is ‘profit trumping privacy’

    Facebook is developing a new smartphone app to track the location of users in an effort to target them with localised adverts, according to reports.The app will help users to find friends who are nearby, alert them when it detects one in close proximity even when the app is not open on the handset, it is claimed.

    Read moreFacebook Developing App That Will Track Your Every Move – Even When It’s Turned Off

    Blizzard ‘Nemo’ Leaves 600,000 Without Power, Disrupts Thousands of Flights And Kills At Least One Person

    Blizzard kills one, leaves thousands without power (Reuters, Feb 9, 2013):

    A blizzard packing hurricane-force winds pummeled the northeastern United States on Saturday, killing at least one person, leaving about 600,000 customers without power and disrupting thousands of flights.

    Blizzard warnings were in effect for the northeastern coast, including the New York metropolitan area, the National Weather Service said.

    “Travel conditions will continue to be extremely hazardous if not impossible,” it said.

    Read moreBlizzard ‘Nemo’ Leaves 600,000 Without Power, Disrupts Thousands of Flights And Kills At Least One Person

    Currency War ? Trade War ? Hot War

    Currency Wars Often Lead to Trade Wars … Which In Turn Can Devolve Into Hot Wars (ZeroHedge, Feb 8, 2013):

    Currency War ? Trade War ? Hot War?

    According to numerous high-level insiders, the global currency war is accelerating:

    Read moreCurrency War ? Trade War ? Hot War

    16 Year Old Outperforms 99% Of Hedge Funds: ‘Oh My Gosh, That’s So Easy, I Have To Do This’ (Video)

    Friday Farce: 16 Year Old Outperforms 99% Of Hedge Funds: “Oh My Gosh, That’s So Easy, I Have To Do This” (ZeroHedge, Feb 8, 2013):

    Forget Ackman, Einhorn, Bass, And Hendry. There is only one name in the world of equity market performance in 2012 – Rachel Fox, of ‘Desperate Housewives’ fame. With a 30%-plus performance, the day-trading debutante has turned from actress to activist as she day-trades her way through the day. The 16-year-old actress who made 338 trades last year, based mostly on technicals, “”…fell in love with the idea and the concept of being able to just buy something, have it go up, or have it go down, depending on which way you bet it and have it make you money. I thought, oh, my, gosh, that’s amazing, and so easy, I have to do this.” If ever there was a sign of the extreme bubble that central planning has re-created for us – it has to be this. Her advice: “you have to really just trade on your own instincts and not just be like, oh, this person says this is great, let me just go for it.” LOL, OMG, IKR ;-( Our advice: next time readers are discussing stock tips with a random employee of Hustler Club, Scores or Spearmint Rhino – don’t just stare, listen! Said ‘random employee’ is almost certainly outpeforming the “smart money”, and the broader market, by a wide margin. Thank you Ben.