I know some people send emails alleging I am some sort of Putin supporter. Most of my sources come from inside Ukraine. There is NO government on this earth that EVER has 100% approval of its people. There are ALWAYS two sides just as we have in the polarization of the United States. Many have been forced to flee Ukraine. Zelensky has been forcing young boys to fight on the front line and they are inexperienced and dying by the thousands. Zelensky is wiping out a generation rather than simply honor the Minsk Agreement for the Donbas are Russians who they will NEVER accept anyhow. This is simply a land grab and he is destroying his country for the Neocons and will fly off to his estate in Miami to live like a king forever after.

I believe Zelensky is pure evil. He promised peace and is killing off an entire generation for his greatest European Investment of all time in rebuilding Ukraine with Blackrock – another evil private empire. His constant propaganda that Putin is evil will backfire. The Russian Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Russia in March 2024. This will be the first round on Sunday, March 17th. If no candidate receives more than half the vote, then a second round will take place exactly three weeks later on April 7th, 2024. The winner of the election is scheduled to be inaugurated on May 7th, 2024. When we look at the computer, it has a Directional Change in 2024 and a Panic Cycle in 2025.

 

Absolutely NOTHING that comes out as news from Ukraine, NATO, or any mainstream media is EVER going to be the truth. NATO is really a terrorist organization. They exist only for war – not peace. Ask people who live in the former Yugoslavia how they were bombing civilians and the media covered that up as well. They have built this up all about how Putin is evil and Zelensky refused to allow even the Pope to mediate for peace saying you cannot negotiate with Putin. In truth, it is Zelensky who is the Judas and has sold out his own people for a handful of silver.

My fear is that Putin will step down and then we will see the hardliners take the helm. I do not see Putin there post-2024. The hardliners feel Putin has been too “soft” and had he simply invaded Ukraine instead of defending just the Donbas, then this war would have been over in 6 weeks using the same tactics the USA used on Iraq – shock and awe.

This does NOT look good for the future and these damn Neocons never consider what if they are wrong! They BS themselves into thinking Russia is weak and they can destroy it once and for all and divide it up into their EuroAsia and then turn on China. If the hardliners come in, they will do whatever is necessary to defend Russia against our insane Neocons like Lindsey Graham, Victoria Nuland, John Bolton, etc, etc. The United States will lose this war just as they did in Vietnam. People like Graham care nothing about the dead civilians who always outnumber the soldiers. He relishes the idea of washing his hands in Russian blood.

 

It was Ukraine that waged war on the Donbas calling them terrorists because they sought independence from Kiev which in itself sought independence from Russia. That was the pot calling the kettle black as they say.

 

It was John McCain preaching war and revolution at Maidan. What if Putin came to the USA and delivered a speech on January 6th calling for the overthrow of Biden? I seriously doubt that the American press would have looked at that very kindly. But our Neocons could care less about anything. All they want is endless wars.

 

Zelensky has done precisely the opposite of what he promised. The people wanted peace – not the destruction of their country. Zelensky is filling his pockets and as I warned from the very start, this would be the man put in place by the Neocons to begin World War III. Our lives mean nothing to the Neocons. They are absolutely evil people who cheer over the deaths of others. Communism fell. People like Lindsey Graham and John McCain never could stop their hating of Russians and Chinese. They should NEVER be allowed anywhere close to the government. Russia will defend itself and Putin has been the moderate. What comes after the next Russian election will not be moderate. Their Neocons are saying – See, I told you so. America is Evil! Thank you Lindsey Graham – there are people judging all Americans because of you.

 

The post Will It All Explode by the Ides of May 2025? first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

The push toward net zero emissions contains a sinister undertone – depleting our food supply. Ireland announced that they will murder 200,000 cows to adhere to Agenda 2030, ultimately reducing cow cattle by 10% in the coming years. Adding to the push for Universal Basic Income, Ireland is telling farmers that they can murder their livestock as a “retirement exit scheme,” decreasing the number of available farmers altogether. This outline will reduce available dairy and meat in Ireland, but demand will not decline, forcing the country to rely on costly exports.

In the end, the plan is not energy efficient at all. A quarter of all beef imported into the European Union comes from Brazil. “How is it environmentally friendly to kill large swathes of the Amazon, import that beef from Brazil to substitute for Irish beef that’s been culled here in this state. It’s a significant threat hanging over farmers in this country, and we must have a debate crystallizing exactly what the plan of this government is,” Irish politician Peadar Tóibín questioned.

Why are they targeting agriculture? Pat McCormack, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, told reporters that the agriculture industry is no larger than it was 25 to 30 years ago. “Can the same be said for the transport industry, can the same be said for the aviation industry?”

This plan will cost Irish taxpayers $213 million annually. The government claims it is voluntary for now, but that will depend on how many farmers adhere to this plan and abandon their livelihoods. Once upon a time, cows were actually sacred in Ireland and appeared in numerous folklore stories. I’ve mentioned before that two groups that often overlap, animal rights activists and climate change activists, are at odds over the treatment of animals in the name of reduced methane emissions.

The Irish potato famine or the “Great Hunger” lasted from 1845 to 1852 – one million people starved to death. History repeats. Not only are they killing cattle, but they’re buying up farmland and reducing the availability of fertilizers. The push to diminish our food supply is occurring throughout the West, and the goal is to “reduce emissions,” aka the food supply by 2030, in accordance with Agenda 2030.

The post Climate Change Agenda Threatens Food Supply – Ireland to Kill 200K Cows first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

The European Union and World Health Organization met in Geneva this week to discuss plans for “future pandemics.” Governments and global organizations still want to control the masses with forced vaccinations despite the utter failure of the mRNA vaccine that did nothing to prevent transmission or infection. Still, the EU and WHO are planning to implement a global digital vaccine passport ahead of “future pandemics.”

The European Union was the mastermind behind the digital vaccine passport. The WHO and EU signed an agreement on November 30, 2022, to ensure transparency and coordination on future health issues.

Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, said:

“With 80 countries and territories connected to the EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate, the EU has set a global standard. The EU certificate has not only been an important tool in our fight against the pandemic, but has also facilitated international travel and tourism. I am pleased that the WHO will build on the privacy-preserving principles and cutting-edge technology of the EU certificate to create a global tool against future pandemics.”

The World Health Organization issued a press release explaining the future of digital passports that will “help facilitate global mobility,” or in other words, limit the freedom of movement for the masses. One of the key elements in the European Union’s work against the COVID-19 pandemic has been digital COVID-19 certificates. To facilitate free movement within its borders, the EU swiftly established interoperable COVID-19 certificates (entitled ‘EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate’ or ‘EU DCC’),” the WHO stated on the EU’s “legacy.”

The WHO wants the entire world to adopt vaccine digital passports:

“To help strengthen global health preparedness in the face of growing health threats, WHO is establishing a global digital health certification network which builds upon the solid foundations of the EU DCC framework, principles and open technologies. With this collaboration, WHO will facilitate this process globally under its own structure with the aim to allow the world to benefit from convergence of digital certificates. This includes standard-setting and validation of digital signatures to prevent fraud. In doing so, WHO will not have access to any underlying personal data, which would continue to be the exclusive domain of governments.”

The press release ends by saying they will be particularly targeting low and middle-income countries, who are always the test subjects for these plans. Are people from low-income countries really traveling the world here? Absolutely no one is concerned about the millions of migrants and refugees entering the EU and America while infected with diseases. Preventing the spread of illness is not their motive.

The post EU and WHO Plan Digital Vaccine Passports first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

San Francisco and other blue cities are overrun with crime, permitted by light-on-crime policies. I know numerous people who travel for work, and all they can discuss after visiting cities such as San Francisco and Seattle is the urban encampments and rampant crime that occurs in broad daylight. Companies no longer wish to hold conferences in these dangerous drug-ridden cities, and it is causing hotels to shutter.

The Hilton San Francisco Union Square Hotel, the largest hotel in the city, and Parc 55 Hotel, the fourth largest, are fleeing the city. CEO Thomas J. Baltimore Jr. said that his hotels have lost almost all of their business from conferences and conventions. Park Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE:PK) announced that it has stopped all payments toward its $725 million loan. They want to completely remove these hotels from their portfolio immediately. There is no saving the city at this point, and the smart money is leaving. “Unfortunately, the continued burden on our operating results and balance sheet is too significant to warrant continuing to subsidize and own these assets,” the company politely stated.

Quite a shame as this was once a beautiful city in a prime location. Hotels in San Francisco have to remind guests to park within enclosed, monitored parking garages because theft is so prominent. Some residents would like to turn a blind eye to the growing problem as the homeless population is beginning to outnumber them. The New York Post recently featured an article showing images of the vacant stores throughout the once desirable downtown as retail vacancy rose 6% in Q1 alone. Businesses, such as Whole Foods which was only open for one year, said they were worried about the safety of their employees.

What is the city doing to correct the problem? Nothing. They are downplaying the true crisis and wondering why tourism is nearly non-existent. The $120 million in budget cuts for the police department since 2020 has not helped the situation. Reports state that fewer than 80% of 911 calls are answered in a timely fashion, if at all. This is how cities fall under incompetent leaders who ignore problems in favor of votes.

The post Major Hotel Chains Shutting San Francisco Locations first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

ASIA:

Singapore’s retail sales exceeded expectations, increasing by 3.6% year-on-year (YoY) and surpassing the projected contraction of 1.9% YoY. On a monthly basis, retail sales rose by 4.2%, with a similar increase seen when excluding motor vehicle sales. Despite elevated inflation, retail sales have remained strong, potentially due to the return of visitors to Singapore. If the influx of foreign visitors continues, retail sales are expected to continue growing. While domestic household spending may be impacted by high inflation, the gradual return of visitor arrivals could offset this. Additionally, once price pressures subside, retail sales are expected to further accelerate, possibly towards the end of 2023.

The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today:

• NIKKEI 225 decreased 593.04 points or -1.82% to 31,913.74
• Shanghai increased 2.42 points or 0.08% to 3,197.76
• Hang Seng increased 152.72 points or 0.80% to 19,252.00
• ASX 200 decreased 11.60 points or -0.16% to 7,118.00
• Kospi increased 0.19 points or 0.01% to 2,615.60
• SENSEX increased 350.08 points or 0.56% to 63,142.96
• Nifty50 increased 127.40 points or 0.68% to 18,726.40

 

 

The major Asian currency markets had a mixed day today:

• AUDUSD decreased 0.00078 or -0.12% to 0.66612
• NZDUSD decreased 0.00296 or -0.49% to 0.60464
• USDJPY increased 0.357 or 0.26% to 139.987
• USDCNY increased 0.014 or 0.20% to 7.14220

 

Precious Metals:

• Gold decreased 18.17 USD/t oz. or -0.93% to 1,944.68
• Silver decreased 0.094 USD/t. oz or -0.40% to 23.486

 

Some economic news from last night:

China:

Exports (YoY) (May) decreased from 8.5% to -7.5%

Imports (YoY) (May) increased from -7.9% to -4.5%

Trade Balance (USD) (May) decreased from 90.21B to 65.81B

Australia:

AIG Manufacturing Index (May) increased from -20.2 to -5.1

GDP (QoQ) (Q1) decreased from 0.6% to 0.2%

GDP (YoY) (Q1) decreased from 2.6% to 2.3%

 

Some economic news from today:

China:

FX Reserves (USD) (May) decreased from 3.205T to 3.177T

Hong Kong:

Foreign Reserves (USD) (May) decreased from 427.40B to 421.00B

 

 

EUROPE/EMEA:

Germany, the fourth largest economy globally, is currently experiencing a recession caused by a weakened Euro and an unexpected economic contraction in the first quarter of 2023. The decline in GDP by 0.3% between January and March marks the second consecutive quarter of contraction, meeting the definition of a recession. Despite employment growth and easing inflation, the anticipation of higher interest rates will continue to impact spending and investment. Germany has been the weakest performer among major eurozone economies in the past two quarters, with consumer spending declining due to high inflation, which saw prices rise by 7.2% compared to the previous year in April.

The major Europe stock markets had a negative day today:

• CAC 40 decreased 6.21 points or -0.09% to 7,202.79
• FTSE 100 decreased 3.76 points or -0.05% to 7,624.34
• DAX 30 decreased 31.88 points or -0.20% to 15,960.56

 

The major Europe currency markets had a green day today:

• EURUSD increased 0.00111 or 0.10% to 1.07021
• GBPUSD increased 0.00189 or 0.15% to 1.24429
• USDCHF increased 0.0015 or 0.17% to 0.90890

 

 

Some economic news from Europe today:

Germany:

German Industrial Production (MoM) (Apr) increased from -2.1% to 0.3%

Swiss:

Unemployment Rate n.s.a. (May) decreased from 2.0% to 1.9%

Unemployment Rate s.a. (May) increased from 1.9% to 2.0%

UK:

Halifax House Price Index (YoY) (May) decreased from 0.1% to -1.0%

Halifax House Price Index (MoM) (May) increased from -0.4% to 0.0%

Mortgage Rate (GBP) (May) increased from 7.35% to 7.44%

US/AMERICAS:

Smoke from wildfires burning in Canada has caused New York City to have some of the worst air quality in the country this week, with air quality levels reaching into the 150s on Tuesday, considered unhealthy for all people and significantly above exposure recommendations from the World Health Organization. The smoke contains fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which is the tiniest yet most dangerous pollutant. Millions of people in parts of 18 states from South Carolina to New Hampshire were under air quality alerts on Wednesday morning for both wildfire smoke and ozone. The smoke is expected to continue to impact air quality in the eastern US. Meanwhile, the Canadian economy grew by 0.1% in October, meeting expectations, with another 0.1% increase in GDP seen likely in November.

US Market Closings:

• Dow advanced 91.74 points or 0.27% to 33,665.02
• S&P 500 declined 16.33 points or -0.38% to 4,267.52
• Nasdaq declined 171.52 points or -1.29% to 13,104.9
• Russell 2000 advanced 33.05 points or 1.78% to 1,888.45

 

Canada Market Closings:

• TSX Composite declined 71.91 points or -0.36% to 19,983.69
• TSX 60 declined 4.47 points or -0.37% to 1,200.41

 

Brazil Market Closing:

• Bovespa advanced 878.06 points or 0.77% to 115,488.16

 

ENERGY:

 

The oil markets had a green day today:

 

• Crude Oil increased 0.951 USD/BBL or 1.33% to 72.691
• Brent increased 1.093 USD/BBL or 1.43% to 77.383
• Natural gas increased 0.0556 USD/MMBtu or 2.46% to 2.3176
• Gasoline increased 0.0676 USD/GAL or 2.64% to 2.6319
• Heating oil increased 0.044 USD/GAL or 1.86% to 2.4118

 

The above data was collected around 12:25 EST on Wednesday

 

• Top commodity gainers: Natural Gas (2.46%), Gasoline (2.64%), Cheese (2.03%) and Zinc (3.00%)
• Top commodity losers: Palladium (-1.85%), Methanol (-2.16%), Wheat (-1.95%) and Orange Juice (-2.28%)

 

The above data was collected around 12:32 EST Wednesday.

 

 

BONDS:

 

Japan 0.43% (+0.5bp), US 2’s 4.59% (+0.063%), US 10’s 3.7817% (+8.17bps); US 30’s 3.93% (+0.053%), Bunds 2.453% (+8.3bp), France 3.013% (+9.4bp), Italy 4.285% (+12bp), Turkey 14.57% (+58bp), Greece 3.825% (+6.1bp), Portugal 3.193% (+11.7bp); Spain 3.473% (+10.5bp) and UK Gilts 4.251% (+4.3bp).

The post Market Talk – June 7, 2023 first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, first I want to thank you for your independent analysis. In gold, all they ever say is buy – buy – buy. It seems if you ever say anything else, they ridicule you. Gold to them is a religion, not an investment.

My question is that you have always said that the fourth challenge to a high is when it breaks out. Do you expect that this year?

Thank you ever so much

WK

PS: Was that you at the Premier of Pandemic3?

 

ANSWER: We still have a barrier of overhead resistance at the 2160-2180 level and some at 2200. After that, the next resistance is around 2600. Keep in mind that Ukraine is the MOST untrustworthy country on the planet. Already arms provided to Ukraine have been used in the attacks inside Russia. The F16s will be used to attack Crimea. All they will do is spread their hatred and they are deliberately trying to create World War III. They will create a false flag to attack a NATO country and claim it was Russia. They have been desperately trying to capture a Russian missile so they can fire it at Poland.

Our computer shows NOTHING but war ahead, especially from 2025 onward. But for now, expect the volatility to begin to rise again from June into next January. INFLATION will NOT subside. It cannot when we are at war. Biden will spend whatever he is instructed by the Neocons.

Yes, I was at the Premier in Austin, Texas. That is me in the background.

The post Gold & the Future first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

“The working class of Europe has nothing to gain from this war and everything to lose,” Irish European Parliament member Clare Daly stated in October 2022. “I find it laughable that those who call for arms to Ukraine never call for arms for the people of Palestine, or for the people of Yemen.” She is right – the people have absolutely nothing to gain through endless wars. Some may say, “Oh but Palestine and Yemen do not border Europe.” The neocons led Europeans to believe that they were in danger of Russian aggression, as if Russia were on a conquest to conquer all of Europe. In truth, they knew that Russia only wanted to reclaim a piece of land that historically hosted Russian people. Europe at large was never in danger; they are now.

Clare Daly has been aggressively advocating to end the war in Ukraine. Daly spoke out in March 2023, declaring, “Ukraine is burning through a generation of men.” Zelensky is sending in troops with no formal training who are expected to fight his endless war. People cheer when they hear of a successful attack or new weapons coming in, but no one thinks of the Ukrainian and Russian men on the frontlines who will never return home.

Think of the teenagers who know in a few short years that they too will be expected to fight, with no other potential future. Ukrainian male students were prohibited by the Ukrainian Ministry from traveling abroad to study, as Zelensky needed them ready to fight to replace their older brothers and peers who may perish in battle. Yet Zelensky parades around in a military green shirt, forcing men to die, knowing he will not receive so much as a scratch.

“These are human beings, and there is a shameful lack of empathy for ordinary people in the war rhetoric in here. The debate is about keeping the war flowing to keep the war going,” Daly shouted. Peace was never an option for the West. Russia did in fact offer to hold discussions. They appeased Russia with the Minsk Agreement that they never intended to keep, as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted. Merkel said that the entire premise of the Minsk Agreement was to buy time to build up Ukraine’s military. War has always been the goal of the neocons. Russia was none the wiser of the grand plan until after they entered Ukraine.

Clare Daly has expressed how livid she is at the warmongers for continuing this war. It is a rare occurrence to see her speaking out on BBC or any major channels. She has questioned what it even means for Ukraine to “win” the war. “Ordinary people don’t win in wars, they’re cannon fodder in the games of others,” Daly said, “You can shout glory all you like, but there is no glory in the grave, and only graves come out of this folly.”

The post There is no Glory in the Grave first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

Inflation has hurt everyone. It is no surprise that a recent poll by Rasmussen Reports indicates that US voters are now prioritizing economic growth of equality. The latest survey found that 64% of voters favor policies that contribute to economic growth, while only 27% said they prioritized economic fairness. In 2019, before the last election, only 50% of respondents to the same poll believed that growth mattered more than equality.

Voters have not indicated that they would prioritize economic growth so strongly since 2013, when the US was emerging from the Great Recession. The US economy was strong under Trump; inflation was low, the market was high, and unemployment was low. The coronavirus turned the entire world upside down, and it seems that many associated that economic downturn with the Trump Administration rather than lockdowns. Biden ran on the Build Back Better platform filled with empty promises of free handouts. He prolonged lockdowns, artificially lowering employment data, and then claimed his administration created jobs once the lockdowns were lifted.

The mask has fallen, and Americans are realizing that their quality of life is steeply declining due to the cost of living. Biden and Harris discuss transexuals more than the economy and have only exacerbated the problems we face by opening our borders and sending a blank check to Ukraine. Fairness sounded nice on paper, but then Biden began robbing the middle class through taxation, and the people realized that Build Back Better was merely a trojan horse for socialism. The majority wants America to be a strong capitalistic nation again.

The post US Voters Want Economic Growth over Equality first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are now mutual friends through China. The two countries had been sworn enemies since the beginning of time, representing conflicting Shiite and Sunni Muslim groups that have been battling since their religion was founded. They were murdering one another through a proxy war in Yemen that has left over 150,000 dead. Then the unthinkable happened – the two nations came together at the request of China and made amends.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made them an offer they couldn’t refuse – the potential to form a strong alliance through trade without Western influence. Saudi Arabia issued a shocking press release in March, given the deep hatred it had for Iran. Saudi Arabia stated it was keen on “developing good neighborly relations…in light of their brotherly ties.”

Now, Iran announced it is reopening its embassy in Saudi Arabia as the two continue to put their differences aside for the prospect of economic prosperity. The embassy closed abruptly in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite cleric, leading to mass protests outside the embassy in Tehran. Riyadh and Tehran have not had diplomatic relations since.

Iran and Saudi Arabia would like to join the BRICS alliance between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. If the two nations join, all major energy exporters will be within this alliance. BRICS currently contains 42% of the global population and over a quarter of the global economy. There would be absolutely no need for Western interference, and the threat of sanctions would hold little meaning. Saudi Arabia has already begun settling some oil transactions in the yuan instead of the dollar. Iran has been aggressively trading with the bloc; non-oil trade between BRICS and Iran reached $38.43 billion in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, marking a 14% year-on-year increase. China is Iran’s top trading partner in the BRICs alliance, with $30.32 billion of the aforementioned funds going directly to Beijing. An alliance could mean economic domination.

China seems to have done the unthinkable by brokering a peace treaty between the two nations. Opening an embassy signals that the countries are now ready to begin diplomatic relations once again. The BRICS alliance is growing stronger by the day, and there are rumors of the UAE, Egypt, Algeria, Bahrain, and even Turkey requesting to join. As our models have been warning, China is posturing itself to claim the throne of the financial capital of the world by 2032.

The post Iran and Saudi Arabia – Mutual Friends first appeared on Armstrong Economics.

Ep. 1 pic.twitter.com/O7CdPjF830

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 6, 2023

All my sources confirm it was the guy who wears the same T-Shirt to pretends he is defending democracy when he is not in his high-heels

The post Current State of Affairs first appeared on Armstrong Economics.