Total U.S. Fees to Resign Citizenship Exceed $12 million

March 8, 2016

US Passport

Under FATCA, it has become impossible for small business to expand internationally. FATCA punishes any foreign entity that does not report what an American is doing overseas. This single law is causing an implosion in the world economy and politicians are too stupid to figure out that they have really harmed the global economy.

The net consequence has been a massive swarm of Americans resigning their citizenship because they cannot live, or even conduct business, overseas without U.S. taxes. U.S. citizens and long-term residents now have to pay $2,350 as a fee to give up their passports or green cards. This was just $450 previously. The fees alone have now reached $12.6 million according to the latest statistics. Americans are taxed on WORLDWIDE income even if they never use any service whatsoever. So while they claim the “rich” do not pay their “fair share,” the question becomes what is a “fair share” if you are not even here? It appears the definition is government’s perspective of a “fair share” or what everyone earns irrespective of using anything.

New South Wales Treasurer Says Government Must be Reduced

March 8, 2016

Berejiklian Gladys

New South Wales Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian. Photo: Daniel Munoz

Everywhere we look, governments are in deep trouble. Down under in New South Wales, Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian has put in motion a quite dramatic reduction in the size of government. She has outlined a number of government departments, agencies, state-owned corporations, boards, committees, and trusts that need to be curtailed in a new efficiency drive that could lead to public service job cuts. We should expect this to be the net outcome at the state and local levels where they do not possess the power to create money.

PE Ratio

March 8, 2016

PE Ratio

 

COMMENT: Marty, I have never seen anyone look at the PE Ratio in that manner. The research you do is amazing. Many call you the “source”. I wonder how long it will take to see others claiming this is their analysis. I give them 24 hours.

Thanks

BP

COMMENT: Dear Mr. Armstrong,

Awesome answer .. and I should have seen it from that perspective after all you have said and taught us. Old concepts die hard!
Thank you!

MB

Baby Cries Happy Tears

PS.Speaking of learning new things especially about the human race: as a physician I would never have thought this baby’s reaction was possible. Truly powerful and beautiful. Hope you have time to watch; I think you will appreciate it. It’s about 2 minutes.

REPLY: I have heard many call me that. It is the product of creating a computer that monitors everything and then reveals things that no one has ever thought of. The advantage of a computer is the lack of bias and prejudice. It returns things based upon the data. Simple as that. Most cannot shed their prejudice to really explore freely.

It is really astonishing to show such emotion at such a young age. I agree. I too would never have thought that was possible. It does go to show that there is always something new to explore and learn. We never know everything. How boring life would be if that were the case. As they say, when there is nothing left to learn, it is time to die.

The 2016 Gold Report is Ready for Delivery + Video Forecast

March 8, 2016

Gold 2016 Part I

Metals Report 2016Part I of the “2016 Gold Report” is now available. In this report, you will find the most extensive review and explanation on the gold benchmarks with charts dating back to the 1970s, illustrating their performance and how cycle inversions unfold. In addition to this year’s report, we have provided a special video on gold and silver that covers the gold/silver ratio as well. This was filmed last week and is time sensitive.

We are targeting the reaction high and the final low. The report also goes into detail as to where the $5,000 projection comes from looking out beyond 2018.

We have tried to provide the most in-depth analysis perhaps ever undertaken so that you can understand the REAL machinations in the precious metals and not the BS, fluff, propaganda, or sales jobs created from half-backed theories and distortions of history. To invest successfully, you really have to understand what you are buying and WHY. If you buy gold for the WRONG reason, you will also never take a profit and watch it evaporate into thin air.

2016 Gold Report

Click here to purchase the “2016 Gold Report”

Part I of the “2016 Gold Report” will come in the form of a downloadable PDF document along with access to a video analysis. We plan to release part II of the report later in the year. Of course, anyone who purchases the “2016 Gold Report” will receive every part of the report once it is available.

2016 Gold Report $500

All reports are watermarked with the customer’s name for security purposes. The video will be password accessible to one individual IP address.

Market Talk – March 7th, 2016

March 7, 2016

Market-Talk -R

Asian equity markets open with lots of talk around the Chinese National Peoples Congress and the idea that GDP will now be an indicative target range (6.5 – 7%). The Shanghai opened over 1% firmer but did lose that as we headed into the afternoon session, only to recover and close up +0.85%. The PBOC fixed the Yuan at 6.5113 – slightly lower than Fridays 6.5284. The Nikkei had trouble holding onto the 17k level and eventually closing 103 points lower -0.6%. HSI had a quiet session closing little changed at -0.01%.

Although all core European Indices closed lower they all recovered quiet nicely from the days lows. All core finished the day around 0.3% lower which was in contrast to the 5% rally seen in the oil price; with Brent trading above $40 late in the US session. the depressed metals and energy commodities took the China news as extremely positive and saw Iron Ore trade almost 20% higher on the day.
There was plenty of scope for activity today but the DOW could only off-set the lesser performance of the NASDAQ. Despite the rally in metals and oil, the news of controlled growth from China and Fridays Payrolls report many dealers were expecting more from the US markets today so are slightly disappointed as they head home this evening.

The oil price rally started early today on news the OPEC country were looking to fix a high price before considering halting supply. Rumours are that the price being discussed is $50. In the past two months prices have seen a 40% bounce from their lows.

The Bond markets saw one of their quietist days in a while with US 10’s trading in a 4BP (1.88 – 1.92%) range. The 2/10 curve did flatten 1BP as 2’s closed this evening at 0.91% (closing the spread at +99BP). Over in Europe the 10yr German Bund closed 0.22% to close the US/Bund 10yr spread at +168 BP. 10yr Italy closed 1.46% (u/c), Greece 10yr 9.44% (+8BP), Turkey 10.18% (+4BP) and 10yr UK Gilt 1.48% (u/c).

US Dollar Index (DXY) closed lower this evening at 97.11 (-0.2%) as both the Euro and GBP made ground whilst the JPY lost 0.6% against it. Much headway was made in some of the commodity based currencies but their individual weightings within the basket is quite small. Both the Russian Rouble and Brazilian Real made around 0.85% gains against the USD on the back of todays commodity gains. A fine performance for the Rouble as Moody’s announced they had put Russia on watch “Negative”.

ECB on Thursday remains this week’s highlight.

Now Available: Part I of the “2016 Gold Report”

March 7, 2016

Gold 2016 Part I

Metals Report 2016Part I of the “2016 Gold Report” is now available. In this report, you will find the most extensive review and explanation on the gold benchmarks with charts dating back to the 1970s, illustrating their performance and how cycle inversions unfold. In addition to this year’s report, we have provided a special video on gold and silver that covers the gold/silver ratio as well. This was filmed last week and is time sensitive.

We are targeting the reaction high and the final low. The report also goes into detail as to where the $5,000 projection comes from looking out beyond 2018.

We have tried to provide the most in-depth analysis perhaps ever undertaken so that you can understand the REAL machinations in the precious metals and not the BS, fluff, propaganda, or sales jobs created from half-backed theories and distortions of history. To invest successfully, you really have to understand what you are buying and WHY. If you buy gold for the WRONG reason, you will also never take a profit and watch it evaporate into thin air.

2016 Gold Report

Click here to purchase the “2016 Gold Report”

Part I of the “2016 Gold Report” will come in the form of a downloadable PDF document along with access to a video analysis. We plan to release part II of the report later in the year. Of course, anyone who purchases the “2016 Gold Report” will receive every part of the report once it is available.

2016 Gold Report $500

All reports are watermarked with the customer’s name for security purposes. The video will be password accessible to one individual IP address.

PE Ratio – Mania v Panic

March 7, 2016

PE Ratio 2007-2016

QUESTION: 
Hi Mr. Armstrong,

Some of your readers, me included, wonder how the Dow is going to get to 23,000 or more, especially as we go through an economic slowdown. This would suggest a P/E of around 23 or higher. Is the common thinking that would accompany such a move similar to past manias (tulipmania, south sea bubble)? Is mania thinking also cyclical?

Thanks as always,
M

ANSWER: With all due respect, you have to look at this, not as a mania of speculative fever, but as a panic in government with a collapse in confidence. That is when money just seeks safety; not profit. A mania is a speculative boom where profit is the motive. What we face is the opposite. When capital is just trying to break even, the P/E Ratio rises to historical highs. Above is the P/E Ratio on the S&P 500 since the 2007 high. It rose to over 120 during the crash. This is why we warned that the market would make new highs and while Barrons reported that forecast, they were probably doing so tongue-in-cheek.

PE Ratio 1871-2016

Ghost BustersNotice that even looking at the annual average of the P/E Ratio in the S&P 5oo, the year 2009 is the historical high – SO FAR! Even the 2000 Dot.COM bubble produced an annual average of almost 50:1. That still did not compare to the 2009 Panic. When banks and government are in trouble and you are just trying to protect what you have, who you gonna call? This reminds me of the movie “Ghost Busters” with the theme song punch line – Who You Gonna Call?

That is the difference between a collapse in confidence in government (public to private shift) and a speculative mania. When I say the Dow can go to 40,000 if it exceeds 23,000, this is not the speculative boom-type rally. It is a panic of how to preserve what you have. There is a huge difference.

We have absolutely everything I could ever get my hands on from a data perspective in a computer that I taught TO ANALYZE. It comes back with very pointed and detailed analyses, of which 99% of humanity never bothered to check on. So open your mind. Leave the cage in which you live created by society to control and contain you. We are embarking on a new journey that will shake the foundations of reason.


 

 

Dream

First you Dream

Idea

Then an Idea Emerges from that Dream

Imagine

Then you Imagine How to Realize that Idea

Create

Then you Create that Idea

California Earthquakes

March 7, 2016

Earthquakes

Plotting earthquakes in California for the “big one” is difficult due to the lack of historical data prior to 1857. From that point forward, the frequency appears to line up with the 8.6-year pi cycle insofar as the three major events — 1857, 1906, and 1989 — follow about 43-year (half-8.6) cycle. This is time period will now start to rise (March 2016), which is 43 years from a cluster of quakes that appeared in 1970-1973. We would have to run the current data through the system to determine a target in time and magnitude. We will look to update the short-term data when possible.

EarthQuakes

 

Freedom of Religion & Several Alexander (222-235 AD)

March 6, 2016

Elagabalus Stone of Emesa

Mixing Religion and politics has been a major problem throughout history. It has never worked when one religion attempts to force upon others their particular belief. The Freedom of Religion, a cornerstone of the American Constitution, was the product of reason and understanding history. Religion has been responsible for more bloodshed throughout history than anything else just as we see ISIS today or the English Civil War, Protestant Reformation, and the takeover of Rome by Christianity. Examples of such chaos when one religion attempts to force itself upon the majority extends back into Roman times. According to the Historia Augusta (Heliogab. 1.6), when the Emperor Elagabalus (218-222AD) came to power, he had been the high priest in the city of Emesa which is Homs today in Syria. He then imposed his religion upon Rome and the Senate.

The Emesa region is historic for its worship of a black meteorite for which Elagabalus was high priest, that was known as the Stone of Emesa. This was supposed to be the Stone from the Sun God, which actually played a central role in the region for nearly 2000 years of various religious beliefs. The exact origin of the black stone of Emesa remains rather obscure, and it most likely fell to the Earth at least during the 2nd Century AD and possibly before since there was evidence of a priesthood that extended well before the 3rd Century.

Sept-AU-FamilyThe destiny of this particular meteorite was closely intertwined with that of a dynasty of king-priests who had been nomads, Bedouins of the desert, before settling down in Emesa. It is possible that the stone fell somewhere else in the Middle East and was carried by the tribe before they settled in Emesa. However, the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus (193-211AD) married Julia Domna from Emesa. Severus was determined to create a dynasty and he depicted his family on his coinage regularly.This would eventually give rise to a hereditary claim to the throne of the Roman Empire by her side of the family centered in Emesa.

Over time, this religious cult worshiping this Black Stone of Emesa became extremely famous and popular throughout the region. By the early 3rd century, the high priest known as Elagabalus from the family of Julia Domna became a Roman Emperor and the Stone of Emesa ended up being the chief deity of the Roman Empire by sheer force. This Black Stone was known under the title “deus invictus Sol Elagabalus,” the undefeatable sun which rises every day.

Stone of Emesa Denarius

The Black Stone of Emesa was depicted on the coinage of Elagabulus (218 – 222AD) and upon his rise to the throne as an heir of Julia Domna, Elagabalus’ religious beliefs began to surface as a problem to say the least. The contemporary historian Cassius Dio suggests he murdered his adviser because he was forcing him to live “temperately and prudently” (Cassius Dio, Roman History LXXX.6) in order to try to get the Romans adjusted to the idea of having an oriental priest as emperor. His mother, Julia Maesa, according to Herodian, Roman History, went as far as to send a painting of Elagabalus in priestly robes to Rome and hung over a statue of the goddess Victoria in the Senate House. He was forcing his religion upon Rome, which did not sit very well to say the least. His homosexual behavior was also creating a scandal, which was much more acceptable in the East compared to Roman culture. The army did not take kindly to these homosexual tendencies. Revolts were breaking out even before he reached Rome.

Elagabalium renamed Temple of Jupiter 224AD

 

Elagabulus brought the Stone of Emesa to Rome and built a temple there by the Palatine Hill he called the Elagabalium which was founded on the site of an earlier shrine to Orcus, a native Italic god of the underworld and a punisher of broken oaths. A portion of a capital from the Elagabalium was found in the Forum Romanum within the vicinity of the Palatine (R. Turcan, The Cults of the Roman Empire, 10th ed. [2008], p. 181, pl. 21). This capital confirms the appearance of the cult image and includes images of Minerva and Juno, providing important clues to the claims of Herodian (5.6) and Dio (80.12) that the emperor transported the Palladium to the Palatine in order to wed her to El-Gabal and later included a second spouse by bringing the cult statue of Juno Caelestis, the Punic Tanit, from Carthage. By doing so, Elagabalus was recreating at Rome the Emesene triad consisting of El-Gabal, Atargatis (Minerva), and Astarte (Juno Caelestis), thereby superseding the traditional Capitoline triad of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and the daughter of Jupter.

The legends of gods with always full of imagination. It was claimed that Jupiter impregnated the titaness Metis, but then recalled a prophecy that his own child would overthrow him. Fearing that their child would grow stronger and displace him to rule the Heavens, Jupiter swallowed Metis whole. The titaness forged weapons and armor for her child while within the Jupiter. Constant pounding and ringing by Minerva inside his head gave him a headache. To relieve the pain, Vulcan used a hammer to split Jupiter’s head and from the cleft emerged Minerva emerged fully grown and bearing her mother’s weapons and armor; quite a birth one would say. So Elagabalus was displacing this Triad of Jupter, Juno, and Minerva with his eastern El-gabal (replacing Jupiter), Caelestis (replacing Juno), and Atargatis (replacing Minerva). Clearly, Elagabalus sought to  subordinate Jupiter to El-Gabal, and to promote the latter god’s rites, he then demanded the Senate to honor El-Gabal before all other gods when performing their traditional sacrifices. The Elagabalium was to be the new center of this worship in Rome. His reign was notorious for religious fanaticism, for cruelty, bloodshed and excesses of every description, and there was general satisfaction when, on March 6th, 222AD, Elagabalus and his mother Julia Soaemias were murdered in the praetorian camp. Their bodies were dragged through the streets of Rome and thrown into the Tiber. He was one of the most hated emperors because he tried to impose his religion upon all of Rome by force.

Uranius_Antoninus Stone of Emesa

The Stone of Emesa was respected and sent back to Emesa. It appears in history once again on the coinage of another high priest who attempts the same path to the throne. When the Christians came to power, they destroy many objects. The Stone of Emesa was smashed. Smaller fragments survived in the region and were still worshiped.

Severus Alexander AE Sesterius Temple of Jupiter - R

Elagabalus was succeeded by his cousin Severus Alexander (222-235AD). He wasted no time undoing the religious machinations of Elagabalus. To advertise that religion was restored, he issued coins depicting the dedication of Elagabalus to Jupiter. He issued coins depicting the restoration of the Temple of Jupiter in silver denarii and the bronze sesterius pictured above as well as medallions. Severus Alexander was so open-minded, he wanted to allow the Christians to establish their temple in Rome as well. He was persuaded against that by the majority who did not accept the idea of just one God. They had gone through hell with Elagabalus and were not about to tolerate another Eastern cult.

Colosseum Severus Alexander

Severus Alexander Gold Aureus ColosseumSeverus Alexander (222-235AD) also issued coins announcing the restoration of the Colosseum was complete. On the day of the Vulcanalia, August 2nd, 217AD, a fire devastated most of the Colosseum and of the surrounding area. The Colosseum burned for several days and there was nothing left but its skeleton structure. The repairs began under Emperor Macrinus (217-218AD) and took about 30 years to complete since it was virtually reconstructed. When Several Alexander came to power in 222AD, the Colosseum was again inaugurated and dedicated to the gods. Coins were issued in gold, silver and bronze to announce the dedication.

Severus Alexander NYMPHAEUM - R2

Trophies of MariusThe third major structure announced on the coinage of Severaus Alexander was the Nymphaeum located in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele at a fork between the Via Tiburtina and the Via Labicana in Rome. Because the Romans invented concrete, a substantial portion of this monument remains. The construction in 226AD was brick-faced concrete. The fountain is reconstructed as a two-storied façade with a wide central niche and arched openings on each side. The overall appearance remains one of a triumphal arch. Statues indeed occupied the niches. Two such sculptures known as the “Trophies of Marius” which was removed by Pope Sixtus V in 1590 and still survives atop the staircase leading up to the Piazza Campidoglio. They were recycled from an earlier triumphal monument built by Domitian. The Nymphaeum was connected to the end of the aqueduct into Rome which was built inside an imperial villa at the time of Emperor Alexander Severus (222 – 235 AD).

Nymphaeum

 

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