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Stocks

by charleshughsmith

Executive Summary

  • The source of leverage being used to manipulate us
  • The powers that be have a much weaker hand than we realize
  • The increase use of force to control the system will ultimately undermine it
  • What options are available to those who want to free themselves from this supression?

If you have not yet read Part 1: Upon The Next Crisis, The Rules Will Suddenly Change available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In Part 1 we surveyed the dynamics driving ever-expanding state control, the state’s priorities in crisis management (secure the state’s authority and the wealth/power of elites) and the authorities’ current preference for indirect control of the market.

Leverage and the Market as a Signifier

Markets are no longer markets—they are simulacra of markets, displaying the superficial appearance but not the dynamics and uncertainties of real markets, which have an unnerving tendency to veer away from the state-approved scripts of permanent, stable expansion.

Why have central banks and states (which includes blocs of nations such as the Eurozone with a centralized governing elite) chosen to cloak their control of markets?

The answer is has two parts:  1) central banks/states must leverage their intervention due to the monumental scale of global markets; owning assets worth hundreds of trillions of dollars is at best awkward in the current arrangement and at worst politically impossible.  

While financial leverage is a relatively straightforward tool, 2) the real leverage is exerting psychological control over the market by transforming market price action into a signifier (i.e. signaling mechanism) that persuades participants to…

How To Defend Against An Unfair Re-Set Of The System
PREVIEW by charleshughsmith

Executive Summary

  • The source of leverage being used to manipulate us
  • The powers that be have a much weaker hand than we realize
  • The increase use of force to control the system will ultimately undermine it
  • What options are available to those who want to free themselves from this supression?

If you have not yet read Part 1: Upon The Next Crisis, The Rules Will Suddenly Change available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In Part 1 we surveyed the dynamics driving ever-expanding state control, the state’s priorities in crisis management (secure the state’s authority and the wealth/power of elites) and the authorities’ current preference for indirect control of the market.

Leverage and the Market as a Signifier

Markets are no longer markets—they are simulacra of markets, displaying the superficial appearance but not the dynamics and uncertainties of real markets, which have an unnerving tendency to veer away from the state-approved scripts of permanent, stable expansion.

Why have central banks and states (which includes blocs of nations such as the Eurozone with a centralized governing elite) chosen to cloak their control of markets?

The answer is has two parts:  1) central banks/states must leverage their intervention due to the monumental scale of global markets; owning assets worth hundreds of trillions of dollars is at best awkward in the current arrangement and at worst politically impossible.  

While financial leverage is a relatively straightforward tool, 2) the real leverage is exerting psychological control over the market by transforming market price action into a signifier (i.e. signaling mechanism) that persuades participants to…

by Chris Martenson

Executive Summary

  • Controlled markets can't be controlled forever
  • Confidence is beginning to fail, even at the top
  • The leading indicators to monitor closely
  • The reason to get excited about gold & silver again

If you have not yet read Part 1: Who’s Going To Eat The Losses? available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

As we recently covered in this week's special webinar, the geopolitical tensions across the world, alone, should have created some sort of ‘risk off’ response in the equity markets.  With China, Russia and North Korea all increasingly at odds with the US for a wide variety of reasons, it’s very hard to make a case that Everything is Awesome!

Instead, it’s very easy to make the case that the world is on the brink of a period of destructive trade wars, if not actual 'hot' wars. 

Again, that alone should be introducing some uncertainty, some ‘risk off’ behaviors by which we mean some sort of a selloff in equities. But that’s just not the case.

In fact, the current stock ramp-up is the second longest without even a 3% sell-off in all of US equity history.

It's my firm belief that these calm markets do not represent the collective wisdom of millions of independent traders and investors.  They are instead the result of both direct and indirect support of said markets by monetary authorities and their proxies. That is, the central banks and the big banks they actually represent and look out for. 

But this lack of volatility will have a very painful cost some day. No different than in a political crisis where an oppressed people finally rise up, the suppression of market volatility will spill over and…

How To Deal With Our Dangerous Markets And Failing Future
PREVIEW by Chris Martenson

Executive Summary

  • Controlled markets can't be controlled forever
  • Confidence is beginning to fail, even at the top
  • The leading indicators to monitor closely
  • The reason to get excited about gold & silver again

If you have not yet read Part 1: Who’s Going To Eat The Losses? available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

As we recently covered in this week's special webinar, the geopolitical tensions across the world, alone, should have created some sort of ‘risk off’ response in the equity markets.  With China, Russia and North Korea all increasingly at odds with the US for a wide variety of reasons, it’s very hard to make a case that Everything is Awesome!

Instead, it’s very easy to make the case that the world is on the brink of a period of destructive trade wars, if not actual 'hot' wars. 

Again, that alone should be introducing some uncertainty, some ‘risk off’ behaviors by which we mean some sort of a selloff in equities. But that’s just not the case.

In fact, the current stock ramp-up is the second longest without even a 3% sell-off in all of US equity history.

It's my firm belief that these calm markets do not represent the collective wisdom of millions of independent traders and investors.  They are instead the result of both direct and indirect support of said markets by monetary authorities and their proxies. That is, the central banks and the big banks they actually represent and look out for. 

But this lack of volatility will have a very painful cost some day. No different than in a political crisis where an oppressed people finally rise up, the suppression of market volatility will spill over and…

by Adam Taggart

Last year, I detailed out my personal investments in the report How My Portfolio Is Positioned Right Now. It turned out to be one of our most popular articles over the past few years.

In it, I mentioned that I'll do my best to update our subscribers when I make a material change to my portfolio allocation.

Well, I just did.

I Just Added To My Short Position
PREVIEW by Adam Taggart

Last year, I detailed out my personal investments in the report How My Portfolio Is Positioned Right Now. It turned out to be one of our most popular articles over the past few years.

In it, I mentioned that I'll do my best to update our subscribers when I make a material change to my portfolio allocation.

Well, I just did.

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