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Geopolitics

by Chris Martenson

In this week's Off The Cuff podcast, Chris and John Rubino discuss:

  • Trade Wars
    • Suddenly arising with Russia and China
  • Modern Monetary Theory
    • A delusion that dates back to the days of John Law
  • A Great Crash Indicator
    • RV sales are sending a warning sign
  • Risky Real Estate
    • Private equity will sell fast when times get bad

Chris and John discuss the looming trade wars with Russia and China, the long-term implications of the worldwide credit binge, and the indicators that will presage a systemic correction. John shares his assessment of one of his most trusted crash indicators, RV sales:

This is a typical cycle for RVs. It’s a big toy and people are cocky now because they’ve been working for a little while. They have extremely easy credit. Interest rates are incredibly low. If you’ve got a decent credit score you can buy an RV for 2 or 3% interest and a lot of people are taking advantage of that, just as they spent the last three or four years taking advantage of incredibly cheap car loan terms, and running, basically, an auto sales bubble. They’ve kind of shifted to RVs now, which is yet another sign that the cycle is nearing an end.

This "recovery" is 8 years old now. The typical recovery is 6 years. So we already have an expansion that’s a couple of years longer than normal. It’s actually the third longest since World War II. Which means that, everything else being equal, we should be pretty close to the end of this cycle and ready for a downturn. And now you’ve got indicators like RV sales going just parabolic, indicating that, at least in that little section of the market, money is incredibly easy and buyers are euphoric. And that’s also a sign that things are nearing the end. There are lots of other signs, but that’s one.

Every time there’s a bubble in an asset class, there’s always a new reason for it that appears to explain it. But historically the explanation never holds. The cycle still reasserts itself at some point. And things go back to normal. And I suspect that’ll be the case with RVs at some point.

Click to listen to a sample of this Off the Cuff Podcast or Enroll today to access the full audio and other premium content today.
Off The Cuff: A Dependable Crash Indicator Is Now Flashing
PREVIEW by Chris Martenson

In this week's Off The Cuff podcast, Chris and John Rubino discuss:

  • Trade Wars
    • Suddenly arising with Russia and China
  • Modern Monetary Theory
    • A delusion that dates back to the days of John Law
  • A Great Crash Indicator
    • RV sales are sending a warning sign
  • Risky Real Estate
    • Private equity will sell fast when times get bad

Chris and John discuss the looming trade wars with Russia and China, the long-term implications of the worldwide credit binge, and the indicators that will presage a systemic correction. John shares his assessment of one of his most trusted crash indicators, RV sales:

This is a typical cycle for RVs. It’s a big toy and people are cocky now because they’ve been working for a little while. They have extremely easy credit. Interest rates are incredibly low. If you’ve got a decent credit score you can buy an RV for 2 or 3% interest and a lot of people are taking advantage of that, just as they spent the last three or four years taking advantage of incredibly cheap car loan terms, and running, basically, an auto sales bubble. They’ve kind of shifted to RVs now, which is yet another sign that the cycle is nearing an end.

This "recovery" is 8 years old now. The typical recovery is 6 years. So we already have an expansion that’s a couple of years longer than normal. It’s actually the third longest since World War II. Which means that, everything else being equal, we should be pretty close to the end of this cycle and ready for a downturn. And now you’ve got indicators like RV sales going just parabolic, indicating that, at least in that little section of the market, money is incredibly easy and buyers are euphoric. And that’s also a sign that things are nearing the end. There are lots of other signs, but that’s one.

Every time there’s a bubble in an asset class, there’s always a new reason for it that appears to explain it. But historically the explanation never holds. The cycle still reasserts itself at some point. And things go back to normal. And I suspect that’ll be the case with RVs at some point.

Click to listen to a sample of this Off the Cuff Podcast or Enroll today to access the full audio and other premium content today.
by Chris Martenson

In this week's Off The Cuff podcast, Chris and Dave Fairtex discuss:

  • Whither These Markets Goest From Here?
    • Lots of scary data, but Dr. Copper is feeling lucky
  • Revisiting The Ka-POOM Theory
    • Might we avoid the Ka and go directly to POOM?
  • The Impact of Artificial Intelligence
    • It surely a game changer. But how?
  • Gold
    • Are the recent moves just a head-fake?

Dave Fairtex, PeakProsperity.com's precious metals daily analyst from Singapore, joins Chris this week to opine on a wide range of topics from the markets, to AI, to the refugee crisis in Europe. The two spend time talking about where the catalyst for a market correction is most likely to come from. And while there is a plethora of candidates, Dave sees political risk as topping the list:

My sense is that I think the central planners have the monetary thing wired. Let’s take the ECB. They have figured out a way to make it so that strictly monetary issues don’t cause problems anymore.

So what that leaves us with is political problems. That’s why I'm looking at what’s happening here, with the migrants in Europe and all the rest of it.Trump was an indicator that the central banks have the money stuff nailed down, but they don’t have the political movements fully under control.

So the longer-term stuff about screwing the savers and all the rest of it – that stuff they can’t control. I don’t know; maybe money printing works until the political situation changes. That’s where I’m leaning right now. 

Click to listen to a sample of this Off the Cuff Podcast or Enroll today to access the full audio and other premium content today.
Off The Cuff: The Pin To Pop This Bubble?
PREVIEW by Chris Martenson

In this week's Off The Cuff podcast, Chris and Dave Fairtex discuss:

  • Whither These Markets Goest From Here?
    • Lots of scary data, but Dr. Copper is feeling lucky
  • Revisiting The Ka-POOM Theory
    • Might we avoid the Ka and go directly to POOM?
  • The Impact of Artificial Intelligence
    • It surely a game changer. But how?
  • Gold
    • Are the recent moves just a head-fake?

Dave Fairtex, PeakProsperity.com's precious metals daily analyst from Singapore, joins Chris this week to opine on a wide range of topics from the markets, to AI, to the refugee crisis in Europe. The two spend time talking about where the catalyst for a market correction is most likely to come from. And while there is a plethora of candidates, Dave sees political risk as topping the list:

My sense is that I think the central planners have the monetary thing wired. Let’s take the ECB. They have figured out a way to make it so that strictly monetary issues don’t cause problems anymore.

So what that leaves us with is political problems. That’s why I'm looking at what’s happening here, with the migrants in Europe and all the rest of it.Trump was an indicator that the central banks have the money stuff nailed down, but they don’t have the political movements fully under control.

So the longer-term stuff about screwing the savers and all the rest of it – that stuff they can’t control. I don’t know; maybe money printing works until the political situation changes. That’s where I’m leaning right now. 

Click to listen to a sample of this Off the Cuff Podcast or Enroll today to access the full audio and other premium content today.
by Chris Martenson

Following up on our recent warning about the situation in Syria, Chris sits down this week for a conversation with The Saker, who writes extensively on geo-political and military matters. The Saker (a nom-de-plume), is a former intelligence expert with professional and personal insights into Russia and the Middle East.

He shares our deep concern for the dangerously misdirected current state of US foreign and military policy, as well as the potentially lethal repercussions these threaten to have in the powderkeg that is Syria.

In this week's podcast, The Saker provides an excellent distillation of the complex forces in play in Syria — as well as in the brewing friction between the US and Russia — and why the risk of nuclear war has now grown higher than it has been in decades.

The Saker: The Syrian Powderkeg
by Chris Martenson

Following up on our recent warning about the situation in Syria, Chris sits down this week for a conversation with The Saker, who writes extensively on geo-political and military matters. The Saker (a nom-de-plume), is a former intelligence expert with professional and personal insights into Russia and the Middle East.

He shares our deep concern for the dangerously misdirected current state of US foreign and military policy, as well as the potentially lethal repercussions these threaten to have in the powderkeg that is Syria.

In this week's podcast, The Saker provides an excellent distillation of the complex forces in play in Syria — as well as in the brewing friction between the US and Russia — and why the risk of nuclear war has now grown higher than it has been in decades.

by Chris Martenson

Executive Summary

  • Understanding The Ego & How It Can Be Manipulated
  • Shifting Our Own Minds
  • Creating A World Worth Inheriting
  • Becoming The Change We Wish To See

If you have not yet read Part 1: The Way To Save Ourselves available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In beginning to tackle this big topic, first, let's take a closer look at the ego.

The Ego

Humans are indeed set apart from the other sentient species on the planet such as dogs, elephants, whales, and dolphins. But what makes us 'special’ is not the use of language or tools. Plenty of other animals make use of both.  Humans seem to be unique in having an ego. 

The ego is the part of the mind we interact with (almost) entirely each day. It mediates between the conscious and unconscious parts of ourselves, and is how we interact with the world. It forms our sense of personal identity.  For most people it's a fair statement to say they are their ego.  They identify with it fully, just as I did with mine until not that long ago.

The ego thinks, assumes, that it is everything about you

One feature of the ego is that it is always, and forever, in a state of wanting.  It needs more and more and MORE all the time.  The ego sets goals and attains them, but is rarely if ever satisfied by reaching a goal.  If it obtains one, it immediately sets a new one. Therefore it remains in a perpetual state of wanting as it strives towards each new goal.

Ekhart Tolle, who has had a huge impact on my thinking, puts it this way…

How To Be
PREVIEW by Chris Martenson

Executive Summary

  • Understanding The Ego & How It Can Be Manipulated
  • Shifting Our Own Minds
  • Creating A World Worth Inheriting
  • Becoming The Change We Wish To See

If you have not yet read Part 1: The Way To Save Ourselves available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In beginning to tackle this big topic, first, let's take a closer look at the ego.

The Ego

Humans are indeed set apart from the other sentient species on the planet such as dogs, elephants, whales, and dolphins. But what makes us 'special’ is not the use of language or tools. Plenty of other animals make use of both.  Humans seem to be unique in having an ego. 

The ego is the part of the mind we interact with (almost) entirely each day. It mediates between the conscious and unconscious parts of ourselves, and is how we interact with the world. It forms our sense of personal identity.  For most people it's a fair statement to say they are their ego.  They identify with it fully, just as I did with mine until not that long ago.

The ego thinks, assumes, that it is everything about you

One feature of the ego is that it is always, and forever, in a state of wanting.  It needs more and more and MORE all the time.  The ego sets goals and attains them, but is rarely if ever satisfied by reaching a goal.  If it obtains one, it immediately sets a new one. Therefore it remains in a perpetual state of wanting as it strives towards each new goal.

Ekhart Tolle, who has had a huge impact on my thinking, puts it this way…

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