[OT] Europe and the Markets

Oh la la

The dark horse in all of this will be Russia's (Putin's) plan on the United States (Trump). If Russia can cause the U.S. to distance itself from NATO (for whatever reason, U.S. aggression and tensions with Russia make Euaope uncomfortable become they're pussies, or President Trump upset over NATO allies not kicking in the 2% minimum GDP). It makes Europe a little more vulnerable to Russia or perhaps China. President Trump is playing checkers while President Putin is playing chess (and channeling his inner NinaBambina).

To channel my inner rickyboy:
--> "the United States might be a superpower, but it's been (reasonably) the most benevolent fucking superpower there is."

^^^ "make Europe uncomfortable BECAUSE they're pussies"

Thanks Che. It seems like with with spy ship and the fighter jets, President Putin moved his chess pieces into play so no matter what President Trump's response was (nothing, soft, aggressive) Russia would still win. That was what my comment was rather than empty hyperbole.

I'm also not looking for a strong anti-Putin line either. I don't really see the upside / need for that. So I see what you are saying.

For example, I was behind President Bush (43) until he invaded Iraq.

Che --> "The US is an empire in decline and the only real question about that is how long it takes for people in the future to start shaking their heads asking how we couldn’t see something so obvious coming our way (IMHO). For the time being we can all enjoy the ride until the day that we can’t. And now I am going to burn some of Cuba’s crops and have a few glasses of whiskey to help out the suffering Irish economy."

^^^ Interesting thought, Che. I've been trying to think over what sort of personal responsibility actions I might take, since I can only affect what I do, which I think is using and improving my technical talents to make some great things.

Putin playing chess? I don't see the complexity in Russia's actions that others seem to see.

^^^Any one who thinks that the US is an empire in decline is just plain wrong, by any measure that is used reasonably how could you come to that conclusion, our economy generates more wealth daily per capita than any other, our people generally live better here than any other similar size country,our armies are more than a match of any other country or group anyplace in the world, we have recovered from major disasters that would have wiped most other countries out, I could go on and on but you get the point. Sorry but that is just wrong any way you try to spin it.
We are the envy of the entire world, no other place on this planet compares, we have more Russians wanting to come here more Chinese more of just about any other group want to come here, not a whole hell of a lot of Americans are looking to leave here and go to Russia , China, North Korea, Venezuela, Iran,or any of our adversaries but each one of our adversaries has large groups of people that wants to come here That statement is way off you need to rethink your premise I strongly disagree !
Sure some times we lose a battle here and there or get sidetracked for a bit, but this is and for The foreseeable future is and will remain the greatest country on this planet.

@twentyfive, I agree and I disagree. I agree we're still the most powerful and a lot of people want to come here but lot's of people would be just as happy going to Canada or some European countries. I do think we're in a decline. Not a steep one, but still a decline. IMO we've been in a decline for 50 or 60 years. The fact that we're still on top says a lot about where we were at the peak.

@Che, that's more in line with how I see it. I don't see Putin as some geo-political mastermind. Frankly I think of him as a thug who is pushing to test the resolve of the west.

I agree President Putin is more of a thug or gangster or old school spy games player.

Jester --> "Putin playing chess? I don't see the complexity in Russia's actions that others seem to see. "

Putin parks spy ship outside US Eastern coast.
Option 1: President Trump blows it up with a missile.
Reaction: European NATO countries are uncomfortable with US aggressive stance to Russia. European leaders distance themselves from US, somewhat. Weakens NATO, a little, which is a Russian goal.

Option 2: President Trump does nothing to the ship, no reaction.
Reaction: President Putin looks strong internally to Russian people.

^^^ It just seemed Putin put the Duplo blocks in a way that no matter how Trump reacted, Putin gets something he wants, however small. Mastermind, no. Thug with a few working neurons, yes.

@jester- We are not in a decline there is a transition going on, the world is changing similar to the industrial revolution, we are the innovators and the movers and shakers of the new order, the Russians know it, the Chinese know it, even the fascist terrorist states that we are battling against, know it,that is why they are battling us, our allies know this as well, and in the end we will still be the greatest power the world has ever known. Like I said Putin or some of the adversaries may win a battle here and there, but history is inexorably with us, if you are intelligent you will recognize this.

Again, I think we are still on top but I don't believe our influence and position are as strong as what they were 50 years ago. I also think that our resolve has weakened. I consider that a decline. Agree to disagree.

@jester We'll see, its been a long time since an existential crises has struck Europe or Asia, if the Russians go on the march into Poland or Hungary, or if the North Koreans move against the Japanese and South Korea, even if the Russians have a crises like a famine you will find out how strong our resolve and influence are, even as a counter balance to China in the South China Sea, geopolitics have a way of involving us like it or not, that is when you will find out that we are not in decline, Hell we have more aircraft carriers, and battle groups of our own than the rest of the world combined. When that happens again we will be, and remain, the only indispensable nation.

Just the thing people need to worry about. They could be putting their money into their own ventures, letting themselves more fully use their skills, and even creating worker owned collectives.

But no, its still that glorified gambling, propped up by federal policy to maintain high approval ratings.

SJG

Pretty strange market open today. The Euro was down big but the market rallied like crazy at the start. Normally the market does pay attention to a drop that big. I think the S&P can still rally to 2400 or so, but I would keep an eye on that EUR/USD for any warning signs.

twentyfive --> "We are not in a decline there is a transition going on, the world is changing similar to the industrial revolution, we are the innovators and the movers and shakers of the new order, the Russians know it, the Chinese know it, even the fascist terrorist states that we are battling against, know it,that is why they are battling us"

^^^ I was schooled by 25. Yes, you are correct in that some of us (likely me included) mean what you wrote when instead we say "decline." A lot of this is about the economy, desperation, and fear of future depravity. I'm a smart guy and even at times I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do. So I think there are some who are even more confused and lost that I am. President Clinton said it best, "It's the economy, stupid." Some are retooling and others at completely at a loss as for what to do.

At most you'll by yourself two, three absolute tops decades before the robots have completely taken over.

So you better start buying and/or working for those AI companies now!

That's something I could do. I certainly have the chops for it. Thanks, Dougster.

Oh, and too keep in the tradition of "real" news and "fair and balanced" market opinions here on TUSCL I should mention that BBG had a piece this morning that, surprise, surprise there is waning demand for ultra long term European debt.

Robots taking over soon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0NzALRJ…

Working skills are worthless. The world will be run by Dougster and his Master Class.

SJG

Another interesting market open today. European equities taking a nose dive while the EUR/USD is holding in (was seems to be dropping in the last few minutes).

Did anyone miss the opportunity to short treasuries back in the fall? (If so, don't you listen to the financial advice on TUSCL?) You might get a new chance coming up here.

Is 1% decline considered a nosedive? I'm still buyin 20% of my portfolio into overseas going forward.

I see the DAX down 1.7% and the CAC 1.5%.

I won't touch Europe with a 10' pole. (Maybe some of those European women with my 10' pole, but not European stock indices.)

Lol!

I thought shorting treasuries was the Tuscl financial version of wearing a white polyester suit. It was for entertainment purposes and not meant to be taken seriously not literally. Right?

Like a broken clock is right for a brief second twice daily, so is Rickyboy's system, and shorting treasuries a day before the fed announces good economic horizons can be an opportunity that mostly should be ignored other times.

I see the FTSE down 0.7% and yes, the DAX is down 1.5%. A good tumble, but they will lag the US with their socialist democracy.

...and what do you know, my book on the 1848 revolutions finally arrived yesterday. Gonna be some good weekend reading.

Dougster knows how to hypnotize people by using is forked tongue.

SJG

"book on1848 revolutions". Dude that cracked me up. Are u speaking in forked tongues nowadays?

Think you missed the word "the" I had before 1848.

Eternal Garden's Strip Club, one franchise to be at the top of each of the Master Class high rises, once we get to Ray Kurzweil's Singularity:

https://youtu.be/Q0NzALRJifI?t=5m59s

SJG

Does your book on the 1848 revolutions include anything about European aristocrats? DAX and CAC are climbing higher today on the backs of Trump's revolution, or are they disconnected? I don't know, except for the fact that this rising tide will float all boats until the eventual slow down/mini crash in 2018/2019.

Dow is up 350 points.

Ah, that reverse Robin Hood Wealth Siphon, rounding up the lose cash that people could use for better things.

Is the future Dougster wants to bring about more like the utopia implied in Star Trek, or is it the dystopia laid out in The Matrix?

SJG

At the time I thought March 1 felt like a short squeeze and possible top. But the market looked a bit stronger starting the last hour on Thursday. Might just be a bounce since the market retraced all the March 1 gains, As Che points out it will all depend on Europe. We in doubt, go long. :-)

Of all the things to be worrying about. Such people would have more fun in a casino, or a least just betting on the weather forecast.

And for the rest of us, practice our practical skills. This is the best ways to fight against further financialization and the development of a two tier society.

SJG

Happy Go Lucky Local
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNnplwRb…

Wildness and Order
http://alanshapiromusic.net/music-educat…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Trai…

Night Train, Jimmy Forrest, 1952
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9inzaw1…

Louis Prima
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kTcjXhG…

James Brown, Live at the Apollo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF_rZrH4…

James Brown performs and dances to "Out of Sight" on the TAMI Show (Live)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zieXmNwH…

Apogee
Run Lots of Plugins While Recording with Ultra-low Latency
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_jgZNSr…

Apogee
http://www.apogeedigital.com/
Santa Monica, CA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apogee_Ele…

Look what I found. I believe this was for the Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fight. I have seen segments of this where the girl does some titty flashing, but I don't know if that is in this youtube.

James Brown "Soul Power" live in Kinshasa Zaire, 1974.9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N-NrucQ…

Includes brief footage of Celia Cruz.

More Celia Cruz, Zaire, 1974
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9iIBCO3…

SJG there's nothing wrong with financialiation of markets. People financialiation them selves all the time!

You're charging windmills by saying otherwise. That's like trying to be a white knight in a strip club. It gets you nowhere. You got a crazy idealistic and unreal thought in your head, maybe due to overcompensating for a lack in something that you're not packing.

Financialization is just another layer between those who do the work and those who get the benefits, what is sometimes called surplus value.

Financialization is how we are moving towards a two tier society.

And Jim, you should be someone smart enough to refuse to support it.

SJG

No comments on the markets today?

Volume was pretty tremendous and felt almost bidless. Adjusted for dividends it also closed (by a whisker) below the $235 level on SPY that I said watch.

Maybe March was the top (short term).

No matter that the DOW is at a record high. Its undervalued. I know that and the professional investors don't. So buy buy buy. You may never have the chance to buy this high again.

SJG

I've been staring to watch market report on NBR on PBS. I hope that's a good news show. They report on foreign markets. I've been trying to learn.

Sooner the bubble breaks, the better.

Just don't walk under high rises. Even if the windows don't open, some people will get onto the roof tops.

SJG