Sick Medical System: Nearly Half of Americans Have High Blood Pressure or Diabetes or Both, Due to Roving Benchmarks; Oil Lower, Gold, Silver, Stocks are Up

Editor's Note: I recently had interaction with the medical community, something I've managed to avoid most of my 72 years on planet earth. While this time it turned out that I did need some medical attention, the condition is already being resolved, thanks to a realistic, savvy doctor at my clinic and no thanks to doctors at the local hospital. My interaction opened my eyes about the U.S. medical complex, Big Pharma firms, and hospital practices that routinely defraud patients, insurance providers and the government. I'll likely be sounding off about American medicine practices more often in this space. -- Fearless Rick

How is this even possible?

Nearly half of U.S. adults today have high blood pressure (48.1%, 119.9 million). This is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 80 mm Hg or are taking medication for high blood pressure.

Either half of the U.S. adult population is sick or the medical community has changed their methodology and benchmarks. It's the latter, and there's proof. Get together with a few friends. Look around. Which half of your group suffers from hypertension. According to rational analysis, in a group of 10 adults aged 25-65, less than three of them would be categorized as "ill."

High blood pressure, or, more accurately, stage 2 hypertension is commonly defined as a life-threatening condition. If you're one of those people who believe what doctors funded by Phizer, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ely Lilly or other pharmaceutical producers tell you, you're almost certain to become sicker and poorer taking their medicines.

Historical Blood Pressure Standards

According to a co-pilot AI search, During the 1960s, physicians often tolerated higher blood pressure readings than today. A reading that modern medicine classifies as Stage 2 hypertension, such as 160/100 mm Hg, was commonly accepted, especially in older adults, and treatment was usually reserved for more severe cases. Mild elevations, like 140/90 mmHg, were often labeled “high normal” or considered a natural consequence of aging, reflecting the belief that moderately elevated pressure could be beneficial for maintaining adequate blood flow.

Source: scienceinsights.org

A widely used clinical rule suggested that systolic pressure could be estimated as “100 plus age”, meaning a 60-year-old with a systolic pressure of 160 mmHg was not automatically treated. This approach contributed to the perception of “benign essential hypertension,” where moderately high blood pressure was thought to be compensatory rather than harmful.

(Editors Note: On Tuesday, my blood pressure was measured at 134/78. I'm 72, so the "age+100" rule suggests I'd be healthy at 172 over whatever. Some quacks doctors are telling me I'm diabetic because 130/80 is some kind of benchmark (It was lowered from 140/80 recently). They are, as my grandfather and father might have opined if they were alive today, FOS. My cousin Joyce calls doctors "professional guessers." BTW, I smoke, drink, and chase dangerous women. -- FR)

Here in 2026, stage 1 hypertension is defined as a blood pressure consistently between 130–139 mm Hg systolic or 80–89 mm Hg diastolic and is highly manageable with lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medication.

Stage 2 hypertension occurs when systolic blood pressure is 140 mmHg or higher, or diastolic pressure is 90 mmHg or higher, with only one of these numbers needing to be elevated to qualify (e.g., 145/82 mmHg counts as stage 2).

The medical community - famous for the "safe and effective" COVID vaccine which killed and injured millions - like all other government-big business-related entities, push a narrative designed to put as many people as possible on Big Pharma drugs when they actually don't need them. The same applies, in spades, for diabetes, the latest boogeyman disease that seldom shows symptoms until doctors get ahold of your blood and perform their voodoo tests.

If quality of life is important to you, avoid doctors and hospitals, eat a healthy diet, get some exercise and be your own doctor. Your body will tell when you're sick better than nay tests or doctors ever will.

The CDC has the gall to publish things like this:

Total diabetes: 40.1 million Estimated number of people with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes in the United States, 2023

12.0%: Estimated percentage of the U.S. population with diabetes

Diagnosed diabetes: 29.1 million Estimated number of people with diagnosed diabetes in the United States, including 28.8 million adults aged ≥18 years

Undiagnosed diabetes: 27.6% Estimated percentage of adults aged ≥18 years with diabetes who are undiagnosed, representing 11.0 million people

Prediabetes: 115.2 million Estimated number of U.S. adults aged ≥18 years with prediabetes

See the problem here? It's in that Undiagnosed diabetes reference of 27.6%. If 11.0 million people are 27.6% of the population over 18, that means the total adult population is 39.86 million, which is obviously wrong and makes a laughingstock of the assertion that 115.2 million (out of 39.86 million!) have Pre-diabetes, whatever that is. One would assume these are people that Big Pharma would like to be fully diabetic and eligible to buy their drugs.

Or, maybe the "total diabetes of 40.1 million, which is referenced as 12% of the U.S. population, is correct? That appears to be closer to the truth, about 334 million. adding it all up, 155.3 million, about 46.5% of all U.S. population falls into one of these categories.

With numbers as skewed and obviously incorrect as these, how can te CDC have any credibility at all? Like hypertension, diabetes is arcing toward 50% of the population. In a few years, it will be 60%, then higher, until almost everybody is on some kind of medication.

It's kind of insane. The U.S. medical system is broken. Most doctors and nurses with a conscience will tell you so.

The preceding monologue does not constitute medical advice. Everybody is different. When modern medicine practitioners recognize that fact of life, health care in the U.S. can begin to be reformed.

Getting on to stocks and money...

The Shiller PE ratio (CAPE) stands at 41.83, closing fast on the all-time record high of 44.19 (December 1999). Beyond bubble territory. There's almost no way to accurately describe the level of price/value dislocation.

Earnings reports continue to roll out at a slowed pace.

Walt Disney (DIS) reported Wednesday morning, prior to the open. Strong results for the first quarter of 2026 sent the stock soaring from 100.51 to close the session at 108.03, a gain of more than seven percent. The massive gains seen in many stocks upon earnings reports or news flow points up the gamey nature of U.S. markets. Just because a company has a solid quarter or launches some exciting, fresh venture, doesn't automatically make it more valuable, though in the "take no prisoners" current environment, with everybody chasing momentum and yield, these kinds of gains have become normalized. Stock buyback programs and heavy insider buying (and selling) also emulate a market that is highly compressed and triggered by headlines.

After Wednesday's close Applovin (APP), Snap Inc. (SNAP), Beyond Meat (BYND), Dutch Bros. (BROS), and Coinbase (COIN) reported. Of those, Snap Inc. saw the biggest decline, losing more than eight percent in pre-market trading. The stock is close to an all-time low around $6 per share, down from a high of $83 in 2021.

Beyond Meat (BYND) is now a $1 stock and will soon be in danger of delisting, losing 11% pre-market. It was briefly a $150 stock back in 2021. Apparently, Americans prefer real beef, even if it costs them $20 or $30 a pound.

Coffee chain Dutch Bros (BROS) is headed down more than six percent even after beating Street estimates.

Thursday, before the open, McDonald's (MCD) reported, and the outlook is not good. Despite an earnings beat, the stock is wallowing around one percent to the downside.

The Middle East situation continues to evolve in myriad ways. Iran continues to hold out for better terms regarding an end to the conflict. Meanwhile, the duopoly of Iran's guarding of the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. naval blockade in the Indian Ocean continue to keep oil flows at a trickle. Traders, however, are confident a solution is near, sending WTI crude down more than five percent to $90 a barrel.

Maverick entrepreneur and founder of CNN, Ted Turner, has passed away at the age of 87.

Stocks look to be headed even higher Thursday as futures are up across the board. Silver is up sharply, at $81.17 an ounce. Spot gold is at $4,738.90.

At the Close, Wednesday, May 6, 2026:
Dow: 49,910.59, +612.34 (+1.24%)
NASDAQ: 25,838.94, +512.82 (+2.02%)
S&P 500: 7,365.12, +105.90 (+1.46%)
NYSE Composite: 23,284.39, +275.72 (+1.20%)

Truth is Becoming Less Identifiable and Discernible as U.S. Narrative Focuses on Peace Negotiations with Iran; Stocks, Gold, Silver Rally; Oil Drops

Just a day after announcing "Project Freedom", President Trump announced that the operation designed to escort commercial ships safely through the Strait of Hormuz was abruptly ended.

The consensus opinion of military experts outside the Beltway Bullhorn media complex contends that the two ships that actually did transit the Strait successfully were aligned with the U.S. military, part of a program that allowed for military assets to be shipped on commercial ships. The revealing information was quickly scrubbed from most outlets reporting the operation.

CENTCOM issued no official confirmation, only a briefly worded statement.

According to CBS News:

The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced a series of coordinated threats during the passage, the defense officials said. Iran launched small boats, missiles and drones against them in what officials described as a sustained barrage.

Despite the intensity of the attacks, neither U.S. vessel was struck.

Whether or not the events reported actually happened remains a matter of some speculation.

In any case, the story being told by the White House and military officials, similar to the "rescue" operation in Iran a few weeks ago, is what matters to the ongoing struggle in the Middle East, and to Wall Street and its headline-gorging algorithms.

Wednesday morning, stocks are being lifted by accounts that the U.S. and Iran are close to a deal, though Iranian sources have denied any such condition, saying, in part, "The negotiations are still facing the intransigent American approach and excessive demands."

Another Wednesday morning truth by President Trump offered this:

Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

With an assortment of diverse opinions coming from the likes of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the truth may be just a little harder to discern than taking media reports (without video) at face value.

All this uncertainty leads to the ultimate goal, as Morpheus explains the matrix to Neo:

Stocks, in response to government propaganda, are set to soar Wednesday. The price of WTI crude oil on the COMEX has fallen below $100/barrel, down to a low of $88.66 earlier this morning. Gold ($4,684) and silver ($76.70) are also rallying sharply. Stock futures ar substantially higher.

At the Close, Tuesday, May 5, 2025:
Dow: 49,298.25, +356.35 (+0.73%)
NASDAQ: 25,326.13, +258.32 (+1.03%)
S&P 500: 7,259.22, +58.47 (+0.81%)
NYSE Composite: 23,008.67, +115.21 (+0.50%)

Stocks Open Week on Downside, Look to Rebound Tuesday as "Project Freedom" Seeks to Free Up Strait of Hormuz to Commercial Traffic

Stocks opened the trading week with a bit of a pullback, especially on the Dow Industrials, which was down more than one percent at the end of the day. That drop isn't likely to matter much, as Tuesday's open approaches with tensions escalating in the Middle East.

According to CENTCOM, two U.S. Navy destroyers have transited the Strait of Hormuz, allegedly suppressing a sustained assault by Iranian fast boats, missiles, and drones in the first true test of "Project Freedom", by which the U.S. plans to escort commercial ships through the strait into open, friendlier waters.

Initial reports being positive, stock futures are responding to the headlines. Dow futures are up 220 points, NASDAQ futures are ahead by 213, and S&P futures show a positive gain of 35 points a half hour before the opening bell.

On Monday, yield on the 30-year bond crept up to 5.05%, a danger signal to U.S. interests. Rising yields on the longest-duration treasuries is something the Trump administration would rather not contend with, as higher yields suggest insecurity in lending the to the U.S., already more than $38 trillion in debt.

Tuesday morning, yields on the 30-year are declining, close to an even 5.00%, but the danger still exists. Ten-year notes are yielding roughly 4.42%, though they came closer to the Mendoza line at 4.50% on Monday.

As far as "Project Freedom" is concerned, so far, so good, as CBS news is confirming the transit of Hormuz by the two Navy ships. Whether on not CBS reporting constitutes actual confirmation is questionable, as the network is usually little more than a stenographer for the federal government and military.

On the earnings front, reporting first quarter results Tuesday before the open:
Pfizer (PFE) - earnings beat, reaffirms guidance, stock up less than 1% in pre-market
PayPal (PYPL) - reports higher earnings and revenue, stock slides 9.5%
Marathon (MPC) - big beat on revenue, earnings, shares marginally higher
Shopify (SHOP) - revenue gains, profits slim, shares down 7%

Gold and silver are ripping higher as the U.S. cash open approaches, though both are well off last year's all-time highs. Bitcoin has streaked beyond $81,000, also well below 2025 highs of $124,000.

The oil must flow, WTI crude down $3 to $103 and change.

At the Close, Monday, May 4, 2026:
Dow: 48,941.90, -557.37 (-1.13%)
NASDAQ: 25,067.80, -46.64 (-0.19%)
S&P 500: 7,200.75, -29.37 (-0.41%)
NYSE Composite: 22,893.46, -147.68 (-0.64%)

WEEKEND WRAP: It's All Wrong and You're Just Beginning to Notice; Governments Are Killing Entire Economies: U.S. National Average Gas: $4.45

Government, always and everywhere, are obnoxious. President Trump is merely the most recent manifestation of bad behavior.

Whether the ruling powers of a nation, territory, tribe, state, city, county or any other superficial construct created by people with the power to create sovereignty be cloaked in the colors of democracy, socialism, communism, fascism or any other "ism", the goals are the same: to Thwart the will of the people, to steal their wealth and resources, and to enslave working men and women, their ilk, and their progeny.

The ultimate aim of government everywhere is to enrich those in positions of power by taxation and confiscation of other people's wealth via laws, regulations, tariffs and doctrines. They tax and regulate income, property, and resources endlessly, and by this means drain the wealth of entire populations gradually, but ultimately effectively.

Take the United States for example. At all levels, government taxes, borrows, and spends the wealth of the submissive population to further their own ends, pocketing a percentage here, a fee there, a regulation or tariff everywhere. As government has grown into a self-inflating, self-perpetuating behemoth, its minions, the so-called "public servants" are rewarded with salaries and benefits that far exceed those enjoyed by the public. They are paid to carry water for the elitist elected officials and do their bidding at the expense of the people they are ostensibly supposed to be serving.

They are all parasites, otherwise unemployable and worthless, having no skills other beyond those of common con men or paper-pushers and have the power of law and doctrine to enforce their will over those of the general public.

Any person living within the confines of government - and that would be every man, woman, and child in the world outside of aboriginal tribespeople in far away places - would better their lot in life with an understanding that the government is not there to protect them, nor to aid them in any manner, but to sublimate their will and use their labor and capital to further their own intentions.

One would not be blind to the government's reach into every aspect of their lives: how they live, what they buy, with whom they associate. One would be well-served to keep government at arm's length or further away from one's private affairs, of which government has no business. The goal of the empowered individual would be wise to be silent as to one's holdings or wealth, measured in property, well-being, and capacity to live free, to keep what is rightfully theirs, unencumbered and unknown to the government monstrosity.

It's a tough task that takes a man or woman's full life and effort, but it essential to ensure proper prosperity and liberty.

Americans and most everybody living within the modern constructs of advanced societies need to be aware that government will take a generally large percentage of one's wealth if allowed to do so. Ordinary people are cajoled and encouraged to engage in "wealth-building" in the institutionalized mechanisms of banking, stocks, bonds, annuities, insurance, and properties, all of which, beyond basic personal and real property, are unnecessary and a means by which the government taxes and confiscates wealth.

Avoidance of these accepted, annoying nuisances provides a pathway to economic and personal freedom.

Real property, collectibles of value, precious metals, and profitable private business operations are essential to well-being.

The tropes promoted by governments, media, and their salespeople are corrosive, subject to vast mis-valuation, and confiscatable.

Stocks

Who gets played?

The NASDAQ composite has finished positive in 19 of the past 23 sessions.

After having risen 13 out of 15 sessions from the end of March, the Dow Transportation Average finished negative seven of the last eight sessions.

Dip buyers were handsomely rewarded. Overall, it's a rotten game. Those who choose to play only at the margins, via buy and hold tactical strategies, are allowed a free ride on the stock market roller coaster. Stock specificity and allocation allotments are mild tolls of the passive investor, those whose only worry is having enough to last until their ultimate demise. Willingly trapped into the system, they facilitate the government's ultimate tax skimming superstructure.

Good doggies. Now, go lay down.

The Shiller PE ratio (CAPE) stood at 41.06 at the close of trading Friday, a level second only to the level of 44.19 reached at the peak of the dotcom spike in December 1999. The financial apparatus supporting such extremes is well aware of the incredible gap between price and value and will continue the crusade to ever more unsustainable levels. The game goes on. The financialization of the economy is nearly complete; the welfare/warfare state in control.

For those still drooling at the font of fiat, the week ahead will be loaded to the gills with earnings reports.

Monday: (before open) Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH), Tyson (TSN), Berkshire-Hathaway (BRK.B); (after close) Pinterest (PINS), Transocean (RIG), Palantir (PLTR)

Tuesday: (before open) Pfizer (PFE), PayPal (PYPL), Marathon (MPC), Shopify (SHOP); (after close) AMC (AMC), Strategy (MSTR), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)

Wednesday: (before open) KraftHeinz (KHC), Uber (UBER), CVS Health (CVS), Novo Nordisk (NVO), Walt Disney (DIS); (after close) Applovin (APP), Snap Inc. (SNAP), Beyond Meat (BYND), Dutch Bros. (BROS), Coinbase (COIN)

Thursday: (before open) McDonald's (MCD), Celsius (CELH); (after close) Affirm (AFRM), Opendoor (OPEN)

Friday: (before open) Enbridge (ENB), Wendy's (WEN)

Friday, May 8, the BLS trots out the latest made-up employment numbers with the April Non-farm Payroll Report (begging the question of what is farm employment looking like?).

Volatility continues, upside momentum is nearing conclusion. "Sell in May and Go Away" motif may be a suitable motif, urging profit-taking.

One final note: Spirit Airlines, with a business model catering to low-income fliers, has gone bankrupt. A lesson for us all.

Treasury Yield Curve Rates

Date	1 Mo	1.5 mo	2 Mo	3 Mo	4 Mo	6 Mo	1 Yr
03/27/2026	3.74	3.73	3.72	3.73	3.72	3.75	3.77
04/03/2026	3.71	3.73	3.73	3.71	3.71	3.73	3.72
04/10/2026	3.67	3.69	3.70	3.69	3.69	3.72	3.70
04/17/2026	3.69	3.70	3.73	3.70	3.69	3.69	3.64
04/24/2026	3.69	3.72	3.71	3.69	3.69	3.71	3.67
05/01/2026	3.71	3.71	3.70	3.68	3.76	3.71	3.73

Date	2 Yr	3 Yr	5 Yr	7 Yr	10 Yr	20 Yr	30 Yr
03/27/2026	3.88	3.94	4.06	4.25	4.44	4.99	4.98
04/03/2026	3.84	3.88	3.99	4.17	4.35	4.91	4.91
04/10/2026	3.81	3.80	3.94	4.12	4.31	4.89	4.91
04/17/2026	3.71	3.72	3.84	4.04	4.26	4.85	4.88
04/24/2026	3.78	3.80	3.92	4.10	4.31	4.88	4.91
05/01/2026	3.88	3.91	4.02	4.20	4.39	4.96	4.97

Now that Chairman Jerome Powell is done and gone after Wednesday's "stand down" on interest rate policy, the 30-year yield is getting darn close to five percent. Once it heads beyond that, some little dose of non-reality will be needed to "calm markets."

Any rational investor would likely believe the yield on 30-year paper loaned to a government that is nearly $40 trillion in debt and can't stop spending should be closer to eight percent, or, a loan not made. Due diligence matters, and the U.S. government is a deadbeat. In 30 years, it's likely to be even still dead and more beaten. Like everything else in fantasy finance, the 30-year is a trade, based solely on what the underlying security will bring in three to six months. Nobody in their rigt mind would hold government paper at under five percent for the duration.

Everything within the treasury yield curve is cockeyed. If one can get 3.71% risk-free on a one-month bill, why in the world risk anything for any longer unless the yield is significantly higher? The answer lies in the full spectrum spread from 30 days out to 30 years. It reached +126 this week, a nominal high, and appears to be pointing higher, so, when Kevin Warsh becomes the new Fed head and begins lowering rates to accommodate more spending by the government (Trump loves low rates (and inflation)), the spread will expand to probably well beyond 200 basis points (2.00%), which would satisfy the desires of both the government and the heavy money in the 30-year market. Government borrowing on the short end at less than three percent and 30-year bonds at 5.50% gets the juice flowing in exactly the right direction to grease both Wall Street and Federal .gov machinery at the same time. What a world.

BTW: the 2s-10s spread, this week at +51, has become meaningless untill it approaches zero. While it's not even close yet, the trend is your friend. Inversion by December appears baked into the yield cake.

Spreads:

2s-10s
2026
1/2: +72
1/9: +64
1/16: +65
1/23: +64
1/30: +74
2/6: +72
2/13: +64
2/20: +60
2/27: +59
3/6: +59
3/13: +55
3/20: +51
3/27: +56
4/3: +51
4/10: +50
4/17: +55
4/24: +53
5/1: +51

Full Spectrum (30-days - 30-years)
2026
1/2: +114
1/9: +112
1/16: +108
1/23: +104
1/30: +115
2/6: +113
2/13: +97
2/20: +100
2/27: +90
3/6: +102
3/13: +115
3/20: +123
3/27: +124
4/3: +120
4/10: +124
4/17: +119
4/24: +122
5/1: +126

Oil/Gas

WTI Crude Oil finished the week in New York at $102.50, just a little higher than last week's close of $94.88. Two weeks ago it was $84.00. The high this week was $110.09. If President Trump doesn't come to his senses soon and get the hell out of the Middle East, end the moronic, just-for-show "blockade", WTI crude will ramp up to $150.

Some people, including many prominent financial and political pundits, seem to believe that Trump cares about the fate of the Republican party in the November midterms and will do everything he can to lower the price of oil and gas in the U.S. to ensure majorities in the House and Senate.

This is a dangerous fallacy. Trump could care less about Republicans or Democrats or the House and Senate. He's a lame duck interested in padding his already grotesque bank account and little more. Getting the price of oil out of the $55-65 range was a priority and he's already done that. Keeping crude well above $100 and gas closer to $5.00 than to $3.50 is next on his agenda, paying off political dues to the people who matter, heavily invested in energy commodities and the companies that gouge serve American drivers.

Average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline in the U.S. was $4.07 last week and $4.45 this week. Americans are getting lubed, good and hard, and without so much as a reach-around. Thank you President Bone-spurs.

Prices in key states:

California (leader): $6.10 (+0.16) Yippie! for the Golden State!
Washington: $5.66 (+0.22)
Oklahoma (lowest): $3.85 (+0.38)
Florida: $3.34 (+0.42)
Illinois: $4.93 (+0.62)
Pennsylvania: $4.52 (+0.37)
New York: $4.43 (+0.29)
Maryland: $4.26 (+0.27)
Michigan: $4.87 (+0.86)
Texas: $3.89 (+0.26)
Georgia: $3.83 (+0.24)

On Sunday, May 3rd, there are 13 states with average prices below $4.00, and 35 above the $4 threshold, not including Hawaii ($5.60, -0.04) and Alaska ($5.04, +0.29), and three above $5 (Nevada, Washington, Oregon), and one above $6 (California). The Midwest and Southeast have equalized over the past two weeks as the lowest-priced regions, with prices averaging roughly the same in states like South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas as opposed to Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi.

Bitcoin

This week: $78,694.80
Last week: $77,941.15
2 weeks ago: $75,748.31
6 months ago: $106,774.80
One year ago: $95,816.94
Five years ago: $58,815.15

Crypto is absolute trash. Witness the dumping by the Trump family in their own meme coins and various business ventures in the space. Now would be a good time to sell, if you're dumb enough to have any.

Precious Metals

Gold:Silver Ratio: 61.23; last week: 62.27

Futures, per COMEX continuous contracts:

Gold price 4/3: $4,702.70
Gold price 4/10: $4,771.00
Gold price 4/17: $4,849.40
Gold price 4/24: $4,725.40
Gold price 5/1: $4,625.60

Silver price 4/3: $73.17
Silver price 4/10: $76.03
Silver price 4/17: $81.58
Silver price 4/24: $76.19
Silver price 5/1: $75.84

SPOT:
(stockcharts.com)
Gold 4/3: $4,677.28
Gold 4/10: $4,751.68
Gold 4/17: $4,833.56
Gold 4/24: $4,709.27
Gold 5/1: $4,612.97

Silver 4/3: $73.02
Silver 4/10: $75.95
Silver: 4/17: $80.75
Silver 4/24: $75.63
Silver 5/1: $75.34

Stackers and bugs are still getting shafted by the COMEX/LBMA riggers, a condition that appears to be nearing an end, though the interested parties are sure to not go down without a fight of some significance. Many complaints are being lodged by individual sellers not getting anything near spot for their holdings at dealers. Many do better on eBay, though the 15-20% vig negates much of the profit.

The physical market is sending a clear signal to hold. Buying, near, at, or above spot is probably OK, given a long enough time horizon. Otherwise, buying scrap or items containing gold and silver, like watches, jewelry, silverware, trinkets, etc. at estate and garage sales is becoming a buyer's market if one knows what they're doing. People who are selling are either desperate or stupid or both, so buying well below spot on a meltdown value basis can be fun and extremely profitable. Getting the loot is just beginning to be a grand game.

Here are the most recent prices for common one ounce gold and silver items sold on eBay (free shipping included, numismatics excluded):

Item/Price	Low	High	Average	Median
1 oz silver coin:	76.00	96.75	85.58	85.53
1 oz silver bar:	81.00	91.61	87.24	86.55
1 oz gold coin:	4687.60	4954.98	4795.08	4794.99
1 oz gold bar:	4804.98	4935.11	4844.05	4839.79

The Single Ounce Silver Market Price Benchmark (SOSMPB) fell for a second straight week, to $86.23, a loss of $1.71 from the April 26 price of $87.94 per troy ounce.

WEEKEND WRAP

Governments suck, and the current ones, with tax rates, when one considers all degrees of the totality of income, property, sales, and hidden excise taxes (gas, phone, all kinds of services) well over 40-50% of one's gross income, suck very much harder. The insane levels of money going to government will bankrupt what's left of the middle class and begin to wreak havoc on the final 10% of top earners.

Inflation is about to explode higher. Keep what's yours. Let the government kill itself. Don’t go down with it.

At the Close, Friday, May 1, 2026:
Dow: 49,499.27, -152.87 (-0.31%)
NASDAQ: 25,114.44, +222.13 (+0.89%)
S&P 500: 7,230.12, +21.11 (+0.29%)
NYSE Composite: 23,041.15, -103.50 (-0.45%)

For the Week:
Dow: +268.56 (+0.55%)
NASDAQ: +277.84 (+1.12%)
S&P 500: +65.04 (+0.91%)
NYSE Composite: +106.60 (+0.46%)
Dow Transports: -273.98 (-1.41%)

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ExxonMobile, Chevron Post Profits on Higher Oil, Gas Prices; CNBC Claims They Didn't Profit from War; Gas is Over $6.00 in Cali; $4.41 National Average

The order of the day is outrage.

Just a little bit, on the side, to go with your main course of failing to keep up with the cost of living.

The average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. is $4.41, according to gasbuddy.com. A year ago, that price was $3.17, a 39% increase. For those unfortunate enough to be living on or near the west coast, average gas prices are above $5 in Washington, Oregon, and Nevada, and $6.04 in California.

Friday morning, ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX), America's two oil giants (or, in Wall Street parlance: "supermajors") posted first quarter results.

CNBC blared this headline:

Exxon Mobil and Chevron earnings fall as Iran war disrupts oil shipments

ExxonMobile reported a net profit of $4.2 billion. Chevron reported net income of $2.2 billion.

But wait, there's more!

Exxon’s net income declined 45%, while Chevron’s tumbled 36%. Ohh! Poor babies! However, both companies recorded charges in the quarter to offset losses related to "unfavorable financial hedges", so, adjusted earnings per share for both companies beat estimates handily.

Chevron earned $1.41 per share to beat Wall Street’s estimates of 95 cents. It was the biggest earnings beat since October 2020. ExxonMobile's adjusted first-quarter net income of $1.16 a share was 20 cents higher than the average Bloomberg estimate.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Shares of both stocks are steady in pre-market trading even though Exxon’s net income declined 45%, while Chevron’s tumbled 36%, according to the best bean-counting, tax fraud accountants money can buy.

Americans must think that all of this is just swell. While Joe and Jane Sixpack spend about 40% more to fuel up their monster trucks, Big Oil makes nice profits, which is always the case, except this time, CNBC proudly states, "Surging oil prices due to the Iran war did not result in a windfall for Exxon Mobil and Chevron in the first quarter."

No, nobody profits from war. Never, ever.

But wait, there's even more!

Certain rational people might think it's time to buy an electric vehicle and charge it with one's very own rooftop solar system. Great idea, except that all the tax credits for installing solar have expired and buying a BYD or other efficient Chinese-made EV will cost double in the U.S. thanks to President Trump's 100% tariff on EVs imported from China, because, "drill, baby drill" and "China bad."

Nice timing.

It's OK. Stocks made new all-time highs on Thursday and the Shiller PE struck a new tone at 40.94, so everything's just fine.

At the Close, Thursday, April 30, 2026:
Dow: 49,652.14, +790.33 (+1.62%)
NASDAQ: 24,892.31, +219.07 (+0.89%)
S&P 500: 7,209.01, +73.06 (+1.02%)
NYSE Composite: 23,144.64, +393.13 (+1.73%)