WEEKEND WRAP: The World Might End, But Nobody Would Care

There were two major events this week, but hardly anyone cared about them.

First, President Trump was impeached. Well, at least that's what the House Democrats and Nancy Pelosi like to think, though they haven't actually sent the articles of impeachment over to the Senate for a trial.

Second, all of the major indices in the US reached new all-time highs. Not only did most people not care - it's become a foregone conclusion that stocks will always go higher, just like house prices in 2004-2007 - most didn't even notice. After all, it's close to Christmas and everybody is busy shopping, cooking, preparing to give people things they don't need, purchased with money they shouldn't be spending.

As laid back as the week was, the heat went down here at Money Daily and we didn't publish on Thursday. It was chilly and we were preoccupied with getting our trusty backup propane heater up and running. We did, it's warmer now, but the main heating unit is shot and needs to be replaced. That is supposed to happen Monday.

Another item not making any headlines was the spiking of the treasury yield curve. During the week it steepened, with the 10-year note striking a yield of 1.92% on Wednesday and holding there through Friday. The short end of the curve is a bit inverted, with one-year bills yielding more than shorter durations, though not by much. The Fed probably has all of this under control. No need to elaborate or give a darn.

If you're reading this and don't care, not to worry. Nobody else gives a hoot either, apparently.

Probably, this is what happens when markets are rigged, the media lies constantly, and politicians act like a crazed bunch of monkeys released from the local zoo. People get used to things being FUBAR and just tune out.

An asteroid could whack the earth and throw it off its axis, destroying most life on the planet and nobody would think twice about how horrible an end that would be. The remaining people would probably try to go to work the next day or turn on the TV and watch a blank screen, thinking that it's improved over what used to be broadcast.

And stocks would be up.

At the Close, Friday, December 20, 2019:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 28,455.09, +78.13 (+0.28%)
NASDAQ: 8,924.96, +37.74 (+0.42%)
S&P 500: 3,221.22, +15.85 (+0.49%)
NYSE Composite: 13,889.25, +57.58 (+0.42%)

For the Week:
Dow: +319.71 (+1.14%)
NASDAQ: +190.08 (+2.18%)
S&P 500: +52.42 (+1.65%)
NYSE Composite: +191.91 (+1.40%)