Year-end Thoughts of Inequality and Fear

2013 was quite a year for stock investors, the best, in fact, since 1997.

As the annum comes to an end, and since the mainstream and financial media simply cannot or will not provide useful information, a couple of random comments from a favorite, anonymous author:

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"This is beyond depressing. Just what is it that the international banking cartel wants?

They already have the global reserve currency, central banksters in all but a few sovereign states, 90% of the world's most valuable art and sculpture, all the best yatchs, coastal land, and anything else that signifies wealth.

Ah, but they won't be satisfied until they have every nation on the planet so deeply in debt that they can never escape, all of it in completely fabricated, made-up-out-of-thin-air fiat money.

Fake money, produced by creating debt to bankers, is valuable, but real money, gold and silver, is supposed to be near-worthless. This is not reality; it is pure fantasy, conjured by central bankers and sold by the mindless trolls of Wall Street and the media. All that's left is farmland, and that's becoming scarce, and they will eventually come for that, or, drive its price so high none but the connected or extremely well-heeled can afford it.

A few years ago, I thought that a condition such as we have today (insolvent banks financing companies to all-time stock market highs while the real economy contracts - and forget the "official" data - the global economy has grwon over the past six years only in terms of inflation) would have fomented a revolution. However, I have become resigned to the idea that Americans have lost their spine, are completely disorganized and suffer greatly from the pervasive normalcy bias (thank you, CogDis) created by the bankers and politicians.

Nobody wants the party to end, and it certainly will not, unless the bankers want it to, and, at the time of their choosing, and not a momet before, they will surely end it, impoverishing even more of the population of the world.

We are ruled by the most pernicious, evil, conniving group of men and women to ever walk the planet... and, we like it.

So sad."

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"Yesterday, I picked up a can of tuna, thinking I might include it in a macaroni salad later in the day. Looked at the label and saw the word "Pacific" on it. Put it back.

A few days ago, I was buying vegetables and began to wonder where they came from. I live in upstate NY, so all winter vegetables are obviously coming from warmer climates. Bought a few peppers, a red onion and some broccoli, and thought that one day, perhaps soon, people will be asking where the vegetables come from.

Personally, I'm pretty freaked out about Fukushima. It's been nearly three years, and radiation of varying amounts and forms are still spilling out. I am not a nuclear scientist, but I know enough to realize that Fukushima needs to be contained and that the ongoing silence and probable coverup by various governments and the media are a sure warning sign that all is NOT well.

Sure, maybe I'm paranoid, but once February comes, and I move to my land in South Carolina, I'm growing as much as I can, as fast as I can, getting off the grid, eating only non-GMO vegetables and meats from locally-raised animals or fish from local waters. Not that I'm afraid of dying - I'm 60, and I'm not - but I like to think I have maybe 15-30 good years left and surely don't want to die from cancer because I ate food that was contaminated and our beneficent government didn't have the common decency to inform us.

Fuku may or may not be an ELE, but, if it proves to be, I plan on trying like hell to outlive it, and, if I can't, taking a bankster or two along with me on my final ride into Hades.

Happy New Year. Fight back."

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DOW 16,576.66, +72.37 (+0.44%)
NASDAQ 4,176.59, +22.39 (+0.54%)
S&P 1,848.36, +7.29 (+0.40%)
10-Yr Note 97.59, -0.45 (-0.46%) Yield: 3.04%
NASDAQ Volume 1.29 Bil
NYSE Volume 2.30 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 3533-2201
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 458-50
WTI crude oil: 98.42, -0.87
Gold: 1,202.30, -1.50
Silver: 19.37, -0.245
Corn: 422.00, -1.50

Stocks Barely Moved on Low Volume Trading

The last days of the year are usually among the more sluggish in terms of trading volume, and this year is certainly no exception to the rule. The major indices were flat almost all session long, with the Dow ending up slightly positive due to some small buying interest in the latter part of the day.

The commodities complex was taken down another notch, with oil, gold, silver and most of the edible varieties lower.

It is difficult to read much of anything into any market moves at this point of the year, though there seems to be an overriding sense of smug complacency after one of the best years for stocks on record.

With the limited activity these past few days, a January rally out of the gate would surprise nobody, so expect stocks to languish tomorrow, but get a huge boost on the 2nd of January, the first official trading day of 2014.

DOW 16,504.29, +25.88 (+0.16%)
NASDAQ 4,154.20, -2.40 (-0.06%)
S&P 1,841.07, -0.33 (-0.02%)
10-Yr Note 98.09, +0.82 (+0.85%) Yield: 2.97%
NASDAQ Volume 1.27 Bil
NYSE Volume 2.21 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 2747-1966
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 327-65
WTI crude oil: 99.29, -1.03
Gold: 1,203.80, -10.20
Silver: 19.62, -0.434
Corn: 423.50, -4.00

Just Numbers

DOW 16,478.41, -1.47 (-0.01%)
NASDAQ 4,156.59, -10.59 (-0.25%)
S&P 1,841.40, -0.62 (-0.03%)
10-Yr Note 97.86, +0.57 (+0.58%) Yield: 3.00%
NASDAQ Volume 1.17 Bil
NYSE Volume 2.05 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 2714-2958
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 455-72
WTI crude oil: 100.32, +0.77
Gold: 1,214.00, +1.70
Silver: 20.05, +0.133
Corn: 427.50, +1.25

Buying the All-Time Highs: Is This Wise?

Despite dismal volume, investors piled into stocks - at all-time highs - once again.

Whatever the investment gurus have to say, all of this is due to unlimited funds from the Federal Reserve. Yield on the 10-year note reached 3% today, but apparently, that does not matter.

Absolutely crazy.

DOW 16,479.88, +122.33 (+0.75%)
NASDAQ 4,167.18, +11.76 (+0.28%)
S&P 1,842.02, +8.70 (+0.47%)
10-Yr Note 97.92, -0.08 (-0.09%) Yield: 3.00%
NASDAQ Volume 1.11 Bil
NYSE Volume 1.97 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 2987-2704
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 640-56
WTI crude oil: 99.55, +0.33
Gold: 1,212.30, +9.00
Silver: 19.92, +0.432
Corn: 426.25, -8.25

Merry Christmas from Edward Snowden

Presented without commentary. Hero or criminal? You judge.