Tariff Wars are back – in spades. Trump recommends 50% tariff on European Union starting June 1 and along with that? Trump tariff Apple iPhones not made in the U.S..
Obviously, the stock market didn’t like hearing it. Dow futures were down more than -500 and the S&P was down more than 80. Techs were down 350. Which really gets us to the two biggest items of the day.
First, let me remind you that NONE of the downside today will (or should?) come as any particular “surprise” because I told you (quoting from the lead-in to the Peoplenomics report Wednesday of this week “… And saving the worst for last? Our ChartPack this morning is the most dire I have written in more than 20-years.”
Yeah, well, we really did tell you, though even now you could remain skeptical because it doesn’t look all that bad yet…
If you look at the white arrow on the right, what’s it tell us?
“Um…we did just cross under the 42 day moving average on the futures….and that’s half of the 85 Day Moving Average work…but so what?”
Well, HERE’S WHAT!
This “replay of history” idea screams many things at us:
- We could be going downhill for the next couple of years if we don’t stabilize.
- And any new “crypto’s coming to save us” will turn into another inflation by another fiat scam.
- And if we haven’t lit off WW III before, it’s almost a dead-ringer out in 2032 IF we survive a domestic Great Depression between now and then. (Remember all those papers on the subscriber side referencing The Gaunlet on the way to 2050? Getting real-ish now…)
Honestly, we’re on the edge of our chairs already: Will the U.S. Gov get into making a whole new stew of economic levers and paradigms now? I mean S&H Greenstamps-like crypto and confiscating cash/coin of the realm? The mind boggles.
What no one is mentioning is that with a govt. crypto every dime every time becomes traceable. Spend it wrong and (knock, knock…) “We’re here to talk to you about your drinking habit because we notice you have bought more than 3 glasses a week worth….”
Orwell would be proud. (Or just as scared as we are…)
Come “Miller Time” today, America will go “on hold” for three days for the (more or less) real start of Summer. Oh, sure, astronomers tell you it comes around June 21st. But ask a cop? More cars and more kids getting into mischief; because school is out and the devil (still) makes use of idle hands.
Memorial Day (General)
The Holiday essentials:
Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, began in the United States in the late 1860s to honor soldiers who died during the Civil War. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, following a proclamation by General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, calling for the decoration of graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. The holiday’s roots trace to local commemorations, with one of the earliest recorded events in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1864, and another in Columbus, Mississippi, in 1866, where women decorated both Union and Confederate graves. By the 20th century, Memorial Day expanded to honor all American military personnel who died in any war, and in 1971, it was established as a federal holiday observed on the last Monday in May, emphasizing remembrance through ceremonies, parades, and placing flags on graves, particularly at Arlington National Cemetery.
It’s a weekend when I thank all of our friends, colleagues, and chums who have put it all on the line so we could continue to live under the siege of socialism. Thank you.
We also crank up the tunes in the studio here. Dire Straits and Credence come to mind. Followed by beating swords into high tech. Cue Starship.
Thank you for your Service and the Future it fought to preserve. Such as we’ve done with that…
Memorial Day (News)
As a long-time reporter/news director, Memorial Day was always the first year’s “news creativity holiday” of the year. Most years, there were enough horrific house fires and drunk driver stories to make a passable January. February holidays came when legislators were still (pretending to) work. March brought seasonal weather stories, which led into April’s Tax Woes reports.
May normally took care of itself, but Summer would be coming. It’s when “public affairs” shows had to be “banked” so long weekends could be had. Occasional documentaries to promote the illusion the News Department was busy. But mainly, there was “enterprising” – which was understood in “news-ese” to be “What kind of stories can we make up out of nothing today?”
The transition is early this year. Walmart issues fiery takedown of week-long boycott of chain as Target and McDonald’s now also in shoppers’ crosshairs. Um, really? Clue: People aren’t going to quit eating over summer. The Filet-o-Fish will still appear but what we sense if a kind of “creeping socialism” trying to hop the next outbound freight since the effort to remove Donald Trump isn’t going anywhere. Socialists need “followers” which explains why they never seem to have a cogent reason to be on one side of an issue (or the other). It’s issues that matter; not the logic of what they’re up to or agitating for.
We aren’t going to cease eating, drinking, or having a good run through Life for anyone, thank you.
Memorial for The News
Unable to write as well as Mark Twain, I have giving up on plans to appoint myself a kind of Latter Day National Observer. Which you may have never heard of before, so let’s fix that:
“The National Observer was a weekly American general-interest newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company from February 4, 1962, until July 11, 1977. Conceived by Bernard Kilgore, then president of Dow Jones, it aimed to provide a national audience with a unique blend of summarized news, in-depth analysis, and feature articles on topics like civil rights, education, and national trends, deliberately avoiding the financial focus of The Wall Street Journal. Initially published in Washington, D.C., and later in Silver Spring, Maryland, the paper reached a peak circulation of 500,000 in 1967 but struggled financially due to rising postal rates and challenges in defining its readership for advertisers. Despite its innovative approach and contributions from notable writers like Hunter S. Thompson, the paper ceased publication in 1977 after accumulating $16.2 million in losses, as its artistic success could not translate into commercial viability.”
Around here, at least a quarter-hour will be devoted this weekend to deep consideration of the “Fate of News” in the (somewhat more) Modern World. Everyone today has an opinion, a collection of pronouns, a pocket full of causes, a website, a book deal, and has learned the art of making uncheckable bullshit claims with great precision.
It’s a time when we ponder why the “Good News” formats never succeeded on radio or television, why CNN has been such a good idea and so politically confused, and why Fox seems to be out at the edge of town *(with the socialists?) trying to find another train to ride.
It’s all quite entertaining; yet silly and pointless at the same time.
People inherently seem to understand that weather and radio waves tend to follow the inverse-square law. The farther away they are, the less they matter. Yet political sorts insist we believe the fairy tales about how important Europe is at the same time. Two World Wars which would have been lost without the U.S. isn’t enough report card on failing regions?
It’s still a head-scratcher half a century-on.
Memorial Day (Travel)
Triple A’s Fuel Gauge Report begins to put it in perspective:
If it’s any consolation, Gas Prices (in our view) will be heading down soon based on historical data:
1929:
Nominal: $0.21
Inflation-adjusted (2025 dollars): $3.67
1934:
Nominal: $0.19
Inflation-adjusted (2025 dollars): $2.71
1949:
Nominal: $0.27
Inflation-adjusted (2025 dollars): $2.20
1971:
Nominal: $0.36
Inflation-adjusted (2025 dollars): $1.69
For whatever reasons, people still get pumped for three-day weekends…
Memorial Day (Teachings)
I learned just in the last day that a PDA is a Public Display of Affection. Who knew? Lauren Sánchez tones down PDA with Jeff Bezos after getting spanked on yacht. Now that I know, I’m trying to figure out why anyone would care?
I plan to be studying math over the holiday weekend, by scanning X posts. aka on X: “It’s statistically impossible.
Meanwhile, our A.I. stacks are helping us cope with lingo-moprhic language:
- Rizz: Short for charisma, referring to having the ability to attract someone.
- Bussin’: Meaning “really good” or “amazing”.
- Mid: Used to describe something that is okay, but not great.
- The ick: Referring to a sudden feeling of disgust or repulsion.
- Delulu: Short for “delusional,” used to describe someone who is living in a fantasy world.
- Simp: A term used to describe someone who is overly nice or eager to please someone, especially in a romantic context.
Back in 1963 (or ’64?) a cousin of mine explained that a “Simp” (at Sealth Jr. High, in Seattle) was a simpleton. The term has been applied to me regularly, ever since. Proves language is cyclical. Ergo, so if finance.
Around the Ranch: Holiday Trivia
I get cravings around holidays. Not like “pickles and ice cream.” Nope, these are (estrogen-free) Man-Cravings. With temps in the low 90’s, two that have struck are Roast Turkey and Cold Beer.
The Beer is easy: We keep an assortment handy (Shiners’ and several others). But the Turkey? Well, that’s a problem. In town, Brookshire’s didn’t have one, neither did Wal-Mart, nor Kroger.
Sure, you can get the “frozen, ready for oven turkey breasts” but my experience with these is that they are horribly over-seasoned. The sliced Butterball at the deli counter could work, and it may come to that.
I was left fiddling with the problem this morning “Where do all the turkeys go in the summer?” No clouds of migrating gobblers around…
Attention Egor and Stiks!
From my consigliere: Man in Norway wakes to find huge container ship in garden
Have a great weekend and (as Rappin-4-Tay sang) I’ll be around.
Write when you get rich,
George@Ure.net
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