Wed, 15 August 2018
Everywhere we look fiat currencies are burning down. What is the market telling us? Is something big about to happen. Every time the US Dollar goes higher, it's bad news for some country. While it might be affecting gold and cryptos negatively, the trend won't continue indefinitely. As we have seen over and over again, not only does the tree not grow to the sky, but markets have a nasty way of punishing investors who refuse to accept this immutable fact. As Ned predicted last month on this show, the Chinese have an insatiable appetite for soybeans. And while they were only too happy to levy reciprocal tariffs on US soybean products, it seems to have blown up in their faces. Unless they want to reduce beef and pork production, there's only one place to go, the good old USofA. Could Trump have known this already. More fun to follow. Ned has some great ag picks in addition to perennial favorite Archer Daniels Midland. Eli Lily is about to spin off their ag biz and it promises to be a major home run for those savvy enough to recognize it as such. And Ned doesn't believe all those nasty things they've been saying about Roundup! |
Wed, 15 August 2018
Brad Williams writes, "US workers see biggest pay, benefit increase in 10 years U.S. workers saw the largest increase in wages and benefits since September 2008, according to a new report from the Labor Department on Tuesday. The employment cost index, a gauge of total compensation for civilian workers, increased 0.6% in the second quarter. The cost of pay and benefits jumped 2.8% in the 12-month period ended in June, the highest yearly growth rate in nearly a decade. Wages alone gained 2.8% over the past 12 months, which also reflected a near 10-year high. Growth in benefits outpaced wages in the second quarter. Wages were up 0.5%. Benefits, which cover health care, retirement plans and other items, jumped 0.9%. That marks the fastest pace in four years. Meanwhile, private workers fared better than the public sector. Total compensation in the private industry rose 2.9%, while government workers saw a 2.3% increase. In a separate report, the Commerce Department said the price index for personal consumption expenditures rose 2.2% year-over-year in June, another sign that inflation is trending higher. The Federal Reserve plans to raise rates two more times in 2018, bringing the annual total to four, to counter rising inflation." What will the future bring?
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