Kerry Lutz's--Financial Survival Network

Precious metals and mining stocks have been trading in a very tight range. That means that the slightest catalyst can set them moving higher. David has noticed that metals and stocks have zoomed higher with each rate increase and yesterday's was no exception. Gold broke $1300 and silver broke $17, both on the same day. David looks first at share structure, the less shares the better. Then he looks at Canadian insider buying, when it picks up there's a very good chance that an opportunity is knocking. 

President Trump fired a shot across the G7/EU's bow. Whether it's trade or military obligations, it's time for our allies to get with the program. The US will no longer act as Europe's piggy bank. The US will act in the best interests of the country first and foremost. 

Just when you thought you couldn’t take anymore winning, history is made. The US and North Korea signed a major agreement to denuclearize and to head on to the goal of normalizing relations. It’s quite obvious to most observers, or it should be by now, that this deal was already cut well in advance of the actual meeting. That’s the way countries roll. It should also be obvious, even to the most deranged of Trump haters, that this historic meeting and agreement could never have happened without the tireless efforts of the President and his advisors, not to mention China’s President Xi as well.

Tucker Carlson finally discovers the world of affirmative action air traffic controllers. Seems like the Obama admin back in 2014 wasn't happy with the number of minority controllers and set about recruiting more minorities regardless of their qualifications and their potential threat to safety. Would you go to an affirmative action dentist or heart surgeon? Do you want an affirmative action pilot flying your plain. Affirmative action in the legal profession probably couldn't hurt anyone.

Oh and all those very important cases that finally make it to the United States Supreme Court are often contrived cases who's sole purpose is to propagate new public policy, which is a gross violation of the canons of legal ethics, which specifically prohibits such frauds upon the court. 

The winning keeps on coming. Are we tired of it yet? The midterms are coming up and there's reason for optimism among President Trump and the Republican Party. Things are starting to look up, the economy is improving, employment is getting better and there's much to be happy about. November is no longer looking like a romp.

Noted physician Elaina George joined us today. She's concerned that the big money players are pushing AI medicine. It might be okay for treating a cold, but it's no substitute for a trained medical doctor. The average doctor trains for 27000 hours before going into practice. The average nurse practitioner trains for just 600 hours. Who would you rather have treat you? Trump is cracking down on the Big Pharma rip-off. The link in the corrupt chain is the pharma benefits manager who decides what drugs you will get and how much you will pay for them. They're taking in over $300 billion per year. It's got to be stopped!

Another day, another Trump victory. It appears that there will be peace on the Korean Peninsula and that North Korea will be giving up their nukes shortly. After ripping the G7 PC Gang to shreds, Trump has done the impossible and met with Kim Jung Un. It was a loveliest almost from the beginning. Expect a McDonalds to open up very shortly in the Hermit Kingdom. And that's just the beginning. Sometimes all you have to do is just dare to be great and the rest falls into place. 

Chris Martenson believes we're in a unique time in history. The truth is being suppressed at every turn. Ordinary people are being kept in a bubble. Our only hope for the future is to accept where we're at and plan accordingly. 

Jeff Small believes that we’re in a time when we need good financial information and excellent financial advice. We’re not getting it, and that’s a huge problem. Life expectancy is longer, medical costs are rising, Social Security is tenuous, and markets are rocky. The information that enters our homes, whether it is through the mail, the TV, or the internet, is dubious at best. The smiling investment guy in the suit offering to help may not be any better. This book was written so opportunities won’t be lost behind everything else you’re bombarded with concerning your finances — and so you can put your interests first.It will clear up a lot of misconceptions, stop the leaks, and provide a clear view and best path to viable options. Although I work exclusively with retirees and pre-retirees, Turning Financial Planning Right Side Up is invaluable to people of all ages. As a financial advisor, I help everyday people prepare for what my staff and I call “the art of financial self-defense.” Their retirement funds are designed so they pull out as much income as they can, but leave their assets intact and avoid losses.

There's a established pimp running for the Nevada legislature, but Wall Street has been pimping itself out for years. Just look at the array of so-called financial products that can help you get higher yields in a low yield environment. But at what cost? Now, more and more sub-prime auto bonds are finding their way downstream. This is going to have a negative impact upon many people who can least afford it. And best of all, according to John, we're heading into the peak seasonal precious metals buying in Sept-December. 

Trump is in Singapore looking to do the deal of a life time. John thinks it will start off a multi-year process that will hopefully end in a more peaceful planet. We believe that the deal has already been done and a nuclear free North Korea is right around the corner and there will be a McDonalds on every corner in every city, with electricity for all. The G7 and Justin Trudeau be damned. 

Congress finally got around to modifying Dodd Frank which could be very good news for real estate and the financial system in general. The threshold for a too big to fail bank has been raised to 250 billion dollars in assets from 50 billion. Mortgages will be easier to come by as well, community banks and credit unions will no longer be over regulated and should result in easier mortgages. We also discussed identity theft and the steps you need to take to avoid getting trapped. It's so prevalent but changes are coming soon!

Check out Financial Survival Network!

Author Rick Richman's book Racing Against History is the story of three powerful personalities who sought to turn the tide of history, and the American Jewish community at the beginning of the most consequential decade in modern Jewish history.  

In 1940, David Ben-Gurion, Vladimir Jabotinsky, and Chaim Weizmann—the leaders of the left, right, and center of Zionism—undertook missions to America, a country paralyzed by isolationism, to campaign for a Jewish army to fight Hitler.

Their efforts were at once heroic and tragic. The fast-paced, dramatic narrative is supported by extensive research, including previously unpublished letters, speeches, and diaries, shedding new light on both Zionism and the history of World War II. The Epilogue takes the story in 1948 and the establishment of the Jewish state.

The book aims to stimulate discussion about the evolving relationship between Israel and American Jews, as the Jewish State celebrates its 70th anniversary under the continuing threat of annihilation

Jordan Goodman joined us today. He's worrying about the G7 meeting and the fact that they all hate what Trump is doing regarding trade? Des every one hate us or are they just upset that the exploitative party is almost over? Then there's the prospect of another interest rate hike. The stock market has been shaking them off for months. And congratulations to all the newly minted college grads. It's time to start paying down your student loans. At least in the Trumpian economy you have a chance of finding a job. 

Danielle believes that there's a technological revolution coming in transportation. Tesla is leading it. But that doesn't mean you should run out and buy the stock. There's a point where a good company's stock becomes extremely risky and clearly Tesla is there. But technological revolution always comes at a price. 

Lew Weiss joined us for a discussion of taxes, the economy and the latest on manufacturing and employment. Right now everything is headed up. The market seems to have gotten over its protectionist jitters. The outlook for manufacturing employment is quite bullish and there's a shortage of qualified employees. Starting salaries for welders is $70,000 and in certain specialties can top $150k. There's too many jobs and not enough applicants. 

These days, in those rare moments when I find myself feeling down, I go to YouTube and watch the election night coverage of Trump’s shocking surprisevictory. To me there’s nothing more uplifting than watching the mainstream media completely blow it and then go into a pronounced sense of morning, uncontrollable rage and total meltdown. Seeing the likes of pseudo-intellectual whining talking head Rachel Maddow on the brink of tears and a psychotic breakdown is good as nectar from the gods. It’s not that I’m a raving Trump fan (I’m not) or the fact that I called Trump the likely winner in July 2015 (I did) that brings such joy to my heart, but rather that Trump epitomizes the ability of the human spirit to prevail over all obstacles and to achieve to what the naysayers is an impossiblevictory. It’s kind of like being in on an inside joke that none of your friends or relatives get.

Big news coming out from Spygate. And more...

Here's some entertaining links. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mYVi7WHyiU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjf1KG9-IY0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39ASAfmtjxc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy66YNCQ7Yo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjCQUcUkyU

According to Ned gold will stay dormant, but the one to watch is silver. It's been holding very steady for quite some time, just getting ready to pop. Ned is also extremely bullish on the Ag commodities. China is switching to ethanol blended gasoline to help with its air quality disaster. That means corn has nowhere to go but up. The other Ags are soaring as well. Ned believes the rumors of a China-US trade war are greatly exaggerated.

David's new book has just been released. As he explains it there are two conflicting ideas in the world. The American Ideal which says you judge people by their merit and the quality of their character. It's all about the individual. And there's the Marxist Ideal which is all about identity politics and judging people by race, etc. The battle is being waged and the outcome is still in doubt. Look at Al Franken and so many others. It's totalitarianism at its worst. A very timely book that looks at America's second civil war. 

John adeptly answers FSN Member Jessy's question wondering if this time really is different. As Mark Twain said, "History doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme." Back in the Great Depression we were still on a gold standard, even though private holdings were outlawed. This put a lid on potential spending, although it wasn't perfect. Now, with the dollar being backed by nothing but a promise from the government, the world's governments can't print us into oblivion, which they are hell bent on doing now.

The recent dramatic market volatility  continued throughout April, as the yield on the 10-year treasury rate topped 3 percent for the first time since 2014. Fears of rising interest rates and inflation helped drive the volatility, along with uncertainty about how aggressive the Federal Reserve might be in its efforts to “normalize” monetary policy under new chairman, Jerome Powell. The Fed plays such a key role in determining how all this uncertainty and instability will play out in the months ahead.

Wall Street knows very well that Powell’s job is a tricky one. In a sense, he’s charged with landing an experimental airplane that was launched nine years ago in response to the Financial Crisis. That’s when the Fed, under then-chairman Ben Bernanke, embarked on a historically unprecedented effort to jumpstart the economy with artificial stimulus, a.k.a. quantitative easing.

Robots and AI is taking over. Captain Capitalism a/k/a Aaron Clarey believes that the employment shift taking place is quite profound. Cubicle jobs will prevail for now, until the robots really take over. Will robots ever have true artistic ability or discretion. We're not there yet. Aaron thinks that AI is way overblown. There will still be a need for burger flippers and fast food workers. Will YouTube and podcasting become a viable profession for hungry Millennials? Only the proud few will be able to handle it. The rest need a plan for success and fulfillment. 

Major US stock markets bounced back with the DJIA up 1%. The NASDAQ up 5.3% and Russell 2000 up 5.9% to record levels. Emerging markets were down 3.7%. TSX up 2.9% and TSX-V -2.7%. Bitcoin the always volatile digital currency was down 18.5% for the month. Gold was down 1.3% breaking its 200 moving average and falling below 1300 and Silver was off .6% for the month. Pt down .2% and Pd was up 2.3%. Copper was up another .9%. Energy was mixed this month, with WTI down 2.1% and Brent up 3.1%. Natgas was up 4.3%. Uranium was up 7% after major cutbacks by leading producers. Currencies saw the Greenback up another 2.3% and the Euro losing another 3.2%. Rate on the 10 year T Bond fell back to 2.83% after rising above 3% last month. The WTI to Brent ratio hit 1.15, an increase so notable that even the Wall Street Journal took notice of our humble indicator. Mickey believes it's very bullish for American crude oil.  Tilll next month!

TRUMP IS RIGHT TO SAVE ZTE
http://chinalearningcurve.com/trump-is-right-to-save-zte/ Senators are lining up to tell Trump he shouldn't cut Chinese company ZTE
any slack. They're wrong. Trump is right. Here's why. 

Punishment should fit the crime
They're main argument is that the rule of law should not be intermingled with outside issues like trade negotiations. But within our system of law, "the punishment should fit the crime" is a well accepted principle. Plus, within our system, it is not unusual for the judge to have a certain amount of discretion when it comes to sentencing, including the ability to consider factors outside of the infraction at hand. This is what Trump is doing relative to ZTE.
An investigation concluded that ZTE had violated sanctions against countries like Iran and North Korea from 2011-16. ZTE has already paid a substantial fine and there are no new assertions relative to recent sanction violations. The additional penalty comes from ZTE not following through on all of its promised remedial actions, particularly dismissing employees who actually executed the violations. Because ZTE only completed part of its agreed
remedial actions, the Treasury Department decided to ban US companies from doing business with ZTE. Because so much of its key componentry comes from American companies, that punishment has an extremely severe impact on ZTE, almost a death penalty. 

So go Deutsche Bank so goes the world? Deutsche is kind of like a combination of Lehman and AIG. It was just bailed out 6 months ago and it's ready for another, larger one. The global banking system is a lot like the electrical grid, losing one tower can cause a complete blackout. Losing several major power plants can cause the nation to go dark. Are the central bankers smart enough to avoid this fate? 

We reconnected with Dave Kranzler. Ever the skeptic, he believes that the market and especially its leaders, such as Amazon and Telsa, are heading for hard times. The fraud can continue for only so long. Same with Cryptos and housing. But other opportunities will take their place, including of course, gold, silver and mining stocks. They're holding steady and their chart patterns are extremely encouraging. Buckle your seatbelts, there's more fun on the way.