Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
I have to give credit where credit is due. You have been very consistent in propagating nonsense to bolster Donald J. Trump's standing. Are you seeking a position within the president's administration? It does seem that you would fit in well alongside the other sycophants who are serving him.
I have to give credit where credit is due. You have been very consistent in propagating nonsense to bolster Donald J. Trump's reputation. Are you seeking a position within the president's administration? It does seem that you would fit in well alongside the other sycophants who are serving him.
The minister of Propaganda position is already filled, unless Karoline Leavitt steps down. It could happen, perpetual lying is said to be hard on the psyche. Much easier if you have no soul or morality though.
There is simply no way to paint Trump insisting/directing an Investment Bank on who they should hire/fire, as anything other than Authoritarianism with a capital "A". And not an isolated incident here. A small piece of a massive pattern of such behavior. Universities, tech companies, local government, legal firms, the courts. More and more each day, completely without shame. Plenty more to come.
But hey, it is best if we talk about only the "good" things, and ignore the descent of free markets and democracy. Or any signals that the economic underpinnings may be telling a different story.
And we live in a world where some people, who had their entire existence threatened by an authoritarian regime, cheer the guy on. Idolize him. Apparently oblivious to this dynamic.
Oblivious is exactly right. @FD1000 has already identified with not giving a damn if our country is being destroyed as long as he makes money on it. You're right about the propaganda- he and Joseph Goebbels would have a whole lot in common.
"Shares of Coach and Kate Spade parent Tapestry fell on Thursday after it said tariffs will hurt its profits." - An example of how tariffs being absorbed by an importer, hurts the investor.
'Applied Materials shares sank more than 10% in extended trading Thursday as the semiconductor equipment company provided outlook for the current quarter that came in light. CEO Gary Dickerson said that the current macroeconomic and policy environment is “creating increased uncertainty and lower visibility.” Dickerson said the company’s China business is particularly affected by the uncertainty.'
If foreigners were paying tariffs the PPI wouldn't be rising. We are experiencing the largest PPI rise in three years, with a 0.9 percent increase in July.
“So much for foreigners paying tariffs. If they did, PPI would be falling,” RSM chief economist Joseph Brusuelas wrote Thursday on X. “Wholesale prices up 3.3% from a year ago & 3.7% in the core. The temperature is definitely rising in the core. This implies a hot PCE reading lies ahead.”
Prices on fresh and dry vegetables have also risen 38.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Prices on meats, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and eggs are also up.
"With both the producer price index and the consumer price index still showing accelerations, consumers may be wondering why the price of goods across the board isn’t increasing more.
But logistics experts are warning that those higher prices are currently hiding in “the middle mile,” otherwise known as warehouses and distribution centers, and are yet to come."
I've posted the following comments in another thread—they're included here for your convenience.
I've been pondering recent government intervention in the private sector and pernicious threats to the Federal Reserve's independence. This is not how capitalism should work in developed countries, particularly the United States! The following excerpts are from a very informative Barron's story by Reshma Kapadia.
"Investors have typically penalized emerging markets such as Turkey, Argentina, and China due to concerns about the independence of the central bank, government intervention in the private sector, and rampant overspending."
"Now economists and strategists are raising similar concerns about the U.S., which has historically been the paragon of a developed market. They see unnerving parallels to emerging markets in the actions that President Donald Trump is taking in his second term, as he uses the power of the White House in unconventional ways to swiftly upend geopolitical and economic norms."
"In just the past two weeks, Trump has put new pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates, warned judges to not rule against his tariffs, fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after unflattering revisions to job numbers, called for the ouster of the chief executive of Intel, and sought unprecedented concessions from companies and countries that want to access U.S. markets or avoid export restrictions."
I've posted the following comments in another thread—they're included here for your convenience.
The following excerpts are from a WSJ story by Greg Ip published several days ago.
"A generation ago conventional wisdom held that as China liberalized, its economy would come to resemble America’s. Instead, capitalism in America is starting to look like China."
"Recent examples include President Trump’s demand that Intel’s chief executive resign; the 15% of certain chip sales to China that Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices will share with Washington; the 'golden share' Washington will get in U.S. Steel as a condition of Nippon Steel’s takeover; and the $1.5 trillion of promised investment from trading partners Trump plans to personally direct."
"This isn’t socialism, in which the state owns the means of production. It is more like state capitalism, a hybrid between socialism and capitalism in which the state guides the decisions of nominally private enterprises."
"China calls its hybrid 'socialism with Chinese characteristics.' The U.S. hasn’t gone as far as China or even milder practitioners of state capitalism such as Russia, Brazil and, at times, France. So call this variant 'state capitalism with American characteristics.' It is still a sea change from the free market ethos the U.S. once embodied."
Oblivious is exactly right. @FD1000 has already identified with not giving a damn if our country is being destroyed as long as he makes money on it. You're right about the propaganda- he and Joseph Goebbels would have a whole lot in common.
Talking about our VI, where has he been?
Maybe the PPI number, which showed the biggest surge in three years, scared him away.
Comments
I have to give credit where credit is due.
You have been very consistent in propagating nonsense to bolster Donald J. Trump's standing.
Are you seeking a position within the president's administration?
It does seem that you would fit in well alongside the other sycophants who are serving him.
Un-f***k-ing-believable:
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/12/trump-solomon-goldman-sachs-economist-tariffs.html
But hey, it is best if we talk about only the "good" things, and ignore the descent of free markets and democracy. Or any signals that the economic underpinnings may be telling a different story.
And we live in a world where some people, who had their entire existence threatened by an authoritarian regime, cheer the guy on. Idolize him. Apparently oblivious to this dynamic.
"Shares of Coach and Kate Spade parent Tapestry fell on Thursday after it said tariffs will hurt its profits." - An example of how tariffs being absorbed by an importer, hurts the investor.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/14/applied-materials-q3-2025-results.html
'Applied Materials shares sank more than 10% in extended trading Thursday as the semiconductor equipment company provided outlook for the current quarter that came in light. CEO Gary Dickerson said that the current macroeconomic and policy environment is “creating increased uncertainty and lower visibility.” Dickerson said the company’s China business is particularly affected by the uncertainty.'
Are we seeing a trend starting?
“So much for foreigners paying tariffs. If they did, PPI would be falling,” RSM chief economist Joseph Brusuelas wrote Thursday on X. “Wholesale prices up 3.3% from a year ago & 3.7% in the core. The temperature is definitely rising in the core. This implies a hot PCE reading lies ahead.”
Prices on fresh and dry vegetables have also risen 38.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Prices on meats, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and eggs are also up.
You may want to read DrVenture's preceding post very carefully.
Can you handle the truth?
https://youtu.be/PWSx0bBiNIs
"With both the producer price index and the consumer price index still showing accelerations, consumers may be wondering why the price of goods across the board isn’t increasing more.
But logistics experts are warning that those higher prices are currently hiding in “the middle mile,” otherwise known as warehouses and distribution centers, and are yet to come."
(Shivers down the spine from Alaska)
I've been pondering recent government intervention in the private sector
and pernicious threats to the Federal Reserve's independence.
This is not how capitalism should work in developed countries, particularly the United States!
The following excerpts are from a very informative Barron's story by Reshma Kapadia.
"Investors have typically penalized emerging markets such as Turkey, Argentina,
and China due to concerns about the independence of the central bank,
government intervention in the private sector, and rampant overspending."
"Now economists and strategists are raising similar concerns about the U.S.,
which has historically been the paragon of a developed market.
They see unnerving parallels to emerging markets in the actions that President Donald Trump is taking
in his second term, as he uses the power of the White House in unconventional ways to swiftly upend
geopolitical and economic norms."
"In just the past two weeks, Trump has put new pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
to cut interest rates, warned judges to not rule against his tariffs, fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics
after unflattering revisions to job numbers, called for the ouster of the chief executive of Intel,
and sought unprecedented concessions from companies and countries that want to access U.S. markets
or avoid export restrictions."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-s-emerging-market-behavior-is-unsettling-investors-how-it-could-hit-markets/ar-AA1KuCLB
The following excerpts are from a WSJ story by Greg Ip published several days ago.
"A generation ago conventional wisdom held that as China liberalized, its economy
would come to resemble America’s. Instead, capitalism in America is starting to look like China."
"Recent examples include President Trump’s demand that Intel’s chief executive resign;
the 15% of certain chip sales to China that Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices will share with Washington;
the 'golden share' Washington will get in U.S. Steel as a condition of Nippon Steel’s takeover;
and the $1.5 trillion of promised investment from trading partners Trump plans to personally direct."
"This isn’t socialism, in which the state owns the means of production.
It is more like state capitalism, a hybrid between socialism and capitalism
in which the state guides the decisions of nominally private enterprises."
"China calls its hybrid 'socialism with Chinese characteristics.'
The U.S. hasn’t gone as far as China or even milder practitioners of state capitalism such as Russia,
Brazil and, at times, France. So call this variant 'state capitalism with American characteristics.'
It is still a sea change from the free market ethos the U.S. once embodied."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-u-s-marches-toward-state-capitalism-with-american-characteristics/ar-AA1KibTC
Maybe the PPI number, which showed the biggest surge in three years, scared him away.