Nonetheless, we walk within the valley of darkness as the powerful continue to reap Billions. The investor always looks for the easy money and more often than not tries to jump on board a fad or trend to cash in on someone else’s idea(s).  For every winner, there are thousands of losers. The world is one big pyramid scheme where those on top reap the rewards from the millions below willing to risk everything for a chance at glory.  One can look at the Monarchy as an example, they own so much and are praised, why? How did they accumulate so much wealth and at whose expense? People are naive, looking for an opportunity to say to themselves look at the decision I made, it paid off but the question remains at what risk?

Recently, we saw the rise and fall of companies like Nortel, BlackBerry, Major Investment houses and a whole host of others. To the investor’s chagrin, the regulators, responsible to oversee the general public safety within the investments, may have been bribed to look the other way, to the detriment of those who actually pay their salary.

The latest major bankruptcy announced was that of FTX  to the tune of over $30 Billion. One of the largest Digital Currency Platforms on the planet, run by a young kid in his early twenties. BTW if anyone is interested in the Bahamas home it is for sale at a bargain price of $39 million. It looks like the operation became a money laundering scheme, moving money all over the world, especially for the elites. The Billions sent to Ukraine were used to purchase digital currencies and then the cash was paid out to political organizations as contributions. The digital currency was sold to investors for cash (real currency) and the real money was paid out.

In previous writing, I mentioned how Elon Musk tried to tap into the Trillions of dollars available within the Digital Coin space. Once the bankers got involved the thievery became heightened. They created a derivative market offering futures contracts to buy and sell within this relatively new market, crypto derivatives. 

Tesla, the electronic car company, operates in the real world. They need to buy raw materials, pay labour costs and operate within the financial system presently in existence. Ultimately, they need cold hard cash. So how does one unleash wealth?  You tell the market, you will accept Bitcoin as payment for your popular vehicles. With really nowhere to spend the wealth accumulated on paper the suggestion to accept crypto as a form of payment accelerated the interest. Meanwhile, your company’s sales improve, and your stock price goes through the roof. Further, the Digital coin purchases you made to start the euphoria, double in value. The smart guy, hedges himself and sells the digital currency in the futures, Crypto derivatives market. This guarantees the real currency needed to maintain your operation in the real world continues to flow without interruption.

Well, when a celebrity, often referred to as a genius, invests $1 Billion into Bitcoin and watches the sheep flock or they miss an opportunity. The Fear of missing out (FOMO), motivates many of the followers. Some mortgage their homes for a chance to win big thinking they will not have to work another day in their life. Today, many are reeling and instead of making their lives easier, they could be selling peanuts and popcorn at the local ballpark to make ends meet. This could be part of the new employment opportunities available and actually improve the statistics forthcoming.

Back to reality, after the midterm elections, the markets spewed some important data. The week was led by the Producer Price Index (PPI) a reflection of inflation.  It was down to 8% from expected (8.3%). But let’s face facts, it was a result of an aggressive approach to lower gasoline prices before the Midterms. NY Fed Empire State Mfg Index also improved to +4.5% vs expected <-5%> in November. Today started with USA Retail Sales up 1.3% vs expected (1.0%) in October. Then we move to Canada where the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data shows inflation YoY unchanged at 6.9% in Canada. The MoM came in at 5.8% expected (6.0%) vs the previous (6.3%), I reiterate the point I made above with gas prices as the catalyst.

I just received my electric bill. It usually comes in around the $100/month vicinity, this month a whopping $159. That is a 59% increase in things that really matter. I can’t wait for the gas bill for home heating. It looks like l won’t be enjoying those delicious cannolis nor will I attempt to buy a bag of chips. The prices are outrageous. If this continues I might have to start crashing house parties or I might actually begin to get healthier.