The major trends which will not change this year or next regardless of new trade deals and Congressional programs: lower dollar, higher inflation, higher unemployment, higher gold prices and, importantly, a U.S. vs. BRICS+ divided world.

The most recent data continues to demonstrate a weakening employment picture in the context of another round of high inflation and deteriorating real estate prices for both commercial and residential. All in all, the blend of many more home foreclosures hitting the market, little or no new full time job creation, higher consumer prices, and the continuing need to finance new and rollover government debt will keep the overall economy from growing. Add to this the serious economic downturns in China, Japan, and Western Europe we have a most volatile year or more ahead with little to start any new recovery. Regardless of individual listener political leanings, the good news is that the present administration seems to be making headway in improving relationships with the countries that hold vast amounts of dollars as well as needed natural resources. I'll take whatever we can get during this historically unsettled global economic period.

It now seems too late to avoid a severe recession or worse given recent data and global political events. The U.S. will likely suffer less than Europe or China but, nevertheless, suffer mightily. What to consider to mitigate pain is summarized after the global situation is parsed in this podcast.

Please do take advantage of this 8-minute video by Bravos Research which well summarizes issues impacting the U.S. dollar, U.S. debt refinancing, and economic stability: https://bravosresearch.com/youtube/why-the-us-treasury-market-is-on-the-brink-of-total-collapse/

The global economy as well as the U.S. is heading for more volatility with 2024's issues becoming more severe in 2025 as expected.

The U.S. stock market is likely in an official "bear market" with more foreign selling ahead. The same expectation applies to the U.S. government debt marketplace with more selling of U.S. securities and higher interest rates continuing. The Federal Reserve’s buying of U.S. debt expected to once again prop up the debt markets but higher inflation expectations likely to continue to force U.S. interest rates higher. 2025, as expected, is shaping up to be a challenging year for both the employment and financial markets.

The EU is experiencing cracks in their foundation that could even threaten their existence over the next several years. China moving to super-money creation to avoid a depression while building aggressively their military and taking a direct move against the U.S. It seems the BRICS+ countries in the near term continue to move counter to U.S. positions while the U.S. shores up its own military while continuing to issue record amounts of new and refinanced debt. This year is shaping up as a year of substantial change for pretty much everyone on the globe involved in market defined economies and world trade. Investment risks continue to grow!

U.S. Government propped-up housing market, pricewise, starting its fall off a cliff. Good news coming for future first-time home buyers but not so good for us existing homeowners. Covid emergency bailouts artificially kept prices high and false signaled a healthy economy...now coming to an end. Many trends converging to create a significantly negative financial environment but certain investment categories should benefit.

Serious stresses in the ECB and the EU, recent and revised data show a serious U.S. recession in place, new political leadership to favor a recession earlier than later, increasing interest rates and serious banking issues to emerge, increasing layoffs and contraction of U.S. work force in process, preparations for war, some positive long term forces but many negative short term ones, and increasing bi-polarization of the global economies.

Many threats we warned about last year are coming to a head now! Be prepared!!

This year promises to be the most challenging and risky since the Global Financial Crisis! Europe is becoming more unstable politically at a time when vast amounts of government debts have to be financed/refinanced. The following negative trends are reasserting themselves: return to high inflation in the U.S., growing distance between Western World and BRICS+ countries as well as emerging conflicts between U.S. and European leadership. Like the 1970's gold and many commodities on price uptrends indicating increasing global instability and shortages. In particular, the U.S. is seriously challenged to find new rare earth materials to support the aviation, defense, battery, and IT industries as China controls 90%+ of these materials globally while restricting or disallowing their shipments to the U.S.

U.S. has to refinance historical amounts of debt requiring Federal Reserve reinstating high money creation. Long term interest rates heading higher but home prices staying historically high. For the stock market consider avoiding interest rate and consumer industries regardless of tariffs and think about U.S. raw materials producers and hi-tech equipment manufacturers. Reconsider traditional U.S. energy producers. Stay financially conservative by avoid new debt.

For 2025's economic issues carried forward from 2024!

China moves into a depression economy as real estate losses cost one year of total GNP. The U.S. new leadership transition is itself smoother so far than anticipated but few substantive changes will have traction in 2025/2026, the UK and EU are facing increasing economic/political risks, and, maybe most importantly U.S. inflation is again growing bringing with it higher and higher long term interest rates. Real economic growth and creation of new jobs will be a most serious global issue although the US is relatively better prepared.

Happy New Year! As we’re off and running into 2025 we are already faced with a lot of global issues occurring during the transition of power in the U.S. In fact, it seems as though we are finding a global reset has kicked off the new year.