swissie

Alone to pay interest on the outstanding dept it's nummber 3 as far as annual budget deficit is concerned. If that's not alarming, then I don't know what is.

Taxes is a dirty 5 letter word. Better: Everybody in the US works for free for 2 years. Or even more better: Kick off some hyperinflation. The most elegant solution.

First of all, I can understand your situation. You are 79 years old. Unless your wife is 40 years younger, long term benefits can not be reaped. So your wife is condemned to "trading". Unfortunately, most "short-term" traders lose money, as every (transperant) international broker/trading platform will confirm. It can happen, that the "retirement money" does not cover the increasing cost of living as planned. To fill the "gap" by trading the markets resembles going to the casino. Your wife operating with 1000 $. I assume 500 $ profit per month would help your financial situation. Right? If she manages to do this month after month she would dwarf any investement Guru that ever lived in recorded history. Talk to her like a Dutch Uncle. If she is younger than you she may find gainful employement somewhere, increasing your monthly budget in a risk free environement. You and your wife will have to "face the music". As unpleasent as it may be.

Readers of this sub-forum must have realised that there is an increasing number of complaints concerning "new ways of transferring money". Western Union was never mentioned here in connection with "transfer problems". I wuold stay with Western Union as they have been in business for the last 174 years by transferring money (among other things). More: Avoid internet hokus pokus. Go to the many WU offices in your neighborhood in person. Never no "transfer problems".

And no matter what, they will keep faith in Donald, as they have declared him as their "Messias". Of course, I would never allow my daughter to marry a guy that was involved in 3000 law suits.

So he is alienating his "big money" buddies. The High Tech guys as well as the "drill baby drill" guys. Fine, in the end he will only have some staunch West Viginia Hillbillies as supporters left. But only if the coal mines re-open😂.

I think it would be helpful to immerse ourselfs into the mental universe of Donald. He is a real estate guy and still is. "Diplomacy" to him is reduced to monetary deals. During his career, he may have learned something about "microeconomics", but "macroecomics" is something he simply does not understand. In his first term, he fired advisors that did not support his simplistic views. This time he made sure that only strict loyalists are part of his surroundings. In other words: Donald has not managed to elevate his microeconomic knowledge to the level of macroeconomics. That is the root of all problems that the rest of the world faces today, only because 1 person in power, has refused to do his homework.

For whom?

The steam engine, the combustion engine. Every machine replacing human "muscle". Even airplanes flew in Europe before the Wright brothers. (Otto von Liliental). All this during a time, when the average US settler was busy chasing savage "Indians" in order to get them off "their land".

Alan Turing was classified as a Homosexual after the war. His career came to an end. He committed suicide. The internet started, when a minor scientist working at the CERN in Switzerland in the late 60ties/early70ties started to wonder why should we not connect computers by telefone lines. That was the beginning of the internet. Far away from SIlicone Valley.

Yes, at Blaechly Park during WW2 by Alan Turing. He could not have deciphered the German "Enigma-Code" without "early day computers". The rest is Silicon Valley.

All Silicone Valley stuff.

Looking at the past, some Empires have lasted for centuries. The Empire of the US truly only strated after WW2, with is's undamageged economic power, whlile the rest of the world lay in ashes. A short lived empire, historically. The Chinese waiting in the wings. Never mind. Half of my American friends did not vote for Donald. There is hope and the next congressional elections are only 2 years away.

The US is the largerest holder of physical Gold. 8133 Tonnes. Fort Knox. Anuual production of Gold is 3600 Tonnes. The US Gold is still priced at 42.22 $ per ounce. (bookkeeping price). Rumor has it, that some members of the current US Admistration are considering to re-value their Gold to todays market prices. Selling Gold to back some crypto currency. Needless to say, what would happen to the price of Gold, even if the promess of "gradual" Gold sales should hit the press. Unthinkable before, but within the erratic universe of Donald, everything is possible.

Finally it's official. US products in international markets are not competitive. Remedy: Impose tariffs. Indeed: Outside of Silicone Valley not much "innovation" had it's origin in the US. There is a Chinese Automaker that registers 45 new patents EVERY DAY. Without the steady stream of foreighn buyers of T-Bills and T-Bonds, the American Dream would have run out of gas a long time ago. Reserve currency etc etc etc...

Back on topic. The Dollar Index reached it's high at 110 this year. Currently at 103. Minus 7%. To remember: Along with tariffs, the current US administration has repeatedly declared that they want the Dollar lower. To bet against the ultimative player is not really advisable.

a) Can't be. The financial press is commenting the stellar performance of Gold daily. b) Technically "overbought" can range from "yearly overbought" to "overbought" in a 30 minute chart. Both are in overbouth territory currently. c) Most Gold-Gurus resemble your description of " The most common denominator was that it was usually some gormless neck bearded weirdo sitting behind some $100 Office Depot desk set up in his apartment bedroom or moms basement". I FULLY AGREE. d) Yes, the Swiss National Bank sold a good part of it's Gold holdings. The strict "monetary policy" made the Swiss-Franc" as good as Gold. Still in place. The Swiss National Bank is forced to buy massive amounts of $ and Euros regularily just to keep the Swiss-Franc from "overvaluation". e) If in doubt about the future price of Gold, look at the recommendations of my Romainian Clairvoyant Lady that I posted above.

Have you noticed? There is no international or local newspaper and all social media sources that do not celebrate the ever increasing price of Gold. I have seen this before. The "store of value" in troubled times. Silver also partially a "store of value", but lagging versus Gold. Technically, the price of Gold is in in a strongly "ouverbought" situation, by every technical indicator. Due to the high price, recycling of Gold is on the increase and most central banks (major buyers in the past few years) have indicated that they will pause with purchasing Gold at current prices. In such a difficult situation, I consulted my clairvoyant gipsy-lady in Romania. Her conclusion: a) Gold will skyrocket. Everyone not in the market will be cursed by their next 3 generations. b) Gold will pause for the next few years at this level. As happened before. c) Gold will correct some 10%. d) Gold will sell off to 1000 $, once humanity realises that Gold can not be eaten. That's all the advice a sophisticated Gold-Investor needs to know.

More food for thaught. An internationally competitve economy needs no tariffs to shelter the domestic economy from competition. Appearantly, the US does. Outside of tariffs, what could make the US economy more competitve in todays world? By lowering the value of the US $ by 20%. The current administration has declared this as a "goal". So, US $ holders may want to keep this in mind.

But surely you can see this as a beginning of a "trend". In 1933 there was nobody willing/able to stop the "trend". Quite the opposite. Most Germans hopped on the bandwagon. In the political/financial world, a trend can last for a long time. Feeding on itself, propelled by short-term benefits for "the masses" at first. The next few years will show if the US electorate can resist a few self appointed Gurus/Messiasses also known as "pied pipers".

The Tiger in the dark lurks here: The 3rd lagest expense of the federal budget is servicing the dept (interest payments).This at currently low interest rates. Imagine what happens if interest rates should rise. "Servicing the dept" could become number 2 of the federal budget deficit. By then, holders of US$ will run for the hills. Tiger Tiger in the dark..... Look here: https://www.pgpf.org/article/what-is-the-national-debt-costing-us/ Time for the financial community to start looking at the (overlooked) Tiger that is lurking in the dark.

- Waging war on the "unfriendly" press (only Fox News speaks the truth). - Replacing current employees in all "State Institutions" by staunch Trump loyalists. - Declaring any kind of opposition as "Enemies of the state". Just the beginning. More to come. According to the textbook of Goebbels.

Unfortunately you are right once more. Rumor has it, that in the current US administration not many like to read books. But surely they have read the writings of Josef Goebbels as he was the main architect when it came to turn a civilised society into blind-folded followers. The "Modus Operendy" by the current admistration is frightingly similar. It resembles a "copy cat" situation.

I coulden't disagree more. The current US administration is strictly following the textbooks of Hitler and especially that of Josef Goebbels when it comes to dismantle any democratic order in order to establish an autocratic regime. Step by step. It's like the current administration has decided that the pathway to "greatness" can be found in the actions/writings of Josef Goebbels. The similarities are absolutely mindboggeling.

To rearm Europe is high on the agenda. Unfortunately, even under the best of circumstance, this will take between 8 to 10 years. If Putin hungers for European soil, he is not going to wait that long. In the meantime, every European soldier knows that versus Russia they are "undermanned" and ""outgunned" for many years to come. These days (as opposed to soldiers before our time) they are well informed. Come war, will they head for the front to serve as cannon fodder or will they head for home? A grotesk scenario: Half of the soldiers heading for home, the remaining half being ordered to chase down "deserters", with nobody left at the front. Nothing surprises me anymore, considering the state of affairs in todays Europe. AND: Look at the youngsters. Spoiled by prosperity, cherishing their social media crap above any sort of "fatherland". Will they make for fearsome warriors, defending their soil and "western values"? I think not.