Three Reasons Stocks Are Rising
JUNE 4, 2020 Derek Thompson
In the time that U.S. deaths have increased from 100 to more than 100,000, the S&P 500 has gone up 20 percent.
In an age punctuated with almost biblical chaos—plague, brutality, and surreal images of the president posing with a holy book he fumbles like a strange cut of meat—there has been one queasy and bizarre constant: “... and stocks rose.” On Wednesday, U.S. deaths from COVID-19 officially surpassed 100,000, and stocks rose.
On Friday, the Commerce Department reported that GDP plummeted nearly 5 percent in the first three months of the year, and stocks rose. Over the weekend, Americans took to the streets of large cities and small towns to protest the killing of George Floyd and call for an end to years of police brutality and systemic racism against black Americans, as their mostly peaceful movements were often attacked by police and beset by chaos tourists smashing the windows of local stores. And stocks rose.
In fact, stocks seem to do nothing but go up these days. April was the best month for the Dow since the Reagan administration, and stocks were up in May as well. In the time that officially recorded U.S. deaths from COVID-19 increased from 100 to 100,000, the S&P 500 rose by 20 percent. What is going on?
A common answer to that question is that “the stock market is not the economy.” This observation is very popular, technically true, and often useless. Furniture sales, food service employment, and average home values in Idaho aren't the whole economy either, because the economy is a machine of many parts. By comparison, people don’t go around screaming “My neck is not my body!” as if it means something. Your neck is a part of your body, and the stock market is a part of the economy; in both cases, if the former is acting in an irregular way, it’s probably worth looking into.
When we look deeper, the story that emerges is confusing and contradictory. Americans locked in their houses with children, work, and baked bread have created an extinction-level event for small businesses, which has resulted in unprecedented layoffs and furloughs. But thanks to government stimulus, overall income has increased, and Americans have shifted spending to the virtual economy, compressing 10 years of anticipated e-commerce growth into a matter of weeks.
The COVID-19 crisis is simultaneously thrusting Americans into the pre-urban homestead economy of the 1830s, re-creating the Depression-era joblessness of the 1930s, and pulling forward the virtual economy of the 2030s. We are living in the weirdest economy ever.
To continue reading, please go to the original article here:
Now What?
Notes From the Field By James Hockman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) November 5, 2026
Let’s take a deep breath think clearly for a bit.
My mind usually tracks to history and seeking wisdom from the past. But we don’t have to go back very far to see a pattern.
It was only six years ago that the entire world was in the throes of the Covid insanity. In the US, lockdowns, media hysteria, mask mandates, business closures, etc. had everyone stressed to the max.
Banks, Bonds & Markets Face A Dangerous Reckoning | Alasdair Macleod
Liberty and Finance: 11-5-2026
Alasdair Macleod warns that the recent gold and silver selloff is masking a much deeper crisis: the accelerating collapse of fiat currencies.
He argues that rising energy costs, higher bond yields, and weakening consumer demand could trigger a serious economic slump, putting banks, private equity, insurance companies, and equity markets under mounting pressure.
Echo X: The New Financial System is Already Being Built
11-5-2026
THE ELECTION DOESN’T STOP WHAT’S ALREADY IN MOTION.
But understand something…
THE NEW FINANCIAL SYSTEM IS ALREADY BEING BUILT.
How To Protect Your Money From Rising Inflation
Esther Shaw Wed, October 21, 2026 a
Inflation is picking up pace once again.
Not only does this spell bad news for the cost of living, but rising prices can also have a detrimental effect on almost all areas of your finances: from your mortgage and savings to your pension.
In September, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation rose to 3.5pc, up from 3.1pc the month before, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The main factor causing the rise was cost increases to motor fuels.
Good Afternoon Dinar Recaps,
GLOBAL MONETARY RESET WATCH: BANK OF ENGLAND RAISES RATES TO 4% AS IRAN WAR FUELS INFLATION
The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years, warning that prolonged conflict in the Middle East could keep energy prices and inflation elevated well into 2027.
Ariel: Iraq is the First Domino, the Timeline for the Next 60 Days
11-5-2026
IRAQ — THE FIRST DOMINO
Iraq’s parliament is submitting their federal budget this Saturday November 7, 2026 ahead of the November 15 deadline imposed by the IMF standby arrangement. The budget contains a redenomination provision for the Iraqi dinar. This has been in negotiation for 18 months. The holdup was never political disagreement inside Iraq’s Council of Representatives.
Reset Intelligence: Treasury Flags Iran’s Money Men in Iraq
By Reset Intelligence | @EXIT_FIAT
The day after America voted, the US Treasury added a secondary-sanctions warning to Iraqis already blacklisted for moving Iran’s money. Any bank, anywhere, that still deals with them now risks its own access to US dollars.
America is still counting. Congress changed hands on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning Washington tightened Iraq’s money rails anyway.
Oil prices fall for fourth day after US elections
2026-11-05 Shafaq News Oil prices fell for a fourth day on Thursday on expectations the losses US President Donald Trump's Republican Party suffered in Congressional elections this week may reduce the risk of further escalation of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Brent futures fell 80 cents, or 0.85% to $93.82 a barrel as of 0426 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.2, or 1.36%, to $86.92. Both benchmarks tumbled by more than 8% in the previous session to settle at their lowest since August 31.
Good Morning Dinar Recaps,
GLOBAL DEBT RESET WATCH: U.S. TREASURY SIGNALS POSSIBLE CHANGES TO HOW IT FINANCES AMERICA’S GROWING DEBT
The U.S. Treasury is keeping current bond auction sizes steady for now, but a change in its guidance has opened the door to adjustments in how the government borrows money during 2027.
TNT:
Tishwash: 100 trillion dinars are circulating outside banks, and Iraqis continue to prefer cash.
Indicators from the Central Bank of Iraq showed a continued rise in the volume of currency circulating outside the banking system, reaching about 100.183 trillion dinars at the end of August 2026, despite recording a decline compared to the previous month.
According to data seen by Shafaq News Agency, the currency outside banks decreased from 100.792 trillion dinars at the end of last July to 100.183 trillion dinars at the end of August, a decrease of 609 billion dinars.
The data indicated that the total currency issued amounted to 107.998 trillion dinars at the end of August, while the currency held by banks amounted to 7.815 trillion dinars, with funds circulating outside banks constituting about 92.8% of the total currency issued.
Amarah Station Starts 3,000-Bpd Trial Oil Production
2026-11-04 Shafaq News- Baghdad Iraq’s state-owned Maysan Oil Company has begun trial production at the Amarah Gas Separation Station at an initial rate of 3,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd), the Oil Ministry said on Wednesday. Company Director General Hussein Kadhim Luaibi said output would gradually rise to the station’s planned capacity of 8,000 bpd in the coming days, while improvements to production facilities and infrastructure would help sustain operations.
Billions On Paper. How Are Billionaires' Fortunes Measured And Why Are They Evaporated In Days?
Money and business Economy News - When headlines make headlines about Elon Musk losing $57 billion in a week, or the fortune of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin falling by about $56 billion combined in a few days, it seems like billions of dollars suddenly disappeared from their bank accounts.
In the world of great wealth, “loss” does not necessarily mean cash out, but often reflects a change in the market value of the assets they own.
Gold Got Dumped for Cash, That’s Exactly Why You Own It | Adrian Day
Kitco News: 11-4-2026
Gold fell back under $4,000 as AI stocks slid, and Adrian Day says that’s the metal doing its job. When markets crack, investors raise cash, and gold is one of the things they always sell.
“That’s exactly what you own gold for,” says the chairman and CEO of Adrian Day Asset Management. At the New Orleans Investment Conference, Day tells Kitco News anchor Jeremy Szafron he sees strong support near $3,650 and doesn’t expect a V-shaped recovery, but he remains “extremely bullish” on the fundamentals.
TIER 4B – ISO 20022: The First Sovereign Trade Between Two Nations Outside the Dollar System
11-4-2026
TIER 4B – ISO 20022
Telegram 11/3/2026
https://t.me/Tier4B_ISO20022
CONFIRMED: THE FIRST SOVEREIGN TRADE BETWEEN TWO NATIONS SETTLED OUTSIDE THE DOLLAR SYSTEM THIS MORNING
A sovereign trade coordination office sent an internal settlement confirmation through the encrypted channel at 11:33 EST.
MP Reveals Error In Calculating Dollar Exchange Rate In Budget Draft
Information/Baghdad... Member of Parliament Mohammed Araboud revealed on Thursday a major error in the calculation of the dollar exchange rate in the draft federal budget law, stressing that the issue of oil revenues and the fate of those funds represents a “perennial problem” that has yet to be resolved.