by Michael

I do know that issues aren’t nice proper now, however please attempt to benefit from the subsequent few days, as a result of it seems that financial circumstances may shortly get a complete lot worse after Thanksgiving.  I perceive which may be tough for a lot of of you to listen to, as a result of we’re already coping with a lot.  The worst inflation disaster in a long time has been eviscerating our way of life, main layoffs are being introduced all around the nation, the housing market has began to crash, and the fallout from the collapse of FTX threatens to push over extra monetary dominoes within the weeks forward.  Sadly, now we probably have one other main drawback so as to add to the checklist.  One of many largest rail unions simply voted down a tentative settlement, and so now a nationwide railroad strike in December is a really actual risk…

The probability of a strike that might paralyze the nation’s rail visitors grew on Monday when the biggest of the 12 rail unions, which represents largely conductors, rejected administration’s newest providing that included 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. With 4 of the 12 unions that symbolize half of the 115,000 rail staff holding out for a greater deal, it’d fall to Congress to impose one to guard the U.S. financial system.

Now that SMART-TD has grow to be the fourth union to reject the tentative labor deal that was on the desk, preparations for a crippling nationwide railroad strike that might start early subsequent month will quickly transfer ahead.

Such a strike would cripple 1000’s of provide chains from coast to coast, and even CNN has been compelled to confess that an prolonged strike “may trigger shortages and better costs for items together with gas and meals”…

If a strike goes on for an prolonged interval, it may trigger shortages and better costs for items together with gas and meals. If the 4 unions that rejected the offers are unable to succeed in new offers earlier than strike deadlines, Congress may order the railroad staff to stay on the job or return to work.

The excellent news is that this labor dispute will finally be resolved a method or one other.

However even with no nationwide railroad strike, most specialists had been already forecasting a dismal month of December.

In accordance with the Wall Road Journal, customers and companies are each “bracing for a humbug vacation season”…

Households, retailers and charities nationwide, feeling the pinch of inflation, are bracing for a humbug vacation season.

U.S. customers and companies have trimmed spending plans for presents, charitable contributions and vacation occasions, knowledge present. The penny-pinching threatens to spoil the year-end for a lot of, particularly corporations and nonprofits that tally their largest share of gross sales and donations in November and December.

The Federal Reserve has been waging a struggle in opposition to inflation for months, however costs simply preserve going up.

The truth is, it’s being reported that a mean Thanksgiving dinner will value about 20 p.c extra this 12 months than it did final 12 months…

American households can have an unwelcome visitor on the dinner desk this Thanksgiving: inflation.

A Thanksgiving meal for 10 will value $64.05, a 20 p.c improve from final 12 months’s common of $53.31, the American Farm Bureau reviews.

The centerpiece on most Thanksgiving tables – the turkey – is a giant driver of the rise. In accordance with the Farm Bureau,the typical worth per pound is up 21 p.c from final 12 months.

In the meantime, job losses will fully spoil this vacation season for 1000’s upon 1000’s of Individuals.

Sadly, lots of the jobs which are being misplaced are good paying jobs.  For instance, Cisco simply introduced that they are going to be firing over 4,000 nicely paid staff…

San Jose-based tech big Cisco plans to put off over 4,000 workers, in keeping with a report within the Silicon Valley Enterprise Journal and later corroborated by the San Francisco Chronicle.

In a transcript of Cisco’s Q1 2023 Earnings Name revealed by Motley Idiot, Cisco Chief Monetary Officer Scott Herren characterised the transfer as a “rebalancing.” Chairman and Chief Government Officer Chuck Robbins mentioned the corporate was “rightsizing sure companies.”

At one level, the typical worker at Cisco was making $109,000 a 12 months.

These which are shedding their jobs gained’t be capable to substitute these incomes simply.

On prime of every thing else, U.S. customers at the moment are seeing their house values begin to fall because the housing market crashes.

As I mentioned earlier this week, house gross sales had been 28.4 p.c decrease in October 2022 than they had been in October 2021.

That may be a nightmare determine, and those who work in the actual property enterprise are beginning to really feel the ache.

The truth is, Zero Hedge is reporting {that a} whopping 37 p.c of U.S. actual property brokers couldn’t pay workplace lease in October…

Increased borrowing prices triggered a pointy drop in mortgage purposes and residential gross sales within the again half of the 12 months. Deal move is drying up for a lot of actual property brokers, leading to monetary duress that will worsen into early 2023.

In October, a surprising 37% of actual property brokers struggled to pay workplace lease — a ten% improve from the prior month, in keeping with Yahoo, citing a brand new report through Redfin. The determine may worsen because the housing market quickly cools through the Fed-induced demand facet crunch.

That’s greater than a 3rd of all actual property brokers!

Sadly, that is only the start.

Our financial momentum is taking us downhill fairly shortly now, and it isn’t going to take very a lot to show this downturn into an avalanche.

At this level, issues are already so unhealthy that best-selling writer James Rickards is warning that “this factor goes to fully crash” and that “we’re in for a worse disaster than 2008″…

Rickards factors out, “Why does Warren Buffett and Brookshire Hathaway have $130 billion in money?  Buffett is among the best traders of all time.  Why isn’t he on the market shopping for shares?  Once more, why does he have $130 billion in money?  It’s as a result of Buffett sees what I see.  Sure, this factor goes to fully crash.  It’s a very good thought to have money as a result of you’ll be able to buy groceries within the wreckage and decide up some bargains.  My level is, we don’t must guess.  Take a look at the Treasury yield curve.  Take a look at the euro/greenback futures yield curve.  Take a look at different metrics, and guess what it seems like?  It seems like 2007.  Every part I’m describing, however not fairly as excessive by the way in which, was true in 2007. . . . These euro/greenback futures had been behaving then precisely as they’re now.  Besides now, the inversion is even worse, which implies we’re in for a worse disaster than 2008.  It’s coming.  Every part I mentioned has nothing to do with FTX.  Throw FTX on prime, and as I mentioned, you’re throwing gasoline on a fireplace.”

If Rickards is appropriate, what is going to our nation appear like a 12 months from now?

You may wish to begin enthusiastic about that, as a result of the instances we’re transferring into shall be not like something we’ve got ever seen earlier than.

However most Individuals don’t wish to hear this.

Most Individuals simply wish to blindly imagine that our leaders in Washington have every thing below management and that they are going to be capable to sort things.

There may be definitely nothing incorrect with hoping for one of the best, however in the meantime you may additionally wish to begin getting ready for the worst, as a result of issues are beginning to get actually loopy on the market.