$200 billion can buy a lot of Bitcoin.That’s the amount of cash Microsoft is sitting on - money that could have made history a few weeks ago.The crypto world watched with bated breath as Microsoft shareholders faced a decision that would ripple through Wall Street: whether to turn some of that mountain of cash into Bitcoin.For Bitcoin believers, it would have been the ultimate validation.Mic...Read More

Trump will begin his first 100 days with an emphasis on his economic plans.His core economic team is already announced including Russell Vought as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jamieson Greer as U.S. Trade Representative, Kevin Hassett as Director of the National Economic Council, Scott Bessent as U.S. Treasury Secretary, and Howard Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce.Hassett and B...Read More

If you've ever found yourself cornered at a dinner party by that one guy with a conspiratorial gleam in his eye and a penchant for explaining why the economy is "just a series of smoke and mirrors," you'll appreciate Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson. It's The Book that offers the economically curious a set of brass knuckles to face the muddled nonsense of popular economic "thought." And by...Read More

An important feature of Trump's second term will be his actions on the first day. Trump will sign a flurry of executive orders (EOs) on the day he is sworn in (January 20, 2025) and the following day. The exact number is not known but it will easily be 50 orders or more.The official number of each Executive Order is also not known in advance because they will have to be processed under the Adminis...Read More

Marimaca Copper (TSX: MARI) has made another discovery at its namesake project close to the coastal city of Antofagasta, in central Chile. It found the northern extension of the Pampa Medina deposit, 26 km from its advanced Marimaca Oxide Deposit (MOD).The company aims to complete a definitive feasibility study (DFS) for its flagship project soon. Marimaca also reported results from the first scou...Read More

Trading is a game of decisions.When it comes to playing the markets, you'll have split seconds where your courage and discipline are tested.But sometimes, the real pain comes not from the trades you take, but the ones you don't.I've spent years learning this the hard way.March 2020 was a prime example. Markets were in freefall, panic was everywhere, and opportunities were quietly emerging beneath...Read More

During Donald Trump's first term, U.S. tariffs on China increased from 3% in 2016 to 19% by the end of 2020.As a result, China's share of the U.S. trade deficit dropped from 47% to 26%. However, it's worth noting that America's trade imbalance continued to rise, as production shifted to low-tariff countries such as Vietnam, Canada, and Mexico.When Biden came into office, the expectation was that h...Read More

It was December 2, 1805. The fields of Austerlitz were cloaked in fog.Napoleon Bonaparte outnumbered and ostensibly retreating, faced the combined might of the Austrian and Russian imperial armies.The Allies believed they had him cornered. They saw the French emperor's lines thinning and his forces retreating from a key high ground, the Pratzen Heights. Sensing an opportunity, they charged forward...Read More

Uranium production is best understood as an industry played out on a geopolitical chessboard.Enriched uranium is used to fuel nuclear reactors. The degree of enrichment is not high. Natural uranium (sometimes called yellowcake) has about 0.7% U-235 isotope. This is enriched to 3% to 5% for use in most reactors (called low-enriched uranium or LEU). Some specialized reactors require uranium enriched...Read More

Here in Italy, he's known as Tommaso d'Aquino. But to the English-speaking world, he's St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor Angelicus, and the foremost Scholastic thinker, theologian, and philosopher of the Middle Ages. His Summa Theologiae is over 5,000 pages long; thank heavens God sent Catholic author Peter Kreeft to the 20th and 21st centuries to summarize the Summa for us modern readers.After the uphea...Read More

President Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has stated that he believes the world is on the cusp of a "global economic reordering". And he would "like to be a part of it".He has hinted at the need for a new international agreement on the level of the famous Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944. Bretton Woods, of course, established the world monetary order over 8 decades ago.It sounds...Read More

Change is finally coming to America's failing healthcare system.If RFK Jr. is confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Trump administration is set to truly shake things up for the first time in modern history.HHS is a gigantic beast, with 13 divisions under its roof including the FDA, CDC, CMS, and NIH.CMS' Medicare spending alone reached over $840 billion in 2023, making up...Read More

We've seen this show before...Just four short years ago, stocks and crypto were ripping to new highs at a rate that alarmed many conservative investors.Due to Covid's warping of the space-time continuum, December 2020 feels like it was just yesterday and eons ago at the same time. In case you've memory-holed the second half of the year of lockdowns and Covid panic, I'll set the stage...The weather...Read More

"Not permitted under the law," snapped Jay Powell. The scene was the Fed's press conference. It was the day after Donald Trump's resounding election victory.The reporter, seeking confirmation, followed up. "Not per-MIT-ted under the law!" repeated a visibly irritated Powell, slowly enunciating the word.Powell's body language said he's ready to battle Trump in the press. I recount this scene to giv...Read More

Tucker Carlson is once again in Moscow, Russia.In February, the last time he was there, his interview with Vladimir Putin caused quite a stir. Leftist media called Tucker a traitor, Kremlin propagandist, and worse.Carlson and Putin discussed salient topics including the war in Ukraine, the Nord Stream pipeline bombing, and Russia's involvement in Syria.The interview gave many Americans their first...Read More

Zimbabwe is joining the club of African states looking for a higher ownership stake in mines and mining projects. It plans to take a 26% free carry interest in new mining projects and negotiate a similar stake with existing operators, Bloomberg reported Dec. 12."Details on how the government would finance these acquisitions or the minimum value of mining assets were not mentioned, with the full po...Read More

President Trump will enter office at a very interesting time for U.S. stock markets. America is absolutely torching the rest of the world.Today American companies make up a whopping 75% of the MSCI World Index. The MSCI World Index contains shares of the largest stocks from Europe, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Israel, and the United States.Source: Albert Edwards on XThis index...Read More

For centuries, diplomacy has been the cornerstone of civilization's survival. It's a sophisticated dance between nations to prevent conflicts and secure peace, both an art and a science. Yet, in a time of global tensions and the looming specter of nuclear annihilation, the United States finds itself neglecting one of its most important tools: dialogue with Russia.What's the historical significance...Read More

Germany's economy is in deep trouble, and Volkswagen is the poster boy.VW shares are down about 67% from their 2021 peak. Earnings are down 66% over the last year.And this week 70,000 German VW workers walked off the job. They're furious over plant closures, layoffs, and salary cuts.So, what's the root cause of VW's woes?For the last few years, VW has been shifting production to electric vehicles...Read More

In late November, $140 billion of American savings disappeared into thin air. This was the result of a revision to the U.S. personal savings rate by the BEA.Of course, the money only ever existed in a government-published report. But the original "bullish" data was widely cited as a sign that all was well with the economy.In truth, Americans are burning through their savings at a rapid pace. Durin...Read More