Baltic
Dry Index. 2275 +05 Brent Crude 62.60
Spot Gold 4049 US 2 Year Yield 3.51 -0.04
US Federal Debt. 38.323 trillion
US GDP 31.595 trillion.
Socrates
In the stock casinos, a thin trading week. Japanese markets are closed for a holiday today. America’s markets are closed on Thursday although many US stock professionals also take Friday off.
In the socialist run UK, Wednesday is tax increase for all day.
All in all, an easy week to rig the stock casinos higher except in the UK.
Asia-Pacific markets rebound on renewed hopes for
a Fed rate cut
Published Sun, Nov 23 2025 6:52 PM EST
Asia-Pacific markets started the week
higher after New York Federal Reserve President John Williams signaled a third
rate cut was a possibility this year.
On Friday, Williams suggested the
Fed could lower its key interest rate as labor market weakness poses a bigger
economic threat than higher inflation.
The Fed has just one meeting left for
2025, which will take place on Dec. 9-10 stateside. The target rate is
currently at 3.75% to 4.00%.
Fed funds futures are pricing in around a
70% chance of a quarter-percentage-point cut, according to the CME FedWatch tool, up from about 44% during the week
through Nov. 14.
Last week, Asian
markets declined across the board as traders fled from tech stocks,
with heavyweights like Softbank, Samsung Electronics and Baidu falling.
South Korea’s Kospi was up 1.56%, while
the small-cap Kosdaq reversed gains and was down marginally. Samsung gained
over 4.4%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.12%,
rebounding from a 1.59% loss on Friday.
On Monday, shares of logistics group Qube climbed nearly 20%
after Macquarie Asset Management made an offer of 11.6 billion Australian dollars
($7.49 billion) to acquire the firm.
Mining giant BHP also rose about 0.4%
after the company announced it was no longer considering a merger with British miner
Anglo American.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 1.41%,
boosted by tech and healthcare stocks, while mainland China’s CSI 300 was just
below the flatline.
Japan’s markets are closed for a public
holiday.
On Friday in the U.S., all three major
indexes posted a rebound, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining
1.08%, while the Nasdaq
Composite advanced 0.88% and the S&P 500 finished 0.98%
higher.
Asia-Pacific
markets rebound as Fed rate-cut hopes revive
Dow futures rise over 100 points as market
attempts rebound into the holiday week: Live updates
Updated Mon, Nov 24 2025 12:34 AM EST
Stock futures climbed on Monday morning as
the market seeks to rebound into the Thanksgiving holiday week after a slide
that’s knocked the air out of this year’s AI bull run.
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial
Average gained 124 points, or 0.27%. S&P 500 futures rose 0.52% and
Nasdaq-100 futures increased 0.75%. The stock market is closed on Thursday for
Thanksgiving Day, and it shuts down early at 1 p.m. ET on Friday.
Stocks are attempting to build on a strong
rebound that started on Friday, after the head of the New York Federal
Reserve left
the door open to a December interest rate cut. Major averages have still
stumbled sharply since the month began, pressured by a reconsideration of
sky-high valuations across artificial intelligence-linked names that had
powered much of 2025′s market gains.
The S&P 500 slipped 2% last week,
bringing its November decline to 3.5%. The Nasdaq Composite shed 2.7% in the
prior week and is down 6.1% for the month. The 30-stock Dow fell 1.9% last week
and is off 2.8% month-to-date.
The final stretch of November may be no
easier. With trading volumes expected to thin out in the coming days and few
meaningful catalysts ahead of the Fed’s December policy meeting, volatility
could pick up.
“Investors hate noise. They crave
certainty, and the market simply cannot deliver that right now,” Mark Malek,
CIO at Siebert Financial, said in a note.
Key macro events this week include October
U.S. retail sales and October Producer Price Index data on Tuesday, both of
which could help shape expectations heading into the Fed’s final meeting of the
year.
Stock
market today: Live updates
Wall Street Week Ahead
Nov. 23, 2025 6:50 AM ET
After a difficult November so far and
coming off its worst week since early October, Wall Street will get a bit of a
reprieve in the form of Thanksgiving. Markets will be shut on Thursday, giving
investors some time off to reflect and assess.
Despite the holiday-shortened week, there is plenty to look forward to. The
earnings season is in its final legs, but some major names are still on the
docket, such as Alibaba (BABA), Dell (DELL), and Deere (DE).
The economic calendar will be busy as well. Among some notable indicators,
traders this week will receive delayed retail sales figures and producer price
index readings for September on Tuesday, followed by durable goods on
Wednesday.
Wall Street Week
Ahead | Seeking Alpha
‘Stakes are high.’ With shutdown over, airlines
predict record numbers of travelers this Thanksgiving
Published Sun, Nov 23 2025 8:00 AM EST
U.S. airlines are predicting another
record Thanksgiving holiday travel period and are upbeat now that the
travel-snarling government
shutdown has ended.
Airlines will carry more than 31 million
people between Friday, Nov. 21, and Monday, Dec. 1, Airlines for America, a
lobbying group representing the largest U.S. carriers, predicted Thursday. The
busiest days are expected to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with about 3.4
million people flying, followed by the Monday after Thanksgiving, with around
3.1 passengers.
Airline executives have expressed relief
after the longest-ever government
shutdown ended Nov. 12. Shortages of air
traffic controllers, who were required to work without their regular
pay, delayed
and canceled flights, disrupting travel plans for some 6 million people,
A4A said.
The industry is now pushing lawmakers to
pass legislation to ensure that air traffic controllers are
paid in the case of another shutdown,
with executives complaining in recent weeks about air travel becoming a
political bargaining chip. The latest bill funds the government only through
January, so industry members are hoping to avoid a repeat of the closure just
before winter break and spring break seasons begin.
Bank of America estimated the big network
airlines could see an operating income hit of $150 million to $200 million and
smaller carriers would see an impact of $100 million because of the shutdown,
but airlines haven’t yet come out with revised estimates.
Some travelers appeared to be waiting
until the shutdown ended before booking their travel.
United
Airlines said bookings between Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 were up 16%
compared with the prior weekend, when air travel disruptions spiked.
The carrier also said bookings for
international trips are at a record for the holiday period, up 10% over last
year, with Cancun, Mexico, and major European hubs in London and Frankfurt,
Germany, as top destinations.
Overall, United forecast it will fly 6.6
million customers between Nov. 20 and Dec. 2., up more than 4% from last year.
More
Thanksgiving
air travel expected to hit record levels, airlines say
In other news.
The Middle Class Is Buckling Under Almost Five
Years of Persistent Inflation
Workers growing tired of economy in which
everything seems to get more expensive
Updated Nov. 21, 2025 8:53 am ET
America’s middle class is weary.
After nearly five years of high prices,
many middle-class earners thought life would be more affordable by now. Costs
for goods and services are 25% above where they were in 2020. Even though the
inflation rate is below its recent 2022 high, certain essentials like coffee,
ground beef and car repairs are up markedly this year.
“Life felt more doable a year and a half
ago,” said Holly Frew, a college communications director with a household
income around $135,000 living in Atlanta. “I need to know where the light is at
the end of the tunnel.”
The American middle class encompasses a
broad cross section of workers that includes white-collar office employees,
nurses and plumbers, although there is no universally accepted definition.
Pew Research Center defines the middle
class broadly as having a household income between about $66,666 and $200,000,
depending on where they live. Perpetual sticker shock is making many within the
group feel worse about both their own finances and the future of the country.
They are hunting for bargains and spending more carefully.
Cost-of-living issues also pushed
voters this month toward
candidates who promised to address what many now see as an affordability
crisis. Similar issues dogged Joe Biden’s re-election
campaign last year and have
recently weighed on
President Trump’s approval ratings.
The frugality of the middle-class customer
figures as a recurring theme in recent corporate earnings reports. Fast-food
restaurant Wingstop said this
month that middle-income diners have now joined lower-income ones in dialing
back purchases. Target reported
slumping sales and
said customers are spending cautiously on discretionary items such as home
decor and apparel. Walmart, meanwhile, posted
strong sales as
consumers from all income groups flocked to the retailer’s value.
The University of Michigan’s consumer
sentiment survey showed that 44% of middle-income respondents said their
financial situation was worse than it was a year ago, while 23% said it was
better, based on a three-month average ending in September. Those who feel
worse off overwhelmingly said it was because of higher prices.
Their gloomy outlook was in contrast
with the most affluent families, who are enjoying stock-market gains and
powering the economy with their spending. Many in the middle class also have
stock investments and retirement funds, but they are more apt to feel pinched,
and resentful of rising costs of everything from the price of a steak to a new
couch.
More
The Middle Class
Is Buckling Under Almost Five Years of Persistent Inflation - WSJ
Global Inflation/Stagflation/Recession
Watch.
Given
our Magic Money Tree central banksters and our spendthrift politicians,
inflation now needs an entire section of its own.
New
York Fed President Williams sees room for ‘further adjustment’ to rates
Published
Fri, Nov 21 2025 7:53 AM EST Updated Fri, Nov 21 2025 10:49 AM EST
New
York Federal Reserve President John Williams said Friday he expects the central
bank can lower its key interest rate from here as labor market weakness poses a
bigger economic threat than higher inflation.
With
divisions in the central bank running high over the future of rates, Williams
took the side of the doves who still see policy as a bit restrictive when it
comes to economic growth.
“I
view monetary policy as being modestly restrictive, although somewhat less so
than before our recent actions,” he said in remarks for a speech in Santiago,
Chile. “Therefore, I still see room for a further adjustment in the near term
to the target range for the federal funds rate to move the stance of policy
closer to the range of neutral, thereby maintaining the balance between the
achievement of our two goals.”
Williams’
comments helped move financial markets in several ways.
Stock market
futures rose further
into positive territory while Treasury yields were sharply lower.
At
the same time, fed funds futures pricing for the next Fed move also tilted.
Traders now see a better than 72% probability of another quarter percentage
point reduction at the Dec. 9-10 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee,
and just a 28% chance of no cut, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch gauge.
That’s a dramatic flip from where expectations were Thursday at the same time.
Williams’
comments are significant in that he is considered part of a leadership troika
that also includes Chair Jerome Powell and Vice
Chair Philip Jefferson. Powell has not spoken publicly since the late October
FOMC meeting, during which the committee approved a quarter-point, or 25 basis
point, reduction.
More
New York Fed
President Williams sees room for 'further adjustment' to rates
Covid-19
Corner
This
section will continue only occasionally when something of interest occurs.
Technology
Update.
With events happening fast in the
development of solar power and graphene, among other things, I’ve added this
section. Updates as they get reported.
A plane fire that sent 8 people to the hospital shows why airlines
are taking battery safety so seriously
21 November 2025
- A battery caught fire while passengers were boarding an SAS flight,
with 8 people sent to the hospital.
- Airlines have been tightening their rules on power banks since a
large fire earlier this year.
- Some flights have been diverted due to the safety risk posed by
devices that go missing on board.
Airlines are becoming increasingly
vigilant about batteries — and a recent fire on a flight in Norway is a stark
reminder of why.
Eight people were taken to the hospital
after a battery caught fire in someone's hand luggage, according to Norway's
Accident Investigation Board.
Passengers were still boarding a
Scandinavian Airlines plane that was about to embark on a flight from the
Norwegian capital, Oslo, to Bergen, less than an hour west.
The incident occurred on October 14 but
came to light on Tuesday when Norwegian officials announced their
investigation.
About 50 people had boarded SAS Flight
295 when smoke was seen coming from a suitcase.
The cabin was evacuated while the pilots
put on oxygen masks and the flight attendants wore smoke hoods.
Cabin crew members tried to extinguish
the fire, but it flared up again. The suitcase was taken out of the plane,
where the fire service put out the fire.
The ambulance service was called, and
eight people were taken to the hospital for observation after they were
believed to have inhaled toxic fumes. They were all discharged within 48 hours,
Norwegian investigators said.
SAS did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
How are airlines cracking down on power banks?
The safety risks posed by
lithium-battery devices have grown more apparent this year, with many airlines tightening power bank rules and some flights being forced to divert.
Power banks,
phones, and laptops are all powered by lithium batteries — but the former are
more susceptible to damage or overcharging. This can result in thermal runaway,
which leads to a rapid temperature increase and, in some instances, fire.
Back in January, 27 people were injured
when an Air Busan flight caught fire on the ground at South Korea's Busan
Airport.
The plane was written off, and
investigators pointed to a power bank as the source of the fire. Then, the
South Korean government banned passengers from charging power banks on planes.
Airlines around the world have followed
suit with similar rules, including Emirates and Southwest Airlines.
In June, the day after its new rules
took effect, a Southwest flight diverted as a battery charger started smoking.
The Federal Aviation Administration
issued a safety alert in September, recommending airlines ensure that
passengers keep lithium-battery devices visible and accessible.
It has recorded over 60 incidents
involving lithium batteries since the start of the year.
Sometimes, the mere risk of a fire has
prompted pilots to turn planes around.
Last month, a United Airlines flight U-turned over the Atlantic Ocean after a passenger
dropped their laptop down the side of their seat, and it fell into the cargo
hold.
That meant those on board wouldn't know
if it had caught fire until it was too late. It's the same reason you're not
allowed to pack electronic devices in checked luggage.
"We don't know the status of it, we
can't access it, we can't see it," one of the pilots told air traffic
control during the incident. "So our decision is to return to [Washington]
Dulles and find this laptop before we can continue over the ocean."
A similar incident occurred just five
weeks later, when another United passenger dropped a laptop during a flight from London to Washington,
D.C.
"Maintenance crews retrieved the
laptop, inspected the aircraft, and the flight later departed for Washington
Dulles," an airline spokesperson said.
Next, the
world global debt clock. Nations debts to GDP compared.
World Debt Clocks
(usdebtclock.org)
Why did I take up stealing? To
live better, to own things I couldn't afford, to acquire this good taste that
you now enjoy and which I should be very reluctant to give up.
Cary Grant. To Catch A Thief.
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