That Kind Of Loss Is Distressing To Homeowners Who’ve Seen Equity Erode Big-Time

1. ‘I don’t know if, if, if I felt more embarrassed or angry. I mean, embarrassed because now here I am over 30 years in the business world, worked very hard and made a good life for myself, and this whole thing was to try to help us toward an early retirement. For me to fall for something like this, it just felt like what did I miss’

   Sounds like yer missing 100,000 pesos Brad.

2. ‘Several high-profile real estate agents are talking about starting their own groups if NAR goes under. ‘This is an extinction-level event’

   Oh dear Larry…

   1. Feral groups of starving realtors raiding Koi ponds & birds’ nests will be the new normal in 2024.

      1. “…Feral groups of starving realtors…”

         In this day of disintermediation and [freely available] information everywhere, what is the fundamental need for a realtor anyway?

         1. Who is going to tell them they’re obsolete?

            https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-05/gen-z-realtors-turn-to-social-media-to-break-into-hard-housing-market?

         2. They need to go the way of travel agents. They are a useless parasite imbedded in transactions.

      2. Someone should make an AI video of realtards raiding koi ponds and squirrel feeders.

   2. Monopoly is supposedly illegal in the US. A little competition on the sales side could go a long way to making America’s housing market great again.

   3. their own groups

      Like NAR?

3. And they’re advising buyers to grab the opportunity that higher rates offer – more stable housing prices and fewer buyers in the market.

   Savvy buyers will ignore the REIC shills and wait for the carnage to fully play out after the Fed’s Everything Bubble implodes and trillions in fictitious Yellen Bux “value” is wiped away from Housing Bubble 2.0.

4. We are all doing price reductions and if you would jump in, if a client would jump in and buy the house now they will get the best house for the best price,’ Paramount Real Estate Agent, Zita Johnston said.

   Stop lying, Zita. Always Be Closing might be the prime directive for the industry of dissemblers known as the NAR, but rest assured, buyers, buying into a bursting housing bubble will be your financial Waterloo.

5. For me to fall for something like this, it just felt like what did I miss,’ Jones said.”

   “Oh, Brad, I’m mad.” — Janet (Rocky Horror Picture Show)

   1. “Dammit, Janet!” — Rocky Horror Picture Show

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4WP3bODmfo

6. From his place of self-exile on Butt-Hurt Island, ABQ Dan could not be reached for comment.

   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-05/troubled-china-shadow-bank-zhongzhi-files-for-bankruptcy?srnd=premium-asia&sref=ibr3A0ff

   1. “…Butt-Hurt Island…”

      LOLZ

7. Is inflation contained now?

   1. Financial Times
      Eurozone inflation
      Eurozone inflation rises to 2.9% in December
      Price increase raises questions over how soon ECB will start cutting interest rates
      Crowds of shoppers in central Madrid, Spain on December 27 2023
      The reduction of government subsidies on gas, electricity and food that began last year has triggered a re-acceleration of annual inflation in much of Europe
      Martin Arnold in Frankfurt 4 hours ago

      Eurozone inflation rose to 2.9 per cent in December, reversing six months of consecutive falls and raising questions over how soon the European Central Bank would start cutting interest rates.

      The annual rise in December of consumer prices in the 20 countries that share the euro was up from a more than two-year low of 2.4 per cent the previous month, but was slightly lower than the 3 per cent rate forecast by economists in a Reuters poll.
      …

   2. Financial Times
      US employment
      US jobs market strengthened unexpectedly in December
      Rise of 216,000 jobs counters economists’ expectations and undermines case for interest rate cuts
      People walk by a job ad poster for Chipotle
      The non-farm payrolls figure was up from a revised figure of 173,000 in November
      Claire Jones in Washington and Kate Duguid in New York 5 hours ago

      The US jobs market showed unexpected strength in December, adding 216,000 jobs and undermining the case for the Federal Reserve to consider cutting interest rates.

      The non-farm payrolls figure was up from a revised figure of 173,000 in November. The figures, collated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, also showed that unemployment remained at 3.7 per cent in December.

      The jobs data is a crucial metric for the Fed as its officials assess the health of the US economy — and Friday’s monthly update comes as economists and rate-setters debate how quickly and when the central bank should cut rates.
      …

      1. The options market for US Treasuries was abuzz Thursday following the emergence of a large bearish wager that Friday’s jobs report will trigger the biggest backup in benchmark yields in more than nine months. ‘If I was a fund manager or a market participant, I’d think some cheap option protection right now would be advisable because the market’s overplayed the disinflation narrative,’ said Stephen Miller, a three-decade bond market veteran who now works as an investment consultant at GSFM. ‘So it makes sense that there’s such a bearish wager in markets.’

         https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trader-makes-massive-bet-treasuries-221500105.html

   3. The Financial Times
      Year in a word 2023
      Opinion Central banks
      Year in a word: Higher for longer
      The policy of keeping interest rates elevated until inflation comes down has proved difficult but ultimately successful
      Delphine Strauss December 31 2023

      Alan Greenspan famously said he had “learnt to mumble with great incoherence” after becoming chair of the US Federal Reserve. His successors have spent much of this year trying to impress one clear message on investors: interest rates will not come down until inflation has fallen sustainably to target.

      Huw Pill, the Bank of England’s chief economist, found one of the most striking ways to explain this, telling a South African audience in August that central banks needed to choose between two paths for interest rates — one with a sharp spike and precipitous drop, like that of the Matterhorn in the Alps, the other more like Cape Town’s Table Mountain, with a high plateau.

      The smoother path, with rates remaining “higher for longer” at a stable level, was preferable, he argued, because it squeezed the economy more gently.

      It has proved a difficult message to sell.
      …

   4. Yahoo
      Bloomberg
      Treasuries Plunge as Job Creation Pace Dims Wagers on Fed Cuts
      Liz Capo McCormick
      Fri, January 5, 2024 at 6:03 AM PST·2 min read

      (Bloomberg) — Treasuries extended this week’s selloff after job creation greatly exceeded forecasts in December, sparking a further paring of expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates as soon as March.

      Yields on all maturities rose sharply, with two-year yields initially climbing almost 10 basis points to around 4.48%, before paring gains. The benchmark 10-year note’s yield jumped about 7 basis points to 4.07%.

      In the immediate aftermath of the data release, swap contracts tied to Fed meeting dates priced in slightly less than a 50% chance of a quarter-point policy-rate decrease in March — down from over 60% at the start of the day Friday. Traders also briefly pared expectations for cuts this year to 125 basis points, or five full cuts, down from around 145 basis points on Wednesday.

      The probability of a March cut is now hovering just over 50% and swaps imply a total of about 130 basis points of policy-rate cuts in 2024.

      “It is clear the Fed is going to be waiting awhile before it starts cutting rates because the labor market is still quite strong and the wage growth is still quite strong,” University of Chicago professor and former Fed Governor Randall Kroszner said on Bloomberg Television.
      …
      https://finance.yahoo.com/news/treasuries-plunge-job-creation-pace-140312452.html

8. New video has emerged of renters’ singing their official anthem as the Fed’s Housing Bubble 2.0 bursts all around them.

   Anna & the Apocalypse – “Turning My Life Around.”

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeQ3ATrrz2I

   1. I forgot about that song!

9. Re: “the market is less frantic but experienced real estate professionals see that as a good thing.”

   “Experience is a comb that life gives you after you lose your hair.” – Judith Stern

   1. Ouch!

10. Happy Twelfth Day of Christmas.

11. From the Colorado Sun:

    Denver moved 277 migrants from an encampment into shelter — as 443 more arrived
    An excerpt from the article:

    “We are not asking them to give us money. We are not asking them to give us anything,” he said in Spanish as he stood outside the city shelter. “We want work, and at least right now, we want them to let us in because snow is going to fall on the street.”

    In a tense conversation with a Denver Human Services worker, Gonzalez begged for a spot.

    “What are you waiting for?” he asked. “To let one of us die of hypothermia? We left our country for a better future for our family. We are not from here. But we are not animals either.”

    They sound like they are starting to panic. About 200 more arrive every day and there are no resources left for them.

    1. Anyway, these are the fruits of the regime’s irresponsible border policies. People who should have been sent back are now realizing they will be spending winter in an unheated tent. They don’t understand what is happening to them. They were told they would be cared for upon arrival and that there were plenty of high paying jobs for them and some free cheese to go with it. Instead they are facing hypothermia as the mercury continues to drop. They clamor for “work permits”, not understanding that they are unemployable.

       And it doesn’t do any good to put them on a bus, because it’s the same story everywhere: tents and soup kitchens

       1. In a past life I really enjoyed winter sports and I have attempted cold weather camping many times. It sucks. Even with the right gear it is generally unpleasant. These people are risking their lives and abusing their children. However, I’m confident that they have access to the interwebs and that regional temperature data (aka numbers) is the same in most languages. I can only conclude that most of these of these people are of low intelligence and consistently make bad life choices. What a win for Denver! I actually feel bad for them because they are going to experience true misery but how do you fix this kind of stupid?

          1. I read in another article that the invaders arriving in Denver were told by “guards” (Border Patrol, I presume) that Denver is nice and they should go there. They do seem shell shocked by the cold which is only going to get worse.

             They yammer about “working”, even though there are no jobs for them, even if they had papers (AKA the work permit).

             I suspect that the city of Denver will shave funds from other budgets to rent more motel rooms, but the city is clearly overwhelmed. And the suburbs have said “Don’t send them here. We can’t help them because we’re broke too.”

    2. Going down to 10F degrees here next week.

       The “migrants” will ALL get free housing, regardless of circumstances, while homeless U.S. citizens can freeze and die.

       1. The “migrants” will ALL get free housing

          I don’t think so, not unless DC starts writing some checks. There are just too many of them. Johnston’s bravado is gone and now he’s screaming for financial help and demanding that Texas stop sending the invaders by the busload. They’re now sending the invaders to places like the Denver Rescue Mission, and the invaders are objecting to being dumped with the junkies.

          1. By chance, is there any thought of repealing the “sanctuary city” designation?

             1. I think that is what is known as closing the barn door after the cow already got out.

                It does show that the invaders did due zero diligence when looking for a destination. They probably had no clue when they started their journeys that it can get very, very cold in most of the US, and that it’s not all like Miami.

                They also did zero research as into what kind of jobs they could get (almost none), how much they would pay, what the cost of living is like, etc. They just have no clue.

             2. Dumver sure going all out to take care of these migrants vs LTR homeless. Voting base perhaps with some semblance of understanding.

             3. During his campaign Johnston make a lot of noise about how he was going to solve homelessness in Denver.

                I’m sure that most metro mayors have their marching orders: absorb as many invaders as you can. Failure to do so will mean that you can forget about ever being in Congress, the Senate or being Governor someday.

          2. Dumver voted 80% for ex-mayor Michael Hancock in his last election, the mayor who declared Dumver to be a sanctuary city.

             “They’re not sending their best”

       2. Maybe that will be the next strategy. “The southern states will have to take in the migrants for humanitarian reasons because it’s warmer there.”

          As for work, well, maybe they DO want to work, but sorry, you got here about 15 years too late. All the unskilled labor is already being done by cheap illegals. You can’t go much lower.

          1. All the unskilled labor is already being done by cheap illegals.

             And it’s tribal. The Salvadoran drywallers re not going to teach the Venezuelans or help them find jobs a drywallers.

             The sheer numbers arriving makes it impossible to absorb them. There is not enough cheap housing for them.

             I feel sorry for them. The NGO people told them that the streets are paved with gold and after walking and hitching rides from wherever they came from they find themselves sleeping in freezing tents.

    3. He reiterates he doesn’t want anything, just a job and free housing and right now, pronto.

       1. You noticed that too?

          Remember, he grew up in Communist Venezuela, where all he ever heard was that he had rights to free this and free that, nevermind all the government ever delivered were bare shelves.

          Those people need to be sent home.

12. This week, there was an “insurrection” in the California State Capitol in Sacramento.

    A group of radical extremists invaded the State Assembly, interrupting the first day of the legislative session and forcing lawmakers to flee the chamber. They continued to occupy the legislature even after the lights were turned off. But eventually, they were allowed to leave peacefully, and there were no arrests at all.

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/01/05/blue-state-blues-insurrection-is-ok-as-long-as-its-by-the-left/

13. – Executive summary of 111 years of Federal Reserve System affects on the U.S. socioeconomic system. Chickens coming home to roost.
    – This sounds about right to me, and is intuitively obvious to the most casual observer. Congress has oversight of the Fed, but since they’re benefiting (i.e. self-enriching) from Fed-induced asset bubbles and stonk trades based on insider information, they’re not doing anything to stop it. We’re freaking doomed.

    https://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2024/01/what-fed-accomplished-distorted-economy.html
    Thursday, January 04, 2024
    Charles Hugh Smith
    What the Fed Accomplished: Distorted the Economy, Enriched the Rich and Crushed the Middle Class

    Let’s summarize what the Federal Reserve accomplished since embarking on its massive interventions to control volatility, risk, bond yields, interest rates, the mortgage market, bank subsidies and liquidity, all of which can be summed up as the cost of credit-capital, that is, capital that is borrowed into existence based on some form of collateral or income stream.

    By artificially suppressing the cost of capital to less than inflation, the Fed succeeded in:
    1. Fatally distorting the economy.
    2. Greatly enriching the already-rich at the expense of the bottom 90%.
    3. Crushing the middle class and reducing the bottom 90% to debt-serfs.

    Reducing the cost of capital had multiple distorting effects. A useful analogy is the critical role of “keystone species” in maintaining healthy, diverse ecosystems.

    Risk and competition are the vital forces enabling a diverse ecosystem. Once the keystone predators have been eliminated (starfish, wolves, et al), the species freed from risk and competition overwhelm the ecosystem and crowd out healthy diversity. These species end up destroying the ecosystem via overgrazing, destruction of forests, etc.

    The same dynamic, enforced by the Fed, has gutted the US economy. Corporations and financiers with virtually unlimited access to near-zero cost capital were freed to buy up hundreds of smaller competitors, buy back trillions of dollars of their own shares to enrich the already rich managers and large shareholders and leverage their assets and cash flow into Empires of Debt which could be sold or taken public (WeWork, et al) reaping enormous profits–profits unavailable to wage earners and those who did not have the opportunity to acquire assets before ZIRP inflated the Everything Bubble.

    Lowering the cost of capital to zero also distorted the balance between labor and capital in favor of capital, as the already-wealthy, i.e. those who already owned collateral and cash flows, could leverage up their assets and income to borrow vast sums at near-zero interest to scoop up income-producing assets. Mere wage earners could not compete and so wealth and income flowed to the top 01%, top 1% and top 10%:

    Suppressing the cost of capital also incentivized over-borrowing / the runaway expansion of debt as interest payments are so cheap, why not borrow as much as possible and invest the money in higher returns and “shovel-ready” government projects?

    https://www.oftwominds.com/photos2023/wealth-top1-2-23b.png

    – Asset bubbles always burst.
    – The Everything Bubble is the mother of all bubbles (MOAB).
    – The bigger the boom, the bigger the bust.
    – It’s different this time.
    – Banana Republic indeed!

    1. +1

       Pigmen gonna pig.

    2. – I’m posting this here for the record and for posterity.
       – Janet Yellen, former Fed Chair, travels through the magic revolving door in Washington, D.C. to become U.S. Treasury Secretary. Her net worth is estimated to be $20M. An elite “Progressive” in every key office.
       – “Whatever it takes” for Progressives/Leftists to get Brandon reelected, which would be Obama 4.0. May God help us if that happens. The nation will not survive it.
       – Recall that employment is a lagging indicator. Yellen is looking in the rear view mirror on the economy, a trait carried over from her tenure at the Fed. Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius.
       – In my view, the recession will be recorded as beginning sometime in H1, ’24. The next leg down in the current bear market may have started this week. The clock is ticking. Tick tock.

       https://finance.yahoo.com/news/yellen-declares-us-economy-achieved-162004725.html
       Bloomberg
       Yellen declares US economy has achieved soft landing
       Christopher Condon
       Fri, Jan 5, 2024, 9:20 AM MST | 2 min. read

       (Bloomberg) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declared Friday the US economy had achieved a long-sought soft landing, a historically unusual event in which high inflation is tamed without significantly damaging the labor market.

       “What we’re seeing now I think we can describe as a soft landing, and my hope is that it will continue,” Yellen said Friday in an interview with CNN.

       – Nearly 15 years of extraordinary, and experimental easy $ policies and what have we got to show for it? $34T in national debt, $2.5T MBS + $4.5T still on the Fed’s balance sheet, and inflation out the wazoo. Core inflation is still above the (arbitrary and non-zero) 2% Fed inflation target. Also, the ~25% cumulative inflation since the pandemic is still there. Only the inflation rate has come down, but still high. Prices haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Everyone knows this. And Brandon wonders why all the doom and gloom.

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkRYuMqw-B0
       Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford (Lyrics on Screen)
       Joshua Hull
       3.58K subscribers
       4,582,647 views Oct 7, 2012

       \\

       – Related bonus article:

       https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feds-yellen-not-another-financial-174600383.html
       Fed’s Yellen: Not another financial crisis in ‘our lifetimes’
       Reuters
       Tue, Jun 27, 2017

       LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) – U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Tuesday that she does not believe that there will be a run on the banking system at least as long as she lives.

       “Would I say there will never, ever be another financial crisis? You know probably that would be going too far but I do think we’re much safer and I hope that it will not be in our lifetimes and I don’t believe it will be,” Yellen said at an event in London.

       1. the recession will be recorded as beginning sometime in H1, ’24.

          They can call it whenever they like, it doesn’t change reality. The CPI and GDP are cooked book numbers. By understating the first, the second is overstated.

          1. ^This!

       2. “and I hope that it will not be in our lifetime”

          Says every member of the Parasite Class age 70+ by looting the futures of the next generations.

          1. Parasite Class age 70+

             Perhaps you should explain how my age makes me a parasite.

       3. “Prices haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Everyone knows this.”

          Affordability improvements (aka price deflation) is off limits by the Fed’s play book. What would advantage savers would also crush banks and debt donkeys.

14. Will dancing on Charlie Munger’s grave somehow help porcine beauticians transform bitcon from a sow’s ear into a silk purse?

    1. Yahoo
       Moneywise
       ‘You can’t kill it’: Jim Cramer says the late Charlie Munger was ‘blind’ to Bitcoin — after the crypto soared above $45K for the first time since April 2022. Who should you listen to now?
       Bethan Moorcraft
       Thu, January 4, 2024 at 5:45 AM PST·4 min read

       Bitcoin blasted into the New Year with a price rally that has crypto bulls bellowing with joy.

       The world’s largest and most popular cryptocurrency hit a 21-month peak on Tuesday, Jan. 2, climbing above $45,000 for the first time since April 2022. This follows a remarkable 156% gain in 2023 — the asset’s strongest annual performance since 2020.
       ..
       https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cant-kill-jim-cramer-says-134500392.html

       1. In other words, BTC is still tracking the equities market.

       2. These digital tulip bulbs will revert to their intrinsic value of zero.

          1. The price of Bitcoin is increasing on anticipation of the granting of a spot price ETF.

             They want Bitcoin to have the price of a fully adopted currency but with the safety a tradability of an asset.

             1. a fully adopted currency

                Do you realize why this can never happen?

             2. One fiat currency is more than enough.

    2. the money game
       Jan. 2, 2024
       Why Wall Street Might Be Falling in Love With Bitcoin
       Portrait of Kevin T. Dugan By Kevin T. Dugan, staff writer at Intelligencer, who covers money and business
       Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images

       It’s been more than a decade since the idea of bringing bitcoin to the masses was but a twinkle in the Winklevoss twins’ eyes. Bitcoin, of course, is much easier to buy than it was when Barack Obama was president, but the fees, delays, and existential risks of crypto exchanges have led most of the investing public, including nearly all institutional investors, to remain on the sidelines. To date, there arguably hasn’t been an easy, cheap, low-risk way for regular folks with a 401(k) or a brokerage account to buy into the digital currency. But the widely expected approval by regulators of numerous bitcoin-exchange-traded funds in the coming days could change all that.
       …
       https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/01/the-long-awaited-bitcoin-etf-is-probably-almost-here.html

       1. “But the widely expected approval by regulators of numerous bitcoin-exchange-traded funds in the coming days could change all that.”

          Sorry to point out the obvious, but SEC approval of Ponzi assets cannot magically endow them with intrinsic value.

          1. Home / Crypto & Blockchain /
             SPECIAL REPORT The Top 7 Stocks for 2024
             Bitcoin ETF Countdown: Top 7 Cryptos to Buy Before the Boom
             Most cryptos will benefit from the approval of a Bitcoin ETF
             By Alex Sirois, InvestorPlace Contributor Dec 26, 2023, 6:30 am EST

             – Bitcoin (BTC-USD): The markets are gearing up for ETF approval, and Bitcoin will benefit substantially.

             – Ethereum (ETH-USD): Ethereum has a real ability to return to its 2021 price levels.

             – Cardano (ADA-USD): Cardano will continue to challenge Ethereum and garner significant developer interest.

             – Keep reading for information about more cryptos that will benefit from a Bitcoin ETF!
             …
             https://investorplace.com/2023/12/bitcoin-etf-countdown-top-7-cryptos-to-buy-before-the-boom/

             1. I can see the seeds of a massive Wall Street cryptocurrency ETF pump&dump operation beginning to sprout green shoots. Who will reap the fallout when the masses realize they were duped into throwing away their life savings on electronic tulip bulbs?

          2. Digital Ecosystem
             Crypto experiences an ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ moment
             The world of cryptocurrency is going through a crisis that is severe even by its own notoriously volatile standards.
             Scott Bicheno
             November 10, 2022
             3 Min Read
             Crypto experiences an ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ moment

             The world of cryptocurrency is going through a crisis that is severe even by its own notoriously volatile standards.

             We’re not going to pretend we really understand what crypto is all about, other than it being positioned as an alternative to state-run fiat money and emerging as a major new source of speculative investment. Such speculation has always felt even more like gambling in a casino than other forms of investment, but the prospect of massive gains ensured there were always plenty of people willing to give it a go.

             Sensible crypto investors will have treated it as the high-risk end of a balanced portfolio that also includes much less volatile stuff, while the state of the global economy has made people more risk-averse. That will be one of the reasons crypto has been plummeting for most of this year but recent events have intensified the sense of crisis.

             While part of the point of crypto is that it’s an unregulated form of finance, that also means anyone can get involved. As a result there are a seemingly infinite number of cryptocurrencies, as illustrated by coinmarketcap.com. You will note nearly all of them are heavily in the red over the past week and the two big ones – Bitcoin and Etherium – which account for over half of the total crypto market capitalization, are down by around two thirds since the start of this year.

             And then there are the specialist exchanges, which seem to offer bank-like services too, leaving them especially exposed to major fluctuations in the crypto market. One of these – FTX – is apparently on the verge of some kind of collapse, due in part to the kind of run and resulting liquidity crisis historically associated with regular banks.

             It was hoped that FTX might be rescued by fellow crypto exchange Binance but the WSJ reports that’s a non-starter, with Binance noting ‘the issues are beyond our control or ability to help’. The WSJ also reports that the US Securities and Exchange Commission has indicated it’s going to take a long, hard look at the crypto world, especially exchanges, in the wake of the FTX drama. The following gesture of contrition from the FTX CEO is unlikely to placate the SEC nor console investors.

             [SBF gesture of contrition:

             1) I’m sorry. That’s the biggest thing.

             I f_cked up, and should have done better.
             6:13 AM · Nov 10, 2022]
             …
             https://www.telecoms.com/digital-ecosystem/crypto-experiences-an-emperor-s-new-clothes-moment

             1. Do you like online casino gambling?

                Remember: The house always wins.

             2. Bitcoin halving in: 99 Days
                Today’s Cryptocurrency Prices by Market Cap

                The global crypto market cap is $1.64T, a 1.19% decrease over the last day
                …
                https://coinmarketcap.com/

          3. Anthony Scaramucci
             The Sweet Life with Bitcoin: How I Stopped Worrying about Cryptocurrency and You Should Too!, Pre-Owned Paperback 1637583354 9781637583357 Anthony Scaramucci
             $4.55

             https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Sweet-Life-Bitcoin-How-I-Stopped-Worrying-Cryptocurrency-You-Should-Too-Pre-Owned-Paperback-1637583354-9781637583357-Anthony-Scaramucci/489172777

       2. “To date, there arguably hasn’t been an easy, cheap, low-risk way for regular folks with a 401(k) or a brokerage account to buy into the digital currency. But the widely expected approval by regulators of numerous bitcoin-exchange-traded funds in the coming days could change all that.”

          What do real journalists get paid to pimp crypto?

    3. The man introduced as the chief executive officer of HyperVerse, Steven Reece Lewis, in a screenshot from the scheme’s launch video.

       Cryptocurrencies
       Chief executive of collapsed crypto fund HyperVerse does not appear to exist
       Exclusive: Steven Reece Lewis was introduced to investors with an impressive list of qualifications and achievements, but no organisation cited can find any record of him
       Sarah Martin
       Wed 3 Jan 2024 09.00 EST
       …
       https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/jan/04/chief-executive-of-collapsed-crypto-fund-hyperverse-does-not-appear-to-exist

15. Denver
    No sooner than the news story was taking place regarding the migrant sweep ANOTHER bus load pulls up for a drop off. Doesn’t get any better than that.
    (About the 2 minute mark of the video)

    https://kdvr.com/news/local/father-of-5-scavenges-for-food-behind-gates-at-migrant-encampment/

    1. And the mega caravan is on its way to the border. Denver City Hall thinks 5000-6000 new arrivals every month is a lot? They ain’t seen nothing yet.

       1. My lease (what is a lease, WINNAHS?) ends this summer. If it gets bad I can always leave, when I conclude payments on a 12 month rental contract.

          360 months? That many months, really?

16. ‘One buyer looked past that minor disadvantage and stitched together a deal $189,000 under the asking price with a close on December 29. ‘It became apparent the market was becoming more interest rate sensitive, and people were concerned about which way the market was going to go’

    Wa happened to my pivot Penny?

17. ‘the sole bidder for a plot on Lantau, took the 1.9-hectare parcel at an almost 20 per cent discount, after a record six sites were left unsold. Midland Realty’s Chief Analyst Buggle Lau told Ming Pao that the lack of land tenders would not have an immediate impact on supply, adding that there were still more than 20,000 unsold units’

    This is an island where people have been building shacks forever. The most expensive residential real estate in the history of man. And there’s no shortage.

18. ‘The public is being lied to’: Elon Musk blasted big money funds like BlackRock, Fidelity for having ‘inflicted’ ESG upon corporate America — warns of the ‘biggest class action’ in history
    “The average investor is being misled,” he says.
    Elon Musk seen making a goofy face while on stage with a blue background.
    Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images
    By Jing Pan
    Jan. 04, 2024
    3 min read

    As the investment world continues to embrace Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, some industry leaders are less than enthusiastic about the change.

    And Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes at the end of the day, it’s the average investor who’s left holding the bag.

    “We don’t basically do some sort of like bizarre, like communism rebranded thing, which is like a lot of what ESG is and to be inflicted upon corporate America without the knowledge of the actual shareholders, which is what’s going on,” he said during a 2023 discussion with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on X Spaces.

    To be sure, Musk acknowledged his long-standing history of supporting environmental causes. His car company, Tesla, is becoming a staple in many ESG portfolios as electric vehicles, recognized for their zero tailpipe emissions, align with environmental goals.

    However, Musk isn’t shy about criticizing investment world titans that have a strong ESG focus.

    “The public is being lied to … And I’m naming names here: BlackRock, Fidelity … I know you guys and you need to tell your customers that you’re not making the optimal decisions for shareholder value because that’s what’s going on,” he said.
    …
    https://moneywise.com/investing/elon-musk-slams-esg-principles

19. Van Halen — Hang Em High:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjOKti90xQA

    1. Ratt — Nobody Rides for Free:

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zDOl-j4SqQ

       1. Guns N’ Roses — Mr. Brownstone:

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27rKrR424cA

          1. Cream — Take It Back:

             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ttHUBAqpTA

             1. Cream — Badge:

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hjVjYfLMjI

20. Billionaire Doug Manchester’s La Jolla Estate on the Market for Reduced $37.5M
    Published: January 5, 2024 | By: American Luxury Staff
    Perched atop 31 sprawling acres in San Diego, the storied Foxhill Estate of billionaire Doug Manchester has returned to market once more for $37.5 million. This grand manor originally debuted in summer 2022 priced up to $49 million across two configurations before the deal was sweetened with price cuts. Even still, no steward emerged for the 22,897-square-foot French-inspired palace.
    …
    https://www.amlu.com/2024/01/05/billionaire-doug-manchesters-la-jolla-estate-on-the-market-for-reduced-37-5m/

    1. “…debuted in summer 2022 priced up to $49 million…”

       What does this bit of RealtorSpeak mean in plain English? ‘We will accept offers up to $49 million, but not a penny more.’? I am scratching my head….

21. Natalie Winters
    @nataliegwinters

    BREAKING: Burisma, the Ukraine gas giant that paid Hunter Biden millions, just lawyered up.

    The company and its founder retained the white-shoe law firm Cravath according to the Foreign Agent Registration Act database.

    They’re clearly terrified of a Biden impeachment inquiry.

    https://x.com/nataliegwinters/status/1743297816557146543?s=20

Comments are closed.