Americans prepare to sit down, feast and give thanks this weekend for what they have, who they have and the good blessings that they have enjoyed over the past year.
This comes amidst a time period when their email boxes are being flooded with Black Friday specials for trinkets, baubles and cosmetic goods that will provide a temporary reprieve from the more realistic situation that the vast majority are experiencing: growing debt levels and increased uncertainty.
The fact is, the stock market continues to tick higher, though not to the benefit of the mass majority of individuals who have simply not been able to partake in the “recovery” after the decimation they experienced via the 2008 crisis – a crisis that I contend has simply been papered over and one that will eventually once again rear its ugly head.
At the same time as new record highs in the stock market, we see that debt levels are also at all time highs, breaking new records and reaffirming my previously mentioned belief that the rot within our system continues to persist, silently behind the scenes. It appears that as a mass, we have learned nothing.
I am not trying to be pessimistic, but the fact is, people are rushing out to buy goods this weekend that they don’t need, can’t afford and ultimately that won’t make them any happier.
The only saving grace is the fact that a growing trend continues to manifest. This trend is one that cannot be ignored at this point and one that has central bankers privately meeting and discussing what they are going to do about it.
This is the flood of fiat money that continues to flow out of the economy and into what people perceive is a more viable, safe place to park their funds. This can be witnessed via the monumental amount of money that continues to move into bitcoin and other alternative cryptocurrencies. This is a trend that has amazed many as the charts continue to go parabolic.
Perhaps these people are misguided, perhaps they are wrong and bitcoin will crash overnight; perhaps they are correct and we are going through a once in a lifetime change. Who knows – I certainty don’t.
