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| “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
Americans can be justifiably proud of their founding fathers’ insistence on a separation of Church and State. And, yet, surprisingly, very few Americans seem to understand what their founding fathers meant by this concept. Conservative politicians take pride is saying that the US is, primarily, a Christian nation and that their Christian forefathers fought King George in order to have the freedom to practice Christianity as they saw fit. Liberal politicians tend to take an opposing view—that separation of Church and State means that the concept of God has no place in government. In fact, some go so far as to say that landmarks, such as a plaque stating that George Washington attended a specific church, should be removed, as it compromises the separation of Church and State. Unfortunately, both these groups have got it wrong. So, let’s take a step back and have a look at what caused Thomas Jefferson to repeatedly insist that the separation be implemented in the US Constitution.
Mister Jefferson attended the College of William & Mary, where he received the university customary education, but went on to study law privately under George Wythe in Williamsburg, Virginia. Mister Wythe was not only his teacher, but his mentor, a man in his latter years who not only imparted knowledge to the young Jefferson, but wisdom. He frequented the Raleigh Tavern with his pupil, but additionally brought him to banquets at the mansion of Governor Fauquier, in an effort to expand his outlook. I believe that it’s safe to say that, when Mister Jefferson completed his education at age thirty-four, he had both the energy and imagination of youth and the wisdom of the elders at his command. The former gave him his drive and the latter provided him with the farsightedness that guided the writing of the American Constitution and the future direction of the new nation. George Wythe lived conveniently next door to the Governor. (His home is still there today, as is his small study where he taught the future president.) On the other side of his home was Bruton Parish Church. In the 18th Century, one could not be elected to office unless he was a member of the Church of England. As Attorney General, Mister Wythe tolerated this, but taught his pupil that, as a free man, he should not be required to be an Anglican. To add insult to injury, Mister Jefferson was not a Christian, but a Deist, as were several others of the founding fathers. He did believe in his own form of a God and even referred to him in the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence, but did not ascribe to him the power of miracles and omnipotence, as described in the Bible. In addition, he regarded Jesus as an admirable human being, but did not regard him as anything more. (In later years, he would create his own Bible, by removing much of what he considered to be latter-day additions to the King James Bible, leaving little more than the words of Jesus.) In spite of his beliefs, Mister Jefferson was required to be a (paid-up) member of the Anglican Church in order to sit in the House of Burgesses, and he chafed at this requirement. However, he was a deep believer in the concept of God as a being with both consciousness and conscience, who he believed took no direct part in the affairs of man, but did create all men as equals and therefore entitled them to “certain unalienable Rights.” But he saw the Church differently. He regarded it as a political organization, controlled by the King, intended to dictate morals and acceptable behaviour.
Mister Jefferson was entirely comfortable with the concept of a moral God as a principle upon which to base a government. However, he distrusted the inclusion of the Church. Comedian George Carlin once said, “I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.” Had Mister Jefferson been in the audience, I believe he would have nodded his approval. Today, politicians tend to treat God and Church as being one and the same. In the perception of America’s founding fathers, they were entirely different entities. One was a creator, the other was a controller and, at times, a usurper. Not coincidentally, it was the latter description that they ascribed to governments. The Constitution was written not only to outline what their new government should be, but in what ways it should be limited to keep it from being a controller and a usurper. In past history, much good has been done in the name of the Church, but, indeed, whenever it has become a political power centre, it has abused this position. This is evidenced by the Crusades, the Medicis, the Spanish Inquisition, and more. Today, we see this same problem manifesting itself, particularly with the destruction of Europe by religious zealots. Individual spirituality lies at the very core of what makes a person moral. However, a strong personal moral fibre, and an adherence to a religious organization which dictates blind obeisance to itself are, in fact, polar opposites. The former offers a moral compass to the individual; the latter, especially when connected to a government, trounces mankind’s natural morality and increases the potential for oppression by that government. As in so many other things, America’s founding fathers had the right idea with the separation of Church and State. The phrase still exists today, but its original intent has been largely lost. Should its true meaning be revived, we can be fairly certain that it won’t be done by the political class. Regards,
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Nick Rokke (NR): T, you crushed it last year. Bitcoin was up nearly 2,000% in 2017 and Ethereum was up even more—nearly 10,000%. Recently, you told me there’s something brewing in the crypto market that can make 2018 even better.
Teeka Tiwari (TT): Yes, 2017 was a great year for bitcoin and the entire crypto market. But 2018 is gearing up to be an even more transformative year.
Here’s why…
One of the major trends I told you about last year was the tidal wave of institutional money headed into bitcoin. And that’s already started to happen.
Last month, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) launched bitcoin futures and options products. Massive institutional money has flowed into bitcoin since then.
For example, bitcoin’s price soared 25% the first week futures were traded.
But that’s just an appetizer…
The CME and CBOE just paves the way for what I think will be an even bigger event. And that’s a launch of a new bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF).
And that will be huge. An ETF will make it as easy to buy bitcoin as it is to buy a stock. With just one mouse click, you’ll own bitcoin.
[Editor’s Note: As we saw this week, there will be price swings along the way. Learn about the strategy Teeka uses to play the crypto boom safely here.]
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NR: Do you really think a new ETF will bring more people into the crypto market?
TT: More people will absolutely buy bitcoin if there is a one-click ETF.
Think of it like this…
You’re 100 pounds overweight and the doctor tells you that you need to lose that weight. And he says, “We’ve got a plan. You’re going to have to restrict calories, walk more, and lift some weights. And you won’t be able to eat those greasy bacon cheeseburgers and fries anymore. But the good news… you’ll be in great shape in a year.”
How many people are going to do that? Not many.
That’s what it’s like when you ask people to invest in cryptos. Sure, they know bitcoin is going up in value… and it’s a good idea to buy it. But they don’t know how to invest.
Or if they do, they don’t want to set up a new account with an exchange and give the exchange their bank info.
And then they have to worry about how to safely store their bitcoin… or about accidentally sending their bitcoin to the wrong address and losing it forever.
It’s a pain to buy bitcoin now… and even harder to buy other cryptos.
That’s why many people aren’t buying… In fact, one poll found that even though 88% of them have heard about bitcoin, only 2% own it.
That’s because it’s too much “work” for most people to buy. And that’s why people don’t get into shape either… It’s too hard.
NR: How will an ETF change all of that?
TT: Now, imagine that same doctor told you he had a pill you needed to only take once. And if you took the pill, you could lose all the weight you want and be in great shape. You’d wake up tomorrow in perfect health.
Everyone would take that “skinny” pill.
And that’s what’ll happen when people can buy bitcoin with a click of the mouse. It’ll be so easy that everyone will do it.
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NR: Will a bitcoin ETF boost other cryptocurrencies, too?
TT: Look, what’s good for bitcoin is good for all cryptos. Bitcoin is like a “gateway drug.” Once you buy some bitcoin, it sucks you into the crypto world. And you’re going to want to buy more.
So, all these newcomers to bitcoin are also going to eventually want to buy other cryptos. And they will demand other products… like a crypto index fund.
Let me give you an example…
Investors buy the SPDR Trust S&P 500 ETF (SPY) to get exposure to the entire stock market. Crypto investors are going to want something similar. They’re going to want an ETF that gives them exposure to the entire crypto market. And that will drive prices of cryptos higher.
NR: That’s exciting stuff. In December, you said bitcoin would reach $25,000 by the end of 2018. With the recent run-up to $20,000, do you want to revise your price target?
TT: No. I don’t want to revise that yet. But I will say this: As soon as an ETF begins publicly trading, I will revise that target.
Once we get an ETF, bitcoin can easily go to $100,000 per coin. Here’s why…
It’s going to be so easy to buy bitcoin that all the money on the sidelines will come in.
It’s going to become a portion of just about everyone’s asset allocation. But here’s the thing… there just aren’t enough bitcoins to go around.
About 16.7 million bitcoins have been mined so far. But five million or so have been lost for good because people lost their private key. That leaves a total of about 11.7 million bitcoins.
Now, there are 35 million millionaires in the world. Most of these guys are going to want a bitcoin in their portfolio. But there is a problem… There are three times as many millionaires as there are bitcoins. So, they all can’t have one.
Long story short… everyone is going to try to squeeze into this market… And the price will skyrocket once it becomes easy to purchase.
NR: Sounds like 2018 is going to be another great year for Palm Beach Letter subscribers. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today, T.
Editor’s Note: Teeka has been helping subscribers turn tiny grubstakes into millions of dollars—sometimes in less than six months—with his Bitcoin Millionaire Master Plan. And the best thing is you don’t need that much money to start—only as little as $75.
The Master Plan is a complete, step-by-step multimedia guide to becoming the next crypto millionaire. Order your copy right here…
Nos últimos dias recebemos uma verdadeira enxurrada de perguntas sobre a queda da Bitcoin.
Teria estourado a bolha da criptomoeda?
A quem pensa assim, peço que preste atenção aos gráficos seguintes:
Como pode constatar, a Bitcoin teve sempre uma quebra no início dos últimos 4 anos!
Por si só, essa teoria já desqualifica por completo o argumento da “bolha”.
Se neste início de 2018 a bolha estourou, o que dizer de janeiro de 2015?
Aliás, então a bolha já não tinha estourado no primeiro mês de 2016?
Ou no período homólogo de 2017?
Veja com os seus próprios olhos: em todos estes anos o movimento foi semelhante ao atual.
Uma série de fatores técnicos (e não materiais ou fundamentais) explicam o movimento dos últimos dias, que vão desde…
a) A proximidade das comemorações do Ano Novo chinês (este mercado é muito pulverizado entre Ocidente e Oriente e os investidores geralmente não mantêm posições de alta volatilidade em períodos de paralisação local).
b) Vencimento recente dos contratos futuros de Bitcoin, o que agrega mais volatilidade a este mercado nos dias que antecedem o vencimento.
Resumindo:
O leitor pode nunca mais ter outra oportunidade de comprar a moeda digital nesses preços.
A nossa posição oficial, válida para todos os casos é buy on the weakness.
A queda recente é uma oportunidade rara de compra da moeda digital.
Por isso recomendamos que a compre rapidamente.
Um abraço,
Equipa Empiricus
Justin: Todd, I’m not used to seeing “cannabis” and “Army officer” in the same sentence. So, can you tell me how you became interested in the plant?
Todd: I became interested in 2011. I was in Paris at the time, and I was asked to serve as a special advisor for General John Allen. He was the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) back then.
ISAF was a NATO-led security mission. It’s the largest military coalition ever assembled. At the time, it was 51 nations.
Its main purpose was training the Afghan National Security Forces and assisting Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions. It was also engaged in the war with the Taliban insurgency.
I was helping manage the General’s relationship with the Coalition through bilateral engagement and normal security cooperation functions.
One evening, our special staff was asked to come up with creative ways to engage with the Afghans using the domestic resources they had so that they could create an industry without relying on outside assistance.
And I thought, “Geez. The Afghans don’t have many resources.”
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They had minerals, but the Chinese had purchased the rights to them long ago, and it would take nearly a decade to build the infrastructure to mine them effectively.
They had heroin, too, but I certainly didn’t think that could be the basis for an industry.
And they had cannabis. A lot of cannabis that they grew was smuggled outside of the country and sold on the black market for huge profits to fund terrorist operations.
So, I thought, “why don’t we transition them to a hemp industry?” It has 25,000 different uses such as food, fuel, fiber, and medicine. And humans have been using it for 8,000 years. We have essentially evolved with this plant.
Justin: How’d that suggestion go over with your supervisors?
Todd: It was not well-received. I don’t believe my concept was ever even briefed to the General. I was kind of laughed out of the room, to be honest. They called me “Major Cheech & Chong” and things like that.
But I learned so much about the plant by studying it, including its medical potential.
And I thought, “there are some military applications here.”
So, I continued to read, study, and talk to everyone I could about the plant. I learned so much that I became a master at talking to generals, other officers, and ambassadors about marijuana.
Justin: So, do they still call you Major Cheech & Chong?
Todd: I still get a giggle or pot pun when I talk about it. But I’m no longer laughed out of the room. So, yes, I’ve convinced a lot of people that this is a very interesting proposition and might be a way to address reducing suicides from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and chronic pain; all significant issues that often result from our service.
Justin: How did you change people’s minds?
Todd: I just became so passionate and well-studied about the plant, the roots of its prohibition, and its potential to help people.
So, now when speaking with generals and other senior leaders I tell them, “Sir, this is serious, and I think it could save soldiers’ lives.”
I always point them to the federal government’s patent on cannabidiol as a neuro-protectant, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. This is U.S. Patent 6630507.
Justin: Why’s that patent so important?
Todd: These days, many of our soldiers encounter improvised explosive devices (IED) on the battlefield. An IED strike can be devastating to multiple vehicles and soldiers in an instant.
And, if an IED goes off near you, there’s a good chance you’ll experience a TBI. TBI is a very serious concussion possibly leading to permanent or temporary impairment of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial function. We find that soldiers who have experienced a TBI are at a higher risk for PTSD and suicide.
Justin: How does an IED give TBI?
Todd: When an IED goes off near you, there’s a massive blast wave. The air from the blast creates a wall of pressure that hits a soldier’s hard skull and rattles the soft brain around inside of it, and a dangerous chemical process begins inside the skull.
This can lead to a stroke, which is what usually kills a TBI victim.
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Justin: How does the military currently treat TBI?
Todd: Today, there’s very little done to treat it. And, aside from improvements made to some vehicles, there’s really no protocol for preventing this sort of injury.
I want to change that with my project, The Athena Protocol.
I want to use formulations of non-psychoactive cannabinoids (especially cannabidiol) and a few added elements as a daily supplement to essentially “armor a soldier’s brain,” and help protect the brain’s neuroreceptors. Studies suggest that this approach could also increase the elasticity of the neurons, preventing them from calcification and potentially reducing the instance of PTSD among our soldier and veteran population.
Justin: How do you plan to prevent these sorts of things?
Todd: Well, we do this in two phases. The first is the prep phase. This happens “left of the boom,” as we say in the military. This means this is the preparation done prior to an IED strike. This includes the supplementation of cannabinoids which help “armor the brain” in preparation for a traumatic event.
Hopefully no one ever gets “right of the boom,” or experiences an IED strike. But, if they do, I would propose administering an immediate supplemental dose of non-psychoactive cannabinoids and other elements very, very rapidly.
Justin: What made you want to focus on TBI?
Todd: I became interested after I lost a platoon leader of mine. His name was Captain Andrew Houghton.
Andy was a fellow West Point graduate. He was class of 2001, and he was like a little brother to me.
In 2004, he was struck in the head with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) while deployed in Iraq. The RPG didn’t explode. But it did massive damage to his head.
The battlefield medics, which are so good today, performed a soldier-to-soldier blood transfusion on-site in his vehicle. They stabilized him in-country and transported him to the Army hospital in Germany.
There, his brain continued to swell.
The rocket did so much damage that they had to remove a large portion of his brain to release the pressure. He was then sent to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where I was present when they pinned a Purple Heart on him. He passed away the next day.
If I can prevent something like that from happening again, I will be very satisfied and feel that I will have done my duty.
Justin: I’m terribly sorry to hear about your loss, Todd.
But it’s inspiring that you’re trying to prevent this sort of thing from happening to other soldiers.
That said, how can you be so confident that The Athena Protocol will work? After all, no one’s ever done anything like this before.
Todd: So, a portion of that is the federal patent I was telling you about. This study says cannabidiol is an effective neuroprotectant and anti-inflammatory.
More recent studies have also shown that victims of car accidents who have THC (an active ingredient in marijuana) have a higher percentage of survivability in TBI incidents.
Plus, we know that cannabinoids pass the blood barrier much more rapidly than most pharmaceuticals.
So, we’d be able to administer and see anti-inflammatory effects very rapidly.
But, you are right. Of course, this theory must be tested. The unfortunate thing is that we are prevented from testing this in the United States due to cannabis’ Schedule I status on the federal government’s list of Controlled Substances. I would propose to circumvent this by studying this outside of the U.S. or gaining special permission to do so in the U.S.
Justin: Would The Athena Protocol only be used to treat TBI injuries suffered in combat? Or are there applications beyond the military?
Todd: Absolutely. Soldiers aren’t the only ones who suffer TBI injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2.5 million people go to U.S. emergency rooms every year for TBI. And about 300,000 of those people die from their injuries.
This includes everyone from car crash victims to people who slip and fall.
So, this kind of treatment could really be used everywhere. And the sooner first responders and hospitals can administer this, the better.
Justin: And how’s the project coming along?
Todd: Right now, we’re at the research and development (R&D) level, but we have submitted for a provisional patent for the entire protocol and sub-patents for each formulation and method of administration. Specifically, we’re working on jamming as much cannabidiol into a single drop of water as possible. And we’ve already gotten some incredibly high levels of concentration. So, it’s coming along very nicely.
Justin: Got it. You’re doing some incredible work, Todd. But I have to ask you one last thing before I let you go… Where’d the name, The Athena Protocol, come from?
Todd: The name, and I’m not kidding, came to me in the middle of the night. I shot out of bed and wrote it down.
Athena is the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Good Counsel, and War. She also wears a helmet. And Athena’s helmet adorns the West Point crest.
Justin: Wow. It sure seems like you picked the perfect name.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. And best of luck with everything.
Todd: My pleasure, Justin.
[To learn more about Todd’s project, visit the Harvest 360 website or contact him directly at todd.scattini@harvest360.co.]
Nick Giambruno’s Note: Regardless of what you think of the plant, there’s no denying we’re at the start of the biggest marijuana mania of our lifetimes. On January 1, California started selling recreational marijuana… and Canada’s set to follow this July.
And until midnight (ET) on Monday, you can still find out how to get in on the ground floor of this boom right here.
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| What the hell do I wear to this thing?
Do I wear my suit? Or should I buy a tie-dye shirt? Recently, I was asking myself these questions while staring at an empty suitcase. My flight was taking off in just a few hours. I was headed to Oakland, California, to attend the 4th Annual Cannabis Business Summit and Expo. That’s right. I flew over 2,500 miles to learn about the marijuana industry. Why? Simple—the legal marijuana business is booming. And it’s presenting the opportunity of a lifetime. In 2016, the industry grew 34%. That’s over 10 times the growth of the U.S. economy the same year. Marijuana millionaires are now being minted across the country. But you don’t have to work in the industry to make a fortune off this trend. Everyday investors can cash in on this boom, too. I’ll show you how to do that at the end of today’s essay.
• But let me first tell you about my recent field trip… The morning after landing in Oakland, I put on my suit (I decided to play it safe), grabbed a stack of business cards, and took an Uber across town. I arrived at the convention center around 9 a.m. The place was packed to the brim. I saw other men in suits… a lady with purple hair… and several guys with dreadlocks. It was an eclectic bunch, to say the least. But make no mistake… • This conference was serious business… The first guy I met worked for an HVAC company based in California. His business had already set up HVAC systems in four marijuana-growing operations. But his boss wanted to do many more deals like this. So, like me, he went to Oakland to learn as much about the industry as possible. After chatting for a bit, we exchanged business cards. I made my way to the convention floor next. There, I met a man from Las Vegas selling marijuana-infused teas and coffees. Later, I spoke with a salesman for a security systems provider. His company was selling everything from infrared cameras to robots that patrol large marijuana farms. There were also companies selling industrial-grade lights, irrigation systems, and organic soils. There were analytics providers, software firms, and distributors. There were even lawyers and accountants offering their services to the industry. In short, there were all sorts of people and companies at this convention. But they all had one thing in common… • Everyone was trying to strike it rich in marijuana… Many of them will, too. Again, that’s because the marijuana industry is red-hot. If you’ve been reading International Man, you already know this. I’ve been covering the opportunity in marijuana stocks for months. It’s already a $7 billion industry. By 2021, the industry is projected to be worth nearly $23 billion. In other words, it’s on pace to more than triple in size over the next three years. That’s a staggering growth rate. But even that might be lowballing the industry’s potential. In fact, one “potrepreneur” at the conference told me he thinks the marijuana industry will soon be worth $100 billion. That’s a bold call. But this guy knew his stuff. He studied finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He was an analyst for McKinsey & Company. He worked on mergers and acquisitions for Deutsche Bank in London. And most recently, he served as the VP of corporate strategy for a major U.S. real estate company. In other words, the guy was no slouch. More importantly, he could work in just about any industry. And yet, he wanted to conquer the marijuana market. This industry is no longer just for stoners. The “smart money” wants a piece of the action, too.
• Yet, most retail investors still want nothing to do with this red-hot market… That’s because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level. I’ve said that the U.S. can’t win this War on Drugs. It should have never entered this conflict in the first place. Casey Research founder Doug Casey agrees, saying this war itself is criminal, completely insane, and totally counterproductive. Right now, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug. They consider it more dangerous than cocaine or methamphetamine. To make matters worse, Jeff Sessions, Trump’s attorney general, infamously said that marijuana was “only slightly less awful” than heroin. He also asked Congress to let him prosecute medical marijuana providers. And more recently, he went after states’ rights. • This is why a lot of people think Trump could soon shut down the industry… But the chances of that happening are actually slim to none. You see, Trump has much bigger problems than the marijuana industry right now. For starters, the U.S. appears to be on the brink of nuclear war with North Korea. Plus, there’s an opioid epidemic that’s devastating communities across the country. These are actual problems, unlike an industry that’s created hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue. • Most importantly, Trump couldn’t kill the industry even if he tried… But don’t take my word for it. Take it from Troy Dayton, CEO of Arcview Market Research: While the uncertainty created by the mixed signals coming out of the Administration may cause a temporary dip in some valuations of cannabis companies and some more risk-averse institutional investors and multinational companies may continue to stay on the sidelines, it won’t impact the growth of the market much at all. No matter what the administration does, states will continue to issue cannabis licenses to a long line of applicants and licensed cannabis outlets will continue to have long lines of consumers ready to purchase this product from regulated establishments. Arcview is one of the country’s leading cannabis research companies. According to their research, the legal marijuana market should grow 27% per year over the next three years, even if Trump goes after the industry. That would make legal marijuana the fastest-growing major U.S. consumer industry since the broadband internet market boomed in the early 2000s. In short, the marijuana industry is going to boom, no matter what Trump does. • So, don’t let politics keep you from investing in marijuana… That said, you have to understand that it’s not easy to invest in marijuana stocks. There’s no blue-chip marijuana company yet. Plus, most U.S. marijuana stocks trade over the counter. They’re “penny stocks.” This makes them riskier than big stocks that trade on the New York Stock Exchange. So, if you decide to speculate on marijuana stocks, here are three ways to stack the odds in your favor… Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Don’t buy one or two pot stocks. Instead, spread your money across several. Here’s a complete list of marijuana stocks to help you begin your research. Don’t get greedy. Remember, marijuana stocks are highly speculative. So don’t bet the ranch on them. Only bet money that you can afford to lose. Have an exit strategy. Take profits when you get them. I also encourage you to take a “Casey Free Ride” on any pot stock that doubles. A Casey Free Ride is when you recover your initial investment (take profits) on a stock that doubles for the first time and ride whatever upside is left, 100% risk-free. It’s essentially like playing with “house money.” These three strategies will allow you to speculate on pot stocks without exposing you to big losses. Regards, |
00:12 – Sentido único
Na semana passada, discutimos o ano recorde verificado no principal índice norte-americano.
Não só os mercados alcançaram o mais longo bull market da história, como também atingiram a série mais extensa de sessões sem correções de 3% ou mais.
Ou seja, pouca volatilidade e sempre no mesmo sentido (para cima).
A exuberância que abraçou as bolsas no final do ano, quando os gestores de fundos aumentaram a sua exposição às ações americanas, derramou para este ano, levando o S&P a atingir novos recordes na passada sexta-feira.
01:09 – Quando o preço está caro
Embora seja óbvio que as ações americanas estejam sobrevalorizadas, também me parece que ainda não atingimos o estado de euforia normalmente associado às grandes bolhas do passado.
Isso está a mudar…
Por ora, podemos argumentar que a sobrevalorização é justificada (taxas de juros baixas, QE, reforma fiscal, etc.), mas não podemos negar que, em relação à sua média histórica, o mercado de ações está efetivamente caro.
Porém, como já escrevi aqui várias vezes, o preço sozinho não é um motivo suficiente para uma bolha rebentar…
É preciso ver casos de “excesso de entusiasmo”.
E convenhamos que isso é muito mais difícil de mensurar.
O valuation pode ser facilmente medido através de rácios financeiros, mas o sentimento é muito mais subjetivo.
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02:08 – Tenha cuidado
O fator-chave para a formação de uma bolha é a aceleração – quando os mercados sobem muito num curto período de tempo.
Em bom português, se o mercado arrancar uma subida de mais de 30% este ano, será um sinal de euforia preocupante…
Portanto, fique atento.
Existe uma grande probabilidade de o mercado disparar num movimento exagerado e que poderá ser seguido por uma correção também ela muito forte.
Esse talvez seja o grande risco de 2018: o exagero.
03:00 – A palavra do ano
O que isto significa para si: deixe-se estar nos mercados, por enquanto…
E, por favor, não se preocupe sobre como tirar proveito deste “exagero”.
Se isso acontecer, praticamente tudo o que possui irá beneficiar-se.
O que deve fazer: é proteger a sua carteira com seguros (ouro e opções fora do dinheiro).
Não estamos a torcer por uma catástrofe. Mas se acontecer, não queremos ser apanhados com as calças na mão.
04:01 – Mercado europeu
Hoje, para não variar, as principais bolsas europeias seguem em alta, depois de terem sido divulgados dados económicos positivos na zona Euro.
O crescimento na área da moeda única está na sua melhor fase da última década.
Isso, claro, convida os investidores internacionais que desejam uma exposição à recuperação económica na região a comprarem ativos europeus.
Exatamente como falámos aqui.
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| I don’t often comment on specific world leaders or isolated political events, choosing instead to look at the big picture as much as possible and what it may mean to the reader’s future.
However, I’ve repeatedly been asked to comment on the liberal press (worldwide, but particularly in the US) reporting false news regarding Donald Trump. This, of course, is an ongoing trend, but the reports appear to be increasing in frequency, severity of criticism and, indeed, pettiness. The image shown above is a good example. Mister Trump is seen dumping fish food to some koi in Japan. The liberal press berated him for this “crude and murderous act.” They stated that Prime Minister Shinzō Abe looked on in horror as he did this, since, as most people know, it’s easy to overfeed pet fish and kill them. In actual fact, it was Mister Abe who first dumped his box of food to the fish. Mister Trump simply followed his lead… but that part of the video had been removed by the liberal media, in order to unfairly discredit Mister Trump.
Of course, this report in the liberal media is extremely easy to debunk, merely by showing the entire sequence of events. As these reports on liberal television news networks are becoming increasingly frequent and yet increasingly transparent, non-liberals are increasingly stating that the liberal media is becoming so discredited as a result of “fake news” that it may soon self-destruct, as their viewers will surely abandon them in favour of honest reporting. Nothing could be more incorrect. The critics of the liberal media, of course, are looking at the situation from their own point of view, rather than from the point of view of liberals. If they were to do the latter, it would become apparent that the trend by the liberal media is, in fact, highly successful and sustainable. In attempting to understand where this trend is headed, it might be helpful for those opposed to the liberal media to begin with the following assumptions:
At present, the US may well be in a state of the greatest political polarization in its history. This has been created by both the liberal andconservative media. The American people have been living under an economic cloud since 2008 and, from a visceral standpoint, they want someone (not themselves) to be blamed for it. The media have happily played into this need.
Half of the American public detest President Trump, and are only too happy to be fed further fuel for their hatred. For the most part, they choose to view only the television networks that support their view and, therefore, will only rarely learn that a story has been falsified. In addition, on the occasions that they do learn that their favoured networks have falsified events, they will not care. They may well regard this as mere rumour, or, worse, false denials from the conservative media. As a result, they’ll be more determined than ever to detest the Trump Monster. When people are angry, they must have a demon to blame. Even on those occasions in which the average citizen is directly confronted with solid reason for doubting his favoured media programmes, this is tantamount to challenging his religion. The exposé will either be derided or entirely discounted by him. It should be borne in mind that, since the dawn of collectivist thinking, an essential premise has been that the falsification of facts is essential in controlling the proletariat. Both George Orwell and Aldous Huxley warned extensively of this in their books. And, collectivist leaders have also chimed in on this method of indoctrination, which each of them employed successfully: “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” – Vladimir Lenin “Print is the sharpest and the strongest weapon of our party.” – Joseph Stalin “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually, they will believe it.” – Joseph Goebbels “The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret in tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.” – Maximilien Robespierre To be fair, it’s not the liberal media alone that tends to practice this method. The conservative media do the same, albeit generally, to a lesser degree. But the takeaway here should be that the liberal media are not on the verge of self-destruction. They are, in fact, satisfying their audience as never before. So, how does this all play out? Well, if we can rely on historically similar situations, what we’re likely to see is a country that becomes ever more divided, with left hating right and right hating left to an ever greater degree, as economic and social conditions worsen. There can be little doubt that Mister Trump will leave office in disgrace in the view of at least half the American population. Whether he leaves forcefully or voluntarily, we cannot yet foresee, but we can be certain that the cry for him to be removed will become increasingly louder and, in the eyes of liberal media viewers, ever more justified. In the wake of his exit, I believe that it will be easier than ever before in US history to usher in a new collectivist candidate who can be presented as the American saviour—someone who will promise “a chicken in every pot,” to be paid for by the “greedy” one percent, of which the Trump Monster is considered to be a textbook example. When I was a boy, the cinemas ran “monster movies” every Saturday. In each such movie, the monster was always destroyed in the end. This particular movie will end the same way. “Fake” news, however, will not end. Quite the opposite. It will thrive. Regards,
Jeff Thomas Editor’s Note: Not long ago, financial industry icon Bill Bonner sent an urgent memo to Team Trump. Bill warned the White House of a slow-building crisis he’s been tracking since the 1970s. Today, that crisis is quickly closing in on us. That’s why Bill decided to reveal the contents of his private warning in his new book. Click here to claim your hardcover copy of Bill’s new book now. |
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Trago-lhe uma denúncia importante: estão a tentar matar a Bitcoin.
Este documento, recentemente publicado, revela todos os detalhes desse plano.
Além disso, neste link vai ficar também a saber:
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Terra Tech plummeted 36% on Thursday.
Terra Tech isn’t a household name. But it’s the largest publicly traded U.S. marijuana stock.
It wasn’t the only major U.S. marijuana stock that plunged on Thursday, either.
MassRoots, a marijuana media company, fell 40%. General Cannabis, a marijuana services company, fell 40% as well.
Even Scotts Miracle-Gro got swept up in the hurricane—and it’s not even a marijuana company. It’s a fertilizer company. But many of its customers are marijuana growers.
It was a full-blown panic.
• International Man readers aren’t used to seeing marijuana stocks falling…
That’s because the industry’s been in an explosive rally since last summer.
In fact, the U.S. Marijuana Index, which tracks 15 major U.S. marijuana stocks, has more than tripled in value since July.
So, what triggered this bloodbath?
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• The answer is Jeff Sessions…
Sessions is the U.S. attorney general. He’s also a notorious drug warrior.
In fact, he once called marijuana “slightly less awful” than heroin. He also believes “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”
In short, he’s no fan of marijuana.
That said, Sessions has largely left the marijuana industry alone since he was sworn into office in February.
But last week, Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo. This policy tells federal prosecutors to treat marijuana as a state issue.
In other words, Sessions just opened the door for a possible federal crackdown.
That’s a big concern for marijuana companies.
• It’s also why marijuana stocks tanked on Thursday…
But here’s the thing…
Sessions can’t kill the legal marijuana industry.
It’s simply too big.
The U.S. marijuana market is already a $6.5 billion industry. And it’s expected to grow to $50 billion by 2026. That would make it bigger than the American craft beer and chocolate markets combined.
What’s more, 165,000 people already work in the U.S. marijuana industry. And employment will skyrocket as the industry grows.
In fact, New Frontier Data projects the legal marijuana industry will create almost 300,000 jobs by 2020. That’s more than the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects from manufacturing, utilities, and government jobs.
Marijuana sales are also a huge tax revenue generator for states where it’s legal.
Take Colorado. It legalized medicinal marijuana in 2000. It then legalized recreational marijuana in 2014.
In 2016, Colorado did $1.3 billion in marijuana sales. And the state collected $200 million in tax revenues from marijuana sales.
Colorado’s not alone, either. California, Washington, and Oregon all depend on marijuana sales for tax revenue.
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• Local politicians aren’t going to let Sessions go after the industry…
Here’s a quote from Illinois State Senator Heather Steans:
Consumers already have easy access to marijuana and rolling back this guidance is short sighted.
Steans also said that cracking down on the industry will push more people to buy marijuana on the black market.
Steans isn’t the only concerned politician fighting back, either.
On Thursday, Colorado Republican Senator Cory Gardner called Sessions’ decision a “complete reversal,” noting that “Sessions told me there would be no plans to reverse the Cole memorandum.”
Garden also said he will put a hold on all Justice Department nominations until Sessions reverses his stance.
In short, Sessions would face immense pressure if he goes after the industry. The backlash would be next to impossible to overcome.
Not only that, the average American favors marijuana legalization. According to a recent Gallup survey, 64% of Americans think cannabis should be totally legal. That’s an all-time high.
• Investors are realizing Sessions will fail, too…
Just look at the U.S. Marijuana Index I mentioned earlier. It’s up 26% today.
Many individual U.S. marijuana stocks are up even more. In fact, Terra Tech and MassRoots are up 30% and 48%, respectively, as we go to press.
Those are monster gains. But you must realize two things…
One, most U.S. marijuana stocks are still well off their all-time highs. They’re a bargain compared to where they were trading before Sessions opened his mouth.
And more importantly, as I’ve shown you over the last few months, the bull market in marijuana stocks is just getting started.
So, consider buying marijuana stocks while there’s still blood in the streets. Just remember to treat marijuana stocks as a speculation.
Don’t bet more money than you can afford to lose. Use stop losses. And take profits when you get them.
Regards,