WORD ON THE STREET 

Built Ford Tough, Banks Come Back, No One For Congress

• Ford > TSLA – Ford (F) surged as the electric version of the F-150 is now open for orders. Meanwhile, Tesla (TSLA) and Elon Musk are under fire for opening a showroom in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government is accused of human rights violations against the mostly Muslim population. Tesla is in a tough position as it must maintain a positive image with both the Chinese and American governments – and it’s increasingly a time to take sides.

• Not Boring Anymore – Banks aren’t exactly what you would put at the top of innovative corporations, with all the talk of clean energy, the metaverse, or NFTs. Nonetheless, banks were on the rise as treasury yields rose. Bank of America (BAC) rose almost 4%, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) rose almost 3.8%, and Truist Financial (TFC) rose more than 3.2%. The “transformative” economy is starting to look very familiar.

• What If They Had An Election And No One Cared? – President Joe Biden has somehow hit yet another record high in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. The president’s approval rating is 44%. Majorities also disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, Republicans shouldn’t get too confident – the latest USA Today/Suffolk University poll showed that Democrats have a two point advantage, with about a quarter of voters undecided.

• Supply Chain Crisis Finally Fading? – The New York Federal Reserve has created a new tool called the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index (GSCPI). It suggests that the supply-chain disruptions “have peaked and might start to moderate somewhat going forward.” Let’s see if they are better about this than they were about “transitory” inflation.

HOT SPOTS: What’s Going on in Geopolitics

• Duke of York May Face Civil Suit – Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is facing a civil sex abuse suit that could embarrass the British royal family. A court will soon decide whether the case will go forwards. The duke has been accused of sexual assault against a teenager in a case linked to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein.

• 13 Million Chinese Locked Down – China has tried to stomp out COVID-19 with a zero tolerance approach. Of course, this approach has massive collateral damage – about 13 million people are locked down in the city of Xi’an in the northwest.

• French President Pledges To Anger Voters – President Emmanuel Macron said that he wanted to “piss off” unvaccinated people. “And we will continue to do this, to the end,” he said. “This is the strategy.” Good luck with that.

CUTTING EDGE: What‘s Happening In Tech

• A Million Cases – The United States reported one million new COVID-19 cases on Monday, a new record. Some of it may be explained by delayed reporting from New Years, but it’s clear the virus is completely out of control in the country.

• “Potentially Hazardous” Asteroid Will Pass Earth – An asteroid called “1994 PC1” will pass Earth on January 18. It’s a kilometer wide and though scientists don’t think it will hit the planet in the short-term, it’s been classified as “potentially hazardous.” Isn’t there a movie about this situation right now?

• Starlink Satellites Summon Cats – Cats have decided the best thing to do in this situation is sit directly on top on Starlink satellites. They create a small amount of heat, and if you are a cat outside in the winter, that’s good enough to make it a home.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

“As post-Soviet change intensified so also was the board altering on which the power game was being played. More of this had to do with the surreptitious pilfering of Russian public money and its movement abroad. I had been tracking Russian money for years, especially when it involved KGB/SVR financing of foreign projects.”

In the aftermath of the Soviet collapse, many Russians were hopeful for a new political order and a new way of life. Instead, they experienced corruption and greed on a massive scale, as the resources of their country were systematically looted.

But nationalism is a powerful force… and even if someone is a crook, you might stand up for him if he’s “our” crook. That’s exactly what happened when a Russian was detained by foreigners. Dr. Kent Moors is back with a new Spy Tale.

ROGUE RECCOMENDS