MAGA\Qanon are about potentially persecuting anyone not trump nor strongly supported by trump.
what is it called when you parrot trump regardless of past actions and facts? an initial job screen.

MEME STOCKS
The list of meme stocks is growing – KSS, DNUT, GPRO, OPEMN, GME, etc. They start rallying without any reason or rationale.
The term meme stock captures a lot of sophisticated trading strategies underneath. It’s a heavily shorted, low-liquidity stock that can be moved by options activity & social-media buzz that results in GAMMA-SQUEEZE, a special kind of short-squeeze.
First, stocks can be bought LONG or sold SHORT. Shorting requires borrowing a stock & then selling it. The short-seller hopes to buy it back later at a lower price. Losing an infinite amount in shorting if the stock rises instead is a tall-tale because the position or account will be liquidated after repeated unmet MARGIN calls. SHORT-SQUEEZE occurs when many short-sellers get into trouble due to rising margin requirements & their short positions may be liquidated involuntarily by their brokers.
Second, options are derivatives for underlying stocks, indexes or futures. DELTA is the change in the option price from $1 change in the price of the underlying security & has the range $0-1. Delta is 0 or low for deep-OTM (out-of-money) calls, 0.5 for ATM (at-the-money) calls & high or 1 for deep-ITM (in-the-money) calls.
Speculators often buy deep-OTM calls & these may be seen as lottery tickets; most expire worthless. Often, news leaks or insider trading are suspected when there are large or unusual deep-OTM call orders. As options dealers can lose a lot of money from unexpected news, they are aggressive in reporting any unusual options activity to regulators.
A highly profitable call may become deep-ITM & maybe ASSIGNED or the profits may just disappear in a volatile market. So, investors should take profit (& reduce risks) on deep-ITM calls & replace them with new OTM/ATM calls.
Options GAMMA is the rate of change of delta, or the 2nd derivative (or, curvature) of the option price wrt the price of underlying security. Gamma is the highest for ATM options (i.e. when delta is 0.5).
When you buy a call, the options dealer has to buy some underlying stock to hedge based on its “Greeks”. So, high options activity can move the underlying stocks.
Finally, to put it all together, the gamma-squeeze is when options speculators buy lots of ATM calls (i.e. with high-gamma) on heavily shorted, thin/illiquid meme stocks & simultaneously pump them in social-media or chat-rooms.
https://indoustribune.com/business/finance/ybb-personal-finance-august-2025-market-trends/

Ukraine talks without Zelenskyy is a comical farce. The Orange Criminal Farce is pushing the EU to do more on their own. EU defence stocks are already running higher. You might chase that wave. If I had a mind to invest in defense stocks, I'd steer clear of Boeing. Political junk is pushing other countries (like Spain, I just was reading) to buy Swedish military jets, rather than US-made ones. Canada is busy stepping-up its game, too--- so that it is not so dependent upon US goodwill; because there just isn't much goodwill at the gummint level. Check out Bombardier. BDRAF ticker.
*******************
"Bombardier Defense was established in 2022, reflecting the company’s strategic expansion of the unique aircraft solutions it has been providing for decades to special mission operators around the world. The expanding portfolio of services ranges from urgent humanitarian assistance, head-of-state transport to airspace calibration, infrastructure validation and battlefield and border surveillance."
https://defense.bombardier.com/en
https://www.barrons.com/market-data/stocks/bdraf?mod=searchresults_companyquotes&mod=searchbar&search_keywords=bdraf&search_statement_type=suggested
https://www.stockrover.com/quotes/insight/summary/Quotes/q_BDRAF
HQ in Montreal.
(The chart shows a huge ramp-up just in 2025. But there is no dividend offered, currently.)

Unemployment picture is mixed while inflation is on the upswing based on PPI: US Jobless Claims Edge Lower, Continuing Claims Remain Elevated (08-14-25).

We have started to see signs of increased inflation with more to come in the near future.
The Fed has not yet attained its 2% inflation goal (measured by PCE) over the long run.
Unemployment is near historically low levels but job growth slowed considerably from May to July.
The federal funds rate is normally raised to suppress inflation
and cut when the economy is struggling and unemployment surges.
I would not cut the federal funds rate in September based on the current data.
I could change my mind if an upcoming data release indicated that unemployment
increased (or will increase) considerably.
New PCE, CPI, and employment data will be released and scrutinized prior to the Fed's September meeting.
I haven't altered my portfolio's bond positioning to benefit from a rate cut.
DOXIX is my largest bond position (~18% of portfolio)—this interm. core-plus fund should benefit from rate cuts.
My other sizable fixed income investments include a 5 yr. TIPS and a 6 mo. T-Bill.

Ahahahaha. "In 2000, Bessent hosted a fundraiser for Al Gore at his home in East Hampton, New York. That year, he also donated $1,000 to John McCain. In 2007, he donated $2,300 to Barack Obama and in 2013, he donated $25,000 to Hillary Clinton's campaign. At that time, he was described as a Democrat who supported liberal causes."

After today's news that PPI rose 0.9% in July, probability of no cut is 7.4%, 25 bps cut is 92.6%, while a 50 bps cut is now at 0% for September 17th Fed meeting.

Thank you @Observant1.
Wow. An awesome list. American Funds always seems to do well. I never owned them but believe @Old_Joe does - or did so in the past.
.

I have CGDV (and CGDG) on a watchlist for my IRA for the next correction. As do many.
In my taxable account, there’s a big bullseye on TAIFX, a 5*fund where those 2 ETFs account for 26% of the fund, which is in essence, a global allocation fund using muni’s as the FI component.
Sounds good to me.

despite news that cryptocrime as % of transactions has its first decline amid record daytrading, i warn against optimism.
top categories of illicit activity remain the same as in 2023: Sanctions [avoidance]), Blocklisted, and Scams and Fraud.
first, the gop has cut resources for foreign cybercrime defense. as he told nato, trump is telling us to stop individually freeloading on the american gov for firstline protection, despite that its all american taxpayer money.
next, what is being excluded from this report leaves plenty of room to drive gop-sized propaganda through :
"The following are excluded from our estimate of illicit cryptocurrency volume:
1. Proceeds from crimes initially conducted in fiat currency and subsequently converted into cryptocurrency ...
2. Transfers to blockchain addresses that have not been linked to illicit activities....
3. Transfers related to the laundering of illicit crypto proceeds..."
e.g., 2 intl cybercrime syndicates can simply construct new addresses for a major wealth exchange. the xfer can be publicly seen but not the underlying c2c connection.
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6082dc5b670562507b3587b4/6823baf9045160ea474b3f7a_TRM_2025 Crypto Crime Report.pdf

And 15% of the action from Nvidia and AMD, previously announced.
I'll let you all form a list of what form of governments operate in this mode.
ARTICLE

From Markets A.M. newsletter by Spencer Jakab.
On this day in 1935, the Social Security Act was signed into law,
ensuring some retirement income for all working Americans.
Payroll taxes were set at 1%, for both workers and employers,
on the first $3,000 of earnings.

Yes, Thanks.
Something that seems appropriate here is:
https://www.alternet.org/trump-economy-2673884073/
If anyone (Yogi?) objects to this being here, I will delete it.
"Bloomberg reports U.S. box shipments to retailers — for the purpose of packaging new purchases — “fell to the lowest second-quarter reading since 2015, according to data from Fibre Box Association.”
Meanwhile, Memphis-based International Paper Co., one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies, reported a 5 percent drop in daily U.S. box shipments in the same quarter compared to a year ago. Bloomberg reports International Paper recently announced that it will close four facilities, including a mill that helped keep a small town alive in Louisiana. Paper company Smurfit Westrock announced plans to shutter one of its own mills in Iowa.
“In short, it’s not looking great out there for box manufacturers,” reports Bloomberg reporter Ilena Peng.
“In a country where consumer spending makes up almost 70 percent of the economy, any retrenchment in retail activity tends to put economy watchers and government officials on alert,” reports Bloomberg. And while the strength of the highly seasonal cardboard box industry “isn’t necessarily a one-to-one proxy for retail spending,” like beauty-shop outlays or consumer sentiment, it “can flash early signals when things start to go amiss.”
Brett House, a professor of economics at Columbia Business School, told Bloomberg that boxes aren’t usually ordered far in advance, so they can offer a “nearly real-time indicator” of buying and manufacturing activity in the U.S. economy."

for those so far unaware, MAGA believes their mandate extends to how all friendlies run their economies, even if grift is not the obvious goal :
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/08/14/economy/bessent-rates-japan/
(no scam nor culture war ratings? MAGA moves on to next floodzone.)

AAII Sentiment Survey, 8/13/25
BEARISH remained the top sentiment (46.2%, high) & neutral remained the bottom sentiment (24.0%, below average); bullish remained the middle sentiment (29.9%, below average); Bull-Bear Spread was -16.3% (very low). Investor concerns: TARIFFs, budget, jobs, inflation, recession, Fed, debt, dollar, geopolitical, Russia-Ukraine (181+ weeks), Israel-Hamas (67+20 weeks). For the Survey week (Th-Wed), stocks up, bonds up, oil down, gold down, dollar down. NYSE %Above 50-dMA 69.17% (positive). CPI +2.7%, core +3.1%. There are varying expectations for meeting between Trump & Putin in Alaska on Friday. #AAII #Sentiment #Markets
Sentiments are CONTRARIAN indicators.
https://ybbpersonalfinance.proboards.com/post/2158/thread

With the market at an all time high, and generally considered to be overvalued, I bought additional shares in QDSNX, an alternative fund with an excellent risk/reward profile which has worked very well for me so far.
It never had a losing calendar year since its inception in July 2020. Even in 2022, a year of significant losses for most funds, the fund's total return was a gain of 14.5%. The max. drawdown over the life of the fund was 4.55%, that was from June to July of 2022. The drawdown was recovered by November 2022, according to Portfolio Visualizer. 
By the way, QDSNX's correlation to the S&P 500 is 0.12.

That’s a great correlation. Every decent equity or allocation fund has a .80-.90 correlation to index.
Even JPMorgan Hedged Equity Fund, JHQAX, and FPACX has correlation of .70-75 for 5, 10 year periods. JPMorgan Hedged Equity Fund I (JHEQX) Is .85.
BLNDX does have .11 correlation.

BlackRock’s asset allocation head (Rick Rieder) is hedging portfolio by buying volatility insurance because it is cheap.

If you don’t sell, then you still have Annual Tax Liabilities for Holding LP Interests.
Your Schedule K-1 is where all pass-through items show up.
Federal Income Tax on Distributive Share
Your share of the LP’s profits and losses “pass through” to you each year, even if no cash is distributed. You’ll owe ordinary income tax on your distributive share of business income and capital gains at your individual rates.
Reporting and Forms
Each year the partnership files Form 1065 and issues you a Schedule K-1. You report the K-1 items—ordinary income, interest, rental income, capital gains, etc.—on Schedule E of Form 1040 and pay any tax due with your return.
Self-Employment Tax
If you’re a general partner, you’ll owe self-employment tax on your share of ordinary business income. Limited partners generally avoid SE tax on distributions unless they receive guaranteed payments for services or materially participate beyond the “limited partner” rules.
Estimated Tax Payments
Because LP distributions typically have no withholding, you’ll need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS and state authorities. Underpaying can trigger penalties and interest, so use last year’s tax or the safe-harbor methods to calculate your installments.
State and Local Income Taxes
If the LP operates in multiple states, you may have to file returns and pay income tax where the partnership has nexus. Some states impose entity-level taxes or fees in addition to personal income tax on your distributive share.
---
Other Annual Considerations
- Passive activity loss limitations may restrict deductions if you don’t materially participate; unused losses carry forward.
- Net Investment Income Tax (3.8%) can apply to capital gains, interest, and certain rental income above AGI thresholds.
- Alternative Minimum Tax preferences can be triggered by partnership items.
Tracking Basis:
Basis and At-Risk Limitations
Initial Basis: Cash or property you contributed.
Adjustments:
Increase by your share of income and additional contributions.
Decrease by distributions and your share of losses.
Loss Deductions: Limited to the lesser of your basis or “at-risk” amount (usually equal to basis for LPs)
https://accountinginsights.org/the-taxation-of-a-limited-partnership/
https://www.upcounsel.com/limited-partnership-tax-return

Rieder had an interesting interview few days ago on CNBC.
“This is the best investing environment ever.” He did think productivity is high and that you can get good yield at 6.5% range. But he did think valuations are high so he bought portfolio volatility insurance because it was cheap. “The way insurance works, nobody buys hurricane insurance when you’re far from a hurricane, they buy after the hurricane when the price is too high…
Today the price of insurance is incredibly cheap, we can hedge our portfolio, complacency is high”
What probably got him on short list for Fed Chair is what he says at 3:00-4:00 minute mark about the Fed Funds rate is 100 basis too high - cost to Government is too steep, doesn’t need to be that high.
Wapner: “If the white House is listening to what you're saying right now. They're all standing up yelling, yes, yes, this is the story we've been trying to tell”.
In the meantime, President wants Goldman to fire their chief economist and think Goldman boss should spend all day DJ’ing instead of running Goldman.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hXEon0ETphY

"But the underlying inflation data show core CPI firmed more than expected,
climbing at an annual rate of 3.1% in July.
Perhaps more concerning, the supercore CPI (which excludes housing, energy and food costs)
posted its second-largest advance in almost 18 months, surging by 0.5%."
“'I think we could go into a series of rate cuts here, starting with a 50-basis-point rate cut in September,'
Bessent said in a television interview on Bloomberg on Wednesday.
(A basis point is a hundredth of a percentage point.)
'If you look at any model” it suggests that “we should probably be 150, 175 basis points lower.'”
I wonder which models Mr. Bessent is referring to?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/bessent-calls-for-big-rate-cuts-futures-markets-aren-t-buying-it/ar-AA1Ksqw9

I'd be willing to bet a good number of us HERE at MFO are indeed sitting on as much in the way of equities as we desire, at the moment. I'm not adding. That's ONE vote. I do reinvest dividends. In such a case, I'm using The House's money to gain a small advantage. "Free money from the sky." I'll take it.
Currently: 53% stocks.
46% bonds.