Just 18 Shopping Days until Christmas,.  Only 7 to Channuka, which is Dec. 14th.  Most important: Only 24-days to load in champagne ahead of New Year’s Eve. Which to us?  Gender-questionable.  (Everyone’s balls drop…) [rimshot]

Fact4Actition:  BTR This Week?

Fact: Next week delivers a rare triple punch of economic data — U.S. Inflation (CPI), Employment Situation (Jobs Report), and Retail Sales — three of the most market-moving numbers on the entire calendar. This is the blowback from the 46-day extended Federal vacations this year.

So what: When all three hit in the same week, markets often reprice risk fast. Stocks, bonds, interest rates, and even job security expectations can shift in days — not months. Volatility isn’t a possibility next week, it’s the base case.  Remember, we have been eyeing a hol8day downer since early October.

Action: Go into next week defensive. Avoid impulse trades. Delay major purchases unless urgent. If you’re still 100% exposed to markets, consider trimming risk before the data hits. If you run a business, tighten cash controls and slow discretionary spending until the dust settles.

Share with friends/family — most people won’t realize how compressed and dangerous next week’s data calendar really is until after the damage is done. Acting early is cheaper than reacting late.

BTR/STN OR STR/BTN?

BTR/STN =Buy the Rumor, Sell the News

STR/BTN = Sell the Rumor, Buy the News

But what’s the conventional wisdom on “best approach” when they show up with back-to-back event-chains?

Look:  We have “pre-Fed” trading ahead of Wednesday’s Fed Rate decision this week.  But then comes the 3-day data storm next week.

BTR/STN works only on the first release.
After that, STR/BTN dominates.  Usually, often, or not always, though – so says the fine print.

This week is positioning.  Well, except Powell’s comments after the Wednesday Fed rate call.
The first report is the trap.  A week from tomorrow is the Employment Situation.
The second and third decide the real trend. Retail Wednesday and CPI Thursday.

My friend the Economic Fractalist is on watch for an epic fractal in this zone.  My friend JB on the commodity side notices silver has a huge basing period of several decades and production continue to lag demand.  So forces are building, no question.

To us, there’s a question whether the present short-term Bitcoin rally may be rolling over into a Wave 2 top – which could set up a new low before year’s end (or not…click your poison on crypto).

We’ll still be here – scanning the headlines, looking for signs off?

Is There Intelligent Life on Earth?

We’ve been addressing this on the web for more than 25-years now. And honestly, same lack of jury-grade evidence as always today.

First is Zylenskyy seems to be stuff in Grim Reaper mode: Trump says Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has not read peace proposal. Here shortly, a Senior Ukrainian negotiator says he will brief Zelenskyy on consultations in US, but the real question is whether he’s a yes-man.  While off in the background, Zylenskyy’s got a “shareholder” meeting: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to meet with European leaders in London.

Next top-down eyebrow-raiser is Trump seems to be backing away from adversarial relations As Russia praises Trump’s new security strategy, the UK is in trouble. And with the US trying to heal the Ukraine mess, Europe keeps doubling down on Ukraine; German foreign minister heads to Beijing as Berlin toughens China stance.

With other stories about EU, and reading how UK Unveils Atlantic Bastion Undersea Shield as Russian Activity Rises in the North Atlantic, we are becoming convinced that 2026 will be the year of the “Snipper Ships”  meaning where undersea drones could be off blowing up underway fiber.  This will throw markets into turmoil, wreck supply chains, and lead to a power struggle in which China – already the 900-pound gorilla in manufacturing – could force a showdown with the U.S. and attempt to bully the U.S. into a territorial lap-dog role. With Beijing holding the choker.  This alternative – which is far more untraceable than EMP/HEMP – would be just as devastating, but we’ll get into that more in our 2026 strategic planning over on the Peoplenomics side of the house Wednesday.

Oh, and with the world always looking for victims before a nice world war? Exclusive | F grades handed to 14 colleges in antisemitism ‘report card’ as Jewish students forced to hide identities | New York Post

A Few Shorts?

*(We will try to keep this useful…)

VDH has been particularly on point of late: Victor Davis Hanson Says He Knows What Consequences Await Tim Walz After Somali Fraud Scandal .    But, here is not alone: Stephen Miller calls Minnesota welfare scam with Somali migrants ‘single greatest theft of taxpayer dollars’.

More Coffee?  This Daily Coffee Habit May Help Slow the Aging Process  (for people with certain psychiatric conditions…)

After we could toss in  Kimchi Breakthrough: New Study Reveals Powerful Immune-Boosting Effects … and then all line up (anxiously) at the bathrooom…

Now, back to this morning’s edition of Beat the Press:  MAGA Voice on X: “BREAKING ? President Trump just ENDED Fake News CNN Caitlin Collin’s whole career in 1 post IT’S TIME TO REVOKE CNN’S PRESS PASS BAN FAKE NEWS CNN…

Around the Ranch: 85-Inches of Updates

There was an agenda behind the Sunday column (“Some Assembly Required“) where Is discussed the practical ways to apply basic engineering sense to the handling of heavy objects around the home.

We had one of those Black Friday 85-inch Hisense TV deals show up.  Took about 90 minutes for the whole process.  Things I can recommend if you were wondering how a 76 and and 82 YO could do it all safely and without calling in help?

• Measure First.  I measured the hell out of things – in advance – and knew the unit would fit, barely – but that if the current production run was delivered, there would be a second set of leg attach points making the footprint only 35 inches wide.  I won on that gamble.
• Watch Unboxing Videos on YT:  This is where I learned the top of the box lifts off vertically all in one pull.
• Figure out how to attach legs:  In our case, this was easy:  Flipped all the cushions off the couch and (bada-bing!)  pushed the back of the TV over onto the couch.  Then it was an easy two person lift & slide into foot attach positions.
• Let your partner help!  Elaine loves to get involved.  So she got to get down on the floor and put the six bolts in to attach the feet.  I played “inspector”.  And right here?

TOOL SLUT DISEASE Report

Yeah – it occurred to me that I didn’t have an “official inspector” stamp out in the shop.  OMG?  I have always wanted one of these.  See, a billion years ago, age 19, I was a journeyman R&E mechanic at West Coast Airlines during the transition to Hughes Air Worst.

When we were doing C and D-checks on the F-27 turboprops, everything we did had to be “inspected” for documentation.  So Ii would climb up on the wing, look at the work order “Remove, inspect, and spray connector #02217 with water-dispacer, reattach, and apply new safety wire. Inspection required.”

Easily done.  Over came Richard (something) and he had his dandy little Inspector stamp which he would put on the work order and then sign it.  Damn, I wanted one and hadn’t gotten to it, until this morning…

Amazon has them!!!  Inspector Stamp!!!   Like the old WCA inspectors, I got the red ink, refill, and priority manufacturing.  All came to $22 bucks.  The priority manufacturing?  At 76, you want things to arrive while you’re still able to use them.

So back to the TV…

• I used the hand truck to bring the (quite heavy) motorcycle lift over from the shop.  Made it easier getting it up the stairs in the greenhouse/grow room./
• Moved it into position under the TV (still reposing on couch).
• Lifted TV vertical.
• Moved over to the TV stand, lined it up close (being work averse and all)
• Pumped the foot hydraulic pump a few times.  Up came the TV.
• Slid the back legs onto the TV stand, tilt slightly, pushed unit fully onto stand.
• Removed jack and returned equipment to shop.

It worked out great.  Picture?  The reviews were right – blacks could be blacker, but it’s fine. And the whole thing was done, except?

WE SAT THROUGH FIVE OR SIX SOFTWARE UPGRADES

Yeah – didn’t actually get to watch anything until we had been wafting for almost 3 hours.

Must-Watch Prepping Video

Absolutely the best prepping video – ever. “He Left Civilization to Build a Floating Self-Sustaining Island | by @7Asian” at   https://youtu.be/AJSXVUd8190

Write if you survive,

[email protected]