TL;DR:  You can see the headlines solidifying now: MAGA fractures, Biden to Cheney Funeral, and more. But the market loves a good story of long-division. With GovUp plodding, we’re hiding out from noise.

Long-Division Time

In the mid 1960s, I was part of the original New Math kids.  The Russian launch of Sputnik a few years earlier that informed America that our Math Skills would need improvement.  The School Mathematics Study Group published curriculum to address this void.  And I found myself tossed into advanced math classes – off and on – from seventh grade up.

I learned a lot – which is why electronics came so easily; vesicae and asymmetries aren’t so challenging – and actually expand thinking skills – when learned early.  I bounced in and out of the classes – much more interested in building linear amplifiers in early high school than reading some damn math book.

Besides – the new math, while good, wasn’t great for someone like me.  In fact, just today I picked up a copy of David Pimm’s “Symbols and Meanings in School Mathematics.”  Because once you know the symbols (you can forget a few at 77) reading math becomes like reading anything else.  It’s a series of visual concepts triggered by words and the symbols are mere operations and manipulations on Symbols.

To us?  …looks like America is trying to rediscover her center — the arithmetic mean of politics, if you will. And history says that when political extremes contract, markets expand. That’s your macro-math lesson for the morning.  Let see how the rubber hits the road.

Long-Division in News

With today’s Core Framer on the board, we can set the table with a bit of context.

America has been bouncing off its guard rails of late.  Democrats go too far left, MAGA gone to “high-Q” and the once solid support of Donald Trump is fracturing. Last week’s election returns weren’t the disaster the GOP had been pimping in advance.  In fact, the Dems:

• Swept key races in states such as Virginia and New Jersey.
• For example, Mikie Sherrill (D) was elected Governor of New Jersey.

To the the old-timers, it looks like America is trying to rediscover “her center.”  Which – as you’ve no doubt jumped ahead to figure – is how we get to the topics of “symbol-savy” amidst “long division.”

Now hand me that can of ground coffee, would you?

The News Nose

The coffee – if you didn’t know – is what perfumers use to “clear their sense of smell.  Try it sometime – especially before a gourmet meal – really adds to the experience of fine dining, though I doubt bean-sniffing will make it to the WH Grand Ballroom, any time soon…

Tuned up, let’s survey the wreckage headlines.

Our first focus is on Dick Cheney funeral: Biden to attend, Bush to deliver tribute.  Biden going to the Dick Cheney funeral? A dem?  Is this an olive branch or a formality?  Inquiring minds want to know.

But the internal fracturing of the GOP was on full display this week as House blocks GOP Rep. Nancy Mace’s censure effort against fellow Republican Cory Mills..

But, going the other direction, Trump to meet with New York Mayor-elect Mamdani at White House on Friday.  Again, formality or olive branch?

Nope.  Just a great Ship of State righting itself: Congress is finally standing up to Trump – and it’s not just about Epstein. I’ve seen this rodeo before…

We also sniff a soft-affront to the hardcore ultra-right as Trump Backs 28 Point Peace Plan as Washington Seeks New Path to End the Ukraine War.  Toss in the Trump-backed Gaza peace plan, and suddenly American centrism is coming around.

And the stock market loves it.  Even Bitcoin, which was going Coriolis at $88,828 is back over $91,000 this morning.  Inflation springs eternal in the hearts of capitalists…

Readers Down = Markets Up

I told you a few days back that a Big Rally might be lurking.  Today, early futures are up strongly.  Dow Futures up 250 312 and the S&P up 80 87.  But the smoker?  NASDAQ future’s up 1.8 percent – +450  – helped along by nVidia’s upside earnings pop. Monday’s column felt stupid Tuesday, but we’re often early to the party. That was laid out in the Peoplenomics ChartPack Wednesday.

But there’s one other thing ahead of what we think (without being financial advice) is ahead between now and turkey:  Urban Readership was down Wednesday. Down 23 percent Wednesday, compared with the previous week.  Being a pack of contrarians, when our readers leave the room if usually means the markets have been moved onto the launch pad.

With the government shutdown over, and agencies getting back to work, the only question is which news voids will fill and how good will the rocket fuel test.

GovUp Survey

7:30 Central and government news releases had been scheduled today – but this-here note from BLS was useful:

“Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
BLS will not publish a September 2025 Job Openings and Labor Turnover news release. Data from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey for September 2025 will be published with the October 2025 data.

Employment Situation
BLS will not publish an October 2025 Employment Situation news release. Establishment survey data from the Current Employment Statistics survey for October 2025 will be published with the November 2025 data. Household survey data from the Current Population Survey could not be collected for the October 2025 reference period due to a lapse in appropriations. The household survey data is not able to be retroactively collected. The collection period for November 2025 data will be extended for both surveys, and extra processing time will be added.”

UI Filing Data Returns

Philly Fed Down:  We also notice the Philly Fed Manufacturing number…down ut markets are likely to ignore.

“The diffusion index for current general activity increased 11 points to -1.7 in November after a sharp decline in October (see Chart). The share of responses indicating decreases (31 percent) narrowly exceeded the share indicating increases (29 percent); 40 percent reported no change. The new orders and shipments indexes both declined and turned negative. The new orders index fell 27 points to -8.6, its lowest reading since April, and the shipments index dropped 15 points to -8.7, its first negative reading since May.

Texas takes the lead: Muslim Brotherhood Declared Foreign Terrorist Organizations in Texas by Gov Greg Abbott [WATCH]

“Maiden Voyage”, anyone? This should be easy: Herbie Hancock’s version or this one: Chinese Navy Continues To Grow And Improve – Armed Forces Press

Maraschinos

Yeah, the war on social media is ramping – which is why we don’t: You Won’t Believe This One – modernity

Pre-emptive censorship? Google Censored Vaccine Info Long Before COVID — Could It Have Anything To Do With Parent Company Alphabet’s Deep Pharma Ties? – The Manhattan

And care to match this? Swedish Man Sets Record By Shoving 81 Matches In His Nose — Have World Records Jumped The Shark?

Around the Ranch: Noise Floor Work

Elaine and I had a conversation last night you may find interesting:  It was about reducing our personal “noise floors” further.  See, one of the joys of living a “rural minimalist” lifestyle, with everything paid for, no bills, and a focus on good health, is worry levels tend to be low.  The lower you can make internal noise the more you can read the universe.

Statistically, you haven’t read my book Mind Amplifiers, yet. But one chapter deals with “dithering.” That’s a technique in digital [everything] where noise is deliberately added to a system to make signal more apparent.  What people do is similar:  (I write some of the best unpopular books in the world...)

Some folks are ditherers.  You may know a few – people who have to turn on noise in order to study.  We are both total quiet people.  We go into trance-like “direct absorption mode” when learning.  Even a gust of wind can break the magic upload.

Elaine – being an extreme visual person – also can’t sit near a window.  Her peripheral vision is so good that a bird flying by 300-feet away – out at the road in front of the ranch – draws her eye away from what she’s reading.

The other day, I came in from the office building and she was 1/3rd of the way through a book.  Normally, for the amount of time, she’d be a dozen – maybe two – pages in.  Then I noticed the detail:  She was in the e-Spa chair (wrote about that in a ShopTalk column long ago) and the drapes were pulled.  She couldn’t see out – which meant she could read undisracted.

With earlier nightfall this time of the year, we’re planning one or two TV-free nights a week.  We both still love to read.  Sure, love car chases and fictional adventures.  But the real job of World Observers is to learn a lot here because knowledge fed up to Higher Self is the true Durable Wealth you can take with you when the Earth Ride’s over.

Perception management is a cornerstone to knowledge expansion, in case you missed the memo.

Stiks’ Arrives in Oz!

From the Iridium: Safe and in swimming distance!  O

“All yesterday we had sweet 16-18, 21 gusts as we closed the last waypoint and set course across the final bay.

Water is no longer deep blue, buy green gray and shallow. Stowed the fishing gear, readied the anchor, got out dock lines, cleaned and ordered down below, and took in the dawn after a spectacular full night of no moon and a zillion stars.

Dawn came with the tiniest sliver of the moon and a pink glow that slowly wiped the Southern Cross out of the morning sky. As we entered the channel into the river, friends we haven’t seen for twenty five years came out of the harbor on their Leopard 45 cat to give us a proper ‘G’day!’ And we carried full sail until right in front of the ‘Q’ dock, came around head to wind, dropped the sail, switched on the motor and were alongside in two minutes under power.

Then came the ‘officiousness’ of border patrol and customs, no search, all documents, passports in order etc.. then we had to wait on board in the Q lockup until bio-security showed up and that was much more officious and stringent. She took literally everything ‘living’, including ‘seeds’ (rice, quinoa, millet, cardamon, cloves, flax, chia) and that we had on board including our friend the orchid that had been with us for 8000 miles.

Paid a big fee (513 AUD), got all the right approvals after a thorough ‘wood inspection’ down below (not much of that on this composite creature), and she then unlocked the Q gate and gave us the go ahead to take down the yellow flag and become temporary residents of the Land Down Under. We have heard that this port was the loosest for clearing of any on the East coast. Would hate to have experienced anything more than the hour of that which we did.

So that’s it. The ashes of our loyal Australian Red Cloud Kelpie of sixteen years are now back to her birth dirt, the wife is joyous about that, and returning to what had been her home with family and friends for almost thirty years.

Fortunately the moat is still in place and should be for my duration if there is choice about that. The floating here was an epic that will have to be repeated just because…

~Stiks

P.s… just met Darrel down the dock. He’s eighty and has a nice 44′. Has no use for living anywhere but afloat. He said the three best things in life are (1) orgasm (2) seeing the boat float out of the lift slings after a boatyard work week (3) sheeting in and turning off the motor. Sentiment I can agree with.

Countdown to Turkey

For the Day Planner:

• Today: Make a list. If not the Ures, complete a HELOC app for Black Friday.
• Friday: Doctor visit for labs, weigh-in, blood pressures, lube, oil, and filter.
• Saturday: Liquor store run. Install zerk fitting on mouse.
• Sunday: Quality check the liquor purchases.
• Monday: Get turkey out of freezer and into fridge.
• Tuesday: Fresh veggies run for The Big Day.
• Wednesday: Eat light. Roaster on the roll-around cook station.
• Thursday: Gobble, gobble, gobble. Grease mouse for Black Friday. Gooble….
• Friday: Tryptophan recovery, Short Column 1/2 day in markets.
• Saturday: Charts only in Peoplenomics.
• Sunday: ShopTalk annual SST Sandwich column.
• Monday: Weigh-out and repentance.  Liquor store run for refills. Cyber-Monday.
• Tuesday: WTF? Did I really order all this shit?
• Wednesday: Huh? More boxes of crap?

Yeah, seems like a plan.  Anything we can do to help.

Maybe this holiday I’ll finally finish writing my new children’s book, “Woke Adventures of Hansel and Griddle: A Witches Cookbook.”

Write when you weigh in…

[email protected]

Older articles are here, the Visitor Center over this way.  Now send an email to 2.6 million of your closest friends and tell them how much fun this has been.