Top of the IIQ pile today we have reader Big Al Brown who is asking the only question that matters to some of us:

“Per my Brainamp at closing today.
02/19/2025 = 52758.04
06/30/2025 = 53104.54

Dow still lagging but the other two are way up.
Do you think it is valid intraweek?
Do you think all three components should hit a new high to be valid? (Dow still about 500 low.)
I am wondering.”

OK, so you’re new around here?  BAB’s BrainAmp is his custom-tuned version of the Aggregate Index spreadsheet—downloadable by Peoplenomics subscribers from the Master Index. We built it after 9/11, back when Wall Street was blaming terrorism for a dot-com detonation that vaporized up to $7 trillion in investor wealth..

Bait, switch, cover, got it?

Nothing new under the Sun, is there?  We assess the risk of dangerous false flag ops (or a second israeli “blow of steel” as very high over the balance of the month which is just starting today.

Jolt or JOLTS

Yes, it’s been a Viagra week on Wall Street—erected on stimulus rumors and fiscal delusions. No need to ‘see a doctor’ unless you’re short. Bears may get relief at 10 AM, when Jerome Powell speaks and Labor’s JOLTS report drops.

Tomorrow both the ADP and Challenger job numbers drop and since there’s the Official numbers Thursday (and an early market closing, too…(the Hampton’s won’t wait, right?) we should know if the answer to Big Al is “Uh-huh – double top” or the “This is what a hyperinflationary blow off looks like.”

OK, I’ll Bite…what could cause that kind of outcome?

Porky Pig and the Third Party

The Markets love free lunch.  And the big spending bill is full of it.  An AI read of the situation goes like this:

“Based on posts found on X, Musk has called it a “disgusting, pork-filled abomination,” highlighting a record $5 trillion debt ceiling increase and questioning the inclusion of projects unrelated to the bill’s primary goals. Critics, including Musk, argue the bill is bloated with special-interest provisions, a common tactic in omnibus legislation to secure votes across party lines. Historical context, like the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, shows that large bills often include tangential items—e.g., $65 billion for broadband or $1 billion for community reconnection projects—that some label as pork if they deviate from traditional infrastructure. The scale of spending and debt increase suggests this bill may indeed have significant extraneous allocations, though specific details on the projects are scarce in available sources.

However, this could also be politics as usual, amplified by Musk’s high-profile platform. Large bipartisan bills, like the 2021 infrastructure package or the 2022 omnibus spending bill, routinely face accusations of pork due to their complexity and the need to appease diverse constituencies. Earmarks, reintroduced in 2021 after a decade-long ban, are a standard tool for lawmakers to fund local projects, often criticized as wasteful but defended as necessary for governance. Musk’s outrage, echoed by some X users, may reflect genuine concern over fiscal irresponsibility or a strategic move to align with certain political factions, especially given his mention of unfair treatment of EV/solar incentives compared to oil and gas subsidies. Without a detailed breakdown of the bill’s contents, it’s hard to quantify the pork’s extent, but the pattern of large bills attracting such criticism suggests this is partly the messy reality of legislative deal making, heightened by Musk’s vocal opposition.”

We Think Another Agenda is in Play

Reading stories like Elon Musk Calls For New Political Party to Stop Trump’s Bill might get you to thinking there’s Big Change in the wind.

SO…the way we figure it? The GOP sees a cornered Democrat Party flailing under the Auto-Signer-in-Chief and Kamala the Kackler. But if they don’t flank hard now, the Gavin Newsom hairball might gel into a threat by ’28. Enter Musk: creating a Third Party firewall that keeps the West Coast prince out while positioning his own ‘middle lane’ for later

Like Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith said “I love it when a plan comes together…”

Only this ain’t the A-Team.  It’s what was on special in 2024. Tell your hopes for better to keep a foot on the brake.

Cue up Sam & Dave (“Hold on, I’m coming…“)  Billionaire Musk vows to launch new political party if controversial Trump bill passes Congress.

Now Let’s Visit Stupidville

I told you last week the Peoplenomics next week will be a short break-dance on City-States.  And the “Stupidville” poster child  for that is New York: Mamdani set to win as NYC readies ranked choice mayoral vote tally release.

“If you feed, they will breed” wrote the National Observer in the 1960s.  So let’s inspect how the Rs and Ds are both hosed up on this.  USAID cuts may cause over 14 million additional deaths. The problem for the liberals? Most of those additional deaths were not in the USA.  AND the planet does have this population problem which is driving resource depletion.  So, do we need more air-breathers?  The R’s get faulted too, though. We really do need to put People ahead of Products.  This is the kind of thing pondered in Downsizing (my latest smashing of forehead into walls) trying to sort out chronic bullshit.  (Is it a psycho malfunction or a great business model?)

Good news – and bad – for Walmart.  Walmart has been plagued since late last week with an online shopping CAPCHA login problem.

A mixed report card today as they seem to have gotten the logon for online shopping fixed for Firefox and most other browsers. Edge is only about 5% of the market now, so that’s like choosing to commute in a PT Cruiser when the Teslas are free. Online is dominated by Chrome. (Chrome has  64-66% global market share, Safari has approximately 18-24%, and Edge hangs on at 5-13%. – this is where you’re supposed to know that Webkit, the rendering backend of Safari is open source, even if Safari isn’t…wait, did I just drive into the weeds?)

Sure, we like the tight Edge with natural voices read-aloud integration in Edge.  But we like ordering wine more.

Today, we still got the “so sorry” when checking it out with MS Edge.  Want to place bets on Walmart programmer overtime this weekend?

BUT the good news is that our favorite jug wine is back in stock, so that, along with a load of bolillos and we wouldn’t dump Wally stock, yet.

Oh, and don’t forget to Flossie: Tropical depression dumps rain in eastern Mexico as Flossie brews off west coast.

Around the Ranch: Fourth Checklist

Here, use mine:

• Food and beverage run
• Got scrips stocked up
• Gas for the lawnmower
• Projects pre-negotiated
• Weather outlooks and alternative mapped
• Cars filled
• Call the kids
• Pick up more explosives…. (2 1/2-inchers or cherry bombs down mole holes, right? We like keeping red-necked “precision munitions” around for bombing our local enemies.)

The rest of my list is dealer’s choice.  Mine should include unboxing the new table saw (ShopTalk Sunday?) and maybe some “Ham radio Tree work…” approached with chainsaw diplomacy.  Depends on weather and ambition, though.

Are you ready for it?

Next week, we’ll all look back on the weekend ahead.  That’s when the real relaxing will take place – when its safely in the rear view. Until the endodontist’s office calls to remind me of oral surgery ahead. Which is what drove me to finish the book this week so I can relax with some drugs next week… The older you get, the more you plan such things well in advance.  You’ll see… the drugs are better but come with a pain coupon.

Write when you get rich,

[email protected]