TL;DR:  Markets wobble, metals scream, and AI writes history—just another Friday at the ranch. Where things are clearing with the last chapter of my next book down on silicon…

Here, Hold This Bag…

We may be at the long-predicted inflection point. Not touted by the Mainstream Financial Shills, but why would they?  It’s when the transition to “Return OF your money” becomes more critical than the supposed “Return ON your money.”

We may be there now.  If you read closely, you’ll see why.

First, however, let’s put this into historical perspective.  To keep things as honest (as you’ll find) in modern finance, anyway), we use an Aggregate Index.  It’s an equal dollar index assuming you put the same amount into the Dow, the S&P, and those delicious Techs back in 1999.  We track the long-term comparison with the 1929 Dow.

We think it’s a valid data discussion.  The Dow of the Roaring Twenties widely represented economic activity of America.  Back when we were the “One Nation, Under —can we even say it, anymore?

The troubling view is this:

As any optimist can see, the trend has not been definitively broken yet.  There are at least two major trendlines to go before we will start updating the seeds and laying in fencing material (and more rounds) to keep two and four-legged pests away from the gardens.

The good news is that from 2009 we have done exceptionally well – but only on paper.  As of the pre-open today, it looked like this:

On the lower right there (by the yellow “4”) you will see the possible trend test for this fall, or winter.  (Elves II like in 2018 is possible).  Problem is externalities have been piling up.

The promoters of BTC are running into serious headwinds, too: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Major Altcoins Record Declines in the Past 24 Hours – 36Crypto  In fact, overnight, BTC dropped into the mid/upper $103K range.

I have to wonder if the USPA will offer free discounted gold denominated memberships for despondent whales?

Holdin’ Golden? And Hi Ho, Baby!

What’s going on with gold is almost comical (unless you’re holding paper gold) – there’s not enough to go around.  We hear that contracts for physical out of London are standing for delivery – and the exchange isn’t ready for it.  Here’s a short article reading list where you can suss out details and context:

To save yourself some time, realize that in any crisis the PR departments globally are trying to get attention for their clients, but there’s not much news and only speculation.  Into this hopper we (fairly or not) lump headlines like:

These last three fail our “usefulness test” because we don’t care about projections of the first, a promise of insights to come is nearly useless, and another hypothecation?  Um…

Two useful searches to incorporate in your selective news cruising?  “Paper gold” which fetches articles like Wiluna Mining: Former chair Milan Jerkovic takes FTI Consulting to court over gold play | The West Australian (which will interest reader Len, no doubt) and ETFs vs Fund of Funds: The new bullion battle as investors chase paper gold, silver – BusinessToday.

Another to test now and then? “Perth Mint”  Why? The Perth Mint is Australia’s official bullion mint, wholly owned by the Western Australian government.  Between the LBMA and Perth Mint you can get a sense of something.

Useful Gold and Silver Stats

You could look these up yourself on the LBMA newsroom site, but here’s a few to ponder:

• Gold started the year at $2,644.60 (a.m.) and ended September at $3,825.30 (p.m.) only $1.55 dollars off its all-time high of $3,826.85 set the day before. This represented a rise in percentage terms of 44.65% for the year-to-date (YTD), +14.42% in Q3, and +10.28% in September alone.
• Silver followed a similar trajectory starting the year at $29.405 and ending September at $46.175, a gain of 57.03% YTD, +26.49% in Q3, and +13.80% just in September.
• Both these were outshone by platinum, which gained 69.48% YTD to finish September on $1,544.00. Palladium finished a strong fourth, up 35.17%.

Futures overnight had gold as high as $4,392 and silver, which was up early is now in another smackdown attempt.

For now we watch, but the long-term strategic issue, in terms of familial inter-generational wealth management, is “What would come next?” in your “single-decision” investment picks for the next 10+ years?  We’re leaning toward food production, especially low energy inputs – more on that in ShopTalk Sunday, of all places.

Yeah – may be time to start work on a Food Reactor – a topic we introduced on the Peoplenomics side of the house when?  Back in August: The Invention of Food Reactors.

Stormy Seas Normalcy

What is “normal” anymore, anyway?

Was there a “leak in the John?” Trump critic and ex-national security adviser John Bolton criminally indicted.

Any more than the usual war chit-chat?  Above our paygrade, seems – we only write the damn checks!  Putin briefed Russian Security Council members after Trump call: Aide.  Well, fine…and????

What isn’t clear – at least for now – is this: Will Donald Trump supply Ukraine with US Tomahawk cruise missiles?  Oh, sure, Trump said earlier he would.  DDDT, though;  Different Day, Different Trump.

New York is all but lost.  I mean besides the upcoming financial debacle.  I’m talking about the Clown Duel! Andrew Cuomo tries to knock down ‘first-timer’ Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayor’s debate.

If you find yourself confused between the Midway and Midtown – here’s even more grist: Exclusive | Letitia James’ criminal kin were charged 11 times in 5 years — but keep getting off easy

Actually Useful?

Not a lot, but a few singlets:  “What???”

[You are supposed to know that a singlet state is a quantum system where two particles’ spins or angular momenta combine to give total spin = 0.  And it’s written as:

…and yes, my next book is Mind Amplifiers which we will get to in a second… but for now, here’s what’s useful…]

AI hype resuscitation attempt: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Just Announced Big News for Nvidia Stockholders.

Why not use a phone call? Meta is discontinuing Windows and Mac Messenger apps – BetaNews

And try not to fall in: A Weak Spot In Earth’s Magnetic Field Is Growing Larger, ESA Satellites Reveal

(Now, I have to pray for Toronto to keep the Mariners out of the series…Seattle is already crazy enough – and then some…)

Around the Ranch: Final Book Chapter Finished

Here you go – shameless self-promotion and the first half was released on Peoplenomics a while back…

Title: Mind Amplifiers: On Human Use of Cognitive Prosthetics
Author: George A. Ure

Palestine, TX — Veteran management analyst, futurist, and writer George A. Ure announces the upcoming release of Mind Amplifiers: On Human Use of Cognitive Prosthetics, a sweeping look at how every breakthrough in technology has served as an extension of human thought. From primitive tally sticks to artificial intelligence, Ure charts how each generation’s inventions have functioned as external “neural upgrades” that redefined what it means to be intelligent, creative, and alive.

Drawing from decades of experience at the intersection of media, computing, and economics, Ure traces the lineage of mental tools that lifted humanity from cave walls to code. The narrative connects early counting stones, the birth of mathematics, and the first logic engines to modern spreadsheets, neural networks, and large language models—showing that the drive to outsource cognition is as old as consciousness itself.

Written in Ure’s signature voice—equal parts engineer, philosopher, and storyteller—Mind Amplifiers explores the feedback loop between humans and their creations: how each new invention amplifies awareness while quietly reprogramming it. The book argues that the human story is not one of replacement by machines, but of partnership—a centuries-long collaboration between mind and mechanism that has produced everything from literacy to artificial sentience.

As founder of UrbanSurvival.com and Peoplenomics.com, Ure has spent more nearly three decades decoding economic, technological, and social trends for an audience of forward-looking readers. Mind Amplifiers distills that work into a single narrative about how we became the species that builds tools to build itself.”

Yes it has been a fun book to write – and it has really given me an improved perspective on what progress is.  Just imagine -humans have gone from painting crude drawings and rock walls of caves to painting multi-terabyte mirrors on sand-sized silicon.  Are we  the clever apes, or what?

Now, off to the Visitor’s Center if you’re a newbie. Otherwise, be ready to fire the Redenbacher for the market close today.  They’re going to try to turn it, but will it work?   And don’t forget to attend church this weekend.  Be thankful to the ontology for delivering us from the evil of taxes on unrealized gains.

For moi? Back to waiting for the phone to ring – maybe some day a legit real publisher will call…

Write when you thus, and so on…

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