Bruce Wilds comments

Amazon exploits its workers and its vendors. It also negotiates special deals with the government and even electric companies that shift costs to its other customers. Utilizing the "power of the web" it slips and sneaks its messages into places uninvited. These all have been a big factor in thousands of retailers being forced to close and in the destruction of small businesses across America. The article below delves into whether there is anyone or anything that Amazon doesn't exploit?

 https://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2019/07/amazon-quietly-exploits-everyone-and.html

The fast-moving Covid-19 is spreading across the globe and just how bad things become remains to be seen but it will be ugly. The long latency period before someone shows symptoms makes it is quite possible for a person to be carrying the virus but show no signs whatever when they arrive at the airport or pass through screening.

This is not over, it is just starting. Covid-19 may be the catalyst for a global economic reset long overdue or simply a huge bump in the road. Because of hidden agendas, incompetence and a lack of testing we have no idea how far this has spread across the world.

Together China and Japan are responsible for around 21% of global GDP. Cutting to the chase, much of what is happening in the markets is all about China and Japan which, while very different are strongly linked economically. A matter that has not garnered enough attention is how economic problems that develop in China will spill over and directly impact Japan. The Japanese economy is very vulnerable to a negative feedback loop that could have strong ramifications on its economy.

While most Americans are familiar with the saying, "anything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" it has become very apparent that in our global economy things that happen in China do not stay in China and the same can be said of Japan.. This is obvious from the huge amount of wealth fleeing China over the last few years. The article below explains the importance of this link.

 https://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2018/11/strongly-linked-china-and-japan-are.html

Generally, we see little movement in the list of the "Worlds 10 Worst Problems" as counted down from least to most crucial. Growing concerns over the angst between several countries with nuclear bombs has a great deal to do with moving "Weapons of war and mass destruction" into first place.

"Weapons of war and mass destruction" not only includes nuclear bombs and chemical weapons but drones and the killer robots now being developed. One big mistake or going down the wrong path in developing new weapons could change life as we know it and a major problem with these weapons is who controls them.

Today many governments are become more totalitarian and Orwellian which means they may eventually be used to control populations. Killer robots are now just another part of the new arms race. The article below delves into the current list of the worlds 10 worst problems.

https://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2019/03/Weapons of War still top-list-of-worlds.html

Trade policy has massive long-term ramifications on the strength of a nation's economy. Often people fail to note the difference between free and fair trade. In many ways, the global economy has become an ill-regulated business model tilted to favor big business and giant conglomerates. We should not lose sight of the fact that while free trade is important, fair trade is far more so and should be the main issue.

Developing a long-term sustainable economic system that is balanced would contribute to both global cohesion and the world economy. The article below is in response to a slew of comments from my recent article titled, "Higher Prices On Import Goods A Fair Cost For Jobs". Today many people supporting past trade agreements mistakenly use low consumer prices as a battle flag around which to rally.

It seems bad news flowing out of China is about to further undermine Japan's hopes for growth. A matter that might not be garnering enough attention or has been largely discounted is how the economic problems that continue to develop in China will spill over and affect Japan. The Japanese economy is very vulnerable to a negative feedback loop that could have strong ramifications on its economy.

The tight relationship between the two is apparent each time trouble surfaces in China the yen jumps in value as wealth in a stealth move flees China often through business back-channels. This should not be misinterpreted as the yen strengthening, it is just a temporary bump before the wealth moves on to an even safer place. More about this subject in the article below.

http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2016/01/japans-strong-economic-link-to-china.html

Two interesting articles appeared in Japan Today on June 17th. The first titled, "Japan post y216 trade deficit in May" and the other "BOJ to debate weak yen." A recent automotive reliability study that showed Japanese cars falling in quality when compared to their competition and how they were trumped by Korea.

Both Kia and Hyundia blew them out of the water, even American automobiles are faring much better. The picture of Japan's future is both cloudy and complicated by the combination of its massive still growing national debt, an aging population, and their heavy reliance on exports. More on this subject in the article below.

http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2015/06/japan-economy-is-in-corner.html

Still Japan is haunted by massive debt that will soon bring it to its knee's and the yen has started a fall that is unlikely to stop. A loop is developing that will feed on itself. As the yen falls and people in Japan realize that it is liable to continue, more and more people will want to put their money abroad, at that point the yens fall may become unstoppable.

The financial news flowing from Japan has become so loaded with conflicts of interest and internal deals created to prop up one weak institution with another that it would be called comical it the ramifications were not so serious.

In light of recent big currency moves the crux of what is before us may hinge on "relevant value" rather than inflation or deflation. It is possible that we have been mislead into arguing and debating the wrong issue and should be focused on how our assets compare in value to those of other people around the world. **In what is often referred to as the "end game" or the time the global economy will be forced into resetting, I believe the situation will focus on issues of currency and debt valuations. These "debt valuations" will include both government and private obligations. If someone is caught holding a worthless currency or is owed money that is washed away or not "properly repaid" they will suffer greatly. This means some people and countries will be big losers as value and wealth shifts to the "flavor of the day" driven by demand or searching for a safe haven. The article below explores the concept of why the value of things you own and control are more important than whether we have inflation or deflation.

http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2015/01/relevant-value-trumps-inflation-or.html

Somewhere between what we are told is happening in the economy and what is occurring on Main Streets across America is the real and true authentic economy. It is ironic that the more the economy slows it only reinforces the idea that the Fed needs to pour even more fuel on the fire. This is exactly what many of us oppose and see as pure insanity.

This debate continues to polarized those who study the economy and play in the dangerous land of investments. Meanwhile the failure of a crash to materialize and bring markets back to reality over the months and years is causing a breaking in the ranks of those expecting "doom" to wash upon us. More on this subject in the article below.