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Samsung stock price up 144% Intel up 255% in 5 months of 2026, as the S&P makes eight weeks of consecutive gains May 23 2026. Companies in the S&P 500 trade at 21 times their expected earnings over the next 12 months, the 10 year average is about 19 times their expected earnings. The war in Iran, the war in Ukraine, and the massive misallocation of investment to AI are risks for the US economy, yet the US stock market continues to be robust.

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Google former CEO Eric Schmidt at Arizona University commencement speech gets booed for statements on AI. The Google ex CEO says its your turn to shape AI but does not say that AI is shaped by a few individuals at corporations such as Microsoft and Google. Pew Research shows majority of students on campuses across the US have serious concerns and are not excited by the way AI has developed. This when Pew has not asked people to comment on how trillions of dollars needed for rebuilding of the dilapidated infrastructure and transportation of the US and for reindustrialization to create jobs after manufacturing was shipped to China by Elites, have through the capital markets been shifted into AI. Even when financial returns cannot come anywhere close to what these investments would do for the American people (and investors) if invested in reindustrialization+ infrastructure. The public knows better, no wonder Google founder Schmidt is booed.

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A makeover in a state that relied a lot on government services and high taxes to fund these services run by the state. A shift away from this tax funded government run model of services to getting private initiative involved, letting private investors take risks and try out new ideas in education, public services. Sweden has also moved away from reliance on laptops and ipads, on electronic screens for early and middle school education, preferring an older style of binders and writing on paper. Having realized that the electronic screen had not delivered on reading comprehension the way books and reading hard cover books did, and realizing that writing skills come from taking a pen and writing on real paper, rewriting and rewriting. Realizing that education does not require fancy tools, basically good teachers, good books and a basic drive to learn, a curiosity of mind and dedication to putting in the work required. This is something that is also part of Lyrarc's Movement of Global Literacy with Sweden at the forefront in trying out new ideas, and dropping failed ones. ...

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Proposed ban on investors in housing market proposed by DJT to improve affordability in housing is facing resistance in  the US Congress. Speculative investments in the housing market drive up prices in the housing market at a time of severe housing affordability crisis.

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Washington Post calls a Netherlands unrealized capital gains tax of 36% unfair. The legislation was passed in lower house of parliament. Unrealized capital losses could be used to offset gains in future years under this legislation. The US only taxes capital gains after they are realized and at 15% or 20% for long term gains and a 4% added tax for high income persons. The 36% tax would apply to all who own stocks or bonds not just the wealthy.

In Netherlands the average take of the ogvernment is 3%% compared to 30% in US. Healthcare costs are split 65% 45% between the government and average worker, and mostly all (84% of workers) get additional coverage. The value added tax rate VAT is 21% in Netherlands about 3 times the US sales tax of 6-7%. And the Netherlands is in the EU a relatively moderate tax country compared to France and UK.

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WSJ on how America's political establishment lied about Covid's real origins in a Lab in Wuhan, China, after some in the American scientific community ignored prudent warnings about possible accidental release, and sent the virus from the US lab to a lab in Wuhan that was not fully prepared to handle it. In reality the Biden administration erred when it did not conduct an open assessment of what had happened, because this would have earned and kept the people's trust instead of dividing the country into vaccine believers and vaccine unbelievers.  Sections of the virologist community in the US and in China that promoted such research against the advice of others in the scientific community could have accepted their error with humility. The people of Asia have made great advances in this century- some call it the Asian century- great advances in manufacturing and in science. Yet they are not so fragile, the people in the Buddha lands and the land of Gandhi are not not so fragile that they could not accept that what they had achieved was on the shoulders of what hundreds of European scientists and inventors had done over three centuries since 1700. And that there was much to learn. The Chinese people and government can look with great self-respect for what they had achieved in the last 100 years not to need the condescension of the virologist community.  In a sense this divided the US people's perceptions of China, with half of the country skeptical about the virologist community's explanations accepted by the Biden administration. This was not in any way good for China and the Chinese people. In fact one can say that by handling this with an open mind would have clearly built more trust in China-US relations, and that China- US relations reached the lowest during the end of the Biden administration point with the Balloons incident. And recovered afterwards to this point of mutual respect under a frank president with candor and respect. This vaccine blunder also created further culture wars conflicts around the US, to ones based on race, LGBTQ, and other less consequential matters than the deindustrialization and loss of America's manufacturing base and its best jobs in huge numbers under the watch of Bush and Obama administrations, and their followers in the Republican and Democratic parties. What happened is that the country was split on race, gender, immigration, and belief in Christian values. Issues such as nuclear non proliferation (Iran) presented in ways that adversely affect the US. by calling it something else. In all such issues honesty is the best policy, dealing in a straight forward manner wiht the public is the best course, for reasons that are timeless and well recognized. Failure to do so on the part of the Elites only creates distrust of official explanations by the people of America. ...

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For 2025 US stocks S&P 500 returns 19%, foreign stocks in Europe 36%. An extraordinary year for foreign stocks with Germany's big investments in the economy. Actually the average S&P stock was down 3.7%. It was the large investments in AI that propelled the US stock markets S&P 500 to the 19% gain.  AI investment may take a long time to be profitable and some companies may lose money yet the building of data centers creates demand for construction activity, and tariffs are bringing larger investments into the US economy. Media skeptical about tariffs led to many missing the surge in stocks. It was the same overseas after years of Merkel and limits placed in the constitution on needed spending, and the SPD coaltition struggling to get through FDP obstruction to investment spending. Chancellor Merz of CDU joined the SPD to make a big $1 trillion investment in German infrastructure and defense, and removed the constitutional brake on investment Merkel had unwisely put in, with so much of Germany's infrastructure and digital in bad shape. This pushed up European stocks that had languished under the austerity logic of Cameron/Johnson-Merkel. This also was missed by many as the old logic was suddenly and quickly taken out with Russia emboldened in Ukraine taking over much of the eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Defense is now a rapidly growing part of the German economy. 2025 was a year of sudden and rapid change in the world economy with tariffs, US investment deals, and Germany taking on defense and infrastructure, which few could predict. And in which the media created confusion by saying the opposite of what was required from investors. ...

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In a complete reversal of Chavez socialist Venezuela oil policy that led to underinvestment in oil industry and its gradual collapse with mismanagement corruption- the new oil law sets 15% tax and 30% royalty fees . This encourages US investment other than Chevron which is already in the country. Rodriguez, the interim president says "We're talking about the future. We are talking about the country that we are going to give to our children."  US Secretary of State Rubio cited this achievement in the interests of the Venezuelan people in the Senate hearing yesterday. Rubio is from Latin America, has a deep knowledge of the region and is interested in its future for the next generation, he knows what went wrong and what can be corrected for a better future for the region. For this reason the Monroe Doctrine is not about US alone, but the US helping the region prosper and improve the lives of people in the region. A very important point when there is misrepresentation of US policy in the region and the world, something Rubio never tired of pointing out in the Senate hearing yesterday. Once again in a country that was one of the best in Latin America Venezuelan oil can help Venezuela get back on its feet as a reliable and successful partner for America in the western hemisphere, a model for the rest of the region after so much suffering and mismanagement acting as a lesson for future generations in the western hemisphere. ...

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Debt markets and Analysts fear too much building of data centers will lead to construction taking more time for the AI data centers to come online, and by that time they fear aglut of data center capacity leading to losses. One AI data center company is asked to pay 3.75% more in interest rates, 70% more for loans. Other reports suggest caution because of the circular nature of data center investments where the same companies are coming up again and again in complex transactions and lack of transparency. Oracle took losses on it's stock price for its financial dealings.

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A lead researcher at Stanford and UC Berkeley says he hasn't seen anything like it, the opposition intensify so quickly. 70% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans oppose overinvestment in AI  and increasing in sentiment- not about stopping progress but  about stopping hyperlevel investment of trillions of dollars and diverting from reindustrialization/infrastructure for US that creates jobs and a better qualityof life. In today's world neither China or the US can afford hyper investment, most Asian countries would prefer to let the US do it and later get that technology for free one way or the other. Therefore this means the American people are being hoodwinked- they pay the price when their bridges and roads, airports are in disrepair, when even a national network of data charging stations could not get funded under Biden which would have addressed the biggest problem for transition from fossil through EV's to fight climate change.  The investment community is being hoodwinked. Investors are being hoodwinked as the returns are uncertain and cannot be justified on financial grounds- only by hype.  Polls only ask about AI not the hyperinvestment in AI. If the truth is known that these trillions of dollars diverted by using flaws in capital markets in the US, avoiding financial scrutiny and hyping up AI when returns are by a long shot uncertain compared to rebuilding America's infrastructure and industries to compete with China and the EU- that is desperately needed- then these numbers would show the vast majority of Americans oppose this diversion of funds from the infrastructure and reindustrialization that create jobs that support working families. Take for example Texas, a Republican state, where the Agriculture Commissioner is calling for a moratorium on new hyperscale data center development in the state, citing higher costs for farmers, and strains on the power grid. It is not about stopping progress. Fon transition to renewable energy or example the adjustments made by Biden and Democrats allowed some fossil fuels use to make the transition, the same policy being pursued under different political slogans and labels under DJT. It is not about stopping progress as progress continues even under DJT Republican administration - natural gas prices and coal use prices are making natural gas a choice for power plants, the cost of oil at $100 making EV's hybrids cost less than gasoline cars. AI technologies will advance, and the wherewithal, the framework in which AI should operate can be built alongside without throwing everything out of balance. Throwing the whole economy out of balance, destroying the chance to create jobs and bring about the 1st priority of America and EU- reindustrialization and infrastructure renewal alongside India's modernization. That requires these trillions of dollars being pushed into AI by a few self-interested individuals without returns, and trillions of dollars more. If that is accomplished any challenges from China will fade in comparison with the scale of the effort in the EU, the US, and India with the largest industrial bloc in the world far bigger than China. This is not mere words. It is a plan of action that is being put into place right now at Oslo, Norway at the Nordic+EU Summit with India on the next phase of this effort, put into place piece by piece through hard work and a clear vision for the future. ...

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DJT ban on BIg Business buying up single family homes to make housing affordable for  young families.

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Flat payment rates for Medicare Advantage to Insurers by the DJT administration which is questioning how health care needs of the country remain unmet and US healthcare comparing very unfavorably with other advanced countries in Europe and Japan and also in India. Some of this is because of the behaviour and practices of the health and pharmaceutical industries in the US. The 2027 payment by government for Medicare Advantage is 0.09 percent. In 2026 it was about 5%. In 2025 it was -0.16 percent and in 2024 it was -1.12% under the Biden administration showing a great deal of dissatisfaction with funding Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage was set up by the Bush Republicans in 2003 who set it up with the nice sounding name Medicare Modernization Act. It was an effort to help the insurance companies with government money. Today in the second term of DJT in 2026 affordability is what American people care about most and the DJT administration is unhappy with the insurance companies. Dr. Mehmet Oz is in charge of Medicare and Medicaid Services Agency of the federal government and he says about Medicare Advantage and new policy to save “taxpayers from unnecessary spending (on Medicare Advantage) that is not oriented towards addressing real health needs.” The DJT Kennedy-Oz approach is for comprehensive digital information linking all medical providers, making America healthy again, cutting through the dense fog created over the last 2 decades, making pharmaceutical costs as affordable as the best in European nations, and refusing to subisidize if delivery is poor and health results are poor.   ...

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US stock markets rebound during US naval blockade of Iran April 15 2026.

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Black Rock's collection of $10 trillion in passive assets or shares in firms that it manages for investors, including pension funds, brings with it voting rights for these shares. About 45% of investors have now expressed interest in doing the voting themselves. The voting provides Black Rock and other passive index tracking funds enormous leverage over thousands of American companies.

This voting rights power it can use to support Black Rock's stance on social issues. Recently Republican senators introduced a bill calling for individual investors in passive funds to have the option of voting their own shares instead of Black Rock or some passive index tracking fund doing it for them. 

Black Rock has responded with a voting choice platform that now has $520 billion of the $10 trillion it manages for investors.

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Toshiba is going private in a $15 billion deal with Japanese investors. This follows tensions with foreign investors and is an effort to bring the company back into Japanese ownership.

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About $78 billion in equities and ETF's bought in the US in the first quarter of 2023 excluding retirement accounts. Individuals have been buying at 5 times the rate between 2017-2019 says this report in WSJ. This is one of the reasons the S&P 500 is up 7.7% this year. Individual investments into money market funds remain at high levels, and there is less speculative investing. Saving for retirement remains a priority for investors. 401 (K) retirement accounts investments have held steady at 14% of income on average, including employer and employee contributions, according to Fidelity Investments. Younger investors shown in WSJ takes a conservative approach not taking a short term approach and maxxing out 401 (K) contributions, looking to the long run. 

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Prevailing bets in financial markets by investors are that inflation over the next 12 months will be 3.3%. This is also reflected in the way oil, copper and commodities markets prices are declining. Some of the decline comes from sharply slower growth in China of less than 4%. This means inflation is headed in the right direction, and circumstantial driven by the war in Ukraine and supply chain issues, and not embedded or structural, say experts. 

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Conditions such as these are simply unacceptable for average young American families and their children when they rent apartments. A business called syndicated apartments which pools together small investors with promises of high returns in apartment real estate is the focus of this report by the WSJ. As the mayor of Houston has pointed out it has created deplorable conditions for renters in his city, with similar conditions in other cities. In pursuit of profit apartment quality deteriorates creating difficulties for ordinary Americans who rent. This report shows the collapse of this as a business activity with losses for investors with the Fed's increase in interest rates. Another article in the NYT this week shows what a city friendly to renters can look like- Vienna, Austria, which is next on this page. With the increase in mortgage rates doubling home ownership payments more average Americans will look to rent. Conditions such as these are a gross violation of what America's implicit promise is to its people for quality of life. ...

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America's nonfinancial companies are sitting on the biggest cash pile ever- $2.1 trillion at the end of June, according to Moody's Investors Service. AT&T has $15 billion in cash. And Delta Airlines is in a better position to survive the pandemic with $15 billion in cash.  Companies in STOXX Europe 600 have also posted a similar rise.in cash. Liquidity ratios are up at Deere and Southwest Airlines.

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Tim Berners Lee, inventor of the world wide web says on its 28th anniversary that the fake news development is dangerous and needs to be tackled to prevent serious damage. He says Google and Facebook have responsibility to see to it that misinformation is not spread. He says the algorithms used by the social media sites need to be revealed so that the public knows how the information is selected. The revenue for these sites is based on clicks, and so he says as people click on information, "fake news" that is surprising, shocking or made so that it has appeal can generate more attention and spread like a wild fire. 

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In April 2013 an estimated 11% of Japan's financial assets were invested in the stock market and mutual funds. This compares with 45% in the U.S. and 22% in Europe, according to data from U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan. Mom and pop retail investors are beginning to come back to Japan's stock market after 2 decades, making up 20% of trading value in October 2012, and up to 31% of trading value by April 2013. Japanese households have a larger amount of holdings of cash and bank deposits than U.S. households after the two decade stock market plunge in Japan and higher savings rate- about $8.9 trillion compared to $7.7 trillion. Japanese households had 6.8% of their financial assets in shares and equities in 2012, compared to 14% for Europe and 33% for the U.S., according to the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Bank of Japan, showing the room for households to increase share and equity investments as confidence returns to the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

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Institutional investors such as Canada Pension Board protest a move by Gassled, Norwegian gas pipeline company, to cut rates it charges Statoil for gas transport to points in Europe by 90%. This cuts long term return by half say institutional investors, who plan legal action.