trendsjournal.com – History Before It Happens

December 19, 2023

20231219202129

CHINA BOOSTS DIRECT INVESTMENT IN EUROPE

In 2024, China increased its investment in Europe for the first time in seven years, putting about €10 billion into a range of electric vehicle (EV) plants and battery factories in Hungary.

WHITE HOUSE APPROVES WAIVER FOR NEBRASKA TO BAN SODA PURCHASES WITH FOOD STAMPS

The White House last week approved a waiver submitted by Nebraska to allow the state to ban the purchase of soda or energy drinks with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps, prompting Brooke L. Rollins, secretary of the Agriculture Department, to call the move a “historic step to Make America Healthy Again.”

MAKING PALESTINE GO AWAY

It has been another exciting week in a world at war where the word “diplomacy” has no meaning and would probably be defined by America’s head of Homeland Security Kristi Noem as a doctrine in which you shoot someone first before he or she can shoot you.

DISSOLVING PLASTIC WASTE USING COMMON MATERIALS AND AIR

Scientists are creating next-generation methods to recycle plastic without using the toxic solvents still common in many processes.

TRUMP CONFRONTS SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT OVER POSSIBLE ‘GENOCIDE’ OF WHITE FARMERS WHILE GREENLIGHTING ISRAEL’S GENOCIDE IN GAZA

President Donald Trump met with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House last week and raised what he saw as concerns that white farmers in the African nation were being killed and “persecuted” and forced to flee to the U.S.

U.S. DOLLAR’S VALUE DROPS AGAINST OTHER WORLD CURRENCIES

Last week, the U.S. dollar’s value declined the most in any week since Donald Trump’s 2 April “Liberation Day” tariff announcement.

MICROSOFT ADMITS THAT IT BLOCKED EMPLOYEE EMAILS THAT CONTAINED WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH PALESTINE

Microsoft admitted last week that it took action to prevent its employees from emailing large groups with keywords such as “Palestine,” “Gaza,” “genocide,” and “apartheid,” because “emailing large numbers of employees about any topic not related to work is not appropriate.”

SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER

AT&T is buying Louisiana-based Lumen Technologies’ fiber optic network for $5.75 billion in cash, the companies announced last week.

LOANS TO NON-BANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS SPARK CONCERNS

U.S. banks are loaning more and more money to private credit lenders and private equity firms that can use the money for high-risk or speculative investments, leading regulators to worry about the growing tie between the two sectors.

WEIGHT TRAINING PROTECTS AGAINST DEMENTIA IN OLDER ADULTS

As the global population grows older, dementia cases are expected to double every two decades, rising to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050.[1]

“SUPERWOOD” GOES COMMERCIAL

This summer, the startup InventWood will begin mass-producing “SuperWood,” a super-densified wood that the creators say is 10 times stronger than the original tree.

GAZA DEATH TOLL

The death toll in Gaza’s 598-day genocide reached at least 54,056 along with 123,129 injured. There are at least 11,000 people considered missing.

BITCOIN FLIES WITH TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE, HELPING TO LIFT OTHER CRYPTOCURRENCIES

Bitcoin investors are bullish with U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House given his family’s tentacles in crypto and optimism that he will do everything he can to make sure there is a favorable regulation environment to spark further growth.

HEIL, MERZ: GERMAN CHANCELLOR CELEBRATES TROOP DEPLOYMENT IN LITHUANIA, APPROVAL FOR UKRAINE TO USE LONG-RANGE MISSILES TO HIT TARGETS DEEP INSIDE RUSSIA

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Lithuania last week to celebrate the deployment of his forces inside the country, stating that the brigade represents Berlin’s commitment to securing the Baltic states because their security “is also our security.”

COLLEGE GRADUATES IN THE U.S. ENTER A TOUGH JOBS MARKET AMID CONCERNS ABOUT THE WIDER LABOR MARKET

With graduation season in full swing, graduates across the U.S. have been having difficulty landing their first jobs out of school—from entry-level positions to even internships, which economists say could be a signal of a softening labor market.

SPOTLIGHT: CRISIS IN THE BOND MARKET

The results of Japan’s 20 May ¥1-trillion bond auction was “dismal,” according to the Financial Times, with so few takers that the yield on long-dated bonds climbed to record heights.

ECONOMIC UPDATE—MARKET OVERVIEW

Among the articles in this week’s Trends Journal is how the median home selling price has soared 53 percent since 2019. Why? Because arrogant politicians locked down the nation to fight the COVID War in 2020.

“THE PUPPETEERS OF BABYLON.” YEAH, LET’S NAME THEM. (DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE)

This is borderline dangerous. Bank for International Settlements. BIS operations are not just secret, they are legally untouchable… LEGALLY UNTOUCHABLE! With full immunity from law enforcement, taxation, and judicial oversight in its home base. Basel, Switzerland.

SPECIAL REPORT: TRUMP’S TARIFFS, THE UPS AND DOWNS, FOR BETTER AND FOR WORSE

Major asset managers are thinning their holdings of U.S. treasury bonds and notes and deploying more funds into a wider range of choices in other countries, the Financial Times reported.

AI MUSICAL CHAIRS: PROFITING FROM HUMAN REPLACISM

Tech-savvy Humans are currently scrambling to profit either by devising new ways to leverage AI / physical AI to replace humans, or to identify opportunities where “humanness” can be exploited for unique attributes that synthetic alternatives can’t (yet) emulate.

A Mushroom Cloud From A Nuclear Bomb Explosion

MAD MAN RANDY FINE SAYS U.S. SHOULD NUKE PALESTINIANS

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., said the quiet part out loud during an interview Thursday and argued that the U.S. should nuke Gaza like it did to Japan at the end of WWII because the Palestinians, as a people, are irredeemable.

HEIL, MERZ: GERMAN CHANCELLOR CELEBRATES TROOP DEPLOYMENT IN LITHUANIA, APPROVAL FOR UKRAINE TO USE LONG-RANGE MISSILES TO HIT TARGETS DEEP INSIDE RUSSIA

May 27, 2025

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Global Economy

SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER

AT&T is buying Louisiana-based Lumen Technologies’ fiber optic network for $5.75 billion in cash, the companies announced last week.

SPOTLIGHT: TARNISH ON THE LUXURY INDUSTRY

Miffed at Europe’s inability to reach a trade agreement, last week Donald Trump floated the idea of a new 50-percent tariff on all products from Europe.

SPOTLIGHT: CRISIS IN THE BOND MARKET

The results of Japan’s 20 May ¥1-trillion bond auction was “dismal,” according to the Financial Times, with so few takers that the yield on long-dated bonds climbed to record heights.

The Israel War

Displaced Palestinians Return To Gaza City As Part Of The January 2025 Ceasefire Agreement

GAZA DEATH TOLL

The death toll in Gaza’s 598-day genocide reached at least 54,056 along with 123,129 injured. There are at least 11,000 people considered missing.

‘GAZA IS OURS’: THOUSANDS OF ISRAELIS TORMENT PALESTINIANS ON JERUSALEM DAY

Thousands of Israelis celebrated Jerusalem Day like they do every year: stage a massive Flag March through Jerusalem’s Old City where they can gleefully torment the Muslim population there by chanting slogans like, “Death to Arabs” while the Palestinians can do nothing because these marchers are backed by Israeli forces.

MAD MAN RANDY FINE SAYS U.S. SHOULD NUKE PALESTINIANS

Trends in AI

LLOYD’S OFFERS INSURANCE AGAINST AI MALFEASANCE

Lloyd’s of London, the legendary insurance pool covering high and odd risks, now will cover damages awarded by courts for companies sued when their AIs hallucinate or otherwise fail to perform as expected.

BLACKROCK BACKS AWAY FROM BROAD EQUITY MARKET, BETS MORE ON AI

Blackrock, the world’s largest private equity firm, is reducing its holdings in U.S. equities in general and pouring more cash into its iShares AI Innovation and Tech Active Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF).

META STUMBLES, DELAYING THE RELEASE OF ITS NEW AI

Meta has delayed releasing the latest version of its “Behemoth” AI after internal questions arose about whether the improvements were enough to warrant a new release, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Global Economy

The Israel War

Trends in AI

Hi-Tech Science

The above are just a few of the many articles in the latest Trends Journal. CLICK HERE for the full edition.