Every European Country Reinstituting Drafts, They Want War – Martin Armstrong

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com (Saturday Night Post)

Legendary financial and geopolitical cycle analyst Martin Armstrong is back with an update on his big turn toward war in Ukraine with Russia. Two weeks ago on USAW, Armstrong predicted, “After May 15, war is turning up (in Ukraine) and it will be turning up into 2026.” That prediction paid off to the exact day as peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended on May 15 after just two hours, and neither side agreed to meet again. War is already here, and there is no stopping it with peace talks. Armstrong says, “Putin knows and understands this is not a just a war with Ukraine, this is a war with NATO. If Putin agrees to a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, what’s that going to do? Absolutely nothing. You have every European country reinstituting drafts. In Germany, even people 60 years old have been told to report. Poland has ordered every able-bodied man to show up for military training. They want war. Their economy is collapsing. You hear about this de-dollarization, and it’s not happening. The capitalization of just the New York Stock Exchange is worth more than all of Europe combined. That’s just the New York Stock Exchange. . . . You’ve got Macron in France, they call him the ‘Petite Napolean.’. . . Without war, Europe is going to collapse. It’s in a sovereign debt crisis . . . They have done everything against the economy.”

Armstong thinks Russia will finish off Ukraine sometime in 2027 and Europe a year or two after that. And, Yes, Armstrong still thinks Ukraine will disappear from the map.

Recession Watch: Time to Dig Out Our Favorite Recession Indicator Again

Recession talk is swirling densely all over the place, so let’s have a look.

By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.

What are we looking for? The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), which calls the official recessions in the US, has always defined recessions as broad economic downturns that include downturns in the labor market, such as declines in employment and significantly rising unemployment.

Weekly data for unemployment insurance benefits are the earliest indicators of systemic job losses. Among the data sets, weekly continued claims for unemployment benefits, also called “insured unemployment,” is our favorite Recession Indicator. It essentially counts the number of people receiving unemployment benefits after their initial claim.

The prior three business cycle recessions – not counting the Pandemic which was a lockdown, not a business cycle recession – came after Insured Unemployment had surged to:

2.64 million in December 2008, beg. of Great Recession

2.56 million in March 2001, beg. of 2001 Recession

2.49 million in July 1990, beg. of 1990 Recession.

Saylor signals impending Bitcoin purchase following Q1 earnings call

By Vince Quill

Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor posted the Bitcoin chart signaling an impending Bitcoin purchase by the company the following day.

Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor hinted at an impending Bitcoin

purchase, marking the fourth consecutive week of purchases by the BTC treasury company.

The company's most recent acquisition occurred on April 28 when Strategy purchased 15,355 BTC, valued at over $1.4 billion at the time, bringing the company's total holdings to 553,555 BTC.

According to data from SaylorTracker, Strategy is up approximately 39% on its investment, representing over $15 billion in unrealized gains.

Bitcoin Price, MicroStrategy, Bitcoin Adoption, Michael Saylor

Strategy’s history of Bitcoin acquisition. Source: SaylorTracker

Bitcoin investors continue closely monitoring the company, which has been a major driver of direct institutional exposure to BTC by popularizing the Bitcoin corporate treasury concept and indirectly through institutions holding Strategy's stock in their investment portfolios.

Will the Stock Market Crash Further From Here?

By Brett Eversole

In the blink of an eye, markets have moved from relative calm to earthshaking volatility...

Big day-to-day swings have become the norm since President Donald Trump announced tariffs last month.

Last week, we covered what back-to-back down days in April could mean for the market going forward. According to history, a 10%-plus fall over two days tends to signal we're near the market bottom.

And now, we've got another reason to think the bottom is in...

The S&P 500 Index had its third-best day since 1950 on April 9. And according to history, that means stocks might be done falling... and we could see a 20%-plus rally over the next year.

Let me explain...

History Points to Upside for the Stock Market in 2025

On April 9, stocks rallied 9.5% in a single day. That didn't happen for no reason...

They soared because Trump "called off the dogs," at least for a moment.

Stop the Digital Control Grid – Catherine Austin Fitts

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com (Saturday Night Post)

Catherine Austin Fitts (CAF), publisher of “The Solari Report,” is back to update us about the “Fast-Approaching Digital Control Grid.” (CAF) told us last time here on USAW, “There is no bigger ongoing battle for lovers of freedom than the battle taking place over the freedom killing idea of digital ID.” But it’s more that just ID, it’s an entire control grid that is being quietly built that is like a frog being put into pot and the water being brought to a boil. CAF explains, “You know our goal at Solari is each person has a free and inspired life. So, we have been working for several years to stop financial transaction control. If you get the ability to track each person and control their transactions, so if they don’t do what you say, they can turn off your money. That is game over for the Constitution and for human liberty. If you look at how the control grid is coming together, there are many different pieces. There is digital ID, all digital currency or transaction system to a social credit system to the management to certain kinds of data and back-up energy.

Look to the U.S. for AI Stocks to Buy

By Joel Litman

Experts are predicting a seismic shift in artificial-intelligence ("AI") spending and technology.

Annual investments in data centers – the backbone of AI infrastructure – are expected to soar... from $300 billion to $900 billion worldwide by 2027.

On the tech side, autonomous agents are expanding the limits of AI. These AI agents are like chatbots... but more specialized and powerful. They're trained for specific tasks, like conducting deep research, designing coding solutions, and finding cybersecurity threats.

Companies – and entire countries – are working around the clock to develop and use these AI agents. In short, this technology is fueling a major geopolitical transformation.

Nations are scrambling to secure their positions in the AI-driven future. And the U.S. is emerging as a key player...

Federal funding, Department of Government Efficiency ("DOGE") mandates, and corporate initiatives are all cementing its leadership in AI.