SoCal has become a center of Chinese real estate speculation as well. The dislocations because of this fever are great, and the ultimate results will be complicated by anti city, anti tech Trump. Trump wants the US to focus on making trinkets.

#Obama's bubble party will look more like a tea party if the Republican's desire for deregulation takes hold under Trump.

Seems like #Trump wants much higher rates, hoping that this would cause the long rates to go up. If that happened, maybe he wants another housing bubble, with teaser rates. That would not be a solid foundation for recovery, but would end up being, like the last housing crash, a con on the middle class. The Fed could step in to prop up prices unlike last decade. But then that would be a massive tax on renters. Hard to please all the people all the time. But a bubble in real estate is hardly sustainable. The millennials will be sensitive to that bubble and may not want to play that musical chair game.

If Trump thinks that saddling the middle class with more debt would be an economic victory he is a predator not unlike George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. They allowed easy money toxic loans. Is that what Trump calls recovery? He will be same ole as the other globalist tools.

Great charts, must read. Considering people already knew Donald #Trump had won, this slowing of non gasoline retail growth certainly doesn't justify a lot of Wall Street exuberance.

Nice chart. Retail appears to be an increasing drag on growth.

Switzerland and Germany sell bonds with negative interest. That, unlike what you said about their inability to service that debt, this results in Switzerland and Germany being paid by investors to issue bonds. It is crazy, but sovereign bond demand must be massive in order for people to be willing to pay government for their bonds by paying interest. That is hardly a bubble, IMO.

I am pretty cool with cobalt 59, but any number higher could be radioactive, right? I didn't do well in Chemistry but I think I have that right, Gary. I just don't like Lithium. Also electric cars are limited in what they can do. It takes awhile to fill them up!

Sad truth, we did not have authority of the UN to invade Iraq. We are war criminals and so are all our allies. Every nation with power is a war criminal.

I don't feel comfortable sitting on a gigantic lithium battery. That is just a personal preference. I don't really see electric cars gaining widespread acceptance, but if the price difference is huge, there could be an expanded customer base.

I agree with this great insightful article. But I don't believe inflation can be permitted. The Fed will apply the breaks severely, if it sees inflation rising, in a way not seen in the past. Right or wrong, the Fed would always like to err on the side of caution over allowing inflation. But prices rising by limiting foreign cheap imports will hurt the constituency that voted for Donald Trump before it hurts other people in society.