Good article. I also own NNE, BWXT and NKLR in the nuclear sector

Thank you Ayelet and Mike, 

Here is my attempt - https://talkmarkets.com/content/stocks--equities/invest-in-us-exceptionalism?post=531078

I shall check with TM's bossman to see if there is a glitch in the system that prevents doing this in comment answer boxes.  Bye. James  

Hello Alexa, some further thoughts on your thoughts. The US and some other countries such as Britain have become seriously out of balance as far as worker rights are concerned. Unions once became too strong but after they weakened management again proved that unions were necessary to balance greed at the expense of their workers. CEO pay has skyrocketed 1,460% since 1978: CEOs were paid...The management pay multiple compared to average employees has grown significantly, with the CEO-to-worker pay ratio increasing from around 21:1 in 1965 to 643:1 in 2023. That must change drastically if the middle classes are to make countries truly prosper again. In my home country, Switzerland, an unwritten pact was made between the Federal government and employers that prevented the growth of union power provided companies looked after their employees properly. That has worked for many years and become part of the culture. Many companies are niche family owned and/or managed and employees have skills that keep the companies world leaders in their niche so they are valued. The result is high pay with among the highest standards of living in the world. High pay is partly to blame for high inflation by the Fed and many central banks. Swiss inflation is currently 0% and so is the Swiss National Bank's base rate! Bye. James

Hello Angry Old Lady, politics in most western countries have become so unbelievable that is hard to believe they could be so unbelievable! The main exception is Switzerland where the people are the highest political authority. James

No one actually knows even if that at Fort Knox is still there. Perhaps look up numbers on the LME as I once did and compare that with the amounts sold via promissory notes as I once did. Other sources show...Fort Knox and U.S. government gold Official reporting: The U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data website publishes monthly reports on the government's gold reserves, including where they are stored.Fort Knox holdings: The U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox holds a specific portion of the U.S. gold reserves, which is reported as approximately 147.3 million ounces.Book value: This gold is valued at a "book value" of \(\$42.22\) per troy ounce, as set by law in 1973, not the fluctuating market price.Audits: The U.S. Mint states that internal audits are conducted regularly to verify the gold's presence and authenticity. A 2017 audit with outside observers provided a rare public glimpse inside the vaults. Global gold storage Central bank reserves: The World Gold Council is a primary source for data on the gold reserves held by central banks around the world.Estimated total: Based on data from sources like the World Gold Council and national central banks, it is possible to get an estimate of total world reserves.Private and non-central bank storage: Information on gold held in private vaults, by private companies, or in other non-governmental storage is not tracked or made public in a consistent way, making it difficult to know the exact amount of gold in these locations. 

Trying again - https://talkmarkets.com/cus-exceptionalism?post=531078ontent/stocks--equities/invest-in-

Hello Ayelet, That sounds very technical. If you have time please let me know how to do that. James

Good article. It also adds useful points to this recent one of mine -
https://talkmarkets.com/content/stocks--equities/invest-in-us-exceptionalism?post=531078

More interesting news -
Wall Street's S&P 500 index (SP500) on Black Friday turned positive for November, marking an impressive rebound for the benchmark gauge from lows of as much as nearly 5% a week ago. The reversal is the largest swing from red to green in the month of November ever.

Careful - Alexa - you are making me think! I do not believe raising the inflation target to long term norms will erode real wages. They grew nicely before the Fed started with a specific target that is not part of its mandate anyway. China probably kept inflation lower in recent years and not central banks tinkering with interest rates. Reshoring plus a mess in many things at home have topped out China's growth and influence for now. Stronger labour institutions could help but unions were banned in South Carolina and some other states back in the 1980's and that helped their growth from nothing to a big something. Politicians continuing to kicking the can down the road while childishly blaming the other side is an ongoing big danger and prevent fixing your last important point - " I’m not sure the policy framework is aligned yet to make the benefits as broad-based or durable as hoped". Trump prides himself on pushing the stock market up so that is useful for investors. Those hugev investments should push up middle class incomes. If the Fed lowers interest rates homes for the middle classes will start to become affordable. That opportunity will be destroyed and the down cycle will continue if they do their norm and raise rates because incomes are going higher. Bye for now. James