A Time for Caution

We are seeing several problems around the world that could easily explode into a social and economic catastrophe for many people. As I write this, the stock market is still strong with some seeing new highs this year. I am not an investment advisor, but I can recognize some troubling signs. The war in Ukraine rages on with high-level Russian politicians advising Putin to use tactical nuclear weapons. If Ukraine breaks through the Russian defenses and appears headed for a clear victory, this could become a real possibility. And in North Korea, we have constant threats from Kim Jong Un that he will use his nuclear weapons against the US and South Korea. Each day he furthers his development of new and better missiles with a range capable of reaching US targets.

 

In addition to the wars or threat of wars, we are now experiencing the effects of climate change in a major way. The economic and human costs are rising rapidly, but so far, the financial markets are for the most part ignoring the threats. Property losses are mounting to the point that insurance companies will no longer offer coverage in certain areas of the country. This is a big problem because there are large populations in some of these areas.

 

Covid -19 died down for a time, but now we are starting to see surges again. Although we are in a better place than we were at the start of the pandemic in terms of preparation and vaccines, it is still a threat. Health experts have warned that other new diseases could emerge because of climate change. I think that few are prepared for that possibility.

 

Finally, I look at the political climate and see the potential for chaos never experienced in this country. Will Trump get the Republican nomination? If he is convicted in one of his indictments what happens? If he is the Republican candidate and loses, would he acknowledge another loss or throw this country into complete chaos. If he is elected, our form of democracy may vanish. He has made his agenda quite clear: greater power for the executive branch and punishment for those who opposed him. The situation would not be any better under a Ron DeSantis presidency.

 

My point in listing these concerns is not to push you into a depression. This country has enormous resources with its people and technology to solve problems, no matter how great. If we work together, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. But I would be remiss if I did not point out the need for caution.

 

The recent storms point out that climate change effects are here and not just something that might happen in the future. Recently, Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, raged against the liberals claiming they were saying climate change was the cause of hurricanes when Florida has experienced severe hurricanes in its past long before the talk of climate change. I don’t know who he is referring to who has made such claims. What the liberals (meteorologists and other scientists) are saying is that the hurricanes are becoming more frequent and powerful because of climate change. 

Hurricane Lee has exploded to a Category 5 storm because of the exceptionally warm waters in the Atlantic, and Idalia slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm, having rapidly strengthened because of unusually warm waters in the gulf. Rather than acknowledging climate change, DeSantis has attacked claims that no one is making. If he is going to attack the liberals’ position on climate change, he should get his facts straight. I believe he is doing the people of Florida a disservice by not recognizing and acknowledging the threat of climate change.

 

Where does all of this leave us in terms of the economy and financial markets. Maybe the financial markets will continue to ignore the many threats and move higher. But think about what would happen in the markets if Russia were to use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine. Or what will happen in the markets if the effects of climate change suddenly worsen. And what would political chaos in 2024 mean for the markets. In an earlier post, I described a dream about the US dollar. Major climate change disasters in the US, as well as political turmoil, could affect the US dollar.

Recently I had a dream like the one about the US dollar. I was with a man who worked in a group I managed many years ago. The stock market had collapsed, and I was expressing concern that it had taken out a lower level that I thought would hold. The drop in the Dow and S&P 500 was enormous. I did not post this dream in a separate post after it occurred because I think it could be symbolic of something else, but a more literal interpretation is certainly a possibility.

 

Several months ago, I dreamed that I met a man who claims to be a futurist and who has made many prophecies about Earth changes. I think of him as someone who can see the probable future. He said the stock market is going to crash, but he did not give a time frame. One could say, it is a safe prophecy because someday that will most likely happen. But dreams don’t work that way. I don’t dream about random events that might happen someday. I had been thinking about the things I mention as threats in this post, and I believe that one or more of them will occur and cause the stock market to crash. Of course, the stock market could continue higher until this event occurs. I am just saying that caution is in order because when the trigger event happens it will be too late if you have not properly prepared for it. Much information is available from an internet search about how to minimize the risk of such an event. I am not a financial advisor and can’t tell you how to position your portfolio if you have one.

 

Your dreams can warn you about catastrophic events in advance, but you must be monitoring them daily and learn your own personal symbols in dreams. No one else can do that for you. Your subconscious creates the dreams from your personal history: associations, events, beliefs, and desires. Something in a dream may have a strong personal association for you but little meaning to someone else. Only you know about that association. To understand your dreams, you must do the work yourself.