As BRICS challenges Bretton Woods dominance, India balances de-dollarisation, sovereignty, and global financial realignment. Deep in the vaults of the Reserve Bank of India, a quiet metamorphosis is... The post BRICS vs Bretton Woods is about a gradual reconfiguration of world financial architecture appeared first on The Sunday Guardian .
The Planning Board will meet on Thursday, June 4 at 6 p.m. and the following applications will be heard.
The Market's Biggest Buyer May Be Disappearing Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance Yesterday, as part of laying out the two paths I can see the economy taking , I wrote that beneath the surface, the American consumer is tapped out. The average consumer - AKA the "retail investor" - has been a key in driving the stock market higher the past half decade. This morning, I noticed two reports that came out yesterday that add to the conclusion that this "retail investor" looks increasingly broke. Yesterday The Wall Street Journal highlighted how rising prices and the highest interest rates in decades have pushed even relatively high-income households into financial distress. One example was a hospital operations director earning nearly $200,000 annually who accumulated $15,000 in credit card debt at a 26% interest rate. Despite making the minimum payments, the balance barely moved. And the broader data confirms this isn’t an isolated story. As I’ve noted, the percentage of credit card balances that are 90+ days delinquent climbed to 13.1% in the first quarter, the highest level in 15 years and the worst reading since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Total credit card balances reached a record $1.25 trillion for a first quarter, while average credit card interest rates have surged from 14.6% in early 2022 to roughly 21% today. Delinquency rates have risen across low-, middle-, and high-income households alike. In other words, this is no longer just a lower-income problem. The financial strain is moving up the income ladder, which fits perfectly with what I’ve been writing about for months. Student loan delinquencies have also exploded higher as repayment obligations returned. Credit card delinquencies have surged to post-financial-crisis highs. Auto loan defaults, particularly among subprime borrowers, are sitting near multi-decade extremes. New data from Experian shows that nearly 19% of new vehicle loans now carry monthly payments of at least $1,000 , up from 17.4% a year ago and more than triple the 5.4% level seen just five years ago. Contrary to popular belief, these aren’t primarily luxury vehicles, either. Roughly three-quarters of the loans are tied to mainstream models, led by popular pickup trucks like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500. The surge reflects years of rising vehicle prices and larger loan balances, with the average amount financed reaching a record $43,952 and the average monthly payment climbing to an all-time high of $770. While delinquency rates remain below 2018 levels overall, both 30- and 60-day late payments are increasing, with the most significant stress emerging among subprime borrowers, who face the highest risk of default as elevated rates and larger loan balances continue to strain household finances. Meanwhile, as noted yesterday , the personal savings rate has collapsed back toward historic lows as households burn through what little financial cushion remains. Consumers have continued spending, but increasingly through debt rather than income growth. What appeared to be resilience was often leverage. The fundamental problem is simple: the modern U.S. economy has become heavily dependent on credit expansion. For decades, growth has been supported by ever-lower borrowing costs, rising asset prices, and consumers’ ability to refinance, roll over debt, and take on more leverage. That model breaks down when real interest rates remain positive for an extended period. For years, I’ve argued that as long as rates stay near or where they are, consumer finances are only going to deteriorate further. Debt accumulation can sustain spending temporarily, but eventually higher interest costs begin consuming larger and larger portions of household cash flow. At some point, debt service crowds out discretionary spending. Consumers stop buying. Delinquencies rise. Credit availability tightens. Economic growth slows. As the New York Post put it yesterday , Americans are “too broke to have fun”. Nearly 60% of Americans say they don’t have enough money to make fun plans this summer — as gas and restaurant prices soar, according to a new poll. Cash-strapped folks are fueling a “fun drought” with more that 57% of people surveyed saying “cost and budget” are what’s keeping them from having a good time, according to a survey of more than 5,000 US residents. Overall, the state-by-state survey found 48% of the nation feels like they lack fun in their lives — and 12% can’t even remember the last time they had a free day to enjoy themselves, according to the study , funded by Dave & Buster’s and conducted by Talker Research. And it will continue getting worse. Positive real rates (or something closely resembling positive real rates) act like a slow suffocation mechanism on a debt-based economy. Every month that rates remain elevated, more households are forced into the same position described throughout the Wall Street Journal article: juggling balances, making minimum payments, delaying purchases, draining savings, and hoping no unexpected expense arrives. The uncomfortable reality is that there is little evidence this process reverses on its own. Absent a meaningful decline in interest rates or some form of Federal Reserve intervention, the math continues to worsen. Consumers are already showing signs of exhaustion. Delinquencies are rising. Savings are depleted. Credit card balances are at record levels. Debt counseling agencies are reporting surging demand. The longer rates remain restrictive, the greater the probability that what currently appears as a gradual deterioration turns into a full-blown consumer retrenchment. And when nearly 70% of U.S. GDP depends on consumer spending, a consumer retrenchment quickly becomes an economic problem. 🔥 90% Off If You Subscribe Today. This coupon allows for 90% off of annual subscriptions and results in a 90%+ savings over paying the monthly rate for a subscription to the blog . You keep the discounted rate for as long as you wish to remain a subscriber. I will not be offering 90% off anytime again soon after the long weekend: Get 90% off forever It also means that when the stock market turns lower, what is left of savings and retirement accounts for the very same Americans, shrinking, is going to put them under significantly more financial stress. If this thesis is correct and the consumer continues to weaken under the weight of elevated rates and mounting debt burdens, I’d be watching areas of the market that have historically been more resilient during economic slowdowns. Things like bonds, gold, consumer staples, defensive sectors, emerging markets with less stretched valuations, and even the equal-weighted S&P 500 all appear better to me than momentum-driven segments of today’s market. That doesn’t mean these assets are immune to a downturn—virtually everything gets hit when liquidity dries up and growth slows. But compared to richly valued technology stocks, speculative growth names, leveraged trades, cryptocurrencies, and other risk-on assets that have benefited enormously from abundant liquidity, they could experience less downside. If the economy is moving toward a period of consumer retrenchment and slower growth, preserving capital may prove far more important than chasing the last stages of a risk rally. -- QTR’s Disclaimer : Please read my full legal disclaimer on my About page here . This post represents my opinions only. In addition, please understand I am an idiot and often get things wrong and lose money. I may own or transact in any names mentioned in this piece at any time without warning. Contributor posts and aggregated posts have been hand selected by me, have not been fact checked and are the opinions of their authors. They are either submitted to QTR by their author, reprinted under a Creative Commons license with my best effort to uphold what the license asks, or with the permission of the author. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stocks or securities, just my opinions. I often lose money on positions I trade/invest in. I may add any name mentioned in this article and sell any name mentioned in this piece at any time, without further warning. None of this is a solicitation to buy or sell securities. I may or may not own names I write about and are watching. Sometimes I’m bullish without owning things, sometimes I’m bearish and do own things. Just assume my positions could be exactly the opposite of what you think they are just in case. If I’m long I could quickly be short and vice versa. I won’t update my positions. As of May 20, 2026 I no longer actively trade ( read my story here ) and my accounts are managed by recurring contributions to trusted third parties and advisors and/or recurring contributions mostly to sector ETFs . Such advisors, through individual equities, options, index funds, mutual funds, ETFs, or other securities, may have positions in names that I know nothing about. Basically, I could own or not own anything at any point, and not have any idea about it. And all positions can change immediately as soon as I publish this, with or without notice and at any point I can be long, short or neutral on any position. You are on your own. Do not make decisions based on my blog. I exist on the fringe. If you see numbers and calculations of any sort, assume they are wrong and double check them. I failed Algebra in 8th grade and topped off my high school math accolades by getting a D- in remedial Calculus my senior year, before becoming an English major in college so I could bullshit my way through things easier. The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page. These are not the opinions of any of my employers, partners, or associates. I did my best to be honest about my disclosures but can’t guarantee I am right; I write these posts after a couple beers sometimes. I edit after my posts are published because I’m impatient and lazy, so if you see a typo, check back in a half hour. Also, I just straight up get shit wrong a lot. I mention it twice because it’s that important. Tyler Durden Sat, 05/30/2026 - 18:40
Bitcoin ETF investors pulled $2.8 billion out over nine straight days, the longest outflow streak since spot ETFs launched in January 2024. BTC sits at $73,500 and BNB holds near $638, both stable... Read the full article on TechBullion.
Investment has always been a subject of concern, but what matters is a smart investment. Only a smart investment has the capacity to change our lives. We all invest in different pl
The Naira returned from a two-day break on Friday, May 29, stronger against the United States Dollar by 16 Kobo or 0.01 per cent in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), trading at N1,375.25/$1 compared with N1,375.41/$1 it was exchanged on Tuesday. The local currency also appreciated in the same market window against the [...] The post Naira Strengthens Marginally to N1,375.25/$ in Official Market appeared first on Naijaonpoint.com.ng .
IG Group Holdings plc (OTCMKTS:IGGHY – Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 65 shares, a decrease of 75.6% from the April 30th total of 266 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 72 shares, the [...]
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle No. 1,085 for Sunday, May 31.
While companion robots are being introduced and virtual experiences hope to ‘take loneliness away’, one expert agrees tech should never replace the human element Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast “You’ll never get rid of humans,” Prof Wendy Moyle says, during a discussion about robots and other technology in aged care and residential homes. Then, a beat later, she adds: “Well, I don’t think we’ll get rid of humans.” Continue reading...
The crypto market seems to be returning to its bearish structure as the year’s second quarter has worn on, with large-cap assets taking most of the hit in the past few weeks. With this grim market backdrop, the XRP token has lost nearly 10% of its value over the last two weeks. What’s interesting is, despite its disappointing recent form, the altcoin is being earmarked as one of the assets overvalued by the market in the moment. According to the latest on-chain data, the XRP token could witness a repricing over the coming weeks. NVT Ratio Climbs 20% In A Single Week In a Quicktake post on the CryptoQuant platform, CryptoOnchain hypothesized that XRP appears to have entered the “overvalued” territory. The market analyst said that the altcoin is exhibiting increasing divergence between its network’s market valuation and actual fundamental utility. Related Reading: Can Ethereum Reclaim Its 2021 Highs Against Bitcoin As Fundamentals Strengthen? This evaluation is based on significant changes in the Network Value to Transactions (NVT) ratio, which measures an asset’s network value (market cap) relative to the daily volume transacted on the network. This on-chain indicator provides insight into XRP’s valuation conditions. According to CryptoQuant data, the XRP NVT ratio has been steadily rising over the past week, posting a 20.3% jump relative to its 3-month baseline. “This structural rise in NVT occurs while the price attempts to consolidate near the $1.33 level,” CryptoOnchain wrote in the Quicktake post. Typically, a rising NVT ratio suggests that the market or investors are pricing the digital asset higher than the actual value of the assets being transferred on the network, indicating overvaluation. CryptoOnchain, however, noted that the increasing Network Value to Transactions indicator doesn’t tell the complete story. A look at XRP’s exchange activity shows a dearth of spot market participation; for instance, CryptoQuant data show that Binance inflows and outflows have both fallen by roughly 98% compared to their 3-month averages. Meanwhile, active deposit addresses on the world’s largest crypto exchange have declined by 94%. According to CryptoOnchain, the combination of the rising NVT metric and a decline in spot market participation suggests that the XRP price lacks fundamental support from active investors or network usage. With this setup, the altcoin is in a dangerous position, which could see its price fall to lower levels as it seeks its fair value. XRP Price At A Glance As of this writing, the price of XRP stands at around $1.32, reflecting no significant movement in the past 24 hours. Related Reading: Solana Clings To Critical Multi-Year Support As Breakout Pressure Builds Featured image from iStock, chart from TradingView
Attempts to tighten up Delta Air Lines' SkyMiles program was met with a humiliating backlash.
I asked Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT to debug the same Python error, and only two explained what actually broke MakeUseOf