Kenneth Tower

I enjoy new people & ideas, hate trolls & am a crazy Red Sox fan. All opinions my own. Random Financial Mkt thoughts, not work related.

[Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600]

Bank of America data shows clearly that for every dollar a customer deposits into a sports book or predictions market they return less than 75 cents. Sports betting is a curse, prediction markets are a tool for insider trading and rip off all other users. Don’t waste your life on these…

[Shashank Joshi @shashj]

Staggering sums, staggering conflicts of interest.

'Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, reported earning more than $100 million from the entity that owns his stake in World Liberty Financial, according to a new financial disclosure. That income included nearly $69 million in cash and $38 million in crypto, according to the filing. His 2025 income from the holding company is more than three times what he reported in last year’s disclosure.'

[Steve Rattner @SteveRattner]

President Trump has added more to the national debt than to economic output in his first 17 months in office.

The CBO projects the gap will only widen over the rest of his term.

[Tracy Shuchart (𝒞𝒽𝒾 ) @chigrl]

China’s gold buying spree rolls on as reserves climb again in August

The PBOC announced that it held 76.73 million troy ounces of gold at the end of August, up from 76.08 million ounces in July. That extends the buying streak to 22 months now.

Meanwhile, the reported value of China’s gold reserves surged to $350.08 billion - up from $306.35 billion in July. (InvestingLive)

[Kenneth Tower @Kt23b]

This is a great map that reminds us how unknown the Americas were to Columbus!

[Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600]

This fantastic animated map shows Columbus’ voyages through the world known to him. A mesmerising view of the world!

[Kenneth Tower @Kt23b]

It's true that to be meaningful this graph cries out for a log scale instead of a nominal scale. Going from 1 million to 2 million should take up the same amount of space on the graph as going from 0.2 to 0.4. Both are a doubling.

[Steven Duffy @steventduffy]

Rate of change here matters most.
Zoom out. It's been falling for decades.

[Kenneth Tower @Kt23b]

Spectacular!

[Ryan Maue @RyanWeather]

You're looking live at El Niño going "full-tilt" to start meteorological fall. Once in a lifetime event.

Three monster hurricanes in E. Pacific w/Hawaii splitting the uprights.

Moisture from Hurricane Marie is going to inundate U.S. desert Southwest with major monsoon!

[Kenneth Tower @Kt23b]

Interesting summary of current events.

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

If you can watch only one video to understand current geopolitics, make it this one by George Yeo, one of Singapore's longest-serving cabinet ministers (23 years!)

As Yeo explains, current global geopolitics is fundamentally driven by US "retreat" and "decline", forced by a financial reality that no US administration can reverse: its debt servicing already exceeding its entire defense budget.

To Yeo, this explains why the US insists so much that its "allies" in Europe and Asia spend more of their GDP on defense - to basically pick up the tab for an empire America can no longer afford - but it also means that, inevitably, "once your allies begin to have their own military capabilities, they will think differently, and they will not follow you in everything that you want to do."

As such, American decline becomes self-reinforcing: the more it asks allies to carry their own weight, the less reason they have to follow its lead.

Still, Yeo says that a similar dynamic to one that happened after the fall of Rome could occur where America - like Byzantium did - sheds its empire and consolidates around its own hemisphere, allowing it to remain self-sustaining and powerful for a very long time.

He believes it's the direction things are heading - which would also explain Trump's obsession with Canada and Greenland.

It remains however obviously an open question whether an American "Byzantium strategy" is even achievable: Canada, for one, clearly wants no part of it.

Full video available here: https://t.co/99APyQjG3q

[MeidasTouch @MeidasTouch]

Price Increases, July 2025 to July 2026 (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

1. Fuel oil — +39.1%
2. Other motor fuels — +30.7%
3. Airline fares — +25.5%
4. Regular gasoline — +25.3%
5. Midgrade gasoline — +23.0%
6. Premium gasoline — +21.5%
7. Computer software and accessories — +21.2%
8. Instant coffee — +15.8%
9. Jewelry — +15.2%
10. Uncooked beef roasts — +13.5%
11. Video/video-game subscriptions and rentals — +13.4%
12. Postage — +13.3%
13. Sewing machines, fabric and supplies — +12.9%
14. Tomatoes — +12.8%
15. Delivery services — +12.6%
16. Gardening and lawncare services — +12.3%
17. Apples — +11.1%
18. Watches — +10.6%
19. Dishes and flatware — +10.4%
20. Other video equipment — +10.0%
21. Home health care — +9.7%
22. Candy and chewing gum — +9.6%
23. Uncooked beef steaks — +9.6%
24. Roasted coffee — +9.4%
25. Video discs and other media — +9.2%
26. Ground beef — +9.0%
27. Turkey and other uncooked poultry — +8.4%
28. Recorded music and music subscriptions — +8.0%
29. Fresh fish and seafood — +7.8%
30. Frozen fish and seafood — +7.8%
31. Lettuce — +7.5%
32. Cigarettes — +7.3%
33. Motor vehicle maintenance/servicing — +7.3%
34. Intracity transportation — +7.0%
35. Apparel services other than dry cleaning — +6.6%
36. Vehicle parts/equipment other than tires — +6.6%
37. Nonelectric cookware/tableware — +6.4%
38. Frankfurters — +6.3%
39. Rice — +6.2%
40. Men’s underwear/nightwear/swimwear/accessories — +6.2%
41. Motor vehicle repair — +6.2%
42. Shelf-stable fish and seafood — +6.1%
43. Fresh whole milk — +6.0%
44. Newspapers and magazines — +6.0%
45. Outpatient hospital services — +5.8%
46. Other uncooked beef and veal — +5.6%
47. Sports vehicles including bicycles — +5.6%
48. Vehicle accessories other than tires — +5.5%
49. Salt, seasonings and spices — +5.4%
50. Girls’ apparel — +5.3%
51. Laundry and dry-cleaning services — +5.3%
52. Women’s suits and separates — +5.2%
53. Inpatient hospital services — +5.2%
54. Dental services — +5.1%
55. Pet services — +5.1%
56. Other fresh vegetables — +5.0%
57. Water and sewerage maintenance — +5.0%
58. Other fresh fruits — +4.8%
59. Fresh milk other than whole — +4.8%
60. Renters/household insurance — +4.8%
61. Indoor plants and flowers — +4.7%
62. Other condiments — +4.7%
63. Other tobacco products — +4.7%
64. Veterinarian services — +4.7%
65. Window coverings — +4.6%
66. Women’s footwear — +4.5%
67. Crackers and related bread products — +4.5%
68. Fresh cakes and cupcakes — +4.4%
69. Haircuts and other personal-care services — +4.4%
70. Motor oil, coolant and fluids — +4.3%
71. Utility piped gas — +4.3%
72. Electricity — +4.2%
73. Men’s pants and shorts — +4.2%
74. Nursing homes/adult day services — +4.2%
75. Breakfast cereal — +4.1%
76. Tax preparation/accounting fees — +4.1%
77. Canned fruit — +4.0%
78. Toys — +4.0%
79. White bread — +4.0%
80. Computers, peripherals and smart-home assistants — +3.9%
81. Garbage/trash collection — +3.9%
82. Citrus fruit — +3.8%
83. Musical instruments and accessories — +3.8%
84. Women’s underwear/nightwear/swimwear/accessories — +3.8%
85. Men’s shirts and sweaters — +3.6%
86. Motor vehicle body work — +3.6%
87. Distilled spirits away from home — +3.6%
88. Internet service — +3.5%
89. Parking fees and tolls — +3.5%
90. Vehicle registration/license fees — +3.5%
91. Tools, hardware and supplies — +3.5%
92. Potatoes — +3.4%
93. Elementary/high-school tuition and fees — +3.4%
94. Day care and preschool — +3.4%
95. Hair/dental/shaving personal-care products — +3.4%
96. Limited-service meals — +3.3%
97. Beer away from home — +3.2%
98. Canned vegetables — +3.2%
99. Household cleaning products — +3.2%
100. Nonfrozen juices and drinks — +3.2%
101. Rent of primary residence — +2.9%
102. Sports equipment — +2.9%
103. Men’s footwear — +2.8%
104. Soups — +2.8%
105. Beer at home — +2.8%
106. Cable/satellite/live-streaming TV — +2.8%
107. Food from vending machines/mobile vendors — +2.6%
108. Fresh sweet rolls, coffeecakes and doughnuts — +2.6%

[Kenneth Tower @Kt23b]

@NESN Ok, but moving from second to third on that hit was completely different from yesterday. you're probably just looking for content but I don't think the situations are the same.

[Philadelphia Phillies @Phillies]

THESE PINCH HITS LOVE SOSA

[Kenneth Tower @Kt23b]

100%. Just Trump being Trump.

[Kenneth Roth @KenRoth]

Trump says he will take control of Venezuela's huge oil reserves. The terms are unclear, but senior Venezuelan officials, all fearing arrest, are hardly in a position to negotiate vigorously, making the whole thing seems like one big military theft. https://t.co/IjEbu8vSAt

[Kenneth Roth @KenRoth]

Trump says he will take control of Venezuela's huge oil reserves. The terms are unclear, but senior Venezuelan officials, all fearing arrest, are hardly in a position to negotiate vigorously, making the whole thing seems like one big military theft. https://t.co/IjEbu8vSAt

[Kenneth Tower @Kt23b]

Unbelievable. I remember the video of this and it was just blatantly obvious.

[Haaretz.com @haaretzcom]

Israeli court acquits man of assaulting nun in Jerusalem's Old City https://t.co/enya7zl1zG

[Robert Malley @Rob_Malley]

An implacable, clinical takedown of the Board of Peace’s record in Gaza:

[Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof]

Gaza has the highest concentration of child amputees in the world (at the peak of Israeli bombing, 10 kids were losing limbs daily), UNRWA says. And now Israel is now blocking prosthetic limbs from entering Gaza. All this has happened with US support or complicity.

[Kenneth Roth @KenRoth]

Qatar has learned, you can try to bribe Trump, but that is no guarantee of favorable treatment. He might forget, he might want more, and he always puts himself first. https://t.co/VIBrNcYYcI

[Kenneth Tower @Kt23b]

I don't doubt this, but it's hard to believe. How can you deport someone's spouse and expect them to be in a mental state where they can contribute to the military?

[Kenneth Roth @KenRoth]

Trump accepts a man’s service but not his spouse: the wife of an active-duty US soldier was deported to Honduras — the seventh spouse or parent of an active-duty US soldier to be deported under the immigration crackdown during Trump’s second presidency. https://t.co/TdNIsfvwGA

[Philadelphia Phillies @Phillies]

Down 4-0
Bottom of the 9th

#RingTheBell

[The Intellectualist @highbrow_nobrow]

Marco Rubio: "For years to come, there are many people on the right...that are going to be having to explain and justify how they fell into this trap of supporting Donald Trump because this is not going to end well.” (2016)