It’s occurred to me that I may have been projecting a bit of pessimism in my last few updates. Images from storms like Florence and Mangkhut can give us the impression that the world is ending. 

However, looking at the news today there’s a lot to be positive about. Turkey and Russia have decided not to launch a ground assault on Idlib, a move that could end up saving thousands of lives, and a summit between North & South Korea is bringing hope to many.

As far as the economy is concerned, something I saw yesterday seems really exciting. This graph shows interest in the United States minus inflation…

What this shows, is that when the Federal Reserve raises their interest rate next week, it will once again be profitable to save money. This is the first real sign we’ve seen since the crisis that the economy may finally be stabilizing.

I also recommend to check out the full explanation of this graph when you have a moment.

It’s illustrator, who I’ve been following for a while also sees that some stocks might be expensive at the moment but that there are still plenty of opportunities for investors at this time.

Today’s Highlights

Traditional Markets

Yesterday, Donald Trump decided to ramp up the trade war against China with unprecedented tariffs. However, rather than falling Chinese stocks have been rising sharply this morning.

As we highlighted in a previous update, the China50 Index had fallen nearly 30% from its peak at the beginning of the year so the fact that the worst of it may be over seems to be sparking some kind of relief rally today.

Positive Signs in Crypto

Volatility in the crypto markets is picking up again and several players seem to have gotten nervous over the price of Ethereum, which is once again testing the $200 per coin level.