Think of all of the rules America gave other countries to live by and then broke all the rules herself:
kleptocracy
: government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed
Central Banks and trading algos have learned via artificial intelligence, how to keep the Dow Jones Illusional Average pinned to all time highs, while the middle class gets robbed blind. After all, that's the "system", and harvesting mythology is the predominant business model of this era.
It's an entirely artificial and temporary delusion
"Low (negative) interest rates are “the magic and poisonous blood-red wishing apple, sending Snow White into deep sleep...the structure of the market itself morphs in response, to become undiversified, passive, price- and risk-insensitive, abnormally sluggish, half asleep. In induced lethargy"
With each bubble and bust, the middle class surrenders more and more of its economic agency to the robber barons, as fixed liabilities crowd out discretionary income. Central Banks are the fulcrum of this system - by reducing the cost of borrowed money - ensuring that the amplified profits are lent back to debt-addicted "consumers". The noose keeps getting tighter and tighter.
Under this "system", the greatest lies are the unquestioned assumptions. For example, it may be true that the quantity of jobs has never been higher, however, it's also true that the quality of jobs has never been lower. At one time, U.S. families could live on one income, now they can barely get by on two. Another lie, is that household balance sheets are strong, as measured by debt levels. This lie omits the off-balance sheet liabilities of exploding healthcare costs and student tuition. Both of which have become mega bubbles in the past decade. Discretionary income continues to fall for the middle class, and along with it degrees of freedom. The sheeple at large never question the system, because to do so would be "socialist" and therefore Un-American. Compliments of highly successful brainwashing, the American Dream has morphed into a Powerball lottery, wherein the cost of the ticket is an entire life's work.
Make no mistake, harvesting complacency in an asset bubble is a lucrative business model. Current record stock buybacks are facilitating record insider selling. This cycle also saw the best IPO venture capital cash out since Y2K. Add in real estate commissions, opioid profits, and financial advisor fees, and soon you're talking real money.
When did capitalism morph from honest business to achieve widespread prosperity, into rapacious criminality coming solely at the expense of the majority? Because that line was crossed a long time ago.
Only mythology keeps this con job running. Those who harvest the myth are the con men.
