A study says that by 2025 the cost of  a robot that does welding will be less than $2 an hour. That’ll keep Union Shop Stewards awake at night. Australia’s Dept. of Industry  predicts that 500,000 high skilled jobs like accounting and finance will be replaced by robots and automation! There’s a lot of competition for a job.

….also from Michael: The Main Investment Theme For the Next Decade

Donald Trump is he latest Government leader to promise jobs. Governments don’t have a good track record in that dept. as Justin Trudeau has found out. Canada’s unemployment rate is 7%, exactly, the same as it was after the election in Oct 2015. Just one factor that could torpedo Trumps promise would be if interest rates keep rising. Another is a stronger US dollar that will make US products uncompetitive. There are just so many factors that can trip up a Government’s goal to expand employment, debt at the top of the list. 

….more from Michael: Interest Rates Are Heading Higher

The heated debate of Carbon Taxes first has to take into consideration that if all of Canada was shut down, no cars, no factory, no heated homes….it would only reduce World Wide carbon emissions less than under 2%. If reducing carbon emissions is the priority, Government shouldn’t be looking to a carbon tax regardless of what they promise to spend the money on. There is a way though….

…also from Michael: Canada’s Arrogant Politicians

The evidence continues to mount that the 35 year bear market in US bonds is over, interest rates are heading up and the implications are dramatic. For example,  the rate on a 10 year US bond is 2.37%. Compare that to the rate of a 10 year German bond of .35% and you know why German money is flooding into the US driving the dollar higher and other currencies down

…also from Michael: The Main Investment Theme For the Next Decade