The Daily Sheeple – by Joshua Krause
The Baltic Dry Index has long been one of the strongest indicators for global economic growth. It’s a reliable measure of the world’s supply and demand for raw materials, such as concrete, steel, coal, and food. Where this index stands not only gives you a glimpse into how healthy the global economy is, it also tells you how strong economic growth will be in the future. Unfortunately, it’s looking worse than ever before.
This week the Baltic Dry Index fell by 4.7%, down to 484 points, which is the lowest level we’ve seen in 30 years. Or put another way, demand for the raw materials that are the building blocks of the modern world, hasn’t been this low since Reagan was president. For the most part, this recent decline can be attributed to China’s floundering economy, which was once the largest driver of global economic growth.
But truth be told, this isn’t the first time that the Baltic Index has tumbled to a record-breaking low. It has bottomed out several times this year, most notably in January and March. Much like the stock market, it reached an astonishing high point in 2008 before completely collapsing. Unlike the stock market, it has never recovered.
Contrary to what you hear on the news, the global economy is not recovering. Our politicians and talking heads are like dogs chasing cars. They chase the highs and lows of the boom-bust cycle and inform us accordingly, but they ignore the fact that the economy is getting worse with each cycle. They’re missing the bigger picture. The Baltic Dry Index tells us the truth however. We’ve entered a period of long-term decline that could last for years.
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Contributed by Joshua Krause of The Daily Sheeple.
Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshua’s reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshua’s website is Strange Danger .
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/the-baltic-dry-index-has-just-tumbled-to-a-record-low_122015
“Much like the stock market, it reached an astonishing high point in 2008 before completely collapsing. Unlike the stock market, it has never recovered.”
That’s why it’s used as an economic barometer. Unlike the stock market, it can’t be rigged.
It’s over folks. Manufacturing and consumption have both ground to a standstill, and the Fed just put the final nail in the coffin with that .25% rate hike on money no one wants in the first place.
The retail business has collapsed, and there are no jobs, because there is no economy.
I didn’t want to panic any idiots with this news, but my local Walmart rearranged their shelves, too. What they’re doing is consolidating and re-arranging all of their food products to make half the store resemble a supermarket. Any Walmart cashier will tell you that food is all they’re selling now, so they’re probably preparing to stop dealing in dry goods altogether in places where they’re not moving.
One partition can now cut the store in half, and turn it into a “food only” supermarket. This will allow them to cut all expenses from handling items that aren’t selling. (lay off half their staff, heat a smaller building, etc. etc.)
Can’t tell it where I live. They are dozing down the forests at the speed of light and building more places to sell more junk everywhere. Personally I don’t think the economy ever was booming. It’s all fake due to credit debt.