February 2026

Another day, another set of disappointing data. Data this week from Challenger, Gray & Christmas indicate that the US labor market is no longer merely cooling. According to the latest report, US employers announced 108,435 job cuts in January, the highest January total since 2009, and more than double January 2025 figures. Hiring plans collapsed […]

QUESTION: Marty, January posted the largest January job loss numbers since the Great Recession of 108,435, which was a 118% increase from a year earlier. This seems to be in line with Socrates’ going into February where it projected a rise in volatility there as well and a Directional Change. Plus, consumer confidence started declining

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ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: • NIKKEI 225 decreased 475.32 points or -0.88% to 53,818.04 • Shanghai decreased 26.285 points or -0.64% to 4,075.917 • Hang Seng increased 37.92 points or 0.14% to 26,885.24 • ASX 200 decreased 38.60 points or -0.43% to 8,889.20 • SENSEX decreased 503.76 points

One commentator said great job, you were off only 24hrs in picking the high in gold. Another wrote in asking how did you know this would be a cycle inversion with the 2nd being a low rather than a high? Markets are far more precise that 99.9% believe. In part, this is because they teach

Private payroll processor ADP reported that U.S. private employers added just 22,000 jobs in January, far below the consensus expectation of roughly 45,000–46,000 and softer than December’s revised figures. This weak headline comes just as official government jobs data has been delayed, yet again, due to ongoing political dysfunction in Washington, leaving markets increasingly dependent

Could Europe defend itself without America? In January 2026, NATO launched Operation Steadfast to answer that question. The operation is the largest exercise of the year, deploying around 10,000 troops from 11 member states across Central Europe. The plan involves the Allied Reaction Force, a rapid response element designed to test trans-Atlantic coordination in simulated