Those who know Easter cannot despair

Feast of Hope Easter – Why? Because Easter gives us hope! On this most important of all Christian feasts we celebrate: that Jesus has conquered death. That he rose from the dead and gave us hope – for eternal life.

Easter thus stands in stark contrast to the 40 preceding days of Lent and Penance. 40 days – that's how long Jesus fasted in the desert, finding himself and God, before setting out to proclaim his message. 40 days for us today to renounce something and thereby become aware of our own life again. To reflect on our own life – and on God.

At the end of Lent are Maundy Thursday, commemorating Jesus' last supper with his disciples, and Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. The Easter Vigil, the night from Saturday to Easter Sunday, then celebrates the raising of Jesus from the dead. That is why during the Easter Vigil Mass, the Exsultet, the sung Easter praise, says:

This is the night of which it is written:
"The night becomes bright like the day,
like radiant light the night will surround me."

The radiance of this holy night
takes away iniquity,
cleanses from guilt,
gives innocence to sinners,
joy to the mourners.
It drives away hatred,
unites hearts
and bends the powers.

It shines until the morning star appears,
that true morning star, which never sets:
Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who rose from the dead,
who shines for mankind in the paschal light;
who lives and reigns with you forever and ever.

A pator, Franciscan friar and spiritual director reflected on the theme of resurrection at the conclusion of Lent:

"It is like a miracle when the sun rises in the morning and we are allowed to get up again. Only when you can't get up do you feel how agonizing it is to have to stay lying down. To be allowed to get up, to be able to move, to be free, not to be dependent on outside help – what a grace that is given to us anew every day. For it is not a matter of course that this gift is given to us. Anyone who is ill can tell you a thing or two about it.
The idea of what it means to get up helps to get an idea of what Easter, the feast of the resurrection, means. Because here it concerns before a lying, which carries the name death. No man can rise from death by his own strength. One can be raised from death only by an external force, just as we are awakened from sleep.
This, however, is the almost unbelievable belief of Christianity that Jesus was raised from the dead. We humans did not make up this belief. This faith is a gift, just as the life of Jesus Christ himself, his deeds and words are a gift to this world.
That is why Easter is a feast of rejoicing, of thanksgiving, of singing. As the Easter fires light up the evening, and as the sun rises anew with its bright light in the morning, may this Easter faith in the Risen Lord rise anew in the hearts of the faithful and bring light to this world."

Hallelujah!
Those who can trust this message may have hope: for their loved ones, for the people in the crisis areas of the world – and for themselves. For hope, as fragile as it may sometimes seem, can give strength to a love that can move mountains.

Whoever knows this, whoever knows Easter, can really not despair. Instead, it means: rejoicing irrepressibly, joining in the Hallelujah that was not sung during Lent, but now resounds again in the churches. "Hallelujah" is a Hebrew word: "Hallel" is rejoicing, "yes" is the short form of God's name "Yahweh." So Hallelujah means "Rejoice in God!". And not only at Easter, but also beyond, because this time offers so much reason to rejoice that a few days are not enough for it.

The week after Easter is therefore a time of particularly intense celebration – and feasting, because Lent is now finally over. The festive week closes with "White Sunday". This is named because in the early days of the church, the new Christians baptized at the Easter Vigil wore their white baptismal robes throughout Easter week until the following Sunday.

But celebrations continue even after White Sunday: seven times seven days is the time of rejoicing over Jesus' resurrection – it ends only on the 50th day, on the weekend of Pentecost, which is celebrated as the founding feast of the Church. On Pentecost, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on his disciples and sent them out to proclaim what he promised them and all people after his resurrection: I am with you always, until the end of the world

Tim Moseley

The goldsilver ratio moves back into familiar territory

The gold/silver ratio moves back into familiar territory

The gold/silver ratio has moved back into familiar territory. The price has moved back into a wedge-type formation on the daily chart below. The trendlines have acted as clear support and resistance levels with both being tested and respected around three times each. More recently the price has moved to the lower bound of the pattern and bounced back up. In terms of support levels, the yellow line at 75.90 is the one to watch but if that breaks 74.64 could be next.

The upside looks more interesting, 79.00 is the previous wave high but the main high on the chart is at the green line (82.13). There is a massive consolidation area at 77.85 and this is where the price seems to gravitate towards. If there is to be another move higher it looks like it could be a magnet for the price once more.

Lastly, the price has also bounced off the 200-day simple moving average (SMA). On this chart, there has not been too much significance on this moving average but historically it has been a good indicator of trend. There was a period between 2017 and 2019 where the 200 SMA worked a treat.

By Rajan Dhall

For Kitco News

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

Tim Moseley

US dollar is gold’s main obstacle in breaching 2k analysts

U.S. dollar is gold's main obstacle in breaching $2k – analysts

Gold tested a critical level this week on its way to $2,000, but one of its main obstacles remains a strong U.S. dollar, according to analysts.

Despite a selloff during the week's last trading day, gold is still up 1.5%, with June Comex gold futures last trading at $1,974.6 after rising above $1,985 an ounce a day earlier.

After seeing renewed safe-haven appeal amid significant geopolitical tensions, the U.S. dollar is limiting gold's upside. The U.S. dollar index breached the key psychological level of 100 Thursday, last trading at 100.36.

"Gold is receiving strong haven demand. But we see the same thing with the U.S. dollar. That will be a potential headwind for gold. The USD is being viewed as the 'cleanest dirty shirt in the laundry.' Investors are looking for safety outside of some of the chaos and uncertainty that we see in the markets. The argument is similar to gold — it is viewed as a trusted place," Gainesville Coins precious metals expert Everett Millman told Kitco News.

Escaating tensions further was Russia threatening to deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles if Sweden and Finland joined NATO. The comments came from Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council. "There can be no more talk of any nuclear-free status for the Baltic – the balance must be restored," said Medvedev, who is also former Russian president (2008-2012).

This comes just a day after U.S. President Joe Biden announced he is providing Ukraine with an additional $800 million worth of firepower, including heavy artillery.

Renewed pressure from the stronger U.S. dollar could keep gold stuck in a trading range until the index falls back below 100.

"The dollar had quite the run. There was the belief that the rally would pause at the 100 level. But we are seeing further bullish momentum. Short-term, the dollar could appreciate more. That's why I'm neutral on gold. Fundamentals and still intact for bullish momentum in gold, but a stronger dollar could limit [the metal's prospects for now]," OANDA senior market analyst Edward Moya told Kitco News.

Rising yields in the U.S. are also boosting the greenback and pressuring the precious metal, said TD Securities head of global strategy Bart Melek.

"The dollar rallied to some extent because we've seen yields across the curve move up as well. The 2s, 10s, and 30s are all moving up. This is an important factor in driving prices here. Real rates are moving up here as well," Melek said.

'Recession is coming next year': time to sell stocks, buy Bitcoin – Mashinsky

On its way to $2,000 an ounce, gold will have a harder time breaching the $1,975 an ounce level than the $2,000 one, said RJO Futures senior market strategist Frank Cholly.

"The dollar is probably the biggest factor right now. If the dollar dips back down towards 99-98 range, that will make it a lot easier for gold to break through $2,000, which will eventually happen," Cholly told Kitco News.

The $2,000 level could be within reach in the next month or so, but traders should be ready for volatility in either direction, Millman added. "In terms of factors that would drive it, it won't take much. The level of anxiety and fear in markets justifies that price level. By the same token, if there is a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine or inflation expectations come down, gold will drop to $1,900," he noted.

The gold market will also be paying very close attention to guidance from central banks around the world, especially to the Bank of England interest rate announcement and the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting in May.

Markets will continue to price in aggressive tightening cycles, kicked off by the Bank of Canada's oversized 50 basis point hike on Wednesday.

"Markets will be watching how other central banks respond to inflation. The ECB didn't do anything and leaning more dovish. At the same time, many other central banks will be pretty hawkish now," Millman said.

The Fed might be perceived as behind the curve on inflation as it focuses on the core inflation measure instead of the headline number, which could be a mistake, Melek pointed out. "We saw the largest increase in inflation in the U.S. since 1981, with inflation accelerating to 8.5% in March. But the core, which excludes food and energy, looked better. Will this convince some traders that the U.S. central bank may not need to be as aggressive?" he asked.

Data to watch

Wednesday: U.S. existing home sales

Thursday: Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index, jobless claims

Friday: Manufacturing PMI

 

By Anna Golubova

For Kitco News

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

Tim Moseley

Cardano Whales On Buying Spree

Cardano Whales On Buying Spree With Record ADA Holdings As Price Closes In On Bullish Sprint

By Newton Gitonga – April 13, 2022

Cardano’s biggest whales seem to have bounced back after an eight-month-long drawdown that saw investors offset some of their ADA holdings for profit to scoop up more coins.

According to blockchain analytics firm Santiment, despite ADA being down close to 60% from September highs, ADA whales are back to owning the largest supply of coins. ADA whales are entities that hold 10 million coins or more in their wallets.

“Cardano is down -59% since its $3.10 all-time high. However, the asset’s top whales (holding 10M+ ADA) have returned to their largest percentage of supply held in two years, at 46.6%. Note that a large portion of these addresses is owned by exchanges.” Santiment wrote on Tuesday.


(Click image for larger view)

A recent report by the firm has also shown that the group of addresses holding between 10,000 to 100,000 ADA has been accumulating rapidly, as they continuously bought dips since the price started dropping in late September and now hold 16.8% of the available supply./p>

Santiment also sheds light on Bitcoin’s whale behavior, noting that the cryptocurrency saw a steady supply of 4,000 whale transactions exceeding $1M+ Monday through Friday, with mild slowdowns on weekends. It however notes that large increases are needed if the price is to foreshadow March highs./p>


(Click image for larger view)

Looking at Ethereum and other altcoins, Santiment noted that the ongoing FUD could create “buy the dip” opportunities. The firm also mapped out elevated growth in exchange outflows for ETH, noting that “this climb continues pointing to a greater proportion being kept away from exchange sell-off risk.”/p>

That said, ADA continues its struggle to reclaim the $1 price level after slumping along with other major cryptocurrencies as a result of negative macroeconomic events. Two weeks ago, ADA managed to rise above $1 after bouncing off the $0.78 support and breaking a crucial resistance downtrend line before tapping $1.25. That strength, however, seems to have been sapped in the past ten days, with the price falling below the dollar threshold./p>

Santiment has stated that apart from positive fundamentals, for ADA’s price to rise, an uptick in the number of transactions equal to $100,000+ would be crucial. This may perhaps inject the much-needed liquidity to push ADA back to fresh highs. At press time, ADA ($32B Capitalization) is trading at $0.96, up 5,460.20% from its all-time low./p>

DISCLAIMER: None Of The Information You Read On ZyCrypto Should Be Regarded As Investment Advice. Cryptocurrencies Are Highly Volatile, Conduct Your Own Research Before Making Any Investment Decisions.

The original article written by Newton Gitonga and posted on ZyCrypto.com.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

** Loans, secure funding for business projects in the USA and around the world. Learn more about USA & International Financing at Commercial Funding International. **

Tim Moseley

Gold moves higher as inflation and Ukraine fears dwarf concerns over hawkish Fed

Gold moves higher as inflation and Ukraine fears dwarf concerns over hawkish Fed

Market participants continue to be extremely focused on the spiralling level of inflation and war in Ukraine more than their apprehensions about future actions by the Federal Reserve to aggressively raise interest rates this year. Yesterday's release of the CPI for March which came in at 8.5% underscores concerns about a ½ a percent hike in interest rates by the Federal Reserve next month.

Gold prices have been rising steadily over this last week which illustrates that investors are more alarmed by the current level of inflation and escalation of military action by Russia in Ukraine than by the future actions of the Federal Reserve.

As of 4:55 PM EDT gold futures basis, the most active June contract is fixed at $1981.70 after factoring in a gain of $5.60. Gold prices have been advancing since April 6 the last day that gold prices declined. Over the last five consecutive trading days gold prices have moved higher. Today gold futures traded to a high of $1985.80 and a low of $1966.30.

While some analysts and the Federal Reserve have been indicating that inflationary pressures should be peaking and will begin to decline other analysts, including myself see that as an incorrect assumption. A realistic look at what is driving inflation to higher levels cannot justify the belief that inflationary pressures are peaking. Inflation had been moving higher before the invasion of Ukraine; however, the war has added additional pressure that will most certainly continue to move inflation higher. Yesterday's report showed that one of the primary forces moving inflation higher last month was the cost of gasoline which increased by 18% month over month.

The spike in energy costs was largely due to the increasing price of crude oil which is back above $100 per barrel. Currently, light crude futures are trading at $104.32 up $3.71 today, and are largely attributed to the Ukrainian conflict resulting in many European countries as well as the United States boycotting imports of Russian oil. Russia is the third-largest producer of crude oil behind the production of the United States the number one producer, and Saudi Arabia the second largest producer.

Therefore, as long as Russia's military escalates its actions in Ukraine, we can expect to see tight inventories of crude oil worldwide. This is unlikely to change soon as Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that peace talks between their two countries are at a dead-end, promising that Russia would achieve all of its "noble" aims in Ukraine.

Another force moving inflation higher was the cost of food. Russia is the third-largest producer of wheat, and Ukraine is the fifth largest producer of corn meaning that as long as the conflict in Ukraine continues collectively Russia and Ukraine's exports will cease or diminish and continue to reduce the amount exported to the European Union pressuring food prices globally to continue to rise.

Food and energy costs globally will continue to rise as long as the war in Ukraine continues. This clearly shows that inflationary pressures are a by-product of supply chain issues that cannot be addressed or reduced by the Federal Reserve raising interest rates.

To believe that inflation has peaked is an unrealistic assumption based on the fact that the largest rise in inflation in the United States and globally are directly attributable to rising energy and food costs. While many analysts and the Federal Reserve continue to state that inflationary levels will subside, as long as the war in Ukraine continues this assumption makes no logical sense. This is why market participants are focusing on levels of inflation rather than the future actions of the Federal Reserve.

By Gary Wagner

Contributing to kitco.com

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

 

Tim Moseley

Global inflation concerns result in aggressive action by central banks

Global inflation concerns result in aggressive action by central banks

Inflation is not limited to the United States. It is a global phenomenon prompting central banks worldwide to take action. Central banks worldwide are quickly moving to a more aggressive monetary policy in an attempt to stave off the spiraling international level of inflation. The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, John Williams, spoke to Bloomberg Television saying that ½ a percent hike in interest rates is a 'very reasonable option' for May.

He also addressed the endgame and timeline to achieve interest rate normalization, saying, "We need to get to a more neutral or normal level of the fed funds rate, though whether that would be the end of the year or exactly when will depend on the data … The Fed should get "real" interest rates — nominal borrowing costs minus expected the inflation rate — back up to a more normal level by next year."

According to the CME's FedWatch tool, there is a 91.06% probability that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by at least ½% and implement that rate hike after next month's FOMC meeting. Changes in the Federal Reserve's monetary policy initiating steps to curtail the highest level of inflation the United States is seen in the last 40 years is not an isolated stance. According to Reuters, "Central banks are racing to get on top of surging inflation, with New Zealand and Canada delivering aggressive half-point rate hikes this week and the ECB on Thursday sticking with plans to dial back stimulus this year."

Central banks addressing spiraling inflation include New Zealand, Norway, Canada, Britain, the United States, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, and the European Union. Truly this is a worldwide issue requiring action by countries throughout the globe. At the same time, central banks are also extremely cognizant that the war in Ukraine has created consequences that are rippling through economies across multiple continents.

Gold is sensitive to rising rates as a haven asset. However, interest rate hikes will lessen the demand for holding nonyielding bullion. As of 5:18 PM EDT gold futures basis, the most active June 2022 contract is down $7.60 and fixed at $1977.10. The futures contract traded to a low today of $1962.70 and a high of $1984. The gold chart included with this letter indicates that there is strong technical support for gold at approximately $1963 per ounce. This matches today's low of $1962.70 along with resistance at this price point that occurred at the beginning and end of March.

However, central banks across the board have acknowledged that the rise in inflation contains a large component of the fallout from the war in Ukraine. This war has had a major impact on global food and energy costs which will not diminish as long as the conflict in Ukraine continues. Even with central bank intervention, simply raising interest rates will not diminish the demand for essential products such as food and energy costs which collectively account for a substantial percentage of inflationary pressures that currently exist.
 

By Gary Wagner

Contributing to kitco.com

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

 

Tim Moseley

Why The Government Won’t Ban Bitcoin

Why The Government Won’t Ban Bitcoin

by Tika Tiwari, editor, Palm Beach Daily

 

Bitcoin Is Aligned With American Values

Last week, while attending the Bitcoin Miami Conference, one of my high-net-worth friends invited me to a special, closed-door meeting with U.S. Representative Pete Sessions. Sessions, who is from Texas, was also in town for the conference. He believes bitcoin is “aligned with American values” and predicts that it’ll work to strengthen the U.S. dollar. He also wants to make sure Congress doesn’t regulate the burgeoning crypto economy out of existence.

My friend who invited me to the meeting has made a fortune in crypto. And he’s worried about government overregulation of digital assets. So he put together a small, exclusive gathering of heavy hitters from Wall Street and the blockchain space to speak to the congressman. And the first person he introduced Rep. Sessions to was me.

He trusts me to speak about bitcoin to a political heavyweight like Rep. Sessions because he made his crypto fortune following my newsletters. In a moment, I’ll share my thoughts on whether the government will ban bitcoin. But first, I want to say I’m humbled that my work for everyday Americans has put me in the position to advocate for the government on behalf of this groundbreaking technology.

If it weren’t for you believing in me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. And I wouldn’t be able to push for regulations that will cultivate the crypto ecosystem, not suppress it. I’ve never seen an asset with more power to transform the lives of everyday people than bitcoin and crypto-assets…

There’s a dentist from Oklahoma City I met who turned a few thousand dollars into $2 million… and an auto parts salesman who made six figures from a single $500 investment in one of my ideas. These are the kinds of people I fight for. People like you. Because, like Rep. Sessions, I believe bitcoin is “aligned with American values.” Now, let me turn to my thoughts on potential regulation…

The No. 1 Worry Among Bitcoin Investors

Last month, President Biden signed an executive order calling on the government to examine the risks and benefits of cryptocurrencies. Even now, people are still freaking out about this order. They believe it’ll lead to restrictive rules that will stifle innovation. But I’m not worried.

The order says exactly what you would want it to say… And the U.S. will not get left behind on blockchain technology. The U.S. government is now taking a unified approach to providing regulatory guardrails the industry can use to grow in a compliant way. The decision to pursue a unified regulatory framework will be the foundational launching pad that will propel the entire United States into the blockchain age.

Why the sudden change of heart by the government?

I believe it all comes down to something I’ve been saying for years: Never bet against Wall Street greed. If we’ve learned one thing about global governments, it’s that they don’t stand in the way of the big banks’ desire to make money.

Take the 2007 housing crash. It was among the top five most devasting financial crises in history. The stock market plummeted, wiping out nearly $8 trillion in value between late 2007 and 2009… Americans lost $9.8 trillion in wealth as their home values plummeted and their retirement accounts vaporized. But after that horrible financial crisis, did the government ban mortgage-backed securities… credit default swaps… or collateralized debt obligations (CDOs)?

 

 

No.

Those financial products brought our country to its knees. Yet, the government didn’t eliminate them… (Which is shocking to me.) So, why didn’t they get banned? The answer is simple: Wall Street makes too much money from them. And with every big bank now offering bitcoin to their “high-net-worth” clients… they now want to make sure they have the regulation in place to roll out crypto products to the rest of their millions of “ordinary” clients.

To be clear: I’m not comparing bitcoin to mortgage-backed securities or CDOs. Unlike those risky financial products – which relied on trusting that your counterparty was delivering what they said they would deliver and would have the funds to pay you – bitcoin is completely different.

  • It’s completely transparent. The bitcoin blockchain allows you to see and verify if your counterparty has what they say they have.
  • It is finite. There will only ever be 21 million bitcoin minted.
  • It is tamper-proof. No matter how much power, money, guns, or influence you have… you can never make the bitcoin network do something it’s not coded to do.

This is why I consider bitcoin to be a world-class asset. And they want a piece of the action.

Think about this… Bitcoin is a $1 trillion asset. And it hit that market cap with every banker on the planet hating it. I know many people who lost their bank accounts when they bought bitcoin during its early days. I surely did when I wired money from my bank to Coinbase. (I still have banks that will refuse to let me open an account simply because I write about bitcoin and crypto-assets.)

Fast forward to today, and every major U.S. brokerage firm supports it.

Again, bitcoin went to a $1 trillion value while operating outside the traditional financial system. What do you think its value will hit inside the financial system? Is it $10 trillion… $20 trillion… $30 trillion… $40 trillion? Do you think Wall Street is going to give up all the fees that will come from a run-up like that? Do you think the federal government is going to give up all the tax revenue from that growth?

No, they won’t. With that much money at stake, don’t be surprised to see the financial and government establishments start defending bitcoin and crypto-assets. Look, the facts tell me we have moved past the risk of the U.S. government banning bitcoin.

Now, is that a certainty? No. I can’t give you certainty… certainty is a myth. But I can give you highly educated viewpoints based on years of research. And all of what I know of bitcoin, human behavior, and Wall Street greed tells me we’ve moved beyond bitcoin and crypto-assets being banned.

The Coming Crypto Panic

As I told the congressman’s panel, bitcoin has reached escape velocity. I believe it’ll eventually be a primary base layer of the global financial system the way that government bonds are now. Central banks around the globe will hold bitcoin as a reserve currency on their balance sheets much as they do with gold and U.S. dollars.

But please bear this in mind… While the threat of a bitcoin ban is largely behind us… it doesn’t mean it’ll be smooth sailing between here and bitcoin’s rise to a premier global monetary asset. Between now and then, we’ll see LOT of volatility.

And right now, I see a coming “crypto panic.” It all has to do with an event coming to crypto that’s never happened before. Only a handful of people know about it. And it’s guaranteed to happen. No matter what.

Now, I’m not talking about a bitcoin halving or anything like that. This event will only happen once. That’s it. In my opinion, it could be the biggest crypto event of this decade. And when it happens, I believe it will trigger a crypto panic as we’ve never seen before.

To prepare you for this event, I’m holding a special briefing on April 20 at 8 p.m. ETIt’s called Crypto’s Coming Panic: Teeka Tiwari’s Most Important Warning of His CareerDuring this briefing, I’ll share my playbook for thriving and surviving this coming panic. For those who follow my playbook, it’ll offer a chance at securing a lifetime of wealth and income that has the power to change the course of your entire generational line.

This investment could fund your lifestyle… your children’s lifestyle… and their children’s lifestyle. So be sure to join me on Wednesday, April 20, at 8 p.m. ETI’ll tell you all about the crypto panic on the horizon… and reveal details that you won’t hear from mainstream outlets like CNBC or Bloomberg. You’ll even get the name of one of my top cryptos to play this panic… absolutely freeMy free picks have averaged a gain of over 1,500%. That’s 16x your money… So please make sure you attend and take advantage of my free pick right away.

Friends, in my opinion, we’ve moved past concerns about the government banning bitcoin. But you need to be aware of this important warning I have for you. Hearing it could be the difference between a lifetime of generational wealth or a lifetime of regret for missing out.

Let the Game Come to You!

 


New Opportunities Are Emerging For Citizens of The World.

Freedom and democracy may appear to be struggling to stay alive in America, but there may be a knock-out punch ready to be released. The evolution of the blockchain-enabled metaverse is going to enable the 'Citizens of the World' to gain their own Freedom by democratizing power and creating a new world with new rules, new players, and new opportunities. For 99.99% of us, the metaverse will improve our real-world lives through the democratization of power and opportunity.

Along with the major long-term trend of society towards decentralization and smaller-scale organizations, there are new opportunities developing to help 'Preparers' in the cryptocurrency sector. Businesses are beginning to issue their own Crypto Coins that can be traded on Cryptocoin Exchanges.

Markethive.com for example will be releasing its HiveCoin (HIV) in the coming weeks. It has tremendous upside potential that is outlined in a Video by Founder Tom Prendergast, "Entrepreneur Advantage…".

Not only that, if you go to their website and register as a FREE Member, you will be given 500 HiveCoins for "FREE" along with access to several Earning Opportunities and online tools to increase your HiveCoin balance.

Be sure to check it out today – Markethive.com

Markethive

Tim Moseley

6 criteria to recognize dubious business models

6 criteria to recognize dubious business models

They show pictures of dream beaches, dream houses and dream cars. For those you can catch in your nets, a euphoric time follows – everything seems possible. At some point, the crash comes – and in addition to money and time, many lose their friends, families and acquaintances in the process. We are not talking about cults here. We are talking about dubious business models. These dubious business models can often be recognized by their sales structures.

It is very likely that you will also be recruited as a salesperson for such a company at some point. If you are not a salesman type – please keep your hands off all these systems anyway. These systems are all about hardcore sales (and here the distinction between serious and unserious doesn't even matter – if you don't want to do sales, all these systems are not for you).

Of course, nobody admits to working in such a dubious business model. I even believe that many of them do not even understand what they are doing. What makes it difficult is that there are also serious companies that work with these systems. We are talking about systems that often call themselves as follows:

– MLM systems (MLM = Multi Level Marketing).
– Network marketing or network marketing
– Referral marketing
– Structural marketing
As I said, there are both serious and dubious companies that use these forms of distribution. In this article I show different criteria, on the basis of which everyone can subject the enterprises to an evaluation. I write this in the hope that I can save one or the other person from the dubious systems. I cannot and will not provide a list of what I consider to be dubious companies – firstly, that would be quite an effort, and secondly, it would increase the risk of legal disputes with me, which I have neither the desire nor the time for. If you ask me personally, you might get an estimation – but most of the things you should be able to estimate yourself with the criteria mentioned below.

Before that, a little detour to the legality of such systems. It is important to note: Legal is not the same as serious.

The law says that it must not be the goal to bring as many people as possible into the system. If a profit can only be made by recruiting more and more people, then the system is not legal, because it is then a snowball or pyramid scheme. Ponzi schemes are dangerous because they require infinite growth in a finite world to be successful in the long run. All those who enter after a certain level are the losers (the last one bites the dog). Statistically, 10% of the participants manage to earn more than you pay in. 10% get out approximately what they paid in. And 80% lose money. This means:

1.there is a very high probability that you will lose money.
2.the moral question is: can you justify that 80%-100% of the people recruited by you or under you will lose money (time, friends, family) with it? Every participant of such a system carries this responsibility as a co-debtor.
The problem in recognizing such systems is that many of the typical mechanisms can be disguised. I will go into this in more detail in the criteria – close scrutiny is the key to recognition here. 

There is one argumentation that I find remarkable in this context: The law contains the word "consumer". Someone who registers a trade is no longer a consumer, but a trader. This undermines the law – because a trader has a higher level of personal responsibility than a consumer and is free to choose to be ripped off.

Criteria for recognizing dubious systems
These criteria are all clues that should be taken into account during an audit. As soon as something seems strange to you, leave it alone.  Unfortunately, these criteria are sometimes not clear enough to come to a clear conclusion. It is more about tendencies. Depending on the person, a less strong tendency will be enough to not fall for a system. Some will only distance themselves from stronger tendencies. For me, it's about raising awareness and giving the right questions to ask. It is always important to ask a lot of questions. Do a lot of research. A mnemonic:

The closer you are to the person you are addressing, the more research you should do. If you don't know the person at all, put at least 1 day of research into the topic before you agree or even sign anything. Multiply this time the closer you are to the person 🙂

1.Spend money to get started
If the new participant has to pay money (often over a thousand euros) to join, this is a strong criterion for a dubious system. Creative people have come up with various tactics to justify your investment with a seemingly worthwhile or seemingly logical return:
– Buy product – buy a product here to get started. Travel vouchers, watches, nutritional supplements and many other high-value product lines (luxury items) are popular. Research exactly what the products are worth here. A branded watch is worthless if no one knows the brand. Run with it to a watch salesman and try to sell him the watch. The question is not whether the movement is as high quality as that of, say, a Rolex. The question is whether someone is willing to pay a lot of money for an unknown brand.
– disguised product purchase – in this system there is a theoretical possibility to be in it without prior product purchase, but then at a worse level with much lower earning potential. So you can be there without entry money, but your commissions will be even lower as a result.
In practice, they will then try to convince you (and all other newbies) that it doesn't make sense to miss out on future profits. So in the argumentation there is the theoretical possibility to join without entry fee, but in practice most of them pay their entry fee.
So here, pressure is built up on you via the argumentation of lower commissions and that it would be intelligent to join with a payment.
– Previous purchase of goods / product range – here the product range must be purchased with your own money. In the perfume sector, you often have to pay for entire perfume boxes with your own money.
– Training / Seminars / Training – here you have to pay for trainings you have to attend before you can join the system.
– License fees – self-explanatory?
 
In order to finance the entry fee, the distributors sometimes arrange loans, suggest to sell something or even build up pressure until you ask your family and friends for the money. By the unseriöse promise that you swim anyway soon in the money, believe the credits fast to repay to be able. It becomes still worse then (and these cases exist) if one pays then still the entrance fees for the persons recruited by it.
If you should be asked to pay in advance for the entry into a distribution system, then please be very careful.

2.Primary goal: Recruitment of new persons
This is stated in the law quoted above, that it must not be solely or primarily about introducing more participants to the system. Again, the problem is that this is obscured in many current systems. There are, as already written above, any products that serve as a pretext. Ask how many products are sold in the system per person on average (for example per month). You will get either no answer from dubious systems (we don't know) or even a lie. Probably the number of sold products is equal to the number of newly recruited distributors or at least not much higher. And thus newly recruited participants finance the whole system – which is unfair from the wording of the law. A serious company (which wants to sell products) promotes good distributors with high sales rates, and not a large structure without sales rates.

3.The products
Often the products are only mentioned in passing, while being praised to the skies. The best trip (with many hidden pitfalls), the best watch (whose brand has never been heard of outside the system) and so on. Upon closer inspection and research, you find that much of it is, to put it positively, "blatantly exaggerated marketing," to put it negatively, "lies."
A good question to ask yourself is: would I buy the product even if there was no promise of earnings behind it? If the answer is no, then don't buy!
The price question should also be clarified: Is the product overpriced? (e.g. cleaning agent: This is a concentrate, if you dilute it, it lasts 10 times longer and is only 4 times more expensive than the one from the supermarket). A serious system has about market prices. An unseriöses tries here to get more money out and overprices the products (extremely high margin). To evaluate the products according to their real value is not easy – ask enstprechende industry specialists from your circle of acquaintances. You can also ask in a specialty store, call a company or look in internet forums.
 
4.Complicated compensation systems
In the system is often worked with any complicated compensation systems (binary plan, matrix plan, and many others). There is a simple rule: the more complicated, the less reliable. Do not participate in any system that you do not fully understand within 20 minutes.

5.Dream promise
Now a salesman sits with you and tries to recruit you. Pay close attention to what the salesperson is talking about.
– Is it about the products? Why were they brought to market? What are the target groups? 
– Or does he start with dream promises? "You can get rich this fast". Pictures of dream beaches, dream cars and dream houses.
If the focus is on dream promises, then be careful. This sounds very much like a dubious business model.
A reputable company introduces the products to such people who are already convinced of one or more of the company's products. Then, based on actual experience and without exaggeration, a reputable company presents the earning potential (what did the entrants of the last 6 months earn on average last month?). 
A unserious company presents dreams and pretends they are within reach. The dubious company does not go into detail about the products and asks which friends and acquaintances should be approached about this great earning opportunity.

6.Dubious business addresses
You can research international business addresses relatively easily today – we found out once with a system that all official addresses of the company run on mailbox providers. You can always recognize this by the fact that it is a business center or two hundred other companies operate at the same address. And since you are already researching, look for the names of the CEOs, former companies of those involved, pending lawsuits and bans in other countries, criticism of the respective system and so on. Be aware that the systems always have an explanation for everything, of course. The most horrible and common explanation for critics: "He used to be with us, he didn't make it, now he's pissed and trying to disrupt our system." Do a lot of research and also talk to dropouts!

These were six characteristics that already bring you very far in the evaluation of a system. You can define more for yourself. There are also a bunch of other possible questions.

– Has the company been on the market for at least 10 years?
– Am I advised to start with family and friends?
– Am I allowed to have one-on-one conversations with participants who have been with the company for a while? Are they as rich as promised? Do you have good excuses for not being yet?
– Do I get all my questions answered, even the difficult ones?
– Is there a proper training concept for the products to be sold afterwards?
– How is the "last one to bite the dog" problem explained in the system? (Note: The number of people on the planet is finite. Calculate how many stages are possible in the binary plan, for example, before all the people on Earth are participants in the system. I was surprised!)
– If you work for yourself, you need a trade. Have you been educated about this? Is there any help with the registration? Are there other legal obligations? (Taxes!)
– What about product liability?
– Is it advertised that the system is so "new" and "innovative"? In most cases it is not!
– Calculate everything exactly – how high are the commissions? (Less than 10%? That is bad! What are the current commission levels of comparable products?) How many products do you need to sell to reach your goals?  Calculate everything to the cent. Also who earns how much (upwards in the structure, manufacturer, and so on).
– Look at the products very closely – with travel vouchers there are often blatant restrictions, co-payments and so on. Also read travel reviews with the vouchers if you can find any. If you can't find any, why is that? And if someone praises too much – is it in the system?

 

So, I hope to have given you some good clues for evaluation. One question I keep hearing is, "Why do so many people get into this kind of system?" This has nothing (!) to do with stupidity. But if someone credibly promises you quick riches and can somehow present that as realistic, then people quickly fall for it. Mostly, these are people who want to achieve something in life, i.e. highly motivated people. 

Finally, it remains to be said that a Ponzi scheme is something different from the Ponzi schemes described here. The terms are often used synonymously, but this is not correct. And again:

If it seems strange to you , then leave it alone

 

 

Tim Moseley

Fauci Just Threw in the Towel

Fauci Just Threw in the Towel

by Jeff Brown, editor, The Bleeding Edge

Fauci Just Threw in the Towel

 

After all we’ve been through… After all the restrictions that we’ve had to endure – that we now know have been ineffective… After the lies that we now know we were told, here is what he had to say about the virus:

This is not going to be eradicated and it’s not going to be eliminated.

These are the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who in the past told us that wearing masks and taking the COVID-19 “vaccines” would stop us from getting COVID-19 and spreading COVID-19. This is quite the reversal of position… again.

He went further, saying:

And what’s going to happen is that we’re going to see that each individual is going to have to make their calculation of the amount of risk that they want to take.

Even better, he delivered this one:

We’re at the point where in many respects… we’re going to have to live with some degree of virus in the community.

Remarkable.

 

 

More than two years later, having suffered through a seemingly endless string of completely ineffective pandemic policies, that’s what he has to say to us? After criticizing the policies of states like South Dakota, Texas, and Florida – which we now know to have outperformed those states with the most restrictive policies – that’s his message?

Ironically, some of the most well-known and respected epidemiologists and virologists have been saying the same things throughout the pandemic… And their positions were based on scientific research. 

Their recommendations were focused on far more pragmatic and effective policies, centered around early treatment, and protecting those who are most at risk from severe illness. These are approaches that we now know to be effective.

Yet those same physicians and scientists were censored, banned, and de-platformed. Many had their careers ruined for being truthful about the science behind our immune systems, an aerosolized virus, how it spreads, and putting relative risk into context.

What Fauci and his ilk should be saying right now is “I’m sorry. We apologize, we were wrong.” And everything should be done to restore the reputations of those who were right all along and worked tirelessly to affect a better outcome for all.

Of course, we know that won’t happen. The mainstream media will conveniently forget and focus on something else. Worse yet, I expect that they’ll keep doing more of the same.

Just today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it is extending the federal mandate to wear masks on public transportation for at least another two weeks. To what end? For what purpose? 

These arbitrary policies are not based on any scientific research. The fact that the CDC continues down this nonsensical path tells us that they are preparing us for a return of restrictions in the fall.

The BA.2 variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. It is less dangerous than Omicron, which was/is less dangerous than a strain of influenza. In the fall, there will be another variant spreading that will be even weaker than BA.2. It’s endless.

Enough is enough. Fauci just threw the towel in the ring. The game is over… We all should do the same.

 


New Opportunities Are Emerging For Citizens of The World.

Freedom and democracy may appear to be struggling to stay alive in America, but there may be a knock-out punch ready to be released. The evolution of the blockchain-enabled metaverse is going to enable the 'Citizens of the World' to gain their own Freedom by democratizing power and creating a new world with new rules, new players, and new opportunities. For 99.99% of us, the metaverse will improve our real-world lives through the democratization of power and opportunity.

Along with the major long-term trend of society towards decentralization and smaller-scale organizations, there are new opportunities developing to help 'Preparers' in the cryptocurrency sector. Businesses are beginning to issue their own Crypto Coins that can be traded on Cryptocoin Exchanges.

Markethive.com for example will be releasing its HiveCoin (HIV) in the coming weeks. It has tremendous upside potential that is outlined in a Video by Founder Tom Prendergast, "Entrepreneur Advantage…".

Not only that, if you go to their website and register as a FREE Member, you will be given 500 HiveCoins for "FREE" along with access to several Earning Opportunities and online tools to increase your HiveCoin balance.

Be sure to check it out today – Markethive.com

Markethive

Tim Moseley

Nexo Partners With Mastercard and DiPocket For Bitcoin-Backed Credit Card

Nexo Partners With Mastercard and DiPocket For Bitcoin-Backed Credit Card

by Shawn Amick 

 

Nexo, a lending services provider, has partnered with Mastercard and DiPocket to offer Nexo Card, a credit card backed by bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

  • Nexo, a lending services provider for digital finance, has partnered with Mastercard and DiPocket to launch a crypto-backed credit card allowing users to collateralize bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
  • The card allows users to collateralize bitcoin with 0% APR, no minimum payments, no monthly fees, and earn up to 2% back on qualifying purchases to be paid out in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency.
  • The network and infrastructure available to Nexo through the partnerships with Mastercard and DiPocket give Nexo Card users access to 92 million merchants worldwide.

Nexo, a leading provider for lending services in the digital finance industry, has launched the Nexo Card for select European markets. Backed by Mastercard, customers of Nexo will be able to collateralize their cards with bitcoin or another cryptocurrency without needing to spend their assets, per a press release.

Nexo has partnered with Mastercard and DiPocket in order to launch the product on an at scale. DiPocket will be the card issuer for Europe, and Mastercard will serve as infrastructure and payment processor for the venture. The Nexo Card offers zero fees, 2% rewards, and seamless accessibility.

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

“Launching the Nexo Card in Europe in partnership with Mastercard and DiPocket is a big milestone for us and the latest proof of the immense synergy between the existing financial network and digital assets,” said Antoni Trenchev, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Nexo.

“This unique product will allow millions of people, first in Europe and then worldwide, to spend instantly without having to give up the potential of their cryptocurrencies, thus offering unprecedented everyday utility for the emerging asset class,” Trenchev continued.

The network and infrastructure provided through Nexo’s partners allows access to 92 merchants worldwide, where Mastercard is accepted, allowing users to spend up to 90% of their fiat value instantly without needing to spend a single sat.

“Mastercard believes that digital assets are revolutionizing the financial landscape and we are leading in innovation with programs like our partnership with Nexo to deliver people new and one-of-a-kind choices in how they pay and activate their crypto holdings,” said Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard’s Head of Crypto and Blockchain Products and Partnerships.

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

“We’re excited to continue to innovate in payments by making digital assets more accessible across the ecosystem,” Dhamodharan continued.

Nexo completed a partial roll-out of the card with a targeted audience in select European countries which generated a large interest and caused high transaction volume showcasing a clear demand for the product. The company intends to add debit-card functionality to the Nexo card and they also have international expansion plans with other product upgrades in the pipeline. DiPocket is set to be part of the continued expansion.

“DiPocket is delighted to have been selected as the issuer of the Nexo Card, a truly innovative solution designed to fulfill the needs of millions of investors in digital assets,” Said Fedele Di Maggio, Co-founder and CEO at DiPocket.

“Our partnership in this project with Nexo and Mastercard is a distinctive example of how DiPocket’s embedded finance technology enables visionary companies to deliver value and convenience to their customers,” Maggio concluded. 

Tim Moseley

The Artist that came out of the Winter