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Key Events This Busy Week: Retail Sales, Housing, Earnings And Torrent Of Fed Speakers Including Powell

Key Events This Busy Week: Retail Sales, Housing, Earnings And Torrent Of Fed Speakers Including Powell

With earnings season now having started…

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Key Events This Busy Week: Retail Sales, Housing, Earnings And Torrent Of Fed Speakers Including Powell

With earnings season now having started in earnest, and with traders closely following every development in the middle east, it looks like it will be a busy week but without an obvious focal point. There is a barrage of Fed speak before their media black-out at the weekend but Powell’s speech at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday will be the highlight. DB's Jim Reid details who is speaking in the end of the day-by-day calendar below, but DB’s Brett Ryan’s week ahead gives a bit more detail of their various biases here (available to pro subs).

The key data point will likely be US retail sales (tomorrow) which we expect to decline (-0.1%) after two strong months, but we also have a lot of US housing data with the NAHB (tomorrow), starts/permits (Wednesday) and existing home sales (Thursday). US weekly jobless claims (Thursday) corresponds to payrolls survey week so will be used to fine tune estimates.

Staying with the US, earnings season will start to get into gear with the highlights being Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Johnson and Johnson (tomorrow), Morgan Stanley, Tesla, Netflix, ASML, and Procter & Gamble (Wednesday), TSMC (Thursday) and American Express (Friday). Tesla and Netflix probably have the most ability to move macro markets given their size.

China sees its monthly activity dump on Wednesday where signs of a turnaround will be scrutinized. This is the same day as UK inflation comes out (preview here). The UK labour market data tomorrow is interesting as unemployment is now 0.8pp above the lows at 4.3% and has increased more than anywhere else in the DM world. UK retail sales is out on Friday.

In Europe we have the ZEW survey in Germany (tomorrow) and the PPI report on Friday, with retail sales for France also due that day. With regards to German PPI it's expected to hit -14.2% YoY from -12.6% the previous month so crazy numbers historically after peaking at an even more crazy +45.8% YoY just over a year ago.

In Japan the national CPI on Friday will be the last before the October 31st BoJ meeting where YCC is likely in our opinion to be abandoned. So an important print.

* * *

Courtesy of DB, here is a day-by-day preview of the week ahead

Monday October 16

  • Data: US October Empire manufacturing index, Japan August capacity utilization, Italy August general government debt, Eurozone August trade balance, Canada August manufacturing sales
  • Central banks: Fed's Harker speaks, ECB's Villeroy speaks, BoE's Pill and Woods speak, BoC business outlook, China 1-yr MLF rate

Tuesday October 17

  • Data: US October New York Fed services business activity, NAHB housing market index, September retail sales, industrial production, capacity utilization, August total net TIC flows, business inventories, UK September jobless claims change, August average weekly earnings, unemployment rate, Japan August Tertiary industry index, Germany October Zew survey, Canada September CPI, housing starts, August international securities transactions
  • Central banks: Fed's Williams, Bowman and Barkin speak, ECB's Guindos, Holzmann, Centeno and Knot speak, BoE's Dhingra speaks
  • Earnings: Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America, Lockheed Martin, Goldman Sachs, Prologis, Albertsons, United Airlines Holdings

Wednesday October 18

  • Data: US September housing starts, building permits, China Q3 GDP, September industrial production, retail sales, property investment, UK September CPI, RPI, PPI, August house price index, Italy August trade balance, Eurozone August construction output
  • Central banks: Fed's Beige Book, Waller, Williams, Bowman, Cook and Harker speak
  • Earnings: Tesla, Procter & Gamble, ASML, Netflix, Abbott Laboratories, SAP, Morgan Stanley, Lam Research, Volvo, Deutsche Boerse, Alcoa

Thursday October 19

  • Data: US October Philadelphia Fed business outlook, September leading index, existing home sales, initial jobless claims, China September new home prices, Japan September trade balance, Italy August current account balance, France October manufacturing and business confidence, ECB August current account, Canada September raw materials and industrial product price index
  • Central banks: Fed's Powell, Jefferson, Goolsbee, Barr, Bostic and Harker speak
  • Earnings: TSMC, Philip Morris, Blackstone, Union Pacific, AT&T, Intuitive Surgical, CSX, Freeport-McMoRan, Truist Financial, Nokia, American Airlines

Friday October 20

  • Data: China 1-yr and 5-yr loan prime rates, UK October GfK consumer confidence, September retail sales, public finances, Japan September national CPI, Germany September PPI, France September retail sales, EU27 September new car registrations, Canada August retail sales
  • Central banks: Fed's Logan, Mester and Harker speak
  • Earnings: American Express, Schlumberger

* * *

Finally, looking at just the US, here is Goldman's preview noting that the key economic data releases this week are the retail sales report on Tuesday, and the jobless claims and Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index reports on Thursday. The Beige Book for the November FOMC meeting period will be released on Wednesday. There are many speaking engagements by Fed officials this week including Chair Powell, Vice Chair Jefferson, Vice Chair for Supervision Barr, Governors Bowman, Waller, and Cook, and Presidents Harker, Williams, Barkin, Goolsbee, Bostic, Logan, and Mester.

Monday, October 16

  • 10:30 AM Philadelphia Fed President Harker (FOMC voter) speaks: Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker will speak on the economic outlook at the Mortgage Bankers Association's Annual Convention and Expo in Philadelphia. Speech text is expected. On October 13, Harker said “absent a stark turn in what I see in the data and hear from contacts, both in one-on-one conversations and in forums like this, I believe that we are at the point where we can hold rates where they are.”
  • 04:30 PM Philadelphia Fed President Harker (FOMC voter) speaks: Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker will speak on the economic outlook at a virtual event hosted by the National Association of Corporate Directors. Speech text and a Q&A are expected.

Tuesday, October 17

  • 08:00 AM New York Fed President Williams (FOMC voter) speaks: New York Fed President John Williams will moderate a discussion with Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger at the Economic Club of New York.
  • 08:30 AM Retail sales, September (GS +0.6%, consensus +0.3%, last +0.6%); Retail sales ex-auto, September (GS +0.4%, consensus +0.2%, last +0.6%); Retail sales ex-auto & gas, September (GS +0.3%, consensus +0.1%, last +0.2%);  Core retail sales, September (GS +0.1%, consensus -0.1%, last +0.1%): We estimate core retail sales edged up 0.1% in September (ex-autos, gasoline, and building materials; mom sa). Our forecast reflects a late-month pickup in spending following sequential weakness in the first half of the month. We also estimate a 0.6% rise in headline retail sales, reflecting increases in auto, gasoline, and restaurant sales.
  • 09:15 AM Industrial production, September (GS +0.2%, consensus flat, last +0.4%); Manufacturing production, September (GS +0.2%, consensus -0.1%, last +0.1%); Capacity utilization, September (GS 79.7%, consensus 79.6%, last 79.7%): We estimate industrial production increased 0.2%, as strong motor vehicle and oil and gas production outweigh weak mining production. We estimate capacity utilization was unchanged at 79.7%.
  • 09:20 AM Fed Governor Bowman speaks: Fed Governor Michelle Bowman will speak about responsible innovation in money and payments at the Harvard Law School Program on International Financial Systems Roundtable on Central Bank Digital Currency. Speech text and audience Q&A are expected. On October 11, Governor Bowman said “inflation remains well above the FOMC’s 2 percent target. Domestic spending has continues at a strong pace, and the labor market remains tight. This suggests that the policy rate may need to rise further and stay restrictive for some time to return inflation to the FOMC’s goal.”
  • 10:45 AM Richmond Fed President Barkin (FOMC non-voter) speaks: Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin will speak on the economic outlook to the Real Estate Roundtable in Washington. An audience Q&A is expected.

Wednesday, October 18

  • 08:30 AM Housing starts, September (GS +11.0%, consensus +7.6%, last -11.3%); Building permits, September (consensus -5.9%, last +6.8%)
  • 12:00 PM Fed Governor Waller speaks: Fed Governor Christopher Waller will speak about the economic outlook at the European Economics and Financial Centre's Distinguished Speaker Seminar. Speech text and both audience and moderator Q&A are expected.
  • 12:30 PM New York Fed President Williams (FOMC voter) speaks: New York Fed President John Williams will participate in a moderated discussion at Queens College. A moderated Q&A is expected.
  • 01:00 PM Fed Governor Bowman speaks: Fed Governor Michelle Bowman will deliver welcoming remarks at a Fed Listens event at the Richmond Fed. Speech text is expected.
  • 01:00 PM Richmond Fed President Barkin (FOMC non-voter) speaks: Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin will deliver opening remarks and speak at a Fed Listens event hosted by the Richmond Fed. Speech text is expected.
  • 02:00 PM Beige Book, November FOMC meeting period: The Fed’s Beige Book is a summary of regional economic anecdotes from the 12 Federal Reserve districts. The Beige Book for the September FOMC meeting period noted that overall economic activity was modest during July and August. Consumer spending on tourism was stronger than expected, and some districts’ reports suggested that consumers may have exhausted excess savings. Manufacturing contacts in 7 districts noted improved supply chains and ability to meet existing orders. Nearly all districts reported that the inventory of homes for sale remained constrained. In this month’s Beige Book, we look for anecdotes related to growth, sentiment, and the evolution of labor market tightness and inflationary pressures.
  • 03:15 PM Philadelphia Fed President Harker (FOMC voter) speaks: Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker will speak about workforce challenges at an event titled "People, Possibilities, Practice: Designing a Better Future for Workers" at the Philadelphia Fed. Speech text is expected.
  • 06:55 PM Fed Governor Cook speaks: Fed Governor Lisa Cook will speak about the evolution of the Fed's mandate at the Louis E. Martin Awards Ceremony at the 2023 Future of Black Communities Summit. Speech text is expected.

Thursday, October 19

  • 08:30 AM Initial jobless claims, week ended October 14 (GS 205k, consensus 214k, last 209k); Continuing jobless claims, week ended October 7 (GS 1,725k, consensus 1,700k, last 1,702k)
  • 08:30 AM Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index, October (GS -3.5, consensus -7.0, last -13.5); We estimate that the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index picked up by 10pt to -3.5 in October, reflecting the rebound in East Asian industrial activity and upward convergence toward other manufacturing surveys.
  • 09:00 AM Fed Vice Chair Jefferson speaks: Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson will deliver welcoming remarks at the Fed's 18th Central Bank Conference on the Microstructure of Financial Markets. Speech text is expected. On October 9, Vice Chair Jefferson said “my view is that the FOMC is in a position to proceed carefully in assessing the extent of any additional policy firming that may be necessary.”
  • 10:00 AM Existing home sales, September (GS -5.5%, consensus -4.0%, last -0.7%)
  • 12:00 PM Fed Chair Powell speaks: Fed Chair Jerome Powell will speak at the Economic Club of New York. Speech text and moderated Q&A are expected. On September 20, Chair Powell said “the fact that [the Committee] decided to maintain the policy rate at [the September FOMC] meeting doesn’t mean that we’ve decided that we have or have not at this time reached that stance of monetary policy that we’re seeking.”
  • 01:20 PM Chicago Fed President Goolsbee speaks: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee will participate in a moderated Q&A at the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Business Day. A moderated Q&A is expected. On October 5, President Goolsbee said “on the real side I feel like nothing has happened so far that is convincing evidence that we are off the golden path. I still feel like this is our goal and it’s still possible.”
  • 01:30 PM Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Barr speaks: Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr will speak about stress testing at the 2023 Federal Reserve Stress Testing Research Conference at the Boston Fed. The event will be livestreamed. Speech text and moderated Q&A are expected.
  • 04:00 PM Atlanta Fed President Bostic (FOMC non-voter) speaks: Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic will speak on the role of policy in addressing inequality at the New School University Center. Speech text and audience Q&A are expected. On October 11, President Bostic said “today, I don’t think we need to do anything more in terms of interest rates.”
  • 05:30 PM Philadelphia Fed President Harker (FOMC voter) speaks: Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker will speak on the economic outlook at the Chartered Financial Analyst Society Philadelphia 80th Anniversary Celebration. Speech text and audience Q&A are expected.
  • 06:30 PM Dallas Fed President Logan (FOMC voter) speaks: Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan will speak at a Money Marketeers of New York University event. Audience and moderated Q&A are expected. On October 9, President Logan said “if term premiums rise, they could do some of the work of cooling the economy for us, leaving less need for additional monetary policy tightening to achieve the FOMC’s objectives.”

Friday, October 20

  • 09:00 AM Philadelphia Fed President Harker (FOMC voter) speaks: Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker will speak on the economic outlook at the Risk Management Association Philadelphia Chapter Meeting. Speech text and audience Q&A are expected.
  • 12:15 PM Cleveland Fed President Mester (FOMC non-voter) speaks: Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester will speak on the outlook for the economy and monetary policy at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Speech text and audience Q&A are expected. On October 3, President Mester said “if the economy looks the way it did at the next meeting, similar to the way it looked at our recent meeting, I would do the further rate increase… I probably favor going again, but again, we’re going to have to wait and see how the economy evolves.”

Source: DB, Goldman, BofA

Tyler Durden Mon, 10/16/2023 - 10:15

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International

United Airlines adds new flights to faraway destinations

The airline said that it has been working hard to "find hidden gem destinations."

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Since countries started opening up after the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, airlines have been seeing demand soar not just for major global cities and popular routes but also for farther-away destinations.

Numerous reports, including a recent TripAdvisor survey of trending destinations, showed that there has been a rise in U.S. traveler interest in Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Vietnam as well as growing tourism traction in off-the-beaten-path European countries such as Slovenia, Estonia and Montenegro.

Related: 'No more flying for you': Travel agency sounds alarm over risk of 'carbon passports'

As a result, airlines have been looking at their networks to include more faraway destinations as well as smaller cities that are growing increasingly popular with tourists and may not be served by their competitors.

The Philippines has been popular among tourists in recent years.

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United brings back more routes, says it is committed to 'finding hidden gems'

This week, United Airlines  (UAL)  announced that it will be launching a new route from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Morocco's Marrakesh. While it is only the country's fourth-largest city, Marrakesh is a particularly popular place for tourists to seek out the sights and experiences that many associate with the country — colorful souks, gardens with ornate architecture and mosques from the Moorish period.

More Travel:

"We have consistently been ahead of the curve in finding hidden gem destinations for our customers to explore and remain committed to providing the most unique slate of travel options for their adventures abroad," United's SVP of Global Network Planning Patrick Quayle, said in a press statement.

The new route will launch on Oct. 24 and take place three times a week on a Boeing 767-300ER  (BA)  plane that is equipped with 46 Polaris business class and 22 Premium Plus seats. The plane choice was a way to reach a luxury customer customer looking to start their holiday in Marrakesh in the plane.

Along with the new Morocco route, United is also launching a flight between Houston (IAH) and Colombia's Medellín on Oct. 27 as well as a route between Tokyo and Cebu in the Philippines on July 31 — the latter is known as a "fifth freedom" flight in which the airline flies to the larger hub from the mainland U.S. and then goes on to smaller Asian city popular with tourists after some travelers get off (and others get on) in Tokyo.

United's network expansion includes new 'fifth freedom' flight

In the fall of 2023, United became the first U.S. airline to fly to the Philippines with a new Manila-San Francisco flight. It has expanded its service to Asia from different U.S. cities earlier last year. Cebu has been on its radar amid growing tourist interest in the region known for marine parks, rainforests and Spanish-style architecture.

With the summer coming up, United also announced that it plans to run its current flights to Hong Kong, Seoul, and Portugal's Porto more frequently at different points of the week and reach four weekly flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai by August 29.

"This is your normal, exciting network planning team back in action," Quayle told travel website The Points Guy of the airline's plans for the new routes.

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Walmart launches clever answer to Target’s new membership program

The retail superstore is adding a new feature to its Walmart+ plan — and customers will be happy.

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It's just been a few days since Target  (TGT)  launched its new Target Circle 360 paid membership plan. 

The plan offers free and fast shipping on many products to customers, initially for $49 a year and then $99 after the initial promotional signup period. It promises to be a success, since many Target customers are loyal to the brand and will go out of their way to shop at one instead of at its two larger peers, Walmart and Amazon.

Related: Walmart makes a major price cut that will delight customers

And stop us if this sounds familiar: Target will rely on its more than 2,000 stores to act as fulfillment hubs. 

This model is a proven winner; Walmart also uses its more than 4,600 stores as fulfillment and shipping locations to get orders to customers as soon as possible.

Sometimes, this means shipping goods from the nearest warehouse. But if a desired product is in-store and closer to a customer, it reduces miles on the road and delivery time. It's a kind of logistical magic that makes any efficiency lover's (or retail nerd's) heart go pitter patter. 

Walmart rolls out answer to Target's new membership tier

Walmart has certainly had more time than Target to develop and work out the kinks in Walmart+. It first launched the paid membership in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, when many shoppers sheltered at home but still required many staples they might ordinarily pick up at a Walmart, like cleaning supplies, personal-care products, pantry goods and, of course, toilet paper. 

It also undercut Amazon  (AMZN)  Prime, which costs customers $139 a year for free and fast shipping (plus several other benefits including access to its streaming service, Amazon Prime Video). 

Walmart+ costs $98 a year, which also gets you free and speedy delivery, plus access to a Paramount+ streaming subscription, fuel savings, and more. 

An employee at a Merida, Mexico, Walmart. (Photo by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images

If that's not enough to tempt you, however, Walmart+ just added a new benefit to its membership program, ostensibly to compete directly with something Target now has: ultrafast delivery. 

Target Circle 360 particularly attracts customers with free same-day delivery for select orders over $35 and as little as one-hour delivery on select items. Target executes this through its Shipt subsidiary.

We've seen this lightning-fast delivery speed only in snippets from Amazon, the king of delivery efficiency. Who better to take on Target, though, than Walmart, which is using a similar store-as-fulfillment-center model? 

"Walmart is stepping up to save our customers even more time with our latest delivery offering: Express On-Demand Early Morning Delivery," Walmart said in a statement, just a day after Target Circle 360 launched. "Starting at 6 a.m., earlier than ever before, customers can enjoy the convenience of On-Demand delivery."

Walmart  (WMT)  clearly sees consumers' desire for near-instant delivery, which obviously saves time and trips to the store. Rather than waiting a day for your order to show up, it might be on your doorstep when you wake up. 

Consumers also tend to spend more money when they shop online, and they remain stickier as paying annual members. So, to a growing number of retail giants, almost instant gratification like this seems like something worth striving for.

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024

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President Biden Delivers The “Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President”

President Biden Delivers The "Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President"

Having successfully raged, ranted, lied, and yelled through…

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President Biden Delivers The "Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President"

Having successfully raged, ranted, lied, and yelled through the State of The Union, President Biden can go back to his crypt now.

Whatever 'they' gave Biden, every American man, woman, and the other should be allowed to take it - though it seems the cocktail brings out 'dark Brandon'?

Tl;dw: Biden's Speech tonight ...

  • Fund Ukraine.

  • Trump is threat to democracy and America itself.

  • Abortion is good.

  • American Economy is stronger than ever.

  • Inflation wasn't Biden's fault.

  • Illegals are Americans too.

  • Republicans are responsible for the border crisis.

  • Trump is bad.

  • Biden stands with trans-children.

  • J6 was the worst insurrection since the Civil War.

(h/t @TCDMS99)

Tucker Carlson's response sums it all up perfectly:

"that was possibly the darkest, most un-American speech given by an American president. It wasn't a speech, it was a rant..."

Carlson continued: "The true measure of a nation's greatness lies within its capacity to control borders, yet Bid refuses to do it."

"In a fair election, Joe Biden cannot win"

And concluded:

“There was not a meaningful word for the entire duration about the things that actually matter to people who live here.”

Victor Davis Hanson added some excellent color, but this was probably the best line on Biden:

"he doesn't care... he lives in an alternative reality."

*  *  *

Watch SOTU Live here...

*   *   *

Mises' Connor O'Keeffe, warns: "Be on the Lookout for These Lies in Biden's State of the Union Address." 

On Thursday evening, President Joe Biden is set to give his third State of the Union address. The political press has been buzzing with speculation over what the president will say. That speculation, however, is focused more on how Biden will perform, and which issues he will prioritize. Much of the speech is expected to be familiar.

The story Biden will tell about what he has done as president and where the country finds itself as a result will be the same dishonest story he's been telling since at least the summer.

He'll cite government statistics to say the economy is growing, unemployment is low, and inflation is down.

Something that has been frustrating Biden, his team, and his allies in the media is that the American people do not feel as economically well off as the official data says they are. Despite what the White House and establishment-friendly journalists say, the problem lies with the data, not the American people's ability to perceive their own well-being.

As I wrote back in January, the reason for the discrepancy is the lack of distinction made between private economic activity and government spending in the most frequently cited economic indicators. There is an important difference between the two:

  • Government, unlike any other entity in the economy, can simply take money and resources from others to spend on things and hire people. Whether or not the spending brings people value is irrelevant

  • It's the private sector that's responsible for producing goods and services that actually meet people's needs and wants. So, the private components of the economy have the most significant effect on people's economic well-being.

Recently, government spending and hiring has accounted for a larger than normal share of both economic activity and employment. This means the government is propping up these traditional measures, making the economy appear better than it actually is. Also, many of the jobs Biden and his allies take credit for creating will quickly go away once it becomes clear that consumers don't actually want whatever the government encouraged these companies to produce.

On top of all that, the administration is dealing with the consequences of their chosen inflation rhetoric.

Since its peak in the summer of 2022, the president's team has talked about inflation "coming back down," which can easily give the impression that it's prices that will eventually come back down.

But that's not what that phrase means. It would be more honest to say that price increases are slowing down.

Americans are finally waking up to the fact that the cost of living will not return to prepandemic levels, and they're not happy about it.

The president has made some clumsy attempts at damage control, such as a Super Bowl Sunday video attacking food companies for "shrinkflation"—selling smaller portions at the same price instead of simply raising prices.

In his speech Thursday, Biden is expected to play up his desire to crack down on the "corporate greed" he's blaming for high prices.

In the name of "bringing down costs for Americans," the administration wants to implement targeted price ceilings - something anyone who has taken even a single economics class could tell you does more harm than good. Biden would never place the blame for the dramatic price increases we've experienced during his term where it actually belongs—on all the government spending that he and President Donald Trump oversaw during the pandemic, funded by the creation of $6 trillion out of thin air - because that kind of spending is precisely what he hopes to kick back up in a second term.

If reelected, the president wants to "revive" parts of his so-called Build Back Better agenda, which he tried and failed to pass in his first year. That would bring a significant expansion of domestic spending. And Biden remains committed to the idea that Americans must be forced to continue funding the war in Ukraine. That's another topic Biden is expected to highlight in the State of the Union, likely accompanied by the lie that Ukraine spending is good for the American economy. It isn't.

It's not possible to predict all the ways President Biden will exaggerate, mislead, and outright lie in his speech on Thursday. But we can be sure of two things. The "state of the Union" is not as strong as Biden will say it is. And his policy ambitions risk making it much worse.

*  *  *

The American people will be tuning in on their smartphones, laptops, and televisions on Thursday evening to see if 'sloppy joe' 81-year-old President Joe Biden can coherently put together more than two sentences (even with a teleprompter) as he gives his third State of the Union in front of a divided Congress. 

President Biden will speak on various topics to convince voters why he shouldn't be sent to a retirement home.

According to CNN sources, here are some of the topics Biden will discuss tonight:

  • Economic issues: Biden and his team have been drafting a speech heavy on economic populism, aides said, with calls for higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy – an attempt to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans and their likely presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

  • Health care expenses: Biden will also push for lowering health care costs and discuss his efforts to go after drug manufacturers to lower the cost of prescription medications — all issues his advisers believe can help buoy what have been sagging economic approval ratings.

  • Israel's war with Hamas: Also looming large over Biden's primetime address is the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has consumed much of the president's time and attention over the past few months. The president's top national security advisers have been working around the clock to try to finalize a ceasefire-hostages release deal by Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that begins next week.

  • An argument for reelection: Aides view Thursday's speech as a critical opportunity for the president to tout his accomplishments in office and lay out his plans for another four years in the nation's top job. Even though viewership has declined over the years, the yearly speech reliably draws tens of millions of households.

Sources provided more color on Biden's SOTU address: 

The speech is expected to be heavy on economic populism. The president will talk about raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy. He'll highlight efforts to cut costs for the American people, including pushing Congress to help make prescription drugs more affordable.

Biden will talk about the need to preserve democracy and freedom, a cornerstone of his re-election bid. That includes protecting and bolstering reproductive rights, an issue Democrats believe will energize voters in November. Biden is also expected to promote his unity agenda, a key feature of each of his addresses to Congress while in office.

Biden is also expected to give remarks on border security while the invasion of illegals has become one of the most heated topics among American voters. A majority of voters are frustrated with radical progressives in the White House facilitating the illegal migrant invasion. 

It is probable that the president will attribute the failure of the Senate border bill to the Republicans, a claim many voters view as unfounded. This is because the White House has the option to issue an executive order to restore border security, yet opts not to do so

Maybe this is why? 

While Biden addresses the nation, the Biden administration will be armed with a social media team to pump propaganda to at least 100 million Americans. 

"The White House hosted about 70 creators, digital publishers, and influencers across three separate events" on Wednesday and Thursday, a White House official told CNN. 

Not a very capable social media team... 

The administration's move to ramp up social media operations comes as users on X are mostly free from government censorship with Elon Musk at the helm. This infuriates Democrats, who can no longer censor their political enemies on X. 

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers tell Axios that the president's SOTU performance will be critical as he tries to dispel voter concerns about his elderly age. The address reached as many as 27 million people in 2023. 

"We are all nervous," said one House Democrat, citing concerns about the president's "ability to speak without blowing things."

The SOTU address comes as Biden's polling data is in the dumps

BetOnline has created several money-making opportunities for gamblers tonight, such as betting on what word Biden mentions the most. 

As well as...

We will update you when Tucker Carlson's live feed of SOTU is published. 

Tyler Durden Fri, 03/08/2024 - 07:44

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