by Michael Wilkerson | Jul 7, 2026 | Blog Articles, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Inflation, Markets, USA
Few things symbolize the post-war American way of life better than the automobile and the freedom of the open road. And few things are better indicators of the financial health of the American household and economy as a whole than the industries which produce, sell...
by Michael Wilkerson | May 1, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Economy, Politics, Technology, Trade, USA
Big Tech is Larger, More Profitable, and Spending More Than Ever Last week, Microsoft and Meta both announced significant reductions-in-force. Big Tech layoffs—sometimes tens of thousands of employees at once—make for attention-grabbing news. They portend imminent...
by Michael Wilkerson | Nov 14, 2024 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, China, Covid-19, Crypto, Disinformation, Economy, Elections, Energy, Finance, Geopolitics, Inflation, Iran, Israel, Monetary System, Politics, Russia, Sanctions, Tariffs, Technology, Ukraine, USA, War
image credit: Getty Images Following Donald J. Trump’s election victory last week, the President-elect and his transition team have announced multiple cabinet-level and other appointments, outline both domestic and foreign policies, and set the stage for a return to...
by Michael Wilkerson | Oct 28, 2024 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, China, Covid-19, Disinformation, Economy, Elections, Politics, Russia, Sanctions, USA
Could we witness something unprecedented which derails November’s vote? The 2024 Presidential elections are days away. Early voting has already started in many states. On Sunday night, GOP nominee and former US President Donald J. Trump spoke to a full house of over...
by Michael Wilkerson | Sep 28, 2024 | Banks, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, China, Covid-19, Economy, Energy, Finance, Inflation, Tariffs, USA
U.S. Net International Investment Position Hits All-time Low What is a rich country? In relative financial terms, it is a country whose net investment position is positive. The net investment position reflects how much one country owns of all other countries’ assets,...
by Michael Wilkerson | Sep 26, 2024 | Banks, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, China, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Geopolitics, Inflation
In the wake of a rapidly deteriorating domestic economy, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), China’s central bank, has just announced a blizzard of monetary stimulus policies designed to fend off a potential financial crisis. Regulatory authorities are taking a raft of...
by Michael Wilkerson | Sep 11, 2024 | Banks, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, China, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Inflation, Policy, Sanctions, Tariffs, Technology, USA
With equity markets, real estate, and other financial asset values at or near all-time highs, that small minority of citizens which primarily benefit from the Wall Street economy have never been more well-off in financial terms, at least on paper. On the other hand,...
by Michael Wilkerson | Aug 7, 2024 | Africa, Banks, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, China, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Inflation, Japan, Monetary System, Politics, USA
One of the surprising things I repeatedly observed as a CEO of a public company investing in financial services in Africa was that banks there—and in many emerging markets—don’t actually lend, at least not to businesses or people. Rather than provide much needed loans...
by Michael Wilkerson | Aug 3, 2024 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Inflation, USA
If anyone still believes that the U.S. economy is doing just fine, they should take a closer look at what is happening to the retailers that depend upon the faithful American consumer to “shop, shop, shop” to keep the economy afloat. American consumers are rapidly...
by Michael Wilkerson | Jun 22, 2024 | Banks, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, China, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Inflation, Iran, Politics, Russia, Sanctions, USA
Gross domestic product is the yardstick of economic activity. U.S. GDP growth has been decelerating for three quarters. The revised first quarter figures showed only 1.3 percent real (i.e., after inflation) GDP growth. Expectations for the remainder of the year are...
by Michael Wilkerson | May 14, 2024 | Blog Articles, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Florida, New York, USA
Much will be debated in the years to come about the efficacy of lockdowns, travel restrictions, vaccine passports, and other steps put in place to combat COVID-19. Evidence continues to mount showing these measures were largely ineffective in achieving their...
by Michael Wilkerson | May 1, 2024 | Banks, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, China, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Geopolitics, Japan, Monetary System, Politics, USA
Last week, Japan saw its currency, the Yen, rapidly depreciate against the U.S. dollar and other world currencies to record low levels. This drew the attention of financial markets and other observers, and—in some quarters—led to panic. There was concern that Japan, a...
by Michael Wilkerson | Mar 20, 2024 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Economy, Energy, Finance, Inflation, Monetary System, Politics, USA
The last few days have produced a bumper crop of disappointing news on inflation. First, we saw that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) grew at 0.4 percent in February, the highest monthly increase since September of last year, resulting in a higher than expected 3.2...
by Michael Wilkerson | Mar 8, 2024 | Banks, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Crypto, Economy, Finance, Monetary System, Politics, USA
In the ancient Roman calendar, the Ides fell around the middle of the month, specifically the 15th of each March. Made famous by Shakespeare’s dramatic reenactment, the prophetic warning “Beware the Ides of March” speaks of the day in 44 B.C. when the Roman emperor...
by Michael Wilkerson | Feb 13, 2024 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Economy, Finance, Inflation, Politics, Student Loans, USA
American households seem to have short financial memories. Either not having learned—or perhaps just not remembering—the lessons of the global financial crisis, many U.S. households are repeating the same mistakes made nearly twenty years ago. Specifically, they are...
by Michael Wilkerson | Jun 20, 2023 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Finance, Inflation, USA
Those of us who have returned to frequent air travel appreciate just how unpleasant the process has become. Perhaps this simply reflects an overly sentimental view of what the experience was like pre-pandemic, but surely it has become much worse since. Outrageously...
by Michael Wilkerson | Apr 4, 2023 | Armed Forces, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, BRICS, China, Covid-19, Energy, Finance, Inflation, Politics, Sanctions, Tariffs, Ukraine, USA, War
After one year, ten increasingly stringent rounds, and over 14,500 specific sanctions imposed on Russian individuals, companies, and institutions, the U.S. led sanctions regime appears to be hurting Western economic and geostrategic interests as much or more than...
by Michael Wilkerson | Mar 7, 2023 | Blog Articles, Covid-19, Finance, Inflation, Technology, USA
I have often heard it said that the first step in recovery from addiction is to admit that one has a problem. Well, I’m not afraid to admit that over the years I’ve become completely dependent on Amazon Prime for the vast majority of my grocery and household goods...
by Michael Wilkerson | Feb 19, 2023 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Crypto, Finance, Inflation, Sanctions, USA
One of the most important disciplines in investing, whether personally or professionally, is to look back on investments made and take stock not just of how they performed, but why. What decision-making or other avoidable errors led to bad outcomes? What lessons can...
by Michael Wilkerson | Feb 14, 2023 | Armed Forces, Banks, Biden Administration, Blog Articles, CBDCs, Covid-19, Crypto, Finance, Inflation, Monetary System, Politics, USA
Like many governments around the world, the Biden administration seems determined to limit Americans’ monetary freedom by taxing it away, and by manipulating and controlling how they store and spend their money. Here are a few examples of how this is happening. Let’s...
by Michael Wilkerson | Dec 5, 2022 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Florida, New York, Politics, USA, Vaccines, Why America Matters Book
“Why, after three decades of life as a New Yorker, did you move to Florida?” I’m often asked this question with a mix of wonder, as if I’d just traveled across Mongolia on horseback, tainted by Upper East Side disdain (“Did you retire early?” How was the hurricane?”...
by Michael Wilkerson | Sep 18, 2022 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Energy, Finance, Inflation, Politics, Stormwall Book, Student Loans, USA, Why America Matters Book
If you read no further than this first paragraph, in which I ask the rhetorical question, “Who pays?”—that is to say, who pays for the various Biden administration programs, whether it be student debt forgiveness, the Green New Deal, inflation, aid to Ukraine, or...
by Michael Wilkerson | Apr 28, 2022 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, New York, Politics, Stormwall Book, USA, Vaccines
Image credit: Getty Images I thought it might be time to follow up on my post from a year ago, which asked the rhetorical question, Are Masks Becoming a Class Issue?, and more recently “Let Them Eat Cake … But Make Sure They’re Wearing a Mask.” Last week witnessed the...
by Michael Wilkerson | Feb 13, 2022 | Blog Articles, Covid-19, USA, Vaccines, Why America Matters Book
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images News It’s all happening now. After two years of tyranny, manifesting in authoritarian response from Statist bureaucracies around the world, citizens of democratic countries have said enough is enough. Tens of thousands of truckers,...
by Michael Wilkerson | Dec 1, 2021 | Blog Articles, Covid-19, Election 2020, J6, Politics, USA, Why America Matters Book
Image credit – theamericanprospect.com Those who oppose the iron fist of the state security apparatus will be lumped together in slick, corporate news reports with the criminal underclass. – Chris Hedges, Empire of Illusion These words were written by Pulitzer...
by Michael Wilkerson | Nov 23, 2021 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, USA, Vaccines
Image credit: abc.net Here’s a simple way to think about vaccine mandates, using excerpts from political philosopher John Stuart Mill, writing in On Liberty: The object of this essay is to assert one very simple principle, as entitled to govern absolutely the...
by Michael Wilkerson | Nov 3, 2021 | Blog Articles, Covid-19, New York, Politics, Vaccines
Images source: Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue website I was in midtown Manhattan yesterday, my first trip back in three months. Having lived in NYC for most of three decades, the lockdowns – worse here than perhaps anywhere in the US – finally drove me out...
by Michael Wilkerson | Oct 26, 2021 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Energy, Inflation, Vaccines, Why America Matters Book
Photo by Sabina Music Rich on Unsplash “The inflation we’re experiencing is not transitory. It’s here to stay, and its effects will be horrific.” The inflation we’re experiencing is not transitory. It’s here to stay, and its effects will be horrific....
by Michael Wilkerson | Sep 21, 2021 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Vaccines
Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue, Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images The Metropolitan Museum of Art held its annual fund-raising gala last week, a conclave of the rich and famous drawn from New York’s...
by Michael Wilkerson | Sep 14, 2021 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Vaccines
Let’s run a thought experiment and imagine ourselves back in 1986. I tried to get Elon Musk to provide a time machine, but apparently he’s waiting on spare parts from China. So instead, let’s just close our eyes, put on some Lionel Richie or Pet Shop Boys, and have...
by Michael Wilkerson | Dec 3, 2020 | Blog Articles, Covid-19, Inflation
Following the Thanksgiving weekend, the US is experiencing a spike in daily recorded COVID-19 cases well above the summer’s previous highs. Hospitals and medical facilities are once again showing signs of extreme strain. Yet given the massive impact to the economy and...
by Michael Wilkerson | Oct 12, 2020 | Africa, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Election 2020
It has been called the most contentious and controversial US presidential election ever. The nation never seemed more divided. Throughout the campaign, the Democrats called the Republican candidate everything from a liar, to a madman, a cheat, a traitor, an enemy of...
by Michael Wilkerson | May 11, 2020 | Blog Articles, Covid-19
When Shakespeare had King Henry IV sleeplessly mutter, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” the Bard was speaking a human truth that resonates across centuries and cultures to anyone in leadership whose responsibilities entail decisions that affect human lives....
by Michael Wilkerson | Apr 7, 2020 | Africa, Blog Articles, Covid-19
In The Fortunes of Africa, author Martin Meredith describes a Dutch sailing ship that dropped off a load of laundry for the Khoikhoi, the local inhabitants of the southwestern cape of Africa whom Europeans called Hottentots. The year was 1713. The Khoikhoi washed the...