Libation Day: The Aftermath

It turns out Trump II's tariff analysis had all the rigor of a DOUGEBAG savings.  Every business channel is eviscerating its construction.

“[It is] quite an extraordinary calculation after months of work behind the scenes,” said Jim Reid, the global head of macro research at Deutsche Bank. “[It] didn’t add much confidence on there being an in-depth strategic implementation plan.”

Economic experts noted that estimating tariffs and the cost of unfair trade is difficult but they expected better than dividing the U.S.'s trade deficit with that country by the value of imports from that same country.  Trump II is characterizing our buying more from outside the country than those countries buy from us as "ripping us off."  As Sarah Eisner of CNBC said, "The U.S. does not grow coffee.  We don't grow bananas."

So why would Trump II, the digital Caligula push such a draconian economic policy?  One, Trump needs revenue, even the kind that evaporates under examination, to give his billionaire buddies their extended and improved tax cuts.  These are the same billionaires, many private equity underwriters (PEU) who sent jobs overseas under both Red and Blue White Houses.  Trump blamed the receiving nations, as erroneous as his tariff calculation.

"For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far. ... Foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once beautiful American dream."

Looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by the very people getting Trump's massive tax cuts.  PEU legendary founders stole the jobs, ransacked affiliate factories and sucked the American dream into their personal coffers.  Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin knows as he sent thousands of jobs to China while at The Carlyle Group.  The greed and leverage boys have something new to sell you.  

Two, Trump II, the digital Caligula's billionaire buddies want their PEU products in your 401(k).  A shock to the retirement account balance may foster their consideration.  It may even steer people away from a study showing major stock indexes beat alternatives over time

Three, Trump II, the digital Caligula is in the dollar alternative business, cryotocurrencies, and a shock to the dollar's value could open people to the Trump family personal currency option ($TRUMP, Official Melania, Bitcoin (American Bitcoin), TMTG's TruthFi (crypto ETFs) & World Liberty Financial).

Trump said on the campaign trail that his tariffs would "bring down prices."  It's on tape.

Baron knows how to find the clip with his father's clearly stated promise.  He's a genius at that stuff.

Be sure to watch the clip before your next voting opportunity when you vote your pocketbook. 

Tariff Running Man

It's a big day for two of the biggest manipulators of fear, violence and money to induce behavior.  Trump II, the digital Caligula, will announce his giant new tax plan by implementing additional tariffs on imported goods.  His version of Running Man airs at 4:00 pm from the Rose Garden.  Trump wants to bring back Tariff Runners, a greatly expanded black market enabled by his family's digital currency holdings.  If billionaires can give millions to avoid taxes, what can corporate chiefs do to avoid tariffs.  Maybe not bring their goods in through official channels and use an anonymous financial instrument.  Trump practically invited them to do so by dismantling regulatory enforcers and pardoning a gaggle of fraud convicts.

Fellow manipulator Elon Musk is wondering why his millions ($) did not garner his desired outcome in Wisconsin.  Enough Cheeseheads recognized the South African Carpetbagger who's treating government employees like their auto parts manufacturing peers.  "No job for you."

At least Elon didn't tell Wisconsinites to envision they were voting with a bomb strapped to their head or that they needed to sleep in the voting booth for their vote to count.

Independent voters are realizing they were conned in that last election by the master of cons, funded by another master of cons.  They voted for a decent economy doing better and action to bring down inflation.  Trump seems intent on accelerating an economic descent while sending prices soaring across the board.  

Tariffs are taxes and they will be avoided at all costs by the billionaire private equity underwriters (PEU) and their fellow TechGods, which sponsor both political teams.  For decades this billionaire PEU class exported jobs to Asia under the widespread approval of politicians Red and Blue.  Highly unpopular PEU preferred "carried interest" taxation remains firmly in place after both parties used its elimination as a campaign slogan.

Tariff Running Man starts today.  Who loves Trump and who does he love, besides Elon?

Place your bets!!!!

Update:  You want people in front of the "click bait" social media and not protesting.  Elon folded X into xAI, while Trump II's Truth Social filed for him to unload his shares.

Trump gets more financial freedom while saddling others with misery.  That's exciting for our Fraudster in Chief.  It's worth a kiss and maybe some tongue.

The Great Announcer did his thing in the Rose Garden and Dow Futures plummeted.  CNBC reported:

“What was delivered was as haphazard as anything this administration has done to date, and the level of complication on top of the ultimate level of new tariffs is worse than had been feared and not yet priced into the market,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth Management.

Another Savage Whim from the Great Usurper.

For many, it's Libation Day....

My wise friend wrote:

It's interesting you use the term running man. I think of him as a burning man. Burns everything down like a bust out. He'll do anything to enrich himself and everyone else pays. We knew his history, he has revealed himself many times, and yet the people of this country invited him back into the White House. Did you see yesterday's interview with Kid Rock? Every other head of state throughout the world has to be thinking what a clown show.

My response:

Trump's much more of a burning man as you so ably point out. Everyone was waiting for the big announcement so I chose an announcer proxy in Damon Killian. Had a little fun with it. Some of my stuff sticks better than others....and some stinks greater than others. Interesting that Trump can sling any crap against the wall and many people buy it. 

Saw Kid Rock's White House outfit, a la Elon. It takes hubris in spades to denigrate the sanctity of the Oval Office.

Who loves you and who do you love?  It's time to start RUNNING.....

SkinTECH Failure: Luxury Covering

The Business of Fashion reported the resignation of CaaStle's founder and CEO Christine Hunsicker.  CaaStle provides clothing rental logistics services for high end brands.  A letter sent by the CaaStle board stated that Hunsicker:

had given some investors “misstated financial statements and falsified audit opinions, as well as capitalisation information that understated the number of company shares outstanding,” the letter said. 

“The company is facing a severe and immediate liquidity problem,”

Having Caa in the company's name should have been a warning given Moody's ratings considers Caa1 "judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk."  Forget the sorry name, what does the company actually do?  

Crunchbase reports:

CaaStle is focused on developing systems and methods for managing data associated with wearable items in a clothing subscription service. This includes creating electronic platforms for transactions and inventory sharing, as well as user interfaces for electronic interactions. They are also working on garment size recommendations and optimizing wearable item selection. Additionally, CaaStle is exploring image analysis for apparel and electronic recommendation engines for apparel subscriptions. These efforts aim to enhance the efficiency and user experience of their Clothing as a Service model.

What happens if skintech CaaStle does not get another liquidity injection from Bill Ackman?  

Who gets the keys to the CaaStle?  Maybe nobody, as in the case of fintech Synapse.  Marc Andreessen fled from that stinking corpse all the way to Washington, D.C. where he joined the "government as a SERVE US billionaires" model.  

Update 4-2-25:  Axios reported the depths of Hunsicker's financial chicanery:

Hunsicker last year told prospective investors that CaaStle generated $519 million in 2023 revenue. According to audited financials that the company sent this weekend to shareholders, the actual revenue figure for the year ending Sept. 30, 2023 was only $15.7 million. 

Prospective investors also were told that fiscal 2022 revenue was $278 million, when it actually was $19.7 million. Projections for 2024 and 2025 revenue were $793 million and around $1 billion, respectively. Hunsicker also claimed that 2023 EBITDA was $91 million and virtually flat in 2022. The audited financials don't specifically include EBITDA, but do show a combined $135 million net loss for the two fiscal years. 

Prospective investors were told that CaaStle had hundreds of millions of dollars in cash as of mid-2024. If so, that's a heck of a trick. It ended Sept. 2023 with less than $1 million in cash and around $3 million in total assets, and then raised just under $60 million in subsequent funding.

Hunsicker co-founded other skintech companies which are now fleeing from her dung filled representations.  If Marc Andreessen can skate Synapse's debacle, surely Hunsicker can arrange something.

Trump's Instant "T" Frustrates PEU Leaf Readers

Private equity underwriters (PEU) hired high level tea leaf readers over the last few decades.  They include:

The Carlyle Group - Admiral James Stavridis (a regular on CNN)

KKR - General David Petraeus

Apollo - David Krone, former Chief of Staff Senator Harry Reid

These talented seers of the future were aided by PEU founders, legendary for their ability to influence government policy.  

Trump II's tariff gyrations have flummoxed PEU Legends and their high paid strategists.  "T" is for tariff and it's very hard to read the leaves if they remain in the mind of one man, especially one known for his savage whims.

The greed and leverage boys thought they'd be shopping affiliates in an economy with accelerating growth and increasing capital flows into the U.S. because "our tech is the world's future."  That is not happening.

Oddly, PEUs may gain new affiliates via their private credit offerings, getting the keys to other PEU's affiliates unable to keep up with interest payments.  

PEU Libation Day may involve exchanging their sponsor's name, creditor eats wiped out equity owner.  Those tea leaves are somewhat readable.

Otherwise, the world awaits the decrees of the Savage Whimmer.  Libation may be in all our futures.