The Fed's Latest Meeting Minutes Have a Secret Message; Let Me Translate

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The Fed released the minutes of its October meeting last week. Because of the holiday, most of us missed it.

But there was some important stuff here that reaffirmed my view of what the Federal Reserve is doing and why.

So here's a look at what the Fed says was said at the meeting – not what was actually said.

The meeting minutes are propaganda designed to get across the Fed's main narrative. The actual words of the participants (supposedly) won't be released until five years hence. The Fed wants you to know what it wants you to know. Usually that's not the same thing as what it actually knows, but it's still important.

As always, its real message is cloaked in doublespeak and obfuscation.

And that message has direct implications for your money (which is why it doesn't want you to understand it).

Reader Steve Poses a Short-Selling Puzzler

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Over the last week, markets have seen a massive shift back to the long side.

Whether that will prove to be a false start remains to be seen, but we should know within the week after Thanksgiving. The period from then until Christmas is normally strong.

The Juicy Little Secret "Sin Taxes" Tell You

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It's critical to understand as much as possible exactly what the U.S. economy is doing.

We need to know that because we need to be able to cut through all the Wall Street noise and sales hype to get to the truth about the direction of the economic data.

That data does not directly drive the market trend, but it does correlate. It's helpful to know when that correlation is based on a false narrative.

That can help us with our timing on betting with the trend or seeing patterns of market behavior develop that indicate the trend change is underway.

Why I Don't Care About Jerome Powell, and Why You Shouldn't Either

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The other day reader Mike M. asked in our comments section:

Hi Lee – What do you think of this Powell fellow as Fed Chair? It appears from an article I read that he is fond of the TBTF bailout.

Mike, you are not the only one to ask me this question. In fact, people right here at Money Map Press have been asking me. No doubt, the entire world wants to know. CNBC talking heads talk about it. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg and Reuters have probably written great tomes about it.

When asked a question to which everyone wants an answer, I always give it great thought. And I always think about the Fed chair, no matter who he or she is.

I usually end up not thinking much of them, Bernanke especially. He destroyed the lives of millions of senior citizens by taking away the interest income they depended on to supplement their Social Security. I despised Bernanke for that alone, not to mention the massive money printing that benefited only the bankers and speculators. Yellen I liked better. Other Fed critics, including some who are my friends, may still skewer her. I give her credit for stopping the madness.

Now here's what I know, and what is most important for you to know about Jerome Powell. They call him Jay. Other than that, nothing. That's right, nothing.

Calling All Gold Bugs: Have I Got a Chart for You

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You may be, in fact probably are, a gold bug if you are reading this.

Well, I am not a gold bug, but I have followed gold closely from a technical trading perspective for many years. I respect your faith in it. I would never short it, nor would I short mining stocks, even though the charts may look like good shorts from time to time.

I'd rather play the metal and the miners strictly from the long side, looking for the best times to enter and, sometimes, to take profits. It's not always easy. Gold's trends are sometimes inscrutable. Those who manipulate the price of the metal do not have market-based motivation for doing so. It's always tricky.

That said, I'm here to give you an unbiased technical perspective on where the metal may be headed both over the intermediate term and longer term. This perspective is based on my 47 years of studying cyclical analysis.

Toy Story: How Wall Street Tries to Play You for a Fool

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Today, I have a toy story for you.

It isn't a story about toys. Well, it is, but that part is tangential. This is a story about how Wall Street toys with you. And I use the term loosely. Because Wall Street is playing with your money. For the Street, it is a game. And its goal, just like the croupiers at Vegas casinos, is to keep you playing on the other side of its trades. Never forget. The Street is the dealer, and you are the mark.

So here's a story that I noticed just the other day that shows just how Wall Street toys with your emotions to keep you in the game and skim you as it distributes its inventory, its "stock in trade," to you.

It almost fooled me, too.

No, I Can't Fix Your Phone, but I Can Time the Markets

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Thanks for keeping the great comments and questions rolling in.

Well, most of them are great.

Spoiler alert: I can't fix your broken phone, and I really am "that ignorant."

But I was able to field some excellent questions about what happens to all the money from Trump's tax cuts, whether the Fed will really raid private bank accounts, and the myth that you "can't time the markets."

It's Just Possible That I've Featured Your Burning Question Here

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The analytical work that I do for you deals with issues that may be at times complex, or may be difficult to grasp at first. That is simply because the mainstream media either doesn't cover them, or covers them in a way that is misleading. They are presenting the views of Wall Street, and Wall Street's goal is always to separate you from your money. So they either feed you a lot of meaningless stories or they outright mislead you, in order to get your money under their control. Once they do that, their skim begins.

Well, I want to help you understand enough about how the market really works so that you can manage your own investments successfully and with a minimal investment of your own time. I'll do the heavy lifting for you and present critical information that will enable you to surely make your own decisions about managing your own money, or at least to ride herd over the people who do so that they don't squander it.

With those goals in mind, today I'm beginning a new feature at Sure Money. I hope that it is one that you will enjoy and will help you better understand the things you really need to know to first protect your capital, and second, to make it grow.

Starting today, I will respond to your comments and questions posted on Sure Money and Money Morning. Those comments, questions (and criticisms) help me get my message to you in a way that's clear and understandable. Your feedback tells me where I'm succeeding and where I'm missing the boat. It helps me to be the best communicator I can be in helping to reach your investment goals.

The comments section on the website is open right now, so I hope you'll ask me any questions I didn't cover here. Fire away and you'll likely see your name in an upcoming issue!