Markets Melt Up, Trust Melts Down
Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance
Markets keep ripping higher, metals are flashing red on “better than expected” inflation that’s still running way too hot at 2.7%, and trust in the system—from Wall Street to Washington—is quietly falling apart.
Here’s what I covered this week, and why it matters:
Earlier in the week, I published a breakdown of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill”, which despite the branding, is pure inflationary grift. Subsidies, tax breaks, and spending dressed up as nationalism—it’s deficit-funded populism that punishes savers and pushes prices higher. Commodities are already reacting, but CPI hasn’t caught up yet. It will.
🔥 TAKE 60% OFF IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TODAY: Anyone who subscribes annually today, using the below link, IMMEDIATELY gets 60% off full price. This discount lasts for as long as you wish to remain a subscriber: Get 60% off forever
Then came a piece I’ve been meaning to write for a while: The Passive Bid Crash Awaits. Markets are being held up by systematic, automated inflows—401(k)s, target-date funds, ETFs—and that structure is more fragile than people think. When job numbers crack or redemptions accelerate, the forced selling could be catastrophic. The system is quietly leveraged, and most investors have no idea.
I also circled back to a theme I touched on earlier this year: psychedelics. In Being Early—And Patient—In Psychedelics, I updated my take on the names I’ve been watching—MNMD, CMPS, and PSIL—after RFK Jr. made an aggressive move to push these therapies into the mainstream. After lagging much of the year, the sector finally showed signs of life.
A few other pieces you might enjoy:
The CBO Isn’t Allowed to Forecast an Inflationary Debt Crisis
The First Amendment Protects Ideologically Based Ad Boycotts
If you're a paid subscriber, you're already getting these insights as they drop. Thank you—seriously. You make this work possible.
If you’re on the free list, consider upgrading. What you’re not getting are the deep dives, the actionable names, and the unfiltered research I won’t publish anywhere else.
Markets are rigged. Politicians lie. And Wall Street wants your attention, not your success. Meanwhile, I’ll keep calling it like I see it.
QTR’s Disclaimer: Please read my full legal disclaimer on my About page here. This post represents my opinions only. In addition, please understand I am an idiot and often get things wrong and lose money. I may own or transact in any names mentioned in this piece at any time without warning. Contributor posts and aggregated posts have been hand selected by me, have not been fact checked and are the opinions of their authors. They are either submitted to QTR by their author, reprinted under a Creative Commons license with my best effort to uphold what the license asks, or with the permission of the author.
This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stocks or securities, just my opinions. I often lose money on positions I trade/invest in. I may add any name mentioned in this article and sell any name mentioned in this piece at any time, without further warning. None of this is a solicitation to buy or sell securities. I may or may not own names I write about and are watching. Sometimes I’m bullish without owning things, sometimes I’m bearish and do own things. Just assume my positions could be exactly the opposite of what you think they are just in case. If I’m long I could quickly be short and vice versa. I won’t update my positions. All positions can change immediately as soon as I publish this, with or without notice and at any point I can be long, short or neutral on any position. You are on your own. Do not make decisions based on my blog. I exist on the fringe. If you see numbers and calculations of any sort, assume they are wrong and double check them. I failed Algebra in 8th grade and topped off my high school math accolades by getting a D- in remedial Calculus my senior year, before becoming an English major in college so I could bullshit my way through things easier.
The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page. These are not the opinions of any of my employers, partners, or associates. I did my best to be honest about my disclosures but can’t guarantee I am right; I write these posts after a couple beers sometimes. I edit after my posts are published because I’m impatient and lazy, so if you see a typo, check back in a half hour. Also, I just straight up get shit wrong a lot. I mention it twice because it’s that important.