Listen to a summary of The Macro Butler special service newsletter via podcast on Substack; YouTube; Rumble & TikTok.

https://themacrobutler.substack.com/p/inflation-delusion-and-the-architects-cbb

With immaculate political correctness, the ECB left rates exactly where they were and declared—very flexibly—that the cutting cycle is probably over, unless it isn’t. After eight cuts from 4% to 2%, rates are expected to stay put indefinitely, with hikes “premature,” cuts still “optional,” and inflation conveniently projected back to 2%… by 2028. In short: nothing was decided, every option remains open, and the data will speak—once it agrees with the script.

In a nutshell, the ECB froze rates, declared victory over inflation sometime around 2028, and reassured markets that nothing is decided, everything is possible, and confusion remains fully data-dependent.

Right on cue—and after years of monetizing credibility to keep zombie politicians comfortable—the Bank of Japan finally lifted rates to a 30-year high, an entirely predictable move dressed up as newfound “conviction.” After exhausting yield-curve control as a political favor disguised as policy, the BOJ now insists inflation is finally behaving and that more hikes are coming, provided reality continues to cooperate. Markets, unsurprisingly, were not impressed: the move was fully priced, unanimously expected, and does little to repair the damage done to one of the world’s most politicized central banks. The result is straightforward—rising JGB yields, a structurally weaker yen, and a slow realization that a quarter-point hike does not magically restore decades of lost monetary credibility.

In a nutshell, after torching its credibility with years of yield-curve control, the BOJ’s long-overdue rate hike is less a policy pivot than a cosmetic fix—fully priced, and unlikely to stop higher JGB yields or a weaker yen.

The Macro Butler just snagged an extra seat at Piggo’s Trading Desk to unpack the “inflation is over” fairy tale and serve up some spicy predictions for the Year of the Fire Horse.

Grab your coffee—this one’s going to be a wild ride!

https://themacrobutler.substack.com/p/interview-with-piggos-trading-desk-ba9

💡 Curious how investing really works?

Discover The Macro Butler Financial Academy! 🎓

Skip the hype, the fairy tales, and the noise—get real-world lessons on markets, macro trends, and wealth-building strategies that actually make sense.

👉 Take a sneak peek at a typical lesson and see how smart investing starts:

https://youtu.be/LlGcPh5wa9g

Visit our website to learn to earn.

Subscribe now before price increases on January 1st.

https://themacrobutler.com/financial-academy/

In a masterclass of Orwellian courage, EU leaders bravely decided not to “steal” Russian assets but instead heroically loan €90 billion of EU taxpayers’ money to Ukraine—money that will, of course, never be repaid—funded by fresh joint debt, while frozen Russian assets sit untouched, leaders declare victory, and Europe reassures itself that shifting the bill from Moscow to its own citizens is somehow a triumph of principle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJZEAxnk-iQ

Despite holiday cheer and year-end discounts doing their best sales pitch, US consumers remained unimpressed: December sentiment rose, but only just, staying stuck in the “everything is still too expensive” zone. The Michigan index crept up to 52.9—below expectations—with current conditions hitting a fresh low as shoppers decided big-ticket items are a hard “no.” Inflation expectations eased a bit, but between pricey groceries, shaky job confidence, and wallets still on strike, consumers aren’t feeling festive—they’re feeling frugal.

In a nutshell, holiday discounts tried their charm, but US consumers shrugged—sentiment barely budged as high prices, job anxiety, and wallet fatigue kept the festive mood firmly off the shopping list.

This is 1 of 10 bold financial forecasts from The Macro Butler—and it’s just the appetizer.

🎥 Watch the short: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ci02Q8qDzN0

🧠 Want all 10? Subscribe to The Macro Butler Monthly Meditation 👉

https://themacrobutler.com/monthly-meditation/

🤵 The Macro Butler Weekly Digest 🤵

🌐 Once sold as safe, bonds have quietly become the riskiest asset to own—until the Educated Yet Idiots run the world. 🌐

Read more here: https://themacrobutler.substack.com/p/bonds-from-risk-free-to-riskiest

When trust in public institutions is run by Educated Yet Idiots, even “risk-free” bonds start playing with matches 🔥—and in Japan, that means 10-year JGB yields heading north of 4% in the Year of the Fire Horse.

🎥 Catch the short: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vfwQeVVaRrU

🧠 Want all 10 fiery forecasts? Subscribe to The Macro Butler Monthly Meditation 👉 https://themacrobutler.com/monthly-meditation/

📅 Drops January 2, 2026.

Listen to a summary of The Macro Butler weekly newsletter via podcast on Substack; YouTube; Rumble & TikTok.

https://themacrobutler.substack.com/p/bonds-from-risk-free-to-riskiest-4f7

Still wondering what you actually get with The Macro Butler Financial Academy?

Not just videos—but a framework to learn how to earn.

Subscribers get access to a growing library of practical market lessons plus an exclusive Weekly Technical Recap video every Sunday, covering major asset classes, key levels, and risk signals—so you’re never trading blind.

🎥 Watch the short and see how it works.

https://youtu.be/trtLiHUQVcU

🚀 Learn to earn. Think independently. Stay ahead of the cycle.

⏰ Subscribe now before prices increase on January 1st

👉 https://themacrobutler.com/financial-academy/

Because education compounds—and ignorance is expensive.

The Macro Butler Financial Academy teaches you how to measure risk, manage uncertainty, and think independently across cycles—not chase noise, narratives, or headlines. You’ll learn practical frameworks used by professionals to assess downside, position sizing, volatility, and regime shifts, so risk is quantified, not guessed.

If you want to stop reacting and start controlling risk before it controls you, this is where you begin.

https://youtu.be/1ePfjk16Lg8

👉 Subscribe now and build the skill that compounds: risk management.

https://themacrobutler.com/financial-academy/

As gunboat diplomacy sails back into fashion, the U.S. Treasury quietly floated $69 billion of 2-year paper. It cleared at a 3.499% yield—1 bp higher than last month’s 3.489%—and politely tailed the when-issued by 0.3 bps, the chunkiest short-end tail since April’s 0.6 bps. Not a disaster, but a reminder that after a year of auctions stopping through, buyers are no longer saluting quite as crisply.

The bid-to-cover slipped to 2.543, down from November’s healthier 2.684 and the weakest showing since September—also below the six-auction average of 2.623. The internals didn’t help the mood: Indirects showed up late and light at 53.21% (their worst since March 2023), while Directs did more of the heavy lifting at 34.05%. The result? Dealers were left holding 12.74% of the auction—the biggest inventory hangover since June. In short, demand showed up, but enthusiasm clearly stayed home.

As the great awakening spreads that “risk-free” bonds are now anything but, the auction landed with a thud rather than a bang. Demand was polite, enthusiasm was optional, and the metrics were unmistakably soft—an early omen that in the Year of the Fire Horse, bond yields are likely to gallop higher whether investors like it or not.

America’s political Grinch struck again: Bernie Sanders blocked the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act—a bipartisan bill to help children with cancer access life-saving treatments—despite it passing the House unanimously and heading for effortless Senate approval. Apparently, even kids with cancer aren’t exempt from a career-long game of political obstruction.

https://www.ms.now/chris-jansing-reports/watch/sanders-blocks-bipartisan-pediatric-cancer-bill-from-passing-2477432387803

The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act honors Mikaela Naylon, a Colorado girl diagnosed with osteosarcoma at age 10, who spent her short life advocating for broader access to pediatric cancer trials. After enduring amputation, multiple relapses, surgeries, and treatments across the country, Mikaela and her family worked with lawmakers so other children might have more options than she did. Before her passing at 16, she shared a simple lesson from her journey: that even in the face of immense hardship, the small things matter less than living life as fully as possible.