December 29, 2017

2017 Different and the Same

Another song for another year with hopes it was expected   
And true to form I hit a snag in countless nuances detected   
Because when it came to the markets, disparate voices failed to join  
Supporting news with reporting views that were like two sides of a coin   

But ah ha! I thought, two sides of a coin is both different and the same
So here are my memories of 2017 the year everyone played that game 
    
The year began for the clearly confused  
Connected on all sides by the anxiously amused   
With the only choice to feed the passive aggression   
Between the world of silence and one of expression  

And all in the company of a bevy of pundits   
Some intelligent, some elegant, but overwhelming in abundance      
And whether to deliberately collide or recklessly avoid
They aimed to divide with dismay and poise
   
Which is why I think the markets spiraled up this year   
Because advanced Capitalism doesn’t really care   
After all, its risk that presumes the noticeable from the absent
Competing with the gut that curries randomness as a practical tangent   

And with proof to explain it conspicuously absent   
Some chose to dismiss it while others amassed it
And while expectation and exclamation are entertaining feats
Uncertainty still prevailed between the prevailing and unique   

Industry prevailed in remaining weirdly normal   
The body politic uniquely projected the sloppily formal
Kicking an economy suffering too long from malaise
Watching it rise up unexpectedly in an unplanned escape 

First came strong job growth, a continued trend with a twist  
Affecting sectors of the economy for which previous policy was remiss
But it didn’t stop there, GDP was just getting started   
Productivity arrived as deficiency departed   

It even empowered consumers and sellers alike 
Choosing internet bounties over department store fights
Further helped by the power our weak currency can bring
Turning imports into exports in a much welcome swing 

And reversing seven years of declining inflation   
Its sudden appearance was met with bold hesitation   
Calling out to a Fed too frequently open ended   
The time to raise rates had to be seriously defended   
  
Now near the finish line we find ourselves at record highs 
All that remained for the complicit and the wise 
Was the ultimate internet gift both animated and trite 
An obsession called bitcoin hacked into our lives 

So, here we are at the end of the year   
With as much to rejoice in as for some to fear   
But even that description fails to address   
That there’s much in this world that can still impress   
   
And maybe that’s a bit optimistic to some   
Life’s an adventure to conquer, not to succumb   
And pithy oxy-poems, like this one can come and go   
But wishing for a brighter future will never get old   
   

WISHING YOU AND THOSE YOU LOVE

A WONDERFUL AND WINNING 2018!