There’s a line in Taoist philosophy that I always come back to: the world moves in cycles, rhythms, and patterns.
Most people only see what’s in front of them. They stare at every wiggle, every red candle, every headline.
But the traders who consistently win are the ones who feel the rhythm before everyone else hears the beat drop.
They’re not predicting the future — they’re aligned with the flow.
And right now, the flow is telling a very clear story.
International Leadership Isn’t a Blip — It’s a Cycle
Everyone’s obsessed with whether the S&P can squeeze out another few percent.
Fine. The US is up about 15% this year — solid. No complaints.
But that’s not the rhythm that matters.
When you zoom out, you hear something else:
International markets are ripping. Not “slightly outperforming”… Most ETFs are up 30% to 70%.
This is not random.
This is a cycle.
The strongest markets in the world this year weren’t the U.S. mega-caps — it was Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Greece, South Africa, Austria, Ireland, South Korea, and the LatAm complex as a whole.
When you see leadership this broad, this persistent, this clean… you don’t fade it. You follow it.
And this rhythm is not done. I think international strength continues well into next year.
Gold, Silver, and Miners — Following the Liquidity Pulse
Gold and silver aren’t moving because someone tweeted about it. They’re moving because the yield curve has begun a bull steepening — a classic early-cycle liquidity signal.
Gold miners have already doubled. Silver is breaking multi-decade levels. Gold is printing new highs like it’s bored.
And here’s the seasonal tailwind nobody talks about enough:
Gold and silver typically have their strongest window from year-end into early Q1.
Think of this like the tide.
You don’t fight the tide.
You ride the tide.
This liquidity impulse + seasonality rhythm is exactly the kind of setup Taoism points to: nature cycles, markets cycle — the only question is whether you move with the flow or against it.
XLE vs TLT — The Jaws Open, and Open, and Open…
People love to say “the jaws always close.”
Sure. Eventually they do.
But “eventually” isn’t a timing signal — it’s a coping mechanism.
Right now, those jaws (Energy vs Long Bonds) are widening.
Energy is finally showing relative strength.
Refiners breaking higher.
TLT stuck in a mud pit.
And international markets staying strong this deep into the year tells you that global growth sensitivity > duration sensitivity right now.
When you feel the rhythm, you stop asking, “Shouldn’t this revert?”
And you start asking, “What is the market actually telling me?”
Seeing Around Corners Isn’t Magic — It’s Alignment
People think “seeing around corners” means prediction.
It doesn’t.
It means recognizing the cycle before others accept it.
It means noticing when the flow shifts.
It means trusting what the market is already whispering.
Right now the market is whispering — loudly — that:
International leadership is real and continuing.
Gold, silver, and miners are in a liquidity-driven bull with seasonal fuel.
The yield curve is steepening, not collapsing.
Energy is flexing while bonds stay weak.
These aren’t noise. These are rhythms. Cycles.
Tides.
The Taoist trader listens before the beat drops.
And by the time everyone else finally hears it?
You’re already aligned, already positioned, already flowing with the trend.
