Market Crash In the Works: A Canary May Have Just Keeled OverMac Slavo But things are not at all as they may seem if all you do is follow official government statistics and propagandized mainstream news reports. In the week leading up to Christmas, for example, retail analysis firm ShopperTalk advised that brick mortar retail traffic was down over 20% this year. Some would argue that much of this foot traffic jumped to the Internet to make their holiday purchases, but according to the National Retail Federation sales online were only slated to rise 3.9% this year, which is nothing to write home about considering annual retail sales for the last 10 years rose an average of 3.3%. Consumers, it seems, are starting to feel the pinch of widespread job losses, wage reductions, cuts to government assistance and termination of unemployment benefitsfor millions. But the cuts in consumer spending dont just stop with traditional American holiday staples like electronics, brand name clothing and furniture. The National Association of Realtors reported that the month of September saw itssingle largest drop in signed home sales in 40 months. And that wasnt just a one-off event. This month mortgage applications collapsed a shocking 66%, hitting a 13-year low. Something is amiss, and despite claims of economic recovery emanating from pundits far and wide, the numbers on Main Street, where they really matter, suggest that we are in for a rough ride. Eric Peters Autos, which analyzes political and economic trends, notes that trouble is brewing all over and it may soon have an overt impact on what many consider to be the only measure of economic health in America: rising stock markets. Any way you slice it, whether its car sales, home sales, retail sales, employment, or monetary stimulus, the warnings are everywhere. The canary in the coal mine is going into cardiac arrest. Back in 2007 trend forecaster Gerald Celente warned the world of the Crash of 2008. He based his analysis on many of the aforementioned data points. Were seeing a similar pattern develop in late 2013, suggesting that 2014 could be the year it all goes critical: Moreover, if you were to compare stock market charts from 1929 to present day, youd note that they are eerily similar: Our economy as it exists today is wholly unsustainable. The government and Federal Reserve will soon run out of bullets and their efforts to stabilize the system will be revealed for the abject failures they really are. Is 2014 the year? Well soon find out. You can read more from Mac Slavo at his site SHTFplan.com, where this first appeared. 