Friday, December 09, 2016

US Interest Rates and the Toughest Man Who Ever Lived / Interest-Rates / US Interest Rates

By: David_Galland

Dear Paraders,

I begin this week sitting at our dining room table here in Cafayate, Argentina. Out the window, the vista is brimming with sunshine, vineyards, lovely houses, and lovelier mountains across the valley.

My wife is off working out at the Athletic Club & Spa. I would be too, were I not laid up by my recent hernia operation.

Later today, I’ll be playing a demonstration game of the ancient Chinese game of Go with a fellow resident and master of the game from California. Then we’ll dine at Bad Brothers Wine Experience with freshly returned owners from South Africa and my friend, former partner, and now closest neighbor Doug Casey.

Friday, December 09, 2016

Will Trump Cause Geopolitical Chaos? / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2016

By: Arkadiusz_Sieron

Before the U.S. presidential election analysts pointed out that Trump's administration would be positive for the yellow metal, because of the elevated general uncertainty, possible geopolitical turmoil (due to trade wars or recalibration of foreign policy), slower economic growth (due to protectionism), as well as widened fiscal deficits and higher inflation (due to tax cuts and higher government spending).

Friday, December 09, 2016

Amazon UK Christmas Shopping Useless Delivery Tracking Warning Alert / ConsumerWatch / Shopping

By: Nadeem_Walayat

Like many online buyers, I too regularly use amazon to shop for large and small items, nothing beats the convenience of arm chair shopping at any time of the day, that and added buyer protections offered that one is more likely to get what one is actually ordering against Ebay purchases that are more than likely to disappoint in one shape or another.

Friday, December 09, 2016

SPX Premarket is Higher, But No Stock Market Breakout / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2016

By: Anthony_Cherniawski

Good Morning!

The SPX Premarket has held steady all night. It is currently challenging the 2-hour Cycle Top at 2247.18, but no breakout has occurred.

Friday, December 09, 2016

Euro-zone Crisis - The Soon To Erupt Euro Experiment / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis

By: Gordon_T_Long

THE EURO EXPERIMENT

It was always blatantly clear that an EU monetary union would inevitably require a political union to centralize decisions about tax and public spending. Without this occurring it was a misconceived and terrible blunder (that some of us argued it was when it was initially constructed) but it is turning out to be even worse than we originally perceived because of its underpinning Euro currency.

We are now witnessing that the EU experiment has become so damaging and divisive that public opinion will now never tolerate a political union. So not only was the cart put before the horse, but the horse will not now contemplate even following the cart at a distance!

Friday, December 09, 2016

ECB ‘Bazooka’ Extended – Will Buy EUR 60 Billion Per Month Until At Least December 2017 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2016

By: GoldCore

The ECB’s ‘Bazooka’ is back and ‘Super Mario’, the European Central Bank’s monetary magician did not disappoint QE addicted markets yesterday by extending ultra loose monetary policies and quantitative easing until at least December 2017.

The euro fell and gold rose 1.1% in euro terms from €1,090/oz to €1,102.85. Stocks globally moved higher, and European stocks look set for their best week since February, supported by the extended ECB currency printing and a calm, some would say complacent and irrationally exuberant, reaction to the Italian referendum.

Friday, December 09, 2016

The Attack on “Fake News” Is An Outright Campaign for Censorship of the Truth / Politics / Propaganda

By: Jeff_Berwick

The buzzword “fake news” has popped into the popular lexicon in recent weeks.

We’ve been using that term for years, though, when referring to the mainstream media.

While poll numbers show that about 9 out of 10 people don’t trust the information they get from the mainstream media, they likely still have no idea just how fake it all is.

Friday, December 09, 2016

Trump Debunks Notion of Russia Interfering in America’s Electoral Process / Politics / US Presidential Election 2016

By: Stephen_Lendman

Claiming it is utter nonsense. Not a shred of evidence suggests it. Irresponsibly blaming Moscow for hacking DNC emails or any other type interference in America’s electoral process reflects longstanding Russia bashing.

In response to being named Time magazine’s person of the year, Trump told the publication that accusing Russia is politically motivated. “I don’t believe it. I don’t believe they interfered,” he said, adding:

Friday, December 09, 2016

Rolling Back America's Empire: Washington’s Proxy-Army Faces Decisive Defeat in Aleppo / Politics / Syria

By: Mike_Whitney

Syrian Army helicopters dropped leaflets on parts of eastern Aleppo on Sunday warning anti-government fighters to surrender while they still had the chance. Hundreds of jihadists have already laid down their weapons and surrendered while a hardline corps of deadenders continue to fend off the  rapidly advancing army.

Friday, December 09, 2016

Global Market Perspective 3 Killer Charts, 2 Fast Looks at Politics / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2016

By: EWI

Global Market Perspective is Your Roadmap to Global Investment Opportunity

Friday, December 09, 2016

SPX is back under its Cycle Top Resistance / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2016

By: Anthony_Cherniawski

The SPX structure appears to have morphed again. If you can find the structure, you can ascertain what the guidelines are.

The first is that A equals C at 2250.0. That doesn’t put a limit on it, but provides a guideline.

The second is that Wave [v] is 2.38 times [i] at 2251.91.

Friday, December 09, 2016

Morrisons Cheap £10 Battery Powered 200 LED Christmas Lights Review / Personal_Finance / Shopping

By: Anika_Walayat

Just how good are battery powered christmas lights as sold by Morrisons and many others? The obvious attraction is that there is no mains wiring involved so should be relatively easy to put up sets of lights all over the place.

This is a review of a string of 200 LED lights bought from Morrisons for just £10, though don't forget the cost of the batteries (£4), so total cost is £14 which Morrisons promises should last 60 days when on their 6 hour timer. Find out in our test if they at least last for the festive season or not and what do they actually look like in our comprehensive review.

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Euro Devaluation Accelerates – Millions Of Europeans Wishing They’d Bought Gold / Currencies / Euro

By: John_Rubino

ECB Chairman Mario Draghi’s announcement of bigger and better QE this morning should have surprised no one. The fact is that the eurozone is coming apart at the seams and the only tool left to delay the inevitable is easier money. As the following chart illustrates, the euro has been declining since 2008, with the descent accelerating lately.

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Ireland EU Exit? - Wealthbuilder Stock Market Brief December 2016 / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2016

By: Christopher_Quigley

Irexit: Ireland may have to consider leaving the EU.

Since the Brexit vote this summer most national and international media outlets were focused on the American presidential election. However, one story that got lost in the Trump firestorm was the fact that it increasing looks like the Irish government will have to seriously contemplate leaving the EU should the terms of the British Brexit “divorce” be hard rather than soft.

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Trump Could Fuel A Nuclear Energy Boom In 2017 / Commodities / Uranium

By: OilPrice_Com

With Trump at the helm, sentiment gives way to practicality in the energy industry. For the vast untapped potential of the nuclear energy industry and the uranium that feeds it, this could contribute to a market-disrupting revival that no longer bows to fear and the politics of economy.

While there have been some oversupply issues keeping uranium prices down, the bigger problem has been negative sentiment rather than real fundamentals, but the Trump presidency will see through that.

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Our Future Economy, Jobs, Banking, And Governance – Part2 / Economics / US Economy

By: Raymond_Matison

One Possible Outcome - Future demographic impact on the global economy

Developing or emerging nations are still growing in population, are at a much younger average age, and are eager to own more goods.  They do not yet have the long life span seen in advanced nations, and hence a larger proportion of their population remains as consuming spenders. Their spending patterns will promote the kind of consumer economic model that had existed in the more developed world of Europe and North America in the last century.  Accordingly, consumer spending of emerging nations can be projected to rise for decades. 

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Developing Knowledge-Intensive Society and Knowledge Industrial Hub in Kerala: Global Applications and Implications / Economics / India

By: Dr_R_M_Mathew

This is a work on Development Strategy based on Knowledge and Brain Power, rather than Capital and Technology, including Information Technology. It is prepared for the specific context of Kerala, one of the smallest Indian states and also known as ‘God’s Own Country’. Kerala has the highest digital connectivity. The proposed Kerala Model may have wider applications to various small and big countries, including India as a whole, in pursuing a Knowledge-Intensive Development Strategy (KIDS).

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Crude Oil and Gold, Silver Precious Metals Link / Commodities / Crude Oil

By: Nadia_Simmons

Trading position (short-term; our opinion): Short positions (with a stop-loss order at $54.51 and initial downside target at $45.43) are justified from the risk/reward perspective.

On Tuesday, crude oil moved lower and lost 1.66% after data showed that OPEC production rose to about 34.2 million barrels per day in Nov, hitting another record high. In this environment, light crude slipped under $51 and approached the barrier of $50, and thus the short position that we had opened early during yesterday’s session were already profitable at its end. Will we see a drop below the key $50 level in the coming days?

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Stock Market and the Great Middle Class Revolt Gets Bigger / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2016

By: Clif_Droke

With the U.S. presidential election now behind us, many investors feel they can finally breathe easy again after a nail-biting period of uncertainty since last year. The rally in the major equity market indices since Nov. 9 has been in large part a relief rally of sorts and has been broad-based. The sell-off in bonds has also been an indication of this collective relief.

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Protectionist Trump Policies To Crash Dollar, Gold and Bitcoin to Soar / Stock-Markets / Protectionism

By: Jeff_Berwick

Many people seem to think Trump is going to “fix” the US by invoking the isolationist, nationalist, and oft failed economic policy of protectionism. But, as Ludwig von Mises put it in Nation, State and Economy, “From the purely economic point of view nothing speaks against free trade and everything against protectionism.” In other words, there is no economic argument in favor of protectionism. It is not a viable economic policy.