Archive - May 1, 2015

Everyone swept up in the speculative tide of monumental student debt and dependence on state entitlements and/or Wall Street's speculative machine is not being carried to prosperity but to modern-day serfdom.

Sabre-rattling much? For the first time in history, Chinese and Russian navies will begin a significant joint naval exercise in The Mediterranean Sea in mid-May. As RT reports, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng, "The aim is to deepen both countries' friendly and practical cooperation, and increase our navies' ability to jointly deal with maritime security threats," but diplomatically added "these exercises are not aimed at any third party and have nothing to do with the regional situation." Against a background of this week's "upgraded Japan-American military relationship" following Abe's visit to Obama, as one analyst notes, "the geopolitical significance of its exercising alongside Russia will not be lost on the U.S. and NATO."

• Record month ends in pain as biotech, small-caps, Apple tumble (BBG)
• Japan inflation rises for first time in nearly a year (WSJ)
• US Navy starts to accompany ships in strait where Iran seized cargo carrier (WSJ)
• Russia may be readying for new Ukraine offensive: NATO commander (Reuters)
• Big banks use loophole to avoid ban (WSJ)
• China April official PMI shows factories struggling to grow (Reuters)
• CME suspends traders for alleged Sarao-like manipulation (BBG)

Holidays in Europe and Asia left things quiet overnight after some traders used the last day of April to frontrun the old "sell in May and go away" market adage. Market closures also kept the Chinese day trading hordes from using a tiny beat on the official manufacturing PMI print as an excuse to pile more money into the country's equity mania, while Japanese shares ended mostly unchanged as investors fret over when the BoJ will deliver the next shot of monetary heroin. In the US we'll get a look at ISM manufacturing and the latest read on consumer confidence as we head into the weekend.

So Banksta comrades, come rally;  And the last great feast let us face;  The Banksta Internationale unites the Swindling race!