Archive - May 20, 2015
The Illusion Of Democracy
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 22:05 -0500Distract, deny, democracy...
Is Martial Law Justified If ISIS Attacks?
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 22:00 -0500We do not have to choose between liberty and security. We can have both, and we can provide it for ourselves as our own protectors. Sheepdogs be damned. Each citizen is his first and best line of defense. Only when the American people take on the philosophy of self-defense rather than government reliance will we be free of fear from terrorism and free of fear from tyrannical government. This is the answer to the propaganda of militarization. ISIS does not matter. It is what we ultimately do about ISIS or similar threats that matters, and martial law is not the answer.
Despite Weaker-Than-Expected PMI, Chinese Stocks Stumble
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 21:08 -0500Chinese Manufacturing PMI missed expectations, printing a contractrionary 49.1 (against 49.3 expectatons) for the 3rd month in a row. While this was a small pick up from last month's 48.9 print, it hardly signals 'success' for the various easing efforts unleashed upon an all-knowing investing public. After yesterday's weakness in Chinese stocks, one would think a disappointing PMI was just the ticket to send investors wild with buying in anticipation of more easing, but now, Chinese stocks have erased early modest gains and are fading back...
Militarization Is More Than Tanks & Rifles: It’s a Cultural Disease, Acclimating Citizens To Life In A Police State
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 21:00 -0500The problems we’re grappling with have been building for more than 40 years. They’re not going to go away overnight, and they certainly will not be resolved by a report that instructs the police to simply adopt different tactics to accomplish the same results - i.e., maintain the government’s power, control and wealth at all costs. This is the sad reality of life in the American police state.
Guatemala Central Bank Chief Arrested
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 20:44 -0500Now here's a story about something that will never happen in the United States.
Putin Pans Ukraine's Debt Moratorium As "De Facto Default", Threatens Court
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 20:30 -0500In exactly a month, Ukraine will owe Russia a $75 million debt coupon payment. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told reporters in Moscow today that "if they miss the payment, we will use our right to go to court." Then it got serious, as Vladimir Putin instructed Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to assume control of Ukraine's repayment of its $3-billion debt in Eurobonds that Russia bought in 2013, slamming Ukraine's bill allowing them to impose a moratorium on foreign debt repayments as a de facto announcement of default. As one market participant warned, "I would wait until after June 20 to go forward with" any moratorium, as "if Russia takes Ukraine to court, that might be an incentive for other creditors to go down the same route."
4 Factors Signaling Volatility Will Return With A Vengeance
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 20:00 -0500The uncertainty surrounding the inevitability, if not the exact timing, of multiple and possibly overlapping volatility drivers is itself a source of volatility. For the average person, these signs can be scary. Taking steps to avoid the circus as much as possible, such as extracting money from the markets, securing personal assets, and waiting out the swings, can be a source of emotional comfort and future financial stability.
In India, Gold Is Not Only Money But Now Pays Interest
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 19:30 -0500Despite Bernanke's previous protestations that "gold is not money... it is tradition," in an effort to mobilise 20,000 tonnes of unproductive gold owned by Indian households into cash, Reuters reports that - after unveiling the gold monetisation scheme on Feb 28th, India's FinMin Arun Jaitley released bank guidelines overnight on interest rates, reserve and liquidity ratios. The scheme "allows gold to become a dynamic, fungible asset in the hands of gold savers," offering incentives (interest payable in gold) to convince households, who sometimes have little faith in financial institutions, to break the tradition and hand over gold passed down the generations.
"This Divergence Is At The Root Of Most American Economic Problems"
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 19:18 -0500Since 1979, hourly pay for the vast majority of American workers has not only lagged behind growth at the very top of the distribution and thus behind average wage growth, but has also diverged from economy-wide productivity, as shown in Figure M. This divergence is at the root of numerous American economic challenges
Our Social Depression
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 19:00 -0500The consequences of economic stagnation are not limited to finance: stagnation is causing a social depression.
China Bails Out Brazil In $50 Billion Regional Power Grab
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 18:30 -0500On the heels of pledging $46 billion in infrastructure aid to Pakistan, China is set to invest as much as $50 billion in Brazil including $10 billion on a cross-mountain railway that will connect Latin America's largest economy with Peru's ports in what Premier Li calls "a new road to Asia." The move is a dramatic example of China's growing foothold in what is ostensibly Washington's strongest sphere of influence.
The Student Loan Write-offs Have Begun: 78,000 Students File For Debt Discharge After Corinthian Closures
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 18:00 -0500"More than 50 consumer and labor organizations sent a joint petition on Tuesday to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, urging him to cancel federal student loans owed by 78,000 who attended Corinthian schools," Reuters reports, confirming the notion that for-profit colleges may represent the next multi-billion dollar taxpayer bailout.
The Fed Has Created A "Clockwork Orange" Market
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 17:30 -0500Stanley Kubrick's highly-disturbing film-version of A Clockwork Orange takes place in a dystopian futuristic London and exposes the extreme battle of good versus evil. Extracting out the violence, we can’t help but notice the symbolic similarities of the motif-ridden story with the 2008 financial market fallout and subsequent attempts at economic rehabilitation. The film forces us to consider how much liberty we are willing to give up for order, and how much order we are willing to give up for liberty. The central idea of the film has to do with the freedom of the individual to make free choices, but free choice becomes problematic when it undermines the safety and stability of society. It reminds us of the markets price discovery mechanisms (or lack thereof).
If Your Doctor Drives The Following Cars, He Is Probably A Criminal
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 17:16 -0500If your doctor drives any, and certainly all of the cars listed below, there is a virtually 100% certainty said doctor is a criminal...
Ray Dalio Slams Buffett For Being "Wrong On Gold", Says "Social Disruption" Is Inevitable
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/20/2015 16:30 -0500"we're beyond the point of being able to successfully manage this... and I worry about another leg down in the economy causing social disruption."
"Gold should be a part of everybody's portfolio to some degree because... it is the alternative money. Warren Buffett is making a big mistake."


