Archive - Jan 2013 - Blog entry

In Europe the political leaders are now not only proclaiming that the “worst” is over but that in fact the crisis as a whole is over. To say this is political grandstanding would be understatement of the year so far: EU unemployment just hit a new record of 11.8%. Also, both Greece and Spain have issued reports revealing that their banks are massively undercapitalized and in fact have negative values.

A desperate, misbegotten, taxpayer-funded deal

In two pictures...

The CIA Is Taking Over the Dirty Work in Fighting America’s Wars

A douche bag is someone who lets you know who and what he is without any need of explanation: Mike Norman

It is widely recognized that the agreement to mitigate the fiscal cliff neither puts the US on a sustainable fiscal path nor lifts much policy uncertainty. At the same time, minutes from the latest FOMC meeting showed that several members anticipate ending QE3+ before the end of the year, seemed to cloud the outlook. Seeking to avoid partisanship of the heated debates, we offer the following overview of the outlook for US policy, free of hyperbole.

If you ever wondered how just a few thousand bankers could impose their Ponzi global banking scheme upon 7 billion people, here is "The 9 Step Process Bankers Use to Force Global Slavery Upon Humanity."

I noticed that she was blowing black smoke from the car's dual exhaust pipes……

Having moved to the sidelines due to the uncertainty of the US Presidential election and the Fiscal Cliff negotiations (as well as the holidays), investors are beginning to creep back in the marketplace. And they’re in for a surprise.

The chart that sheds light on what Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is doing in North Korea, plus more...

A complete & thorough explanation of how many (if not most) levered college diplomas are overvalued assets with fictitious values - that's including you too HBS and the ivy league! No wonder the education bubble in the US is about to collapse.

Gold dropped $8.20 or 0.49% in New York on Friday and closed at $1,656.30/oz. Silver slipped to as low as $29.22 in London, but it then rallied to as high as $30.25 in New York and finished with a gain of 0.2%. Gold finished down 0.05% for the week, while silver was up 0.53%.

Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls for December were 155K, 150K was expected and this was down from the previous data of 161K. The unemployment rate was still an elevated 7.8% suggesting a frail U.S. jobs market.

Things change fast in the technology world. 

There are seven items that will be on the radar screen of global investors in the week ahead. 1. There is confusion over Fed policy. Despite the leadership (Bernanke, Yellen and Dudley) demonstrating their unwavering commitment to use heterodox monetary policy in an attempt to promote a stronger economy in the face of household de-leveraging and fiscal consolidation, many have read the FOMC minutes to imply an early end to the $85 bln a month in long-term asset (MBS and Treasuries). That December meeting was historic not because it marked the beginning of the end of QE, but the exact opposite, the nearly doubling monthly purchases and the adoption of macro-economic guidance (6.5% unemployment and 2.5% inflation) before rates are lifted.

Gold is clothing, not money...