Archive - Oct 2015 - Story

After decades of berating Americans for their Constitutionally protected right to bear arms, Europeans are finally starting to wake up. It took over a million Islamic immigrants and violence across their union to convince them, but it appears that they finally get it. Despite how hard it is to attain these weapons in countries like Austria, firearms are currently being sold there in record numbers much like they are in the United States. But instead of the threat of confiscation, this trend is being fueled by the refugee crisis, which as one jounalist warned "something is very wrong here" if Austrians are buying guns to protect themselves against migrants.

It's that time again. From 'jolted' Jeb to 'cool' Carly and from 'calm' Carson to 'turmoiling' Trump, for some of the GOP presidential nominee candidates, tonight could be the last hoorah in a campaign that has seen apolitical entrants dominate the mainstream Washington muppets. Moderated by John "I never met a Republican I didn't like" Harwood, we are sure there will be some tension as the "general health of the economy" planned focus may morph into any and everything as the debate pushes beyond two hours. Please watch responsibly...

“This is not my life. It just shows you how many of them are here already... It’s generally about foreign infiltration... Look, when I walk through the streets of the city, it’s only foreigners! There are walking 50 foreigners and I only see one European face... Look at the women! They’re all veiled! This is our future."

While we still haven't taken out the all time highs said squeeze would lead to - there are about 30 points to go there; but as the following chart below shows, with just two trading days left, October is on pace for the biggest monthly point jump in S&P500 hi

While the likes of Fastenal CEO Dan Florness remain extremely concerned about the current industrial environment, one person who isn't concerned about potential spillover effects into the “rest” of the US economy is Goldman’s David Mericle, whose last name is not to be confused with “miracle”, although as you'll see, that’s precisely what Dave seems to be banking on.

There is a strong evidence to suggest that representative democracy is not compatible with deep economic inequality. As a recent study found, "politicians in OECD countries maximize the happiness of the economic elite." However, it was not always that way: In the past, left parties represented the poor, the center and the middle class. Now all the parties benefit the richest 1& of earners. As FDR warned, “Government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.”

"In a warren of tiny shops beneath grimy residential towers, a white-haired man selling Snickers bars and fizzy drinks from a kiosk no larger than a cashier’s booth is figuring out a way to move $100,000 out of China"...

"The key question is if the US economy is strong enough to handle a stronger USD."

No, Ben S. Bernanke will be someday remembered as the world’s most destructive battleship admiral. Not only was he fighting the last war, but his whole multi-trillion money printing campaign after September 15, 2008 was aimed at avoiding an historical Fed mistake that had never even happened!

"We have long lines, but they're patient with it because Illinois is not paying. They're all coming here and saying, 'I'm from Illinois, how do you play it here?'"

Trouble with 'Social Justice Warriors'? Who ya gonna call?

Every day when you flip on the media, there is someone telling you that now is the time to "buy" into the market. Of course, if you are buying, then who is selling? The only "net buyers" of equities this year have been "individuals," while "professional" firms have been "net sellers." This is the epitome of the classic "smart money/dumb money" analysis where individuals are used by institutions to offload positions that are no longer optimal. The question is with corporate profits and earnings declining, weak economic data, and the threat of tighter monetary policy - will individuals once again be left "holding the bag" while institutions derisk portfolios in advance of the next decline?

The exciting, if brief, life in the wild by the untethered JLENS blimp has come to a crashing halt. Moments ago, Norad told AP reported that the blimp is "on the ground and secure."

In a day in which the walking dead were on the verge of going green (Twitter nearly wiped out its entire loss following last night's earnings), there was some hope that momo stocks would finally make a come back. Alas, for the company which we first dubbed "camera on a stick" it was just not meant to be.