Bitcoin

While Marc Faber has said "I will never sell my gold," he also noted "I like the idea of Bitcoin," and the battle between the 'alternative currencies' continues. The following infographic provides a succinct illustration of the similarities and differences between gold and bitcoin.

Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im), the federally-backed bank which has been around since 1934, faces a very serious threat to its survival. The most important aspect of this entire fight is the fact that on opposite sides of the debate are not Democrats versus Republicans, but once again Republicans vs. Republicans. We again see tea party Republicans facing off against establishment RINOs. On one side we hear claims by the tea party wing that the Ex-Im merely serves as a conduit for crony capitalism and favoritism to large corporations, or those willing to bribe officials. On the other side, we see establishment Republicans, who are extremely cozy with mega-corporations, maintaing that the institution plays a crucial role in financing American exports to make them competitive. The battle against the Ex-Im bank, a 80 year old institution, is just another example of the sort of changes that happen in Fourth-Turnings. So what does Barack Obama think of the Export-Import bank? As usual, it depends on who you ask, Presidential-candidate Obama, or President-elect Obama.

• The Man Who Broke the Middle East (Politico)
• Kerry presses Maliki as Iraq loses control of Syrian, Jordanian borders (Reuters)
• Hank Paulson takes on global warming next: The Coming Climate Crash - Lessons for Climate Change in the 2008 Recession (NYT)
• In Yellen We Trust Is Bond Mantra as Inflation Threats Dismissed (BBG)
• After port fraud, China's vast warehouse sector under scrutiny (Reuters)
• Draghi Says Unlimited Cash Through 2016 Is Rate Signal (BBG)
• Tapes Said to Reveal Polish Minister Disparaging U.S. Ties (NYT)
• CDC reassigns director of lab behind anthrax blunder (Reuters)
• BNP set to receive ban to transact in USD as part of $9 billion settlement (WSJ)
• GE Clears Last French Hurdle to Clinch Alstom Deal (BBG)
• Al Jazeera journalists jailed in Egypt, supporters stunned (Reuters)
• ISDA Asked to Rule If Argentina Credit-Default Swaps Triggered (BBG)

Ghandi was once asked, "What do you think about Western Civilization?" to which he famously replied "I think it's a good idea." He may as well have been talking about free market capitalism. Capital in the 21st Century has hit the world like a new teen idol sensation. Everybody is drinking the Kool-Aid and it's being held up as the most important book ever written on the subject of how runaway capitalism leads to wealth inequality. Paul Krugman of course, loves it. As does every head of state and political hack in the (formerly) free world. So let's do something different here and accept a core premise of Capital, and say that wealth inequality is increasing, and that it's a bad thing. Where the point is completely missed is in what causes it (ostensibly "free market capitalism") and what to do about it (increase government control, induce more inflation and raise taxes). The point of this essay is to assert that it is not unchecked capital or runaway free markets that cause increasing wealth inequality, but rather that the underlying monetary system itself is hard-coded by an inner temple of ruling elites in a way which creates that inequality.

I foresee over 35% of Wall Street jobs disappearing over the next 10 years, even as traders bring arbitration suits to Goldman Sachs complaining that they didn't get their full $17M bonus last year. One of us is very, very mistaken!

What do Scottish independence, UKIP, self-employment, cryptocurrencies and the black economy have in common? The neo-liberal establishment wont fix itself, so for those fed up with banging their heads against policy brickwalls, there’s only one direction. Separate.

We have previously illustrated how a Bitcoin transaction works, and the history of the virtual currency, However, we thought that this infographic neatly covered many interesting bitcoin facts in a digestable form. It not only shows the versatility of the bitcoin market, but it also captures the difference of opinion on cryptocurrencies: many embrace the technology, but some institutions show signs of hostility. Chinese banks have banned bitcoin trading and Thailand outlawed it straight up.

The FBI announces it is preparing to sell the 144,341 Bitcoins that were collected during raids in the online drug market Silk Road. While the WSJ reports, the timing and sales method are unclear, it is already weighing on the virtual currency as the Bitcoin traders front run the Fed's unwind...

As #MarginCompression creeps into one the fastest growing industries of the millenium...

It was all fun and games until Draghi started speaking... the initial exuberance of what sounded like QE but wasn't really sent EUR to 1.35, stocks higher, and Treasury yields soaring. Then as reality sunk in that it was just not all that much... Gold started to surge, EUR rally back, stocks fade, and Treasurys rally... WTI crude is fading (and Bitcoin is rising) We're gonna need a bigger QE, Mario.

Now that bitcoin has increased in price around 80% since the peak of doom and gloom, Flat Earth Society, can't see the forest due to tree bark blindness short-sightedness, it's time to bust some more Bitcoin myths and move on to what this stuff can really do.

Many people are closely scrutinizing Apple’s policy changes at its Worldwide Developer Conference yesterday, as Liberty Blitzkrieg's Mike Krieger notes that many within the Bitcoin community are focused on a small recent entry within the section on “Purchasing and Currencies” within the document: App Store Review Guidelines that "facilitates transmission of approved virtual currencies." Apple’s brand suffered earlier this year when the company decided to ban the  Blockchain Bitcoin app. In fact, it unleashed such a firestorm that diehard technologists and Bitcoin fans took to YouTube to post videos of themselves destroying their iPhones. This apparent shift in stance, as Bloomberg reports, is being celebrated with Bitcoin entrepreneurs were already predicting an explosion of activity.

• Snowden: 'no relationship' with Russian government (Reuters)
• Bond Surge Worldwide Drives Index Yield to One-Year Low (BBG)
• Shares flirt with record highs on ECB easing bets (Reuters)
• Goldman Shuns Bonds Pimco’s Gross Favors in ‘New Neutral’  (BBG)
• Porn may be messing with your head (Reuters)
• Dish to Become Largest Company to Accept Bitcoin (AP)
• To Make a Killing on Wall Street, Start Meditating (BBG)
• Apple to get Beats, music mogul Iovine for $3 billion (Reuters)
• Fink Says Leveraged ETFs May ‘Blow Up’ Industry  (BBG)

While the S&P 500 closed at record highs (and VIX near record lows), Marc Faber says the "momentum sell-off has caused serious internal damage to the market," with many of the most-loved and most-levered stocks down 30-50%. Interestingly Faber warns that if bond bears are correct and rates rise to 4% then stock prices "will really tumble." But it is China that worries him the most. Faber warns that Chinese growth figures are a fallacy and that "if one analyzes the data carefully" it is clear that "China is growing at most 4%" and given the "gigantic credit bubble" the outlook is not hopeful as the sharp deceleration in growth is likely to continue. Faber also has strong words for Western nations treatment of the rest of the world and "the US will have to back off.. because China is so important."

Yes, U.S. capital markets have officially gone "Full Seinfeld"; As ConvergEX's Nick Colas notes, Tuesday’s selloff over “Nothing” reversed higher Wednesday throuygh Friday for similarly non-specific reasons. So, today we will go a little further afield and talk about words and what they tell us about shifting societal priorities and norms. Wonder what the most commonly searched word might be on the Merriam-Webster website?  It is “Pragmatic”... which seems incredibly ironic given the total lack of pragmatism that appears to be shown in world markets.