Reuters
Iran Defies Obama, Orders Expansion Of Missile Program
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/31/2015 11:56 -0500Earlier today, we outlined Washington's plan to slap new sanctions on Iran in connection the October test-firing of Tehran's next generation, surface-to-surface ballistic-missile Emad. It didn't take long for Iran to hit back, with President Rouhani now reportedly ordering the Defense Ministry to "expedite" missile development.
Obama To Hit New "Friend" Iran With Fresh Sanctions Over Contested Ballistic-Missile Program
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/31/2015 07:53 -0500On the heels of a “close call” in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, Washington is preparing new sanctions against a handful of companies and individuals tied to Tehran’s ballistic-missile program. "We've been looking for some time at options for additional actions related to Iran's ballistic missile program based on our continued concerns about its activities,” an unnamed US official says. Iran calls the new actions "illegal."
Frontrunning: December 31
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/31/2015 07:42 -0500- Oil ends 2015 in downbeat mood; hangover to be long, painful (Reuters)
- Recession, retrenchment, revolution? Impact of low crude prices on oil powers (Guardian)
- Midwest Flooding Might Make the Oil Glut Worse (BBG)
- From Oil Glut to Shortage? Some Say It Could Happen (WSJ)
- Ten Years After Blowup, Amaranth Investors Waiting to Get Money Back (WSJ)
- China Fires a Warning Shot at Yuan Speculators With Bank Bans (BBG)
Something Broke In The U.S. Silver Market
Submitted by Sprott Money on 12/31/2015 05:58 -0500By that, I mean the normal supply and demand forces no longer make sense.
Something Just Broke In The U.S. Silver Market
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 23:45 -0500After looking over all the figures, it seems as if something broke in the U.S. Silver Market this year. By that, we mean the normal supply and demand forces no longer make sense.
Another Regime Change "Success": Ukraine President Less Popular Than State Dept-Ousted Predecessor
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 18:20 -0500
Puerto Rico To Default On Some Bonds January 1 - Live Feed
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 13:17 -0500“To make a total payment will be almost impossible. If a partial payment is made: what bonds should we pay? It is an assessment that is being done. It is highly unlikely that there will not be default, in whole or partially.”
IMF Chief Pours Cold Water On Optimistic Yellen, Says Growth "Will Be Disappointing"
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 10:22 -0500In a guest article for Handelsblatt, Christine Lagarde warns that 2016 is likely to be a disappointment as the Fed hike and China's transition to a consumer-driven economy continue to weigh on global growth prospects. Sorry Janet, it looks like the IMF doesn't agree with your justification for liftoff.
Frontrunning: December 30
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 07:55 -0500- Oil rebound fizzles, sending global shares lower (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia Won’t Change Oil Production (WSJ)
- China suspends forex business for some foreign banks (Reuters)
- Republicans come up short in search for diverse voters in 2016 election (Reuters)
- Oil Prices Become a Problem for U.S. Steelmakers (BBG)
- Oil-Producing States Battered as Tax-Gushing Wells Are Shut Down (BBG)
China Suspends Foreign Banks' FX Trading As Offshore Yuan Spread Signals Massive Outflows
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 22:50 -0500For the first time since the August collapse, Offshore Yuan is trading over 1000 pips weaker (relative to the USDollar) than onshore Yuan, signalling outflows are once again escalating. Following the chaos in HIBOR money-markets, Offshore Yuan has crashed to 6.5970 (below August spike lows) to the weakest since Dec 2010. On the heels of this recent divergence between on- and off-shore Yuan, China has suspended some foreign banks from FX trading, we suppose to try and stem the capital outflows.
Sweden's First Month Of 'Islamic Multiculturalism' - Rapes, Acquittals, & Severed Heads
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 22:45 -0500Some 30 Muslim men thought that the woman was in violation of Islamic sharia law, by being in Sweden unaccompanied by a man. They thought that she should therefore be raped and her teenage son killed. At first, the woman did not want to call the police. "She felt sorry for him [the rapist] ... and was afraid he would be deported back to Iraq." Two Swedish citizens were convicted by a Gothenburg Court of joining an Islamist terror group in Syria and murdering two captives. Video evidence showed one victim being beheaded. One week after Sweden raised its terror alert level to the highest ever, the police raised another alarm -- saying their weapons are simply not good enough to prevent a potential terror attack.
The "Perks" Of Being An ISIS Jihadist
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 21:30 -0500In addition to receiving a salary and a constant stream of weapons courtesy of regional Sunni benefactors, and on top of being allowed to live in a perpetual state of dark, bacchanalian revelry, Islamic State soldiers also recieve 20% of the "loot" in captured territory and belong to a kind of militant Sam's Club which guarantees a 50% discount on a variety of fun items.
Frontrunning: December 29
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 07:32 -0500- The World's Richest People Got Poorer This Year (BBG)
- Oil hovers near 11-year lows on abundant supply, slowing demand (Reuters)
- Oil-Producing States Battered as Tax-Gushing Wells Are Shut Down (BBG)
- A Bold Few Traders Earn Billions Flouting Rivals (WSJ)
- Islamic State ruling aims to settle who can have sex with female slaves (Reuters)
- Winter Storm Snarls Republican Presidential Traffic (BBG)
- Donald Trump Urges Supporters to the Polls (BBG)
Dozens Of Protesters Swarm Disputed Island As China Demands Withdrawal Of Filipino Troops
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2015 21:50 -0500"We encourage the higherst leadership of the country to inform the people correctly without sugar coating the truth about Chinese invasion of our Exclusive Economis Zone. How can the people unite and pick up the cudgels and fight alongside of you if you hide the truth from us?"
"It Really Brings It All Out": Seized Documents Detail Depth Of ISIS Bureaucracy
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/28/2015 17:30 -0500"Islamic State is invested in the statehood and Caliphate image more so than any other jihadist enterprise. So a formal organization, besides being practical when you control so much contiguous territory and major cities, also reinforces the statehood image."
