The ECB has real policy choices they will have to choose between, and the implications are real. A further foray into negative deposit rates, extension and enlargement of QE, even a less likely change to the main financing rate. Each choice has externalities internally and is also likely to provoke a reaction from other affected countries. The Riksbank and SNB will be watching as closely as EGB traders. The ECB is in easing mode. The Fed plans to tighten. Relative value trades have further to play out

Aside from some vague reassurance that the Reverse Repo - IOER corridor "should" work, there has been no detail on the topic. To Jefferies this is a glaring problem: "The lack of any discussion of liftoff logistics is puzzling to us and a potentially significant communication snafu."

As a result of the latest announcement by ISIS, namely that it had just executed its first Chinese hostage, China's isolationist position has now changed and as Bloomberg reports "Xi Vows Terror Fight After IS Kills Chinese Captive".  As it further adds, China's President Xi Jinping condemned the Islamic State’s execution of a Chinese national, "an act that raises pressure on China to take a greater role in resolving Syria’s civil war."

Obama drops that 'C' word again...

No outside force can end freedom in America. The only force that can end freedom in America, is the American government itself. This is the main lesson of the 15 years since 9/11.

One week after the gold scheme's official launch, we take a look at how has it has done so far. In one word, so far the "gold monetization" plan has been a disaster with a laughable 30 kilograms in gold tendered by the people from physical into "government-backed" form.

Well, we got a look at the IBC-Br monthly real GDP indicator on Wednesday and as you can probably imagine given the stagflationary nightmare currently unfolding in Brazil, the picture was not pretty. If fact, we just witnessed the largest Y/Y contraction in series history.