Iran
Guest Post: Islam & The West - An Irreconcilable Conflict?
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/22/2015 12:55 -0500“I worry greatly that the rhetoric coming from the Republicans, particularly Donald Trump, is sending a message to Muslims here ... and ... around the world, that there is a ‘clash of civilizations.'” So said Hillary Clinton in Saturday night’s New Hampshire debate. Yet, that phrase was not popularized by Donald Trump, but by Harvard’s famed Samuel Huntington. That Clinton is unaware of the thesis, or dismisses it, does not speak well of the depth of her understanding of our world.
US "Ally" Saudi Arabia's Phony War On Terror
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/22/2015 10:32 -0500The main shortcoming of today’s militarized approach to fighting terrorism is simple - unless the expansion of dangerous ideologies like Wahhabism is stopped, the global war on terror, now almost a generation old, will never be won. No matter how many bombs the US and its allies drop, the Saudi-financed madrassas will continue to indoctrinate tomorrow’s jihadists.
7 Reasons Why Oil Could Fall Even Lower Before Christmas
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/21/2015 14:10 -0500Oil's hope for a bottom anytime soon appears to stand Snow White's chance in hell of coming true. Seventy-eight years after Walt Disney released the first full-length animated feature, and seven factors in today’s crude complex are dwarfing crude prices.
Israel Assassinates Notorious "Terrorist" In Airstrike On Damascus
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/20/2015 14:00 -0500"I am not confirming or denying anything to do with this matter, but it is good that people like Samir Qantar will not be part of our world.
"Such acts of the Zionist regime, which have become a consistent method, are the most dangerous forms of state terrorism."
2015 Year In Review - Scenic Vistas From Mount Stupid
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/19/2015 20:35 -0500- Alan Greenspan
- Albert Edwards
- Ally Bank
- Apple
- Baltic Dry
- Bank of America
- Bank of America
- Bank of England
- Bank of International Settlements
- Bank of Japan
- Barry Ritholtz
- Bear Market
- Ben Bernanke
- Ben Bernanke
- Bill Gross
- Black Friday
- Black Swan
- Bob Janjuah
- Bond
- Book Value
- Brazil
- Bridgewater
- Capital Expenditures
- Carlyle
- Cato Institute
- Central Banks
- Chicago PMI
- China
- Chris Martenson
- Chrysler
- Citadel
- Cliff Asness
- Counterparties
- CRAP
- Credit Conditions
- Creditors
- Crude
- David Einhorn
- David Rosenberg
- default
- Demographics
- Department of Justice
- Deutsche Bank
- Dumb Money
- Equity Markets
- ETC
- European Central Bank
- Eurozone
- Federal Reserve
- FINRA
- fixed
- France
- Futures market
- GE Capital
- Germany
- Glencore
- Global Economy
- Global Warming
- Gluskin Sheff
- Greece
- Gundlach
- Hayman Capital
- Holiday Cheer
- Hyperinflation
- Illinois
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Italy
- Janet Yellen
- Japan
- Jeff Gundlach
- Jeremy Grantham
- Jim Cramer
- Jim Reid
- Jim Rickards
- Joe Saluzzi
- John Hussman
- John Maynard Keynes
- Kazakhstan
- Ken Griffin
- KIM
- KKR
- Kyle Bass
- Kyle Bass
- Larry Summers
- LBO
- Lehman
- Mark Spitznagel
- Market Manipulation
- Maynard Keynes
- McKinsey
- Mervyn King
- Mexico
- MF Global
- Michigan
- Middle East
- Milton Friedman
- Monetary Policy
- Money Velocity
- Morgan Stanley
- Natural Gas
- New York Fed
- New York Stock Exchange
- Nikkei
- None
- Norway
- Paul McCulley
- Paul Tudor Jones
- Paul Volcker
- Precious Metals
- Quantitative Easing
- Rahm Emanuel
- Random Walk
- Ray Dalio
- Real estate
- Recession
- recovery
- Rick Santelli
- Robert Shiller
- Rosenberg
- Sovereign Debt
- Sovereigns
- St Louis Fed
- St. Louis Fed
- State Street
- Stephen Roach
- SWIFT
- Swiss National Bank
- Switzerland
- Themis Trading
- Transparency
- Treasury Department
- Unemployment
- University of California
- University Of Michigan
- Value Investing
- Wall Street Journal
- Warren Buffett
- Wholesale Inventories
- Willem Buiter
- Yield Curve
“To the intelligent man or woman, life appears infinitely mysterious, but the stupid have an answer for everything.” ~Edward Abbey
US "Accidentally" Blows Up 10 Iraqi Troops In First "Friendly Fire" Accident Of ISIS Fight
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/19/2015 11:06 -0500"I hope Iraqis will understand that this is a reflection of things that happen in combat. But it's also a reflection of how closely we are working with the government."
Turkey Blasts "Breakthrough" UN Resolution On Syria: "It Lacks Perspective. Assad Must Go!"
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/19/2015 09:15 -0500In the wake of a Security Council resolution on Syria that failed to consider the fate of Bashar al-Assad, a belligerent Turkey is fuming mad. In comments made from Istanbul on Saturday, PM Ahmet Davutoglu said the UN's stance "lacks realistic perspective." He also said Turkish troops will remain in Iraq until Mosul is "freed" from ISIS. Translation: Turkish boots will be on Iraqi ground for the foreseeable future.
When All Else Fails, Erdogan Calls Israel
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/18/2015 21:30 -0500The announcement of the restoration of Israel-Turkish relations should be seen in the context of Turkey having nowhere else to go.
ISIS Axis Assemble! Turkey To Establish Military Base In Qatar
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/18/2015 17:00 -0500"Turkey and Qatar face common problems and we are both very concerned about developments in the region and uncertain policies of other countries. We confront common enemies. At this critical time for the Middle East cooperation between us is vital."
OPEC Members In Jeopardy, How Long Can They Hold Out?
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/18/2015 12:37 -0500The Saudi strategy has yet to bear itself out, but early indications suggest it is generating returns. Non-OPEC supply is expected to suffer its steepest decline in two decades in 2016, at a drop of nearly 0.5 mbpd. Moreover, U.S. shale producers are among the hardest hit. Oil production across the seven most prolific shale plays is expected to plummet a combined 116,000 bpd in January 2016. Still, the strategy is not without sacrifice, and several OPEC members are struggling to find – and, more importantly, endure – that magical balance between non-OPEC pain, market share retention/growth, and self-inflicted damage. Their tipping points are nearly impossible to predict, but there will be more losers than winners in this game of brinksmanship.
WTI Slides As Goldman Warns $20 Oil Looms, Crude Storage "Too Full For Comfort"
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/17/2015 10:06 -0500Despite spoiradic algo-crazed ramps, crude oil prices continue to slide back towards a $34 handle (in Jan '16 contract) this morning following a reiterated downbeat note from Goldman warning that storage levels are "too full for comfort," that positioning is not as stretched short as some believe, and confirming that this will not end until prices near cash costs to force production cuts, likely around $20/bbl.
Congress Fumes As Experts Say Iran Violated UN Ban By Test-Firing Nuclear Capable Ballistic Missile
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/16/2015 20:35 -0500Iran's move to test-fire a new ballistic missile in October may not have violated the letter of the nuclear accord (on which the ink is barely dry), but UN experts say it does violate a Security Council resolution, a revelation which puts the Obama administration in an extremely awkward position just as Iran was poised to see economic sanctions lifted.
Presenting Saxo Bank's 10 "Outrageous Predictions" For 2016
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/16/2015 17:40 -0500- Australia
- B+
- Black Swan
- Bond
- Brazil
- Bridgewater
- Capital Markets
- China
- Consumer Confidence
- Copper
- Corporate Leverage
- Crude
- Crude Oil
- Donald Trump
- European Central Bank
- Federal Reserve
- Futures market
- Glencore
- High Yield
- India
- Investment Grade
- Iran
- Janet Yellen
- Lehman
- Meltdown
- Monetary Policy
- Nomination
- OPEC
- Ray Dalio
- Reality
- Recession
- recovery
- Risk Premium
- Saxo Bank
- Ukraine
- Unemployment
- Volatility
"The irony in this year’s batch of outrageous predictions is that some of them are “outrageous” merely because they run counter to overwhelming market consensus. In fact, many would not look particularly outrageous at all in more “normal” times – if there even is such a thing!"
Did Saudi Arabia Just Clear The Way For An Invasion Of Syria And Iraq?
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/15/2015 22:41 -0500Just last week, controversial Shiite lawmaker Hanan Fatlawi suggested that John McCain was planning to coordinate with the Saudis, Qatar, the UAE, and Turkey on a troop deployment to number 100,000 in Iraq. With the announcement of a new, 34 country military alliance, deputy crown prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman might have just verified Fatlawi's claims.
You Want War? Russia Is Ready For War
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/15/2015 22:20 -0500Since mid-2014 the Pentagon has run all manner of war games – as many as 16 times, under different scenarios – pitting NATO against Russia. All scenarios were favorable to NATO. All simulations yielded the same victor: Russia. And that’s why Erdogan’s erratic behavior actually terrifies quite a few real players from Washington to Brussels.


