Economics and Investing:

15 large investment banks = nearly 90% of “notional amounts of all open derivative contracts”, trading assets of the ten largest banks summing up to > £5 trillion o o o Government Farming Subsidies Are A Pile Of Poo. – K. o o o The next bailout will be with student loans: White House takes first steps in allowing a bankruptcy option for student debt. $1.2 trillion in student debt outstanding. o o o The Real Problem Behind Low Oil Prices




Economics and Investing:

Guess What Happened The Last Two Times The S&P 500 Was Up More Than 200% In Six Years? o o o Recent actions by the world’s central banks, at a glance. – G.P. o o o Surprise! U.S. economic data has been the world’s most disappointing o o o ExxonMobil CEO Wrong About “Resilience” Of Tight Oil Production




Economics and Investing:

U.S. exports at risk as bird flu hits heart of poultry country. – P.M. o o o In the decades leading up to World War I, despite some barely-sane leaders running barely-functional institutions, inflation was never an issue. Money saved was wealth preserved, and global capital flowed freely. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: The Debt Ceiling Debate Returns and So Does the Trillion Dollar Coin Patience with Greece Running Low after Tough Week Rig Count Drops For 14th Week In A Row, Fastest Rate In 29 Years Dead-Cat-Bounce Dies (Again) – Stocks Plunge As EURUSD Breaks Below Crucial …




Guest Post: Silver and Gold: Shelter From the Storm, by Gary Christenson

What storm? The stock and bond markets in the US are doing great, the media has sold the strong employment story, and all those nasty wars are far, far away. So the top few percent are doing well and are sheltered from the storm, but what about the rest of us? What storms are pounding us? Currencies are based on debt, and those dollars, yen, and euros are created every day to keep various financial bubbles inflated. Global debt is $200 Trillion and cannot be repaid except with deeply devalued currencies. Central banks are creating currencies, monetizing debt, reducing interest …




Prepping on a Budget, by C.G. – Part 1

For many people, prepping seems like something only people with a good deal of time and/or disposable income can do. Shows like NatGeo’s Doomsday Preppers and, unfortunately, some YouTube channels give the impression that if you don’t have several years of food and enough weapons and ammo to outfit a small militia stored somewhere in a mountain bunker you can’t join the prepper club. Remember that the TV show is, at least partly, scripted, staged, and creatively edited, and some of the more questionable YouTube channels are run by gear/gun snobs. There are, however, ways to prep on a budget. …




Economics and Investing:

Greece Passes Law To Plunder Pension Funds. – B.B. o o o America looks Rich. Big Cars, Big Houses, Big Military. We paid for it with BIG Debt: Credit Card Debt, Stud-loan, Mortgage, National Debt! o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Retail Sales in U.S. Unexpectedly Fall for Third Straight Month David Stockman -Why The Dollar Is Rising As The Global Monetary Bubble Craters Q1 GDP Expectations Are Crashing







Economics and Investing:

The young, broke, and indebted American: 45 percent of 25 year olds carry student debt and the median net worth of those 35 and younger is one month of expenses. o o o The Great Middle Class Extinction: “95% of New Homes Built for Rich or Poor”. B.B. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: McDonalds Global Sales Slide Continues… Video: Greg Hunter interviews David Morgan-Market Crash in September 2015 Euro Area Central Bank Buying Crushes Yield Curves Greece Got a ‘Deal’ in February, but Here’s Why Things Still Haven’t Calmed Down




Economics and Investing:

Everyone Is Guessing When It Comes To Oil Prices o o o 7 Signs That A Stock Market Peak Is Happening Right Now o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: ECB Starts Buying German, Italian Government Bonds Under QE Plan American “Nightmare” Shocker: The Real US Homeownership Rate Has Never Been Lower Nearly At ‘Full Employment’? 10 Reasons Why The Unemployment Numbers Are A Massive Lie Venezuela to Install Finger Scanners in Supermarkets to Tackle Hoarding, Panic Buying Amid Shortages – Classic government solution to what is a government problem. The insanity never ends.




Economics and Investing:

Shale Oil Production Will Fall 600,000 Barrels Per Day By June o o o The California renting tsunami: In the last ten years California has gained nearly 1 million renter households while seeing a decline in the homeownership rate. o o o Start preparing now, this economic collapse is inevitable and isn’t far. It might be worse than the Great Depression. o o o Lord Rothschild Warns Investors: Geopolitical Situation Most Dangerous Since WWII




Economics and Investing:

Jim Willie: As Long As This Debt Based Fiat Currency System Continues With QE, Etc Interest Rates Will NEVER Rise Again Until Everything Blows Up And Collapses. o o o “Monetary System, World Order We’ve Had Since 1940s Is Collapsing” Warns Richard Maybury . – B.B. o o o Hallelujah! – Unemployment Plunges Due to 354,000 Americans Leaving the Workforce o o o Video: Vacationer in chief: Tens of millions spent on 38 Obama holidays




Economics and Investing:

Americans Not In The Labor Force Rise To Record 92.9 Million As Participation Rate Declines Again. – T.P. o o o Obama Called Out On Keystone Lies o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Alan Greenspan Warns Stocks Are “Without Doubt Extremely Overvalued” Apple To Consume 1/3 Of World’s Annual Gold Supply? – This has got to be a bit overstated, both in terms of gold per watch and maybe the watches expected to be sold on this high end, but the rich are richer and luxury good sales continue to explode; with a brand like Apple, anything is possible. …




Economics and Investing:

Living In Wonderland On The Road To Massive Worldwide Wealth Destruction And Panic. – B.B. o o o The Middle Class Meltdown o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Jobless Claims in U.S. Rise to Highest Level in Nine Months Mark Cuban: We’re in a Tech Bubble—and It’s Worse Than 2000 The Global Problem: Monetary Policy Can’t Fix An Economy’s Structural Problems Take Out A 7 Year Car Loan To Buy Stocks, CNBC Experts Advise – Hard to believe they are serious, but they are…




Economics and Investing:

Rampant inflation means Russians are spending half of their incomes on food this year. – B.B. o o o Three Reasons Why US Shale Isn’t Going Anywhere o o o Only mass default will end the world’s addiction to debt. – G.G. o o o The Itch Is Back! Zero Down Payment Mortgages Return! (So Much For Learning Any Lesson From The Financial Crisis). – P.S.




Economics and Investing:

Target To Cut Thousands Of Jobs, Eyes $2 Billion In Cost Cuts – T.P. o o o US running out of room to store oil; price collapse next?. – G.P. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: “Spectacular Developments” In Austria: Bail-In Arrives After €7.6 Billion Bad Bank Capital Hole “Discovered” Video: Peter Schiff – Shocking Admission & Denial from Alan Greenspan Consumer Spending Drops for Second Straight Month