Economics and Investing:

Irish Finance Minister Dumps Stocks to Buy Gold o o o The Latest Flashing Red Light: Global Earnings Plunge Most Since Lehman o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Brace for Recession Next Year – I’d be bracing for a bit more than that, but that recession is starting to come up in the mainstream is what’s pertinent here. The Fed Keeps Getting More and More Pessimistic The Shrinking Middle Class, Mapped State by State Russia’s Putin Calls for Regional Currency Union




Economics and Investing:

The Best “Democracy” Money Can Buy: For Every Dollar Spent Influencing US Politics, Corporations Get $760 Back. – J.L. o o o Invest In Food o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Fed’s Rate Hike ‘Baby Steps’ Could Backfire – The author makes a valid point that most don’t consider, but he also apparently doesn’t understand that they can’t raise rates without pricking the bubble. How Low Can They Go? Central Bank Policy Easing in 2015 De-Dollarization Accelerates As More Of Washington’s “Allies” Defect To China-Led Bank The Unraveling Is Gathering Speed




Economics and Investing:

U.S. Treasury Drops a Bombshell Yesterday: “Quicksilver Markets”. – P.K. o o o More QE= More money= More Debt= More Interest/Fee’s= More profit banks= More staff+bonuses= Bigger banks= Bigger fairy tales o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Goldman’s FOMC Post-Mortem – “More Dovish Than Expected” But Hike Coming In September– There is a lot of talk about bad things coming this fall. One thing is for sure, though; if any real rate hike did come in the fall, this economy that is built on cheap money would fall out of bed. Yellen Admits “Market Valuations Are On The High …




Economics and Investing:

Last Time This Happened, Recession Followed… o o o 100,000 Layoffs and Counting: Is this the New Normal? o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Housing Starts Collapse in February– I wish the company tearing up the beautiful field behind my house to put in a neighborhood would read this. Five Things People Will Be Talking About Today – Just some quick tidbits, but China’s Shanghai Composite rising 70% in 12 months is staggering. Janet Yellen Wants to Be a Little Less Predictable – The word patient maybe dropped on Wednesday but I see a rise in rates almost as …




Economics and Investing:

White House Floats Bankruptcy Process for Some Student Debt. – B.B. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Currency Wars Threaten Lehman-Style Crisis – This is a good article from, of all places, the Telegraph If Economists Were Right, You Would Have a Raise by Now – It’s amazing to me how so many intelligent people just don’t understand what is happening… Why the Fed Is Setting Markets on a Hair-Trigger – It’s all about the Fed, data, and fundamentals only coming into play if it’s perceived it will affect how the Fed will react Big Question: Will the Federal …




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