Author: Tyler Durden

Yesterday we reported that the ECB has begun contemplating the death of the €500 EURO note, a fate which is now virtually assured for the one banknote which not only makes up 30% of the total European paper currency in circulation by value, but provides the best, most cost-efficient alternative (in terms of sheer bulk and storage costs) to Europe’s tax on money known as NIRP. That also explains why Mario Draghi is so intent on eradicating it first, then the €200 bill, then the €100 bill, and so on. We also noted that according to a Bank of America … Continue reading →

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In this comprehensive interview that Neil Howe – author of the must-read book The Fourth Turning The Fourth Turning – did with his firm, Saeculum Research, he wastes no time in telling us that he thinks expectations of several more Fed rate raises this year are “delusional,” because “The global economy is in no condition to take this medicine. My very safe prediction is that the Fed will either stall or back down.” As John Mauldin annotates, Neil doesn’t stop there. He reminds us that the world geopolitical situation is deteriorating, particularly in the Middle East, and that the US presidential … Continue reading →

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Remember the vicious cycle that threatened the entire European banking sector in 2012? It went something like this: over indebted sovereigns depended on domestic banks to buy their debt, but when yields on that debt spiked, the banks took a hit, inhibiting their ability to fund the sovereign, whose yields would then rise some more, further curtailing banks’ ability to help out, and so on and so forth. Well don’t look now, but central bankers’ headlong plunge into NIRP-dom has created another “doom loop” whereby negative rates weaken banks whose profits are already crimped by the new regulatory regime, sharply … Continue reading →

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With central bankers losing credibility left and right, and failing outright to boost the “wealth effect” no matter what they throw at it, the next big question is when will central planners around the world unveil the cashless society which is a necessary and sufficient condition to a regime of global NIRP. And while in recent days we have seen op-eds by both Bloomberg and FT urging the banning of cash, the most disturbing development we have seen yet in the push for a cashless society has come from the following slide in a Morgan Stanley presentation, one in which … Continue reading →

The post The Banksters Want New Money appeared first on LewRockwell.

It all started in mid/late 2014, when the first whispers of a Fed rate hike emerged, which in turn led to relentless increase in the value of the US dollar and the plunge in the price of oil and all commodities, unleashing the worst commodity bear market in history. The immediate implication of these two concurrent events was missed by most, although we wrote about it and previewed the implications in November of that year in “How The Petrodollar Quietly Died, And Nobody Noticed.” The conclusion was simple: Fed tightening and the resulting plunge in commodity prices, would lead (as … Continue reading →

The post Deutsche Bank Is Scared appeared first on LewRockwell.

It was just two days ago that Bloomberg implored officials to “bring on a cashless future” in an Op-Ed that calls notes and coins “dirty, dangerous, unwieldy, and expensive.” You probably never thought of your cash that way, but increasingly, authorities and the powers that be seem determined to lay the groundwork for the abolition of what Bloomberg calls “antiquated” physical money. We’ve documented the cash ban calls on a number of occasions including, most recently, those that emanated from DNB, Norway’s largest bank where executive Trond Bentestuen said that although “there is approximately 50 billion kroner in circulation, the … Continue reading →

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Amid the so-called “ceasefire” in Ukraine, yet ongoing shelling in many regions, the Donbass news agency reports that more than 20 Ukrainian solders have died and over 200 soldiers are hospitalized after an apparent leak of a deadly virus called “California Flu” from a US lab near the city of Kharkov. As Donbass News International reports, More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers have died and over 200 soldiers are hospitalized in a short period of time because of new and deadly virus, which is immune to all medicines. Donetsk People’s Republic intelligence has reported that Californian Flu is leaked from the … Continue reading →

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WalMart’s attempt to pacify the living wage crowd by giving the company’s lowest paid employees a tiny, across-the-board raise has been nothing short of a disaster. The fiasco started early last year when the world’s largest retailer decided to spend some $1 billion to appease those who claim the company’s hourly workers don’t make enough to live with some semblance of dignity. To be sure, the veracity of that claim was never in question. Lowly shelf stockers, cashiers, and door greeters most assuredly do not make enough money to get by – especially considering the soaring cost of housing in … Continue reading →

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Remember when the Fed’s dots – less than a month ago – suggested there would be 4 rate hikes in 2016? Ah, the memories. Well, you can not only forget that (now that the market is estimating the next rate hike will come in October if ever), but it appears that the Fed will follow Kocherlakota’s advice after all and not only cut rates (the possibility of a January rate cut now is 10%), but will pass go, and collect negative rates: DUDLEY: IF ECONOMY WEAKENED, WOULD CONSIDER NEGATIVE RATES After today’s atrocious, recessionary data, one can be certain that … Continue reading →

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The traditionally inert, neutral and quite homogeneous nation of Switzerland is not used to having cultural integration issues, which is why it has been watching recent events across the German border (and elsewhere in Europe) with sheer terror. And in order to preempt any possible outbreaks of refugee violence against women, or in general, ahead of the Lucerne carnival starting on February 4, Switzerland is getting ready. According to Blick, the Swiss department of Health and Social Services has prepared the following cartoon flyer dubbed “Ground Rules” which will be distributed to incoming migrants with hopes it will make it clear … Continue reading →

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Since Keynesian economics has reined supreme among mainstream economists for decades, you might want to know some of the basics. If this is confusing to you though, don’t worry about it! There are people in charge who have it all under control. Source: The Austrian Insider Reprinted from Zero Hedge.

The post Keynesian Baloney appeared first on LewRockwell.

With a new wave of terrorism, mass shootings and unprecedented social violence around the globe now a part of the daily routine for billions of people across both developed and developing nations, one group wants to be certain there is no chance of “close encounters”, violent or otherwise, with the peasantry during its upcoming annual boondoggle at the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to Swissinfo, when the world’s billionaires land their private jets in the gorgeous Swiss town (which at 1,560 m is also the highest town in Europe) on January 20, they will have up to 5,000 Swiss … Continue reading →

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Submitted by Paul Philips via NewParadigm.ws, As the Western world’s “powers that be” tighten their tyrannical controlling noose on humanity’s dissension and public opinion, it has never been more important to remember the quote from Orwell‘s novel 1984:“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” To countermeasure this much-needed dissension and free public opinion to raise awareness and free humanity the powers that be have taken a severe stance on punishing those who oppose their views regardless of truth or untruth to advance an oppressive agenda. So, in response, during these times of universal deceit … Continue reading →

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Submitted by Mark Spitznagel via Pensions & Investments, Since the question “when is the crash going to happen?” is always asked, we thought it particularly timely to update the research we have done on the topic. Timing a crash can be a fool’s errand, and fortunately such efforts are largely irrelevant if you are tail hedging (though they are quite relevant if you aren’t). When tail hedging efficiently, the extreme asymmetries in payoffs, by definition, removes any need to time the top. But this doesn’t mean that exercises in timing are without merit. As we showed in previous research, without … Continue reading →

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Submitted by Sean Adl-Tabatabai via InvestmentWatchBlog.com, Fukushima radiation just off the North American coast is higher now than it has ever been, and government scientists and mainstream press are scrambling to cover-up and downplay the ever-increasing deadly threat that looms for millions of Americans.  Following the March 2011 meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, reactors have sprayed immeasurable amounts of radioactive material into the air, most of which settled into the Pacific Ocean. A study by the American Geophysical Union has found that radiation levels from Alaska to California have increased and continue to increase since they were last taken. … Continue reading →

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