Bill Bonner: The Real Numbers Behind America’s Phony Recovery

Bill-Bonner2

“What kind of economy is it that reduces a man’s wages over a 43-year period?  We don’t know. But it’s not likely to win any prizes.  But why, with so many strikes against it, does the US economy still have the bat in its hands?  It’s partly because the Fed has pumped up stock, bond and house prices – not to mention net corporate profit margins and consumer spending . So, the averages look pretty good… and they mask the ugliness beneath them.  The bottom 90% of the population – people in 9 houses out of 10 – have 10% less income than they had 10 years ago. This is not a success story. It’s a disaster. And not one that tempts us into an overvalued US stock market.”

http://www.bonnerandpartners.com/the-real-numbers-behind-americas-phony-recovery/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

It’s Hard to Summon Sympathy for Big Banks

“It may not be easy to be sympathetic to the big banks, but it is easy to understand their surprise and frustration. They have gone from being viewed as national champions — proof of a country’s standing in the world — to being seen as a potential source of national disaster. Iceland and Ireland went broke because they had to, or chose to, bail out their irresponsible banks.  Eric H. Holder Jr., the attorney general, did not help when he said last spring that the Justice Department had to keep in mind that filing criminal charges against a large bank could ‘have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy.’ He quickly backtracked, but the perception was reinforced.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/13/business/little-sympathy-for-big-banks.html?pagewanted=all

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

The fight to avoid a sixth euro-zone bail-out reaches a climax

“The government of Slovenia, insists Alenka Bratusek, the prime minister of eight months, can set its country’s finances to rights without having to seek a bail-out from the euro zone and the IMF. Whether she is right will soon be revealed. In early December an independent audit and stress tests of the country’s troubled banks will disclose just how short of capital they are.  Between the middle of 2012 and of 2013, the ratio of non-performing to total loans rose from 13.2% to 17.4%, which is the highest level in the euro zone after Greece and Ireland.  The bad debts have been incurred predominantly through lending to businesses. ”

http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21590956-fight-avoid-sixth-euro-zone-bail-out-reaches-climax-stressed-out

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

Andrew Huszar: Confessions of a Quantitative Easer

“I can only say: I’m sorry, America. As a former Federal Reserve official, I was responsible for executing the centerpiece program of the Fed’s first plunge into the bond-buying experiment known as quantitative easing. The central bank continues to spin QE as a tool for helping Main Street. But I’ve come to recognize the program for what it really is: the greatest backdoor Wall Street bailout of all time.”

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303763804579183680751473884

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

Doug Casey in Cyprus: Crisis Investing in Action

“After my second book, Crisis Investing, came out in 1979, I started publishing a newsletter. I used the Chinese symbol for crisis as the logo.  It is actually a combination of two symbols: the symbol for danger and the symbol for opportunity. The danger is what everybody sees; the opportunity is never quite so obvious as the danger, but it’s always there.  Speculating in crisis markets is the ultimate way to be a contrarian, which means buying when nobody else wants to buy.  It is true, as a general rule, that you want to ‘make the trend your friend.’ But there always comes an inflection point when trends change because a market becomes either greatly overvalued or greatly undervalued.”

https://www.internationalman.com/global-perspectives/1041-doug-casey-in-cyprus-crisis-investing-in-action

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

Cyprus stock market woos Chinese listings

“Shattered by an international bailout that stripped it of 80 per cent of its turnover, Cyprus’ stock exchange is aiming to be a magnet for Chinese firms seeking a foothold in Europe.  The bourse’s lesser-regulated Emerging Market has 16 firms listed with a capitalisation of €702 million, including one with Chinese investors.  Metaxas said bourse authorities had given preliminary approval for a second Chinese listing and the listing application of a third would be discussed at a board meeting this month.  Chinese firms were attracted by a lack of red tape, ease of access to key officials, Cyprus’ euro-zone membership and the absence of a capital gains tax on share transfers, Metaxas said.”

http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1332580/cyprus-stock-market-woos-chinese-listings

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

Inflation Has Not Cured Iceland’s Economic Woes

“Both countries still have problems. Iceland’s monetary controls are notably stifling needed investment, while Ireland is left with a large debt from bailing out its banks, and this is stalling growth. One thing is clear though — the effects of monetary policy are stark and the proclaimed benefits of Iceland’s inflationary policy were counteracted by the price inflation that ensued.  Don’t let a good crisis go to waste; learn something from it. As the tale of these two countries demonstrates, inflating one’s currency may give the appearance of recovery, but the truth is somewhat less rosy.”

http://mises.org/daily/6575/Inflation-Has-Not-Cured-Icelands-Economic-Woes

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

Greek police arrest one of their own while raiding neo-Nazi party’s offices

“A 45-year-old officer, who is working as the bodyguard of a Golden Dawn lawmaker, was detained during the raid at party offices in central Greece, a police source said.  The links between Golden Dawn and police have come under intense scrutiny in Greece after the murder of an anti-fascist musician by an alleged member of the party. Further raids of Golden Dawn’s offices are expected in coming days, the police source said. Capitalising on a rise in social tension in the debt-stricken country, Golden Dawn was first elected to parliament last year with nearly seven percent of the vote, winning 18 seats out of an overall 300.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/24/greek-police-arrest-one-of-their-own-while-raiding-neo-nazi-partys-offices/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

White House to Give Detroit $300 Million in Federal Aid

“Nearly $150 million of the proposed $300 million will go toward the demolition of Detroit’s many dilapidated and abandoned buildings.  Another $140 million will go toward the city’s public transportation system, including renovations for buses (including more security cameras) and the city’s now-under construction light-rail system.  Lastly, approximately $30 million will go toward hiring more firefighters to help the city deal with its arson problem and $3 million will go toward strengthening the city’s police force.  But although the funds may come as a blessing, they won’t even come close to addressing the city’s $18 billion in liabilities.”

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/27/white-house-to-give-detroit-300-million-in-federal-aid/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin

Greece axes vacation bonus for civil workers using computers

“Recession-wracked Greece plans to scrap a perk for its civil servants who enjoy an extra six days of holiday per year — if they use a computer at work. Greece’s civil service union, Adedy, said the perk stemmed from a decision in the 1990s to give employees 20 minutes off per day to protect them from eye damage from staring at a computer screen.  This was then extended on an annual basis, resulting in six days off per year.  Now in its sixth year of recession, Greece has been obliged to adopt austerity measures, including pay and pension cuts that have caused widespread resentment, in return for a massive EU-IMF bailout deal.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/13/greece-axes-vacation-bonus-for-civil-workers-using-computers/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin