Kerry’s cosy dinner with Syria’s ‘Hitler’ at Damascus restaurant

"An astonishing photograph of John Kerry having a cozy and intimate dinner with Bashar al-Assad has emerged at the moment the U.S Secretary of State is making the case to bomb the Syrian dictator's country and remove him from power. Kerry, who compared Assad to Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein yesterday, is pictured around a small table with his wife Teresa Heinz and the Assads in 2009. Assad and Kerry, then a Massachusetts senator, lean in towards each other and appear deep in conversation as their spouses look on. A waiter is pictured at their side with a tray of green drinks, believed to be lemon and crushed mint." Continue reading

Continue ReadingKerry’s cosy dinner with Syria’s ‘Hitler’ at Damascus restaurant

Pepe Escobar: The indispensable (bombing) nation

"All parallels to Iraq 2.0 duly came to fruition when US Secretary of State John Kerry pontificated that Bashar al-Assad 'now joins the list of Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein' as an evil monster. Why is Cambodia's Pol Pot never mentioned? Oh yes, because the US supported him. Every single tumbleweed in the Nevada desert knows who's itching for war on Syria; vast sectors of the industrial-military complex; Israel; the House of Saud; the 'socialist' Francois Hollande in France, who has wet dreams with Sykes-Picot. Virtually nobody is lobbying Congress NOT to go to war." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: The indispensable (bombing) nation

Bitcoin in India: Drivers and Barriers to Adoption

"Bitcoin’s growth in 2013 has accelerated tremendously, driven largely by economic concerns which bitcoin is uniquely positioned to solve. This has been evidenced so far this year by conditions in Cyprus, China and Argentina, and has highlighted bitcoin’s potential in less developed nations likeKenya as well. All of the countries listed above are known for high inflation rates, strict capital controls, or a combination of both – a scenario that is beginning to unfold in India. This analysis will address India’s current economic climate and the factors that would affect the population’s propensity to adopt bitcoin on a large scale." Continue reading

Continue ReadingBitcoin in India: Drivers and Barriers to Adoption

Bitcoin in India: Drivers and Barriers to Adoption

"Bitcoin’s growth in 2013 has accelerated tremendously, driven largely by economic concerns which bitcoin is uniquely positioned to solve. This has been evidenced so far this year by conditions in Cyprus, China and Argentina, and has highlighted bitcoin’s potential in less developed nations likeKenya as well. All of the countries listed above are known for high inflation rates, strict capital controls, or a combination of both – a scenario that is beginning to unfold in India. This analysis will address India’s current economic climate and the factors that would affect the population’s propensity to adopt bitcoin on a large scale." Continue reading

Continue ReadingBitcoin in India: Drivers and Barriers to Adoption

Bitcoin in India: Drivers and Barriers to Adoption

"Bitcoin’s growth in 2013 has accelerated tremendously, driven largely by economic concerns which bitcoin is uniquely positioned to solve. This has been evidenced so far this year by conditions in Cyprus, China and Argentina, and has highlighted bitcoin’s potential in less developed nations likeKenya as well. All of the countries listed above are known for high inflation rates, strict capital controls, or a combination of both – a scenario that is beginning to unfold in India. This analysis will address India’s current economic climate and the factors that would affect the population’s propensity to adopt bitcoin on a large scale." Continue reading

Continue ReadingBitcoin in India: Drivers and Barriers to Adoption

U.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen

"Wagering against the yen has emerged as the hottest trade on Wall Street over the past three months. George Soros, who made a fortune shorting the British pound in the 1990s, has scored gains of almost $1 billion on the trade since November, according to people with knowledge of the firm's positions. Others reaping big trading profits by riding the yen down include David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital, Daniel Loeb's Third Point LLC and Kyle Bass's Hayman Capital Management LP, investors say. The growing trade has itself helped pressure the yen, which has slid almost 20% in about four months. That, in turn, is helping fuel what could become a world-wide currency war." Continue reading

Continue ReadingU.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen

U.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen

"Wagering against the yen has emerged as the hottest trade on Wall Street over the past three months. George Soros, who made a fortune shorting the British pound in the 1990s, has scored gains of almost $1 billion on the trade since November, according to people with knowledge of the firm's positions. Others reaping big trading profits by riding the yen down include David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital, Daniel Loeb's Third Point LLC and Kyle Bass's Hayman Capital Management LP, investors say. The growing trade has itself helped pressure the yen, which has slid almost 20% in about four months. That, in turn, is helping fuel what could become a world-wide currency war." Continue reading

Continue ReadingU.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen

U.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen

"Wagering against the yen has emerged as the hottest trade on Wall Street over the past three months. George Soros, who made a fortune shorting the British pound in the 1990s, has scored gains of almost $1 billion on the trade since November, according to people with knowledge of the firm's positions. Others reaping big trading profits by riding the yen down include David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital, Daniel Loeb's Third Point LLC and Kyle Bass's Hayman Capital Management LP, investors say. The growing trade has itself helped pressure the yen, which has slid almost 20% in about four months. That, in turn, is helping fuel what could become a world-wide currency war." Continue reading

Continue ReadingU.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen

U.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen

"Wagering against the yen has emerged as the hottest trade on Wall Street over the past three months. George Soros, who made a fortune shorting the British pound in the 1990s, has scored gains of almost $1 billion on the trade since November, according to people with knowledge of the firm's positions. Others reaping big trading profits by riding the yen down include David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital, Daniel Loeb's Third Point LLC and Kyle Bass's Hayman Capital Management LP, investors say. The growing trade has itself helped pressure the yen, which has slid almost 20% in about four months. That, in turn, is helping fuel what could become a world-wide currency war." Continue reading

Continue ReadingU.S. Funds Score Big by Betting Against Yen

India pushes ‘shock and awe’ currency plan to save BRICS

"India is pushing for joint 'shock-and-awe' intervention by key developing states to halt capital flight and shore up currencies, in a move that risks backfiring and triggering a vicious spiral. 'It is going to happen in a matter of days rather than weeks, Brazil and India can start the move,' said Dipak Dasgupta, a top Indian official. Mr Dasgputa told Reuters that China, Brazil, India, Turkey, Russia and South Africa have all been squeezed as the US Federal Reserve prepares to tighten monetary policy. Joint action would give emerging markets greater firepower, allowing them to deploy their combined $8.7 trillion (£5.6 trillion) of reserves and crush 'speculators', rather than being picked off one by one." Continue reading

Continue ReadingIndia pushes ‘shock and awe’ currency plan to save BRICS