Nullification. Tenth Amendment. Opponents react hysterically to these words with name calling – racist, secession, Civil War, slavery, confederacy. Clever strategy – conjuring up such emotionally-charged words from a dark period in our history so that average Americans cringe when they hear nullification or tenth amendment – shutting down any healthy debate. However, it is interesting…
Major developments are taking place in the medical marijuana community that are opening eyes everywhere, much to the chagrin of the feds. A number of testimonials continue to emerge that indicate the tremendous healing power of marijuana rich in CBD, the non-psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis. It appears to yield benefits in treating a host…
Good morning All: I just spent the last hour with, who I hope will be the next Governor of Arizona, Alice Novoa. After reading the following letter from her , which I received this morning . I had to call her. Result, we are on the same page. So please read her letter, and give […]
Is there a way around Obamacare? There is, and it saves you money. Tom Woods spoke to Dale Bellis of Liberty HealthShare on his show yesterday. Listen below! Is the show useful to you? Keep the show going by joining Tom as a Supporting Listener – get transcripts of all the interviews, plus special discounts at a bunch of liberty-friendly retailers!…
"In a normal world, savers have the choice of staying in cash or quasi-cash and receiving a fair rate of interest. No more. The interest they receive on a 10-year Treasury note is barely over 2.5%. But the real rate of consumer price inflation – according to the most exhaustive survey, done by the MIT, the Billion Prices Project – is 3.91%. What kind of world is it where an honest householder loses nearly 1.5% a year on his savings? It is an odd, rigged-up and dangerously windy one. Investors are stretching out their sails to get higher yields. As a result, bond prices have gone up, reducing yields on bonds rated CCC – below investment grade – to the lowest levels ever recorded." Continue reading →
"The government bailout made banks appear safer but actually caused them to take on more credit risk, according to a University of Michigan study released Wednesday. According to a working paper by finance professors Ran Duchin and Denis Sosyura of the university of Michigan's Ross School of Business entitled Safer Ratios, Riskier Portfolios: Banks' Response to Government Aid, banks participating in the government's Capital Purchase Program as part of the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, 'significantly increased their investments in risky securities,' by 10%, 'displacing safer assets, such as Treasury bonds, short-term paper, and cash equivalents.'" Continue reading →
"Credit Suisse is the largest financial company to plead guilty to the non-crime of 'money laundering' in 20 years. The plea marks the end of an era. One of the shell entities implicated, according to the government, dated back a century – or just after the creation of the federal tax code and the income tax. Of the $2.6 billion fine, The Department of Justice will receive $1.8 billion and New York State's top financial regulator, Benjamin Lawsky, will receive $715 million of the stolen loot. With the FATCA coming into full effect on January 1, 2016, and the US government actively prosecuting banks, only savvy Americans will be able to find financial institutions abroad to service them." Continue reading →
Millions have lost their lives. And yet, you are not free. Could it be worse? Maybe. But today, you are a criminal if your toilet is too large, if you get the wrong type of light bulb, if you grow the wrong plant, if you prefer to not be scanned or felt up at an…
"Timing the market has fascinated, frustrated, and confused the heck out of countless investors. Whether you’re a self-directed trader or a professional money manager, it’s very likely you’ve found yourself looking through charts, thinking: if only I could’ve had a piece of that trend! While it’s true that past performance is no guarantee of future returns, there is still a great deal of insights to be extracted from analyzing past booms and busts on Wall Street [see A Brief History of ETF Bubbles]. Below we take a stroll down memory lane with perfect hindsight and look at some of the best ETF trades of all time, highlighting their performance as well as any noteworthy lessons from each case." Continue reading →
"Last week gold was boosted by news that the Reserve Bank of India is relaxing the much-maligned 80-20 import-export measure. Hopes that the measure could be fully phased out by October, ahead of the Diwali festival in October and the crucial gold-buying wedding season, has already seen the rupee price of gold drop to nine-month lows. Last month Rajesh Khosla, managing director of the country’s biggest refiner which is expanding capacity to 200 tonnes of gold per year, predicted the relaxation of the 80-20 rule, but added that 'while the form of restrictions may change, the government will continue to restrain buying.'" Continue reading →