Economy

War Is a Certainty

"Any country that is considering waging war against another country should first consider that the loser is almost always the country that runs out of money first. No venture is more costly than warfare. The EU and the US are bankrupt now. Those presently living in those locales may escape actual duty in the military, but they will unquestionably be expected to pick up the tab through taxation. Those who presently feel that their obligations to their governments are already barely manageable might wish to consider what they will be, both during and after a major war." Continue reading →

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Congressman Calls To Ban U.S. Dollar After Senator’s Bitcoin Ban Idea

"Congressman Jared Polis is calling on the Treasury to ban physical dollars in response to Senator Manchin’s plea to ban Bitcoin. 'The exchange of dollar bills, including high denomination bills, is currently unregulated and has allowed users to participate in illicit activity, while also being highly subject to forgery, theft, and loss,' wrote Polis in a statement. To be sure, the Congressman is being cheeky. 'This is just a satirical version of Senator Manchin’s letter, meant to draw attention to the fact that BitCoins are not any more susceptible to the problems that the Senator points out than dollars,' said Spokesperson Scott Overland." Continue reading →

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Colorado Man Will Go to Trial Over $42 Girl Scout Cookie Purchase

"A Colorado man's purchase of $42 of Girl Scout cookies has led to a court date and more than $700 in debt for what he says was an error by a Girl Scout troop's bank. Tad Osborn, an IT professional in Fort Collins, Colo., bought about a dozen boxes last year from a scout from his neighborhood. He wrote a check for $42 and enjoyed the cookies with his family. Then last summer, he received a notice from a collection agency, informing him that his check had bounced and nearly doubled his bill to $82. The debt collection agency, AAA Collectors Inc., sued Osborn for $739.85, the bulk of which is $450 in attorney fees, followed by court and principal costs." Continue reading →

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Texas Tells Company to Stop Investments Using Bitcoin

"Texas regulators ordered an energy company to stop accepting Bitcoin for investments in oil and natural-gas wells, the first action of its kind by a state securities commissioner. Balanced Energy LLC, in the Dallas suburb of Southlake, was directed to stop selling unregistered securities using the digital currency, Texas Securities Commissioner John Morgan said yesterday in a statement. The order reflects concern that investors using Bitcoin might not get their money back, said Bob Webster, a spokesman for the Washington-based North American Securities Administrators Association. Webster described the order as the first of its kind." Continue reading →

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Bit of Headache for Paris, Bitcoin Regulation Added to EU Agenda

"On 04 March 2014, Pierre Moscovici urged EU member states to begin talks regarding the regulation of virtual currencies. As it currently stands, bitcoin is considered 'neither a legal currency, nor a means of payment …[and]… does not fall directly within the scope of supervision and surveillance of competent authorities in payment issues', according to the Bank of France. The same can be said for the European Central Bank, who mirror these findings and also added that virtual currencies. Where publications choose to highlight negative issues, without giving fair exposure to the positive issues, it is no surprise to see the concerned authorities call for regulatory measures." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: The Massive Problem Threatening the Global Recovery

"Debt is an obligation laid upon the future by the past. The larger it gets, the harder it is for the future to happen. There is a correlation between extreme levels of public debt and low economic growth. High levels of debt-to-GDP have been historically associated with low levels of economic growth. That is what has been happening in Japan for the last 23 years… and in Europe and the US for the last seven. These economies are still fighting deleveraging, resisting debt deflation and pretending that they can continue to add debt forever… and that somehow this will get them out of their debt traps. But they are doomed. Without growth they can’t pay the debt. With so much debt, they can’t grow." Continue reading →

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Global Debt Exceeds $100 Trillion as Governments Binge, BIS Says

"The amount of debt globally has soared more than 40 percent to $100 trillion since the first signs of the financial crisis as governments borrowed to pull their economies out of recession and companies took advantage of record low interest rates, according to the Bank for International Settlements. The $30 trillion increase from $70 trillion between mid-2007 and mid-2013 compares with a $3.86 trillion decline in the value of equities to $53.8 trillion in the same period. Borrowing has soared as central banks suppress benchmark interest rates to spur growth. Yields on all types of bonds average about 2 percent, down from more than 4.8 percent in 2007." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlobal Debt Exceeds $100 Trillion as Governments Binge, BIS Says

Stefan Molyneux, Bitcoin: The Psychology of Money

"What does psychological research reveal about people's perception of money and value? What mental barriers do Bitcoin adoptees need to overcome to help others welcome the new paradigm? Stefan Molyneux, host of Freedomain Radio, brings the latest scientific insights into the psychology of money and value to bear on the challenges of evangelizing Bitcoin to the masses!" Continue reading →

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Pensions in Ukraine to be halved: sequestration draft

"The self-proclaimed government in Kiev is reportedly planning to cut pensions by 50 percent as part of unprecedented austerity measures to save Ukraine from default. With an 'empty treasury', reduction of payments might take place in March. Ukraine’s new prime minister, Arseny Yatsenyuk, promised the government would do its best to avoid a default, adding that he expects an EU/IMF economic stabilization package soon. The European Commission offered Ukraine an 11 billion euro loan if Kiev agrees a deal with the IMF. Accepting IMF money will mean many sacrifices for Ukraine’s economy, [such as] increased gas bills, frozen government salaries, and all around budget cuts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPensions in Ukraine to be halved: sequestration draft