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Meet Two Economists Who Can Ruin Your Retirement

"Messrs. English and Wilcox are two of the most important economists at the Federal Reserve. Their work greatly influences the Fed’s policies … and they recently presented their latest findings at the International Monetary Fund’s annual research conference. Essentially, English and Wilcox’s new research argues that the Fed should start reducing the size of its money-printing programs in the next few months. But at the same time, the economists recommend that the Fed should offset that tapering with extremely dovish guidance on interest rates. More specifically, they suggest that the Fed should promise to keep rates close to zero until 2017!" Continue reading →

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Bernanke: Bitcoin ‘May Hold Long-Term Promise’

"The beautiful thing about Bitcoin, digital currency enthusiasts will tell you, is that it doesn't have a central bank. So with eyes on today's Bitcoin Senate hearing, where does the world's most powerful central banker stand on the elusive cryptocurrency? Now we know. Ahead of the meeting, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has released a letter to help guide the senate. Quartz's Zachary Seward called it a 'cautious blessing,' with Bernanke acknowledging the Fed doesn't have the authority to supervise virtual currencies, but that they 'may hold long-term promise, particularly if the innovations promote a faster, more secure and more efficient payment system.'" Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Paddywhacking

"Last week, Janet Yellen told the Senate what everyone wanted to hear: that the Fed would continue to support asset prices. With the 'Yellen put' in their pockets, investors bid up the Dow to over 16,000 by the end of the week. What to make of it? Although we have no doubt that Fed policies will prove disastrous, we have nothing but doubts about what form the disaster will take. John Williams of ShadowStats.com recalculates the Consumer Price Index, official unemployment rates and GDP figures based on more honest data and alternative methodologies. What he discovers is that the CPI is higher, unemployment is higher and the GDP is lower than the feds would have us believe." Continue reading →

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Why We’re Not Sneering at the Averages

"As we can see with modern equity markets, common sense is taking a back seat to pump-priming. There is indeed a Wall Street Party going on, as we've pointed out, and the IPO market, in fact, is a large part of it. When markets are stuffed with money, volatility certainly becomes a concern. We recall the 1987 Crash was brutal, yet markets gradually climbed afterwards, culminating in the tech boom of the late 1990s. Loose money is generally a powerful support for higher averages and stronger numbers. And yes, this could continue for a while because the REAL economy has not yet felt the full impact of what's going on in the stock market." Continue reading →

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The Manufacturing Index Reverses, Falls

"The New York Federal Reserve Bank’s latest survey indicates a slowing of the regional economy. This was not expected by economists. This is a major reversal. It took place across the boards. This could be a temporary fluke. But this is November. This is the month preceding the Christmas season. This should be a time of increasing demand. It isn’t in the New York City area — the heart of America’s financial center." Continue reading →

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Who Will Head the Fed? It Doesn’t Matter

"As leaders in the developed Western world become more authoritarian and move to confiscate wealth, most markets will actually respond very positively. Seems illogical, I know. But the facts of the matter are this: In times of war and potential confiscation of assets, stocks can become safe havens as money is pulled out of sovereign bond markets to be invested elsewhere. Commodities can take flight as investors begin to hoard tangible assets and portable wealth, and the real bull markets in precious metals truly unfold. My top recommendation right now: You can largely ignore the central bankers. Instead, keep both eyes on the leaders in Washington and Europe." Continue reading →

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Ron Paul: Federal Reserve Steals From the Poor and Gives to the Rich

"As recently as five years ago, it would have been unheard of for a Wall Street insider and former Fed official to speak so bluntly about how the Fed acts as a reverse Robin Hood. But a quick glance at the latest unemployment numbers shows that QE is not benefiting the average American. It is increasingly obvious that the Fed's post-2008 policies of bailouts, money printing, and bond buying benefited the big banks and the politically-connected investment firms. It would be a mistake to think that QE is the first time the Fed's policies have benefited the well-to-do at the expense of the average American. The Fed's polices have always benefited crony capitalists and big spending politicians." Continue reading →

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‘Paradigm shift’: Bitcoin to replace ‘broken’ government currencies?

"The Bitcoin virtual currency is up 24.5 percent in 24 hours, touching a new record of $619. The surge is 'the beginning of something spectacular,' with it potentially displacing the dollar, Jeffrey Tucker of the Foundation for Economic Education told RT. 'I think, that’s not a bubble, it represents a substantial paradigm shift,' Tucker said, commenting on the latest boom of the anonymous crypto currency. 'In fact $600 per bitcoin might be a thing of history, we might get it much –much higher,' the expert added. 'The bottom line is that the government currencies are broken at the moment, they don’t meet the modern needs of an internet age and Bitcoin does,' Jeffrey Tucker explained." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin Scandal Reflects Popularity of Virtual Currency in China

"The willingness to invest in GBL despite its shortcomings demonstrates just how popular 'crypto-currency' has become in China. In early November, BTC China overtook Mt. Gox and Bistamp to become the largest bitcoin exchange site in the world, handling 34 percent of global bitcoin transactions over the previous seven days, according to data from Bitcoinity.org, a website that tracks bitcoin exchanges. Bitcoin’s appeal to Chinese investors is manifold. The currency experienced a major spike in value in July shortly after being the subject of overwhelmingly favorable reports on CCTV, China’s state-run television station, and People’s Daily, the main Communist Party newspaper." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin Foundation Plays Down Silk Road Connection at Senate Hearing

"Even the title of Monday’s Senate Committee hearing on bitcoin reflects the overriding concern. 'Beyond Silk Road – Potential Threats, Risks, and Promises of Virtual Currency' brings together several speakers from the government, industry, and non-profit sectors to give their opinions to the Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about the potential security risks of the cryptocurrency. Here is a roundup of what to expect from testimony given at the event." Continue reading →

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