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Convenient Illusions: The 12 Regional Federal Reserve Banks

"What is the function of the regional Federal Reserve banks? They are primarily political. They were specifically set up to provide the illusion of regional control, when in fact the Federal Reserve System is a true central bank, with the powers associated with all national central banks. The central bank creates the monetary base on which commercial banks make loans. The regional Federal Reserve banks do not do this. The regional Federal Reserve banks are now, and have always been, a convenient illusion for misleading taxpayers and voters into believing that the Federal Reserve System is not a central bank, with all of the authority, power, and cartel control of all other central banks." Continue reading →

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ECB cuts rates to new low of 0.25%, euro sinks

"The European Central Bank (ECB) cuts its main interest rate to 0.25 percent from 0.50 percent on Thursday, sending the euro sharply lower. The announcement - unexpected by many - was followed by a press conference with ECB President Mario Draghi, who insisted the rate cut was in line with previous forward guidance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingECB cuts rates to new low of 0.25%, euro sinks

Small businesses want Canadians to ditch credit cards every Friday

"The Canadian Federal of Independent Businesses, which represents almost 110,000 small- and medium-sized concerns, teamed up with financial commentator Gail Vaz-Oxlade today to launch a campaign for 'Credit Free Friday.' 'Very few consumers know than $5-7-billion each year in credit card processing fees is embedded in the cost of everything they buy, and with ever-higher tiers of premium cards hitting the market, that cost is only going up,' CFIB president Dan Kelly said as he launched the campaign. 'As consumers are often unaware that the merchant loses between 2-3.5 per cent of a credit card sale, Credit Free Fridays can be a great way to support small firms.'" Continue reading →

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Premeditation of Currency Wars

"The BRICs system of finance is entirely Western, starting with its central banking and continuing via its banking interests that are inevitably part of the larger fabric of Anglosphere finance. If those in charge of Western finance really did not want the BRICs – including China – to create an alternative to the dollar, it likely wouldn't happen. But it is happening. The dollar has been destabilized and the BRICs and China offer alternative currencies that are supposedly seen as 'stronger.' Jim Rogers, for instance – a respected voice in commodities and a commentator we've often interviewed – believes the yuan could appreciate 500 percent against the dollar in the next few years." Continue reading →

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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." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInflation Has Not Cured Iceland’s Economic Woes

Greek Dilemma: A Product of the Dialectic

"Greek protesters rally against IMF and EU inspection. Anti-austerity demonstrators jeer, heckle and throw coins at auditors from bailout troika amid fears of more public sector cuts ... Only hours before, the Greek prime minister, Antonis Samaras, had resolutely declared that Greece was not at war with the international bodies keeping the debt-stricken country afloat. But in scenes not witnessed since the beginning of Greece's economic crisis, auditors from the European Union and International Monetary Fund came face-to-face with the full force of anti-austerity anger as protesters in Athens jeered, heckled and stopped them from leaving the finance ministry." Continue reading →

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The Rise and Fall of the World’s Largest Bitcoin Exchange

"Mt. Gox evolved into a reliable marketplace for buying and selling bitcoins, now the world’s most popular digital currency. By one estimate, Karpeles has made over $8 million plus 345,000 bitcoins (at current rates: $86 million) swapping bitcoins for dollars and yen and other federal currencies. Karpeles and his company are a metaphor for the bitcoin world as a whole. Created by an anonymous computer scientist, the digital currency rose to prominence after it was embraced by software geeks across the globe. But now, as its influence continues to grow, these young, idealistic hacker types are running into the government regulators who control the existing financial system." Continue reading →

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U.S. Deal With JPMorgan Followed a Crucial Call To Justice Department

"On Sept. 24, four hours before the Justice Department was planning to hold a news conference to announce civil charges against the bank over its sale of troubled mortgage investments, Mr. Dimon personally called one of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.’s top lieutenants to reopen settlement talks, people briefed on the talks said. The rare outreach from a Wall Street C.E.O. scuttled the news conference and set in motion weeks of negotiations that have culminated in a tentative $13 billion deal. An account of the negotiations pulls back a curtain on the private wrangling to illuminate how the bank and the government managed to negotiate what would be a record deal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Deal With JPMorgan Followed a Crucial Call To Justice Department

Alexis Breaks Down The $13 Billion Chase Settlement

"Today, we'll be talking about the Department of Justice's proposed settlement with JP Morgan Chase for $13 Billion. This settlement is about making a number of open investigations and lawsuits go away. Now the good news is the settlement does NOT immunize JPMorgan from future criminal charges, but you should know that Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase has been getting really cozy with US Attorney General Eric Holder. He's been hacing personal phone calls with Holder and staff at the Justice Department since as early as July, negotiating his own settlement, as the NYTimes reported." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAlexis Breaks Down The $13 Billion Chase Settlement

Bill Bonner: Repeat After Me – Economics Is NOT a Science

"The problem is you don’t know anything. You don’t know if an economy really is like water. You don’t know where sea level is. For all you know, you’re high in the Alps. And you don’t know whether the fuel you’re using adds to the fire… or subtracts from it. QE, for example, may help heat up the economy. Or it may not. No one knows for sure. And get this. All those little molecules, you know – those individuals in the great economic pool? As soon as they catch on to what you’re doing, they will change their behavior. That’s the big difference between water and people. Water does the same thing no matter what you say or what you think. People don’t." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Repeat After Me – Economics Is NOT a Science