Thanks To Equity Boom, Millionaires Now Control Half of the World’s Personal Wealth
"China trails only the U.S. in the number of millionaires and billionaires. Globally, the ranks of the ultra-rich are expected to reach 671,000 by 2022."
Auto Lenders Taking More Risks: Longer-Term, Higher Balances, Lower Quality
"In addition to blaming the lack of creditworthy borrowers, banks are all blaming the rising prices of vehicles as a reason for their disintegrating lending standards."
16 Most ‘Systemically Important Banks’ In The World See Their Stocks Crash
"What many of the harder-hit Sifi banks have in common, said Mr Harnett, was a heavy dependence on US-dollar funding, putting them at risk of a squeeze if US rates continue to rise and the dollar continues to strengthen."
Argentina’s Peso Collapses Further Despite $50 Billion IMF Bailout
"The collapse of the peso comes despite an endless series of measures to halt it."
Bill Bonner: Trump’s Not Like Ike
"Was it General Eisenhower who saw more clearly than any of us?"
The U.S. economy is roaring, but the yield curve is flattening. What gives?
"The flattening curve pointed to a deep pessimism among bond investors who see the economy fading away its short-term boost from fiscal stimulus and tax cuts."
If The Fed Fears An Inverted Yield Curve, Why Is It Producing One?
"An inverted yield curve has been a great tool to predict U.S. recessions, with the yield spread between three-month bills and 10-year notes falling below zero before each of the past seven slowdowns. But it doesn’t usually happen immediately. That means a recession could come in late 2019, in 2020, or even later. That probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most investors after one of the longest economic expansions in history."
Fund managers joining Buffett in preparing for an ‘ugly’ downturn
"Beinner highlights the increase of global debt, now upwards of $237 trillion and the way the debt has been dispersed as risks to the economy. Rather than banks holding most of the debt as it happened in the financial crisis, this time it’s hedge funds, private equity and investment managers holding most of it. Also worrisome, he says, ratings agencies are again being overly generous with their appraisals allowing for companies with very high debt levels to gain investment-grade ratings."
Western Investors Cash in on Chinese Surveillance Program Targeting Muslims For ‘Re-Education’
"The system includes mandatory facial-recognition scans at gas stations and Wi-Fi sniffers that secretly collect data from network devices. Over the past two years, the technology has helped authorities round up an estimated hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other Muslims and lock them up in clandestine camps that China calls 're-education centers.'"
ECB Admits It Slashed Purchases Of Italian Debt During Latest Political Crisis
"Some wondered if Mario Draghi wasn't allowing Italian bonds to tumble without ECB intervention, simply to 'pressure' the domestic political process against the formation of a populist, Euroskeptic cabinet."