Investment/Trends

The Hidden Arms Race

"It’s safe to say that Muslims across the world see U.S. bombers and Tomahawk missiles as raw, 'Western Christian' aggression against their kith and kin. This is the case no matter how much legalistic justification our government places on what happens — like 'punishing' the Syrian government for using chemical weapons, or whatever. So what’s the biggest issue for investors right now? Well, at the Agora Financial Wealth Symposium in Vancouver, one speaker discussed how broad markets were 'priced for perfection.' That is, the general indexes, collective share prices, price-earnings ratios, etc. are all indicating a market psychology of everything being fine, and getting better." Continue reading →

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David Stockman on his Book and the Bailouts

"The panic and bailouts that followed were really about protecting the bonuses and incomes of very wealthy and politically well-connected managers at banks and other heavily leveraged businesses that were eventually deemed too big to fail. What followed was a massive transfer of wealth from the taxpayers and middle-class savers, in the form of bailouts and zero interest rates on bank deposits imposed by the Fed, to the so-called One Percent. As I show in my book, none of this was necessary to save the larger economy, since the losses that would have taken place as a result of the collapse would have been largely limited to Wall Street." Continue reading →

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An Inflection Point for US Global Hegemony?

"If there were ever reasons for other global actors to decide it is time to rid themselves of connections to the American state, it would seem now is as good a time as any. So again, what does this have to do with Syria? Syria offers an opportunity to get a peek at the answer to the question: will these non-Anglo power centers fall in line, or will they stand tall? Does the Anglo-American elite have the strings of the Chinese and Russian leaders (and the rest) or are the political leaders in these countries in a position to take a different path? In other words, this affair in Syria offers the possibility of a real inflection point in the big-game of global elite control." Continue reading →

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Three major fault lines in Syria! Will they explode?

"Fault line #1 is the millennial conflict between Shia and Sunni, dating back to the death of Muhammad in the year 632. Fault line #2 is the battle between Muslim fundamentalism and modernism, between those who seek a return to the Middle Ages and those who wish to move forward into the Third Millennium. Fault line #3 is the biggest of all, also cutting through Syria. I’m talking about the West vs. the East, especially the U.S. and Western Europe against Russia and China. In sum, today’s Syria is both the metaphor and the crossroads for multidimensional political and economic earthquakes that can reverberate across most of the region and much of the world." Continue reading →

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How has this not led to outright revolution yet?

"These days, you could put ‘safety and security’ in front of just about anything and get people to readily comply. After all, who is against ‘safety and security’? Only criminal terrorists, apparently. This is now the easiest way for governments to exact their agendas… whether it’s invading new countries, monitoring all Internet activity worldwide, or bailing out the big banks at taxpayer expense. Apparently the citizenry has become so scared that we collectively lay down and let governments walk all over us. This NSA debacle, which is only getting worse and worse, shows beyond all doubt how brazen and unabashed their tactics will be. And not a single utterance of remorse or reform." Continue reading →

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Why Cash Costs the U.S. Economy Real Money

"With all the buzz about Bitcoin, PayPal (EBAY), Google Wallet (GOOG), and all the other innovations in digital currencies, it’s easy to forget that cash remains remarkably resilient. In part, that’s because the cost of using it is often hidden to the users themselves. Chakravorti, along with co-author Benjamin Mazzotta, says that’s especially true for those who don’t even have a bank account. The unbanked are four times more likely to pay fees to get their own money, yet are also more likely to trust cash and feel comfortable carrying around large amounts." Continue reading →

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If You’re Still Unimpressed With Bitcoin Wait Until You See This ATM

"Where Bitcoin likely feels intractable for some, RoboCoin brings it into the physical world. Suddenly we're dealing with Bitcoin right in front of us in terms that we understand – it's just like any ATM you've used a thousand times before. It builds a bridge between digital and physical currency. The first RoboCoin kiosk will open later this year in Vancouver and will spread quickly thereafter, according to the plan. CEO Jordan Kelley tells us there's already plenty of interest. Check out the video below to see what a sample transaction looks like." Continue reading →

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Record 90.5 Million Out Of Labor Force; Half A Million Drop Out In One Month

"While the Establishment survey data was ugly due to both the miss and the prior downward revisions in the NFP print, the real action was in the Household survey, where we find that the number of people not in the labor force rose by a whopping 516,000 in one month, which in turn increased the total number of people outside the labor force to a record 90.5 million Americans. And what is even worse, the Labor Force Participation Rate declined from 63.4% to 63.2%: the is the lowest print since August 1978! Whether or not this means the Fed will continue QE at this point is largely irrelevant: what is more relevant is that the Fed so far has failed miserably at its core mandate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRecord 90.5 Million Out Of Labor Force; Half A Million Drop Out In One Month

What do influential people think about bitcoin?

"Just like any other movement, bitcoin needs people who can be symbolic leaders. Specific examples are people like Gavin Andresen, bitcoin’s chief scientist, who works as the lead developer on the Bitcoin protocol. Another one is Patrick Murck, the Bitcoin Foundation’s general counsel, who has been busy helping to forge a path forward for regulatory compliance. These are people that are well qualified for their specific duties. Yet bitcoin needs influencers beyond that. It needs global leaders outside of cryptocurrency circles and people of some renown to speak out about it. So who has done this? Let’s take a look." Continue reading →

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Vancouver to see first Bitcoin ATMs installed

"According to The Canadian Press, Vancouver-based Bitcoiniacs is one of the first to pre-order five US$20,000 RoboCoin Bitcoin ATMs. The ATMs work by asking the user for a Bitcoin wallet identifier, usually in the form of a QR barcode. Money is then deposited into the machine, and after deducting a nominal transaction fee, the wallet is credited in Bitcoin. Bitcoiniacs' brick-and-mortar shop already deals with cash to Bitcoin transfers, but so far requires appointments to be booked to conduct such transactions. RoboCoin is competing directly with New Hampshire entrepreneurs Zach Harvey and Matt Whitlock, who are already accepting pre-orders for their own $5,000 Bitcoin ATM." Continue reading →

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