News Commentary

Fed’s ‘Elixir’ Is Surely a Temporary One

"The idea once was that powerful central bankers would work behind the scenes to make sure that various markets were stable and fair. Nowadays, central bankers work to ensure that markets – especially stock markets – are propped up so that the appearance of an improving economy can be maintained. And far from working in secret, this generation of bankers is desperate to reassure investors that optimal conditions for continued equity gains will be continued. This is, in fact, what the Bloomberg article is telling us. The Fed's magic elixir is simply the ability to assure top investors that they can continue to shovel money into the stock market without undue risk of reversals." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFed’s ‘Elixir’ Is Surely a Temporary One

Fed to America: ‘QE Scam Will Continue’

"Yesterday, the Fed announced that the scam would continue. In a typical sleight of hand, it took its monthly asset buying down from $85 billion to $75 billion… but also told us that zero-bound interest would keep flowing for even longer than expected. As a card-carrying, asset-owning and secret-handshake-giving member of the 1%, we’re delighted to know that the filthy lucre will continue coming our way. But as a financial philosopher we find the whole show rather shabby and tawdry. Not only does the program shift income from the public to the insiders, it also masks the real problems in the economy and stifles real corrections." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: The Fed’s Big Lie

"Whatever may be said about today’s cockeyed economies, there is nothing 'normal' about them. What’s normal about a government that runs up as much debt as it had in World War II – with no war… no national emergency… and no way to pay the money back? What’s normal about an economy that depends on the lowest interest rates in three generations… and a central bank that holds them down like a crooked butcher with his finger on the meat scale? And what’s normal about an advanced capitalist country where the typical man earns less than he did 43 years ago?" Continue reading →

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Cognitive Dissonance of Ben Bernanke?

"The aggrandizement of 'leaders' who preside over massive price-fixing facilities such as central banks and legislatures ought to be identified as the hype that it is. There is no possible way that even the most sophisticated analysis of previous indicators can yield up legitimate and accurate projections. Those internationalists who have constructed the current system know that. Hence, the almost obsessive concentration on academic degrees and 'expert' appellations. The idea is to fool people into believing the 'best-of-the-best' have 'expert' powers that allow them to peer into the future using the indicators at hand. But they can't any more than you can." Continue reading →

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The Dialectical Pomposity of the Tapering Promotion

"We might taper, he tells us, if the economy seems strong. We might not if the economy seems less strong. Maybe we will, maybe we won't. And to ascertain the strength of the economy, Bullard and his noobs will parse notoriously unreliable government data. They will make decisions on how much money to print at what price. This is price fixing and price fixing never works. They will use the loony-tune statistics provided to them by the US government. Good luck. They will make determinations about the level of the price fix they shall levy based on these flawed numbers. This is YOUR economy. This is YOUR money." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Is Bad News Good News for US Stocks?

"Everyone knows that even a little cutback in the Fed’s buyback program should mean falling stock and bond prices. A trillion dollars a year is a lot of money – in fact, it’s 7% of GDP. Imagine a corporation with annual revenue of $100 billion. Imagine that it buys back its own shares at the rate of $7 billion a year. Then try to imagine what would happen to the share price when the largest single buyer drops out. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Even Fed economists can see it. That’s why they won’t taper. And everybody knows it. That’s why bad news is now good news. And good news is good news. Everything Is Good News!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Is Bad News Good News for US Stocks?

Taxes: Another Weapon of Globalist Destruction?

"In France, there has been a great deal of pushback to additional – punitive – taxation. But that was merely the opening shot in a war against the upper classes that will soon take aim at the real target: Western middle classes. But in the era of central banking, taxes are increasingly unnecessary. Their aggressive expansion is thus something of a dominant social theme. There is almost nothing taxes provide that cannot be done better at less cost by the private sector. And as we pointed out above, as there is no way to control government spending, governments can and will spend all the revenue they receive, up to and including the entire gross national product." Continue reading →

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Despite panic, China’s regulation of Bitcoin leaves room for optimism

"In the aftermath of the first official statement by the Chinese government regarding Bitcoin, the entrepreneurs in China’s Bitcoin industry are optimistic. As is common in China, the actual extent of these regulations will be worked out over time as the Bitcoin industry develops, giving the government room to respond to new threats. My view is that this notice represents an expected development that encouragingly stops short of more stringent restrictions or an outright ban on Bitcoin’s use, and tomorrow China will still be the biggest potential Bitcoin market in the world." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDespite panic, China’s regulation of Bitcoin leaves room for optimism

Small Banks Disappear. So Do Loans to Small Businesses.

"The number of banks is down to just under 6,900. There were 7,000 a year ago. Banking regulation adds to costs. This wipes out small banks. It subsidizes big banks. Which banks caused the crisis of 2008? Large banks. Which banks got the lion’s share of the bailouts from Congress and the Federal Reserve? The top 6 banks. The crisis made them bigger, more powerful. The bailouts were subsidies for failure. Which banks hold 70% of all bank assets? The top 12 banks. Who loses? Small businesses. They get loans from small banks. Which businesses provide the vast majority of new jobs? Start-up businesses." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSmall Banks Disappear. So Do Loans to Small Businesses.

Central Banking: Sterile as the Grave

"Central banking is a modern religion, a technocratic one. The world's top men, the ones who control banking, want to present central banking as a science. Any sense of spontaneity, gaiety or eccentricity is to be drained from the process. What is left is a dutiful acknowledgement that those minding the money store are the best of the best – and chosen for their fealty to honesty and their honest resoluteness in the face of the temptations of corruption. A straight-shooter, fearless, well-meaning, earnest ... even a bit nebbish. That's how the central banker is basically presented to the world. You don't usually see them in relaxed environments. You hardly ever see them at barbecues." Continue reading →

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