Labor Unions in Lubeck, Germany

Lübeck-Blankensee Airport Virginia is formally the ‘Old Dominion’. It is the Commonwealth of Virginia. Many people in the area arrived from Prussia in the early nineteenth century. Prussia is in Germany’s eastern provinces [...]

Defense Spending in Virginia

Virginia is south of the Potomac River and Washington, DC is north of the river. The Pentagon is in Arlington, Virginia. Arlington is a city in Arlington County. Arlington County borders the Potomac River. Robert E. Lee lived in Arlington County. [...]

Missile Defense Systems in the Balkans

A Serbian jet fighter, the Army of Serbia (VS) MiG-21, crashed yesterday near the village of Basina in Western Serbia.  Aleksandar Vucic is the President of Serbia. Vucic attended the University of Belgrade School of Law. A Serbian delegation [...]

The Logistics of Trade Between Hanoi and London

There are updates coming from London about an abandoned vehicle with deceased Chinese nationals in it. The deceased were thought to have come from China but it’s possible that many of them were Vietnamese nationals. The authorities in [...]

Chinese Commercial Interests in London

There are reports coming from London about an abandoned vehicle with dead Chinese nationals in it. It’s not clear yet exactly where the deceased had come from. It’s possible they had come from Macau or Hong Kong. The authorities [...]

How do current events impact currency rates and why should you never try to predict them

  How do current events impact currency rates and why should you never try to predict them   Forex markets have become increasingly volatile for investors and businesses alike. In saner times, average rates fluctuated by less than [...]
The Iranian Rial’s Economic Death Spiral

The Iranian Rial’s Economic Death Spiral

By Steve Hanke.   The Grim Reaper has taken his scythe to the Iranian rial (see chart below). The Islamic Republic of Iran remains in the ever-tightening grip of an economic death spiral. The economy is ever-vulnerable because of problems [...]

Trends in Outsourcing Financial Decisions

  As your business grows, so too does the need for resources to manage that growth.  Often when the workload exceeds the capabilities of current resources, companies look to outsource work.  This is nothing new.  Companies have been [...]
US Stock Markets & Cryptos Crashing… Is This The Big One?

US Stock Markets & Cryptos Crashing… Is This The Big One?

By Jeff Berwick.   After the 666 point drop on the 33rd day of the year on Friday, which I said likely was a signal that things were going into play, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) lost as much as 1,597 points by mid-afternoon [...]
Blockchain: what it is, what it does, and why you probably don't need one

Blockchain: what it is, what it does, and why you probably don’t need one

By David Andolfatto.   Dilbert – by Scott Adams Interest in blockchain is at a fever pitch lately. This is in large part due to the eye-popping price dynamics of Bitcoin–the original bad-boy cryptocurrency–which [...]
Bond market bear creating gold bull

Bond market bear creating gold bull

By Richard Mills.   Gold is climbing as bond yields rise and the dollar falls, over speculation that China is pulling back on buying US Treasuries and Japan signals it is winding down its quantitative easing program. Meanwhile, US debt [...]
New Year’s Update for Trump Voters

New Year’s Update for Trump Voters

By Robert Reich.   Almost one year in, it’s time for another update for Trump voters on his election promises: 1. He told you he’d cut your taxes, and that the super-rich like him would pay more. You bought it. But his new tax law [...]
The Past is Not Passed: 2017 Spills into 2018

The Past is Not Passed: 2017 Spills into 2018

By Marc Chandler. The New Year may have begun in fact, but in practice, full participation may return only after the release of US employment data on January 5.  The macroeconomic and policy tables have been set, though interpolating [...]
Month-End Leaves Market at Crossroads

Month-End Leaves Market at Crossroads

By Marc Chandler.   Global equity markets are closing another strong month.  The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was little changed on the day, but up 4.3% in October, the 10th consecutive monthly advance.   Europe’s Dow Jones Stoxx [...]
Will ICOs Take Down Wall Street The Way Bitcoin May Take Down Central Banks and Fiat Currencies?

Will ICOs Take Down Wall Street The Way Bitcoin May Take Down Central Banks and Fiat Currencies?

  By Jeff Berwick. I’ve said it many times in the past. Blockchain technology is the biggest evolution since the internet. We’ve seen bitcoin quickly become a challenge to fiat currencies and central banks. We’ve seen [...]
Emerging Markets: Week Ahead Preview

Emerging Markets: Week Ahead Preview

By Marc Chandler. (from my colleague Dr. Win Thin) EM FX ended the week under pressure, as US data points to a rate hike in December and perhaps more in 2018.  FOMC minutes this Wednesday will be closely studied for clues.  US retail [...]
Is Bitcoin a Fraud?

Is Bitcoin a Fraud?

By Barry Ferguson. Is bitcoin a fraud? Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Bank thinks so. That’s what he called bitcoin at a bankster meeting yesterday. Funny, if anyone should know fraud when they see it, it is Mr. Dimon.Mr. Dimon’s bank deals [...]
Is Bitcoin a Fraud?

Is Bitcoin a Fraud?

By Barry Ferguson.    Is bitcoin a fraud? Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Bank thinks so. That’s what he called bitcoin at a bankster meeting yesterday. Funny, if anyone should know fraud when they see it, it is Mr. Dimon. Mr. Dimon’s [...]
US Tax Reform and the Fed

US Tax Reform and the Fed

By Marc Chandler. Yesterday US President Trump formally launched his campaign for tax reform.  The Big Six (Mnuchin and Cohn for the administration, McConnell, and Hatch from the Senate and Ryan and Brady from the House) had been meeting [...]
NAFTA: Rock, Paper, Scissors

NAFTA: Rock, Paper, Scissors

By Marc Chandler.   The North American Free Trade Agreement is more than 20 years old and should be updated.  This has been clear for several years.  It was anticipated that the upgrade would be part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, [...]