Axios is calling it President Trump’s Venezuela naval blockade “obsession” based on accounts of unnamed administration officials: “President Trump has suggested to national security officials that the U.S. should station Navy ships along the Venezuelan coastline to prevent goods from coming in and out of the country, according to 5 current and former officials who have… Read More

Authored by Antonius Aquinas via AntoniusAquinas.com, With the recent ominous inversion of the 2-10 year yield curve and its near infallible predictive recessionary power, the consequences for the economy are plain to see, however, what has not been spoken of by pundits will be the effect of a recession on US foreign policy.  <!–[if IE… Read More

The litany of orders last summer – both for Class 8 trucks and trailers – has weighed on the freight industry for the better part of 2019, with sales of both collapsing on a year over year basis. But now it looks as though things could be returning to some semblance of normalcy, according to… Read More

Authored by Danielle DiMartino Booth via QuillIntelligence.com, As the Hong Kong protests enter their 11th week, Chinese authorities may be disappointed given nine out of ten students support a campaign to boycott classes after school resumes September 2nd Hong Kong enjoys the 11th highest per capita worldwide on a purchasing power parity basis, one notch above that… Read More

It may be 10 years away, but NASA is already preparing for the arrival of what is being called the “God of Chaos” asteroid, which is slated to skim past the earth in 10 years, according to Express. The asteroid has been named 99942 Apophis. The asteroid is gargantuan, measuring 340 meters across, and will come within… Read More

Two days before his untimely death in a Manhattan jail, Jeffrey Epstein signed a will listing over $577 million in assets – around $18 million more than stated weeks ago in court filings.  <!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–><!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–> The assets were transferred to a trust as of August 8, ensuring that the details of how… Read More

Authored by Mark Jeftovich via Guerilla-Capitalism.com, “Want to be rich? Start a good business. Want to be really rich? Become a socialist.” – Unknown. <!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–><!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–> There is no shortage of empirical data that socialism fails every time it has been tried, and leaves the largest body count in it’s wake. Dr. Kristian… Read More

A new report from the Miami Herald sheds further light on Jeffrey Epstein’s brief stint in a Palm Beach County Jail following his 2008 guilty plea for siliciting a minor for sex.  <!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–><!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–> Purchase logs reveal that the dead pedophile bought thousands of dollars of items while in the can – including two pairs of small women’s… Read More

One of the arguments presented by opponents (and in some cases, supporters) of MMT is why pay any taxes if the US government can just print all the money (i.e. issue debt) it will need to balance its budget (by definition, if federal income taxes are zero, all revenues would come from the sale of… Read More

Some 1.7 million protesters gathered in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park Sunday afternoon to mark the 11th consecutive weekend of pro-democracy protests in a city-state that, for decades, functioned as a quasi-independent city state and financial gateway to the world’s second largest economy. But as the backlash to the extradition bill has shown, Hong Kongers aren’t… Read More

Authored by Sven Henrich via NorthmanTrader.com, The Fed has a math problem and so do markets. Everyone from the president on down is demanding rate cuts, lots of them. “Mid-cycle” adjustment Fed Chair Jay Powell called the July rate cut and it’s bought the Fed precious little as markets sold off in the wake off more trade… Read More

Just as the administration was apparently trying to pump the market even higher with an idiotic story about possible payroll tax cuts (and during a session that was, for a brief time, focused on German fiscal stimulus, no less) a report about State AGs moving ahead on an anti-trust probe of big tech has emerged… Read More

Just like they did with loyalists to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and in other countries as well (Iran comes to mind), Twitter and Facebook have identified networks of “bots” or fake accounts purportedly set up by the mainland government with the intent to “sow discord” during the Hong Kong protests that are entering their 11th… Read More

Authored by Christopher Cembik via Saxobank.com, Like in previous years, the annual Jackson Hole symposium that will take place on August 22nd and 23rd will certainly be a major market-moving event. <!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–><!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–> It is usually the best place for central bankers to hint at new policy moves. In recent years, Bernanke gave… Read More

It’s bad enough that drought-like conditions and rapid population growth have stoked a shortage of water and other vital resources in Ghana, a country that boasts one of the fastest growing economies on Earth (if it is still poor). But a banking crisis is just now roiling the country’s economy, and has wiped out $1.6… Read More

Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog, A transportation recession often precedes a recession for the entire economy, and while the debate about when the U.S. economy as a whole will plunge into a recession is quite vigorous right now, the truth is that the debate is over regarding when a transportation recession will… Read More

Authored by Steven Watson via Summit News, Pictures show ‘assault weapon’ being pointed at likeness of the president <!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–><!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–> Democrats in Illinois have been forced to apologize after photos emerged of attendees at a fundraiser carrying out a mock simulation of assassinating President Trump. The scene was photographed at a fundraiser for… Read More

US equity markets are excitedly recovering last week’s losses as hope once again washes across global markets that lower rates, fiscal recklessness will save the world. The explicit driver of the bounce is yet another short-squeeze – the second biggest since the start of 2019. <!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–><!–[if IE 9]><![endif]–> Source: Bloomberg The last time… Read More

Authored by Chris Hamilton via Econimica blog, Wealthier half of the world population (with incomes of $4k+) consumes 90% of total energy and oil. The under 65yr/old population of the wealthier nations begins declining (depopulating) in 2023, declining in excess of 10 million annually by 2035. Despite the imminent decline in working age / consumer… Read More