Thursday, June 29, 2017
US Minimum Wage / Economics / Wages
By: Submissions
John Dunham writes: What a difference a day makes. Just this month, a group of researchers at the University of Washington (UW) released a working paper outlining how a $13 per hour minimum wage for restaurant workers in Seattle has led to exactly the opposite effects that proponents predicted.
According to the team at UW, which was funded by the City of Seattle, a 37 percent increase in Seattle’s mandatory minimum wage for restaurant employees resulted in a decrease of working hours for these employees of about 9 percent, and an overall loss in income of $125 per month. This is significant because the minimum wage increase, which was promoted as a way to help lower-wage workers, actually cost those same workers about $1,500 per year on average.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Mainstream Media Feeding Frenzy in the Echo Chamber / Politics / Mainstream Media
By: Raul_I_Meijer
The best comment on the June 13 Jeff Sessions Senate testimony, and I’m sorry I forgot who made it, was that it looked like an episode of Seinfeld. A show about nothing. Still, an awful lot of voices tried to make it look like it was something life- and game-changing. It was not. Not anymore than Comey’s testimony was, at least not in the sense that those eager to have these testimonies take place would have liked it to be.
Comey shone more of an awkward light on himself rather than on Donald Trump, by admitting that he had leaked info on a private conversation with the president he served at the time. Not quite nothing, but very little to satisfy the anti-Trump crowd. It’s just that there’s so many in that crowd, and most in denial, that you wouldn’t know it unless you paid attention.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
The Fed Has Undermined the US Economy’s Ability to Grow / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
BY STEPHEN MCBRIDE : The Fed’s hope was that quantitative easing would stimulate economic growth. But a former senior economist for the Fed believes it has done the exact opposite.
Speaking at the Mauldin Economics Strategic Investment Conference, Dr. Lacy Hunt, the executive vice president of Hosington Investment Management and former senior economist for the Dallas Fed, said that quantitative easing has created “significant unintended consequences.”
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
“Secular Stagnation” Is Nonsense… Here’s the Real Reason Behind the US Downturn / Economics / Stagflation
By: John_Mauldin
My good friend Charles Gave recently wrote an instructive article titled “Tale of Two Countries.”
In the UK and France, structural growth rates have diverged since 1981. The rate has fallen by two-thirds in France, while in the UK it has risen.
Why?
Well, to begin with, in the UK, Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister in 1979. She reduced the role of the bureaucracy in managing economic activity and dialed back government spending as a percentage of GDP.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Sheffield Broomhall Hanover Flats Tower Block Cladding Could Take Months to Remove! / Local / Sheffield
By: N_Walayat
The Broomhall Hanover flats twin towers were Sheffield's first tower blocks to fail urgent fire safety tests in the wake of the Grenfell Tower Fire disaster that prompted the city council to in a panic announce the removal of all cladding from Hanover Tower work on which began early morning yesterday, with two sides of the tower blocks cordoned off. Meanwhile the council reassured residents that they were 'safe', despite the panic move on behalf of the council.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Shrinkflation In UK – Real Inflation Much Higher Than Reported / Economics / Inflation
By: GoldCore
- Shrinkflation – Real inflation much higher than reported and realised
- Shrinkflation is taking hold in consumer sector
- Important consumer, financial, monetary and economic issue being largely ignored by financial analysts, financial advisers, economists, central banks and the media.
- Food becoming more expensive as consumers get less for price paid
- A form of stealth inflation, few can avoid it
- Brexit is the scapegoat for shrinkflation by the media and companies
- Consumers blame retailers rather than central banks
- Gold hedge has doubled in value since 2007
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Are the UK Elections a Forgone Conclusion? / ElectionOracle / UK General Election
By: Submissions
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Stock Market Direction Update and What I Have Been Up To... / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
By: David_Petch
I had a number of people email requesting what I have been up to (did I die, am I ill) so here it is...Back in April 2016, after being a part of TreasureChests for 13 years I decided to hang up my pen and pursue other things. As many know or do not know, TreasureChests is shutting the doors at the end of this month. It was a pleasure working with Captain Hook and we still keep in contact on a regular basis to discuss what is going on with the stock markets. Since I have been busy the past year with a side project that is morphing into something bigger, I miss not writing…so here is an update.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
USDCAD Broke Below Channel Support On Weekly Chart / Currencies / Forex Trading
By: Franco_Shao
USDCAD’s fall from the May 5 high of 1.3793 extended to as low as 1.3137 and broke below the bottom support trend line at 1.3230 of the price channel on its weekly chart, suggesting that the uptrend from the May 2016 low of 1.2460 had completed at 1.3793 already.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Is the Tech Stock Market Bloodbath is Finally Here? / Stock-Markets / Tech Stocks
By: Graham_Summers
Tech is ready to implode.
The NASDAQ ETF (QQQ) has broken its bull market trendline. Even worse, it has failed to reclaim this line despite a strong bounce. This is a MAJOR warning that the upwards momentum is gone.
The next leg down should be a doozy (the target is the red circle on the chart below).
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Is the Stock Market About to Post a Major Top? / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
By: Graham_Summers
The market has been sending “topping” signals for weeks now.
They include:
1) Fewer and fewer companies participating in the rally.
2) High yield credit, which leads stocks, rolling over.
3) Weakening momentum.
4) Dwindling volume.
5) Market leaders (the big 5 Tech) beginning to correct.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
China’s First Half of 2017: Growth amid Deleveraging / Economics / China Economy
By: Dan_Steinbock
Despite seemingly mixed messages, China’s great shift from easing to tightening has begun. While growth will continue to decelerate, it can still remain on the deceleration track, even as deleveraging has begun.
In May, Moody’s Investor Service downgraded China’s credit rating. But it took less than a day for Chinese financial markets to recover from the downgrade. Recently, index giant MSCI announced the partial inclusion of China-traded A-shares in the MSCI Emerging Market Index. After all, China is currently under-represented in global equity indices relative to its economic influence. The inclusion is predicated on a long and gradual move.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Crude Oil Sinks 20%: Why "Oversupply" Isn't the Half of It / Commodities / Crude Oil
By: EWI
Oil prices have defied bullish efforts to curb oversupply. Here's our take on why.
I have a friend... let's call him Larry. Let's just say, Larry is not a fan of taking risks. He likes his reflexes fast, his cars slow, and his financial markets secure for the long haul.
So, when Larry called me up at the beginning of this year to say he's boarding the highly-volatile crude oil market, I was appropriately stunned. But here's the thing. He was still being "wary Larry," meticulously weighing the risks. It just so happens they seemed to pale in comparison to the overwhelming rewards.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Important Money Management Tips For Teenagers / Personal_Finance / Student Finances
By: Boris_Dzhingarov
Financial literacy among teenagers is much lower than it should be. This is, in part, because money management education is not properly taught in schools. Most of the teens have no idea what personal finance is and why it is important. Parents are the ones that need to teach teens about money management. Obviously, this is much more difficult than it seems. The good news is that raising financially literate teenagers can be done. Follow these tips to do exactly that. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
The Coming Battery Bonanza / Companies / Lithium
By: The_Energy_Report
James Dines, author of The Dines Letter, discusses the importance of graphite in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and highlights one graphite company he expects to have an edge.
Lithium Batteries for Autos and Home Storage
Someday, as sneaky years whisper past, batteries will be seen to have been a crucial wave of the investing future. Uses for lithium ion batteries (LIB) are expanding and will be the main technology for mobility and stationary storage for many years to come. LIB's have been improved over the last 25 years, but it might take that long for any new battery design to pass through the development process to ensure they are safe for consumer use. Electrification of vehicles and the storage of green energy is driving massive growth in LIB cell manufacturing, forecast to increase 170% from today's current capacity of 103 GwH to 278 GwH by 2021 to meet the demands of electrification of automotive vehicles. Also, lithium batteries will be used for stationary storage in houses; they would charge with wind or sunlight present, to be consumed later. Many will buy rooftop solar along with batteries. The 2015 world market value of lithium ion batteries was $18 billion and is forecast to double to $36 billion by 2025—which we personally believe will be much larger.
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Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Overlooked Stock Investments To Keep An Eye On in 2017 / Companies / Investing 2017
By: Boris_Dzhingarov
The best returns in stock investment rarely come from the highly publicized companies. Fund managers are always looking for hidden or overlooked opportunities. This is exactly what we will talk about below. While many are focused on Donald Trump’s gold rally, companies that may or may not go public and defense industry predictions are just some of the areas where money is to be made. With that mind, here are some possible investments in overlooked stocks for 2017.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Here’s Why Robots Should Take the Fed’s Job / Interest-Rates / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: John_Mauldin
BY PATRICK WATSON : The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates again last week.
Higher rates aren’t entirely bad. They might help savers holding cash—though I wonder why anyone would still hold cash after almost a decade of punishment. The Fed has forced Americans into riskier assets, using every tool but horsewhips.
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Tuesday, June 27, 2017
We Are Witnessing the Largest Twin Bubbles in History / Interest-Rates / Global Debt Crisis 2017
By: John_Mauldin
BY STEPHEN MCBRIDE : In the coming years, we will have to deal with the largest twin bubbles in history. It’s global debt (especially government debt) and the even larger bubble of government promises.
Together, these twin bubbles make up what John Mauldin calls “The Great Reset.” Nobody can tell how this crisis will play out, but one thing is for sure, it will affect everyone in a big way.
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Tuesday, June 27, 2017
The Ultimate Regulatory Reform: Abolish Fractional Reserve Banking! / Politics / Fiat Currency
By: Antonius_Aquinas
The Trump Administration has presented the first part of its plan to overhaul a number of Wall Street financial regulations, many of which were enacted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The report is in response to Executive Order 13772 in which the US Treasury Department is to provide findings “examining the United States’ financial regulatory system and detailing executive actions and regulatory changes that can be immediately undertaken to provide much-needed relief.”*
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Tuesday, June 27, 2017
USDCNH Broke Above Key Resistance / Currencies / Forex Trading
By: Franco_Shao
USDCNH’s bullish movement from the June 1 low of 6.7210 extended to as high as 6.8583 and broke above the key resistance at the March 15 low of 6.8450, suggesting that the long term uptrend from the January 2014 low of 6.0152 has resumed.
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