Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Tax Cuts Supercharge the Economy / Politics / Taxes

By: BATR

If you get your fake news from the corporatist filtered media, the sky is falling now that the Trump tax cuts are law. Pounded into the skulls of the dense hard heads of diminished grey matter is that the benefits of putting more cash into the pockets of everyday workers is peanuts. The collectivists who operate under communist economic doctrines fear that their normal class warfare rhetoric is hitting a wall of worry from their pro redistribution base. This factor requires telling an even bigger lie. Unleashing the animal spirits of confidence in growing the economy is now a reality, and the defenders of slicing a shrinking pie cannot bear the contrast of a vibrant and expanding economy.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Smiggle Python Puzzle Review / Personal_Finance / Shopping

By: Anika_Walayat

SMIGGLE continues to go beyond pencil cases and stationary, increasingly featuring a multitude of products such as back packs and water bottles. In our latest Smiggle video we try their Python Puzzle, where it's 60 coloured tiles can be bent and clicked into making all sorts of shapes such as elephants and giraffes and what's more there are loads of guides online showing you how to make dozens of shapes.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Unlike the U.S. Government, the Gold Market Never Closes / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: Arkadiusz_Sieron

The U.S. government partially closed at midnight on Friday. But the UK deals with a much more serious crisis. Potentially also for gold.

So it happened again. The most powerful country in the world didn’t manage to renew another short-term government funding extension. It’s quite embarrassing, but we all should already get used to it. Since 1976, there have been almost 20 previous occurrences. But the world never collapsed. Why should it, given the character of the government? In the worst case it is a parasitic, mafia-style organization, while in the best scenario it is an inefficient bureaucratic Moloch with the dynamism of a sloth.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

3 Trends That Could Push Gold Higher in 2018 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: GoldSilver

There were some curious developments in the gold sector last year, most of which have flown under the radar of mainstream press reports. And the more they ignore what’s happening, the greater the surprise to the upside will be. It could indeed be very exciting for those of us that are overweight precious metals and have stayed the course.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Government Shutdown Ends – Markets Ignore Looming Debt and Bond Market Threat / Interest-Rates / US Debt

By: GoldCore

– U.S. Senate pass a temporary spending plan through Feb. 8 to end shutdown
– Markets shrug off both government shutdown and re-opening
– Markets, government and media ignoring worsening US debt position
– Gold responding positively to U.S. dysfunction, rising US Treasury yields & weaker dollar
– U.S. government national debt is $20.6 trillion and increasing rapidly
– ‘Bonds, like men, are in a bear market’ – Bill Gross

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Stock Risks to Watch: Choose Your Bear Market Dashboard / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018

By: F_F_Wiley

“Ya gadda have a praaacess”– British portfolio managers mimicking their American colleagues

When long ago a former employer sent me to London to join the other Americans, or mostly Americans, building out its U.K. office, my job was to create a process. In institutional asset management, process was the American way. For sales presentations and especially dealing with investment consultants, you needed process charts that showed information flowing this way and that and, ultimately, morphing through its travels on the page into repeatable investment decisions. Those charts proved your legitimacy as an institutional manager—regardless of whether they described your actual decision making, they let the community know that you weren’t just a “bunch of gunslingers.” Essentially, you couldn’t build a business without your process charts.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Cold Start to the Year as Interest-free Credit Card Competition Stalls / Personal_Finance / Credit Cards & Scoring

By: MoneyFacts

Entering a new year could open new opportunities to pay back debts, so we typically start to see competition heat up in the 0% balance transfer credit card market. However, so far this year these much-anticipated deals have been put on a bit of a back-burner, as there have been very few launches or improvements in the sector. Since the start of January, only two card providers (AA and Barclaycard) have improved or launched interest-free balance transfer offers.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Gold Price on the Move / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: The_Gold_Report

Since bottoming on December 11, 2017, at $1,242, gold has tacked on nearly $100 to its price. Rudi Fronk and Jim Anthony, cofounders of Seabridge Gold, discuss what they see going on.

Clearly, one reason for the move in gold is the weakness in the U.S. dollar. The black line tracks the U.S. dollar index over the past two months while the gold line tracks the gold price. The dollar hit its recent high exactly when gold reached its low and the two have diverged since then.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Worse than Watergate - Release the Memo - Investigate Uranium One / Politics / US Politics

By: BATR

The utter farce of the Mueller investigation into Trump collusion with Russia demonstrates the most obscene and overwhelming pattern of government deceit and deflection in decades. Enough has been written on this trolling probe to convince sincere and honest people that the protection racket thugs are running a confidence game against the populace and has abandoned any prospect of justice. Still, the fake news gatekeepers that select what is suitable for the apathetic public to hear see or read keeps the fairy tale narrative going to prevent looking into the true crimes committed by the cabal of establishment globalists.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

CAT Stock Bouncing after JPM Upgrade How High and How Long Can This CAT Jump? / Companies / Corporate News

By: EconMatters

Caterpillar’s (CAT) stock price touched an all-time high of $172.99 on Jan 16 and has drifted lower since.  This price action took place after upgrade from JP Morgan a week ago.  The stock jumped 2% in the day JPM report came out on Jan. 8. 

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Gold Market Consolidates Near Important Levels as Government Shuts Down / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: MoneyMetals

The gold market has been mired in a four-and-a-half year basing pattern. The rally that began late last year has taken prices up toward a major resistance zone. It’s make or break time!

Also, on the cusp of a potentially big move is the bond market.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Precious Metals Are Building Another Launching Pad / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: Avi_Gilburt

For those that follow me regularly, you will know that I have been tracking a set up for the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), which I analyze as a proxy for the metals market. I believe that the GDX can outperform the general equity market once we confirm a long term break out has begun, and I think we can see it in occur in early 2018.

Since I have been on vacation for the last two weeks, and will be traveling again this week to LA and NYC, I am going to keep this update a bit shorter than normal.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Inflation Tsunami Ahead / Economics / Inflation

By: Michael_Pento

Inflation is one of the most misunderstood, misused and lied about topics in economics. The Fed professes to know what causes it: an overly employed workforce. But, perhaps it is aware this is false and intentionally promulgates the ruse of growth as inflation’s progenitor because central banks want to deflect attention away from its money printing. Nevertheless, one thing is abundantly clear, we all have to agree that the Fed can’t readily control the exact rate of inflation; nor can it direct what the repositories will be for its quantitative counterfeiting misadventures.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Why Banks Will Be Slammed In The Next Crisis—And That May Be Good News / Stock-Markets / Financial Crisis 2018

By: John_Mauldin

BY PATRICK WATSON : While some banks are run by honest folk, others are almost indistinguishable from criminal organizations.

Bank scandals are nothing new in the US and elsewhere. Still, those banks may be one of the best investment opportunities of your life. Sounds contradictory, but it’s not.

Before I explain why banks are such a good investment opportunity, let me go over a few examples from the last decade to provide some context for this trade.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Medicare Premiums Are A Shared Pool - Coming Changes That Will Transform Retirement / Politics / Government Spending

By: Dan_Amerman

A critical component of financial planning for retirement is that many healthcare expenses are a shared expense for those 65 and older, as a matter of current law and design. A 65 year old pays the same Medicare Part B premiums as a 95 year old, and someone in perfect health pays the same premiums as someone with multiple serious health issues.

By law, 25% of total Medicare Part B expenses are funded by Medicare premiums, which are usually withheld from monthly Social Security benefits. So, when the average expenses of Medicare increase on a per person basis - then so do the premiums.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

First-time Buyer Mortgage Interest Rates Recover from Base Rate Rise / Housing-Market / Mortgages

By: MoneyFacts

While the majority of rates in the mortgage market have started to edge up, research from moneyfacts.co.uk shows that some higher loan-to-value (LTV) mortgage rates have actually fallen since the base rate rise.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Charged Atmosphere of Heavy Police and Security Presence at Sheffield Street Tree Felling Protests / Local / Sheffield

By: N_Walayat

Something bad appears to be brewing at Sheffield's street trees felling sites 2018 as already heavy HiViz security presence as of November 2017 has now been joined by heavy police presence. The immediate effect has been to embolden hired security and Arb's to become more 'aggressive' towards tree protestors which is creating an increasingly charged atmosphere that appears to be building towards an negative event of some kind as the following video illustrates.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Stocks Bull Market Appears to have a Destiny With 1929 / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018

By: Nadeem_Walayat

The stocks bull market continues to confound my expectations for a significant correction which is just failing to materialise! Firstly understand this, I AM a stock market bull i.e. I am net long of the stock market, so a rising stock market is good for my portfolio. BUT, for a while now I have not considered this ongoing rally to be healthy for the life of the stocks bull market, and why despite being a bull I am BEARISH for its prospects.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Pension Crisis And Deficit of £2.6 Billion At Carillion To Impact UK / Stock-Markets / Pensions & Retirement

By: GoldCore

– Carillion collapses leaving a £900 million debt pile and 30,000 pensions at risk
– Carillion PLC share price has collapsed 94% in last twelve months
– Private analysis of Carillion’s pension deficit reveals it to be as high as £2.6 billion
– Figure adds to the UK’s ongoing pension crisis, both private and state are severely underfunded
– UK’s Private Pension Fund already has a levy of £550 million for next twelve months
– UK state pension crisis as state fund to be ‘exhausted by 2033’
– Ensure your pension is funded and properly diversified with gold

Monday, January 22, 2018

Two Factors for Gold That You Don’t Want to Miss / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: P_Radomski_CFA

Even though mining stocks closed last week below the Jan. 2 close and silver even declined below the Dec 31, 2017 close, gold moved higher. It’s not far from this year’s top either. So, is all well and are bullish gold price forecasts justified? Not necessarily. In today’s article, we show you two reasons why it’s a good idea to think twice before opening long positions in gold.

Some time ago we discussed the apex technique for the HUI Index and it worked perfectly, triggering a reversal right at the apex of the triangle. Today, we can see something very similar on the long-term GDX ETF chart and in light of the mentioned performance, it shouldn’t be ignored. Let’s take a look at the details (charts courtesy of http://stockcharts.com).