Thursday, September 10, 2015
Confusions About Interest Rates Part 2 / Interest-Rates / Economic Theory
By: Frank_Hollenbeck
Following the 2001 dot-com crisis, interest rates were lowered to 1% and then slowly raised to 5% over a 4-year period. This timid policy still created a massive bubble in housing that finally bust in 2008. Instead of learning from the past, we doubled down on this same failed policy. Interest rates were then lowered to 0% and have been held there with little political will to raise them one iota.
We are now on the eve of another major financial crisis, yet economists (except Austrians) still don’t really understand the role played by interest rates in a capitalist economy. To avoid repeating economic mistakes of the past, we must understand the faulty logic that led us to these errors.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
Confusion About Interest Rates Part 1 / Interest-Rates / Economic Theory
By: Frank_Hollenbeck
Since 2008, central banks have rushed to lower interest rates to spur growth. This has induced mal-investments in almost all asset classes. For example, with oil prices below $50 a barrel and trending lower, the shale oil industry is in serious trouble as is the banking industry that lent it over $1 trillion.
Of course, economists and faulty economic theory are 100% responsible for what is to come. The professional economist today is like the doctor of the past whose prescription to bleed the patient was considered state-of-the-art medicine; the cure, of course, being much worse than the disease.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
Virgin Money’s Record Beating 37-month 0% balance Transfer Credit Card / Personal_Finance / Credit Cards & Scoring
By: MoneyFacts
Virgin Money has improved the terms of its Balance Transfer Credit Card MasterCard, increasing the 0% balance transfer term from 36 months to 37, the longest currently available. The card has therefore been awarded the highest Moneyfacts product rating of ‘outstanding’.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
Stock Market Something Happened This Morning / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015
By: Anthony_Cherniawski
Good Morning!
Prior to 6:00 am, the SPX futures were up to 1960.00, a near-50% retracement of yesterday’s decline. Then something happened. “S&P 500 e-mini futures have been halted twice (0551ET and 0612ET) in what one market observer exclaimed "looks like manipulation to me." So what exactly happened at 6:12am?”
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
Refugees and Migrants in a World of Government Meddling / Politics / Immigration
By: MISES
Per Bylund writes: [Updated Author’s Note: The issue of immigration has only become more pressing over the ten years that have passed since this article’s original publication. And, unfortunately, the libertarian movement has not reached a consensus on this issue. But it should be easy, considering how government is at both ends of the problem: government is the number one reason people choose to escape their countries, whether because of governments’ war or devastating poverty due to the lack of opportunities in regulated markets; and government is the reason ordinary people, in a desperate state because their lives have been forcefully uprooted, have a hard time choosing where to lead their lives in peace. The desperation is due to the so-called “failings” of their own governments, and augmented by ours.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
China Allows Gold Bullion as Collateral / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015
By: GoldCore
China’s Shanghai Gold Exchange said it will allow physical gold to be used as collateral on futures contracts from September 29, according to a statement posted on its website this morning as reported by Reuters.
Physical gold will be permitted to be used for up to 80 percent of margin value, according to the statement.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
The EU Uses Every Crisis To Grab More Power / Politics / European Union
By: Raul_I_Meijer
Jean Claude Juncker held a speech yesterday that had, oh irony, been labeled a State of the Union. A perfect way of showing how pompous Juncker and his surroundings have become. A perfect way, too, to point out how much the European Union differs from the United States. The gap is so wide it doesn’t need any explaining.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Why Central Banks Are Pressing Investors To Hold Gold / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015
By: GoldSilverWorlds
Claudio Grass writes: It has been nearly three years since we published our first Outlook Report in December 2012. Since the beginning of our publication, we have focused on different aspects of the gold market and have analyzed what moves the gold market. In this article, we would like to re-examine some of the topics that we had previously discussed and analyze whether any of our assumptions have changed.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Gold’s Fate in the Hands of The Janet Yellen / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015
By: Bob_Kirtley
US Monetary policy has played its part and had an impact on many aspects of the financial markets including the precious metals sector. We have been through a period of Quantitative Easing whereby trillions of dollars were printed in an attempt to boost the economy after the great financial crash of 2008. The markets were then weaned off the money supply through a strategy known as tapering which gently brought about the end of money printing. Over this period gold prices have had a roller coaster ride reaching a new all-time high of around $1900/oz before falling back to the current level of around $1106/oz.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Retail Silver Market Has Seized Up - Video / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015
By: David_Morgan
Silver expert David Morgan says prices of the white metal may be low, but demand is huge. Morgan explains, “I did a survey of many of the top wholesalers and retailers in the country and came to the conclusion that the retail side of the market has basically seized up. One of the biggest mints in the U.S. is backlogged about 4 million ounces. You have two other main government mints that are basically on halt and not producing, or trying to catch up. You have huge premiums in the silver bar market and extremely high premiums in the silver bag market, or what is referred to in the industry as junk silver. Dealers are paying $5 above spot to source silver bags. What that equates to for the cost of silver is about $19.25 an ounce, and we are in the mid-$14 range for an ounce of silver. So, obviously, there is a huge demand that cannot be met with the current supply in the retail market.”
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Stock Market Daily Charts Show A Strong Reversal Lower.... / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015
By: Jack_Steiman
Last night there was some actions taken by the heads in Japan. Their stock market rocked higher, which naturally caused Europe's futures to rock higher, and finally gave our futures a massive life higher. The intervention has to limit, it seems. One leader after another from all over the world are coming out with drastic actions to ensure good times for their economies. Every time the market tries to fall for a week, or so, we get the Government's kicking in to save mode. They won't allow those bears any love. No wonder markets usually go higher. It's just not an even playing field, but we have known that for more years than we can count, unfortunately. Regardless of how much the intervention may be inappropriate for the long term, action will be taken. They'll deal with the consequences later. Let someone else deal with it.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
Amid Stock Market Turmoil, Investors Cling to Hope. Why? / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015
By: EWI
History shows that many investors will hold stocks all the way down
I was watching financial television as the Dow Industrials fell 400-plus points on Sept. 1.
Two market professionals were interviewed: Both said the big decline in recent weeks represented a buying opportunity.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
Following Pandemonium in the Stock Market, What You Should Know Now ... / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015
By: EWI
Dear Investor,
With the chaotic market action that began in August, a lot of advice and theories about its "cause" have been floating around the financial media:
"Buy the dip!"
"Sell and fold!"
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
How Politics Make for Strange “Oil Fellows” / Commodities / Crude Oil
By: ...
MoneyMorning.com Dr. Kent Moors writes: I have decided to write a long prelude today to a discussion that will conclude in the next edition of Oil & Energy Investor. There is something quite significant afoot. But in the process of describing what is happening now, I need to travel back, first personally some several decades, and then over a century earlier in literature.
When you read this I happen to be in Europe on one of those new high-speed trains. The conveyance may be a recent change, but the terrain whisking by my window is only too well remembered from an earlier life. This had at one time been a quite personal stage for some very high-risk objectives.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
A "Stealth" Play on Cybersecurity with this National Security Investment / Companies / Cyber War
By: ...
MoneyMorning.com Michael A. Robinson writes: In fiscal year 2015, the federal budget is $3.8 trillion.
When you look at a number like that, a $133 million award sounds insignificant.
But the focus of that spending – on advanced cybersecurity – that very meaningful to tech investors like you.
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Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Stock Market Paving the Way For the FOMC / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015
By: Jesse
The Fed would very much like to see calm and stable markets as it considers its first interest rate increase off the zero bound on September 16-17 next week.
Let's see if they can get what they want, one way or another.
There was intraday commentary here that was prompted by the Consumer Metrics statement about the US that Among Major Economies, Only the Chinese Numbers Are More Suspect.
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Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Solar Stocks the Biggest Investment Opportunity in Energy Right Now / Companies / Solar Energy
By: Investment_U
David Fessler writes: By 2035, the electricity sector - which should be worth a cool $4 trillion annually - won’t look anything like it does today. That’s because a huge disruptor is affecting the way energy is generated and distributed...
I’m talking about solar.
Right now, solar is a $120 billion a year industry. Over the last two decades, solar has grown at a 30% compound annual growth rate. And there’s no reason to think that won’t continue.
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Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Four Stock Market Black Monday Takeaways Wall Street Hopes ETF Investors Never Understand / Stock-Markets / Exchange Traded Funds
By: ...
MoneyMorning.com Keith Fitz-Gerald writes: Exchange-traded funds – ETFs for short – are billed as among the most investor-friendly products ever created, thanks to low fees, intra-day pricing, and unprecedented flexibility versus the mutual funds they’ve ostensibly “replaced.”
In reality, ETFs are yet another Wall Street creation designed to separate you from your money.
Proponents will undoubtedly cry foul as will many Wall Street professionals when they read this. That’s understandable – they’ve got a lot to lose. According to Morningstar, there are more than 1,400 ETFs trading in U.S. markets, holding an estimated $3 trillion in assets. In 2005 that figure stood at $300 billion. In 1990 it stood at nothing.
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Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Should You Consider Investing In Penny Stocks? / Companies / Investing 2015
By: Boris_Dzhingarov
Penny stock investments are so popular among new investors because of the huge success stories that appeared in the past with companies like Apple or Google. When these companies opened to the public, the shares were really cheap. For instance, one Apple share was $22 in 1980. As time passed, these companies ended up making a lot of money for those that invested. Unfortunately, something like this rarely happens.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Why the Greeks Should Repudiate Their Government’s Debt / Interest-Rates / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: MISES
Simon Wilson writes: In apportioning blame for the Greek government debt crisis, it would be difficult not to lay the major share on Greece itself. With government jobs paying three times the private sector average, a national rail service with a wage bill four times its annual revenue, a public pension system that would pay out generous benefits at fifty for anyone classified as working in “arduous” professions like hairdressing, there is no shortage of taxpayer-funded largesse running rampant through Greek society.