From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From March 3, 2017 to March 9, 2017:
- Greyerz – Global Panic Is Now Only Days Away
With continued uncertainty around the globe, today the man who has become legendary for his predictions on QE, historic moves in currencies, told King World News that global panic is now only days away. Global Panic Is Now Only Days Away. Egon von Greyerz: “In the Roman calendar, the Ides of March was the same as March 15th in today’s calendar. This date was not significant until Julius Caesar was assassinated on 15 March 44BC. Shakespeare then coined the phrase “Beware of the Ides of March” in his Julius Caesar work… - “It's A Declaration Of War”: South Africa's President Calls For Confiscation Of White Land
After South Africa's embattled president Jacob Zuma pledged, in a surprising address to parliament one month ago, to break up white ownership of business and land to reduce inequality (in a State of the Nation address which was disrupted by a fistfight), it now appears that Zuma's intentions to convert what was until recently Africa's most prosperous economy into a new Zimbabwe were all too real, and as the Telegraph reports, the South African president officially called on parliament to change South Africa’s constitution to allow the expropriation of white owned land without compensation. Zuma, 74, who made the remarks in a speech on Friday morning, said he wanted to establish a “pre-colonial land audit of land use and occupation patterns” before changing the law. - Arizona Challenges The Fed's Money Monopoly
History shows that, if individuals have the freedom to choose what to use as money, they will likely opt for gold or silver. Of course, modern politicians and their Keynesian enablers despise the gold or silver standard. This is because linking a currency to a precious metal limits the ability of central banks to finance the growth of the welfare-warfare state via the inflation tax. This forces politicians to finance big government much more with direct means of taxation. Despite the hostility toward gold from modern politicians, gold played a role in US monetary policy for sixty years after the creation of the Federal Reserve. Then, in 1971, as concerns over the US government’s increasing deficits led many foreign governments to convert their holdings of US dollars to gold, President Nixon closed the gold window, creating America’s first purely fiat currency. - Germany's Jihad On Freedom Of Speech
Carnival in Germany is a time for some light-hearted fun, fancy costumes and political satire. This year, many German cities held traditional float parades on Rosenmontag, or Rose Monday, many of which depicted political themes. Images of U.S. President Donald Trump took centre stage in many float processions, in some instances with his decapitated head held up high by the Statue of Liberty, in the style of an ISIS beheading. Other floats went after nationalist European leaders and right-wing parties. In Düsseldorf, President Trump was shown standing next to a blond Hitler, joined by France's Marine Le Pen, and the Netherlands' Geert Wilders. Germany prides in its traditional Narrenfreiheit (“jesters' freedom”) to mock the high and mighty. This year, Germany's state-run Deutsche Welle news agency proudly proclaimed, “German jesters take on kings for 2017 Carnival.” - France's Death Spiral
A “no-go zone” in the eastern suburbs of Paris. Police on patrol hear screams. They decide to check. While there, a young man insults them. They decide to arrest him. He hits them. A fight starts. He accuses a policeman of having raped him with a police baton. A police investigation quickly establishes that the young man was not raped. But it is too late; a toxic process has begun. Without waiting for any further evidence, the French Interior Minister says that the police officers have “behaved badly.” He adds that “police misconduct must be condemned”. French President François Hollande goes to the hospital to give his support to the young man. The president says he has conducted himself in a “dignified and responsible manner.” The next day, a demonstration against the police is cobbled together. The demonstration turns into a riot. - Judicial Watch Sues CIA, DOJ For Intel Leak Records: “President Trump Is On To Something”
Given that the Obama White House was (self-described as) “the most transparent administration ever,” we hope that Judicial Watch's demands of the Trump administration will be met positively. Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the United States Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury regarding records related to the investigation of retired United States Army Lieutenant General Michel Flynn’s communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak (Judicial Watch v. Central Intelligence Agency et al. (No.1:17-cv-00397)). (The National Security Agency refused to confirm or deny the existence of intelligence records about communications between Gen. Flynn and Amb Kislyak.) - Shock Video Exposes Tent City Crisis In Failing California
Citizen journalists have captured stunning video and images of homeless encampments that are spiraling out of control in the shadows of Disneyland and Anaheim Stadium in California. The tent city has recently sprung up along the Santa Ana riverbed, near a busy convergence of three major California highways known as the “Orange Crush,” at the border of Anaheim and Santa Ana, the latter a “sanctuary city.” Homeless activists estimate that as many as 1,000 people are camped in the region. - “The Reality Is, Half Of Americans Can’t Afford To Write A $500 Check”
The CEO of Assurant appeared on Bloomberg TV to explain why demand for his services is likely to increase: the chief executive of the mobile phone insurer said he expects a surge in demand as carriers charge customers more to replace their devices. “If you think back five years ago, you as a consumer didn’t know how much that phone cost, you thought it was free or close to free,” Assurant's Alan Colberg said Monday. “Now you’re paying $600, that’s a lot. So we’ve actually seen the attachment rate, or the number of people buying the product, going up a little bit in the last couple of years.” He then proceeded to give Bloomberg his traditional sales pitch: Assurant is counting on growth at its business covering phones and appliances to help counter a decline in the segment that insures foreclosed homes for lenders. While improvement in the real estate market has limited the number of vacant homes, Colberg said there are still many cash-strapped consumers. - How 90% of American Households Lost an Average of $17,000 in Wealth to the Plutocrats in 2016
America has always been great for the richest 1%, and it's rapidly becoming greater. Confirmation comes from recent work by Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, and Gabriel Zucman; and from the 2015-2016 Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databooks (GWD). The Richest 1% Extracted Wealth from Every Other Segment of Society. These multi-millionaires effectively shifted nearly $4 trillion in wealth away from the rest of the nation to themselves in 2016. While there's no need to offer condolences to the rest of the top 10%, who still have an average net worth of $1.3 million, nearly half of the wealth transfer ($1.94 trillion) came from the nation's poorest 90% — the middle and lower classes, according to Piketty and Saez and Zucman. That's over $17,000 in housing and savings per lower-to-middle-class household lost to the super-rich. - 40% of households in Philadelphia can't pay their water bill
America is in the midst of an “invisible water crisis” as the post-war water infrastructure reaches the end of its duty-cycle and cash-strapped public utilities struggle to find the money to rebuild it. In cities like Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, and Detroit, families increasingly find themselves in water debt, and in Detroit, 50,000 households have had their running water cut off because of delinquency. The estimated bill for upgrading the end-of-lifed American urban water infrastructure is $1 trillion. Cities that have tried privatization as a means of pushing the bill onto investors have been shocked by the bills: in Atlanta, the private water provider charges $325.52 a month, which only qualifies as “affordable” if your household income tops $87K. - What’s Different This Time? Stocks – This market (“Dow 30,000”) assures Fed rate hikes
The two-year US Treasury yield just shot through 1.33%, the highest since June 2009, when it had briefly spiked from 1% to 1.42%. And that had been the highest since November 2008. It eventually hit a low of 0.16% in September 2011. This surge in yield is a sign that the bond market is adjusting to a rate hike in March, to more rate hikes later this year, and to more rate hikes next year. The 10-year yield has returned to the 2.5% neighborhood, on its way to take out the recent high set in mid-December of 2.6%. - CHINA'S WARNING: Beijing to take measures over US missile system in South Korea
CHINA has said it will take measures over the US missile system deployed in South Korea, saying the move destroys the security balance in the region. The US started to establish the first parts of its anti-missile defence system in South Korea on Tuesday after North Korea's test of four ballistic missiles. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had personally supervised Monday's missile launches by an army unit that is positioned to strike US bases in Japan, according to the country’s state media. The US is deploying its Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system but China has now reacted saying the move upsets the area’s security balance. - This is Worse than Before the Last Three Crashes – This chart shows “multiple compression” is coming
How long can this surge in stocks go on? That’s what everyone wants to know. Projections range from “forever” – these projections have become increasingly common – to “it’s already finished.” That’s a fairly wide range. Everyone has their own reasons for their boundless optimism or their doom-and-gloom outlooks. But there are some factors – boundless optimists should push them aside assiduously – that, from a historical point of view, would trigger tsunami sirens. Because in the end, it’s not different this time. And the cycle of “multiple expansion” and “multiple compression” is one of those factors. - Is Mexico Facing “Liquidity Problems?”
At 49% of GDP, Mexico’s public debt may seem pretty low by today’s inflated standards. It’s a mere fraction of the debt loads amassed by bigger, richer economies such as Japan (229% of GDP), Italy (133%) and the United States (104%). But when it comes to debt, everything is relative, especially if you don’t enjoy the benefits that come from having a reserve-currency-denominated printing press. In Mexico’s case it’s not so much the size of the debt that matters; it’s the rate of its growth. In the year 2000 the country had a perfectly manageable debt load of roughly 20% of GDP. Today, it is two and a half times that size. - The Deep State is Dying-Clif High
Internet data mining expert Clif High says the world is witnessing the unmasking of the so-called “Deep State” and revealing it’s long held control over humanity. High explains, “The level of complexity of humans has increased, and that was the factor that the Deep State did not take into account. They kept their rigid mindset, their rigid rules, their compartmentalization and kept everything so boxed in even they were unaware that humanity has evolved out and around their obstruction. So, the Deep State is dying simply because the knowledge of it is so prevalent. It can’t be stopped, and is growing exponentially, and, basically, the knowledge itself is going to crush the Deep State.” - Of Course Big Brother Was Spying On Trump’s Calls – The Shocking Truth Is That They Spy On All Of Our Calls
The mainstream media is all in an uproar over Donald Trump’s claim that Barack Obama personally ordered the phones in Trump Tower to be “wiretapped” just before the election. But nobody should really be surprised that the government was listening to Donald Trump’s phone calls. After all, the truth is that they systematically collect the content of all forms of digital communication, and this has been going on for many years. During Obama’s presidency, nobody really got too upset when it was revealed that the Obama administration was spying on friendly foreign leaders (including Angela Merkel), nobody got too upset when it was revealed that the Obama administration was spying on journalists, and nobody got too upset when it was revealed that the NSA was grabbing baby photos and nude selfies off of the Internet. But now that Trump has gotten extremely angry because the government was listening to his calls, maybe something will finally be done about all of this unconstitutional surveillance. - Government Spooks Can Use The Mic And Camera On Trump’s Phone Even When He Thinks It Is Turned Off
After reading this article you might not ever view your electronic devices the same way again. Last year, Hollywood released a biographical political thriller based on the life of Edward Snowden that had one particularly creepy scene. In that scene, a government spook used a program to remotely activate the microphone and camera on a laptop, and by doing so he was able to watch a woman as she got undressed. Sadly, as you will see below, this kind of thing is happening constantly. Any digital device can potentially be accessed and used to spy on you even if it appears to be turned off. And this is why Donald Trump needs to be so careful right now, because the intelligence community wants to take him down and they can literally use any digital device in his possession to try to gather dirt on him. We have a “deep state” that is absolutely obsessed with watching, tracking and monitoring the American people, and something desperately needs to be done about this unconstitutional surveillance. Now that Trump has become greatly upset about how the government was tapping into his phone calls, maybe something will finally get accomplished. - Pepsi Lays Off 20% Of Its Philadelphia Workers, Blames Soda Tax
Two weeks ago, we pointed out that when Philadelphia became the first US city to pass a soda tax last summer, city officials were eagerly looking forward to the surplus-tax funded windfall to plug gaping budget deficits (and, since this is Philadelphia, the occasional embezzlement scheme). Then, one month ago, after the tax went into effect on January 1st we showed the tax applied in practice: a receipt for a 10 pack of flavored water carried a 51% beverage tax. And since PA has a sales tax of 6% and Philly already charges another 2%, the total sales tax was 8%. In other words, a purchase which until last year came to $6.47 had overnight become $9.75. - John Podesta joins The Washington Post as a contributing columnist
The Washington Post today announced that John Podesta will join the Opinion section as a contributing columnist. Podesta, former chairman of the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, will provide commentary and analysis on the intersection of politics and policy, the Trump administration and the future of the Democratic Party. “No one knows more about how Washington works, how the White House operates, and how policy ideas are translated into reality than John Podesta,” said Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt. “His long experience in Congress, inside two Democratic White Houses and on the front lines of numerous presidential campaigns, will offer readers vital insight into Washington and politics at the start of a new era.” - Loretta Lynch: Need more marching, blood, death on streets
The Obama administration’s former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has made an impassioned video plea for more marching, blood and death on the streets – a video that was later posted on the Facebook page of Senate Democrats as “words of inspiration.” The video is less than a minute long and begins by stating that people are experiencing “great fear and uncertainty,” with the unstated implication it is due to Donald Trump’s takeover of the White House. - Thousands of ICE detainees claim they were forced into labor, a violation of anti-slavery laws
Tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were forced to work for $1 day, or for nothing at all — a violation of federal anti-slavery laws — a lawsuit claims. The lawsuit, filed in 2014 against one of the largest private prison companies in the country, reached class-action status this week after a federal judge’s ruling. That means the case could involve as many as 60,000 immigrants who have been detained. It’s the first time a class-action lawsuit accusing a private U.S. prison company of forced labor has been allowed to move forward. - Deutsche Bank’s turnaround plans are punishing its stock
Wall Street isn’t thrilled with Deutsche Bank’s turnaround plans. Shares of John Cryan’s bank dropped nearly 4 percent Monday following a weekend announcement that it would raise $8.5 billion through a stock-diluting equity offering. Shares fell 3.8 percent to $18.61 at the end of the trading day, the lowest since Jan. 17. - Deutsche Bank shares hit by cash call
Shares in Deutsche Bank closed 3.7% lower on news it plans to bolster its finances through selling new shares. Germany's biggest bank plans to raise about 8bn euros (£6.9bn, $8.5bn) through the sale, due later this month. The sale by the troubled bank is part of a wider shake-up. Deutsche will also partially float its asset management business and retain Postbank – the retail banking business that it had been expected to sell. The company will be reorganised around three divisions: private banking and wealth management; asset management; and corporate and investment banking. The bank is trying to reshape itself after grappling with huge losses and a 15bn euro legal bill imposed by regulators since 2012. - Soros-Tied Obama Lawyers Form Group to Battle Trump
Further evidence of Barack Obama’s close association with efforts to oppose President Trump has emerged: a group of former top lawyers for the Obama administration have formed an organization aimed at utilizing legal advocacy methods to oppose Trump’s policies. The organization is calling itself United to Protect Democracy, drawing on the theme of Obama’s farewell speech last month. The group is already partnered with an organization heavily financed by billionaire George Soros and is led by a former Obama lawyer who previously worked at a Soros-financed global activist outfit. Politico first reported on the formation of United to Protect Democracy, which has already raised $1.5 million and hired five staffers. - House Republicans release long-awaited plan to replace Obamacare
House Republicans on Monday released long-anticipated legislation to supplant the Affordable Care Act with a more conservative vision for the nation’s health-care system, replacing federal insurance subsidies with a new form of individual tax credits and grants to help states shape their own policies. Under two bills drafted by separate House committees, the government would no longer penalize Americans for failing to have health insurance but would try to encourage people to maintain coverage by allowing insurers to impose a surcharge of 30 percent for those who have a gap between health plans. - China overtakes eurozone as world’s biggest bank system
China’s banking system has surpassed that of the eurozone to become the world’s largest by assets, a sign both of the country’s increased influence in world finance and its reliance on debt to drive growth since the global financial crisis. While China’s gross domestic product surpassed the EU’s economic bloc in 2011 at market exchange rates, its banking system did not take over the top spot until the end of 2016, Financial Times analysis shows. The lag reflects Beijing’s increased “financial deepening” — the term for the growth of a country’s financial system relative to gross domestic product. This has been fuelled by an extraordinary increase in bank lending since 2008, when the government unleashed aggressive monetary and fiscal stimulus to buffer the impact of the global crisis. - ‘This is McCarthyism!’ Trump accuses Obama of wire tapping Trump Tower before election win
US President Donald Trump has accused his predecessor Barack Obama of “wire tapping” Trump Tower just before his election win in November, according to his latest tweet. Trump made the accusation in a tweet decrying the alleged surveillance as “McCarthyism.” Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis denied Trump’s allegation, according to Reuters, saying: “A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice.” - Snopes caught releasing fake “fact-check” in defence of Democrats
Snopes, the popular myth-busting website, pushed misleading facts to cover for Democrats Keith Ellison and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who didn’t leave their seats during the second standing ovation for Carryn Owens, widow of the deceased hero Navy SEAL Ryan Owens. During Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday, Carryn Owens received two standing ovations. The second ovation, which lasted two minutes, Keith Ellison and Debbie Wasserman Schultz chose to stay in their seat. - Juncker Has Meltdown While Debating Future Of EU: “Shit! What Do You Want Us To Do?”
There should be no doubt about the current status of the European Union. It’s crumbling before our very eyes. Between the sprawling unaccountable bureaucracy in Brussels, the unpayable debts, the unfettered immigration, and the unprecedented emergence of conservative, nationalistic groups, it’s obvious that the EU is not long for this world. No nation can survive those pressures; much less a loosely held, 24 year old political union consisting of a wide variety of languages and cultures. And this fact is beginning to show. Not just because nations like the UK have already voted to leave the EU, and talk of independence referendums is spreading like wildfire across the continent. This fact is beginning to show on the faces and lips of the EU’s leaders. - The NSA Wiretaps Every Future President
Trump's on the warpath. He just called out Obama for wiretapping Trump Tower in the months leading up to the election. We are seeing commentaries popping up around the internet claiming that this is a modern-day Watergate scandal. We respectfully disagree. It's far, far more serious. If Trump Tower was wiretapped, it was almost certainly done by the NSA. - Valerie Jarrett Has Moved Into Obama’s Anti-Trump Command Center To Aid In The Effort To Sabotage The President
Never before have we seen a previous president and his team openly attempt to sabotage the next president, but that is precisely what is happening. Traditionally, most ex-presidents have chosen to move far away from Washington, but Barack Obama decided to purchase a home less than two miles from the White House, and many of his former staff members are either working directly with him or are working for his political organization Organizing for Action. And of particular concern is the fact that Valerie Jarrett has actually moved into Obama’s five million dollar home, which many are referring to as Obama’s “anti-Trump command center”. For eight years the Obamas wouldn’t even sneeze without consulting Valerie Jarrett first, and needless to say Jarrett has not moved in to help them pick out wallpaper and drapes. Jarrett is a hardcore political operative, and she has reportedly convinced Obama that he needs to lead the fight against Trump. - President Oprah? Speculation Rises That The 2020 Election Will Feature An Epic Battle Between Donald Trump And Oprah Winfrey
When Donald Trump originally announced that he was going to run for president, he said that his ideal choice for a running mate was Oprah Winfrey, but now he may be actually running against her in the 2020 election. A recent episode of The David Rubenstein Show that featured an interview with Oprah Winfrey is creating a tremendous amount of buzz that Oprah Winfrey may throw her hat into the ring during the next election cycle. This particular episode was taped back on December 12th, but it didn’t actually get aired on Bloomberg TV until last Tuesday. You can see the portion of the interview in which Oprah is asked about her presidential aspirations on YouTube right here, and as you can see, she definitely sounds like someone that is very seriously thinking about running… - 11 Quotes From Trump’s Speech To Congress That Show That The U.S. Economy Is In A State Of Collapse
After Tuesday night, nobody should have any more doubt that the U.S. economy has been in the process of collapsing. Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress is being hailed as his best speech ever. Even CNN’s Van Jones praised Trump, which shocked many observers. Jones said that when Trump honored the widow of slain Navy Seal Ryan Owens that it “was one of the most extraordinary moments you have ever seen in American politics”, and Jones believes that Trump “became President of the United States in that moment”. But Trump’s speech is not just being praised for that one moment. He detailed many of the most important problems that our nation is facing, and he explained his prescription for addressing those problems. - S&P 500 ETF saw historic inflows in Wednesday’s monster rally
Wednesday marked the largest one-day rise for the S&P 500 since November, but the biggest exchange-traded fund to track the benchmark index took down an even longer-standing record amid the broad advance. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, -0.19% saw inflows of more than $8 billion on Wednesday, the biggest single-day move into the fund since December 2014, and one of the top 10 biggest flow days for the ETF in its history. The flow data includes the 34.2 million shares that were created in the fund, according to data provided by State Street Global Advisors, which runs the fund. - Euro Breakup Contagion Risk Is Exploding
With existential elections looming, Sentix Euro Break-up Contagion Index – a market measure of the contagion risk from one or more countries leaving the euro area within the next 12 months period – has hit its post-2012 record recently… As Sentix notes, the Eurocrisis is once again in the limelight. And this time the drama consists of three main actors: Greece, Italy and France. How dangerous this tendency for the cohesion of the eurozone could become is a look at the index to the spreading risk, which has almost climbed to the 50% mark – an all-time high! - Newly-Declassified Documents Show that CIA Worked Closely with Owners and Journalists with Many of the Largest Media Outlets
Newly-declassified documents show that a senior CIA agent and Deputy Director of the Directorate of Intelligence worked closely with the owners and journalists of many of the largest media outlets. The United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities found in 1975 that the CIA submitted stories to the American press. - This Chart Signals China's Housing Bubble May Burst Soon
The probability that a real estate bubble may burst in China is rising. The financial sector heavily depends on real estate, which in turn exposes the entire Chinese economy to systemic risk. This link means that a downturn in real estate could soon spread to other areas of the Chinese economy if banks face liquidity shortfalls. Also, falling housing prices could result in more non-performing loans (NPLs). While NPLs officially account for only 1.75 percent of all Chinese loans, the government is likely understating the figure. BMI Research, a financial consulting firm, estimated in a 2016 report that NPLs could be close to 20 percent of loans. - China Strikes A Path To Develop Its Own Digital Currency
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has reportedly been taking steps to develop a digital currency of its own. In 2014, China assembled a research team to study digital currencies and application scenarios by collaborating with experts from Citigroup Inc. and Deloitte LLP. Although the team did not specify what technology the PBOC would use to issue digital currency, or how it would work in relation to the yuan, a later 2016 research paper did outline ways that a national digital currency could work. - Trump Seeks “Historic” $54 Billion Increase To Defense Spending
As observed earlier in the day, as part of the leaked preliminary Trump budget, the president was set to unveil major spending increases for US defense offset by cuts to federal agencies, and other non-defense sectors. And on Monday morning, the first details emerged, including that the boost to defense spending is expected to be about 10%, or some $54 billion, and will be revenue neutral, offset by cuts in non-defense areas, and will not “add a dime to the deficit.” As Trump said, he is seeking a “historic increase” in military spending. “This budget will be a public safety and national security budget,” Trump told state governors at the White House. “It will include an historic increase in defense spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America at a time we most need it,” he said. - The Greek “Bank Jog” Is Back: Bank Deposits Tumble To Lowest Since 2001
It didn't take much for the Greek bank run jog to return: with Greece once again stuck between an IMF rock and a Schauble hard case, and whispers that another bailout may be on the horizon, the local population took advantage of whatever capital controls loopholes they could find, and withdrew money from the local banking sector, which to this day remains on ECB life support, almost two years after the 3rd Greek bailout in the summer of 2015. According to Greece central bank data, Greek private sector bank deposits declined in January for the second month in a row, driven by renewed concerns over the country's neverending bailout. Business and household deposits fell by €1.63 billion, or 1.34% month-on-month to €119.75 billion ($126.8 billion), the lowest level since November 2001. The January outflow follows a “jog” of €3.4 billion in December, making the two-month drop the worst since the latest Greek bailout panic in July of 2015. - China Accounts For Half Of All Global Debt Created Since 2005: Here Are The Implications
Over three years ago, in November 2013, when the world's attention was still largely focused on what the “Big 4” central banks would do with QE and/or interest rates, we wrote an article showing in one simple chart “How In Five Short Years, China Humiliated The World's Central Banks”, and noted that in just the brief period since the financial crisis “Chinese bank assets (and by implication liabilities) have grown by an astounding $15 trillion, bringing the total to over $24 trillion. In other words, China has expanded its financial balance sheet by 50% more than the assets of all global central banks combined.” - The European Debt Bomb Fuse Is Lit! Target2 Imbalances Hit Crisis Levels
Eurozone Target2 imbalances have touched or exceeded the crisis levels hit in 2012 when Greece was on the verge of leaving the Eurozone. Others have noted the growing imbalances as well. I had a couple of questions for the ECB regarding Target2, which they have answered, I believe disingenuously. First, we will explain Target2, then we will take a look at various charts, viewpoints, and the email exchange with the ECB. - Trump’s border wall plan already working: Illegal immigration down 27%
According to number released by Customs and Border Protection on Monday, illegal immigration over the southern border diminished 27% in the first month of 2017 from the previous month of December. In January a total of 31,575 migrants were apprehended for entering the U.S. illegally and an additional 10,899 were inadmissible. Although chatter of Trump’s proposed construction of a wall has likely thwarted migrants, for now, the flow of human traffic into the U.S. is expected to pick back up in the spring months. - Poll: Majority of Americans fear US will become involved in another major war
A majority of Americans are concerned that the United States will become involved in another major war over the course of President Trump's term, according to an NBC News/Survey Monkey online poll released Wednesday. Sixty-six percent are worried that the U.S. will become engrossed in another major war, while 33 percent are not worried. The poll also found that 62 percent believe the U.S. should consider its allies’ interests even if doing so means making compromises, while 34 percent of Americans think the country should do what is best for its own national interest. - Under the Heel of the Rothschilds
That America is on “life support” has been clear for a long time—in fact, ever since the Swinging Sixties and the end of the Vietnam war. America’s rapidly deteriorating condition of the late seventies is what led to my search for what happened to the promise of “the American dream”. What I cannot comprehend is all this wringing of hands, rending of garments and gnashing of teeth. It’s like that old scorpion story. Didn’t America know what was going on before Trump was elected to ride on its back? Apparently not. Observe: the Rothschilds consolidated their European holdings of wealth and power by the late 1700s. By the turn of that century, they virtually owned, and most certainly controlled Britain, the sole superpower of the day, a global power on whose colonial holdings “the sun never set.” - Georgia high school punishes student for supporting President Trump
Paul Joseph Watson reports for InfoWars, Feb. 28, 2017, that Patrick Ragozzine, a student at Cherokee High School in Canton, Georgia (about 45 minutes from Atlanta), received an ISS (in school suspension) for supporting President Trump against students who called Trump a racist. Ragozzine writes: “I overheard some students bashing Donald Trump, making false claims that he’s a racist, sexist, xenophobic person. The teacher defended the other students and began lecturing me on Trump’s ‘hateful’ rhetoric and how the other students have the right to hold those feelings.” - How We Got Here In One Sentence
In every annual budget debate since the 1980s, one side figures out that the way to get what it wants – which is higher spending – is to frame the request in a particular, ingenious way: We have to borrow and spend way more now if we want to borrow and spend way less later. History has of course proven this argument to be idiotic, but because it moves the pain of living within our means into the indefinite future, it always manages to attract enough votes to win the day. - The Largest Debt Bomb In Human History is About to go BOOM!
The media doesn’t seem to be talking much about national debt these days, perhaps because under the Trump administration it actually reduced by $12B in January? Unfortunately, that’s nothing but a drop in the bucket because our debt levels are at the highest point in human history. And not just national debt but corporate and personal debt levels as well. And the United States is not alone in this… Right Wing News looks at how the American and global economy has largely been propped up by debt-fueled spending. This is what a hundred years of credit expansion will do, and the only question is when, not if, this house of cards will come crumbling down. Will you be prepared when the inevitable occurs? - Crack-up Boom Here Now-Rob Kirby
Macroeconomic researcher Rod Kirby thinks the world is well on its way to much higher inflation. Kirby explains, “Some people say there is a dollar shortage in the world. I do not believe there is a dollar shortage. I think we are seeing evidence that there are too many dollars in the world, not too few. Look at real estate prices around the world. In Canada, they are at record levels. In America, they are at record levels. Real estate prices are at record levels in Britain. There are record levels in Australia. They are at record levels in China. This is not what you’d expect in an environment where there are too few dollars. We are seeing the equity markets rally day after day and make new all-time highs. These are not the kinds of things you see when there are too few dollars. In my view, this might be the thin edge of the wedge of a crack-up boom. Money is getting to the street because money is being taken out of dark pools on the dark side of the U.S. Treasury and is being injected into the market place as bonds are being sold off and redeemed. The world is flush with money, extremely flush with money.” - Giant Fiscal Bloodbath Coming Soon-David Stockman
Former Reagan Administration White House Budget Director David Stockman says financial pain is a mathematical certainty. Stockman explains, “I think we are likely to have more of a fiscal bloodbath rather than fiscal stimulus. Unfortunately for Donald Trump, not only did the public vote the establishment out, they left on his doorstep the inheritance of 30 years of debt build-up and a fiscal policy that’s been really reckless in the extreme. People would like to think he’s the second coming of Ronald Reagan and we are going to have morning in America. Unfortunately, I don’t think it looks that promising because Trump is inheriting a mess that pales into insignificance what we had to deal with in January of 1981 when I joined the Reagan White House as Budget Director.” - Trump Has Treason in White House-Robert David Steele
Former CIA operative and military Intel officer, Robert David Steele, says there is no doubt President Trump is dealing with “treason in his own house.” Steele explains, “Donald Trump’s biggest worry right this minute is they are stripping away every single one of his loyal staff members and planting spies in the White House. Reince Priebus, in my judgment, is not loyal to Donald Trump. Reince Priebus’ highest mission in life is to keep Donald Trump from unrigging the system, while helping the neo-conservative and the extreme left two party establishment strip away all of Trump’s options to the point that they drive Trump out of office, and Mike Pence is the go along, get along President that keeps the two-party tyranny in place. . . . If he forces the NSA to provide support to the FBI, and if he scrutinizes every phone call that Reince Priebus has made and received, he will find the treason in his own house. I guarantee you there are 30 traitors at NSA, 30 traitors at FBI and over 500 traitors across the U.S. government, including the Departments of State and Defense. Counterintelligence has to be set in motion right now.” - Why Is NASA Using The Discovery Of 7 New Earth-Sized Planets To Promote The Idea That Alien Life May Exist?
NASA told us in advance that there would be a huge announcement on Wednesday, and it certainly was not a disappointment. NASA’s declaration that 7 new Earth-sized planets had been discovered approximately 40 light years away from our sun made headlines all over the globe, and the Internet immediately started buzzing with lots of discussions about the possibility that these newly discovered worlds may have life on them. This isn’t the kind of thing that I normally write about on The Economic Collapse Blog, but some of the things that were being said by the scientists involved in this discovery seemed quite odd. It is one thing to say that some new planets have been found, but it is another thing entirely to start speculating about life on those planets. With each new discovery that is made, why does it always seem like NASA is trying to promote the idea that alien life may exist somewhere out there? Could it be possible that they are trying to mentally prepare us for something? - How Angry Will You Be If The Republicans In Congress Do Not Repeal Obamacare?
Top Republicans are now publicly saying that Obamacare will never be fully repealed. In fact, many Republicans in Congress are already using the term “repair” instead of “repeal” to describe what is going to happen to Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. Without a doubt, the Republicans in Congress are eventually going to do something, but strategists in both parties are now suggesting that most of the key elements of Obamacare are going to remain once everything is all said and done. It will be put into a more “conservative” package, but it will still be Obamacare. On Thursday, former House Speaker John Boehner made headlines all over the country when he said that a complete repeal of Obamacare is “not what’s going to happen”. Instead, Boehner said that Republicans are going to “fix Obamacare” and that they will “put a more conservative box around it” in order to keep their constituents happy. - As Wendy's Is Proving, Target Has Shown, Higher Minimum Wages Lead To Job Losses
We people who know our economics keep insisting that raising the minimum wage will lead to people employing less labour. That's just what people do when the price of something rises, they buy less of it. The other name for people using less labour is that we will lose jobs, there will be unemployment. A number of theories are put forward for why this won't happen but happen it still does. As the twin stories of Target and Wendy's show us. - Retail Apocalypse Gains Momentum As David Stockman Warns ‘Everything Will Grind To A Halt’ After March 15th
J.C. Penney and Family Christian Stores are the latest retail giants to announce widespread store closings. As you will see below, J.C. Penney plans to close between 130 and 140 stores, and Family Christian is closing all of their 240 stores. In recent months the stock market has been absolutely soaring, and so most people have simply assumed that the “real economy” must be doing well. But that is not the case at all. In fact, the retail apocalypse that I have been documenting for quite some time appears to be gaining momentum. J.C. Penney is not in as rough shape as Sears is just yet, but it is definitely on a similar trajectory. In the end, they are both headed for bankruptcy. That is why it wasn’t too much of a surprise when J.C. Penney announced that they are getting rid of about 6,000 workers and closing at least 130 stores… - Ford set to axe 1,160 UK jobs, Unite warns as it gears up for strike action
Unite has said up to 1,160 jobs will go by 2021 after Ford said it will cut investment in a new engine programme. The union has warned workers at Ford's Bridgend plant in Wales will be “one step closer to strike action” if the company doesn't commit to protecting jobs. At the moment, the headcount is 1,760. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey is visiting the site today with three mass meetings being held. He said: “Unite members are committed to Ford, the Welsh Assembley is committed to Ford, all we need now is for Ford to commit to its workforce. That means investment, new product lines and a clean plan for the plant's future.” - Is Something Strange Happening Inside The Earth?
Why are “giant fountains of lava” suddenly pouring out of some of the most dangerous volcanoes on the entire planet, and why are so many long dormant volcanoes suddenly roaring back to life? The spectacular eruption of Mt. Etna in Italy is making headlines all over the world, but it is far from alone. According to Volcano Discovery, 35 major volcanoes either are erupting right now or have just recently erupted, and dozens of others are stirring. So what is causing this upsurge in volcanic activity? Is something strange happening inside the Earth? According to the USGS, magma is “molten rock underground”, and lava is molten rock “that breaks through the Earth’s surface”. Right now, something is pushing magma up through the crust of the Earth at a number of key spots around the planet. On the island of Sicily, the “giant fountains of lava” that are coming out of Mt. Etna can be seen 30 kilometers away… - Venezuela is down to its last $10 billion
Caracas is running out of cash. Venezuela only has $10.5 billion in foreign reserves left, according to its most recent central bank data. For rest of the year, Venezuela owes roughly $7.2 billion in outstanding debt payments. In 2011, Venezuela had roughly $30 billion in reserves. In 2015, it had $20 billion. The trend can't persist much longer, but it's hard to know exactly when Venezuela will run completely out of cash. - If You Admit That You Are A Trump Supporter, It May Cost You Your Job
Many liberals that are still extremely bitter about the outcome of the election are taking out their frustrations on Trump supporters all over the country. And in some cases, employees are actually being “reassigned”, fired or asked to leave their jobs if they openly admit their support for President Trump. This kind of political discrimination is not supposed to be happening in our workplaces, but it is happening. Many leftists that are in positions of authority around the nation are using that authority to punish people that voted for Donald Trump. So if you voted for Trump and your boss didn’t, you might want to keep your political views to yourself at your workplace if you want to keep your job. - In Letter Sent Home To All Parents, Chicago Public Schools Promise To Obstruct ‘The Enforcement Of Federal Civil Immigration Law’
The Chicago public school system has decided to openly defy the president of the United States. More than 392,000 students attend public schools in Chicago, and on Tuesday a letter was sent home with each of those students telling their parents that Chicago schools will not “assist in the enforcement of federal civil immigration law”. In fact, the letter actually says that federal officials will not even be allowed “to access CPS facilities”. In essence, every Chicago public school has now officially been declared to be a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. This is just another example of how deeply divided we are as a nation. The entire public school system of one of our largest cities is now in open rebellion against the president, and that is a very dangerous sign. - Radical Leftists Are Warning That The Trump Years Will Be ‘Apocalyptic’ – And They Just Might Be Right
Is the United States about to plunge into an apocalyptic nightmare from which it may never recover? During the Obama era conservatives often warned of such scenarios, but now things have completely shifted. At the moment, conservatives are generally more optimistic than they have been in many years, but quite a few liberals are warning that the Trump years could have absolutely disastrous consequences for this country. They are concerned that Trump’s policies could burst the giant debt bubble that we have been living in and trigger economic collapse, they are concerned that widespread civil unrest could soon erupt in our cities, they are concerned that our rapidly deteriorating environment and major natural disasters could soon kill millions, and they are also concerned that faltering relationships with other nations could lead us into World War III. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – March 2, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams' weekly newsletter.
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In Celebration of Lindsey Williams 01/12/36 – 01/23/23
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” – Lindsey Williams In Celebration of LINDSEY WILLIAMS January 12, 1936 – January 23, 2023 On Saturday, April 1, 2023, at FBC Fountain Hills dba Cornerstone Family Church in Fountain Hills, Arizona, there was a special Memorial service in celebration of […]
Pastor Lindsey Williams – At Bio Care Hospital – Getting Over COVID
This is part 11 of a series of 12 informative videos on how to cope with all the damage COVID brings. Where Pastor Lindsey Williams interviews Rodrigo Rodriguez, MD, founder of BioCare Hospital and Wellness Center. Call BioCare Now: 1-800-262-0212 Website: International BioCare Hospital and Wellness Center Pastor Lindsey Williams Hi, this is Lindsey Williams. […]
Pastor Lindsey Williams – At Bio Care Hospital – COVID and Supplements
This is part 10 of a series of 12 informative videos on how to cope with all the damage COVID brings. Where Pastor Lindsey Williams interviews Rodrigo Rodriguez, MD, founder of BioCare Hospital and Wellness Center. Call BioCare Now: 1-800-262-0212 Website: International BioCare Hospital and Wellness Center Pastor Lindsey Williams Hi, this is Lindsey Williams. […]