Sunday, October 22, 2017
China and Ratings Agencies’ Double Standards / Stock-Markets / China Credit Crisis
By: Dan_Steinbock
Or why is China being penalized for its debt problem, but advanced economies aren’t?Today, rising debt is one of China’s key challenges. Recently, it led to the mainland’s rating cut by ratings agencies. Yet, many advanced economies have higher credit ratings than China, though their leverage ratios are worse.
In May 2017, Moody’s Investor Service downgraded China’s credit rating. In September, Standard & Poor’s, too, cut China’s credit rating, citing the risks from soaring debt.
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
The Xi Decade: New Thought for the New Era / Politics / China
By: Dan_Steinbock
In the Xi decade, Chinese transition to the post-industrial society will accelerate, despite the new normal in the world economy.As the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opened in Beijing, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a report about “building a moderately prosperous society” for a new era.
In his speech, Xi delivered a blueprint for China’s development for the next 5-15 years. In the process, he defined new thought for a new era.
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Warning A Crash is Coming: the Stock Market Rally is on VERY Thin Ice / Stock-Markets / Stock Market Crash
By: Jeff_Berwick
The market is on the verge of something serious.
For months we’ve been climbing steadily in a tighter range. Stocks have been BEYOND overbought having gone 300 days without even a 3% pullback.
This latest move has formed a sharp rising wedge pattern that has just broken out to the downside. Stocks need to SERIOUSLY reverse and go parabolic here or the trend has changed.
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Sunday, October 22, 2017
Time for Caution in Gold Miners / Commodities / Gold and Silver Stocks 2017
By: Jordan_Roy_Byrne
Last week we noted the likely negative impact of a sustained rebound in the US Dollar on Gold. Recent weakness in precious metals has not been much of a surprise considering the sector’s relative weakness months ago amid a weak US Dollar. While the greenback has bottomed, it has yet to push above resistance at 94. Nevertheless, Gold and in particular the gold stocks are threatening more losses even before a push higher in the greenback. It is time to be defensive and cautious.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
“Great Rotation” Ahead; Will it Be Inflationary or Deflationary? / Interest-Rates / US Bonds
By: Gary_Tanashian
[edit] This article ultimately leans toward the view that the reasons for a rising curve will be inflationary. But I woke up in the middle of the night and my thoughts drifted to the components of the article (yeah, that’s pretty sad, I know), and with further consideration I am leaning toward neutral or even a bit into the deflationary camp. The reasons will be the stuff of another article.
Think back to the blaring headlines about the Great Promotion Rotation in the financial media in 2013. Perhaps the media circus started in January of that year when The Economist asked the question of whether the rise in bond yields signaled a “flight” out bonds and into equities. It was probably an earnest and right minded question asked by The Economist, but you know our friends in the greater financial media; get a good story and flog the hell out of it to harvest eyeballs. Reality be damned, man, it’s the eyeballs that matter!
Saturday, October 21, 2017
The Trigger for Volatility, Rates and the Next Crisis / Stock-Markets / Financial Crisis 2017
By: Harry_Dent
If you’ve read any of my work, you know I think the iceberg that will ultimately sink the global Titanic is China. It has the greatest overbuilding and debt bubble in history, not to mention the obvious real estate and stock market bubbles.But the Chinese government has too much control over its economy to just let it slide. No. China won’t be the first domino to fall. Rather, the dubious honor may go to lovely and charming Italy.
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Saturday, October 21, 2017
Perks to Consider an Agent for Auto Insurance / Personal_Finance / Insurance
By: Submissions
Aaron Abel writes: If you have a car, you will have to purchase auto insurance, and no one wants to do it with happiness. It cost us a lot of money on a monthly basis to be insured. If you are going to insure your first ever car and you are a new driver the higher premium rates will hurt you a lot.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Emerging Megatrends Hurting Consumers / ConsumerWatch / Shopping
By: Rodney_Johnson
I think Dilbert is hilarious. The comic strip’s creator, Scott Adams, has incredible insight into everyday life.More than a decade ago, he showed the cartoon’s title character in a grocery store. A clerk asked Dilbert, a white-collar, micromanaged engineer by day, if he wanted to sign up for the store’s loyalty card so he could save on purchases.
His reply went something like this: “So you want my personal information, which you’ll then use to track me and market to me, and in return I get the manufacturers’ rebates that I’ve always received? And if I don’t give you my data, then you keep the money?”
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Saturday, October 21, 2017
A Catalyst of the Stock Market Bubble Bust / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
By: Harry_Dent
Brexit. Markets up.Shock election of President Trump. Markets up.
Drum beats of war with North Korea. Markets up.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Markets up.
Wild fire incinerating Northern California. Markets up.
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Saturday, October 21, 2017
Choosing Your Path in This Financial Landscape / Personal_Finance / Investing 2017
By: Rodney_Johnson
I just turned off the television. There wasn’t anything wrong, there was just… nothing. As I go through my day, I stay tuned to CNBC, albeit with the sound down low, simply to have background activity. But today, I just can’t get there. I keep asking myself the same question when I hear their comments… so what?Usually I enjoy some of the banter, and I recognize that most of the people floating across the screen are very smart and accomplished. But I don’t feel edified. In my head I’m playing an endless loop of old quotes and comments that ends up sounding like a game of “Pick a Platitude.” It goes something like this:
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Saturday, October 21, 2017
Silver Stocks Comatose / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
By: Zeal_LLC
The silver miners’ stocks have mostly drifted sideways this year, looking vexingly comatose. Such dull price action repels speculators and investors, so they’ve largely abandoned this lackluster sector. That weak trader participation has led to silver stocks’ responsiveness to silver price moves decaying. What can shock silver stocks out of their zombified stupor? And how soon is such an awakening catalyst likely?
Silver stocks’ flatlined behavior so far in 2017 is surprising and odd. Silver-stock prices are ultimately driven by silver-mining profits, which are overwhelmingly driven by prevailing silver price levels. Silver in turn is slaved to gold’s fortunes, the yellow metal is the white metal’s dominant primary driver. With gold faring quite well this year despite the euphoric record stock markets, silver and its miners’ stocks should be shining.
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Saturday, October 21, 2017
Bitcoin Tests $5,100 / Currencies / Bitcoin
By: Mike_McAra
There’s been some talk of gold becoming an alternative to gold. Goldman Sachs doesn’t seem to agree. In an article on CNBC, we read:
Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are not the "new gold," Goldman Sachs said in a note, advising investors that precious metals "remain a relevant asset class" in portfolios.
In a note to clients earlier this week, Goldman detailed the benefits of holding gold in a portfolio.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Stock Market "Buy and Hold" ... and Investing is Easy / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
By: EWI
"Buy and Hold" ... and Investing is Easy
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Friday, October 20, 2017
Stock Investors Ignore What May Be The Biggest Policy Error In History / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
By: John_Mauldin
My good friend Peter Boockvar recently shared a chart with me.
The University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers have been tracking consumers and their expectations about the direction of the stock market over the next year.
We are now at an all-time high in the expectation that the stock market will go up.
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Friday, October 20, 2017
Gold Up 74% Since Last Stock Market Peak 10 Years Ago / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
By: GoldCore
– 10 year anniversary of pre-Global Financial Crisis market peak in S&P 500 on October 9th
– Gold up 74% since the last market peak a decade ago; 11% pa in USD, 9.4% pa in EUR and 12.4% pa in GBP
– Precious metal has climbed $736/oz on Oct 9th 2007 to $1278.75 ten-years later
– S&P 500’s 102% climb is thanks to asset-pumping policies by central banks, rather than value
– Gold’s performance is slowly forcing mainstream to re-consider gold
– “Notion of gold as a hedge against serious risk aversion is true… ” – Bloomberg analyst
Friday, October 20, 2017
Chinese Economy and Gold / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
By: Arkadiusz_Sieron
In the 2015 October edition of the Market Overview, we analyzed the impact of the Chinese slowdown, as well as the stock market crash and the devaluation of yuan, on the gold market. Two years later, it is worth providing investors with an update about the second biggest economy in the world, especially since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held in October.
Friday, October 20, 2017
The New World Order Currency Reset, Dollar Collapse and Crypto / Currencies / Bitcoin
By: Jeff_Berwick
We’ve been focusing a lot on the crypto space for the last few months. And, can you blame us?
Bitcoin again sits on the cusp of $6,000 having risen nearly 1,000% in the last year.
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Friday, October 20, 2017
Labour Sheffield City Council Employs Army of Spy's to Track Down Tree Campaigners / Felling's Watchers / Local / Sheffield
By: N_Walayat
The Labour controlled Sheffield city council has adopted extreme measures in an attempt at silencing dissent or disruption of it's programme to fell 6000 street trees by the end of this year out of a stock of about 30,000 mature street trees. The strategy being deployed amounts to one of intimidation of anyone who disagrees with the tree felling's programme, where even standing and watching a tree felling in progress is likely to prompt the Labour council's ever expanding army of intelligence gathers (spy's) to add watchers on to a growing list of persons of interest, regardless of whether they have actually interfered in anyway in the Labour councils tree felling's programme, as an army of evidence gathers (spy's, with cameras at hand can be found recording anyone and everyone, even those who just stop to look at the felling's underway across Sheffield's streets.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Stock Market Calm Before The Storm / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
By: Peter_Schiff
In light of the 30-year anniversary of the Black Monday Crash in 1987 (when the Dow lost more than 20% in "one day", we should be reminded that investor anxiety usually increases when markets get to extremes. If stock prices fall steeply, people fret about money lost, and if they move too high too fast, they worry about sudden reversals. As greed is supposed to be counterbalanced by fear, this relationship should not be surprising. But sometimes the formula breaks down and stocks become very expensive even while investors become increasingly complacent. History has shown that such periods of untethered optimism have often presaged major market corrections. Current data suggests that we are in such a period, and in the words of our current President, we may be "in the calm before the storm."
Friday, October 20, 2017
Gold/Silver vs. Bitcoin Comparisons: A No-Brainer... or Brainless? / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
By: MoneyMetals
By David Smith: For most of the year, as Bitcoin soared, crashed, and soared again, cryptocurrency vs. physical gold-silver talking heads engaged each other in heated rhetoric about which of these venues is here to stay.
Some of the biggest names in finance, government, and the newsletter analyst space have made comments that – to be charitable – appear less-than-fully informed. Comments like "Even though bitcoin could rise to $100,000, it's still going to zero!" don't offer much insight. Some other questionable assumptions:
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