Perhaps NATO is starting to wake up. They now realize that they may have to wage war on two fronts simultaneously. NATO is considering what they call a defensive move which is an “Article 5 conflict” but also an “out-of-area” battle. This is showing that NATO is no longer what it was supposed to have […]

COMMENT: Martin, After several years of reading your blog, I have concluded that Socrates’ prognostications appear to be spot on. I also share your assertion that a study of history supplies an insight into future events due to the constancy of “human nature.” Where we appear to part ways is in the definition of “money.” […]

ASIA: India forecast economic growth of 6% to 6.8% in the 2023/24 fiscal year, slowing from the 7% growth projected for the current year ending on March 31, as a global slowdown is likely to hurt exports. The economic growth forecast for 2023/24 is higher than the International Monetary Fund’s projection of 6.1%, as the […]

ASIA:   Chinese provinces spent more than £42.8bn on tackling Covid-19 in 2022, according to data released by local governments, with the figure expected to rise as the huge cost of the pandemic hits the world’s second-largest economy. Although national statistics are not yet available, at least 20 of China’s 31 provinces have published figures […]

ASIA:   The Agricultural Bank of China, one of the country’s largest commercial lenders, has pledged stronger financial support for spring farming. The bank said it will strive to issue more than 160 billion yuan ($23.48 billion) in loans for spring farming preparations this year and will improve the efficiency of financial services. The financial […]

ASIA:   Total debts owed by Adani Group add up to Rs 3.39 trillion ($41.1 billion) and are “equivalent to at least 1% of the Indian economy”, an analysis by Nikkei Asia shows. As per calculations by Nikkei, the liabilities attributed to 10 of Adani’s listed group companies, including ACC, Ambuja Cements and New Delhi […]

ASIA:   The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 increased 86.63 points or 0.31% to 27,670.98 Shanghai decreased 9.71 points or -0.30% to 3,260.67 Hang Seng decreased 433.94 points or -2.01% to 21,190.42 ASX 200 decreased 56.60 points or -0.76% to 7,433.70 Kospi decreased 11.79 points or -0.48% to 2,469.73 […]

ASIA:   India’s unemployment rate fell to 7.14% in January, the lowest in four months, from 8.30% in the previous month, data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) showed. The urban unemployment rate declined to 8.55% in January from 10.09% in the previous month, while the rural unemployment rate slipped to 6.48% from […]

ASIA:   China continues to flex its muscles in the gold market after data from the People’s Bank of China shows that it bought more gold in January, the third straight month. China’s central bank bought 15 tonnes of gold last month; this follows 32 tonnes of gold bought in December and 30 tonnes bought […]

COMMENT: Marty, Powell spoke onstage here at the Economic Club of Washington. As always, nobody seems to know central banks like you. Powell point-blank said that the Fed may have to continue to raise rates more than what the marketplace has already priced in if the jobs market stays unexpectedly strong. I know you hate […]