Reuters has published the result of what is being touted as the Ignorance Index. The one question as an example: “Guess how many U.S. girls aged 15-19 give birth each year. Go ahead, guess. If you calculated the number at 3 percent you’re correct; if you guessed 24 percent, you’re American.” I rarely watch TV. […]

QUESTION: Hi Martin, You talk quite a bit about deflation in your comments, especially in Europe.  Can I assume you’re referring to monetary deflation arising from a slowdown in the velocity of money?  Which I’m guessing stems from banks using the plentiful money that’s available to them to purchase government bonds, using 30-1 leverage (as instructed by […]

The new trick the IRS has been doing is attacking small mom and pop businesses on a ROUTINE basis. The number of reports coming in from around the country are outrageous where small businesses deposit daily receipts under $10,000 kicks off their rule about what is known as “structuring” – depositing money under $10,000 or […]

The Swedish Riksbank (central bank) has cut its key interest rate to zero percent. With this quantitative easing monetary policy the central bank is desperately trying to stimulate borrowing to fight deflation. The key interest rate was lowered by a quarter percentage point where experts had only expected a decrease to 0.1 percent. The Swedish Riksbank hopes […]

Monte dei Paschi shares were suspended twice throughout today. At one stage down 22% currently trading down 18%. Peripheral bond markets behaving themselves only Italian BTP’s were wider by 7bp’s. The European banking crisis is still in full bloom. What the ECB will not admit is that the design of the Euro lacking a single debt […]

Well it has arrived. The ECB stress test of European banks today on Sunday is expected to see  at least 20 percent to nearly 40 percent of all European banks fail. They just cannot understand raising taxes reduces disposable income and thus the economy, borrowing, and investment – dah! European banks are not doing well even […]

The International Monetary Fund has been forced to change the calculation of its most important interest rate after aggressive monetary easing around the world threatened to turn it negative. Late on Friday, the IMF said it is introducing a floor of 0.05 percent for the interest rate on Special Drawing Rights, its own form of […]

The assumption of the hyperinflationists has been that governments will just print to meet their obligations. That theory is based upon revolutionary government who CANNOT SELL debt to anyone. In the case of the West, we issue debt and because of that, the first effort is to meet the demands of bond-holders. That is only […]

There was nearly a 50% jump in the number of Americans rushing to renounce their citizenship. It is more than just not paying taxes, the FATCA rules are so outrageous, Americans have been thrown out of everywhere from Asia to Europe. Plain and simple, FATCA is destroying the American capability to deal internationally. People who […]

  We have a very serious problem with Hillary. I was asked years ago to review Hillary’s Commodity Trading to explain what went on. Effectively, they did trades and simply put winners in her account and the losers in her lawyer’s. This way she gets money that is laundered through the markets – something that […]