Monetary History of Byzantium   ALEXIUS I 1081-1118 Alexius I Comnenos (c. 1048; 1081 – 1118AD) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118 yet he inherited a collapsing empire. Byzantium faced constant warfare against Seljuq Turks in Asia Minor and the French in the western Balkans.  Alexius also faced the collapsed on the monetary system. […]

QUESTION:  Hello Martin … I follow emerging markets closely and one thing I note is that the size of the sovereign forex-denominated debt burdens are quite small relative to GDP except in the case of Argentina (48%). Everybody else, including Turkey and Indonesia) is 11% or less. How can you have a debt crisis if […]

The US share markets are being driven up by two main factors. First, institutions have sold the market assuming there would be a major crash. In February at the lows, Goldman Sachs was forecasting that the market could plunge another 25%. In May, Goldman Sachs again was warning that the next crash will be worse because […]

QUESTION: Greetings Marty, I have followed you since the old Money Radio days! Can you help me understand the disparity between the declining velocity of money, the growth of the economy and what the natural consequence may be? Thank you for your willingness to share your knowledge! Regards, MRM   ANSWER: Oh yes. Buzz Schwartz […]

While in the US some people have discovered that running a YouTube Channel can get you in trouble with the law. One many found himself in Georgia with being charged with running a business without a license even though he was not selling anything just offering his opinion. Of course, there are two licensing options […]

The PBOC change in technical methodology for pricing Yuan was the reason for the stock rally in Asia this morning and also responding to Powell’s comments. It could be political, but the move does look to be underpinning the Yuan, for the moment, as we head towards the next round of Trade Talks. Slowing the […]

Italy is the third largest economy in Europe just behind France, but it is number two insofar as industrial production is concerned. The French manufacture three main brands, Peugeot, Citroen, and Renault, in the world of automobiles which are not very popular in the USA. The Italians, however, have the more recognized brands worldwide such as Ferrari, […]

  QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I find your anecdotes fascinating and very enlightening how you always bought German cars and made money on them.  Is currency the primary reason people often think something is a good investment when in fact it is really just currency fluctuations? PVB ANSWER: You are hitting the nail right on the head. The decline […]

No conclusion, as the US/China trade talks finish, a new PM in Australia, unchanged +0.7% release for Japanese inflation and a rally in oil and gold as the USD turned. All this ahead of Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech and still no volatility. This all goes to show that traditional summer months are difficult to […]

With core China and the Hang Seng indices trading near their 52week lows, this is the direct opposite to core US indices that are making historic highs! Todays price action almost seemed typical of what we have seen over this past year. US markets are treading water at their highs, whilst Shanghai, Hang Seng, STI […]