That has been the proposition that antiquities were being looted to fund terrorists. There really has been no direct evidence of any such terrorist market in antiquities. A long-awaited report by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) (WCO itr-2016-en)  has finally emerged which focuses on the trafficking of cultural property for the first time. The claims have proven […]

Private Blog – Dow Jones for the close of 03/23/2018

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I read your article of the whole issue of prostitution. The entire problem is that some western women assume that all prostitutes engage in the profession unwillingly. That is just so biased. What about the women who marry not for love but for money. They are not forced. When the Iron Curtain […]

Bloomberg has reported that dollar bulls are nearly extinct down to just 2.3 %. The majority, which is always wrong, are all focused on the nonsense of the budget and the current account deficits. The record high for the dollar was 1985 when even the British pound fell to $1.03. So the Balance of Payments […]

Timing is everything. When an economy turns, big projects that looked like they were going to be winners suddenly lose big time. That was the case when a world tour had been planned for the world’s biggest airship, the Graf Zeppelin, in 1930 just months after the 1929 Crash. In May 1930, the Graf Zeppelin […]

QUESTION: I found your article on Noah and the flood interesting. However, are there any other sources in the West besides Gilgamesh that it seems many sites point to for the same reason? EY ANSWER: This story of Noah even appears on a Roman coin struck by Septimus Severus (193-211AD) long before Christianity became really […]

Bloomberg is reporting the fate of Christian Bittar who was the top trader at Deutsche Bank AG. He earned a bonus of $126 million in 2008 for betting that as the economy would melt down, banks would refuse to lend to each other until the dust settled so short-term rates would soar. While he is sitting now […]

QUESTION: Dear Martin As usual, I have no words to thank the sincere and incomparable work that you did for us, and almost for free. People like you should be a reference for future generations. You really are a Punk, in the best sense of the word [anti-autoritaritharism, DIY, direct action..]. I’m writing you because the […]

QUESTION: Today most analysts think higher interest rates are on the way. If the majority is always wrong how does that play into the expectations for higher interest rates? HP ANSWER: With the Federal Reserve stating they must “normalize” interest rates since 2014, of course, the majority will view that will be the trend. We […]

QUESTION: Enjoyed your article on The Persian Gulf and climate change. In a related topic we did a field trip once to the South of Spain and saw whole cliff faces of gypsum at Sorbas near Almaria. This very thick layer of gypsum is evidence that the Mediterranean Sea had once totally dried up. One explanation is that […]