Category Archive: 5) Global Macro

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Will Tax Cuts and More Federal Borrowing/Spending Fix What’s Broken?

2016-12-31

Wages & Salaries as perfent of GDP, energy crisis, financialization boom, internet boom, housing boom

Charles Hugh Smith combines the best graphs on the declining wage share of GDP in this post. He answers the question if the tax cuts and more federal borrowing and spending can solve what is broken in the U.S. economy.

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When Did Our Elites Become Self-Serving Parasites?

2016-12-31

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-31

When did our financial and political elites become self-serving parasites? Some will answer that elites have always been self-serving parasites; as tempting as it may be to offer a blanket denunciation of elites, this overlooks the eras in which elites rose to meet existential crises.

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The World in 2017 Top 10 countdown

2016-12-31

by The Economist

What will be the top ten stand out moments of 2017? Our countdown of the upcoming year’s major stories. Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: http://econ.trib.al/rWl91R7 For more from Economist Films visit: http://films.economist.com/ Check out The Economist’s full video catalogue: http://econ.st/20IehQk Like The Economist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/ Follow The Economist on Twitter: …

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Fake News, Mass Hysteria and Induced Insanity

2016-12-30

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-30

We've heard a lot about "fake news" from those whose master narratives are threatened by alternative sources and analyses. We've heard less about the master narratives being threatened.

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India’s Rapid Progression Toward a Police State

2016-12-30

by Jayant Bhandari

2016-12-30

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, announced on 8th November 2016 that Rs 500 (~$7.50) and Rs 1,000 (~$15) banknotes would no longer be legal tender. Linked are Part-I, Part-II, Part-III, Part-IV, and Part-V, which provide updates on the demonetization saga and how Modi is acting as a catalyst to hasten the rapid degradation of India and what remains of its institutions.

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The fall of Islamic State | The Economist

2016-12-30

by The Economist

The biggest, boldest attempt by a jihadist regime to defy the whole world order will be smashed in 2017. Islamic State is set to be driven out of its last remaining territories in Iraq and Syria—but its defeat won’t spell the end for terrorism. Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: http://econ.trib.al/rWl91R7 What …

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A Tale of Two Housing Markets: Hot and Not So Hot

2016-12-29

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-29

If we had to guess which areas will likely experience the smallest declines in prices and recover the soonest, which markets would you bet on?

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Could Marine Le Pen be the next President of France? | The Economist

2016-12-29

by The Economist

Populist movements are on the rise all over Europe—one reason why the French presidential election in 2017 may be a nail-biter. We predict that it will be one of the top three moments of the year ahead. Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: http://econ.trib.al/rWl91R7 Daily Watch: mind-stretching short films every day of …

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Grab-Bag of Resolutions for 2017

2016-12-28

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-28

Here's a grab-bag of resolutions with something for just about every persuasion. I resolve to never utter or write the word "Trump" in 2017. (Good luck with that...)

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Power grab at China’s National Congress | The Economist

2016-12-28

by The Economist

In China, the Communist Party’s 19th National Congress in October 2017 determines who will rule the world’s rising superpower for the next five years. Amid bitter political infighting, the changes will be sweeping. Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: http://econ.trib.al/rWl91R7 It only happens once every five years. It’s the biggest event in …

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Crisis of Meaning = Crisis of Work

2016-12-27

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-27

Allow me to connect two apparently unconnected dots. Dot #1: The last sugar plantation in Hawaii is closing down, ending more than a century of plantation life in the 50th state.

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When Assets (Such as Real Estate) Become Liabilities

2016-12-27

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-27

It will be the middle class that accepted the notion that "real estate is the foundation of family wealth" that will be stripmined by higher taxes on immobile assets such as real estate.

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The automated delivery race to send drones and robots to you | The Economist

2016-12-27

by The Economist

The automated delivery race is set to grab the public’s attention in 2017. Drones in our skies and robots on our pavements will be tested to meet ever-increasing consumer demands. Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: http://econ.trib.al/rWl91R7 It’s been a dream of futurists for years but 2017 will see the automated delivery …

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Emerging Market Preview for the Week Ahead

2016-12-26

by Win Thin

2016-12-26

EM gained some limited traction as last week ended. However, renewed concerns about China could limit this bounce as President Xi signaled the possibility that growth could fall below the government’s 6.5% target.

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The Washington Post: Useful-Idiot Shills for a Failed, Frantic Status Quo That Has Lost Control of the Narrative

2016-12-25

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-25

Don't you think it fair and reasonable that anyone accusing me of being a shill for Russian propaganda ought to read my ten books in their entirety and identify the sections that support their slanderous accusation?

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The Burrito Index: Consumer Prices Have Soared 160 percent Since 2001

2016-12-25

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-25

In our household, we measure inflation with the Burrito Index: How much has the cost of a regular burrito at our favorite taco truck gone up? Since we keep detailed records of expenses (a necessity if you’re a self-employed free-lance writer).

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Emerging Markets: What has Changed

2016-12-24

by Win Thin

2016-12-24

China President Xi raised the possibility of sub-6.5% growth. Fitch moved the outlook on Indonesia’s BBB- rating from stable to positive. The Philippine central bank raised its 2017 inflation forecasts for 2017 and 2018.

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The Disaster of Inflation-For the Bottom 95 percent

2016-12-24

by Charles Hugh Smith

2016-12-24

Central banks are obsessed with boosting inflation, but the "why inflation is good" arguments make no sense for households being ravaged by inflation. The basic argument is that inflation makes it easier for debtors to service their debts.

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Modi’s Fantastic Promises

2016-12-24

by Jayant Bhandari

2016-12-24

This article continues right where Part VI left off (for earlier updates on the demonetization saga see Part-I, Part-II, Part-III, Part-IV, and Part-V). There is still huge support for Modi even among the poor. A big carrot is dangled before them, which makes many stay numb to their current suffering. During his election campaign in 2014, Modi promised to deposit more than Rs 1.5 million (~$22,000) in each poor person’s account once the...

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We Know How This Ends – Part 2

2016-12-23

by Jeffrey P. Snider

2016-12-23

In March 1969, while Buba was busy in the quicksand of its swaps and forward dollar interventions, Netherlands Bank (the Dutch central bank) had instructed commercial banks in Holland to pull back funds from the eurodollar market in order to bring up their liquidity positions which had dwindled dangerously during this increasing currency chaos.

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