by Amy S. US-Iran tensions rise after Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, killed in Baghdad by US air strike. Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated dramatically after a US air strike killed Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known … Read more
Iran’s state television reported that the country will no longer abide by any of the limits of its 2015 nuclear deal. The announcement came Sunday night after another Iranian official said it would consider taking even-harsher steps over the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Friday in Baghdad. State TV cited a statement … Read more
An ugly report. How will it impact the overall economy? By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET. US manufacturing took a turn from lousy to worse in December, according to the Manufacturing ISM Report On Business, released today, with employment, new orders and new export orders, production, backlog of orders, and inventories all contracting. The overall Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) … Read more
Amid a slew of problems. By Nick Corbishley, for WOLF STREET: Italy could be on the verge of approving rules that would make it much easier and cheaper to revoke highway concessions. And that could be very bad news for Autostrade per l’Italia (ASPI), the private toll road operator that controls more than half of Italy’s aging toll roads … Read more
Sales fall for second year in a row, as car sales collapse further and truck sales barely tick up. By Nick Corbishley, for WOLF STREET: Sales of passenger cars and light trucks in Canada fell 3.7% to 1.91 million vehicles in 2019, the second year in a row of declines, and were down 6.1% from peak-year 2017, according to … Read more
by Fabius Maximus Summary: This is one of the best essays I’ve seen about the causes of Brexit, going beyond Britain’s elites (and their journalist servants) blaming the ignorant racist proles (which conveniently excuses them of any responsibility). Professor Mark Blyth shines a light on the real forces at work, and shows how the US has similar problems. … Read more
Money manager Michael Pento says, “I have 10% of my portfolio in gold, and I am going to increase that. I would think you need at least 10% in gold, physical gold, right now. If you don’t have that, then you are doing yourself a great disservice. I include gold, silver and platinum in the … Read more
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Reveals What John Kerry and the Obama Administration are Doing Behind the Scenes h/t dr0id
Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently…. Iran is … Read more
General Flynn Verified account @GenFlynn Soleimani–#1 terrorist in the world, now a good guy & Iran, #1 State Sponsor of Terrorism, now has nuke capabilities–what just happened? Soleimani–#1 terrorist in the world, now a good guy & Iran, #1 State Sponsor of Terrorism, now has nuke capabilities–what just happened? — General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) July … Read more
FULL STATEMENT: President Trump On Military Involvement He died, Trump has now killed the leaders of ISIS and the Al Quds force. Obama was a twit. h/t Jake
Whoa, I wonder who they will attack first? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7851623/Iranian-identifies-35-targets-retaliatory-strikes-General-Soleimanis-death.html An Iranian official says at least 35 U.S. targets, including warships and Tel Aviv, have been identified for retaliatory strikes as Lebanon’s Hezbollah tell Iraqi soldiers to leave U.S. bases and the White House say an attack can happen ‘within weeks.’ The potential threat was raised … Read more
by Fabius Maximus Summary: During the past decade we have deployed our most skilled warriors and most advanced technology in a massive assassination program with few precedents in history. This put the power of evolution to work for our foes. It is called the Darwinian Ratchet, a well-known concept in science and proven in war. I … Read more
by WARREN MOSLER Deeper into contraction: The report was issued today by Timothy R. Fiore, CPSM, C.P.M., Chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee: “The December PMI® registered 47.2 percent, a decrease of 0.9 percentage point from the November reading of 48.1 percent. This is the PMI®’s lowest reading since June … Read more
by northmantrader Recently an annual ritual took place. Wall Street analysts setting year end price targets for the S&P 500 for the new year. Don’t act surprised but these latest price targets are higher for 2020. Why is it not a surprise? Because Wall Street always projects higher price targets. No matter what. And Wall … Read more
by DCG Demorats have their panties in a wad over President Trump ordering the drone killing of Iranian militia terrorist, Qasem Soleimani. As noted by Ben Shapiro, “According to Democrats, giving the Iranian terror regime access to hundreds of billions of dollars with no restrictions on terror use or ballistic missile testing was good, and killing the terrorist responsible for … Read more
Mike & Half Dollar are your hosts for Silver Doctors Live. We currently live-stream on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00 a.m. EST. Watch the show live, or the replay of it, in its entirety below! Link to the Silver Doctors YouTube Channel if needed: https://www.youtube.com/silverdoctors Trump just ordered a strike that killed Iran’s top general, and then Trump … Read more
via Zerohedge The Fed’s charter prohibits it from directly purchasing bonds or bills issued by the US Treasury: that process is also known as monetization and various Fed chairs have repeatedly testified under oath to Congress that the Fed does not do it. Of course, the alternative is what is known as “Helicopter Money”, when … Read more
by Simon Black Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, your finances, and your prosperity. Professor Blames Private Property for California Wildfires A public takeover of utility companies is not enough, according to Kian Goh, Professor of … Read more
Iran’s response to Soleimani’s killing is certain to be devastating and the intention will be to inflict heavy casualties on American personnel regionally. Trump’s gambit may have put his re-election bid in serious jeopardy. Iran’s choice is going to be to wage an asymmetrical war. Tehran will settle for nothing less than American withdrawal from … Read more
by Gor Mkrtchian via Mises Free marketeers have rightly written many refutations of the minimum wage. However, it’s difficult to beat something with nothing, and so this article will outline major ways in which wages actually rise: through capital accumulation and the honing of skills that others value. What Determines Wages? Before looking at how wages can increase, what … Read more
Last week, I reported that, despite record illegal immigration draining resources in the states, 15 GOP governors requested refugee resettlement, after the State Department required their consent in order for contractors to begin resettling in a given jurisdiction. Now, as conservatives remain complacent in this fight, 18 GOP governors have requested resettlement: Kim Reynolds of … Read more
