This is what lenders ALWAYS say at the end of a credit cycle. Countrywide said the same in late-2006.

via @lebas_janney: Two banks, $C and $JPM have reported increases in loan loss provisions/credit costs. They’re preparing for the credit downturn, even if they don’t say so outright. On the plus side, $WFC followed up with a pretty benign credit story with smaller provisions/charge offs. To be clear, that’s plus side for economy/credit cycle story, not … Read more

Bloomberg: U.S. Will Fail to Release Key Economic Report at Critical Moment

by WhenLuggageAttacks   Bloomberg article tl;dr – The December retail-sales report won’t be released as scheduled Wednesday while the Commerce Department remains closed. Failure to reopen soon also would delay last month’s personal income and spending data, due by Jan. 31. The delay in government-issued economic releases “introduces a greater degree of uncertainty, which typically isn’t … Read more

Yes, we are very fringe – Americans see themselves in debt forever, even as they continue to borrow

by cambeiu ​via NBCNEWS: Although shoppers kept credit card machines busy this holiday season, growing evidence indicates that Americans are starting to feel uneasy about the pile of debt to which we continue to add. A new survey from CreditCards.com finds that more than two in five Americans currently carrying debt don’t know when they’ll pay off those … Read more

Massive Debt Among Media Giants Could Cripple Hollywood

via variety: Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s chairman-CEO, summoned all of his folksy Oklahoma earnestness as he made an enthusiastic pitch to Wall Street analysts about the telephone company’s bold efforts to transform itself into a multimedia powerhouse. It was late November, less than six months after AT&T had wrapped up its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. But before Stephenson … Read more

World’s 2nd-deadliest Ebola outbreak reaches 600 confirmed cases

via ABCNEWS: The second-largest, second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history has reached 600 confirmed cases in five months, health officials said. Since the outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Aug. 1, a total of 649 people have reported symptoms of hemorrhagic fever in the country’s northeastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. Among … Read more

Keep Calm and Buy the Dip

The stock market is wonderful. It’s impossible to lose. You put money in and become rich. I’m not sure why nobody thought of this before except for Warren Buffet, the guy with the Coca Cola. I bought 7 shares of Amazon and now I’m rich. Since the government and the Fed will bail me out, … Read more

Global Warming is All About PRESSURE

by Martin Armstrong QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; Isn’t Venus much hotter because its atmosphere is almost 100% CO2? GH ANSWER: No. The atmosphere of Venus is extremely dense. At the surface it is over 800 degrees, this is true. However, the pressure at the surface is the same as if you were 3000 feet under water. It is the density … Read more

Animation: The Entire History of Tesla in 5 Minutes

by visualcapitalist How did Tesla accelerate from 0-60 mph in such a short period of time? Today’s five-minute-long animation is presented in association with Global Energy Metals, and it tells you everything you need to know about the history of Tesla, including Elon Musk’s vision for the future of the iconic electric car company. WATCH THE VIDEO: … Read more

This is America’s worst nightmare, This is an Attempted Coup by Comey & the FBI

NYT: FBI opened inquiry into whether Trump was secretly working on behalf of Russia; was this retaliation for James Comey’s firing? #Hannity #FoxNews Soft coup and its much bigger than Comey Its all of DC and NY STUNNING LIST: 35 Times the FBI “Deviated from Standard Practice” or Committed Crimes in Effort to Exonerate Hilary … Read more

STUDY: Americans Spend Nearly Half Waking Hours Looking At Screens… Classrooms Resemble Arcades

Survey: Americans Spend Nearly Half Their Waking Hours Looking At Screens Researchers calculate the average adult logs 6 hours, 43 minutes of total screen time daily — or 7,956 days over a typical lifespan! NEW YORK — For all the studies that tell us how important it is to limit screen time, does it sometimes feel that … Read more

Something Wicked This Way Comes

by John Mauldin For a couple of years now, the economic narrative has shown a comparatively strong US against weakness in Europe and some of Asia (NOT China). The US, we are told, will stay on top. I agree with that, as far as it goes… but I’m not convinced the “top” will be so great. … Read more

Top Financial Resolutions for 2019 (and How You Can Start Achieving Them)

Another year, another set of resolutions. From losing weight to spending more time with loved ones, setting resolutions is a time-honored tradition for many of us. Aside from the usual diet and exercise goals, many are also aspiring to make 2019 a year of financial resolutions. According to Fidelity Investments’ annual survey, around 32% of … Read more

THE BREXIT LESSON: As long as there is no common ground in Britain, we shall be divided and ruled

by John Ward Today is a day for counting the numbers – and while numbers aren’t everything, they do count if we really are to become a Nation governed for the needs of the contributory Many. Ideologues of Left, Right, globalism and neoconservatism represent the contemporary narratives obeyed by most….but accepted by a dwindling minority. This … Read more

What will the stock market do around earnings season

by Troy The U.S. stock market has done well throughout the first half of January 2019. With earnings season just ahead and the stock market under its 200 day moving average, the high probability of a pullback/retest remains. Go here to understand our fundamentals-driven long term outlook. Let’s determine the stock market’s most probable medium term … Read more