Just over a year ago, we reported that in what was set to be a pilot experiment in “universal basic income”, Finland would become the first nation to hand out “helicopter money” in the form of cash directly to a select group of citizens. As of January 1, 2017, the experiment in “basic income” has officially begun, with Finland becoming the first country in Europe to pay its unemployed citizens the guaranteed monthly sum...
Read More »Nomi Prins’ Political-Financial Road Map For 2017
As tumultuous as last year was from a global political perspective on the back of a rocky start market-wise, 2017 will be much more so. The central bank subsidization of the financial system (especially in the US and Europe) that began with the Fed invoking zero interest rate policy in 2008, gave way to international distrust of the enabling status quo that unfolded in different ways across the planet. My prognosis is...
Read More »The War On Cash Is Happening Faster Than We Could Have Imagined
Submitted by Simon Black via SovereignMan.com, It’s happening faster than we could have ever imagined. Every time we turn around, it seems, there’s another major assault in the War on Cash. India is the most notable recent example– the embarrassing debacle a few weeks ago in which the government, overnight, “demonetized” its two largest denominations of cash, leaving an entire nation in chaos. But there have been...
Read More »You’ll Only Understand Trump and Brexit If You Understand the Failure of Globalization
[See also The Numbers Show Trump Win NOT Due to Racism and Sexism] You can only understand the victory of Donald Trump and Brexit once you understand the failure of globalization … Trump Trump made rejection of globalization a centerpiece of his campaign. In his July 21st acceptance speech as the Republican nominee, he said: Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo. The Boston Globe bannered this headline on...
Read More »You’ll Only Understand Trump and Brexit If You Understand the Failure of Globalization
[See also The Numbers Show Trump Win NOT Due to Racism and Sexism] You can only understand the victory of Donald Trump and Brexit once you understand the failure of globalization … Trump Trump made rejection of globalization a centerpiece of his campaign. In his July 21st acceptance speech as the Republican nominee, he said: Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo. The Boston Globe bannered this headline on Thursday: “Trump won. Globalization lost. Now...
Read More »Cashless Society – Is The War On Cash Set To Benefit Gold?
Submitted by Jan Skoyles via GoldCore.com, Introduction Cash is the new “barbarous relic” according to many central banks, regulators, and some economists and there is a strong, concerted push for the ‘cashless society’. Developments in recent days and weeks have highlighted the risks posed by the war on cash and the cashless society. The Presidential campaign has been dominated for months and again this week by the...
Read More »FX Daily, October 20: ECB Unlikely to Shake Dollar’s Slumber
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, October 20 2016(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ). - Click to enlarge GBP/CHF rates have fallen dramatically over the past month, as Sterling continues to find itself under pressure against the major currencies. However, despite these losses it is not all doom and gloom for those clients holding GBP, as Tuesday’s positive spike for the Pound proved. Currency does not move in a...
Read More »Emerging Equities Outshine Developed Markets
In the years before the 2008 financial crisis, investors flocked to equities in fast-growing emerging economies. But when the crisis put the brakes on global growth, that attraction to emerging markets proved a fickle one, and investors sought safe haven in less risky investments. In late 2016, however, the pendulum is swinging back again, with investors citing several reasons for renewed confidence in emerging market equities. Among the most surprising? Their politics are relatively more...
Read More »Investing in Brazil: Sectors on the Mend
Will the recent upheaval in Brazil’s political leadership lead to a stronger economy? Investors certainly think so. Fueled by anticipation of embattled president Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment and economic reforms by her replacement, Michael Temer, the Bovespa has jumped more than 50 percent since late January. In the week after Rousseff’s official ouster on August 31, the index rose a full 4 percent, and Brazilian consumer confidence reached its highest level since January...
Read More »Rogoff Warns “Cash Is Not Forever, It’s A Curse”
Submitted by Christoph Gisiger via Finanz und Wirtschaft, Kenneth Rogoff, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, postulates to get rid of cash. In his opinion, killing big bills would hamper organized crime and make negative interest more effective. Kenneth Rogoff makes a provocative proposal. One of the most influential economists on the planet, he wants to phase out cash. «Paper currency lies at...
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