Tag Archives: Middle East

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...

Via HowMuch.net, We have created a map which shows the per-capita GDP based upon the type of government in a country. The larger the country appears on the map, the higher the GDP per capita. GDP for Republics The map above shows the GDP per capita of countries with the republic form of government in red, including the United States. Among countries with this form of government, Singapore has the highest GDP per capita...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]"We will colonize you with your democratic laws." — Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Egyptian Islamic cleric and chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars. "Beaches, like any public space, must be protected from religious claims. The burkini is an anti-social political project aimed in particular at subjugating women.

There are many precious metals refineries throughout the world, some local to their domestic markets, and some international, even global in scale. Many but by no means all of these refineries are on the Good Delivery Lists of gold and/or silver. These lists are maintained by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and they identify accredited refineries of large (wholesale) gold and silver bars that continue to...

The last time we wrote about the long-running saga of the scandalous collapse and constant corruption at the Malaysian state wealth fund, 1MDB, which also happened to be an unconfirmed slush fund for president Najib, was a month ago when we learned that the NY bank regulator was looking into fundraising by the fund’s favorite bank, Goldman Sachs. Then overnight, the story which already seemed like it has every possible...

Authored by Adam Withnall, originally posted at The Independent, The world is becoming a more dangerous place and there are now just 10 countries which can be considered completely free from conflict, according to authors of the 10th annual Global Peace Index. The worsening conflict in the Middle East, the lack of a solution to the refugee crisis and an increase in deaths from major terrorist incidents have all...

Major Bourses on Course to End Month Sharply Higher (WSJ) Brent crude lower on strong Middle East oil output (Reuters) Treasuries Lose Their Lead Over Shares as Fed Moves Toward Shift (BBG) Lost Decade for Value Stocks Tests Faithful Who Say End is Nigh (BBG) Iraqi army pause at southern edge of Falluja as IS fights back (Reuters) Risky Reprise of Debt Binge Stars U.S. Companies Not Consumers (BBG) The Untold Story Behind Saudi Arabia’s 41-Year U.S. Debt Secret (BBG) Nuns With Guns: The...

Banks have been lobbying intensively against Brexit. Among those leading the charge is Goldman Sachs. For three years, the bank’s executives have publicly warned about the downsides of leaving the EU... and now we know why (hint - it's not concern for the common man). As The Wall Street Journal reports, about a decade ago, Goldman launched project “Armada,” a plan for a hulking European headquarters on the site of an old telephone exchange in London. Unbundling this kind of structure...