Tuesday, August 20, 2013

MARTIN ARMSTRONG'S LATEST BLOG POSTS

Thailand Enters Recession

THAILAND-floating-market
The turn in capital flows are also in part linked to the decline in retail sales that has been showing up in US reports. Thailand has entered a recessionary trend with slowing exports and weakening domestic demand. This is helping the capital flows to shift and the strength in the Euro has been the capital contraction in European international investment. We saw the yen also rise with the declining economic prospects as people need cash and return it home.

Municipalities are Collapsing in Europe – Detroit is not Alone

oberhausen
The debt crisis is being felt at the state and local levels. This entire structure of promising pensions on the assumption that they can just always raise taxes is destroying society on a grand scale precisely for the same reasons Rome fell – unfunded liabilities caused by promised pensions for state workers. Detroit is not alone. The same crisis i brewing everywhere, including in Germany. The Ruhr Oberhausen is the most indebted city in Germany.

British Seize All Snowden’s Documents at Guardian

Judge-Illegal
David Miranda, the companion of Glenn Greenwald, who was a journalist with the British “Guardian” newspaper and the primarily journalist responsible for the NSA revelations, was arrested at the London Airport on Monday. The British have seized whatever the “Guardian” had and was forced by British intelligence to destroyed under their supervision all documents given to them by Snowden.The freedom of the press exists no more.

The Seizure of Laptops at the Border

Evil Spy
The US government in its quest for money has embarked upon even seizing people’s laptops at the border. It is their position that the constitution really has no force of law at the border. They need no probable cause to search through your laptop for clues to hidden bank accounts etc. These people trust no one, suspect everyone, and are keeping track of where you go and come from. Welcome to 1984 in full force all because these people spend more than what they collect and to pay the bankers, they are destroying everything. They cannot see that the destination where this all leads is no different than the worst communism ever had to offer.
Defending Privacy at the U.S. Border: A Guide for Travelers Carrying Digital Devices

Fed Tapering – To be or Not to be?

FederalReserve-1
QUESTION: Will the Fed still taper?
ANSWER: The Fed ‘tapering’ will happen but it is not truly impacting the economy. That is the whole fallacy about what is going to happen. Buying the mortgage back securities does nothing for the economy. This has neither been inflationary nor stimulating.WHY?The theory is the Fed is actually injecting cash into the system. WRONG!!!!! The Fed is injecting cash into the banks buying shit they want to get rid of. They then ASSUME the banks will increase their lending. HUGE MISTAKE #2. All the banks are doing is still requiring 110% collateral for a loan and instead have been investing the money and trading. There is no requirement if we buy this you lend that. It is INDIRECT like fining you wife for not making the guy next door put out the trash. You can fine her all day long. That will not force the next door neighbor to put out the trash. There is no DIRECT relationship between tapering and increasing consumer loans. There is absolutely no way for the Fed to “stimulate” or even create inflation absent regulatory direct controls.
The Fed always acts indirectly. But the Fed is NOT going to taper because the economy is “too” strong or because we have “sustained core (wage) inflation”, or because we have “full” employment or sharply declining unemployment. Absolutely, none of these conditions will cause the Fed to actually react. The ONLY time I get questions on the Hill about economic direction is when the STOCK MARKET declines. That alone impacts the 401Ks of politicians. Not housing, unemployment, or inflation. When there is inflation, everyone is happy for they are making more money in nominal terms so the voters are happy and so are the politicians.
The Fed is going to taper simply because they will see the stock market rise and will fear that their stimulation will cause excessive speculation creating a bubble top in assets. This is what the Fed really will watch and pay attention to the trend in the Dow.
The Fed is getting very fearful that the stock market has been rising and all inside sources are confirming that is the issue most concerning. The Fed will react to a rally in the Dow and that will result in tapering. This is actually what they have been worried about all along and ONLY when the stock market rises will the Fed worry about creating the bubble. Historically, they will ALWAYS raise interest rates with every stock market rise.

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