Federal Reserve: Credibility on the line … Sam Fleming in Washington … Last month's rate rise is drawing criticism. Some say it should abandon plans to increase again soon … While economists are almost equally divided on whether Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen will raise U.S. interest rates this week, the bond market suggests policy makers will wait. – Financial...Read More

'This was all planned': Former IG says Hillary, State Dept. are lying … The State Department is lying when it says it didn't know until it was too late that Hillary Clinton was improperly using personal e-mails and a private server to conduct official business — because it never set up an agency e-mail address for her in the first place, the department's former top watc...Read More

Japan adopts negative interest rate … In a surprise move, the Bank of Japan has introduced a negative interest rate. The benchmark rate of -0.1% means that commercial banks will be charged by the central bank for some deposits. It hopes this will be a disincentive to banks to save and prompt them to lend in another attempt to counter the continuing economic slump in the world's third-lar...Read More

Cover-Up of Autism and Vaccine Link … I am sure you are aware that the water supply in Flint, Michigan, was recently found to be contaminated with lead … An article (1.26.16) in the Detroit Free Press stated that the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding a hearing on February 3, 2016 about the Flint water crises. I am happy this hearing will happen. – Dr...Read More

The Illusion of Safety: Index Funds Are Not Low-Risk … If the risk-on euphoria of punters borrowing billions of dollars in margin debt doesn't materialize, stocks could languish for years after falling 50%. The financial service industry's Prime Directive is to exploit humanity's core drives of Greed and Fear. Financial service companies promise high returns (fulfilling our greed...Read More

Could math solve conspiracy theory debates? A physicist at Oxford University developed a mathematical equation to derive the truth of conspiracy theories, and it all comes down to the number of people involved. – Christian Science MonitorDominant Social Theme: These conspiracy theories gotta go!Free-Market Analysis: Another day, another attempt in the mainstream media to figure out why peopl...Read More

The sharp sell-off in the stock market has some of Wall Street’s top strategists recommending to clients that they buy. “With the S&P 500 down 11.7% from its all-time high (2,130 in May 2015), investors are questioning whether a bear market is in the offing,” RBC chief equity strategist Jonathan Golub said on Tuesday. “History shows that sell-offs of 20% or more rarely...Read More

The 50 most violent cities in the world … Latin America holds the undesirable distinction of having the most cities on the Mexico Citizens Council for Public Security's annual ranking of the world's most violent cities. Of the 50 cities on the list, 41 are in Latin America, including 21 in Brazil. – Business InsiderDominant Social Theme: Brazil? A showplace of Western economic...Read More

The Fed’s phony mandate … How many times have we heard top Federal Reserve officials solemnly invoke the Fed’s “dual mandate” as the be-all, end-all justification for their monetary policy decisions? … But the so-called dual mandate was not exactly written in stone, it turns out. Rather, it has survived as a disturbing legislative artifact from some 40 years ago...Read More

Norway’s biggest bank DNB calls for the end of cash … Could Oslo become Europe’s first cashless capital? … Norway’s largest bank has called for the country to go totally cashless over fears of illegal activity. – UK Independent via Times of IndiaDominant Social Theme: Let’s focus on the bank runs while we build our cashless society.Free-Market Analysis: H...Read More

Who Organised the Attacks of January and November 2015 in Paris? … According to the official version, the attacks of January and November 2015 in Paris were sponsored by Al-Qa??da in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP)-for the execution of the editors of Charlie-Hebdo-and by Daesh for all the others. - VoltaireNet via LewRockwell.comDominant Social Theme: Don’t look at the man behind the curtain...Read More

BlackRock Chief: Markets Will Be ‘Fine’ … The boss of the world’s largest money manager said financial markets will be “fine” over the next year despite a sharp downturn early in 2016 … BlackRock Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Laurence Fink said in an interview … that the market is “going through a correction phase and is doing it rapidly.&#...Read More

Leonardo DiCaprio Slams Corporate Greed and Calls for the Elimination of Fossil Fuels … “We cannot afford to allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity.” - TIME via PeopleDominant Social Theme: The same greedy corporations that pay me millions must divest themselves of their oil and gas interests. Oh, and coal, too.Free-Marke...Read More

Fears grow of repeat of 2008 financial crash as investors run for cover… As leaders gathered in Davos, FTSE 100 was gripped by panic selling and entered bear market with Dow Jones also plunging. - UK GuardianDominant Social Theme: Fears are growing as the world’s economic system trembles on the verge. What to do?Free-Market Analysis: Let us recall how long ago we were misled and what t...Read More

Cruz shifts on Edward Snowden … Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz … said National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden is a “traitor” who should be “tried for treason,” shifting away from the praise he expressed for Snowden in 2013. - The HillDominant Social Theme: Off with his head.Free-Market Analysis: Politics is a truly brutal sport. Most of the time...Read More

Why Central Bank Independence Matters … In India, the independence of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and its respected governor, Professor Raghuram Rajan, was recently perceived to be under threat when the Indian government proposed through its Ministry of Finance that its nominees should form the majority in a new, formal Monetary Policy Committee of the RBI. Domestic and international con...Read More

Oceans running out of fish as undeclared catches add a third to official figures … The global catch of fish and seafood is falling at three times the rate reported by the United Nations and urgently needs to be slowed to avoid a crash, reports Christopher Pala. The finding comes in a new study for Nature which quantifies the huge illegal industrial fish pillaging taking place around the worl...Read More

The Citadel Is Breached: Congress Taps the Federal Reserve for Infrastructure Funding … The highway measure would be financed in part by a one-time use of Federal Reserve surplus funds and by a reduction in the 6 percent dividend that national banks receive from the Fed. . . . Banks with $10 billion or less in assets would be exempt from the cut. The Fed's surplus capital comes from the...Read More

"This is personal," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told an estimated 300 people at the Hilton Garden Inn … It was foreign affairs that really got Rubio going claiming Obama is cutting "deals" with the enemies putting Americans in harms way, he said. "If you take an American as a hostage, Barack Obama will cut a deal with you (for release)." America must stand strong w...Read More

Why This Market Meltdown Isn't a Repeat of 2008 … The end isn't nigh … The U.S. economy and financial system are in a very different place. Notably, debt ratios within the U.S. aren't nearly as high outside the government. – Wall Street JournalDominant Social Theme: 2008 is ancient history. Let's focus on what's good about the present.Free-Market Analysis: The...Read More