When an economic crisis is coming, there are usually certain
indicators that appear in advance. For example, commodity prices
usually start to plunge before a recession begins. And as you can see
from the Bloomberg Commodity Index which you can find right here, this has already been happening. In addition, I have previously written
about how the U.S. dollar went on a great run just before the financial
collapse of 2008. This is something that has also been happening over
the past few months. Some people would have you believe that nobody can
anticipate the next great economic downturn and that to try to do so is
just an exercise in “guesswork”. But that is not the case at all. We
can look back over history and see patterns that keep repeating. And a
lot of the exact same patterns that happened just before previous stock
market crashes are happening again right now.Read More…
A Fool and his money soon parted...
CNBC's SquawkBox Has Lowest Nielsen Rating In Its History
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 14:34 As the following update of CNBC's perhaps most popular (if least watched, lagging even Mad Money) day breaking segment, SquawkBox, the show that features Joe Kernen, Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin just suffered its worst quarterly Nielsen rating in the show's history.
Crowded Trade 2.0: Specs Have Never Been More Short Gold Or The Euro
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 14:10 The Long US Dollar, Short US Treasuries trades were the 'most crowded' earlier this year and while both have derisked modestly from record highs, this week saw the net speculative position in EURUSD futures surge more negative and has never been shorter. Along similar 'strong dollar' lines, as Bloomberg reports, net long positions in Gold have dropped to their lowest since Dec 2013 and outright Gold short positions rose for the seventh week in a row to the highest since data began in 2006.
Bad News For America's Biggest Housing Bubble: San Francisco Home Prices Suffer Biggest Drop In Three Years
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 13:50 It was not only the annual growth rate of only 7.9%, matching the lowest since the European debt bubble burst in 2010, but also the sequential rate of price drops, at -0.9% - the biggest monthly drop in three years, or since January 2012 - that will once again be a subject for concern of housing watchers. Because should the price decline resume its acceleration without any emerging tailwinds to prop up the local housing market, then there will surely be some severe fallout such as this peak housing bubble example, in which as Curbed reported last week, a run down shack which listed for $799,000 sold for 50% more, or $1.2 million a few weeks later!
AIG Lite: Margin Call Claimed First Foreign Casualty Of Austrian "Black Swan"
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 13:20 While we wait to see which “well capitalized” bank will be the next to crumble under the weight of mountainous writedowns occasioned by the sudden souring of “riskless” assets, we get to read the DuesselHyp post-mortem, which shows that the bank was effectively AIG’d by Eurex.
Why The Mania Is Getting Scary - Central Bankers Are Running A Doomsday Machine
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 12:56 "The utterances of the Yellen/Zhou duo who kicked off yesterday’s rip make absolutely clear why the central bankers will never stop stimulating. They have embraced a spurious “inflation deficiency” doctrine, and have thereby, in effect, lashed themselves to the wheel of a doomsday machine."
Four TBTF Banks Threaten To Withhold Funds To Democrats Over Elizabeth Warren's Wall Street Rants
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 11:57 Having already proven that their institutions are above the law in the aftermath of the financial crisis, executives at the “Too Big to Fail and Jail” banks have decided it’s time to teach Senate Democrats a lesson. Not being content with trillions in taxpayer backed bailouts to protect and further consolidate virtually all wealth within their oligarch fiefdoms, these bankers are irate at the notion that a commoner would dare criticize their unassailable crony privilege. What Wall Street wants is one hundred Chucky Schumers in the Senate.
The Iran "Talks" - Just Another US vs Russia (And China) Power Game
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 11:24 Update, and just as expected: IRAN NUCLEAR NEGOTIATORS MAY MISS 3RD DEADLINE: U.S. OFFICIAL"The United States and Europe reportedly want the UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on Iran to be automatically reversible, meaning that if Iran violates the deal at any point, the UNSC sanctions will automatically be re-imposed on Tehran. Russia opposes such a scenario, saying in such a case the UNSC should decide what to do. Moscow says automatic imposition of sanctions goes against the mechanism of the Security Council. China also reportedly shares Russia’s viewpoint and is against the imposition of automatically reversible sanctions on Iran."
"Biggest Jump In General Collateral On Record" Leaves Experts Stumped
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 10:30 "The overnight general collateral rate jumped to 0.38% this morning. The GC rate has seen sharp moves at quarter end in the past, although today's jump is the largest we have on record."
Market Opens On A Weak Note And... Nasdaq Breaks.. And Then NYSE Breaks After Chicago PMI
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 10:15
Consumer Confidence Surges Higher As 'Hope' Trumps Reality
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 10:11 Following February's drop from 'recovery' cycle highs (which has now been erased by previous revisions! why are confidence measures seasonally-adjusted anyway?), despite surging gas prices, terrible economic data, and dismal weather, March consumer confidence explodes higher. Printing 101.3, massively beating expectations of 96.4, this is just shy of the cycle highs in January. Of course, it's all hope... the present situation index actually dropped notably from 112.1 to 109.1 as future expectations surged from 90.0 to 96.0, but fewer people plan to buy homes or major applicances in the next 6 months.
Marxist Group Takes Turkish Prosecutor Hostage, Posts Pictures
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/31/2015 - 09:55 In the midst of a near-nationwide blackout that grounded planes and froze rail traffic and which officials say could be terror-linked, armed gunman have taken a prosecutor hostage in an Istanbul court house.
from KingWorldNews:
Richard Russell:
“I spent the weekend as an amateur, reading the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution of the USA. I was surprised. The
Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, states, “We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” … I noted that
most of the Declaration of Independence is a litany of complaints about
Britain. The signers of the Declaration were almost apologizing in case
after case for cutting themselves off from Britain.
Then I turned to the Constitution, and to its second amendment. It reads, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
Richard Russell Continues @ KingWorldNews.com
Richard Russell:
“I spent the weekend as an amateur, reading the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution of the USA. I was surprised. The
Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, states, “We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” … I noted that
most of the Declaration of Independence is a litany of complaints about
Britain. The signers of the Declaration were almost apologizing in case
after case for cutting themselves off from Britain.Then I turned to the Constitution, and to its second amendment. It reads, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
Richard Russell Continues @ KingWorldNews.com
by Michael Snyder, End of The American Dream:
The Russian military is in the midst of a sweeping modernization
program, and it is currently developing some incredibly impressive
offensive and defensive next-generation weapons that are designed to be
used in a future war with the United States. The key to winning World
War III will be to strike hard and to strike fast, and the Russians
understand this. Meanwhile, the U.S. military has totally shifted gears
from a “Cold War mindset” and is now completely focused on fighting
smaller regional wars in the Middle East and elsewhere. As a result,
U.S. strategic forces have suffered. There has been very little effort
to modernize, and many of our nuclear missile silos are using technology
that is ridiculously outdated. For example, CBS News
has documented that eight inch floppy disks are still being used in
many of our missile silos. And don’t expect things to change any time
soon. At this point, the U.S. military plans to keep Minuteman
intercontinental ballistic missiles that were originally deployed in the
1960s and 1970s in service until 2030.
Read More…
The Russian military is in the midst of a sweeping modernization
program, and it is currently developing some incredibly impressive
offensive and defensive next-generation weapons that are designed to be
used in a future war with the United States. The key to winning World
War III will be to strike hard and to strike fast, and the Russians
understand this. Meanwhile, the U.S. military has totally shifted gears
from a “Cold War mindset” and is now completely focused on fighting
smaller regional wars in the Middle East and elsewhere. As a result,
U.S. strategic forces have suffered. There has been very little effort
to modernize, and many of our nuclear missile silos are using technology
that is ridiculously outdated. For example, CBS News
has documented that eight inch floppy disks are still being used in
many of our missile silos. And don’t expect things to change any time
soon. At this point, the U.S. military plans to keep Minuteman
intercontinental ballistic missiles that were originally deployed in the
1960s and 1970s in service until 2030.Read More…
from The News Doctors:
Saudi fighter planes continue to attack neighboring Yemen in hopes of
re-installing ousted Yemeni president Mansur Hadi and putting down the
rebellion that forced him to depart. As usual, civilians bear the brunt
of such a foreign attack. Today, the Saudi-led coalition bombed a refugee camp, killing more than 40 and wounding as many as 200.
Hadi’s ouster earlier this year came on the heels of mounting public anger over his cooperation with the US government’s five years of drone attacks on Yemen, which killed scores of civilians. Hadi, who was “elected” by an impressive 99.80% of the vote (on a single-candidate ballot) had previously overthrown long-time Yemeni ruler, Abdullah Saleh, in the “Arab Spring” uprisings of 2011.
Read More @ TheNewsDoctors.com
from MissingSky101:
/
Saudi fighter planes continue to attack neighboring Yemen in hopes of
re-installing ousted Yemeni president Mansur Hadi and putting down the
rebellion that forced him to depart. As usual, civilians bear the brunt
of such a foreign attack. Today, the Saudi-led coalition bombed a refugee camp, killing more than 40 and wounding as many as 200.Hadi’s ouster earlier this year came on the heels of mounting public anger over his cooperation with the US government’s five years of drone attacks on Yemen, which killed scores of civilians. Hadi, who was “elected” by an impressive 99.80% of the vote (on a single-candidate ballot) had previously overthrown long-time Yemeni ruler, Abdullah Saleh, in the “Arab Spring” uprisings of 2011.
Read More @ TheNewsDoctors.com
from MissingSky101:
by Daisy Luther, The Organic Prepper:
I’ve always thought those giant Easter bunnies that walk around the
mall were sort of creepy. I remember once when my oldest daughter was a
toddler her absolute terror when one such mascot bent over her stroller
and asked, “Want some candy, little girl?”
Well, it seems that her instincts were right. Now that I know what’s in the “treats” that they push, I’m positive that taking candy from strange rabbits is a terrible idea.
Today, I’m here to “ruin” Easter for you by telling you exactly what’s in that adorable little basket that pretty much everyone in America gives to their kids. Because, you know, nothing says “Happy Easter” like a beautifully decorated basket full of prettily packaged GMO high fructose corn syrup, dye, processed GMO sugar, and chemical flavoring. (Don’t worry, though. I’ll also “save” Easter with some non-toxic treat suggestions too!)
Read More @ TheOrganicPrepper.com
I’ve always thought those giant Easter bunnies that walk around the
mall were sort of creepy. I remember once when my oldest daughter was a
toddler her absolute terror when one such mascot bent over her stroller
and asked, “Want some candy, little girl?”Well, it seems that her instincts were right. Now that I know what’s in the “treats” that they push, I’m positive that taking candy from strange rabbits is a terrible idea.
Today, I’m here to “ruin” Easter for you by telling you exactly what’s in that adorable little basket that pretty much everyone in America gives to their kids. Because, you know, nothing says “Happy Easter” like a beautifully decorated basket full of prettily packaged GMO high fructose corn syrup, dye, processed GMO sugar, and chemical flavoring. (Don’t worry, though. I’ll also “save” Easter with some non-toxic treat suggestions too!)
Read More @ TheOrganicPrepper.com
from Vigilant Citizen:
This National Geographic documentary looks into the CIA’s secret
experiments conducted during the Cold War. It mainly focuses on mind
control and the brainwashing techniques attached to it : Hypnosis,
electroshock therapy and drugs.
CIA Secret Experiments explores a page of the book History that is often heavily redacted or completely shredded. It is about the troubling experiments conducted by the CIA during the Cold War, especially on mind control. The documentary explains how its techniques can be used to create “Manchurian candidates” (aka MK slaves) that can be used to conduct assassinations and other deeds.
Read More…
This National Geographic documentary looks into the CIA’s secret
experiments conducted during the Cold War. It mainly focuses on mind
control and the brainwashing techniques attached to it : Hypnosis,
electroshock therapy and drugs.CIA Secret Experiments explores a page of the book History that is often heavily redacted or completely shredded. It is about the troubling experiments conducted by the CIA during the Cold War, especially on mind control. The documentary explains how its techniques can be used to create “Manchurian candidates” (aka MK slaves) that can be used to conduct assassinations and other deeds.
Read More…
from Gold Core:
The Financial Times warned today about the growing global ‘bond
bubble’ and potential severe problems in the bond markets and ‘systemic
risk’ which may come to a head in June if the Federal Reserve raises
interest rates.
In an article entitled “Time to find out hard way if asset management is systemic risk“, it quotes James Bullard from the Fed warning of “dire consequences” due to developing asset price bubbles if the Fed does not raise rates soon.
It refers to fact that “80 per cent of fund managers surveyed by CFA UK, a financial standards body, signalled worries about the inflated value of bonds.” It discusses how plans have been in the making to manage risks posed by certain funds by “boosting supervision of asset managers.”
Read More @ GoldCore.com
The Financial Times warned today about the growing global ‘bond
bubble’ and potential severe problems in the bond markets and ‘systemic
risk’ which may come to a head in June if the Federal Reserve raises
interest rates.In an article entitled “Time to find out hard way if asset management is systemic risk“, it quotes James Bullard from the Fed warning of “dire consequences” due to developing asset price bubbles if the Fed does not raise rates soon.
It refers to fact that “80 per cent of fund managers surveyed by CFA UK, a financial standards body, signalled worries about the inflated value of bonds.” It discusses how plans have been in the making to manage risks posed by certain funds by “boosting supervision of asset managers.”
Read More @ GoldCore.com
from Zero Hedge:
The constant changes to Fed policy targets and enslavement to the
ticker must change, according to former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh.
“The markets think they have Yellen’s number,” that she will never
allow markets to go down, Warsh warns “that is a very dangerous
development.” What worries Warsh the most, however, is
“The Fed’s policies changing based on what happens on the ticker… The
Fed should be thinking 3 to 4 years ahead.” Investors “think good times can last forever,” he notes ominously, “we tried negative real rates in the mid 70s and the early 2000s and both ended badly.” Someone is not getting invited back on CNBC…
Read More @ ZeroHedge.com
The constant changes to Fed policy targets and enslavement to the
ticker must change, according to former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh.
“The markets think they have Yellen’s number,” that she will never
allow markets to go down, Warsh warns “that is a very dangerous
development.” What worries Warsh the most, however, is
“The Fed’s policies changing based on what happens on the ticker… The
Fed should be thinking 3 to 4 years ahead.” Investors “think good times can last forever,” he notes ominously, “we tried negative real rates in the mid 70s and the early 2000s and both ended badly.” Someone is not getting invited back on CNBC…Read More @ ZeroHedge.com
In an explosive interview on 
“Our friend and fellow market veteran, Jim Brown over at Option
Investor took a look at some seasonal factors in his market note over
the weekend. Here’s a bit:
The United States Army has announced they will be conducting a
simulated training exercise over the summer in which they plan to
simulate battles and insurgent attacks throughout Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. According to recently
unclassified documents, the exercise, which categorizes Texas and Utah
as “Hostile” States, will run from July 15 through September 15th.
Nuclear weapons are no longer restrained by the Cold War MAD doctrine.
Washington has released them into pre-emptive first strike form.
Is this roundup taking place in China, Iran or Russia? As many already
know, this recently took place in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in which
“pretend” dissidents are rounded up as part of the Jade Helm 15 drill.
Please note the straight line and the hands on the shoulders of those in
front of them, as they were swept away to waiting white vans. We are
witnessing the implementation of the Fourth Reich.
from 
In terms of monetary policy, the Federal Reserve and Treasury became
concerned about the inflationary potential of excess reserves in the
banking system and large gold inflows, and therefore decided to double
reserve requirements and sterilize gold inflows. – Douglass Irwin, 
The United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia became very uneasy
when the Yemenese or Yemenite movement of the Houthi or Ansarallah
(meaning the supporters of God in Arabic) gained control of Yemen’s
capital, Sanaa/Sana, in September 2014. The US-supported Yemenite
President Abd-Rabbuh Manṣour Al-Hadi was humiliatingly forced to share
power with the Houthis and the coalition of northern Yemenese tribes
that had helped them enter Sana. Al-Hadi declared that negotiations for a
Yemeni national unity government would take place and his allies the US
and Saudi Arabia tried to use a new national dialogue and mediated
talks to co-opt and pacify the Houthis.
Below is one of the charts that I used in my presentation at the Casey
Research conference in San Antonio, Texas last September—and I thought
it time for a revisit.
Until March 31 countries can submit for membership of the Asian
Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB), a financial institution proposed
by China, which has the purpose of being a multilateral framework to
finance infrastructure projects in the wide Eurasian region. In recent
weeks many Western countries have submitted for membership, the US
rejected application as it fears strong cooperation between Asia and
Europe will weaken the US dollar hegemony. On April 15 the final list of
the founding members will be disclosed.
Companies are selling bonds like madmen. This year through Tuesday,
investment-grade and junk-rated companies have sold $438 billion in new
bonds, up 14% from the prior record for this time of the year, set in
2013, according to Dealogic. This quarter is already in second place,
nudging up against the all-time quarterly record of $455 billion of Q2
2014.
In what should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the Syrian crisis, 
Eric King:
“The gold market has held up incredibly well (recently). We’ve had
the U.S. Dollar Index go from the low 80s to a bit above par. Now it’s
pulled back just a bit, but during that whole time frame the anticipated
smash on gold to $900 or $1,000 never materialized, and now we’re back
to $1,200.”
Let the seller beware! The German citizen/investor who put away a few
rolls of 20 mark gold coins (.2304 tr ozs. shown below) in 1918 would
have done so at 119 marks per ounce. By early 1920 the previous rapid
inflation had suddenly given way to deflation. Had that gold owner
decided to cash in on gold’s significant gains thinking runaway
inflation was over, a 100,000 mark investment would have made him or her
a millionaire. The glow, however, would have quickly worn off. By late
1921 the runaway inflation had resurfaced but now with a vengeance. Gold
shot to 4,000 marks per ounce. By mid-1922 gold reached 10,000 marks
per ounce and the wholesale price index went from 13 to 70. By late
1922, the roof caved in. Gold traded at 134,000 marks per ounce. In
January, 1923, it cracked 1,000,000 marks per ounce. By midyear, it
broke the 100 million marks per ounce barrier and at the peak of the
hyperinflationary breakdown, it sold for over 100 billion marks per
ounce. The individual who thought he or she had the cat by the tail and
cashed-in his or her golden chips during the 1920’s deflation became a
millionaire. In short order though, that millionaire became a pauper as
wave after wave of hyperinflation washed over the German economy. One
moral from this somewhat frightening tale is that becoming a millionaire
or even a billionaire on one’s gold holdings was inconsequential.
Another is not to give up one’s hedge until there is ample evidence that
it is no longer needed. Momentary nominal profits can be illusory.
Obtained exclusively by The Intercept and described in a 
The U.S. government is toying with a war with nuclear Russia while
already waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, having done severe damage
to Libya, Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia. Military spending is climbing
ever higher. Presidential war powers are ever more extreme. The
proliferation of nuclear technology is combining with the ease and
secrecy of drone wars to raise the risk of a Dr. Strangelove finish to
the human species. And, let’s face it, you had more time to give a damn
when the president was a Republican.
I wrote well over a year ago about how Obama’s policy in the Middle
East and appeasing of Iran could start a nuclear arms race in the Middle
East. This is now coming true.
Something is cropping up all over Los Angeles, California, like
poisonous mushrooms, with equally toxic effects, but it’s not poisonous
mushrooms.![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/gold/t24_au_en_usoz_2.gif)
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/silver/t24_ag_en_usoz_2.gif)
