Ray Dalio Praises Trump: Predicts "Huge" Changes; It Will Be "Glorious To Be Rich"

"We are about to experience a profound, president-led ideological shift that will have a big impact on both the US and the world."

Caterpillar Posts Record 48 Consecutive Months Of Declining Retail Sales

Following the latest, November, sharp double-digit decline in worldwide sales, which dopped by 17% following the September 12% slide, CAT has not recorded a positive growth month for 4 straight years, or a record 48 consecutive months.

Stocks Surge As NYSE 'Breaks' Again

Seriously!!

Turkish Pro-Government Media Blames US, CIA For Assassination Of Russian Ambassador

The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper announced the murder of the ambassador with a headline saying, “Great sabotage.” The daily said “The pro-FETÖ assassins of the CIA have been mobilized” in order to ruin Turkish-Russian relations. “It is stated that the US has begun open attacks [against Turkey] over FETÖ,” said the daily.

"Demonetization Has Achieved Nothing" - India's Rapidly Plunging Toward A Police State

Demonetization will have achieved nothing positive. But it will have seriously damaged the Indian economy. The human costs are immense and continue to pile up. This could easily - even likely - take India to autocracy and eventually, bloody and chaotic disintegration. The demonetization policy and Modi are merely symptoms of deeper issues though.

Berlin Police Says It Arrested "The Wrong Man": Truck Attacker Is "Armed, Still At Large"

The Pakistani suspect arrested after yesterday's truck attack in Berlin reportedly had no involvement in the crime. The actual perpetrator is "armed and still at large" according to German police. "We have the wrong man," Die Welt cited a police official who added "the actual perpetrator is still at large and armed, and can inflict more damage."

Trump Slams Bill Clinton, Mocks Hillary's Failed Campaign

"Bill Clinton stated that I called him after the election. Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations). He "doesn't know much" especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states ( and more). They focused on wrong states."

Geert Wilders Shocking Tweet To Merkel: Your Hands Are Covered With Blood

After being convicted for incitement to discrimination (and insulting an ethnic group), we can only imagine what punishment the European bureaucrats will mete out for such a tweet...

Buying Panic Resumes As Dollar Surges To Fresh 14 Year Highs, Gold Dumped

After a brief respite yesterday amid global terror attacks and weak data, The BoJ's lack of action overnight appears to have spurred more panic-buying in stock futures (near record highs, Dow testing towards 20k), VIX-slamming, and a surge back into the dollar (back at Dec 2002 highs). Gold (and silver) and getting monkeyhammered once again and bonds are being sold.

What Have The "Experts" Got Right? In the Real Economy, They're 0 For 5

If the "experts" were assessed on results, they'd all be fired. Eight years of failure and counterproductive consequences is enough to declare the "experts" are only "experts" in generating excuses and failed fixes to systemic ills.

China Blinks: Beijing Returns Seized Underwater Drone

Beijing has returned a U.S. underwater drone taken by one of its naval vessels in the disputed South China Sea last week after what it said were friendly talks with the United States, which reiterated its criticism of the "unlawful" seizure.

Monte Paschi Private Bailout On Edge Of Collapse As "Potential Anchor Investors Balk"

Monte Paschi will probably fail in its effort to raise €5b of funds from money managers and individuals as potential anchor investors balk and few bondholders agree to swap their notes into stock, Bloomberg reported cited people familiar.

"Horrified, Shocked" Merkel Says "We Must Assume This Was A Terrorist Attack"

"Like millions of people in Germany, I am horrified, shocked and deeply saddened by what happened yesterday evening on Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz.” Merkel said in her public address after yesterday's horrific attack. "There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack."

S&P Futures Rise Propelled By Stronger Dollar; Europe At 1 Year High As Yen, Bonds Drop

It appears nothing can stop the upward moment of equities heading into the year end, and as US traders walk in, S&P futures are again higher, proppeled by European stocks which climbed to their highest in almost a year, while the USD rose and bonds and gold fell, failing again to respond to terrorist attacks in Ankara, Berlin and Zurich. The yen tumbled after the BOJ maintained its stimulus plan.

12 Dead, 48 Injured After Pakistan-Born Refugee Rammed Truck Into Berlin Christmas Market

A truck plowed into a crowd at a busy Christmas market in western Berlin leaving 12 dead according to Berlin police, and 48 people injured. The driver of the truck has been arrested (identifed as a Pakistan-born refugee who arrived in Germany in Feb 2016), and his co-driver (a Polish national) is said to have died during the crash.

2016 Year In Review

We started this year with the economy deteriorating and finished it with the second interest rate increase in ten years. There were a lot of ups and downs along the way, but ultimately 2016 was defined by three key story-lines:  1) Brexit 2) The Presidential Election 3) Fed Policy. The first two events were votes that shocked the world. The stock market’s reaction to each was arguably even more shocking.

Donald Trump Seals Electoral College Victory, Officially Becomes 45th US President

It's officially over: Donald Trump has secured 304 Electoral Votes following the Texas vote (with 2 faithless electors), officially securing the presidency of the United States.

Anti-Islam, Anti-Migration Wilders Widens Lead in Dutch Polls

On December 9, a panel of 3 judges in the Netherlands convicted Geert Wilders of incitement to discrimination, and also of insulting an ethnic group. Nonetheless, the two most recent polls show Geert Wilders, an anti-Islam, anti-migration politician far ahead of the pack.

Comparing Donald Trump To Hitler Is A Slippery Slope

Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee was forced to apologize and explain himself for what he said, even if he wasn’t directly comparing Obama to Hitler. Yet when Democrats and opponents of a Trump presidency make the comparisons of the president-elect to Hitler, they don’t need to apologize or explain themselves further.

Paul Craig Roberts Warns "Only A Counter-Coup Can Save American Democracy"

High treason is alive and well in the United States, and it is operating against American democracy and president-elect Trump.

Has America Fallen? Krugman and Europeans Raise the Question.

by Pam Martens and Russ Martens, Wall St On Parade:
Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman is raising a question in the pages of the New York Times this morning that has been on the minds of Europeans since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election on November 8: has America fallen?
Krugman’s column came two days after we had heard the following story from a friend: a few days after the November 8 election, a young man in his twenties got into a cab in New York City heading for John F. Kennedy International Airport. The cabbie asks why the young man is leaving. The student explains that he has been attending a university in New York City but his parents in Germany had called and ordered him to come home immediately. Their exact statement to him was: “leave immediately, America has fallen.”
Read More

No Really, The Russians Hacked Us

by Dave Kranzler, Investment Research Dynamics:
Hillary and her supporters have vehemently asserted that “seventeen intelligence agencies” agree with the assessment that Russia hacked the election. It might be greater news to the American people to hear that there actually are seventeen such agencies out there. Perhaps Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama might explain exactly what they are beyond the CIA, the FBI, the DIA, the NSA, and DHS. Personally, I feel less secure knowing that there are so many additional surveillance services sifting through everybody’s digital debris trail. – James Kunstler, “Deep State Blues”
The public voted with its wallet and truthseeking data reveals that in any election in which the growth in average household real disposable income is less than 3.1%, the incumbent party loses the White House. The study goes back to the 1932 election. Real disposable income growth was well below 3.1% in 2016 and the Democrats lost the White House. It’s really as simple as that, for the most part.
Read More

The ‘Experts’ Tell Us That Christmas Is The Most Depressing Time Of The Year – Do You Agree?

by Michael Snyder, End Of The American Dream:
For many people, the holiday season is the most dreaded time of the year. But does it have to be that way? The holidays can be a real pressure point because they tend to magnify our problems. If you are a very busy person, it is likely that you are even busier and more stressed for time during December. If your family relationships are strained, this time of the year can be really tough because there is pressure to interact with family. Other people that feel a deep sense of loneliness often find that it becomes even deeper and more intense around Christmas. And more than anything else, so many people feel like they are missing out on something because their holidays never seem to match up with the glittering ideal that is constantly portrayed in the movies and on television. We are a deeply unhappy nation anyway, but this time of the year just seems to make it even worse.
Read More

How Will Homebuyers Swallow these Mortgage Rates?

by Wolf Richter, Wolf Street:
Many of them say they won’t. And they can’t.
It’s called sticker shock: you look at something that you very rarely buy, and when you see how much it would set you back, you go into shock. This is what is happening with mortgage rates when potential homebuyers figure how much the monthly payment would be for a given house.
On Friday, lenders quoted conventional 30-year fixed-rate mortgages between 4.375% and 4.5% for prime borrowers. While that’s still historically low, it’s up well over half a percentage point over the last four weeks, the highest since April 2014, and up over a full percentage point from many low points during this period.
Read More

“Trickle-Down Poverty”: The Coming Cashless Society Is Making People Desperate

by Mac Slavo, SHTFPlan:
Forget about tax policies and left-right politics with the coming era of Trump.
The real trend for the direction of the economy is in the rapidly-accelerating transition to a cashless society.
This vicious move by the top of the pyramid to eliminate physical currency is a drastic step towards the near-total control of society.
Already, plastic cards and electronic payments have taken over the trend of many point-of-sale purchases, not to mention the majority of online sales, which are now very significant.
Read More

Former CIA Director Woolsey Suggests Lowering Oil Prices as Response to Russian Hacking

by Melanie Hunter CNSnews:
Former CIA Director James Woolsey suggested Sunday that instead of reacting to Russian hacking with cyberattacks or deterrence, the U.S. could lower the price of oil by allowing “methanol with an M instead of just gasoline” for cars.
“Just because cyber is what came at us probably from Russians doesn’t mean we go back with cyberattacks or deterrence or anything. For example, you could take steps to lower the price of oil by letting substitutes in for driving cars, methanol with an M instead of just gasoline. That will drive the price of oil and gasoline down rather substantially,” Woolsey told ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
Read More…

Taking Time For Christmas And the Things That Matter

from Jesse’s Café Américain:
As the lily among thorns, so is my true love among His daughters.”
Song of Solomon 2:2
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus.”
Phil 4:7

The posting will be light from now until the New Year.
There is nothing particular going on with the queen at the moment, so no need for concern.
Rather, I am taking a breather, and profoundly enjoying spending more time with her and her constant cold weather companion, Dolly. I like snuggling the two of them up together in the big chair under some blankets for their afternoon shows on television, The Chew and Dr Phil.
Read More…

/