Six Steps Trump Can Take Toward Better Monetary Policy

The largest contributor to inflation and financial turmoil is dishonest money - enabling bureaucrats to run perpetual government deficits and pile up the federal debt. If Trump takes the steps outlined below, he can repair some of the damage.

How We Ended Up Here: A Brief History Of "Fake News", And The Role Of FaceBook

"FaceBook acts as a sovereign power unto itself. It outsources censorship to sites like Politifact, a site with clear policy biases. Hoping that if it does this outsourcing, people won't notice FB's total control over our free speech commons via The Algorithm. But fundamentally, such control is not consistent with a democracy, with a free press, or with freedom of association."

Global Debt, Equity Markets Lose $1 Trillion In Value As Hawkish Fed Spooks Traders

Thanks to Janet Yellen's rate-hike-hawkishness (but, but, but, we're still ultra-easy), global equity and debt markets lost over $1 trillion in value - the biggest weekly loss since early May (weak China data and huge surge in dollar).

US Treasure Hunter To Remain In Jail Until He Tells FBI Where He Hid 3 Tons Of Gold

Famous U.S. treasure hunter, Tommy Thompson found a trove of gold coins and bars on the floor of the Atlantic ocean back in 1988. What happened next is ever bit as thrilling as a Hollywood movie as Thompson evaded his investors and U.S. Marshals for over a decade..."he had almost limitless resources and approximately a 10-year head start."

filed under "don't fu--ing care"...

Princeton Cancels Men's Swim Season After "Vulgar, Offensive, Misogynistic And Racist" Emails Discovered

Princeton has joined Harvard and Columbia as the 3rd Ivy League school to suspend a men's sports team after the discovery of what the University called "vulgar, offensive, misogynistic and racist” emails on a team listserv.

Reflections On Trumplandia: America "Embodies Elements Of A Societal Disintegration"

The bifurcation between financial and real economies has grown ever larger, and this has been to the benefit of participants in the financial economy... "The America of today feels worse, in its fundamentals, than the one many of us remember from youth, a society presided over by those of supposedly lesser consciousness. Wherever we look ... we see paths to a foreboding future."

China Responds: Will Return Stolen Drone, "Regrets US Hype"

"China has decided to transfer it to the U.S. through appropriate means...and regrets the US publicly hyping the incident." The statement also accused the U.S. of long deploying ships "in China's presence" to conduct "military surveying," and in a separate report Chinese Navy officials warned "if China needs to take it, we'll take it. (America) can't block us."

Venezuela Deploys National Guard As Venezuelans Protest Worthless Cash

Protests and looting broke out in parts of Venezuela on Friday as desperate and cashless Venezuelans, angry that the government hasn’t exchanged their voided bank notes, rose up. The riots were quickly put down, however, when National Guard troops were deployed to put down the unrest.

"When Everyone Is Sure They Know What's Going To Happen, They're Wrong"

Watch your VaR!!

'Progressive' San Franciscans Strongly Support Immigration Rights (Just Not In Their Neighborhood)

San Francisco is one of the most progressive cities in the nation, especially when it comes to national immigration... Yet take that same conversation to the local level and all bets are off.

A Lowly New High - What Happens Next?

Eric Sprott’s Weekly Wrap Up – December 16, 2016

from Sprott Money:
Hear Eric Sprott discuss this week’s action by The Fed and the price reaction in gold and silver.
Our Ask The Expert interviewer Craig Hemke began his career in financial services in 1990 but retired in 2008 to focus on family and entrepreneurial opportunities. Since 2010, he has been the editor and publisher of the TF Metals Report found at TFMetalsReport.com, an online community for precious metal investors.
Click HERE to Listen

Trump, the Fed and Systemic Risk

by Jim Rickards, DailyReckoning:
The most decisive factor in the implementation of the Trump economic plan is the reaction of the Federal Reserve. While a Fed rate hike in December was basically a certainty, the path of rates in 2017 following the December hike will be dispositive with regard to the success or failure of Trump’s plans.
The Fed can choose to be highly accommodative in the face of Trump’s larger deficits. In effect, the Fed will not anticipate inflation, but will wait until it actually emerges. Actual inflation is still well below the Fed’s target inflation rate of 2%. Since the Fed is targeting average inflation of 2%, it could allow inflation to run above 2% for a while, which would be consistent with 2% average inflation, given today’s lower level.
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“This Indecisiveness We’re Seeing? It’s Fear”

by Melissa Terzis, Wolf Street:
Washington, D.C. Housing Market at a crossroads.
Clients change their minds. But historically, with the low home inventory levels we have had in Washington, D.C., buyers don’t often walk away from a house they successfully place under contract. Typically, buyers see a bunch of houses and zero in on “the one.” They shoot first, and we can ask questions later because someone else may get this house.
Occasionally, someone changes their mind. Maybe after a night of sleep. Maybe after the home inspection when there were a few more things that needed repair than they expected. Maybe after getting the homeowner’s association documents and finding something they don’t like. This is all totally normal, and it’s how most buyers seem to operate. They either get over those little hurdles and buy the house or they rescind the offer.
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Obama And The Elite Will Try To Bring War Upon The People

from X22Report:

Housing Starts Crash – Sales Volume And Prices To Follow

by Dave Kranzler, Investment Research Dynamics:
In many areas of the country prices are already down 5-10%. I know, you’re going to say that offer prices are not reflecting that. But talk to the developers of NYC and SF condos who are trying to unload growing inventory. Douglas Elliman did a study of NYC resales released in October and found that resale volume was down 20% in the third quarter vs. Q3 2015. A report out in November published by Housing Wire said that home sales volume in the SF Bay area fell 10.3% in the first 9 months of 2016 vs. 2015. Price follows volume and inventory is piling up.
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Sweden Told To Prepare For War With Russia

by Carol Adl, Your News Wire:
Towns and villages in Sweden have been told to make preparations for a possible war with Russia.
Last week the country’s Civil Contingency Agency (MSB) sent letters to local authorities telling them to prepare civil defense infrastructure and procedures for a possible war. The move was prompted by Sweden’s return to the Cold War-era ‘Total Defense Strategy’.
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