Anti-Trump Groups Plot "Democracy Spring" - Largest Civil Disobedience Action Of The Century

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 10:00
Following their apparently delusional belief in the "success" of Tuesday night's violent protests, anti-Trump groups are plotting "Democracy Spring" threatening "drama in Washington" with the "largest civil disobedience action of the century."

Is This Why Yellen Went Full-Dove: U.S. Hiring Plunges Most Since November 2008

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 11:22 One JOLTS data series that certainly caught Yellen's attention was the number of January "hires", because as shown in the chart below, with a print of 5,029K in January, this was a whopping 372K drop from the December 5,401K, which also happens to be the biggest single monthly drop in new hiring since November 2008!

Thursday Humor? Bank Of Japan Asks Banks 'What' Caused USDJPY Spike

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 11:04 According to sources, Reuters reports that The Bank of Japan is asking market-participants about the cause of this morning's sudden 150 pip vertical rip in USDJPY. Hhmmm, we wonder? Given BoJ's "coincident" intervention in mid-Feb (marking the market bottom), we wonder who this mysterious knife-catcher is?

Chinese Coup Rumblings: Website Prints "Explosive" Letter Calling For President's Resignation

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 10:43 "We are loyal communist. On the occasion of the "two sessions" held, we write this letter to you, asking you to resign from all party and state leadership positions. Made this request, out of consideration of the Party's cause, out of the country and nation's future to consider, too, it is out of consideration for you and your family own security."

Increasingly Inefficient Bubbles - "The Liquidations In August & January Are Just The Start"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 10:27 The wealth effect was meant as another of Keynes’ proposed “pump priming” methods, but it, too, has failed to materialize like the others (redistribution). If valuations are to return to a more considered level, economically speaking, the liquidations in August and January would be just the start.

Valeant CDS Hits Record High As Company Scrambles To Avoid Default

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 09:38 Suddenly, what was until incomprehensible - a Valeant default - appears all too likely: under its loan agreements, Valeant has until March 30 to file audited financial reports. If it fails to do so, it then has 30 days before lenders can demand accelerated repayment. Needless to say, Valeant would be unable to fund such a loan acceleration without rapidly selling off key assets in a liquidation firesale, although there even exist limits on just how many assets Valeant can sell.

The Netherlands Just Banned Weapon Sales To Saudi Arabia Over Human Rights Abuses

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 09:21 Dutch lawmakers have voted to ban weapons exports to Saudi Arabia over the kingdom’s violations of humanitarian law, making the Netherlands the first country in the European Union (EU) to follow through on a motion by the European Parliament in February. The landmark bill cites UN figures that Saudi-led troops has killed nearly 6,000 people in Yemen - half of them civilians.

Bank Of Japan Intervenes In The Market To Smash Yen After Nikkei Crashes 700 Points

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 09:15 Nikkei futures rallied post-Fed into the Japaense open (despite weakness in USDJPY) and then when trade data struck (and exposed the utter failure of competitive devaluation), everything went into freefall. The Nikkei crashed 700 points and USDJPY plunged to its lowest since QQE2... and then  - on cue - "someone" started panic selling JPY...

"This Is An Extremely Serious Problem" - Dollar Funding Shortage Hits Record In Japan

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 08:59 "The jump in basis swaps is an extremely serious problem,” said Hidetoshi Ohashi, the chief credit strategist in Tokyo at Mizuho. "If it continues widening, financial firms will need to reduce their overseas holdings or diversify their investments into other regions."

March Madness? Philly Fed New Orders Spike By Most In 11 Years

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 08:48 It's March Madness in Philly. Thanks to the biggest jump in New Orders since Oct 2005, Philly Fed surged to 15-month highs (jumping from -2.8 to +12.4) crushiung expectations of -1.5. Number of employees improved mopdestly but remains in contraction but "hope" soared to 5 month highs led by exuberant expectations for capex and average workweek. Do you believe in miracles?

Initial Jobless Claims 'Steady' At 42 Year Lows As ISM Services Employment Crashes

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 08:35 Initial Jobless claims have hovered at near-42-year lows for much of the last year, despite day after day of new "job cuts" headlines - from energy to materials to tech unicorns. This week was no change with claims at 265k - dropping from last week's orighinal 268k print but rising from a revised 258k. To all of this exuberance we have just one question - explain this!!

Bank of America: "The Impact Of A Very Dovish Message Is Bad For Risk Assets"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 08:11 In a note that may have been quite prescient, BofA's HY strategist Michael Contopoulos released a note last night titled "Fed acknowledges global growth concerns… again", in which he said that "we have to admit; today’s dovish comments by Yellen took us by surprise" and adds that "although the market’s initial reaction was positive, we think the longer run impact of a very dovish message is bad for risk assets. In fact, we’re a bit amazed by the initial response from high yield today."

Russia Blasts Trump's Hillary Attack Ad As China Calls Him "Rich, Big-Mouthed Clown"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 07:56 “Our attitude is negative"...
"Big-mouthed, anti-traditional, abusively forthright, he is a perfect populist that could easily provoke the public. Despite candidates' promises, Americans know elections cannot really change their lives. Then, why not support Trump and vent their spleen?"

Reality Check: Catepillar Slashes Guidance Again, Sees Q1 EPS 30% Below Estimate

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 07:17 Moments ago Caterpillar, the company which as we promptly report every month, has never seen a "greater depression" ... "surprised" markets with yet another reality check when it announced early this morning  that it is slashing its Q1 revenue and EPS guidance.

Another Fed "Policy Error"? Dollar And Yields Tumble, Stocks Slide, Gold Jumps

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2016 - 07:04 In the aftermath of the Fed's surprising dovish announcement, overnight there has been a rather sudden repricing of risk, which has seen European stocks and US equity futures stumble to roughly where they were when the Fed unveiled its dovish surprise, while the dollar collapse has continued, sparking deflationary fears resulting in treasury yields plunging even as gold soars, all hinting at another Fed policy error. So was that it for the Fed's latest intervention "halflife"? We don't know, but we expect much confusion today over whether even the Fed has now run out of dovish ammunition.

Over Half Million Illegal Aliens Get CA Driver’s Licenses in 2015

by William Bigelow, Breitbart:

Over half a million driver’s licenses have been issued to illegal aliens in California since January, according to the California DMV. The licenses were issued under AB 60, the California lawthat allows all California residents, no matter their immigration status, to obtain driver’s licenses.
On Friday, Armando Botello, speaking for the DMV, acknowledged that the number of licenses passed the 500,000 plateau last week. The number of licenses issued to illegal immigrants is expected to surpass 1.4 million by January 2018.
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Donald Trump rally accused stage runner charged federally

from Dayton Daily News:

Thomas DiMassimo’s attorney does not think his client will be charged in state court, but that the federal misdemeanor charge will go forward.
“I don’t think he’s going to be charged in both jurisdictions,” said Jon Paul Rion, who added that he didn’t think DiMassimo would be in Dayton Municipal Court on Tuesday. “It’s clear that Thomas is simply a college student who, in his mind, was simply engaging in a form of political speech and making a statement, in his own mind.
“He is not a member of any organization. Those statements (of DiMassimo’s possible ties to ISIS) are completely without basis.”
Read More…

Panicked Chinese Suddenly Buy US Assets in Monster Deals at Peak of Seven-Year Boom

from Wolf Street:

The bigger the price, the better.
Starwood Hotels, which owns 11 brands including Sheraton, W Hotels, and St. Regis, spread over nearly 1,300 hotels & resorts in 100 countries, announced today that an unnamed “Consortium” has made an all-cash offer to acquire the hotel group for $76 a share, or $12.8 billion.
That consortium is trying to spoil Marriott’s party. Last November, Marriott agreed to acquire Starwood to form the world’s largest hotel behemoth with over 1 million rooms.
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Lifestyle is the medicine: How to revolutionize your health by changing your daily habits

by J. D. Heyes, Natural News:
We’ve all heard that lifestyles make a difference in our health, but what is generally meant by lifestyle?
This definition describes lifestyle as “a set of attitudes, habits, or possessions associated with a particular person or group.”
In addition to these traits, others attribute diet and physical activities like exercise as part of an overall lifestyle.
Dr. David Katz, MD, is well aware of what lifestyles consist of, and, as one of several health experts invited to speak at the Natural Medicine Summit, a free online event that began March 14 and lasts until March 22, he has much good information to convey on the subject.
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Former Federal Reserve Employee Who Leaked Information to Goldman Sachs Avoids Jail

from Liberty Blitzkrieg:
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
– George Orwell’s Animal Farm
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has allowed its employees to stay on the job despite internal investigations that found they had distributed drugs, lied to the authorities or committed other serious misconduct, newly disclosed records show.
Lawmakers expressed dismay this year that the drug agency had not fired agents who investigators found attended “sex parties” with prostitutes paid with drug cartel money while they were on assignment in Colombia. 
Read More…

RELEASE OF TSARNAEV’S INTERROGATION NOTES LEADS TO MORE QUESTIONS

by James Henry, WhoWhatWhy:
Heavily redacted notes from the hospital bed interrogation of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were released at the end of February. Most media reports about the documents focus on portions that portray Dzhokhar as having played an active role in building and detonating the bombs that exploded on Boylston St.
But a closer read of the FBI’s summary of Tsarnaev’s statements to his interrogators raises questions about key details of the bombing and its execution.
First off, it is important to note that the interview notes are heavily redacted and therefore incomplete. But some of the things the FBI says Dzhokhar told his interrogators indicate a level of confusion or ignorance, or both, about important facts. They also raise questions about why the FBI has been selectively vague about key details of the case.
Read More

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