Someone Really Wants This Market To Crash

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 17:22
If Goldman was surprised how many investors in the VIX ETP market disagreed with Goldman's 'low vol' call three weeks ago, it will be absolutely shocked now. Because what the charts show is that someone really wants this market to crash, and is putting their money where their mouth is. 

CIA "Accidentally" Deletes Only Copy Of Confidential 6,700-Page Torture Report

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 21:08 In a repeat of the fiascos involving the IRS' Lois Lerner, and more recently, none other than Hillary Clinton, the CIA’s internal watchdog “inadvertently” deleted its only copy of the Senate report on torture techniques employed by the agency in the wake of 9/11 – and did so while the Justice Department was insisting in court that copies were being stored.
  

Goldman Downgrades Stocks Over Next 12 Months Due To Risk Of Sharp Market Drop

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 20:45 Having pointed out the gathering storm in VIX ETPs, raised concerns of a "reasonably high probability" of a large drop in stocks, and explained how complacently short-term risk is being priced, Goldman's portfolio strategy team have unleashed a dramatic warning. Shifting to an oveweight cash position for the next 3 months, Goldman warns "we downgrade equities to Neutral over 12 months on growth and valuation concerns. Until we see sustained earnings growth, equities do not look attractive, especially on a risk-adjusted basis."
 

Introducing The USS Zumwalt - The US Navy's New $4.4 Billion Ship

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 20:18 The USS Zumwalt (designed by Raytheon) is powered by electricity produced by turbines, has guns that can hit targets over 70 miles away, and has a sharp-angled geometric design that apparently makes the 610 foot long ship 50 times more difficult to detect on radar. It also has a state-of-the-art weapon launcher designed to fire missiles for sea, land, and air attacks. All of this for a taxpayer cost of a mere $4.4 billion.

China's Debt Bomb: No One Really Knows The Payload

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 19:55

The Humungous Depression

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 17:50 We are not in a recession. We are in a depression, and have been since the turn of the century.

Middle Class Destitution – A Devastating Tale From America's Heartland

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 19:30 "We're becoming like a third-world country. This is how it feels to be sold out by your country. We’re going to have nothing left but fast food... Fast food and hedge funds. That's where we're going."

"Was Ist Sex" - These Are The Disturbing Cartoons Germany Uses To Teach Sex To Refugees

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 11:59

China Is Now Conducting "Security Reviews" On Foreign Tech Products

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 19:03 "China must find a middle ground and determine which things can be imported but have to be secure and controllable; which things may be imported, digested and absorbed for re-innovation; which things can be developed in collaboration with others; and for which things we must rely on our own strength and indigenous innovation." - Xi Jinping

Texas Begins Construction Of Gold Depository

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 18:40 “I am optimistic that the depository will be up and running at the end of this year or the beginning of next year,” Capriglione said, "at the depository, Texans will be able to open accounts similar to checking or savings accounts at traditional banks - and monitor them online."

BofA: "If You Go Down To The Woods Today It Will Be Full Of Bears"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 18:12 What has professional investors so spooked? For the answer we look at the monthly survey question what FMS respondents believe is the biggest tail risk. Here, surprisingly, we find that after two months of everyone fretting about "quantitative failure", or the Fed losing control over markets more than anything, this is now only the third biggest concern and there is a new biggest "tail risk" - Brexit.

Trumped! Washington's Fiscal Hypocrisy Is Too Rich For Words

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 17:00 You have to love it when one of Donald Trump’s wild pitches sends the beltway hypocrites into high dudgeon. But his rumination about negotiating a discount on the Federal debt was priceless. No sooner did the 'unschooled' Trump mention out loud what is already the official policy of the US government than a beltway chorus of fiscal house wreckers commenced screaming like banshees about the sanctity of Uncle Sam’s credit promises.

Crude Slides After Oil Inventories Drawdown Less Than Expected

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 16:44 Following last week's chaotic Genscape build (and warning), API build, but DOE draw, and subsequent face-ripping rally, tonight's API data signaled a lower than expected draw and sparked further chaos in prices as they jerked higher ("it's a draw") only to slide on missed expectations. Having reached 7-month highs during the day session, the 1.1mm barrel drawdown missed expectations of a 3.5mm draw dramatically and sparked selling pressure. However, a smaller than expected build at Cushing stalled the weakness along with notably large drawdowns in Gasoline and Distillates.

Maybe You Should "Sell In May"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 16:25 Should you “sell in May and go away?”  That decision is entirely up to you. There is never certainty in the market, but the deck this summer seems much more stacked than usual against investors who are taking on excessive equity based risk - throw into the mix ongoing high-valuations, uncertainty about what actions the Federal Reserve may take, ongoing geopolitical risks, concerns over China, potential for a stronger dollar or further weakness in oil – well, you get the idea. The question you really need to answer is whether the “reward” is really worth the “risk?”

Stocks Give Up "Volumeless, No Good Reason" Gains On Hawkish FedSpeak

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2016 - 16:04

What I Learned This Weekend From Some of the Smartest People I Know

by Simon Black, Sovereign Man:
I come to New York City every year because it’s where the annual meeting of the Atlas 400 group is held.
If you’ve not heard of Atlas, it’s a social club… primarily for like-minded, high achieving, self-made individuals.
I always go out of my way to attend the annual meeting because the other members are some of the most interesting people I know.
The late Jim Rohn used to say that you are the product of the five people you spend the most time with.
Click HERE to Listen

Another Headline Head Fake——-The Consumer Can’t Save The U.S. Economy

by David Stockman, David Stockman’s Contra Corner:
After a week in which all the big retailers—Macy’s, Kohl’s, Nordstrom’s, Gap, JC Penney, Dillard’s——reported exceedingly downbeat results for their April quarter, it is not surprising that the Census Bureau’s statistical fabrication mill reported robust April retail sales. Likewise, you could count on the financial press to trot out the superlatives, as in the case of the Reuters’ headline proclaiming, “U.S. retail sales rise strongly, boost economic outlook”:

U.S. retail sales in April recorded their biggest increase in a year as Americans stepped up purchases of automobiles and a range of other goods, suggesting the economy was regaining momentum after growth almost stalled in the first quarter…….”The retail sales report shows that recent claims of the demise of the U.S. consumer have been greatly exaggerated,” said Steve Murphy, a U.S. economist at Capital Economics in Toronto.

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US & Coalition Forces Preparing A Large Scale Military Operation In Northern Syria

from X22Report:
The Obama administration is pushing permitted speech not free speech. TSA pushing to have everyone tracked using pre-checkin. FBI and other agencies are spying on Americans by hiding microphones in public places. Venezuela is imploding and the US is preparing for the coup. Kiev will resume talks after OSCE policy are disbursed in the South Easter area. US holding war games in Romania. US and the coalition forces planning a large scale attack in Northern Syria, Turkey is on high alert for terrorist attacks which will mostly likely be used to start the offensive.

Russia vs. ‘the West’ is a Scam, There’s No ‘West’ Anymore, Only Pockets of Western Civ in People’s Hearts and Minds

by James The Russian Analyst, Rogue Money:
The Russia Analyst watched an interesting video this weekend about the election of Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim Mayor of London and of a European capital since Spain was al-Andalus — before a Catholic Reconquista drove the Muslims out of Iberia.
The Russia Analyst watched an interesting video this weekend about the election of Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim Mayor of London and of a European capital since Spain was al-Andalus — before a Catholic Reconquista drove the Muslims out of Iberia.
To many, the idea that U.S. debt obligations involved even the slightest risks to investors was both the height of financial naiveté and the epitome of political recklessness. The pressure was so great in fact that The Donald, who has consistently refused to engage in even the most sensible strategic retreats, appeared on CNN last Monday to “clarify” his earlier remarks. However, he ignited another firestorm when he inadvertently let slip another unspoken truth, namely, that the United States can always print however much money she needs to “repay” her debt. Apparently the only acceptable position to hold on this issue is to completely deny reality.
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UH-OH: TRUMP TO MEET WITH KISSINGER FOR FOREIGN POLICY ADVICE

from InfoWars:
The Washington Post reports that presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump is to meet with Bilderberg kingpin Henry Kissinger this week in order to tap his ‘expertise’ on foreign policy.
Sources close to Trump told reporters that the two will discuss all aspects of foreign policy, but will particularly focus on China.
The post reports:

Meeting with Kissinger has become a rite of passage for many ambitious Republicans, especially those who land on the party’s presidential ticket. Sarah Palin had a high-profile meeting with him in 2008 when she became the GOP vice-presidential nominee, seeking his counsel and association with his credentials.
The face-to-face session comes after weeks of phone conversations between Trump and Kissinger, who was a top adviser to presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. The people close to Trump spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss his private schedule and his relationship with the 92-year-old former diplomat.

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Next Step for the US: Looks like Helicopter Money

by Harry Dent, Wolf Street:
Does this sound like a drug addict?
It just seems like human nature to ruin a good thing.
As much as I am a strong proponent of free market capitalism, and against complex regulations and central planning, I understand government’s role in all this.
Capitalism and democracy teamed up in the late 1700s to form the big bang in economics, or what I call “When Harry met Sally.” They’re opposites that balance each other – capitalism rewards people for their contributions, and democracy ensures that greed doesn’t take over.
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If Geography and Demographics Are Destiny, Who Will Be the Winners and Losers in 2025?

by Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds:
Owning any asset in poorly positioned nations is an inherently risky bet going forward.
The dictum “demographics is destiny” proposes that all the complexities of finance, society and politics are ultimately guided by demographics: the relative size of each generation, birth rates, death rates, etc.
For example, an oversized generation of retirees and an undersized generation of workers to support them has far-reaching consequences that can’t be legislated away.
The influence of demographics isn’t limited to pension costs. Some analysts have made the case that oversized generations of young men align all too well with the launching of wars.
The point is that birth/death rates—low and high–have consequences that impact national destinies for decades.
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FEMA Slave Labor Camps Are Becoming Operational-The First Prisoners Have Arrived

by Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show:
There are three type of prisons inside the United States. There is the one, that the people see. In this instance, the prison works in conjunction with legal authorities and their activities are transparent. A second type of prison system is the privatized system which has degenerated into system of slave labor which benefits Wall Street with free labor. The third of type of prison is a FEMA camp for political prisoners. The Government admits to two such facilities and they call them Communications Management Units. The latter operates under the auspices of the NDAA. They are everything that the old Soviet Gulags were made of. What is presented in this article is a brief review of the second and third type of prisons in the United States. After reading this article and watching the associated videos it can be said that any journalist who denies the existence of FEMA camps, is not worthy of the public’s consideration.
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