Benjamin Cole Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 "We no longer have that luxury. The West must complete the project that began in 1991. It must seek to fully decolonize Russia." The Atlantic Decolonize Russia To avoid more senseless bloodshed, the Kremlin must lose what empire it still retains. By Casey Michel. 5/27/2022 This is what passes for the left side of the aisle. The liberal Atlantic not only wants Russia out of Ukraine, but all its other "colonies" as well, Chechnya, Georgia, Armenia and some other places. The Atlantic author does mention China, and suggests getting Han China out of the eastern half of the country, but he skirts the issue of how the US supposed to beat down not only Russia but China. I happen support pushing Russia out of Ukraine quickly as a humanitarian measure. Not sure on the Crimea. But it looks like the left-wing is fully embracing another 30-year-long (and more) expensive set of Cold and Hot Wars. The China stuff could be tricky---Wall Street, media, Silicon Valley are deep into bed with the CCP. But it looks like perma-war for as far as the eye can see. The Donks and 'Phants...or is it the 'Phants and the Donks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 10 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said: Chris--Yes, the Federal Reserve has been buying US Treasuries through the pandemic, and did also during and after the 2007-9 Global Financial Crisis. This is called quantitative easing. BTW, the Bank of Japan (their central bank) owns about one-half of all Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) outstanding. The Japan government debt to GDP ratio is far higher than that of the US. But is the Japanese public "heavily leveraged" or in debt? Well, the Bank of Japan is owned by the publics, and remaining government debt is owned by Japanese. You tell me. This is entirely a fascinating topic, which books could and have been written about. My own interpretation is this activity is relatively benign, and that the tight-money crowd would rather suffocate an economy than "endure" prosperity with 2% to 3% inflation. There are two topics I have studied for 50 years: macroeconomics and the JFKA. And my conclusions? "If you are not confused, then maybe you do not understand the situation." I am sort of surprised that nobody else has commented on this. I can feel your enthusiasm and passion for the topic. You'll run rings around me on this subject. I understand fractional reserve banking well and I do remember Gordon Brown rolling out the QE in Britain, during that period of austerity after 2008. One of my German pals has a more pessimistic outlook. He said: What's the health of your state when the central bank that issues the money also holds 40% if the longterm debt? Companies, banks, countries are not demanding/trusting US treasuries, which are regarded as the best in the world still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Cole Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 1 hour ago, Chris Barnard said: I am sort of surprised that nobody else has commented on this. I can feel your enthusiasm and passion for the topic. You'll run rings around me on this subject. I understand fractional reserve banking well and I do remember Gordon Brown rolling out the QE in Britain, during that period of austerity after 2008. One of my German pals has a more pessimistic outlook. He said: What's the health of your state when the central bank that issues the money also holds 40% if the longterm debt? Companies, banks, countries are not demanding/trusting US treasuries, which are regarded as the best in the world still. Your Teutonic friend...well, not sure. There is actually quite a bit of "flight to safety" in the US Treasuries. Investors are willing to own 10-year Treasuries that pay about as much as the rate of inflation. Even more so with Japanese Government bonds. The US is running up debts. The day may come when Treasuries fall out of favor. Not yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Caddy Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 MI6 makes a wild claim, says Putin could be dead - CNNBC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Gallaway Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Ben's actually right Chris, your German pal's full of it. The U.S. 10 year treasuries are a flight to safety, and people have been forecasting it's demise for decades. But the dollar and the yen are flights to safety despite the fact their debt to gdp ratios are among the highest. That's in part because their relative positions to the rest of the developed world hasn't greatly changed. All countries have taken on additional debt because of covid , and Japan has taken on the most.Almost double the share per GDP of the United States. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107572/covid-19-value-g20-stimulus-packages-share-gdp/ They have sunk recently. And if you've seen their history, and the figures below, it's another of those anamolies I can't explain why it hasn't happened sooner. Name National Debt to GDP Ratio Population Japan 237.54% 125,584,838 Venezuela 214.45% 29,266,991 Sudan 177.87% Greece 174.15% 10,316,637 Lebanon 157.81% 6,684,849 Italy 133.43% 60,262,770 Eritrea 127.34% 3,662,244 Cape Verde 125.29% 567,678 Mozambique 124.46% 33,089,461 Portugal 119.46% 10,140,570 Barbados 117.27% 288,023 Singapore 109.37% 5,943,546 United States 106.70% 334,805,269 Bhutan 103.85% 787,941 Cyprus 101.04% 1,223,387 Bahrain 100.19% 1,783,983 Belgium 99.57% 11,668,278 France 99.20% 65,584,518 Spain 95.96% 46,719,142 Jordan 94.83% 10,300,869 Jamaica 94.13% 2,985,094 Belize 92.64% 412,190 Angola 90.46% 35,027,343 Brazil 90.36% 215,353,593 Republic of the Congo 90.19% 5,797,805 Antigua And Barbuda 88.35% 99,509 Canada 88.01% 38,388,419 Egypt 86.93% 106,156,692 United Kingdom 85.67& Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 2 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said: Your Teutonic friend...well, not sure. There is actually quite a bit of "flight to safety" in the US Treasuries. Investors are willing to own 10-year Treasuries that pay about as much as the rate of inflation. Even more so with Japanese Government bonds. The US is running up debts. The day may come when Treasuries fall out of favor. Not yet. 15 minutes ago, Kirk Gallaway said: Ben's actually right Chris, your German pal's full of it. The U.S. 10 year treasuries are a flight to safety, and people have been forecasting it's demise for decades. But the dollar and the yen are flights to safety despite the fact their debt to gdp ratios are among the highest. That's in part because their relative positions to the rest of the developed world hasn't greatly changed. All countries have taken on additional debt because of covid , and Japan has taken on the most.Almost double the share per GDP of the United States. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107572/covid-19-value-g20-stimulus-packages-share-gdp/ They have sunk recently. And if you've seen their history, and the figures below, it's another of those anamolies I can't explain why it hasn't happened sooner. Name National Debt to GDP Ratio Population Japan 237.54% 125,584,838 Venezuela 214.45% 29,266,991 Sudan 177.87% Greece 174.15% 10,316,637 Lebanon 157.81% 6,684,849 Italy 133.43% 60,262,770 Eritrea 127.34% 3,662,244 Cape Verde 125.29% 567,678 Mozambique 124.46% 33,089,461 Portugal 119.46% 10,140,570 Barbados 117.27% 288,023 Singapore 109.37% 5,943,546 United States 106.70% 334,805,269 Bhutan 103.85% 787,941 Cyprus 101.04% 1,223,387 Bahrain 100.19% 1,783,983 Belgium 99.57% 11,668,278 France 99.20% 65,584,518 Spain 95.96% 46,719,142 Jordan 94.83% 10,300,869 Jamaica 94.13% 2,985,094 Belize 92.64% 412,190 Angola 90.46% 35,027,343 Brazil 90.36% 215,353,593 Republic of the Congo 90.19% 5,797,805 Antigua And Barbuda 88.35% 99,509 Canada 88.01% 38,388,419 Egypt 86.93% 106,156,692 United Kingdom 85.67& Seb is a data scientist. I am open to the idea that he’s spending too much time in the sun in Mexico. 🙂 There does seem to be a general consensus amongst a fair few traders that I know that a big crash is imminent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Allison Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 "Narrator: And in the end, it seemed, the jury did agree." Durham's sham case has ended in a Not Guilty verdict. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Caddy Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Hooray!!! Michael Sussmann Is Acquitted in Case Brought by Trump-Era Prosecutor (msn.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, Matt Allison said: "Narrator: And in the end, it seemed, the jury did agree." Durham's sham case has ended in a Not Guilty verdict. John Durham Tried to Prove Trump's Russiagate Theory. Instead, He Debunked It. Trump's Prosecutor Faceplants. John Durham Accidentally Debunked Trump’s Russiagate Theory (archive.ph) Trump’s prosecutor face-plants. Trump’s prosecutor face-plants. Edited May 31, 2022 by W. Niederhut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Cole Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 7 hours ago, Matt Allison said: "Narrator: And in the end, it seemed, the jury did agree." Durham's sham case has ended in a Not Guilty verdict. I regarded Sussman as innocent until proven guilty, and the jury has ruled. I happily accept the jury's ruling. Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law is a necessary standard for a civil society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Brancato Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 2 minutes ago, Benjamin Cole said: I regarded Sussman as innocent until proven guilty, and the jury has ruled. I happily accept the jury's ruling. Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law is a necessary standard for a civil society. Good news all around. Of course the Trump and his acolytes will spin it anyway by claiming the judge was biased and the jury rigged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Cole Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 2 minutes ago, Paul Brancato said: Good news all around. Of course the Trump and his acolytes will spin it anyway by claiming the judge was biased and the jury rigged. And, in fact, a DC judge and jury might be biased. But we still must accept the jury's finding, and happily so. The alternative to a strict "innocent until proven guilty in a court of law" is witch hunts. There is quite a bit of Salem in this corner of the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Cole Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/31/tech/supreme-court-texas-social-media-ruling/index.html Fascinating case. Kavanaugh, the little hack lawyer that voted down Jeff Morley's try to open up CIA-JFK records, joined the majority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Brancato Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 9 hours ago, Chris Barnard said: Seb is a data scientist. I am open to the idea that he’s spending too much time in the sun in Mexico. 🙂 There does seem to be a general consensus amongst a fair few traders that I know that a big crash is imminent. I love it - the Nasdaq loses 30% and that’s not a big crash. I’m tempted to take your comment as a bullish signal. It does look like markets are reacting to real world problems when they go down like that. I spend an hour a day looking at the markets and reading commentary and advice. Experts are so often wrong in their predictions. I’ve tried to use fundamental analysis for years. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a poor predictor. In its simplest terms, stock prices rise when people and institutions buy more than they sell. So there are actual investors who do just that - invest in the future of a company. But most trading is just the herd following the herd. It’s self reinforcing. The well known Wall Street saying that the markets ‘climb the wall of worry’ seems to be a way of explaining this contrarian price action. Chris is surely correct when he says that inside information is rampant. George Carlin said “ Its a big club, and you ain’t in it”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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