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Articles by Brazen Heist
KENS 5: Your San Antonio News Source
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐: Welcome to the official Youtube page of KENS 5 TV & Kens5.com. Our mission is to find unique ways to truly connect with our neighbors. We champion the causes most important to our city, and strive to enrich the lives of our community
Congress May Enact "Bolt And Wire Cutter Sanctions" On Russia After Putin Threatens Underwater Internet Cables
The headlines could hardly be scarier and more apocalyptic.
Mastermind Of $4 Billion Bitcoin-Laundering Operation Will Be Extradited To US
Greece's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Russian national Aleksandr Vinnik, the purported mastermind of what US authorities have described as a $4 billion bitcoin money laundering operation, to avoid extradition to the US, where he has been indicted – along with his former company, mysterious digital currency exchange BTC-e – on nearly two dozen felony counts, including fraud and money laundering.
Is Bitcoin Really Stealing Demand For Gold? Here Is Goldman's Answer
A few days ago we first showed a chart of a dramatic divergence between the price of gold and bitcoin... ... which together with a recent unscientific poll showing that more Ron Paul followers prefer bitcoin to gold... A wealthy person wants to gift you $10,000. You get to choose in which form you'll take the gift. But there's a catch: You must keep the gift in the form that you choose, and you can't touch it for 10 years. In which form would you take the gift?
Europe's Migrant Crisis: Millions More Still To Come
Authored by Soren Kern via The Gatestone Institute, More than six million migrants are waiting in countries around the Mediterranean to cross into Europe, according to a classified German government report leaked to Bild. "Young people all have cellphones and they can see what's happening in other parts of the world, and that acts as a magnet." — Michael Møller, Director of the United Nations office in Geneva.
Buchanan: Is War With Iran Now Inevitable?
Authored by Patrick Buchanan via Buchanan.org, With his declaration Friday that the Iran nuclear deal is not in the national interest, President Donald Trump may have put us on the road to war with Iran. Indeed, it is easier to see the collisions that are coming than to see how we get off this road before the shooting starts.
Schrodinger's Market: Goldman Now Has Two Year-End S&P Price Targets
For months, we were wondering how much longer Goldman would ignore the relentless market meltup without revising its year-end S&P500 price target, which at 2,400 was not only among the lowest on Wall Street, but also some 150 points away from twhere the S&P currently is. Furthermore, as of this weekend, Goldman's 2018 and 2019 targets for the US equity index, were 2,500 and 2,600, implying there was only 50 points of upside for the next 26 months.
UK Faces "A Miserable End" If It Joins "War Maniacs" US And South Korea
Ahead of tonight's missile launch across Japan, North Korea warned that The UK “faces a miserable end” should it decide to join the joint military exercises being conducted by the US and South Korea that began last week, according to local media reports cited by Russia Today. The annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills, which have been conducted every year since the Korean War ended in an uneasy ceasefire, involve nearly 20,000 troops and have long provoked the ire of North Korea’s leaders.
Hillary Clinton: 2016 Election "Was My Last Race"
According to a new book, Hillary Clinton said that the 2016 presidential election was her "last race" after it became apparent she lost. The Hill's Amie Parnes and Sidewire's Jonathan Allen write in "Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign" that on the night of the 2016 election, the former Democratic presidential nominee looked through the draft of her concession speech.
"You Are Here" | Zero Hedge
In case you wondered... You Are Here... Valuation? And here... Sentiment? And here... Cognitive Dissonance? And finally... no it's not a 'new economy' or 'different this time'... So as a reminder, Peak Valuations and Trough Labor Force Participation... "Probably Nothing"
"Pfandbriefe", or "It Wasn't Me!": Why Nobody Realizes That Germany Is the Biggest Systemic Risk in the EU
I grew up in a small town in Long Island with some very funny people, Howard Stern and Eddie Murphy. Eddie had a skit in his stand-up comedy "Raw" which is a reminiscent of the macro scene of the modern day EU. Let me know if you get it... "This is a quote from myriad analyst, "It is hard to believe that while banks in Euro area are plagued with asset write downs and massive losses, while the German banks are untouched.
Trump Blasts Muslims After Brussels Attack: "We Cannot Let These People Into Our Country"
At the risk of being crass, we've said on several occasions that the Paris attacks, the San Bernardino massacre, and the wave of sexual assaults that have swept Western Europe are the best things that ever happened to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. It seems exceedingly likely that Trump had very little conception of what was going on in the Balkans when he stormed onto the political scene last summer with inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants.
Copper & Crude Are Soaring On China Hype
Amid hype hope that China will suddenly change course and unleash all new fiscal stimulus - because just what the nation needs is more ghost cities, ghost bridges to nowhere, and ghost infrastructure - has sparked panic-buying in crude and copper this morning... As Bloomberg notes, industrial metals rallied as concerns about growth in top consumer China eased after the nation’s central bank head said that policy makers still have room to act to support markets.
Suicide Bomber Detonates In Central Istanbul Square: At Least 10 Dead
From the time AKP lost its absolute majority in parliament in June of last year, Turkey has been a hotbed for violence. A suicide bomber killed more than two dozen people in Suruc the month after the elections, setting the stage for six months of turmoil including a deadly blast in Ankara that left more than 100 dead in October. Some have suggested the Erdogan regime staged the attacks in an effort to show Turks why a “strong” AKP government is necessary to keep the "peace".
Futures Jump After Oil Rebounds From 11 Year Low On Turkish Terrorist Attack
As reported last night, now that the PBOC has devalued the Yuan to a level China's central bank is comfortable with, if only for the time being,and having done so by unleashing a "murderous" short squeeze "to deter bearish bets and helping to stabilize equity markets", manifesting itself in the offshore Yuan 1 week deposit rate exploding to a record 82%... ...
Frontrunning: October 27
- A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands claimed by China, in a direct challenge to Beijing that raises the stakes in an expanding, multination territorial dispute.(http://on.wsj.com/1H5uNi9) - A state banking regulator is poised to fine Goldman Sachs Group Inc $50 million for a former employee's alleged obtaining and sharing of confidential supervisory materials from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.(http://on.wsj.com/1H5yBjE) - Valeant...
US Ally Saudi Arabia Bombs Another "Doctors Without Borders" Hospital
Whenever you’re running an air campaign there’s always the possibility of collateral damage. In simpler terms, we you’re dropping bombs on populated areas, you’re invariably going to kill some non-combatants. Now ideally, you want to keep the number of dead civilians to a minimum, which is why The Intercept’s recent investigative report on America’s drone program was so disturbing - it turns out 90% of people killed aren’t the intended target.
Everything’s Deflating And Nobody Seems To Notice
Submitted by Raul Ilargi Meijer via The Automatic Earth blog, Whenever we at the Automatic Earth explain, as we must have done at least a hundred times in our existence, that, and why, we refuse to define inflation and deflation as rising or falling prices (only), we always get a lot of comments and reactions implying that people either don’t understand why, or they think it’s silly to use a definition that nobody else seems to use.
Greek Cash Ban Escalates: Imposes 'Permanent' Stricter "Capital Controls" On 3 Million Pensioners, Civil Servants
In a stunning move towards the elites' endgame of 'banning cash', Greek authorities unveiled stricter capital controls for civil servants and pensioners this weekend. By drastically limiting cash withdrawals and forcing the more 'controllable' compulsory use of plastic money, Greek authorities hope to stop tax evasion through the use of 'fake cash registers'. A shock-measure: civil servants and pensioners will be subject to stricter capital controls than the rest of the Greeks.
EM Currencies See Biggest Daily Surge In Years As Dovish Fed Trumps Fundamentals
Well, what goes up must come down, which also means that what goes down must come up we suppose, which is why once again, the previously hapless ringgit and rupiah are heavily bid. The two currencies have of course been caught up in the global EM turmoil, but as we documented extensively on Wednesday, the tide has turned a bit this week.
The "Decoupled" Chart That Traders Are Most Concerned About
While we have all seen how equity markets had decoupled from the 'reality' occurring in commodities, FX, and credit markets (as well as macro fundamentals), trading desks are anxiously eying the following 'decoupling' as this week's "pair trade." VIX Inverse ETF signals all is not well in the S&P 500 rampapalooza... Under the surface, things are notably 'broken' as VIX term structure remains inverted for over a week - in the face of the equity market's ramp v-bounce. So Buy XIV, Sell S&P?
TD Ameritrade Disables Futures Margin Trading
Gold fundamentals are tight, but not so much in silver. According to popular belief, the prices of the metals are supposed to move together. What happens when a trading thesis is believed by just...
Turkey On The Brink As Calls For Martial Law, Civil War Send Lira Plunging Again
For anyone who might have missed it, Turkey is quickly descending into chaos on all fronts. The lira is putting to new lows against the dollar on a daily basis as confidence suffers from a worsening political crisis which began in June when AKP lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in over a decade throwing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plan to transform the country’s political system into an executive presidency into doubt.
Initial Jobless Claims Rise For 4 Straight Weeks - First Time In 5 Years
The American dream has become perverted into the equivalent of hoping to pick a winning economic lottery ticket: hoping that you somehow will become one of the lucky 0.00001% who strike it big...
"Everyday Americans" Hillary And Bill Clinton Report $140 Million In Taxable Income Since 2007
Ever since Mitt Romney's tax disclosure fiasco in which allegations of tax avoidance and usage of offshore tax shelters played a major part in the democrat counter campaign, there has been great interest in the Adjusted Gross Income reported by presidential candidates. Which is why to avoid any surprises on the primary circuit, Hillary Clinton released the full data of her and Bill's tax income going back to 2007.
Greece's New German Overlords "Irritated" By Tsipras "I Don't Support What I'm Doing" Comment
Yesterday Tsipras uttered two stunners during his interview on national TV: one was the admission that after today Greece will no longer be a sovereign, democratic state but will instead be controlled by the Troika.
Tsipras Says Will Be Difficult To Remain In Power As More Than Half Of Syriza Slam Deal
Update: As noted below, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras faces a party rebellion ahead of today's vote in parliament. According to multiple reports, more than half of Syriza lawmakers have indicated they will vote against the deal, leaving Tsipras to depend on opposition support to pass the new term sheet and throwing the future of Greek politics into question. As Bloomberg notes, the best case scenario will find Tsipras presiding over a minority government with the help of opposition parties.
What Assets Did Greece Just Hand Over To Europe: "Airports, Airplanes, Infrastructure And Most Certainly Banks"
The Simpsons had it right all along: With the provocative and dramatic Greek "time out" language pulled from the final finmin and summit draft language, the two most humiliating aspects of the latest extend and pretend "deal" for the Greek people will be the return of the Troika's (surely we can call it the Troika again as part of the Greek capitulation) IMF mission to Athens, and the escrowing of some €50 billion in Greek assets in a liquidation fund.
Yanis Varoufakis: "Merkel's Control Over The Eurogroup Is Absolute, They Are Beyond The Law"
Submitted by Harry Lambert via The New Statesman, Greece has finally reached an agreement with its creditors. The specifics have not yet been published, but it is clear that the deal signed is more punitive and demanding than the one that its government has spent the past five months desperately trying to resist. The accord follows 48 hours in which Germany demanded control of Greece’s finances or its withdrawal from the euro. Many observers across Europe were stunned by the move.
'1984' Comes To Europe - The End Of Freedom Of Speech In Spain
Spain has shown that it is fully on board with the Brussels authoritarian direction of ending democracy. Those in power have simply convinced themselves that the people do not understand what is good for them so they must impose their will upon the people but raw force. How does this differ in any what from the justification of imposing communism? This is the death of all freedom and it is upon our doorstep. Here are the new laws in Spain: 1.
Another Reason Why Stocks Are Surging
Earlier we reported that the biggest catalyst for the overnight surge, first in China and then everywhere else, was China's last-ditch scramble to contain the market crash by literally threatening it would arrest anyone caught "maliciously" shorting/selling stocks.
ECB Board Member Says Introduction Of Another Greek Currency "Most Realistic Scenario"
ECB Governing Council member and Latvian central bank chief Ilmars Rimsevics — who earlier leaked that the ECB's new haircut on ELA for Greece will mean the ailing banking sector must now post "a third" more collateral — says the most "realistic scenario" is now for Greece to introduce "another currency." Rimsevics also says Sunday's referendum outcome means Greeks have effectively "voted themselves out of the eurozone." Here's more, via Bloomberg: "The Greek nation has been brave and has...
The Three Greek "Scenarios" Discussed Today In Brussels
Curious what the Eurogroup of finance ministers will be discussing behind closed doors for the next several hours (unless the meeting is very short which will be either a very good, or much more likely a very bad thing)? Greek Kathimerini has summarized what it believes are the three scenarios currently up for debate in Brussels.
Red China Goes Redder, Stocks Tumble Despite Government Ban On Bearish Talk
Despite more liquidity injections (CNY35 billion 7day RevRepo), archaic deals for brokerages to manipulate their balance sheets, and local reporters noting China's propaganda ministry ordering state media to publish only positive opinions about the stock market, not to criticize, Chinese stocks are in red once again.
Our Phantom Economy
Those who believe that phantom recoveries and phantom metrics can be substituted for reality are in for a shock in the next downturn. Stripped of artifice, there are only two kinds of media stories: those that support the status quo narrative, and those that are skeptical of that narrative. What is the status quo narrative? Simply this: not only is this the best possible arrangement of labor, assets and money, it is the only possible arrangement of labor, assets and money.
Dollar Flash-Crashes On Sudden EUR Spike
Driven by no immediate fundamental or news catalyst, EURUSD is spiking sending the USD index into yet another flash-crash this morning... USD Index is tumbling suddenly... driven by a spike above 1.1100 in EURUSD... Charts: Bloomberg
The Changing World Of Work I: America's Nine Classes
Eight of the nine classes are hidebound by backward-looking conventions, neofeudal and neocolonial arrangements and a spectrum of perverse incentives and false choices. My theme this week is the changing world of work. The goal of this week's five-part look at the changing world of work is to look forward, rather than dwell with misty-eyed longing for what is now firmly in the past.
Frontrunning: April 13
* The Puerto Rico government and the hedge funds that own its bonds are turning to former International Monetary Fund officials to help resolve a growing debt crisis that may require a restructuring more akin to Greece than a troubled city like Detroit.
German DAX Surges Over 12,000 On Greek Optimism, But The Money Has Run Out
Moments ago, the German DAX roared gingerly back over 12,000 dragging US equity futures alongside it, with the catalyst cited as the somewhat optimistic tone following the three hours of talks held late last night to try to break an impasse that risks sending Athens stumbling of the euro zone.
Guest Post: Revanchism & Russophobia - The Dark Undercurrents Of The War In Ukraine
Submitted by Vineyard of The Saker, The situation in the Ukraine is more or less calm right now, and this might be the time to step back from the flow of daily reports and look at the deeper, underlying currents. The question I want to raise today is one I will readily admit not having an answer to. What I want to ask is this: could it be that one of the key factors motivating the West’s apparently illogical and self-defeating desire to constantly confront Russia is simply revanchism for WWII?
Commodities Crushed: WTI Plunges To $48 Handle, Copper Breaks Key Support
Perhaps the world is beginning to realize that "it's the demand, stupid" as crude oil prices are collapsing this morning. While 'markets' rallied peculiarly after last week's epic surge in inventories and production data, that has all been given back as one trader noted "the market got ahead of itself, even though the rig count has been falling it is not until mid-yr that we are going to see some impact on supply." WTI is back under $49.
The Catastrophic Costs Of Extend-And-Pretend Are About To Crush Europe
Like a star which has expanded and now cannot maintain its grand state, Europe's extend-and-pretend economy is now poised to experience a supernova implosion. The costs of ill-conceived policies are always paid by someone--usually those with the least political power. In ill-conceived wars, the costs are paid by the soldiers on the ground and their families, and the civilians who suffer collateral damage.
Market Wrap: Whirlwind Manic-Depressive Session Sees Futures Slide Then Surge
So far it has been an overnight session which clearly forgot to take its Lexapro, with futures first tumbling after CNBC's "leak" that a Greek deal had been reached was refuted, only to surge subsequently on both the Riskbank's foray into NIRP and QE which crushed the Swedish currency and sent its stocks to recorder highs, and more importantly, on the latest ceasefire out of Minsk which has pushed Russian and European assets substantially higher.
Euro, Crude Crash Resumes; US Stock Futures Flat On Grexit Fears; China Soars
The new year is not even a week old and already the volatility fireworks are off, as well as the continued commodity derisking.
Three-Ply Japanese Yen - Now Quilted!
The next time stuff hits the fan, will the world be as trusting in Central Banker proclamations? Will we continue to believe these folks are omnipotent? Or will their phony promises accomplish...
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