Monthly Archives: April 2014

Richest 200 Moguls Made $13.9 Billion Today

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Richest 200 Moguls Made $13.9 Billion Today

Bernanke doesn’t regret any of the Fed’s actions, he said, except not explaining them to the people. They “really don’t understand why we did what we did,” he said. But there are a few people who do understand.

The Very Brief Phenomenon Of The Gold Standard

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By Dr. Bryan Taylor: Europe was on a bimetallic standard, not a Gold Standard, from the Middle Ages until World War I. Gold triumphed in the 19th century because bimetallism had failed. This should have been taken as a sign that the gold standard too would inevitably fail.

America And Oil: This Chart Shows Why OPEC’s Knees Are Trembling

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on America And Oil: This Chart Shows Why OPEC’s Knees Are Trembling

What would have been a demented propagandist’s flight of fancy a decade ago has become reality: For the first time in history, the US imports more oil from our dear and reliable neighbor Canada than from OPEC. With major consequences.

Exodus of Japan Inc. Slams China

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Exodus of Japan Inc. Slams China

China’s moves “discourage” Japanese corporations from doing business there, said the Japanese government on Monday. That’s exactly what has been happening for months. In a most dramatic way, and where it hurts China the most.

Draghi’s Bold Push For Creeping Defaults And Real Wage Cuts

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Draghi’s Bold Push For Creeping Defaults And Real Wage Cuts

There is nothing like a wealthy central bank chief admitting that he wants to, one, help governments default gradually on their debts; and two, cut the real wages of workers. An honesty the Fed never dared to exhibit when it inflicted waves of QE on American workers.

Seed Wars: Latin America Strikes Back Against Monsanto

by Don Quijones •  • Comments Off on Seed Wars: Latin America Strikes Back Against Monsanto

By Don Quijones: With more back channels and revolving doors to governments around the world, Monsanto is used to getting its way. But now it faces an outright rebellion.

‘People Don’t Grasp Yet What European Unification Will Cost Them’

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By Cassandra: In the South of the Eurozone, people feel crushed, their future sacrificed on the altar of the Holy Euro. I’m in the Netherlands, so north of the Great Divide. We’re not suffering as much as the people in Greece, Spain, and Portugal. Not yet.

Housing Bubble 2.0 Veers Elegantly

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Housing Bubble 2.0 Veers Elegantly

They’re not even trying to blame the weather this time. “Housing affordability is really taking a bite out of the market,” is how Leslie Appleton-Young, chief economist for the California Association of Realtors explained the March home sales fiasco. “We haven’t seen this issue since 2007.” In Southern California, the median price soared to a…

What the Heck is Going on With US Treasuries In Belgium?

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on What the Heck is Going on With US Treasuries In Belgium?

The tiny country of Belgium with a GDP of $484 billion, a country that became famous to the chagrin of some people because it did just fine for a couple of years without a national government – well, it’s growing an enormous mountain of US Treasuries.