Europe

Turns Out, Even The Price of Beer Is Rigged

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Turns Out, Even The Price of Beer Is Rigged

Everything is rigged. Stock markets, forex, interest rates, gold, silver, oil…. After battling that rigged world all day, you finally get to take that first big gulp of beer to heal the wounds, knowing that it’s the one thing that hasn’t been rigged against you. Or so you’d think.

Peaceful Indignation Turns to Violent Rage in Rajoy’s Spain

by Don Quijones •  • Comments Off on Peaceful Indignation Turns to Violent Rage in Rajoy’s Spain

By Don Quijones: It was the first nationally coordinated grassroots response to repressive social and economic policies and widespread corruption of Spain’s ruling political caste. But it descended into violence – as the government is playing a dangerous game.

Dollar Hegemony Under Attack By Export-Superpowers Germany and China

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Dollar Hegemony Under Attack By Export-Superpowers Germany and China

The word dollar didn’t even come up when the Bundesbank signed the agreement with the People’s Bank of China. President Xi Jinping and Chancellor Angela Merkel looked on. It was serious business. Everyone knew what this was about. No one had to say it.

German Industry Goes To See Uncle Putin

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on German Industry Goes To See Uncle Putin

The intricate and convoluted connections between Germany and Russia exude a peculiar aroma.

Which Country Is Europe’s Biggest Narco State?

by Don Quijones •  • Comments Off on Which Country Is Europe’s Biggest Narco State?

By Don Quijones: Revelations of a dirty, big business in Europe, and of the role banks play to make it possible. In fact, during the financial crisis, European banks “were as good as saved by the global drug trade.”

Jitters Mount Over Prospect of Catalonian Independence

by Don Quijones •  • Comments Off on Jitters Mount Over Prospect of Catalonian Independence

“You’re making a grave mistake,” the CEO of Catalonia’s megabank La Caixa allegedly told Catalonian President Artur Mas. Like many big shots, he’s fretting over the prospect of independence from Spain – an existential threat to the region’s banks.

French Megabank: No “Drastic Crisis” in France, It Will Be “Slow And Over Time”

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on French Megabank: No “Drastic Crisis” in France, It Will Be “Slow And Over Time”

Finally we know why French government debt and French stocks have performed so well, despite the crummy economy, and why France has been spared so far the fate of Cyprus: the fiasco won’t happen suddenly in France, the bank reported. It will be slow and torturous.

German Exporters Fire Warning Shot About Russia “Sanction-Spiral,” Banks At Risk

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on German Exporters Fire Warning Shot About Russia “Sanction-Spiral,” Banks At Risk

It took a while. But it had to come, the public warning shot – after some ferocious lobbying behind closed doors. No one in Germany is allowed to get in the way of the sacrosanct exporters. The German economy, to the chagrin of neighboring countries, is based on them.

Round Two of the Global Financial Sector’s Takeover of Spain

by Don Quijones •  • Comments Off on Round Two of the Global Financial Sector’s Takeover of Spain

By Don Quijones: When it comes to dodgy landlords, few have it quite as bad as the tenants of a number of housing projects in Spain who were notified that the government had sold their units to an innocent-sounding investment fund called Cibeles.