Business Summary Links By Day

Business Summary Links By Day

Charles Hugh Smith On The Phony "Economic Recovery," Stress and "Losing It" Durden 3-30-12 Everyday Stress Can Shut Down the Brain's Chief Command Center. Neural circuits responsible for conscious self-control are highly vulnerable to even mild stress. When they shut down, primal impulses go unchecked and mental paralysis sets in. (Scientific American; subscription required, hopefully your local library has a copy) This helps explain the natural "fight or flight" response we feel when suddenly confronted with danger or potential danger, but more importantly it illuminates how we lose the ability to analyze circumstances rationally when we are "stressed out." Once our rational analytic abilities are shut down, we are prone to making a series of ill-informed and rash decisions. This has the potential to set up a destructive positive feedback loop: the more stressed out we become, the lower the quality of our decision-making, which then generates poor results that then stress us out even more, further degrading our already-impaired rational processes. This feedback loop quickly leads to "losing it completely." Doesn't this describe our increasingly dysfunctional and disconnected-from-reality legislative process? , Everything Is Going To Be Alright? http://albertpeia.com/everythingsnotalright.htmIs the U.S. economy going to be okay? Well, if the only source you listened to was the mainstream media, you would be left with the distinct impression that the U.S. economy is heading toward a full recovery and that everything is going to be alright. Unfortunately, that is not the case at all. The United States is rapidly becoming poorer as a nation and less competitive in the global marketplace. At the same time, consumer debt levels are rising, corporate debt levels are rising, state and local government debt levels are rising and the U.S. government is indulging in a debt binge unlike anything the world has ever seen. Considering the insane amount of money the U.S. government has been pumping into the economy, we should have seen a much more robust recovery by now. Instead, the employment statistics have barely moved and government dependence is at an all-time high. That is really sad, because this is as good as "the recovery" is going to get. The next major economic downturn is just around the bend, and in future years millions of us will desperately yearn for the "good old days" of 2012… , Dave’s Daily: http://www.etfdigest.com THE FIRST QUARTER GETS SOME WINDOW DRESSING 3-30-12 ‘Economic data Friday was mixed and depending on your vision or bias was spun to suit. Personal Income & Spending was a dangerously mixed bag with income down and spending up: (Personal Income .2% vs .4% expected & prior .3%. Spending .8% vs .6% expected & .4% prior. Core PCE was .1% vs .2% prior). With spending up a good portion of this goes to food and energy excluded in the “core” PCE. Since the “core” stuff is what the Bernank et al focus on it will justify ongoing ZIRP and perhaps more QE. It’s all contrived and absurd frankly.Later the Chicago PMI (62.2 vs 63 expected & prior 64) also disappointed with a miss but bulls didn’t mind.Consumer Sentiment (76.2 vs 75 expected & prior 74.3) rose and beat estimates but also has a larger stock market component than does Consumer Confidence data released previously.Bulls chose to embrace the spending side of data and Consumer Sentiment ignoring everything else.Apple’s (AAPL) share price declined on news that Google (GOOG) would be stepping up efforts to compete with Apple products like iPads and smart phones. Also much in the news was widely disseminated story that without the company’s earnings first quarter EPS for the S&P 500 would be flat versus up 1.50%. So despite the heavy weighting of shares (15-20%) in many indexes, not mention hedge fund and institutional portfolios, the stock were sold Friday. This is sector rotation of a different kind. It may only have little to do with recent stories of company sweat shops in China … , Mark Grant Explains The Farce, The Hustle, And The Scam Durden 3-30-12 When considering the financial condition of each and every country in the European Union there are certain facts that are left out and left out on purpose. In our opinion, the structural deformity of the European Union is, in itself, one of the main reasons that any attempt at a fiscal or economic fix never seems to work. Whether some proposed firewall is $760 billion or $1.3 Trillion or $13 Trillion makes no difference as in zero, nada, nothing and null. It is an IOU, a promise to pay and it is not counted in any European sovereign debt numbers nor is it counted in the figures for the European Union’s debt. It will not stop Spain or Portugal or Italy from asking for or needing money. This whole discussion is a head fake, a deception and a ruse carefully plotted out for investors in one more attempt to mislead the entire world. If you wish to be a statistic in the Greater Fool Theory be my guest but I refuse to be apart of this unadulterated scam. , Germany is Now Openly Engaging In Monetary Policies Against the ECB… What’s Next?March 30, 2012 By http://gainspainscapital.com ‘While the mainstream financial media and 99% of investors continue to believe that Germany will align itself with the EU, we’ve been pounding the table Germany will in fact look after its own interests rather than the EU’s and that it might in fact leave the Euro temporarily.We’ll start with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, who was hinting that the EU was off-track in its policies and that Germany was focusing on a “political union” NOT a “monetary union” as far back as November 2011.Wolfgang Schauble admits euro bail-out fund won’t halt crisisEurope’s “big bazooka” bail-out fund is not ready and won’t stem the debt crisis that on Tuesday pounded Italy and the European Central Bank (ECB), admitted Wolfgang Schauble, Germany’s finance minister.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8924462/Wolfgang-Schauble-admits-euro-bail-out-fund-wont-halt-crisis.htmlThis is a pretty strong admission from the finance minister of the country that Europe looks to as a financial backstop…, Massive $17 Trillion Hole Found In Obamacare Durden 3-30-12 Two years ago, when introducing then promptly enacting Obamacare, the president stated that healthcare law reform would not cost a penny over $1 trillion ($900 billion to be precise), and that it would not add ‘one dime’ to the debt. It appears that this estimate may have been slightly optimistic… by a factor of 1700%. Because coincident with the recent Supreme Court debacle, in which a constitutional law president may be about to find that his magnum opus law is, in fact, unconstitutional, someone actually read the whole thing cover to cover, instead of merely relying on the CBO’s, pardon Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs’, funding estimates. That someone is Republican Jeff Sessions who after actually running the numbers has uncovered that the true long-term funding gap is a mind-boggling $17 trillion, just a tad more than the original sub $1 trillion forecast. This latest revelation means that total underfunded US welfare liabilities: Medicare, Medicaid and social security now amount to $99 trillion! Add to this total US debt which in 2 months will be $16 trillion, and one can see why Japan, which is about to breach 1 quadrillion in total debt (yen, but who's counting), may want to start looking in the rearview mirror for up and comer competitors. And while Obama may have been taking creative license with a number that is greater than total US GDP, he was most certainly correct when saying that Obamacare would not add a penny to US debt. Because the second the US government comes to market to fund a true total debt/GDP ratio of 750%, it is game over, and the Fed will have its hands full selling Treasury puts every waking nanosecond to have any time left for the daily 3pm stock market ramp. , This Time Is No Different - Reflections On 1929 Optimism Durden 3-30-12 When it comes to markets, the following clip, as well as memories of recent market collapses, highlights that it is usually brightest just before it's pitch black. , Stocks Odd Man Out As Every Other Asset Class Has Now Faded LTRO2 , MarketWatch Goes Full Propaganda Retard Durden 3-30-12 [ Yeah, OD on hopium causes retardation! Pathetic! ] , Guest Post: The Consumption Dysfunction Durden 3-30-12 The sharp drop in the personal savings rate in the month of February, which just hit to lowest level since January of 2008, is indicative of the problem. While personal savings rates could be bled down further to sustain the current level of subpar economic growth - the world today is vastly different than prior to the last two recessions … , Another Failed Grand Plan In Europe , European Bailout Stigma Shifts From Banks To Sovereigns As Bundesbank Refuses PIG Collateral , Treasuries Crash Back To Equity's Unreality , Is The Chinese Stock Market About To Crash? , From Enron To Sino-Forest - Same Old Song Durden 3-30-12 Enron --> Worldcom --> Adelphia --> Lehman --> MF Global --> Greece --> Sino Forest --> ???? We would rank these as some of the more notorious bankruptcies. These weren't normal course of business bankruptcies. These were dark and deviant. They have many similarities. Opaque and convoluted accounting and finances are common to them all. Whether it was Jedi for Enron, repo 105 for Lehman, or off-market swaps with Goldman for Greece, they all used every trick in the book to keep debt off balance sheet and to obfuscate the risk. It is hard to watch what is going on in Europe and not believe that Greece is just the first of many. Countries and their banks. Countries and their regions. Countries and EU programs. Banks and their national central banks. Banks and the ECB. It is hard to pin down the fatal flaw, but for us it is harder to believe that there is nothing to see there and we should happily move along. , Why The Mega Millions Jackpot Is Nothing But Another Tax On America's Poor , Greece: Now They’re Not Even Trying Anymore : testosteronepit : 03/30/2012 As Monti said, "The financial aspect of the crisis is over." For the moment. But the problems are worse than ever., California Slammed With Fukushima Radiation : George Washington : 03/30/2012 - 12:26 Fukushima Radiation Plume Hit Southern and Central California , Is Spanish Regional Debt Out Of Control? , Must Read: Jim Grant Crucifies The Fed; Explains Why A Gold Standard Is The Best Option Durden 3-30-12 In the not quite 100 years since the founding of your institution, America has exchanged central banking for a kind of central planning and the gold standard for what I will call the Ph.D. standard. I regret the changes and will propose reforms, or, I suppose, re-reforms, as my program is very much in accord with that of the founders of this institution. Have you ever read the Federal Reserve Act? The authorizing legislation projected a body “to provide for the establishment of the Federal Reserve banks, to furnish an elastic currency, to afford means of rediscounting commercial paper and to establish a more effective supervision of banking in the United States, and for other purposes.” By now can we identify the operative phrase? Of course: “for other purposes.” As you prepare to mark the Fed’s centenary, may I urge you to reflect on just how far you have wandered from the intentions of the founders? The institution they envisioned would operate passively, through the discount window. It would not create credit but rather liquefy the existing stock of credit by turning good-quality commercial bills into cash— temporarily. This it would do according to the demands of the seasons and the cycle. The Fed would respond to the community, not try to anticipate or lead it. It would not override the price mechanism— as today’s Fed seems to do at every available opportunity—but yield to it. , The Insanity Of The Sarkozy Carry-Trade's Contagion Risk In 3 Charts , Chicago PMI Misses As Survey Respondents Warn Oil Price Shock "Tipping Point Fast Approaching" , The Sad Reality Of Macro Data Performance Durden 3-30-12 Presented with little comment except to note that the next time someone uses the phrase "...but the data is coming in strong..." please show this chart as US and European macro data prints have consistently missed expectations for well over a month now... , Following Greek Bond Humiliation, Europe's Biggest Equity Investor Is Slashing Its European Exposure Durden 3-30-12 Remember this from September 2010? "Norway, which has amassed the world’s second-biggest sovereign wealth fund, says Greece won’t default on its debts. “The point is, do you expect these guys to default?” said Harvinder Sian, senior fixed-income strategist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, in an interview. “Norway has taken the view that they will not. The Greek holdings are particularly interesting because the consensus in the market is that they will at some point restructure or default.” Norway says its long-term perspective will protect it from losses. “One could say we are investing for infinity."... Uhm, Big Oops. Needless to say, this stupidity was roundly mocked by Zero Hedge at the time. Yet we can only applaud the fact that unlike other European investors (read primarily Italian banks) which are merely sinking ever deeper into the quicksand by dodecatupling down on pyramid scheme assets, the Norwegian SWF finally "plans to sharply reduce its European exposure while raising investments in emerging markets and Asia-Pacific, the finance ministry said on Friday." While we ridiculed their stupidity in 2010, we applaud Norway's prudence in this case, as unlike other insolvent European entities, the crude-rich country is not falling for the latest round of central planning bullshit, and is finally acting as a fiduciary agent. "We're reducing our European exposure because we see that economic development in the global economy is changing and this should also be reflected in our investment strategy," Johnsen said. "Most likely we'll have to sell some assets in Europe." Remember: in game theory he who defects first, defects best. We expect to see many more funds openly declaring they will commence dumping European assets, all of which are buoyed 100% artificially by the ECB, and US taxpayers, shortly. , Don't Be (April) Fooled: New ETF Money Flows Still Bond-Bound , American Spending Goes Into Overdrive As Savings Plunge To 2008 Levels , Visualizing The Fed's Clogged Plumbing , The Full Math Behind The "Expanded" European Bailout Fund , Apple’s Earnings Are Masking Weakness in Stocks and the Economy Mar 30th, 2012 (Yahoo Finance) — [I]f it weren’t for Apple’s (AAPL) record results, fourth quarter profit growth for the S&P 500 would go from 6.1% to 3.0%

Miscellaneous Business Headlines

AP Business Highlights

...Yahoo Market Update…

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{ some prior links of current interest }

A Warning Sign For The World http://albertpeia.com/warningsignfortheworld.htm, 20 Signs You Might Be A Typical American Worker http://albertpeia.com/20signsoftypicalamericanworker.htm , 10 Signs That America Is Decomposing Right In Front Of Our Eyes http://albertpeia.com/10signsamericadecomposing.htm , 8 Reasons Why The Greek Debt Deal May Not Stop A Chaotic Greek Debt Default http://albertpeia.com/8reasonsgreekdebtdefaultstillcoming.htm , 55 Interesting Facts About The U.S. Economy In 2012 http://albertpeia.com/55factsaboutus2012economy.htm , http://albertpeia.com/debtpercapita.jpg , Double-dip recession setting in across eurozone: EU , America 1950 vs. America 2012 http://albertpeia.com/downhillslideofamerica.htm , Society’s Five Stages of Economic Collapse http://albertpeia.com/5stagesofcollapse.htm , No Housing Recovery - Case Shiller Shows 8th Consecutive Month Of House Price Declines Durden , Goldman: Germany Is Now On The Hook By €1 Trillion (Or 40% Of GDP) Durden, , 20 Economic Statistics To Use To Wake Sheeple Up From Their Entertainment-Induced Comas http://albertpeia.com/20ecostatstowakesheeple.htm , Central bank balance sheet expansion since end 2007 Mar 1st, 2012 by News (ZeroHedge) — SNB +230%; Fed +222%, BOJ +125%, BOE +87%, PBOC +93%, ECB +51%. USA Gold / PG View: Pretty strong evidence that the rally in bonds — and by extension the rally in stocks — is nothing but a charade. , 10.7 Percent: Unemployment In Europe Is Worse Than It Was At The Peak Of The Last Recession http://albertpeia.com/europeunemploymentworsethanrecession.htm , Inflation Is A Tax And The Federal Reserve Is Taxing The Living Daylights Out Of Us http://albertpeia.com/inflationisatax.htm , 15 Potentially Massive Threats To The U.S. Economy Over The Next 12 Months http://albertpeia.com/15massivethreatstoeconomy.htm , 1 Through 30 – The Coming U.S. Financial Crisis By The Numbers http://albertpeia.com/1-30usfinancialcrisiscoming.htm , Greece Has Defaulted - Which Country In Europe Is Next? http://albertpeia.com/greecehasdefaultedwhonext.htm , Five Charts That Prove We’re in a Depression and That the Federal Reserve and Washington Are Wasting Money gpc1981 http://albertpeia.com/usindepressionfedandgovwastingmoney.htm , Broken Promises: Pensions All Over America Are Being Savagely Cut Or Are Vanishing Completely .http://albertpeia.com/uspensionscutorvanishing.htm , America Is Being Transformed From A Wealthy Nation Into A Poor Nation At Breathtaking Speed http://albertpeia.com/ustransformedfromwealthytopoor.htm , ECRI Stays with Recession Call New American | The vicious cycle is starting where lower sales, lower production, lower employment and lower income [leads] back to lower sales…BOB ADELMANN New American Tuesday, March 13, 2012 http://albertpeia.com/ecricallsrecession.htm , Consumer prices rise on high gas costs But outside higher pump prices, inflation stayed mild. (Washington Post) [ Wake up! They’d have a hard time denying what’s in plain sight for everyone to see. Yet, apparently they’ve not gone grocery shopping lately; you know, all that catered food for fools in Washington. , Financial Crisis Phase II Is Ahead at Forbes Bert Dohmen ‘ In late 2007, I wrote the book Prelude To Meltdown, predicting the global crisis that occurred the following year. I now see a similar confluence of events that warns of phase II of the global crisis… My work shows that “the new recession has started.”… Over the past 33 years, we have called the start of every recession, often on the exact month, or within one month, of the official start as determined one year later by the official arbiter of recession, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)… However, inflation is far understated for political reasons. Currently, the GDP deflator is 1.8%, which hardly reflects the true rise in prices. Therefore, what is counted as “growth,” is actually price increases. Actual inflation, according to free market economists who calculate inflation as it was done in 1980 before the politician re-engineered it, is now more than 11%. Using that to adjust GDP for inflation, would show that the economy is now in a very sharp contraction…’ , Conned 2012: Joseph Kony Is A CIA Contractor [ Yeah, cia, mossad, kony, they look like and are a bunch of spooks. ] Saman Mohammadi | Former European MP, journalist, and author Richard Cottrell says Lord Resistance Army is backed by CIA and Mossad. , 11 Reasons Why America Would Be A Better Place Without Goldman Sachs [ If only it was just 11 and not an endless number of reasons why the aforesaid is true! And, though america particularly, not just america, but the entire world as well! ] http://albertpeia.com/americabetterwithoutgoldmansachs.com , The Obama Flag: Who Decided That It Was Okay To Replace The Stars On The American Flag With The Face Of Barack Obama? http://endoftheamericandream.com http://albertpeia.com/monkeyflag.htm [Aside from the desecration issues, from a purely aesthetic perspective, that picture on the flag of that ugly monkey obama is an absolute disgrace and affront to any rational person’s aesthetic sensibilities!] , Who Decided That It Would Be A Good Idea.... http://albertpeia.com/misplacedfaith.htm , As US Rakes Largest Monthly Deficit In History, 2012 Tax Revenues Net Of Refunds Trail 2011 Durden, Guest Post: Money from Nothing - A Primer On Fake Wealth Creation And Its Implications (Part 1) Durden 3-12-12 What is fraud except creating “value” from nothing and passing it off as something? Frauds interlink and grow upon each other. Our debt-based money system serves as the fraud foundation. In our debt-based money system, debt must grow in order to create money. Therefore, there is no way to pay off aggregate debt with available money. More money must be lent into the system to make the payments for old debts. This causes overall debt to expand as new money for actual people (vs. banks) always arrives at interest and compounds exponentially. This process is called financialization. Financialization: The process of making money from nothing in which debt (i.e. poverty, lack) is paradoxically considered an asset (i.e. wealth, gain). In current financialized economies “wealth expansion” comes from the parasitic taxation of productivity in the form of interest on fiat lending. This interest over time consumes a greater and greater share of resources, assets, labor, and livelihood until nothing is left., Guest Post: Money from Nothing - A Primer on Fake Wealth Creation and its Implications (Part 2) ZeroHedge.com 3-14-12 Only in a debt-based money system could debt be curiously cast as an asset. We’ve made “extend and pretend” a quaint phrase for a burgeoning market for financial lying and profiteering aimed toward preventing the collapse of a debt- (or lack-) based system that was already doomed by its initial design to collapse. , Guest Post: The Audacity of Bonuses At MF Global Durden 3-12-12 In the spirit of George Orwell’s Animal Farm commandment: “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal then others” comes the galling news that bankruptcy trustee, Louis Freeh, could approve the defunct, MF Global to pay bonuses to certain senior executives. This, despite the fact that nearly $1.6 billion of customer funds remains “missing” or otherwise partially accounted for, yet beyond the reach of those customers, perhaps forever, since before the firm declared bankruptcy on October 31, 2011... ,