Authored by Raul Ilargi Meijer via The Automatic Earth blog,
We are witnessing the demise of the world’s two largest economic power blocks, the US and EU. Given deteriorating economic conditions on both sides of the Atlantic, which have been playing out for many years but were so far largely kept hidden from view by unprecedented issuance of debt, the demise should come as no surprise.
Authored by Gail Tverberg via Our Finite World blog,
The Federal Reserve would like to raise target interest rates because of inflation concerns and concern that asset bubbles are forming. Part of their concern seems to arise indirectly from the rise in oil prices, relative to their low level in early 2016.
Figure 1. WSJ figure indicating likely reasons for rate hike.
Via Mike Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
Bitcoin topped $1200 overnight for the first time, bringing it ever closer to the price for an ounce of gold...
As Bloomberg notes, a ten-day rally for the cryptocurrency has narrowed its gap with the precious metal to the smallest on record.
Each asset has been touted as an alternative to regular currencies, because of constraints on their supply and the capacity they offer to sidestep governments.
Partity looms once again...
Via The Daily Bell
Scientists are worried about the Trump administration: His pick for the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t seem interested in protecting the environment, his energy secretary lacks the publication record of his highly academic predecessors, and the president himself once tweeted that global warming is a Chinese hoax. In light of such issues, they’re planning a march to advocate the use of scientific evidence in political decision-making. Was there ever an alternative to evidence? -Bloomberg