United States

With memories of last week's high-volume, post-Fed, quad-witching selloff fading fast, overnight the Santa rally defined as no volume, no breadth levitation, has continued for a third day and moments ago European stocks rose to their best level of the day, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index headed for its biggest advance in a week, while US equity futures ramped on the European open as they traditionally do, and then again hit session highs minutes ago, as holiday volumes are in meltdown mode, and oddlots can move the E-mini by 1 point.

Submitted by Ron Holland via PravdaReport.com,

73 years ago on Christmas Eve 1942 German troops sang Silent Night on a European wide radio Christmas program from the distant battlefields of Nazi conquest outside Leningrad in the North and from surrounded Stalingrad on the southern Eastern Front to the Middle East. Also all across Nazi occupied Europe, from Italy and Norway to the Atlantic coastlines of Fortress Europe the soldiers sang to their families and listeners back home starting to question the promises of Nazi victory propaganda.

With Dora Mekouar of VOAnews

9 of 10 Largest US Occupations Pay Miserly Wages

Of the 10 largest occupations in the United States, only one - registered nurse - makes more than the national average when it comes to all U.S. jobs.

Nurses make $69,790 annually while the average U.S. worker makes $47,230, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau’s Occupational Employment Statistics program provides employment and wage estimates for more than 800 occupations nationwide.

That the student loan bubble is one of the many "subprime" crises (because as of this moment there are just too many asset bubbles to count thanks to 7 years of global ZIRP, NIRP and QE) has been documented here ever since 2012. We also explained that the main reason for soaring college costs is the cheap and easily accessible government-funded student debt, which at last check was over $1.2 trillion and rising exponentially. 

Regular readers are no doubt familiar with The Pentagon’s ill-fated “train and assist” program for properly “vetted” Syrian rebels. 

The program was announced to quite a bit of fanfare - and quite a bit of ridicule due to the burgeoning debate over what counts as a “moderate” fighter - back in May and the idea was to field a group of fighters 5,400 strong by the end of the calendar year. In all, the effort was set to cost US taxpayers some $500 million.