America

Whether or not Donald Trump ultimately succeeds in winning the White House, historians are likely to rank him as the most consequential presidential candidate of at least the past half-century. He has already transformed the tone and temper of American political life. If he becomes the Republican nominee, he will demolish its structural underpinnings as well. Should he prevail in November, his election will alter its very fabric in ways likely to prove irreversible.

Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

The possibility that Trump would step on favored political toes and act pragmatically to rein in Imperial over-reach terrifies the bloated Imperial city of Washington D.C.

Following the weakness in global PMIs, and yesterday's Chicago PMI collapse, US Markit Manufacturing PMI dropped to cycle lows at 51.3 from 52.5 (very slightly better than expectations of 51.2) with job growth at 5-month lows, production at slowest in 28 months, and work backlogs tumbling to the lowest since Sept 2009.

Submitted by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com,

Warren Buffett, in his latest annual letter to shareholders, took aim at the idea that 2% real economic growth wasn’t sufficient to create economic prosperity for future generations was wrong.

Via Myles Udland from Business Insider:

• Trump, Clinton poised for big wins on Super Tuesday (Reuters)
• U.S. Index Futures Signal Equities to Rebound After Monthly Drop (BBG)
• Barclays Plummets as Bank Slashes Dividend in Plan to Shrink (BBG)
• Glencore Tumbles to Loss, Promises Accelerated Debt Reduction (WSJ)
• The Angry Americans: Trump, Sanders and the Aftershocks of 2008 (BBG)
• Euro sinks as weak data piles pressure on European Central Bank (Reuters)
• China's PMI Reports Show Slowdown Deepening as Services Slip (BBG)