America

China is rapidly expanding its military presence in the disputed waters and airspace of the South China Sea. A new high-tech surveillance drone is stalking foreign warships approaching the man-made artificial islands, creating tension in the region and a headache for the Pentagon as it feels obliged to defend and provide free navigation in what was once international waters. The simmering tension between the U.S. and China is reaching boiling point as the two sides flirt with overt military conflict.

Published originally on The Great Recession Blog

by David Haggith

I have pointed out in previous articles how most of the growth in stocks over the past few years has been due to stock share buybacks. Without this hideous (and at one time illegal) practice, there would have been no bull market over the last few years.

That’s right. Research from no other place than Wall Street, itself, indicates that almost all of the returns since 2009 have been due to stock share buybacks!

While the common narrative is now that Donald Trump is dividing the United States along racial lines, it would appear that 200 years of widespread immigration (some more integrative and some less) - as the following stunning animated graphic shows - the proverbial melting pot, after 8 years of an African-American president, during which black inequality has worsened dramatically, is boiling over by its own volition.

Here is everyone who has emigrated to the United States since 1820 (1 dot = 10,000 people)

It appears, once again, Donald Trump is correct...

Crooked Hillary Clintons foreign interventions unleashed ISIS in Syria, Iraq and Libya. She is reckless and dangerous!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 21, 2016

A little over a month ago, conventional wisdom (and overrated pundits) said that Trump has no chance of being the republican nominee. They were all wrong, but so was the market which continued to ignore the possibility of a Trump presidency until well after the fact. And, as always happens, now is when if not the market, then certainly Goldman's clients are finally trying to catch up. As Goldman strategist David Kostin (who just one week ago warned that there is now a substantial risk of a market drop ahead of the year end), writes "Politics is now a topic in every client discussion."