We spend a lot of time writing about public pensions because the aggregate underfunding levels, $3 - $5 trillion on the low end, are simply staggering and at some point they will be realized for the ponzi schemes that they are and the systemic risk they represent to the global financial system. Until then we'll just keep shouting into the abyss.
What tentative hope had emerged for a rebound for the U.S. restaurant industry at the start of the year, was doused last month when in its February Restaurant Industry Snapshot, TDn2K found that "Restaurant Sales and Traffic Tumble in February" and reported that same-store sales fell -3.7% in February, with traffic declining -5.0% . It did however leave a possibility that things may turn around as a result of the prompt disbursement of withheld tax refunds in the month, which it suggested may have adversely affected sales and traffic.
By Wolf Richter, originally published on WOLFSTREET.com
Prices of collector cars fell again, according to the April report by Hagerty, which specializes in insuring vintage automobiles. After a tremendous price surge that peaked in 2015, they’ve been ratcheting their way down ever so slowly. But it adds up after a while.
China is the world’s largest net importer of crude oil, and in recent years, China’s crude oil imports have increasingly come from countries outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). As the EIA reports in a recent blog post, while OPEC countries still made up most (57%) of China’s 7.6 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil imports in 2016, crude oil from non-OPEC countries made up 65% of the growth in China’s imports between 2012 and 2016. Leading non-OPEC suppliers included Russia (14% of total imports), Oman (9%), and Brazil (5%).
Authored by Simon Black via SovereignMan.com,
Last week the Internet was ablaze with disgust after a man was physically dragged off a United Airlines flight.
What’s amazing, though, is that there are countless cases of another industry abusing its customers in far, far worse ways than the airlines.
I’m talking, of course, about the banking industry.
1. Banks treat you like criminal suspects too.
Sure, United had a man dragged away like he was a rape suspect being hauled off to jail.