Business

Submitted by Wolf Richter of Wolf Street

The Fed’s balance sheet for the week ending December 6, completes the second month of the QE-unwind. Total assets initially zigzagged within a tight range to end October where it started, at $4,456 billion. But in November, holdings drifted lower, and by December 6 were at $4,437 billion, the lowest since September 17, 2014:

“Balance sheet normalization?” Well, in baby steps. But the devil is in the details.

By the SRSrocco Report,

There is a Disinformation War taking place in the silver market as certain industry analysis is confusing individuals by purposely disregarding the tremendous impact of rising investment demand.  Not only do I find this troubling, but I am also quite surprised how much the silver industry pays attention to this faulty analysis.  So, it's time once again to set the record straight.

If Jay Gould were alive today, he would've traded bitcoin.

Perhaps the most blatant hypocrisy perpetrated by bitcoin evangelists is their insistence that bitcoin and other digital currencies represent a return to a truly democratic financial system beyond the control of banks and other special interests, where players small and large can earn enormous profits simply by HODLing.

Anyone keeping track can add Craigslist to the list of companies getting involved in Bitcoin mania, as the online marketplace recently began allowing sellers the ability to indicate that they will accept cryptocurrency when advertising goods or services through the online marketplace. 

U.S. auto sales have hovered well north of replacement rates for several years now on the back of an improving labor environment and more importantly an extremely accommodating financing market characterized by $0 down, 0% interest loans to subprime borrowers, with perpetually longer maturities to help manage monthly payments...because if your monthly payment is $500 you can afford it, right?