Business

Authored by Mike Shedlock via www.themaven.net/mishtalk,

Most defined benefit pension plans are nothing but Ponzi schemes. Plans are now unraveling because of demographics. An increasing number of retirees, needing untenable returns, are supported by fewer and fewer people putting money in the system. Democrats sponsored a bailout scheme. Will it pass?

Pension and Investments reports Sen. Sherrod Brown to Unveil Multiemployer Loan Program Legislation.

They finally did it.

Since 2008, Central Banks have been desperately trying to generate inflation.

They know they cannot produce growth (hence why both the Fed and the ECB abandoned this as a goal in their statements back in 2013)… so they have chosen to “target” inflation.

To that end, Central Banks have maintained Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP) as well as Negative Interest Rate Policy (NIRP) for the better part of eight years. They’ve also printed over $14 TRILLION in new capital and funneled it into the financial system.

One months ago, we reported that according to option markets, GE - whose stock prices and operations have been in turmoil recently- was expected to massively slash its dividend, by just over 40%.

S&P futures gave up early gains and were trading down -0.2%, as Donald Trump completes his first Asian tour and as pressure mounts on U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, sending the pound plunging. European stocks fell, tracking many Asian shares as the Nikkei plunge accelerated.

Somebody should tell Wal-Mart they’re doing it wrong.

In what the Wall Street Journal described as an attempt to lure customers back to its brick-and-mortar locations, Wal-Mart has been quietly raising prices for some food and household products sold on its US website, including Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Colgate toothbrushes and bags of Purina dog food.