Business

The global risk levitation continues, sending Asian stocks just shy of records, to the highest since November 2007 and Japan's Nikkei topped 22,750 - a level last seen in 1992 - while European shares and US equity futures were mixed, and the dollar rose across the board, gains accelerating through the European session with EURUSD sumping below 1.16 shortly German industrial output shrank more than forecast, eventually dropping to the lowest point since last month’s ECB meeting.

"Blain’s Morning Porridge", Submitted by Bill Blain of Mint Partners

“Comrades come rally, let the last fight let us win….. for though they offer us concessions, change will not come from above..”

Paradise or not, how much hotter can markets get?

Divided opinion here in the office this morning.. Stirring the pot is the BBC’s coverage of the “Paradise Papers”, purporting to demonstrate widespread tax avoidance by the international elites.

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

Contrary to ECB propaganda, Target2 imbalances are a direct result an unsustainable balance of payment system. The imbalances represent both capital flight and debts that can never be paid back. If you think Italy can pay German and other creditors a record €432.5 Billion, you are in Fantasyland.

The interesting aspect of Italy's new record Target2 Imbalance is that it comes just as Dwindling Trust in Italian Banks is on the rise.

The fallout from the Venezuelan bond restructuring has claimed a major victim in Goldman Sachs Asset Management, or rather some of the “muppets” who trusted Goldman to invest their money. However, the route which led Goldman to losing a chunk of client money wasn’t just a case of bad judgement, being riddled with the usual mixture of greed, questionable ethics and government intervention. As we detailed in “Goldman Accused Of Funding Maduro’s Dictatorship”.

Authored by Tsvetana Paraskova via OilPrice.com,

Oil companies have recently focused on frontier exploration drilling in the Barents Sea offshore in Norway, neglecting the powerhouse of the Norwegian oil industry, the North Sea.

Exploration activity in the North Sea - the most mature area of Western Europe’s biggest oil producer - is at an 11-year low this year, which is a concern for the industry’s regulator, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).