Authored by Dave Forest via OilPrice.com,
One of the biggest energy stories this year has been Russia’s Rosneft buying India’s Essar Oil - giving the Russian company a firm grip on one of the world’s biggest emerging oil and gas markets.
And this past week, that story got more complex. With Rosneft striking another big deal — drawing in another heavyweight energy nation.
China.
Pretty soon, China bears will be as rare as the Giant Panda.
At least that’s what Bloomberg suggested in a story about how Chinese markets have continued to defy proclamations that country’s economy would soon collapse in an avalanche of bad debt, exposing rampant corporate fraud. Or that a rash of outflows and the pressure of short sellers would force a massive yuan devaluation. Or that the exposure of rampant fraud and abuse in its corporate sector would tank local markets, which rely heavily on shady investment products.
In an unexpectedly strong diplomatic escalation, one day after China agreed to vote alongside the US (and Russia) during Monday's United National Security Council vote in passing the watered down North Korea sanctions, the US warned that if China were to violate or fail to comply with the newly imposed sanctions against Kim's regime, it could cut off Beijing’s access to both the US financial system as well as the "international dollar system."
Behold a Pale Horse, and its Rider is Death
Paul Craig Roberts
Two of America’s most populous states, Texas and Florida, are in hurricane ruins, and Washington is fomenting more wars.
The US national debt is now over $20 trillion, and Washington is fomenting more wars.
World stocks hit new record highs on Tuesday amid a continuation of Monday's risk-on theme which unleashed a dramatic relief rally on easing North Korea tensions and signs that Hurricane Irma caused less damage than feared (which according to Keynesians should be GDP negative). The MSCI All-Country World Index gained 0.2%, hitting the highest on record with a fifth consecutive advance.