Europe

World stocks rose to a 4th consecutive record highs, while the dollar headed for its worst week; U.S. stock-index futures are steady, with European and Asian stocks higher ahead of much anticipated US inflation data, which is expected to give cues on the outlook for the Federal Reserve’s interest rates. MSCI’s all world equity index was up 0.1% after hitting record highs on Thursday. Earlier in Asia, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit a 10-year high, up 0.3 percent on the day.

Submitted by Bill Blain of Mint Partners

“Far across a moonbeam, I know that’s who you are, I saw your brown eyes turning once to fire..”

Friday the 13th. Never a lucky day.

Former Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev the last Soviet leader, is urging Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump to meet face to face to resolve their differences as each side accuses the other of violating a Cold War-era arms-control treaty that Gorbachev believes is essential to maintaining peace between the two world powers.

A large Turkish army convoy consisting of more than 100 Turkish soldiers, including special forces and commandos, along with at least 30 armored trucks entered Syria’s Idlib region around 22:15 local time, for a joint mission with Russia and Iran to monitor a local de-escalation zone and "pacify al-Qaeda linked militants" there, Hurriyet newspaper reports. While their destination was not clear, local sources told Al Jazeera the troops were headed towards the western part of Aleppo province.

When it comes to flushing valuables down the toilet, the Swiss are hardly "Austrians", and appear to be equity-opportunity dumpers, whether it is fiat or hard money.

Last month we reported that Switzerland was gripped in a mystery, after it was discovered that someone tried to flush $120,000 in €500 bills down the toilet in a bathroom close to a UBS bank vault as well as three nearby restaurants, which in turn clogged the local toilets requiring thousands of francs in plumbing repairs to unclog the pipes.