Europe

The macro-economic climate is “about as good as it is going to get,” according to a new economic outlook from PIMCO, with  Joachim Fels and Andrew Balls warning that "the last time a similar combination prevailed was in 2006 - and that didn’t end well."

Via PIMCO,

As Good As It Gets

It’s easy to get lulled into complacency by synchronized global growth, easy financial conditions and super-low economic and financial market volatility.

The man who made "nein" a household word everywhere, and especially Greece, will no longer be in charge of Europe's biggest economy.

As part of the fallout from Sunday's disastrous, for the CDU election, election which will see Merkel govern in a three-way coalition with the minor German parties, it was expected that Germany's iconic finance minister Wolfgang Schauble would be kicked out of his post. It also means that Germany's pro-business, low-tax FDP, whose support Merkel is likely to need, will be put in charge of the coveted finance ministry position.

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What Can Be Done?

Paul Craig Roberts

Despite clear evidence that Washington has chosen the path to conflict with Russia and China, European governments have not objected. Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltics even seem to demand more conflict or a quicker path to conflict. The European peoples themselves have not elected leadership that is willing to repudiate vassalage to Washington and conduct a rational foreign policy toward Russia.

S&P futures are set for a higher open (+ 0.1%) despite the expected hit to the Dow from Nike which is down over 3% on unexpectedly poor revenue growth, as European stocks gain while Asian shares dropped. Like yesterday when the big story was the jump in the USD ahead of Yellen's (rather hawkish) speech, so today the greenback's levitation has continued, this time propelled by today's unveiling of Trump's tax plan.

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

The EU values political correctness more than jobs.

The result was a collapse in support for Angela Merkel, and the rise of AfD and FDP in Germany. Let’s not forget Marine Le Pen in France, Beppe Grillo in Italy, and the far right in Austria.

For the sake of political correctness, the EU is bound and determined to punish the UK for Brexit even though new studies suggest that a Hard Brexit Will hurt the EU More Than Britain.