Europe

Global markets begin the last full week of trading of the year in subdued fashion, with U.S. equity futures rising 0.1%, to 2,258.5, European shares decline halting two straight weeks of gains, and Asian shares hitting a four-week low. The Dollar extends losses, yen and gold rise amid geopolitical concerns as the fallout from China's seizure of a U.S. continues to reverberate. Volumes are thinning before the December holiday season and end of the year, with trading in German bund futures about half the average for the past five days.

Submitted by Alasdair Macleod via GoldMoney.com,

Even before he takes office, President-elect Trump is turning the world upside down.

It has become clear his attitude towards Russia and China is very different from that of his predecessors. Amazingly, he is already wresting power from the deep state, causing it great resentment, which under Obama, Clinton and the Bushes, ran geopolitical policy. From January, barring accidents the world will not be the same, the establishment up-ended.

Syrian authorities have urged the international community to intervene after US-backed rebels were caught illegally using mustard gas on civilians. According to the government in Syria, a batch of documents proving that chemical weapons were used against Syrian citizens was handed over to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on December 12. Authorities also delivered samples from the shell containing mustard gas to The Hague. RT.com reports: “We have provided all the documents to the mission, they were vetted and accepted.

Two years ago, as part of its one-year forward forecast issue, the ten "experts" polled by Barron's in its one year forward forecast, predicted that the S&P would close 2015 an average of 2210, roughly 7% higher then the final print of 2014, which was at 2,058.9.

Military experts are warning that North Korea has recently improved its weapons and military capabilities across the board and is far more dangerous than previously thought. Sputnik reports: Last week, it was reported that the country had developed an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear payload to the US mainland. Only a crucial insulation issue remained to be solved to make the device truly threatening.