Europe

Following yesterday's Yen surge in the aftermath of the disappointing BOJ announcement, the pain for USDJPY long continued, with the key carry pair tumbling as low as 106, the lowest level since October 2014 before stabilizing around 107, and is now headed for its biggest weekly gain since 2008, which in turn has pushed the US dollar to to its lowest close in almost a year as signs of slowing growth in the U.S. dimmed prospects for a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase. As a result, global stocks fell and commodities extended gains in their best month since 2010.

Authorities in Belgium are going to supply the entire population of 11 million citizens with iodine pills to protect against a potential nuclear war in Europe.  Health Minister Maggie De Block says the drastic measure is to safeguard members of the public against a potential nuclear accident. Yahoo News reports: Iodine pills, which help reduce radiation build-up in the thyroid gland, had previously only been given to people living within 20 kilometres (14 miles) of the Tihange and Doel nuclear plants.

A newly released financial report reveals that a Ukraine based anti-Putin TV station is almost entirely funded by North America and Europe.  The anti-Russian Kiev-based station Hromadske.TV was set up to spread anti-Moscow propaganda and has nearly a dozen western government agencies financially supporting it, according to a 2015 report. Forbes.com reports: Who are they? They are the Canada International Development Agency (CIDA); the Embassy of The Netherlands in Ukraine; another Canadian charity called the Ukrainian World Foundation; independent DC-based Pact World; the U.S.

We often use big, overarching ideas to help us understand the world and the opportunities contained within. These narratives, which can change over time, are used to create context. They give us a frame of reference for comprehending the news and events that affect our outlook on things.

As VisualCapitalist's Jeff Desjardins notes, China’s economic prowess is one of these new paradigms that has emerged, but many people still can’t really wrap their heads around the scale or scope of it.

Submitted by Annie Zhou via FinancialRepressionAuthority.com,

FRA Co-founder Gordon T. Long is joined by Professor Michael Hudson in discussing his concept of the FIRE economy and its influence on the production and consumption economy, along with some of his writings.