Europe

Submitted by Mike Krieger of Libertyblitzkrieg

The ECB’s Monetary Policy Is Now Creating a Rush Into Derivatives

One of the most catastrophic things central banks have done in the post financial crisis period is destroy financial markets. Investors are no longer investors, they’re merely helpless rats running around the lunatic central planning maze desperately attempting to survive by front running the latest round of central bank purchases.

While the surge in Q1 market volatility has had a dramatic impact on asset prices, and led to some unprecedented central bank interventions to stabilize markets, one product that has seen a dramatic hit and has yet to rebound, is M&A.

According to BofA, North American M&A volumes declined again in March, falling to $107bn from $140bn in February, $157bn in January and the recent peak of $410bn in November of last year.

Max Boot’s argument for the importance of NATO unwittingly draws attention to one of the biggest problems with the alliance over the last two decades:

Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,

Varoufakis said that Schäuble, Germany’s finance minister and the architect of the deals Greece signed in 2010 and 2012, was “consistent throughout”. “His view was ‘I’m not discussing the program – this was accepted by the previous [Greek] government and we can’t possibly allow an election to change anything.

 

By James Burgess of OilPrice

Did Italy And Malta Actually Agree To Swap Oil Rights For Refugees?

As the Syrian refugee crisis reaches a critical impasse, both in terms of European security and refugee human rights, Brussels has found itself having to deny accusations of a secret pact between Malta and Italy to swap refugees for oil exploration rights.