Europe

The Bank of Korea is aiming for a “cashless society” by 2020. The bank’s officials plan to provide South Koreans with cards instead of coins, since consumers are increasingly becoming comfortable with cashless payments due to the prevalence of mobile wallets, smartphones and mobile banking. Koreans now carry less cash as it gives way to credit cards and fintech payments. Now if a consumer were to purchase a 9,500 won item and pays cash using a 10,000 won banknote, the shopper would be credited 500 won to his or her prepaid card instead of getting a 500 won coin in change.

Today Janet Yellen and the FOMC will go back to square one and try to reset global expectations unleashed by the ill-fated December rate "policy mistake" hike, when at 2pm the Fed will announce assessment of the economy (even if not rate hike is expected today) followed by Yellen press conference half an hour later.

If there’s one person who exemplifies anti-refugee sentiment in Europe more than anyone else, it’s not Frauke Petry, it’s not Geert Wilders, and it’s not Lutz Bachmann. It’s Viktor Orban.

Orban raised eyebrows in September of last year, when the Hungarian PM built a 110-mile, razor wire migrant-be-gone fence along his country’s border with Serbia.

Submitted by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

Russia’s Military Aims Achieved, Putin Switches to Diplomacy

Paul Craig Roberts

American presstitutes, such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, expressed surprise at Russia’s support for the Syrian ceasefire, which Russia has been seeking, by Putin’s halt to attacks on the Islamic State and a partial withdrawal of Russian forces. The American presstitutes are captives of their own propaganda and are now surprised at the failure of their propagandistic predictions.