South America

After being effectively shut out from global financial markets – a situation that was made more precarious by US sanctions prohibiting purchases of Venezuelan debt (unless you’re buying them off Goldman Sachs, should the bank’s asset-management arm desire to liquidate its $3 billion “hunger bond” position) – Venezuela is drawing ever-nearer to what the Financial Times describes as potentially the “messiest debt restructuring in history.”

President Trump just signed an executive order deepening the sanctions on Venezuela, confirming the rumors of a ban on trading in Venezuelan debt that sent VENZ/PDVSA bonds tumbling.

Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog,

The division in America has become so dramatic over the past year that many people can only foresee it heading one place: Civil War.

By Chris at www.CapitalistExploits.at

Last week, China bypassed the World Trade Organisation agreements and using an old law officially launched a probe into Americas intellectual property practices.

China's foreign affairs minister, talking of America, stated that:

"We’ve come to the conclusion that they’re in an economic war and they’re crushing us.”

Reiterating this stance, a Chinese Communist Party spokesman went on to say:

Update 3: According to the WSJ, Blackstone's Steve Schwarzman called Trump to tell him council was disbanding. Then Trump tweeted he was disbanding it.