South America

After retail bankruptcies soared an astonishing 110% in the first half of 2017 (something we discussed here: The Amazon Effect: Retail Bankruptcies Surge 110% In First Half Of The Year), it seems that the new wave of retail operators are finally figuring out that in-store payrolls and excessive mall rents are simply an insurmountable economic disadvantage in the post-Amazon world.  The following info-graphic from the Wall Street Journal helps to put the offline vs. online cost structure of apparel retailers into perspective:

"Stop Bickering, Get in Early, Make an Appointment."

That's how the WSJ summarizes the new White House protocol implemented by Trump's new Chief of Staff, Gen. John Kelly, appointed just one week ago, and who has been tasked with what many believe is impossible: restoring order to the White House.

Content originally published at iBankCoin.com

Was recently installed White House Chief of Staff John Kelly's stance on human trafficking and drug cartels a factor in President Trump's decision to promote the man originally picked to head up Homeland Security?

In a revealing 2014 interview, the retired 4-star US Marine Corps general told PRISM magazine that the 'most concerning' threat facing the United States comes from international criminal networks trafficking in drugs and sex workers:

Population growth is responsible for the majority of GDP growth...so a downturn in population growth matters...particularly when population growth shifts from wealthy or developing nations to the poorest.  I'm not describing something that may happen in the future...I'm describing what has already happened that is continuing to send progressively larger tsunamis swamping the world economy and has the central bankers doing everything and anything to try to sustain the unsustainable.

The hyperinflationary-hell in Venezuela’s currency is deepening as a crippling dollar shortage and a threat of oil sanctions (amid President Maduro's attempts to rewrite the constition to maintain his grip on power) take their toll on the economy.