United States

In the 1960's and 1970's the US government tested chemical and biological weapons on US troops in still little known secret programs called Projects 112 and SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense). The Vietnam era tests involved some 6,000 military personnel being subject to experiments involving deadly nerve agents like sarin and VX, as well as biological agents like E. Coli, all of which can result in quick death or potential lifelong debilitating health issues such as long-term central nervous system failure.

Real-estate prices in the Hamptons – the preferred North American summer retreat for wealthy finance types – have long been viewed as a barometer of the general mood on Wall Street. And with US stocks continuing their ascent to fresh record highs, despite Brainard’s admission that "asset valuations do look a bit stretched" and signs that the rally is being propelled by a concentration of megacap stocks, luxury real-estate agents out east are clearly praying for a blockbuster season after last year's disaster.

Is Amazon getting too big?

Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

After reading this article, you will never look at tap water the same way again. 

After falling for the first time this year two weeks ago, Baker Hughes reports US oil rig count rose once again (up 2 to 765) for the 24th week in the last 25, to the highest since April 2015.

"The so-called re-balancing is likely to happen later than earlier," Michael Poulsen, an analyst at Global Risk Management Ltd, said on Friday.

It does appear we have reached an inflection point in the rig count numbers (if the historical relationship with crude holds)...