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Showing posts with label reuters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reuters. Show all posts

Monday, 10 February 2014

Feb 10, 2014: News Updates


Eurozone banks face £42bn 'capital black hole’

Government adviser Davide Serra says this year’s stress tests by European authorities are likely to find fresh problems in the eurozone banks.

Feb 10 2014

 Eurozone banks are facing a new capital black hole of as much as €50bn (£42bn), according to one of the UK’s most respected financial analysts.

Davide Serra, the chief executive of Algebris, who advises the Government on banking, said that this year’s stress tests by the European Banking Authority and the European Central Bank were likely to find fresh problems in the eurozone banks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/10626225/Eurozone-banks-face-42bn-capital-black-hole.html


Barclays launches investigation after customer data leak

By Sarah Young
LONDON Sun Feb 9, 2014 6:05am EST
(Reuters) - Barclays said it had launched an investigation after a newspaper reported that the personal details of 27,000 customers had been stolen and sold, raising the prospect of new fines for the bank.

Confidential information on customers' earnings and health as well as passport details had ended up for sale, The Mail on Sunday reported, citing data provided to it by a whistleblower.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/09/us-barclays-data-idUSBREA1808020140209


EU to force Britons to publish details of wills and property

A bill being debated in Brussels would force UK citizens to disclose 'reams' of private, financial information on a public register - feb 10 2014

New legislation planned in Brussels is set to heap fresh costs and paperwork on families’ financial planning, as well as leaving their affairs open to unwanted public scrutiny. ...
...But officials in Brussels have widened out the proposals as the bill has evolved, to include trusts. The effect could be to force millions of families to compile elaborate accounts of their assets and financial arrangements including insurance policies, property and bequests made in their wills, for entry into a register. And that register, if legislators get their way, could be made available to any member of the public.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/10624818/EU-to-force-Britons-to-publish-details-of-wills-and-property.html


VSome European banks need to 'die in an orderly fashion’– new bank supervisor

Published time: February 10, 2014 11:14
Weak banks need to fail in order for the European Central Banks’ stress tests on lenders to be successful and credible, the new chair of the supervisory arm of the bank Daniele Nouy said. Only "good" banks with strong capital will survive.

“We have to accept that some banks have no future,” Nouy told the Financial Times (FT) in an interview published February 10, 2014. Nouy will serve a five-year term.

http://rt.com/business/eu-banks-die-nouy-347/


Fitch downgrades Ukraine to CCC rating


KIEV, Ukraine, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Financial assessment firm Fitch has dropped Ukraine's credit score to become the third of the three large credit rating firms to do so in the last week.


 http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2014/02/08/Fitch-downgrades-Ukraine-to-CCC-rating/UPI-30801391872740/#ixzz2sx8A1E00


Why You Shouldn't Trust Europe In One Simple Chart

02/09/2014 18:37 -0500
While China (or Russia) are held up as the world's most corrupt among developed nations among the status-quo-huggers, it would seem there are two other nations that dominate when it comes to getting caught. Europe paid more in fines  (in fact double the US and 10 times China) for price-fixing, bid-rigging, and other anti-trust abuses in 2013.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-09/why-you-shouldnt-trust-europe-one-simple-chart

Bitcoin Just Completely Crashed As Major Exchange Says Withdrawals Remain Halted

Feb. 10, 2014, 5:57 AM   
Bitcoin just completely fell out of bed. ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/mtgox-statement-on-withdrawals-2014-2


Bitcoin Flash Crashes, Drops By 80% In Seconds

 02/10/2014 08:2

Now that Bitcoin exchange Mt.Gox has terminally discredited itself following the latest, and likely last, withdrawal halt announced late last week which sent the value of Bitcoin tumbling by 25%, Bitcoin traders are left with just two exchange options on which to transact: BTC-e and Bitstamp. And for those using the former to buy and sell the virtual digital currency, things went from bad to worse a few short hours ago, when Bitcoin had its very own "Waddell and Reed" moment, when the price of Bitcoin cratered by over 80% in the span of seconds, after a modest block of just under 6000 Bitcoins sent the price plunging from over $600 to $102.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-10/bitcoin-flash-crashes-drops-80-seconds

Swiss tight ‘yes’ vote on EU immigration ends free movement within bloc

Edited time: February 10, 2014 10:00
Switzerland has voted 50.3 percent in favor of limiting annual migration from the EU, thus ending the policy of free movement within the bloc that was established in 2002.

Swiss voters narrowly decided that immigration quotas would be reintroduced, thereby overturning the free movement policy introduced in the European Union 12 years ago. Early results showed the country to be very divided in opinion over the 'Stop mass immigration’ initiative.

http://rt.com/news/switzerland-votes-immigration-cap-224/


British MPs want EU laws veto, Brussels slams UK on immigration

Published time: January 12, 2014 10:50

http://rt.com/news/eu-uk-immigration-policy-472/


NSA helps CIA assassination program with 'unreliable' tactic

The National Security Agency is using an “unreliable” method to locate targets for the US assassination program, resulting in the deaths of innocent or unidentified people, according to a report.
...The surveillance agency locates the potential targets using controversial metadata analysis and cell-phone tracking technologies, the drone operate and NSA employee noted.

One of the tactics is for the NSA to “geolocate” the SIM card or handset of a suspected target’s phone, enabling the CIA and/or the US military to conduct raids and drone strikes.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/02/10/350066/nsas-tracking-method-kills-civilians/


UK ‘borrowed’ US drones to carry out unreported strikes in Afghanistan

Published time: February 10, 2014 10:28
The UK has used American drones over 250 times to carry out previously unreported attacks in Afghanistan, the MoD has admitted. The reports prompted a sharp reaction from British rights groups who slammed the lack of transparency in the UK military.

In response to a freedom of information request by British rights group Drone Wars UK, the Ministry of Defense said it had launched 39 missile strikes from unmanned US craft in Afghanistan. This the first time the Ministry of Defense has admitted to the use of American craft in conflict zones to carry out strikes.

http://rt.com/news/uk-us-drones-strikes-320/


US to pump $300mn into Afghanistan to end ‘war economy’ – report

Published time: February 09, 2014 13:26

Washington will announce on Monday a massive aid package to Afghanistan, which it hopes will assist the war-torn country get back on its feet after 12 years of playing host to foreign troops, Reuters has learned.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) will announce three new development programs worth almost $300 million to wean Afghanistan off its 'war economy,' which is heavily subsidized today by opium exports – a trade that had been practically squashed while the country was under Taliban rule.

http://rt.com/usa/us-afghanistan-aid-package-272/


Lights Out for NSA? Maryland Lawmakers Push to Cut Water, Electricity to Spy Agency Headquarters

NSA nerve center in Fort Meade targeted by bill.  Feb 10 2014
 Eight Republicans in the 141-member Maryland House of Delegates introduced legislation Thursday that would deny the electronic spy agency “material support, participation or assistance in any form” from the state, its political subdivisions or companies with state contracts.

The bill would deprive NSA facilities water and electricity carried over public utilities, ban the use of NSA-derived evidence in state courts and prevent state universities from partnering with the NSA on research.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/02/10/lights-out-for-nsa-maryland-lawmakers-push-to-cut-water-electricity-to-spy-agency-headquarters



China's gold demand tops 1,000 tonnes for first time

BEIJING/SINGAPORE Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:21pm IST
(Reuters) - China's gold consumption jumped 41 percent in 2013 to exceed 1,000 tonnes for the first time, an industry body said on Monday, as a sharp slide in prices attracted buyers for jewellery and bullion.

The demand surge has helped China become the No. 1 gold consumer and should support prices, which took a hit last year from expectations of a tapering of commodities-friendly economic stimulus by the U.S. Federal Reserve and a drop in demand in the other major buyer India.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/10/china-gold-idINDEEA1904M20140210



As China Orders Its Smaller Banks To Load Up On Cash, Is The Biggest Ever "Unlimited QE" About To Be Unleashed?

 02/10/2014 11:46 -0500

The Chinese new year may be over which following a last minute bailout of its insolvent Credit Equals Gold Trust product was largely uneventful, but already concerns about domestic liquidity are once again rising to the surface following reports that China’s banking regulator ordered some of the nation’s smaller lenders to set aside more funds to avoid a cash shortfall, which as Bloomberg notes signal rising concern that defaults may climb.
...Of course, the real panic will commence once the financial turmoiling shifts from the small banks to the big ones: "China’s five biggest state-owned banks and 12 national lenders controlled more than 60 percent of the nation’s 148 trillion yuan of banking assets at the end of 2013, according to CBRC data. Other financial institutions including 144 city commercial lenders, 337 rural banks and more than 1,900 rural cooperatives owned the rest."
Talk about "Too Big To Fail."

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-10/china-orders-its-smaller-banks-load-cash-biggest-ever-unlimited-qe-about-be-unleashe


UK bank standards body should be run by non-bankers - review head

LONDON Mon Feb 10, 2014

(Reuters) - A new standards body for British bankers should be led by people from outside the industry to establish its independence and credibility, the man tasked with setting it up said on Monday.

Britain's biggest banks pledged to set up the body last year after the industry was hit by scandals including the rigging of benchmark interest rates, breaches of anti-money laundering rules and the mis-selling of loan insurance and complex interest rate hedging products.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/10/uk-britain-bank-standards-idUKBREA191F520140210


Canada's trade deficit biggest in a year in December

Thu Feb 6, 2014 12:04pm EST
OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's trade deficit jumped to the highest level in a year in December, a government report showed on Thursday, the latest in a series of disappointing economic figures that are expected to keep the Bank of Canada from raising interest rates this year.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCABREA151H220140206


Better Markets sues Justice Department over JP Morgan settlement

Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:07pm EST


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The non-profit group Better Markets filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department on Monday to block what it called an "unlawful" $13 billion settlement with JP Morgan over bad mortgage loans sold to investors before the financial crisis.

The record settlement with the bank, which was reached in November, does not release JP Morgan from potential criminal liability over the mortgages it packaged into bonds.

But Better Markets said it was still appalled that the settlement gave the bank "blanket civil immunity" for its conduct without sufficient judicial review.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCABREA191ET20140210



REPORT: Top Chinese Regulator Personally Asked Jamie Dimon To Hire A Family Member

Feb. 10, 2014, 5:18 AM   
Reuters) - China's top insurance regulator directly asked JPMorgan Chase & Co <JPM.N> CEO Jamie Dimon to hire a family friend as a "favor", The New York Times reported, citing a confidential email

 http://www.businessinsider.com/report-top-chinese-regulator-personally-asked-jamie-dimon-to-hire-a-family-member-2014-2#ixzz2swOWjDeu


RBS CEO: We Sold Customers Things They Didn't Need, And We 'Literally And Metaphorically' Put Them At The Back Of The Line

49 minutes ago   
"In the rush for growth and profit, RBS forgot what banking is about. The bank valued least the people it should have valued most: its customers. We sold them products like PPI which many didn't need, and in some cases didn't know they had. Our customers often felt confused by language they found difficult to understand. We wasted their time with needless bureaucracy. We literally and metaphorically put them at the back of the queue."


Netanyahu to talk curbs on Iran with Obama in Washington in March

JERUSALEM Mon Feb 10, 2014 11:20am
(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has condemned a big power deal with Iran on its nuclear activity, said he would meet U.S. President Obama in Washington next month to further the goal of denying Tehran an atomic bomb capability.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/10/us-israel-usa-netanyahu-idUSBREA1914U20140210



 Feb. 9, 2014, 10:14 p.m. EST

Rich Chinese line up to leave China

Commentary: And why Hong Kong feels anxious

Wealthy Chinese mainlanders are voting with their feet in eye-popping numbers and preparing to emigrate — taking both their money and family with them.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rich-chinese-line-up-to-leave-china-2014-02-09



Facebook’s Zuckerberg is top U.S. charitable giver of 2013

February 10, 2014, 8:35 AM

The largest beneficiary of the largesse of Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, was the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, leaped in 2013 into the ranks of the U.S.’s biggest foundations.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/themargin/2014/02/10/facebooks-zuckerberg-is-top-u-s-charitable-giver-of-2013/

Rancho Feeding Corp. recalls year's worth of beef products

Feb 10 2014
A US food company responsible for distributing millions of pounds of diseased animal meat is recalling the products, officials said.

Rancho Feeding Corp., a Northern California company, recalled 8.7 million pounds of beef parts (3.95 million kg) for lack of full federal inspection and processing unhealthy animals, officials at the US Department of Agriculture said Saturday.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/02/10/350084/87-mn-pounds-of-beef-recalled-in-us/


NSA helps CIA assassination program with 'unreliable' tactic

The National Security Agency is using an “unreliable” method to locate targets for the US assassination program, resulting in the deaths of innocent or unidentified people, according to a report.
...The surveillance agency locates the potential targets using controversial metadata analysis and cell-phone tracking technologies, the drone operate and NSA employee noted.

One of the tactics is for the NSA to “geolocate” the SIM card or handset of a suspected target’s phone, enabling the CIA and/or the US military to conduct raids and drone strikes.


5th. Wall Street Banker Suicided: Taken Out To Prevent Forex Fraud Transparency ~ U.S. Being Drained.

February 9, 2014
Yesterday we reported that Steve Quayle’s banker source “V” has informed him that the recent rash of banker “suicides” are part of a hit list that includes dozens of bankers including warnings of a high level Citi executive
The banker hits are being done by the bad guys to keep men from singing after they flipped during prosecution investigation.
    All have been working with police teams and continental cops like Interpol.
the implications are that the US was only able to repatriate 5 tons of the Bundesbank’s gold reserves in year 1, and his overall view on the importance of the German gold repatriation request made a year ago, and Willie responded:
    - an entire process was triggered, to drain gold, to slam markets, with publicity given
    - it means the USFed and London and Paris were caught red-handed stealing German gold

http://politicalvelcraft.org/2014/02/09/5th-wall-street-banker-suicided-taken-out-to-prevent-forex-fraud-transparency-u-s-being-drained/


Frontrunning: February 10

02/10/2014 07:42 -0500


  • Yellen's first test (Reuters)
  • Let weak banks die, says eurozone super-regulator (FT)
  • Yellen, Carney Face Explaining Policy as Benchmarks Near (BBG)
  • Commerzbank Said Seeking Debt Buyers in $6.8 Billion Spain Exit (BBG)
  • Junk Yield Premiums Soar on China’s Looming First Default (BBG)
  • Millions Trapped in Health-Law Coverage Gap (WSJ)
  • Mandel Tops Best-Earning Hedge Funds for Clients in 2013 (BBG)
  • Swiss Brace for Sour EU Relations After Immigration Vote (BBG)
  • Detroit Bankruptcy Talks to Resume (WSJ)
  • Olympic Diva Shrugs Off Hotel Gripes to Sing Sochi’s Praises (BBG)
  • Toyota to stop making cars in Australia from 2017 (Reuters)
  • Alwaleed’s Kingdom Beats Buffett on Hidden Treasures (BBG)
  • Traders Crying Over Losses Missing HSBC’s Bargains (BBG)
  • How to save France (FT)
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-10/frontrunning-february-10



Monday, 3 February 2014

Feb 3, 2014: News Updates


Latin American Currencies Plunge To 2003 Lows, Argentine BONARs Shrink

 02/03/2014 14:02 -0500

With today's plunge, Latin American currencies have collapsed by over 5% in th elast 2 weeks - the fastest drop in almost two years. Year-over-year this is a 15.75% drop, the largest such drop since Lehman. This drop breaks the 2009 lows and presses the currencies to their weakest since 2003... Bond markets are being crushed as short-dated Argentine BONARs have collapsed to 14 month lows.


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-03/latin-american-currencies-plunges-2003-lows


European Central Bank seeks banks too troubled to lend money as it purges financial system

FRANKFURT - In Europe, the zombie hunt is on.


Not for undead humans, that is, but zombie banks — the walking dead among lenders, too financially troubled to loan money to an economy that desperately needs investment, growth and jobs.

The European Central Bank, the lead crisis-fighter for the 18 countries that use the euro, is embarking on an extensive search through the books of the biggest banks. It's an arcane exercise — but one whose results will impact people's jobs, businesses and lives. The idea is to restore the system's ability to lend by weeding out lame banks.


http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/european-central-bank-seeks-banks-too-troubled-lend-192152559.html



Loonie’s luck runs out as dollar forecasts revised even lower



Cross border shopping has suddenly become a lot less attractive for Canadians.

The Canadian dollar has nosedived, falling below the 90-cent (U.S.) mark last week for the first time since 2009.

Economists are calling January one of the worst months for the loonie since the 1950s, with no relief in sight for at least the next few months.


http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/balance-sheet/loonie-luck-runs-dollar-forecasts-revised-even-lower-153439493.html



 Emerging Market FX Hits Fresh 5-Year Low - Contagion Unfixed

02/03/2014 11:37 -0500


It was only a few days ago that Emerging Market FX was rallying on the back of a Turkish Central Bank rate hike that "fixed" everything. It was only a few days ago that investors were told they were "stupid" if bearish on US stocks because of EM weakness. Things have not gone as planned. That temporary blip has been demolished and EM FX has crumbled lower to fresh 5-year lows with many hitting record lows... and no, this does not mean money will flow back into US stocks (as we exclaim below).

    *COLOMBIAN PESO EXTENDS DROP, FALLS 1.7% TO 2,050.25 PER USD
    *ARGENTINE PESO WEAKENS 0.2% TO 8.0344/USD IN OFFICIAL MARKET
    *TURKISH STOCK INDEX DECLINES 2ND DAY TO LOWEST SINCE JULY 2012
    *YANUKOVYCH SAYS UKRAINE MUST STOP `EXTREMISM AND RADICALISM'



EM FX hits fresh 5-year low...



http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-03/emerging-market-fx-hits-fresh-5-year-low-contagion-unfixed




The Next 24 Hours Are Going To Be HUGE

Joe Weisenthal
Feb. 2, 2014, 4:00 PM   

First, to set the scene, last week was one of the more volatile weeks in global markets that we've seen in a long time. Stocks ended the week with two straight down days, resulting in the worst January for stocks since 2010.

Over the weekend, the official Chinese PMI report confirmed an economic slowdown, as manufacturing hit its worst level in six months, a fact that acts as a drag on global emerging markets.


 http://www.businessinsider.com/february-3-economic-data-2014-2#ixzz2sHzrXgzS




Treasury Chief: US Will Run Out of Money in February


The U.S. government says it will run out of money to pay its bills in late February, a bit sooner than first thought.

In December, Treasury chief Jacob Lew wrote to congressional leaders that the borrowing limit would be reached in late February or early March. But on Thursday, he urged Congress to raise the country's borrowing limit again by the end of February, to make sure the country does not default on its debts.


http://www.voanews.com/content/treasury-chief-us-will-run-out-of-money-in-february/1831700.html


European banks have $3 trillion of exposure to emerging markets

LONDON Mon Feb 3, 2014 6:20pm GMT

(Reuters) - European banks have loaned in excess of $3 trillion (1.83 trillion pounds) to emerging markets, more than four times U.S. lenders and putting them at greater risk if financial market turmoil in countries such as Turkey, Brazil, India and South Africa intensifies.

The risk is most acute for six European banks - BBVA, Erste Bank, HSBC, Santander, Standard Chartered, and UniCredit - according to analysts.


http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/03/uk-europe-banks-emergingmarkets-idUKBREA121AP20140203



IMF sees limited room for Bank of Canada rate cut

Mon Feb 3, 2014 11:39am EST

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Monday Canada's central bank is likely to hold its main interest rate steady until early 2015, and the bank has limited room to cut rates because of overvalued housing prices and record household debt.


http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCABREA120Z720140203



Citigroup, And Former Fed, Economist To Take Top Treasury Post

02/03/2014 15:42 -0500

Confirming the floating rumor from last week that yet another Wall Streeter from a bailed out bank is going to set US economic policy, moments ago the Treasury announced that indeed the Citigroup economist Nathan Sheets - the bank's global head of international economics - will start working next week as a counsellor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.

.... Previously, Mr. Sheets worked at the Federal Reserve Board for 18 years in a variety of positions. From September 2007 to August 2011, he served as Director of the Board’s Division of International Finance and one of three Economists to the Federal Open Market Committee. He advised the Committee on macroeconomic and financial developments in foreign economies, as well as on the outlook for U.S. trade, the dollar, and global commodity prices. He also played a key role in developing the Fed’s swap line program with other central banks. From 2006-07, while on leave from the Board, he served as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Executive Director at the International Monetary

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-03/citigroup-and-former-fed-economist-take-top-treasury-post

Reuters link from above article: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/03/uk-usa-treasury-idUKBREA121CW20140203



Lloyds delays dividend prospect after mis-selling charge


Feb 3, 2014 8:58am GMT

(Reuters) - Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) said it won't ask Britain's financial regulator to allow it to start paying dividends again until the second half of the year, disappointing investors who had hoped for a payout on 2013 earnings.

The state-backed bank pushed back its dividend prospects on Monday after taking a further 1.8 billion pound ($3 billion) charge for the mis-selling of loan insurance.


http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/03/uk-lloyds-dividend-idUKBREA1209A20140203



February 3, 2014

Shake me, wake me!


     The rot moves from the margins to the center, but the disease moves from the center to the margins. That is what has happened in the realm of money in recent weeks due to the sustained mispricing of the cost of credit by central banks, led by the US Federal Reserve. Along the way, that outfit has managed to misprice just about everything else  — stocks, houses, exotic securities, food commodities, precious metals, fine art....

...Meanwhile, the rot of epic mispricing expresses itself in collapsing currencies and the economies they are supposed to represent: India, Turkey, Argentina, Hungary so far. Italy, Spain, and Greece would be in that club if they had currencies of their own. For now, they just do without driving their cars and burn furniture to stay warm this winter. Automobile use in Italy is back to 1970s levels of annual miles-driven. That’s quite a drop.

     Before too long, the people will be out in the streets engaging with the riot police, as in Ukraine. This is long overdue, of course, and probably cannot be explained rationally since extreme changes in public sentiment are subject to murmurations, the same unseen forces that direct flocks of birds and schools of fish that all at once suddenly turn in a new direction without any detectable communication.


http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/shake-me-wake-me/


Stock market live blog: S&P 500 loss steepest since June; Nasdaq down over 100 points

Hackers sue Merkel and entire German government over NSA spying

Published time: February 03, 2014 14:28

Europe’s largest association of hackers has filed a criminal complaint against the German government for aiding foreign spying by NSA and GCHQ, and violating the right to citizens’ privacy, basing their case on leaks by whistleblower Edward Snowden.


http://rt.com/news/hackers-sue-german-government-584/



DOJ expands bribery probe; SAC’s London team finds a new home

February 3, 2014, 10:12 AM

More bank probes: The DOJ is widening its probe and looking at banks, hedge funds and private-equity firms for any violation of anti-bribery laws when it comes to Libya’s government-run investment fund, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The firms under the spotlight include Goldman Sachs Group Inc. GS -1.86% , Credit Suisse Group AG CS -2.52% , J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. JPM -1.38%  and private equity firm Blackstone Group L.P. BX -4.89% ........


http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2014/02/03/doj-expands-bribery-probe-sacs-london-team-finds-a-new-home/



Perth Mint and U.S. Mint See Higher January Gold Sales

Posted on February 3, 2014

Gold is marginally lower in all major currencies today except sterling which has weakened due to concerns that the Bank of England will continue its ultra loose monetary policies. Gold ticked higher in Asia prior to price falls....

Australia’s Perth Mint, which refines most of the bullion from the world’s second-biggest producer, joined the U.S. Mint in reporting gold demand climbed in January. Sales of coins and the increasingly popular minted gold bars at the Perth Mint increased 10% to 64,818 ounces last month from 58,944 ounces in December. The mint sold 912,388 ounces of silver compared with 845,941 ounces in December, it said.

Sales of gold coins by the U.S. Mint rose 63% in January to the highest since April. Sales climbed to 91,500 ounces from 56,000 ounces in December, while sales of silver coins almost tripled to 4.78 million ounces, the highest in a year, the data showed.


 http://www.maxkeiser.com/2014/02/perth-mint-and-u-s-mint-see-higher-january-gold-sales/#kZARuywFPyHLV6if.99


Financial world shaken by 4 bankers' apparent suicides in a week

Published time: February 03, 2014 12:16

The apparent suicide death of the chief economist of a US investment house brings the number of financial workers who have died allegedly by their own hand to four in the last week.


http://rt.com/business/russell-investments-chief-economist-dead-564/



A Rash of Deaths and a Missing Reporter – With Ties to Wall Street Investigations


By Pam Martens: February 3, 2014

In a span of four days last week, two current executives and one recently retired top ranking executive of major financial firms were found dead. Both media and police have been quick to label the deaths as likely suicides. Missing from the reports is the salient fact that all three of the financial firms the executives worked for are under investigation for potentially serious financial fraud.

...The case of David Bird, the oil markets reporter who had worked at the Wall Street Journal for 20 years and vanished without a trace on the afternoon of January 11, has this in common with the other three tragedies: his work involves a commodities market – oil – which is under investigation by the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations for possible manipulation. The FBI is involved in the Bird investigation.


http://wallstreetonparade.com/2014/02/a-rash-of-deaths-and-a-missing-reporter-%E2%80%93-with-ties-to-wall-street-investigations/



Web companies give first look at secret government data requests

Mon Feb 3, 2014 3:51pm EST

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google on Monday began publishing details about the number of secret government requests for data they receive, hoping to show limited involvement in controversial surveillance efforts.

The tech industry has pushed for greater transparency on government data requests, seeking to shake off concerns about their involvement in vast, surreptitious surveillance programs revealed last summer by former spy contractor Edward Snowden.

The government said last month it would relax rules restricting what details companies can disclose about Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court orders they receive for user information.


http://ca.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idCABREA121H920140203



Total ban on GM food production mulled in Russia

Published time: February 03, 2014 09:38

A group of Russian MPs have prepared a bill severely restricting imports of genetically modified agricultural produce, and completely banning its domestic production.
...The pro-GMO businessman also pointed out that the discussion of the problem should not be limited to the agriculture and food industries. He said that 70 percent of genetically enhanced materials were used in pharmacology and medicine, 20 percent were used in industry and only 10 percent of GMOs were used in agriculture and food production.


http://rt.com/politics/russia-gmo-foods-ban-567/


Saudis snub US congressional delegation

By Joel Gehrke | JANUARY 31, 2014 AT 8:45 AM


Saudi Arabian diplomats and military officials refused to meet with a bipartisan delegation of senior congressional staffers who visited the Middle Eastern country last week, an unusual snub that suggests increased tension between the U.S. and a key ally.


http://washingtonexaminer.com/saudis-snub-us-congressional-delegation/article/2543226


According To Bank Of America The Outlook For The Entire World Has "Deteriorated" Due To Cold US Weather- 02/03/2014



It really doesn't get funnier than this, and explains the 7 figure comp for the Bank of America authors who can certainly get matching compensation in the comedy circuit. From BofA's Naeem Wahid:

    We recommend closing the short EUR/SEK trade that we initiated last week. While Swedish economic data have improved, as we expected, the global outlook has deteriorated – caused by a larger than expected weather effect in the US (the US ISM has fallen to 51.3, from December’s 56.5). As such we close out the trade at  8.8300 (entered at 8.8100) and look to reinitiate once risk appetite turns positive again.


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-03/according-bank-america-outflook-entire-world-has-deteriorated-due-cold-us-weather



Monday, February 3, 2014

Get your opiates for free: Capitalism meets the zombie apocalypse

I think I have found a new low in the pharmaceutical industry: giving away a month's free supply of potentially lethal high-grade opiods.

This ambitious marketing strategy allows more than enough time and supply to create addicts.


http://brontecapital.blogspot.com/2014/02/get-your-opiates-for-free-capitalism.html



Coffee futures leap 7%, head for highest close since May

February 3, 2014, 12:41 PM

Coffee futures headed for their highest settlement in almost nine months on Monday, as traders fretted over the outlook for supplies on the back of record heat in Brazil.


http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2014/02/03/coffee-futures-leap-7-head-for-highest-close-since-may/


Saturday, 1 February 2014

February 1, 2014: News Notes

Fresh turbulence drives down currencies, bonds again


(Reuters) - Fresh waves of turbulence engulfed emerging markets on Friday, with a renewed slide in the Russian rouble and a sharp rise in bond yields across the board despite policymakers' efforts to staunch the bleeding.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/31/us-markets-emerging-idUSBREA0U0TW20140131

Ireland puts first bankers on trial since crisis


(Reuters) - Ireland put three former bankers on trial on Friday in its first such case since the financial crisis that forced it to accept an 85 billion euro (69 billion pounds) international bailout.

The three former executives of collapsed Anglo Irish Bank pleaded not guilty to charges of providing unlawful financial assistance by lending money to others to buy the bank's shares, boosting its stock price.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/31/uk-ireland-banks-idUKBREA0U0WG20140131

Why the rich are freaking out

Judge approves Bank of America $8.5 bln settlement


NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Bank of America Corp. BAC -1.06% has been given approval to settle its case with investors for $8.5 billion over faulty mortgage-backed securities originated in its Countrywide unit, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal on Friday. A New York State judge has given the go-ahead on a deal that was made in June 2011 but was opposed by certain investors including American Insurance Group Inc. AIG -1.88% . AIG argued the deal was unfair and that the amount was far short of the losses to investors. The more than two-year process is considered a victory for the bank that has been closely watched by the industry. Bank of America shares were down 1%.



http://www.marketwatch.com/story/judge-approves-bank-of-america-85-bln-settlement-2014-01-31

Stoxx Europe 600 posts worst monthly loss since June


LONDON (MarketWatch) — European stock markets ended January with their worst monthly loss since June on Friday, after an unexpected drop in euro-zone inflation added to fears of deflation in the region.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-fall-ahead-of-inflation-jobs-data-2014-01-31


Stocks slammed! Official 'correction' looms

Stocks are getting boot-stomped on Friday ending what is setting up to be the worst January since 2010. The S&P500 (^GSPC) ) is only down about 3.5% in 2014 and still hasn’t corrected yet, but it feels worse than that with momentum stocks taking a pounding and volatility coming back from the dead. It’s been a rude awakening for investors conditioned to buy every dip since 2011.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/stocks-slammed--official--correction--looms-160156717.html

Is your money safe at the bank? An economist says ‘no’ and withdraws his


The Fed policies of Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, who begins her term Feb. 1, are making former Harvard economist Terry Burnham withdraw his money from Bank of America.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/is-your-money-safe-at-the-bank-an-economist-says-no-and-withdraws-his/

Theft Is Deflationary - Especially The Crony-Capitalist/State Kind


....Thank you, Jeff, for explaining the causal connection between systemic theft and deflation. To all those terrified of deflation (for example, central bankers and their cronies holding trillions of dollars in phantom assets and illusory collateral), the solution is obvious: get rid of systemic theft. But since those terrified of deflation are at the top of the monopoly-power thievery pyramid, that is asking the impossible: for the thieves to relinquish their power to steal.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-31/theft-deflationary-especially-crony-capitaliststate-kind


Exclusive: South Sudan rebel leader says government derailing peace talks

(Reuters) - South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar accused the government on Friday of ethnic cleansing and trying to sabotage peace talks, in his first face-to-face interview since fighting erupted late last year in Africa's youngest nation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/01/us-southsudan-unrest-machar-idUSBREA0U16O20140201

Yahoo Reports Security Attack on Mail Accounts

Internet Firm Prompts Users to Change Passwords for Security
Yahoo Inc. YHOO +1.98% disclosed a coordinated attack aimed to gain unauthorized access to its Yahoo Mail accounts and said it prompted users to change their passwords to re-secure their accounts.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303519404579353250260494992?ru=MKTW&mod=MKTW&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303519404579353250260494992.html%3Fru%3DMKTW%26mod%3DMKTW


Conrad Black stripped of Order of Canada

Former media baron was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1990


Former media baron and convicted fraudster Conrad Black has been stripped of the Order of Canada by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/conrad-black-stripped-of-order-of-canada-1.2519299

US suspends 92 nuke officers amid cheating scandal


The United States military has suspended 92 officers in charge of nuclear missiles operations after they allegedly cheated in a proficiency test exam.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/30/348518/us-military-suspends-92-nuke-officers/

'Cashgate' trial begins in Malawi

President Joyce Banda ordered investigation of politicians and businessmen over millions of dollars in embezzlement.

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2014/01/gate-trial-begin-malawi-20141294295112213.html

Italy biggest banks could pocket 3.5 bln euros from BOI's stake sale -analysts

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Italian banks Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit could cash in up to 3.5 billion euros ($4.7 billion) combined from the sale of part of their revalued stakes in the central bank, according to analyst calculations.

The Italian parliament on Wednesday gave final approval to a decree hiking the value of Bank of Italy's (BOI) share capital to 7.5 billion euros from 156,000 euros previously, which had not been changed since the 1930s.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/31/intesa-unicredit-centralbank-stake-idUSL5N0L53LR20140131


UK media alarmed by govt bill allowing seizure of journalists’ notes, files

UK media organizations have warned that if a government bill authorizing police to seize journalists' notebooks, photos and digital files is passed Monday, it could seriously endanger press freedom in the country.

http://rt.com/news/freedom-seizure-journalists-bill-512/

Once troubled Bank of Cyprus leaves politically unstable Ukraine

Protests in Kiev are spooking investors, and the latest is Bank of Cyprus, which plans on selling its loss making Ukrainian subsidiary Alfa Group Ukraine Limited for 225 million euro by the end of March.
...The debt crisis in Cyprus forced Bank of Cyprus, the country’s biggest bank, to abruptly close in March 2013, and reopen only under the condition it placed a levy on its big depositors to help pay for the country's bailout.


http://rt.com/business/bank-cyprus-ukraine-alfa-479/


 Meltdown: A global tsunami

How an epidemic of fear caused the world's major banks to stop lending, triggering protests and industrial action.

We explore a renegade executive who nearly destroyed the global financial service, and the treasury secretary who bailed out his old friends.
Meltdown, a four-part series on the secret history of the global financial collapse, can be seen each week from January 24, 2014, at the following times GMT: Friday: 2000; Saturday: 1200; Sunday: 0100; Monday: 0600

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/meltdown/2014/02/20142184012587798.html

Ex-New York mayor Bloomberg named UN climate envoy


Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has been appointed as UN special envoy for cities and climate change.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25991600


Rob Ford reportedly ticketed for jaywalking in Vancouver


VANCOUVER – Rob Ford has travelled to Vancouver but controversy has followed the embattled Toronto mayor.
Media reports say Ford was ticketed for jaywalking Friday night.

http://metronews.ca/news/canada/928345/rob-ford-reportedly-ticketed-for-jaywalking-in-vancouver/

CSEC Snowden docs: MPs grill defence minister on spying revelation

Tories say independent report shows CSEC obeys law as NDP, Liberals call tracking, spying illegal
Opposition MPs say the government has to do more to reassure Canadians after a document newly released by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden suggested Canada's communications spy agency tracked people through free airport Wi-Fi.

The top secret document shows Canada's electronic spy agency used information from the free internet service at a major Canadian airport to track the wireless devices of thousands of ordinary airline passengers for days after they left the terminal.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csec-snowden-docs-mps-grill-defence-minister-on-spying-revelation-1.2518564

These Devices May Be Spying On You (Even In Your Own Home)


Think you are safe in your own home? These innocent-looking devices may be spying on you, or performing other nefarious actions:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/josephsteinberg/2014/01/27/these-devices-may-be-spying-on-you-even-in-your-own-home/

Montana jury awards $52 million in lawsuit against bank

Australia confirms turning immigrant boats back


Australian authorities have confirmed for the first time that they are turning boats carrying asylum-seekers back to Indonesia as part of Canberra’s military-led Operation Sovereign Borders crackdown on people-smuggling.

“What I have confirmed today is... that any vessel that seeks to illegally enter Australian waters will be intercepted and will be removed from our waters and our contiguous zone,” Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

http://presstv.com/detail/2014/01/31/348546/migrant-boats-are-turned-back-australia/

Debt-damned economics: learn monetary reform or kiss your assets goodbye. 1 of 2

Debt-damned economics: learn monetary reform or kiss your assets goodbye. 2 of 2

Pope Francis fires all but one cardinals who run Vatican bank just 11 months into their five-year term


    The cardinals were appointed by Benedict XVI shortly before he resigned
    The Vatican bank was caught in a money-laundering row in 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2540454/Pope-Francis-fires-one-cardinals-run-Vatican-bank-just-11-months-five-year-term.html


 Orphans of the Sahara: Rebellion

Part two of this series explores northern Mali in 2012 as it falls to Tuareg separatists and their al-Qaeda rivals. Early in 2012, as the massive Tuareg rebellion sweeps northern Mali, defeated Mali Army officers stage a coup d'etat in the south leading to the total collapse of government in the country.

Tuareg rebels declare an independent state in the north called "Azawad", but al-Qaeda emerges from the Sahara to take over historic Timbuktu, and compete with the secular rebels for control of northern Mali.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/orphans-of-the-sahara/2014/01/orphans-sahara-rebellion-20141810554727702.html

and

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/orphans-of-the-sahara/

Bolivia declares state of nat’l emergency over floods

Tunisia passes progressive constitution

January 27, 2014 6:15AM ET
The constitution enshrining freedom of religion and women's rights took two years to finish

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/27/tunisia-passes-progressiveconstitution.html

Hawking's black hole 'blunder' shows how little we know about gravity

...Gravity is the most far-reaching force known to man. It's what holds you in your chair and reaches across billions of light years of space to hold clusters of galaxies together. It's everywhere. So, you would think that something so common and familiar would have been figured out by now. In fact, its workings are still a mystery, and that mystery is a wrench in the scientific gears - or rather, an obstacle for physicists trying to come up with a single theory to describe the universe.

http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/technology/quirks-quarks-blog/2014/01/hawkings-black-hole-blunder-shows-how-little-we-know-about-gravity.html

 The Dangers of Heavy Metals and Aluminum


The following are two important articles about Heavy metals and Aluminum and their effects on health and brain function.  Important points and vital information in the vaccine debate and for looking at your over-all health in our daily lives.

Many people have no idea of just how much contact we have daily with heavy metals and aluminum.  The effects on our health and well being have a huge impact on our lives.

http://iinformedparenting.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-dangers-of-heavy-metals-and-aluminum.html