tn moved

tn moved

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



Sunday, 9 February 2014

Feb 8, 2014: News updates


US Treasury introduces ‘extraordinary measures’ as Feb. 27 debt deadline looms

Published time: February 08, 2014 10:55

The US Treasury on Friday was forced to enact ‘emergency measures’ after spending its borrowed time and money. By month’s end, Uncle Sam’s piggy bank will be down to just $50 billion, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Congress....

...Under the budget agreement passed by Congress in October, the debt limit was suspended on February 7. Beginning on Saturday, the debt limit goes back to its current level of $17.2 trillion.

In the event that Congress fails to agree on that amount by February 27, the US government will be forced to default on its debt obligations, a move that would have no small impact on global markets.


http://rt.com/usa/us-debt-lew-treasury-173/


Prepare for riots in euro collapse, Foreign Office warns

Feb 8 2014- British embassies in the eurozone have been told to draw up plans to help British expats through the collapse of the single currency, amid new fears for Italy and Spain.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8917077/Prepare-for-riots-in-euro-collapse-Foreign-Office-warns.html?fb



New controls in place, Ukraine tries to dampen currency fear

Reuters
By Natalia Zinets February 7, 2014 9:37 AM
    Ukraine's currency reserves fall to $17.8 billion due to debt repayments, intervention - central bank Reuters
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's central bank tried to dampen fears about its currency on Friday after imposing new capital controls to bolster the hryvnia that banks said were likely to cripple trade and lead to a currency black market.

http://news.yahoo.com/controls-place-ukraine-tries-dampen-currency-fear-121553340--sector.html


Exclusive: UBS seeks first-mover immunity in U.S. currency probe - sources

ReutersReuters – Fri, 7 Feb, 2014 4:12 PM EST
LONDON (Reuters) - Swiss bank UBS AG (VTX:UBSN.VX - News) approached U.S. authorities in September with information relating to an industry-wide probe into alleged rigging of currency markets, in the hope of gaining antitrust immunity if charged with wrongdoing, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

UBS is seeking to take advantage of a program from the Justice Department's antitrust division under which the first company to report misconduct relating to a cartel can earn immunity from antitrust charges if it cooperates and provides information about other members of the group, three sources said.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-ubs-seeks-first-mover-211204884.html;_ylt=ApBcT1TOR8TWBPYdbkaH2jdxzJpG;_ylu=X3oDMTEzZ2FpZzY0BG1pdAMEcG9zAzI5BHNlYwNNZWRpYU1vc2FpY0xpc3RMUENB;_ylg=X3oDMTBhdnVpNmo3BGxhbmcDZW4tQ0E-;_ylv=3



Apple Buys Back $14 Billion of Its Shares in Two Weeks


By REUTERSFEB. 7, 2014
Apple has repurchased $14 billion of its stock in the two weeks since it reported disappointing first-quarter results, a company spokesman said.

Apple bought $12 billion of shares through an accelerated share repurchase program and $2 billion of shares from the open market, the spokesman said. An accelerated share repurchase usually involves a company buying its

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/08/business/apple-buys-back-14-billion-of-its-shares-in-two-weeks.html?_r=1


 Mt. Gox Bitcoin Bank Run Intensifies, 1 Million Customers at Risk

 - February 7, 2014 1:04 PM
Exchange is refusing to give customers their money, CEO is at large, and company faces "significant losses"

Early Friday morning Tokyo, Japan-based Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox froze customers accounts, refusing to give customers their money back.  Customers were still allowed to trade the Bitcoins in their accounts for other currencies, Mt. Gox's primary function.

http://www.dailytech.com/Mt+Gox+Bitcoin+Bank+Run+Intensifies+1+Million+Customers+at+Risk/article34293.htm


Eric Sprott interview


Eric King:  “Eric, what about the looting of GLD in 2013?  Obviously we are not seeing that so far in 2014.  What does that mean for 2014?”
Sprott:  “Well, Eric, in fact we’ve had a couple of days when gold has (actually) gone into GLD.  We are talking about 900 tons of gold that came out of the various ETFs (in 2013)....
...Sprott added: “I really believe that the decline last year was orchestrated because the (Western) central banks have run out of gold.  To think that the US Treasury, which theoretically had 8,000 tons of gold, could only deliver 5 tons to Germany (laughter ensues).  The dots you can connect are so obvious that there is no gold there (in US vaults).  You would think they could have done a hell of a lot better than that (delivering only 5 tons), but they couldn’t.  So I think we will see a lot more spirited buying of GLD, and it’s impact on the physical market could be very dramatic.”

http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2014/2/7_Billionaire_Eric_Sprott_-_The_US_Gold_Is_Gone.html


4th Financial Services Executive Found Dead; "From Self-Inflicted Nail-Gun Wounds"

 02/07/2014 17:02 -

The ugly rash of financial services executive suicides appears to have spread once again. Following the jumping deaths of 2 London bankers and a former-Fed economist in the US, The Denver Post reports Richard Talley, founder and CEO of American Title, was found dead in his home from self-inflicted wounds - from a nail-gun. Talley's company was under investigation from insurance regulators.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-07/4th-financial-services-executive-found-dead-self-inflicted-nail-gun-wounds


Danske Bank locks 10,000 customers out of their accounts

Just 72 hours to withdraw funds from cash machines
 Saturday 8 February 2014

 THOUSANDS of customers of Danske Bank are set to be denied access to their money after the bank said it was closing their current accounts from today.
The bank has confirmed that 15,000 current accounts are to be "terminated" and the majority of customers who hold these accounts have yet to shut them down and switch to a new one.Up to 10,000 people could find their funds frozen as they have failed to set up a new account with another bank....


http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/danske-bank-locks-10000-customers-out-of-their-accounts-29987701.html


European Parliament backs prison terms for market fraudsters


The European Parliament has given the green light for seriously cracking down on market manipulation and insider dealing. Rogue traders could soon be handed prison terms rather than just being fined.

http://www.dw.de/european-parliament-backs-prison-terms-for-market-fraudsters/a-17408043



UK immigration minister resigns over undocumented cleaner

By Bharati Naik, CNN
February 8, 2014 -- Updated 1727 GMT (0127 HKT)

London (CNN) -- British Immigration Minister Mark Harper has stepped down from his post after admitting that for several years he employed a cleaner who was an undocumented immigrant.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/08/world/europe/uk-minister-resigns/index.html?hpt=hp_t3



 Argentina Probes Deutsche Bank’s Dismissal of Trader

By Charlie Devereux and Pablo Gonzalez Feb 7, 2014 6:42 PM GMT+0100

Argentina’s central bank is investigating the dismissal of a Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) currency trader to determine whether it was linked to a warehouse fire that destroyed industry documents this week in Buenos Aires.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-07/argentina-probes-deutsche-bank-s-dismissal-of-trader.html


German Commerzbank offloads Spanish property loans

 Fury as Tory party donors are handed NHS contracts worth £1.5BILLION under health reforms

Feb 08, 2014 00:00

Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham uncovered the links between private health firms and prominent Conservative supporters
Private health care firms with Tory links have been awarded NHS contracts worth nearly £1.5billion.
Circle Health landed £1.36billion worth of health service work after several ­of its investors gifted about £1.5million to the Conservatives.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fury-tory-party-donors-handed-3123469#ixzz2sm0WF4Ib

ZimDollar return inevitable: Biti


MDC-T shadow minister of finance Tendai Biti on Tuesday said the unpopular Zimbabwean dollar will inevitably come back whether the Zanu PF government likes it or not.

“We cannot print the US dollar, our currency printing press is not working and it will work sooner rather than later,” Biti told reporters at his party's Harvest House head office in Harare.

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-14216-ZimDollar+return+inevitable+Biti/news.aspx


ECB's Visco tells Italy's banks to be 'ambitious' in purging bad debts

ReutersBy Gavin Jones | Reuters – 9 hours ago

ROME (Reuters) - Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco on Saturday backed moves by some of the country's lenders to get rid of non-performing loans on their books and suggested they could consider "more ambitious" approaches.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/ecb-39-visco-urges-italy-39-banks-further-110859030--sector.html


Burkina Faso gold exports to rise to 35 T in 2014 - minister

ReutersReuters – 13 hours ago
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Burkina Faso plans to boost gold exports to 35 tonnes in 2014 from 32 tonnes last year on the back of plans to expand two existing sites, the mines minister said.

Gold leapfrogged cotton to become the landlocked West African country's main export in 2009 and now accounts for roughly 20 percent of GDP.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/burkina-faso-gold-exports-rise-35-t-2014-090521489.html


US tests B61 Atomic Bomb- fire later that night at labs

ACLU Seeks Information on FBI’s Secretive “Port Readers”

On Wednesday the American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Federal Bureau of Investigations in an effort to find out details on a little known tool the Bureau uses to assist the National Security Agency in gathering data about Americans.

The tool, known as “port readers”, are capable of copying emails and instant messages in real time. The tool is supposed to delete the contents of the emails and leave only the “metadata” for the government.


http://www.activistpost.com/2014/02/aclu-seeks-information-on-fbis.html


 Massive Ga. blaze is contained but still burning

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press
Posted: Saturday, Feb. 08, 2014
SAVANNAH, Ga. Firefighters battled a giant blaze fueled by 5,600 tons of rubber Saturday at the Port of Savannah, where a towering column of black smoke could be seen from miles away.
By late Saturday, the fire department said its crews had contained the fire, but it could take a while for the flames to burn out inside a warehouse covering 226,000 square feet at the port's Ocean Terminal just west of downtown Savannah.

 http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/08/4673842/large-warehouse-fire-breaks-out.html#.Uva3Zk3xvIU#storylink=cpy



Friday, February 7, 2014

Axa Banque - U.S. Person Account Closures in France

It's official, Axa Banque sent letters out recently to their U.S. Person clients informing them that they are no longer welcome chez eux and giving them very little time to find alternatives.

http://thefranco-americanflophouse.blogspot.fr/2014/02/axa-banque-us-person-account-closures.html


Florida Ordinance Makes It Illegal For Homeless To Use Blankets


Read more at TLR: Florida Ordinance Makes It Illegal For Homeless To Use Blankets | The Libertarian Republic

http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/florida-ordinance-makes-illegal-homeless-use-blankets/#ixzz2sm2EvatZ

Corbett report

 Bankster Suicides and Bank Run talk
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofW_0HKchgk




Friday, 7 February 2014

Feb 7, 2014: News Update


*Government of Zenica-Doboj Canton Resigned!

February 7, 2014 6:44 PM

The Prime Minister of Zenica Doboj Canton Munib Husejnagić and 10 ministers of the ZDK government announced that they would resign at the first session of government.

This information was released after several hours of protests by thousands of Zenica citizens who threw eggs and other items at the government building, expressing their dissatisfaction with the current situation. Also, protestors set fire to the building, after which they had a confrontation with police. They then moved on to the municipality building.

http://www.sarajevotimes.com/government-of-zenica-doboj-canton-resigned/




7 February 2014 Last updated at 17:29

Bosnia-Hercegovina protests break out in violence


Demonstrators in Bosnia-Hercegovina have set fire to government buildings as violent protests continue across the country for a third day.
Police have used rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters in the capital Sarajevo and the northern town of Tuzla.
Black smoke could be seen gushing from the presidency building in Sarajevo. The protesters are unhappy about the lack of economic and political progress in the Balkan country.
About 40% of Bosnians are unemployed. The unrest is the worst since the end of the Bosnian war.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26086857



China becomes largest importer of gold, some of it smuggled to India

Deeptiman Tiwary,TNN | Feb 6, 2014, 04.46 AM IST

NEW DELHI: China has overtaken India as the largest importer of gold in the world and, worryingly, some of it is headed to India illegally. Financial intelligence agencies have stumbled upon evidence that after pushing in gold from Bangladesh and Nepal, smugglers are now routing the yellow metal through China as well.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/China-becomes-largest-importer-of-gold-some-of-it-smuggled-to-India/articleshow/29921492.cms



Lew: Debt ceiling must be raised by Feb. 27

By Jeanne Sahadi  @CNNMoney February 7, 2014: 4:24 PM ET

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told Congressional leaders Friday in essence that the full faith and credit of the United States could be in jeopardy after Feb. 27 if lawmakers don't raise the debt ceiling.

That's when Lew now estimates Treasury will run out of special accounting maneuvers to ensure all the country's bills are paid in full and on time.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/07/news/economy/debt-ceiling-reached/index.html?iid=HP_LN



US to get approximately $17.2T debt limit Friday; Treasury to employ 'extraordinary measures.'

The Canadian PressBy Andrew Taylor, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 57 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The U.S. government is getting a new borrowing cap Friday, almost four months after Washington defused October's government shutdown and debt crisis.

The new cap on borrowing is expected to be about $17.2 trillion. It means Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will have to employ bookkeeping manoeuvrs to keep the government functioning until Congress further raises the borrowing limit.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-approximately-17-2t-debt-limit-friday-treasury-183201524.html


German Top Court Finds ECB's OMT Is Illegal, Then Promptly Washes Its Hands Of Final Decision

02/07/2014

In what was a shocking and disappointing at the same time decision, overnight the German Constitutional court, which had been contemplating the legality of the ECB's still non-existent OMT program, conceived in July 2012 to prevent the collapse of the Eurozone and still only existing in Mario Draghi's head as it has zero legal documentation supporting it, said that, in its judgment, the ECB's Outright Monetary Transactions program likely exceeded the central bank's powers.

"There are important reasons to assume that [the OMT] exceeds the European Central Bank's monetary policy mandate and thus infringes the powers of the member states, and that it violates the prohibition of monetary financing of the budget," the German court said Friday. "Subject to the interpretation by the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Federal Constitutional Court considers the OMT decision incompatible with primary law," the German court said.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-07/german-top-court-finds-ecbs-omt-illegal-then-promptly-washes-its-hands-final-decisio


Under attack: Germany says European Central Bank’s quantitative easing illegal

Published time: February 07, 2014 14:14
Germany is casting doubt on the European Central Bank’s strategy to end Europe’s ‘sterilized’ intervention. Instead of acting unilaterally, it will for the first time pass the decision to the European Court of Justice.

Germany’s constitutional court said the European Central Bank’s bond-buying program- Outright Monetary Transaction (OMT) - “infringes” on the powers of individual nations, a claim the ECB has flatly denied.

http://rt.com/business/germany-court-omt-ecb-023/


 Feb. 7, 2014, 1:52 p.m. EST

J.P. Morgan's Blythe Masters Withdraws From CFTC Panel

WASHINGTON—J.P. Morgan Chase JPM +0.06% & Co.'s Blythe Masters has withdrawn from an advisory panel to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, amid pushback from lawmakers who complained about her role presiding over a unit charged with manipulating physical-commodity markets, people familiar with the matter said.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jp-morgans-blythe-masters-withdraws-from-cftc-panel-2014-02-07-114491433

Silver bullion coin demand has quadrupled in since 2007, says the U.S. Mint

Europe Is Fixed: Spanish Yields Tumble To 8 Year Lows (Below US Treasuries)

02/07/2014 14:12 -0500

Is it any wonder Mario Draghi didn't lift a quantitative-easing finger this week? Despite record unemployment, record (and disastrous youth unemployment), record suicide rates, record non-performing loans, and an inextricably-linked banking system facing $3 trillion in exposure to emerging markets... Spanish bond yields have collapsed to their lowest since 2006 (and Italian close behind). With an entirely broken transmission mechanism of monetary policy, it seems the "market" for European bonds knows no bounds as spreads on the riskiest sovereigns drop to pre-crisis levels and 10Y Spain yields are now lower than 30Y US Treasuries.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-07/europe-fixed-spanish-yields-tumble-8-year-lows-below-us-treasuries


 Feb. 6, 2014, 10:03 p.m. EST

Argentina FX reserves fall to $27.8 billion

BUENOS AIRES--Argentina's foreign reserves fell slightly Thursday, losing just $49 million to end the day at $27.802 billion.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/argentina-fx-reserves-fall-to-278-billion-2014-02-06?link=MW_story_latest_news


FINRA expands oversight to BATS Global Markets

Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY 11:04 a.m. EST February 7, 2014
A financial industry regulator has reached a deal to expand its oversight, giving it power to check 99% of all U.S. stock market trading for potential abuses or problems that could harm investors.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, an independent, non-government regulator, said Thursday it will add market surveillance of BATS Global Markets, the Kansas City-based operator of four stock exchanges. BATS said it will continue to run its own oversight system with FINRA.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/02/06/finra-expands-oversight/5257403/


Keiser Report: Staged Rumble in Wall Street Jungle

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Stacy Herbert 

We compare Wall Street to World Wrestling Entertainment where alleged competitors adopt stage personas and meet each other in a choreographed, scripted and over-acted competition. And just as people are betting on the pre-determined outcomes in the WWE ring, they’re doing the same in the rigged financial markets. In the second half, Max interviews Doug Casey of CaseyResearch.com about his new book, RIGHT ON THE MONEY. They also discuss Argentina, the dollar, art and gold.

http://www.maxkeiser.com/2014/02/keiser-report-staged-rumble-in-wall-street-jungle/#QTu9sRPBPhVjRmqu.99


Money fund assets decrease $1.06 billion to $2.705 trillion for the week

The Canadian PressBy The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 22 hours ago
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Total U.S. money market mutual fund assets fell $1.06 billion to $2.705 trillion for the week that ended Wednesday, according to the Investment Company Institute.

Assets in the nation's retail money market mutual funds rose $4.93 billion to $922.72 billion, the Washington-based mutual fund trade group said Thursday. Assets of taxable money market funds in the retail category rose $3.96 billion to $726.93 billion. Tax-exempt retail fund assets rose $970 million to $195.8 billion.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/money-fund-assets-decrease-1-06-billion-2-220327882.html



US probe into London bankers’ Libyan deals

The London-based bankers who allegedly cajoled Gadaffi-era Libyan officials into giving them billions of dollars to invest are now being investigated by the US criminal authorities.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/us-probe-into-london-bankers-libyan-deals-9105567.html



Hong Kong police dismantled a World War II-era bomb at an inner-city building site after evacuating more than 2,200 people from nearby apartments and hotels.


The 2,000 pound-bomb, labeled U.S. Navy ANM66, was dropped on the Japanese army occupying the city during the war, police spokeswoman Florence Ma said by phone.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-06/hong-kong-finds-u-s-bomb-dropped-in-world-war-ii-xinhua-says.html?x=3



Monster 75 FOOT wave smashes into BRITISH coast: Atlantic superstorm to hit UK TOMORROW

BRITAIN has been battered by the biggest wave in HISTORY - a staggering 75ft monster - just hours before a huge Atlantic superstorm is set to smash into the mainland.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/458233/Shock-weather-warning-WORST-Atlantic-storm-of-the-winter-is-now-ROARING-towards-Britain


Somerset floods: this is a man-made disaster

The Environment Agency has been widely reported as saying it’s a freak occurrence. Not a chance. This is a man-made ecological disaster.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10607011/Somerset-floods-this-is-a-man-made-disaster.html


CERN eyes new giant particle collider

NINA LARSON, Agence France-PresseFebruary 7, 2014 3:19am

 GENEVA - Europe's physics lab CERN said Thursday it was eyeing plans for a circular particle collider that would be seven times more powerful than the facility which discovered the famous "God particle."

"The time has come to look even further ahead," the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/347348/scitech/science/cern-eyes-new-giant-particle-collider



Google to own $750 million Lenovo stake after Motorola deal closes: HK exchange


HONG KONG Fri Feb 7, 2014 7:28am EST

(Reuters) - Internet search company Google Inc will own a 5.94 percent stake in China's Lenovo Group Ltd worth $750 million once Lenovo's deal to buy Google's Motorola handset division closes, according to a disclosure on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Google would take 618.3 million Lenovo shares at $1.213 per share, the stock exchange said late on Thursday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/07/us-google-lenovo-idUSBREA1606B20140207



 Emerging Market Debt-Linked Note Sales Plunge 89% on China, Fed

By Kevin Dugan and Luca Casiraghi Feb 6, 2014 7:58 PM GMT+0100

Sales outside the U.S. of structured notes tied to emerging-market nations’ debt fell 89 percent in January from a year earlier on concern that the countries are at risk as the Federal Reserve slows its bond-buying program.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-06/emerging-market-debt-linked-note-sales-plunge-89-on-china-fed.html



Bitcoin plunges 20% on big Japan-based exchange as withdrawals halted

Published time: February 07, 2014 10:08

The value of the bitcoin cryptocurrency has dropped below $690 per unit on one of the world’s biggest exchanges Mt. Gox, after the Japanese trader temporarily stopped withdrawals to fix technical problems.

http://rt.com/business/bitcoin-revolution-shrem-predicts-996/



 7 February 2014 Last updated at 17:31

Scottish independence: Seven months to save UK, Cameron says


David Cameron has urged the rest of the UK to tell Scottish voters to reject independence saying he could not bear to see the country "torn apart".

Pro-Union campaigners had "seven months to save the most extraordinary country in history", the PM argued.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26071166



Nuland apologized, but didn't mention US plans to midwife a new govt in Ukraine'

Published time: February 07, 2014 12:05

So long as the US and the EU are united in efforts to replace the government in Kiev, they will tolerate internal spats, Nebojsa Malic, foreign policy expert, told RT.

http://rt.com/op-edge/ukrainian-protests-nuland-usa-eu-014/



7 February 2014 Last updated at 16:43

Victoria Nuland gaffe: Angela Merkel condemns EU insult


Germany's Angela Merkel has said a US official's apparent insult of the EU's efforts to mediate in the Ukraine crisis is "totally unacceptable".

Victoria Nuland has apologised after she referred disparagingly to the EU's role during a conversation said to be with the US ambassador to Ukraine.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26080715


US will give money to Ukraine if Kiev makes necessary reforms - Nuland

Published time: February 07, 2014 10:42
The United States is ready to provide financial support to Ukraine if the country implements the necessary political reforms, senior US diplomat Victoria Nuland said.

http://rt.com/news/nuland-ukraine-money-reforms-017/


Monday, February 3rd, 2014

Brazil: Munduruku People Kick Miners Off Indigenous Territory, Seize Equipment


Night had hardly arrived when indigenous Munduruku people landed on the bank of a mine on Tropas River, a tributary of Tapajós river, in a region west of Pará.  From the five speedboats, all of them full, came warriors and children, all with one objective: to drive out illegal miners from Munduruku land.

http://earthfirstjournal.org/newswire/2014/02/03/brazil-munduruku-people-kick-miners-off-indigenous-territory-seize-equipment/?utm_content=buffer8f4bf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer


globalEDGE Blog: French Unemployment Reaches All Time High

2/3/2014 9:44:18 AM

The French unemployment rate has hit a record high, currently standing at about 11.1% for 2013. In December alone, about 10,200 people listed themselves as jobless.  This 0.3% is only a fraction of the 3.3 million who registered as out of work for the entire year, a figure that has never been higher. Additionally, increases in unemployment have been observed across all sectors and also take part-time workers into account. The 5.7% rise in unemployment is unfortunate news for French President Francois Hollande who had previously promised that joblessness would fall by the end of 2013.

http://globaledge.msu.edu/blog/post/2645/french-unemployment-reaches-all-time-high


Spanish princess to testify in court over fraud


For the first time in Spain's history, a member of the royal family will appear before court as part of an investigation into a major corruption scandal.

Cristina, King Juan Carlos' youngest daughter, will appear in court on Saturday to testify behind closed doors with no media access inside over tax fraud and money laundering accusations.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/02/07/349704/spains-royal-to-testify-in-court/



Obama's deputy drug czar admits marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol

Published time: February 05, 2014 20:46

United States President Barack Obama's deputy drug czar admitted this week that weed isn't as harmful as alcohol, but in the meantime the administration still shows no sign it will alter its official stance on marijuana.

Michael Botticelli, the deputy director of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, was speaking before Congress on Tuesday this week when he was roped into a debate on the dangerous effects — or lack thereof — of marijuana.

http://rt.com/usa/michael-botticelli-marijuana-alcohol-765/


The EU May Mandate a “Remote Stopping Device” in All Cars for Police Use

Posted on January 31, 2014

From the BBC:

A device that would enable police to stop vehicles remotely is being considered by an EU-wide official working group, it has emerged.
The feasibility of such technology is being examined by members of the European Network of Law Enforcement Technology Services (Enlets).

http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2014/01/31/the-eu-may-mandate-a-remote-stopping-device-in-all-cars-for-police-use/



 Feb. 7, 2014, 12:42 p.m. EST

Plane lands in Turkey after hijack attempt: AP

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- A plane from Kharkov, Ukraine, to Istanbul has landed safely after a passenger claiming there was a bomb on board tried to divert it to Sochi, the Associated Press reported, quoting a Turkish minister speaking on television. The Black Sea coastal city of Sochi, Russia, is hosting the Winter Olympics, and there have been concerns over terrorism related to the Chechen conflict.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/plane-lands-in-turkey-after-hijack-attempt-ap-2014-02-07

Prime minister announces billions to retool First Nations education

The Canadian PressBy Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – 16 minutes ago

STANDOFF, Alta. - The federal government has unveiled a retooled education plan for First Nations which it says recognizes aboriginal control over schooling.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/prime-minister-unveil-retooled-first-nations-education-plan-090008410.html



Feb 7, 2:27 PM EST

Muslims flee Central African Republic's capital

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) -- Thousands of Muslims climbed aboard trucks protected by heavily armed Chadian soldiers in a mass exodus Friday from the capital of Central African Republic. Their flight follows months of escalating attacks on anyone perceived as supporting a now-defunct Muslim rebel government blamed for scores of atrocities during its rule of this predominantly Christian country.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_CENTRAL_AFRICAN_REPUBLIC?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-02-07-12-54-17



Frontrunning: February 7



  • Here is why AAPL bounced off $500: Apple Repurchases $14 Billion of Own Shares in Two Weeks (WSJ)
  • German Court Refers OMT Decision to Europe's Top Court (WSJ)
  • Inflation Fuels Crises in Two Latin Nations (WSJ)
  • U.S. job growth seen snapping back from winter chill (Reuters)
  • Google to own $750 million Lenovo stake after Motorola deal closes: HK exchange (Reuters)
  • Frigid Winter Spells Trouble for U.S. Economy (BBG)
  • Winter Games to open, Putin keen to prove doubters wrong (Reuters)
  • Regulators Ready to Proceed on Bank Leverage Limit (WSJ)
  • Abe Eyes Window for Biggest Military-Rule Change Since WWII (BBG)
  • Fidelity Joins D.E. Shaw Opposing Wider Ticks as Small-Cap Fix (BBG)
  • Stellar 2013 Hard to Top for U.K. Builders After 60% Surge (BBG)
  • Hidden Billionaire Daughters Emerge From Simmons Estate (BBG)



Thursday, 6 February 2014

Feb 6, 2014: News Updates

U.S. bank leverage rules to include global revisions: Fed governor

ReutersReuters – 3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. bank regulator plans to tell lawmakers on Thursday that final leverage rules for U.S. banks will incorporate recent revisions to a global capital standard, which likely means tougher requirements for the institutions.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/u-bank-leverage-rules-global-revisions-fed-governor-025822825--sector.html


Factbox: Members of U.S. Congress who are leaving office

WASHINGTON Tue Feb 4, 2014 3:07pm ES

(Reuters) - Forty U.S. representatives and senators have announced plans to leave their seats in Congress in advance of mid-term elections in November, including 22 Republicans and 18 Democrats.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/04/us-usa-politics-departures-factbox-idUSBREA131GZ20140204?feedType=RSS


 Hedge Funds Rework Currency Positions in Market Drop

By John Detrixhe Feb 6, 2014 9:24 AM GMT+0100
Traders who anticipated a year when riskier bets would pay off are overhauling their foreign-exchange positions after an emerging-markets rout led to the worst start to the year for currency funds since 2004.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-06/hedge-funds-rework-positions-in-emerging-market-drop-currencies.html


 Goldman Cash Brings Relief to Dong CEO as Deal Is Completed

By Christian Wienberg Feb 6, 2014 1:56 PM GMT+0100

After weeks of turmoil that ended in street protests and a government split, Dong Energy A/S Chief Executive Officer Henrik Poulsen says a cash infusion from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) will resurrect the Danish utility.
Denmark last week pushed through a $1.5 billion sale of an 18 percent stake to Goldman to prop up the state-controlled company after it hemorrhaged money on natural gas projects.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-05/goldman-cash-brings-relief-to-dong-ceo-as-denmark-completes-deal.html


(cdn)Military defeated in war over procurement reform

Control over military procurement seized by Public Works' contract officials

AnalysisFeb 06, 2014 5:00 AM ET
The Canadian military was defeated Wednesday in the final battle of its years-long war with civilian bureaucrats over how best to reform and control military procurement.

The conflict has been taking place in the conference rooms and back halls of government offices in Ottawa for more than three years now. It was fought between generals and officials inside the Department of National Defence and the civilian bureaucrats at Public Works, the government's contracting ministry, and Industry Canada, the department responsible for economic and industrial development.

The feud concluded, finally, when Public Works Minister Diane Finley took to the small stage at an Ottawa hotel Wednesday and pronounced to the audience of defence industry insiders that from now on, when it comes to accountability for defence procurement, “The buck stops right here."

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/#!/content/1.2524296

Struggling US Postal Service looks to bitcoin for new revenue

Published time: February 06, 2014 00:18

Amid a rise in popularity of cryptocurrency, the financially floundering US Postal Service is considering the possibility of adding a bitcoin exchange to its current roster of non-bank financial services.

http://rt.com/usa/us-postal-service-bitcoin-780/


Zoning proposal to allow medical marijuana facilities

Ottawa city planners suggest licenced medical marijuana facilities in industrial zones

Feb 06, 2014 7:17 AM ET
Ottawa's planning committee will consider a new zoning proposal that would allow federally-licensed medicinal marijuana facilities to set up in the city's industrial areas.

City planners drafted the proposal after Health Canada changed the system through which patients obtain medicinal marijuana.

Rob Vanderkuip, owner of a laminating and braille signage company called Terra Reproductions, says he prefers commercial growers of medical marijuana.(Kate Porter/CBC)
Patients will no longer be able to get licences to grow plants in homes as of Apr. 1, 2014. Instead,  licenced commercial growers will produce and ship medicinal marijuana directly to patients.

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/#!/content/1.2524837/


 Dutch Bankers Swear to God as Trust in Lenders Slumps

By Maud van Gaal Feb 6, 2014 11:23 AM GMT+0100
“I swear that I will do my utmost to preserve and enhance confidence in the financial-services industry. So help me God.”

The oath, the first of its kind in Europe, became binding on board members of Dutch banks last month as the government sought to rein in an industry with assets more than four times the size of the country’s economy. All 90,000 Dutch bank employees must take the pledge, or a non-religious affirmation, starting the second half of this year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-05/dutch-bankers-swear-to-god-as-trust-in-lenders-slumps-to-record.html



Feb. 6, 2014, 11:48 a.m. EST

Boehner doesn't rule out 'clean' debt-limit bill

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday did not rule out voting on a no-strings-attached increase in the U.S. debt ceiling. Asked by reporters about a "clean" debt-limit bill, Boehner said discussions among Republicans are ongoing. He repeated that the U.S. won't default on its debt and added he trusts Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew's timeline on the debt limit. Republicans are still looking for "the pieces to the puzzle" on how to proceed, he said.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/boehner-doesnt-rule-out-clean-debt-limit-bill-2014-02-06


US successfully tests B-61 atomic bomb


The US has successfully tested an updated version of a B-61 atomic bomb in defiance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which calls for nuclear disarmament.

The National Nuclear Security Administration said in a statement that the test was conducted on Tuesday by the Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories, National Journal reported.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/02/06/349556/us-successfully-tests-b61-atomic-bomb/


Why Fed volatility is emerging markets' 'poison'

The notion that markets will return to 'normal' this year is pure fiction, one analyst told CNBC on Thursday, noting weaker emerging markets are still vulnerable to volatility stemming from the Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-fed-volatility-emerging-markets-030746784.html


Gold bugs, be patient: Your time is coming

CNBC
By Dhara Ranasinghe 14 hours ago

Gold bugs, be patient: Your time is coming

Demand for physical gold has soared. Okay, so that hasn't shown up significantly in the spot gold price yet but that's likely to come soon, some analysts say.

"Physical gold is disappearing off the market at a terrible rate. As soon as that really starts to hit I think gold goes through the roof," Jim Walker, founder and CEO of Asianomics told CNBC. "That's one of our biggest longs for the year."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/gold-bugs-patient-time-coming-034014270.html


 February 6, 2014 4:39 pm

Leaked Ukraine recording reveals US exasperation with EU


A leaked recording of a telephone conversation allegedly between US assistant secretary of state Victoria Nuland and the US envoy to the Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt discussing who should be in Ukraine's next government has, according to The FT, threatened to fuel east-west tensions over the troubled nation's future. In apparent frustration with the EU – which has failed to join the US in threatening sanctions against Ukraine’s leaders if they violently crush the protests – the voice resembling Ms Nuland at one point exclaims "Fuck the EU". As the two US diplomats decide whether "Klitsch" or "Yats" should be 'in' or 'out', listeners will be reminded (uncomfortably) that the governments of Ukraine and Russia previously alleged that the protests are being funded and orchestrated by the US.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-06/fuck-eu-us-state-department-blasts-europe-revealed-alleged-mastermind-behind-ukraine


Ukraine Imposes Limits On Interbank Operations

 02/06/2014 13:35 -0500

Keep those dominoes steady... steady... and nobody exhale:

    UKRAINE IMPOSES LIMITS ON SOME INTERBANK FX OPERATIONS
    UKRAINE TIGHTENS RULES ON COPRORATE FOREIGN-CURRENCY PURCHASES
    UKRAINE CENTRAL BANK CITES HRYVNIA VOLATILITY ON FX MEASURES

There is of course, good news:

    UKRAINE CENTRAL BANK SAYS INTERBANK LIMITS ARE TEMPORARY

Just like in Cyprus.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-06/ukraine-imposes-limits-interbank-operations


Luxembourg Takes Tough Line on EU Bank Secrecy

Premier Sets Condition for Agreeing Tax Evasion Deal

Feb. 6, 2014 12:40 p.m. ET

BERLIN—Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said on Thursday that his government would maintain its tough line on bank secrecy, pledging to block a European Union-wide deal to curtail tax evasion as long as Brussels didn't make progress on reaching a similar accord with five non-EU members.

"We won't pursue a blockade just for the sake of it," said Mr. Bettel at a news conference in Berlin following talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "We won't wait until everything has been wrapped up. but it is...

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304181204579366860172437006?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304181204579366860172437006.html


 Ex-SAC Fund Manager Martoma Found Guilty in Insider Case

By Bob Van Voris Feb 6, 2014 8:24 PM

Former SAC Capital Advisors LP fund manager Mathew Martoma was found guilty in the most lucrative insider trading scheme ever as federal prosecutors racked up a seventh conviction in their six-year probe of the hedge fund and its billionaire founder, Steven A. Cohen.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-06/ex-sac-fund-manager-martoma-found-guilty-in-insider-case.html


EU asks Britain to explain new 'allowances' in bankers' pay

Thu, Feb 06 10:58 AM GMT

LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission has asked the Bank of England to explain how new allowances in British bankers' pay comply with an EU bonus cap, an official at the bloc's executive said, a new flashpoint of friction over the reach of financial control.

Under EU rules, from 2015 bonuses cannot be more than fixed salary, or double this amount with shareholder approval, and most of the bankers affected are based in London.

Banks including Barclays, HSBC and Goldman Sachs are expected to raise the non-bonus part of remuneration with, for example, monthly or quarterly "allowances".


http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKBREA150LN20140206



In One Month, Everyone In Iceland Will Own Cryptocurrency

The cryptocurrency craze spun into a new realm of ridiculous with Kanyecoin, Dogecoin, Ron Paul Coin and the bounty of other clone-coins that sprung up to ride the Bitcoin wave. But the latest altcoin to enter the market, Auroracoin, wants to take the futurist trend back to its cryptoanarchist roots. The altcoin was designed specifically for Iceland, and the creator plans to give every citizen of the Nordic country a digital handful of Auroracoins to kickstart their use.


Wednesday, February 5, 2014

The Stock Market In Japan Is COLLAPSING


Did you see what just happened in Japan?  The stock market of the 3rd largest economy on the planet is imploding. On Tuesday, the Nikkei fell by more than 610 points. If that sounds like a lot, that is because it is. The largest one day stock market decline in U.S. history is only 777 points. So far, the Dow is only down about 1000 points during this "correction", but the Nikkei is down more than 2,300 points. The Nikkei has dropped more than 14 percent since the peak of the market, and many analysts believe that this is only just the beginning.

http://www.activistpost.com/2014/02/the-stock-market-in-japan-is-collapsing.html


 Goldman to Fidelity Call for Calm After Global Stock Wipeout

By Weiyi Lim and Inyoung Hwang Feb 4, 2014

Panic is making an enemy of telephones for Catherine Yeung, the director for equities at Fidelity Investment Management Ltd. in Hong Kong.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-04/goldman-to-fidelity-call-for-calm-after-global-stock-wipeout.html


US ambassador to Russia stepping down

February 4, 2014 - 12:05 PM

MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul, the architect of President Barack Obama's effort to reset relations with Russian, announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down after two turbulent years in Moscow.
 http://cnsnews.com/news/article/us-ambassador-russia-stepping-down#sthash.lZtHf3jO.dpuf


TOM DEMARK: The Next Two To Three Days Are 'Extremely Critical' For The Stock Market — It May Crash 40%

Feb. 5, 2014, 11:20 AM   
Noted market-timer Tom DeMark did not sound optimistic about the prospects for stocks in an interview with CNBC this morning.
DeMark compared today's market to that preceding the Black Friday crash in 1929.

http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-demark-fears-market-crash-2014-2


Exclusive: Deutsche Bank fires Argentine trader in wake of FX probe: source

NEW YORK Wed Feb 5, 2014 4:54pm EST

(Reuters) - Deutsche Bank has fired a currency trader in Argentina amid investigations by global regulators into alleged manipulation of the foreign exchange market, according to a source familiar with the matter, bringing to four the number of traders the bank has dismissed.

Ezequiel Starobinsky, a vice president, at Deutsche office in Argentina, is no longer working at the bank, the source said on Wednesday, after investigations into the fixing rate of the Argentine peso against the U.S. dollar.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-forex-deutsche-argentina-idUSBREA1423620140205


Turkish government approves restrictions on Internet


ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's Parliament on Wednesday officially approved legislation that will tighten the government's control over the Internet.

With a show of hands, the legislators late Wednesday endorsed allowing Turkey's telecommunications authority to block websites for a privacy violation without a prior court decision.

http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/story/Turkish-government-approves-restrictions-on/LMLyQLQ50kK5386JTdR3rQ.cspx


 Lawsky Said to Open Currency Probe of Over Dozen Banks

By Greg Farrell Feb 5, 2014 5:53 PM GMT+0100
Benjamin Lawsky, New York’s top financial regulator, has asked more than a dozen banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Deutsche Bank AG (DB) for documents related to their currency trading practices, a person familiar with the matter said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-05/lawsky-said-to-open-currency-probe-of-more-than-one-dozen-banks.html


 Goldman Sachs Currency Traders Cho, Lim Said to Depart

By Michael J. Moore Feb 5, 2014 5:35 PM GMT+0100
Steven Cho and Leland Lim, Goldman Sachs (GS) Group Inc. partners in its currency-trading business, have left the firm, according to a person briefed on the matter.

Cho was global head of spot and forward trading of G-10 currencies in New York, while Lim was co-head of macro trading, which includes interest-rates and currencies, for Asia ex-Japan, said the person, who asked to remain anonymous because the departures weren’t public. Cho and Lim were both named partners in 2010.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-05/goldman-sachs-currency-traders-cho-lim-said-to-depart.html


Deutsche Bank Is Said To Fire 3 Currency Traders In New York - Presented by: The Aol. On Network


Deutsche Bank has fired three currency traders in New York as regulators worldwide ramp up their investigations into potential manipulation of the $5-trillion-a-day foreign exchange market. The three employees include the head of Deutsche Bank’s emerging markets foreign exchange trading desk in New York and two traders. Deutsche Bank, the largest trader of currencies, with about 15.2 percent of the market, placed several traders in New York on leave in January.

 http://www.nasdaq.com/video/deutsche-bank-is-said-to-fire-3-currency-traders-in-new-york-518113023#ixzz2sWWeJt4Z


UK watchdog says forex probe to stretch into 2015

LONDON Tue Feb 4, 2014 12:23pm
(Reuters) - Britain's financial watchdog said it was unlikely to reach any conclusions this year in its probe into potential manipulation of foreign exchange markets.

Benchmark foreign exchange rates are used to set the value of trillions of dollars of investments and regulators are looking at whether traders at some of the world's biggest banks colluded to manipulate the rates.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/04/uk-britain-forex-fca-idUKBREA130KP20140204



 5 February 2014 Last updated at 03:34

YouTube starts auditing video views


The video-sharing website YouTube said it has started to "audit" the number of views a video has received.

The move is aimed at preventing users from artificially inflating view counts which, YouTube said, mislead people about the popularity of a video.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26043794


Lawmakers hear warnings of U.S. companies' lax data security

WASHINGTON Wed Feb 5, 2014 5:43pm EST

(Reuters) - The Illinois official who is leading a multi-state probe into recent high-profile data breaches told U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday that companies whose systems have been hacked often have failed to take basic security precautions.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-usa-target-congress-idUSBREA141FK20140205


Iraq Stock Exchange goes electronic

The Iraq Stock Exchange is switching from writing on a big board to computers.

The ISX launched electronic trading on Sunday, raising hopes the faster method will attract foreign investment to this burgeoning but cash-strapped economy.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=7376547


ECB Keeps All Rates Unchanged

 02/06/2014 07:47 -0500
For once, the vast majority of economists was correct, with 62 of 66 predicting accurately what the ECB would do today: nothing. At least so far - moments ago Mario Draghi's central bank just announced no cuts across all three major rates.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-06/ecb-keeps-all-rates-unchanged


Frontrunning: February 6

02/06/2014 07:45 -0500

  • Draghi as ECB Master of Suspense Keeps Investors on Edge (BBG)
  • Abe lays out detailed plan for expanding defense powers (Nikkei)
  • Inflation Fuels Crises in Two Latin Nations (WSJ)
  • Obama walks into crossfire of Asian tensions (FT)
  • Harvard Makes Professor Disclose More After Blinkx Slides (BBG)
  • Hedge Funds Rework Currency Positions in Market Drop (BBG)
  • Canada, U.S. Strike Tax-Information Sharing Deal (WSJ)
  • Indonesia calls for greater clarity from Fed on tapering (FT)
  • Sony to cut 5,000 jobs, split off PC, TV operations (Reuters)
  • US shale under fire over thirst for water (FT)
  • Carney must avoid another unforced error (FT)
  • Australia’s Exports to China Still Firing (WSJ)
  • Carney Seeks to Maintain Low-Rate Outlook as U.K. Economy Gains (BBG)
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-06/frontrunning-february-6