Former Fed Governor Admits Market Controlling The Fed Is A "Very Dangerous Development"

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-31/former-fed-governor-admits-market-controlling-fed-very-dangerous-development

"The markets think they have Yellen's number," that she will never allow markets to go down, Warsh warns "that is a very dangerous development."

We must stop QE, Warsh chides, as the inflation goals are close enough to a comfort zone and arguing for QE because of lowflation is poor thinking "because our gauges are not even that good."

Dollar strength is The Fed's doing, he adds, since they have been telling everyone to do what we have been doing... and adds "The Fed talking about the dollar tells me they are more concerned about the dollar's impact on earnings."

What worries Warsh the most, however, is "The Fed's policies changing based on what happens on the ticker... The Fed should be thinking 3 to 4 years ahead."

Finally, he crushes the memes of all the malinvestment deniers... "people in the real economy who dont have big balance sheets have been suffering from wage pressures and stagnation..."

"We tried negative real rates in the mid 70s and the early 2000s and both ended badly."

Is Russia back in the game?

NATO's (essentially, the US') attempts to isolate Russia with economic sanctions hasn't really materialized.  If anything, it's emboldened China's resolve to increase its strategic and trade ties with Russia.

One factor could be Russia's low debt-to-GDP ratio of 13%.  The US, on the other hand, has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 102%.

“There is surely something odd about the world’s greatest power being the world’s greatest debtor,” - Lawrence Summers, former US Treasury Secretary

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102540390

How Much Loan Debt is From Grad Students? More Than You Think

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/03/25/how-much-outstanding-loan-debt-is-from-grad-students-more-than-you-think

The largest changes taking place in student borrowing are happening among graduate students, Delisle says, who now owe $57,600 on average.

"When you combine that with unlimited borrowing at the grad level and then only make people pay for 10 years based on a small share of their income, it becomes clear, somewhat obvious to people who are borrowing to pay for school, they are really just borrowing money that will be forgiven," Delisle says.

Looking at the debt levels of law school students, for example, there was no significant change in the average amount of debt students graduated with between 2004 ($88,634) and 2008 ($90,052). But by 2012, the average spiked to $140,616, and the average monthly payment shot up from $760 in 2008 to $1,187 in 2012.

Every young person should see the Fed’s startling numbers on student debt

http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/every-young-person-should-see-the-feds-startling-numbers-on-student-debt-16676/?inf_contact_key=047d82ff1452d26d8b9afa3af25b500cbd3ef2dd88005908dc8da8488b7841aa

40 million Americans are now in debt because of their university education, and on average borrowers have four loans with a total balance of $29,000.

Every young person should see the Fed’s startling numbers on student debt

http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/every-young-person-should-see-the-feds-startling-numbers-on-student-debt-16676/?inf_contact_key=047d82ff1452d26d8b9afa3af25b500cbd3ef2dd88005908dc8da8488b7841aa

Foreclosure to Home Free, as 5-Year Clock Expires

This is an example of a moral hazard our ponzi financial system has created.  Savers and investors are destroyed by zero interest rate policy (or negative interest rate policy), while welchers are enabled.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/business/foreclosure-to-home-free-as-5-year-clock-expires.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytimesbusiness&_r=0

Exclusive: TSA’s Secret Behavior Checklist to Spot Terrorists

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/03/27/revealed-tsas-closely-held-behavior-checklist-spot-terrorists/

One former Behavior Detection Officer manager, who asked not to be identified, said that SPOT indicators are used by law enforcement to justify pulling aside anyone officers find suspicious, rather than acting as an actual checklist for specific indicators. “The SPOT sheet was designed in such a way that virtually every passenger will exhibit multiple ‘behaviors’ that can be assigned a SPOT sheet value,” the former manager said.

The signs of deception and fear “are ridiculous,” the source continued. “These are just ‘catch all’ behaviors to justify BDO interaction with a passenger. A license to harass.”

The observations of a TSA screener or a Behavior Detection Officer shouldn’t be the basis for referring someone to law enforcement. “The program is flawed and unnecessarily delays and harasses travelers. Taxpayer dollars would be better spent funding real police at TSA checkpoints,” the former manager said.

A second former Behavior Detection Officer manager, who also asked not to be identified, told The Intercept that the program suffers from lack of science and simple inconsistency, with every airport training its officers differently. “The SPOT program is bullshit,” the manager told The Intercept. “Complete bullshit.”

When Will China Disclose Its True Official Gold Reserves And How Much Is It?

https://www.bullionstar.com/blogs/koos-jansen/when-will-china-disclose-its-true-official-gold-reserves-and-how-much-is-it/

Finally The "Very Serious People" Get It: QE Will "Permanently Impair Living Standards For Generations To Come"

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win". -

Mahatma Gandhi

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-28/finally-very-serious-people-get-it-qe-will-permanently-impair-living-standards-gen

When "very serious people" (even if it is those who once ran now defunct Bear Steanrs) announce it, with a 6 year delay, they make the Financial Times.

On the other hand, when Zero Hedge said precisely this 6 years ago, it was cast as a tin-foil clad group of conspirators who see the worst in every situation.

What is "it"? This:

The long-term consequences of global QE are likely to permanently impair living standards for generations to come while creating a false illusion of reviving prosperity.

In this case, it was said this week by Guggenheim's Chairman of Investments and Global Chief Investment Officer, Scott Minerd. We are happy that increasingly more "serious people" come to the same conclusion which we posited first a 6 years ago.

The Best "Democracy" Money Can Buy: For Every Dollar Spent Influencing US Politics, Corporations Get $760 Back

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-16/words-greatest-investment-every-dollar-spent-influencing-us-politics-corporations-ge

True Story – U.S. Military Lost Equipment from $750 Million Program, Some Ended up on eBay and Craigslist

http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2015/03/26/true-story-750-million-of-u-s-military-equipment-was-lost-some-now-being-sold-on-ebay-and-craigslist/

Paul Craig Roberts – The United States Is Broke And Europe Looks To China As Insane U.S. Policymakers Push For War

http://kingworldnews.com/paul-craig-roberts-the-united-states-is-broke-and-europe-looks-to-china-as-insane-u-s-policymakers-push-for-war/

Janet Yellen Comments on Cash

Say what?  First, former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan confesses in 2014:

Gold is a currency. It is still, by all evidence, a premier currency. No fiat currency, including the dollar, can match it.

Then, today, current Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen declares this:

"cash is not a very convenient store of value"

Don't believe it?  Here is an interview on CNBC.  The theater of high finance is getting more absurd by the day.

If this doesn't catalyze citizens to load up on precious metals, then they don't have a pulse.


https://youtu.be/1yGeciSrseg

China may replace US Caterpillar as partner of Russian locomotive manufacturer

US-led trade sanctions against Russia are having unintended consequences on American companies and the economy.  Blowback is a bitch.  I wonder how "patriotic" Caterpillar feels right now.

http://tass.ru/en/economy/785198

Andrew Maguire – Letter Exposes HSBC Vault Closures As War In Gold Continues To Rage

Understand the difference between cash settlement of paper contracts and physical possession. 

http://kingworldnews.com/andrew-maguire-letter-exposes-hsbc-vault-closures-as-war-in-gold-continues-to-rage/

Another Oligarch Preaches to the Peasants – Charlie Munger Says “Prepare for Harder World”

http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2015/03/26/another-oligarch-preaches-to-the-peasants-charlie-munger-says-prepare-for-harder-world/

DEA agents had 'sex parties' with prostitutes, watchdog says

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/dea-sex-parties-colombia-report-116413.html

It's Official: Americans Spent All Their "Gas Savings" On Obamacare

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-27/its-official-americans-spent-all-their-gas-savings-obamacare

CNBC: The Verdict Is In, and America's 401(k) Accounts Are a Crashing Failure

http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/StreetTalk/401k-saving-retire-pension/2015/03/23/id/631952/?ns_mail_uid=14578862&ns_mail_job=1614145_03242015&s=al&dkt_nbr=vgqfxvjp

The Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates the median amount in U.S. 401(k) accounts is a paltry $18,433 and almost 40 percent of workers have less than $10,000 in those instruments.

 

"In America, when we had disability and defined benefit plans, you actually had an equality of retirement period. Now the rich can retire and workers have to work until they die," Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist at the New School for Social Research, told CNBC.

Obama continues to be humiliated by the rising anti-dollar alliance

http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/obama-continues-to-be-humiliated-by-the-rising-anti-dollar-alliance-16662/?inf_contact_key=f15ff0bd026e2fde0c0144b74f19ddfa1a840db7ae3a600caf396812264dea04

The Saker interviews Paul Craig Roberts

http://thesaker.is/the-saker-interviews-paul-craig-roberts/

Cops can confiscate your cash without charging you with a crime

http://features.aol.com/video/cops-can-confiscate-your-cash-without-charging-you-crime

Crimea's Growth Fastest in 20 Years Thanks to Russia, Sanctions - Minister

This may be Russian propaganda, but Crimea appears to be prospering after Russian annexation.  But hey, war solves everything, according to NATO.

http://sputniknews.com/russia/20150325/1019977709.html

Another Middle East War Breaks Out: Saudis Begin Bombing Yemen, US Military Taking Action

The mainstream press may call it a black swan, but some of us predicted the House of Saud succumbing to a difficult transition with the passing of the King.  If Saudi Arabia collapses, goodbye cheap oil, accompanied by many geopolitical fissures in the middle east.

In any case, paper assets are collapsing while hard assets are climbing as this goes to print in overnight trading.  Time for the Fed and Plunge Protection Team to shift into overdrive.

The problem, of course, is market manipulation (or "interventionism") works--until it stops working.  Rigged markets never end well.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-25/another-middle-east-war-breaks-out-saudi-arabia-begins-bombing-yemen

Update:  Sure enough, the PPT steps in this morning to save the day.  With the help of the ECB.

Legendary Pierre Lassonde’s Shocking Predictions For Gold And Silver

http://kingworldnews.com/legendary-pierre-lassondes-shocking-predictions-for-gold-and-silver/