Wednesday 18 May 2011

Bloomberg Television's "Behind The Wall": China's Ghost Cities

May 16, 2011

Bloomberg Television's Adam Johnson reports from inside China on the week-long series, "Behind the Wall."

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The Ropespinner Conspiracy - Books

The Ropespinner Conspiracy

Michael M. Thomas

After a career as a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a partner at Lehman Brothers and an independent financial consultant and investor, I sat down in 1978 to write my first novel. The book, Green Monday, published in 1980, was a success, and I became a full-time writer. Since then I have published seven other novels, written innumerable articles and reviews, and beginning in 1987, a weekly column for The New York Observer. I also contribute occasional commentary to Forbes.com.
I like to write novels that I would enjoy reading - for I was a voracious reader long before I took up the typewriter and then the computer keyboard.To me, reading enjoyment derives from both the intelligence and the heart. I've often said I read nonfiction for information, but novels for truth, by which I mean insight and understanding. Plots must make narrative sense; the reader must say to himself or herself from the first page, "Yes, this could happen!" And, indeed, much of what I've set down in my novels has in fact subsequently come to pass.My characters take a view of life, which they both shape and are shaped by. They have opinions, and sometimes what they have to say has such a ring of authenticity that readers can get upset. Still, the criticism I am most proud of appeared just last Suday, July 19, in The New York Post, in a review of my latest novel, Love & Money (Melville House), by Kyle Smith, who opened his review with the statement, "Smart people need beach reads too." There's my ideal reader: who wants both enlightenment and entertainment in the same package, and is scared of neither.

From Publishers Weekly
Even though the climax of Thomas's latest financial thriller hinges upon some rather unbelievable twists, it remains to the end an entertaining and often fascinating tale of intrigue at the highest levels of the banking world. Taking its cue from Lenin's line about capitalism selling the rope with which it will hang, the novel traces a long and complex plot, the brainchild of a Communist and an American economist, in which the underpinnings of the Western economy will be undermined from within. In this context, Thomas attempts to show that the history of banking since the '30s, especially the deregulation and economic policies of the current administration, fit neatly into a plot that will eventually send Western capitalism into a violent and fatal tailspin. The author of Green Monday and Hard Money, Thomas is terrific when it comes to simplifying the intricacies of economics to suit his plot and he manages to keep the story rolling along at a compelling clip while at the same time issuing a cautionary tale about the self-destructive avarice of the financial world. 75,000 first printing; 75,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Thomas, author of Green Monday , Someone Else's Money , and Hard Money , bids fair to become the Barbara Cartland of Wall Street. In his latest financial thriller, the story (a Communist plot to destroy American capitalism by exploiting the weaknesses of its banking system) is weak; characterization is slim; the action drags. There is not even the full explanation of the financial mechanisms involved in the story that lends a certain fascination to the works of his peer, Paul Erdman. Labels with insufficient content, a plot that creaks, prose with no distinction or charmthis is third-rate financial journalism offered under the guise of speculative fiction. But it reads quickly, with no effort on the part of the reader. Not recommended. David Keymer, Dean of Students, SUNY Coll. of Technology, Utica
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

the ropespinner conspiracy is not a great thriller (hence 4 stars). but it makes one wonder about the motivations behind key players in the financial markets.

the clear objective of destabilising an economy by encouring banks and investment houses to fill their balance sheets with enormous quantities of "toxic securities". written in 1987, the year greenspan was appointed.

greenspan like the key protagonist was indoctrinated into a political philosophy by sex, as a member of ayn rand's clique. the parallels are uncanny.

did mr. thomas know what the munchkin of mayhem was planning? or did the munchkin use the book as a plan?

either way worth reading to see that risk analysts either have no imagination about potential outcomes or are far too specialized to have a broader understanding of human behavior and motivation.

a worthwhile read for the context and effects.

Pimco's Bill Gross talks the bond market, U.S. deficit and Greece

May 16, 2011

Bill Gross, co-CIO of Pimco, appeared on Bloomberg Television's "InBusiness with Margaret Brennan" today to discuss the bond market, the U.S. deficit and Greece being the top candidate for default in Europe.

Peter Schiff’s Crash Proof 2.0 - Kip Herriage’s Crashproof Prosperity - Books

Peter Schiff’s Crash Proof 2.0 and Kip Herriage’sCrashproof Prosperity have created some confusion in the marketplace, especially with the new launch of the Crashproof Prosperity Program.

Peter Schiff is a best-selling author (Crash Proof 2.0), 2010 candidate for republican senate nomination, investment broker, and economic forecaster. He has been widely seen on financial news programs and has predicted long term economic turmoil in the US and around the world. He has been quoted as saying he predicts gold to surpass $5000.00 per ounce in the next few years. His former book, “Crash Proof” (2007) forecast the financial collapse of 2008.

Kip Herriage is a successful CEO (Wealth Masters International), author (Crashproof Prosperity), and former Wall Street advisor who was the youngest ever vice chair of Openheimer at the time of his appointment. He is the long time writer of the VRA Letter, which is now available through his new financial program, also called Crashproof Prosperity. He also predicted the 2008 crash and advised his newsletter subscribers accordingly.

This is where some of the confusion lies: Crashproof Prosperity is the title of Herriage’s book, and also the title of his new subscription financial program. Peter Schiff’s title, Crash Proof 2.0 is similar enough that it gets confused with Herriage’s offering. The Crashproof Prosperity financial program is designed as a “next step” to Herriage’s book by the same name. Looking at Peter Schiff’s book, Kip Herriage’s subscription service would work just as well as a next step to Crash Proof 2.0 as well.

Both authors are students of Austrian Economics and teach a lot of the same points. They may not advise you to do the exact same things to protect yourself from the ongoing financial crisis, but they are both predicting worse yet to come, and agree on many major issues.

The Crashproof Prosperity program is a subscription service that:

Follows the latest information and events in the economy and the worldwide financial system.
Shows specifically how that information relates to the individual investor.
Follows the personal portfolio of Kip Herriage, former Wall Street Insider who was able to predict the dot-bomb, housing bubble, and the crash of 2008, making the subscribers to his VRA letter lots and lots of money in the process.
Provides commentary by Gerald Celente (Trends Journal), known as the world’s #1 trends forecaster, and includes a subscription to his Trends Journal publication.
Also includes insider business and political commentary by Wayne Allyn Root, and more.

Books can get outdated fast and real investors need to keep up with economic events around the world that are happening at lightening speed. Some of the suggestions in books like Peter Schiff’s Crash Proof 2.0 or Kip Herriage’s Crashproof Prosperity will become irrelevant, and some probably already have. This is why Herriage offers an ongoing service…and it’s also why he brings in others Like Celente and Wayne Allyn Root to work with him.

Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion between Crash Proof 2.0 and Crashproof Prosperity…and hopefully it has inspired a few people to take a closer look at what it happening in the world today. The way the economy looks at this time, many are suggesting to prepare for the worst. Either of these books, and especially the ongoing Crashproof program, are great places to start.

For more information:

Kip Herriage: Crashproof Prosperity Program

Peter Schiff: Crash Proof 2.0

http://businesstm.com/financial-investment-advisors/peter-schiffs-crash-proof-2-0-vs-kip-herriages-crashproof-prosperity.html

Gold ETF Fund

Gold ETF Fund: List of the Best Gold ETF Funds

http://learngoldcoins.com/gold-etf/

When you are looking into dipping your hand into the skill of buying and selling on Wall Street, it is vital that you understand what you are doing is a skill, and a matter of luck in its own sense. But many don’t want to trust their hard earned money, and retirement funds to chance, and luck when trying to buy gold ETFs.

At this day in age, luck doenst seem to visit too many homes, or families. With the current economic standing gold seems to be one consistent ROCK that seems to hold value, and the faith of many stock traders. So when you decide to spend your money, look at what gold prices may have on your time.

Keep reading to learn about the gold ETF:

What are gold exchange traded funds?

Gold ETF’s or also known as commodity exchange traded funds are a considered the simpler of the options when wanting to invest in gold—and its high-performing effects on the market—the main difference is you do not own any; you only own a percentage of what the stock represents.

There are several different types of stocks, and bonds; a few different ones consist of futures and derivative contracts monitor and watch the price of the gold and other gold-related items, while others consist of gold assets, which can be found in a trust. Unique ones were created as gold ETFs that were made to monitor companies that are in the gold industry.

While gold seems to keep on climbing, keeping the interest of millions, investors are fighting to get to ETFs like Market Vectors Gold Miners(GDX Quote) and SPDR Gold Shares(GLD Quote). Investors have been known to add gold ETF funds to different portfolios to add diversity, and from pure paranoia due to either inflammation or the exact opposite. Before you jump into investing in Gold ETF it would be wise to talk to an investment broker, test the waters and have a good idea of an investment time frame.

Here we have taken a few simple steps, broken them down into four groups that we feel are the most important when it comes to investing in gold commodity exchange traded funds. All the technical steps mixed with some good ole common sense. We hope that these steps help answer your questions.

Step 1. Know. Understanding what it is you are putting your money towards is the first and foremost important thing that needs to be done before you invest. You have to understand you do not own the bar, you own the asset that represents the bar of gold.
Step 2. GLD. The most common gold ETF is GLD. People use these to wad off the risk when it comes to their portfolio. If you talk to an investment broker they would agree that this is a safe bet for your portfolio if you are new this, and aren’t real confident with your market knowledge.
Step 3. Diversify. Buy into more than one ETF — this will help alleviate any extra risk that may be lurking around. When you do this, you are sreading your money out and not ‘betting’ on one business.
Step 4. Action. Now that you are educated in understanding what a gold ETF is, how it functions, and what the risks are, as well as the advantages its time to take action. If you have an investment broker you can call them, and they can make the investment for you, or you can pick up the phone, purchase your gold ETF on the phone, or log in and do the same over the internet.

What are Some Strategies for Trading Gold ETFs?

Basically, as implemented above, gold is a safe bet. It will be a good thing to start off with to help build up your trading portfolio. As am added advantage of using gold ETFs as a potential hedge to downside risk for both foreign or industry investments.

If you get into a bind and see that you own too many gold ETF’s sell a few. Downsize your hedge. Do you have foreign investments in a country that names gold as its major source of income? This would be another opportunity to sell a gold ETF, in order to protect your downside.

Means are also available to preserve and protect your gold ETF investments. If you don’t want to close your ETF positions, but want some short-term protection in today’s volatile market, trading ETF options may be the ideal way to go.

A few other things that you can do, if you are not ready to jump in watch the market, write down what you want to do, and keep track of that accordingly, see what happens, than when your comfortable with the stability of gold, and a commodity exchange traded fund, than you know its time to take that leap into the world of trading when you buy and sell gold.

Here are a few more tips of the trade:

Learn the terminology, and what you cna do with your gold stocks once you have bought them. Know what a limit order is, or OCO- one cancels other (order) these are important terms that are used in the trading industry.
Understand your order is not done until you have confirmed it with your broker.
Stay mentally grounded, do not get emotionally involved. You will get in over your head.
Re-evaluate your financial situation often
Demand that your representative be your guide, continuous and your disciplinarian, let them know UPFRONt what your expectations are, and what your LIMIT is, and be sure they are honest, trustworthy and ‘man’ enough to tell you ” no” when that time comes.
Keep good records, print everything weekly, or monthly and ABSOLUTELY every December

Last Thoughts on Gold ETFs

In short, gold ETFs are worth their weight in gold. And can be a great way to start dipping into the stock market without losing your head. Gold is on the rise everyday. It is important to weigh all of your options, and take grandma’s advice, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, if you have enough to invest that you can invest in more than gold ETF. Check out gold exchange traded funds today.

John Embry on why you should buy gold

May 12, 2011

John Embry on why you should buy gold

In this video, John Embry -- Chief Investment Strategist at the Canadian firm Sprott Asset Management -- discusses the reasons why people should own precious metals, and in particular gold and silver. In Embry's view, gold will gain in importance as a monetary asset in the years ahead, likely regaining an official role in the world's financial system.

Gold, silver futures rise after selloff

METALS STOCKS

May 18, 2011, 1:15 a.m. EDT

Gold, silver futures rise after selloff

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-silver-futures-rise-after-sell-off-2011-05-18?siteid=yhoof

By Simon Kennedy and Sarah Turner, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Gold futures moved up from near a five-week low Wednesday, with investors dipping a toe back into commodities following a recent selloff.

Gold for June delivery GCM11 +1.12% rose $12.10 to $1,492.10 an ounce in electronic trading, erasing its $10.60 slide to the lowest settlement level since April 14, made in the previous session.

Silver for July delivery SIN11 +4.22% gained $1.10 to $34.59 an ounce, after dropping 64 cents in the Tuesday session in New York to its lowest close since Feb. 25.

Simon Denham, head of Capital Spreads, said the metals were benefitting from weakness in the dollar, though he gave little credit to the chance of a sustained rally for silver.

“Silver‘s attempts to bounce from its recent lows look all but over,” Denham said in an email.

The Dollar index DXY +0.08% was trading at 75.22, down from 75.441 in late North American trading on Tuesday as the currency continued to give back some of the sharp gains it has recorded since the start of the month. The U.S. currency generally moves inversely to commodities which are priced in dollars.

“The recent dollar strength seems to have just come to an end for now,” Denham said.

“Dollar bears will be thinking this could be a good opportunity to get short the dollar again, particularly if the debt ceiling issues start to boil over,” he added.

Oil and copper futures were also gaining ground in Wednesday electronic trading, with light crude for June delivery CLM11 +1.95% rising $1.38 to $98.29 a barrel on the Globex market.

Simon Kennedy is the City correspondent for MarketWatch in London.Sarah Turner is MarketWatch's bureau chief in Sydney.

Louise Yamada Sees for Oil, Silver & Gold

What Louise Yamada Sees for Oil, Silver & Gold

By Jeff Macke | Breakout – 20 hours ago

Oil, silver and gold. Believe it or not, we old timers can remember days when crude was simply an offhand way for financial television anchors to fill space before a commercial break and the precious metals were afterthoughts, at best.

Obviously those days are in the rear view mirror of the car it now takes $120 to fill with gas on your way to the nearest smelting plant to melt the silverware you got as a wedding present into bars you can store with the gold in your bomb shelter.

With the recent pullbacks in the Holy Trading Trinity making the charts look shaky, Breakout turned to the incomparable Louise Yamada of LYAdvisors.com for her technical insights. I've seen a lot of chartists come and go, folks, and Yamada is one of the best. She's sharp, rational and doesn't attempt to justify the art and science of technical analysis by throwing excessive jargon atop her trading calls, as so many technicians are wont to do.

Yamada sees the oft-noted weakness in commodities as "a corrective phase, no question about it." The key term is "corrective." A correction is a pause that can refresh a move higher. Think of it as long-time profits taking some gains off the table, but finding buyers as they do so, thus keeping the trading vehicle in a price range as opposed to a collapse.

To get specific … .

Silver: A perpetual voice of reason, Yamada reminds viewers that, prior to its recent ripping move higher, silver was a fairly thinly traded product. Silver traders have to consider it unique "because a little bit of money can push it up and a little bit of money, or a lot of (sellers) can really push it down," Yamada says.

She says it wasn't just the often mocked little guys with the weak trading hands who flooded to the exits when silver broke. "Strong hand holders ... got pushed out" of silver as well, due to the hike in silver margin requirements by the CME (see more thoughts on the CME's move here). The bottom line is Yamada says silver could go as low as $30 "or maybe even a little below," but she doesn't see silver going under its 30-year breakout level near $20.

Gold: "Gold has had a perfectly normal advance," she says. Yamada notes that prior gold moves of a similar magnitude during gold's explosive five-year rally have been interrupted by extended basing patterns. Not to worry, she says -- recent gold rallies have been muted as "demand comes in" at support levels. Just like silver, only without the unpleasant explosive spike.

I've saved the worst, and briefest, for last:

Oil: "No, we haven't broken the trend (higher)," says Yamada, dashing myplan to buy a tricked-out pick-up with 5-foot tires and putting me back in the market for a Prius. Oil at $90 is strong support as Yamada sees it. As is the case with all technicians, she doesn't much care what the politicians attempt to do to ease the pain at the pump. They may make a dent in $4 gallons, but we aren't going back to the days of a gallon for a buck anytime soon.

The U.S. dollar: Sorry, patriots, the dollar is still just a piece of paper, wafting depressingly earthward against other currencies. The break higher I've noted repeatedly broke an absurdly sharp downtrend from 0.83 euros per buck last June to the April 29th low of 0.67, but it doesn't have legs. With 0.71 euros buying a buck today, Yamada says we could see a move about 10% higher to the 0.77 or 0.78 area. Beyond that, she says, we've got "major resistance at 0.80." That works out to just under $1.30 per euro, for those of you trying to time a trip abroad.

Charts aren't the be-all, end-all of financial analysis, but all traders use them in some way shape or form, particularly in the commodity pits. No human being can possibly put together day-to-day fluctuations of, say, global demand and supply disruptions in crude, but you can certainly look at the same chart as the people trading against you in the commodity pits. For those of you so inclined, Louise Yamada is a must-read chartist in both stocks and commodities.

What's your take? Comment below or email us at breakoutcrew@yahoo.com.

Influential Swiss Legislator exposes The Bilderberg Group | Gerald Celente Trends Blog

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Influential Swiss Legislator exposes The Bilderberg Group

Mark Anderson

American Free Press

Monday, May 16, 2011

An influential legislator from Switzerland’s largest political party has issued a strongly worded letter to the head of the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police, saying that the globalist Bilderberg group’s planned meeting in Switzerland June 9-12 threatens the nation’s deep-seated traditions of populist rule and neutrality as well as bringing many disreputable participants, some of whom are accused war criminals, to the traditionally neutral country.

The legislator, Dominique Baettig of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), was interviewed by this AFP writer last December and soon made headlines when he called for George W. Bush’s arrest for war crimes if he ever set foot in Switzerland. Bush canceled a Feb. 12 visit to Geneva.

Regarding Bilderberg’s pending visit, Baettig informed top cop Mrs. Simonetta Sommaruga: “I wish to draw your attention to . . . the discreet but influential Bilderberg group [meeting] in a hotel in St. Moritz [June 9-12].”

The group is a “global elite of bankers, industrialists, diplomats, U.S. and European NATO brass, crowned heads, media groups, their moguls and editors, as well as heads of state, whether retired or not, which coordinates, exchanges, organizes and structures, out of all democratic control, the major guidelines toward economic globalization.”

To convey the danger of Bilderberg’s influence, his letter adds, “Independence, private property and the private sphere are reduced by the usage of electronic virtual money and by . . . the control of all individuals in a biometric global gulag. . . . Higher debts of the [world’s] countries are encouraged . . . and they become the debtors of supranational private banks.

“Military and police tasks are privatized and military actions to dismantle independent states are planned and coordinated (Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Libya; tomorrow Iran and Syria). The worst being the fact that they prepare the programmed end of traditional democracy, with a power shift from all states to the benefit of non-elected governance entities. . . .”

His letter also notes that this “discreet group develops an ultra-liberal, free-trade society model, with a . . . world currency and the IMF as treasurer.”

Baettig noted that he’s especially troubled after “consulting the [Bilderberg] participants lists of [recent] years” and seeing “the undesirable presence” in Switzerland of certain “personalities” including Henry Kissinger, Dick Cheney and others implicated in war crimes, torture and those “who are under investigation by the courts in The Hague, etc.”

Baettig asks Mrs. Sommaruga: “Are your services informed of the participants’ identities? As NATO is actually engaged in war actions (Libya, Afghanistan, targeted assassinations), the participation of NATO brass . . . does represent a major risk of a terrorist action in St. Moritz and, therefore, a serious danger for its inhabitants and neighbors. Not mentioning the . . .image loss for a sovereign and democratic nation which stands for an armed and integral neutrality. . . .”

He added that if “politicians, businessmen and media group owners sharing [globalist] motivations represents ‘crimes against the state,’ then that could undermine Swiss independence with ‘diplomatic treason.’”

Not Copyrighted. Readers can reprint and are free to redistribute - as long as full credit is given to American Free Press - 645 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Suite 100 Washington, D.C. 20003

Emerging markets reshaping landscape: World Bank - May 18, 2011

May 18, 2011, 11.40 am (Singapore time)

Emerging markets reshaping landscape: World Bank

WASHINGTON - Growth in emerging-market countries is outpacing developed countries so greatly that the global economic landscape will be wholly altered over the next 15 years, a World Bank study on Tuesday predicted.

'By 2025, six major emerging economies - Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Russia - will account for more than half of all global growth, and the international monetary system will likely no longer be dominated by a single currency,' the study said.
Currently, the US dollar serves as the world's reserve currency but the study said there has been 'a slow decline in its role since the late 1990s' that was likely to continue.
'The most likely global currency scenario in 2025 will be a multi-currency one centred around the dollar, the euro and the renminbi,' the report's lead author, Mansoor Dailami, said at a press conference.
The World Bank said it expects a sharp divergence in growth to continue between the emerging-market nations and old-line rich powers like the United States and other Group of Seven members: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
The study estimated that emerging economies will grow on average by 4.7 per cent a year between 2011 and 2025, twice the 2.3 per cent growth rate likely to occur in advanced countries.
By 2025, the United States, the euro area and China will constitute the world's three major 'growth poles,' the World Bank said, providing stimulus to other countries through trade, finance and technological developments and thus creating global demand for all of their currencies, not just the dollar.
The net result, the study concluded, should be greater stability to the international monetary regime than exists in the current dollar-centred system.
A multi-currency regime would more broadly distribute lender-of-last-resort responsibility and make it easier to boost liquidity during times of market distress without as much disruption as is often the case now.
Hans Timmer, the World Bank's director of development prospects, said the shift to a multi-currency regime would not diminish the dollar's importance and would not happen rapidly.
'For the United States, it's still possible that this will only be a gradual prospect,' he said. 'Very likely the dollar will still be dominant...but it will no longer be alone.' -- REUTERS

The Most IMPORTANT Video You'll Ever See (part 2 of 8)

Part 2 of Dr. Albert A. Bartlett's presentation on "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy."

Entire playlist for the lecture: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6A1FD147A45EF50D

MinKL Invest

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Wednesday 18 May 2011

Bloomberg Television's "Behind The Wall": China's Ghost Cities

The Ropespinner Conspiracy - Books

The Ropespinner Conspiracy

The Ropespinner Conspiracy

Michael M. Thomas

From Publishers Weekly

From Library Journal

Pimco's Bill Gross talks the bond market, U.S. deficit and Greece

Peter Schiff’s Crash Proof 2.0 - Kip Herriage’s Crashproof Prosperity - Books

Gold ETF Fund