It begins: Foriegn nations dumping US paper at astounding rate

Foreigners Sell Second Largest Amount Of US Bonds Ever In Past Week, Record $93 Billion In US Paper Sold In Past 2 Months

By Tyler Durden

Two weeks ago when we reported that there had been a record consecutive week dump of US Treasury paper in the Fed's custodial account, as reported by the weekly H.4.1, we made the assumption that this was China preemptively selling US paper. Well, that may or may not have been the case, but it was only part of the full story. We have now learned that Europe, and especially Germany has been just an active seller of sovereign bonds, most certainly including US paper, in recent weeks.



http://www.zerohedge.com/news/foreigners-sell-second-largest-amount-us-bonds-ever-past-week-record-93bn-us-paper-sale-past-2-

Fox News Poll: 76 Percent Dissatisfied With Direction of Country

Three-quarters of American voters -- 76 percent -- are dissatisfied with how things are going in the country, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday.

That’s up from 69 percent who felt that way in April, and 61 percent at the beginning of the year.

At the Obama administration’s 100-day mark in April 2009, just over half of voters -- 53 percent -- were dissatisfied with the direction of the country. That number has steadily increased since.

Dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and unhappiness with the nation’s leaders has sparked organized responses -- such as the Tea Party and the newly formed Occupy Wall Street movements.

By a 7 percentage-point margin more voters think the Tea Party (45 percent) is good for the country than say the same of the Occupy Wall Street movement (38 percent).

Forty-seven percent of voters are at least somewhat concerned Occupy Wall Street demonstrations will eventually turn into street riots. In fact, by Tuesday night that had already happened, as police in riot gear fired tear gas at protesters in Oakland, California.

 

Likewise, twice as many think big government is a greater potential threat to the country’s future than big business (60-29 percent).

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/27/fox-news-poll-76-percent-dissatisfied-with-direction-country/

Why class warfare won't work in this country... and isn't right to begin with!

 

Just a reminder for those who still do not get it. The wealthy already do pay their fair share of taxes, and more. And they can afford to live and do business anywhere int he world.  Committing class warfare against them will only push them away and potentially remove their contributions to this great nation - either in the form of less re-investment, or literally moving their business overseas.

I love this analogy....

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

...

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh would pay $7.

The eighth would pay $12.

The ninth would pay $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers", he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20". Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his "fair share?"

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).

The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, "but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!" "That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!" "Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.

Professor of Economics, University of Georgia.”

As taken from in the comments section at:

 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/zuccotti_hell_kitchen_i5biNyYYhpa8MSYIL9xSDL

It's Baaaaaack: $1700 gold and climbing

Gold hit $1700 for the first time on Aug 8th 2011 after the S&P downgrade.  Prices dropped thereafter, but has seen a recent rally. 

We are back at $1,700 folks.


Today:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/gold-1700

Aug 8th:


http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-tames-1700-after-sp-downgrade-2011-08-08

Quotes:

‘Look, the only place we’re going to get some yield is gold. Everything else scares the bejeezus out of me,’” said Michael K. Smith, with T & K Futures and Options.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs, for one, see further upside for the precious metal. Gold prices will “continue to climb in 2011 and 2012 given the current low level of U.S. real interest rates,”

Something VERY bad is brewing behind the scenes

Guess Who’s Even More Leveraged Than the European Banks?

by Phoenix Capital Research

While the world is awash in liquidity, no one seems to notice that it’s actually in the form of leverage or cheap debt, NOT real capital or equity.

The US banking system as a whole is leveraged at 13-to-1. While this is not horrible relative to Europe’s banking system (more on this in a moment), these levels still mean that an 8% drop in asset values wipes out ALL equity.

Then you have Europe’s banking system, which is leveraged at 26-to-1. Anecdotally, this is borderline Lehman Brothers (30 to 1). At these levels, even a 4% drop in asset prices wipes out ALL equity.

Japan’s banks are leveraged at 23 to 1. France’s are 26 to 1. Germany is 32 to 1.

You get the idea.

However, worse than any of these the US Federal Reserve. With $2.8 trillion in assets and only $52 billion in capital, the Fed is leveraged at 53 to 1. Yes, 53 to 1.

The BIG picture is that there is far too much debt in the financial system. Europe’s getting taken to the cleaners today… but these very same issues are going to spread to Japan and the US in short order. Even China, which is considered THE creditor nation of the world, is estimated to post a REAL Debt to GDP ratio of 200%.  Yes, 200%. China.

So the idea that somehow the world’s going to pass through this current chapter in its history without some MAJOR fireworks/ systemic failure, seems a little too optimistic.

Folks, something VERY bad is brewing behind the scenes. The Sarkozy- Merkel talks, the short-selling bans, the halted stocks, the leveraged EFSF, the hints of QE 3, all of this is telling us that the financial system is on DEFCON 1 Red Alert.

Ignore stocks, they’re ALWAYS the last to “get it.” The credit markets are jamming up just like they did in 2008. The banking system is flashing all the same signals as well.

So if you have not already taken steps to prepare for systemic failure, you NEED to do so NOW. We're literally at most a few months, and very likely just a few weeks from Europe's banks imploding.

On that note, if you’re looking for specific ideas to profit from this mess, my Surviving a Crisis Four Times Worse Than 2008 report can show you how to turn the unfolding disaster into a time of gains and profits for any investor.  Best of all, this report is 100% FREE. To pick up your copy today simply go to: http://www.gainspainscapital.com and click on the OUR FREE REPORTS tab.

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/guess-who%E2%80%99s-even-more-leveraged-european-banks

You know your fiat currency is becoming worthless when...

Your day today will probably be like any other.  You will go to work, run an errand on the way home, maybe stop at an ATM to get some cash, and be happy that you have at least some small amount of money in the bank in this degrading economy.

Now imagine that your government has finally failed to deal with the debt crisis, and your economy has collapsed.  The once highly sought after printed and coined money is now worthless.  But you still have to work, run errands, and provide for your family.

Imagine that those ATM machines dispense hard commodities or real value instead of cash.  Gold, Silver, Diamonds; And that you will soon be paying for your gas and groceries with these baubles.

Ridiculous?  Or Inevitable?

GOLD SILVER AND DIAMOND DISPENSING ATM MACHINES

By Fox news

Gold ATM vending machines have been popping up all over the world this year, so instead of following the trend, Mumbai became the first city in the world to launch a diamond-dispensing machine.

 The Gitanjali Group, which claims to be the world's biggest integrated manufacturer of branded jewelry, opened the machine in a luxury shopping mall in the city Sunday and said that it already served a "substantial number of customers."

 It hopes to roll out 75 more of the ATMs -- which also sell gold and silver coins -- in shopping malls, airports

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/25/worlds-first-diamond-dispensing-atm-launches-in-india/

Italian Government On Brink Of Collapse

By Tyler Durden

Certainly not helping European sentiment is the report from the FT that "Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition government in Italy appears in danger of collapsing over European Union demands for a demonstration of concrete action on economic reform by Wednesday’s summit of eurozone leaders. The EU ultimatum delivered to Mr Berlusconi in Brussels on Sunday risks breaking his coalition instead of giving it an external impetus to move ahead on measures to cut Italy’s debt and promote economic growth." So you mean that extending the retirement age by a few hours is not credible reform? That surely is news to Bunga Bunga. And after all, remember the dedication with which Italy promised it would promptly enforce austerity after it was admitted to the SMP bond monetization program, only to completely forget all promises 48 hours later? It seems Europe, which has had enough of being humiliated by the corrupt pederast, has remembered: "The ultimatum was delivered as part of efforts to resolve the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, but the Italians’ failure to reach agreement on reform threatens EU leaders’ stated goal of finalising at Wednesday’s summit a comprehensive solution to the crisis." So the question is: how long before The Guardian refutes all FT speculation that Italy is scuttled with a well-timed rumor at 3:45pm?

More: 

Talks on Tuesday morning between Mr Berlusconi and his Northern League coalition partners failed to resolve the deadlock – centred on proposed pension reforms – after negotiations into Monday night made little progress.

“The government is at risk,” Umberto Bossi, leader of the fiercely eurosceptic and federalist Northern League, told reporters in Rome. “The situation is difficult, very dangerous. This is a dramatic moment,” he was quoted as saying.

Commentators said the crisis was the most serious facing Mr Berlusconi since his election victory in 2008, recalling memories of 1994 when the Northern League brought down his first government after just a few months.

The prime minister’s People of Liberty party has proposed that the pension age be raised to 67 years from 65 in line with increasing life expectancy, and that the system of length-of-service pensions also be modified. The Northern League is opposed and La Padania, its party newspaper, on Tuesday attacked what it called “euro-tyranny”.

Altero Matteoli, a PDL minister, said a collapse of the government was a “hypothesis”. He also noted that talks were continuing and that a compromise with the Northern League was still possible.

In other news, it appears that the spin which is so far keeping the Euro from collapsing on tomorrow's now disclosed EcoFin meeting cancellation is that even though Europe's finance ministers can not agree, 24 hours ahead of the deadline, on the formulation of the most complex SPV ever conceived, somehow the Eurozone leaders will succeed...

Just wow.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/ft-reports-italian-government-brink-collapse

Europe will collapse despite false hopes to contrary

Facts Don’t Equal The Conclusion in Europe by South Of Wall Street

Very simply, the facts of the current environment in Europe don’t equal the conclusion that a coordinated effort will restore confidence. The fact of the matter is that European Sovereigns are massively indebted and European banks are massively under-capitalized. The proposed solution of raising capital and issuing fresh debt to solve this issue is a joke. If I walk away from a home I owe $200k on and its fair market value is $100k (a 50% haircut), does a loan to my bank for $100K from the institution overseeing it change the impairment? No. You’re shuffling the cards. Instead of taking a $100k loss, they now have an asset worth $100k and a new liability of $100k. The asset is still worth $100k. Even though their little maneuver technically gives them an asset of $100k and cash of $100k, my bank now has $100K less to lend against. Thus, their leverage increases. This analogy applies to European banks holding sovereign paper... and for that matter the countries themselves (ie Italy voting on whether Italy's debt should be purchased by the ECB/IMF/EFSF, etc). At this point, any 'plans' are only slightly more creative than card shuffling tricks from a clown at an 8 year old's birthday party. The nuclear rub occurs when the credit insurance written against my newly written down loan triggers a default on that debt, and the counter party demands cash settlement. Bad news. There is no cabbage, because that new liability put a strain on existing cash as more capital was required to be in compliance with regulatory ratios. Here's the bitch. To raise cash, you have to tap the capital markets, which scares investors as they equate this with being under-capitalized and pull their existing funds (the bank's capital) from said institution. Markets then take control. Market participants (like me) subsequently pull bank from lending to that bank by refusing to buy newly issued debt and shorting the daylights out of their equities. All this just as the bank desperately needs to raise more capital. With no more suckers willing to pony up and no more equity value, you're either toast or the government is forced to fill the void (TARP, TLGP). During our melt down we had one MF who took the reigns and solved the issue: Hank Paulson. Europe doesn't have a "Hank", and thus nothing is going to be done. The void for these sons of bitches is a little too big. Combine that with the fact that there are all kinds of EuroCrats who have political agendas. They'll figure it out once the market takes control and the financial equivalent of a nuclear bomb goes off. The bottom line is that this is obviously overly simplistic (I'm not real bright), but at the end of the day you have to take a position: The under or the over on whether or not the same politicians that haven't been able to figure this out over the last 2 years are going to be able to do so before the nuke goes off. I'm taking the under and it looks like the bond market agrees with me. Simon Johnson (MIT economist and former chief economist for the IMF): I wonder whether we'll say 2008 wasn't the real crisis — it was a warm-up, but the real crisis was the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-facts-don%E2%80%99t-equal-conclusion-europe

Our banking system is a pyramid scam of epic proportions

By Tyler Durden

In this video excerpt from the Casey Summit When Money Dies, Rich Dad advisor Mike Maloney explains how currency is created, "fractional reserve banking," and why our banking system is a pyramid scam of epic proportions.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/michael-maloney-we-pay-tax-privilege-have-currency

Coming to a country near you....

"What Greece has gone through sounds a lot like what we are going through now in the US.  Look where it took them and THEN say it cant happen here... Greece didn't think it would happen to them either."

Police and rioters clash as nation goes on strike

Flights were grounded, schools shut and civic offices closed in a nationwide strike Wednesday to protest the government's austerity measures. Riot police in Athens clashed with protesters and fired tear gas.

By Alexandra RENARD / Clovis CASALI / Matthieu MABIN

 

AFP - Greek police tear-gassed protestors in central Athens on Wednesday as public sector staff and students went on strike over austerity cuts, shutting down courts, schools and transport including flights.

For most of this week, the Department of Energy and the states of Maryland and Florida will be holding emergency response exercises to determine their readiness in the event of a major failure of the national electric power grid.

The scenarios to be tested vary from a low-level event that would take out a handful of the transformers that control the grid that conceivably could be repaired within a matter of days, to a “worst case” scenario to simulate a total take-down of the grid, an event many experts believe could take four to six years to recover from.

William Forschen, in his novel “The Minute After,” helps us to imagine what America would be like after a major EMP event. Survivalists have even invented a new acronym to describe it: TEOTWAWKI – The End of the World As We Know It.

No cell phones, no personal or business computers. No gas stations, no natural gas or water service. Cold storage, down; food processing plants, off-line. No trucking, no railroads, no airplanes, no ATMs, no inter-bank transfers. Americans would revert to eating whatever food they could hunt, fish or forage within walking distance of their homes. City-dwellers would flee en masse, or face starvation.


Some experts point to the partial meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power reactors in Japan after a tsunami took down the power grid in March as an example of what could happen here.