Showing posts with label European Union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label European Union. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

IF Issue: Wednesday Nov 30, 2011

Excerpts and links from the latest issue:

Bob Chapman - Sovereign Economist - November 23, 2011

Bob Chapman – Ralph Evans
WORLD FINANCIAL COLLAPSE - WWIII & Bankers Demise

Interview 418 – Bob Chapman

Bob Chapman - The Financial Survival 28 Nov 2011

Dr. Deagle Show 111123 1/3 - BOB CHAPMAN

Bob Chapman - Radio Liberty 28 Nov 2011

US MARKETS
           
Except for the MF Global scandal Europe still stands at the forefront of world debt problems. Up until now little has been accomplished toward solving these problems and the traditional Christmas season is upon us, which stretches from December 7th, to January 10th, a period in which very little will be accomplished.
It is reminiscent of last summer. The only thing that the elitists have accomplished is the placement of Bilderbergs as the head of the ECB and the appointments of two more as PM’s in Italy and Greece.
Over the last ten years we saw all debt grow, but in particular among the southern members of the euro zone. The imbalance was predictable, but the northern countries just ignored the problem. Those in the north blamed the difference on culture and work ethics. Thrown into the mix was government and banking profligacy and growing lack of competitiveness. All of that was true, but it did not alter the fact that great imbalances existed and still exist and that certainly contributed to the underlying non-competitiveness.
Financial mismanagement certainly had a profound effect in the six countries in serious trouble and you can also include France in the group. The problems were also compounded by the wild growth of indebtedness lorded over the banking community. The latter just loved one interest for all. The banks were particularly the blame in Ireland and Spain where unnecessary building went absolutely berserk. Through this period, Germany and the Netherlands, in particular, couldn’t lend money fast enough to those who shouldn’t have been borrowing it. This, as we reflect back, it was malinvestment, a misallocation of capital instituted by the banking community, which was leveraged about 70 to 1. We continue to ask what could they have been thinking of? The performance of the banks was at the very core and heart of what we see today.
Two to three years ago Germany reached the conclusion that this could not continue and they attempted to Germanize Greece and to instill discipline. That ended up being unsuccessful, due to the great cultural differences. That brought about the EFSF, which provided loans to those countries that were unacceptable to the bond market. This, of course, was just another effort in avoiding reality. The northern Euro Zone members want to continue to export to these countries, but they cannot do that and that is why they have no money. They are finding that collectivism doesn’t work. There is no such thing as collective responsibility. These new world order geniuses forget that when you have austerity GDP falls and you have a recession. In addition, it also brings about added inflation, which had and has the ECB very concerned, because their mandate is to keep inflation in check. This then has put the ECB at cross-purposes.
This points out why the ECB does not want to act as lender of last resort to governments. The six nations in trouble have been forced kicking and screaming to accept austerity government changes and to reveal the terrible condition that their banks are in. Greece, as an example, went into the stage one bailout and austerity, which forced revenues lower and the ability to pay interest lower as well. Wages were cut 40%, government wanted to take licensees from taxi drivers and turn their businesses over to a Germany consortium, which forced the largest demonstrations to date. We wrote more than two years ago that Greece should default, return to the Drachma and straighten their economy out. No one wanted to hear that and now the situation is much worse.
We have six countries on the ropes. Contagion has set in. Stress tests are a scam and meaningless. Dexia passed with flying colors and two weeks later went bankrupt.
Due to outright lying by bankers and politicians money is going to be much harder to raise in the future. If Germany’s auction was real last week, and if they could only raise half of what they wanted to raise, how can those in trouble believe they can raise any funds at over 7% on 10-year bonds?
The simple solution is to end the euro, a poorly thought out experiment; which its creators thought would become a one-world currency. If currencies are managed properly, central banks do not need to be a lender of last resort. All the lender does in creating money and credit out of thin air is inflate away excesses by the bank and fiscal policies. A cap of 3% annually in central bank monetary creation will bring only limited inflation and allow for growth.
A break up of the euro zone does not have to be disorderly. Every two months, over a one-year period, one of the six nations can be allowed to leave the euro in full default. The second year the remaining 11 members can decide whether they want to keep the group together, or return to their original currencies. This is essentially what 65% of German citizens want.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

IF Issue: Saturday November 19, 2011

Excerpts and links from the latest issue:

Dr. Deagle Show 111109 1/3 to 3/3 - BOB CHAPMAN - COMING ECONOMIC STORM

Bob Chapman: Surviving The Banker Sociopaths 1/2

Bob Chapman - The National Intel Report with John Stadtmiller -15 Nov 2011

Silver Update 11/16/11 - Stupor Committee

FFw/JB Podcast (11/17/2011): Bob Chapman


US MARKETS

            German Chancellor Merkel keeps moving the field of play away from the European Central Bank, and to the people of the euro zone. That is so she can get legislation to remove the sovereignty of EU members. The pitch is, if the new EU is to work all fiscal decisions that will have to be determined in unison by bureaucratic technocrats, all of whom want world government. This way Germany can lead European countries in locked goose step to one-world nirvanas. Incidentally, Britain’s PM David Cameron is going in the exact opposite direction. He sees an opportunity to allow powers to ebb back to national status from Brussels. What Mrs. Merkel is saying is that existing treaties and the ECB does not have a possibility of solving the euro problem.
            In the background we find German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble is a driving force behind the plans to run towards EU and fiscal and monetary union. This shows you how deliberately out of touch German politicians are and they seem to care less. They say this is the best way to ensure the EU’s survival, not the euro, the EU. Their plan will eventually destroy any possible solution in the quest to control European nations. As the Dir Spiegel put it so aptly, entering into voluntary euthanasia. What Merkel is up to here is massive changes in the German Constitution and the remaining Constitutions of Europe. Germany has one of the best Constitutions in the world, so why change it to abet world government? Herr Schauble and his Illuminist think tank behind the scenes is the one, which is really making all the decisions. An eminence guise, if you may. We wonder if Herr Schäuble has visions of himself as dictator of the EU? Perhaps these are his elitist orders. His quest along with Merkel’s is increase guarantees for the new ESM, which a majority of his own party rejects. Then again he doesn’t let democracy get in his way. Schäuble is the Illuminist’s main man in Germany and one to be watched closely. We knew Greece had to default two years ago, but so did Herr Schäuble and he told that to Mrs. Merkel.
            Herr Schäuble finding he could not raise enough funds for the EFSF he then recommended derivatives to extend the funds line from $518 billion, nearly half of which was donated by Germany, to $1.4 trillion. This concept at least for now ha fallen into disfavor.
            Supposedly, the only way the euro and the European Union can be saved is by transferring sovereign rights to the EU and amending Germany’s Constitution. As the situation deteriorates, which it is, they expect to use this opportunity to make the changes they want. They expect to turn the next crisis into an opportunity. The first shot would be a German natural referendum on Constitutional changes. The far more conservative Bavarian sister party certainly won’t go along with these ideas and changes. The entire exercise is a loser but Schäuble and the banks will push as hard as possible. In France Mr. Sarkozy is for the plan, but France and its banks are broke and the French government cannot even save them.
            If one is to present another Hitlerian concept one must understand cultural social issues stretching back thousands of years and the anthropology that makes them work. Yackey would have called what they are doing cultural distortion. These people. Schauble and Merkel are not idiots. They are the water carriers for world government. They are blinded by their goals and desires. As we have pointed out in earlier issues the six nations and any others in financial trouble will be cut loose to save the banking systems in the other 11 countries, although that may not be possible. They are willing to accept those odds, if for no other reason that they have known for some time that they cannot save the six. The financial sectors have to be saved at all costs, because this is the seat of elitist power. Saving the people and the economies isn’t even on their agenda. This is happening in the UK and US as well. This is what Occupy is protesting about. A defeat in Germany of these grandiose ideas will go a long way to preserving Democracy in Europe. We see the same forces doing the same thing in the UK and US and hopefully we’ll be seeing their defeat as well.
            There is turmoil among the European ranks, as to weather the ECB should continue to buy Italian and Spanish bonds. The German’s say no, because they fear inflation, which is understandable. They are fearful as well that the ECB could loose its independence. On the other hand British PM David Cameron says that the ECB should step in and save the day. His comment sounds like it came straight from the Fed.
            As we mentioned previously what Germany and France are trying to do is cut loose the financial failures from the euro, consolidate the remaining euro zone and via the ESM remove part of the sovereignty from this probable group of eight by allowing the ESM to make the fiscal domestic decisions of the group. They also want to revise the EU’s Lisbon Treaty that would now include fiscal union. France and Britain want the ECB to guarantee the EFSF. Germany does not. Germany is in a powerful position and has begun to use that power. Mrs. Merkel told Mr. Cameron that if he didn’t agree they’d move on without him. If England ever wanted to leave the EU, this would be the time to do so.
            You cannot maintain democratic control of the group with it operating at two speeds. In the 1950s you had this between the EEC and EFTA. That is why they were merged into the EU. If you have one speed it is easier and that is why Germany wants to dump the weak sisters.
            Here Europe is in a panic crisis and the politicians are jockeying for power. England and Germany want more export breaks, apparently unaware that if present deterioration continues they may not have a euro zone or a EU.
            As Italy and Greece grab the headlines our subscribers right from Slovenia, that their banking system may collapse. There are lots of problems, but the worst we hear is the government’s incompetence.
            Unemployment unofficially is about 15% the housing market is dead, prices are falling and most construction companies have shut down. Late payments by these companies to banks are about 25%. In the residential sector about 15% of loans are behind on payments. As with Greece and Italy, Slovenian bonds are now yielding more than 7% - a clear sign that they are probably on the edge of bankruptcy. As you can see there are many problems within the EU that few talk about, that just adds to the European turmoil.
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