Statements, comments and forecasts that have no substance, but just might turn out to be relevant.
1.Addicting Info: "Donald Trump is a liar. Not the kind of lies that qualify as little white lies or harmless little fibs. He doesn’t just exaggerate a little or embellish his stories. No, Donald Trump qualifies for full pants on fire status. A recent study of nearly 40 hours of campaign footage by Politico found that The Donald lies on average every five minutes. Go ahead and read that again and take it in for all it’s worth: Donald Trump tells a bald-faced lie every five minutes he’s at a podium. His followers eat it up. Whether he’s inventing numbers about trade deficits, creating success stories that definitely never actually happened to him or defending his bankruptcies, out-of-court settlements and failed business ventures, Donald Trump truly personifies the old adage that you can tell if he’s lying if his lips are moving." COMMENT: Some might say this is a brilliant strategy. What does it say about Americans who believe this?
2.The Economist Intelligence Unit, a forecasting and analysis firm within the Economist Group, says that a victory by U.S. Republican Party front-runner Donald Trump is one of the top 10 risks facing the world today, BBC reported March 17. The research firm, which uses a scale of one to 25 to rate potential international threats, gave such a scenario a 12 rating, which is the same it has awarded the threat of terrorism destabilizing the global economy. The firm also rated a Trump presidency as being riskier to the world than a British exit from the European Union or armed clashes in the South China Sea. COMMENT: Yesterday he threatened to nuke ISIS. Madman or strategical genius with a finger on the button?
3.The Head of General Security for the Dubai Emirate, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, has stated that Palestinians should abandon their aspiration for an independent state and merge with Israeli Jews in a united, bi-national state instead. In a series of remarks published on his Twitter account Monday afternoon, Tamim attempted to garner support for his idea, claiming that a Palestinian state led by Arabs would join the list of failed states in the Arab world. Tamim controversially stated: "I suggest relinquishing the idea of a Palestinian state and being satisfied with an Israeli state that would include both Israelis and Palestinians and join the Arab League." COMMENT: Now That's telling it like it is!
4.Stratfor: Over the course of history, society relied first on wood and wind for its energy before moving to coal, oil and natural gas. The next transition — conceivably, to batteries — is just getting started. With it will come the rise of a whole new set of commodities, best reflected by lithium's recent success and predicted growth. However, in all likelihood, lithium will eventually be replaced by something cheaper, more abundant and more universally accessible. Lithium's prospects in the near future are exciting, but the duration of its success will be limited. COMMENT: As cheap energy continues to flood the planet, some will benefit and others will unravel.
5.US Interest rates: The Fed is caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, If they keep rates low there is a distinct possibility of a falling dollar creating a rise in commodities and thus a rise in inflation. On the other hand, the possibility of a further interest rate hike might strengthen the USD to the point of puncturing a world debt bubble and thus creating economic chaos. (International debt is about 80% dollar denominated).Their solution is to keep the USD in a trading range of 94 to 100 measured against a basket of currencies known as the USD dollar index. It can be found on a website by name Kitco.com under "indicators". At the moment it stands at 96.2. COMMENT: Never mind all the "analysts" and "experts". A break above 100 will burst the debt bubble and a fall below 93-4 will signal a renewal of inflation. Keeping it simple....
6.Israeli software firm Cellebrite is helping the FBI break into an encrypted smartphone to help uncover details about the December 2015 shooting in San Bernardino, California, Reuters reported March 23, citing Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. Apple Inc. previously refused to decrypt the phone, which belonged to San Bernardino attacker Syed Farook, despite requests for help from the U.S. government. FBI and Apple were set to go to court over the disagreement on March 22, but the U.S. government asked to postpone the hearing after prosecutors found a third party to help the FBI access Farook's data. If Cellebrite can unlock the phone, the U.S. government may have found a way to sidestep the legal conundrums presented by its standoff with Apple. COMMENT: Those Israeli's!
7.Electric cars will be cheaper to own than conventional cars by 2022, according to a new report. The plummeting cost of batteries is key in leading to the tipping point, which would kickstart a mass market for electric vehicles, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) analysts predict. COMMENT: Sooner, rather than later, Coca Cola and Pepsi will be more valuable than oil.
8.Global use of the yuan for payments dropped in February, a sign of stagnation in the internationalisation of the Chinese currency, according to Swift, the payments services provider, the Financial Times reported March 24. COMMENT: It will be many years before the Chinese currency becomes an important reserve currency.
“Bravado may stir the crowd, but courage needs no audience.” ― T.F. Hodge
No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar - Abraham Lincoln
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