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08/31/2014 - Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Says U.S. Preparing Bank Bailins

“The Great Recession is a near-worldwide phenomenon, with the consequences of which many advanced economies continue to struggle. Its depth and breadth appear to have changed the economic environment in many ways and to have left the road ahead unclear .. Work on the use of the resolution mechanisms set out in the Dodd-Frank Act, based on the principle of a single point of entry–though less advanced than the work on capital and liquidity ratios–holds the promise of making it possible to resolve banks in difficulty at no direct cost to the government .. As part of this approach, the United States is preparing a proposal to require systemically important banks to issue bail-inable long-term debt that will enable insolvent banks to recapitalize themselves in resolution without calling on government funding–this cushion is known as a ‘gone concern’ buffer.”

– Federal Reserve Vice Chair Stanley Fischer
LINK HERE to the article

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/30/2014 - Renunciation of U.S. Citizenship About To Get More Expensive: From $450 to $2350 America’s Corralito Tightens

With an exponentially increasing number of Americans & U.S.-based companies renouncing their citizenship, the U.S. State Department is now looking to raise the cost of renunciation from U.S.$450 to U.S.$2350on individuals .. [Cliff Note: Expect similar regulations or rule changes soon to keep U.S. corporations from renouncing their citizenship through overseas corporate inversions, like what Burger King is doing now .. America’s corralito tightens .. ]

LINK HERE to the article

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/29/2014 - For the first time in history, (based on FRED data), the 30Y constant maturity yield is below the real GDP growth level.

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FINANCIAL REPRESSION IS

COMPLETELY DISTORTING

THE PRICING OF BOND RISK

(The RISK is in FIAT US$ CURRENCY)

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Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/29/2014 - Jeff Berwick – Financial Repression

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The founder of the well recognized Canadian web site Stockhouse Media Corporation and CEO until 2002, Jeff Berwick says “around 2003 I woke up and started studying and learning (and I am still doing that to this day) and the more you learn the deeper this ‘rabbit hole’ gets! We are living under a financial system that is completely not real! People are going to find this out pretty soon!”

 

 

LINK HERE for MP3 Podcast

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/28/2014 - WHAT WEALTH CONFISCATION MAY LOOK LIKE FOR AMERICANS

“Would the U.S. government really turn to a 1933-style gold grab again? .. I would argue that they wouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean the threat to your gold has diminished .. If the government is looking to confiscate wealth, they’ll likely go for the low-hanging fruit like financial accounts, which can be plundered with a few mouse clicks. Or they’ll continue to ramp up the inflationary money printing, which is a way to confiscate from savers .. If and when an executive order is issued to convert a portion of your retirement savings into unwanted Treasury securities, it will likely apply only to the most susceptible retirement assets — those being accounts with the large, traditional IRA custodians. These assets are soft targets for the government. They could be frozen, confiscated, or nationalized at the flip of a switch.”

 

– Nick Giambruno, Senior Editor InternationalMan
LINK HERE to the article

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/27/2014 - FINANCIAL REPRESSION REQUIRED TO PAY GOVERNMENT DEBTS & UNFUNDED OBLIGATIONS

MONEYWEEK.COM article points out the worse things get on the European financial/economic crisis, the more pressure there is on the European Central Bank (ECB) to print money

– stocks will likely go up as this happens on the anticipation that the ECB will given in & start money printing

.. “TheECB would print money and use it to buy eurozone government bonds, in order to prop up the region’s banking sector, and to encourage more risk-taking by lenders and investors. Of course, any hint of more money-printing always cheers the market, and European stocks reacted well to the news.”

.. the article points to how U.S. & UK stocks have similarly reacted positively on all the money printing

.. whether all this money is good for the economy or whether it even benefits the economy in any positive way is another question

.. in terms of investing, the article suggests sticking with countries that are looking to do more money printing & that have relatively inexpensive stock markets, such as Europe or Japan

 

 

.. the article emphasizes the approach of financial repression taken by the U.S. & UK in keeping interest rates down & allowing inflation to rise in order to pay off some government debt via inflation, rather than by defaulting or cutting back spending

.. most western world governments are in this bind, so that “we could see interest rates staying lower than markets expect for some time. And in the longer run, we could see a lot more inflation than we’ve been used to as well”

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Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/26/2014 - Emerging Pattern of Wealth Confiscation – Russia Confiscates Private Retirement Savings

Businessweek reports that earlier this month, the Russian government seized its citizens’ pension contributions – 6% of Russians’ salaries is invested in financial markets, earmarked for their retirement, but this year that $8 billion in contributions will finance Russian spending instead .. “Russia is not the first country to confiscate pension assets to pay its bills, and it probably won’t be the last .. For governments facing financial pressure, billions of dollars of pension assets proved too tempting to resist.” .. Argentina recently “nationalized” $30 billion of pension assets & Hungary, Poland, Portugal, & Bulgaria have done the same ..
LINK HERE to the article

“In most countries, it’s extremely unlikely that the government will outright seize pensions. In America, it’s nearly impossible to change Social Security or Medicare benefits, and the idea of the U.S. government confiscating everyone’s 401(k) is unimaginable to all but the most ardent conspiracy theorists.

 

However, it’s not unrealistic to think that the American government could take a bigger bite out of individuals’ 401(k) assets with higher tax rates: Income taxes are at historic lows, and if the American government needs to raise revenue in the future, taxes on 401(k) withdrawals may be higher (along with taxes on everything else).

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/25/2014 - Emerging Pattern of Wealth Confiscation – Is Portugal Next?

Casey Research’s Nick Giambruno sees an emerging pattern of wealth confiscation globally, identifies Portugal as a likely next country candidate in this regard .. “It starts out with government officials telling you everything is all right—when clearly everything is not all right.” .. here is a summary of the pattern:

1. COUNTRY GETS INTO SERIOUS FINANCIAL TROUBLE

2. OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT DENIALS

3. SURPRISE BANK HOLIDAY/CAPITAL CONTROLS

4. CONFISCATION

Portugal is clearly at the first stage in the pattern—serious financial trouble .. recommends taking your money out of Portuguese banks while you can .. “When it comes to protecting yourself from confiscations, capital controls, bank holidays, and other desperate measures of an out-of-control government, it’s absolutely essential to take action before it’s too late .. While the window is still open for those in the U.S. to protect themselves, the warning signs are clearly there. And the writing is on the wall.” .. another example of financial repression.

link here to the article

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/24/2014 - A New Confiscation To Worry About?

“‘Since the financial crisis, the world’s central banks have collectively put more than $10 trillion into the financial system. This kind of money printing is literally unheard of in modern history. And it has set the stage for a roaring wave of inflation.’ — Graham Summers, analyst .. With the world in a deflationary recession, I now doubt we’ll see new highs in the D-J Averages. But with enough QE, it might be possible .. With deflation enveloping the world, investors have been racing to buy Treasury bonds, whose yields have sunk to record lows. My survival choice in investments continues to be silver and gold .. Today it finally happened: I received an advertisement from a firm featuring a scare I’ve been waiting for. There are two ways for the government to handle its outrageous debts. The first is reneging, as per Argentina, but this is unthinkable. The second way is via inflation — inflate enough and your debts appear to shrink. Ah, but there’s a third way, and it’s confiscation of wealth. Don’t think this is impossible, because governments will do whatever they have to to remain in power. How about confiscating all individual wealth above $200,000, for which the government will give you stubs which will say IOU. This will be a switch on the 1933 confiscation of gold. This time it may be confiscation of cash. Finally, something new to worry about.” .. it’s default or financial repression, take your pick.

– Richard Russell*

link here to the article

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/21/2014 - FINANCIAL REPRESSION INCENTS BANKS INTO..

  • WHOLESALE SECURITIZATION OF LOANS
  • REPO COLLATERAL ACTIVITES OF THE SHADOW BANKING INDUSTRY

NOT THE RETAILING OPERATIONS OF MAKING (EXPENSIVE) SMALL BUSINESS LOANS!

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Small Business has historically been the life blood of America.

It no longer is for a consolidated banking industry.

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THE BANKING INDUSTRY

IS NO LONGER EFFECTIVELY

SERVING AMERICA!

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/20/2014 - PRIOR TO FINANCIAL REPRESSION IN AMERICA

Government Policy was about:

“positively incenting & directing actions”

Government Policy is now about:

“negatively forcing & impeading actions”

READ: Treasury Officials Prepare Options to Address Inversions 08-19-14 WSJ

Treasury Department officials are assembling a list of administrative options for Secretary Jacob Lew to consider for ways to deter or prevent U.S. companies from reorganizing overseas primarily to avoid paying federal taxes

Some Democrats in Congress believe lawmakers should pass a stopgap measure to deter companies from pursuing the deals, while some Republicans have said the only way to stop inversions is through an overhaul of the tax code.

others believe the White House has ample flexibility to step in and have raised different ideas for administrative actions, including

  1. steps to address earnings stripping,
  2. the taxation of interest and
  3. the treatment of debt and equity
THIS IS WHY IT IS CALLED REPRESSIVE

FINANCIAL REPRESSION IS ABOUTREGULATIONS

FORCING BEHAVIOUR

versus

REWARDING BEHAVIOUR

08-19-14-THEMES-Crony_Capitalism-Cartoon-420 08-19-14-THEMES-STATISM-Cartoon-420

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/19/2014 - BEFORE Financial Repression BONDS were “for Widows, Orphans and Pensioners” For those who couldn’t and SHOULDN’T take risk

Now the government is forcing Public Pensions into Stocks

Some 50% of all US pension fund assets are invested in stocks and only 20% in Treasurys08-19-14-US-GROUP-PENSIONS--Pension fund asset allocation-420

UNDERSTAND

“SHORTING” & “PUT DERIVATIVES”

to know how

THE GREATEST WEALTH TRANSFER IN HISTORY

IS BEING SET-UP TO EVENTUALLY BE EXECUTED

08-19-14-US-GROUP-PENSIONS-pension-CARTOON-420

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/18/2014 - “When a Government Doesn’t Own its Own Currency this Eventually Happens”

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Its Called FINANCIAL REPRESSION

When an Unelected, Private Institution (The Federal Reserve), Owned by the Banks, Controls the Money Supply & Interest Rates this occurs

“Permit me to issue the money of a nation, and I care not who makes it laws”

Mayer Amschel Rothchild, Banker 1790

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Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/18/2014 - Indebted Governments Will Resort To Capital Controls

capital-controlsDaily Reckoning commentary on how indebted, western-world governments will likely begin instituting draconian controls & regulations on restricting the movement of money, all with the goal of keeping itself alive & not going into default on its debt while at the same time maintaining a relatively strong currency

.. “The U.S. government, along with other Western countries and innumerable banking institutions, is starting to make it very difficult for regular citizens — you, me and the nice lady next door — to move money 

.. In essence, capital controls enable governments to limit the flow of money coming in and out of their country in the hopes of manufacturing conditions that protect the value of their currency. As we reach a fiscal tipping point, we could very well see our government revert to making use of capital controls.”

.. it’s another example of financial repression. 

READ: 4 Ways the Government Is Set to Take Your Money

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/17/2014 - ECB TAKES ON INCREASED POWERS THE “SUPERVISION FRAMEWORK”

CENTRAL PLANNING & CONTROL

A EURO BOND IS COMING

&

THE UNIVERSAL TAXATION TO SUPPORT

ITS DEBT

READ MORE

Bloomberg Brief Reports:

When Dead Beat Peripherals Can no Longer Pay there is only one solution.

Tax The Entire Union

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/16/2014 - FINANCIAL REPRESSION SAVED THE BANKS

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BUT DESTROYED THE US MIDDLE CLASS

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FINANCIAL REPRESSION

Accelerated the Decline of America

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AMERICA Now A Two Class Society

“Haves & Have Nots”

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& Maybe More Concerning

A Culture of

“SOCIAL DEPENDENCY”

09-09-14-FINANCIAL REPRESSION-420

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/11/2014 - Federal Reserve & Congress Talk “ENHANCED PRUDENTIAL STANDARDS”

CENTRAL PLANNING & CONTROL

Moving towards Control of YOUR Pensions

through Control of Insurance Industry

READ MORE

Other non-banks to face ‘designation’ as “systemic risks to the financial system”

The Fed has insisted that the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill forced it to apply bank capital standards to non-banks. In response, the Senate recently passed a bill that would give the Fed the room to apply capital standards that are tailored for the insurance industry

  • Life insurer MetLife is waiting to see if it will be designated this year, while its smaller rival

  • Prudential Financial was deemed a systemic risk last September.

  • LARGEST ASSET MANAGERS: On July 31, FSOC decided for now to lift the threat of systemic risk designations for the largest asset managers, but said it would focus on the industry’s products and activities.

  • PRIVATE EQUITY & HEDGE FUNDS: The review of asset managers came after an FSOC-commissioned report on the industry, which also said it was reviewing private equity and hedge funds, prompting predictions that those sectors could be next on the council’s agenda.

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Fed gives preview of future non-bank scrutiny 08-11-14 FT

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/10/2014 - DON’T EXPECT SOCIAL SECURITY TO BE THERE TO SAVE YOU!


08/09/2014 - THE GOVERNMENT’S GAME OF “ENTRAPMENT” via FINANCIAL REPRESSION

FINANCIAL REPRESSION

Initially Forced Fund Managers Into

Junk Bond Yields

THE SET-UP

images (7)

STEP 1: EXCESSIVE LIQUIDITY

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STEP 2: EXCESSIVE RISK TAKING

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STEP 3: BAD MONEY FORCES OUT GOOD MONEY

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NOW THE SQUEEZE

STEP 4: THE PANIC

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THE FLIGHT TO PERCEIVED SAFETY

STEP 5: ACHIEVE GOAL -> CHEAPER GOVERNMENT FINANCING COSTS

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“Wolf Richter’s essay posted on Stockman’s Contra Corner sees junk bond investors running for the hills, “But there no hills” .. In the latest week, investors yanked $7.1 billion out of junk bond funds, a record amount, according to Lipper – this exodus has been going on since early July, junk bond prices have dropped, yields have jumped from all-time lows, yield spreads have suddenly widened .. “After having been inflated to dizzying proportions, the junk-bond bubble has been pricked. And the hot air is hissing out of it .. Neither glorious economic fundamentals nor corporate financial engineering caused investors to pile helter-skelter, eyes-closed into this high-yield junk. The Fed’s financial repression did .. The Fed has made it impossible for yield investors to earn a noticeable return above the rate of inflation with low-risk paper. So they chased after whatever yield they could get and they held their noses and ventured deeper and deeper into a swamp they normally wouldn’t want to be in. They did that in unison. The demand they created for junk drove up valuations and repressed yields further into low-yield purgatory, where potential losses are huge and potential gains very meager. Exactly as the Fed had wanted them to .. But the Fed has changed its mind”CliffKule.com

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.


08/08/2014 - We have reached the point where Keynesian Central Planning manipulations are now stifling Innovation & Growth

“.. we have moved far away from free markets. The authorities have established endless ‘detours’ (via policies such as Financial Repression) that restrict free market capitalism. We have reached the point that all the manipulations interfere with the innovations & growth that free markets would produce. We are living through ‘Capitulation of all the Manipulation’ (the ‘Keynesian Endpoint’). The manipulations of the last 5 or 6 decades have stifled the ‘invisible hand’ that makes free markets superior to centrally planned economies. In other words, Adam Smith has been defeated. Our system is more like Karl Marx’s, but not in the way that most people think. A small group of wealthy ‘capitalists’ ended free markets when they were awarded monopoly control over the creation & distribution of the money. They called their group ‘Federal’ even though it is no more Federal & just as private as Federal Express. They used the word ‘Reserve’ even though they create money from no reserves at all. Their government contract to control America’s money was the beginning of a long slippery slope away from free market capitalism to a centrally planned economy. Think about it: Free Markets When Money Is Privately Controlled? That is an OXYMORONIC. That is our system & it is OXYMORONIC.” CliffKule.com

FINANCIAL REPRESSION’S REGULATORY DETOURS ARE INCREASINGLY TAKING US AWAY FROM THE ‘SELF CORRECTING” POWER OF FREE MARKETS

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Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this blog post may or may not be representative of the views or opinions of the Financial Repression Authority.