By Marc Chandler (originally posted at Marc to Market) The investment climate is being shaped by two powerful forces. First is the very accommodative policy stance. This includes the United States, where despite delivering the fifth rate hike in the cycle, adjusted by headline CPI, remains negative. As the balance sheet has begun being reduced, financial conditions in the US are easier now...
Read More »Arms race ratchets up
Sputnik InternationalAnalysts Explain How China May Respond to US Push to Militarize Asia-Pacific Deutsche WelleNATO to beef up in face of 'assertive' Russia The Cipher BriefSecuring Orbit: Countdown to a Space Corps? Russia FeedCrimea has a shipyard ready to build a new fleet of Russian aircraft carriers USNIUPDATED: 7 U.S. Aircraft Carriers Are Now Simultaneously UnderwaySam LaGrone
Read More »IPA’s weekly links
IPA has an opening for a Country Director for our Sierra Leone and Liberia offices (above photo comes from the former). A lot of interesting projects are happening there and our offices there have historically worked very well with the governments. I’ll let Rachel Glennerster describe it: But the best reason is the amazing staff, here’s Jishnu Das talking about the Liberia office’s recent high profile RCT of public-private partnership schools there: Finding children who have left a school...
Read More »IPA’s weekly links
IPA has an opening for a Country Director for our Sierra Leone and Liberia offices (above photo comes from the former). A lot of interesting projects are happening there and our offices there have historically worked very well with the governments. I’ll let Rachel Glennerster describe it: But the best reason is the amazing staff, here’s Jishnu Das talking about the Liberia office’s recent high profile RCT of public-private partnership schools there: Finding children who have left a...
Read More »IPA’s weekly links
IPA has an opening for a Country Director for our Sierra Leone and Liberia offices (above photo comes from the former). A lot of interesting projects are happening there and our offices there have historically worked very well with the governments. I’ll let Rachel Glennerster describe it: But the best reason is the amazing staff, here’s Jishnu Das talking about the Liberia office’s recent high profile RCT of public-private partnership schools there: Finding children who have left a school...
Read More »Ryan Browne — Kazakhstan plans to launch its own cryptocurrency
Kazakhstan's government-supported Astana International Finance Center (AIFC) said Tuesday it had signed a deal of cooperation with Maltese firm Exante Exante said it would work with the AIFC to develop the ex-Soviet nation's untapped cryptocurrency market Kazakhstan's entry into the digital currency ecosystem would be underpinned by Exante's new blockchain platform, 'Stasis' When it rains it pours. In August, Estonia proposed its own state-backed digital asset, which would be called...
Read More »Gregory Clark — Former Japanese Diplomat Hitoshi Tanaka Fears War on Horizon
Another backgrounder on Korea.Strategic Culture FoundationFormer Diplomat Fears War on Horizon Gregory ClarkSee also The US successfully dealt with rising nuclear powers China and Russia using diplomacy under the umbrella of deterrence. No reason that this would not work with Korea, too. The US media pictures Kim Jong Un as a madman on one hand and as evil personified on the other. This makes it difficult for the US leadership to use diplomacy. The reality is that like all other...
Read More »Kristian Rouz — Premonition of War: Japan Backs US Plan to Curb N Korea’s Oil Imports
The US Treasury’s proposal to target North Korea’s oil imports is very similar in spirit to the oil embargo that the US slapped on Imperial Japan in 1941 which triggered the attack on Pearl Harbor, thus bringing the prospect of a full-scale military conflict closer. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's proposal last week to target North Korea's oil imports via a new round of sanctions bears a striking resemblance to a similar move which led to full-scale US involvement in WWII almost...
Read More »Zero Hedge — Japan GDP Surges 4%, Most In Two Years, On Jump In Government Stimulus Spending
The unexpectedly strong GDP print was driven by a 9.9% jump in private non-residential investment as well as an striking 21.9% annualized surge in public investment as some of the public works spending included in last year’s economic stimulus package starting to emerge; meanwhile exports declined.... Zero HedgeJapan GDP Surges 4%, Most In Two Years, On Jump In Government Stimulus Spending Tyler Durden
Read More »Mtg purchase apps, Car sales comments, ADP, ISM services, Exxon capex, BOJ comment
Up last week now back down as this sector remains in prolonged depression: MBA Mortgage ApplicationsHighlightsThe purchase index has been posting outsized gains this year but not in the January 29 week, falling 7.0 percent. The refinance index, however, did post a gain in the week, up 0.3 percent. Low interest rates have triggered strong demand for mortgage applications. The average 30-year fixed loan for conforming mortgages ($417,000 or less) fell 5 basis points and is back under 4.00...
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