Chris Martenson of PeakProsperity.com joined us today. He explains that the world economy is slowing down and the authorities are fretting.

Japan, Italy, and Greece are all in recession. China is slowing down according to official statistics, and even more according to whispered accounts.

Germany, France and the Netherlands are all at stall speed.

According to the BLS, the United States is doing just great at nearly 4% growth for two straight quarters, but you wouldn't know that either from the quality of the few jobs being created (which is low) or from consumer spending (also low).

The worry, as always, has nothing to do with the central banks' concern for you, your job, your children, the actual prices you pay, wealth equality, or the future, and everything to do with the simple fact that the stability of the banking system absolutely depends on a steady stream of new loans.

The problem, as always, is that we have a monetary system that is either expanding or collapsing. It has no steady state.

Direct download: Chris_Martenson_12.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:23pm EDT
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With his passion for economics, Bill Tatro has been entertaining audiences on the radio and in seminars for over 30 years. Bill’s dynamic and no nonsense style on his show It’s All About Money has made him one of his stations’ most popular show hosts. Over the years Bill has given a no nonsense opinion about the politicized response to the serious financial difficulties the world faces today. Through his daily columns, as an author, a columnist on Townhall.comand through his newsletter he continues to reach out to Americans with insight and creativity to help focus on how to tackle the financial challenges we see everyday. Bill gives us his insights into the current economic climate and where he sees it all going. 

Direct download: Bill_Tatro_12.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:21pm EDT
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Ivan wrote, "Being a superpower has its drawbacks. One of them is being manipulated by smaller countries that know that America wants to be "Big Man on Campus" in the world, usually giving its taxpayers only vague "influence" around the globe for all the money they pour into military power and foreign aid. However, sophisticated countries usually flatter the musclebound purveyor of military power, labeling it the "indispensable nation," without which the world would fall into chaos and ruin. These wily countries also normally at least make some attempt to justify U.S. armed intervention into a particular problem in their region in terms of being required for American security, as well as their own. In other words, they try to argue that it also would be in the American interest to solve their problem. But not Turkey.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not known for his humble governing style, is issuing blunt demands for him to allow the United States to use the Turkish Incirlik air base to essentially help defend Turkey from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a radical army that has taken over the Sunni parts of neighboring Iraq and Syria. In fact, Erdogan has gone farther, aiming his invective against the United States by saying that he was "against impertinence, recklessness and endless demands" emanating from "12,000 kilometers away." In the normal world of "diplospeak," allies rarely speak to each other in these hostile terms."

Direct download: Ivan_Eland_11.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:41pm EDT
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Frank Vernuccio talks about the truth behind the ever escalating Federal Deficit. The United States Treasury Department has revealed that America now has a record debt of over $18 trillion. That amounts to 103% of the nation’s entire gross domestic product, in which 70% of that debt was accumulated during the Obama Administration.

All of this growiucng debt has been incurred despite record intakes in revenue, both in the previous year and during the new fiscal period. There was nothing more invested in federal responsibility, Defense Support, Homeland Security and even Social Security.

What is all of the spending going towards? How can we have a positive revenue stream, but a yearly rising deficit?

Direct download: Frank_Vernuccio_11.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:26pm EDT
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This year's FreedomFest promises to be the best yet, with a debate between the WSJ's Steve Moore and nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman. Also, there's going to be $50,000 awarded to the entrepreneur with the best business plan, as judged by Steve Forbes, John Mackey, Peter Thiel, and Donald Smith. It should be lots of fun. Sign up now and you'll receive a $100/$200 discount off of admission. 

Direct download: Mark_Skousen_10.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:44pm EDT
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After selling Marlow Surgical Technologies, Kip Marlow acquired “The Entrepreneurs Club of America” as a way to share his passion for entrepreneurship, networking and lifelong learning.

Kip has recently published his new book, The Entrepreneurs: Success and Sacrifice, which chronicles twenty-two successful entrepreneurs who were interviewed on his radio show. Each entrepreneur shares his or her stories of how they built they started and grew each company, their lessons learned, and secrets of success.

Direct download: Kip_Marlow_10.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:37pm EDT
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Gerard Francis Lameiro Ph.D. is an author, philosopher, economist, and engineer. He is the author of Renewing America and Its Heritage of Freedom,America’s Economic War, and Choosing the Good Life. Dr. Lameiro was the Founder and CEO of Lameiro Economics LLC, a company focused on bringing practical economic knowledge about Freedom, economic growth, and prosperity to America and to the world. Dr. Lameiro believes that it's not too late to bring back America's greatness, if we all act together. 

Direct download: Gerard_Lameiro_10.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:35pm EDT
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After over three years in the investment doghouse, it looks like gold might just be getting ready for a breakout. It quickly added on to yesterday's gains and silver broke $17. We've seen this happen so many times that we're all skeptics, but one of these days we'll be skeptics no more and the great unwinding will resume its course. We're pretty sure the wait will soon be over. Part of the reason is because of the work of Martin Armstrong. When it comes to forecasting he has few equals. But it's also due to many of the cycle guys out there. Perhaps you can't trust any one of them, but when they're all flashing green, you've certainly got to wonder what's next!

Direct download: TLR_373.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:27pm EDT
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Manipulation Mondays with Andrew Hoffman:

 

Plunging oil prices

                -shale is 15% of U.S. junk bond market - $210 billion

                                -energy bonds in freefall

                -energy is 1/3 of S&P 500 capex, and was falling before this fall's oil plunge

                -merger mania will paralyze big oil (see Baker Hughes/Halliburton), while shale will spectacularly default

                -shale was massively cash flow negative at $100 oil!

                -plunging currencies worldwide, particularly in oil exporting nations like Russia, Venezuela, Nigeria, Indonesia - and frankly, all commodity currencies like Australia, Canada, etc.

                                -for that matter, Thursday's audioblog "crashing oil prices and currencies, America's death knell" could not be more important

                                                -liquidity vaccuum caused by global economic collapse, driven by Central bank market manipulation, is creating - per the title of today's article - "lemmings for the ages."

                                                                -record valuations of insolvent government bonds, equities amidst depression, and the dollar as the Fed destroys it, whilst record demand for physical PMs but plunging prices due to naked shorting

                                                                                -Chinese gold, Indian silver, U.S./Canadian silver demand will exceed 2013's record levels in 2014.  Only Indian gold won't, but only because much of such demand now in unreported black market

                                                                                due to import tariffs.  Irrespective, surging Indian demand this Fall, and now that import restrictions being lifted (and Rupee plunging), will likely surge anew in 2015

 

Swiss "no" was second to last chance for West to try to save itself.  This weekend, Japan snap election is second.

                -However, Abe likely to win, as Yen amid 40% plunge, Japan CPI at multi-year highs, and massive recession.  Heck, yen gold just 6% from all-time high.  But lo and behold, rising stock market prompts the lemmings to vote for Abe.

                                                                

NFP report

                -today's article was "all economic data are lies," in reference to it

                                -household survey NEGATIVE jobs, ADP report worst November since 2010, "Labor Market Index" declined today

                                                -plus, further decline in labor participation, to essentially a 36 year low; and a "mysterious" positive birth/death number, in a month that is always negative.  Let alone, with small business formation at multi-                                                          decade lows and small business bankruptcy at multi-decade highs.

                                -plus, all jobs still retail, amidst worst retail environment in decades (McDonalds, biggest sales decline in 12 years today).  Not only that, with online sales growing relative to brick/mortar, makes no sense that so many                                     retail jobs (even though really just "half jobs," as mostly min. wage, no benefits, part time).  Let alone, alll the "waiters and bartenders" if restaraunts doing so badly.

                                -and oh yeah, all other data bad - from trade deficit, to (negative) factory orders, contracting credit, etc.  Let alone, the world round, where essentially everyone is in recession!

Direct download: Andy_Hoffman_08.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:15pm EDT
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John writes, Of all the problems with fiat currency, the most basic is that it empowers the dark side of human nature. We’re potentially good but infinitely corruptible, and giving an unlimited monetary printing press to a government or group of banks is guaranteed to produce a dystopia of ever-greater debt and more centralized control, until the only remaining choice is between deflationary collapse or runaway inflation. The people in charge at that point are in a box with no painless exit. 

As further proof, just look at today, the dollar index is over 89 and the rest of the world's major/minor currencies are sinking. 

Direct download: John_Rubino_08.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:13pm EDT
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Jerry Molen, well known Hollywood Producer, joined us today. He believes, like so many, that runaway greed is destroying the nation. The problem is, How do we stop it? Unfortunately, there's no easy answers. Our leaders have sold us down the river and they're too busy lining their own pockets to care about what happens to the country. Until the people rise up and refuse to accept the current state of affairs, nothing is going to change. 

Direct download: Gerard_Molen_05.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:02pm EDT
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Sometimes our problems are so difficult that it calls for a rocket scientist to come up with a solution. That person might just be Dr. Robert Needham, author of Collaborative Commonwealth. Dr. Needham believes that we need to go back to the future and reimpose a Confederacy of the States, a Commonwealth, where individual rights are supreme and the power resides with the people. He's exciting to listen to and is one of those people that you need to watch, because it's all about what's next. 

Direct download: Robert_Needham_05.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:02pm EDT
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John Butler first came on FSN in January of 2012 making the then outrageous claim that the world was headed for the reimposition of a gold standard. It's nearly three years later and things are getting interesting. John believes that Russia should start backing its paper, both debt and currency, with gold to reverse the negative effects that the sanctions and currency wars have had on the Ruble. We all know that they've got the gold to do it, but are the willing to give up control over their monetary policy? Is any country? The Swiss recently refused, will the Russians decide otherwise? 

Direct download: John_Butler_05.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00pm EDT
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Alan M. Newman has been writing his Cross-Currents Newsletter for decades. While primarily dedicated to stocks, since 9-11 he's become a gold bull. Still investing in stocks, he's a believer in gold and gold stocks, as well as the resource sector. He thinks that by virtually any measure, the stock market is over valued. Eventually this has to correct itself in the form of a crash. Alan says the best way to protect your portfolio is to convert some of it into cash now, before it's too late. You can't get every last percent of the upside in the markets and you're foolish to even try. You can never lose money taking a profit. 

Direct download: Alan_M_Newman_04.dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:14pm EDT
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Ned Schmidt joined us today. Seems that China has opened up it's stock markets to the world and this is going to have a profound effect on investment flows. Now investors from around the world will be able to buy Chinese Stocks. The money is already starting to flow. If you didn't notice, China has restated its GDP and it is now the largest economy in the world. Ned mentioned that corn has bottomed and will be heading higher next year. He believes that oil will stay where it is for another year. Those farm animal drug stocks that Ned has been talking about for the past year have taken off recently. Lots more to learn about from Ned. In fact, Ethanol ain't so bad. 

Direct download: Ned_Schmidt_4.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:07pm EDT
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We talked with Tom Cloud today about precious metals price trends. Still more of the same with the slam down and rebound after the defeat of the Swiss gold referendum. If you remember, Tom had given us a heads up last month. Seems that Paypal was given orders to stop the flow of donations to the pro-gold supporters. Evidently that was their primary source of support and it hindered their efforts to get the word out. Nonetheless, gold rebounded very strongly after the defeat and we're on to the next Black Swan. Tom also discussed the short supply of Yellow Diamonds. Seems like most other things of value, the Chinese are buying them like there's no tomorrow. 

Direct download: Tom_Cloud_03.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:31pm EDT
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Don Watkins takes on the collectivists and Steven Rattner who claim that the key to solving income inequality is taking more from society's successful and most productive members. Rather than bringing down the top 10 percent, Don believes that opportunity must be increased for the 90 percent. Redistribution schemes and raising the minimum wage is not going to make society wealthier, only by increasing productivity will society's wealth as a whole increase. 

Direct download: Don_Watkins_03.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:36pm EDT
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Peter Schiff joined us today. His article today berates the Fed for their goal of achieving to 2 percent annual inflation. Since when did inflation or the loss of purchasing power become a laudable goal? Deflation or the increase in the dollar's purchasing power is what the Fed should be aiming for. When productivity goes up so does the standard of living. 

On bitcoin Peter believes that it won't end well. He's sees no iherent value in the cryto-currency. Now that its value has been going down, Peter thinks that the public's appetite for the currency will diminish and as will its value. 

Direct download: Peter_Schiff_03.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:24pm EDT
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Rituparna Basu is the Ayn Rand Institute's expert on healthcare policy. She's grateful to MTI's Jon Gruber for speaking the truth about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Collectivists always view the rest of us with contempt and Gruber, as the chief architect of Obamacare is no exception. Beware of collectivists bearing gifts, because someone's got to pay for them and it's not going to be the wealthy or the poor. Rather it will be the average American who picks up the tab and pays the ultimate price. 

Direct download: Rituparna_Basu_02.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:28pm EDT
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Danielle Park, esteemed portfolio manager and investment expert sees the plunge in oil and commodities as totally predictable and foreseeable. The same with the eventual plunge in stock indexes. While the experts on Wall Street only see buying opportunities, Danielle always prefers to wait for the inevitable shake-out to occur and then she likes to invest in quality issues at bargain basement prices. She believes that day is soon coming to the major markets, which is why she thinks that it's a good time to be hoarding cash. Before you dismiss her sage advice, remember that she's been calling for a decline in commodities, especially oil and copper for quite a while. Bet against her at your own peril. 

Direct download: Danielle_Park_02.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:56pm EDT
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Dr. Robert A. Eisenbeis serves as Cumberland Advisors’ Vice Chairman and Chief Monetary Economist. In this capacity, he advises Cumberland’s asset managers on developments in US financial markets, the domestic economy and their implications for investment and trading strategies. With his experience as Executive Vice-President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, where he advised the bank’s president on monetary policy for FOMC deliberations, Dr. Eisenbeis has a unique insight into the economy and where it's heading. 

Direct download: Bob_Eisenbeis_02.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:08am EDT
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Today we sat down with Mickey Fulp for his Major Monthly Market Review. The biggest loser was WTI. Gold and silver lost some and copper took a big hit. Bitcoin recouped its losses from October. Natgas was stable. And those major markets keep going up and up.  Uranium is still on the rise. 

Direct download: Mickey_Fulp_02.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:01am EDT
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The Swiss Gold Referendum results are in and they've given their vote to the Banksters. We probably shouldn't be surprised. What we were really asking the Swiss to do was to start a new monetary system with absolutely no assurances as to its success. Unfortunately, this may have been the last opportunity to reform the system from within. Now the forces that have been that have driving the world's economies to the brink have clear sailing ahead. There's nothing that can stop them now. So buckle your seatbelts and get ready for the ride of a life time.

Gold and silver are up major today, in classic counterintuitive fashion. 

We also discuss the Ferguson incident and what the evidence really shows happened. Not that the facts matter about anything anymore. But you should know. 

Direct download: TLR_372.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:58pm EDT
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Manipulation Mondays with Andrew Hoffman:

Swiss referendum

                -historic propaganda, market manipulation beforehand (both here and in Switzerland)

                -however, brought out major pro-gold forces as well

                                -Dutch repatriation, French repatriation request

                -also, now entire world doomed to money printing to infinity after Swiss dupe

                

Historic PM tightness

                -record U.S. Mint Silver Eagles sales, Royal Canadian Mint Silver Maple sales, Indian silver imports, Chinese gold demand, 15-year low GOFO rates; plus, end of Indian 80/20 import/export rule

 

Economic collapse!

                -nine misses Wednesday alone in States

                -today, China PMI nearly below 50, at eight-month low

                -today, Europe 50.3, and Germany down from 50.0 last month to recessionary 49.5

                -Japan downgraded by Moody's from Aa3 to A1

                -currencies the world round in freefall, particularly commodity related like Ruble, Real, Rupiah, Australian dollar

 

today's article was titled "Shale oil 2015 = subprime mortgages 2008"

                -1/3 of all S&P 500 capex is energy-related, and was declining BEFORE oil prices collapsed

                -more than half of shale oil unprofitable today, and generally less desirable grades to start with

                -15% of all U.S. junk bonds shale oil related

 

Direct download: Andy_Hoffman_01.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:16pm EDT
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John relates that last week saw the global financial system tip from delusion — where it had happily drifted for several years — into chaos. Consider the following more-or-less randomly chosen data points:

French unemployment hits record high

Italian unemployment hits record high 

Oil’s price falls by $10.36/bbl, or 13.5%, in a single day, to its lowest price since 2010. 

Copper falls by 6% to $2.86/lb, 25% below its 2013 high. 

European bond yields fall to record lows. Even Italy, with government debt exceeding 130% of GDP, can now borrow for around 2%. Japan, meanwhile, issues bonds with negative interest rates. 

European inflation approaches zero, with several member states apparently already in deflation. 

Emerging markets see the opposite trend, as a soaring dollar causes their currencies to fall and inflation to spike. The Russian ruble falls by 7.3% to a record low, while the currencies of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Chile drop by at least 1.9%. See Brazil’s Rousseff vows immense effort to slow inflation.

Chinese malinvestment, a topic of conversation ever since those ghost city pictures started circulating, is pegged at $6.8 trillion, or about 70% of China’s entire economy. 

As Prudent Bear’s Doug Noland put it his November 28 Credit Bubble Bulletin, “Collapse of the ‘global reflation trade’ runs unabated. Where might contagion strike next?” 

The answer is in one final set of stats: Last week the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Transports hit record highs, while the Nasdaq 100 index of tech stocks rose to its highest level since March 2000, just before its epic crash.

If everything but equities is being sucked into a 2008-style deflationary vortex, how much longer can US stocks hold out? Probably not long.

Direct download: John_Rubino_01.Dec.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:33am EDT
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