Today’s News 11th August 2016

Submitted by Giulio Meotti via The Gatestone Institute,

"Islam is a French religion and the French language is a language of Islam." — Tariq Ramadan.
In 1989, Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, justified the persecution of Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Khomeini. Last year, Boubakeur called for the conversion of churches into mosques.
In Britain, mainstream Muslim organizations are dispensing "Islamic justice" through more than 85 sharia courts attached to mosques.
Civil war in France is what the Islamic State is looking for: unleashing a blind repression so that the Muslim population will show solidarity with the revolutionary minority. Yet, there is still worse possible outcome: that nothing happens and we continue as is.
Real "moderate Muslims" are silenced or murdered.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with France's director of domestic intelligence, Patrick Calvar. "The confrontation is inevitable," Mr. Calvar said. There are an estimated 15,000 Salafists among France's seven million Muslims, "whose radical-fundamentalist creed dominates many of the predominantly Muslim housing projects at the edges of cities such as Paris, Nice or Lyon. Their preachers call for a civil war, with all Muslims tasked to wipe out the miscreants down the street."

These Salafists openly challenge France's way of life and do not make a secret of their willingness to overthrow the existing order in Europe through violent means, terror attacks and physical intimidation. But paradoxically, if the Islamists' threat to Europe were confined to the Salafists, it would be easier to defeat it.

There is in fact another threat, even more dangerous because it is more difficult to decipher. It has just been dubbed by the magazine Valeurs Actuelles, "the quiet conquest". It is "moderate" Islam's sinuous project of producing submission. "Its ambition is clear: changing French society. Slowly but surely".

That threat is personified in the main character of Michel Houellebecq's novel, Submission: Mohammed Ben Abbes, the "moderate" Muslim who becomes France's president and converts the state to Islam. And from where does President Ben Abbes start his Islamization? The Sorbonne University. It is already happening: Qatar recently made a significant donation to this famous university, to sponsor the education of migrants.

In France, the quiet conquest has the face of the Union of the Islamic Organizations of France (UOIF), which a Simon Wiesenthal Center report charged with "anti-Semitism, advocacy and financing of terrorism and call to Jihad… "

Not only does UOIF not encourage the integration of Muslims in France," the report states, "it actually provides a nursery for the most radical Islamist positions."

In Italy we have just witnessed the strategy of this "moderate Islam." The largest and most influential Islamic organization, l'Unione delle comunità ed organizzazione islamiche in Italia (Ucoii), sponsored Milan's first Muslim councilwoman, Sumaya Abdel Qader, a veiled candidate of the center-left coalition. Qader's husband, Abdallah Kabakebbji, openly called for the destruction of the State of Israel: "It is a historical mistake, a scam", he wrote on Facebook. His solution? "Ctrl + Alt + Delete".

Qader won the race over a real moderate Muslim, the unveiled Somali activist, Maryan Ismail. I met Mrs. Ismail at a pro-Israel forum in Milan. After losing the election, she broke with Italy's Democratic Party in an open letter: "The Democratic Party has chosen to dialogue with obscurantist Islam. Once again, the souls of modern, plural and inclusive Islam were not heard".

Take two "stars" of this French "moderate Islam." The first one is Tariq Ramadan, the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, the motto of which is: "Allah is our objective; the Prophet is our leader; the Quran is our law; Jihad is our way; dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."

Ramadan does not hide in Raqqa or shoot at French citizens. By applying for French citizenship, he would like to become one of them. His office is in the Parisian suburb of Saint Denis; he has written 30 books and he has two million Facebook followers. Ramadan has academic chairs all over the world, he is the director of the Research Center for Islamic Law in Doha (Qatar) and the president of the European Muslim Network. He publicly campaigns for Islam along with Italy's former prime minister, Massimo D'Alema. Ramadan recently explained his vision for Europe and France: "Islam is a French religion and the French language is a language of Islam".

Ramadan's project is not the hoped-for Europeanization of Islam, but the not-hoped-for frightful Islamization of Europe. He opposes the assimilation of Muslims into French culture and society. A few days before the election in Milan, Ramadan was in Italy to endorse the candidacy of Sumaya Abdel Qader.

The second French "star" is Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris. In 1989, Boubakeur justified the persecution of Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Khomeini. In 2002, he testified for the prosecution against the writer Michel Houellebecq. In 2006, he sued Charlie Hebdo in court, after the publication of the Danish Mohammed cartoons. Last year, Boubakeur called for the conversion of churches into mosques and asked to "double" the number of mosques in France.

Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, last year called for the conversion of churches into mosques and asked to "double" the number of mosques in France. (Image source: TV5 Monde)

In the United Kingdom, mainstream Muslim organizations are dispensing "Islamic justice" through more than 85 sharia courts attached to mosques. Divorce, polygamy, adultery and wife-beating are only some of these courts' matters of jurisprudence. In Germany, vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel criticized Saudi Arabia for financing Islamic extremism in Europe. It is the same kingdom which last year offered to build 200 new mosques in Germany.

Qatar, with its Al Jazeera television megaphone, is also very active in sponsoring Muslim Brotherhood Islamic radicalism all over Europe. The Qatari royal family, for example, in 2015 donated £11 million to Oxford's St. Anthony's College, where Tariq Ramadan teaches. Qatar also announced that it was willing to spend $65 million in the French suburbs, home to the vast majority of the six million Muslims in France.

Today in Europe, several scenarios are possible, including the worst. Among them, there is a civil war, which many are beginning to talk about, including Patrick Calvar, the director of domestic intelligence. This is what the Islamic State is looking for: unleashing a blind repression so that the Muslim population will show solidarity with the revolutionary minority. Yet, there is still worse possible outcome: that nothing happens and we continue as is.

The end is more important than the means. The Islamic State has the same goal as most of the members of so-called "moderate Islam": domination under the sharia. Many supposedly "moderate Muslims", even if they do not commit violent acts themselves, support them quietly. They support them by not speaking out against them. If they do speak out against them, they usually do so in coded terms, such as that they are "against terrorism," or that what concerns them about violent acts by Muslims is the possibility of a "backlash" against them.

Violent jihadis, however, are not the only means of transforming Europe, and perhaps are even counterproductive: they could awaken the nations they attack. Soft and more discreet means, such as social pressure and propaganda, are even more dangerous, and possibly even more effective: they are harder to see, such as the West's acceptance of dual judiciary and legal systems; sharia finance (if there had been a "Nazi finance" system, in which all financial transactions went to strengthening the Third Reich, what effect might that have had on World War II?), and the proliferation in the West of mosques and extremist Islamic websites. Although there are indeed many real "moderate Muslims", there are also still many who are not.

To conservative Muslims, however, any Muslim who does not accept every word of Allah — the entire Koran — is not a true Muslim, and is open to charges of "apostasy", the punishment for which is death. According to a leading Sunni theologian, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, based in Qatar, "If they [Muslims] had gotten rid of the punishment for apostasy, Islam would not exist today."

That is why the late writer Oriana Fallaci once said to The New Yorker: "I do not accept the mendacity of the so-called Moderate Islam". That is why real "moderate Muslims" are silenced or murdered.

This might summarize the current Islamic mainstream mentality: "Dear Europeans, continue to think about a shorter working week, early retirement, abortion on demand and adultery in the afternoon. With your laws, we will conquer you. With our laws, we will convert you".

A New Wrinkle In The Paper Gold Con Game

A New Wrinkle In The Paper Gold Con Game

Posted with permission and written by Craig Hemke, TF Metals Report (CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL)

Here’s a story that came out earlier today. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s easy to see a Bullion Bank plot here. For months, we’ve documented all of the various points of demand for gold in all its forms. And now, as The Bullion Bank Paper Derivative Pricing Scheme is being stretched to extremes, suddenly the LME wants to offer another form of paper gold with which to screw everyone.

And note who’s involved here…not only is it the LME working in conjunction with the Evil Of Evils Goldman Sachs, they’re all “working in conjunction” with The World Gold Council. IF ANYTHING SHOULD PROVE FOR YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL THE THE WGC IS A SHADY, NASTY AND WORTHLESS ORGANIZATION, THIS SHOULD DO IT! Here’s your link from Reuters detailing the news:

LONDON, Aug 9 The London Metal Exchange (LME) said on Tuesday it is planning to launch spot and futures contracts for gold and silver in the first half of 2017, adding to its list of products which includes copper and aluminum.

The 139-year old exchange is working in collaboration with the World Gold Council, an industry body backed by gold mining companies such as Barrick Gold and Goldcorp, and is supported by five banks and proprietary trader OSTC, which have committed to provide liquidity.

“The initiative has been driven by the need for greater market transparency, to support and aid ongoing regulatory change, provide additional robustness to the precious metals market, broaden market access,” the exchange and its partners said in a statement.

Financial market transparency has been a major focus for regulators after evidence of price manipulation in lending rates between banks in the Libor scandal in 2012.

As regulators continue to review commodity markets, the bullion industry is braced for further changes that could ultimately include a mandatory central clearing or more expensive bilateral trading.

Banks and bullion operators have looked for ways to preserve London’s role as a major global trading centre, while increasing transparency of a market which can trace its roots back to the 17th century.

The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), another industry body whose members are mostly banks, refiners and dealers, separately asked exchanges and technology firms in October last year to bid for services such as a gold exchange or a clearing platform.

London currently dominates the global over-the-counter gold trade with an estimated $5 trillion changing hands every year, while New York’s Comex contract sets the benchmark for futures.

The LME plans physically delivered spot, futures and options contracts. The gold will be 100 ounces in size (worth around $133,600 at current prices) and silver 5,000 ounces. All contracts will be cleared through LME Clear, the exchange’s clearing house, which has an annual traded notional value of $12 trillion.

LIQUIDITY

The World Gold Council CEO Aram Shishmanian said that they had initially engaged with around 30 firms, but only Goldman Sachs, ICBC Standard Bank, Morgan Stanley, Natixis and Societe Generale signed up to support the contracts from the launch day.

After the transformation of precious metals benchmarks in 2014, led by a regulatory drive to make them more robust to attempts of manipulation, banks have become more cautious.

Several of them have run into trouble with regulators over misdemeanours in their precious metals trading business.

The benchmarks are widely used by producers, consumers and investors to trade and value the metal. Gold and silver are among the eight major market benchmarks that are regulated by Britain’s watchdog Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Frankly, my favorite part of the entire article is this:

Several of them have run into trouble with regulators over misdemeanours in their precious metals trading business.

“Several of them have run into trouble over misdemeanors”….GIVE ME A BREAK. Misdemeanors. That’s pretty funny.

Anyway, the new “gold” contract looks to begin trading by summer of next year. (Maybe the entire fraud will have collapsed by then?) Here are the actual specs. Have a look and see if you notice a rather critical distinction/component of this latest fraud:
http://lme.com/metals/precious-metals/gold/

Here, please allow me to help. What word jumps off the page at you from this screenshot below? (Hint: It starts with a “U”.)

So the new, “physically-settled” LME gold contract is one where “seller transfers unallocated gold to…the LPMCL member bank (Goldman)…and buyers receive unallocated gold at any LPCML member bank (Goldman)“. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT FREAKING DEAL! WHERE DO I SIGN UP?

But, seriously, what a gigantic SCAM this all is! These Banks will do literally ANYTHING to perpetuate their Paper Derivative Pricing Scheme. This latest move to collect gold and fees while scamming investors into believing that they own “physical gold” is just another example. And again, that the WGC is “collaborating” in this con should tell you all you need to know about that organization, too.

You don’t own it unless you hold it. Period, end of story. Sadly, as we’ve come to learn over the years, everything else is just a Banker scheme to screw you.

Please email with any questions about this article or precious metals HERE

A New Wrinkle In The Paper Gold Con Game

Posted with permission and written by Craig Hemke, TF Metals Report (CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL)
2016 Will End With Economic Instability And A Trump Presidency

Submitted by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.com,

Political and economic events tend to swing like a pendulum, or move like the tides. What you think you know today, according to the mainstream mood, can swiftly change tomorrow. Sometimes this is mere random coincidence, but often it is engineered by the powers that be. When discerning coming trends, the only assumption I recommend people operate on is that the globalists will play the long game; the short game is only relevant as far as it serves the long game.

What is the long game? The globalists have openly admitted their goal in numerous mainstream publications, but my favorite example is the January 1988 issue of the Rothschild run magazine The Economist. The issue pronounces boldly that investors should “get ready for a global currency” by 2018. I examine this issue in detail in my article The Economic End Game Explained.

The Economist article mentions the sacrifice of “some” economic sovereignty of nation states, the end of the dollar’s world reserve status and the rise of the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights basket currency mechanism as a “bridge” to a single global currency. None of these changes can be accomplished without certain parts of the world suffering severe financial instability first. Not only is this a mathematical inevitability, such crisis is also a useful tool for elitists to mold the public’s collective psychology.

So, let’s make this crystal clear — the long game is the total and OPEN centralization of economic and geopolitical power into the hands of a select few financial elites. Not the pulling of strings behind the curtain. Not shadow governance. OPEN governance of the world by the elites, accepted or even demanded by the people.

There are a lot of assumptions floating around economic conditions and election developments right now that do not take into account this long game. The first being that globalists “are losing their grip on the situation.”

I would have to disagree. In terms of political leaders (East and West) and surface economic indicators, the elites have more control than ever.

The argument of the “bumbling globalists” became rather popular the days after the initial success of the Brexit referendum. This was of course based on the assumption that the Brexit is damaging to the globalists rather than helpful to them. I outline why the Brexit is a perfect scapegoat for a fiscal downturn engineered by the elites in my article Brexit: Global Trigger Event, Fake Out, Or Something Else?, published before the Brexit vote took place.

Since the referendum, central banks and politicians around the world have begun calling for a single monetary and fiscal policy initiative meant to “head off any ill effects of the Brexit.” That is to say, the open calls for one economic authority to rule them all have now begun.

The numerous warnings by the financial elites of a coming crisis event have most people in the mainstream and even many alternative analysts scratching their heads. For those that hyper-focus on stock markets, all seems to be well. Of course, these people only have an attention span that lasts until the next market ticker opens for the day. They aren’t looking at the bigger picture.

To be fair, though, the mainstream media is really laying on the fake-out propaganda thick.

July and August have produced considerably strange behaviors from stocks so far, with a record number of days positive, followed by a near-record number of days negative. I would consider this a form of volatility that should not be overlooked. The media have so far shrugged off these developments and only noted that stock valuations are still high despite the Brexit “surprise.” Their assertion has been that the Brexit “had no effect;” completely ignoring the fact that such events can have long term consequences rather than immediate consequences.

Oil prices have plunged back towards lows last seen at the beginning of the year, something I stated would eventually occur after the predictable failure of the OPEC meeting in Doha. Low global demand continues and production has not slowed in any meaningful way.

There has been a steady correlation the past year between oil and stocks. The current decoupling is unlikely to last very long and stocks should track down to oil by September as speculators give up trying to hold crude offshore in a useless effort to drive prices higher. The mainstream has said little to nothing about this decoupling or its eventual consequences.

The past two months of employment numbers have been an epic farce, with the media playing up the supposed number of jobs added while mentioning nothing about the nearly 95 million working age Americans removed from the rolls and no longer counted as unemployed. That’s almost one third of the U.S. population, and around half of all working age Americans that have no job.

The Bureau of Labor’s claim when cornered by this statistic and the fraudulent nature of their primary employment percentages? “Those people don’t want to work, therefore they should not be counted…”

The better than expected jobs reports have so far allowed markets to levitate. I would assert, however, that stocks are merely treading water at the deceptively calm center of a hurricane.

The reality is, they cannot hide an economic collapse forever. Negative financial effects are going to touch ground somewhere, and the data is going to sneak through. Case in point; U.S. productivity is now at 37 year lows despite government statistics claiming fully recovered employment. You would think that in such a happy labor environment portrayed by the BLS productivity would grow. This is not the case. Perhaps a total unemployed population of over 100 million people may be contributing to the implosion of U.S. productivity…?

Outside of the U.S., European banks are on the verge of a breakdown, and central bank stimulus measures and rate cuts are adding minimal extra boost to markets. They aren't currently falling much, but they aren't rallying much either. In essence, equities are becoming stagnant due to artificial support from central banks and there is little incentive for investors to participate any longer.

In light of the latest manipulations of economic data and the jawboning of stocks since March, some alternative analysts have pronounced that the central banks plan to prop up markets “indefinitely,” or at least until Hillary Clinton can win the election.

This is an unfortunate assumption by the alternative crowd…

I remember before the Brexit vote a vast majority of independent economists and liberty analysts argued that the elites would “never allow” the U.K. referendum to pass — that they had the power to rig the vote however they pleased. If this is the case (and I agree it is the case), then clearly the elites WANTED the Brexit to pass.

It would serve alternative analysts well to recall specifically the rigged polling numbers in the weeks leading up to the Brexit which showed a definite win for the “Stay” crowd. Interesting how that all turned out, isn’t it?

I am consistently reminded of the Brexit surprise when I look today at the polling numbers on the U.S. election. The erratic and inconsistent polling shows Trump climbing, then suddenly sinking days later, then climbing again without any clear catalysts. Many polls contradict each other, just as the polls did before the Brexit, and, the same kind of circus atmosphere is present, if not more prevalent.

It may be possible, if not certain, that this is all a game. The Brexit outcome was predetermined, which is how elites like George Soros scored successful investment bets on the referendum passing, and the reason why the Bank for International Settlements gathered central bankers from around the world as the vote was taking place.

I believe that the U.S. presidential election has also been predetermined; with a Trump win. Some people might be confused by this concept.

Trump’s campaign has been consistently compared to the Brexit campaign by globalists in the media, as well as by mainstream pundits. They call it a "dangerous" trend of rising populists.

The propaganda surrounding the Brexit asserts that the referendum will eventually lead to global economic crisis; and already, central banks and politicians are attempting to tie the Brexit to anything that might go wrong fiscally in the near future.

The propaganda surrounding Trump is the same; that Trump is unfit to lead America and that his economic policies will end in global financial ruin.

One constant connects the Brexit referendum and Trump — both are supported by conservative movements with anti-globalist leanings.

I submit that there is in fact a wider economic crisis on the way, and that the elites plan to use the Brexit and Trump as scapegoats for this crisis.

I have stated this before, but I think the idea needs repeating: The globalists need the economy to turn unstable in order to create a rationale for a centralized economic authority and a single global currency system. This is why they have consistently called for a “coordinated global central banking policy” after the Brexit. This is why they continue to warn of a fiscal crisis even though stock markets remain at all-time highs.

If Hillary Clinton, a well known globalist puppet deep in the bedrock of the establishment, wins the election only to have the economy tank, then the globalists will get the blame.

If Trump is either allowed in office, or is placed in office, and the economy tanks, CONSERVATIVES, the primary enemy of the globalists, will get the blame for the resulting crisis.

To reiterate, the globalists have created the conditions by which an economic crisis can be triggered at the time of their choosing (within certain limits). They are then either supporting the success of seemingly conservative based movements and candidates, or simply refusing to interfere with them. This is being done so that the globalists can then blame the crash they created on conservative movements.

This allows them to demonize not just conservatives, but the conservative philosophy in general; labeling it a poisonous ideal akin to fascism. Their solution? Erase all elements of conservatism and sovereignty from society for the sake of the “greater good” of the collective.

This is part of the long game.

As I noted after the U.K. referendum, I believe the Brexit to be part of a “one-two-punch combination,” and that the second punch has not arrived yet. My view appears to be supported by the number of financial elites warning investors to pull out of markets today before it is too late. Obviously, they know something the rest of the financial mainstream does not.

This sets up the elites as “prophets” rather than criminals, as economic perception turns negative and the public begins looking for answers.

In the meantime, I believe a softer downturn will begin before the election takes place, most likely starting in September. This will give a boost to the Trump campaign, or at least, that is what the polls will likely say. I would also watch for some banking officials and media pundits to blame this downturn on Trump’s rise in the polling data. The narrative will be that just the threat of a Trump presidency is “putting the markets on edge.”

Many claim the Federal Reserve will not raise rates in 2016 with the election threatened by a Trump candidacy. I believe the Fed will in fact raise rates, as they always do going into major recessions. If they do not raise rates before the election, they will most certainly raise rates in December if Trump is in the White House.

I realize that many will argue that Trump will “never be allowed to win,” just look at how the media demonizes him. But this is what people argued before the Brexit, and they were wrong. I suggest that this demonization campaign is much like the doom and gloom used by globalists before the UK referendum — it is not meant to stop the event. It is not meant to prevent Trump from getting into office, it is meant to make Trump and conservatives a scapegoat for an impending crisis once he is IN office.

While I certainly am not advocating Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office, I have to point out that a Trump presidency serves the globalist long game better than a Clinton presidency…

First, the elites need an international financial crisis to encourage the public to support a single central bank policy and authority. They can blame such a crisis on Trump and the Brexit and divert attention away from themselves.

Second, the elites need to remove the philosophy of conservatism as an obstacle to global collectivism and the destruction of national sovereignty. Again, conservatives will be blamed as participants and co-conspirators in the fiscal crisis, and painted as so devilish that no future generation would want to be a associated with conservative thought.

Third, the elites need to kill the dollar’s world reserve status. And yes, even this could be blamed on Trump as Saudi Arabia moves away from the dollar as the petro-currency and multiple nations begin to protest Trump’s “isolationism” by dumping the dollar. In October, China (with the approval of the IMF) begins spreading SDR-based liquidity around the world, launching the next phase of the end of the dollar as world reserve right before the U.S. election climax.

Fourth, the elites need internal conflict within the U.S. and/or martial law in order to justify international intervention. A Trump presidency will most likely be met with accelerated violence from social justice activists and general riots from the entitlement class. I believe Trump will use martial law measures, though he probably will not label this "martial law". There may even come a day when globalist “leaders” will assert that Trump cannot be allowed access to a nuclear arsenal, and that he must be stopped.

If Trump turns out to be anti-constitution, and the liberty movement acts to stand against him — we will be accused of working for the social justice miscreants, or we will ironically be accused as agents of the globalists. If we fight against a globalist intervention or the social justice mobs, we will be accused as fascists by the international community. Truly, with Trump as president, many doors open for the elites.

That said, this does not mean the elites will be ultimately successful in their endeavors. There are always unknowns to any grand scheme. As Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” I believe the elites will be surprised by some sizable punches in the mouth. Until then, though, their current strategy appears to be running on schedule.
Even Reuters Gets It: "Money-Printing Has Pushed Stocks Out Of Kilter With Economic Reality"

It appears that the world's central-scammers have finally gone too far. In a shockingly Zero-Hedge-ian statement, Reuters is forced to admit that "spooked by the end of a 30-year bond bull run and bouts of money printing which have pushed stock values out of kilter with economic reality," high-profile investors are turning their backs on financial assets and favoring real assets.

Of course, all it took was 7 years of unprecedented monetary policy experimentation to decouple the fantasy of equity markets from the harsh reality of the real economy…

But, as Reuters explains, alternative investments such as a Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti, a rare blue diamond or a case of Romanee-Conti Grand Cru wine from Burgundy are going mainstream as investors grapple with ultra-low interest rates and volatile stocks.

Rare coins, collectible jewelry and classic cars join fine wine among the top performers in the year to end-March…

And fine wine saw its largest positive monthly movement since 2010 in July with the Liv-ex Fine Wine Investables index, which tracks around 200 Bordeaux red wines from 24 leading producers, up by 4.5 percent. It is up 13.8 percent so far this year, compared with 6.9 percent for the S&P 500 and 8.9 percent for the FTSE 100.

"As a physical asset, fine wine tends to perform well in periods of uncertainty…and is also not linked to the prices of other assets in most circumstances," said Andrew della Casa, Founding Director of The Wine Investment Fund.

Over a five-year period, cars, coins and jewelry returned 161 percent, 73 percent and 63 percent respectively, eclipsing Britain's FTSE-100 stock index, which was up 15 percent since the start of 2011.

But with future demand tough to call, Andrew Shirley, author of the Knight Frank Wealth Report, strikes a note of caution.

"You should still only be buying the investments of passion that you will enjoy owning and will give you pleasure even if their value goes down – there is certainly no guarantee that values will continue to rise.

"There is an argument that such investments add diversity to portfolios, provide a hedge against inflation, and unlike equity-based investments, offer a degree of tangibility but like gold they tend not to generate any income and can also be illiquid, and subject to changes in taste and fashion."

Gold, another so-called safe haven from top-of-the cycle bonds and expensive stocks, is also enjoying a purple patch, BlackRock research shows.

With returns up 26.8% year-to-date – its best year since 1979 – gold has returned almost twice as much as higher-risk emerging market dollar bonds and non-U.S. Developed market bonds, and almost five times a 3.1 percent return on U.S. large caps, it said.

Analysts at Unigestion describe the gold price rise as a "classic" market response to stress triggered by Britain's shock decision to quit the European Union and fears of negative rates but it was difficult to predict how long these circumstances supporting a rush into gold might last.

* * *

So with yields at record lows and stocks at record highs, the world is waking up to the reality that financial assets are nothing but smoke-and-mirrors, blown and reflected by central planners' manipulation to keep the confidence alive. The problem is, the elites are stepping away, leaving the greatest fools to fight over the last morsels of 'easy' money before the inevitable new-world-order-ushering plunge occurs.
Paul Craig Roberts Exposes "The Stench Of Raw Propaganda"

Authored by Paul Craig Roberts,

I just heard the rawest kind of propaganda from former presstitute David Satter, who hangs out at the right-wing Hudson Institute and pretends to be an expert on Russia and Putin.

On August 10 Satter told NPR’s audience that Washington’s hope to bring peace to Syria would fail unless Washington understood that the Russian government had no humanitarian feelings and did not care about the loss of human life. What Washington needs to do, said Satter, was to make sure that Putin and his henchmen understood that they would be held accountable as war criminals.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

I should be hardened by now, but it never fails to astonish me that agents for the elite are willing to tell the most blatant and transparant lies. Perhaps this is because they know that the media and their fellow bought-and-paid-for “experts” will not challenge them on their statements. In fact, this is the way explanations are controlled and history rewritten.

Perhaps everyone has already forgotten that when Washington’s plan to invade Syria was blocked by the UK Parliament and Russian diplomacy, Washington sent the forces used against Gaddafi in Libya to overthrow Assad in Syria where they emerged as ISIS and commit extraordinary atrocities.

As ISIS was serving Washington’s purpose, Washington took no action against them. After a couple of years of death and destruction suffered by Syrians, the Russian government lost its patience and backed the Syrian Army with air power. Soon ISIS was defeated and on the run.

Washington was caught in a bind. In Iraq Washington was fighting ISIS, because ISIS was overthrowing Washington’s puppet in Iraq. However, in Syria Washington was supporting ISIS, often characterizing ISIS as “moderates” fighting to bring democracy to Syria. Now that ISIS is on the verge of total defeat in Syria, Washington’s whores among the “experts” want Russia punished for blocking Washington’s overthrow of Syria.

In the 21st century the numerous war crimes are all accounted for by the US and Israel. These crimes were enabled by the EU which provided cover for the official lies, such as Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and Iranian nukes, that were used by Washington for its unprovoked aggressions that have destroyed in whole or part seven countries.

Real experts have integrity, and these experts want the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama regimes tried for their war crimes. I think David Satter should be in the dock with them.
Saudi Arabia Needs To Cut Oil Production (Video)

By EconMatters

The bottom line is that the only way the oil market rebalances in the near future is if Saudi Arabia cuts Oil Production. They are realistically the only party that can pull this production cut off right now.

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A New Gartman Record: Stopped Out At A 2.5% Loss In One Day

For anyone who still doubts the power of fading Dennis Gartman, let this be a lesson to you.

From his Tuesday, August 9, Gartman Letter:

Cotton prices have plunged overnight on the news that China will extend its sales of cotton from its reserves through the end of September. China has been selling cotton from its reserves for the past several months as demand from its cotton spinners for supplies to meet the demand for cloth have increased materially. This time, however, China has increased the amount of cotton it will released, previously stating that it was going to allow for 1.7 million tonnes of cotton to be sold from the reserve but now increasing that to 2.0 million tonnes. We have been waiting for this announcement to finally step up to buy cotton and with prices plunging today we’ll do exactly that. Those who cannot trade futures should avail themselves of the cotton ETF, BAL, listed on the NYSE. However, be certain to put in limit orders, not market orders. Cotton is trading 2% lower this morning and thus orders in BAL should be placed 1.9-2.1% below last night’s close, but no higher.

NEW RECOMMENDATION: We’ve waited to own cotton on a break and it is breaking hard this morning on the news out of China discussed above. We’ll buy new crop December cotton at or near to $74.25 and for now we’ll risk no more than 2% on the trade. Those using BAL… the cotton ETF… should be prepared to buy it on a limit order no higher than $49.60 vs. the close yesterday on the NYSE of $50.69

And then, from Wednesday, August 10, some 24 hours later.

We hand here at TGL, had a second ill day in a row, wrecked by our position in cotton, for we bought the cotton ETF and suffered sharply as a result. For the year-to- date, we are up 4.8%, now modestly under-performing our International Index and rather badly under-performing a simple long position in the S&P.

It has taken only twenty four hours to prove us wrong and we are stopped out for a loss of a bit more than 2.5%. We’ll return to cotton… sooner rather than later, but for now we are wrong!

Remember: Gartman is now bullish: “We’ve no choice. We have to dance with TINA… There Is No Alternative…until the music stops even though we do not like the music and we do not like the band.”
ISIS 2.0: Terrorist Organization Launches Social-Media-Block 'Workaround' Browser Plug-In

The Islamic State is beefing up its online propaganda and recruitment efforts with the release of a downloadable web-browser plugin for its Amaq newswire.

As The Foreign Desk's Lisa Daftari reports, appearing Sunday on the terror group’s social media channels, a prompt allows users to download a packaged extension file to install the plugin in the Firefox browser and then access the latest Amaq news website directly from the toolbar.

The problem

The plugin represents yet another front in the online battle ISIS is waging as it seeks to establish a ‘Digital Caliphate’ and to continue broadcasting victories and announcements to the world.

With the ongoing campaign by the U.S.-led coalition pegging back the terror group militarily in Syria and Iraq, ISIS has intensified online activities publishing high definition videos of attacks, color digital magazines, daily news bulletins and radio broadcasts to an array of blogs, websites and social media platforms.

Online, tech companies continue to fight the terror group, minimizing its platform and ability to spread.

Jihadi tweets were down 45 percent from two years ago, an Obama administration official stated last month, as Twitter continues to shut down thousands of ISIS-affiliated accounts.

Similar purges by Facebook and Google have removed thousands of Facebook pages and YouTube accounts that are attempting to disseminate the Islamic State’s message.

There have also been similar moves by blogs such as WordPress and Tubmlr as well as other social media platforms such as Telegram Messenger, the current social media platform of choice for jihadis.

The U.S. has simultaneously launched a counter-extremism drive with an anti-ISIS message online.

The jihadi workaround

While a suspended Twitter account or Facebook page makes it harder for followers to find jihadi accounts, as replacement accounts differ slightly by username, the Firefox plugin would appear to work around that issue as information becomes readily available through a click of the toolbar button.

As soon as law enforcement and counterterror agencies move to intercept the web domain currently linked to by the plugin, Jihadis can reroute the url to a new domain, putting their latest news and propaganda effortlessly in the hands of any ISIS supporter.

In the two days that the plugin has been available, The Foreign Desk has observed the current Amaq news website has remained online, protected by a Cloudflare mask that protects the domain from DDOS attacks, and updates have been published to the site ahead of the group’s Telegram channel postings.

Amaq

Established in 2014 as an ‘alternative to Western media’s’ coverage of the group, Amaq News Agency has emerged as an outlet widely cited by global news networks as an official ‘State-run’ media arm of the Caliphate.

In the immediate aftermath of ISIS attacks, notably the Paris attacks of November 2015, and more recently the Brussels, Bangladesh and Nice attacks, experts in the West have been increasingly monitoring the Amaq news feeds for ISIS claims of responsibility.
The More The Establishment Freaks Out Over Trump, The More Attractive He Becomes

Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

Trump is attractive precisely because the Establishment fears and loathes him because 1) they didn't pick him and 2) he might upset the neoconservative Empire that the Establishment elites view as their global entitlement.

The Establishment is freaking out about Donald Trump for one reason: they didn't pick him. The Establishment is freaking out because the natural order of things is that we pick the presidential candidates and we run the country to serve ourselves, i.e. the financial-political elites.

Donald Trump's candidacy upsets this neofeudal natural order, and thus he (and everyone who supports him) is anathema to the Establishment, heretics who must be silenced, cowed, marginalized, mocked and ultimately put back in their place as subservient debt-serfs.

With Trump ascendant, the serfs are selecting the noble in the castle on the hill. Outrageous! Unheard of!

You know the Establishment is freaking out when Establishment pundit mouthpieces like David Brooks and Francis Fukuyama are freaking out about Trump. David Brooks could not restrain his disdain for Trump on a recent Charlie Rose segment, in which he intoned (and I paraphrase) that Trump can't put eight words together without referring to himself, i.e. he is not just a narcissist, but he is (take this, Trump!) a fragile narcissist— unlike people like Brooks, of course, who are solid, secure, wise, well-educated, erudite water-carriers for the status quo.

Policy heavy-hitter Fukuyama confesses the political system in the U.S. is broken but he can't understand why the citizenry has selected the "singularly inappropriate instrument" (his description of Trump in the pages of Foreign Affairs) of Donald Trump to express their disdain for their neofeudal lords.

Well, Mr, Fukuyama, let me explain it to you: the debt-serfs have selected Trump precisely because the neofeudal financial-political nobility you represent consider him a "singularly inappropriate instrument".

But, the pundits rage, he's a narcissist. He's fragile. (Now isn't that a classic middle-brow slam from the hopelessly middle-brow ("I only sound middle-brow due to my starring role in the mainstream media; actually I'm brilliant beyond words") Brooks.

Policy guru Fukuyama has a much better turn of phrase, of course: "narcissist" is way too common and middle-brow a critique at his level. Thus we get "singularly inappropriate instrument" (ooh, now there's a sharpened blade that slips easily between the ribs).

Dear Establishment pundits, flacks, hacks, sycophants, apparatchiks, toadies, lackeys, functionaries, leeches and apologists: the more you label Trump as "singularly inappropriate," the more attractive he becomes to the 81% who've been left behind by the financialized-globalized-neofeudal order that has so greatly enhanced your own wealth, influence and power.

Trump is attractive because the Establishment fears and loathes him. Why? 1) They didn't pick him and 2) he might upset the neoconservative liberal hegemony Empire that the Establishment elites view as their global entitlement.

The elitists like Brooks and Fukuyama admit that politics have failed. But they believe the solution is more people like us in power. You know, reasonable, well-educated elitists who won't stoop to get our hands dirty with laundered millions (for example, the Clinton Foundation).

The utter cluelessness of the professional apologists and punditry would be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic: the more you fume and rage that Trump is unqualified, narcissistic, singularly inappropriate, etc. etc. etc., the more appealing he becomes to everyone who isn't inside the protective walls of your neofeudal castle.

The people outside the cozy walls of the protected elites don't care if he is unqualified (by the standards of those who get to pick our presidents for us) narcissistic, singularly inappropriate, and so on–they are cheering him on because you, the multitudes of water-carriers for the Imperial elites, the teeming hordes of well-paid, I-got-mine-so-shut-the-heck-up pundits, flacks, hacks, sycophants, apparatchiks, toadies, lackeys, functionaries, leeches and apologists, are so visibly afraid that your perks, wealth, influence and power might drain away if the 80% actually get a say.

Dear pundits, flacks, hacks, sycophants, apparatchiks, toadies, lackeys, functionaries, leeches and apologists: we're sick of you, every one of you, and the neofeudal Empire you support. We want you cashiered, pushed outside the walls with the rest of us, scraping by on well-earned and richly deserved unemployment.