Seymour Hersh: On the Push For War Against Syria

The discussion of this lead up to war certainly came and went quickly.

One thing that comes out in this interview is the determined opposition to the Administration's goals and the power of the Executive Branch that came out of the intelligence community and the Pentagon.  Perhaps there were some lessons learned in the Iraq war after all.

It is too bad that the lessons presented from the financial crisis of 2008 have not had a similar effect.

Hersh's closing remarks on the role of journalism are quite simple and to the point.





Whose Sarin? - Seymour Hersh

Gold Daily and Silver Weekly Charts - FOMC Day in Paperland - The Fed Chairman Wears Nada

Today was pretty much what I had expected. It was Christmas meat on the table from the Fed, mostly roasted jawbone.

The 'taper' was meaningless, except to take the talk about when it would start off the table. The FOMC went out of its way in the verbage to signal accommodative policy and money for nothing for the foreseeable future.

Despite the big rally in stocks, what did the Treasuries market do?  Nada.  I rest my case.

The hit on gold and silver was consequential only because JPM has locked up most of the registered inventory on the Comex, and after all, today was an FOMC day when monetary inflation was affirmed. Rik Green has some interesting observations about this here.

Goldbroker published an interview with Le Patron on the correction in the Gold Market today here.

The problem these jokers are going to run into is that as they increasingly run policy to form a dual economy, with the wealthiest few taking the majority of the gains, the lack of demand in aggregate is going to continued to pressure the real economy, and eventually stretch the social fabric to the breaking point.

And some may expect this, and look at it as an opportunity. Winning.

Have a pleasant evening.

SP 500 and NDX Futures Daily Charts - Year End Rally as Fed Spreads Holiday Cheer

"I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses."

Taylor Caldwell

Today's action was all end of year window dressing and bonus pumping, triggered by the 'tiny taper' from the Fed, in which they pledged to reduce the rate at which they are expanding their balance sheet and handing money over the primary dealers at a slightly slower rate.

Low interest rates were unmistakably pledged for as far as the eye can see. And this is probably why stocks rallied, other than this is the time to boost financial asset prices to maximize those bonuses.

Have a pleasant evening.

FOMC Decision: Token Taper in a Trompe l'œil Recovery

The Fed is not 'unwinding its Balance Sheet' as the spokesmodel said on Bloomberg TV. They have slightly decreased the rate at which they are expanding it in the QE II program, roughly reducing the rate of expansion by about 12%, from $85 billion per month to a mere $75 billion per month.

Stocks rallied as I expected they might, given that this is the time to deck the halls with boughs of folly.  And naturally gold and silver were hit.

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in October indicates that economic activity is expanding at a moderate pace. Labor market conditions have shown further improvement; the unemployment rate has declined but remains elevated. Household spending and business fixed investment advanced, while the recovery in the housing sector slowed somewhat in recent months. Fiscal policy is restraining economic growth, although the extent of restraint may be diminishing. Inflation has been running below the Committee's longer-run objective, but longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable.

Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. The Committee expects that, with appropriate policy accommodation, economic growth will pick up from its recent pace and the unemployment rate will gradually decline toward levels the Committee judges consistent with its dual mandate. The Committee sees the risks to the outlook for the economy and the labor market as having become more nearly balanced. The Committee recognizes that inflation persistently below its 2 percent objective could pose risks to economic performance, and it is monitoring inflation developments carefully for evidence that inflation will move back toward its objective over the medium term.

Taking into account the extent of federal fiscal retrenchment since the inception of its current asset purchase program, the Committee sees the improvement in economic activity and labor market conditions over that period as consistent with growing underlying strength in the broader economy. In light of the cumulative progress toward maximum employment and the improvement in the outlook for labor market conditions, the Committee decided to modestly reduce the pace of its asset purchases. Beginning in January, the Committee will add to its holdings of agency mortgage-backed securities at a pace of $35 billion per month rather than $40 billion per month, and will add to its holdings of longer-term Treasury securities at a pace of $40 billion per month rather than $45 billion per month. The Committee is maintaining its existing policy of reinvesting principal payments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in agency mortgage-backed securities and of rolling over maturing Treasury securities at auction. The Committee's sizable and still-increasing holdings of longer-term securities should maintain downward pressure on longer-term interest rates, support mortgage markets, and help to make broader financial conditions more accommodative, which in turn should promote a stronger economic recovery and help to ensure that inflation, over time, is at the rate most consistent with the Committee's dual mandate.

The Committee will closely monitor incoming information on economic and financial developments in coming months and will continue its purchases of Treasury and agency mortgage-backed securities, and employ its other policy tools as appropriate, until the outlook for the labor market has improved substantially in a context of price stability. If incoming information broadly supports the Committee's expectation of ongoing improvement in labor market conditions and inflation moving back toward its longer-run objective, the Committee will likely reduce the pace of asset purchases in further measured steps at future meetings. However, asset purchases are not on a preset course, and the Committee's decisions about their pace will remain contingent on the Committee's outlook for the labor market and inflation as well as its assessment of the likely efficacy and costs of such purchases.

To support continued progress toward maximum employment and price stability, the Committee today reaffirmed its view that a highly accommodative stance of monetary policy will remain appropriate for a considerable time after the asset purchase program ends and the economic recovery strengthens. The Committee also reaffirmed its expectation that the current exceptionally low target range for the federal funds rate of 0 to 1/4 percent will be appropriate at least as long as the unemployment rate remains above 6-1/2 percent, inflation between one and two years ahead is projected to be no more than a half percentage point above the Committee's 2 percent longer-run goal, and longer-term inflation expectations continue to be well anchored. In determining how long to maintain a highly accommodative stance of monetary policy, the Committee will also consider other information, including additional measures of labor market conditions, indicators of inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and readings on financial developments. The Committee now anticipates, based on its assessment of these factors, that it likely will be appropriate to maintain the current target range for the federal funds rate well past the time that the unemployment rate declines below 6-1/2 percent, especially if projected inflation continues to run below the Committee's 2 percent longer-run goal. When the Committee decides to begin to remove policy accommodation, it will take a balanced approach consistent with its longer-run goals of maximum employment and inflation of 2 percent.

Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman; James Bullard; Charles L. Evans; Esther L. George; Jerome H. Powell; Jeremy C. Stein; Daniel K. Tarullo; and Janet L. Yellen. Voting against the action was Eric S. Rosengren, who believes that, with the unemployment rate still elevated and the inflation rate well below the federal funds rate target, changes in the purchase program are premature until incoming data more clearly indicate that economic growth is likely to be sustained above its potential rate.

Chris Hedges: This Was The Year That Was

Here is an excerpt from Chris Hedges' talk at the University of Western Ontario.

It is his summary of where we are today, and how we have gotten here.

Gold Daily and Silver Weekly Charts - FOMC Tomorrow

"The doctrine of willful blindness is well established in criminal law. Many criminal statutes require proof that a defendant acted knowingly or willfully, and courts applying the doctrine of willful blindness hold that defendants cannot escape the reach of these statutes by deliberately shielding themselves from clear evidence of critical facts that are strongly suggested by the circumstances."

U.S. Supreme Court, Global-Tech Appliances, Inc. v. SEB S.A. (2011)

I spent quite a bit of time looking at the movement of gold and silver bullion in and out of the various funds and ETFs that have sprung up.

I do not have enough facts to be sure, but one might suspect that the bullion banks are using some of the ETFs, as well as leased central bank gold, as their bullion ATMs in support of the great shell game that is the Western pricing of the precious metals.

But why speculate. Let's watch this play out. I am somewhat optimistic that eventually justice will be served, one way or another.

Have a pleasant evening.