QUESTION: Hi Martin, I appreciate everything you do to clear away the mist and show what is truly happening in the world. You are one of the few voices of reason out there. In New Zealand, since the mosque shootings in Christchurch, things have become very tense and this is due, in large part, to […]

QUESTION: Martin, Compared to Roman timeline, what year would you say we are in 2019? M ANSWER: It is hard to say. My concern is what comes after Trump. We seem to be between the peak, which was during 180 AD and the dawn of Maximinus I (235-238 AD) who declared that all wealth simply […]

ASIA: As mentioned in yesterday’s MT, the U.S. raised tariffs on China after the most recent deadline of 12 midnight eastern had passed. Trump earlier this week said that he was frustrated by the lack of progress (regression) in negotiations, while today he stated there is no rush to the ongoing talks now that the […]

QUESTION: Are ETFs really better than a mutual fund for tax purposes? HS ANSWER: The primary difference between mutual funds and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) is that while an open-end mutual fund is priced once based upon the market closing, ETFs as well as a closed-end mutual funds trade all day. This actually goes back to […]

Recent years there has been a shift in how various assets classes are trading. There is emerging a high degree of positive correlation among various financial asset classes that have many concerned since it is not conforming with the perceived historic norms. Many are reading into this as a warning of what is to come. […]

In India, the Indian Railways posted 90,000 job vacancies. 28 million candidates applied, which was about the entire equivalent of the British workforce. India’s general elections for the lower house of the Parliament started on April 11 and will conclude on May 23. The political party or the coalition of parties that wins a majority of the […]

ASIA: The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits Russia for the first time near the city of Vladivostok. Talks are due to commence tomorrow between the two nations as Russia wishes to discuss North Korea’s nuclear problem. This, along with continued efforts to engage with China, is a continued effort for North Korea to hedge […]

ASIA: Jack ma, head of the Chinese giant Alibaba, was criticized today after stating that the 9am  to 9pm working day was “blessed” claiming it was the driving force of China today. In the Venezuela crises, China has been criticized for backing and bank rolling current unapproved President Maduro by US secretary of state Pompeo. […]

Asia: Recent figures show that Chinese trade with the U.S. has slumped. The figures suggest that the trade between the two countries is down 11% since the beginning of the year. China’s own internal figures are good with the country exporting 14% more in March and imports falling 7%, further increasing their trade balance. The […]

Asia: Chinese Vice President Liu backed by his delegation stated that a new consensus has been reached after yesterday’s meeting with President Trump. The two countries are still working toward a deal, but it appears as if progress has been made. Japanese bank Nomura stated that they will reduce the point of sales by at […]