The Coming Bankruptcy of the American Empire | Mises Institute

The chickens are coming home to roost. It’s only a question of when. Herbert Stein was chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and is the father of the more well known Ben Stein. In 1976, he propounded what he called “Stein’s Law”: if something cannot go on forever, it will stop. Stein was referring to economic trends, but the
— Read on mises.org/power-market/coming-bankruptcy-american-empire

November 21st, 2018 Pi Target | Armstrong Economics

There are so many things happening in the political world it is next to impossible to figure out what is going to be the focal point for the Pi target since perhaps it could be a combination. The lastest hat being thrown into the ring is the European Commission is planning to enter their sanctions against Italy. As it stands currently, they have proposed disciplining Italy under EU fiscal rules on November 21st, 2018, unless the country’s government agrees to change its draft budget plan according to EU dictates. This could set in motion a drop in Italian debt which may force the ECB to buy more Italian debt or stand back and watch rates go crazy. This may also be the starting point of sending Italy into an exit position from the EU. In the weeks and months from now, we will be able to see that this was the turning point if this takes place.
— Read on www.armstrongeconomics.com/future-forecasts/ecm/november-21st-2018-pi-target/

The Coming Monetary Crisis | Armstrong Economics

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, you said that next year, interest expenditure will most likely exceed military. Is this how the monetary crisis begins to unfold? WR ANSWER: The entire problem with this Quantitative Easing has been the plain fact that the government is the biggest debtor. This is the same model around the world. Lowering interest rates to encourage people to borrow is absurd when the greatest impact will be upon the government. Europe is now on life support thanks to the ECB. Even if we look at the United States, every 1% rise in interest rates adds $220 billion annually to America’s deficit. Since we have exceeded the Bullish Reversal on Fed Rates on an annual basis, reaching the 5% level means the annual interest expenditures will be rise by about $1 trillion per year! This is just not a system that has much life expectancy before we enter a major Monetary Crisis that is off the charts.
— Read on www.armstrongeconomics.com/markets-by-sector/interest-rates/the-coming-monetary-crisis/

The Fate of Germany v Euro – The Export Economic Model Risks | Armstrong Economics

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I watched the new documentary on your solution. I really want to thank you for everything you do and for free. It is so nice to see someone who actually gives back and has no personal agenda to enrich themselves. My question is this. You mentioned the reason why the United States economy was the envy of the world and differentiated it from Germany which has an export model economy that is why they supported the euro, to begin with. What do you see for Germany ahead? Thank you CB ANSWER: Germany has an export-dependent economy which has directly benefited from the continent-wide trade liberalization and the creation of the Euro which eliminated foreign exchange fluctuations for German manufacturers in Europe at least. However, that simply means that Germany also has the most to lose from a worsening Euro crisis and a resulting wave of Euroscepticism. The political freedoms lost with the creation of the Euro will tear Europe apart. The refusal to consolidate the debt within Europe was profound. The Italy Crisis demonstrates what I have been warning about. BECAUSE there is no central debt, Brussels sticks its nose into every budget of every member state. The economic conditions within Europe are different between each member. Germany is an export economy and Greece is a tourist economy. There are great differences between each member so one policy does not fit all. They are trying to PRETEND they are creating the United States of Europe but that is a joke. The refusal to have consolidated the debts created an unsustainable political union. The USA has a federal debt and budget. Washington does not stick its nose into the budgets of all 50 states. They issue their own debt which is NOT ACCEPTABLE for reserves of any bank. They are also all on their own paying different rates of interest according to their credit rating. In the EU, they are trying to manage the budgets of every member which will only lead to political differences. The structure is absurd and then the banks have to be politically correct and hold the debt of all member states. Thus, the risk becomes if one member is in a crisis, they bring down the entire system. In the USA, if Illinois goes bankrupt, it has no impact on the dollar, the national debt, or politics in Washington. The greatest risk to Germany is the collapse of the Euro means that the single currency relieved their manufacturers of having to manage currency risk. Suddenly, the currency risk returns, the export model fails, and the lack of a domestic consumer market means that the economic conditions in Germany decline rapidly because of their dependence upon everyone else doing well.
— Read on www.armstrongeconomics.com/markets-by-sector/foreign-exchange/euro/the-fate-of-germany-v-euro-the-export-economic-model-risks/

Life in the EU