Financial Markets

Jeff Deist and Martin Armstrong discuss Armstrong's story—both as an economic forecaster and as a thorn in the side of federal prosecutors.

 A surprise move from Switzerland’s central bank (SNB) sent stock markets into panic today. In just a few minutes, the value of the Swiss franc rose by 30 percent, FTSE 300 dropped by 2 percent, Wall Street futures turned negative, and the recent feeble rise in commodity prices was reversed.

Mark Thornton reviews the first year of cannabis legalization in Colorado and the fact that the predictions of the prophets of dooms have failed to materialize. Meanwhile, the power of the state in this area continues to weaken.

As of this week, when Eurozone price inflation reached negative levels, ECB's Mario Draghi decided to throw caution to the wind and brace “for further measures, which could, if needed, be implemented in a timely manner”. Estimates for the European QE program are around €500 billion, but the overall size and timescale will most likely remain open-ended.

Peter Klein discusses the economics of sports business and the role that crony capitalism plays.

Our #1 show of the year is Patrick Barron in a two-part interview on the end of US dollar supremacy.

Interviewed by host Albert Lu, Mark Thornton talks about the collapse in oil prices.

In January 2014, 33 Russian rubles exchanged for 1 dollar. In December 2014, the amount has more than doubled, reaching 77.2 rubles per dollar. At the bottom of it lie the actions of the Bank of Russia. 

Are Rising Subprime Mortgages a Small Sign of Big Things to Come?