Banking

After two years of dogged wrangling, mainly to block China's ambitions for control, the new BRICS bank was announced as a reality at the sixth BRICS summit held in Brazil with the five BRICS leaders announcing that the new bank has been capitalized with $50 billion, with equal contributions from all five. While all this is a fairly small step, it remains a highly significant one.

Bitcoin has the very real potential to disrupt the existing financial system. Take a look at today's infographic to find out how.

The U.S. holds great power over international monetary transactions via the SWIFT network system given the USD's world reserve currency status...It is entirely possible, however, that China and its closest partners might someday implement their own SWIFT system...The world's players could then choose between the two and, given the resentment that exists worldwide toward the U.S. for the bullying of FATCA, many would likely align with China in their SWIFT system. In doing so it would eliminate their need to comply with FATCA and other draconian U.S. demands [which might well bring about a swift] end to the U.S. dollar as the world's default currency.

Never before in the history of the United States have we been faced with the threat of such a great financial catastrophe but, sadly, most Americans are totally oblivious to all of this. They continue to have faith that their leaders know what they are doing, and they have been lulled into complacency by the bubble of false stability that we have been enjoying for the last couple of years. Unfortunately for them, however, this bubble of false stability is not going to last much longer and when the financial crisis comes it is going to make 2008 look like a Sunday picnic. Let me explain why I believe the aforementioned to be the case.

It’s crucially important to your financial future that you understand what capital controls are, how and why they are implemented, the harm they can cause, and what you can do to protect yourself. [This article does just that. Read on!]

It is well known that holding uncorrelated asset classes in our investment portfolio gives diversification benefits. In the same sense, diversifying among competing or rival countries or jurisdictions helps to maximize freedom by mitigating political risk. This article discuss the merits, and ease of, diversifying in a country that virtually all have never given a second thought, let alone an initial one.

Bitcoin’s days are numbered - literally. Ex-Federal Reserve Bank examiner, Mark T.Williams even goes so far as to predict that Bitcoin will trade for under $10 by June 30, 2014. That's a bold prediction, no doubt, but the point is clear – Bitcoin doesn’t stand a chance at ever gaining widespread adoption.

Before you read the following excerpt from the notional ‘conclusions’ of the 2014 WEF – the supposedly profound and brilliant summary of the thoughts of these greatest minds - I suggest you: 1.drink several espressos to help keep you awake as you read and 2.have some of your favorite remedy for an upset stomach to calm your queasy innards after you finish reading the excerpt as its leaders, in fact, have not a clue as to how to guide us through the morass that is the global economy will leave you quite dizzy.

Obama has introduced the MyRA account and it is the prelude for eventually taking over the country’s entire pension programs, taking over all the accounts, (stealing your lifetime savings), and exchanging them for the US Treasury Bonds the Fed cannot sell to countries anymore. This is the only way the US government can cover its trillion $ (and growing) deficit spending. Got gold- physical gold?

Bitcoin bashers and angry gold bugs have missed the bus and are missing the point. While Bitcoin may be attracting some of the investment dollars that would otherwise be flowing into gold, the two are actually quite complimentary and can co-exist nicely. This article explains why that is the case.