ECB Keeps Subzero Interest Rates and Open-Ended QE Worth €20B a Month But Launches Policy Review

The European Central Bank (ECB) has launched an extensive review that will examine a wide range of its policies by the end of this year. Under its new president, Christine Lagarde, the bank will try to establish why its monetary stimulus has failed to achieve the Eurozone’s goal of close to 2% inflation. Sharing few … Read more

Trump ‘Loves’ Negative Rates and ‘Could Get Used to’ Them, Criticizes Fed at World Economic Forum, China Trade Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Tuesday saying the U.S. and other nations are “forced to compete … with nations that are getting negative rates, something very new.” Trump took direct shots at the U.S. Federal Reserve, claiming they’ve not lowered rates quickly enough. The harsh words echo … Read more

IIF Report Predicts Global Debt Will Reach New All-Time High of $257T in 2020

Global debt records were broken in 2019, but that likely won’t be the end of such ominous economic milestones, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) predicts. The number could reach $257 trillion sometime in Q1 2020, according to a recent report by the group. Economies worldwide are struggling to address pressing issues such as stimulation … Read more

Low Interest Rates Provide Precarious Protection Against Crisis, World Bank Warns

The latest global debt wave is the largest in the past five decades, the World Bank has acknowledged in a new report. The international institution notes that previous waves of broad-based debt accumulation lead to widespread financial crises. Historically low interest rates this time might not be sufficient to avoid the next meltdown. Also read: … Read more

Stablecoins Are Crypto’s Version of Fractional Reserve Banking

Stablecoins provide much sought after stability in the volatile crypto markets. They are sometimes even said to affect the price of bitcoin in drastic fashion. Tether (USDT) in particular continues to be widely scrutinized for this, with recent lawsuits about conflicts of interest and price manipulation being hotly contested. More important to dive into, however, … Read more

Grassroots Bitcoin Cash House Movement Expands to Ghana

With one Bitcoin Cash House now established in Venezuela, the grassroots movement is independently spreading to other locations. Read.cash user ‘Koush’ has announced that the new BCH House Ghana has secured and paid for its location and will launch sometime this month. The independent movement to establish informational centers for those interested in peer-to-peer electronic … Read more

Central Bank Gold Hoarding Hits 50-Year High

While dozens of the world’s economic leaders participate in extreme monetary easing policy, central banks have also been hoarding gold. Central banks accumulated over 668 tons in gold purchases this year, which is more than 2018’s record numbers. In fact, the key drivers in gold demand this year stemmed from central bank purchases, most of … Read more

Crypto’s Counterpunch to U.S. Hegemony and Empire

“The Muslim world should be designing measures to save themselves from the domination of the United States dollar and the American financial regime.” —Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran Also Read: Crypto Confronts Social Justice Warriors Hegemony and Muslim Resistance Hegemony refers to the leadership or dominance of one country or group over others. A nation … Read more

Bailouts From Asia to the EU Signal Recession and Potential Crypto Opportunity

China’s Hengfeng Bank is set to get a $14.2 billion bailout from both Chinese government and foreign investors. An emergency decree has been approved to bail out southern Italy’s biggest lender, Banca Popular di Bari. Germany continues to struggle with bailout pains, as regional bank Nordlb finds itself now depending on another capital injection. None … Read more

The Country With Europe’s Highest Interest Rate Has Cut It 5 Times This Year

Around half of European countries, over 20, now have 0% interest rates and a few are already in negative territory. Ukraine, which has the highest benchmark interest rate on the continent, has just reduced it again, for the fifth time this year. The race between central banks to cut rates, when there is inflation, has … Read more