Hobbes’s Self-Defeating Theory

European and Gulf Arab countries do not believe the conflict in the Middle East will be resolved in the short term.  Arab and European leaders speaking with Bloomberg estimated it will take at least six months for the US and Iran to agree on a permanent end to the conflict. Last week, Pakistan brokered a […]

China's "National Team" Dumped ETFs In Q1 To Cool Overheating Market For years, and especially after the local stock bubble burst in spectacular fashion a little over a decade ago, China's "National Team" - a polite euphemism for the country's Plunge Protection Team - could be relied upon to step in and provide a lending hand - or rather buying hand - to stabilize stocks in the nick of time. Well, it may be time to rename it to the Surge Protection Team According to Bloomberg, China’s “national team” has...

Putin Again Tells Energy Giants To Use Iran War Windfall To Pay Off Bank Loans: 'Wise Decision' In yet more unintended blowback from Washington's Iran war gambit, now in its fourth week, President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russian oil and gas companies must use windfall profits from the Iran war to reduce debt. It's been no secret that higher crude prices, amid the ongoing massive disruption to global energy supplies due to the Hormuz Strait effective closure, have been a boon to Russia as it continues to fund its war...