Iran Rejects US-Backed Lebanon Deal, Demands Israel Withdraw

Wall Street Reacts To "Neutral" Fed Hold The digital ink on  the Fed statement is still wet and the kneejerk reactions are already flying. Here is a small sample of the more notable ones, with opinions ranging from this was a dovish, neutral and hawkish statement. So right in the middle, perhaps as Powell intended: George Goncalves, MUFG: "this is a “neutral” statement from the FOMC.The statement tweaks are an attempt at trying to avoid sending any signals while conveying they are on guard for any growth shocks and inflation spillover...

What If The Automatic Stock Buying Just...Stops?  Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance My readers know that for the last couple of years I’ve repeatedly warned about the “passive bid” in markets. By that I mean the constant, automatic buying of stocks driven by retirement plans, ETFs, and other systematic investment programs. This bid isn’t discretionary. It doesn’t ask whether valuations are reasonable and it doesn’t care whether earnings justify prices. It simply asks one question: did money flow in? If the answer is yes, it buys. It buys regardless of valuation, regardless of...

US commandos accompanied and assisted Ecuadorian soldiers on raids targeting suspected cartels.  Two US officials speaking with CBS News confirmed that US special forces were participating in the Ecuadorian operations. They explained that the US soldiers accompanied their Ecuadorian counterparts and provided assistance. The operations targeted sites with suspected ties to Los Choneros.  In March, […]