Month: December 2013

While events in the Ukraine continue down a very slippery path, and just a few short minutes ago the Prime Minister Azarov fired the Kiev chief of Police who got into hot water over the weekend for various clips showing Police brutality in dealing with demonstrators, one specific party that is keeping a very close eye on the ongoing developments is Russian leader Vladimir Putin who scored a major victory over Europe when he managed to realign the Ukraine away from the EU and sign a trade pact with the “European bread basket” nation, an event which according to the prevailing narrative the main reason for the surge in civil discontent as hundreds of thousands took to the streets over the weekend. As such, it is important to keep track of news not only from Kiev but also from Moscow. One such update which came moments ago was the following:

• President Vladimir Putin has said Russia respects any choice made by Ukraine, Dmitry Peskov tells Bloomberg in Yerevan, Armenia.
• Russia not in talks with Ukraine on loans, bailout
• Russia not involved in current unrest in Ukraine: Peskov

This came just hours after Putin stated that events unfolding in Ukraine should not be described as a revolution, but were rather more reminiscent of a “pogrom.”

In other words, Russia is most certainly in talks with the Ukraine on loans, and one can bet any amount ok kopeks that Russia is involved in the current unrest, if not formally then certainly informally. Furthermore, since a grand geopolitical realignment appears to be taking shape in Eastern Europe, it was inevitable that some promptly suggested that the CIA’s involvement in local events, with an eye toward destabilizing the government, is tangible. To be sure this would be right out of the CIA playbook (see Libya and Egypt).

Which also means keep an eye on Brent, which has finally awoken to the instability in the Ukraine.

Also keep track of what president Yanukovich is doing: Reuters reported that he will travel to China as planned on a state visit, a television anchorman said, summarising the interview. A visit, or a potential asylum bid if things spiral out of control?

Finally, for those who enjoy keeping tabs on current events, below is a live streaming link from Kiev.

Live streaming video by Ustream

via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/9Sg_9k57Drg/story01.htm Tyler Durden

Over the past 30 years, the rise in the price of Christmas according to PNC’s annual 12-days-of-Christmas price index has matched the CPI at around 2.9% YoY. However, in recent years, the reality is considerably worse than the well-managed inflation data the government profers. The price of Christmas in 2013 is up a stunning 7.7% over 2012 – the biggest jump since 2010′ 9.2% rise. The biggest driver of the increase were the dancing ladies (must be the minimum wage decree?) though 8 items saw modest increases also. Once again, it seems the government’s benign inflation data is fictionalized by reality’s rising price of everything.

 

 

Source: PNC

via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/BemdWW0fOBE/story01.htm Tyler Durden

The Taiwanese Animators cover all the bases of the latest (less) bread and (more) circuses gimmick with their usual spot on accuracy.

via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/jzrPrpP-vjk/story01.htm Tyler Durden

The Taiwanese Animators cover all the bases of the latest (less) bread and (more) circuses gimmick with their usual spot on accuracy.

via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/jzrPrpP-vjk/story01.htm Tyler Durden

via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/MNql2mtyoDw/story01.htm williambanzai7

While nobody is impressed by breaking equity and options markets anymore, since this has become a virtually daily ocurrence and the habituation level is high, bond markets, and especially the US government’s “guaranteed” bond issuance machinery, are a different matter altogether. Which is why any time something out of the ordinary happens, people pay attention. Such as what happened moments ago when the US Treasury announced that it would delay the closing of the 3 and 6 month Bill auctions, originally scheduled to close today, to tomorrow.

The reason: “an error that occurred during a test of Treasury’s auction system.”

This is curious, as it implies there was a test of the system running concurrent with the actual bond auction. One wonders if instead of the stated reason, there simply wasn’t yet another “glitch” with TAAPS, which as we reported in September, had an error due to an order by none other than Goldman Sachs, being stuck in the quere, for reasons unknown resulting in yet another abnormal 3 and 6 month Bill auction.

via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/-Mwz-Ub1cQs/story01.htm Tyler Durden

With Ukraine’s CDS spiking and the protests growing ever more violent, the government is oddly honest:

• *AZAROV SAYS KIEV PROTESTS SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL: INTERFAX
• *AZAROV SAYS GOVT AWARE OF PLAN TO SEIZE PARLIAMENT BUILDING:IFX
• *AZAROV SAYS UKRAINE ASKING WEST FOR HELP TO CALM PROTESTS: IFX

Of course, the only voice that matter is still calm:

• *PUTIN SAYS CRISIS IN UKRAINE WILL SUBSIDE

Is that a directive or a statement…?

via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/cAVvuS_4n3A/story01.htm Tyler Durden

With Ukraine’s CDS spiking and the protests growing ever more violent, the government is oddly honest:

• *AZAROV SAYS KIEV PROTESTS SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL: INTERFAX
• *AZAROV SAYS GOVT AWARE OF PLAN TO SEIZE PARLIAMENT BUILDING:IFX
• *AZAROV SAYS UKRAINE ASKING WEST FOR HELP TO CALM PROTESTS: IFX

Of course, the only voice that matter is still calm:

• *PUTIN SAYS CRISIS IN UKRAINE WILL SUBSIDE

Is that a directive or a statement…?

via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/cAVvuS_4n3A/story01.htm Tyler Durden