By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

The $2 billion derivative trading loss JP Morgan announced, about two weeks ago, is growing in size.  It is reportedly now more than triple the original loss.  According to a CNN report, “One thing seems clear about JPMorgan Chase’s $2 billion loss. It’s no longer $2 billion. It’s likely much higher.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

There is plenty of talk about inflation and deflation scenarios. Gold and silver do well in the extremes. I think it is safe to say the financial environment today is extreme. Look at the thud the Facebook IPO made since it was issued.  Look at the price suppression of gold and silver through naked shorts that the government regulators turn a blind eye to. Look at the interest rate suppression the Federal Reserve is masterminding with 30-year mortgage rates in record territory well below 4%.  (more…)

Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

The meeting, this week, in Iraq to negotiate Iran’s nuclear program will decide whether or not the world will go to war.  The meeting is between the East (Iran, China and Russia) and the West (U.S., UK, France and Germany).   If the meeting goes well, war will be avoided.  If the meeting goes badly, the world will be heading for war.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

The big news is what is coming up over the next four days.  There are two sets of meetings:  one in Camp David with the G8 and one in Chicago with NATO.  Forget the protests in Chicago; that is just noise and distraction.  There are three big problems that will be talked about at these meetings.  Syria is in the middle of a revolution, and Russia has warned the West to stay out.  Nothing is settled there, and the cease fire was short lived.    (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

The $2 billion loss of JP Morgan in derivatives trading is signaling, once again, the enormous risks big banks take with taxpayer backing.  All U.S. banks are covered by the FDIC, and if a loss is big enough, it could threaten the financial system just as it did in 2008.  JP Morgan has $70 trillion in total derivative exposure.  The entire world has a little more than $700 trillion in derivative exposure, and one bank has 10% of all the derivative exposure on the planet!  If JP Morgan gets into trouble, it alone could cause systemic failure.  Today, the FBI announced an investigation into the surprise $2 billion (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

William K. Black is one of my heroes.  He is a former bank regulator, professor and an outspoken critic of the part of Wall Street that crashed the financial system in 2008.  His big beef is there were zero prosecutions of financial elites.  A thousand big wigs were convicted (including a sitting governor) in the wake of the Savings and Loan crisis in the early 1990’s.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

The surprise announcement by JP Morgan that it lost $2 billion in trading derivatives was portrayed in some mainstream media outlets as no big deal.  The Associated Press reported Friday, “Bank stocks were hammered in Britain and the United States on Friday, partly because of fear that a surprise $2 billion trading loss by JPMorgan Chase would lead to tougher regulation of financial institutions. . . . (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

If you think gay marriage or Mitt Romney’s alleged forced haircuts when in prep school are the big stories you need to worry about, then you are watching too much of the mainstream media!  There are much bigger stories folks should be paying attention to.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

There is no way to characterize what is happening in the EU as positive.  The Euro-zone is a gigantic mess, and it is on the verge of falling apart.  There is no way the destruction of the European common currency (euro) will not cause huge problems here in the U.S.  If you watch the financial news channels, you would think that problems for the Western fiat monetary system is a long way off.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

You haven’t heard much from Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett’s right hand man) since he said this, a few years ago, about the massive bailouts the financial system received from taxpayers and the Federal Reserve: “So I think when you have troubles like that you shouldn’t be bitching about a little bailout. You should have been thinking it should have been bigger.”  And for those not doing so well in the downturn, the 86-year old Munger says “suck it in and cope.”  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

There has been so much bad economic news out, recently, I do not see how anyone with half a frontal lobe could say the economy is not in trouble.   Friday, new unemployment figures were announced, and a weak 119,000 jobs were created.  The rate fell to 8.1%, but only because more discouraged workers stopped looking for work and disappeared from the government’s data base.   (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

Is Israel preparing for war?  It was reported, this week, that six reserve battalions were called up because of increasing tensions on both the Syrian and Egyptian borders.  The Israeli government gave the okay for an additional 16 more reserve battalions if needed.  A battalion can be as many as 1,200 soldiers.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

I don’t know how many of you saw this last week, but it is worth watching.  It is a showdown between Congressman Ron Paul and Nobel-Prize winning economist Paul Krugman. Things must be getting pretty bad for Mr. Krugman to agree to a live debate with a guy who wants to end the Federal Reserve as we know it.  The Fed has a monopoly, and Paul wants to break it up.  This is no accident.  This debate must be a message the powers that be want to get out to the public.  (more…)

Charles Biderman, CEO Trim Tabs Investment Research

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

The most underreported story this week is the European debt crisis.  Greece, Portugal and Ireland have all been in the spotlight with money troubles. Now, Spain is taking center stage, and its debt is more than double the previous three countries.

There has been one bailout after another.  Nothing is working as many EU countries plunge into recession.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com  (Revised)

Last Friday, the government reported the gross domestic product (GDP) number for the first quarter, and it was 2.2%.  That was .8% lower than the 4^th quarter’s 3% growth rate.  It was a big disappointment because most economists were expecting growth numbers closer to the 3% range.  (more…)