Behind the curtain, there is a growing concern about a serious banking crisis beginning once again in Europe. Many governments are talking about the crisis behind-the-curtain and we are now beginning to see steps that are being taken to end the TO-BIG-TO-FAIL policies that dominated the 2007-2009 Crash. The United States is looking at a […]
The ECB’s was forced to suspend its new stricter credit rules indefinitely concerning bad loans. The banks were screaming “you idiot” for it would have pushed way too many banks over the edge, particularly in Italy. With the Italian elections coming in March, the new rules would have been a major issue why Italy should also […]
COUNTERPARTY RISK QUESTION: In regard to counterparty risk when purchasing exchange traded funds or notes: With European banks being under capitalised due to the excessive risk undertaken due to the EU regulations regarding bailouts, how can we measure the threat of each counterparty which has backed each ETF. Would it be safer to consider only ETFs with US counterparties, […]
The bad loan (“non-performing loan” (NPL)) crisis in Europe is well known and many have been calling for this issue to be addressed. In Italy, the bad loan crisis has reached 21% of GDP. While NPLs dropped to 4.8% of all loans in the EU as a whole during the first quarter of 2017, they […]
The Royal Bank of Canada (RPC) has been added to the list of the top 30 banks posing the greatest risk. The top US bank is JP Morgan which is now the only bank required to hold an extra 2.5% of common equity after its US peer Citigroup moved down a tier required to hold 2% […]
COMMENT: Mr. Armstrong; Your warning about the European Banks has come to a head today. Société Générale has announced it is closing 300 branches and firing 3450 staff. Everything you have been saying is proving to be correct when nobody else seems to even discuss the matter. I hope you come back to Paris. A […]
QUESTION: Dear Mr. Armstrong, Thank you for your work in “educating” us in your “University of the Conscious Investor”! My question relates to your “Trading a Vertical Market” report. I am slowly digesting this report which is truly fascinating and a must read for any rational minded investor. My experience tells me (and you have reaffirmed […]
COMMENT: Just quizzed the Canadian Bank insurance CDIC. It is obvious they do not have a specific time period in which to pay claims. Kept dancing around the specific question but they said they pay cash accounts ASAP so people can pay bills. Bottom line, contagion will destroy all financial obligations and transactions. REPLY: No […]
COMMENT: I’m sure you are aware but just highlighting that the ‘Assumption’ goes deeper than personal bank accounts, as this is ALSO the assumption taken by the clearers too! They assume that if one CCP fails then the others just pick it up. Obviously, given that then the stress tests are taken just for one bank […]
The entire banking insurance schemes created during the aftermath of the Great Depression, are predicated upon an ASSUMPTION that a bank failure is a single isolated event. The contingency plan for a wide-scale banking collapse will default to a “per person” basis despite what anyone else says. I have been in meetings and that is […]
