Daily Digest 6/13 - Your Data Trail Is A Gold Mine, All Markets "Increasingly At Risk"

Economy

Russian Cyber Hacks on U.S. Electoral System Far Wider Than Previously Known (jdargis)

Russian officials have publicly denied any role in cyber attacks connected to the U.S. elections, including a massive “spear phishing” effort that compromised Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee, among hundreds of other groups. President Vladimir Putin said in recent comments to reporters that criminals inside the country could have been involved without having been sanctioned by the Russian government.

Jeff Sessions poised for legal minefield as he prepares to testify on Russia (jdargis)

Sessions will be appearing before the intelligence committee five days after Comey’s testimony raised new questions about the attorney general’s role. After Comey’s appearance on Thursday, the justice department put out a statement contradicting the ousted FBI director’s account of an appeal he made to Sessions to make sure he was not left alone with the Trump, who Comey believed was pressuring him to curb the scope of the investigation of contacts between the Trump campaign and Kremlin representatives.

Massive Central Bank Asset Purchases: Last Ditch Effort To Save Economy & Cap Gold Price (yogmonster)

The amount of Central bank asset purchases are now reaching insane levels. And they have to. It is the same thing as being a drug addict. Once, someone starts down the road of drug addiction, it takes more and more of the drug to reach the same effect. Thus, when Central banks started purchasing assets to prop up the market, they have to continue, and they have to continue buying even more.

Bill Gross: "All Markets Are Increasingly At Risk" (jdargis)

Gross explains that his point is "that making money with money is an inherently acceptable ingredient in historical capitalistic models, but ultimately it must then be channeled into the real economy to keep the cycle going." However, in a world in which central banks have pumpted $8 trillion in liquidity that is no longer possible, worse as he notes it is only a matter of time before the paradigm of "making money with money" no longer works:

How the U.S. Triggered a Massacre in Mexico (jdargis)

But unlike most places in Mexico that have been ravaged by the drug war, what happened in Allende didn’t have its origins in Mexico. It began in the United States, when the Drug Enforcement Administration scored an unexpected coup. An agent persuaded a high-level Zetas operative to hand over the trackable cell phone identification numbers for two of the cartel’s most wanted kingpins, Miguel Ángel Treviño and his ​brother Omar.

Your Data Trail Is Like a Gold Mine (Tiffany D.)

Recently, I interviewed my friend and colleague Paul Mampilly for my monthly podcast. We share an interest in the data economy, and I put it to him that data itself wasn’t a commodity … it is a form of capital. He agreed wholeheartedly.

The major companies that dominate our digital lives, such as Google and Facebook, don’t charge us anything for their services to us.

Months of Deadly Anti-Government Protests in Venezuela (jdargis)

Beginning on April 1, anti-government demonstrators have staged daily protests across Venezuela that continue to devolve into violent clashes with riot police, leaving thousands arrested, hundreds injured, and 66 dead. Opposition activists are protesting against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, blaming him for a crippling economic crisis that has caused widespread food shortages for years. The head of the Venezuelan military has warned troops not to commit "atrocities" against protesters, while Maduro’s government continues to work toward rewriting the constitution, defying those accusing him of clinging to power.

Is This The First Sign Of A U.S., Chinese Solar War? (Michael K.)

The first months of 2017 saw 2 gigawatts of photovoltaic panels added, continuing a six-quarter streak and a huge boost in solar installations that came at the end of 2016, when more than 6 GWs were installed. The growth in Q1 of 2017 marks a slight decrease of 2 percent from the level last year, but it’s still indicative of an overall growth trend, as total additions have increased year on year since 2012, according to the Solar Market Insight Report.

Gold & Silver

Click to read the PM Daily Market Commentary: 6/12/17

Provided daily by the Peak Prosperity Gold & Silver Group

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