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Helicopters raced across Kazakhstan. To the scene. Carrying medics. Who leapt out, ducked low, ran across the swirling grass, and gently pulled three men from the crash. One American, two Russians; Cassidy, Misurkin, Vinogradov. Gently placing their weakened bodies into reclining chairs, for swift evacuation, evaluation. You see, in outer space there’s no gravity. And these boys had been orbiting 258 miles above eart

Who doesn’t love surprises? Particularly the predictable ones. Which is why Putin is so utterly boring. I mean, of course he was going to support Assad. Face it, with each escalation in Syria, the prospect for Middle-East stability falls in direct proportion to the rise in oil prices (Knightsbridge property too). And the only thing that makes Putin happier than semi-nude fly-fishing with his posse of paparazzi, is a

Oh Shiite. Assad crossed the line. And our British brothers blew us off. So now we got to support Syrian Sunni’s solo. Worse yet, the French want in on the action. And everyone knows Washington and Paris suck at siding in civil wars. “There is no doubt Iraq has raised the bar on skepticism,” announced Jack Straw, UK Foreign Secretary from 2001-06, lifting the lid on the West’s latest crisis: our crisis of credi

Week-in-Review: Mon: Chinese new home prices +7.5%, China to expand broadband network, Japan Jul exports +12.2% (Jun +7.4%) imports +19.6% (prev 11.8%) trade deficit Y1trln, Brazil buys more dollars, S&P -0.6%; Tue: South-East Asian stocks tank ahead of Fed Minutes (Indonesia -5%), Nikkei -2.6% (near 2mth lows), EU & US quiet, S&P +0.3%; Wed: Kuroda backs sales-tax hike, new Fukushima leaks, India Central

Week-in-Review: Mon: Japan Q2 GDP 2.6% (Q1 3.8%), Der Spiegel “Greece will need more aid after German election,” Mexico’s Nieto to open oil industry, S&P -0.1%; Tue: Japan machine orders -2.7%, Abe calls for lower corp taxes, India hikes gold/silver/platinum import duties, Aussie NAB biz survey -7, US retail sales +0.2%, S&P +0.3%; Wed: Egypt crackdown, Chinese July power output +8.1% (1yr h

Week-in-Review: Mon: China service PMI 54.1 (first acceleration since March), Japan service PMI 50.6 (prev 52.1), Aussie retail sales weak, Iran’s Rohani pledges moderation, EU composite PMI 50.5 (first >50 since Jan 2012), EU retail sales -0.9% yoy, UK service PMI surges 60.2, US extends embassy closing over terrorist threat, US service ISM 56.0 (Feb highs), bank lending standards ease, S&P -0.1%; Tue: 

Week-in-Review: Mon: China to audit gov’t debt levels, China June industrial profits +6.3% yoy (May +15.5%), Japan retail sales -0.2% (+0.8% exp), Der Spiegel says German banks face new write-offs, US pending hm sales -0.4% (+9.1% yoy), Dallas fed survey soft, S&P -0.3%; Tue: PBOC repo cash injection (1st in 5mths), Japan June IP -4.8% yoy, RBA Stevens very dovish (bldg. approvals plunge), German consumer conf ju

What a f’in train wreck. And like all tragedies, soon after you bury the broken bodies, bloodhounds first unearth incompetence. Then corruption. Kickbacks. Capital misallocation. It shouldn’t take long to pick up a scent. Spain has Earth’s second longest high-speed network; behind China. They got more lines under construction than all of Europe combined. Of course they also have the world’s lowest ratio of passengers

Premier Li made a promise. To offer markets “stable predictability.” Naturally, China’s dictators love stability. Predictability. After all, they’re human. And want what they can’t have. Anyhow, housing prices rose in 69 of 70 Chinese cities, threatening social stability. No surprise. You see, there aren’t enough women in China. And the best way to attract one is to have a couple condo keys bulging in your blue jeans

Ben sat in stall six. Biting his nails. Waiting his turn. You see, he was last in line. Of course Snowden went first. Walked out, bedhead, scruffy. Seated between two lovely angels, from Amnesty International, fallen to earth to fight for the persecuted. Anyhow, they soothed poor, brave Edward, his life in ruins. Ruined. Puzzled to discover that not enough Americans care for his cause. So the angels promised him iron