Apple Added to Terrorist Financier List?


Apple’s Company in Doha, Qatar, has been added to a list of 59 people/institutions that are considered to be funding terrorism (directly/indirectly) by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, according to Al Arabiya . It has stunned many to see the Doha Apple Company listed among the financiers of terrorists. It is not clear why the Gulf states have included Apple among the financiers. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook had said in a recent interview with Bloomberg that Apple helped the UK government investigate the terrorist attacks in the UK.

Obviously, many want the details

British Election Backfires on May – Exit Polls Show Hung Parliament


It’s looking like a Hung Parliament and the polls got it wrong again in Britain. The Conservatives appear to be 12 seats short of the 326 to rule with a majority vote. Theresa May is facing a serious backlash over her shocking election campaign gamble after an exit poll suggested that her snap election roll of the dice has completely failed to pay off. Where before the BREXIT vote was purely conservative, Corbyn had to brace that but then he turned to the youth and gold massive turnout in some areas 75%. London itself is filled with a lot of students. Corbyn appealed to them promising healthcare and tuition promises and thus was tapping into a reservoir of people who would not normally vote.

This election illustrated the entire problem we have been warning about. We are facing a generational battled. Ironically, the youth do not quite realize that voting labour was a vote for the very neo-Marxist policies that have created the crisis we have in pensions going forward. It has been this type of promising manna from heaven with promises to make the rich pay for it is exactly the same policies of Hollande in France, which proved so disastrous. Yet the old saying; Ah to be young again, but know what I know now comes to mind. What the youth have done looks very well like fulfilling what our computer has been projecting – the fall of the British pound long-term.

The problem with this Corbyn Hung Parliament is the fact that his own party pretty much wrote Corbyn off and wanted him to resign after the last election. Since this time he made it really a personal battle, he is unlikely to back-down and will be pushing a Marxist agenda. Ah, how the wheel of fortune revolves. This Corbyn Hung Parliament now casts a huge doubt over the negotiations for BREXIT. We ran our model fearing that this could be the outcome or if Corbyn would actually win pulling off a surprise victory for Labour. It came back and said SELL Sterling! It is very curious how markets never lie and they show you the trend if you listen to them rather that try to fit their movement to a predetermined outcome. While our computer did show the Conservatives would win, something was wrong since the outlook for the pound was bearish – not bullish.

Socrates Pro Version wrote in the pound concerning the Long-Term:

“Diagnostically, my wide-ranging projection recognizes that the major low in British Pound Spot took place back in 1985 completing a 52 year decline, but we have seen lower highs with each thrust upward leaving the major high intact as of 1959. We have not elected any Yearly Bullish Reversal from the major low of 1985 warning that we remain in a bearish long-term trend. Only an annual closing above 24280 would signal a change in long-term trend. There has been a post low rally after 1985 moving upward into a key high during 2007. Nonetheless, the market has undergone a reaction back to the downside for the past 9 years. This has warned that the overall trend of this market remains bearish since it has been unable to make higher highs. There remains a long-term risk of a decline extending into 2017 or as far out as 2020 in real terms adjusted for inflation. Unquestionably, there remains a risk that we could see a complete monetary reform as early as 2018 going into 2020 or the latest 2032 insofar as a change in the currency base system. This is likely to follow a Sovereign Debt Crisis which should begin to erupt by 2018.”

Our model has been showing that the major resistance stood in the 134 zone both on the Monthly and Weekly levels of our model. Just to achieve a positive signal, we required a monthly closing ABOVE 12954. Socrates has been writing: “Critical resistance still stands in this market at 12954 and a break above that level on a monthly closing basis would warn of a continued advance becomes possible.”April closed precisely one tick beneath at 12953. This was perhaps the first hint that there would be trouble ahead. May exceeded the April high intraday, but it also fell back to close at 12889. How Sterling has dropped sharply to the 127 level on the news of a Hung Parliament. How it now closes today will be the market speaking loudly so listen.

Since the computer has been warning that Sterling can fall back to the 1985 low at $1.03, it was hard to reconcile this with the polls calling for a major landslide for the Conservatives. This is Corbyn’s chance for the big time and you can expect he is going to really muddy the waters because he really believes in Marx. The distinction between Brexiteer and Remainer stands a real chance now of fading away. Battles would still rage on, however, yet the terms and methods of restoring British independence will be completely thrown into the air. Eurocrats  in Brussels now face the prospect of an entirely different negotiating team in the event of a cobbled together coalition, which would also need time to thrash out its own Brexit strategy.

Our own interaction with British institutions and corporates has been interesting. Many who were against BREXIT and saw that as the end of the world, flipped their position and said hey – they is pretty good. After accepting BREXIT, now the terms are up in the air thanks to May misreading the discontent rising among the youth. We have also warned that revolutions come from the youth, not from the old establishment who have too much to lose rocking the boat.

Corbyn is a full blown neo-Marxist who would love to convert Britain to a modern version of Communism. Instead of guaranteed minimum wages, he wants maximum wage limits. He has been preaching the same old solution – just rob the rich, which Hillary was preaching while stuffing her own pockets. The problem is the big numbers he hears that CEOs make is stock options typically more so than salary. Nevertheless, in his mind if everyone is reduced to the same wage, somehow that will solve everything. Nobody should earn more than he thinks is appropriate. His policies would be the final straw that ends Britain as any type of financial capital whatsoever. The talent will be on the first plane to New York or Hong Kong. With Corbyn in Britain and the EU insanity on the Continent who wants to outlaw short-selling, the pound will not survive even to be a hedge against the Euro.

The real question is somehow the market is always correct and forecasts the future with extreme precision. The pound could never elect a single Weekly Bullish Reversal which all stand above 13400. Yet the first Weekly Bearish Reversal is 12772 on the cash. If that is elected tomorrow, then the markets are warning that this is going to be a very hard road for Britain. The absolute critical technical support for this week’s closing lies at 12748.

We can see from both the arrays on the pound against the dollar and euro, that the computer projected a turning point for this week. It also generally warns of higher volatility next week. So pay attention to the Weekly Bearish Reversal at 12772.

 

Qatar & the Rising Tensions in the Middle East – On Schedule


 

Qatar is known for its ultra-modern architecture. In this respect, Doha is something to be viewed at least once in life. However, Qatar is a strict religious country that follows sharia law, in which homosexuals and adulterers face a possible death penalty, life imprisonment, or flogging. Qatar is a Salafi version of Sunni Islam, which is an ultra-conservative reform branch that developed in Arabia during the first half of the 18th century. It advocated a return to the traditions of the “devout ancestors” in reaction to the spread of European ideas. Qatar is one of the two Salafi states in the Muslim world, the other being Saudi Arabia.

Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al-Thani of Qatar,That said, Qatar is said to be the most duplicitous country in the world. On the one hand they embrace the West, yet on the other hand many have called it “Club Med” for terrorists. Qatar is the richest nation on Earth on a Per capita basis. Abu Nakhlah Airport (Arabic:مطار أبو نخلة) in Qatar houses both the Qatari Air Force and U.S. Air Force as well as other Coalition personnel. It is also the headquarters of United States Central Command.

I was a friend of Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed al-Thani who was a member of the Royal family of Qatar. We were probably the two biggest collectors of ancient coins in the world. He was always trying to buy me out, with a smile of course. Yes, he came to our office to see me with the royal bodyguards and the whole bit a few weeks before he died in 2014 and yes, I visited him at his home in London. Because of our friendship, he offered Qatar as the headquarters for our operation, but could not grant me a citizenship because I was Christian. We set up our office instead in Abu Dhabi where my relationship with the government dates back 30 years+.

Behind the Curtain, the Obama Administration tried releasing people quietly from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba facility but they were being killed as people assumed they were conditioned into spies. Then Qatar was used as a front to release five people from Cuba in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

Qatar is also a huge investor in property. Most people do not know, but Qatar is part owner of the tallest building in London known as the Shard. They have a wealth fund of $335 billion and a portfolio that is amazing including stakes in Volkswagen to Tiffany & Co. Their stock portfolio is about $30 billion.

Pipeline

There has been a very longstanding war of words between Saudi Arabia and its neighbor Qatar. It was Obama who championed invading Syria and that was all for Qatar to get a pipeline through to compete with Russia in delivering gas to Europe. This has just exploded into open diplomatic warfare, threatening the US-led fight against ISIS and setting off a new wave of instability in the Gulf region.

Nevertheless, what has happened boils down to the fact that Saudi Arabia and three of its biggest allies — Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain — all announced that they were severing diplomatic ties with Qatar, as well as suspending air, land, and sea travel to and from the country. Qatari citizens were given 14 days to leave their countries. The move came after Riyadh accused Qatar of backing radical Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS. Since then, Libya, Yemen, and the Maldives have also joined the diplomatic boycott.

Qatar is one of the wealthiest countries on earth. Nonetheless, you cannot eat money. The peninsular nation imports most of its food through its land border with Saudi, which is now closed. Al Jazeera, a Qatar government-owned news network, has been reporting that trucks carrying food appear to be stranded on the Saudi side of the border. And in Doha, the people are in a state of panic “stockpiling perishable goods,” according to Al Jazeera. Many ships carrying food to Doha first stop in the UAE’s biggest cities, Dubai and Abu Dhabi; it’s unclear what effect the new bans will have on their movements. Ships from Europe seem to be unaffected just yet.

Tensions between Qatar and its neighbors exploded last month after Qatar’s state-run news agency published an article in which the Qatar’s ruling emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was quoted praising Israel and Iran. These two are Saudi Arabia’s biggest adversaries in the region. Qatar swiftly disavowed the article as fake news manufactured by hackers. The Saudis remained unconvinced. Then on top of that, Sheikh Tamim made things even worse when a few days later he called Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to congratulate him on his reelection.

This new diplomatic crisis in the region is the biggest since the Gulf War in 1991. In our Cycle of War Part II, we focused on the Middle East and warned that there was a rift in the region that could lead to a serious war.

71% of People in Poland Want to Ban Muslim Immigration


The only way to protect Poland from Islamic terror attacks is to not allow Muslims to migrate en masse, which is now the view of 71% of the people. This is becoming the major issue in Poland and is at its core dispute with Brussels. When it comes to reducing the chances of Poland being hit by Islamic terror attacks, the overwhelming consensus is to simply ban Muslim migrants for the so called Syrian refugee crisis.

The most amazing thing is Brussels takes the position of accept refugees or get out of the EU. Poland still has its own currency. For its own survival, it should link with the USA and exit the EU. Many American banks and companies have moved their back-offices to Poland. They have far more to gain with a trade relationship with the USA than with the EU

Britain & the Thursday Election



“The British response to terrorism has to change,” said Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday in a speech after the new attacks in London. She said: “There is, to be honest, far too much tolerance of extremism in our society.” PM May made her announcement at 10 Downing Street making it clear: “When it comes to overcoming extremism and terrorism, things have to change.” She announced potential changes to anti-terrorism laws. She further made it clear: “We can not give this ideology the safe space it needs to breed – but that’s exactly what the internet and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide. We must work with Allied democratic governments to reach international agreements to regulate the cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorism planning.”

May could very well achieve a 64 seat majority. We asked our computer to do a What-If  forecast if Corbyn won the election for Labour. This would probably be the best short in a very long time.

London’s Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan Calls For Official U.K. Ban Against President Donald Trump…


Well, there’s a gobsmacking amount of irony in this story.

After several Islamic Terrorist Attacks in the U.K. brought about by official policies of the U.K government, the most recent attack in London (again); the Mayor of the city of London Sadiq Khan (a Muslim) is now calling for an open border policy for all Muslim immigrants and a ban against any visit from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Let that sink in for a minute.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is calling on the British government to cancel a state visit from President Trump after Trump criticized his response to this weekend’s terror attacks in London.

“I don’t think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for,” Khan said in an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News. (link)

W.h.a.t.e.v.e.r….  putz!

UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain Cut Diplomatic Ties With Qatar…


There’s a history needed for context here.  But first, here’s the latest developments in order of their occurrence.

♦ 6:00am Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement early Monday saying it would withdraw its diplomatic mission from the Qatari capital of Doha within 48 hours and that all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

The ministry’s statement said Qatari citizens needed to leave Bahrain within two weeks and that air and sea traffic between the two countries would be halted. It wasn’t immediately clear how that would affect Qatar Airways, one of the region’s major long-haul carriers.

Bahrain blamed Qatar’s “media incitement, support for armed terrorist activities and funding linked to Iranian groups to carry out sabotage and spreading chaos in Bahrain” for its decision.

♦ 7:00am Saudi Arabia says it is cutting diplomatic ties to Qatar and it has pulled all Qatari troops from the ongoing war in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia made the announcement via its state-run Saudi Press Agency early Monday. It appeared to be timed in concert with an earlier announcement by Bahrain similarly cutting ties.

♦ 8:00am The United Arab Emirates and Egypt have cut diplomatic ties to Qatar.  The two countries have joined Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in cutting ties to Qatar amid a growing Arab diplomatic dispute with the small, gas-rich nation.

Both the UAE and Egypt made the announcement on their state-run news agencies within minutes of each other.

Qatar has been a source of historic extremist and terrorist related problems for the Gulf Security Council and aforementioned Gulf States.

Here’s some historic background for possible context on the latest developments:

  • Qatar was the intermediary used by President Obama for covert arms and monetary transfers by the Obama CIA and Obama/Clinton State Department respectively.
  • Qatar was also the chosen home for detainees when President Obama released the GITMO terrorists.
  • Most importantly however, is the relationship between Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood.  When Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi named the Muslim Brotherhood a terror organization, their leadership fled to safe harbor in Qatar.

el-sisi in Saudi

Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi then began a months and years long assembly of Gulf Arab states (Gulf Security Council) to boycott Qatar, cut all diplomatic ties and isolate them until they renounced terrorism and stopped providing safe harbor for extremists.

Eventually Qatar acquiesced and sent the Muslim Brotherhood to Turkey.

President al-Sisi then asked Interpol to watch carefully and notify him if the Muslim Brotherhood were ever allowed to leave Turkey.  [Yeah, al-Sisi is a badass like that]  Recep Erdogan gave the Brotherhood safe harbor in Turkey.

◾2013 President al-Sisi charged and prosecuted the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood. They fled to Qatar.  (link)
◾2014 President al-Sisi followed the MB to Qatar and initiated sanctions against Qatar until they stopped financing and harboring terror.  (link)
◾2015 Unrelenting President al-Sisi then formed a coalition against Qatar including the UAE and Saudi Arabia who withdrew their ambassadors and isolated Qatar in the region.  (link)  (link)

The extremist attack in Egypt last week was notably carried out by sympathizers of the Muslim Brotherhood.  The attack was launched from Libya.  Libyan Dawn, ISIS, al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsular (AQAP) and al-Qaeda North Africa (AQIM) are all affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood political extremist construct.  All of these entities have found financial resources structured, and/or organized, from inside Qatar.

Against the backdrop of President Trump calling for a joint coalition against extremist and violent Islamic terrorism it doesn’t come as a surprise to see the Gulf Arab States once again confronting Qatar in 2017.

The difference is this time (2017) they have a U.S. President willing to support the global effort to hunt down and eliminate the extremists.

“Drive Them Out” !

 

Is Trump Becoming More Popular in Europe than America?


While the leftists are out in force against Trump calling him racist and whatever else they can dream up for his travel ban from countries with Islamic terrorism, we are starting to see European protest against the anti-Trump movement. The London policy institute Chatham House calls a “reservoir of public support” on the continent for exactly such polices. The survey of 10,000 people found that support for ending Muslim immigration averaged 55% across 10 European countries, ranging from 71% in Poland to 41% in Spain. With the latest attacks in Britain, one must wonder how high this poll is going to go.

Perhaps there should be a 30 day sentence for those who are against travel bans. However, prison might be too good for them and they certainly will not learn anything but wear it as a badge of honor and they get room service. Perhaps they should be made to travel to the countries they support and have to stay their for 30 days in an average room, not a 5 star hotel with room service. Perhaps they might then begin to understand how much culture matters. In some place, a woman will be arrested for walking down the street un-escorted. Prostitution is just assumed. It is not a question of religion. Every religion has its extreme left and right if we are talking about Christians or Judaism. Islam is no different.

Turkey may be Islamic, but it is a totally different branch. Tuvana Türkay is a famous Turkish actress born in Istanbul who many consider one of the most naturally beautiful women. You would not suspect that she is Islamic from looking at this picture. Islam has its different flavors as does Christianity and Judaism. Trump’s six Islamic countries that were put on his ban list were actually selected by Obama. They were Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. These are the countries where terrorists are being trained. Neither Turkey nor Iraq or UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia or other Islamic nations made the list. It was not a religious discrimination as CNN and others portrayed, but a cultural risk.

Git a few more terrorist attacks and Trump may be more popular in Europe than in America.

Britain Under Attack – Exiting EU is Only Choice


As we approach June 8th and the elections in Britain, one must wonder how is Britain going to remain inside the EU. The British never voted on allowing the refugees into Europe. That was a unilateral decision by Merkel to save her failing polls due to he harsh stand against Greece. Now Europe is engulfed in a clash that is tearing the continent apart between the liberals who think everybody is just wonderful and those who simply want security.

 

 

Now three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing revelers nearby on Saturday night, killing at least seven people and least 48 people were injured. This was the third terrorist attack to hit Britain in less than three months. With the snap parliamentary election on Thursday. May’s gamble on the June 8 snap election was cast into some doubt after a Survation poll showed her Conservative Party’s lead had dropped to a new low of just one percentage point.

Three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing revelers nearby on Saturday night, killing at least seven people in what Britain said was the work of Islamist militants engaged in a “new trend” of terrorism.

At least 48 people were injured in the attack, the third to hit Britain in less than three months. Police killed the three male assailants within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call shortly after 10 p.m. local time. Prime Minister Theresa May announced: “We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism.”

“Perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots … and not even as lone attackers radicalized online, but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack.”

The Prime Minister then said: “It is time to say enough is enough.”

Most of the main political parties suspended national campaigning on Sunday, but May said campaigning would resume on Monday and that the snap parliamentary election on Thursday would go ahead as planned.

 

The British Pound exceeded the Breakout Line, fell back, and then retest it as it then provided support in the 127 level. We see resistance at the 13026 area with the important technical resistance at the 134 area where the Weekly Bullish Reversals begin. This patter tends to warn about a pop to the upside, but the timing models also show this could be the end of the rally.

 When we look at our computer model, what is fascinating is how it has targeted this week as a turning point even before May called the snap election. Of course it has merely intensified for this target, which appears in both the dollar as well as the euro.

 

We can see that the week of June 5th is also the main target for the Euro against the pound and we have a Directional Change at this time as well.

Catalonia to Separate from Spain?


QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, when you were here in Barcelona, you said that Catalonia would vote to separate from Spain. Most thought you would be wrong. I myself confess I was not sure you would be right. Well you were right, or your amazing computer was correct, and the fever to separate only grows bolder. Do you still see this and the ultimate end of the EU?

ANSWER: Yes, but this is a process that is slow. The speed will being to pick up next year and it appears to be increasing in velocity between 2018 and 2022. El Pais ran a story: “Catalonia to immediately declare independence if no referendum held” with the leaked excerpts from what appears to be the Catalonian regional government’s road map to independence. The secret document included a plan where the region would unilaterally break away from Spain if Madrid tried to prevent its citizens from holding a referendum on independence in the fall. The proposed question is straight forward:

“Do you want Catalonia to be a state that is independent from Spain?”

I reported back in 2015 that Barcelona was preparing to issue its own electronic currency. Since then, the city is still moving forward with a plan to introduce its own currency, despite warnings from Spain’s central bank. The new so-called “social currency” would be used to buy local goods and services at a discount while having a one to one parity with the euro. This is plan B in order to set up for separation. Catalonia is the richest region in Spain and is supporting the rest of the country. So it is very much like Margaret Thatcher once warned, that Socialism works until you run out of other people’s money. That is exactly what is taking place in Spain. They have been bleeding Catalonia dry.

The real question is what will Spain do? Spain is the Eurozone’s fourth largest economy. It is distinctly on the verge of breaking up. Spain and the EU seem intent upon not letting that happen. If there is any attempt by force from Madrid under the pretense of a police action, then the gloves will come off.

Madrid will take drastic actions, including that will most likely first attempt to invoke article 155 of the constitution, which will effectively put an end to all forms of Catalan self governance. Will the people tolerate that? This will not merely strengthen the resolve of Catalan separatists, it could very well lead to a civil war erupting between 2018 into 2020, but the latest we should see the separation is by 2022.

The previous Spanish Civil War took place between 1936 and 1939 lasting about 3 years. It broke out when the Spanish army in Morocco led by General Francisco Franco, rose up against the democratically elected Republican government, presided over by Manuel Azaña. Typically, there will be a divergence and split within the military. That is how these things erupt. We may see this in the USA also around 2022, which may be a contagion at that time. The potential for the collapse of the EU looms on the horizon for 2022.