{"id":33720,"date":"2015-09-26T10:24:45","date_gmt":"2015-09-26T17:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=33720"},"modified":"2025-05-02T16:32:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T23:32:33","slug":"black-coffee-the-piper-the-pope-and-the-unholy-trinity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id33720-black-coffee-the-piper-the-pope-and-the-unholy-trinity.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: The Piper, the Pope, and the Unholy Trinity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe<\/em> …<\/p>\n

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.<\/p>\n

I was out of town all week, so I’ve got a very brief espresso edition of Black Coffee for you today. I promise I’ll be back next week with a full-sized mug.<\/p>\n

Okay, off we go …<\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> This week the Nasdaq joined the Dow and S&P 500 by falling into the red<\/a> for 2015. Apparently the Plunge Protection Team has decided that misery loves company. Well … either that or there are only so many balls they can juggle at one time.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Then again, although the Nasdaq was red at Friday’s closing bell, the other two benchmarks finished in positive territory. Reuters claims that’s because the Dow and S&P were buoyed by news<\/a> that the Fed still expects to hike interest rates by the end of the year. Huh?<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Yes, yes — not too long ago, we were told that stocks were falling because investors were afraid<\/a> that the Fed was going to … wait for it … raise<\/em> rates a measly 25 basis points. I wish the mainstream media would make up their mind.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Of course, when markets are largely based upon central planning and the whims of a handful of banking apparatchiks at the Fed — rather than honest and transparent price discovery between legitimate buyers and sellers — the economic narrative can change on a dime. It’s all fiction<\/a>, folks — and only ignorance keeps it going.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> The good news is, more people are waking up: With the unholy trinity of mainstream media, government, and bankers so tightly-coupled today, it’s not surprising that a new Gallup poll found that 75% of Americans now believe government corruption is widespread<\/a>. Ya think?<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Finally … You know our monetary system is in real trouble when Australia’s largest investment bank is openly calling for central banks to directly fund fiscal spending — even though they admit that it will lead to Weimar-style hyperinflation. No, really<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> If you still think the world’s current economic struggle is simply due to a typical cyclical downturn, you better think again. The signs of desperation are growing in both frequency and magnitude — and the time for paying the piper<\/a> is fast approaching.<\/p>\n

By the Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

This week it seems like the entire news cycle was fixated on the pope’s visit to America — so here are some numbers behind the story:<\/p>\n

78<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Age of Pope Francis.<\/p>\n

265<\/strong><\/span><\/span> The number of popes who reigned prior to Francis.<\/p>\n

3,000<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Number of portable toilets set up to handle the pope’s visit to Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

18<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Times the pope is scheduled to make public remarks during his trip.<\/p>\n

30<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Number of people in the pope’s entourage.<\/p>\n

93,143<\/strong><\/span><\/span> People who entered a lottery to win a pair of tickets to the pope’s procession through New York’s Central Park.<\/p>\n

Source: NBC News<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Question of the Week<\/strong><\/p>\n

[poll id=\"81\"]<\/code><\/p>\n

Last Week’s Poll Results<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is the best age for a person to get their first credit card?<\/p>\n