[Peace-discuss] Reassurance from the Giant Vampire Squid

Tue Dec 27 20:19:47 UTC 2016

It’s looking like Trump won because the neoliberal/neocon alliance that backed both major parties came apart - the neocons going with warmonger Clinton and the neolibs with the “businessman” Trump.

Will that result in Trump-admin belligerence toward China. instead of Obama-admin belligerence toward Russia?

It would seem that US neoliberals have more to gain from co-operation with China’s OBOR than opposition.

But that would conflict with the cornerstone of US fp for more than century: preventing Eurasian economic integration, which would be a threat to the wold dominance of US economic elites.

(See Mackinder's 'Heartland Theory’: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geographical_Pivot_of_History <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geographical_Pivot_of_History>>.

—CGE

> On Dec 8, 2016, at 2:29 PM, Szoke, Ron via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Trump won’t be a ‘dangerous’ president, says Goldman’s CEO  <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_story_trump-2Dwont-2Dbe-2Da-2Ddangerous-2Dpresident-2Dsays-2Dgoldmans-2Dceo-2D2016-2D12-2D08&d=DQMFaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=fGIr6vLkM3RjLA5Q2LHaloaWOwtjSSJCQLnc4RCWw2E&m=JRRb4SCJFvpBwgpLCdRhKrPiENZzrxWnFhhWbrVsdsc&s=H3FZYsB70qb2b2dnCGlUiW7HSRhrcNQUoMdV78-iYvI&e=>
> Fears about a Donald Trump presidency <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_president-2Ddonald-2Dtrump&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=R-bHl7FfP4HPg3qSiaW0LSMjAtq8NDNAgT-q6wUa4DE&e=> may be misplaced, according to Goldman Sachs Group CEO Lloyd Blankfein in an interview published in the German newspaper Handelsblatt.
> 
> Blankfein, head of the world’s most prominent investment bank, said Trump would be a level-headed leader despite his controversial anti-immigration rhetoric and his protectionist stance on trade policies. Trump has proposed building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and has discussed banning Muslims from entering the U.S. 
> 
> Read: Goldman Sachs is the big Dow winner of the Trump rally <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_story_goldman-2Dsachs-2Dis-2Dthe-2Dbig-2Ddow-2Dwinner-2Dof-2Dthe-2Dtrump-2Drally-2D2016-2D12-2D02&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=Xz2kzNNvqcDL0w6n80wDkUkj3PKmNsAaRDfskNAlGy4&e=>
> <in-art-countdown-icon-128x128x3s.gif>
> –– ADVERTISEMENT ––
> 
> <in-art-soundanimation-icon-41x48.gif>
> 
> Still, he gets a thumbs up from Goldman’s head.
> 
>  
> “He’s a very smart guy, a businessman…I am not pessimistic at all because he won,” Blankfein told the paper <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__global.handelsblatt.com_breaking_goldmans-2Dblankfein-2Dtrump-2Dnot-2Da-2Ddangerous-2Dpresident&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=VGu9R9GSwLDdGC2uTsvk8y-eYyoJeQpOCW5wnkJAv-0&e=>. “Mr. Trump may turn out to be a much better president than anyone else might have been in that place,’’ he said. “He’s just less of a known quantity as a politician.”
> 
> Trump’s surprising Election Day victory sent initial shock waves throughout global markets, but since then equities have stormed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.33% <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_investing_index_djia-3Fmod-3DMW-5Fstory-5Fquote&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=8yfp00kf8LzOYGoQzPCptLgs-mM1qL3E6edSWUPa7qU&e=>  on track to notch its 12th closing record since the election, and the S&P 500 SPX, +0.16% <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_investing_index_spx-3Fmod-3DMW-5Fstory-5Fquote&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=LGPtdtE6DeCqXpnX8INqEd1KWQIW7WBNtlXX6hL7ehg&e=>  Nasdaq Composite, small-cap focused Russell 2000 index RUT, +1.24% <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_investing_index_rut-3Fmod-3DMW-5Fstory-5Fquote&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=0TiD_XpyZ5CN1ik_OgXl9dyMnqscONJ2T-ysECSbHKc&e=>  and Dow Jones Transportation Average DJT, +0.37% <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_investing_index_djt-3Fmod-3DMW-5Fstory-5Fquote&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=rdFeHSTjknRk8RwycFI3syloUqluHrU5uRohaXlzx3Q&e=> considered a gauge of U.S. economic health, blazing a path to fresh all-time highs. 
> 
> Read: Stock records signal that fighting the Trump rally is a losing battle <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_story_stock-2Dmarkets-2Drecord-2Drun-2Dsignals-2Dits-2Da-2Dfools-2Derrand-2Dto-2Dfight-2Dtrump-2Drally-2D2016-2D12-2D07&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=knRSZqyajkm5Ox1L87Q9JMEXCJ3vsh89hIf_dX-DRu8&e=>
> For Goldman’s part, the giant investment bank has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the recent surge in markets. Since the presidential election, Goldman’s shares GS, +2.27% <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_investing_stock_gs-3Fmod-3DMW-5Fstory-5Fquote&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=fSLgc_czX4gNWpiHRQ3xDF5b9UbqZV4WgIhOEKg5Z2k&e=>   have surged 33% to their highest levels since before the 2008, posting the biggest gains among the Dow’s components.
> 
> Check out: MarketWatch’s stock-market column <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_story_dow-2Dsp-2Don-2Dpace-2Dto-2Dhold-2Dnear-2Drecord-2Dhighs-2Das-2Decb-2Dgrabs-2Dspotlight-2D2016-2D12-2D08&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=PFp77UPdkavJaKqhMGlpOsLvCQAeUZ5q_Mt7_MNfUyw&e=>
> Moreover, Trump has handpicked a number of Goldman alum to be a part of his administration, including Steven Mnuchin <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marketwatch.com_story_trump-2Dto-2Dtap-2Dex-2Dgoldman-2Dsachs-2Dbanker-2Dsteven-2Dmnuchin-2Das-2Dtreasury-2Dsecretary-2D2016-2D11-2D29&d=DQMGaQ&c=8hUWFZcy2Z-Za5rBPlktOQ&r=tfHzwZBcTLEveiewRiq0OdhFmfRmlvZjpIBS0AUJ2v0&m=DQDDC1nFZjEDlD9P3WpFqtnHidQnNalmmorsj9fzy20&s=Y9KA63rFwyOUB8zEgdwGTwv0FP36dHNd7_f66sV9TFo&e=>, who was tapped to serve as President-elect Trump’s Treasury secretary. 
> 
>    0:00 / 0:00   
> Who is Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s Treasury pick? (1:43)
> President-elect Donald Trump turned to former Goldman Sachs banker and movie financier Steven Mnuchin to be the next Treasury secretary. WSJ’s Rick Carew takes a look at his background. Photo: Getty
> 
> Trump has proposed policies, including tax cuts and infrastructure spending, that are being viewed as pro-business by Wall Street investors and Mnuchin has expressed an interest in rolling back the Dodd-Frank Act, which was enacted in the wake of the financial crisis. Proponents of repealing parts of the rules argue that it has hobbled bank lending. 
> 
> Talk of looser regulations is likely a boon for the finance sector and Goldman in particular.
> 
> 
> — WSJ MarketWatch online 120816
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/peace-discuss/attachments/20161227/89bd19ce/attachment-0001.html>