July 14, 2016

Dow Closes Up Triple Digits At Record, First 5-Day Win Streak Since March

U.S. equities closed at new record levels Thursday after the Bank of England hinted at looser monetary policy next month and as earnings season kicked into full gear.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed at an all-time high for the third consecutive day, ending the day up 134.2 points, with Goldman Sachs, IBM and Apple contributing the most gains. Earlier, the blue-chips index rose more than 160 points.

The S&P 500 had its fourth consecutive record close, ending half a percent higher, led by financials. The Nasdaq composite had its sixth positive day of gains in seven, closing half a percent higher as Apple shares gained more than 2 percent.

"Clearly, you're getting a positive stimulus from [the BOE and earnings]," said Randy Frederick, managing director of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab. "The market always tends to move ahead of these thing, and that's why I think you've seen the move higher over the past couple of days."

MORE...

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/14/us-markets.html

July 14, 2016

The Housing Market Is Waving a Red Flag

Almost nine years after the housing-market bust helped trigger the most recent recession, RealtyTrac senior vice president Daren Blomquist sees the industry waving a red flag.

The same fervent speculation that abetted the housing bubble is showing up in the bloated share of foreclosures snapped up by third-party investors at auction — a record 31 percent in June, according to RealtyTrac data that starts in 2000.

Many of those third-party buyers are "mom and pop" investors with less experience, said Blomquist. At the same time, institutional investors, a subset of the third-party investors who purchase at least 10 properties a year, are ducking out of the market.

"It's somewhat counterintuitive — as the market gets better and there are fewer foreclosures available, demand for those good deals, those bargains in the market goes up," said Blomquist. "When you see this high percentage of the properties going to third-party investors, that is a sign that these speculators may be over-inflating the market."



more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-14/the-housing-market-is-waving-a-red-flag

July 14, 2016

Kerry To Meet Putin In Bid To Save Syria Peace Process

Source: Agence France-Presse

Washington (AFP) - A frustrated US Secretary of State John Kerry is heading back to Moscow once again to meet President Vladimir Putin and test his commitment to the stalled Syrian peace process.

Russia and the United States are nominally co-chairs of international efforts to bring Bashar al-Assad's regime to the negotiating table with armed opposition groups.

But ferocious bloodshed continues in defiance of a series of failed ceasefires, and the odd couple heading the peace effort appear increasingly at odds over the way forward.

Kerry told diners at a delayed Eid al-Fitr supper Tuesday that he would meet Putin "to see if we can somehow advance this in the important ways that people want us to."

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/kerry-meet-putin-bid-save-syria-peace-process-152724621.html

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Kerry Seeks Russian Cooperation Despite Deep Misgivings Within U.S. Administration

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry heads to Moscow on Thursday to again seek deeper Russian cooperation in the war against Islamic State in Syria, but he faces strong opposition from defense and intelligence officials who argue that Washington and Moscow have diametrically opposite objectives in the country.

Kerry's trip, which State Department officials say is his second to the Russian capital this year and his third in 12 months, takes place as U.S.-Russian relations have worsened with tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions, aggressive Russian maneuvers toward U.S. aircraft and vessels, and a disregard for a cessation of hostilities in Syria, where Russia has bombed U.S.-backed rebels.

Relations between Moscow and Washington also remain strained over the Ukraine crisis and what the Kremlin considers NATO’s unjustified activities along its borders, raising fears that disagreements could escalate into confrontations, either accidental in Syria or the result of miscalculations in the air and naval encounters from the Baltics to the Black Sea.

Yet Kerry, it seems, still hopes for closer collaboration with Russia, to the disbelief of many officials who say Washington has no strategy on how to deal with the challenges Russia poses in Europe and Syria.

more...

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-idUSKCN0ZT2QZ?il=0

July 14, 2016

Poll: In Tumultuous Summer, Young Americans In A Dour Mood

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a summer of political and racial tumult, young Americans are in a dour mood: pessimistic about the fairness of their economic system, questioning the greatness of the United States and deeply skeptical of the way the nation picks its leaders.

A new poll of young people between the ages of 18 and 30 finds that an overwhelming 90 percent think the two-party political system has real — though fixable — problems or that it is "seriously broken." Three-quarters believe the U.S. is "falling behind" or "failing" as a nation.

Just over half say the chance to get ahead economically is reserved for only a few people at the top.

Though the new GenForward survey is a poll of all young people, not necessarily registered or likely voters, it nevertheless shows clear discontent with the two major-party candidates for president. Only 39 percent of young people have a favorable opinion of Hillary Clinton. Just 19 percent think well of Donald Trump.

more...

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/27d1f87dd4bc417794f3daf79fc62442/poll-tumultuous-summer-young-americans-dour-mood

July 13, 2016

GOP Convention Floor Fight Brewing as Delegates Mull Going Rogue

There may not be a contested convention, but the Republican National Convention may have a floor fight on its hands, even if efforts to change the rules fail, according to a group pressing for delegates to "vote their conscience" during next week's nationally televised roll call.

Delegates Unbound, a group insisting that delegates may already vote for the candidate of their choice as their party's presidential nominee, has set up shop in downtown Cleveland, just blocks from where those delegates will cast their votes on the floor of the Quicken Loans Arena next week.

In an interview in the group's nerve center, a room scattered with empty coffee cups and donut boxes, Dane Waters, the head of the group, told ABC News even if last-ditch attempts to change the rules fail, the roll call vote on the floor of the GOP convention won't be "some quiet little rodeo."

"These individuals are extremely passionate about the right to vote their conscience," he said. "So I can't imagine that people are gonna sit around and not do anything."

MORE...

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/floor-fight-gop-convention-vote-delegates-unbound/story?id=40555674

June 14, 2016

Convention is going to be a 'sleeper' with most likely the lowest

ratings in the history of convention coverage unless there is something of interest to watch.

Hillary isn't it.

June 11, 2016

England And Russia Fans Riot In Marseille At Euro 2016

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

MARSEILLE, France (AP) -- England and Russia fans rioted Saturday at the Old Port in Marseille and outside the city's Stade Velodrome before the two countries met in a soccer match at the European Championship.

It was the third straight day of violence in the Mediterranean port city, reviving bitter memories of clashes involving England fans at the 1998 World Cup.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons at rioters around the city to rein in violence that authorities said left at least five people injured. Some fans walked through the city bare-chested and with blood dripping from head wounds.

Amid the broken beer bottles and gray clouds of tear gas, families and tourists walked around the picturesque port, sometimes forced to skirt around lines of riot police leaning on their shields. Groups of people watched the chaos from the rear decks of two gleaming white yachts.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SOC_EURO_2016_MARSEILLE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-06-11-16-04-58

June 11, 2016

Thousands March For Gay Rights In Poland, Croatia, Italy

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Thousands of people marched Saturday in colorful gay pride events in Italy, Poland and Croatia urging support for minority rights in the mostly Catholic nations.

The parades in Poland and Croatia come amid mounting right-wing sentiments that pose new challenges to gay rights activists. Italian participants, however, had more reason to celebrate after winning the right to form same-sex civil unions this year.

Still, the Italians said there is far more to be done given the limited nature of the new civil union law, which took effect last Sunday.

Italy doesn't allow same-sex marriage, and gay rights proponents failed to get the civil unions law to include adoption by a gay civil union partner of the biological child of the other person in the union.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_EUROPE_GAY_RIGHTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-06-11-16-01-32

June 11, 2016

Damn is this place going to shit! Only 6 LBN topics in the last 12 hours? Shouldn't be long

now until the "echo" resounds totally.

5 days, just 5 days...

June 11, 2016

"Trump Sucks" Shirtless Fan Gets Tackled In Game 4 Of NBA Finals After Running On To Court

Source: CBS SPORTS

A fan decided to make a political statement in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. It likely didn't go as he planned.

Running on to the court in the fourth quarter, a shirtless man with the words "Trump Sucks" written on his body was quickly tackled by arena security before he could reach any players. He was also carrying something in his hand (perhaps his phone) which went flying down the court after being taken down.

Here's another angle, which shows the sheer number of security guards that surrounded the anti-Trump protester:

Kudos to the Quicken Loans Arena security staff who quickly took the man down before he could get to any of the players. However, how he even got on the court is still puzzling. The NBA takes player security very seriously and this is the second time in three years that a fan has run on to the court in Cleveland. Coupled with a young boy running onto the court in New Orleans and another child getting on the court in Miami, the NBA may ask teams to beef up courtside security next season as it seems like fans somehow keep getting past guards throughout the league.



Read more: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/watch-shirtless-fan-gets-tackled-in-game-4-of-nba-finals-after-running-on-to-court/