In this week's Off the Cuff podcast, Chris and Charles discuss:
- Do Geopolitics Matter Anymore?
- No conflict is seemingly too great for the markets to ignore
- The Marginal Value of A Barrel of Oil
- Even the loss of a few % of total supply could vastly impact the US
- Zombie Markets
- No weapon seems to be able to stop this bull market
- Bass-Ackward Foreign Policy
- The West is pursuing a strategy that makes no sense
Chris and Charles find much to talk about this week, but few answers. Both are mystified by both the insanity of the financial markets and the recklessness of US foreign policy.
The markets have simply stopped being a useful signaling mechanism. No cause for concern, no disappointing data, no Fed cold water… nothing is able to shake markets enough to convince them that the future is going to be anything short of awesome and perfect. The markets are now undead — in permanent shuffle and stumble ahead, no matter how many bullets they absorb or how many limbs get hacked off.
And for certain, the markets don't seem to care at all about geopolitics. Because if they did, recent events merit concern, or perhaps very real trepidation. The US is poking a dangerous adversary in Russia while also aggressively pursuing EU banks. The former risks a diplomatic rift of large consequence, the latter could ignite the next global banking failure.
And meanwhile, the ignored situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate. If it ends of causing an
by cmartenson 
