Epstein Secrets

n between our troubles with Syria and Iran is pretty straightforward. The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad is Iran's closest ally, and its link to the Arab Middle East. Syria has provided the land bridge for the transport of Iranian weapons and militants to Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Without Syria, Iran's pretens

kely see Israeli- Palestinian negotiations as a bottomless pit for diplomatic energy rather than as a priority. If Obama is reelected, he will have no Middle East hands to whom he can turn. Mideast advisor Dennis Ross has left; Jeffrey Feltman, assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, departed for

ill in all likelihood leave when a new secretary of state is appointed or a few months later. In January 2009, Obama appointed Mitchell as special Middle East envoy on his second day in office. That kind of priority will not be assigned to the "peace process" in January 2013 -- no matter who wins. The ne

at affordable rates. Meanwhile, their banks are hemorrhaging deposits. Up until now, broke banks could prop up broke governments by borrowing from the European Central Bank and using the cash to buy their governments' bonds. But that game is over. For there is nothing the ECB can do to stop panicky Spaniards swapping

conditions supportive of growth. While we expect the European Central Bank (ECB) to gradually shift to a more neutral stance

Union. Outside the Eurozone, the 2016 Brexit vote in Great Britain has been interpreted as a populist vote against immigration from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as against the bureaucracy of the European Union. The increasing enthusiasm for populist parties in Europe raises two ques

quality. ¢ The economic recovery fails to gain momentum in the second half of the year. Credit demand fails to improve further as some of the recent European Central Bank (ECB) data indicates. The ECB cuts rates. ¢ Further quantitative easing by the Fed would be supportive for Bunds and speaks for lower yields. & Negat

ural commodities, especially for corn, should still weigh on the grain complex towards the end of the year. Some short-term price support from dry US Midwest weather conditions in recent weeks is not altering our negative stance. Soft commodities are also battling with higher inventories, which will not bo