Daily Dispatches

By Pam and Russ Martens
Wall Street on Parade
Monday, March 7, 2022

There are a known $41 billion in credit default swaps on Russian debt. There are likely many billions more in unknown amounts.

There are also billions more in credit default swaps on state-owned Russian corporate debt and non state-owned Russian corporate debt.

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
The Telegraph, London
Friday, March 4, 2022

The world was facing a grain supply crunch even before Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

The United Nations food price index was already higher in real terms than at the height of the global hunger crisis a decade ago, when Tunisian bread protests set off the Arab Spring.

When Normality Is Exposed as a Ponzi

By Alasdair Macleod
GoldMoney, Toronto
Thursday, March 3, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin's hubris, yes-men for generals, lack of fighting conviction among the men, poor logistics, and strong Ukrainian leadership and determination have combined to turn the Russian invasion of Ukraine into a military quagmire.

By Tom Collins
The Telegraph, London
Thursday, March 3, 2022

Russia has smuggled hundreds of tonnes of illicit gold from Sudan over the last few years as part of wider efforts to build "fortress Russia" and ward against anticipated Ukraine-related sanctions.

The Kremlin has more than quadrupled the amount of gold held in Russia’s central bank since 2010, creating a "war chest" through a mix of foreign imports and vast domestic gold reserves as the third largest producer of the precious metal in the world.

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