Fans of the status quo should take no solace from the recent “no” vote out of Scotland. The long term trend in the number of sovereign states is still very much pointing up.

Since early 2012 I have been tracking a major disconnect in the global financial markets that has made less and less sense over time. Over time it has grown from an annoyance to a very serious problem. I refer to the disconnect between price trends in commodities and equities. This report offers a fresh perspective on this historic divergence.

The press is fond of citing ‘the oil weapon’ as something Putin may wield against the west if he does not get his way with the Ukraine. Here we discover that the reverse is true. The real ‘oil weapon’ is something that US can exercise against Putin’s Russia.

This report reviews the current vulnerable technical condition of a few critical world markets from the perspective of Vladimir Putin’s recent tactics and larger strategy. I explore the issue of endogenous versus exogenous dynamics in the bursting of a speculative bubble in the light of current events. I also delve into the related issue of why ‘bad things happen in bear markets.’

Since nuclear weapons made wars unfashionable nation-states have been forced to explore over avenues to display their national pride. High on the list of national pride PR ventures are hosting the Olympics and the World Cup. However hosting such an event does not improve national characer traits. It only reveals those traits.