WEEKEND READS

In our recent post "Long Overdue ECB," we expressed our doubts about Mario Draghi and his merry band of ECB bankers doing much if anything come June, their next so-called flash point for action or inaction. Here's a quote from Marc Chandler of Marc to Market. It seems we're not alone in our assessment.

We have yet to be persuaded that the real drivers of demand for the euro are going to be addressed by ECB action in early June. The demand for euro is coming from the large regional current account surplus, the strong foreign demand for euro area bonds, and continued deleveraging and capital raising by euro banks, including the sale of portfolios of distressed loans to foreign (largely US) investors.

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The week ahead is full of possible pitfalls for a market that's acting more schizophrenic weekly. The DJIA closed Friday at its second all-time record high this year while the former darlings in the small caps sector took another hit. For those who pay attention to 50-day and  200-day moving averages it hasn't been pretty for the smaller guys lately.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101660140
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 Forget the rain and the plain. Some are saying stocks in Spain are looking pretty cheap. At least that's the take from a recent investment conference in Madrid.
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2014/05/09/spain-and-its-dirt-cheap-stocks-are-coming-back-in-style/
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 William Browder is an American businessman. The television show 60 Minutes did a piece on him earlier this year. Some know Browder as the man who stood up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Browder owing to business complication he had in Russia went from being one of that country's biggest boosters to its harshest critics.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles
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There are many takes on inflation and when it will start spiraling up. Here's another one. As always read and decide for yourself.  http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2014/05/why-next-acceleration-in-price.html
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Horace Mann advised folks to go West. We don't know if Russian President Vladimir Putin ever heard of Mann, but Putin's looking East to China to help buoy what some are saying is an already flagging Russian economy owing to sanctions.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-08/putin-said-to-seek-chinese-money-with-limits-on-platinum-gold.html
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The US is planning on becoming a much bigger player in exporting natural gas to the EU by the end of the decade. Is this just a knee jerk bureaucratic reaction? Is it truly in the public's  interest? One thing remains clear; this is not an issue the public should fall to sleep on. http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/U.S.-To-Move-LNG-to-Help-Europe.html
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