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Welcome, 77 artists, 40 different points of Attica welcomes you by singing Erotokritos an epic romance written at 1713 by Vitsentzos Kornaros

Monday, January 23, 2017

GREEK court postpones decision on FETÖ members

The GREEK Supreme Court postponed its final decision on eight Turkish military officials seeking asylum in Greece following the failed coup attempt ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailysabah.com

Hockey team donates $1K to Honor Flight

The check represents the proceeds from the team's hot dog cookout on Veterans Day at the GREECE Post 468 American Legion. The team wanted to ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.greecepost.com

HRW: GREECE should transfer thousands of refugees confined to Aegean Islands

[JURIST] Of the more than 14,000 asylum seekers currently confined to five Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, many are facing dire circumstances due ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.jurist.org

First nano-satellite designed and built in Greece!

… nano-satellite designed and built in Greece will be launched to ISS … satellite designed and manufactured in Greece. Source  


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com

KROQ Presents The 1975 at the Greek Theatre April 27

KROQ presents The 1975 at the Greek Theatre April 27th. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 27th at 10am via Ticketmaster.com. The show is part of the band’s recently-announced North American tour, which kicks off April 9th in Mexico City and wraps up in ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT kroq.cbslocal.com

Why the Eurozone Still Backs Its Common Currency

That number fell to a low of 62 percent in 2013 after the first scare over Greece’s potential exit from the eurozone, or Grexit—but by November 2016, the most recent date for which data are available, it had returned to 70 percent, the historic high.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT eng.majalla.com

First nano-satellite built in Greece to be launched on March 17th

Read the details as are described by the company: "The UPSat team of engineers is proud to announce the delivery of the first completely open source software and hardware satellite! A major step towards UPSat’s launch has being completed. Its successful ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.tornosnews.gr

Violent Gangs Threaten Refugees in Greece – Al Jazeera

The post Violent Gangs Threaten Refugees in Greece – Al Jazeera appeared first on The National Herald.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

Tig Notaro brunches at Kapnos between Washington gigs

Hey, isn’t that … stand-up comedian and “One Mississippi” star Tig Notaro, brunching at Kapnos, the Mike Isabella Greek joint on 14th Street, on Sunday afternoon? Notaro (jeans and a plaid scarf) dug into scrambled eggs with a cup of tea ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.washingtonpost.com

Top court delays ruling on Turkey coup suspects

GREECE'S Supreme Court has postponed an expected ruling on whether to extradite eight Turkish officers sought by Ankara over July's failed military ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.gulf-times.com

Teenager Admits Murder of 6-Year-Old in Northern Greece

A 15-year-old Roma boy on Monday was arrested by Greek police and confessed to the killing of a six-year-old Roma boy who had been missing since Sunday in Komotini, in northeastern Greece. Six-year-old Mehmetali Sezal had been reported missing on Sunday ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greek DefMin Asks for Severe Punishment of Army Recruits Making the Sign of Albanian Flag

Defense Minister Panos Kammenos asked for the severe punishment of seven Greek army recruits of Albanian origin who were photographed inside the camp making the sign of the eagle on the Albanian flag. The picture of the soldiers appeared in social media ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

A New Emirates Route That Should Be Interesting – Newark and Athens!

A new Emirates’ route has been announced between the US and Europe – the only way to fly first class between the US and Greece! Running with Miles does not have direct links to credit cards. If you would like to help support the site with your ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT runningwithmiles.boardingarea.com

Weather Warning: Thunderstorms, Snowfalls, Wind up to 9B

Greece National Meteorology Service issued a weather warning on Monday, forecasting deterioration of the weather with showers, thunderstorms, snow falls and strong winds blowing with intensity of up to 9 Beaufort. The bad weather front is expected to set in as of Monday evening, January 23rd 2017. Rain and thunderstorms […]


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.keeptalkinggreece.com

“Greek Slave,” the Washington, D.C. Legacy of Hiram Powers’ 1840s masterpiece

Standing solemnly, violated yet dignified, nude but chaste, in the room William Wilson Corcoran arranged specifically for her, his favorite artwork. She’s facing away, purposefully opposite on axis from the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery’s Grand Salon ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT insider.si.edu

Protesting Farmers Turn Out in Force to Block Highways and Press Their Demands

Greece’s farmers have once again taken their tractors and occupied the country’s highways in protest, with a number of tractor blockades set up around the country on Monday. Farmers in Arta set up a roadblock on the Ionian Highway after a rally and tractor march through the city, while farmers from Tyrnavos arrived on the […]


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Jean-Michel Jarre To Bring His 'Electronica' World Tour To North America This Spring Including Stops At Radio City Music Hall In New York City, Microsoft Theater In Los Angeles And The Greek In Berkeley, Ca

… City, Bell Centre inMontreal, The Greek inBerkeley, Microsoft Theater inLos Angeles … /26/2017 Berkeley, CA The Greek Theatre 5/27/2017 Los …


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com

FARAD SA Manufactures Heat Exchangers GREECE

Based in Piraeus, we have been designing and manufacturing high quality marine Heat Exchangers, since 1979. Using the highest standards for our ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.infomarine.gr

Greece's farmers turn out again in force and press their demands

Greece’s farmers have once again taken their tractors and occupied the country’s highways in protest, with a number of tractor blockades set up around the country on Monday. Farmers in Arta set up a roadblock on the Ionian Highway after a rally and ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.tornosnews.gr

Missing 6-year-old deaf boy found dead; media allege, he was murdered by a teenager

A missing 6-year-old deaf boy was found dead just 200 meters from where he disappeared on Sunday afternoon from a settlement near the town of Komotini, in north-western Greece. The body of the little boy was found Monday noon in an abandoned building just 200 meters away from where he […]


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.keeptalkinggreece.com

ESM approves debt relief measures to bring Greece out of the woods in 2060

The Board of Directors of European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) approved short-term debt relief measures for Greece, Monday afternoon. “The measures approved by the governing bodies of the ESM and EFSF are an important step towards improving Greek debt sustainability,” Managing director Klaus Regling said and […]


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.keeptalkinggreece.com

Trump's first week in office promises to be 'one of the most interesting if not exciting markets in a long time'

[Trump]Following our forecast of a Martin Luther King range bound Week rather than Day, this week promises to be one of the most interesting if not exciting markets in a long time. A week when some of our key themes for 2017 should come to the fore. The seeds sown by Donald Trump's election, the UK decision to leave the EU and the OPEC agreement should all come to some sort of fruition this week. And indeed volatile or variable volatility should remain a thorn for many traders as last week's lack of volatility could blossom into, in some cases extreme, two-way volatility. Not a market to miss.  One of the major market tenets set after the US Election was the unusual and ultimately unsustainable triangle of rising US interest rates, rising stocks and rising Dollar on the back of a potentially expansionist new President [The Trump Effect]. Since the beginning of 2017 this triangle appears to have broken down as stocks have stayed strong but bond yields and the USD have retraced as the market has sought and so far failed to receive confirmation of this potentially inflationary boom. Indeed many have also jumped on Donald Trump's comments about the Yuan strength as a call for general USD weakness. Ultimately we believe that will be  the end result of the Trump Presidency but not quite yet. [Trump]Matrix Trade The first 2-3 weeks of the year are often deceptive as previous correlations break down temporarily [into a new framework that often resurfaces later in the year] as traders seek and pursue different new trends. January sentiment is probably the most uncertain of the year. It is therefore no surprise that the EURUSD appears to be following what we have now named the 'Uncertainty Fractal' that the market followed during equally uncertain times in the run up to the Greek, British and Italian Referenda. [EURUSD]Matrix Trade We blindly assume uncertainty is bad for a currency but often uncertainty surrounding a negative impact event keeps the market within the range until there is greater resolution. The UK Government's decision to refer the terms of Brexit to Parliament and the Pound's sharp rally last week was eloquent testimony to this and probably further evidenced by the UK Supreme Court's decision this week that could well end the current wave of uncertainty.  The early year breakdown in correlation is often manifest in erratic ranges that are typically ended by a market realignment on an event. Despite the lack of detail contained in the inauguration speech, this could be such an event and trigger another unsubstantiated and therefore unsustained phase of the triangle. This is supported by the now well evidenced Trump Fractal that served us well during the US Election campaign and indeed after. The US stock market [SPX] tends to act in a consistent even if often counter-intuitive way before, during and after every Trump event so far. [Trump]Matrix Trade If these two triggers are not enough to destabilize [and re-stabilize] markets then the weekend OPEC news promises to create possibly the most exciting Oil market we have seen the projected [Washington] Oil low in February. Sustained strength? With gross long positions in NYMEX futures and options among speculators at the highest on record, all we need is the now for pundits to call a major bull market.   [Pundit fractal]Matrix Trade LAST WEEK The week started dominated by weekend reports that Theresa May’s would, on Tuesday, indicate Britain’s possible exit from the single market to achieve border controls. GBPUSD promptly traded down 180 pips (1.47%) in the Wellington session. Monday was Martin Luther King day and US markets were closed. Markets were generally flat despite the early action. In the Asian session NKY fell sharply by 2.4%, but NIFTY rose gently putting on 34 points (0.4%) no doubt helped by the Indian trade and inflation beats at 0630. Without US volatility GBPUSD had only recovered 20 pips by the end of the day. Tuesday’s European session was all about GBP. British PM May was finally decisive about Brexit, and gave parliament her 12-point plan (ironically also the number of stars on the EU flag). Having already started well with a CPI (inflation) beat at 0930, GBP soared all day, filling the weekend gap with ease, putting on 3.2% by the end. Although many have attributed this to a decisive May speech. the opposite is true. Sterling rallied because of the greater uncertainty surrounding the hitherto bearish Brexit process and, we believe, is front running the Government’s defeat in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Either way the euphoria probably helped Sterling to its best day in 8 years and the produced a correlated drop in FTSE from our major 7360 target. Elsewhere, although SPX was flat, we saw a steady and pronounced fall in USD all day against commodities and currencies. The benchmark USDJPY fell 176 pips (1.55%) on the day. This may be attributed to Trump’s remarks on the Chinese currency being undervalued — CNY hit a 2017 high – which many have chosen to mean Trump favors a weaker USD. Note however that the USD weakness did not extend to 10 year yields, which started a rise which lasted all week. Wednesday was flat for indices (except for NKY which tracked USDJPY), whereas the USD reversed Tuesday’s weakness. Gold gave up all the previous day’s gains as did EUR, AUD and JPY. Oil faded sharply, as low as $50.89 at one point (3.55% down), although it fully recovered by the end of the week. UK Wages/Claimants at 0930 and US inflation beats at 1330 had little effect. The other story of the day was CAD following 36 hours behind GBP. After the earlier fall in oil, it was the BoC rate hold at 1500 which triggered a sharp exit from the loonie. It ended the day 217 pips (1.67%) down and continued to fall for the rest of the week. Equity markets were flat again on Thursday, as was USD this time with correlations breaking down as the market tried to pursue recent disparate trends. GBP and AUD rose (the latter despite mixed employment figures at 0030), but JPY and CAD fell. The ECB rate decision, as always created volatility. Interestingly, it is often the remarks not the figure that cause the effect. The hold decision at 1245 hardly moved EUR, but Draghi’s remarks at 0130 about inflation (or rather, the lack of it) and QE caused an instant spike down. However, after giving up 80 pips (0.74%) to 1.0588 in minutes, the single currency had fully recovered an hour before the end of the US session, and ended the week just shy of 1.07. Friday started well with China’s GDP and Retail Sales beat at 0200, and as JPY fell, NKY rose, to finish a V-shaped week only 0.79% down after a low point of -3.43% on Tuesday. Conversely, after ranging all week, NIFTY gave up 62 points (0.74%) on Trump protectionist fears. DAX followed NKY with a spurt up at the European open, and then ranged all day. GBP faded 78 pips (0.64%) on the UK Retail Sales miss at 0930, but recovered it all in the US session. FTSE of course reversed. The FTSE/GBP link is starting to look like NKY/JPY these days.  The real pattern for the day was USD rising in Europe (against EUR, AUD, JPY, CAD and gold) and then fading into the Trump inaugural speech. AUD, EUR and GBP all made V-patterns for the day. We can see this most clearly through CAD, which gave up 100 pips in the European session, and then recovered that territory despite a CPI (inflation) miss at 1330. And notably, even 10-year yields faded into and after the speech, despite ignoring earlier USD stumbles in the week. Oil just rose all day, helped by weak USD, but more likely on OPEC remarks of “so far so good” prior to their Vienna weekend meeting to police output cuts. At the US Open, SPX had an fast spike up 0.35% on the open which completely faded away as the speech followed the inauguration at 1200EST (1700GMT). Trump’s inaugural speech was strong on rhetoric but not detail. Equities, bond yields and USD all faltered whilst he spoke and did not recover by the end of the session. THIS WEEK Next week see the first week of the Trump Presidency in action, and all eyes will be how fast and what extent he makes good on his campaign promises. There is now building concern, especially outside the US, that he may not. Actions speak louder than words, and in any event, history has shown that like communism, autarky does not create economic growth. During the weekend OPEC met in Vienna and confirmed that most countries are adhering to the output cut deal, indeed OPEC and Russia are ahead of schedule, and Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Kuwait have made even deeper cuts than required. Expect oil to rise next week, along with proxies such as CAD and NOK. Also on Sunday are the French leftist primaries, although these are of little significance, as Fillon for the Republicans is ahead in the polls. Monday is a quiet day for news, on Tuesday we have the long-awaited Brexit ruling by the UK Supreme Court. A decision to force parliament to debate it (and perhaps modify the terms) would be positive for GBP, although last week’s events have somewhat reduced the effect. Also of significance is the Italian Constitutional Court’s ruling on the law rejected by voters in December. Also on the calendar are German PMI at 0830, UK PSBR at 0930, and US Manufacturing PMI at 1445. Turkey and South Africa also have interest rate decisions. Wednesday starts with Australian CPI at 0030 (est 1.3%), and ends with NZ CPI (set 0.4%) at 2145. If these inflation figures come in higher, they could lead to rate rises, and accelerate the already impressive rises in these currencies this year, even against the surging US dollar. Between these two Asian sessions, senior White House officials meet the Mexican Foreign and Economy Ministers. On Thursday, Europe opens with the German Consumer Confidence report at 0700. At 0930, UK GDP figures are released. After that UK Brexit Minister David Davis takes questions in parliament, and Eurogroup President Dijsselbloem speaks at a Brexit conference. Expect GBP volatility. Japanese CPI is published at 2330 just before the Asian session opens. Chinese markets close on Friday for the Lunar New Year, and do not re-open until the following Friday Feb 3rd. Traders may take the opportunity to unwind positions this week, which may cause unintended consequences in other markets. The only economic release of significance is the US GDP at 1330, coupled with durable goods orders. Tue 24 0000 GBP Brexit Court Ruling (9-10am??) 0830 EUR German PMI 0930 GBP UK PSBR 1445 USD Manufacturing PMI Wed 25 0030 AUD CPI 0900 EUR IFO Business Climate 2145 NZD CPI Thu 26 0700 EUR German Consumer Confidence 0930 GBP UK GDP 2330 JPY CPI Fri 27 0000 CNY Chinese New Year's Eve 1330 USD US GDP & Consumption & Durable Goods NOW WATCH: Women are more attracted to men with these physical traits


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Regional Greek Airport Hand-over to Fraport Stalls

The transfer of management of 14 Greek airports to German transport company Fraport has been delayed with a potential due date set for mid-March, according to the latest media reports. According to capital.gr news site, both parties — Fraport and the ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT news.gtp.gr

Greek households liquidate gold English pounds to make ends meet

ATHENS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua)-- Recession-hit Greek depositors liquidated twice as many gold English pounds compared to the number bought during 2016 in order to make ends meet, local newspaper "Kathimerini" daily reported citing central bank data. For several ...


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Emirates Airlines Launching New Flight From Dubai to New York Via Athens

GREEK Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura welcomed the decision and stressed the importance of supporting “the efforts of the Tourism ministry to ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Ex-business leaders to run GREEK state holding fund

Greece has picked two former business leaders to run the fund it set up last year to speed up privatizations and make the best use of the country's ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

The Western Ideal of What a Real Temple Should Look Like

GREEK temples are the Western ideal of sacred architecture: a pale, soaring but simple structure standing on the hill in isolation, with a peaked tile roof ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT archaeology.about.com

Charity collecting donations for refugees in GREECE

The money will be used to buy blankets, thermal underwear and other necessities for refugees at Nea Kavala Polikastro, a camp in the north of GREECE ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT english.sta.si

GREECE'S Supreme Court chief slams union

Supreme Court president Vassiliki Thanou on Monday hit back at criticism leveled at her by the union of Greek judges and prosecutors over her latest ...


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ENGIE Hellas Wins His Largest Contract for Total Facility Management Services in Greece

ENGIE Hellas will provide a whole range of services: technical maintenance, energy services, security services, cleaning & waste management and landscaping services. This represents the largest contract of this kind in Greece and is expected to create at ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.newswiretoday.com

NEW ROUTE: Non-stop from New York to Athens, Greece for only $559 roundtrip

Allow the Momondo search to complete, then proceed to book with the OTA of your choice: Please note, all the information on this page is accurate at the time of publication. If you are viewing this deal at a later date, the price and availability may no ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.secretflying.com

Greece: Decision on Turkish troops who fled coup looms

… Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece in a helicopter after a … and have requested asylum in Greece, say their lives would be … Aegean. It was taken to Greece’s top court after previous … on their asylum requests in Greece which are not expected for …


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Aviano Airmen train in Souda Bay

From Jan. 20 to Feb. 3, the 31st Fighter Wing's 555th Fighter Squadron and Arizona Air National Guard's 161st Air Refueling Wing are participating in a Flying Training Deployment to Souda Bay, Greece. Fourteen F-16 Fighting Falcons, one KC-135 Stratotanker ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.aviano.af.mil

Greek island mayors say refugee overcrowding too high

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The mayors of five eastern Greek islands used to limit the movement of refugees and migrants have called on the European Union to ease the restrictions amid continued problems created by winter weather and overcrowding.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.news.yahoo.com

Cyprus 'Can't Become Independent' With British Military Bases on the Island

An attempted coup d'état organized by Greek Cypriot nationalists which sought to reunify with GREECE prompted a Turkish military invasion of the ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT sputniknews.com

Greece is a sinking ship in need of Christ: Abbot Gregory of Dochariou, Mt. Athos

Agionoros.ru has published extracts from a topical article from Abbot Archimandrite Gregory (Zumisa) of Mt. Athos’ Dochariou Monastery in which he recounts Greece’s glorious past, contrasting it with its lamentable present, and calls them to return to ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.pravoslavie.ru

Diaspora fellowship program funded by SNF aims to forge collaborations, stop brain drain

Aristotle University is one of 12 GREEK universities selected by The GREEK Diaspora Fellowship Program to host 21 GREEK- and Cypriot-born scholars ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Greek Supreme Court delays verdict on extradition of Turkish soldiers

Greece’s Supreme Court has postponed a final decision on whether or not to extradite eight Turkish soliders who fled to the country in July. Initially expected on Monday (January 23), the verdict will now be delivered on Thursday after one of the judges ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euronews.com

Greece Olympia High School Evacuated This Morning

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Greece Olympia High School was evacuated for a short time early this morning after an unknown smell was detected in the music hall area near the auditorium of the school. The head of security at the district says the unknown odor caused ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.twcnews.com

papalampropoulos syriopoulou imagines former greek cemetery as public event space

taking the urban design principles of giambattista nolli as its point of reference, the papalampropoulos syriopoulou architecture bureau has shared its concept for the transformation of the former municipal cemetery of nikaia in ptolemaida, greece.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.designboom.com

Greek Eurobank seeks strategic partner for Romania's Bancpost -source

ATHENS Jan 23 Eurobank has hired HSBC and Mediobanca to help it find a "strategic partner" for its Romanian subsidiary, a source at the Greek bank said on Monday. Major Greek banks are looking to reduce their exposure abroad and strengthen their capital ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com

Goin' Greek: The (heart-healthy) benefits of a Mediterranean Diet

When most Americans think of Greece, their minds immediately turn to toga parties, gladiator movies and, perhaps, anise-flavored Ouzo. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget how healthy Greek cuisine can be for us. As a preview for a Wednesday Sioux City ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT siouxcityjournal.com

The Greek Isles sizzle as Chris Haslam, Max Kruglov and co. skate Crete

Crete is undeniably the skateboarding pearl of the Mediterranean: dry and sunny climate, impressive scenery, incredible local cuisine, skate-friendly locals and, most importantly, an overwhelming smattering of spots of all shapes and sizes. You don’t ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT bnqt.com

Lobster, Mexican And GREEK Restaurants Open In Dublin; Gastropub Opens In Carlow

Eatgreek, a new restaurant specialising in authentic GREEK cuisine, has opened in Glasnevin. It will be serving its signature dish of gyros as well as ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.hospitalityireland.com

Here's why the market will likely 'remain trapped in its current trading range'

[Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shortly after the opening bell in New York City, NY, U.S. November 15, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson]Thomson Reuters If you tuned into any media on Friday, let alone any of the financial cable news networks, you probably saw little in the way of stock and market news in favor of the inaugural proceedings for now President Donald Trump. We’ll steer away from sharing what we thought about the day’s events in DC as well as those over the weekend, preferring to stick to our knitting that is thematic investing. A HOUSEKEEPING ITEM BEFORE WE GET TO THE USUAL MONDAY MORNING KICKOFF BUSINESS We are rather excited to attend the INSIDE ETF CONFERENCE this week in far warmer Hollywood, Florida, in part because we know ETFs account for a growing part of the investors’ appetite, but also the opportunity to share our thematic perspective as well as the thematic indices that we’ve been noodling on. We hope to report back soon with some favorable developments. NOW LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS… Remembering that last week was a shortened one due to the Martin Luther King holiday, for the four trading days that we had, all three major market indices dipped modestly compared to the prior week. Even though we are not sector focused, it was not lost on us that generally speaking “growth” stocks took a back seat to dividend payers last week. Hardly surprising when we reflect on the mixed bag that we’ve seen thus far in corporate earnings for the December quarter as well as looming issues in the Eurozone and political policy questions here in the US. Against that backdrop, leave it to Janet Yellen to muddy the waters even further by saying, “I think that allowing the economy to run markedly and persistently ‘’hot’’ would be risky and unwise,’’ at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research last week. In a vacuum, we would agree with Yellen, but she and others think the current economic climate is anything close to “hot,” well then, we have to wonder exactly what plane of reality she is living in. We suspect Yellen is likely paving the way for the three potential rate hikes that were made known following the Fed’s December rate hike, but given her dovish nature, we think under the bluster she and the Fed will remain data dependent. We would, of course, recommend the Fed expand its prime data set beyond the unemployment rate, which to us is as solid as Swiss cheese. Janet Yellen wasn’t the only one to make headlines last week. European Central Bank head Mario Draghi shared his view of a gradual economic recovery in the Eurozone that still requires “very substantial” support. The ECB is not likely to wind down its stimulus until inflation “had increased in a sustainable way” Draghi said, and stripping out the impact of higher oil prices that has yet to emerge. Most economists expect the ECB to wait until the summer to signal an end to its monetary stimulus efforts, after Dutch and French elections, and as the direction of U.S. economic policy becomes clearer. Amid growing anti-Euro sentiment in the form of Brexit becoming a reality and concerns over “Italeave” and “Frexit” as well as another round of Greek drama, investors are likely to head into more risk-averse currencies like the dollar as well as US stocks. AGAINST THAT ECONOMIC BACKDROP, HAS THE TRUMP TRADE RALLY PEAKED? With the S&P 500 trading at more than 19 times 2016 earnings and 17 times expected 2017 earnings — the delta between those two P/E multiples is the expectation of 12 percent earnings growth in 2017; rather large given the current speed of the economy, but more on that down below —  we’d say the market is priced to perfection at current levels. [Screen Shot 2017 01 23 at 7.58.55 AM]Thomson Reuters This means any disruption or outcome that is less than expected is likely to weigh on the market. Not a bad thing, as in our view, it offers the chance to place well-positioned companies riding thematic tailwinds on the Tematica Select List at better prices. Interestingly enough, according to data published by Alpha Hat, the stock market usually tumbles in the year after a Republican president is sworn in. The median S&P 500 performance for both parties one year after inauguration is 7.6 percent with -7 percent for Republican presidents, and 14.7 percent for Democratic presidents. Again, those are averages, but it does help explain the recent pullback in the CNN MONEY FEAR & GREED INDEX to a “neutral” reading compared to “greed” just one month ago. [Screen Shot 2017 01 23 at 8.00.13 AM]Thomson Reuters Corroborating this neutral view, the January Fund Manager Survey by The Bank of America Merrill Lynch found that even though investors are geared up for stronger growth and inflation, they are still reluctant to put cash to work.  When asked what they perceive as the biggest tail risks to markets, responding fund managers cited trade war/protectionism (29 percent), U.S. policy error (24 percent) and China FX devaluation (15 percent). IN OUR VIEW, THE MARKET IS LIKELY TO REMAIN TRAPPED IN ITS CURRENT TRADING RANGE UNTIL WE HAVE GREATER CLARITY ON THESE THREE MAJOR ISSUES JUST MENTIONED. As far as the Eurozone drama and pending political policies to be put in motion by the new Trump administration, we’ll continue to monitor developments over some of the more telegraphed items. Last week economist Stephen Moore was discussing the likelihood that the Trump camp would propose two tax overhauls — one for personal income taxes and one for corporate. In our view, this is a smart move given that lower corporate taxes are likely to be an incentive for attracting companies and therefore jobs to the US, a key item for Team Trump, without getting bogged down in what is likely to be a dogfight over personal income tax rates. Hopefully, Team Trump will be as pragmatic with other solutions it looks to put forth in the coming weeks; if that’s the case it would likely be a tonic for the uncertainty currently sitting in the stock market’s stomach. TURNING TO THE WEEK AHEAD While we’ll be in Florida at the Inside ETF Conference, it will be a full week of earnings and economic data that ends with the start of the Chinese New Year. As Barron’s reports, “It’s the Year of the Rooster; an aggressive, combative, and argumentative bird, and Hong Kong seers say that bodes well for the new US president, who has been known to exhibit the same characteristics.” Here’s hoping that fortune is a right as the last one we got in our fortune cookies. This week the earnings outlook picture should get a wee bit clearer as we have more than 500 companies reporting earnings this week. Of that 500, 70 S&P 500 companies (including 12 Dow 30 components) are scheduled to report results for the fourth quarter. This means that at the end of the week, just over 25 percent of the S&P 500 companies will have issued their earnings and guidance. Again, that should shed some light on the earnings picture, but it’s not quite enough to get a real clear tell on how aggressive the current consensus expectation is for 12 percent earnings growth for the S&P 500 in 2017 over 2016. ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT There will be a handful or reports, including the latest existing and new home sales reports as well as the same for durable orders. The big report next week, though, will be the initial fourth-quarter 2016 GDP numbers. While the expectation is GDP will slip relative to 3.5 percent in 3Q 2016, expectations for 4Q are fairly widespread, between 1.9 percent (N.Y. Federal Reserve) to 2.9 percent (Atlanta Fed GDP Now). Odds are the Wall Street Journal’s Economic Forecast Survey, which calls for 2.1 percent, will be more in line with reality. [Morning commuters pass by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., November 10, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid]Thomson ReutersOn top of the recent mixed earnings bag we’ve received already this December quarter earnings season, that calls into question the ability of the S&P 500 companies to deliver 12 percent earnings growth this year. While we don’t see a repeat of the constant negative earnings revisions we saw in 2016, odds are expectations for 2017 will need to be adjusted lower given the likelihood GDP growth in the range of 2.2 to 2.4 percent will be with us in the first half of 2017. NOW, TURNING TO EARNINGS A few paragraphs above we mentioned that roughly 14 percent of the S&P 500 is reporting this week. Realizing that means we have roughly 75 percent of the S&P 500 yet to report, we’ll take our cue from the earnings data points and insights that will emerge from 13 of our 17 investment themes this week. A more detailed listing can be found further on, but some of the more notable ones will be _CONNECTED SOCIETY_ companies AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ); _ASSET-LITE BUSINESS MODEL_ players Alphabet (GOOGL) and Qualcomm (QCOM); _CASHLESS CONSUMPTION _company PayPal (PYPL); _DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY_ company Synaptics (SYNA); and _SAFETY AND SECURITY_ companies Lockheed Martin (LMT), Northrop Grumman (NOC) and ProofPoint (PFPT). Given the state of US infrastructure and the Trump position that it needs to be fixed, overhauled and updated, we’ll also be paying close attention the respective outlooks to be had from _ECONOMIC ACCELERATION/DECELERATION_ companies Caterpillar (CAT) and United Rentals (URI) this week. OUR 10,000-FOOT VIEW ON EARNINGS Over the last few years, we’ve seen earnings season become a greater source of stock price volatility — miss EPS expectations by a penny, and we now see share prices fall 10 to 20 percent, far greater than the single-digit selloffs that had been the norm several years ago. Granted these tend to be short-term disruptions that eventually give way to fundamentals, but that usually takes some time for the dust and yo-yoing stock prices to settle down. With this in mind, we’re holding off making any new moves when it comes to the Tematica Select List as we instead digest company comments regarding the tone of the economy, impact of the dollar on their business outlook and of course their ability to further capitalize on still blowing thematic tailwinds. EARNINGS ON TAP THIS WEEK The following are just some of the earnings announcements we’ll have our eye on for thematic confirmation data points: _Affordable Luxury_ * Arctic Cat (ACAT) * Royal Caribbean (RCL) _Aging of the Population_ * Bristol-Myers (BMY) * Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) * Petmed Express (PETS) * Abbott Labs (ABT) * Cardiovascular Systems (CSII) _Asset-lite Business Models_ * Alphabet (GOOGL) * Dolby Labs (DLB) * Qualcomm (QCOM) _Cashless Consumption_ * Discover Financial Services (DFS) * PayPal (PYPL) _Cash-strapped Consumer_ * McCormick & Co. (MKC) * eBay (EBAY) _Connected Society_ * AT&T (T) * Citrix Systems (CTXS) * Comcast (CMCSA) * Ericsson (ERIC) * Intel (INTC) * Yahoo! (YHOO) * Verizon (VZ) _Disruptive Technology _ * Cree (CREE) * Synaptics (SYNA) * II-VI (IIVI) * InvenSense (INVN) _Economic Acceleration/Deceleration_ * 3M (MMM) * Caterpillar (CAT) * Honeywell (HON) * Norfolk Southern (NSC) * United Rentals (URI) * WW Grainger (GWW) _Fattening of the Population_ * Brinker (EAT) * J & J Snack Foods (JJSF) * McDonald’s (MCD) _Guilty Pleasure_ * Las Vegas Sands (LVS) * Starbucks (SBUX) _Rise & Fall of the Middle Class_ * American Airlines (AAL) * Colgate-Palmolive (CL) * DR. Horton (DHI) * Ethan Allen (ETH) * Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) * Ford Motor (F) * JetBlue Airways (JBLU) * Mead  Johnson Nutrition (MJN) * Regis Corp. (RGS) * Sherwin Williams (SHW) * Southwest Air (LUV) * Whirlpool (WHR) _Safety & Security_ * General Dynamics (GD) * F5 Networks (FFIV) * Lockheed Martin (LMT) * Northrop Grumman (NOC) * Oshkosh (OSK) * ProofPoint (PFPT) * United Technologies (UTX) _Scare Resources_ * Chevron (CVX) * Potash (POT) _Tooling & Retooling_ * K12 (LRN) * Robert Half (RHI) NOW WATCH: An exercise scientist reveals exactly how long you need to work out to get in great shape


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Euro zone unblocks short-term debt relief for Greece

BRUSSELS Euro zone governments unblocked short-term debt relief measures for Greece on January 20, the euro zone bailout fund ESM said in a statement on Monday, paving the way for a reduction of the country's debt-to-GDP ratio and its gross financing needs.


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Conclusion of Second Review as Soon as Possible, Says European Commission Spokesman Schinas

The European Commission is struggling for the best possible progress ahead of Thursday’s Eurogroup meeting, its spokesman Margaritis Schinas said on Monday during a press briefing. “The Commission is working hard with the Greek authorities and the other partners to achieve the best possible progress ahead of the Eurogroup meeting,” he said adding that “the […]


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Greek Salad with Chickpeas

This salad is easy to put together and perfect for a light meatless lunch. If you’d like a more hefty lunch, follow the directions below the salad recipe using the same basic ingredients and make the salad into a sandwich.


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Archbishop Iakovos: The Greek Orthodox Leader Who Marched With MLK

On January 16, the American people, and those who believe in liberty and justice all across the world, again commemorated the life, legacy, and values of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the legendary leader of the civil rights movement. One of the ...


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Bringing Greece back to growth

The euro area is making an unprecedented effort to put the Greek economy back on track. The loan packages from the ESM and EFSF are by far the largest the world has ever seen. The two institutions own half of Greece’s debt. The vast and deeply rooted ...


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