FRIDAY 8/19/16; Aussie Bank Downgrades; OpEx; BKE; DE; EL; FL; HIBB; Italy’s MIB Tumbles -3%; Oil Rallies +10% This Week

In early Asia and Aussie trading, the NIKK is up +0.3% to 16542. The SPASX200 is up +0.1% to 5512. The KOSPI is up +0.1% to 2057.

[Text is Redacted: Purchase August 2016-08 to Read the Complete Chronology]

As the flooding and devastation continues in Louisiana, and people suffer, President Obama remains on vacation golfing with Hollywood celebrities and partying until one in the morning. The president’s handlers say he will be back in Washington, DC, on Sunday evening and will visit Louisiana on Tuesday; he obviously does not see an urgency to the multi-decade Louisiana flooding disaster the worst natural disaster event in the region since Hurricane Katrina. The floods are ongoing for one week and President Obama has not even provided a statement of sympathy for Louisiana; if he did it would cut into his drinking and partying time.