Another nasty data surprise, an influence setback?, and taking back $2 trillion

Last week saw consumer sentiment plunge, and now New York area manufacturing is slumping too. Is the Fed about to make a major policy mistake by tapering asset purchases too soon? We’ll debate. Plus, China is seizing on an opening in Afghanistan as the U.S.-backed government collapses. How big a setback will this be on the world stage? We’ll discuss. And, the crypto market tops $2 trillion again amid Bitcoin’s remarkable rally. We’ll talk about the turnaround, and what the crypto bulls are now saying about Ethereum, too.