investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--It’s Not “Just Property”: How Looting Destroys Lives and Low-Income Neighborhoods

It ’ s now become fashionable on the Left to defend looting as a means of redistributing wealth from allegedly unworthy business owners to the more-deserving looters themselves .
“ It ’ s just property !
” is the refrain , with the implication being that property owners should not defend their property with coercive means—such as calling in the police or using privately-owned weapons against looters.1 This is the philosophy behind a recent declaration from a Black Lives Matter organizer .
As the New York Post reported on August 11 : A more full apologia for looting now comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ titled In Defense of Looting by Vicky Osterweil , who identifies herself as “ a writer , editor , and agitator based in Philadelphia.
” In an interview with National Public Radio , Osterweil states : Osterweil then goes on to assert that looting is basically a poverty relief program , and it liberates the looters from having to work for a living : And most fundamentally of all , looting is an attack on private property itself .
If only there were more looting , we could all “ have things for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the idea of property , and it attacks the idea that in order for someone to have a roof over their head or have a meal ticket , they have to work for a boss , in order to buy things that people just like them somewhere else in the world had to make under the same conditions .
It points to the way in which that ’ s unjust .
And the reason that the world is organized that way , obviously , is for the profit of the people who own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you get to the heart of that property relation , and demonstrate that without police and without state oppression , we can have things for free… This sort of thing may seem convincing to those who prefer to live in the realm of pure theory .
Big words like “ commodify ” and “ oppression ” might strike beginner-level dissidents as impressive .
But once we start to look at the real-world details of how looting works , we quickly find that looting your local auto parts store or Nike outlet isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hedge funders any time soon .
What it will do is hurt ordinary people who own businesses and work in shops that are targeted by looters .
Moreover , once the smoke has cleared , we ’ ll find that low-income neighborhoods will suffer the most .
Specifically , there are three reasons why looting will only serve to hurt exactly the ordinary people for whom pro-looting advocates pretend to be champions .
Retail stores provide jobs to ordinary working people , including those who lack formal education .
What ’ s more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , offering a workplace that ’ s air conditioned , clean , and far safer that more dangerous jobs like driving a bus or working construction .
This is especially true of high-end retail shops .
But selling handbags and gadgets to rich clients doesn ’ t make the salesperson wealthy , even if it can provide a decent living .
When looters destroy these stores and remove their merchandise , among those most impacted are the ordinary staff members .
Without any merchandise there ’ s nothing to sell .
And with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revenue that can be used to support a wage for the sales staff .
Looters may pat themselves on the back for “ liberating ” these workers from their “ wage slavery , ” but it ’ s unlikely the newly unemployed workers see things this way when they show up in the morning and find their place of employment torched and ransacked .
Two : Looting Victimizes Immigrant Families and Others Who Aren ’ t Exactly Members of the Ruling Class Although many news stories about looting in recent weeks have focused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places like Chicago ’ s Magnificent Mile , the fact is looting more often occurs in neighborhoods where residents are working class or low-income .
And in these neighborhoods , the owners of the local shops and small businesses tend to be immigrant families and other ordinary small-time entrepreneurs who are hardly members of the Wall Street elite .
According to a report on entrepreneurship in low-income areas by the Small Business Administration , self-employed workers in low-income areas are “ less likely to be U.S. citizens and English speakers ” relative to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education .
Higher proportions of the self-employed are black and Hispanic relative to other areas , as well .
Moreover , “ The vast majority of self-employed workers in low-income areas operate a business in their area of residence.
” 2 These business owners tend to face hardship themselves .
Part of the reason they live and work in a low-income neighborhood is because they have relatively less access to working capital and business loans than people in higher-income neighborhoods .
Lower-income neighborhoods are not entirely without advantages .
Competition is often less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ larger firms prefer to not take on the added risk of placing their offices and stores in these areas .
This leaves more room for smaller independent firms where owners are more willing to take on the risk in exchange for lower rents , and lower up-front operating costs .
The downside comes from the higher potential for crime , including robberies , looting , and vandalism .
But because they have few other choices , many entrepreneurs in these areas choose to take their chances .
When they are successful , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and greater access to goods and services for residents .
But it is precisely these immigrant-owned , minority-owned and family businesses that tend to be most victimized by looters .
Three : Looting Hurts Low-Income Neighborhoods the Most Naturally , at the level of the independent business , looting can be disastrous for a business owners .
The notion that looting is “ no big deal ” because businesses often have insurance is tone deaf to the point of being laughable .
Most businesses in lower-income areas can barely afford the premiums necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses — if they can afford it at all .
Many businesses are under-insured .
Nor is the recovery process effortless .
Months after businesses were torched in Minneapolis ’ riots , “ Just 20 % of all riot-related insurance claims have been paid so far.
” Moreover , insurance premiums are higher in areas where there is high risk of crime and looting .
Now , premiums will be even higher following the latest round of riots and looting .
This , is why businesses often tend to shut down and leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t just make a business owner ’ s problems go away .
Looting and rioting also signals to other businesses to stay away .
Over time , this means fewer businesses , fewer employers , and more urban blight .
It ’ s why after the 1977 blackout and looting in New York City countless businesses packed up shop and never returned .
These areas remained economically depressed for decades afterward .
Put another way , looting and riots lead to “ divestment ” in lower-income neighborhoods.3 Needless to say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And it only makes poverty worse for those who think they ’ re liberating themselves and others by ripping off iPhones and athletic shoes .
This goes beyond just the neighborhood level as well .
The recent looting in Chicago—even the looting in posh business districts—only serves to cut city-wide tax revenues : Those business don ’ t need to have locations in Chicago .
There are plenty of other markets in America where looting is much more rare or even non-existent .
So , many business may simply leave , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on infrastructure , public transportation , and social services .
In other words , it means less spending on just the sorts of programs and amenities that defenders of looting tend to want .
No , looting stores is not something about which we just shrug our shoulders and say “ golly gee , it ’ s just property .
No one got hurt .
Lighten up !
” Looting hurts lots of people : especially the poor , and especially those who do the most to bring capital , employment , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most famous case of this is the “ rooftop Koreans ” who defended their shops with handguns , rifles , and shotguns during the 1992 Los Angeles riots .
• 3.High risk neighborhoods are caught in a cycle of low capital investment thanks to the perceived risk .
As noted in an April 2019 story by National Public Radio : “ You have a cycle that kind of perpetuates that neighborhood being less friendly to business , ” says Spencer Cowan , the researcher who compiled the data .
“ Businesses don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stays depressed .
The job opportunities aren ’ t there in the neighborhood .
Businesses that are there don ’ t expand.
” Ryan McMaken ( @ ryanmcmaken ) is a senior editor at the Mises Institute .
Ryan has degrees in economics and political science from the University of Colorado and was a housing economist for the State of Colorado .
He is the author of Commie Cowboys : The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre .

by Ryan McMaken of Mises Institute
It’s now become fashionable on the Left to defend looting as a means of redistributing wealth from allegedly unworthy business owners to the more-deserving looters themselves.
“It’s just property!” is the refrain, with the implication being that property owners should not defend their property with coercive means—such as calling in the police or using privately-owned weapons against looters.1
This is the philosophy behind a recent declaration from a Black Lives Matter organizer. As the New York Post reported on August 11 :
“I don’t care if somebody decides to loot a Gucci’s or a Macy’s or a Nike because that makes sure that that person eats. That makes sure that that person has clothes,” [BLM organizer] Ariel Atkins said at a rally outside the South Loop police station Monday, local outlets reported. …“That’s a reparation,” Atkins said.
A more full apologia for looting now comes in the form of a new book titled In Defense of Looting by Vicky Osterweil, who identifies herself as “a writer, editor, and agitator based in Philadelphia.”
In an interview with National Public Radio, Osterweil states :
When I use the word looting, I mean the mass expropriation of property, mass shoplifting during a moment of upheaval or riot … …It tends to be an attack on a business, a commercial space, maybe a government building—taking those things that would otherwise be commodified and controlled and sharing them for free.
Osterweil then goes on to assert that looting is basically a poverty relief program, and it liberates the looters from having to work for a living:
It gets people what they need for free immediately, which means that they are capable of living and reproducing their lives without having to rely on jobs or a wage…
And most fundamentally of all, looting is an attack on private property itself. If only there were more looting, we could all “have things for free”:
[Looting] attacks the idea of property, and it attacks the idea that in order for someone to have a roof over their head or have a meal ticket, they have to work for a boss, in order to buy things that people just like them somewhere else in the world had to make under the same conditions. It points to the way in which that’s unjust. And the reason that the world is organized that way, obviously, is for the profit of the people who own the stores and the factories. So you get to the heart of that property relation, and demonstrate that without police and without state oppression, we can have things for free…
This sort of thing may seem convincing to those who prefer to live in the realm of pure theory. Big words like “commodify” and “oppression” might strike beginner-level dissidents as impressive. But once we start to look at the real-world details of how looting works, we quickly find that looting your local auto parts store or Nike outlet isn’t going to bring down Wall Street hedge funders any time soon. What it will do is hurt ordinary people who own businesses and work in shops that are targeted by looters. Moreover, once the smoke has cleared, we’ll find that low-income neighborhoods will suffer the most.
Specifically, there are three reasons why looting will only serve to hurt exactly the ordinary people for whom pro-looting advocates pretend to be champions.
One: Regular People Work at Looted Businesses
Retail stores provide jobs to ordinary working people, including those who lack formal education. What’s more, these jobs are often desirable jobs, offering a workplace that’s air conditioned, clean, and far safer that more dangerous jobs like driving a bus or working construction. This is especially true of high-end retail shops. But selling handbags and gadgets to rich clients doesn’t make the salesperson wealthy, even if it can provide a decent living.
When looters destroy these stores and remove their merchandise, among those most impacted are the ordinary staff members. Without any merchandise there’s nothing to sell. And with nothing to sell there’s no revenue that can be used to support a wage for the sales staff.
Looters may pat themselves on the back for “liberating” these workers from their “wage slavery,” but it’s unlikely the newly unemployed workers see things this way when they show up in the morning and find their place of employment torched and ransacked.
Two: Looting Victimizes Immigrant Families and Others Who Aren’t Exactly Members of the Ruling Class
Although many news stories about looting in recent weeks have focused on looting of high-end retail outlets in places like Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, the fact is looting more often occurs in neighborhoods where residents are working class or low-income.
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And in these neighborhoods, the owners of the local shops and small businesses tend to be immigrant families and other ordinary small-time entrepreneurs who are hardly members of the Wall Street elite. According to a report on entrepreneurship in low-income areas by the Small Business Administration, self-employed workers in low-income areas are “less likely to be U.S. citizens and English speakers” relative to other areas, and have less formal education. Higher proportions of the self-employed are black and Hispanic relative to other areas, as well. Moreover, “The vast majority of self-employed workers in low-income areas operate a business in their area of residence.”2 These business owners tend to face hardship themselves. Part of the reason they live and work in a low-income neighborhood is because they have relatively less access to working capital and business loans than people in higher-income neighborhoods.
Lower-income neighborhoods are not entirely without advantages. Competition is often less robust in lower-income neighborhoods, as many larger firms prefer to not take on the added risk of placing their offices and stores in these areas. This leaves more room for smaller independent firms where owners are more willing to take on the risk in exchange for lower rents, and lower up-front operating costs. The downside comes from the higher potential for crime, including robberies, looting, and vandalism. But because they have few other choices, many entrepreneurs in these areas choose to take their chances. When they are successful, they bring to their neighborhoods more employment, and greater access to goods and services for residents.
But it is precisely these immigrant-owned, minority-owned and family businesses that tend to be most victimized by looters.
Three: Looting Hurts Low-Income Neighborhoods the Most
Naturally, at the level of the independent business, looting can be disastrous for a business owners. The notion that looting is “no big deal” because businesses often have insurance is tone deaf to the point of being laughable. Most businesses in lower-income areas can barely afford the premiums necessary to cover the replacement value of their businesses — if they can afford it at all. Many businesses are under-insured. Nor is the recovery process effortless. Months after businesses were torched in Minneapolis’ riots, “Just 20% of all riot-related insurance claims have been paid so far.” Moreover, insurance premiums are higher in areas where there is high risk of crime and looting. Now, premiums will be even higher following the latest round of riots and looting.
This, is why businesses often tend to shut down and leave riot-affected neighborhoods after being looted. Insurance doesn’t just make a business owner’s problems go away. Looting and rioting also signals to other businesses to stay away.
Over time, this means fewer businesses, fewer employers, and more urban blight. It’s why after the 1977 blackout and looting in New York City countless businesses packed up shop and never returned. These areas remained economically depressed for decades afterward.
Put another way, looting and riots lead to “divestment” in lower-income neighborhoods.3
Needless to say, looting doesn’t help the situation. And it only makes poverty worse for those who think they’re liberating themselves and others by ripping off iPhones and athletic shoes.
This goes beyond just the neighborhood level as well. The recent looting in Chicago—even the looting in posh business districts—only serves to cut city-wide tax revenues:
“This downtown base of residents and business generates almost $2 billion for the City of Chicago,” [Magnificent Mile Association spokesman Adam] Skaf said. “If those types of retailers leave in the future, that leaves a huge hole in our tax base downtown and that affects the whole city.”
Those business don’t need to have locations in Chicago. There are plenty of other markets in America where looting is much more rare or even non-existent. So, many business may simply leave, and this means less tax revenue for spending on infrastructure, public transportation, and social services. In other words, it means less spending on just the sorts of programs and amenities that defenders of looting tend to want.
No, looting stores is not something about which we just shrug our shoulders and say “golly gee, it’s just property. No one got hurt. Lighten up!” Looting hurts lots of people: especially the poor, and especially those who do the most to bring capital, employment, and prosperity to lower-income neighborhoods.
1.Perhaps the most famous case of this is the “rooftop Koreans” who defended their shops with handguns, rifles, and shotguns during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
2.Maurice Kugler, Marios Michaelides, Neha Nanda, and Cassandra Agbayani, “Entrepreneurship in Low-Income Areas” (Columbia, MD: IMPAQ International, 2017) p.21-22
3.High risk neighborhoods are caught in a cycle of low capital investment thanks to the perceived risk. As noted in an April 2019 story by National Public Radio: “You have a cycle that kind of perpetuates that neighborhood being less friendly to business,” says Spencer Cowan, the researcher who compiled the data. “Businesses don’t get started. So employment stays depressed. The job opportunities aren’t there in the neighborhood. Businesses that are there don’t expand.”
Author:
Contact Ryan McMaken
Ryan McMaken (@ryanmcmaken) is a senior editor at the Mises Institute. Ryan has degrees in economics and political science from the University of Colorado and was a housing economist for the State of Colorado. He is the author of Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Sea of Red! NASDAQ Drops 5% As AAPL Nosedives 8% (125 Strike AAPL Calls Drop 89%!)

Do you remember a sea of red ?
Well , the Dow plunged 2.78 % today while the NASDAQ dropped 5 % .
Losses in benchmark indexes were brutal enough , getting to 6 % in the Nasdaq 100 , or about $ 730 billion erased .
In single-stock equity contracts they were downright existential , with some instruments wiped out in the space of a few hours .
Volumes in puts and especially calls has been exploding in recent weeks , much of it in the tiny lot sizes denoting individual traders .
While it ’ s never hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when markets tumble , and plenty of examples exist of well-timed puts , today ’ s losses were particularly harrowing for the longs .
A call with a $ 125 strike price on Apple Inc. shares , expiring tomorrow , plunged 89 % as shares sank 8 % to $ 121 .
A bullish wager for Tesla Inc. to reach $ 500 by Friday ’ s expiry lost 90 % as the stock dropped 9 % to $ 407 .
And a call on Zoom Video Communications Inc. with a strike price of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit $ 381 .
Now that is a steep AAPL vol surface !

by confoundedinterest17
Do you remember a sea of red?
Well, the Dow plunged 2.78% today while the NASDAQ dropped 5%.
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Losses in benchmark indexes were brutal enough, getting to 6% in the Nasdaq 100, or about $730 billion erased. In single-stock equity contracts they were downright existential, with some instruments wiped out in the space of a few hours. Volumes in puts and especially calls has been exploding in recent weeks, much of it in the tiny lot sizes denoting individual traders.
While it’s never hard to pick out staggering losses in options when markets tumble, and plenty of examples exist of well-timed puts, today’s losses were particularly harrowing for the longs. A call with a $125 strike price on Apple Inc. shares, expiring tomorrow, plunged 89% as shares sank 8% to $121. A bullish wager for Tesla Inc. to reach $500 by Friday’s expiry lost 90% as the stock dropped 9% to $407. And a call on Zoom Video Communications Inc. with a strike price of $420 became essentially worthless as shares hit $381.
Now that is a steep AAPL vol surface!


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--“I’m gonna be honest, Mr. Biden. I was told to go off this paper but I can’t.”

Community member at Biden meeting in Kenosha appears to have been given a scripted question : “ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Biden .
I was told to go off this paper but I can ’ @ @ @

Community member at Biden meeting in Kenosha appears to have been given a scripted question:
“I’m gonna be honest, Mr. Biden. I was told to go off this paper but I can’t.” pic.twitter.com/5daVBKK5PX
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 3, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--CHILDREN BEING TAKEN FROM SCHOOL AND SENT TO FEMA CAMP – ARKANSAS

Over the weekend 1 child tested “ positive ” .
Monday they reported that 23 children and staff were “ sent home ” to quarantine .
That is now up to 28 reported , who knows how many unreported .
What really happened is contact tracers decided who was lucky enough to go home .
The standard is one bedroom , one bathroom for every person in the house .
If you have more than that in your family they will take them .
14 children we know of have been taken from parents and sent to the FEMA camp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number comes from a count done by parents in the community who know of or are reporting their own children have been taken .
The school district was well aware of what they were going to do on that Monday .
They kept quiet , called in the brown shirts and let everyone drop their kids off that morning… This shit is real .
I live in this community and I know many of these families .
Dont send your kids to school .
They will end up in a FEMA camp .

Jacksonville, AR
Over the weekend 1 child tested “positive”. Monday they reported that 23 children and staff were “sent home” to quarantine. That is now up to 28 reported, who knows how many unreported.
What really happened is contact tracers decided who was lucky enough to go home. The standard is one bedroom, one bathroom for every person in the house. If you have more than that in your family they will take them.
14 children we know of have been taken from parents and sent to the FEMA camp being run outside of UAMS. That number comes from a count done by parents in the community who know of or are reporting their own children have been taken.
The school district was well aware of what they were going to do on that Monday. They kept quiet, called in the brown shirts and let everyone drop their kids off that morning…
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This shit is real. I live in this community and I know many of these families.
Dont send your kids to school. They will end up in a FEMA camp.
www.fox16.com/news/coronavirus/jnpsd-student-tests-positive-for-covid-19-four-teachers-and-23-students-under-quarantine/
www.fox13memphis.com/news/local/arkansas-national-guard-transporting-covid-19-patients-isolation-facility/M6QOEDIC4JEGLKO7L2AN4BVYDQ/
FA


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--U.S. opts out of WHO-linked global COVID-19 vaccine effort

The Trump administration is pulling U.S. officials from the headquarters of the World Health Organization , the multilateral agency leading @ @ @ @ @ cornavirus pandemic , even as cases in the United States climb above 6 million .
@ @ @ @ @ withdrawal from the WHO this summer , initiating a year-long process that will not go @ @ @ @ @ later on July 6 , 2021 .
But the State Department announced Thursday that the @ @ @ @ @ scale down its engagement , including “ recalling the Department of Health and Human Services @ @ @ @ @ WHO headquarters , regional offices , and country offices , and reassigning these experts.
” @ @ @ @ @ realDonaldTrump Administration continues to move forward with the United States ’ withdrawal from the @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday .
“ The WHO failed to adopt urgently needed reforms , starting with @ @ @ @ @ Chinese Communist Party .
”

The Trump administration is pulling U.S. officials from the headquarters of the World Health Organization, the multilateral agency leading the global fight against the cornavirus pandemic, even as cases in the United States climb above 6 million.
The U.S. officially announced its withdrawal from the WHO this summer, initiating a year-long process that will not go into effect until a year later on July 6, 2021. But the State Department announced Thursday that the U.S. is already beginning to scale down its engagement, including “recalling the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) detailees from WHO headquarters, regional offices, and country offices, and reassigning these experts.”
“Today, the @realDonaldTrump Administration continues to move forward with the United States’ withdrawal from the @WHO,” Secretary Pompeotweeted on Thursday. “The WHO failed to adopt urgently needed reforms, starting with demonstrating its independence from the Chinese Communist Party.”


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--$GOOG: Justice Dept. Plans to File Antitrust Charges Against Google in Coming Weeks

The Justice Department plans to bring an antitrust case against Google as soon as this month , after Attorney General William P. Barr overruled career lawyers who said they needed more time to build a strong case against one of the world ’ s wealthiest , most formidable technology companies , according to five people briefed on internal department conversations .
Justice Department officials told lawyers involved in the antitrust inquiry into Alphabet , the parent company of Google and YouTube , to wrap up their work by the end of September , according to three of the people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been working on the investigation opposed the deadline .
Some said they would not sign the complaint , and several of them left the case this summer .
Brianna Herlihy , a Justice Department spokeswoman , declined to comment on the continuing investigation .
Jose Castaneda , a spokesman for Google , said that the company would “ continue to engage with ongoing investigations ” and that its business practices enabled “ increased choice and competition.
” The Justice Department amassed powerful evidence of anticompetitive practices , three people said .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times slowed down the department ’ s work or drove a wedge among members of the team .
For nearly a year , dozens of Justice Department lawyers and other staff members worked in two groups , each overseeing a separate line of inquiry : Google ’ s dominance in search and its control over many aspects of the ecosystem for online advertising .
Google controls about 90 percent of web searches globally , and rivals have complained that the company extended its dominance by making its search and browsing tools defaults on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google also captures about one-third of every dollar spent on online advertising , and its ad tools are used to supply and auction ads that appear across the internet .
TL ; DR : Antitrust scrutiny of Big Tech seems to have picked up with Google in the Trump Administrations crosshairs .
Despite broad bipartisan support in Congress and amongst 50 state AGs , there seems to be some politicking , or at least the appearance of such , that could slow down the government ’ s case .
AG Barr wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of September .

www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/us/politics/google-antitrust-justice-department.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Key Excerpts:

The Justice Department plans to bring an antitrust case against Google as soon as this month, after Attorney General William P. Barr overruled career lawyers who said they needed more time to build a strong case against one of the world’s wealthiest, most formidable technology companies, according to five people briefed on internal department conversations. Justice Department officials told lawyers involved in the antitrust inquiry into Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, to wrap up their work by the end of September, according to three of the people. Most of the 40-odd lawyers who had been working on the investigation opposed the deadline. Some said they would not sign the complaint, and several of them left the case this summer.

Brianna Herlihy, a Justice Department spokeswoman, declined to comment on the continuing investigation. Jose Castaneda, a spokesman for Google, said that the company would “continue to engage with ongoing investigations” and that its business practices enabled “increased choice and competition.”

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The Justice Department amassed powerful evidence of anticompetitive practices, three people said. But the lawyers also described internal politics that at times slowed down the department’s work or drove a wedge among members of the team.

For nearly a year, dozens of Justice Department lawyers and other staff members worked in two groups, each overseeing a separate line of inquiry: Google’s dominance in search and its control over many aspects of the ecosystem for online advertising.

Google controls about 90 percent of web searches globally, and rivals have complained that the company extended its dominance by making its search and browsing tools defaults on phones with its Android operating system. Google also captures about one-third of every dollar spent on online advertising, and its ad tools are used to supply and auction ads that appear across the internet.

TL;DR: Antitrust scrutiny of Big Tech seems to have picked up with Google in the Trump Administrations crosshairs. Despite broad bipartisan support in Congress and amongst 50 state AGs, there seems to be some politicking, or at least the appearance of such, that could slow down the government’s case. AG Barr wants to file charge against Google by the end of September.
h/t superepicunicornturd


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Since I tweeted this central banks have bought another $1.4bn of bonds.

Since I tweeted this central banks have bought another $ 1.4bn of bonds .
t.co/Lil781RVtg

Since I tweeted this central banks have bought another $1.4bn of bonds. t.co/Lil781RVtg
— Robin Wigglesworth (@RobinWigg) September 3, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--So many people; such a small door…

So many people; such a small door…

After this year ’ s surge in high-growth stocks , two big exchange-traded funds tracking those companies are losing steam.Both @ @ @ @ @ Growth ETF ( VUG ) and the $ 10 billion iShares Core S & P @ @ @ @ @ ) posted their largest outflows on record last month , according…

So many people; such a small door… — Walter Deemer (@WalterDeemer) September 3, 2020
Today in history:
September 3rd marked the top in 1929 following a furious rally fueled by wild optimism, excessive retail speculative behavior and markets disconnecting far above the fundamentals of the economy. pic.twitter.com/bYinCAnljZ — Sven Henrich (@NorthmanTrader) September 3, 2020
As toppy as it gets. Financial conditions are flashing warning signal for stocks. Lowest level since the peak of the tech bubble. Prior lows also preceded or coincided with key market tops. Tech bust, GFC, EM crash and Volmageddon. pic.twitter.com/JHuY8Sb5Cd — Otavio (Tavi) Costa (@TaviCosta) September 3, 2020
Half the replies I get on Twitter are attempts to "adjust" valuations that now exceed 2000 & 1929 extremes, as if this is all ok. pic.twitter.com/NTvNYFkLaT — John P. Hussman (@hussmanjp) September 3, 2020
Fear back on complacent Wall St. Vix jumps by 17% above 30. pic.twitter.com/4sqiLqSvub — Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) September 3, 2020
After this year’s surge in high-growth stocks, two big exchange-traded funds tracking those companies are losing steam.Both the $65 billion Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) and the $10 billion iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) posted their largest outflows on record last month, according…
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investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Economic Confessions! US Natural Rate of Interest Hits All-time Low (Never Recovered From 2008 Finan

Economic Confessions! US Natural Rate of Interest Hits All-time Low (Never Recovered From 2008 Financial Crisis)

The global economy never recovered from the carnage created by the financial crisis of 2008 .
One measure that shows @ @ @ @ @ is the Laubach Williams “ Natural Rate of Interest ” or R-star which is now @ @ @ @ @ ( R-star is the real interest rate expected to prevail when the economy is operating @ @ @ @ @ , while the output gap measures the extent to which the economy is currently operating @ @ @ @ @ level . )
The natural rate of interest was crushed by the financial crisis ( @ @ @ @ @ ) and never recovered despite ample Fed intervention .
Economic confessions .
Note Creed Bratton @ @ @ @ @ on the left with his unplugged electric guitar .

by confoundedinterest17
The global economy never recovered from the carnage created by the financial crisis of 2008. One measure that shows how bad things have gotten is the Laubach Williams “Natural Rate of Interest” or R-star which is now at an all-time low. (R-star is the real interest rate expected to prevail when the economy is operating at its full sustainable level, while the output gap measures the extent to which the economy is currently operating above or below this sustainable level.)
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The natural rate of interest was crushed by the financial crisis (aka, subprime mortgage crisis) and never recovered despite ample Fed intervention.
Economic confessions. Note Creed Bratton of “The Office” on the left with his unplugged electric guitar.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--FAKE News Has Been Around for Thousands of Years

Many people claim that fake news is just something that Trump made up .
They fail to realize that fake news has been a major political tool for thousands of years .
The New York Times celebrated Joeseph Stalin as the future and cure for the Great Depression .
Their top journalist Duranty even convinced Roosevelt to recognize Russia .
The press has always been a major tool to create revolutions .
They were used by the Communists to pull off both the Russian and Chinese Revolutions .
The Obama administration appears to have begun this decline in American journalism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marxism ) to the media , but they actively targeted journalists who they viewed as anti-Democratic .
There is a pair of 2015 memos from the former Attorney General Eric Holder that reveal how the government used court orders under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISA ) to monitor the communications of journalists and news organizations .
These memos have surfaced ( the documents ) but most of the press never made it a major story .
Holder ’ s memos laid out the circumstances for processing FISA applications that target “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the media.
” You would think even the New York Times would be screaming – but as long as it applied to the non-liberal press , they were perfectly OK with that .
The New York Times journalist Walter Duranty on March 31 , 1933 , denounced reports of a famine .
They were so pro-Communism for they saw Marxism as the way to a new future .
It was Duranty who met with Roosevelt to convince him that Communism was working and to encourage his New Deal .
The mainstream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touting the Communists .
They wanted to hear of Utopia and so reported only what they wanted to believe as they are doing once again .
Perhaps the greatest of all fake news reporters was none other than Cicero ( 104-43 BC ) .
He was an Optimat and thus was against Julius Caesar ( 100-44 BC ) who was a member of the Populares — the people rather than the Oligarchs .
The leader of the Optimates was none other than Cato .
It was Plutarch who reported that when a friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lybra was due to rise next day , Cicero snapped – “ Yes , by edict.
” This is merely an example that the Optimates were constantly complaining about every reform Caesar would make .
Because of the fake news of Cicero , even Shakespeare bought into it and painted Julius Caesar as a ruthless dictator .
However , when Caesar crossed the Rubicon , the cities all cheered and opened their gates .
The Optimates had no support of the people for they were exploiting the Republic since they were the Oligarchs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Civil War .
Cicero paid not just with his life , but they cut off his hands and nailed his head on the Rostra in the Forum Romanum according to the tradition .
According to Cassius Dio , Marc Antony ’ s wife Fulvia took Cicero ’ s head , pulled out his tongue , and jabbed it repeatedly with her hairpin in an act of final revenge against Cicero ’ s power of speech .

by Martin Armstrong
Many people claim that fake news is just something that Trump made up. They fail to realize that fake news has been a major political tool for thousands of years. The New York Times celebrated Joeseph Stalin as the future and cure for the Great Depression. Their top journalist Duranty even convinced Roosevelt to recognize Russia.
The press has always been a major tool to create revolutions. They were used by the Communists to pull off both the Russian and Chinese Revolutions. The Obama administration appears to have begun this decline in American journalism by not only selling Utopian Economics (Marxism) to the media, but they actively targeted journalists who they viewed as anti-Democratic. There is a pair of 2015 memos from the former Attorney General Eric Holder that reveal how the government used court orders under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to monitor the communications of journalists and news organizations.
These memos have surfaced (the documents) but most of the press never made it a major story. Holder’s memos laid out the circumstances for processing FISA applications that target “known media entities” or “known members of the media.” You would think even the New York Times would be screaming – but as long as it applied to the non-liberal press, they were perfectly OK with that.
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The New York Times journalist Walter Duranty on March 31, 1933, denounced reports of a famine. They were so pro-Communism for they saw Marxism as the way to a new future. It was Duranty who met with Roosevelt to convince him that Communism was working and to encourage his New Deal. The mainstream press in the 1930s were very much touting the Communists. They wanted to hear of Utopia and so reported only what they wanted to believe as they are doing once again.
Perhaps the greatest of all fake news reporters was none other than Cicero (104-43 BC). He was an Optimat and thus was against Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) who was a member of the Populares — the people rather than the Oligarchs. The leader of the Optimates was none other than Cato. It was Plutarch who reported that when a friend of Cicero remarked that the constellation of Lybra was due to rise next day, Cicero snapped – “Yes, by edict.” This is merely an example that the Optimates were constantly complaining about every reform Caesar would make. Because of the fake news of Cicero, even Shakespeare bought into it and painted Julius Caesar as a ruthless dictator. However, when Caesar crossed the Rubicon, the cities all cheered and opened their gates. The Optimates had no support of the people for they were exploiting the Republic since they were the Oligarchs. It was Cato who instigated the Civil War.
Cicero paid not just with his life, but they cut off his hands and nailed his head on the Rostra in the Forum Romanum according to the tradition. According to Cassius Dio, Marc Antony’s wife Fulvia took Cicero’s head, pulled out his tongue, and jabbed it repeatedly with her hairpin in an act of final revenge against Cicero’s power of speech.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--California is too broke to pay its pensions, but now wants to explore paying “reparations” to black

California is too broke to pay its pensions, but now wants to explore paying “reparations” to black people who were never slaves

( Natural News ) With no extra money to spare , the state of California is still choosing to bypass the pressing needs of its own citizens with the creation of a new reparations task force , which will decide how much taxpayer cash to hand out for free to people with black skin whose ancestors may have been slaves .
In a bipartisan 33-3 vote , the state Senate voted overwhelmingly to create a study group , presumably led by blacks , to determine how much money needs to be stolen from white people and redistributed in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a state where black people have never even been enslaved .
“ Let ’ s be clear : Chattel slavery , both in California and across our nation , birthed a legacy of racial harm and inequity that continues to impact the conditions of black life in California , ” stated Democrat Sen. Holly Mitchell , a black woman who currently receives paychecks from taxpayers while holding public office .
The move comes just two weeks after Duke University economist William Darity Jr. and wife Kirsten Mullen released a report they co-authored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be handed out to people with dark skin .
If enacted , the plan , written for The Roosevelt Institute , would distribute upwards of $ 800,000 to every black household in America .
The final total , it further explains , would amount to somewhere between $ 10- $ 12 trillion , all of which would come from American taxpayers , many of whom have light skin .
“ [ The ] U.S. government – the culpable party – must pay the debt , ” the report insists .
“ Ultimately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as citizens – and acknowledgment , redress , and closure for the history and financial hardship they have endured – requires monetary compensation.
” Fake black Kamala Harris says reparations are needed for blacks to “ heal ” from “ undiagnosed and untreated trauma ” Vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris , an Indian woman who is pretending to be black , and whose ancestors owned slaves , is fully on board with the reparations plan .
During a recent interview , Kamala explained that reparations are a necessary gesture to help black people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and untreated trauma ” that they have had to endure as a result of America ’ s “ dark history.
” “ We can discuss what that is , but look , we ’ re looking at more than 200 years of slavery , ” Kamala has stated , failing to mention that her own ancestors became filthy rich on the backs of slaves who worked her family ’ s sugar plantations in Jamaica .
“ We ’ re looking at almost a hundred years of Jim Crow .
We ’ re looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , segregation on so many levels that exists today , based on race .
And there has not been any kind of intervention done understanding the harm and the damage that occurred to correct course , and so we are seeing the effects of all those years play out still today.
” Kamala has given numerous interviews in which she indicated that blacks deserve “ some type of ” reparations , though she is usually vague on the details .
However , she seems to fully support the notion that black people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of opportunity for success , ” and that the only solution is to rob whites and give their hard-earned money to blacks .
“ No slaves are living ( so ) no money due , ” wrote one Breitbart News commenter .
“ Integrate into America or depart it and return to your homeland where a black ( put African country here ) sold you into slavery.
” “ Their tactic is to overwhelm the system – until it all crashes down , ” wrote another .
For more related news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part due to black pandering , visit Collapse.news and Collapsifornia.com .

by: Ethan Huff
(Natural News) With no extra money to spare, the state of California is still choosing to bypass the pressing needs of its own citizens with the creation of a new reparations task force, which will decide how much taxpayer cash to hand out for free to people with black skin whose ancestors may have been slaves.
In a bipartisan 33-3 vote, the state Senate voted overwhelmingly to create a study group, presumably led by blacks, to determine how much money needs to be stolen from white people and redistributed in order to achieve “social justice” throughout California, a state where black people have never even been enslaved.
“Let’s be clear: Chattel slavery, both in California and across our nation, birthed a legacy of racial harm and inequity that continues to impact the conditions of black life in California,” stated Democrat Sen. Holly Mitchell, a black woman who currently receives paychecks from taxpayers while holding public office.
The move comes just two weeks after Duke University economist William Darity Jr. and wife Kirsten Mullen released a report they co-authored that suggests $12 trillion in reparations be handed out to people with dark skin.
If enacted, the plan, written for The Roosevelt Institute, would distribute upwards of $800,000 to every black household in America. The final total, it further explains, would amount to somewhere between $10-$12 trillion, all of which would come from American taxpayers, many of whom have light skin.
“[The] U.S. government – the culpable party – must pay the debt,” the report insists. “Ultimately, respect for black Americans as people and as citizens – and acknowledgment, redress, and closure for the history and financial hardship they have endured – requires monetary compensation.”
Fake black Kamala Harris says reparations are needed for blacks to “heal” from “undiagnosed and untreated trauma”
Vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, an Indian woman who is pretending to be black, and whose ancestors owned slaves, is fully on board with the reparations plan.
During a recent interview, Kamala explained that reparations are a necessary gesture to help black people “heal” from the “undiagnosed and untreated trauma” that they have had to endure as a result of America’s “dark history.”
“We can discuss what that is, but look, we’re looking at more than 200 years of slavery,” Kamala has stated, failing to mention that her own ancestors became filthy rich on the backs of slaves who worked her family’s sugar plantations in Jamaica.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
“We’re looking at almost a hundred years of Jim Crow. We’re looking at legalized segregation and, in fact, segregation on so many levels that exists today, based on race. And there has not been any kind of intervention done understanding the harm and the damage that occurred to correct course, and so we are seeing the effects of all those years play out still today.”
Kamala has given numerous interviews in which she indicated that blacks deserve “some type of” reparations, though she is usually vague on the details. However, she seems to fully support the notion that black people are “not all living on equal ground in terms of opportunity for success,” and that the only solution is to rob whites and give their hard-earned money to blacks.
“No slaves are living (so) no money due,” wrote one Breitbart News commenter. “Integrate into America or depart it and return to your homeland where a black (put African country here) sold you into slavery.”
“Their tactic is to overwhelm the system – until it all crashes down,” wrote another.
For more related news about how America is collapsing in large part due to black pandering, visit Collapse.news and Collapsifornia.com.
Sources for this article include:
NaturalNews.com
Breitbart.com
NaturalNews.com
Breitbart.com


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--The Two Towers (Of Volatility): VIX, TYVIX And The Federal Reserve’s Reaction Function (M2 Growing A

The Two Towers (Of Volatility): VIX, TYVIX And The Federal Reserve’s Reaction Function (M2 Growing At 23.3% YoY)

Stock market volatility ( CBOE S & P 500 VIX index ) and the US 10-year Treasury note volatility are @ @ @ @ @ spike .
During the financial crisis , The Fed launched QE1 to combat a declining @ @ @ @ @ massive intervention in 2020 with QE Infinity .
The spread between the VIX and the @ @ @ @ @ most in 5 years .
The Fed is currently printing money ( M2 ) at @ @ @ @ @ YoY .
Powell has his money cannon firing away on fully auto .

by confoundedinterest17
Stock market volatility (CBOE S&P 500 VIX index) and the US 10-year Treasury note volatility are subdued after the recent Corona spike. During the financial crisis, The Fed launched QE1 to combat a declining economy. They repeated the massive intervention in 2020 with QE Infinity.
The spread between the VIX and the S&P500 rose the most in 5 years.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The Fed is currently printing money (M2) at a rate of 23.3% YoY.
Asset bubble anyone?
Powell has his money cannon firing away on fully auto.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Amazon Drone Deliveries: The Greatest Threat To Privacy Americans Have Ever Seen

Americans have not seen a greater threat to our privacy than the move towards drone deliveries .
This includes Amazon Ring doorbells surveilling families and neighborhoods under the guise of public safety a few years ago .
According to an article in the LA Times , the FAA can not wait for Amazon to use drones to deliver packages to households across the country .
Amazon joins a growing list of companies using drones to deliver packages to Americans .
It has become commonplace for the mass media to pander to Big Tech .
In fact the LA Times went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliveries .
One thing became clear after reading approximately 10 news articles about the FAA approving Amazon ’ s drone delivery fleet .
Not a single news article would address the giant elephant in the room : Privacy .
Drone deliveries threaten the privacy of EVERYONE .
What will happen to Americans privacy once private companies begin flying down our streets ?
Drones will fly over people ’ s yards while voyeuristic pilots invade everyone ’ s privacy .
Was someone taking a shower or getting undressed in their window ?
Don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video of it .
Was someone sunbathing in their backyard ?
Amazon will know .
If someone is smoking marijuana in their home or yard , Amazon will know .
When someone is looking at porn on the computer and it ’ s facing a window , Amazon will know .
The list of how delivery drones will destroy everyone ’ s privacy is nearly endless .
Why would a federal agency be excited to let corporations create drone delivery fleets , besides the obvious privacy concerns ?
There are two obvious reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one , once the public accepts delivery drones flying over their homes , law enforcement drones will surely follow .
How long will it take for law enforcement to insist that the FAA allow them to fly drones over people ’ s homes and backyards , for public safety ?
How long will it take law enforcement to equip those drones with facial recognition/thermal imaging and license plate readers ?
The second reason why the FAA is so excited about drone deliveries is an easy one .
It allows law enforcement to subpoena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would not be surprised to find out that law enforcement has backdoor access to drone delivery footage .
Delivery companies will be morally bound to report suspicious or illegal activity to law enforcement , essentially turning drone delivery pilots into agents of the state .
Is that drone delivery pilot spying on you ?
Most definitely .
Is that drone delivery pilot recording everything they see ?
Most assuredly .
Is that drone delivery pilot reporting what they see to law enforcement ?
Most certainly .
Is the FAA using drone delivery companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Unquestionably .
Is this the future of America ?
Undoubtedly , unless we stop drone deliveries now !

by mapi
Americans have not seen a greater threat to our privacy than the move towards drone deliveries. This includes Amazon Ring doorbells surveilling families and neighborhoods under the guise of public safety a few years ago.
According to an article in the LA Times, the FAA cannot wait for Amazon to use drones to deliver packages to households across the country.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
“This certification is an important step forward for Prime Air and indicates the FAA’s confidence in Amazon’s operating and safety procedures for an autonomous drone delivery service that will one day deliver packages to our customers around the world,” David Carbon, an Amazon vice president who oversees Prime Air, said in a statement.
Amazon joins a growing list of companies using drones to deliver packages to Americans.
“Wing, with partners Walgreens and FedEx Corp., has been conducting limited drone deliveries under a similar FAA approval in Virginia since last year. UPS flies medical supplies within a hospital campus in Raleigh, N.C. Other smaller companies and start-ups are also seeking expanded FAA approvals.”
It has become commonplace for the mass media to pander to Big Tech. In fact the LA Times went out of its way to praise drone deliveries.
“Amazon and other companies hoping to revolutionize the retail world with drones have made significant strides in recent years. They’ve invented new devices and shown, at least on a limited scale, that they’re capable of flying relatively long distances and carrying the payloads necessary for packages.”
One thing became clear after reading approximately 10 news articles about the FAA approving Amazon’s drone delivery fleet. Not a single news article would address the giant elephant in the room: Privacy.
Amazon Air wants to hire drone pilots
Drone deliveries threaten the privacy of EVERYONE.
What will happen to Americans privacy once private companies begin flying down our streets? Drones will fly over people’s yards while voyeuristic pilots invade everyone’s privacy. Was someone taking a shower or getting undressed in their window? Don’t worry, Amazon will have real-time video of it. Was someone sunbathing in their backyard? Amazon will know.
If someone is smoking marijuana in their home or yard, Amazon will know. When someone is looking at porn on the computer and it’s facing a window, Amazon will know. The list of how delivery drones will destroy everyone’s privacy is nearly endless.
Why would a federal agency be excited to let corporations create drone delivery fleets, besides the obvious privacy concerns?
There are two obvious reasons that come to mind.
Reason number one, once the public accepts delivery drones flying over their homes, law enforcement drones will surely follow.
How long will it take for law enforcement to insist that the FAA allow them to fly drones over people’s homes and backyards, for public safety? How long will it take law enforcement to equip those drones with facial recognition/thermal imaging and license plate readers?
The second reason why the FAA is so excited about drone deliveries is an easy one. It allows law
enforcement to subpoena drone footage from delivery companies. I would not be surprised to find out that law enforcement has backdoor access to drone delivery footage.
We have already seen how Amazon’s Ring doorbell service has created a network of neighborhood spies while working hand-in-hand with local law enforcement.
Delivery companies will be morally bound to report suspicious or illegal activity to law enforcement, essentially turning drone delivery pilots into agents of the state.
Is that drone delivery pilot spying on you? Most definitely. Is that drone delivery pilot recording everything they see? Most assuredly. Is that drone delivery pilot reporting what they see to law enforcement? Most certainly.
Is the FAA using drone delivery companies as a tool to advance public surveillance? Unquestionably. Is this the future of America? Undoubtedly, unless we stop drone deliveries now!


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--If Central Bank economics doesn’t make your eyes glaze over, this VIDEO explains the CB plan now und

If Central Bank economics doesn’t make your eyes glaze over, this VIDEO explains the CB plan now underway to push inflation, install cashless system, take your principal

Lynette discusses how the Fed has been unable to hit their 2 % inflation target , but she says , “ The Fed is getting prepared because they expect to lose control of inflation soon.
” The Fed plans to quietly introduce a cashless system with an 18 step plan early in 2021 .
This new system will enable the Fed to deposit money directly and will give them absolute control of their policies .
This coming UBI stimulus scheme will be the fuel that starts hyperinflation fire since we are a consumer-driven economy ; they have to get us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very convenient for central bankers as it provides an excuse for all the systemic problems .
The data shows that this is a lie since numerous indicators were foretelling a recession .
The fiat monetary system today is a con game .
A reset of the financial system is coming , but quite likely , only sovereign debts will be forgiven , not individuals .
We should be prepared for the worst-case since , during resets , currencies usually get adjusted several times before the process is over .
Those countries with gold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be in a much better position during a financial reset .
Gold is severely undervalued today and heavily leveraged in paper equivalents on exchanges like the Comex .
Futures traders are now standing for delivery , and these exchanges are running out .
When they no longer have the physical gold , we will see fireworks .
Time Stamp References : 0:40 – Thoughts on the Fed annoucement .
2:45 – Moving to a cashless system .
15:00 – Blame it on the pandemic .
21:25 – Fiat by decree and inflation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ – Why Canada will be in trouble .
40:30 – Money velocity and savings .
41:50 – Revaluing currency against gold .
46:10 – ITM Trading .

Lynette discusses how the Fed has been unable to hit their 2% inflation target, but she says, “The Fed is getting prepared because they expect to lose control of inflation soon.” The Fed plans to quietly introduce a cashless system with an 18 step plan early in 2021. This new system will enable the Fed to deposit money directly and will give them absolute control of their policies. This coming UBI stimulus scheme will be the fuel that starts hyperinflation fire since we are a consumer-driven economy; they have to get us to consume.
This pandemic crisis is very convenient for central bankers as it provides an excuse for all the systemic problems. The data shows that this is a lie since numerous indicators were foretelling a recession. The fiat monetary system today is a con game.
A reset of the financial system is coming, but quite likely, only sovereign debts will be forgiven, not individuals. We should be prepared for the worst-case since, during resets, currencies usually get adjusted several times before the process is over. Those countries with gold (ie, not Canada) will be in a much better position during a financial reset.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Gold is severely undervalued today and heavily leveraged in paper equivalents on exchanges like the Comex. Futures traders are now standing for delivery, and these exchanges are running out. When they no longer have the physical gold, we will see fireworks.
Time Stamp References:
0:40 – Thoughts on the Fed annoucement.
2:45 – Moving to a cashless system.
15:00 – Blame it on the pandemic.
21:25 – Fiat by decree and inflation.
25:20 – Currency reset predictions.
32:40 – Why Canada will be in trouble.
40:30 – Money velocity and savings.
41:50 – Revaluing currency against gold.
46:10 – ITM Trading.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--100 Common Medications Linked To Thinking, Memory Problems

MINNEAPOLIS , Minn. — A new study is sounding the alarm for patients taking dozens of common prescription and over-the-counter @ @ @ @ @ a particular class of drug , anticholinergics , increases the risk of developing mild thinking @ @ @ @ @ study shows there are around 100 of these types of drugs in widespread use .
@ @ @ @ @ colds , to high blood pressure , to depression .
The study in Neurology finds @ @ @ @ @ factors for Alzheimer ’ s disease are particularly susceptible to these issues .
Overall , @ @ @ @ @ cognitive issues are 47 percent more likely to develop a mental impairment if they ’ @ @ @ @ @ anticholinergic drug .
“ Our findings suggest that reducing the use of anticholinergic drugs before @ @ @ @ @ may be an important way to prevent the negative consequences of these drugs on thinking @ @ @ @ @ who have an elevated risk of developing Alzheimer ’ s disease , ” study author @ @ @ @ @ of California , San Diego says in a press release .

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A new study is sounding the alarm for patients taking dozens of common prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Researchers find taking a particular class of drug, anticholinergics, increases the risk of developing mild thinking and memory problems.
The study shows there are around 100 of these types of drugs in widespread use. These medications treat everything from colds, to high blood pressure, to depression.
The study in Neurology finds that people with genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are particularly susceptible to these issues. Overall, scientists reveal patients with no cognitive issues are 47 percent more likely to develop a mental impairment if they’re taking at least one anticholinergic drug.
“Our findings suggest that reducing the use of anticholinergic drugs before people develop any cognitive problems may be an important way to prevent the negative consequences of these drugs on thinking skills, especially for people who have an elevated risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” study author Lisa Delano-Wood from the University of California, San Diego says in a press release.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Tucker Carlson: The WHO say Covid19 isn’t about a virus, it’s about changing our society, about glob

Tucker Carlson: The WHO say Covid19 isn’t about a virus, it’s about changing our society, about global warming and Bill Gates agrees.

Breaking : The WHO say Covid19 isn ’ t about a virus , it ’ s about changing our society @ @ @ @ @ # coronavirusuk # coronavirus # vaccine pic.twitter.com/5oG7IjEIeU Tucker Carlson had 4.9 million viewers for his @ @ @ @ @ most watched NBA game of the night had 2.8 million viewers .

Breaking: The WHO say Covid19 isn’t about a virus, it’s about changing our society. #COVID__19 #COVID #coronavirusuk #coronavirus #vaccine pic.twitter.com/5oG7IjEIeU
Tucker Carlson had 4.9 million viewers for his Monday night show.
The most watched NBA game of the night had 2.8 million viewers.
The numbers aren't even close. America loves Tucker.
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) September 2, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Court rules NSA phone snooping illegal — after 7-year delay

The National Security Agency program that swept up details on billions of Americans ’ phone calls was illegal and possibly @ @ @ @ @ court ruled Wednesday .
However , the unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court @ @ @ @ @ the so-called telephone metadata program played in a criminal terror-fundraising case against four Somali immigrants @ @ @ @ @ did not undermine their convictions .
The long-awaited decision is a victory for prosecutors , @ @ @ @ @ court ’ s opinion could be viewed as a rebuke of sorts to officials who @ @ @ @ @ to the case involving Basaaly Moalin and three other men found guilty by a San @ @ @ @ @ charges of fundraising for Al-Shabaab .

The National Security Agency program that swept up details on billions of Americans’ phone calls was illegal and possibly unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
However, the unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the role the so-called telephone metadata program played in a criminal terror-fundraising case against four Somali immigrants was so minor that it did not undermine their convictions.
The long-awaited decision is a victory for prosecutors, but some language in the court’s opinion could be viewed as a rebuke of sorts to officials who defended the snooping by pointing to the case involving Basaaly Moalin and three other men found guilty by a San Diego jury in 2013 on charges of fundraising for Al-Shabaab.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Did Joe Biden just threaten America with MORE violence if President Trump is reelected?

( Natural News ) One of the most underreported aspects of the current violence , unrest and chaos that continues night after night in major cities across America is the fact that the people creating the mayhem all have the same message : Revolution .
Now , most Americans will dismiss such calls as nothing more than empty rhetoric being shouted by a small minority of people , and in a country of 330 million , it ’ s not something to worry about .
After all , Leftists were shouting ‘ Revolution !
’ in the streets in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we still have the same form of government our founders bequeathed us .
Well , there are some distinct differences between the 1960s mayhem and what ’ s going on today : The chaos is the result of the same Marxist/Leninist anarchist political ideology of 50 years ago , but back then the Democratic Party , while more liberal than the Republican Party , at least favored policies like : — Law and order ( Richard Nixon won on this platform by a landslide in 1968 ) ; Today ’ s Democratic Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those principles .
Because it ’ s not the Kennedys ’ party any longer , it ’ s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ’ s party , which means the violence we are seeing is only going to get worse because what she wants is the same thing the radical Leftists who comprise the lawless base of Antifa and Black Lives Matter want .
We ’ ve seen this transition coming .
Once ‘ AOC ’ was elected , along with her ‘ Squad , ’ we knew that the old Democratic Party with its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a thing of the past .
And Joe Biden , who has stumbled and mumbled his way into becoming the party ’ s 2020 presidential contender , will only ensure that the radical Leftist revolutionaries have the power of the White House behind them if he wins in November .
We already know what ’ s in store : More radicalism and more chaos .
Biden , or whoever is running his Twitter account , posted this not-so-cryptic message recently .
( Related : Biden blames Trump for BLM , Antifa violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condemned this monster created by the left . )
“ Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected ?
” Biden ’ s account said ( Biden can ’ t speak sensibly in public for very long ; what makes anyone think he ’ s writing his own tweets ? )
.
Was that a threat that more destabilizing violence is on the way if President Trump gets reelected ?
Sure it was .
And it was meant to scare Americans into casting a ballot for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience peace .
But think : The violence taking place right now is occurring in Democrat-run cities , and many of the mayors and city councils who run them are extremely Left-wing .
That is especially true of Mayors Jenny Durkan in Seattle and Ted Wheeler in Portland — and yet the Antifa/BLM anarchists are still creating unrest , breaking into stores , lighting fires in the streets , killing political opponents and rioting .
What makes anyone believe the violence in America will stop if Biden is elected ?
It won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ‘ revolution ’ being played out in chaotic Democrat cities like St. Louis , New York City , L.A. , Portland , and Seattle .
In fact , Wheeler the lib has been under assault so badly at his own apartment that he ’ s moving — as if that will stop the mob from following him and continually disturbing his peace again and again and again .
Here ’ s what ’ s happening : The Marxist , militant Left funded by billionaire instigators like George Soros sees an opening for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using the Democratic Party as a base of operations .
They don ’ t really believe in the Democratic Party or its principles and view it as being just as ‘ corrupt ’ and tied to the capitalist system they seek to destroy as the GOP .
That ’ s how they can vote for Democrats and still attack guys like Wheeler , who knows that ‘ defunding the police ’ can never be a real thing .
But the other problem these Democrat enablers have is this : They can no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Violence is here to stay whether Trump wins or not .
The Marxists need the Democrats for now but they don ’ t really want to become Democrats .
Because they ’ re Marxists .
The difference is , Trump will put his boot in rioters ’ rear ends and Biden won ’ t .

by: JD Heyes
(Natural News) One of the most underreported aspects of the current violence, unrest and chaos that continues night after night in major cities across America is the fact that the people creating the mayhem all have the same message: Revolution.
Now, most Americans will dismiss such calls as nothing more than empty rhetoric being shouted by a small minority of people, and in a country of 330 million, it’s not something to worry about.
After all, Leftists were shouting ‘Revolution!’ in the streets in the 1960s too, and nothing changed; we still have the same form of government our founders bequeathed us.
Well, there are some distinct differences between the 1960s mayhem and what’s going on today: The chaos is the result of the same Marxist/Leninist anarchist political ideology of 50 years ago, but back then the Democratic Party, while more liberal than the Republican Party, at least favored policies like:
— Law and order (Richard Nixon won on this platform by a landslide in 1968);
— Fully funding police departments;
— Punishment where warranted;
— Prosecution of lawbreakers;
— Jail terms for the guilty.
Today’s Democratic Party, however, does not embrace any of those principles. Because it’s not the Kennedys’ party any longer, it’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s party, which means the violence we are seeing is only going to get worse because what she wants is the same thing the radical Leftists who comprise the lawless base of Antifa and Black Lives Matter want.
We’ve seen this transition coming. Once ‘AOC’ was elected, along with her ‘Squad,’ we knew that the old Democratic Party with its socially conservative “blue dog” faction was a thing of the past.
And Joe Biden, who has stumbled and mumbled his way into becoming the party’s 2020 presidential contender, will only ensure that the radical Leftist revolutionaries have the power of the White House behind them if he wins in November.
We already know what’s in store: More radicalism and more chaos.
Biden, or whoever is running his Twitter account, posted this not-so-cryptic message recently. (Related: Biden blames Trump for BLM, Antifa violence even though not a single Democrat has condemned this monster created by the left.)
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“Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected?” Biden’s account said (Biden can’t speak sensibly in public for very long; what makes anyone think he’s writing his own tweets?).
Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected? — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 31, 2020
Was that a threat that more destabilizing violence is on the way if President Trump gets reelected? Sure it was. And it was meant to scare Americans into casting a ballot for Biden — so the country can finally experience peace.
But think: The violence taking place right now is occurring in Democrat-run cities, and many of the mayors and city councils who run them are extremely Left-wing.
That is especially true of Mayors Jenny Durkan in Seattle and Ted Wheeler in Portland — and yet the Antifa/BLM anarchists are still creating unrest, breaking into stores, lighting fires in the streets, killing political opponents and rioting.
What makes anyone believe the violence in America will stop if Biden is elected?
It won’t; we’re already seeing the ‘revolution’ being played out in chaotic Democrat cities like St. Louis, New York City, L.A., Portland, and Seattle.
In fact, Wheeler the lib has been under assault so badly at his own apartment that he’s moving — as if that will stop the mob from following him and continually disturbing his peace again and again and again.
This is the email Portland mayor @tedwheeler sent to residents at his NW Portland condo after antifa attacked the building in a riot & tried to burn it down. He simply announces he will move, rather than end the rioting. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/rK5nPQPtj3 — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 2, 2020
Here’s what’s happening: The Marxist, militant Left funded by billionaire instigators like George Soros sees an opening for real radical revolutionary change and they are using the Democratic Party as a base of operations. They don’t really believe in the Democratic Party or its principles and view it as being just as ‘corrupt’ and tied to the capitalist system they seek to destroy as the GOP. That’s how they can vote for Democrats and still attack guys like Wheeler, who knows that ‘defunding the police’ can never be a real thing.
But the other problem these Democrat enablers have is this: They can no longer stop the Marxist mobs they helped create.
Violence is here to stay whether Trump wins or not. The Marxists need the Democrats for now but they don’t really want to become Democrats. Because they’re Marxists.
The difference is, Trump will put his boot in rioters’ rear ends and Biden won’t.
Sources include:
FoxNews.com
DailyWire.com
NaturalNews.com


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Ken Rigg’s Letter On Trends In Commercial Real Estate (Industrial Best, Hotel & Retail Worst, Office

Ken Rigg’s Letter On Trends In Commercial Real Estate (Industrial Best, Hotel & Retail Worst, Office In The Middle)

My former University of Chicago MBA students Ken Riggs penned this nice analysis of the current state of the commercial real estate market .
Ken is Vice Chairman of RERC ( Real Estate Research Corporation ) in Des Moines , Iowa .
Since 1983 , RERC has conducted surveys among institutional-class investors , appraisers and brokers , likely the longest continually running survey in the CRE industry .
The survey is conducted every quarter and asks the industry ’ s top professionals a series of quantitative and qualitative questions to gain a comprehensive view of what is happening in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survey asks our respondents about which of the four main property types will perform the best and worst over the upcoming four quarters .
Respondents are also asked to rate several alternative property types on how they will fare over the upcoming four quarters .
RERC integrates these expert opinions into the following outlooks for the property types .
Best Property Type Over the Next Four Quarters : Industrial Subtypes to Watch : Warehouse and Data Center The investment in warehouse over the years has shifted dramatically from the smaller traditional warehouses located @ @ @ @ @ @ @ logistic last-mile delivery behemoths .
As we all know , technology has changed consumer shopping behavior by enabling consumers to purchase items online .
The pandemic has only intensified this trend .
The advanced retail estimates for July indicated a 24.7 % increase in online shopping YoY , and this has propelled the logistics industry into hyperdrive .
The positive performance of these large distribution centers makes them the darlings of the market , as all major investor groups have vastly increased their capital spending in the subtype .
RERC survey respondents overwhelmingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the next four quarters .
But consumers ’ connections to their Amazon accounts is not just downstream logistics .
The link between Amazon and consumers is through data centers , another supercharged property subtype .
The move to cloud computing was fueling demand for data centers way before we heard of COVID-19 .
According to Forbes , global internet usage has increased by as much as 70 % since the pandemic broke out .
As people continue to work from home , engage in online learning , and use videoconferencing and video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for data centers will continue to grow .
Worst Property Type Over the Next Four Quarters : Hotel Not Far Behind : Retail Talking about being knocked to your knees !
The hotel sector was beginning to face strong headwinds before the start of 2020 as supply was chugging along too fast for the demand .
This imbalance or risk was reflected in RERC institutional cap rates for the sector , which started rising in 3Q 2019 .
COVID-19 exacerbated these problems – air travel plummeted in March before finally increasing in June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of pre-pandemic levels .
With many companies banning nonessential travel , however , the there will continue to be much less business travel than pre-COVID-19 .
For retail , the hits keep coming .
The already bruised sector is being walloped by the pandemic ; institutional investors identified retail as one of the sectors to watch closely beyond the next four quarters .
Since the outbreak of the virus , at least 25 major retailers have filed for bankruptcy .
As many as 25,000 stores are expected to close in the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the short term , it will be difficult to backfill the vacancies .
Many Class B and Class C malls will never recoup the losses .
Sector to Watch over the Next Year : Office COVID-19 ’ s new realities are starting to take shape .
We did not initially think about potential structural changes to the office sector , but COVID-19 is redefining where and how people want to work and play .
Analysts disagree about the outlook for office space demand , particularly in the dense CBD areas .
Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector disruptions will continue until a vaccine is developed and people feel safe returning to the workplace .
A PwC survey conducted in early June found that only 47 % of employees believe that improved safety measures , such as wearing masks or reconfiguring layouts to allow for social distancing , would make them feel comfortable returning to work .
However , it ’ s not easy to social distance while getting to work , especially if your only option is public transportation .
The big question is whether structural changes in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communicate through technology and work from home , will pose dangers for long-term demand in the sector .
A significant portion of the U.S. ’ largest corporations , including Facebook and Google , plan to continue working entirely from remote locations until at least the middle of 2021 .
Though the requirement to return to the office may be at the whim of the CEO , there seems to be incentive for employers to allow remote working in the long term , even if on a partial basis .
An international study of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has increased 48.5 minutes since the pandemic broke out .
Even if demand for office space returns in the long term , there will likely be stark differences based on geography ( e.g.
, urban vs. suburban ) and tenant makeup , which means that cash flow analysis becomes much more important in valuations .
It is all about the forecasted cash flow and a buyer ’ s or seller ’ s confidence about forecasting revenues and expenses .
The trick is figuring out the revenue side , especially for hotels and retail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital costs are not far behind in being able to confidently forecast net operating income or net cash flow .
This is why we are seeing the huge bid-ask spread .
Strong property types with solid cash flows are in strong demand or hold positions , and unless you offer a large premium , why sell ?
Conversely , for retail and hotel there is no confidence about the future cash flows .
Unless you offer up a very distressed price , why should I buy ?
We have yet to see the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the extend and pretend can only last so long .
Let ’ s see if Sam Zell reaffirms his legacy as the Grave Dancer once the market has to face realities and stand on its own without being propped up by the government .
Note : Office inventory in Washington DC is second only to “ Escape From … ” New York .
Chicago is third .

by confoundedinterest17
My former University of Chicago MBA students Ken Riggs penned this nice analysis of the current state of the commercial real estate market. Ken is Vice Chairman of RERC (Real Estate Research Corporation) in Des Moines, Iowa.
August 27, 2020
By: Ken Riggs, Vice Chair
Lucas Kane, Analyst
RERC
Since 1983, RERC has conducted surveys among institutional-class investors, appraisers and brokers, likely the longest continually running survey in the CRE industry. The survey is conducted every quarter and asks the industry’s top professionals a series of quantitative and qualitative questions to gain a comprehensive view of what is happening in the private markets. One component of the survey asks our respondents about which of the four main property types will perform the best and worst over the upcoming four quarters. Respondents are also asked to rate several alternative property types on how they will fare over the upcoming four quarters. RERC integrates these expert opinions into the following outlooks for the property types.
Best Property Type Over the Next Four Quarters: Industrial
Subtypes to Watch: Warehouse and Data Center
The investment in warehouse over the years has shifted dramatically from the smaller traditional warehouses located in clusters in major metropolitan areas to logistic last-mile delivery behemoths. As we all know, technology has changed consumer shopping behavior by enabling consumers to purchase items online. The pandemic has only intensified this trend. The advanced retail estimates for July indicated a 24.7% increase in online shopping YoY, and this has propelled the logistics industry into hyperdrive. The positive performance of these large distribution centers makes them the darlings of the market, as all major investor groups have vastly increased their capital spending in the subtype. RERC survey respondents overwhelmingly chose industrial as the best property type over the next four quarters.
But consumers’ connections to their Amazon accounts is not just downstream logistics. The link between Amazon and consumers is through data centers, another supercharged property subtype. The move to cloud computing was fueling demand for data centers way before we heard of COVID-19. According to Forbes, global internet usage has increased by as much as 70% since the pandemic broke out. As people continue to work from home, engage in online learning, and use videoconferencing and video and music streaming services, the demand for data centers will continue to grow.
Worst Property Type Over the Next Four Quarters: Hotel
Not Far Behind: Retail
Talking about being knocked to your knees! The hotel sector was beginning to face strong headwinds before the start of 2020 as supply was chugging along too fast for the demand. This imbalance or risk was reflected in RERC institutional cap rates for the sector, which started rising in 3Q 2019. COVID-19 exacerbated these problems – air travel plummeted in March before finally increasing in June and appearing to have plateaued around 50% of pre-pandemic levels. With many companies banning nonessential travel, however, the there will continue to be much less business travel than pre-COVID-19.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
For retail, the hits keep coming. The already bruised sector is being walloped by the pandemic; institutional investors identified retail as one of the sectors to watch closely beyond the next four quarters. Since the outbreak of the virus, at least 25 major retailers have filed for bankruptcy. As many as 25,000 stores are expected to close in the U.S. in 2020, according to Bloomberg. In the short term, it will be difficult to backfill the vacancies. Many Class B and Class C malls will never recoup the losses.
Sector to Watch over the Next Year: Office
COVID-19’s new realities are starting to take shape. We did not initially think about potential structural changes to the office sector, but COVID-19 is redefining where and how people want to work and play. Analysts disagree about the outlook for office space demand, particularly in the dense CBD areas. Most investors, however, agree that office sector disruptions will continue until a vaccine is developed and people feel safe returning to the workplace. A PwC survey conducted in early June found that only 47% of employees believe that improved safety measures, such as wearing masks or reconfiguring layouts to allow for social distancing, would make them feel comfortable returning to work. However, it’s not easy to social distance while getting to work, especially if your only option is public transportation.
The big question is whether structural changes in the office-using sector, specifically the ability to communicate through technology and work from home, will pose dangers for long-term demand in the sector. A significant portion of the U.S.’ largest corporations, including Facebook and Google, plan to continue working entirely from remote locations until at least the middle of 2021. Though the requirement to return to the office may be at the whim of the CEO, there seems to be incentive for employers to allow remote working in the long term, even if on a partial basis. An international study of 3.1 million workers found that the workday has increased 48.5 minutes since the pandemic broke out. Even if demand for office space returns in the long term, there will likely be stark differences based on geography (e.g., urban vs. suburban) and tenant makeup, which means that cash flow analysis becomes much more important in valuations.
RERC’s Take on Investment Market Dynamics
It is all about the forecasted cash flow and a buyer’s or seller’s confidence about forecasting revenues and expenses. The trick is figuring out the revenue side, especially for hotels and retail. However, estimating operating expenses and capital costs are not far behind in being able to confidently forecast net operating income or net cash flow.
This is why we are seeing the huge bid-ask spread. Strong property types with solid cash flows are in strong demand or hold positions, and unless you offer a large premium, why sell? Conversely, for retail and hotel there is no confidence about the future cash flows. Unless you offer up a very distressed price, why should I buy?
We have yet to see the stress in selling, but we will because the extend and pretend can only last so long. Let’s see if Sam Zell reaffirms his legacy as the Grave Dancer once the market has to face realities and stand on its own without being propped up by the government.
Note: Office inventory in Washington DC is second only to “Escape From …” New York. Chicago is third.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Negative Interest Rates Have Arrived To The United States

We are often warned that negative interest rates are an approaching menace — not an immediate menace .
Yet are negative rates already reality in the United States ?
Has the unholy day already arrived ?
Today we don the sleuth ’ s cap , step into our gumshoes… and unearth evidence that negative interest rates are not the future menace… but the present menace .
What is the evidence ?
Answer anon .
Your bank does not compensate you for stabling your money with it .
You instead compensate the bank for stabling your money .
A man sinks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standard rules he hauls out a dollar and change on some distant date — perhaps $ 1.05 .
These days he is of course fortunate to bring out $ 1.01 .
Yet under negative interest rates he endures a rooking of sorts .
He pulls out not a dollar and change — but change alone .
The bill itself has vanished .
His dollar may be worth 97 cents for example .
Thus his dollar — rotting down in his bank — is a sawdust asset , a wasting asset , a minus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bank a dollar today to take back 97 cents next year ?
You are a strange specimen if you would .
Yet that is precisely as the Federal Reserve would have it… The Federal Reserve wants your money eternally up and doing , searching , hunting , grasping… adventuring… It must be forever acquiring , forever chasing rainbows , forever upon the jump .
That is , the Federal Reserve would not allow your money one contemplative moment to sit idle upon its hands… and doze .
For a dollar in motion is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the economy .
The dollar in motion runs down goods and services .
It invests in worthwhile and productive enterprises .
The dollar in motion , in turn , sets other dollars in motion… as a careening cue ball sets a rack of billiard balls in motion .
That is , the dollar in motion stimulates — unlike the dormant dollar snoozing in its bank .
Thus the dollar in motion is an undiluted economic blessing .
So runs the case for negative interest rates .
Is this case sound ?
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eye judges it .
In these pages we have argued the case to pieces .
We maintain that economic growth rises instead from a bedrock foundation of savings .
An economy built atop this bedrock is a rugged economy , a durable economy .
No passing blow will knock it over .
And savings must precede consumption .
Consumption is a consequence of savings .
Yet many economists mistake the rider for the horse… and believe consumption is the way to prosperity everlasting .
We believe it is not .
But let it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revisit our question : Is the noiseless thief of negative interest rates already among us ?
A certain Vic Lederman — a financial analyst with Agora affiliate Stansberry Research — claims they are in fact among us : “ Folks , negative rates are here… in the U.S… today.
” But it is a secret jealously guarded : That fright is justified — if you cherish your dollars .
But what is the evidence that negative interest rates presently exist ?
There you have your evidence for the existence of negative rates , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fees can only be cut so far .
So given the current trend in rates , actual losses are likely just around the corner .
So here you have your negative interest rates — not in the future — but the present .
And so there is less joy in heaven this day .
How can you guard your wealth against the corroding acids of negative interest rates ?

by Brian Maher of Daily Reckoning
We are often warned that negative interest rates are an approaching menace — not an immediate menace.
Yet are negative rates already reality in the United States? Has the unholy day already arrived?
Today we don the sleuth’s cap, step into our gumshoes… and unearth evidence that negative interest rates are not the future menace… but the present menace.
What is the evidence? Answer anon.
Under negative interest rates…
Your bank does not compensate you for stabling your money with it. You instead compensate the bank for stabling your money.
A man sinks a dollar into his bank. Under standard rules he hauls out a dollar and change on some distant date — perhaps $1.05.
These days he is of course fortunate to bring out $1.01.
Yet under negative interest rates he endures a rooking of sorts. He pulls out not a dollar and change — but change alone. The bill itself has vanished.
His dollar may be worth 97 cents for example. Thus his dollar — rotting down in his bank — is a sawdust asset, a wasting asset, a minus asset.
Would you willingly hand a bank a dollar today to take back 97 cents next year? You are a strange specimen if you would.
Yet that is precisely as the Federal Reserve would have it…
The Federal Reserve wants your money eternally up and doing, searching, hunting, grasping… adventuring…
It must be forever acquiring, forever chasing rainbows, forever upon the jump.
That is, the Federal Reserve would not allow your money one contemplative moment to sit idle upon its hands… and doze.
For a dollar in motion is a dollar in service — in service to the economy.
The dollar in motion runs down goods and services. It invests in worthwhile and productive enterprises.
The dollar in motion, in turn, sets other dollars in motion… as a careening cue ball sets a rack of billiard balls in motion.
That is, the dollar in motion stimulates — unlike the dormant dollar snoozing in its bank.
Thus the dollar in motion is an undiluted economic blessing.
So runs the case for negative interest rates. Is this case sound?
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
It is not… as our cold and calculating eye judges it. In these pages we have argued the case to pieces.
We maintain that economic growth rises instead from a bedrock foundation of savings.
An economy built atop this bedrock is a rugged economy, a durable economy.
No passing blow will knock it over.
And savings must precede consumption. Consumption is a consequence of savings.
Yet many economists mistake the rider for the horse… and believe consumption is the way to prosperity everlasting.
We believe it is not. But let it go for now.
Let us instead revisit our question:
Is the noiseless thief of negative interest rates already among us?
A certain Vic Lederman — a financial analyst with Agora affiliate Stansberry Research — claims they are in fact among us:
“Folks, negative rates are here… in the U.S… today.”
But it is a secret jealously guarded:
The biggest banks and money managers have done everything they can to keep this under wraps. They know that seeing negative rates scares people.
That fright is justified — if you cherish your dollars. But what is the evidence that negative interest rates presently exist?
Lederman:
BlackRock. Fidelity Investments. J.P. Morgan Asset Management. These are some of the biggest names in finance. And they all share one thing in common now. These investment managers are all slashing the fees on their money market accounts. But don’t be fooled. They’re not doing this as a kind gesture. They’re cutting fees because if they don’t… their money market accounts would show negative yields.
There you have your evidence for the existence of negative rates, the freshly fired pistol billowing smoke:
Reduced bank fees.
More:
Simply put, the most basic form of cash savings in the U.S. has effectively turned negative… only to be saved by a cut in fees. That means U.S. rates have, in a practical sense, entered negative territory. Now, the big money managers sure as heck don’t want you to see this. That’s why they’re cutting fees. The goal is to make it look like your account isn’t losing money. But outside of this fee reduction, it is… The craziest part of this is that most mom-and-pop investors have no idea this is happening. And most folks believe that keeping a large chunk of their savings in cash is prudent. Yet can their smoke, can their mirrors, can their whimwham con us much longer?
Fees can only be cut so far. So given the current trend in rates, actual losses are likely just around the corner.
So here you have your negative interest rates — not in the future — but the present.
And so there is less joy in heaven this day.
How can you guard your wealth against the corroding acids of negative interest rates?


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-03--Day 96 of “peaceful protests” in Portland: Antifa set fire in front of mayor’s condo

There ’ s not much to say about demorat Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler : He ’ s an IDIOT .
@ @ @ @ @ mob and there ’ s no guarantee they won ’ t come after you .
@ @ @ @ @ they will NEVER be satisfied .
Apparently after caving to the mob ( instead of @ @ @ @ @ the good mayor is moving .
What a COWARD .

by DCG
There’s not much to say about demorat Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler: He’s an IDIOT. You cave to the rage mob and there’s no guarantee they won’t come after you. A fool never learns that they will NEVER be satisfied.
SHOT: Ted Wheeler marching with “mostly peaceful protestors.”
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CHASER: (from Monday night)
Using bats, antifa black bloc rioters are smashing up property around @tedwheeler’s Portland condo. There have been no police at all tonight per Wheeler’s directive of “deescalation.” #PortlandRiots #antifa pic.twitter.com/D0RtQtGL6j — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 1, 2020
Apparently after caving to the mob (instead of trying to defeat them) the good mayor is moving. What a COWARD.
Portland mayor @tedwheeler, who has an Oregon beachfront home, a $1.3m home on the west hills & another property in the San Juan Islands, announces he is looking to move from his NW Portland condo after antifa keep attacking it. #PortlandRiots t.co/2JdQuvKB2Z — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 2, 2020