investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Volatility Could Be Coming In The Fall

Volatility Could Be Coming In The Fall

The labor market is starting to improve at a stronger rate after having a setback in July .
You can see in the chart below how initial jobless claims stabilized and even rose a couple weeks in July .
With the strong decline in claims since the BLS ’ s July survey week , we expect the August BLS report to be stronger than July .
Then again , July ’ s report wasn ’ t correlated with other data like claims , so it ’ s tough to be certain .
Next week ’ s initial claims reading is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will look out for that reading .
Specifically , in the week of August 8th adjusted initial claims fell from 1.191 million to 963,000 which was below the consensus of 1.15 million and the lowest estimate which was 1.05 million .
To be clear , claims aren ’ t falling because the weekly additional benefit from the federal government was lowered from $ 600 per week to $ 300 .
The decline is likely catalyzed by the decline in new daily COVID-19 cases .
Other economic reports like Redbook same store sales growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improved in August .
The decline in initial claims in the past 2 weeks of 244,000 and 228,000 is phenomenal .
At that rate , initial claims would be back to normal in 3 weeks .
To be clear , the labor market and the economy won ’ t be back to normal by then as there are millions of continued claims which we will get to later .
Non-seasonally adjusted initial claims fell from 988,000 to 832,000 .
In the past 4 weeks , the average decline has been 170,000 which would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks if that rate continued .
The decline will likely taper off .
We are just highlighting the recent good news .
The biggest declines were in Florida , New York , and Texas which saw unadjusted claims fall 23,000 ; 22,000 ; and 11,000 .
PUA claims also fell , but that was partially because of a crackdown of fraudulent claims .
Specifically , PUAs fell from 656,000 to 489,000 .
The additional weakness in the labor market as shown by PUAs is far from over though as there were 10.7 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy is starting to get back to normal because unadjusted initial claims are below the last recession ’ s peak is foolhardy .
The point of using initial claims to highlight the economic improvement is to gauge where cyclical stocks are headed .
However , the labor market is still in trouble .
In the week of August 1st , there were 15.5 million continued claims which was down from 16.1 million .
At the peak of the last recession , there were only 6.6 million claims even though the current labor market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ larger now .
The 604,000 decline is below the prior week ’ s 861,000 decline .
The good news is there should be a strong decline next week based on the big decline in initial claims .
We ’ re still at least a few months away from getting to the worst point in the last recession which had been the worst recession since the Great Depression .
With retail and professional investors practically all in on the stock market and it being near its record high , everyone wants to know what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decline .
The presidential election is the next big event .
As you can see from the chart below , the VIX term structure is elevated in the fall as investors are buying protection in cases there is volatility .
It ’ s difficult to see this election causing a sharp correction in stocks because Joe Biden already has a 59 % chance of winning and has an average lead on Trump of 7.7 % in the national polls .
This is an expected risk .
The less likely event would be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election .
That ’ s not a negative catalyst since Biden favors raising corporate tax rates .
This bull run won ’ t end because of a widely expected event .
It might not even take a catalyst .
The speculation can simply get too far and then end .
That ’ s not an interesting thesis .
Surely , after the decline in the hottest stocks , some will come up with a reason why they fell .
Sometimes these types of reasons are people looking for answers when the real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
People get confused by valuation being a reason stocks fall because there never is a specific price that ’ s too high .
The market can blow through every valuation warning sign for months before it reverses course .
That ’ s why we say valuations matter in the long run , but not in the short run .
The fat tail catalyst for a sharp correction , with the hottest stocks crashing , would be if the Fed acted .
There would need to be a policy which took froth out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fed wouldn ’ t hurt the economy just to get froth out of the market .
Disruption Is The New Popular Term Clearly , there is innovation in sectors outside of technology .
There is innovation in every industry even though it might not be as sexy as AI or 5G .
The most popular term is disruptive technology .
There is no rule to determining the success of these growth stocks which are in almost every industry .
As an individual stock investor , you must measure the risk of incumbent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new companies taking share .
There is nothing wrong with investing in disruptors .
However , recognize the recency bias behind selling value stocks and buying the new companies growing quickly .
Value stocks have been underperforming for 13 years which is long enough for many analysts to say value is never coming back .
The catch is when a group of stocks is left by everyone , they become the most valuable .
Furthermore , some analysts say cyclical stocks ( which make up a lot of value ) can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recession and bottom in the stock market occurred months ago .
Be very careful of analysis that effectively says these stocks can ’ t do well because they haven ’ t done well .
Jobless claims are falling which is great for the labor market .
There are still months of improvement left before continued claims even get below the peak of the last recession .
The VIX expects wild trading in October because of the election .
It ’ s tough to see the election causing a significant correction since it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprising thing would be if Trump wins , but that would ensure taxes stay low , making it arguably a good thing for stocks .
Disruptive technology stocks have been huge winners in the past few years which is encouraging more people to buy .
Value is eschewed because it hasn ’ t done well .

by UPFINA
The labor market is starting to improve at a stronger rate after having a setback in July. You can see in the chart below how initial jobless claims stabilized and even rose a couple weeks in July. With the strong decline in claims since the BLS’s July survey week, we expect the August BLS report to be stronger than July. Then again, July’s report wasn’t correlated with other data like claims, so it’s tough to be certain. Next week’s initial claims reading is in the survey week, so we will look out for that reading.
Initial jobless claims were below one million for the first time in 21 weeks. It may be two or three more weeks before the 4-week average gets there. The next "milestone" might be when claims fall below 665k, their peak in the last recession. pic.twitter.com/QoX5M4RYvP — Jeoff Hall (@JeoffHall) August 13, 2020
Specifically, in the week of August 8th adjusted initial claims fell from 1.191 million to 963,000 which was below the consensus of 1.15 million and the lowest estimate which was 1.05 million. To be clear, claims aren’t falling because the weekly additional benefit from the federal government was lowered from $600 per week to $300. The decline is likely catalyzed by the decline in new daily COVID-19 cases. Other economic reports like Redbook same store sales growth have and will also show the economy improved in August. The decline in initial claims in the past 2 weeks of 244,000 and 228,000 is phenomenal. At that rate, initial claims would be back to normal in 3 weeks. To be clear, the labor market and the economy won’t be back to normal by then as there are millions of continued claims which we will get to later.
PUA Claims Fall Because Of Fraud Crackdown
Non-seasonally adjusted initial claims fell from 988,000 to 832,000. In the past 4 weeks, the average decline has been 170,000 which would get claims back to normal in 4 weeks if that rate continued. The decline will likely taper off. We are just highlighting the recent good news. The biggest declines were in Florida, New York, and Texas which saw unadjusted claims fall 23,000; 22,000; and 11,000. PUA claims also fell, but that was partially because of a crackdown of fraudulent claims. Specifically, PUAs fell from 656,000 to 489,000. The additional weakness in the labor market as shown by PUAs is far from over though as there were 10.7 million continued PUA claims.
Continued Claims Still Very High
Anyone saying the economy is starting to get back to normal because unadjusted initial claims are below the last recession’s peak is foolhardy. The point of using initial claims to highlight the economic improvement is to gauge where cyclical stocks are headed. However, the labor market is still in trouble. In the week of August 1st, there were 15.5 million continued claims which was down from 16.1 million.
At the peak of the last recession, there were only 6.6 million claims even though the current labor market and population aren’t that much larger now. The 604,000 decline is below the prior week’s 861,000 decline. The good news is there should be a strong decline next week based on the big decline in initial claims. We’re still at least a few months away from getting to the worst point in the last recession which had been the worst recession since the Great Depression.
The VIX Sees What’s Coming
With retail and professional investors practically all in on the stock market and it being near its record high, everyone wants to know what the catalyst will be for the next decline. The presidential election is the next big event. As you can see from the chart below, the VIX term structure is elevated in the fall as investors are buying protection in cases there is volatility.
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It’s difficult to see this election causing a sharp correction in stocks because Joe Biden already has a 59% chance of winning and has an average lead on Trump of 7.7% in the national polls. This is an expected risk. The less likely event would be the economy storming back, helping Trump win the election. That’s not a negative catalyst since Biden favors raising corporate tax rates.
This bull run won’t end because of a widely expected event. It might not even take a catalyst. The speculation can simply get too far and then end. That’s not an interesting thesis. Surely, after the decline in the hottest stocks, some will come up with a reason why they fell. Sometimes these types of reasons are people looking for answers when the real answer is just prices got too high.
People get confused by valuation being a reason stocks fall because there never is a specific price that’s too high. The market can blow through every valuation warning sign for months before it reverses course. That’s why we say valuations matter in the long run, but not in the short run. The fat tail catalyst for a sharp correction, with the hottest stocks crashing, would be if the Fed acted. There would need to be a policy which took froth out of stocks without hurting the economy because the Fed wouldn’t hurt the economy just to get froth out of the market.
Disruption Is The New Popular Term
Clearly, there is innovation in sectors outside of technology. There is innovation in every industry even though it might not be as sexy as AI or 5G. The most popular term is disruptive technology. There is no rule to determining the success of these growth stocks which are in almost every industry. As an individual stock investor, you must measure the risk of incumbent companies getting disrupted and the valuations of the new companies taking share. There is nothing wrong with investing in disruptors. However, recognize the recency bias behind selling value stocks and buying the new companies growing quickly.
Value stocks have been underperforming for 13 years which is long enough for many analysts to say value is never coming back. The catch is when a group of stocks is left by everyone, they become the most valuable. Furthermore, some analysts say cyclical stocks (which make up a lot of value) can’t outperform now because the end of the recession and bottom in the stock market occurred months ago. Be very careful of analysis that effectively says these stocks can’t do well because they haven’t done well.
Conclusion
Jobless claims are falling which is great for the labor market. There are still months of improvement left before continued claims even get below the peak of the last recession. The VIX expects wild trading in October because of the election. It’s tough to see the election causing a significant correction since it’s already known. The most surprising thing would be if Trump wins, but that would ensure taxes stay low, making it arguably a good thing for stocks. Disruptive technology stocks have been huge winners in the past few years which is encouraging more people to buy. Value is eschewed because it hasn’t done well.


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Uber and Lyft push back on Seattle mayor’s plan to pay drivers more money

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan unveiled a new proposal to increase pay for Uber and Lyft drivers and cover expenses such as gas .
Durkan wants drivers to be paid at least the Seattle minimum wage , or $ 16.39 per hour .
The plan is part of her “ Fare Share ” program introduced in September as a way to extend the city ’ s worker protections to gig economy drivers .
Durkan will transmit legislation to the City Council later this month , with plans to enact the minimum compensation standard on Jan. 1 .
The city cited a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Seattle are making $ 9.73 per hour after expenses , and that the new mandate would increase pay for 84 % of drivers with an average increase in wages of 30 % .
Uber and Lyft commissioned their own study from Cornell University showing that the typical driver earned $ 23 per hour in Seattle after expenses .
Kevin Schofield of SCC Insight analyzed both studies last month and found that they “ skew their analysis and recommendations in the direction that favors the one who commissioned their study.
” The “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tax on each Uber and Lyft ride this past November , is the latest in a series of regulatory headaches for the mobility giants as regulators crack down on their labor practices .
Both companies pushed back on the mayor ’ s announcement Thursday .
Lyft called it “ unworkable ” and “ misguided regulation.
” Here ’ s the company ’ s full statement : “ The mayor ’ s plan is unworkable .
It would require TNCs to double pay drivers who are using multiple rideshare or delivery platforms at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay people to simply have an app open , even if they are not working .
This kind of misguided regulation will actually destroy jobs for thousands of people and drive rideshare companies out of Seattle .
Lyft has been clear that it supports smart benefits for drivers without taking away their independence or kicking people off the platform .
In California , Lyft is offering drivers up to $ 367 per month for health care premiums , accident and disability insurance , and a guaranteed earnings floor that in Seattle would equal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour without kicking a single driver off the platform .
”

www.geekwire.com/2020/uber-lyft-push-back-seattle-mayors-plan-pay-drivers-money/
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan unveiled a new proposal to increase pay for Uber and Lyft drivers and cover expenses such as gas.
Durkan wants drivers to be paid at least the Seattle minimum wage, or $16.39 per hour. The plan is part of her “Fare Share” program introduced in September as a way to extend the city’s worker protections to gig economy drivers.
Durkan will transmit legislation to the City Council later this month, with plans to enact the minimum compensation standard on Jan. 1.
The city cited a University of California-Berkeley study showing that drivers in Seattle are making $9.73 per hour after expenses, and that the new mandate would increase pay for 84% of drivers with an average increase in wages of 30%.
Uber and Lyft commissioned their own study from Cornell University showing that the typical driver earned $23 per hour in Seattle after expenses.
Kevin Schofield of SCC Insight analyzed both studies last month and found that they “skew their analysis and recommendations in the direction that favors the one who commissioned their study.”
The “Fare Share” program, which increased a tax on each Uber and Lyft ride this past November, is the latest in a series of regulatory headaches for the mobility giants as regulators crack down on their labor practices.
Both companies pushed back on the mayor’s announcement Thursday. Lyft called it “unworkable” and “misguided regulation.” Here’s the company’s full statement:
“The mayor’s plan is unworkable. It would require TNCs to double pay drivers who are using multiple rideshare or delivery platforms at the same time, as well as pay people to simply have an app open, even if they are not working. This kind of misguided regulation will actually destroy jobs for thousands of people and drive rideshare companies out of Seattle.
Lyft has been clear that it supports smart benefits for drivers without taking away their independence or kicking people off the platform. In California, Lyft is offering drivers up to $367 per month for health care premiums, accident and disability insurance, and a guaranteed earnings floor that in Seattle would equal on average more than $26 per hour without kicking a single driver off the platform.”


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Stock market momentum is flagging. The economic  backdrop makes stocks vulnerable to a late summer o

U.S. retail sales return to pre-coronavirus levels in July , but a slowdown looms

Stock market momentum is flagging. The economic backdrop makes stocks vulnerable to a late summer or autumn swoon. — Scott Minerd (@ScottMinerd) August 15, 2020
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC DISSOLVES SHARE STAKE IN GOLDMAN SACHS – SEC FILING BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC CUTS SHARE STAKE IN JPMORGAN BY 61.5% TO 22.2 MLN SHARES$GS $JPM — *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaOne) August 14, 2020
Berkshire Hathaway slashes its stakes in US banks t.co/ec66xYT07j — Financial Times (@FT) August 14, 2020
Till first -5% on Apple which will make -4% nasdaq. t.co/wg6naMaXiP — GregTheAnalyst (@Analyst_G) August 14, 2020
Wait …I missed rhe best part yesterday . .Buffett dumped his entire $OXY position..lolt.co/3C6O7c72YM — 𝕮𝖍𝖎 🛢 (@chigrl) August 15, 2020
U.S. retail sales return to pre-coronavirus levels in July, but a slowdown looms
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U.S. Retail Sales Growth Misses Estimates Amid Pullback In Auto Sales


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Someone placed a $1.9m crash bet via a Jan’21 $VIX call spread.

Someone placed a $ 1.9m crash bet via a Jan'21 $ VIX call spread .
The hedger / crash caller @ @ @ @ @ 20 Jan'21 calls and sold the same number of $ 150 20 Jan'21 calls .
@ @ @ @ @ $ 150 by 20 Jan'21 , the trade will generate 10000 % return and turn @ @ @ @ @ .
pic.twitter.com/NnAdnEBkVw

Someone placed a $1.9m crash bet via a Jan'21 $VIX call spread. The hedger / crash caller purchased 25K of $75 20 Jan'21 calls and sold the same number of $150 20 Jan'21 calls. If $VIX lands over $150 by 20 Jan'21, the trade will generate 10000% return and turn $1.9m into $184m. pic.twitter.com/NnAdnEBkVw
— Yuriy Matso (@yuriymatso) August 15, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Durham Investigation: Clinesmith to plead guilty

Finally some progress in Durham ’ s investigation of FISA abuse during Crossfire Hurricane .
The charging document is fascinating , as it contains a description of exactly what Clinesmith did : …did willfully and knowingly make and use a false writing and document , knowing the same to contain a materially false , fictitious , and fraudulent statement and entry in a matter before the jurisdiction of the executive branch and judicial branch of the Government of the United States .
[ i.e .
he added a critical line to an email , saying – falsely – that Individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” ] When an FBI colleague who was involved in preparing the surveillance application followed up by instant message with Clinesmith on the question of whether Page had ever been a government source , Clinesmith responded that Page had “ never been a source , ” according to court documents .
When asked if he had that information in writing , the documents allege , Clinesmith altered an email he had received from the other agency by adding the words “ and not a source ” and then forwarded it to the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on those misrepresentations in its final surveillance application and omitted that information about Page , prosecutors allege , even though any relationship between Page and the government would have been important to disclose to the FISA court to the extent it could help explain interactions Page had had with Russians .
Clinesmith told the inspector general that he had not actually understood Page to be a source , or “ recruited asset , ” for another government agency .
“ Kevin deeply regrets having altered the email , ” Shur said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intent to mislead the court or his colleagues , as he believed the information he relayed was accurate , but Kevin understands what he did was wrong and accepts responsibility .
”

by Dave
Finally some progress in Durham’s investigation of FISA abuse during Crossfire Hurricane. The charging document is fascinating, as it contains a description of exactly what Clinesmith did:
www.scribd.com/document/472463918/DCD-Clinesmith#from_embed
…did willfully and knowingly make and use a false writing and document, knowing the same to contain a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and entry in a matter before the jurisdiction of the executive branch and judicial branch of the Government of the United States.
[i.e. he added a critical line to an email, saying – falsely – that Individual #1 “was not a source.”]
Clinesmith worked on:
* Hillary Clinton Emails investigation
* Crossfire Hurricane
Original article(s)
apnews.com/597c27d6642dcedae79838fa6cf5497a
When an FBI colleague who was involved in preparing the surveillance application followed up by instant message with Clinesmith on the question of whether Page had ever been a government source, Clinesmith responded that Page had “never been a source,” according to court documents.
When asked if he had that information in writing, the documents allege, Clinesmith altered an email he had received from the other agency by adding the words “and not a source” and then forwarded it to the FBI supervisory special agent.
The FBI relied on those misrepresentations in its final surveillance application and omitted that information about Page, prosecutors allege, even though any relationship between Page and the government would have been important to disclose to the FISA court to the extent it could help explain interactions Page had had with Russians.
Clinesmith told the inspector general that he had not actually understood Page to be a source, or “recruited asset,” for another government agency.
“Kevin deeply regrets having altered the email,” Shur said in a statement. “It was never his intent to mislead the court or his colleagues, as he believed the information he relayed was accurate, but Kevin understands what he did was wrong and accepts responsibility.”


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--How Overstimulated? THIS Overstimulated

How Overstimulated? THIS Overstimulated

When excess # liquidity and # WallStreet may be telling us something ?
pic.twitter.com/3T26o5h4Ar

by Adam Taggart
When excess #liquidity and #WallStreet may be telling us something? pic.twitter.com/3T26o5h4Ar
— CrossBorder Capital (@crossbordercap) August 15, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Here’s Why The “Impossible” Economic Collapse Is Unavoidable

This is why denormalization is an extinction event for much of our high-cost , high-complexity , heavily regulated economy .
A collapse of major chunks of the economy is widely viewed as “ impossible ” because the federal government can borrow and spend unlimited amounts of money because the Federal Reserve can create unlimited amounts of money : the government borrows $ 1 trillion by selling $ 1 trillion in Treasury bonds , the Fed prints $ 1 trillion dollars to buy the bonds .
Rinse and repeat to near-infinity .
With this cheery wind at their backs , conventional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other consumption as consumers weary of Covid-19 and anxious to blow their recent savings borrow and spend like no tomorrow .
As for the 30+ million unemployed–they don ’ t matter .
Conventional analysts write them off because they weren ’ t big drivers of “ growth ” anyways–they didn ’ t have big , secure salaries and ample wealth/credit lines .
What this happy confidence in near-infinite money-printing and V-shaped spending orgies overlooks is what I ’ ve termed denormalization , an implosion of the Old Normal so complete that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no longer possible .
The “ New Normal ” Is De-Normalization We ’ re already in a post-normal world because the expansion of globalization and financialization needed to fuel the Old Normal has reversed into contraction .
This reversal is an extinction event for all sectors and institutions with high fixed costs : air travel , resort tourism , healthcare , higher education , local government services , etc .
because their fixed cost structures are so high they are no longer financially viable if they ’ re operating at less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of previous capacity , revenues , tax receipts , etc .
dooms them to collapse .
And there ’ s no way to cut their fixed costs without fatally disrupting all the sectors that are dependent on them .
Most operational costs are mandated and can not be reduced : union contracts , property taxes , regulatory burdens , tax accounting , debt service , employee healthcare costs , minimum wages , etc.Â Other essential expenses such as commercial rent are difficult to renegotiate lower , as the landlord also has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes directly out of his pocket .
A good example of this collapse dynamic is a restaurant with high fixed costs.Â It can ’ t survive financially at 50 % of capacity because it can ’ t reduce its expenses by 50 % .Â The owners can reduce staff but there are operational limits on this : even if there are only 10 customers rather than 100 , you still need a kitchen and wait staff .
Stripped to the bone , the owners might be able to reduce costs by 15 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if business rebounds to 80 % of pre-pandemic levels , the restaurant can survive but not generate any profit .
It might survive at 70 % if the owners do double shifts , but that isn ’ t sustainable .
Eventually the overworked owners burn out and collapse .
Reducing costs is even more difficult for institutions such as hospitals , colleges and government agencies .
Most of these institutions are unable to cut more than a few percent of expenses ; a 10 % reduction in expenses would require the closure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Denormalization is an interlocking series of self-reinforcing feedbacks .
People have less money and more insecurity , so they spend less .
Those living off the fixed costs paid by the private sector ( landlords , local government , insurers , etc . )
can ’ t survive on less than their full measure , and this inability to absorb massive cuts causes everyone in the food chain above them to collapse , which eventually triggers their own collapse .
The restaurant can ’ t cut any of the big-ticket expenses : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , healthcare , tax accounting , insurance , etc .
It can only lay off some staff and reduce its purchase of ingredients .
Those variable costs are too small a percentage of total expenses to be consequential .
The restaurants collapse first , and since there ’ s no way anyone can afford to pay current rents and survive on a shrinking customer base , the landlord goes bust next .
These collapses cut local government tax revenues .
Each of these reductions means everyone down the food chain– enterprises that depended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contracts–lose a critical chunk of their own revenues .
Since there are no replacement sources of revenues , these collapse as the line of dominoes topple .
Few sectors or institutions have any buffers .
They ’ ve been running at full capacity or higher and burning every dollar to keep from imploding .
As a result , any deep cuts are extinction events : no income from college football means eliminating entire sports down the food chain .
There is no stair-step down , there ’ s only binary triage : save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely .
Federal/Fed subsidies don ’ t fully replace what ’ s been lost .
Giving the restaurant owner a subsidy to pay rent and stay open doesn ’ t mean the restaurant has enough customers to keep staffing and purchases at pre-crisis levels , and giving consumers subsidies such as Universal Basic Income ( UBI ) doesn ’ t mean these households won ’ t decide to save some of that subsidy rather than spend every dime , as the zeitgeist has shifted from complacent confidence to uncertainty : any subsidy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimately a political decision that can be amended or cancelled .
The production of goods and services stagnates as demand declines .
When money-printing expands while goods and services contract , the result is inflation–the purchasing power of the newly issued money declines as too much money starts chasing a pool of goods and services that ’ s shrinking as small businesses dry up and blow away and the dominoes fall down the supply chain of dependent industries .
As the newly issued subsidy-money buys fewer goods and services , demands for increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( UBI ) payment doubles from $ 1,000 to $ 2,000 a month , but it still only buys $ 750 of goods and services as the declining purchasing power of the newly printed money accelerates .
This expansion of money as the pool of goods and services contracts further accelerates the loss of purchasing power in a self-reinforcing feedback .
I have long admired John Michael Greer ’ s concept of catabolic collapse , a dynamic in which the institution is forced to downsize some of its costly complexity but it restabilizes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now think this might be overly optimistic .
A stair-step down to consequentially lower complexity and cost structures is simply not practical in much of the real world as fixed costs are mandated by regulations or impossible to cut for operational reasons .
( For example , reducing a fleet of airliners by half doesn ’ t necessarily translate into an ability to reduce aircraft maintenance facilities and staff by the same percentage . )
Airports , airlines , cruise ships , sport franchises , resorts , malls , local government services , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and so on can ’ t reconfigure at 50 % of previous complexity and capacity .
Their fixed costs and mandates simply don ’ t allow for a 50 % reduction in complexity and revenues .
This is why denormalization is an extinction event for much of our high-cost , high-complexity , heavily regulated economy .
Subsidizing high costs doesn ’ t stop the dominoes from falling , as subsidies are not a substitute for the virtuous cycle of re-investment .
The Fed ’ s project of lowering the cost of capital to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cycle ; all it does is encourage socially useless speculative predation as Tim Cook et al .
sell Apple bonds in order to buy back more shares of Apple , further enriching Tim Cook et al .
This is not a virtuous cycle , it is the denormalization of what remains of free markets , which require capital be priced by markets , not central banks .
There was no New Normal for the dinosaurs .
A few winged species survived and evolved into the birds of today , but that is by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Normal that included all the other dinosaur species .
For them , denormalization meant extinction .
De-Normalization : everything that was normal is gone and will not be replaced with some new normal .
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Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,
This is why denormalization is an extinction event for much of our high-cost, high-complexity, heavily regulated economy.
A collapse of major chunks of the economy is widely viewed as “impossible” because the federal government can borrow and spend unlimited amounts of money because the Federal Reserve can create unlimited amounts of money: the government borrows $1 trillion by selling $1 trillion in Treasury bonds, the Fed prints $1 trillion dollars to buy the bonds. Rinse and repeat to near-infinity.
With this cheery wind at their backs, conventional pundits are predicting super-rebounds in auto sales and other consumption as consumers weary of Covid-19 and anxious to blow their recent savings borrow and spend like no tomorrow.
As for the 30+ million unemployed–they don’t matter. Conventional analysts write them off because they weren’t big drivers of “growth” anyways–they didn’t have big, secure salaries and ample wealth/credit lines.
What this happy confidence in near-infinite money-printing and V-shaped spending orgies overlooks is what I’ve termed denormalization, an implosion of the Old Normal so complete that the expected minor adjustment to a New Normal is no longer possible.
The “New Normal” Is De-Normalization
We’re already in a post-normal world because the expansion of globalization and financialization needed to fuel the Old Normal has reversed into contraction. This reversal is an extinction event for all sectors and institutions with high fixed costs: air travel, resort tourism, healthcare, higher education, local government services, etc. because their fixed cost structures are so high they are no longer financially viable if they’re operating at less than full capacity.Â
Only getting back to 70% of previous capacity, revenues, tax receipts, etc. dooms them to collapse.
And there’s no way to cut their fixed costs without fatally disrupting all the sectors that are dependent on them.
Most operational costs are mandated and cannot be reduced: union contracts, property taxes, regulatory burdens, tax accounting, debt service, employee healthcare costs, minimum wages, etc.Â Other essential expenses such as commercial rent are difficult to renegotiate lower, as the landlord also has the same high fixed costs and any reduction comes directly out of his pocket.
A good example of this collapse dynamic is a restaurant with high fixed costs.Â It can’t survive financially at 50% of capacity because it can’t reduce its expenses by 50%.Â The owners can reduce staff but there are operational limits on this: even if there are only 10 customers rather than 100, you still need a kitchen and wait staff. Stripped to the bone, the owners might be able to reduce costs by 15% to 20%. In other words, if business rebounds to 80% of pre-pandemic levels, the restaurant can survive but not generate any profit.
It might survive at 70% if the owners do double shifts, but that isn’t sustainable. Eventually the overworked owners burn out and collapse.
Reducing costs is even more difficult for institutions such as hospitals, colleges and government agencies. Most of these institutions are unable to cut more than a few percent of expenses; a 10% reduction in expenses would require the closure of entire departments and eliminating core services.
Denormalization is an interlocking series of self-reinforcing feedbacks. People have less money and more insecurity, so they spend less. Those living off the fixed costs paid by the private sector (landlords, local government, insurers, etc.) can’t survive on less than their full measure, and this inability to absorb massive cuts causes everyone in the food chain above them to collapse, which eventually triggers their own collapse.
The restaurant can’t cut any of the big-ticket expenses: rent, taxes, wages, benefits, healthcare, tax accounting, insurance, etc. It can only lay off some staff and reduce its purchase of ingredients. Those variable costs are too small a percentage of total expenses to be consequential.
The restaurants collapse first, and since there’s no way anyone can afford to pay current rents and survive on a shrinking customer base, the landlord goes bust next. These collapses cut local government tax revenues. Each of these reductions means everyone down the food chain– enterprises that depended on restaurants, landlords and local government contracts–lose a critical chunk of their own revenues. Since there are no replacement sources of revenues, these collapse as the line of dominoes topple.
Few sectors or institutions have any buffers. They’ve been running at full capacity or higher and burning every dollar to keep from imploding. As a result, any deep cuts are extinction events: no income from college football means eliminating entire sports down the food chain. There is no stair-step down, there’s only binary triage: save this program as is or eliminate it entirely.
Federal/Fed subsidies don’t fully replace what’s been lost. Giving the restaurant owner a subsidy to pay rent and stay open doesn’t mean the restaurant has enough customers to keep staffing and purchases at pre-crisis levels, and giving consumers subsidies such as Universal Basic Income (UBI) doesn’t mean these households won’t decide to save some of that subsidy rather than spend every dime, as the zeitgeist has shifted from complacent confidence to uncertainty: any subsidy is subject to change, as it is ultimately a political decision that can be amended or cancelled.
The production of goods and services stagnates as demand declines. When money-printing expands while goods and services contract, the result is inflation–the purchasing power of the newly issued money declines as too much money starts chasing a pool of goods and services that’s shrinking as small businesses dry up and blow away and the dominoes fall down the supply chain of dependent industries.
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As the newly issued subsidy-money buys fewer goods and services, demands for increased subsidies rise. The Universal Basic Income (UBI) payment doubles from $1,000 to $2,000 a month, but it still only buys $750 of goods and services as the declining purchasing power of the newly printed money accelerates.
This expansion of money as the pool of goods and services contracts further accelerates the loss of purchasing power in a self-reinforcing feedback.
I have long admired John Michael Greer’s concept of catabolic collapse, a dynamic in which the institution is forced to downsize some of its costly complexity but it restabilizes at a lower energy state. I now think this might be overly optimistic.
How Civilizations Fall: A Theory of Catabolic Collapse (John Michael Greer)
A stair-step down to consequentially lower complexity and cost structures is simply not practical in much of the real world as fixed costs are mandated by regulations or impossible to cut for operational reasons. (For example, reducing a fleet of airliners by half doesn’t necessarily translate into an ability to reduce aircraft maintenance facilities and staff by the same percentage.)
Airports, airlines, cruise ships, sport franchises, resorts, malls, local government services, venues, theaters, hospitals, universities and so on can’t reconfigure at 50% of previous complexity and capacity. Their fixed costs and mandates simply don’t allow for a 50% reduction in complexity and revenues.
This is why denormalization is an extinction event for much of our high-cost, high-complexity, heavily regulated economy. Subsidizing high costs doesn’t stop the dominoes from falling, as subsidies are not a substitute for the virtuous cycle of re-investment.
The Fed’s project of lowering the cost of capital to zero doesn’t generate this virtuous cycle; all it does is encourage socially useless speculative predation as Tim Cook et al. sell Apple bonds in order to buy back more shares of Apple, further enriching Tim Cook et al. This is not a virtuous cycle, it is the denormalization of what remains of free markets, which require capital be priced by markets, not central banks.
Collapse isn’t “impossible,” it’s unavoidable.
There was no New Normal for the dinosaurs. A few winged species survived and evolved into the birds of today, but that is by no stretch of the imagination a New Normal that included all the other dinosaur species. For them, denormalization meant extinction.
De-Normalization: everything that was normal is gone and will not be replaced with some new normal.
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Will You Be Richer or Poorer?: Profit, Power, and AI in a Traumatized World ($13)
(Kindle $6.95, print $11.95) Read the first section for free (PDF).
Pathfinding our Destiny: Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic ($6.95 (Kindle), $12 (print), $13.08 ( audiobook): Read the first section for free (PDF).
The Adventures of the Consulting Philosopher: The Disappearance of Drake $1.29 (Kindle), $8.95 (print); read the first chapters for free (PDF)
Money and Work Unchained $6.95 (Kindle), $15 (print) Read the first section for free (PDF).
* * *
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investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Potter’s Field? Recession Insurance Bonds Could Bypass Political Wrangling In A Crisis (Venezuela, H

Potter’s Field? Recession Insurance Bonds Could Bypass Political Wrangling In A Crisis (Venezuela, Here We Come!)

Turning the US into Venezuela where the annual inflation rate is 2,300 % ?
That what two former Fed officials have opined , Julia Coronado and Simon Potter .
The coronavirus pandemic that shut down economies around the globe showed how crucial—and difficult—it is to get money swiftly to people who need it most in a crisis .
Former central bank officials Simon Potter , who led the Federal Reserve Bank of New York ’ s markets group , and Julia Coronado , who spent eight years as an economist for the Fed ’ s Board of Governors , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ propose creating a monetary tool that they call recession insurance bonds , which draw on some of the advances in digital payments .
JULIA CORONADO : Congress would grant the Federal Reserve an additional tool for providing support—say , a percent of GDP [ in a lump sum that would be divided equally and distributed ] to households in a recession .
Recession insurance bonds would be zero-coupon securities , a contingent asset of households that would basically lie in wait .
The trigger could be reaching the zero lower bound on interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has proposed , a 0.5 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate .
The Fed would then activate the securities and deposit the funds digitally in households ’ apps .
SIMON POTTER : It took Congress too long to get money to people , and it ’ s too clunky .
We need a separate infrastructure .
The Fed could buy the bonds quickly without going to the private market .
On March 15 they could have said interest rates are now at zero , we ’ re activating X amount of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracking the unemployment rate—if it increases above this level , we ’ ll buy more .
Julia Coronado sounds seemingly rational , Simon Potter sounds like Rudolf Havenstein , the president of the Reichsbank ( German central bank ) during the hyperinflation of 1921–1923 .
I could mention former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and his “ Never Let A Good Crisis Go to Waste.
” In other words , Coronado ’ s seemingly rational approach could be thrown away in a crisis .
Except that US public debt to GDP is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Velocity is crashing to 1 .
Letting The Federal Reserve act as a fourth branch of government ?
Inflation much ?
?

by confoundedinterest17
Turning the US into Venezuela where the annual inflation rate is 2,300%?
That what two former Fed officials have opined, Julia Coronado and Simon Potter.
The coronavirus pandemic that shut down economies around the globe showed how crucial—and difficult—it is to get money swiftly to people who need it most in a crisis. Former central bank officials Simon Potter, who led the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s markets group, and Julia Coronado, who spent eight years as an economist for the Fed’s Board of Governors, are among the innovators brainstorming solutions. They propose creating a monetary tool that they call recession insurance bonds, which draw on some of the advances in digital payments.
JULIA CORONADO: Congress would grant the Federal Reserve an additional tool for providing support—say, a percent of GDP [in a lump sum that would be divided equally and distributed] to households in a recession. Recession insurance bonds would be zero-coupon securities, a contingent asset of households that would basically lie in wait. The trigger could be reaching the zero lower bound on interest rates or, as economist Claudia Sahm has proposed, a 0.5 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate. The Fed would then activate the securities and deposit the funds digitally in households’ apps.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
SIMON POTTER: It took Congress too long to get money to people, and it’s too clunky. We need a separate infrastructure. The Fed could buy the bonds quickly without going to the private market. On March 15 they could have said interest rates are now at zero, we’re activating X amount of the bonds, and we’ll be tracking the unemployment rate—if it increases above this level, we’ll buy more.
Julia Coronado sounds seemingly rational, Simon Potter sounds like Rudolf Havenstein, the president of the Reichsbank (German central bank) during the hyperinflation of 1921–1923.
I could mention former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and his “Never Let A Good Crisis Go to Waste.” In other words, Coronado’s seemingly rational approach could be thrown away in a crisis. Except that US public debt to GDP is already above 100% and M2 Money Velocity is crashing to 1.
Letting The Federal Reserve act as a fourth branch of government? Inflation much??
Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro loves this idea!


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Kamala VP, Crackdown on Violence in Dem Cities, Coronavirus Fiscal Stimulus Fight

Greg Hunter gives The Weekly News Wrap-Up for Friday , August 14 , 2020 Joe Biden finally announced his running mate for the 2020 Presidential election , and it ’ s Kamala Harris .
Trump said Harris was his number one pick .
Trumps says she “ lied ” about a lot of things , and she ’ s “ nasty.
” I am not sure what Harris brings to the ticket .
She was blown out in the Democrat primaries .
She was the least favorite candidate among black voters , but Harris is somehow supposed to bring black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Go figure .
Attorney General William Barr said Thursday night in an unscheduled appearance on the Sean Hannity show that he is announcing a crackdown on violence sweeping Democrat controlled American cities such as Chicago , Seattle , Portland , Kansas City and others .
The federal action is called “ Operation Legend , ” and it ’ s already started .
The economy finally posted unemployment initial claims below one million , but just barely .
This means stimulus is coming , and President Trump is going to deliver with or without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sitting on $ 1.8 trillion at the Treasury , and he does not need approval from Congress to spend it .
The stimulus is stalled , and the Democrats want more than $ 1 trillion just to rebuild the cities they have turned into hell holes .
Trump and his party say that ’ s not going to happen because they don ’ t want the stimulus bill to be much more than $ 1 trillion in total .
Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he talks about these stories and more in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to USAWatchdog.com Click Here : usawatchdog.com/donations/

Greg Hunter gives The Weekly News Wrap-Up for Friday, August 14, 2020
Joe Biden finally announced his running mate for the 2020 Presidential election, and it’s Kamala Harris. Trump said Harris was his number one pick. Trumps says she “lied” about a lot of things, and she’s “nasty.” I am not sure what Harris brings to the ticket. She was blown out in the Democrat primaries. She was the least favorite candidate among black voters, but Harris is somehow supposed to bring black voters back to the Dem party. Go figure.
Attorney General William Barr said Thursday night in an unscheduled appearance on the Sean Hannity show that he is announcing a crackdown on violence sweeping Democrat controlled American cities such as Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Kansas City and others. The federal action is called “Operation Legend,” and it’s already started.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The economy finally posted unemployment initial claims below one million, but just barely. This means stimulus is coming, and President Trump is going to deliver with or without Democrat help from Congress. Trump is sitting on $1.8 trillion at the Treasury, and he does not need approval from Congress to spend it. The stimulus is stalled, and the Democrats want more than $1 trillion just to rebuild the cities they have turned into hell holes. Trump and his party say that’s not going to happen because they don’t want the stimulus bill to be much more than $1 trillion in total.
Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he talks about these stories and more in the Weekly News Wrap-Up.
To Donate to USAWatchdog.com Click Here: usawatchdog.com/donations/


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--GOOD: USDOT Sued For Failure to Enforce Federal Law and Prevent Highway Protests.

Washington D.C. – The Small Business in Transportation Coalition ( SBTC ) has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court alleging the United States Department of Transportation ( USDOT ) is not enforcing federal law .
Many truckers continue to fume about those who are staging protests along major U.S. roadways and why local , state and federal law enforcement officials aren ’ t doing more to prevent them .
The demonstrations have led to multiple deaths and injuries as well as extended delays for motorists and truckers along those routes .
A much discussed federal law known as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by up to 20 years in jail to obstruct , delay or affect commerce by robbery or extortion or threaten physical violence to any person engaged in interstate commerce .
The SBTC is now suing the USDOT for not enforcing the Hobbs Act .
In an amended complaint filing to its lawsuit first filed in April of this year , the SBTC is accusing USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao of failing to “ enforce the Hobbs Act to protect commercial motor vehicle drivers who were physically attacked , beaten and often killed by protestors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s proposed amendment adds a count to the complaint relating to Defendants ’ failure to follow Congressionally mandated regulations in response to the recent Black Lives Matter ( BLM ) protests around the country that are disrupting the flow of commercial motor vehicle traffic and in many cases causing the injury and death of truck drivers , including members of the SBTC , ” the complaint reads .

via transportationnation:
Washington D.C. – The Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court alleging the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) is not enforcing federal law.
Many truckers continue to fume about those who are staging protests along major U.S. roadways and why local, state and federal law enforcement officials aren’t doing more to prevent them.
The demonstrations have led to multiple deaths and injuries as well as extended delays for motorists and truckers along those routes.
A much discussed federal law known as the Hobbs Act makes it a crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail to obstruct, delay or affect commerce by robbery or extortion or threaten physical violence to any person engaged in interstate commerce.
The SBTC is now suing the USDOT for not enforcing the Hobbs Act.
In an amended complaint filing to its lawsuit first filed in April of this year, the SBTC is accusing USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao of failing to “enforce the Hobbs Act to protect commercial motor vehicle drivers who were physically attacked, beaten and often killed by protestors around the country.”
“Plaintiff’s proposed amendment adds a count to the complaint relating to Defendants’ failure to follow Congressionally mandated regulations in response to the recent Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests around the country that are disrupting the flow of commercial motor vehicle traffic and in many cases causing the injury and death of truck drivers, including members of the SBTC,” the complaint reads.


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--China has launched a “CLEAN YOUR PLATE” campaign

China has launched a “ CLEAN YOUR PLATE ” campaign , indicating that we are entering a global food crisis @ @ @ @ @ YOUR fault for wasting too much food .
Eating shows are being censored from the @ @ @ @ @ sites are telling users to “ value food.
” Restaurants are limited , no longer @ @ @ @ @ each person !
And “ AgriFoodTech ” companies are working to “ Upcycle ” food @ @ @ @ @ TO YOU as other foods … or even an innocent looking cup of coffee .
@ @ @ @ @ nanny state encroachments and this latest salvo — which sets the tone for the rest @ @ @ @ @ the war on food .

China has launched a “CLEAN YOUR PLATE” campaign, indicating that we are entering a global food crisis and moreover that it is YOUR fault for wasting too much food. Eating shows are being censored from the internet, and social media sites are telling users to “value food.” Restaurants are limited, no longer able to serve meals to each person! And “AgriFoodTech” companies are working to “Upcycle” food waste and FEED IT BACK TO YOU as other foods … or even an innocent looking cup of coffee. Christian breaks down this next-level nanny state encroachments and this latest salvo — which sets the tone for the rest of the world — in the war on food.
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investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--San Francisco Covid Relief Includes Funding Meth Lab

Are you ready for this week ’ s absurdity ?
Here ’ s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty , risks to your prosperity… and on occasion , inspiring poetic justice .
You may think NASA ’ s mission is to take humanity to Mars and beyond .
But remember , we no longer live in a society which prioritizes actual advancement .
Far more important is making sure no one is offended .
So we may not make it to Mars , but at least the Innuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced that it will rename the “ Eskimo Nebula ” as well as the “ Siamese Twins Galaxy ” because they include racially insensitive terms , apparently rooted in colonialism .
But what about the constellation Orion– named after a Greek mythological hunter god who is alleged to have raped the Princess Merope .
Or the constellation Gemini– named after Green twins Castor and Pollus , who were part of that Argonaut band of capitalist swine who terrorized ancient civilizations in search of the Golden Fleece .
.
.
And isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrates the patriarchal , heteronormative violent God of War ?
What about Jupiter– a notorious rapist who slept with his children ?
In fact , every planet named after a Roman god should be considered offensive– Rome was the biggest colonizer of its day and routinely enslaved captives and lower class Romans .
Luckily the Visogoths held a ‘ peaceful protest ’ in Rome in the year 410 which resulted in much more equality– everyone was equally impoverished and defeated .
Click here to read the full story .
California just doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to flee the state in droves .
Companies like Tesla are out .
Moving companies are overwhelmed .
And what does the state legislature do ?
Raise taxes on the rich .
Retroactively .
A bill passed the Assembly that proposes increasing tax rates on high income Californians by up to 3.5 % .
And if the bill passes , it will be effective retroactively to January 1 , 2020 .
California already had the highest income tax rate of any state in the US by far .
But this tax hike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earning more than $ 5.9 million to 16.8 % .
On top of that , yesterday several state lawmakers introduced a wealth tax– which would take a slice of someone ’ s net worth , instead of just their annual income .
Most of the people who are subject to paying these taxes are already working from home and incredibly mobile .
They can easily leave the state , which will result in a tax LOSS for California .
Another victory for socialism !
Click here to read the full story .
Thai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of Covid , that any semblance of free play and exploration is gone .
Take a look at the pictures from one elementary school , and you will think you ’ re looking into a dystopian future– maybe that ’ s where we are .
Children are separated by plexiglass barriers at desks , and isolated in plastic cubicles to play .
They stand where they ’ re told and wear masks and face shields all day long .
This is not an education– it is indoctrination .
But in Thailand , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is legal– no one has to put up with this .
Especially when the psychological factors may be worse than the disease .
Click here to read the full story .
Cop can ’ t fit handcuffs on 8 year old arrested in school Body camera footage has been released from an incident in December 2018 where a police officer arrested , fingerprinted , mugshotted , and charged an 8 year old boy with battery .
It took nine months in court before it reached a rational adult– a judge who dismissed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a different incident from others we have discussed , like the cop who arrested a six year old girl in school , and a cop who handcuffed an 8 year old autistic boy .
But the similarity in every case is that no one stepped in to say , “ hey maybe we shouldn ’ t be arresting children for basic childhood misbehavior.
” In this case , the boy wasn ’ t sitting properly at lunch , whatever that means .
A teacher thought it was appropriate to intervene physically , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t put your hands on me !
” and punched the teacher in the chest .
She wasn ’ t injured because this is a tiny eight year old we are talking about .
Still , that was enough for police to respond , and attempt to handcuff the boy– but the boy ’ s wrists were too small .
Then the officer pats down the crying boy , putting his hands all over him , and escorts him to a police car .
Meanwhile the cop seems to delight in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very serious ” and “ you ’ re going to jail.
” Apparently there was no sane adult to be found anywhere in this school or police department .
Click here to read the full story .
We thought the 1990 Schwarzenegger movie Kindergarten Cop would be cancelled at some point for insensitivity to non-conforming-gender identity .
At one point in the film , as Schwartzenegger teaches , a boy exclaims , “ boys have a penis , girls have vaginas.
” But no , that ’ s not why Kindergarten Cop is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive-in showing of the film was cancelled because it apparently glorifies police officers .
The sentence was passed , you guessed it , in a Tweet from an angry local author : “ What ’ s so funny about School-to-Prison pipeline .
.
.
in which African American , Latinx and other kids of color are criminalized rather than educated .
Five- and 6-year-olds are handcuffed and hauled off to jail routinely in this country.
” As the last story shows , we also recognize the problem with overzealous cops in schools .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the boy from the last story was White . )
We ’ re just not sure censoring a playful Schwarzenegger film is going to deliver the revolutionary change required to tackle the problem .
Click here to read the full story .
First it was a PhD student studying mathematics who Tweeted that 2+2=4 is “ because of western imperialism/colonization .
.
.
” ( we wrote about this last month . )
But this idea is catching on .
Math professors and PhD candidates from various academic institutions eagerly agreed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Brooklyn College said : “ um , ya ’ ll must know that the idea that math is objective or neutral IS A MYTH.
” The professor also claimed that math “ reeks of white supremacist patriarchy .
.
.
” ( nevermind that many early advances in arithmetic were from Persian , Arabic , Indian , and Chinese mathematicians . )
This was met with agreement from a professor of Sociopolitical Perspectives on Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Illinois ; a Harvard University PhD student ; and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been saying this week , the actual objective reality that 2+2=4 takes a back seat to the “ woke ” belief that math is yet another racist tool of oppression .
Click here to read the full story .
San Francisco has put up 2,500 homeless people in hotel rooms as part of an effort to help them social distance during Covid lockdowns .
That provided the opportunity to , for instance , start a meth lab in a tax funded hotel room .
Click here to read the full story .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and silver could increase by up to 5 TIMES in the next few years .
That ’ s why we published a new , 50-page long Ultimate Guide on Gold & Silver that you can download here .

by Simon Black of Sovereign Man
Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, risks to your prosperity… and on occasion, inspiring poetic justice.
NASA to rename insensitive cosmic objects
You may think NASA’s mission is to take humanity to Mars and beyond.
But remember, we no longer live in a society which prioritizes actual advancement.
Far more important is making sure no one is offended.
So we may not make it to Mars, but at least the Innuit people will not be offended.
NASA announced that it will rename the “Eskimo Nebula” as well as the “Siamese Twins Galaxy” because they include racially insensitive terms, apparently rooted in colonialism.
But what about the constellation Orion– named after a Greek mythological hunter god who is alleged to have raped the Princess Merope.
Or the constellation Gemini– named after Green twins Castor and Pollus, who were part of that Argonaut band of capitalist swine who terrorized ancient civilizations in search of the Golden Fleece. . .
And isn’t the name Mars also offensive– because it celebrates the patriarchal, heteronormative violent God of War?
What about Jupiter– a notorious rapist who slept with his children?
In fact, every planet named after a Roman god should be considered offensive– Rome was the biggest colonizer of its day and routinely enslaved captives and lower class Romans.
Luckily the Visogoths held a ‘peaceful protest’ in Rome in the year 410 which resulted in much more equality– everyone was equally impoverished and defeated.
Click here to read the full story.
California to raise income taxes RETROACTIVELY
California just doesn’t seem to understand.
The rich continue to flee the state in droves. Companies like Tesla are out. Moving companies are overwhelmed.
And what does the state legislature do? Raise taxes on the rich. Retroactively.
A bill passed the Assembly that proposes increasing tax rates on high income Californians by up to 3.5%.
And if the bill passes, it will be effective retroactively to January 1, 2020.
California already had the highest income tax rate of any state in the US by far. But this tax hike will bring the top rate for those earning more than $5.9 million to 16.8%.
On top of that, yesterday several state lawmakers introduced a wealth tax– which would take a slice of someone’s net worth, instead of just their annual income.
Most of the people who are subject to paying these taxes are already working from home and incredibly mobile. They can easily leave the state, which will result in a tax LOSS for California. Another victory for socialism!
Click here to read the full story.
Kindergarteners in Thailand sealed in plexiglass cubicles
Thai kindergarteners’ days are so structured now because of Covid, that any semblance of free play and exploration is gone.
Take a look at the pictures from one elementary school, and you will think you’re looking into a dystopian future– maybe that’s where we are.
Children are separated by plexiglass barriers at desks, and isolated in plastic cubicles to play. They stand where they’re told and wear masks and face shields all day long.
This is not an education– it is indoctrination.
But in Thailand, just like in the US, homeschooling is legal– no one has to put up with this.
Especially when the psychological factors may be worse than the disease.
Click here to read the full story.
Cop can’t fit handcuffs on 8 year old arrested in school
Body camera footage has been released from an incident in December 2018 where a police officer arrested, fingerprinted, mugshotted, and charged an 8 year old boy with battery.
It took nine months in court before it reached a rational adult– a judge who dismissed the case.
To be clear, this is a different incident from others we have discussed, like the cop who arrested a six year old girl in school, and a cop who handcuffed an 8 year old autistic boy.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
But the similarity in every case is that no one stepped in to say, “hey maybe we shouldn’t be arresting children for basic childhood misbehavior.”
In this case, the boy wasn’t sitting properly at lunch, whatever that means.
A teacher thought it was appropriate to intervene physically, upon which the boy yelled, “don’t put your hands on me!” and punched the teacher in the chest.
She wasn’t injured because this is a tiny eight year old we are talking about.
Still, that was enough for police to respond, and attempt to handcuff the boy– but the boy’s wrists were too small.
Then the officer pats down the crying boy, putting his hands all over him, and escorts him to a police car. Meanwhile the cop seems to delight in telling the boy that “this is very serious” and “you’re going to jail.”
Apparently there was no sane adult to be found anywhere in this school or police department.
Click here to read the full story.
“Kindergarten Cop” cancelled
We thought the 1990 Schwarzenegger movie Kindergarten Cop would be cancelled at some point for insensitivity to non-conforming-gender identity.
At one point in the film, as Schwartzenegger teaches, a boy exclaims, “boys have a penis, girls have vaginas.”
But no, that’s not why Kindergarten Cop is being cancelled.
A planned 30th anniversary drive-in showing of the film was cancelled because it apparently glorifies police officers.
The sentence was passed, you guessed it, in a Tweet from an angry local author:
“What’s so funny about School-to-Prison pipeline . . . in which African American, Latinx and other kids of color are criminalized rather than educated. Five- and 6-year-olds are handcuffed and hauled off to jail routinely in this country.”
As the last story shows, we also recognize the problem with overzealous cops in schools. (Not that it should matter, but the boy from the last story was White.)
We’re just not sure censoring a playful Schwarzenegger film is going to deliver the revolutionary change required to tackle the problem.
But homeschooling might.
Click here to read the full story.
Math “reeks of white supremacist patriarchy”
First it was a PhD student studying mathematics who Tweeted that 2+2=4 is “because of western imperialism/colonization. . .” (we wrote about this last month.)
But this idea is catching on.
Math professors and PhD candidates from various academic institutions eagerly agreed on Twitter–
One professor who teaches math education at Brooklyn College said: “um, ya’ll must know that the idea that math is objective or neutral IS A MYTH.”
The professor also claimed that math “reeks of white supremacist patriarchy. . .” (nevermind that many early advances in arithmetic were from Persian, Arabic, Indian, and Chinese mathematicians.)
This was met with agreement from a professor of Sociopolitical Perspectives on Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Illinois; a Harvard University PhD student; and others.
In line with everything we have been saying this week, the actual objective reality that 2+2=4 takes a back seat to the “woke” belief that math is yet another racist tool of oppression.
Click here to read the full story.
San Francisco Covid relief includes funding meth lab
San Francisco has put up 2,500 homeless people in hotel rooms as part of an effort to help them social distance during Covid lockdowns.
That provided the opportunity to, for instance, start a meth lab in a tax funded hotel room.
Run a business during Covid? No.
Start a meth lab with taxpayer funds? Yes.
Click here to read the full story.
On another note… We think gold could DOUBLE and silver could increase by up to 5 TIMES in the next few years.
That’s why we published a new, 50-page long Ultimate Guide on Gold & Silver that you can download here.


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Is Covid Coming For Your Job? Laid off or fear you could be? Then read this.

How safe is your job ?
Because despite the “ Everything is Awesome !
” mirage the financial markets are desperate to project , the real economy — you know , where people actually live their lives — is telling us a far darker story .
Tens of millions of US workers have lost their jobs since covid-19 arrived on America ’ s shores .
Over 28 million people right now are currently filing to receive state & federal unemployment benefits : And despite extraordinary measures to aid these impacted households , many are slipping into hardship as the prospects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trillion CARES Act created the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program which added an additional $ 600 per week to those receiving unemployment benefits .
It also sent a tax credit check of up to $ 1,200 ( $ 2,400 for joint filers ) to households making under a certain income threshold .
But the extra $ 600 payments have now expired , and Congress is deadlocked on what will follow .
The current proposal is to re-start the extra benefit payment at the reduced sum of $ 400/week , with $ 300 paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disaster Relief Fund and the rest funded by the individual states .
Another $ 1,200 payment seems likely , as well .
This plan has it challenges , though .
At $ 300/week , the Disaster Relief Fund will be drained after 5 weeks .
And many states are claiming they can ’ t afford to foot the $ 100/week bill they ’ re being asked to .
So it ’ s little wonder , with tens of millions of jobs lost and over 3,500 businesses declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy so far this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the future : POLL-Three of ten Americans laid off in coronavirus crisis worried about food , shelter ( Reuters ) Three of 10 Americans who lost work during the coronavirus pandemic said they may have trouble paying for food or housing after a $ 600-per-week enhanced unemployment payment expired last month , according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday ( … ) ( … ) Three out of 10 people surveyed by Reuters/Ipsos reported that they will have “ a very difficult time meeting basic needs , ” which includes paying for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are under some stress “ but we will be able to meet our basic needs.
” And it ’ s only going to get harder for these folks from here .
The unemployment rate is currently reported at 10.2 % , which is high — but still under-emphasizes the reality of today ’ s job seeker .
Applying for a job in the post-covid world is a real challenge .
Companies are busy trying to figure out how to manage the staff they have as they adapt to a remote workforce .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ completely .
Simply put : there are many less jobs .
And a LOT more people competing for them now .
This imbalance will worsen as the extraordinary government benefits dry up , as they are highly likely to do after the November presidential election .
Sure , politicians will try to curry votes by being as generous as they can leading up to it .
But everyone knows there ’ s no way the country can sustain what it ’ s spending now , so expect the pursestrings to snap shut once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the markets should experience another major correction , as they are definitely due for — then Katie , bar the-door .
If the flotilla of zombie US companies currently kept afloat by Federal Reserve stimulus are allowed to sink , then the unemployment rate will go bonkers as tens of millions more workers lose their jobs .
In Servitude To The Top 1 % Speaking of the markets , for years we ’ ve been loudly warning that the price bubble in financial assets blown by the Federal Reserve has resulted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and everyone else : This is resulting in a neo-feudal economy , where increasingly companies target and tailor their services to the elites who have all of the money .
The rest of us are increasingly becoming cogs in that machine , worker drones toiling away to keep a few queen bees fat and happy .
Here ’ s a perfect example .
This is an actual current job listing on CareerBuilder.com offering a staggering salary and benefits to serve as a ‘ life coach ’ to this Apen couple ’ s three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age of six : So , this is basically a gussied-up nanny job for an insanely ambitious power couple with money to burn .
Given the precarious state of millions of US households right now , I expect thousands will apply for this single position .
The compensation package is just too sweet , and there are just too many laid off workers in need .
And so we should expect to see much more of the economy head in this sad direction ; more and more of the masses competing for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s aristocracy .
But hopefully , that doesn ’ t have to be you .
What To Do If Covid Threatens Your Job If you ’ ve already been laid off due to the pandemic , or fear that you could be , are there important steps you should be taking now ?
We published The Layoff Survival Handbook not long before the coronavirus hit , and it is absolutely more relevant than ever in today ’ s environment .
The bankruptcy wave has just started .
And if the stock market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is inevitable ?
Both promise more layoffs AND fewer jobs in the foreseeable future .
So take smart action now to increase your odds of maintaining an income .
In Part 2 : The Layoff Survival Handbook , we detail out the steps to take now to reduce your vulnerability to a layoff , the critical steps to take should you become laid off .
Many of these will enhance your career trajectory and satisfaction even if a pink slip never arrives .
But should one do , you ’ ll be far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The stakes are simply too high now to leave your future to chance .
Click here to read Part 2 of this report ( free executive summary , enrollment required for full access ) .

by Adam Taggart
How safe is your job?
Because despite the “Everything is Awesome!” mirage the financial markets are desperate to project, the real economy — you know, where people actually live their lives — is telling us a far darker story.
Tens of millions of US workers have lost their jobs since covid-19 arrived on America’s shores. Over 28 million people right now are currently filing to receive state & federal unemployment benefits:
And despite extraordinary measures to aid these impacted households, many are slipping into hardship as the prospects only grow dimmer.
The $2.2 trillion CARES Act created the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program which added an additional $600 per week to those receiving unemployment benefits. It also sent a tax credit check of up to $1,200 ($2,400 for joint filers) to households making under a certain income threshold.
But the extra $600 payments have now expired, and Congress is deadlocked on what will follow. The current proposal is to re-start the extra benefit payment at the reduced sum of $400/week, with $300 paid out of the federal government’s Disaster Relief Fund and the rest funded by the individual states. Another $1,200 payment seems likely, as well.
This plan has it challenges, though. At $300/week, the Disaster Relief Fund will be drained after 5 weeks. And many states are claiming they can’t afford to foot the $100/week bill they’re being asked to.
So it’s little wonder, with tens of millions of jobs lost and over 3,500 businesses declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy so far this year, Americans are increasingly worried for the future:
POLL-Three of ten Americans laid off in coronavirus crisis worried about food, shelter (Reuters) Three of 10 Americans who lost work during the coronavirus pandemic said they may have trouble paying for food or housing after a $600-per-week enhanced unemployment payment expired last month, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday(…) (…) Three out of 10 people surveyed by Reuters/Ipsos reported that they will have “a very difficult time meeting basic needs,” which includes paying for rent or buying groceries. Half said they are under some stress “but we will be able to meet our basic needs.”
And it’s only going to get harder for these folks from here.
The unemployment rate is currently reported at 10.2%, which is high — but still under-emphasizes the reality of today’s job seeker.
Applying for a job in the post-covid world is a real challenge. Companies are busy trying to figure out how to manage the staff they have as they adapt to a remote workforce. And many are downsizing or closing shop completely.
Simply put: there are many less jobs. And a LOT more people competing for them now.
This imbalance will worsen as the extraordinary government benefits dry up, as they are highly likely to do after the November presidential election. Sure, politicians will try to curry votes by being as generous as they can leading up to it. But everyone knows there’s no way the country can sustain what it’s spending now, so expect the pursestrings to snap shut once the results are in.
And, if the markets should experience another major correction, as they are definitely due for — then Katie, bar the-door. If the flotilla of zombie US companies currently kept afloat by Federal Reserve stimulus are allowed to sink, then the unemployment rate will go bonkers as tens of millions more workers lose their jobs.
In Servitude To The Top 1%
Speaking of the markets, for years we’ve been loudly warning that the price bubble in financial assets blown by the Federal Reserve has resulted in tremendously unfair wealth disparity between the already-rich and everyone else:
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
This is resulting in a neo-feudal economy, where increasingly companies target and tailor their services to the elites who have all of the money. The rest of us are increasingly becoming cogs in that machine, worker drones toiling away to keep a few queen bees fat and happy.
Here’s a perfect example. This is an actual current job listing on CareerBuilder.com offering a staggering salary and benefits to serve as a ‘life coach’ to this Apen couple’s three children, who are all under the age of six:
So, this is basically a gussied-up nanny job for an insanely ambitious power couple with money to burn.
Given the precarious state of millions of US households right now, I expect thousands will apply for this single position. The compensation package is just too sweet, and there are just too many laid off workers in need.
And so we should expect to see much more of the economy head in this sad direction; more and more of the masses competing for the chance to be a servant to America’s aristocracy.
But hopefully, that doesn’t have to be you.
What To Do If Covid Threatens Your Job
If you’ve already been laid off due to the pandemic, or fear that you could be, are there important steps you should be taking now?
Absolutely.
We published The Layoff Survival Handbook not long before the coronavirus hit, and it is absolutely more relevant than ever in today’s environment.
The bankruptcy wave has just started. And if the stock market bubble pops, as history tells us is inevitable? Both promise more layoffs AND fewer jobs in the foreseeable future.
So take smart action now to increase your odds of maintaining an income.
In Part 2: The Layoff Survival Handbook, we detail out the steps to take now to reduce your vulnerability to a layoff, and
the critical steps to take should you become laid off.
Many of these will enhance your career trajectory and satisfaction even if a pink slip never arrives. But should one do, you’ll be far better off for having taken them.
The stakes are simply too high now to leave your future to chance.
Click here to read Part 2 of this report (free executive summary, enrollment required for full access).


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Tucker: Why Is Media Ignoring The Brutal Murder Of 5 Year-Old Cannon Hinnant?

Why Is Media Ignoring The Brutal Murder Of 5 Year-Old Cannon Hinnant ?
Tucker Carlson & Nancy Grace MAINSTREAM MEDIA @ @ @ @ @ HORRIFIC MURDER OF 5-YEAR-OLD CANNON HINNANT SPARKS TWITTER HASHTAG # SAYHISNAME .
Nearly a full @ @ @ @ @ convicted felon Darius Sessoms fatally shot 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant while the young boy was riding @ @ @ @ @ networks have remained silent on the atrocity .
The blackout of coverage from the mainstream @ @ @ @ @ social media and by Wednesday evening , the hashtag # SayHisName was trending on Twitter @

Why Is Media Ignoring The Brutal Murder Of 5 Year-Old Cannon Hinnant? Tucker Carlson & Nancy Grace
MAINSTREAM MEDIA’S SILENCE ON THE HORRIFIC MURDER OF 5-YEAR-OLD CANNON HINNANT SPARKS TWITTER HASHTAG #SAYHISNAME.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Nearly a full week has gone by since convicted felon Darius Sessoms fatally shot 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant while the young boy was riding his bike and major news networks have remained silent on the atrocity. The blackout of coverage from the mainstream media has induced outrage on social media and by Wednesday evening, the hashtag #SayHisName was trending on Twitter.
Yesterday a 5 year old was riding his bike playing outside his house with his two sisters. His neighbor with already multiple felony charges walked up to him and shot him dead at point blank. FIVE YEARS OLD JFC. Where the hell is the media coverage? Say his name. Cannon Hinnant — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) August 12, 2020
Just so everyone understands: a lone woman calling the police on a stranger threatening her/her dog in a park is considered national news. The murder of #CannonHinnant is not. — Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) August 13, 2020
h/t Ed


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Infowars reporter MILLIE WEAVER ARRESTED MID-PREMIERE of her whistleblowing INVESTIGATION into ‘SHAD

Infowars reporter MILLIE WEAVER ARRESTED MID-PREMIERE of her whistleblowing INVESTIGATION into ‘SHADOW GOVERNMENT’

Investigative reporter Millie Weaver and her husband have reportedly been arrested at the same time her documentary on the US @ @ @ @ @ being screened on YouTube .
Video of the couple ’ s apparent arrest , shot @ @ @ @ @ posted to Twitter by her Infowars colleague Adan Salazar.. She and her husband Gavin Wince @ @ @ @ @ custody after being informed they ’ d been charged with “ burglary.
” The clip @ @ @ @ @ viewers to “ please share this.
” Rumors soon emerged that the “ burglary ” @ @ @ @ @ documents related to the film , but no official confirmation has so far been released

Investigative reporter Millie Weaver and her husband have reportedly been arrested at the same time her documentary on the US “shadow government” was being screened on YouTube. Video of the couple’s apparent arrest, shot by Weaver herself, was posted to Twitter by her Infowars colleague Adan Salazar..
She and her husband Gavin Wince were then supposedly taken into custody after being informed they’d been charged with “burglary.” The clip ends abruptly with Weaver urging viewers to “please share this.” Rumors soon emerged that the “burglary” concerned alleged theft of government documents related to the film, but no official confirmation has so far been released
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
🚨🚨 Breaking: Police arrest Infowars Reporter @Millie__Weaver claiming a "grand jury has indicted her." "I was literally about to break huge breaking news right now," Millie says. pic.twitter.com/EgvIcFSzPm — Adan Salazar (@AdanSalazarWins) August 14, 2020
www.rt.com/usa/498072-millie-weaver-documentary-arrest-shadowgate/


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Aluminum is a Secret Sauce

Aluminum is a Secret Sauce

Such a clever headline and a WHOPPER of an obfuscation from National Pharma Radio , aka NPR .
In the @ @ @ @ @ a substance called “ alum….
” The author might want to check in on the @ @ @ @ @ the UK .
His latest ?
The role of aluminum adjuvants in vaccines raises issues @ @ @ @ @ and honest science

Such a clever headline and a WHOPPER of an obfuscation from National Pharma Radio, aka NPR. In the article they jauntily refer to a substance called “alum….” The author might want to check in on the work of Chris Exley in the UK. His latest? The role of aluminum adjuvants in vaccines raises issues that deserve independent, rigorous and honest science
www.ageofautism.com/2020/08/aluminum-is-a-secret-sauce.html
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
h/t AggregateThreat


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--China wants Joe Biden in the White House so they can return to ripping off our country.… We can’t le

China wants Joe Biden in the White House so they can return to ripping off our country.… We can’t let that happen. (Video)

China wants Joe Biden in the White House so they can return to ripping off our country .
We can @ @ @ @ @ .
pic.twitter.com/NapO9mnQZM

China wants Joe Biden in the White House so they can return to ripping off our country.
We can’t let that happen. pic.twitter.com/NapO9mnQZM
— Matt Wolking (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@MattWolking) August 14, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--California is orders BLACKOUTS!

California is orders BLACKOUTS!

SAN FRANCISCO , Calif. ( KRON ) — PG & E has been directed by the California Independent System Operator @ @ @ @ @ shutting off power as CAISO has declared a statewide Stage 3 Emergency due to excessive @ @ @ @ @ and putting strain on the grid .
The power outages will affect about 200,000 to @ @ @ @ @ in rotating power outages .
Other utilities in California are being directed to take similar @ @ @ @ @ be turned off in rotating blocks until about 11 p.m. Power could be out for @ @ @ @ @ block .
42,455 Sonoma County residents are expected to be impacted by blackouts .
As @ @ @ @ @ & E says no more outages are planned for Friday night .
Crews are working @ @ @ @ @ customers who were affected by the shutoffs .

PG&E turns off power as California ISO declares statewide Stage 3 Emergency amid heat wave.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — PG&E has been directed by the California Independent System Operator (ISO) to begin shutting off power as CAISO has declared a statewide Stage 3 Emergency due to excessive heat driving up electricity use and putting strain on the grid.
The power outages will affect about 200,000 to 250,000 customers at a time in rotating power outages.
Other utilities in California are being directed to take similar actions.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The power will be turned off in rotating blocks until about 11 p.m. Power could be out for about one hour for each block.
42,455 Sonoma County residents are expected to be impacted by blackouts.
As of 9:04 p.m., PG&E says no more outages are planned for Friday night. Crews are working to restore power to those customers who were affected by the shutoffs.
Full restoration is expected by 11 p.m.
Thank you for your patience. Directed by CA's grid operator, PG&E initiated a power outage earlier this evening. Impacted customers are being restored, with full restoration expected by 11 p.m. No more outages of this type are planned for this evening. — PG&E for the South Bay and Central Coast (@PGE_SBay_CCoast) August 15, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Tom Fitton reacts to appeals court overturning Hillary Clinton deposition order

Judicial Watch hopes to appeal the ‘ terrible outcome ’ and hold Hillary Clinton and the State Department accountable under @ @ @ @ @ Fitton , president of Judicial Watch .

Judicial Watch hopes to appeal the ‘terrible outcome’ and hold Hillary Clinton and the State Department accountable under the law, says Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--NYPD endorses Trump! Seattle Liberals turning to Trump in Droves

Donald Trump says he has directed Steve Mnuchin to send $ 3,400 stimulus checks to families and slams the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ ’ Donald Trump says he has directed Steve Mnuchin to send $ 3,400 stimulus checks @ @ @ @ @ Democrats for ‘ holding this up ’ because they want to give ‘ $ 1 @ @ @ @ @ He blasted Democrats for ‘ holding this up ’ but explained that he wouldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ person because they want to give money to their ‘ friends ’ ‘ Cuz they @ @ @ @ @ go their friends who are doing bad jobs running cities and states and they ’ @ @ @ @ @ ’ the president explained Chicago Shuts Down Its Business District Overnight This Weekend Due To @ @ @ @

After weeks of riots in Seattle, even Liberals want Law and Order. The Radical Left is creating new Trump voters. Check out what residents had to say: pic.twitter.com/Gi236EvmvO — Benny (@bennyjohnson) August 14, 2020
We are the silent majority. We get no air time. We don’t burn things down. We work. We salute the flag. We respect law. We appreciate military. We are the backbone of this country. We are invisible, until we vote. You can bet come November we’ll be heard and it will be deafening. — Kambree (@KamVTV) August 14, 2020
Related:
Donald Trump says he has directed Steve Mnuchin to send $3,400 stimulus checks to families and slams the Democrats for ‘holding this up’
Donald Trump says he has directed Steve Mnuchin to send $3,400 stimulus checks to families and slams the Democrats for ‘holding this up’ because they want to give ‘$1 trillion to their friends’
He blasted Democrats for ‘holding this up’ but explained that he wouldn’t meet with them in person because they want to give money to their ‘friends’
‘Cuz they want $1 trillion to go their friends who are doing bad jobs running cities and states and they’re doing very badly,’ the president explained
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Chicago Shuts Down Its Business District Overnight This Weekend Due To Continued Riots And Looting


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Home Prices Climb to Record as Buyers Seek Space…  Betting Against Dollar More Popular Than Ever

NEW YORK — A renter most of his adult life , Clarence Swann became fearful that landlords would use the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to gouge their tenants .
So , with a desire to move near family , the retired veteran bought his first home last month at the age of 74 .
Swann said he used his veteran status to get the loan he needed to buy a $ 196,000 townhouse this summer in the Lake Wylie , South Carolina area .
“ The first need at my age was I wanted stability , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands of buyers who dove into the housing market this spring and summer even as the coronavirus upended the U.S. economy .
The presence of these buyers , plus a sharp drop in the numbers of homes on the market , drove home prices to record highs in most parts of the United States , according to an analysis of housing price data by The Associated Press and Core Logic .
The average home price in the U.S. in May rose 4.2 % compared to a year ago .
The data shows that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the lower third of prices in metropolitan areas and a typical target for first-time buyers — grew faster than the rest of the market , rising 6.7 % from a year ago .

Home Prices Climb to Record as Buyers Seek Space…
Watch the latest video at foxnews.com
NEW YORK — A renter most of his adult life, Clarence Swann became fearful that landlords would use the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to gouge their tenants. So, with a desire to move near family, the retired veteran bought his first home last month at the age of 74.
Swann said he used his veteran status to get the loan he needed to buy a $196,000 townhouse this summer in the Lake Wylie, South Carolina area.
“The first need at my age was I wanted stability,” he said.
Swann is one of tens of thousands of buyers who dove into the housing market this spring and summer even as the coronavirus upended the U.S. economy. The presence of these buyers, plus a sharp drop in the numbers of homes on the market, drove home prices to record highs in most parts of the United States, according to an analysis of housing price data by The Associated Press and Core Logic.
The average home price in the U.S. in May rose 4.2% compared to a year ago. The data shows that prices for cheaper homes — those found in the lower third of prices in metropolitan areas and a typical target for first-time buyers — grew faster than the rest of the market, rising 6.7% from a year ago.


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--EPIC: ‘FORTNITE’ BATTLES APPLEGOOGLE MONOPOLY…  KICKED OFF APP STORES…

( Bloomberg ) — Apple Inc. and Google removed Fortnite from their app stores on Thursday , prompting lawsuits by @ @ @ @ @ , Epic Games Inc .
The moves escalate a dispute between the companies that had @ @ @ @ @ .
The disagreement stems from a longstanding Apple App Store rule saying most apps must @ @ @ @ @ pay the company 30 % of revenue .
On Thursday morning , Epic began offering @ @ @ @ @ buy items for Fortnite and circumvent the fees .
Hours later , Apple pulled the @ @ @ @ @ suit later in the day .
Apple said in an emailed statement it removed Fortnite @ @ @ @ @ had the “ express intent of violating the App Store guidelines.
” Apple said its @ @ @ @ @ s success over the last decade and that it offers a “ level playing field @ @ @ @ @ issued a similar statement but noted that Android allows for multiple app stores , unlike @ @ @

EPIC: ‘FORTNITE’ BATTLES APPLEGOOGLE MONOPOLY…KICKED OFF APP STORES…
(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. and Google removed Fortnite from their app stores on Thursday, prompting lawsuits by the game’s creator, Epic Games Inc. The moves escalate a dispute between the companies that had been brewing in recent weeks.
Previously: Epic Games Challenges Apple, Google Stores With Direct Payment
The disagreement stems from a longstanding Apple App Store rule saying most apps must offer billing through Apple and pay the company 30% of revenue. On Thursday morning, Epic began offering customers a way to directly buy items for Fortnite and circumvent the fees. Hours later, Apple pulled the app, and Google followed suit later in the day.
Apple said in an emailed statement it removed Fortnite because Epic’s changes had the “express intent of violating the App Store guidelines.” Apple said its store helped enable Epic’s success over the last decade and that it offers a “level playing field” for businesses. Google issued a similar statement but noted that Android allows for multiple app stores, unlike the iPhone.


investmentwatchblog--2020-08-15--Recession over for rich, but working class far from recovered…  Stocks close in on record high, end

Recession over for rich, but working class far from recovered…  Stocks close in on record high, end of bear market… Are bread riots coming?

Recession over for rich , but working class far from recovered… U.S. stocks are hovering near a record high , a stunning comeback since March that underscores the new phase the economy has entered : The wealthy have mostly recovered .
The bottom half remain far from it .
This dichotomy is evident in many facets of the economy , especially in employment .
Jobs are fully back for the highest wage earners , but fewer than half the jobs lost this spring have returned for those making less than $ 20 an hour , according to a new labor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economics professor at Brown University and co-director of Opportunity Insights .
Though recessions almost always hit lower-wage workers the hardest , the pandemic is causing especially large gaps between rich and poor , and between white and minority households .
It is also widening the gap between big and small businesses .
Some of the largest companies , such as Nike and Best Buy , are enjoying their highest stock prices ever while many smaller businesses fight for survival .
Some economists have started to call this a “ K-shaped ” recovery because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and poor , and they say policy failures in Washington are exacerbating the problems .

Recession over for rich, but working class far from recovered…
U.S. stocks are hovering near a record high, a stunning comeback since March that underscores the new phase the economy has entered: The wealthy have mostly recovered. The bottom half remain far from it.
This dichotomy is evident in many facets of the economy, especially in employment. Jobs are fully back for the highest wage earners, but fewer than half the jobs lost this spring have returned for those making less than $20 an hour, according to a new labor data analysis by John Friedman, an economics professor at Brown University and co-director of Opportunity Insights.
Though recessions almost always hit lower-wage workers the hardest, the pandemic is causing especially large gaps between rich and poor, and between white and minority households. It is also widening the gap between big and small businesses. Some of the largest companies, such as Nike and Best Buy, are enjoying their highest stock prices ever while many smaller businesses fight for survival.
Some economists have started to call this a “K-shaped” recovery because of the diverging prospects for the rich and poor, and they say policy failures in Washington are exacerbating the problems.