investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--FBI is opening a new China-related counterintelligence case approximately every 10 hours.

Hudson Institute @ HudsonInstitute “ We ’ ve now reached the point where the FBI is opening a new China-related @ @ @ @ @ hours .
Of the nearly 5,000 active FBI counterintelligence cases currently under way across the @ @ @ @ @ related to China.
” Well , at least some of the G-men are doing something @ @

“We’ve now reached the point where the FBI is opening a new China-related counterintelligence case approximately every 10 hours. Of the nearly 5,000 active FBI counterintelligence cases currently under way across the country, almost half are related to China.” — Hudson Institute (@HudsonInstitute) July 7, 2020
Hudson Institute
@HudsonInstitute
“We’ve now reached the point where the FBI is opening a new China-related counterintelligence case approximately every 10 hours. Of the nearly 5,000 active FBI counterintelligence cases currently under way across the country, almost half are related to China.”
Well, at least some of the G-men are doing something useful.
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h/t Builder


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--Tracking Recipients of US PPP loans

Tracking Recipients of US PPP loans

The US Treasury Department released the names of companies who received Payment Protection Plan loans intended to prop up the @ @ @ @ @ businesses throughout the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Meanwhile , the future of @ @ @ @ @ the United States government considers barring the app from operating in the country .
This @ @ @ @ @ India ’ s decision to block the Chinese company .
Plus , Deutsche Bank has @ @ @ @ @ regulators with a fine for its association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein @

The US Treasury Department released the names of companies who received Payment Protection Plan loans intended to prop up the economy as stay-at-home orders shuttered businesses throughout the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the future of TikTok is in doubt as the United States government considers barring the app from operating in the country. This comes in the wake of India’s decision to block the Chinese company. Plus, Deutsche Bank has been slapped by New York regulators with a fine for its association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--Right there… “Pension funds buy stocks, promising to their clients that they will not lose money” –

Right there… “Pension funds buy stocks, promising to their clients that they will not lose money” – Bloomberg

“ Pension funds buy stocks , promising to their clients that they will not lose money ” – Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/x4YeoiNCIu @ @ @ @ @ IS NO LIMIT ON HOW MUCH MBS , TREASURIES THE FED CAN BUY CLARIDA : @ @ @ @ @ DO IN TERMS OF OUR BALANCE SHEET

“Pension funds buy stocks, promising to their clients that they will not lose money” – Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/x4YeoiNCIu
FED'S CLARIDA SAYS THERE IS NO LIMIT ON HOW MUCH MBS, TREASURIES THE FED CAN BUY
CLARIDA: THERE'S MORE WE COULD DO IN TERMS OF OUR BALANCE SHEET
Headlines from Stalingrad, USSR ca 1979
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 7, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--The V-shaped recovery is already over. More stimulus is needed.

The V-shaped recovery is already over The first pullback in the NY Fed 's weekly economic index since the lows @ @ @ @ @ evidence that the economy is stalling pic.twitter.com/8uPH7OMkBx

The V-shaped recovery is already over
The first pullback in the NY Fed's weekly economic index since the lows in late April. Mounting evidence that the economy is stalling pic.twitter.com/8uPH7OMkBx
— Ed Bradford (@Fullcarry) July 7, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--‘Gov’t debt doesn’t matter’, ‘deficits are a myth’ we’re told.   Sorry to ruin the fantasy, but…

Sorry to ruin the fantasy , but the long term price we ALL pay for the 320 % glbl debt-to-GDP @ @ @ @ @ path of using 5-6 % interest on savings to retire has been destroyed in just @ @ @ @ @

'Gov't debt doesn't matter', 'deficits are a myth' we're told.
Sorry to ruin the fantasy, but the long term price we ALL pay for the 320% glbl debt-to-GDP is the previous safe retirement path of using 5-6% interest on savings to retire has been destroyed in just 20 yrs. 🤔👇 pic.twitter.com/jViTM4WUhD
— M/I_Investments (@MI_Investments) July 7, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--Fed Is Driving Stocks Into ‘The Mother of All Melt Ups,’ the Market Is Looking Like 1999 Again

He referred to soaring equity valuations that preceded the 2000 dot-com bubble burst .
Yardeni said the Fed ’ s decision to keep interest rates at zero will also force price-to-earnings ratios on stocks to turn higher .
The Fed announced last week it spent $ 428 million in its first round of corporate buying , as part of its $ 250 billion programme .
He said actions by the Fed , including purchasing corporate bonds , have prompted a move out of bonds into equities , causing the latter to be in “ the mother of all melt-ups.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yardeni research , said stocks are starting to “ look like 1999 all over again , ” during a CNBC interview this week .
Markets tanked in March , but strategist Ed Yardeni has shied away from calling it a market crash , and believes actions by the Fed are in fact causing stocks to explode into the “ mother of all melt ups.
” Yardeni , who is president of Yardeni Research , told CNBC in an interview Monday : “ The Fed has just poured in so much liquidity into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for something that might look like 1999 all over again.
” He referred to soaring equity valuations that preceded the 2000 dot-com bubble burst .
Yardeni said : “ Remember that Prince song about partying like it is 1999 .
The market certainly has that potential.
” He shares the view that the Fed ’ s quantitative easing programme has prompted a flight out of bonds and made equities more attractive .
“ By March 23 the Fed came in and did QE forever saying they would [ buy ] treasury and mortgage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ They started a programme which I call ‘ no assets left behind ’ , ” he said .
Yardeni believes the Fed ’ s purchase of corporate bonds , including some of the “ lowest investment grade bonds that have turned into junk ” has generated “ a tremendous pressure to balance out of bonds and into stocks.
” The Fed announced in mid-June that it would begin purchases of up to $ 250 billion in corporate bonds .
The program is known as the Secondary Market Corporate Credit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management behemoth BlackRock .

He referred to soaring equity valuations that preceded the 2000 dot-com bubble burst.
Yardeni said the Fed’s decision to keep interest rates at zero will also force price-to-earnings ratios on stocks to turn higher.
The Fed announced last week it spent $428 million in its first round of corporate buying, as part of its $250 billion programme.
He said actions by the Fed, including purchasing corporate bonds, have prompted a move out of bonds into equities, causing the latter to be in “the mother of all melt-ups.”
Veteran strategist Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni research, said stocks are starting to “look like 1999 all over again,” during a CNBC interview this week.
Markets tanked in March, but strategist Ed Yardeni has shied away from calling it a market crash, and believes actions by the Fed are in fact causing stocks to explode into the “mother of all melt ups.”
Yardeni, who is president of Yardeni Research, told CNBC in an interview Monday: “The Fed has just poured in so much liquidity into the market that there’s a potential for something that might look like 1999 all over again.”
He referred to soaring equity valuations that preceded the 2000 dot-com bubble burst.
Yardeni said: “Remember that Prince song about partying like it is 1999. The market certainly has that potential.”
He shares the view that the Fed’s quantitative easing programme has prompted a flight out of bonds and made equities more attractive.
“By March 23 the Fed came in and did QE forever saying they would [buy] treasury and mortgage back securities that were open-ended,” he said.
“They started a programme which I call ‘no assets left behind’,” he said.
Yardeni believes the Fed’s purchase of corporate bonds, including some of the “lowest investment grade bonds that have turned into junk” has generated “a tremendous pressure to balance out of bonds and into stocks.”
The Fed announced in mid-June that it would begin purchases of up to $250 billion in corporate bonds. The program is known as the Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility and is being operating by asset management behemoth BlackRock.


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--Recombinant SARS Cov viruses with certain features of SARS Cov-2 have been engineered in a lab

In this paper from 2013 , Dr. Peter Daszak , Dr. Shi and colleagues isolate and characterize a SARS-like coronavirus from Chinese horseshoe bats from a cave in Yunnan province ( some distance from Wuhan ) .
They discover that , like the epidemic strain SARS-Cov-1 ( but unlike other SARS-like coronaviruses ) , the spike protein of this isolate binds human ACE-2 .
They name this bat SL-CoV-WIV1 ( initials seem obvious ) .
I would note that bats were not sold in the Wuhan market and that the above bat SARS-like virus ( WIV1 ) uses human ACE-2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Next is the 2015 paper cited in previous posts , in which Dr. Shi and colleagues create a chimeric SARS Cov virus with a distinct S protein and a SARS Cov genetic backbone , and show that it infects and replicates in human lung cells , causes pathology , and is recalcitrant to neutralization by antibodies because of its novel spike protein .
In 2017 , after 5 years of surveillance studies in bat caves , they identify 11 more SARS-like strains from bats in Yunnan province , which differ significantly in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , among other sequences .
( I mention these in particular because in SARS Cov-2 , the S protein is the key that unlocks the ACE-2 receptor and the ORF8 down regulates MHC expression on human T cells , which would reduce the degree to which these immune cells recognize the virus as foreign ) .
Much of the paper is devoted to genetic characterization , but one section is noteworthy from our standpoint : So they constructed artificial chromosomes containing the genetic backbone of the bat SARS-Cov WIV1 ( that they believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with various different spike protein genes spliced in .
So 8 chimeras .
( It has been asserted in the press that this technique does not leave a signature of artificial manipulation ) .
Two of the eight chimeras were cytotoxic to monkey cells , so evidently they obtained replicable virus via the technique of infecting with artificially reconstructed bacterial chromosomes containing the requisite viral genes .
The two engineered viruses , and an additional wild-type virus , were able to use ACE-2 receptor to infect human cells .
Conclusion : I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been engineered in a lab , and some of the details have been published .
This group first discovered a SARS-Cov virus from bats that infects human cells directly via ACE-2 , then artificially engineered this SARS Cov-1 type virus by manipulating the spike protein in multiple ways over time .
Various artificial chimeras were produced that infect human cells via ACE-2 , replicate efficiently in human cells , cause pathology , and in some cases resist neutralization by antibodies .
We know that in SARS Cov-2 has a SARS Cov backbone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARS Cov-1 ; and that the S gene includes a 12-base-pair insertion for a cleavage site that makes the spike protein effective at using ACE-2 for cell entry .
SARS Cov -2 also has differences in other sequences , such as ORF8 , which these researchers found to be diverse in different bat corona viruses .
Could SARS Cov-2 have come from a lab ?
Of course the possibility exists .
Engineered SARS-Cov viruses made in Wuhan are a reality , not a hypothetical .
Just as an aside , interesting to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bat caves , is from Hubei Province where Wuhan is situated .

by Island girl
So here’s a timeline:
In this paper from 2013, Dr. Peter Daszak, Dr. Shi and colleagues isolate and characterize a SARS-like coronavirus from Chinese horseshoe bats from a cave in Yunnan province (some distance from Wuhan). They discover that, like the epidemic strain SARS-Cov-1 (but unlike other SARS-like coronaviruses), the spike protein of this isolate binds human ACE-2. They name this bat SL-CoV-WIV1 (initials seem obvious).
www.nature.com/articles/nature12711
we report the first recorded isolation of a live SL-CoV (bat SL-CoV-WIV1) from bat faecal samples …which has typical coronavirus morphology … and uses ACE2 from humans, civets and Chinese horseshoe bats for cell entry…Our results provide the strongest evidence to date that Chinese horseshoe bats are natural reservoirs of SARS-CoV, and that intermediate hosts may not be necessary for direct human infection by some bat SL-CoVs.
I would note that bats were not sold in the Wuhan market and that the above bat SARS-like virus (WIV1) uses human ACE-2 receptor and needs no intermediate host.
Next is the 2015 paper cited in previous posts, in which Dr. Shi and colleagues create a chimeric SARS Cov virus with a distinct S protein and a SARS Cov genetic backbone, and show that it infects and replicates in human lung cells, causes pathology, and is recalcitrant to neutralization by antibodies because of its novel spike protein.
www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985
In 2017, after 5 years of surveillance studies in bat caves, they identify 11 more SARS-like strains from bats in Yunnan province, which differ significantly in the S gene and the ORF8 reading frame, among other sequences.
journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1006698
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(I mention these in particular because in SARS Cov-2, the S protein is the key that unlocks the ACE-2 receptor and the ORF8 down regulates MHC expression on human T cells, which would reduce the degree to which these immune cells recognize the virus as foreign).
Much of the paper is devoted to genetic characterization, but one section is noteworthy from our standpoint:
Using the reverse genetics technique we previously developed for WIV1 [presumably the 2013 isolate], we constructed a group of infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones with the backbone of WIV1 and variants of S genes from 8 different bat SARSr-CoVs
So they constructed artificial chromosomes containing the genetic backbone of the bat SARS-Cov WIV1 (that they believe was the progenitor to SARS-Cov-1) but with various different spike protein genes spliced in. So 8 chimeras. (It has been asserted in the press that this technique does not leave a signature of artificial manipulation).
Two of the eight chimeras were cytotoxic to monkey cells, so evidently they obtained replicable virus via the technique of infecting with artificially reconstructed bacterial chromosomes containing the requisite viral genes.
When Vero E6 [monkey] cells were respectively infected with the two successfully rescued chimeric SARSr-CoVs, WIV1-Rs4231S and WIV1-Rs7327S, and the newly isolated Rs4874, efficient virus replication was detected in all infections.
The two engineered viruses, and an additional wild-type virus, were able to use ACE-2 receptor to infect human cells.
To assess whether the three novel SARSr-CoVs can use human ACE2 as a cellular entry receptor, we conducted virus infectivity studies using HeLa cells with or without the expression of human ACE2. All viruses replicated efficiently in the human ACE2-expressing cells.
Conclusion: I think we can conclude that many SARS-Cov viruses have been engineered in a lab, and some of the details have been published.
This group first discovered a SARS-Cov virus from bats that infects human cells directly via ACE-2, then artificially engineered this SARS Cov-1 type virus by manipulating the spike protein in multiple ways over time. Various artificial chimeras were produced that infect human cells via ACE-2, replicate efficiently in human cells, cause pathology, and in some cases resist neutralization by antibodies.
We know that in SARS Cov-2 has a SARS Cov backbone and a spike protein distinct from the SARS Cov-1; and that the S gene includes a 12-base-pair insertion for a cleavage site that makes the spike protein effective at using ACE-2 for cell entry. SARS Cov -2 also has differences in other sequences, such as ORF8, which these researchers found to be diverse in different bat corona viruses. Could SARS Cov-2 have come from a lab? Of course the possibility exists. Engineered SARS-Cov viruses made in Wuhan are a reality, not a hypothetical.
Just as an aside, interesting to see how far Yunnan province, site of the bat caves, is from Hubei Province where Wuhan is situated.


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--The U.S. Economy Hasn’t Experienced Anything Like This Since The Great Depression Of The 1930s

The recession of 2008 and 2009 was bad , but it was nothing like this .
Even though this new economic downturn is only a few months old , we are already seeing numbers that we haven ’ t seen since the worst parts of the Great Depression of the 1930s .
More than 48 million Americans have filed new claims for unemployment benefits over the past 15 weeks , well over 100,000 businesses have permanently closed their doors , and civil unrest has turned quite a few of our major cities into war zones .
But not all areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For example , there are rural areas that haven ’ t really seen a lot of COVID-19 cases where life seems to have changed very little from six months ago .
On the other hand , some urban areas that have been hit really hard by COVID-19 have been absolutely devastated economically .
For example , the New York Times is reporting that a million jobs have been lost in New York City , and the unemployment rate for NYC “ is hovering near 20 percent ” … We are going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Great Depression ” a lot in the coming months .
Fear of COVID-19 is going to paralyze our economy for the foreseeable future , and all of this fear is hitting some companies more severely than others .
On Tuesday , Levi Strauss announced that sales were down a whopping 62 percent during the second quarter… If Levi Strauss expected this to be just a temporary setback , they would probably try to keep all of their employees on board .
But instead , they apparently believe that hard times are here to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eliminate “ about 700 jobs ” … Of course a whole lot of other companies are laying off workers right now too .
Another 1.427 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week , and that is an absolutely catastrophic number .
Prior to 2020 , the worst week in all of U.S. history for new unemployment claims was in 1982 when 695,000 unemployed workers filed in a single week .
So what we are witnessing right now is nothing short of a “ tsunami of job losses ” , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the jobs that have been lost “ are never coming back ” … The American economy ’ s unprecedented jobs rebound masks a difficult truth : For millions of people , the jobs they lost are never coming back .
“ It ’ s clear that the pandemic is doing some fundamental damage to the job market , ” said Mark Zandi , chief economist for Moody ’ s Analytics .
“ A lot of the jobs lost aren ’ t coming back any time soon .
The idea that the economy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was before the pandemic is clearly not going to happen.
” I couldn ’ t have said it better myself .
Since most Americans were living paycheck to paycheck before this pandemic erupted , millions of unemployed workers have found themselves in desperate need very suddenly .
I have written numerous articles about the massive lines that we have been witnessing at food banks around the nation , and we just witnessed another two mile long line at a food bank in Florida… This is not what a “ recovery ” looks like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the economy the numbers are rapidly getting a lot worse .
For instance , just check out what CNBC is reporting… And Fitch Ratings is warning that these numbers are going to get far worse in the months ahead .
I have said this before , and I will say it again .
We are on the verge of the biggest commercial mortgage meltdown in the history of the United States .
Countless restaurants and retailers are getting way behind on their rent payments , and as a result many owners of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make their mortgage payments .
The dominoes are starting to fall , and this is going to get really , really messy as we head into 2021 and beyond .
Of course the same thing could be said for the U.S. economy as a whole .
I know that I haven ’ t been posting quite as often the last couple of weeks , and that is because I have been finishing my new book .
It is not too far from being completed , and it is going to be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far .
We are right on the precipice of the most chaotic chapter in all of American history , and a collapsing economy is just going to be one element of “ the perfect storm ” that we are facing .
So please use the summer months to get prepared for what is ahead , because even though things are bad right now , the truth is that we have only experienced the leading edge of “ the perfect storm ” so far .

by Michael Snyder
The recession of 2008 and 2009 was bad, but it was nothing like this. Even though this new economic downturn is only a few months old, we are already seeing numbers that we haven’t seen since the worst parts of the Great Depression of the 1930s. More than 48 million Americans have filed new claims for unemployment benefits over the past 15 weeks, well over 100,000 businesses have permanently closed their doors, and civil unrest has turned quite a few of our major cities into war zones. But not all areas of the country are being affected equally. For example, there are rural areas that haven’t really seen a lot of COVID-19 cases where life seems to have changed very little from six months ago. On the other hand, some urban areas that have been hit really hard by COVID-19 have been absolutely devastated economically. For example, the New York Times is reporting that a million jobs have been lost in New York City, and the unemployment rate for NYC “is hovering near 20 percent”…
The city is staggering toward reopening with some workers back at their desks or behind cash registers, and on Monday, it began a new phase, allowing personal-care services like nail salons and some outdoor recreation to resume. Even so, the city’s unemployment rate is hovering near 20 percent — a figure not seen since the Great Depression.
We are going to be using the phrase “since the Great Depression” a lot in the coming months.
Fear of COVID-19 is going to paralyze our economy for the foreseeable future, and all of this fear is hitting some companies more severely than others. On Tuesday, Levi Strauss announced that sales were down a whopping 62 percent during the second quarter…
The denim maker Levi Strauss & Co.’s sales fell 62% during its fiscal second quarter, the company announced Tuesday, as its online sales weren’t enough to make up for its stores being temporarily shut for roughly 10 weeks during the Covid-19 crisis.
If Levi Strauss expected this to be just a temporary setback, they would probably try to keep all of their employees on board.
But instead, they apparently believe that hard times are here to stay and they have just decided to eliminate “about 700 jobs”…
Levi’s also announced it will be slashing about 15% of its global corporate workforce, impacting about 700 jobs, in a bid to cut costs during the coronavirus pandemic. It said the move should generate annualized savings for Levi’s of $100 million.
Of course a whole lot of other companies are laying off workers right now too. Another 1.427 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, and that is an absolutely catastrophic number. Prior to 2020, the worst week in all of U.S. history for new unemployment claims was in 1982 when 695,000 unemployed workers filed in a single week. So what we are witnessing right now is nothing short of a “tsunami of job losses”, and even CNN is admitting that millions of the jobs that have been lost “are never coming back”…
The American economy’s unprecedented jobs rebound masks a difficult truth: For millions of people, the jobs they lost are never coming back. “It’s clear that the pandemic is doing some fundamental damage to the job market,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics. “A lot of the jobs lost aren’t coming back any time soon. The idea that the economy is going to snap back to where it was before the pandemic is clearly not going to happen.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Since most Americans were living paycheck to paycheck before this pandemic erupted, millions of unemployed workers have found themselves in desperate need very suddenly. I have written numerous articles about the massive lines that we have been witnessing at food banks around the nation, and we just witnessed another two mile long line at a food bank in Florida…
More than 700 cars were seen waiting in a two-mile long food bank line in Florida as the US grapples with nearly half of Americans being unemployed amid a spike in new coronavirus cases that has sparked fears of more shut downs and lay-offs. Sunrise Assistant Leisure Services Director Maria Little, who was put in charge of food distribution for the city when the coronavirus hit the US in March, said her group served about 720 cars in Miami on Wednesday.
This is not what a “recovery” looks like.
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In fact, for certain sectors of the economy the numbers are rapidly getting a lot worse. For instance, just check out what CNBC is reporting…
Delinquencies in commercial mortgage-backed securities last month had their largest one-month surge since Fitch Ratings began tracking the metric nearly 16 years ago. The delinquency rate hit 3.59% in June, an increase from 1.46% in May. New delinquencies totaled $10.8 billion in June, raising the total delinquent pool to $17.2 billion.
And Fitch Ratings is warning that these numbers are going to get far worse in the months ahead.
And this is just the beginning. Fitch analysts are projecting that the impact from the coronavirus pandemic will drive the delinquency rate to between 8.25% and 8.75% by the end of the third quarter of this year.
I have said this before, and I will say it again.
We are on the verge of the biggest commercial mortgage meltdown in the history of the United States.
Countless restaurants and retailers are getting way behind on their rent payments, and as a result many owners of commercial property are finding it increasingly difficult to make their mortgage payments.
The dominoes are starting to fall, and this is going to get really, really messy as we head into 2021 and beyond.
Of course the same thing could be said for the U.S. economy as a whole.
I know that I haven’t been posting quite as often the last couple of weeks, and that is because I have been finishing my new book. It is not too far from being completed, and it is going to be the most important thing that I have written so far.
We are right on the precipice of the most chaotic chapter in all of American history, and a collapsing economy is just going to be one element of “the perfect storm” that we are facing.
So please use the summer months to get prepared for what is ahead, because even though things are bad right now, the truth is that we have only experienced the leading edge of “the perfect storm” so far.


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--Does A Series Of “Mystery Explosions” Inside Iran Mean That The Next Big Middle East War Is About To

Does A Series Of “Mystery Explosions” Inside Iran Mean That The Next Big Middle East War Is About To Begin?

Over the past several weeks , a series of “ mystery explosions ” has happened at very strategically sensitive locations inside Iran , and it has become obvious that what we are witnessing is not just a bunch of random accidents .
For years , the Israeli government has pledged that the Iranians will never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons , and several of the sites where the mystery explosions have taken place have direct connections to Iran ’ s nuclear program .
For example , there was a very large explosion at Iran ’ s Natanz uranium enrichment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being reported that some officials believe that this explosion was caused by a “ powerful bomb ” .
The following comes from the Jerusalem Post… Israel was behind an explosion and fire at Iran ’ s Natanz nuclear complex caused by a “ powerful bomb , ” a Middle Eastern intelligence official with knowledge of the incident told The New York Times on Monday .
A member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed to the Times that an explosive was used in the incident as well .
Both officials spoke on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been several other “ mystery explosions ” as well , and there is speculation that “ computer viruses similar to the Stuxnet virus ” may have been involved in at least some of the blasts… Five recent explosions in Iran may have been caused by computer viruses similar to the Stuxnet virus that disabled Iranian centrifuges in 2010 .
Two of the blasts took place at power plants , one at a missile research , development and production site , one at a new uranium enrichment centrifuge center , and the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the attacks ) in downtown Tehran at a medical facility that could have been a cover for nuclear operations such as a hidden command center .
It has become clear that the Trump administration does not intend to take military action to stop Iran ’ s nuclear program , so the Israeli government has been forced into a position where it must make a very tough choice .
Either Israel must be willing to accept Iran as a nuclear power or Israel must do something to stop it from happening .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the “ industrial shed ” that was destroyed during the explosion at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility “ was in fact a new site for assembling centrifuges ” , and that would definitely be a logical target for the Israelis to hit .
When asked about the “ mystery explosions ” , the following is what Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz had to say about them… When Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was asked if Israel had anything to do with “ mysterious explosions , ” he reportedly told Israel Radio : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran necessarily has something to do with us.
” “ All those systems are complex , they have very high safety constraints and I ’ m not sure they always know how to maintain them , ” he said , according to Reuters .
Obviously that is not a denial .
Meanwhile , it is also being reported that the Mossad has “ thwarted a series of planned Iranian attacks on Israeli embassies ” … The Iranians are becoming increasingly frustrated by the success of Israeli covert operations , and they want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are typically easy targets , but thankfully the Mossad has apparently been one step ahead of all Iranian efforts to target embassies so far .
Needless to say , all of this is happening at a time when tensions in the entire region are rapidly coming to a boil .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps insisting that he is about to move forward with his plan to to annex portions of Judea and Samaria , and if that happens there will inevitably be a violent response by the Palestinians .
In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ Fatah and Hamas are in agreement that there should be a popular uprising if the controversial plan goes ahead ” … And the truth is that rocket fire has already started .
On Sunday , Israeli planes hit targets in the Gaza Strip after “ a barrage of rocket fire into southern Israel ” … Israeli aircraft struck targets in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday following a barrage of rocket fire into southern Israel .
No casualties were reported on either side .
In a statement , the Israeli military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ underground infrastructure ” belonging to Gaza ’ s ruling Hamas terrorist group .
Earlier Sunday , the army said three rockets were fired by Gaza terrorists toward Israel , setting off air-raid sirens .
It said one of the rockets was intercepted by Israel ’ s Iron Dome air defense system ; according to Channel 12 TV the other two landed in open areas .
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket fire .
A number of armed terrorist groups operate in Gaza .
The bottom line is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precipice of a major war for years , and it certainly isn ’ t going to take much to push things over the edge .
If the Iranians do not stop their nuclear program , the Israelis are going to continue to hit them , and that will eventually spark a war .
And if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes ahead with his plan to annex portions of Judea and Samaria , that is almost certain to spark a war too .
We have reached such a critical moment , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time before a great conflict erupts .

by Michael Snyder
Over the past several weeks, a series of “mystery explosions” has happened at very strategically sensitive locations inside Iran, and it has become obvious that what we are witnessing is not just a bunch of random accidents. For years, the Israeli government has pledged that the Iranians will never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, and several of the sites where the mystery explosions have taken place have direct connections to Iran’s nuclear program. For example, there was a very large explosion at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility on July 2nd, and it is being reported that some officials believe that this explosion was caused by a “powerful bomb”. The following comes from the Jerusalem Post…
Israel was behind an explosion and fire at Iran’s Natanz nuclear complex caused by a “powerful bomb,” a Middle Eastern intelligence official with knowledge of the incident told The New York Times on Monday. A member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed to the Times that an explosive was used in the incident as well. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Of course there have been several other “mystery explosions” as well, and there is speculation that “computer viruses similar to the Stuxnet virus” may have been involved in at least some of the blasts…
Five recent explosions in Iran may have been caused by computer viruses similar to the Stuxnet virus that disabled Iranian centrifuges in 2010. Two of the blasts took place at power plants, one at a missile research, development and production site, one at a new uranium enrichment centrifuge center, and the last (if it can be considered part of the attacks) in downtown Tehran at a medical facility that could have been a cover for nuclear operations such as a hidden command center.
It has become clear that the Trump administration does not intend to take military action to stop Iran’s nuclear program, so the Israeli government has been forced into a position where it must make a very tough choice. Either Israel must be willing to accept Iran as a nuclear power or Israel must do something to stop it from happening.
At this point, it has been confirmed that the “industrial shed” that was destroyed during the explosion at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility “was in fact a new site for assembling centrifuges”, and that would definitely be a logical target for the Israelis to hit.
When asked about the “mystery explosions”, the following is what Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz had to say about them…
When Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was asked if Israel had anything to do with “mysterious explosions,” he reportedly told Israel Radio: “Not every incident that transpires in Iran necessarily has something to do with us.” “All those systems are complex, they have very high safety constraints and I’m not sure they always know how to maintain them,” he said, according to Reuters.
Obviously that is not a denial.
Meanwhile, it is also being reported that the Mossad has “thwarted a series of planned Iranian attacks on Israeli embassies”…
Israeli spy agency Mossad claims it has recently thwarted a series of planned Iranian attacks on Israeli embassies around the world. The intelligence bureau has halted ‘terrorist’ plans in Europe and elsewhere, according to a report by Hebrew-language broadcaster Channel 12 which said that Israel’s arch-enemy Iran was behind the plots.
The Iranians are becoming increasingly frustrated by the success of Israeli covert operations, and they want to find ways to strike back. Embassies are typically easy targets, but thankfully the Mossad has apparently been one step ahead of all Iranian efforts to target embassies so far.
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Needless to say, all of this is happening at a time when tensions in the entire region are rapidly coming to a boil.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps insisting that he is about to move forward with his plan to to annex portions of Judea and Samaria, and if that happens there will inevitably be a violent response by the Palestinians.
In fact, the Times of Israel is reporting that “Fatah and Hamas are in agreement that there should be a popular uprising if the controversial plan goes ahead”…
An adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned Saturday there was a possibility of a third intifada if the Israeli government goes ahead with its plan to annex parts of the West Bank. The Kan public broadcaster reported that Nabil Shaath told the Arabic-language arm of the France 24 network that Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas are in agreement that there should be a popular uprising if the controversial plan goes ahead.
And the truth is that rocket fire has already started. On Sunday, Israeli planes hit targets in the Gaza Strip after “a barrage of rocket fire into southern Israel”…
Israeli aircraft struck targets in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday following a barrage of rocket fire into southern Israel. No casualties were reported on either side. In a statement, the Israeli military said attack helicopters and fighter jets struck “underground infrastructure” belonging to Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist group. Earlier Sunday, the army said three rockets were fired by Gaza terrorists toward Israel, setting off air-raid sirens. It said one of the rockets was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system; according to Channel 12 TV the other two landed in open areas. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket fire. A number of armed terrorist groups operate in Gaza.
The bottom line is that the Middle East has been on the precipice of a major war for years, and it certainly isn’t going to take much to push things over the edge.
If the Iranians do not stop their nuclear program, the Israelis are going to continue to hit them, and that will eventually spark a war.
And if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes ahead with his plan to annex portions of Judea and Samaria, that is almost certain to spark a war too.
We have reached such a critical moment, and it appears to be just a matter of time before a great conflict erupts.


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--When It Rains It Pours, China Edition

When It Rains It Pours, China Edition

The US has its share of problems right now ( see One Crisis Is Manageable .
Five Might Not Be ) .
But China is right up there in the “ when it rains it pours ” sweepstakes .
As the apparent source of the covid-19 pandemic , it ’ s still battling new cases and may yet be blamed for not just spawning the virus but consciously designing and then releasing it .
It ’ s also battling unrest in Hong Kong , saber-rattling with Taiwan , and navigating a complex trade war with the US .
But those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening with the massive Three Gorges dam .
Rain has been falling almost non-stop for weeks in Southern China , and floods – much worse than usual for this time of year – have inundated cities and towns ( including covid-19 epicenter Wuhan ) along the Yangtze River .
The New York Times describes this combination of pandemic and flooding as “ surreal and difficult ” .
If that ’ s the end of the flooding story , then “ difficult ” might be as bad as it gets .
But rumor has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the dam itself is in trouble .
Meanwhile , those nightmarish Chinese pig farms may have spawned another potential pandemic : ( CNN ) – Chinese researchers have discovered a new type of swine flu that can infect humans and has the potential to cause a future pandemic , according to a study released on Monday , though scientists have cautioned that the virus does not pose an immediate global health threat .
The disease , which researchers called the G4 virus , is genetically descended from the H1N1 swine flu that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now shows “ all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus , ” said the study , published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ) .
Tests showed that G4 can infect humans by binding to our cells and receptors , and it can replicate quickly inside our airway cells .
And though G4 holds H1N1 genes , people who have received seasonal flu vaccines won ’ t have any immunity .
G4 already appears to have infected humans in China .
In Hebei and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pig numbers , more than 10 % of swine workers on pig farms and 4.4 % of the general population tested positive in a survey from 2016 to 2018 .
It ’ s easy to forget that China , by spending trillions of borrowed dollars and newly created yuan on an epic infrastructure buildout , was instrumental in pulling the world out of the Great Recession .
No one expects anything like that this time around , as rising defaults on China ’ s existing debts make massive additional borrowing a financial suicide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up these new problems isn ’ t Schadenfreude , but a recognition that there may not be a cavalry riding to the global economy ’ s rescue this time .
Which means today ’ s ultra-easy money is baked into the cake for as far as the eye can see , which in turn means that , should prices ( of real things rather than stocks and bonds ) start to rise , the world ’ s central banks will have exactly zero tools for putting the inflationary genie back in the bottle @

BY JOHN RUBINO
The US has its share of problems right now (see One Crisis Is Manageable. Five Might Not Be).
But China is right up there in the “when it rains it pours” sweepstakes. As the apparent source of the covid-19 pandemic, it’s still battling new cases and may yet be blamed for not just spawning the virus but consciously designing and then releasing it. It’s also battling unrest in Hong Kong, saber-rattling with Taiwan, and navigating a complex trade war with the US.
But those things might pale next what’s happening with the massive Three Gorges dam. Rain has been falling almost non-stop for weeks in Southern China, and floods – much worse than usual for this time of year – have inundated cities and towns (including covid-19 epicenter Wuhan) along the Yangtze River. The New York Times describes this combination of pandemic and flooding as “surreal and difficult”.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
If that’s the end of the flooding story, then “difficult” might be as bad as it gets. But rumor has it that if the rain keeps falling, the dam itself is in trouble.
Meanwhile, those nightmarish Chinese pig farms may have spawned another potential pandemic:
China researchers discover new swine flu with ‘pandemic potential’ (CNN) – Chinese researchers have discovered a new type of swine flu that can infect humans and has the potential to cause a future pandemic, according to a study released on Monday, though scientists have cautioned that the virus does not pose an immediate global health threat. The disease, which researchers called the G4 virus, is genetically descended from the H1N1 swine flu that caused a pandemic in 2009. G4 now shows “all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus,” said the study, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Tests showed that G4 can infect humans by binding to our cells and receptors, and it can replicate quickly inside our airway cells. And though G4 holds H1N1 genes, people who have received seasonal flu vaccines won’t have any immunity. G4 already appears to have infected humans in China. In Hebei and Shandong provinces, both places with high pig numbers, more than 10% of swine workers on pig farms and 4.4% of the general population tested positive in a survey from 2016 to 2018.
It’s easy to forget that China, by spending trillions of borrowed dollars and newly created yuan on an epic infrastructure buildout, was instrumental in pulling the world out of the Great Recession. No one expects anything like that this time around, as rising defaults on China’s existing debts make massive additional borrowing a financial suicide mission.
So the reason for bringing up these new problems isn’t Schadenfreude, but a recognition that there may not be a cavalry riding to the global economy’s rescue this time. Which means today’s ultra-easy money is baked into the cake for as far as the eye can see, which in turn means that, should prices (of real things rather than stocks and bonds) start to rise, the world’s central banks will have exactly zero tools for putting the inflationary genie back in the bottle.


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--How China’s Plastics Ban Threw Global Recycling into Disarray

First developed in the 20th century , plastics have become ubiquitous in our daily lives .
Found in everything from food packaging to medical devices , this extremely versatile and cost-effective material has undoubtedly made our lives more convenient .
This convenience comes at a cost , however , and experts warn that plastics ’ inability to biodegrade is taking a toll on the planet .
To make matters worse , recycling infrastructure around the world is severely underdeveloped .
In this infographic from Swissquote , we recount the end of “ easy ” recycling , and examine the struggles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scale up their domestic capabilities .
Since the early 1990s , developed countries have avoided the environmental costs of plastic by outsourcing their recycling to the developing world—more specifically , China .
At the time , this arrangement benefited both parties .
On one hand , it was cheaper for developed countries to export their plastic waste rather than process it domestically .
China , on the other hand , needed vast amounts of raw materials to fuel its burgeoning manufacturing industries .
It also meant that Chinese container ships , which regularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , would no longer return home empty-handed .
A system that relies heavily on one country can only handle so much , however , and by 2016 China was importing 7 million tonnes of recyclables and waste per year .
To make matters worse , plastics production kept growing at a faster rate than the global population : It was clear that this system would soon reach its tipping point , especially with the Chinese government largely committed to going green .
China ’ s solution to cutting down plastic imports was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start of 2018 , implemented an import ban on 24 types of recyclables .
The ban was extremely effective—plastic exports to China fell from 581,000 tonnes in February of 2017 to just 23,900 tonnes a year later .
All of this plastic did not simply disappear , though .
Plastic-exporting countries scrambled for alternatives , and in some cases , diverted their shipments to nearby countries in Southeast Asia .
Governments in the region were quick to respond , either refusing shipments or implementing bans of their own .
In one noteworthy case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philippines , threatened to wage war on Canada if it did not take back its shipments of waste .
An official later clarified this threat was not to be taken literally .
Western countries tend to produce more plastics per capita than other countries , but are ill-prepared to begin processing their own plastic waste in a sustainable manner .
One critical issue arises from their predominant method of recycling known as single-stream recycling .
Under this method , consumers place all of their recyclables into a single bin .
This mixture of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then brought to a material recovery facility ( MRF ) to be sorted and processed .
While this method makes it easier for consumers to recycle , it suffers from two weaknesses : • Contamination : Mixing plastics , chemicals , and food waste adds extra costs to the recycling process .
On average , one in four items that arrive at an MRF are too contaminated to be recycled .
• Sorting inefficiency : MRFs have a difficult time sorting through the wide variety of materials being placed into bins .
Approximately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three cans are sorted incorrectly .
With outsourcing no longer an option , MRFs across the U.S. are now dealing with significantly larger volumes .
To boost their capacity , some facilities have implemented artificial intelligence ( AI ) empowered robots that can sort items significantly faster than humans .
An added bonus to reducing the human workforce is safety—MRFs frequently have some of the industry ’ s highest injury and illness incidence rates .
China ’ s ban on foreign plastics has exposed the frailty of a single-supplier global recycling model , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developing their domestic infrastructure .
One emerging leader in this space is the EU , which has passed ambitious legislation to promote recycling industry investment .
Recognizing the unsustainability of single-use plastics , the EU has mandated its member states to achieve a 90 % collection rate for plastic bottles by 2029 .
It ’ s also set a target for all plastic packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030 , an initiative that could create up to 200,000 new jobs .
Aside from the environmental benefits , the global recycling industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth .
It ’ s estimated that between 2018 and 2024 that it will grow at a CAGR of 8.6 % to reach $ 63 billion .

by visualcapitalist
First developed in the 20th century, plastics have become ubiquitous in our daily lives. Found in everything from food packaging to medical devices, this extremely versatile and cost-effective material has undoubtedly made our lives more convenient.
This convenience comes at a cost, however, and experts warn that plastics’ inability to biodegrade is taking a toll on the planet. To make matters worse, recycling infrastructure around the world is severely underdeveloped.
In this infographic from Swissquote, we recount the end of “easy” recycling, and examine the struggles that many countries are facing as they scale up their domestic capabilities.
The Single-Supplier Global Recycling Model
Since the early 1990s, developed countries have avoided the environmental costs of plastic by outsourcing their recycling to the developing world—more specifically, China.
At the time, this arrangement benefited both parties. On one hand, it was cheaper for developed countries to export their plastic waste rather than process it domestically. China, on the other hand, needed vast amounts of raw materials to fuel its burgeoning manufacturing industries. It also meant that Chinese container ships, which regularly delivered goods to countries like the U.S., would no longer return home empty-handed.
A system that relies heavily on one country can only handle so much, however, and by 2016 China was importing 7 million tonnes of recyclables and waste per year. To make matters worse, plastics production kept growing at a faster rate than the global population:
Year Growth in Global Plastics Production (%) Growth in World Population (%) 2013 3.82 1.19 2014 4.01 1.17 2015 3.54 1.16 2016 4.04 1.14 2017 3.88 1.12 2018 3.16 1.1
Source: PlasticsEurope, Worldometer
It was clear that this system would soon reach its tipping point, especially with the Chinese government largely committed to going green.
National Sword Policy
China’s solution to cutting down plastic imports was the National Sword policy, which at the start of 2018, implemented an import ban on 24 types of recyclables. The ban was extremely effective—plastic exports to China fell from 581,000 tonnes in February of 2017 to just 23,900 tonnes a year later.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
All of this plastic did not simply disappear, though. Plastic-exporting countries scrambled for alternatives, and in some cases, diverted their shipments to nearby countries in Southeast Asia. Governments in the region were quick to respond, either refusing shipments or implementing bans of their own.
Richer countries are taking advantage of the looser regulations in poorer countries. They export the trash here because it’s more expensive for them to process [it] themselves back home due to the tighter laws.
—Lea Guerrero, Greenpeace Philippines
In one noteworthy case, Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines, threatened to wage war on Canada if it did not take back its shipments of waste. An official later clarified this threat was not to be taken literally.
The End of “Easy” Recycling
Western countries tend to produce more plastics per capita than other countries, but are ill-prepared to begin processing their own plastic waste in a sustainable manner. One critical issue arises from their predominant method of recycling known as single-stream recycling.
Under this method, consumers place all of their recyclables into a single bin. This mixture of cardboard, plastics, and glass is then brought to a material recovery facility (MRF) to be sorted and processed. While this method makes it easier for consumers to recycle, it suffers from two weaknesses:
Contamination: Mixing plastics, chemicals, and food waste adds extra costs to the recycling process. On average, one in four items that arrive at an MRF are too contaminated to be recycled. Sorting inefficiency: MRFs have a difficult time sorting through the wide variety of materials being placed into bins. Approximately one in six bottles and one in three cans are sorted incorrectly.
With outsourcing no longer an option, MRFs across the U.S. are now dealing with significantly larger volumes. To boost their capacity, some facilities have implemented artificial intelligence (AI) empowered robots that can sort items significantly faster than humans. An added bonus to reducing the human workforce is safety—MRFs frequently have some of the industry’s highest injury and illness incidence rates.
Investing in Domestic Solutions
China’s ban on foreign plastics has exposed the frailty of a single-supplier global recycling model, and is forcing many countries to begin developing their domestic infrastructure.
One emerging leader in this space is the EU, which has passed ambitious legislation to promote recycling industry investment. Recognizing the unsustainability of single-use plastics, the EU has mandated its member states to achieve a 90% collection rate for plastic bottles by 2029. It’s also set a target for all plastic packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030, an initiative that could create up to 200,000 new jobs.
Aside from the environmental benefits, the global recycling industry could also be a source of economic growth. It’s estimated that between 2018 and 2024 that it will grow at a CAGR of 8.6% to reach $63 billion.


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--Markets and Covid-19 Cases Going Up Together with Nick Santiago

For more than 20 years , Master Trader Nick Santiago has been beating the markets .
He ’ s made some incredible calls along the way and now he ’ s looking to spread the word .
There ’ s no reason that the average trader should be coming up short .
So now we ’ ve started a daily show to bring you up to date on the latest market developments .
Nick will be sharing trades and concepts and discussing current trends .
Today we discuss : 1 .
They can ’ t put off the reopening much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy ?
The numbers have been sketchy from the beginning .
We know that the numbers are all fuzzy .
2 .
Market today .
Pretty good start to the week .
Broad-based rally , tech still leading , Nasdaq up 2 % , retailing up , mining up and the financials .
Good to see money going into other sectors besides tech .
Narrow based rallies are dangerous .
Homebuilders , restaurants , hotels and healthcare .
3 .
Gold and silver are up .
Prefer not to see a breakout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back into gold and silver .
Consolidation pattern is preferrable .
It ’ s the ultimate insurance policy .
4 .
Close out the Hyatt trade .
Gift that keeps on giving .
Closed out for a nice profit .
Kerry has personally done 7 winning options trades , 2 are currently open , 1 is a winner the other is a loser , so far .
5 .
How much capital is necessary in order to make a living at trading ?
Nick is up 1000 % in his options account this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ client retention rate is upwards of 80 % .
For more info , go to www.InTheMoneyStocks.com .
Click Here to Listen to the Audio

from Daily Market Wisdom with Nick Santiago
For more than 20 years, Master Trader Nick Santiago has been beating the markets. He’s made some incredible calls along the way and now he’s looking to spread the word. There’s no reason that the average trader should be coming up short. So now we’ve started a daily show to bring you up to date on the latest market developments. Nick will be sharing trades and concepts and discussing current trends. Today we discuss:
1. They can’t put off the reopening much longer. Why are we shutting down the economy? The numbers have been sketchy from the beginning. We know that the numbers are all fuzzy.
2. Market today. Pretty good start to the week. Broad-based rally, tech still leading, Nasdaq up 2%, retailing up, mining up and the financials. Good to see money going into other sectors besides tech. Narrow based rallies are dangerous. Homebuilders, restaurants, hotels and healthcare.
3. Gold and silver are up. Prefer not to see a breakout at this point. Looking to get back into gold and silver. Consolidation pattern is preferrable. It’s the ultimate insurance policy.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
4. Close out the Hyatt trade. Gift that keeps on giving. Closed out for a nice profit. Kerry has personally done 7 winning options trades, 2 are currently open, 1 is a winner the other is a loser, so far.
5. How much capital is necessary in order to make a living at trading? Nick is up 1000% in his options account this year so far. Nick’s client retention rate is upwards of 80%.
For more info, go to www.InTheMoneyStocks.com.
Click Here to Listen to the Audio


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--Excess Deaths and Covid-19 (Coronavirus)

Turns out that all these excess deaths are not atributible to Corona by itself… Not by a long shot… Covid-19 ‘ will cause up to 35,000 excess cancer deaths ’ in a year due to NHS backlog ( UK ) Evidence Emerging That U.S. Blue State Liberal Ineptness Has Led To Excess Coronavirus Deaths Italy had 25000 excess deaths in 2016 but no one panicked Excess Deaths : People Who Are Dying Because of COVID-19 — but Not from It • Experts are becoming concerned about the number of “ excess deaths ” being reported during the COVID-19 pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be happening because people are delaying or avoiding healthcare appointments due to fears of contracting the virus .
• Experts say it ’ s still important for people to go in for checkups and other appointments when and where they can .
• They note that many medical facilities outside of COVID-19 hot spots are less busy than usual .
Nearly a third of people in the United States are apparently not going in for routine healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic .
A recent poll from the American College of Emergency Physicians ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans are avoiding or delaying medical care due to fear of contracting the new coronavirus , SARS-CoV-2 .
Experts say that trend could lead to an increase in the number of people who die due to the pandemic but not directly from the virus itself .
“ There are large proportions of Americans and people worldwide just afraid of coming to see the doctor , and it ’ s a huge concern because unfortunately routine medical illnesses don ’ t take a break because of coronavirus , ” Dr. John N. Mafi , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the University of California Los Angeles , told Healthline .
In the early weeks of COVID-19 , the United States recorded 15,000 “ excess deaths.
” That ’ s a term used to describe the number of deaths beyond what would typically be expected for that time of year .
Yale researchers found that from March 1 to April 4 , there were 8,128 COVID-related deaths reported .
Excess deaths accounted for nearly two times that amount for the same period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excess deaths isn ’ t necessarily attributable directly to COVID-19 , but it could include people who were too frightened to seek treatment for unrelated illnesses due to the pandemic .

by Venus230
Turns out that all these excess deaths are not atributible to Corona by itself… Not by a long shot…
Covid-19 ‘will cause up to 35,000 excess cancer deaths’ in a year due to NHS backlog (UK)
Evidence Emerging That U.S. Blue State Liberal Ineptness Has Led To Excess Coronavirus Deaths
Italy had 25000 excess deaths in 2016 but no one panicked
Excess Deaths: People Who Are Dying Because of COVID-19 — but Not from It
Experts are becoming concerned about the number of “excess deaths” being reported during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of these non-COVID-related deaths may be happening because people are delaying or avoiding healthcare appointments due to fears of contracting the virus.
Experts say it’s still important for people to go in for checkups and other appointments when and where they can.
They note that many medical facilities outside of COVID-19 hot spots are less busy than usual.
Nearly a third of people in the United States are apparently not going in for routine healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
A recent poll from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) reported that 29 percent of Americans are avoiding or delaying medical care due to fear of contracting the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.
Experts say that trend could lead to an increase in the number of people who die due to the pandemic but not directly from the virus itself.
“There are large proportions of Americans and people worldwide just afraid of coming to see the doctor, and it’s a huge concern because unfortunately routine medical illnesses don’t take a break because of coronavirus,” Dr. John N. Mafi, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the University of California Los Angeles, told Healthline.
In the early weeks of COVID-19, the United States recorded 15,000 “excess deaths.” That’s a term used to describe the number of deaths beyond what would typically be expected for that time of year.
Yale researchers found that from March 1 to April 4, there were 8,128 COVID-related deaths reported. Excess deaths accounted for nearly two times that amount for the same period.
The researchers say the number of excess deaths isn’t necessarily attributable directly to COVID-19, but it could include people who were too frightened to seek treatment for unrelated illnesses due to the pandemic.


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--A must watch: Biden on his crime bill that helped give us mass incarceration. How do people not know

A must watch: Biden on his crime bill that helped give us mass incarceration. How do people not know he said these things? You think it would be headline news for a candidate

Biden is massively responsible for a lot of the system we have today .
It ’ s crazy to me people don ’ t know this , even a couple years ago when asked if he regretted it ?
He said absoultley not .
Here he brags about being known as the man responsible for giving everyone the death penelty except jaywalkers , says he wants to keep people in prison for as long as possible , says most are beyond hope and rehabilitation and that he doesn ’ t matter who they got to be on the streets or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care , they need to be locked up .
Calls them animals needing to be removed from society…and brags that democrats should be the ones known for being tough on crime because his name has been on every major and minor crime bill .
Talks about because of him people would need to stay in jail the full sentence ( even if they did rehabilitate ) Even Hillary Clinton chastised him , even though her own husband signed it into law .
When Biden was a senator from Delaware , fashioned a string @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s crime laws…most notably the “ Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984″ which established mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses ; the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act , which imposed harsher sentences for possession of crack than for possession of powder cocaine ; and the ” Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 ” , which was essentially a catchall tough-on-crime that touched nearly every aspect of American law enforcement that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton .
Even Clinton admitted the implications of it : “ I signed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Mr. Clinton said .
“ And I want to admit it.
” • His crime bill extended the death penalty to 60 new crimes , stiffened sentences , offered states strong financial incentives for building new prisons and keeping people in them longer helped lead to the wave of mass incarceration that ’ s resulted in the United States accounting for 25 percent of the world ’ s prison population , denied certain higher education rights to inmates , and allowed law enforcement to seize money and property from people who were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime .
His bill contributed to the dramatic rise in the country ’ s prison population in the years that followed .
And even worse , he ASKED to be put in charge of this : When Biden finally landed a seat on the judiciary panel he wrote to Mr. Eastland again , petitioning to be put in charge of the subcommittee overseeing prisons and sentencing .
By year ’ s end , with Mr. Eastland ’ s support , he was pushing to narrow judicial discretion by creating a commission to set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eliminate pardons and parole .
His aim , he told his hometown newspaper , The Wilmington Evening Journal , was to keep defendants “ who don ’ t meet the middle-class criteria of susceptibility to rehabilitation ” from being set free When Bush gave a speech addressing the war on drugs and his plans this was BIDENS response : “ Quite frankly , the president ’ s plan is not tough enough , bold enough , or imaginative enough to meet the crisis at hand , ” Biden told the American people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s plan does not include enough police officers to catch the violent thugs , enough prosecutors to convict them , enough judges to sentence them , or enough prison cells to put them away for a long time.
” The Anti-Drug Abuse Act , which was written at least partially by Biden , changed the law so that those caught with a mere five grams of crack cocaine were subject to the same mandatory minimum as those caught with 500 grams of powdered cocaine .
The application of this law disproportionately harmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 1986 , before the enactment of federal mandatory minimum sentencing for crack cocaine offenses , the average federal drug sentence for African Americans was 11 % higher than for whites .
Four years later , the average federal drug sentence for African Americans was 49 % higher .
And what ’ s funny about that ?
Bidens daughter when she was caught with weed , where other people would have went to jail , did not even get prosecuted • “ In 1998 , Biden ’ s daughter Ashley was arrested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others arrested for the same offense faced sentences sometimes spanning decades , Ashley Biden was never convicted of any drug-related crime .
In 2014 , Hunter Biden was discharged from the Navy after testing positive for cocaine .
Like his daughter , no charges were ever filed against Biden ’ s son .
”

Biden is massively responsible for a lot of the system we have today. It’s crazy to me people don’t know this, even a couple years ago when asked if he regretted it? He said absoultley not.
Here he brags about being known as the man responsible for giving everyone the death penelty except jaywalkers, says he wants to keep people in prison for as long as possible, says most are beyond hope and rehabilitation and that he doesn’t matter who they got to be on the streets or their family lives he doesn’t care, they need to be locked up. Calls them animals needing to be removed from society…and brags that democrats should be the ones known for being tough on crime because his name has been on every major and minor crime bill. Talks about because of him people would need to stay in jail the full sentence (even if they did rehabilitate) Even Hillary Clinton chastised him, even though her own husband signed it into law.
When Biden was a senator from Delaware, fashioned a string of bills that overhauled the country’s crime laws…most notably the “Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984″ which established mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses; the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which imposed harsher sentences for possession of crack than for possession of powder cocaine; and the ” Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 ” , which was essentially a catchall tough-on-crime that touched nearly every aspect of American law enforcement that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton .
Even Clinton admitted the implications of it:
“I signed a bill that made the problem worse,” Mr. Clinton said. “And I want to admit it.”
His crime bill extended the death penalty to 60 new crimes, stiffened sentences, offered states strong financial incentives for building new prisons and keeping people in them longer helped lead to the wave of mass incarceration that’s resulted in the United States accounting for 25 percent of the world’s prison population, denied certain higher education rights to inmates, and allowed law enforcement to seize money and property from people who were neither charged with nor convicted of a crime . His bill contributed to the dramatic rise in the country’s prison population in the years that followed.
And even worse, he ASKED to be put in charge of this :
When Biden finally landed a seat on the judiciary panel he wrote to Mr. Eastland again, petitioning to be put in charge of the subcommittee overseeing prisons and sentencing . By year’s end, with Mr. Eastland’s support, he was pushing to narrow judicial discretion by creating a commission to set “presumptive sentences,” and to eliminate pardons and parole. His aim, he told his hometown newspaper, The Wilmington Evening Journal, was to keep defendants “who don’t meet the middle-class criteria of susceptibility to rehabilitation” from being set free
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When Bush gave a speech addressing the war on drugs and his plans this was BIDENS response:
“Quite frankly, the president’s plan is not tough enough, bold enough, or imaginative enough to meet the crisis at hand,” Biden told the American people. “In a nutshell, the president’s plan does not include enough police officers to catch the violent thugs, enough prosecutors to convict them, enough judges to sentence them, or enough prison cells to put them away for a long time.”
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which was written at least partially by Biden, changed the law so that those caught with a mere five grams of crack cocaine were subject to the same mandatory minimum as those caught with 500 grams of powdered cocaine. The application of this law disproportionately harmed African-American communities and contributed to mass incarceration.
In 1986, before the enactment of federal mandatory minimum sentencing for crack cocaine offenses, the average federal drug sentence for African Americans was 11% higher than for whites. Four years later, the average federal drug sentence for African Americans was 49% higher .
And what’s funny about that? Bidens daughter when she was caught with weed, where other people would have went to jail, did not even get prosecuted
“In 1998, Biden’s daughter Ashley was arrested for cannabis possession in Louisiana. While others arrested for the same offense faced sentences sometimes spanning decades, Ashley Biden was never convicted of any drug-related crime. In 2014, Hunter Biden was discharged from the Navy after testing positive for cocaine. Like his daughter, no charges were ever filed against Biden’s son.”
h/t Typoqueen00


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--BIAS BY OMISSION: Selective Media Reporting Further Fuels Our Racial Divide.

On Saturday , a man drove his car onto a Seattle freeway that had been closed by a Black Lives Matter crowd .
The driver killed one person and seriously injured another after going the wrong way up a ramp and then around a barricade .
Reports noted that police “ don ’ t believe impairment was a factor.
” Over the weekend , news outlets replayed the brutal hit , but there ’ s one thing you won ’ t learn from their coverage : The driver was black and his victims were white .
NPR linked this attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extremists targeting Black Lives Matter protesters.
” They quote a researcher about how these right-wingers were “ trying to intimidate the most recent wave of BLM protesters , to stop their movement.
” The driver was a Seattle local named Dawit Kelete .
But you ’ ll find scant mention of the driver ’ s ethnicity in mainstream media coverage .
You might have more easily learned that Kelete was black by going to the Australia Broadcasting Corporation .
The American national media also doesn ’ t note that Kelete ’ s two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that out over at the U.K. ’ s Daily Mail .

via realclearpolitics:
On Saturday, a man drove his car onto a Seattle freeway that had been closed by a Black Lives Matter crowd. The driver killed one person and seriously injured another after going the wrong way up a ramp and then around a barricade. Reports noted that police “don’t believe impairment was a factor.” Over the weekend, news outlets replayed the brutal hit, but there’s one thing you won’t learn from their coverage: The driver was black and his victims were white.
NPR linked this attack to other car-ramming incidents by “right-wing extremists targeting Black Lives Matter protesters.” They quote a researcher about how these right-wingers were “trying to intimidate the most recent wave of BLM protesters, to stop their movement.”
The driver was a Seattle local named Dawit Kelete. But you’ll find scant mention of the driver’s ethnicity in mainstream media coverage. You might have more easily learned that Kelete was black by going to the Australia Broadcasting Corporation. The American national media also doesn’t note that Kelete’s two victims were white. You can find that out over at the U.K.’s Daily Mail.


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--China Set To Fall Short On U.S. Energy Purchases

Even before the coronavirus pandemic upended all forecasts for global trade and energy demand , analysts had doubted that China would be able to fulfill its pledge in the phase-one trade deal with the United States to buy as much as US $ 26 billion worth of American energy products this year .
COVID-19 and the resulting plunge in oil and natural gas demand and prices have made China ’ s target to buy U.S. energy products even more unachievable–perhaps nearly impossible to achieve–according to estimates for the first five months of 2020 .
Today ’ s dramatically lower oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phase-one trade deal was reached – mean that even if China were to significantly boost its import volumes of American oil , liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) , coal , and refined petroleum products such as propane , their value in U.S. dollars would still be lower than expected at the start of the year .
Analysts believe that China will likely fall short of its target for buying U.S. energy products this year , while Republican lawmakers and U.S. trade groups are urging the U.S. Administration to prioritize energy products in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to increase its purchases of American goods , including energy , to meet its target under the deal .
The phase-one agreement signed in January called for China to purchase billions of dollars ’ worth of oil , coal , and LNG .
Even before the pandemic , analysts had largely concurred that the Chinese promise to buy an additional US $ 52.4 billion worth of U.S. energy products in 2020 and 2021 on top of the 2017 levels of Chinese energy imports was most likely unachievable , even if China intended to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The additional US $ 52.4 billion of energy products in 2020 and 2021 means that China must buy around US $ 26 billion of those products this year .
According to estimates from the Peterson Institute for International Economics ( PIIE ) , as of May 2020 , China had bought just US $ 2 billion worth of U.S. energy products out of the massive US $ 26.1-billion goal .
Through the first five months of 2020 , China ’ s purchases of U.S. energy products were only at 18 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow Chad Bown .
China is doing better in purchases of agricultural and manufactured goods , although they are still trending below target as of May , nearly halfway through this year , the PIIE estimates show .
Agriculture may still catch up because of the seasonal character of crops in the fall , but when it comes to the energy products , the target currently looks impossible to meet .
To reach US $ 26 billion purchases of U.S. energy products , China must buy more than US $ 3 billion every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Josh Zumbrun of The Wall Street Journal estimates .
This would compare to just US $ 2 billion energy products China purchased for the entire period between January and May .
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said that the trade data does not yet reflect bilateral agreements for purchases that have yet to be fulfilled .
Still , the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more than 40 industry groups this week urged Lighthizer , U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He to work for a significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including energy , as part of the phase-one deal .
Last month , a Republican lawmaker from West Texas , Jodey Arrington , and 40 of his Republican colleagues sent a letter to Lighthizer calling on him to prioritize oil and gas in negotiations with China .
“ Specifically , USTR should urge China to buy U.S. crude oil rather than purchasing more crude from countries known for distorting the global oil market , ” the Members of Congress wrote in the letter , referring to Russia and Saudi Arabia .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen its economy following the outbreak , consumer demand in China should soon return to pre-coronavirus levels .
That demand should be met with American oil and natural gas , and we encourage USTR to make this a priority throughout Phase One implementation discussions , ” they said .
According to the American Petroleum Institute ( API ) , the phase-one trade deal is “ an opportunity to strengthen America ’ s energy security and provide for much needed balance to the global markets , ” API President & CEO Michael Sommers said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary Dan Brouillette , and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at the end of April .
“ China will need access to energy in the near-term and the United States is well-positioned to provide for this need , ” API ’ s Sommers said .

By Tsvetana Paraskova
Even before the coronavirus pandemic upended all forecasts for global trade and energy demand, analysts had doubted that China would be able to fulfill its pledge in the phase-one trade deal with the United States to buy as much as US$26 billion worth of American energy products this year. COVID-19 and the resulting plunge in oil and natural gas demand and prices have made China’s target to buy U.S. energy products even more unachievable–perhaps nearly impossible to achieve–according to estimates for the first five months of 2020.
Today’s dramatically lower oil prices compared to January – when the phase-one trade deal was reached – mean that even if China were to significantly boost its import volumes of American oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), coal, and refined petroleum products such as propane, their value in U.S. dollars would still be lower than expected at the start of the year.
Analysts believe that China will likely fall short of its target for buying U.S. energy products this year, while Republican lawmakers and U.S. trade groups are urging the U.S. Administration to prioritize energy products in trade negotiations and are calling on China to increase its purchases of American goods, including energy, to meet its target under the deal.
The phase-one agreement signed in January called for China to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of oil, coal, and LNG. Even before the pandemic, analysts had largely concurred that the Chinese promise to buy an additional US$52.4 billion worth of U.S. energy products in 2020 and 2021 on top of the 2017 levels of Chinese energy imports was most likely unachievable, even if China intended to fulfill all its pledges in the deal.
The additional US$52.4 billion of energy products in 2020 and 2021 means that China must buy around US$26 billion of those products this year.
According to estimates from the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), as of May 2020, China had bought just US$2 billion worth of U.S. energy products out of the massive US$26.1-billion goal.
Through the first five months of 2020, China’s purchases of U.S. energy products were only at 18 percent of their year-to-date targets, says PIIE senior fellow Chad Bown.
China is doing better in purchases of agricultural and manufactured goods, although they are still trending below target as of May, nearly halfway through this year, the PIIE estimates show.
Agriculture may still catch up because of the seasonal character of crops in the fall, but when it comes to the energy products, the target currently looks impossible to meet.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
To reach US$26 billion purchases of U.S. energy products, China must buy more than US$3 billion every month until the end of the year, Josh Zumbrun of The Wall Street Journal estimates. This would compare to just US$2 billion energy products China purchased for the entire period between January and May.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said that the trade data does not yet reflect bilateral agreements for purchases that have yet to be fulfilled.
Still, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more than 40 industry groups this week urged Lighthizer, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He to work for a significant increase in Chinese purchases of U.S. goods, including energy, as part of the phase-one deal.
Last month, a Republican lawmaker from West Texas, Jodey Arrington, and 40 of his Republican colleagues sent a letter to Lighthizer calling on him to prioritize oil and gas in negotiations with China.
“Specifically, USTR should urge China to buy U.S. crude oil rather than purchasing more crude from countries known for distorting the global oil market,” the Members of Congress wrote in the letter, referring to Russia and Saudi Arabia.
“Because China was the first country to reopen its economy following the outbreak, consumer demand in China should soon return to pre-coronavirus levels. That demand should be met with American oil and natural gas, and we encourage USTR to make this a priority throughout Phase One implementation discussions,” they said.
According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), the phase-one trade deal is “an opportunity to strengthen America’s energy security and provide for much needed balance to the global markets,” API President & CEO Michael Sommers said in a letter to Lighthizer, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at the end of April.
“China will need access to energy in the near-term and the United States is well-positioned to provide for this need,” API’s Sommers said.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--CLOWN WORLD: Addition Is Racist

CLOWN WORLD: Addition Is Racist

BLM Teacher Says 2+2 Only Equals 4 Because Of “ Western Imperialism ” Brittany Marshall ’ s tweet went viral @ @ @ @ @ course of a discussion about racism , “ Nope the idea of 2 + 2 @ @ @ @ @ because of western imperialism/colonization , we think of it as the only way of knowing.
@ @ @ @ @ her pronouns in her bio , lists her occupation as “ teacher , scholar , @ @ @ @ @ and apparently is studying for a .
Her bizarre statement is yet another example of @ @ @ @ @ feminist notion taught in all major universities that racism and sexism are prevalent throughout all @ @ @ @ @ intertwined .
BLM Teacher Breaks Down How Addition Is Racist ORWELL ’ S 1984 : @ @ @ @ @ OF US , A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR THE LEFT : Teacher Blames ‘ Western Imperialism @ @ @ @ @ for Concept of 2+2=4 .

BLM Teacher Says 2+2 Only Equals 4 Because Of “Western Imperialism”
Brittany Marshall’s tweet went viral after she claimed during the course of a discussion about racism, “Nope the idea of 2 + 2 equaling 4 is cultural and because of western imperialism/colonization, we think of it as the only way of knowing.”
Marshall, who includes her pronouns in her bio, lists her occupation as “teacher, scholar, social justice change agent” and apparently is studying for a PhD at Rutgers .
Her bizarre statement is yet another example of Intersectionality, the pseudo-intellectual garbage feminist notion taught in all major universities that racism and sexism are prevalent throughout all areas of society and are intertwined.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
www.theburningplatform.com/2020/07/07/blm-teacher-says-22-only-equals-4-because-of-western-imperialism/
BLM Teacher Breaks Down How Addition Is Racist
ORWELL’S 1984: A WARNING FOR THE REST OF US, A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR THE LEFT: Teacher Blames ‘Western Imperialism,’ ‘Colonization’ for Concept of 2+2=4.
h/t CrsCrpr


investmentwatchblog--2020-07-08--Stocks Always Go up. Until They Don’t.

Stocks Always Go up. Until They Don’t.

Economist Irving Fisher famously said just before the 1929 stock market crash , “ Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.
” Whoops .
Fisher wasn ’ t just any old economist .
Joseph Schumpeter called him “ the greatest economist the United States has ever produced.
” Milton Friedman and James Tobin agreed .
After the sharp March COVID crash , stocks have come roaring back : nevermind the pandemic , protests in the streets , shuttered businesses , and double-digit unemployment rates .
In Fisher ’ s day the Federal Reserve was but a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ print and ask questions later , expanding his central bank ’ s balance sheet by $ 3 trillion dollars in four months , a 75 percent increase .
Now a lesser light than Fisher is repeating the eminent economist ’ s famous gaffe .
In a MarketWatch piece entitled “ We ’ re in a new paradigm for stocks , this analyst argues .
Get ready for permanently higher valuations , ” Nicholas Colas , cofounder of DataTrek Research , claims it ’ s a whole new world because the ten-year Treasury bond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , meaning that “ A new model for assessing stocks may include higher valuations , as the old paradigm is no longer valid , ” writes Andrea Riquier .
Led by Barstool Sports entrepreneur Dave Portnoy , daytrading is back in vogue to take advantage of the Powell put .
“ I ’ m trading my own money and lots of it , ” Portnoy told Fox Business .
“ I ’ m having fun .
As long as we ’ re still kind of with nothing else to do , I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become the poster child of the day-trading craze , ” writes Jonathan Garber for Fox Business , “ livestreaming his daily trading sessions on Twitter , giving followers a glimpse into both his successes and failures as he slings positions worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
” A few hours ago as I write , Portnoy tweeted , “ A couple things to remember : Nobody has ever traded through a global pandemic .
I have as much experience as the suits here .
The market has no connection to reality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barstool businessman says in the video that he is “ kicking the market ’ s ass.
” In a craps reference , he says he ’ s been “ rolling numbers for months without a seven in sight.
” “ Bernie Maddoff is smiling , ” Portnoy rants .
“ Stocks only go up.
” Market pros are skeptical of Portnoy and his trading skills , to which he responds , “ If these people were so smart and as good as they say , they wouldn ’ t be spending all day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They ’ d be on a yacht somewhere.
” The Fed is not going to hit the brakes , but could the social mood be changing ?
The nightly news looks like 1968 .
Could markets follow ?
In ‘ 68 it was the Hong Kong flu that killed seventy thousand while the stock market peaked .
The Vietnam War accelerated , the National Guard killed students at Kent State , the Weather Underground formed , and the Beatles broke up .
The stock market then headed down to a 1970 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smith on Real Vision about the end-of-cycle phenomena of overconfidence , fraud , and an eventual recovery .
Unlike Portnoy , Atwater , when asked how long this market can keep going up , said , “ I think it can go on not nearly as long as folks expect it to .
The reason for that is exactly what you just talked about , which is this decoupling of the financial markets from the economic reality around us.
” Like the folks at Elliott Wave and The Socionomist , Atwater told Dee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as we feel , we feel as we act , there ’ s reflectivity to it .
In many ways , we are driven by our mood and so I ’ m always looking for indicators in terms of behaviors : What are they saying about our sentiment , about our underlying mood ?
Because it ’ s such a critical element of human behavior .
I think an example today is all of this constant daily news from the media and from advertisers that the world is uncertain today .
To me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no less uncertain than it ’ s ever been .
What we ’ re finding is that there was a deteriorating sentiment in terms of our perceptions of certainty .
When we think the future is uncertain , we don ’ t plan and so it has a real bearing on not only the economy but also the financial markets .
I care an awful lot about how people feel .
In the wake of the Wirecard scandal in Germany and Tesla shares hitting an all-time high , Atwater addresses frauds in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s no scrutiny .
There ’ s a sense—there ’ s always a this time it ’ s different mindset , the belief that anything is possible .
It ’ s amazing to me how regularly we are captivated by these Harold Hill-like figures who are promising enormous fortune .
One of my favorite stories is about this about [ ? ]
, this fake country that existed in Central America that was—the proponents were able to raise an inordinate amount of money based on nothing but hubris .
We get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Why are investors or traders too lazy to uncover frauds and do their research ?
“ Physiologically , the brain is the largest consumer of glucose in the body , ” says Atwater .
“ To the extent that we can minimize that and not pay attention and be lazy , Kahneman and others who create wonderful pieces about this , we will gladly fall into the environment of overconfidence.
” Atwater sees mood changing over the summer .
And he doesn ’ t believe the media manipulates the public mood .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mood .
I think that , again , that our relationship with media is reflexive , ” Atwater explains .
Atwater is more than a little cynical about the public ’ s investing skills .
“ At the top , ” says Atwater , “ there ’ s this saturating sense of certainty and control and optimism ahead.
” Mr. Portnoy must be sending us a signal .
Douglas French is former president of the Mises Institute , author of Early Speculative Bubbles & Increases in the Money Supply , and author of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Home-Ownership Myth .
He received his master ’ s degree in economics from UNLV , studying under both Professor Murray Rothbard and Professor Hans-Hermann Hoppe .

by Doug French via Mises
Economist Irving Fisher famously said just before the 1929 stock market crash, “Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” Whoops. Fisher wasn’t just any old economist. Joseph Schumpeter called him “the greatest economist the United States has ever produced.” Milton Friedman and James Tobin agreed.
After the sharp March COVID crash, stocks have come roaring back: nevermind the pandemic, protests in the streets, shuttered businesses, and double-digit unemployment rates. In Fisher’s day the Federal Reserve was but a pup; now Chairman Powell decided to print and ask questions later, expanding his central bank’s balance sheet by $3 trillion dollars in four months, a 75 percent increase.
Now a lesser light than Fisher is repeating the eminent economist’s famous gaffe. In a MarketWatch piece entitled “We’re in a new paradigm for stocks, this analyst argues. Get ready for permanently higher valuations,” Nicholas Colas, cofounder of DataTrek Research, claims it’s a whole new world because the ten-year Treasury bond is yielding a paltry 67 basis points, meaning that “A new model for assessing stocks may include higher valuations, as the old paradigm is no longer valid,” writes Andrea Riquier.
Led by Barstool Sports entrepreneur Dave Portnoy, daytrading is back in vogue to take advantage of the Powell put. “I’m trading my own money and lots of it,” Portnoy told Fox Business. “I’m having fun. As long as we’re still kind of with nothing else to do, I’ll keep day trading.”
“Portnoy has become the poster child of the day-trading craze,” writes Jonathan Garber for Fox Business, “livestreaming his daily trading sessions on Twitter, giving followers a glimpse into both his successes and failures as he slings positions worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
A few hours ago as I write, Portnoy tweeted, “A couple things to remember: Nobody has ever traded through a global pandemic. I have as much experience as the suits here. The market has no connection to reality. And stocks always go up.”
The Barstool businessman says in the video that he is “kicking the market’s ass.” In a craps reference, he says he’s been “rolling numbers for months without a seven in sight.” “Bernie Maddoff is smiling,” Portnoy rants. “Stocks only go up.”
Market pros are skeptical of Portnoy and his trading skills, to which he responds, “If these people were so smart and as good as they say, they wouldn’t be spending all day tweeting at me,” Portnoy said. “They’d be on a yacht somewhere.”
The Fed is not going to hit the brakes, but could the social mood be changing? The nightly news looks like 1968. Could markets follow? In ‘68 it was the Hong Kong flu that killed seventy thousand while the stock market peaked. The Vietnam War accelerated, the National Guard killed students at Kent State, the Weather Underground formed, and the Beatles broke up. The stock market then headed down to a 1970 bottom.
Peter Atwater spoke with Dee Smith on Real Vision about the end-of-cycle phenomena of overconfidence, fraud, and an eventual recovery.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Unlike Portnoy, Atwater, when asked how long this market can keep going up, said, “ I think it can go on not nearly as long as folks expect it to. The reason for that is exactly what you just talked about, which is this decoupling of the financial markets from the economic reality around us.”
Like the folks at Elliott Wave and The Socionomist, Atwater told Dee Smith,
I believe if we act as we feel, we feel as we act, there’s reflectivity to it. In many ways, we are driven by our mood and so I’m always looking for indicators in terms of behaviors: What are they saying about our sentiment, about our underlying mood? Because it’s such a critical element of human behavior. I think an example today is all of this constant daily news from the media and from advertisers that the world is uncertain today. To me, the world is no more nor no less uncertain than it’s ever been. What we’re finding is that there was a deteriorating sentiment in terms of our perceptions of certainty. When we think the future is uncertain, we don’t plan and so it has a real bearing on not only the economy but also the financial markets. I care an awful lot about how people feel.
In the wake of the Wirecard scandal in Germany and Tesla shares hitting an all-time high, Atwater addresses frauds in a bubble.
When confidence is extreme, there’s no scrutiny. There’s a sense—there’s always a this time it’s different mindset, the belief that anything is possible. It’s amazing to me how regularly we are captivated by these Harold Hill-like figures who are promising enormous fortune. One of my favorite stories is about this about [?], this fake country that existed in Central America that was—the proponents were able to raise an inordinate amount of money based on nothing but hubris. We get captured by these magical stories of illusion.
Why are investors or traders too lazy to uncover frauds and do their research? “Physiologically, the brain is the largest consumer of glucose in the body,” says Atwater. “To the extent that we can minimize that and not pay attention and be lazy, Kahneman and others who create wonderful pieces about this, we will gladly fall into the environment of overconfidence.”
Atwater sees mood changing over the summer. And he doesn’t believe the media manipulates the public mood. “People talk about the media manipulating mood. I think that, again, that our relationship with media is reflexive,” Atwater explains.
Atwater is more than a little cynical about the public’s investing skills.
Yeah, I don’t think markets ever reflect reality to begin with. I don’t think markets are rational or irrational. I think we make decisions that are rationalized. We’re constantly choosing based on our mood, and then reaching for whatever low hanging information we can find to support that. We are glad when we’re happy to buy things optimistically and to sell things when we’re pessimistic.
“At the top,” says Atwater, “there’s this saturating sense of certainty and control and optimism ahead.”
Mr. Portnoy must be sending us a signal.
Author:
Doug French
Douglas French is former president of the Mises Institute, author of Early Speculative Bubbles & Increases in the Money Supply, and author of Walk Away: The Rise and Fall of the Home-Ownership Myth. He received his master’s degree in economics from UNLV, studying under both Professor Murray Rothbard and Professor Hans-Hermann Hoppe.