investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--Experts Worry ‘Quarantine Fatigue’ Starting… CALIFORNIA: Tens of Thousands Defy Newsom’s Authoritari

Experts Worry ‘Quarantine Fatigue’ Starting… CALIFORNIA: Tens of Thousands Defy Newsom’s Authoritarian Lockdown Order and Flock to SoCal Beaches

Researchers tracking smartphone data say they recently made a disturbing discovery : For the first time since states began implementing stay-at-home orders in mid-March to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus , Americans are staying home less .
The nationwide shift during the week of April 13 was relatively slight .
However , any loss of momentum , particularly when stay-in-place orders remain in effect across most of the country , has some public health experts worried about “ quarantine fatigue.
” Any increase in travel , they say , is premature when staying home remains the most effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus until widespread testing and contact tracing become available .
“ We saw something we hoped wasn ’ t happening , but it ’ s there , ” said Lei Zhang , lead researcher and director of the Maryland Transportation Institute at the University of Maryland .
“ It seems collectively we ’ re getting a little tired .
It looks like people are loosening up on their own to travel more.
” Zhang said he anticipates the number of people staying home will continue to drop as some states begin allowing businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen .
That process began last week in South Carolina and Georgia .
Public health experts say any data showing widespread public resolve or cooperation beginning to wane is noteworthy .
Because this is the first U.S. pandemic in 100 years , they don ’ t know how long people are willing to tolerate cabin fever for the greater good .
They say they ’ re not surprised , however , that a slide occurred in a week that saw the first highly publicized challenges to such orders by protesters and President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ liberate ” states from shutdowns .
The White House also released federal guidelines that week for states seeking to reopen their economies .
And a growing number of governors , including in Texas , Minnesota and Vermont , set dates for when they planned to gradually lift restrictions .
An estimated 40,000 people flocked to beaches in Orange County , California amid a nasty heatwave .
Tens of thousands flock to Orange County beaches as heat wave lingers over SoCal HUNTINGTON BEACH , Calif. ( KABC ) — Tens of thousands flocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open during the coronavirus pandemic as the hot weather settled over the region .
Surfers and crowds of people were seen along the Huntington Beach coast as the region is experiencing a heat wave that is expected to last through the weekend .
Officials urged individuals to continue practicing physical distancing when outside , but that didn ’ t seem to be the case Friday afternoon .
Many beach goers were seen with less than six feet between them and many weren ’ t wearing face coverings .

Researchers tracking smartphone data say they recently made a disturbing discovery: For the first time since states began implementing stay-at-home orders in mid-March to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Americans are staying home less.
The nationwide shift during the week of April 13 was relatively slight. However, any loss of momentum, particularly when stay-in-place orders remain in effect across most of the country, has some public health experts worried about “quarantine fatigue.” Any increase in travel, they say, is premature when staying home remains the most effective way to limit the spread of the virus until widespread testing and contact tracing become available.
“We saw something we hoped wasn’t happening, but it’s there,” said Lei Zhang, lead researcher and director of the Maryland Transportation Institute at the University of Maryland. “It seems collectively we’re getting a little tired. It looks like people are loosening up on their own to travel more.”
Zhang said he anticipates the number of people staying home will continue to drop as some states begin allowing businesses, beaches and other public facilities to reopen. That process began last week in South Carolina and Georgia.
Public health experts say any data showing widespread public resolve or cooperation beginning to wane is noteworthy. Because this is the first U.S. pandemic in 100 years, they don’t know how long people are willing to tolerate cabin fever for the greater good.
They say they’re not surprised, however, that a slide occurred in a week that saw the first highly publicized challenges to such orders by protesters and President Donald Trump, who tweeted his support to “liberate” states from shutdowns. The White House also released federal guidelines that week for states seeking to reopen their economies. And a growing number of governors, including in Texas, Minnesota and Vermont, set dates for when they planned to gradually lift restrictions.
www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Experts-worry-quarantine-fatigue-is-starting-15226487.php
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An estimated 40,000 people flocked to beaches in Orange County, California amid a nasty heatwave.
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/tens-thousands-defy-newsoms-authoritarian-lockdown-order-flock-socal-beaches-amid-heatwave/
Tens of thousands flocked to Orange County beaches today as this heat wave settles over SoCal. Officials say they're expecting even larger crowds over the weekend t.co/TiOpcKPlSv pic.twitter.com/xLBnu3qW4s — ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 25, 2020
Tens of thousands flock to Orange County beaches as heat wave lingers over SoCal
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — Tens of thousands flocked to Orange County beaches that are still open during the coronavirus pandemic as the hot weather settled over the region.
Surfers and crowds of people were seen along the Huntington Beach coast as the region is experiencing a heat wave that is expected to last through the weekend. Officials urged individuals to continue practicing physical distancing when outside, but that didn’t seem to be the case Friday afternoon. Many beach goers were seen with less than six feet between them and many weren’t wearing face coverings.
abc7.com/society/heat-wave-draws-thousands-to-orange-county-beaches/6127891/
AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--Keep your eyes on Cuomo – making case for absentee ballot under guise of COVID

They are telling us their true agenda / objective if you are paying attention !
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ( D ) on Friday said that he would sign an executive order that would send all registered New York state voters a postage-paid absentee ballot application for the state ’ s upcoming primary elections in June .
The announcement follows a separate executive order that the governor made recently giving all New York voters the ability to request an absentee ballot for the Empire State ’ s June 23 primaries if they have concerns about contracting COVID-19 by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he didn ’ t have the purview to unilaterally send absentee ballots to all voters .
He also reiterated that despite the ongoing pandemic , New York voters would still have the option to go to the polls .
“ You have both options , ” Cuomo explained .
“ You can go to the polls or you can vote absentee .
I don ’ t know what else anyone could expect you to do.
” New York is part of a growing list of states that are allowing residents to request an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal circumstances , most states require a voter to present a reason or extenuating circumstance to explain why they are unable to vote at their designated polling station .

They are telling us their true agenda / objective if you are paying attention!
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Friday said that he would sign an executive order that would send all registered New York state voters a postage-paid absentee ballot application for the state’s upcoming primary elections in June.
The announcement follows a separate executive order that the governor made recently giving all New York voters the ability to request an absentee ballot for the Empire State’s June 23 primaries if they have concerns about contracting COVID-19 by voting in person.
Cuomo noted that he didn’t have the purview to unilaterally send absentee ballots to all voters. He also reiterated that despite the ongoing pandemic, New York voters would still have the option to go to the polls.
“You have both options,” Cuomo explained. “You can go to the polls or you can vote absentee. I don’t know what else anyone could expect you to do.”
New York is part of a growing list of states that are allowing residents to request an absentee ballot for upcoming primaries. Under normal circumstances, most states require a voter to present a reason or extenuating circumstance to explain why they are unable to vote at their designated polling station.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--Rick Ackerman – We Have a Deflationary Abyss to Cross. Interesting Depression & Period of Living Wit

Rick Ackerman – We Have a Deflationary Abyss to Cross. Interesting Depression & Period of Living Without

Financial writer and professional trader Rick Ackerman says he likes gold because even in deflation , debt default and destruction @ @ @ @ @ its value .
.
.
.
Gold is catching on now because of uncertainty and @ @ @ @ @ , Ackerman says , “ I still believe we are going to have a deflationary @ @ @ @ @ get to the hyperinflation of the mind where people realize the government ’ s obligation @ @ @ @ @ debt or not is the crux of the hyperinflation argument .
Yes , at that @ @ @ @ @ acknowledge the Fed can print money without limit , and they may have to .
@

Financial writer and professional trader Rick Ackerman says he likes gold because even in deflation, debt default and destruction, “Gold will hold its value. . . . Gold is catching on now because of uncertainty and not inflation—yet.”
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In closing, Ackerman says, “I still believe we are going to have a deflationary abyss to cross before we get to the hyperinflation of the mind where people realize the government’s obligation either to default on Treasury debt or not is the crux of the hyperinflation argument. Yes, at that point, I have to acknowledge the Fed can print money without limit, and they may have to.”


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--In Q1 2020, Covid19 was the enemy. In Q2, the enemy will be China

WAR IS THE NEW NORMAL There has never , in recorded history , been an event with more agendas , unknowns and purposes than COVID19 .
They seem to go on forever : distraction from Wall Street , an excuse to clamp down on dissidents , a reset for central banking , more delightful chaos for the EU to use , derailing Brexit , an opportunity to make totalitarian surveillance acceptable , a treasure trove for billionaire nerds , a chance for the neocons to start singing for The New Normal , a wet dream for Big Pharma , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracy .
The least known of all the factors , however , remain geopolitical : not just the whodunnit element ( which remains – quite deliberately in my view – a wave-particle hiding in a fog of neutrinos ) but even if anyone did do it , what the motive might have been .
Opportunism , ironically , acts as a further distraction from the original Point Zero .
Only now that we have ( at long last ) an increase in the awareness that C19 is not the ultimate scourge of Mankind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rear its less than than attractive head .
As ever , it is the social and “ news ” media that are the willing carriers of The Party Line .
These days , it is instructive to read the London Times , for only there will you find the quintessential clarity of Establishment Agitprop playing sweet and loud , day in and day out .
Yesterday ’ s effort there from Edward Lucas was predictable in both content and authorship .
58 year-old Lucas describes himself as “ a security specialist ” , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t exactly typed out on an Enigma machine .
Over the years , linguists tell me , the malodorous Murdoch has reduced the reading age of the Times to fourteen .
Lucas adopts this level of persuasion with clinical accuracy .
He is in the vanguard of the next stage of Covidaphobia : the demonisation of China .
I was bitterly disappointed to see Dominic Raab joining the genre three days ago , when he entered the dick-size contest by saying there would have to be “ a fundamental rethink on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with China in future ” .
In some ways , I agree with him : I harboured grave doubts from Day 1 about allowing Chinese designers into the construction of Britain ’ s new-generation nuclear power arrangements ( they don ’ t want us to use Thorium , which is insane ) and I have long been a fierce critic of appallingly made Chinese exports from solar garden lights to circuit boards .
Further , I have some doubts – as yet , I admit , ill formed – about 5G in general…but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain under the Huawei banner .
However , we have to be grown-up about this : the demonisation of China has begun , and it is all to do with the geopolitics of hegemony .
Ever since the laughably entitled Special Relationship came into being , the United Kingdom has been a slavish creature of US foreign policy .
We have not had a Prime Minister stand up to Washington since Margaret Thatcher , and even she never had the slightest intention of falling out with the general drive of the Oil > @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with the CIA and the FBI – had been running the US since the late 1950s .
Shortly before his illness , Boris Johnson told Trump bluntly that we would go ahead with the Huawei deal….a stand that immediately unleashed every which way kind of threat from The Donald himself , and the cringeworthy Unelected State that grudgingly tolerates the President .
Now we have Raab saying the Huawei deal should be the subject of , at the very least , second and third thoughts .
There is here a potential wedge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ s been giving Raab unqualified support in Cabinet on an early exit from lockdown and other matters ?
Why , none other than our old chum and Head Spook , Sir Mark Sedwill .
Sedwill is an incorrigible blocist and unalloyed fan of all things NATO-American .
He is a divisive piece of illiberal anti-matter .
It ’ s what he does : it ’ s his metier .
Edward Lucas is a known and recognised cypher for the British secret service .
I feel the need to deconstruct in detail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There follow some extracts from it in italic red , with my counter-arguments in black bold : ‘ The regime in Beijing does not just seek to control its own vast country , it wants to control the way other countries behave , too .
Nowhere is off limits….The locations differ but the tactics are always the same .
China wields its economic clout to reward submissive governments and punish unhelpful ones .
It offers generous inducements to friendly China-watchers and freezes out those who ask awkward questions… ’ Replace the word @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there , and you ’ d be hard-pushed to tell the difference .
Libya , Iraq , Iran…military-dominated diplomacy , and the bullying power of the Petrodollar are all well-documented case histories .
The deaths of Iraq whistle-blowers and the hounding of Assanges who sought only the investigation of censored attempts to speak truth unto power…all of it reveals a narrative equally expansionist and totalitarian .
‘ Corporate America is bruised by decades of Chinese state-sponsored intellectual property theft , the protectionist restrictions it faces in China ’ s domestic market‚ and competition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The simplistic hypocrisy of that accusation is both routine and surreal .
The cold , dead hands of the US globalist accountants moved US jobs offshore for profit and allowed the average blue-collar American to “ feel ” rich by consuming cheap Chinese products .
Now the 3 % want to blame Beijing for exploiting the greed of American Big Business .
This is breathtaking stuff .
‘ The pandemic has exposed how much Beijing ’ s thuggish foreign policy has in common with its repressive approach at home .
Not only are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ origins of the virus , China has sprayed disinformation abroad , dodging blame , claiming credit and spreading confusion .
The foreign ministry spokesman went so far as to claim that it was a US military delegation that brought Covid-19 to Wuhan….
’ ‘ Thuggish foreign policy ’ is , for me , a perfect description of the US Unelected State ’ s approach to spraying failed-State anarchy across the middle East over the last 25 years .
But setting that aside , the pathetic references to ‘ sprayed disinformation and dodging blame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and FBI mendacity over the same period .
The top example of ‘ Janet & John ’ persuasion in the above extract is , however , ‘ went so far as to claim ’ .
The truth of the Military Games prelude remains elusive , but several key timelines in the September-October 2019 period are at best suspicious , and at worst fully supportive of American culpability .
My mind – unlike that of Edward Lucas – remains open .
‘ ….there are so many unresolved issues : the [ Chinese ] health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is corrupt , pension funds are plundered by corruption… .
[ but ] ….The West is waking up to the true cost of China-centred globalisation…Now we have to try again to rebuild a multilateral economic , political and security international order with enough consent and clout to contain China ’ s meddling.
’ Where to start on this one ?
Western health sectors are underfunded , as indeed have Western pension funds been plundered by stealth taxes , QE and Zirp .
It ’ s not the West that ’ s waking up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ globalisation ’ , it ’ s the monetarist pillocks who are looking for a sacrificial lamb to appease the masses penuried by US-centred globalism .
As for the afterthought appeal to multilateral action against ‘ Chinese meddling ’ , with respect I would add that an antidote to American nuclear & Petrodollar meddling is way overdue .
Trolls will appear at The Slog and on social media desperate to position me as an apologist for Chinese totalitarianism on the basis of this post .
There is no apology for The Brutal State typified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no excuse for accepting the fairy-tale presentation of the American Unelected State and its corporacratic allies as Snow White and seven benign dwarves .
Western diplomacy in general is a tool of American business .
It seeks to damage Russia , arm the EU , crush Chinese competition and hand planetary hegemony to a nation that presents itself as a UN police force….such being the thin disguise for a military Gestapo out to put America First .
The collapsing oil price puts Russia firmly on the road to bankruptcy .
The EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will do far more damage to China than America .
If you were trying to engage in germ warfare with the West , then being completely taken by surprise ( and trying to cover up ) a Coronavirus outbreak in you own country would be an eccentric way to kick it off .
‘ America First ’ was a Trump campaign slogan three years ago .
Yet the extraordinary thing is that , in today ’ s fifty shades of grey world , Donald Trump is still the best ally thoughtful and decent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desires and assumptions of American neocons and Chinese generals .
We have a materialist ideology in the US , a Communo-fascist ideology in China , a Corporacratic ideology in the EU , a world dominatory religious ideology within Islam , and a confused UK government beset by those infected with politically correct ideology .
This is my sole observation upon the coming Sinophobia : let he who is without guilt cast the first stone .

by John Ward
WAR IS THE NEW NORMAL
There has never, in recorded history, been an event with more agendas, unknowns and purposes than COVID19.
They seem to go on forever: distraction from Wall Street, an excuse to clamp down on dissidents, a reset for central banking, more delightful chaos for the EU to use, derailing Brexit, an opportunity to make totalitarian surveillance acceptable, a treasure trove for billionaire nerds, a chance for the neocons to start singing for The New Normal, a wet dream for Big Pharma, and an infinite annual excuse to suspend liberal democracy.
The least known of all the factors, however, remain geopolitical: not just the whodunnit element (which remains – quite deliberately in my view – a wave-particle hiding in a fog of neutrinos) but even if anyone did do it, what the motive might have been. Opportunism, ironically, acts as a further distraction from the original Point Zero.
Only now that we have (at long last) an increase in the awareness that C19 is not the ultimate scourge of Mankind, is the geopolitical element beginning to rear its less than than attractive head. As ever, it is the social and “news” media that are the willing carriers of The Party Line.
These days, it is instructive to read the London Times, for only there will you find the quintessential clarity of Establishment Agitprop playing sweet and loud, day in and day out.
Yesterday’s effort there from Edward Lucas was predictable in both content and authorship. 58 year-old Lucas describes himself as “a security specialist”, the sort of code for Spook-Groupie that wasn’t exactly typed out on an Enigma machine. Over the years, linguists tell me, the malodorous Murdoch has reduced the reading age of the Times to fourteen. Lucas adopts this level of persuasion with clinical accuracy.
He is in the vanguard of the next stage of Covidaphobia: the demonisation of China. I was bitterly disappointed to see Dominic Raab joining the genre three days ago, when he entered the dick-size contest by saying there would have to be “a fundamental rethink on the way in which we do business with China in future”. In some ways, I agree with him: I harboured grave doubts from Day 1 about allowing Chinese designers into the construction of Britain’s new-generation nuclear power arrangements (they don’t want us to use Thorium, which is insane) and I have long been a fierce critic of appallingly made Chinese exports from solar garden lights to circuit boards. Further, I have some doubts – as yet, I admit, ill formed – about 5G in general…but massive reservations about it being introduced into Britain under the Huawei banner.
However, we have to be grown-up about this: the demonisation of China has begun, and it is all to do with the geopolitics of hegemony.
Ever since the laughably entitled Special Relationship came into being, the United Kingdom has been a slavish creature of US foreign policy. We have not had a Prime Minister stand up to Washington since Margaret Thatcher, and even she never had the slightest intention of falling out with the general drive of the Oil > Pentagon > State Department axis which – along with the CIA and the FBI – had been running the US since the late 1950s.
Shortly before his illness, Boris Johnson told Trump bluntly that we would go ahead with the Huawei deal….a stand that immediately unleashed every which way kind of threat from The Donald himself, and the cringeworthy Unelected State that grudgingly tolerates the President. Now we have Raab saying the Huawei deal should be the subject of, at the very least, second and third thoughts.
There is here a potential wedge between BoJo and his deputy. Guess who’s been giving Raab unqualified support in Cabinet on an early exit from lockdown and other matters? Why, none other than our old chum and Head Spook, Sir Mark Sedwill. Sedwill is an incorrigible blocist and unalloyed fan of all things NATO-American. He is a divisive piece of illiberal anti-matter. It’s what he does: it’s his metier.
Edward Lucas is a known and recognised cypher for the British secret service. I feel the need to deconstruct in detail the drivel in his latest Times article. There follow some extracts from it in italic red, with my counter-arguments in black bold:
‘The regime in Beijing does not just seek to control its own vast country, it wants to control the way other countries behave, too. Nowhere is off limits….The locations differ but the tactics are always the same. China wields its economic clout to reward submissive governments and punish unhelpful ones. It offers generous inducements to friendly China-watchers and freezes out those who ask awkward questions…’
Replace the word ‘China’ with ‘America’ there, and you’d be hard-pushed to tell the difference. Libya, Iraq, Iran…military-dominated diplomacy, and the bullying power of the Petrodollar are all well-documented case histories. The deaths of Iraq whistle-blowers and the hounding of Assanges who sought only the investigation of censored attempts to speak truth unto power…all of it reveals a narrative equally expansionist and totalitarian.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
‘Corporate America is bruised by decades of Chinese state-sponsored intellectual property theft, the protectionist restrictions it faces in China’s domestic market‚ and competition from China’s business champions….’
The simplistic hypocrisy of that accusation is both routine and surreal. The cold, dead hands of the US globalist accountants moved US jobs offshore for profit and allowed the average blue-collar American to “feel” rich by consuming cheap Chinese products. Now the 3% want to blame Beijing for exploiting the greed of American Big Business. This is breathtaking stuff.
‘The pandemic has exposed how much Beijing’s thuggish foreign policy has in common with its repressive approach at home. Not only are there signs of a cover-up about the origins of the virus, China has sprayed disinformation abroad, dodging blame, claiming credit and spreading confusion. The foreign ministry spokesman went so far as to claim that it was a US military delegation that brought Covid-19 to Wuhan….’
‘Thuggish foreign policy’ is, for me, a perfect description of the US Unelected State’s approach to spraying failed-State anarchy across the middle East over the last 25 years. But setting that aside, the pathetic references to ‘sprayed disinformation and dodging blame’ are a good summation of CIA and FBI mendacity over the same period. The top example of ‘Janet & John’ persuasion in the above extract is, however, ‘went so far as to claim’. The truth of the Military Games prelude remains elusive, but several key timelines in the September-October 2019 period are at best suspicious, and at worst fully supportive of American culpability. My mind – unlike that of Edward Lucas – remains open.
‘….there are so many unresolved issues: the [Chinese] health sector is underfunded, the education sector is corrupt, pension funds are plundered by corruption….[but]….The West is waking up to the true cost of China-centred globalisation…Now we have to try again to rebuild a multilateral economic, political and security international order with enough consent and clout to contain China’s meddling.’
Where to start on this one? Western health sectors are underfunded, as indeed have Western pension funds been plundered by stealth taxes, QE and Zirp. It’s not the West that’s waking up to ‘the true cost of China-centred globalisation’, it’s the monetarist pillocks who are looking for a sacrificial lamb to appease the masses penuried by US-centred globalism.
As for the afterthought appeal to multilateral action against ‘Chinese meddling’, with respect I would add that an antidote to American nuclear & Petrodollar meddling is way overdue.
Trolls will appear at The Slog and on social media desperate to position me as an apologist for Chinese totalitarianism on the basis of this post.
There is no apology for The Brutal State typified by China. But equally, there is no excuse for accepting the fairy-tale presentation of the American Unelected State and its corporacratic allies as Snow White and seven benign dwarves.
Western diplomacy in general is a tool of American business. It seeks to damage Russia, arm the EU, crush Chinese competition and hand planetary hegemony to a nation that presents itself as a UN police force….such being the thin disguise for a military Gestapo out to put America First.
The collapsing oil price puts Russia firmly on the road to bankruptcy. The EU’s especially harsh Covid19 economic shutdown will do far more damage to China than America. If you were trying to engage in germ warfare with the West, then being completely taken by surprise (and trying to cover up) a Coronavirus outbreak in you own country would be an eccentric way to kick it off.
‘America First’ was a Trump campaign slogan three years ago. Yet the extraordinary thing is that, in today’s fifty shades of grey world, Donald Trump is still the best ally thoughtful and decent human beings have against the equally lunatic desires and assumptions of American neocons and Chinese generals.
We have a materialist ideology in the US, a Communo-fascist ideology in China, a Corporacratic ideology in the EU, a world dominatory religious ideology within Islam, and a confused UK government beset by those infected with politically correct ideology.
This is my sole observation upon the coming Sinophobia: let he who is without guilt cast the first stone.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--Tucker Carlson Tonight: Tara Reade’s Mother Calling Into Larry King Live About Joe Biden About His A

Tucker Carlson Tonight: Tara Reade’s Mother Calling Into Larry King Live About Joe Biden About His Alleged Sexual Assualt

I can ’ t believe they nominated a man who ’ s caught on camera groping little kids .

I can’t believe they nominated a man who’s caught on camera groping little kids.
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AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--Doomsday report claims that Coronavirus will wipe out 40% of US economy

• Independent CBO predicts devastation from coronavirus is going to see GDP fall almost 40 per cent in April , May and June • It predicts 27 million will lose their jobs – although 24 million already have • And it says deficit being built up by vast government spending to bailout businesses will explode A recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a government spending spree on testing , health care and aid to businesses and households will nearly quadruple the federal budget deficit to $ 3.7 trillion , the Congressional Budget Office said Friday .
Among the legacies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says , is a pile of trillions of dollars of debt , amassed by a political system that has proved incapable of taking even small steps to constrain this problem .
The 2020 budget deficit will explode after four coronavirus response bills passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump promise to pile more than $ 2 trillion onto the $ 24.6 trillion national debt in just the remaining six months of the current fiscal year , according to the report .
That ’ s more than double the deficit record set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year in office .

Independent CBO predicts devastation from coronavirus is going to see GDP fall almost 40 per cent in April, May and June
It predicts 27 million will lose their jobs – although 24 million already have
And it says deficit being built up by vast government spending to bailout businesses will explode
A recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a government spending spree on testing, health care and aid to businesses and households will nearly quadruple the federal budget deficit to $3.7 trillion, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday.
Among the legacies of the outbreak, a CBO report says, is a pile of trillions of dollars of debt, amassed by a political system that has proved incapable of taking even small steps to constrain this problem.
The 2020 budget deficit will explode after four coronavirus response bills passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump promise to pile more than $2 trillion onto the $24.6 trillion national debt in just the remaining six months of the current fiscal year, according to the report.
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That’s more than double the deficit record set during President Barack Obama’s first year in office.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8254737/CBO-says-deficit-reach-3-7-trillion-economic-decline.html?ito=social-facebook&fbclid=IwAR2YFEN0M95mz5krF3DrsQZyazgT1l0JSn0_6yNJZzR-AuYx58KqO3PnkUY


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--Problem Brewing in the Beer Industry: One Million Kegs Are Going Stale

Millions of gallons of beer stuck in stadiums , concert halls , restaurants and bars are fast going stale , @ @ @ @ @ a tricky problem : What to do with all that booze nobody will ever drink @ @ @ @ @ U.S. bars to close ahead of two of the country ’ s biggest drinking occasions @ @ @ @ @ Day and the “ March Madness ” basketball tournament .
Beer intended for those events @ @ @ @ @ establishments , and brewers are trying to get it back so kegs can be refilled @ @ @ @ @ say draft beer typically stays fresh for between two and six months .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ for this to happen for draft beer , ” said Craig Purser , chief executive @ @ @ @ @ Association , a trade body .
“ We have never ever seen an interruption like @ @ @ @ @ place .
”

Millions of gallons of beer stuck in stadiums, concert halls, restaurants and bars are fast going stale, leaving the beer industry with a tricky problem: What to do with all that booze nobody will ever drink?
The coronavirus pandemic forced U.S. bars to close ahead of two of the country’s biggest drinking occasions: St Patrick’s Day and the “March Madness” basketball tournament. Beer intended for those events is now spoiling in locked establishments, and brewers are trying to get it back so kegs can be refilled before lockdown
lift. Executives say draft beer typically stays fresh for between two and six months.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
“This was the absolute worst time for this to happen for draft beer,” said Craig Purser, chief executive of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, a trade body. “We have never ever seen an interruption like this where everything freezes in place.”
www.wsj.com/articles/a-new-problem-is-brewing-in-the-beer-industry-one-million-kegs-are-going-stale-11587733224


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--What comes after COVID-19 might be worse

Summary : Every week more nations get COVID-19 under control , slowing its growth rate .
Next comes the hit to the world economies .
Will it be a deep or shallow decline ?
Of long or short duration ?
Will we handle it well or poorly ?
Martin van Creveld has a typically brilliant new column , “ At Six after the Corona Crisis “ , looking at life after the pandemic .
In it , he looks at attempts… “ to divine what the world will be like once the current corona crisis is gone ( for gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it will be ) .
…Having spent much of the last eighteen months or so researching the methods people use in their attempts to look into the future , I can not say I am impressed by their efforts .
Almost all of which appear to be ill-supported , superficial , and biased – very often , without the authors even being aware that they are.
” I agree with his conclusions about attempts to predict the results of the COVID-19 pandemic .
This sentence caught my special attention .
True , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forgotten , eventually .
As the 1873-1879 global Long Depression has faded from the public ’ s memory ( a longer but shallower contraction than 1930s event , horrific because there were no safety nets then ) .
But the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic might be remembered for many generations , as the Great Depression has been .
The casualties from COVID-19 seem unlikely to be large , as pandemics and wars go ( i.e.
, as a percent of the population ) .
But its effect on the economy might be catastrophic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations have put their economies into something like a coma , an induced economic depression .
We do not know for how long this will continue , or how competent the process of revival will be .
The programs to defend against and mitigate COVID-19 were incompetent in most of the developed nations .
( See China begin to restart their economy . )
Forecasting the effects of COVID-19 is little more than guessing .
There are few precedents ( that is one reason for the incompetent execution so far ) , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ models are usually useless without useful precedents to model ( but their results still are useful to build fame and fortune for their designers ) .
A global recession is commonly defined as real GDP growth slower than 2 % .
A global depression seems probable ( i.e.
, deeper and longer than a recession ) .
A severe global depression – several years long , with a big drop in GDP – is possible , in which some sectors and even nations collapse .
Journalist Peter Goodman collected some predictions by economists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Global Recession Could Last a Long Time.
” “ I feel like the 2008 financial crisis was just a dry run for this .
This is already shaping up as the deepest dive on record for the global economy for over 100 years .
Everything depends on how long it lasts , but if this goes on for a long time , it ’ s certainly going to be the mother of all financial crises.
” — Kenneth S. Rogoff , Harvard economist and co-author of This Time Is Different : Eight Centuries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attached to the notion that this is a temporary crisis .
You hit the pause button , and then you hit the start button , and the machine starts running again .
…The longer this goes on , the more likely it is that there will be destruction of productive capacity .
Then , the nature of the crisis morphs from temporary to something a bit more lasting.
” — Marie Owens Thomsen , global chief economist at Indosuez Wealth Management in Geneva .
For another opinion , see “ The Three D @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Economic Cycle Research Institute .
“ In terms of depth , this recession is extraordinarily deep .
Already , 26.5 million people have filed for jobless claims , compared with a total of 8.7 million jobs lost during the Great Recession .
And it ’ s not over .
…But on the third ‘ D , ’ duration , this recession could be among the shortest on record .
Here ’ s why.
” Not mentioned in this article are the aftereffects of the massive fiscal and monetary stimulus programs employed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how necessary , there are always side effects .
Some obvious , like unwinding the monetary stimulus .
Some subtle , such as this additional lesson that the Federal Reserve will protect gamblers in the financial markets , if they have sufficient political influence .
The speed and magnitude of the recovery depend on the resilience of the global economic system .
Doomsters assume , as they always do , that our systems are a house of cards and will easily collapse .
Hence their confident predictions of the End Times following Y2K @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost always wrong , but not always wrong .
For example , see Raul Pal ’ s April issue of the Global Macro Investor .
The analysis is mostly intuitive plus the usual bogus technical analysis .
But he is brilliant , and makes some important points .
His bottom line … “ When I look ahead , all I see is the potential risk of the failure of our very system of money , or less dramatically , our current financial architecture .
I doubt it will go in one big boom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Literally every single institution on Earth will be trying to save it .
I don ’ t think it can be saved without becoming even more of a Frankenstein ’ s monster .
It is already a deformed beast after the last crisis and barely functions.
” I assume our systems are resilient , hence my predictions have been fairly accurate in these things .
But the severity of 2008 crash is evidence that I was wrong .
There was a debt-fueled housing bubble in the US ( bubbles are a common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predating central banks , fractional reserve banking , and fiat currencies ) .
Many people predicted that its popping would cause a recession in the US , perhaps a severe one .
It should not have sent the world into a financial meltdown and near-depression , with most of the world ’ s major banks collapsing like dominoes .
This was like slamming the door and having the ceiling collapse .
I have not found anyone who predicted this ( see here , here , and here ) .
The Crash was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two years .
Its effects were mitigated , but only with extreme fiscal and monetary measures – whose effects ( e.g.
, the debt ) remain .
This is evidence that the US and global economic systems might be much less resilient than I and most others imagined .
That would be bad news .
Societies whose foundations and infrastructures are not resilient tend to die , unpleasantly .
This is yet another way that the lessons of COVID-19 can help us prepare for the probably larger challenges that await us in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No .
26989 , April 2020 – a survey of small businesses .
43 % have closed , hopefully temporarily .
They asked owners if their businesses will survive if the crisis lasts 6 months .
The answers , by industry : retail ( except grocers ) 33 % , hotels 27 % , personal services 22 % , restaurants and bars 15 % .
“ If we keep the economy closed at current levels , it will continue to decay , and at some point turn into irreversible , non-linear damage .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to model the course of that process .
…If we keep people locked up at current levels , fewer of them will be exposed to the virus , and in the meantime we can develop better treatments , and also improve test and trace capabilities .
No one knows how quickly those improvements will come , or how to model the course of that process , or how much net good they will do .
The relative pace of those two processes should determine our best course of action .
No one knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two processes .
Yet commentators pretend to be increasingly knowledgeable , moralizing based on the pretense of knowledge they do not have .
”

by Fabius Maximus
Summary: Every week more nations get COVID-19 under control, slowing its growth rate. Next comes the hit to the world economies. Will it be a deep or shallow decline? Of long or short duration? Will we handle it well or poorly?
Martin van Creveld has a typically brilliant new column, “At Six after the Corona Crisis“, looking at life after the pandemic. In it, he looks at attempts…
“to divine what the world will be like once the current corona crisis is gone (for gone, and even more or less forgotten, it will be). …Having spent much of the last eighteen months or so researching the methods people use in their attempts to look into the future, I cannot say I am impressed by their efforts. Almost all of which appear to be ill-supported, superficial, and biased – very often, without the authors even being aware that they are.”
I agree with his conclusions about attempts to predict the results of the COVID-19 pandemic. This sentence caught my special attention.
“To divine what the world will be like once the current corona crisis is gone (for gone, and even more or less forgotten, it will be).”
True, it will be forgotten. Everything is forgotten, eventually. As the 1873-1879 global Long Depression has faded from the public’s memory (a longer but shallower contraction than 1930s event, horrific because there were no safety nets then). But the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic might be remembered for many generations, as the Great Depression has been.
The casualties from COVID-19 seem unlikely to be large, as pandemics and wars go (i.e., as a percent of the population). But its effect on the economy might be catastrophic, causing immense and long-lasting suffering. Many nations have put their economies into something like a coma, an induced economic depression. We do not know for how long this will continue, or how competent the process of revival will be. The programs to defend against and mitigate COVID-19 were incompetent in most of the developed nations. (See China begin to restart their economy.)
Forecasting the effects of COVID-19 is little more than guessing. There are few precedents (that is one reason for the incompetent execution so far), making reliable predictions difficult to impossible. Quantitative models are usually useless without useful precedents to model (but their results still are useful to build fame and fortune for their designers).
A global recession is commonly defined as real GDP growth slower than 2%. A global depression seems probable (i.e., deeper and longer than a recession). A severe global depression – several years long, with a big drop in GDP – is possible, in which some sectors and even nations collapse. Journalist Peter Goodman collected some predictions by economists for his NYT article “Why the Global Recession Could Last a Long Time.”
“I feel like the 2008 financial crisis was just a dry run for this. This is already shaping up as the deepest dive on record for the global economy for over 100 years. Everything depends on how long it lasts, but if this goes on for a long time, it’s certainly going to be the mother of all financial crises.”
— Kenneth S. Rogoff, Harvard economist and co-author of This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly.
“I am attached to the notion that this is a temporary crisis. You hit the pause button, and then you hit the start button, and the machine starts running again. …The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that there will be destruction of productive capacity. Then, the nature of the crisis morphs from temporary to something a bit more lasting.”
— Marie Owens Thomsen, global chief economist at Indosuez Wealth Management in Geneva.
For another opinion, see “The Three D’s and High-Frequency Leading Indicators” by the Economic Cycle Research Institute.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
“In terms of depth, this recession is extraordinarily deep. Already, 26.5 million people have filed for jobless claims, compared with a total of 8.7 million jobs lost during the Great Recession. And it’s not over. …But on the third ‘D,’ duration, this recession could be among the shortest on record. Here’s why.”
Not mentioned in this article are the aftereffects of the massive fiscal and monetary stimulus programs employed to stabilize the economy. No matter how necessary, there are always side effects. Some obvious, like unwinding the monetary stimulus. Some subtle, such as this additional lesson that the Federal Reserve will protect gamblers in the financial markets, if they have sufficient political influence.
Bigger issues
The speed and magnitude of the recovery depend on the resilience of the global economic system. Doomsters assume, as they always do, that our systems are a house of cards and will easily collapse. Hence their confident predictions of the End Times following Y2K and the 2008 Crash. They are almost always wrong, but not always wrong.
For example, see Raul Pal’s April issue of the Global Macro Investor. The analysis is mostly intuitive plus the usual bogus technical analysis. But he is brilliant, and makes some important points. His bottom line …
“When I look ahead, all I see is the potential risk of the failure of our very system of money, or less dramatically, our current financial architecture. I doubt it will go in one big boom, but more a long drawn-out bleed. Literally every single institution on Earth will be trying to save it. I don’t think it can be saved without becoming even more of a Frankenstein’s monster. It is already a deformed beast after the last crisis and barely functions.”
I assume our systems are resilient, hence my predictions have been fairly accurate in these things. But the severity of 2008 crash is evidence that I was wrong. There was a debt-fueled housing bubble in the US (bubbles are a common and natural event in free-market economies, predating central banks, fractional reserve banking, and fiat currencies). Many people predicted that its popping would cause a recession in the US, perhaps a severe one. It should not have sent the world into a financial meltdown and near-depression, with most of the world’s major banks collapsing like dominoes. This was like slamming the door and having the ceiling collapse. I have not found anyone who predicted this (see here, here, and here). The Crash was a 1929-1932 magnitude shock, but compressed into two years. Its effects were mitigated, but only with extreme fiscal and monetary measures – whose effects (e.g., the debt) remain.
This is evidence that the US and global economic systems might be much less resilient than I and most others imagined. That would be bad news. Societies whose foundations and infrastructures are not resilient tend to die, unpleasantly.
This is yet another way that the lessons of COVID-19 can help us prepare for the probably larger challenges that await us in the 21st century.
News from economists
From NBER Working Paper No. 26989, April 2020 – a survey of small businesses. 43% have closed, hopefully temporarily. They asked owners if their businesses will survive if the crisis lasts 6 months. The answers, by industry: retail (except grocers) 33%, hotels 27%, personal services 22%, restaurants and bars 15%.
Summary by Tyler Cowen (professor, George Mason U) at Marginal Revolution.
“If we keep the economy closed at current levels, it will continue to decay, and at some point turn into irreversible, non-linear damage. No one knows when, or how to model the course of that process. …If we keep people locked up at current levels, fewer of them will be exposed to the virus, and in the meantime we can develop better treatments, and also improve test and trace capabilities. No one knows how quickly those improvements will come, or how to model the course of that process, or how much net good they will do. The relative pace of those two processes should determine our best course of action. No one knows the relative pace of either of those two processes. Yet commentators pretend to be increasingly knowledgeable, moralizing based on the pretense of knowledge they do not have.”


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--This Week’s Oil Crash Is a Warning to Speculators in Futures Markets

Hello again , and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Market Wrap Podcast , I ’ m Mike Gleason .
Well , just when you thought you ’ d seen it all in markets , this week brought something that was previously assumed by many to be impossible : a negative price for a physical commodity .
More on that in a bit .
But first , let ’ s review this week ’ s market action in precious metals , which have been posting some positive gains since bottoming last month .
Gold prices are up 0.9 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring spot prices to $ 1,720 per ounce .
Silver shows a weekly decline now of 1.8 % to trade at $ 15.13 an ounce as of this Friday recording .
Platinum is putting off by 2.4 % decline for the week to bring the per ounce price to $ 768 .
And finally , palladium looks lower this week by 6.4 % and currently comes in at $ 2,074 .
The metals complex showed relative stability this week as the oil market suffered a historic meltdown .
West Texas Intermediate Crude crashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the continuous contract , bringing prices briefly below $ 7 per barrel .
By Thursday , prices were trading between $ 14 and $ 18 per barrel .
The volatility on the May futures contract was even more extreme .
On Monday , May futures for crude oil crashed to one dollar , then to zero , then to a few pennies below zero , then to an unbelievable negative $ 37 per barrel .
With the world literally running out of places to store oil , oil contracts for immediate physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asset .
Nobody wanted to take delivery of oil .
That left speculators , hedge funds , and exchange-traded funds that hold oil futures as financial instruments only needing to unload their contracts at any price .
They ultimately would rather pay buyers to take unwanted barrels of oil than assume the obligation and hassle of owning them .
Some traders cried foul over the apparent forced selling and filed complaints with the CME Group , which runs the world ’ s largest commodity exchange , and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Continental Resources wrote a letter to the CFTC calling for the agency to investigate possible market manipulation .
CME Group Chairman Terry Duffy responded on CNBC by insisting the futures market was functioning just fine and had not mispriced oil contracts when they began trading below zero .
CNBC Anchor : There was one that comment he put in his letter to the CFTC .
He asked them to investigate whether there had been market manipulation or failed systems or computer programs that played a part in our going negative .
If they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answer what they ’ d find for us now ?
Terry Duffy : You know , the CME , we are a neutral facilitator of risk management , and we ’ re happy if people want to look into the markets .
Futures contracts have been around for hundreds of years and I will tell you since day one , everybody knows that it ’ s unlimited losses in futures .
So , nobody should be under the perception that it can ’ t go below zero .
Regardless of whether the market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ price was disconnected from physical reality .
Nobody could call up an oil producer and expect to be able to buy barrels of oil for less than nothing because of a negatively trading futures contract .
No oil company announced to investors that its oil assets had suddenly become liabilities because of a negative futures quote .
In fact , energy stocks traded higher this week .
Although many oil producers are losing money at the moment , it ’ s not because they are literally selling oil at a negative price .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ storage costs are exceeding the real-world prices they can fetch for their product .
And that real-world price is now in the teens per barrel .
The absurd negative $ 37 figure on a particular futures contract was never seen as a credible gauge of the global value of physical oil .
The credibility of the gold and silver futures markets is also being called into question .
Earlier this month the spread between COMEX gold futures and the London so-called spot price grew to a record high of more than $ 80 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The COMEX and London markets curiously changed their rules to allow 400-ounce gold bars located in London to be substituted for delivery of 100-ounce gold bars in satisfaction of U.S. contracts , actions which have drawn the attention of Congressman Alex Mooney of West Virginia .
Rep. Mooney is now demanding the CFTC explain why U.S. markets are permitted to carry so little deliverable physical gold and silver to back the exchanges .
If there are widespread defaults , it could throw the entire financial system into chaos .
At the same time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the prices on bullion coins , bars , and rounds have developed .
So , what is the real price of gold ?
What is the real price of silver ?
The answer is that it depends on the form in which it is traded .
Paper contract settlements carry one price .
Bullion bars carry another .
And American Eagles carry yet another .
For example , while the silver spot price closed at $ 15.36 on Thursday , Silver Eagles were selling for $ 27 or more at Money Metals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these dealers are getting greedy or struggling with insufficient capital , but the elevated premiums in general DO reflect extraordinarily strong retail demand on the one hand – and on the other , higher sourcing costs and U.S. Mint closures that threaten to crimp supply .
Coin values can not be manipulated arbitrarily on a futures exchange .
No physical bullion product will suddenly acquire a negative price because a handful of traders desperately need to unload contracts at a particular time and can ’ t find buyers .
As long as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your downside risk in bullion is limited .
That ’ s certainly not the case if you choose to play gold and silver futures .
There , as you heard the head of the CME/COMEX admit , you could potentially lose more than 100 % of the capital you deploy .
The upshot for holders of physical is that in the event the highly leveraged precious metals futures markets lose credibility , and especially if they melt down and default on obligations to deliver , a squeeze on available inventories of physical metal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regardless of what the paper quotes for gold and silver happen to be .
Well that will do it for this week .
Be sure to check back next Friday for our next Weekly Market Wrap Podcast .
Until then this has been Mike Gleason with Money Metals Exchange , thanks for listening and have a great weekend everybody .

by moneymetals
Hello again, and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Market Wrap Podcast, I’m Mike Gleason.
Well, just when you thought you’d seen it all in markets, this week brought something that was previously assumed by many to be impossible: a negative price for a physical commodity.
More on that in a bit. But first, let’s review this week’s market action in precious metals, which have been posting some positive gains since bottoming last month.
Gold prices are up 0.9% since last Friday’s close to bring spot prices to $1,720 per ounce. Silver shows a weekly decline now of 1.8% to trade at $15.13 an ounce as of this Friday recording. Platinum is putting off by 2.4% decline for the week to bring the per ounce price to $768. And finally, palladium looks lower this week by 6.4% and currently comes in at $2,074.
The metals complex showed relative stability this week as the oil market suffered a historic meltdown. West Texas Intermediate Crude crashed 70% at one point this week on the continuous contract, bringing prices briefly below $7 per barrel. By Thursday, prices were trading between $14 and $18 per barrel.
The volatility on the May futures contract was even more extreme. On Monday, May futures for crude oil crashed to one dollar, then to zero, then to a few pennies below zero, then to an unbelievable negative $37 per barrel.
With the world literally running out of places to store oil, oil contracts for immediate physical offtake represented a liability rather than an asset. Nobody wanted to take delivery of oil. That left speculators, hedge funds, and exchange-traded funds that hold oil futures as financial instruments only needing to unload their contracts at any price. They ultimately would rather pay buyers to take unwanted barrels of oil than assume the obligation and hassle of owning them.
Some traders cried foul over the apparent forced selling and filed complaints with the CME Group, which runs the world’s largest commodity exchange, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Billionaire oil executive Harold Hamm of Continental Resources wrote a letter to the CFTC calling for the agency to investigate possible market manipulation.
CME Group Chairman Terry Duffy responded on CNBC by insisting the futures market was functioning just fine and had not mispriced oil contracts when they began trading below zero.
CNBC Anchor: There was one that comment he put in his letter to the CFTC. He asked them to investigate whether there had been market manipulation or failed systems or computer programs that played a part in our going negative. If they carried out that investigation, can you answer what they’d find for us now? Terry Duffy: You know, the CME, we are a neutral facilitator of risk management, and we’re happy if people want to look into the markets. Futures contracts have been around for hundreds of years and I will tell you since day one, everybody knows that it’s unlimited losses in futures. So, nobody should be under the perception that it can’t go below zero.
Regardless of whether the market was manipulated, the deeply negative futures price was disconnected from physical reality.
Nobody could call up an oil producer and expect to be able to buy barrels of oil for less than nothing because of a negatively trading futures contract. No oil company announced to investors that its oil assets had suddenly become liabilities because of a negative futures quote. In fact, energy stocks traded higher this week.
Although many oil producers are losing money at the moment, it’s not because they are literally selling oil at a negative price. It’s because their production and storage costs are exceeding the real-world prices they can fetch for their product.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
And that real-world price is now in the teens per barrel. The absurd negative $37 figure on a particular futures contract was never seen as a credible gauge of the global value of physical oil.
The credibility of the gold and silver futures markets is also being called into question. Earlier this month the spread between COMEX gold futures and the London so-called spot price grew to a record high of more than $80.
Something strange is going on. The COMEX and London markets curiously changed their rules to allow 400-ounce gold bars located in London to be substituted for delivery of 100-ounce gold bars in satisfaction of U.S. contracts, actions which have drawn the attention of Congressman Alex Mooney of West Virginia.
Rep. Mooney is now demanding the CFTC explain why U.S. markets are permitted to carry so little deliverable physical gold and silver to back the exchanges. If there are widespread defaults, it could throw the entire financial system into chaos.
At the same time, an enormous divergence between spot prices and the prices on bullion coins, bars, and rounds have developed.
So, what is the real price of gold? What is the real price of silver?
The answer is that it depends on the form in which it is traded. Paper contract settlements carry one price. Bullion bars carry another. And American Eagles carry yet another.
For example, while the silver spot price closed at $15.36 on Thursday, Silver Eagles were selling for $27 or more at Money Metals’ higher-priced competitors. Certainly a few of these dealers are getting greedy or struggling with insufficient capital, but the elevated premiums in general DO reflect extraordinarily strong retail demand on the one hand – and on the other, higher sourcing costs and U.S. Mint closures that threaten to crimp supply.
Coin values cannot be manipulated arbitrarily on a futures exchange. No physical bullion product will suddenly acquire a negative price because a handful of traders desperately need to unload contracts at a particular time and can’t find buyers.
As long as you aren’t using leverage, your downside risk in bullion is limited. That’s certainly not the case if you choose to play gold and silver futures. There, as you heard the head of the CME/COMEX admit, you could potentially lose more than 100% of the capital you deploy.
The upshot for holders of physical is that in the event the highly leveraged precious metals futures markets lose credibility, and especially if they melt down and default on obligations to deliver, a squeeze on available inventories of physical metal could push bullion prices explosively higher – regardless of what the paper quotes for gold and silver happen to be.
Well that will do it for this week. Be sure to check back next Friday for our next Weekly Market Wrap Podcast. Until then this has been Mike Gleason with Money Metals Exchange, thanks for listening and have a great weekend everybody.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--Democratic Party operatives with bylines aren’t happy that the WFB did actual journalism

MAN WHO DIED INGESTING FISH TANK CLEANER REMEMBERED AS INTELLIGENT , LEVELHEADED ENGINEER .
Yes , the headline is in the typical trolling Washington Free Beacon style .
But once you get past it : “ What bothers me about this is that Gary was a very intelligent man , a retired [ mechanical ] engineer who designed systems for John Deere in Waterloo , Iowa , and I really can ’ t see the scenario where Gary would say , ‘ Yes , please , I would love to drink some of that Koi fish tank cleaner , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Washington Free Beacon .
“ It just doesn ’ t make any sense.
” Lenius passed away on March 22 after he and his wife , Wanda Lenius , drank sodas that she had mixed with a fish tank cleaner not intended for human consumption , Wanda Lenius told the Free Beacon .
Trump critics and the news media have held up his death as a warning against following the president ’ s amateur medical advice , with some claiming that Trump is “ lethal , ” has “ blood on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Hague for “ crimes against humanity.
” Those who know Gary Lenius , however , say they are troubled by how he has been portrayed in the media and can ’ t imagine him agreeing to drink an aquarium treatment .
“ I would like people to know that Gary was not the fool that some of the media stories and comments are depicting him to be , ” said the same friend .
“ I really don ’ t think Gary knew what he was taking.
” Lenius spent over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Deere in Waterloo , Iowa .
He met Wanda in 2000 .
In 2012 , he purchased a home in a gated mountain community in Mesa , Ariz. After he retired , the couple moved southwest full time .

MAN WHO DIED INGESTING FISH TANK CLEANER REMEMBERED AS INTELLIGENT, LEVELHEADED ENGINEER. Yes, the headline is in the typical trolling Washington Free Beacon style. But once you get past it:
“What bothers me about this is that Gary was a very intelligent man, a retired [mechanical] engineer who designed systems for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, and I really can’t see the scenario where Gary would say, ‘Yes, please, I would love to drink some of that Koi fish tank cleaner,’” one of his close friends told the Washington Free Beacon. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Lenius passed away on March 22 after he and his wife, Wanda Lenius, drank sodas that she had mixed with a fish tank cleaner not intended for human consumption, Wanda Lenius told the Free Beacon.
Trump critics and the news media have held up his death as a warning against following the president’s amateur medical advice, with some claiming that Trump is “lethal,” has “blood on his hands,” and should be tried at the Hague for “crimes against humanity.”
Those who know Gary Lenius, however, say they are troubled by how he has been portrayed in the media and can’t imagine him agreeing to drink an aquarium treatment. “I would like people to know that Gary was not the fool that some of the media stories and comments are depicting him to be,” said the same friend. “I really don’t think Gary knew what he was taking.”
Lenius spent over three decades as a senior engineer at John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa. He met Wanda in 2000. In 2012, he purchased a home in a gated mountain community in Mesa, Ariz. After he retired, the couple moved southwest full time.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-26--The Democrats are cheering for a depression?

It has highlighted the class divide that globalization produces within countries such as America as well .
The highly educated professional classes can work from home , and their jobs are relatively secure ; the service class , on the other hand—the waiters and cooks and hotel maids and retail clerks and others — are out of their jobs and shit out of luck .
Not to worry : the professional class will write all of them checks for $ 1,200 .
Let them eat cake , you know ?
In our nation ’ s capital region , DC and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pronounced .
Just before DC ’ s mayor and Virginia ’ s governor issued stay-at-home orders , practically all businesses had already shut down voluntarily .
But I ventured out to the city one day and was surprised by what I saw : while the professionals had disappeared — the lobbyists and think-tankers and journalists and other non-essential workers — groundskeepers and maintenance staff were out in force , as many of them or even more than usual , tending to decorative greenery and the facades of the professionals ’ buildings .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , back home , and noticed that two things had changed .
The trains were less crowded than normal but actually more crowded than they had been a week earlier : this was because the Metro system was running fewer trains , which logically enough meant that people who still had to go to work were packed onto the few that were still running .
Those people who still had to go to work , or to use the Metro for other reasons , were not the white professional commuters , but mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men and others .

WHY JOE BIDEN’S AMERICA LOVES A LOCKDOWN:
It has highlighted the class divide that globalization produces within countries such as America as well. The highly educated professional classes can work from home, and their jobs are relatively secure; the service class, on the other hand—the waiters and cooks and hotel maids and retail clerks and others — are out of their jobs and shit out of luck. Not to worry: the professional class will write all of them checks for $1,200. Let them eat cake, you know?
In our nation’s capital region, DC and its suburbs, the divide is especially pronounced. Just before DC’s mayor and Virginia’s governor issued stay-at-home orders, practically all businesses had already shut down voluntarily. But I ventured out to the city one day and was surprised by what I saw: while the professionals had disappeared — the lobbyists and think-tankers and journalists and other non-essential workers — groundskeepers and maintenance staff were out in force, as many of them or even more than usual, tending to decorative greenery and the facades of the professionals’ buildings. I took the Metro, the DC subway, back home, and noticed that two things had changed. The trains were less crowded than normal but actually more crowded than they had been a week earlier: this was because the Metro system was running fewer trains, which logically enough meant that people who still had to go to work were packed onto the few that were still running. Those people who still had to go to work, or to use the Metro for other reasons, were not the white professional commuters, but mostly black and Hispanic service workers: maintenance men and others.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-27--Is This The Moment When Freedom Will Come To North Korea And The Concentration Camps Will Finally En

Is This The Moment When Freedom Will Come To North Korea And The Concentration Camps Will Finally End?

Is Kim Jong Un dead ?
He has not been seen in public for weeks , and all over the globe there is speculation that he has passed away following a botched surgery .
It is being reported that an emergency heart procedure went bad because his doctor ’ s hands were shaking , and according to a magazine in Japan that resulted in Kim Jong Un going into a “ vegetative state ” .
But of course we don ’ t really know for sure what happened , and the North Korean government is insisting that he is alive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible that Kim Jong Un just pulled a fast one on us and that he will come out of hiding tomorrow .
But if the rumors are true , this could finally be the moment that the people of North Korea have been waiting for .
After decades of living under tyranny , this could finally be the moment when freedom arrives .
It has been said that there is no place on Earth worse than a North Korean prison camp .
Many will remember King Jong Un for his comical relationship with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no doubt that he was a tyrant .
He ruthlessly murdered any North Korean that crossed him , and that included members of his own extended family .
And considering the fact that he was still fairly young , it was expected that he would rule North Korea for decades to come .
But at this point he has not been seen in public since April 11th , and it was very strange that he did not make an appearance for the April 15th festivities… Subsequently , there were reports that a team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China to help North Korean doctors treat him… It definitely sounded like Kim Jong Un was facing something very serious , and then there have been all of the rumors about the “ botched surgery ” over the past several days .
But at this point the North Korean government keeps insisting that he is “ alive and well ” … So we will just have to wait and see what happens .
But it is interesting to note that the people of North Korea seem to be quite convinced that the rumors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is dead , we might not get official confirmation until a new leader is firmly in place , and so far most of the speculation has centered around his sister Kim Yo Jong .
Not that much is known about Kim Yo Jong , but we do know that she has been strongly supportive of her brother ’ s regime and we also know that she represented the regime publicly at some key events… As I told my wife earlier , it is entirely possible that Kim Yo Jong could be even worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s hope that will not be the case .
If Kim Jong Un really is gone , let ’ s pray that this will finally be a historic turning point for the people of North Korea .
The mainstream media in the western world rarely talks about it anymore , but the truth is that there is a vast network of concentration camps all across North Korea , and thousands upon thousands of people are deeply suffering in these camps every hour of every day .
According to Amnesty International , these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , women and children ” … Of course one of the main offenses that can get you sent to one of these camps is being a Christian .
One Christian woman that survived being put in a camp described it as “ one long living nightmare ” … Eventually she encountered other Christians in the camp , and they ultimately formed a secret church .
But then one day one of the leaders of the secret church was grabbed by authorities and taken to the infamous Kwan-li-so maximum security prison… No matter how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in comparison to what those living in these camps are going through on a daily basis .
For their sake , and for the sake of every precious soul living in North Korea , let us pray that this is the moment when freedom finally breaks out in that nation .
Millions of North Koreans are living in total darkness , and they have deeply suffered for so long .
There is now a spark of hope , and we should do all that we can to help fan that spark into a @ @

by Michael Snyder
Is Kim Jong Un dead? He has not been seen in public for weeks, and all over the globe there is speculation that he has passed away following a botched surgery. It is being reported that an emergency heart procedure went bad because his doctor’s hands were shaking, and according to a magazine in Japan that resulted in Kim Jong Un going into a “vegetative state”. But of course we don’t really know for sure what happened, and the North Korean government is insisting that he is alive and well. And it is entirely possible that Kim Jong Un just pulled a fast one on us and that he will come out of hiding tomorrow. But if the rumors are true, this could finally be the moment that the people of North Korea have been waiting for. After decades of living under tyranny, this could finally be the moment when freedom arrives.
It has been said that there is no place on Earth worse than a North Korean prison camp. Many will remember King Jong Un for his comical relationship with Donald Trump, but let there be no doubt that he was a tyrant. He ruthlessly murdered any North Korean that crossed him, and that included members of his own extended family.
And considering the fact that he was still fairly young, it was expected that he would rule North Korea for decades to come. But at this point he has not been seen in public since April 11th, and it was very strange that he did not make an appearance for the April 15th festivities…
April 15 is North Korea’s most important holiday, the Day of the Sun. It celebrates the birthday of the country’s founding father, Kim Il Sung, and has in the past been marked with events like satellite launches and massive military parades. The North Korean calendar even begins on April 15 and years are measured from the date of Kim’s birth.
Subsequently, there were reports that a team of medical experts had been sent from China to help North Korean doctors treat him…
The whereabouts and health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un remain shrouded in mystery—but Reuters is reporting that China sent medical experts to the communist state in an advisory capacity. The delegation left Beijing on Thursday, but the news agency said it was unable to determine what the trip indicated about Kim’s medical condition. Kim has not been seen in public for two weeks, sparking reports that he had fallen gravely ill after some type of surgery.
It definitely sounded like Kim Jong Un was facing something very serious, and then there have been all of the rumors about the “botched surgery” over the past several days.
But at this point the North Korean government keeps insisting that he is “alive and well”…
South Korea continued to pour water on mounting speculation about the health of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, telling CNN he is “alive and well.” “Our government position is firm,” Moon Chung-in, the top foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told CNN. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected.”
So we will just have to wait and see what happens.
But it is interesting to note that the people of North Korea seem to be quite convinced that the rumors are true…
Residents in the North Korean capital have resorted to panic-buying amid reports that controversial leader Kim Jong Un is gravely ill or dead, according to a report. Store shelves in Pyongyang were being cleaned out of everything from liquor to laundry detergent, canned fish to cigarettes in recent days — as conflicting reports continue to surface about the portly dictator’s possible demise, the Washington Post wrote Sunday.
If Kim Jong Un really is dead, we might not get official confirmation until a new leader is firmly in place, and so far most of the speculation has centered around his sister Kim Yo Jong.
Not that much is known about Kim Yo Jong, but we do know that she has been strongly supportive of her brother’s regime and we also know that she represented the regime publicly at some key events…
Her first public appearance was at her father’s funeral in 2011. Since then, she has worked quietly in the background of Kim Jong Un’s regime, even accompanying him in 2018 as he met South Korean leader Moon Jae-in during the historic summit between the two nations. Just months beforehand, she attended the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, becoming the first member of North Korea’s ruling family to visit the region since the end of the Korean War in 1953. She later attended a highly publicized lunch with Moon Jae-in.
As I told my wife earlier, it is entirely possible that Kim Yo Jong could be even worse than Kim Jong Un.
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But let’s hope that will not be the case.
If Kim Jong Un really is gone, let’s pray that this will finally be a historic turning point for the people of North Korea.
The mainstream media in the western world rarely talks about it anymore, but the truth is that there is a vast network of concentration camps all across North Korea, and thousands upon thousands of people are deeply suffering in these camps every hour of every day.
According to Amnesty International, these camps hold “at least 200,000 men, women and children”…
Amnesty estimates that these camps hold at least 200,000 men, women and children (estimates by other human rights groups are much higher.) Untold numbers of innocent North Koreans have passed through and passed away in the camps since they were created 60 years ago. Most have no idea why they were arrested; they are held without charge or trial, without access to an independent judiciary. Offenses that might lead to arrest include: criticizing the ruling family; listening to unauthorized radio broadcasts; trying to leave the country; performing poorly on the job. Many are held simply because they are related to someone who was detained – husbands, wives, children, grandparents, siblings, cousins.
Of course one of the main offenses that can get you sent to one of these camps is being a Christian.
One Christian woman that survived being put in a camp described it as “one long living nightmare”…
But any sense of happiness or relief quickly disappeared when I arrived at the camp. I remember seeing moving, shapeless forms. It took me a moment to realize they were people. Some were bent over; others were missing an arm or a leg. I looked down at my own arms and legs, thin like matches. I didn’t look much better than the other inmates. In the camp, I work 12 hours a day. Sometimes more. Every day is just one long living nightmare. But at least I am not alone in a cell anymore.
Eventually she encountered other Christians in the camp, and they ultimately formed a secret church.
But then one day one of the leaders of the secret church was grabbed by authorities and taken to the infamous Kwan-li-so maximum security prison…
Inside this North Korean prison, we wound up forming a secret church. When we met and felt safe enough, we prayed the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed. She was actually much braver than I was. She spoke to others about Christ as well. That’s why one day a car came to pick her up. When I saw her leave, I knew they were taking her to a maximum-security Kwan-li-so. I knew I would never see her again.
No matter how bad your problems are, they pale in comparison to what those living in these camps are going through on a daily basis.
For their sake, and for the sake of every precious soul living in North Korea, let us pray that this is the moment when freedom finally breaks out in that nation.
Millions of North Koreans are living in total darkness, and they have deeply suffered for so long. There is now a spark of hope, and we should do all that we can to help fan that spark into a flame.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-27--“The Food Supply Chain Is Breaking” And We Are Being Warned That “Meat Shortages” Are Imminent

When meat processing facilities started shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic , we were initially told not to worry because the facilities that were still operating normally would be able to make up the difference .
But now all of that has changed .
As you will see below , even the mainstream media is beginning to use the phrase “ meat shortages ” , and we are being told to brace for supply chain disruptions all over America .
Hopefully any “ shortages ” will only last for a few months , and hopefully supply chain disruptions will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fades .
But this is yet another example that shows how exceedingly vulnerable our system has become , and it makes one wonder what will happen once a crisis even worse than this pandemic comes along .
In today ’ s extremely litigious environment , big corporations are going to exercise an abundance of caution when it comes to COVID-19 , and we have already seen that just a handful of confirmed cases can shut down an entire food processing facility for weeks .
As a result of all the shutdowns that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we are “ dangerously close to meat shortages ” … Plant shutdowns are leaving the U.S. dangerously close to meat shortages as coronavirus outbreaks now spread to suppliers across the Americas .
Almost a third of U.S. pork capacity is down , the first big poultry plants closed on Friday and experts are warning that domestic shortages are just weeks away .
Brazil , the world ’ s No .
1 shipper of chicken and beef , saw its first major closure with the halt of a poultry plant owned by JBS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meat company .
Key operations are also down in Canada , the latest being a British Columbia poultry plant .
Who ever imagined that we would be talking about “ meat shortages ” during the first half of 2020 ?
It is crazy how rapidly things have changed .
On Friday , Smithfield Foods announced the closure of a fifth meat processing facility… And on that same day , Hormel announced the closure of two major turkey plants… Even more chilling , on Sunday Tyson Foods actually ran a full page ad in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted that “ the food supply chain is breaking ” … Look , the truth is that the head of Tyson Foods would not be talking like that if things were not very serious .
I believe that things will be better by the end of the year , but for now we should expect significant meat shortages in the grocery stores for several months .
And for some portions of the supply chain , the shortages are already here .
In fact , one expert is warning that restaurants “ could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a week… The good news is that once this pandemic fades things should get significantly better for the industry .
The bad news is that we are probably going to be facing elevated prices for a long time to come .
In fact , the price of U.S. wholesale beef just set a brand new record , and the price of wholesale pork surged 29 percent last week .
And as I noted the other day , all of this is happening at a time when African Swine Fever has already killed about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
When it comes to pork , the answer is really easy .
Just don ’ t eat it .
Pork is a highway to cancer , heart disease and a whole bunch of other very serious illnesses , and I don ’ t understand why anyone would ever want to eat it .
But the fact that we are also facing shortages of beef , chicken and turkey now is very concerning , and I hope everyone out there has stocked up .
Sadly , the truth is that there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this moment , but because of the plant shutdowns many growers don ’ t have anyone to sell to right now .
As a result , millions of animals are being culled… I believe that it is a huge mistake to completely close all of these meat processing facilities , and hopefully many of them will be reopened as soon as possible .
But meanwhile things will become increasingly difficult , and American families will suffer .
Now that tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs , people are starting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guard is being deployed to food banks all over the nation .
Of course this coronavirus pandemic is not the worst thing we are going to face .
In fact , it isn ’ t even close to the worst thing we are going to face .
So if fear of COVID-19 is causing this much of a disruption to our supply chains , what is going to happen when a crisis that is far , far more severe comes along ?
We are not going to see a full return to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there should be a window of opportunity to prepare for the events of 2021 and beyond , and I very much encourage all of my readers to take full advantage of that opportunity .

by Michael Snyder
When meat processing facilities started shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic, we were initially told not to worry because the facilities that were still operating normally would be able to make up the difference. But now all of that has changed. As you will see below, even the mainstream media is beginning to use the phrase “meat shortages”, and we are being told to brace for supply chain disruptions all over America. Hopefully any “shortages” will only last for a few months, and hopefully supply chain disruptions will disappear later this year as the pandemic fades. But this is yet another example that shows how exceedingly vulnerable our system has become, and it makes one wonder what will happen once a crisis even worse than this pandemic comes along.
In today’s extremely litigious environment, big corporations are going to exercise an abundance of caution when it comes to COVID-19, and we have already seen that just a handful of confirmed cases can shut down an entire food processing facility for weeks. As a result of all the shutdowns that have already taken place, Bloomberg is warning that we are “dangerously close to meat shortages”…
Plant shutdowns are leaving the U.S. dangerously close to meat shortages as coronavirus outbreaks now spread to suppliers across the Americas. Almost a third of U.S. pork capacity is down, the first big poultry plants closed on Friday and experts are warning that domestic shortages are just weeks away. Brazil, the world’s No. 1 shipper of chicken and beef, saw its first major closure with the halt of a poultry plant owned by JBS SA, the world’s biggest meat company. Key operations are also down in Canada, the latest being a British Columbia poultry plant.
Who ever imagined that we would be talking about “meat shortages” during the first half of 2020?
It is crazy how rapidly things have changed.
On Friday, Smithfield Foods announced the closure of a fifth meat processing facility…
Smithfield Foods has closed another meat processing plant amid the coronavirus pandemic, the company’s fifth facility to discontinue operations this month as a result of the illness. According to Smithfield, a significant supplier of the global meat market, the company has stalled production on a rolling basis since April 19 “out of an abundance of caution” for employees of its St. Charles, Illinois, facility.
And on that same day, Hormel announced the closure of two major turkey plants…
A Hormel Foods subsidiary has shut down a pair of Jennie-O turkey plants after reporting some employees have tested positive for COVID-19. The company said 14 employees out of about 1,200 workers at the two Willmar plants have tested positive for the virus.
Even more chilling, on Sunday Tyson Foods actually ran a full page ad in the New York Times in which they admitted that “the food supply chain is breaking”…
Tyson Foods, one of the U.S.’s biggest meat processors, didn’t mince words in a full page New York Times spread that ran Sunday, in which they warned, “the food supply chain is breaking.” “As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain,” John Tyson, Chairman of the Board of Tyson Foods, wrote in a letter published as an advertisement. “As a result, there will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed.”
Look, the truth is that the head of Tyson Foods would not be talking like that if things were not very serious.
I believe that things will be better by the end of the year, but for now we should expect significant meat shortages in the grocery stores for several months.
And for some portions of the supply chain, the shortages are already here. In fact, one expert is warning that restaurants “could be out of fresh ground beef” in a week…
While hundreds of plants in the Americas are still running, the staggering acceleration of supply disruptions is now raising questions over global shortfalls. Taken together, the U.S., Brazil and Canada account for about 65% of world meat trade. “It’s absolutely unprecedented,” said Brett Stuart, president of Denver-based consulting firm Global AgriTrends. “It’s a lose-lose situation where we have producers at the risk of losing everything and consumers at the risk of paying higher prices. Restaurants in a week could be out of fresh ground beef.”
The good news is that once this pandemic fades things should get significantly better for the industry.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The bad news is that we are probably going to be facing elevated prices for a long time to come. In fact, the price of U.S. wholesale beef just set a brand new record, and the price of wholesale pork surged 29 percent last week.
And as I noted the other day, all of this is happening at a time when African Swine Fever has already killed about one-fourth of all the pigs in the world.
When it comes to pork, the answer is really easy. Just don’t eat it. Pork is a highway to cancer, heart disease and a whole bunch of other very serious illnesses, and I don’t understand why anyone would ever want to eat it.
But the fact that we are also facing shortages of beef, chicken and turkey now is very concerning, and I hope everyone out there has stocked up.
Sadly, the truth is that there are plenty of chickens and turkeys out there at this moment, but because of the plant shutdowns many growers don’t have anyone to sell to right now. As a result, millions of animals are being culled…
The Baltimore Sun is reporting that 2 million chickens are set to be culled across farms in Maryland and Delaware amid coronavirus-related staffing shortages at meatpacking plants. We’ve heard the same story with pork, turkey, and beef processing plants across the country. Reducing operations or shutting down due to virus-related illnesses among staff. “With reduced staffing, many plants are not able to harvest chickens at the pace they planned for when placing those chicks in chicken houses several weeks ago,” before strict social distancing rules went into effect, trade group for the Delmarva poultry industry said in a statement.
I believe that it is a huge mistake to completely close all of these meat processing facilities, and hopefully many of them will be reopened as soon as possible.
But meanwhile things will become increasingly difficult, and American families will suffer.
Now that tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs, people are starting to get desperate, and the National Guard is being deployed to food banks all over the nation.
Of course this coronavirus pandemic is not the worst thing we are going to face. In fact, it isn’t even close to the worst thing we are going to face.
So if fear of COVID-19 is causing this much of a disruption to our supply chains, what is going to happen when a crisis that is far, far more severe comes along?
We are not going to see a full return to “normal”, but later this year there should be a window of opportunity to prepare for the events of 2021 and beyond, and I very much encourage all of my readers to take full advantage of that opportunity.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-27--Google, Twitter, censor BioTech company, because Trump talked about their research

Recently Google and Twitter , and soon to be other tech platforms no doubt , censored a Biotech company because @ @ @ @ @ research .

Recently Google and Twitter, and soon to be other tech platforms no doubt, censored a Biotech company because Donald Trump talked about their research.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-28--Report inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children (UK)

An alert to GPs and seen by HSJ says that in the “ last three weeks , there has been an apparent rise in the number of children of all ages presenting with a multisystem inflammatory state requiring intensive care across London and also in other regions of the UK ” .
It adds : “ There is a growing concern that a [ covid-19 ] related inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children in the UK , or that there may be another , as yet unidentified , infectious pathogen associated with these cases.
” Little is known so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has been , but the absolute number of children affected is thought to be very small , according to paediatrics sources .
The syndrome has the characteristics of serious covid-19 , but there have otherwise been relatively few cases of serious effects or deaths from coronavirus in children .
Some of the children have tested positive for covid-19 , and some appear to have had the virus in the past , but some have not .
The fact that very few children have become seriously ill with the virus or died , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The alert was issued to GPs in North London by their clinical commissioning group .
It has been sent to doctors more widely and is confirmed in a separate “ urgent alert ” issued last night by the Paediatric Intensive Care Society .

An alert to GPs and seen by HSJ says that in the “last three weeks, there has been an apparent rise in the number of children of all ages presenting with a multisystem inflammatory state requiring intensive care across London and also in other regions of the UK”.
It adds: “There is a growing concern that a [covid-19] related inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children in the UK, or that there may be another, as yet unidentified, infectious pathogen associated with these cases.”
Little is known so far about the issue, nor how widespread it has been, but the absolute number of children affected is thought to be very small, according to paediatrics sources. The syndrome has the characteristics of serious covid-19, but there have otherwise been relatively few cases of serious effects or deaths from coronavirus in children. Some of the children have tested positive for covid-19, and some appear to have had the virus in the past, but some have not.
The fact that very few children have become seriously ill with the virus or died, compared to adults, remains the case.
The alert was issued to GPs in North London by their clinical commissioning group. It has been sent to doctors more widely and is confirmed in a separate “urgent alert” issued last night by the Paediatric Intensive Care Society.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-28--VIRUS PANIC ON PACKED PLANE

VIRUS PANIC ON PACKED PLANE

TONIGHT AT 11 : I speak to Erin Strine who shared this video of her nearly full flight from JFK @ @ @ @ @ asking American Airlines how they are keeping passengers safe when a flight is too full @ @ @ @ @ # Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/T2ugpboaud

TONIGHT AT 11: I speak to Erin Strine who shared this video of her nearly full flight from JFK to CLT. I'm asking American Airlines how they are keeping passengers safe when a flight is too full for social distancing @WBTV_News #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/T2ugpboaud
— Caroline Hicks WBTV (@CarolineHicksTV) April 27, 2020