investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Chinese virologist who claims COVID-19 “intentionally released” now in Beijing’s crosshairs

( Natural News ) A Chinese virologist who claims that the novel coronavirus was created in a Wuhan laboratory says she is now targeted by the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP ) for exposing the truth about the global pandemic .
Dr. Li-Meng Yan published her findings in a 26-page report co-written with three other scientists , citing “ evidence left in the genome ” as a ground for SARS-CoV-2 ’ s man-made origins .
During a Tucker Carlson Tonight interview on Fox News , Yan told Carlson that the virus was a “ Frankenstein ” strain genetically engineered designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intentionally released .
She also added that the template used to create the virus came from the Chinese military .
She added that the CCP did not want people to find out this fact , as evidenced by the suspension of her Twitter account .
Furthermore , she mentioned that the CCP targeted her for “ disappearance ” because of what she knew about the virus responsible for COVID-19 .
Because of her knowledge , she believes that her life is in danger and she can never go back home .
Yan fled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cathay Pacific flight to America as she delivered “ the message of the truth of COVID , ” according to an earlier Fox News interview .
The doctor , affiliated with the University of Hong Kong ’ s School of Public Health , managed to elude surveillance and board a plane out of China – at the cost of no longer seeing her friends and loved ones again .
China and the WHO are definitely covering up truth During her interview with Carlson , Yan said that she performed her own investigation while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WHO ) reference laboratory at the University of Hong Kong .
The information she received from her network in mainland China , alongside with her experience in virology , confirmed her suspicions that the novel coronavirus was made in a laboratory .
Dr. Leo Poon , Yan ’ s supervisor at that time , asked her in Dec. 2019 to examine the odd cases in mainland China similar to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ) .
She turned to her friends at various medical facilities in the mainland for information , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her supervisor .
Poon just nodded and told her to continue working , she recalled .
Soon enough , medical professionals openly discussing the virus before became silent .
Those from Wuhan likewise fell silent and were warned not to probe for further details .
“ We can ’ t talk about it , but we need to wear masks , ” doctors in Wuhan said that time .
Yan presented her findings to Poon in January , but he warned her to “ keep silent , and be careful.
” She recalled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touch the red line .
We will get in trouble and we ’ ll [ disappear ] .
” The red line Poon warned about referred to the Chinese government .
She felt frustrated at the turn of events but was not surprised as she knew there was definitely corruption going on .
The WHO has denied covering up any information about the coronavirus .
Yan knows how the CCP treats whistleblowers The virologist said that “ a sense of right and wrong ” emboldened her to speak up despite the consequences of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not want “ misleading information ” to spread to the world .
As the CCP can not target Yan directly , they went for her loved ones in China instead .
Other whistleblowers before her who spoke out against China ’ s corruption had their lives jeopardized .
She shared her findings with U.S.-based Hong Kong blogger Lu Deh , who suggested that she relocate somewhere else for her safety .
Her husband of six years , an equally reputable scientist , initially supported her research – but had a change of heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yan ’ s husband “ was totally pissed off , ” blaming her and attempting to ruin her confidence before warning that “ they will kill all of us.
” She left without him .
The CCP also questioned Yan ’ s parents and raided her apartment .
When she talked to her parents , they pleaded with her to come home and begged her to “ give up the fight ” – adding that she did not know what she was talking about .
Yan was lucky to have reached the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ origins of the coronavirus .
However , some whistleblowers who exposed the truth about China ’ s response to the pandemic have not been so lucky .
Citizen journalist and lawyer Chen Qiushi and businessman Fang Bin have both been reported missing for more than seven months now , with the most recent updates on them dating from Feb. 2020 .
Chen captured videos of overflowing hospitals , funeral homes and isolation wards a day after arriving at Wuhan – the center of the pandemic .
Chen was put in “ quarantine ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news about him .
Meanwhile , Bin posted a series of videos showing piles of dead bodies in a city hospital .
The last video he posted showed men in protective suits knocking on his door to measure his body temperature – despite his insistence that it was normal .
Based on the experiences of Yan , Chen and Bin , the CCP will go to great lengths to cover up its corruption and involvement in the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic .

by: Ramon Tomey
(Natural News) A Chinese virologist who claims that the novel coronavirus was created in a Wuhan laboratory says she is now targeted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for exposing the truth about the global pandemic. Dr. Li-Meng Yan published her findings in a 26-page report co-written with three other scientists, citing “evidence left in the genome” as a ground for SARS-CoV-2’s man-made origins.
During a Tucker Carlson Tonight interview on Fox News, Yan told Carlson that the virus was a “Frankenstein” strain genetically engineered designed to target humans, and it was intentionally released. She also added that the template used to create the virus came from the Chinese military.
She added that the CCP did not want people to find out this fact, as evidenced by the suspension of her Twitter account. Furthermore, she mentioned that the CCP targeted her for “disappearance” because of what she knew about the virus responsible for COVID-19. Because of her knowledge, she believes that her life is in danger and she can never go back home.
Yan fled Hong Kong on April 28 via a Cathay Pacific flight to America as she delivered “the message of the truth of COVID,” according to an earlier Fox News interview. The doctor, affiliated with the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, managed to elude surveillance and board a plane out of China – at the cost of no longer seeing her friends and loved ones again.
China and the WHO are definitely covering up truth
During her interview with Carlson, Yan said that she performed her own investigation while working in the World Health Organization (WHO) reference laboratory at the University of Hong Kong. The information she received from her network in mainland China, alongside with her experience in virology, confirmed her suspicions that the novel coronavirus was made in a laboratory.
Dr. Leo Poon, Yan’s supervisor at that time, asked her in Dec. 2019 to examine the odd cases in mainland China similar to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). She turned to her friends at various medical facilities in the mainland for information, and she reported her early findings to her supervisor. Poon just nodded and told her to continue working, she recalled.
Soon enough, medical professionals openly discussing the virus before became silent. Those from Wuhan likewise fell silent and were warned not to probe for further details. “We can’t talk about it, but we need to wear masks,” doctors in Wuhan said that time.
Yan presented her findings to Poon in January, but he warned her to “keep silent, and be careful.” She recalled his warning: “Don’t touch the red line. We will get in trouble and we’ll [disappear].” The red line Poon warned about referred to the Chinese government.
She felt frustrated at the turn of events but was not surprised as she knew there was definitely corruption going on.
The WHO has denied covering up any information about the coronavirus.
Yan knows how the CCP treats whistleblowers
The virologist said that “a sense of right and wrong” emboldened her to speak up despite the consequences of doing so, adding that she did not want “misleading information” to spread to the world.
As the CCP cannot target Yan directly, they went for her loved ones in China instead. Other whistleblowers before her who spoke out against China’s corruption had their lives jeopardized.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
She shared her findings with U.S.-based Hong Kong blogger Lu Deh, who suggested that she relocate somewhere else for her safety. Her husband of six years, an equally reputable scientist, initially supported her research – but had a change of heart after discovering her telephone call with Lu.
Yan’s husband “was totally pissed off,” blaming her and attempting to ruin her confidence before warning that “they will kill all of us.” She left without him.
The CCP also questioned Yan’s parents and raided her apartment. When she talked to her parents, they pleaded with her to come home and begged her to “give up the fight” – adding that she did not know what she was talking about.
Yan was lucky to have reached the U.S. and presented her findings on the origins of the coronavirus. However, some whistleblowers who exposed the truth about China’s response to the pandemic have not been so lucky. Citizen journalist and lawyer Chen Qiushi and businessman Fang Bin have both been reported missing for more than seven months now, with the most recent updates on them dating from Feb. 2020.
Chen captured videos of overflowing hospitals, funeral homes and isolation wards a day after arriving at Wuhan – the center of the pandemic. Chen was put in “quarantine” by Feb. 6, with no subsequent news about him.
Meanwhile, Bin posted a series of videos showing piles of dead bodies in a city hospital. The last video he posted showed men in protective suits knocking on his door to measure his body temperature – despite his insistence that it was normal.
Based on the experiences of Yan, Chen and Bin, the CCP will go to great lengths to cover up its corruption and involvement in the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.
Sources include:
ZeroHedge.com 1
ZeroHedge.com 2
FoxNews.com 1
FoxNews.com 2


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Trump says Supreme Court list is down to 5 people, announcement coming Friday or Saturday

President Trump on Monday said he has narrowed his list of potential Supreme Court nominees to fill the seat held @ @ @ @ @ to five people and vowed to announce his pick by Friday or Saturday .
During @ @ @ @ @ Fox & Friends , ” the president said that the final Senate vote for his @ @ @ @ @ “ before the election ” and “ should go very quickly.
” MCCONNELL : TRUMP @ @ @ @ @ ‘ WILL RECEIVE A VOTE ON THE FLOOR OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE ’

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com
President Trump on Monday said he has narrowed his list of potential Supreme Court nominees to fill the seat held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to five people and vowed to announce his pick by Friday or Saturday.
During an exclusive interview on “Fox & Friends,” the president said that the final Senate vote for his potential nominee should be taken “before the election” and “should go very quickly.”
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
MCCONNELL: TRUMP’S SUPREME COURT NOMINEE ‘WILL RECEIVE A VOTE ON THE FLOOR OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE’
www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-supreme-court-list-is-down-to-5-announcement-coming-friday-or-saturday


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Extensive history of “pharmaceutical scandals” deterring Chinese people from getting flu shots

( Natural News ) China ’ s state-run media is lamenting the fact that increasingly more Chinese people are rejecting flu shots , and presumably the upcoming Wuhan coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) vaccine , due to China ’ s extensive history of “ pharmaceutical scandals.
” While some Chinese people , stricken with fear over the Wuhan coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) , are eagerly rushing out to get jabbed , others are more skeptical , recalling many instances in the past when drug corporations distributed faulty drugs and vaccines that harmed people .
The communist Chinese regime is reportedly ramping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Chinese residents can get vaccinated .
The problem is that many of them are not planning to , which could prove problematic from the government ’ s perspective .
According to reports , the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP ) currently has enough capacity to increase the flu vaccine supply .
But public demand “ has remained low because of a lack of trust , a lack of public awareness , poor access , as well as cost , ” reports the South China Morning Post ( SCMP ) , a state-run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as some Chinese people , depending on where they live , have to pay out-of-pocket for a flu shot in the event that they decide to get one .
“ I ’ ve heard friends discussing it , saying this year is special because of the coronavirus and we are among the high-risk group , ” says Xu Liang , a 68-year-old retiree who lives in Wuxi , located in China ’ s Jiangsu province .
“ But 100 yuan is too much for retirees like me , ” he adds .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ my family ’ s food budget.
” Xu added that he has also never had a flu shot , and is unsure whether or not it would even work , or if it is even safe for him .
“ I know how effective it is , ” he says .
“ And I doubt its quality .
I remember there were scary reports of substandard vaccines years ago.
” Communist China uses propaganda to convince residents to get flu jabs The reports Xu is talking about involved a Chinese vaccine manufacturer known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sold more than 250,000 DPT vaccines in China ’ s Shandong province before tests conducted in Nov. 2017 showed that many of them were not effective .
Changchun Changsheng was fined by a provincial regulator the U.S. equivalent of around $ 500,000 , a relatively small sum for a company that during this same year raked in the U.S. equivalent of more than $ 83 million in profits .
One year later , Changchun Changsheng was caught falsifying production data on its rabies vaccine , deceptively suggesting that the drug was safer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is kind of like what happened in Argentina when U.K. drug giant GlaxoSmithKline ( GSK ) was fined a measly $ 90,000 by an Argentine court after illegal vaccine trials led to the deaths of at least 14 innocent babies – $ 90,000 being a drop in the bucket for this multi-billion dollar drug behemoth .
“ These scandals have eroded my confidence in vaccines made in China , ” says Yi Jie , a 32-year-old computer programmer in Beijing who , despite all the scandals , still thinks she should probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if it is made in China .
“ But I ’ ve been told by private clinics that imported flu vaccines have already been booked out so I ’ ll have to accept a domestic flu shot if there ’ s no other choice , ” she adds .
“ My bet is domestic vaccines are safe after producers learned a lesson from the scandals.
” This statement by Yi , of course , is at the end of the SCMP article , suggesting that other Chinese people reading it should follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are somehow reading this article in China , is to think twice and remember that there is no turning back , no matter the outcome , once that needle is in your arm .
For more related news about Big Pharma corruption and the dissolution of public trust in pharmaceuticals and vaccines , visit Collapse.news .

by: Ethan Huff
(Natural News) China’s state-run media is lamenting the fact that increasingly more Chinese people are rejecting flu shots, and presumably the upcoming Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, due to China’s extensive history of “pharmaceutical scandals.”
While some Chinese people, stricken with fear over the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), are eagerly rushing out to get jabbed, others are more skeptical, recalling many instances in the past when drug corporations distributed faulty drugs and vaccines that harmed people.
The communist Chinese regime is reportedly ramping up its clinic capacity to ensure that all Chinese residents can get vaccinated. The problem is that many of them are not planning to, which could prove problematic from the government’s perspective.
According to reports, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) currently has enough capacity to increase the flu vaccine supply. But public demand “has remained low because of a lack of trust, a lack of public awareness, poor access, as well as cost,” reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a state-run media source.
Another problem is cost, as some Chinese people, depending on where they live, have to pay out-of-pocket for a flu shot in the event that they decide to get one.
“I’ve heard friends discussing it, saying this year is special because of the coronavirus and we are among the high-risk group,” says Xu Liang, a 68-year-old retiree who lives in Wuxi, located in China’s Jiangsu province.
“But 100 yuan is too much for retirees like me,” he adds. “It’s five days of my family’s food budget.”
Xu added that he has also never had a flu shot, and is unsure whether or not it would even work, or if it is even safe for him.
“I know how effective it is,” he says. “And I doubt its quality. I remember there were scary reports of substandard vaccines years ago.”
Communist China uses propaganda to convince residents to get flu jabs
The reports Xu is talking about involved a Chinese vaccine manufacturer known as Changchun Changsheng Bio-technology, which reportedly sold more than 250,000 DPT vaccines in China’s Shandong province before tests conducted in Nov. 2017 showed that many of them were not effective.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Changchun Changsheng was fined by a provincial regulator the U.S. equivalent of around $500,000, a relatively small sum for a company that during this same year raked in the U.S. equivalent of more than $83 million in profits.
One year later, Changchun Changsheng was caught falsifying production data on its rabies vaccine, deceptively suggesting that the drug was safer and more effective than it actually was.
It is kind of like what happened in Argentina when U.K. drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was fined a measly $90,000 by an Argentine court after illegal vaccine trials led to the deaths of at least 14 innocent babies – $90,000 being a drop in the bucket for this multi-billion dollar drug behemoth.
“These scandals have eroded my confidence in vaccines made in China,” says Yi Jie, a 32-year-old computer programmer in Beijing who, despite all the scandals, still thinks she should probably get a flu jab this fall, even if it is made in China.
“But I’ve been told by private clinics that imported flu vaccines have already been booked out so I’ll have to accept a domestic flu shot if there’s no other choice,” she adds. “My bet is domestic vaccines are safe after producers learned a lesson from the scandals.”
This statement by Yi, of course, is at the end of the SCMP article, suggesting that other Chinese people reading it should follow her lead. Our suggestion, if you are somehow reading this article in China, is to think twice and remember that there is no turning back, no matter the outcome, once that needle is in your arm.
For more related news about Big Pharma corruption and the dissolution of public trust in pharmaceuticals and vaccines, visit Collapse.news.
Sources for this article include:
SCMP.com
NaturalNews.com


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Sums it Up Perfectly

Sums it Up Perfectly

People today are stupid .
They think a virus with a 99.8 % survival rate is worth destroying the world @ @ @ @ @ paying the above is worth it so you can drive over a bridge once in @ @ @ @ @ 15 for the privilege .

by Venus230
People today are stupid. They think a virus with a 99.8% survival rate is worth destroying the world over.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
They think that paying the above is worth it so you can drive over a bridge once in a while and pay $15 for the privilege.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--“Panicking” Central Banks to Power Gold Higher

This week , Your News to Know rounds up the latest top stories involving gold and the overall economy .
Stories include : Institutions will be the drivers of gold demand , Ray Dalio issues warning about the greenback , and silver believers could soon be rewarded .
As Egon von Greyerz notes via ZeroHedge , uncertainty has been the theme across the board this year , and it is unlikely to dissipate any time soon .
von Greyerz believes that the uncertainty is tied to the end of a cycle , and while the full timeline of the cycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social and economic aspects are directly tied to the abolishment of the gold standard in 1971 .
This accelerated the precarious path that the Federal Reserve set for the U.S. when it was created in 1913 , one of perpetually expanding debt and an economy based on faith .
That there is no solution to the debt issue has been painfully demonstrated by various administrations .
The Clinton administration from 1998-2001 and the current Trump administration have been among the most vocal regarding the issue , yet neither has been able to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every 8 years .
von Greyerz sees central banks as being on exceptionally shaky grounds , as the aforementioned untethering started the fall of fiat currencies .
Most of them have lost around 85 % against gold since 2000 , and all of them have lost upwards of 97 % of their value since 1971 .
While the U.S. dollar stands out as exceptionally long-lasting , von Greyerz sees economic factors that are beginning to threaten it .
Paper money and faith are intrinsically tied to gold and demand for it .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entering the gold market this year in good part due to inflationary concerns , which is raising the issue of availability .
Currently , there are only 43,000 tons of gold available for investment , with the struggling mining industry excavating around 3,000 tons of gold annually from the remaining 54,000 tons available underground .
This sheds light on the so-called paper gold market , which claims 100x-300x more availability of gold than is actually the case .
To von Greyerz , it ’ s clear that an inflow of private and institutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels once investors begin to request proof of reserves , and in doing so causing the collapse of faith-based paper gold .
Ray Dalio questions U.S. dollar ’ s status and expects gold to rise further Ray Dalio , manager of the top-performing Bridgewater Associates fund and a long-time advocate of gold , has joined the growing group of finance experts whom are voicing concerns about the greenback ’ s status as the global reserve currency .
The Federal Reserve ’ s multi-trillion stimulus has weakened the U.S. dollar against other major currencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheet and promises of higher inflation sent gold flying to a high of $ 2,051 in August .
The Fed could be troubled even further by the bond market , explained Dalio .
While Treasuries are nowhere near the dismal status of other sovereign bonds , real yields in the U.S. have already dipped into negative territory .
This , says Dalio , could lock the Fed in a spiral where the central bank is forced to buy back bonds from dissatisfied debt holders in order to prop up the economy .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s not other currencies that will necessarily benefit from it .
As Dalio points out , all fiat money suffers from the same underlying problem , and that will drive investors to seek more reliable stores of wealth .
One of these comes in the form of gold , which Dalio expects to steadily continue on its upwards trajectory .
According to prominent analysts , however , the move up could be more explosive than expected .
E.B .
Tucker , director of Metalla Royalty and Streaming , recently told TheStreet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year ’ s end .
Similarly , Bank of America set an 18-month price forecast for gold at $ 3,000 in April .
The real payoff for holding silver could be nearing Long-time silver holders have had quite a ride .
Since nearing $ 50 in 2011 , the metal fell to a bottom of $ 12 in March before shooting up to $ 29 in August , amounting to a 140 % climb in just 4 months .
As Kitco ’ s Peter Krauth points out , massive jumps such as these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market , and several underlying factors suggest that there are more of them to come in the near future .
With precious metals poised to the upside , Krauth examined silver ’ s performance over similar stretches in the past .
Precious metals have had six major runs since 1967 , and silver outperformed gold in five of those .
Despite the metal ’ s often-cited utility as a key industrial component , Krauth prefers to focus on silver ’ s monetary role and expects it to be the true driver of price @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Silver Institute showed that investment demand for silver rose by 12 % in 2019 compared to the previous year .
Likewise , the Silver Institute reported that investors bought 10 % more silver in the first half of this year compared to the first half of 2019 , pointing to a pervasive trend of increasing interest in the metal .
The heightened demand is likely to be challenged by supply restrictions .
Estimates show that only 6 % of above-ground silver is available for investment in the form of coins and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of newly-mined silver comes from primary mines , while the rest is made available as a byproduct .
This means that , unlike in gold ’ s case , silver miners can ’ t simply ramp up production when silver prices go up .
This , along with rampant money printing and broad uncertainties , drives Krauth to believe that silver is likely to pass the $ 37 mark before the end of the year and continue along the same path .

From Birch Gold Group
This week, Your News to Know rounds up the latest top stories involving gold and the overall economy. Stories include: Institutions will be the drivers of gold demand, Ray Dalio issues warning about the greenback, and silver believers could soon be rewarded.
Institutional demand will power gold prices as central banks panic
As Egon von Greyerz notes via ZeroHedge, uncertainty has been the theme across the board this year, and it is unlikely to dissipate any time soon. von Greyerz believes that the uncertainty is tied to the end of a cycle, and while the full timeline of the cycle isn’t entirely clear, its social and economic aspects are directly tied to the abolishment of the gold standard in 1971.
This accelerated the precarious path that the Federal Reserve set for the U.S. when it was created in 1913, one of perpetually expanding debt and an economy based on faith. That there is no solution to the debt issue has been painfully demonstrated by various administrations. The Clinton administration from 1998-2001 and the current Trump administration have been among the most vocal regarding the issue, yet neither has been able to prevent the U.S. national debt from roughly doubling every 8 years.
von Greyerz sees central banks as being on exceptionally shaky grounds, as the aforementioned untethering started the fall of fiat currencies. Most of them have lost around 85% against gold since 2000, and all of them have lost upwards of 97% of their value since 1971. While the U.S. dollar stands out as exceptionally long-lasting, von Greyerz sees economic factors that are beginning to threaten it.
Paper money and faith are intrinsically tied to gold and demand for it. It’s well-known that institutions have begun entering the gold market this year in good part due to inflationary concerns, which is raising the issue of availability. Currently, there are only 43,000 tons of gold available for investment, with the struggling mining industry excavating around 3,000 tons of gold annually from the remaining 54,000 tons available underground.
This sheds light on the so-called paper gold market, which claims 100x-300x more availability of gold than is actually the case. To von Greyerz, it’s clear that an inflow of private and institutional demand will push gold prices to previously-unimaginable levels once investors begin to request proof of reserves, and in doing so causing the collapse of faith-based paper gold.
Ray Dalio questions U.S. dollar’s status and expects gold to rise further
Ray Dalio, manager of the top-performing Bridgewater Associates fund and a long-time advocate of gold, has joined the growing group of finance experts whom are voicing concerns about the greenback’s status as the global reserve currency. The Federal Reserve’s multi-trillion stimulus has weakened the U.S. dollar against other major currencies, and the near-doubling of its balance sheet and promises of higher inflation sent gold flying to a high of $2,051 in August.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The Fed could be troubled even further by the bond market, explained Dalio. While Treasuries are nowhere near the dismal status of other sovereign bonds, real yields in the U.S. have already dipped into negative territory. This, says Dalio, could lock the Fed in a spiral where the central bank is forced to buy back bonds from dissatisfied debt holders in order to prop up the economy.
And while the U.S. dollar has weakened, it’s not other currencies that will necessarily benefit from it. As Dalio points out, all fiat money suffers from the same underlying problem, and that will drive investors to seek more reliable stores of wealth.
One of these comes in the form of gold, which Dalio expects to steadily continue on its upwards trajectory. According to prominent analysts, however, the move up could be more explosive than expected. E.B. Tucker, director of Metalla Royalty and Streaming, recently told TheStreet that gold will hit $2,500 by year’s end. Similarly, Bank of America set an 18-month price forecast for gold at $3,000 in April.
The real payoff for holding silver could be nearing
Long-time silver holders have had quite a ride. Since nearing $50 in 2011, the metal fell to a bottom of $12 in March before shooting up to $29 in August, amounting to a 140% climb in just 4 months. As Kitco’s Peter Krauth points out, massive jumps such as these are far from uncommon in the silver market, and several underlying factors suggest that there are more of them to come in the near future.
With precious metals poised to the upside, Krauth examined silver’s performance over similar stretches in the past. Precious metals have had six major runs since 1967, and silver outperformed gold in five of those. Despite the metal’s often-cited utility as a key industrial component, Krauth prefers to focus on silver’s monetary role and expects it to be the true driver of price gains.
The Annual World Silver Survey by the Silver Institute showed that investment demand for silver rose by 12% in 2019 compared to the previous year. Likewise, the Silver Institute reported that investors bought 10% more silver in the first half of this year compared to the first half of 2019, pointing to a pervasive trend of increasing interest in the metal.
The heightened demand is likely to be challenged by supply restrictions. Estimates show that only 6% of above-ground silver is available for investment in the form of coins and bars, and that only 28.7% of newly-mined silver comes from primary mines, while the rest is made available as a byproduct. This means that, unlike in gold’s case, silver miners can’t simply ramp up production when silver prices go up. This, along with rampant money printing and broad uncertainties, drives Krauth to believe that silver is likely to pass the $37 mark before the end of the year and continue along the same path.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Here’s a Road Map For What’s Coming to the Markets

Stocks are down sharply this morning .
This means they ’ ve taken out their first level of support ( top blue line ) and will now test secondary support ( lower blue line ) .
This is not without precedent and honestly , those calling for a crash here are getting carried away .
The reality is that stocks were EXTREMELY overbought going into this correction .
Look how stretched the S & P 500 was from its 50-day moving average during this recent rally ( purple circle ) relative to recent tops ( red circles ) .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be this stretched and NOT stage a significant correction .
Again , this was 100 % to be expected and if you were watching for this in advance , you likely already locked in a number of solid gains from this move .
So , what is likely to play out here ?
Stocks make a new low this week , before preparing for the next leg up .
Something like this : f you ’ re looking for this kind of precise guidance on how to trade the markets , I strongly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ e-letter , Gains Pains & Capital .
You ’ ll immediately start receiving our market missives delivered to your inbox every morning .
To do so , go to : gainspainscapital.com/

Stocks are down sharply this morning.
This means they’ve taken out their first level of support (top blue line) and will now test secondary support (lower blue line).
This is not without precedent and honestly, those calling for a crash here are getting carried away. The reality is that stocks were EXTREMELY overbought going into this correction.
Look how stretched the S&P 500 was from its 50-day moving average during this recent rally (purple circle) relative to recent tops (red circles).
It is HIGHLY unusual for the market to be this stretched and NOT stage a significant correction. Again, this was 100% to be expected and if you were watching for this in advance, you likely already locked in a number of solid gains from this move.
So, what is likely to play out here?
Stocks make a new low this week, before preparing for the next leg up. Something like this:
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
f you’re looking for this kind of precise guidance on how to trade the markets, I strongly urge you to join our FREE daily e-letter, Gains Pains & Capital. You’ll immediately start receiving our market missives delivered to your inbox every morning.
To do so, go to: gainspainscapital.com/
Best Regards
Graham Summers
Chief Market Strategist
Phoenix Capital Research


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Bollinger Band Points To Mean Reversion In Gold (AAPL Near Lower Band)

Spot gold fell more than 3 % Monday to its lowest intraday level since August , breaching its lower Bollinger @ @ @ @ @ since June .
That suggests its drop may have been too much , too soon @ @ @ @ @ to the mean lies ahead .
Apple ( AAPL ) is near the lower band @

by confoundedinterest17
Spot gold fell more than 3% Monday to its lowest intraday level since August, breaching its lower Bollinger band for the first time since June. That suggests its drop may have been too much, too soon, and that a reversion to the mean lies ahead.
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Apple (AAPL) is near the lower band.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Beware of These Faulty “Inflation Protected” Investments

The Federal Reserve last week reiterated its commitment to an unprecedented inflation-raising campaign .
Specifically , the Fed aims to push the inflation rate above 2 % for an extended period .
The risk for investors is that central bankers succeed in their mission to depreciate the currency more rapidly – perhaps even more rapidly than intended or acknowledged in the official ( understated ) inflation data .
Inflation is a corrosive force that eats away at the real value of savings and investments .
It is perhaps the biggest threat looming on the horizon for millions of retirees who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ conservative ” – such as dollar-denominated money market accounts , bonds , and fixed annuities .
Investors who are savvy about the inflation threat know that low-yielding financial instruments are especially vulnerable to losing value in real terms .
But those seeking protection from inflation can still run into trouble by venturing into flawed “ inflation protected ” assets .
Beware of the following : Treasury Inflation Protected Securities ( TIPS ) .
Though they could fare relatively better than conventional fixed-rate bonds , TIPS are flawed .
They are pegged to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Price Index gauge which tends to understate real-world consumer prices .
Foreign currencies .
Assets denominated in foreign currencies may benefit from a decline in the U.S. dollar on foreign exchange markets .
But foreign fiat currencies are no safe haven from inflation .
There are no truly sound national currencies out there .
The fact that one is gaining against another over any given period doesn ’ t mean it ’ s not also depreciating in real terms .
Central banks around the world are engaged in competitive devaluation , and lll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If one currency is strengthening against others at any given time , that doesn ’ t mean it ’ s gaining purchasing power – it ’ s probably just performing less bad than the others .
Cryptocurrencies .
Some Bitcoin bugs tout the cryptocurrency as “ digital gold.
” They are mistaken , however .
While there is certainly utility and value , Bitcoin is a purely digital asset with no tangible backing .
Moreover , there is no limit on the number of competing digital currencies that can be created .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but they also carry huge downside risk – irrespective of the inflation rate .
Commodity Instruments .
In theory , owning a basket of commodities is a good hedge against inflation .
In practice , you probably don ’ t want to store barrels of oil and bushels of wheat in your basement !
That means you ’ d have to own speculative derivative instruments that often fail horribly at tracking the price movements of the underlying commodities .
Commodity futures , ETFs , and the like are suitable only for short-term speculation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and silver mining stocks .
Mining companies stand to benefit greatly from rising metal prices .
But they are also vulnerable to rising energy and labor cost , carry political risk and the risk of poor management , and can become unstable during a financial crisis .
To be sure , miners can play a role in an aggressive investor ’ s inflation protection portfolio , they are no substitute for a core holding in physical precious metals .
Numismatic coins .
Investors who grasp the need to hold some physical precious metals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can still make a big mistake if they buy pricey numismatic coins .
The large collectible premium attached to numismatics will not necessarily rise with inflation or match the gains on spot metal prices .
Gold is a timeless , immutable monetary asset , still widely held by central banks .
For these reasons , gold and its junior partner silver are an indispensable long-term hedges against inflation and political/financial turmoil .
Over a period of decades and even centuries , the purchasing power of gold and silver tends to remain relatively constant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ markets don ’ t always track inflation well in the near term .
They can suffer large cyclical declines over periods when other asset classes may be gaining .
Of course , they can also post huge gains when conventional markets are falling – that ’ s what makes them essential for proper portfolio diversification .
According to the World Gold Council , in years when the inflation rate has exceeded 3 % , the price of gold has increased 15 % on average .
Silver has the potential to do even better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivering holders huge gains in real purchasing power .
When the purchasing power of the U.S. Federal Reserve note takes a dive , hard money will ultimately shine .

by: Stefan Gleason
The Federal Reserve last week reiterated its commitment to an unprecedented inflation-raising campaign.
Specifically, the Fed aims to push the inflation rate above 2% for an extended period.
The risk for investors is that central bankers succeed in their mission to depreciate the currency more rapidly – perhaps even more rapidly than intended or acknowledged in the official (understated) inflation data.
Inflation is a corrosive force that eats away at the real value of savings and investments.
It is perhaps the biggest threat looming on the horizon for millions of retirees who have been steered into assets marketed as “conservative” – such as dollar-denominated money market accounts, bonds, and fixed annuities.
Investors who are savvy about the inflation threat know that low-yielding financial instruments are especially vulnerable to losing value in real terms. But those seeking protection from inflation can still run into trouble by venturing into flawed “inflation protected” assets.
Beware of the following:
Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS). Though they could fare relatively better than conventional fixed-rate bonds, TIPS are flawed. They are pegged to the federal government’s self-serving Consumer Price Index gauge which tends to understate real-world consumer prices.
Foreign currencies. Assets denominated in foreign currencies may benefit from a decline in the U.S. dollar on foreign exchange markets. But foreign fiat currencies are no safe haven from inflation.
There are no truly sound national currencies out there. The fact that one is gaining against another over any given period doesn’t mean it’s not also depreciating in real terms.
Central banks around the world are engaged in competitive devaluation, and lll fiat currencies have been falling against gold.
If one currency is strengthening against others at any given time, that doesn’t mean it’s gaining purchasing power – it’s probably just performing less bad than the others.
Cryptocurrencies. Some Bitcoin bugs tout the cryptocurrency as “digital gold.” They are mistaken, however.
While there is certainly utility and value, Bitcoin is a purely digital asset with no tangible backing. Moreover, there is no limit on the number of competing digital currencies that can be created.
Cryptocurrencies may have explosive upside potential, but they also carry huge downside risk – irrespective of the inflation rate.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Commodity Instruments. In theory, owning a basket of commodities is a good hedge against inflation. In practice, you probably don’t want to store barrels of oil and bushels of wheat in your basement!
That means you’d have to own speculative derivative instruments that often fail horribly at tracking the price movements of the underlying commodities. Commodity futures, ETFs, and the like are suitable only for short-term speculation, not long-term inflation protection.
Gold and silver mining stocks. Mining companies stand to benefit greatly from rising metal prices. But they are also vulnerable to rising energy and labor cost, carry political risk and the risk of poor management, and can become unstable during a financial crisis.
To be sure, miners can play a role in an aggressive investor’s inflation protection portfolio, they are no substitute for a core holding in physical precious metals.
Numismatic coins. Investors who grasp the need to hold some physical precious metals as part of an inflation protection strategy can still make a big mistake if they buy pricey numismatic coins. The large collectible premium attached to numismatics will not necessarily rise with inflation or match the gains on spot metal prices.
Hard Money Is the Ultimate Inflation Hedge
Gold is a timeless, immutable monetary asset, still widely held by central banks.
In former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan’s words:
“For more than two millennia, gold has had virtually unquestioned acceptance as payment. It has never required the credit guarantee of a third party… Today, the acceptance of fiat money — currency not backed by an asset of intrinsic value — rests on the credit guarantee of sovereign nations endowed with effective taxing power, a guarantee that in crisis conditions has not always matched the universal acceptability of gold.”
For these reasons, gold and its junior partner silver are an indispensable long-term hedges against inflation and political/financial turmoil.
“According to the World Gold Council, in years when the inflation rate has exceeded 3%, the price of gold has increased 15% on average.”
Over a period of decades and even centuries, the purchasing power of gold and silver tends to remain relatively constant.
The catch is that precious metals markets don’t always track inflation well in the near term.
They can suffer large cyclical declines over periods when other asset classes may be gaining.
Of course, they can also post huge gains when conventional markets are falling – that’s what makes them essential for proper portfolio diversification.
According to the World Gold Council, in years when the inflation rate has exceeded 3%, the price of gold has increased 15% on average.
Silver has the potential to do even better in an environment of rising inflation – delivering holders huge gains in real purchasing power.
When the purchasing power of the U.S. Federal Reserve note takes a dive, hard money will ultimately shine.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--U.S. Wants Bankrupt Offshore Drillers To Pick Up The Tab For Abandoned Wells

The U.S. Department of the Interior is proposing a regulation that will not allow oil producers to avoid picking up their offshore well decommissioning tab when they go bankrupt , the acting director of the department ’ s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ( BOEM ) , Walter Cruickshank , told Bloomberg .
The administration wants to implement stricter requirements for bonds issued by bankrupt companies for cleaning up and decommissioning non-producing offshore oil wells .
“ Our current rules that were written back in the 1990s have fairly broad criteria and really left it up to our regional directors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted , without necessarily getting public input on how we do so , ” Cruickshank told Bloomberg in an interview published on Friday .
The lower-for-longer oil prices and the high debt levels of many U.S. oil companies resulted in as many as 16 filings for bankruptcy protection in the shale patch in July alone , bringing the total since the price crash to 50 , the latest bankruptcy monitoring data from law firm Haynes and Boone showed .
While most bankruptcies were for companies with presence predominantly in the U.S. shale patch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Gulf of Mexico .
“ It is reasonable to expect that a substantial number of producers will continue to seek protection from creditors in bankruptcy even if oil prices recover over the next few months , ” the law firm noted at the end of August .
In the U.S. , notably in the Gulf of Mexico , companies are set to spend around US $ 15 billion on well decommissioning until 2029 , according to estimates from Wood Mackenzie cited by Bloomberg .
The U.S. will have the second-largest decommissioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Brazil , Australia , and Norway , WoodMac has estimated .
According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement ( BSEE ) , some 1,885 active production platforms exist on the Outer Continental Shelf ( OCS ) , with more than 60 percent of these facilities more than 25 years old .
Some 200 platforms have been removed each year over the past decade , BSEE said .

By Tsvetana Paraskova
The U.S. Department of the Interior is proposing a regulation that will not allow oil producers to avoid picking up their offshore well decommissioning tab when they go bankrupt, the acting director of the department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Walter Cruickshank, told Bloomberg.
The administration wants to implement stricter requirements for bonds issued by bankrupt companies for cleaning up and decommissioning non-producing offshore oil wells.
“Our current rules that were written back in the 1990s have fairly broad criteria and really left it up to our regional directors to interpret and apply them as they wanted, without necessarily getting public input on how we do so,” Cruickshank told Bloomberg in an interview published on Friday.
The lower-for-longer oil prices and the high debt levels of many U.S. oil companies resulted in as many as 16 filings for bankruptcy protection in the shale patch in July alone, bringing the total since the price crash to 50, the latest bankruptcy monitoring data from law firm Haynes and Boone showed.
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While most bankruptcies were for companies with presence predominantly in the U.S. shale patch, some of them also have operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
“It is reasonable to expect that a substantial number of producers will continue to seek protection from creditors in bankruptcy even if oil prices recover over the next few months,” the law firm noted at the end of August.
In the U.S., notably in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are set to spend around US$15 billion on well decommissioning until 2029, according to estimates from Wood Mackenzie cited by Bloomberg. The U.S. will have the second-largest decommissioning tab after the UK, and ahead of Brazil, Australia, and Norway, WoodMac has estimated.
According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), some 1,885 active production platforms exist on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), with more than 60 percent of these facilities more than 25 years old. Some 200 platforms have been removed each year over the past decade, BSEE said.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Leaked files Expose $2.7 trillion Money Laundering by Big Banks

The leaked files have revealed that about $ US2.7 trillion in suspected dirty money moving through the global financial system .
Because bankers are never prosecuted individually , they will do whatever they can without worry that they will ever be prosecuted and in the meantime , they get huge personal bonuses .
If they get caught , the bank pays a fine not them personally .
Here the records show that the five main global banks , JPMorgan , HSBC , Standard Chartered Bank , Deutsche Bank , and Bank of New York Mellon , have continued to engage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously fined these financial institutions for previous similar dealings in dirty money .
As long as the shareholders pay fines and there is never any responsibility for the bankers personally , we should not be surprised by the continued dealings in money laundering .
As long as the New York Department of Justice and the Southern District of New York continue to protect the bankers personally , we will NEVER see and end to this practice .
Why should we when the bankers keep their bonuses and the shareholders are the ones who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the prosecutors and judges allow this to go on ?
The government is corrupt for prosecuting the bankers personally does not produce huge fines .
It ’ s all about the money .

by Martin Armstrong
The leaked files have revealed that about $US2.7 trillion in suspected dirty money moving through the global financial system. Because bankers are never prosecuted individually, they will do whatever they can without worry that they will ever be prosecuted and in the meantime, they get huge personal bonuses. If they get caught, the bank pays a fine not them personally. Here the records show that the five main global banks, JPMorgan, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Bank of New York Mellon, have continued to engage in these practices despite US authorities have previously fined these financial institutions for previous similar dealings in dirty money. As long as the shareholders pay fines and there is never any responsibility for the bankers personally, we should not be surprised by the continued dealings in money laundering.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
As long as the New York Department of Justice and the Southern District of New York continue to protect the bankers personally, we will NEVER see and end to this practice. Why should we when the bankers keep their bonuses and the shareholders are the ones who have to pay the fines? Why do the prosecutors and judges allow this to go on?
The government is corrupt for prosecuting the bankers personally does not produce huge fines. It’s all about the money.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--United Nations Trying to Influence US Election Against Trump

It should come as no surprise that the United Nations is seeking to expand its power to a worldwide government @ @ @ @ @ the UN to impose this be Great Reset so they can claim it is not @ @ @ @ @ has scheduled Climate Week NYC which starts tomorrow and is intended to run alongside the @ @ @ @ @ to tell the world that Trump has to go to save the planet .
They @ @ @ @ @ focus on climate change to inject this into the US presidential election .
This is @ @ @ @ @ Russia of doing .
This time it is the United Nations-supported by the big Tech @ @ @ @ @ his coconspirator – Klaus Schwab from the World Economic Forum .
Perhaps they will be @ @ @ @ @ up and they have chased much of the smart wealthy out of New York .

by Martin Armstrong
It should come as no surprise that the United Nations is seeking to expand its power to a worldwide government as numerous countries turn to the UN to impose this be Great Reset so they can claim it is not them. The United Nations has scheduled Climate Week NYC which starts tomorrow and is intended to run alongside the UN General Assembly to try to tell the world that Trump has to go to save the planet. They are seeking to intensify the focus on climate change to inject this into the US presidential election. This is exactly what the Democrats accused Russia of doing. This time it is the United Nations-supported by the big Tech companies and Bill Gates with his coconspirator – Klaus Schwab from the World Economic Forum.
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Perhaps they will be mugged now that crime is up and they have chased much of the smart wealthy out of New York.


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Celebrating the Least Corrupt Country: Rwanda

Probably the most objective international ranking of countries according to the extent of their corruption is the annual Gallup World Poll , in which 1,000 or more individuals in each of over a hundred countries are scientifically randomly sampled and asked “ Is corruption widespread throughout the government in ” their country “ or not ?
” Only the survey that was published in 2013 is available complete online .
Rwanda scored as being by far the least-corrupt country .
Two years later , incomplete results were shown in Gallup ’ s 2015 poll-report , but Rwanda wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that report .
However , even up till 2020 , articles are still being published about how remarkably free of corruption Rwanda seems to be .
As was noted at the outset here , Rwanda ranked there as # 1 ( it had the lowest percentage — it was the least viewed as corrupt ) that year .
Only 5 % of Gallup ’ s Rwandan respondents answered “ Yes ” to “ Is corruption widespread throughout the government in Rwanda or not ?
” For purposes of simplicity and brevity , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only 5 % corrupt.
” Here , then , to start with , are listed the corruption-percentages , and ranks , of the 11 least-corrupt nations , out of the Gallup-surveyed 129 nations : Near the middle of that Gallup 2013 ranking was : At the very bottom were : 129=Tanzania 95 % ( ranked # 102 out of ‘ 198 ’ — actually 176 — by TI ) perpetrated ) coups .
He also noted that , “ the U.S. government has indeed enforced its views in those areas [ of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which it is directly concerned.
” Furthermore , and more generally : “ The hidden agenda of the Washington Consensus aims … at maintaining the US global leadership .
… For instance , the World Bank will only grant a loan on condition that a country ’ s water and sanitation services are privatized.
” Billionaires — mostly American ones — end up receiving the profits from what would otherwise have been public works in foreign countries .
Those “ works ” consequently ignore the poor .
This is why the interests of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the interests of global billionaires ( and especially of U.S.-based billionaires ) are advanced .
On page 134 , Toussaint refers to Democracy had nothing to do with it .
Imperialism did — and , after FDR ’ s death , nothing could stop the Bretton Woods system from being imperialistic at its very start .
The exhaustively documented study by Eric Toussaint , The World Bank — A Critical Primer , opens its Introduction by noting that , “ The list of governments resulting from military coups that were supported by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these have all been U.S.-supported ( and mostly were U.S.- ) coups .
He also noted that , “ the U.S. government has indeed enforced its views in those areas [ of the World Bank ’ s operations ] in which it is directly concerned.
” Furthermore , and more generally : “ The hidden agenda of the Washington Consensus aims … at maintaining the US global leadership .
… For instance , the World Bank will only grant a loan on condition that a country ’ s water and sanitation services are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — end up receiving the profits from what would otherwise have been public works in foreign countries .
Those “ works ” consequently ignore the poor .
This is why the interests of the local poor are ignored , while the interests of global billionaires ( and especially of U.S.-based billionaires ) are advanced .
On page 134 , Toussaint refers to why it needed to be replaced ) .
The book ’ s Chapter “ 24 : An Indictment of the World Bank ” is a scathing summary of this international gangland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inherent in the system , which results in artificially increased debt loads [ in poor countries ] that in no way correspond to the money injected into the economies of these countries.
” The existing World Bank ’ s system is exactly what FDR had condemned and said absolutely must be replaced ( and explainedit needed to be replaced ) .
The book ’ s Chapter “ 24 : An Indictment of the World Bank ” is a scathing summary of this international gangland operation .
( FDR had similarly described imperialism .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s book summed up the work : “ The strategy , in a nutshell , is that providing infrastructure should fall on the state sector , and anything that might prove profitable should be given to the private sector ( preferably favouring multinational corporations ) , i.e .
privatisation of profits combined with the socialisation of the cost of anything not profitable.
” John Perkins ’ s classic Confessions of an Economic Hit Man details the operations that Perkins had done for the World Bank and the benefits he had been providing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been perpetrating upon the residents in those vassal-nations .
This wealth-transfer , from the masses to the classes — further impoverishment of the poor — is similarly the agenda of Transparency International , not just the World Bank ’ s agenda .
TI assists it by producing their faked rankings .
In a sense , boosted rankings are being bought and paid for .
So , actually , the World Banks ’ s history is also TI ’ s history — its pre-history , which shaped it .
That goes back to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1944 .
Switzerland , 7=Norway , 8=Netherlands , 9-10=Germany & Luxembourg , 11=Iceland , 12-15=Australia & Austria & Canada & UK , 16=HongKong , 17=Belgium , 18 & 19=Estonia & Ireland , 20=Japan , 21=UAE & Uruguay , 23-24France & U.S .
All of those governments — both directly and indirectly — fund TI .
TI ’ s methodology is based on officials ’ opinions , not on data .
Their published “ Methodology ” is a scandal , filled with opacities , easy to manipulate in the dark , such as : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the institutions providing data in order to verify the methodology used to generate their scores .
Since some of the sources are not publicly available , Transparency International also requests permission to publish the rescaled scores from each source alongside the composite CPI score .
Transparency International is , however , not permitted to share the original scores given by private sources with the general public.
” ( Whereas Gallup is honest , Transparency International ( TI ) is corrupt .
Instead of being owned by its employees , TI is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies ( in other words , it ’ s a U.S .
Cold War , CIA-affiliated , operation ) , a U.S.-regime PR gimmick , in order for them to use those ‘ corruption ’ -rankings against governments ( ones that consequently get scored lower ) which the U.S. aristocracy — its billionaires — want to regime-change — overthrow , control , take over , conquer .
Almost all on the list of TI ’ s donors are controlled by U.S. billionaires .
America ’ s TI ranking , as of 9 July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( and that ’ s a real “ 180 ” : TI didn ’ t fake that count , in that year ) , is said there to be from “ Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 ” , but if one clicks through to the complete list ( it ’ s in .xlxs , but also here for anyone to see ) , then the U.S. actually ranks there tied as # 23- # 24 , below ( starting from # 1 ) : 1-2=Denmark & NZ , 3=Finland , 4-6=Singapore & Sweden & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Luxembourg , 11=Iceland , 12-15=Australia & Austria & Canada & UK , 16=HongKong , 17=Belgium , 18 & 19=Estonia & Ireland , 20=Japan , 21=UAE & Uruguay , 23-24France & U.S.TI ’ s methodology is based on officials ’ opinions , not on data .
Their published “ Methodology ” is a scandal , filled with opacities , easy to manipulate in the dark , such as : .
” ( Elsewhere , I have further discussed TI ’ s methodology . )
Their rankings are PR tools , not trustworthy information-sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ findings ’ ( except critically ) is not to be trusted , because even if they are honest , they are trusting a hoax .
Gallup is vastly more trustworthy than TI .
under-rating of that country ’ s outstanding performance , because the industrialized nations donate to TI , and they don ’ t want to be outshone by a third-world nation .
“ He that pays the piper calls the tune.
” Rwanda has not been paying the piper .
However , even the Not only do Rwandans know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but even the countries that fund TI begrudgingly acknowledge it .
On 22 July 2010 , the BBC headlined “ Rwanda has negligible corruption – Transparency ” and reported that , “ Incidents of bribery in Rwanda are negligible , anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International says.
” But TI ’ s rating of Rwanda was systematically an-rating of that country ’ s outstanding performance , because the industrialized nations donate to TI , and they don ’ t want to be outshone by a third-world nation .
“ He that pays the piper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been paying the piper .
However , even the CIA-edited ( and even written ) Wikipedia acknowledges that Rwanda ’ s leader , Paul Kagame , “ is popular in Rwanda , ” and that “ Rwanda ’ s economy has grown rapidly under Kagame ’ s presidency , with per-capita gross domestic product ( purchasing power parity ) estimated at $ 1,592 in 2013 , [ 212 ] compared with $ 567 in 2000 .
[ 213 ] Annual growth between 2004 and 2010 averaged 8 % per year .
[ 214 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rapidly change .
For example : starting , in 2013 , Rwanda ’ s debt/GDP ratio soared , from a long stable 20 % , up to around 40 % in 2017 , and , during the three years of 2019 through 2021 , Rwanda ’ s monthly debt-service payments due , mainly to the World Bank , will have soared from $ 2.688 billion to 23.341 billion .
Will Rwanda still be enforcing its anti-corruption laws in 2022 ?
Or will foreign billionaires instead be effectively in control over that country ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ public debt , Rwanda isn ’ t yet anywhere near the worst countries .
As of 2018 , these were the 12 countries ( out of 186 ) where public debt/GDP was actually over 100 % : Barbados 123 % ; Cabo Verde 130 % ; Congo Republic 101 % ; Cyprus 112 % ; Greece 188 % ; Italy 130 % ; Japan 238 % ( but almost all domestic-owned ) ; Lebanon 150 % ; Portugal 121 % ; Sudan 168 % ; U.S. 106 % ; Venezuela 159 % .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ outperforms U.S. Rwanda , which ranks as one of the least corrupted countries in Africa , has made holistic efforts to fight corruption , officials and scholars told Xinhua on Monday , the date of this year ’ s International Anti-Corruption Day .
The central African country ranked 48th among 180 countries across the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 published by Transparency International , making it the least corrupted country in East and Central Africa and the fourth least corrupted in the entire African continent .
Rwanda ’ s achievements in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to several factors , including political will , awareness campaigns , and enforcement of laws , said Clement Musangabatware , Rwanda ’ s deputy ombudsman in charge of preventing and fighting corruption .
… The unity of the Rwandan people in the fight against corruption has also contributed to eliminating vice , according to Rwandan Senator Juvenal Nkusi .
The government of Rwanda has effectively combated corruption by creating a culture of transparency and accountability while making the cost of getting involved in corruption high , said Nkusi , noting that Rwandan officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corruption .
The nation ’ s zero-tolerance policy , which is maintained by top leaders , is an “ apparent consensus ” among the political community regardless of party affiliation , said Frederick Golooba-Mutebi , an independent researcher on politics and public affairs .
The U.S. ’ s overall “ global competitiveness ” ranking was # 7 .
All of the “ corruption ” factors were listed under the heading of “ Institutions , ” and the United States ’ overall “ Institutions ” ranking was # 41 .
( Singapore had the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NZ was # 2 on “ Institutions.
” All nations ’ “ Institutions ” rankings were shown on pages 16-17 .
However , some of the “ Institutions ” factors , on the basis of which those ranks are generated , do not concern corruption .
Furthermore , most of the information that was inputted to calculate these rankings came from the World Bank .
Only the Gallup surveys are based upon perceptions by the public within each of the ranked nations . )
The summary for Rwanda said : “ Rwanda moves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 63rd position , continuing to place third in the sub Saharan African region .
As do the other comparatively successful African countries , Rwanda benefits from strong and relatively well-functioning institutions , with very low levels of corruption ( an outcome that is certainly related to the government ’ s non-tolerance policy ) , and a good security environment .
Its labor markets are efficient , its financial markets are relatively well developed , and Rwanda is characterized by a capacity for innovation that is quite good for a country at its stage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rwanda in improving its competitiveness are the state of the country ’ s infrastructure , its low secondary and university enrollment rates , and the poor health of its workforce.
” Here were a few of Rwanda ’ s corruption ( “ Institutions ” ) ranks ( shown in the report ’ s page 307 ) : On “ Diversion of Public Funds , ” Rwanda was # 37 .
On “ Irregular Payments and Bribes , ” it was # 21 .
On “ Public Trust in Politicians , ” it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Auditing and Reporting Standards , ” it was # 69 ( and that was Rwanda ’ s worst “ Institutions ” rank ) .
Rwanda ’ s overall “ Institutions ” ranking was # 20 .
( However , page 77 of the report indicated that Rwnda was being rated on the basis of 2011 data , not 2012 . )
So : for “ Institutions , ” U.S. was # 41 , and Rwanda was # 20 , whereas the 2012 TI “ corruption ” rankings were U.S. # 19 and Rwanda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be a fair indicator of how corrupt ( bought and paid for ) TI is .
( Of course , if Gallup ’ s findings were the best measure of a country ’ s “ corruption , ” then that contrast against TI ’ s U.S. # 19 and Rwanda # 50 would instead be U.S # 65 versus Rwanda # 1 . )
Anyway , Rwanda was vastly less corrupt than the U.S. is .
Whether Rwanda might have been # 1 out of 129 , or # 20 out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that it would have been # 50 out of 176 ( which TI claimed was instead out of 198 ) can be simply ignored — it is outside the bounds of reasonable credibility .
direct bribery can be proven against a public official , any other type of abuse of public office ( than direct bribery ) is entirely legal , and not subject to penalty , under any U.S. criminal laws , regardless of any suffering that might have been perpetrated upon the general public , or upon any individual , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or decision .
This landmark ruling themselves are now , essentially , totally immune in the U.S .
Even their subordinates are safe , and therefore won ’ t have incentive to give plea-bargained testimony against their boss in complex corruption-cases .
They ’ re already “ home free.
” A month later , on June 15th , this same U.S. Supreme Court , in yet another landmark decision , By contrast , as compared to the case of Rwanda — a country that is trying hard not to be corrupt — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federal Public Corruption Prosecution After ‘ Bridgegate ’ ” ) unanimously ruled , on 7 May 2020 ( in Kelly v. U.S . )
, that unlessbribery can be proven against a public official , anytype of abuse of public office ( than direct bribery ) is entirely legal , and not subject to penalty , under any U.S. criminal laws , regardless of any suffering that might have been perpetrated upon the general public , or upon any individual , by that official ’ s action , or decision .
This landmark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected official himself ; and , so , of course , elected officialsare now , essentially , totally immune in the U.S .
Even their subordinates are safe , and therefore won ’ t have incentive to give plea-bargained testimony against their boss in complex corruption-cases .
They ’ re already “ home free.
” A month later , on June 15th , this same U.S. Supreme Court , in yet another landmark decision , ruled by 8 to 1 that even low officials , such as police , are beyond the reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ totally innocent persons , if it ’ s being done while they are on the job .
The badge is their protection .
( Of course , both of those rulings are likely to cause corruption in the U.S. to grow yet higher . )
own ‘ transparency ’ is concerned , it ’ s yet another fraud .
Itself is both opaque , and corrupt .
Rwanda has tried hard to be neither .
As Nicole M. Argentieri , one of America ’ s top experts on corporate crime commented about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the ruling is that “ even conduct that the court unanimously characterized as an ‘ abuse of power ’ can escape prosecution.
” The 9 ‘ Justices ’ didn ’ t consider the prevention of abuse of power by public officials to be a sufficiently high priority for it to be prosecuted , or even to be at all illegal .
Of course , America ’ s courts aren ’ t supposed to be writing the laws , but prior rulings , from prior U.S. Supreme Courts , had interpreted America ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Argentieri observed , “ Between the 1940s and the 1980s , it was common for federal prosecutors to use federal fraud laws to prosecute public officials for ‘ schemes to defraud citizens of their intangible rights to honest and impartial government ’ .
” Corruption was prosecuted , but now it virtually can not be .
U.S. Supreme Court rulings such as these have made public corruption increasingly legal , and this year ’ s two rulings make it henceforth entirely legal .
And , regardless of whether America ’ s now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the legislative or to the judicial branch , it ’ s the current situation .
And , yet , TI ’ s latest , 2019 , ranking for the U.S. is # 23 out of 198 countries ( actually out of 176 countries ) ; and their ranking for Rwanda is # 51 ( out of ‘ 198 ’ ) , which pretends that Rwanda is quite a bit more corrupt than is the United States .
TI ’ s rankings are thus worthless .
They are pure propaganda , no news-value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s corruptness .
And , as far as TI ’ s ‘ transparency ’ is concerned , it ’ s yet another fraud .
Itself isopaque , corrupt .
Rwanda has tried hard to be neither .
So : when the U.S. empire , starting in 1991 , took anti-corruption as its new excuse for being imperialistic , replacing its old anti-communist excuse , what actually emerged in the U.S. itself has been a country in which around three-quarters of its own residents believe “ corruption widespread throughout the government.
” That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Philippines , & Taiwan .
According to any measure ( except the fraudulent TI ) , Rwanda is far less corrupt than that .
Whether it will remain so is another matter .

Eric Zuesse, originally posted at Strategic Culture
Probably the most objective international ranking of countries according to the extent of their corruption is the annual Gallup World Poll, in which 1,000 or more individuals in each of over a hundred countries are scientifically randomly sampled and asked “Is corruption widespread throughout the government in” their country “or not?” Only the survey that was published in 2013 is available complete online. Rwanda scored as being by far the least-corrupt country. Two years later, incomplete results were shown in Gallup’s 2015 poll-report, but Rwanda wasn’t among the countries which were included in that report. However, even up till 2020, articles are still being published about how remarkably free of corruption Rwanda seems to be.
scores, no rankings, and presented the 129 nations only in alphabetical order, instead of in rank order, perhaps so as not to give offence which might drive away potential clients that are in disappointingly low-scoring countries, such as America.) What is to be be shown here — for the first time anywhere — are the ranks that are based upon those Gallup-published scores. When Gallup published their complete poll-report, on 18 October 2013, which was headlined “Government Corruption Viewed as Pervasive Worldwide” , it included 129 countries. Shown here in rank order will be the 11 least-corrupt nations as indicated in that October 2013 Gallup news-report; and, for each nation, also — by way of comparison — the Transparency International (TI) corruption-rankings, in 2012, will be shown, because that was the year when Gallup’s data were being collected. (Click onto the link just above, if you want to see the complete 2013 Gallup article, with the scores shown for all 129, but Gallup provided there only the nation-by-nation, no, and presented the 129 nations only in alphabetical order, instead of in rank order, perhaps so as not to give offence which might drive away potential clients that are in disappointingly low-scoring countries, such as America.) What is to be be shown here — for the first time anywhere — are thethat arethose Gallup-published
As was noted at the outset here, Rwanda ranked there as #1 (it had the lowest percentage — it was the least viewed as corrupt) that year. Only 5% of Gallup’s Rwandan respondents answered “Yes” to “Is corruption widespread throughout the government in Rwanda or not?” For purposes of simplicity and brevity, we may call that a finding of “only 5% corrupt.”
Here, then, to start with, are listed the corruption-percentages, and ranks, of the 11 least-corrupt nations, out of the Gallup-surveyed 129 nations:
1=Rwanda (ranked in 5% (ranked in 2012 TI as #50 out of 176 [but they say ‘198’] countries)
Near the middle of that Gallup 2013 ranking was:
63&64&65&66=U.S., tied with Guatemala, Nepal, Philippines, & Taiwan
At the very bottom were:
129=Tanzania 95% (ranked #102 out of ‘198’ — actually 176 — by TI)
(At the bottom of the TI rankings were 3 tied: Afghanistan, N. Korea, & Somalia.)
128=Kenya 93%
125&126&127=Greece, Nigeria, & Chad 92%
124=Uganda 91%
123=Lithuania 90%
120&121&122=Ghana, Cameroon, & Bosnia 89%
118&119=Portugal & Indonesia 88%
116&117=South Africa & Thailand 87%
U.S. ranked in the 2012 TI as being #19 out of 176 (‘198’), which, of course, is considerably better than being #64 out of 129 (in the much more reliable Gallup survey), because TI itself is corrupt: it’s a U.S.-regime front.
Transparency International was founded in 1993 by former top officials of the World Bank . The World Bank had been initiated at the three-week, 1-22 July 1944 Bretton Woods Conference, in New Hampshire, and this was being done by appointees of the anti-imperialist Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and of the imperialist (or “pro-imperialist”) Winston Churchill, and so it wasn’t clear whether or not it would support imperialism. In fact, Wikipedia’s article on the “Bretton Woods Conference” states that:
In his closing remarks at the conference, its president, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, stated that the establishment of the IMF and the IBRD marked the end of economic nationalism. This meant countries would maintain their national interest, but trade blocs and economic spheres of influence would no longer be their means. The second idea behind the Bretton Woods Conference was joint management of the Western political-economic order, meaning that the foremost industrial democratic nations must lower barriers to trade and the movement of capital, in addition to their responsibility to govern the system.
perpetrated) coups. He also noted that, “the U.S. government has indeed enforced its views in those areas [of the World Bank’s operations] in which it is directly concerned.” Furthermore, and more generally: “The hidden agenda of the Washington Consensus aims … at maintaining the US global leadership. … For instance, the World Bank will only grant a loan on condition that a country’s water and sanitation services are privatized.” Billionaires — mostly American ones — end up receiving the profits from what would otherwise have been public works in foreign countries. Those “works” consequently ignore the poor. This is why the interests of the local poor are ignored, while the interests of global billionaires (and especially of U.S.-based billionaires) are advanced. On page 134, Toussaint refers to Democracy had nothing to do with it. Imperialism did — and, after FDR’s death, nothing could stop the Bretton Woods system from being imperialistic at its very start. The exhaustively documented study by Eric Toussaint, The World Bank — A Critical Primer , opens its Introduction by noting that, “The list of governments resulting from military coups that were supported by the World Bank is impressive,” and these have all been U.S.-supported (and mostly were U.S.-) coups. He also noted that, “the U.S. government has indeed enforced its views in those areas [of the World Bank’s operations] in which it is directly concerned.” Furthermore, and more generally: “The hidden agenda of the Washington Consensus aims … at maintaining the US global leadership. … For instance, the World Bank will only grant a loan on condition that a country’s water and sanitation services are privatized.” Billionaires — mostly American ones — end up receiving the profits from what would otherwise have been public works in foreign countries. Those “works” consequently ignore the poor. This is why the interests of the local poor are ignored, while the interests of global billionaires (and especially of U.S.-based billionaires) are advanced. On page 134, Toussaint refers to
why it needed to be replaced). The book’s Chapter “24: An Indictment of the World Bank” is a scathing summary of this international gangland operation. ( “the total cynicism inherent in the system, which results in artificially increased debt loads [in poor countries] that in no way correspond to the money injected into the economies of these countries.” The existing World Bank’s system is exactly what FDR had condemned and said absolutely must be replaced (and explainedit needed to be replaced). The book’s Chapter “24: An Indictment of the World Bank” is a scathing summary of this international gangland operation. ( FDR had similarly described imperialism. ) As one review of Toussaint’s book summed up the work: “The strategy, in a nutshell, is that providing infrastructure should fall on the state sector, and anything that might prove profitable should be given to the private sector (preferably favouring multinational corporations), i.e. privatisation of profits combined with the socialisation of the cost of anything not profitable.” John Perkins’s classic Confessions of an Economic Hit Man details the operations that Perkins had done for the World Bank and the benefits he had been providing to billionaires, and the destruction he had been perpetrating upon the residents in those vassal-nations. This wealth-transfer, from the masses to the classes — further impoverishment of the poor — is similarly the agenda of Transparency International, not just the World Bank’s agenda. TI assists it by producing their faked rankings. In a sense, boosted rankings are being bought and paid for.
So, actually, the World Banks’s history is also TI’s history — its pre-history, which shaped it. That goes back to the Bretton Woods Conference, on 1-22 July 1944.
Switzerland, 7=Norway, 8=Netherlands, 9-10=Germany&Luxembourg, 11=Iceland, 12-15=Australia&Austria& Canada&UK, 16=HongKong, 17=Belgium, 18&19=Estonia&Ireland, 20=Japan, 21=UAE&Uruguay, 23-24France&U.S. All of those governments — both directly and indirectly — fund TI. TI’s methodology is based on officials’ opinions, not on data. Their published “Methodology” is a scandal, filled with opacities, easy to manipulate in the dark, such as: “Transparency International reaches out to each one of the institutions providing data in order to verify the methodology used to generate their scores. Since some of the sources are not publicly available, Transparency International also requests permission to publish the rescaled scores from each source alongside the composite CPI score. Transparency International is, however, not permitted to share the original scores given by private sources with the general public.” ( Whereas Gallup is honest, Transparency International (TI) is corrupt. Instead of being owned by its employees, TI is funded by the U.S. and its European allies (in other words, it’s a U.S. Cold War, CIA-affiliated, operation), a U.S.-regime PR gimmick, in order for them to use those ‘corruption’-rankings against governments (ones that consequently get scored lower) which the U.S. aristocracy — its billionaires — want to regime-change — overthrow, control, take over, conquer. Almost all on the list of TI’s donors are controlled by U.S. billionaires. America’s TI ranking, as of 9 July 2019, of 23 out of 180 (and that’s a real “180”: TI didn’t fake that count, in that year), is said there to be from “Corruption Perceptions Index 2018”, but if one clicks through to the complete list (it’s in .xlxs, but also here for anyone to see), then the U.S. actually ranks there tied as #23-#24, below (starting from #1): 1-2=Denmark&NZ, 3=Finland, 4-6=Singapore&Sweden&Switzerland, 7=Norway, 8=Netherlands, 9-10=Germany&Luxembourg, 11=Iceland, 12-15=Australia&Austria&Canada&UK, 16=HongKong, 17=Belgium, 18&19=Estonia&Ireland, 20=Japan, 21=UAE&Uruguay, 23-24France&U.S.TI’s methodology is based on officials’ opinions, not on data. Their published “Methodology” is a scandal, filled with opacities, easy to manipulate in the dark, such as:.” ( Elsewhere , I have further discussed TI’s methodology.) Their rankings are PR tools, not trustworthy information-sources. Anyone who cites TI’s ‘findings’ (except critically) is not to be trusted, because even if they are honest, they are trusting a hoax. Gallup is vastly more trustworthy than TI.
China’s Xinhua News Agency headlined on 10 December 2019, “What makes Rwanda one of least corrupted countries in Africa?” and opened with some of the explanation for Rwanda’s recent outstanding performance:
Rwanda, which ranks as one of the least corrupted countries in Africa, has made holistic efforts to fight corruption, officials and scholars told Xinhua on Monday, the date of this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day. The central African country ranked 48th among 180 countries across the world in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 published by Transparency International, making it the least corrupted country in East and Central Africa and the fourth least corrupted in the entire African continent.
Rwanda’s achievements in its fight against corruption can be attributed to several factors, including political will, awareness campaigns, and enforcement of laws, said Clement Musangabatware, Rwanda’s deputy ombudsman in charge of preventing and fighting corruption. … The unity of the Rwandan people in the fight against corruption has also contributed to eliminating vice, according to Rwandan Senator Juvenal Nkusi.
The government of Rwanda has effectively combated corruption by creating a culture of transparency and accountability while making the cost of getting involved in corruption high, said Nkusi, noting that Rwandan officials are aware of the dire consequences of corruption.
The nation’s zero-tolerance policy, which is maintained by top leaders, is an “apparent consensus” among the political community regardless of party affiliation, said Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, an independent researcher on politics and public affairs.
The East African headlined On 4 August 2020, Kenya’sheadlined “KAGAME: We’re putting maximum pressure on the corrupt” and opened, “Rwandan public officials convicted of corruption risk facing hefty fines and auctioning of their property if convicted as the country steps up the fight against the vice in the face of dwindling domestic revenues which have come under enormous pressure during the coronavirus pandemic.” Another reason for this intensified enforcement might be to police the increased investment into the country by foreigners.
Furthermore, there are also other indicators of the rankings of various countries as regards corruption. On 15 April 2013, I headlined “How the U.S. Performs in Recent International Rankings” and reported that:
A much broader ranking-system, from the World Economic Forum, is “The Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013,” which ranks 144 countries, on a wide range of factors related to global economic competitiveness. … Corruption seems to be a rather pervasive problem in the U.S. On “Diversion of Public Funds [due to corruption],” the U.S. ranks #34. On “Irregular Payments and Bribes” (which is perhaps an even better measure of lack of corruption) we are #42. On “Public Trust in Politicians,” we are #54. On “Judicial Independence,” we are #38. On “Favoritism in Decisions of Government Officials” (otherwise known as governmental “cronyism”), we are #59. On “Organized Crime,” we are #87. On “Ethical Behavior of Firms,” we are #29. On “Strength of Auditing and Reporting Standards,” we are #37. On “Reliability of Police Services,” we are #30. On “Transparency of Governmental Policymaking,” we are #56. On “Efficiency of Legal Framework in Challenging Regulations,” we are #37. On “Efficiency of Legal Framework in Settling Disputes,” we are #35. On “Burden of Government Regulation,” we are #76. On “Wastefulness of Government Spending,” we are also #76. On “Property Rights” protection (the basic law-and-order measure), we are #42.
The U.S.’s overall “global competitiveness” ranking was #7. All of the “corruption” factors were listed under the heading of “Institutions,” and the United States’ overall “Institutions” ranking was #41. (Singapore had the #1 “Institutions” ranking. NZ was #2 on “Institutions.” All nations’ “Institutions” rankings were shown on pages 16-17. However, some of the “Institutions” factors, on the basis of which those ranks are generated, do not concern corruption. Furthermore, most of the information that was inputted to calculate these rankings came from the World Bank. Only the Gallup surveys are based upon perceptions by the public within each of the ranked nations.)
The summary for Rwanda said: “Rwanda moves up by seven places this year to 63rd position, continuing to place third in the sub Saharan African region. As do the other comparatively successful African countries, Rwanda benefits from strong and relatively well-functioning institutions, with very low levels of corruption (an outcome that is certainly related to the government’s non-tolerance policy), and a good security environment. Its labor markets are efficient, its financial markets are relatively well developed, and Rwanda is characterized by a capacity for innovation that is quite good for a country at its stage of development. The greatest challenges facing Rwanda in improving its competitiveness are the state of the country’s infrastructure, its low secondary and university enrollment rates, and the poor health of its workforce.”
Here were a few of Rwanda’s corruption (“Institutions”) ranks (shown in the report’s page 307): On “Diversion of Public Funds,” Rwanda was #37. On “Irregular Payments and Bribes,” it was #21. On “Public Trust in Politicians,” it was #6. On “Strength of Auditing and Reporting Standards,” it was #69 (and that was Rwanda’s worst “Institutions” rank). Rwanda’s overall “Institutions” ranking was #20. (However, page 77 of the report indicated that Rwnda was being rated on the basis of 2011 data, not 2012.)
So: for “Institutions,” U.S. was #41, and Rwanda was #20, whereas the 2012 TI “corruption” rankings were U.S. #19 and Rwanda #50. That contrast in rankings might be a fair indicator of how corrupt (bought and paid for) TI is. (Of course, if Gallup’s findings were the best measure of a country’s “corruption,” then that contrast against TI’s U.S. #19 and Rwanda #50 would instead be U.S #65 versus Rwanda #1.) Anyway, Rwanda was vastly less corrupt than the U.S. is. Whether Rwanda might have been #1 out of 129, or #20 out of 144, can be reasonably debated, but that it would have been #50 out of 176 (which TI claimed was instead out of 198) can be simply ignored — it is outside the bounds of reasonable credibility.
direct bribery can be proven against a public official, any other type of abuse of public office (than direct bribery) is entirely legal, and not subject to penalty, under any U.S. criminal laws, regardless of any suffering that might have been perpetrated upon the general public, or upon any individual, by that official’s action, or decision. This landmark ruling themselves are now, essentially, totally immune in the U.S. Even their subordinates are safe, and therefore won’t have incentive to give plea-bargained testimony against their boss in complex corruption-cases. They’re already “home free.” A month later, on June 15th, this same U.S. Supreme Court, in yet another landmark decision, By contrast, as compared to the case of Rwanda — a country that is trying hard not to be corrupt — the U.S. Supreme Court has (see “Federal Public Corruption Prosecution After ‘Bridgegate’” ) unanimously ruled, on 7 May 2020 (in Kelly v. U.S .), that unlessbribery can be proven against a public official, anytype of abuse of public office (than direct bribery) is entirely legal, and not subject to penalty, under any U.S. criminal laws, regardless of any suffering that might have been perpetrated upon the general public, or upon any individual, by that official’s action, or decision. This landmark ruling concerned two subordinates , not the elected official himself; and, so, of course, elected officialsare now, essentially, totally immune in the U.S. Even their subordinates are safe, and therefore won’t have incentive to give plea-bargained testimony against their boss in complex corruption-cases. They’re already “home free.” A month later, on June 15th, this same U.S. Supreme Court, in yet another landmark decision, ruled by 8 to 1 that even low officials, such as police , are beyond the reach of the law if they even murder totally innocent persons, if it’s being done while they are on the job. The badge is their protection. (Of course, both of those rulings are likely to cause corruption in the U.S. to grow yet higher.)
own ‘transparency’ is concerned, it’s yet another fraud. Itself is both opaque, and corrupt. Rwanda has tried hard to be neither. As Nicole M. Argentieri, one of America’s top experts on corporate crime commented about the Kelly v. U.S ruling, one result of the ruling is that “even conduct that the court unanimously characterized as an ‘abuse of power’ can escape prosecution.” The 9 ‘Justices’ didn’t consider the prevention of abuse of power by public officials to be a sufficiently high priority for it to be prosecuted, or even to be at all illegal. Of course, America’s courts aren’t supposed to be writing the laws, but prior rulings, from prior U.S. Supreme Courts, had interpreted America’s laws regarding corruption very differently. As Argentieri observed, “Between the 1940s and the 1980s, it was common for federal prosecutors to use federal fraud laws to prosecute public officials for ‘schemes to defraud citizens of their intangible rights to honest and impartial government’.” Corruption was prosecuted, but now it virtually cannot be. U.S. Supreme Court rulings such as these have made public corruption increasingly legal, and this year’s two rulings make it henceforth entirely legal. And, regardless of whether America’s now allowing public corruption should be attributed primarily to the legislative or to the judicial branch, it’s the current situation. And, yet, TI’s latest, 2019, ranking for the U.S. is #23 out of 198 countries (actually out of 176 countries); and their ranking for Rwanda is #51 (out of ‘198’), which pretends that Rwanda is quite a bit more corrupt than is the United States. TI’s rankings are thus worthless. They are pure propaganda, no news-value except for their own scandalousness and TI’s corruptness. And, as far as TI’s‘transparency’ is concerned, it’s yet another fraud. Itself isopaque,corrupt. Rwanda has tried hard to be neither.
“A series of studies (Ciocchini et al 2003; Depken et al 2007; Remolona et al 2008) show that as scores on Transparency International’s (TI’s) Corruptions Perception Index (CPI) decrease, borrowing costs increase. These studies all show direct causality between corruption risk and borrowing costs, controlling for other influences.” Investors trust the fraud and therefore pay lots more for debt from ‘Transparent’ regimes than from low-scored ones. The IMF (the U.S. regime) can only be happy that the TI fraud works. However: taxpayers in any non-U.S.-allied country can only be sad that it does, because it raises their nation’s debt even further. The entire existing World Bank, IMF, and IBRD (‘International Bank for Reconstruction and Development’) system is set up so as to steal from taxpayers in low-income countries — such as Rwanda — in order to increase the wealth of foreign investors who invest in low-scored countries (which America’s billionaires want to conquer — which, if that happens, would increase their own wealth even more). TI’s ‘corruption’ scores affect how high an interest-rate the nation will pay on its sovereign debt. The IMF’s Public Financial Management Blog headlined on 15 September 2016 “The (Fiscal) Benefits of Transparency” , and reported:.” Investors trust the fraud and therefore pay lots more for debt from ‘Transparent’ regimes than from low-scored ones. The IMF (the U.S. regime) can only be happy that the TI fraud works. However: taxpayers in any non-U.S.-allied country can only be sad that it does, because it raises their nation’s debt even further. The entire existing World Bank, IMF, and IBRD (‘International Bank for Reconstruction and Development’) system is set up so as to steal from taxpayers in low-income countries — such as Rwanda — in order to increase the wealth of foreign investors who invest in low-scored countries (which America’s billionaires want to conquer — which, if that happens, would increase their own wealth even more).
So: when the U.S. empire, starting in 1991, took anti-corruption as its new excuse for being imperialistic, replacing its old anti-communist excuse, what actually emerged in the U.S. itself has been a country in which around three-quarters of its own residents believe “corruption widespread throughout the government.” That’s tied with Guatemala, Nepal, Philippines, & Taiwan. According to any measure (except the fraudulent TI), Rwanda is far less corrupt than that. Whether it will remain so is another matter.
—————


investmentwatchblog--2020-09-21--Warren Buffett Predicts Snowflake Stock Crash?

surprised investors by saying that Buffett did not buy stocks in the 2020 bear market .
Berkshire Hathaway ’ s @ @ @ @ @ to $ 137 billion at the end of Q1 , from $ 128 billion at @ @ @ @ @ Does this mean Warren Buffett expects another market crash in the second half of 2020 @

Warning: This Warren Buffett Indicator Predicts a Market Crash
surprised investors by saying that Buffett did not buy stocks in the 2020 bear market.
Berkshire Hathaway’s cash balance in fact rose to $137 billion at the end of Q1, from $128 billion at the end of 2019. Does this mean Warren Buffett expects another market crash in the second half of 2020?
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ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/warning-warren-buffett-indicator-predicts-130930113.html
h/t Goneviral