investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--WE NEED A REBELLION AGAINST THE BANKS ON A MASSIVE SCALE… ABSOLUTELY FUC*ING MASSIVE…

`` It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system , for @ @ @ @ @ believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning . ''
-Henry Ford

"It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning." -Henry Ford
— Chadisms (@Chadisms) April 14, 2020


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--Yelp – The Sick Company of the Tech industry

With Q1 earnings coming up , we ’ re going to start something we haven ’ t seen in a month – price discovery .
Gone are the days where we have literally every stock in the S & P500 go red in the same day , and where SPY puts are guaranteed to print .
RIP SPY 220p 4/17 bagholders .
Now you degenerates need to become literate and do your own research by digging through the financials of individual companies to figure out which ones will and won ’ t survive this pandemic .
Today I ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do this .
Keep in mind this is not financial advise and you shouldn ’ t buy some random puts because some person on the internet said it might print in a week ; do your own DD .
Ok let ’ s begin It ’ s obvious that small businesses are fucked .
PPP and EIDL grants , which is meant to sustain small businesses until they can re-open , is a mess with the vast majority of businesses still not getting the money .
Even with these loans , it might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of extra cash , it won ’ t be sustainable if we keep needing to lockdown the economy for the next 18 months until a vaccine is introduced .
So let ’ s use that fact to see what we should take short positions in .
What stock has the most exposure to small businesses ?
$ YELP .
Let ’ s look at a breakdown of their financials for the year ended 2019 from their most recent 10-K. Let ’ s look at some select pieces of their financials to see how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their revenue is coming from ads .
Another interesting fact here is that for every $ 1 of revenue they ’ re getting , they had to spend $ 0.50 in sales .
Let ’ s take a closer look at where this ad money is coming from .
Yelp recently announced on April 9 that 1000 employees are being laid off and 1100 are being furloughed , presumably mostly sales , out of a total of over 6000 employees .
Also , in the period between Mar 10 – April 9 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for restaurants drop 64 % , nightlife 81 % , fitness 73 % and beauty 83 % .
Clearly their revenue ’ s going to be fucked for Q1 and Q2 , and won ’ t be recovering for a while .
They ’ ve actually come into this crisis with a balance sheet that most public companies can only dream of .
They literally have no debt ( aside from leases ) , and ALOT of liquid assets , mostly from the giant influx they received from GrubHub when they sold Eat24 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re at no risk of bankruptcy , being able to survive at least 6 months with no revenue without cutting anything back with their liquid assets alone .
But this is where the good news ends for $ YELP investors .
Yelp – The Sick Company of the Tech industry Here ’ s their stock performance since their IPO in 2012 Even before COVID-19 , their stock price has barely increased since their IPO .
Their IPO price was $ 22 in early 2012 .
In January 2020 , it was trading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase of 36 % over 8 of the best years in the stock market ’ s history , especially for tech stocks like Yelp .
In comparison QQQ grew by nearly 230 % in the same time period .
Yelp was founded in 2004 , around the same time as Facebook .
If Yelp was going to have an explosive growth period , like what almost every other tech company , they probably would have had it by now after 8 years since their IPO .
Instead , this is the kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their 2019 fiscal year .
So they ’ re struggling to grow revenue , especially for a medium-cap technology company .
Not only that but their earnings and equity is decreasing in what should have been a great year for small businesses and the economy , signaling that the company is slowly dying .
They ’ ve also given up on international expansion and are focusing on protecting their US market share from Google , and it looks like they ’ re losing .
It also looks like they ’ ve also spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year , but it clearly didn ’ t go towards growth , so where did it all go ?
During 2019 , Yelp has spent $ 481M ( 20 % of its Jan 2020 market cap ) to buy back 14M shares , 20 % of its 71M shares outstanding .
For perspective , competitors $ GOOG and $ TRIP each repurchased less than 2.5 % of their shares during the same time period .
Instead of using that cash to grow their operations , they ’ ve been using it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even with a strong balance sheet , they ’ re going to need all the liquidity they need to avoid having to shrink their already dying operations , and have announced suspending their stock repurchasing program .
It ’ s pretty easy to see the distortion in the valuation of their stock that ’ s been caused by their stock manipulation – just look at its P/E ratios compared to its competitors .
Seems pretty overvalued to me .
Now that they ’ ve stopped their stock repurchasing , we ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s true fair value .
They ’ re not going bankrupt , but this recession / depression will definitely accelerate the death of their operations , a process that started when Google first released Google Reviews .
As of right now , it ’ s worth at least the book value of their equity – a 755M market cap , or $ 10.50 per share .
Another simple way to look at it is to apply the PE ratio of its most similar competitor in terms of size and revenue disruption , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a true value of $ 10.55 .
Of course , this is using their balance sheet and earnings from 2019 , which has probably already been feeling the effects of the lockdown .
Their next earnings call is expected to be 5/14 , so we ’ ll see the real damage then .
This won ’ t be a true wsb DD without drawing some magic lines on the price charts , so I ’ ll do a brief rundown of what I see from my horoscope .
$ YELP has been roughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a whole since the crash began , but we ’ re now starting to see actual price discovery in the market ( eg .
$ AMZN hit a new ATH today ) .
It ’ s currently in an upwards trend towards $ 22 , which has historically been a strong support / resistance level for the past few years , is the 38 % retracement level , and is also their original IPO price .
It looks like they will fail to break the $ 22 resistance , fall through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of next week .
Disclaimer : This information is only for educational purposes .
Do not make any investment decisions based on the information in this article .
Do you own due diligence .

by ASoftEngStudent
With Q1 earnings coming up, we’re going to start something we haven’t seen in a month – price discovery. Gone are the days where we have literally every stock in the S&P500 go red in the same day, and where SPY puts are guaranteed to print. RIP SPY 220p 4/17 bagholders. Now you degenerates need to become literate and do your own research by digging through the financials of individual companies to figure out which ones will and won’t survive this pandemic. Today I’ll show you an example of how to do this. Keep in mind this is not financial advise and you shouldn’t buy some random puts because some person on the internet said it might print in a week; do your own DD. Ok let’s begin
Inspiration
It’s obvious that small businesses are fucked. PPP and EIDL grants, which is meant to sustain small businesses until they can re-open, is a mess with the vast majority of businesses still not getting the money. Even with these loans, it might give small businesses a month or two of extra cash, it won’t be sustainable if we keep needing to lockdown the economy for the next 18 months until a vaccine is introduced.
So let’s use that fact to see what we should take short positions in. What stock has the most exposure to small businesses? $YELP. Let’s look at a breakdown of their financials for the year ended 2019 from their most recent 10-K. Let’s look at some select pieces of their financials to see how they’re doing.
10-K Deep Dive
Income Statement
Revenue 1B (970M from ads, 30M from other) Cost of Revenue 62M Operating Expenses 977M (Sales: 500M, Product Dev: 230M, G&A: 135M, Depreciation: 50M) Operating Income 35M Net Income 50M
Effectively all of their revenue is coming from ads. Another interesting fact here is that for every $1 of revenue they’re getting, they had to spend $0.50 in sales. Let’s take a closer look at where this ad money is coming from.
Revenue Sources
Home & Local Services 35% Restaurants 14% Beauty & Fitness 12% Health 10% Shopping 8% Other 21%
Yelp recently announced on April 9 that 1000 employees are being laid off and 1100 are being furloughed, presumably mostly sales, out of a total of over 6000 employees. Also, in the period between Mar 10 – April 9, it has also seen page views for restaurants drop 64%, nightlife 81%, fitness 73% and beauty 83%. Clearly their revenue’s going to be fucked for Q1 and Q2, and won’t be recovering for a while.
Balance Sheet
Current Assets 533M (Cash: 170M, Securities: 242M, AC: 107M) Total Assets 1B Current Liabilities 134M Total Liabilities 315M (Only LT liability being leases) Stockholders Equity 755M
They’ve actually come into this crisis with a balance sheet that most public companies can only dream of. They literally have no debt (aside from leases), and ALOT of liquid assets, mostly from the giant influx they received from GrubHub when they sold Eat24 to them for $288M. They’re at no risk of bankruptcy, being able to survive at least 6 months with no revenue without cutting anything back with their liquid assets alone. But this is where the good news ends for $YELP investors.
Yelp – The Sick Company of the Tech industry
Here’s their stock performance since their IPO in 2012
$YELP 2012 – 2020, monthly
Even before COVID-19, their stock price has barely increased since their IPO. Their IPO price was $22 in early 2012. In January 2020, it was trading at around $35, representing an increase of 36% over 8 of the best years in the stock market’s history, especially for tech stocks like Yelp. In comparison QQQ grew by nearly 230% in the same time period.
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Yelp was founded in 2004, around the same time as Facebook. If Yelp was going to have an explosive growth period, like what almost every other tech company, they probably would have had it by now after 8 years since their IPO. Instead, this is the kind of growth they’ve been seeing in their 2019 fiscal year.
Revenue +8% Operating Income +37% Net Income -26% Current Assets -38% Liabilities +215% Stockholders Equity -30% EPS -16%
So they’re struggling to grow revenue, especially for a medium-cap technology company. Not only that but their earnings and equity is decreasing in what should have been a great year for small businesses and the economy, signaling that the company is slowly dying. They’ve also given up on international expansion and are focusing on protecting their US market share from Google, and it looks like they’re losing.
It also looks like they’ve also spent an enormous amount of their Eat24 cash last year, but it clearly didn’t go towards growth, so where did it all go?
Propping up the $YELP share price
During 2019, Yelp has spent $481M (20% of its Jan 2020 market cap) to buy back 14M shares, 20% of its 71M shares outstanding. For perspective, competitors $GOOG and $TRIP each repurchased less than 2.5% of their shares during the same time period. Instead of using that cash to grow their operations, they’ve been using it to artificially prop up their stock. Now, even with a strong balance sheet, they’re going to need all the liquidity they need to avoid having to shrink their already dying operations, and have announced suspending their stock repurchasing program. It’s pretty easy to see the distortion in the valuation of their stock that’s been caused by their stock manipulation – just look at its P/E ratios compared to its competitors.
Using April 14 prices
$YELP 37 $GOOG 26 $TRIP 20 $NDAQ 22
Using Jan 1 prices
$YELP 67 $GOOG 26 $TRIP 34 $NDAQ 23
Seems pretty overvalued to me. Now that they’ve stopped their stock repurchasing, we’ll slowly see $YELP fall towards it’s true fair value.
Price Target
They’re not going bankrupt, but this recession / depression will definitely accelerate the death of their operations, a process that started when Google first released Google Reviews. As of right now, it’s worth at least the book value of their equity – a 755M market cap, or $10.50 per share. Another simple way to look at it is to apply the PE ratio of its most similar competitor in terms of size and revenue disruption, $TRIP, which would give it a true value of $10.55. Of course, this is using their balance sheet and earnings from 2019, which has probably already been feeling the effects of the lockdown. Their next earnings call is expected to be 5/14, so we’ll see the real damage then.
Technicals
This won’t be a true wsb DD without drawing some magic lines on the price charts, so I’ll do a brief rundown of what I see from my horoscope.
$YELP, daily
$YELP has been roughly following the trends of the stock market as a whole since the crash began, but we’re now starting to see actual price discovery in the market (eg. $AMZN hit a new ATH today). It’s currently in an upwards trend towards $22, which has historically been a strong support / resistance level for the past few years, is the 38% retracement level, and is also their original IPO price. It looks like they will fail to break the $22 resistance, fall through the ascending trendline, and resume plummeting before the end of next week.
Disclaimer: This information is only for educational purposes. Do not make any investment decisions based on the information in this article. Do you own due diligence.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--Is the Buffett Indicator thru the roof?

Is the Buffett Indicator thru the roof?

• US GDP will fall by X percentage this year The question , to economists , what is a reasonable @ @ @ @ @ the composition of US economy ?
Would that number make Buffett indicator go thru the @ @

by onfallen
Figured out something interesting; let’s discuss.
Assumptions:
US GDP will fall by X percentage this year GDP 2019 is $21.73 Trillion Total market cap is $28.48 Trillion Buffett indicator = market cap / gdp
Scenarios:
X – Buffett Indicator
5% – 138%
10% – 146%
15% – 154%
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20% – 164%
25% – 175%
For reference,
dot com bubble height: 140%
2008: 107%
2020 All time high: 151%
The question, to economists, what is a reasonable estimate of GDP decline given the composition of US economy? Would that number make Buffett indicator go thru the roof?


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--Your puts are screwed. But they really shouldn’t be.

To kick off earnings season Wells Fargo reported revenue of 17.78billion , which was lower than the expected 19.35 Billion .
WFC posted an earnings .01cents per share , which is down from an earnings of .93 cents per share from their previous quarter .
Their net income also dropped a staggering 89 % to $ 653 million for this quarter .
JPMorgan reported revenue of 28.3 Billion , which was lower than the estimated 29 Billion .
They also posted an earnings per share of .78 cents , well below the 1.84 estimates .
Both banks reportedly added billions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high level of credit defaults from their customers and businesses .
$ GE , $ DIS , $ XOM and $ WBA have all made moves in regards to securing and rolling over their credit , as fear grows that they ’ ll run out of credit to maintain their operations .
XOM issued 9.5 Billion in debt , while DIS extended their credit line by 5billion dollars .
Companies such as $ F , $ M , $ DAL , and $ GPS , have seen their Corporate bonds ratings drop to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has announced that they will be making purchases within the junk bond market .
Some estimates are predicting that the airline industry could take a 300billion dollar hit this year .
Vaccine manufacturers are under pressure to create vaccines faster than ever before , due to the belief that the economy can ’ t truly return back to normal until we have a vaccine .
For every day the economy is shut down , it is estimated the US loses 25Billion dollars .
WeWork will not be paying their Manhattan rent for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies who told their landlords they will not be paying rent .
WeWork is currently the largest tenant in Manhattan paying $ 500 million dollars a year in rent .
The Cheesecake factory , and AMC are other notable names who have also told landlords they will not paying rent .
This has all been seen as fantastic news to investors , and reason to be bullish .
Markets have now regained about 50 % of their losses from March after having their best week in decades last week , the NASDAQ is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the S & P500 is trading at 35x earnings .
$ TSLA is back above $ 700 , and most tech stocks are racing towards their ATHs .
Disclaimer : This information is only for educational purposes .
Do not make any investment decisions based on the information in this article .
Do you own due diligence .

by Jburd6523
To kick off earnings season Wells Fargo reported revenue of 17.78billion, which was lower than the expected 19.35 Billion. WFC posted an earnings .01cents per share, which is down from an earnings of .93 cents per share from their previous quarter. Their net income also dropped a staggering 89% to $653 million for this quarter.
JPMorgan reported revenue of 28.3 Billion, which was lower than the estimated 29 Billion. They also posted an earnings per share of .78 cents, well below the 1.84 estimates.
Both banks reportedly added billions to their reserves in anticipation for a high level of credit defaults from their customers and businesses.
$GE, $DIS, $XOM and $WBA have all made moves in regards to securing and rolling over their credit, as fear grows that they’ll run out of credit to maintain their operations. XOM issued 9.5 Billion in debt, while DIS extended their credit line by 5billion dollars.
Companies such as $F, $M, $DAL, and $GPS, have seen their Corporate bonds ratings drop to Junk bond status. Although the Fed has announced that they will be making purchases within the junk bond market.
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Some estimates are predicting that the airline industry could take a 300billion dollar hit this year.
Vaccine manufacturers are under pressure to create vaccines faster than ever before, due to the belief that the economy can’t truly return back to normal until we have a vaccine. For every day the economy is shut down, it is estimated the US loses 25Billion dollars.
WeWork will not be paying their Manhattan rent for this month, joining a growing list of companies who told their landlords they will not be paying rent. WeWork is currently the largest tenant in Manhattan paying $500 million dollars a year in rent. The Cheesecake factory, and AMC are other notable names who have also told landlords they will not paying rent.
This has all been seen as fantastic news to investors, and reason to be bullish. Markets have now regained about 50% of their losses from March after having their best week in decades last week, the NASDAQ is on its longest winning streak since December, and the S&P500 is trading at 35x earnings. $TSLA is back above $700, and most tech stocks are racing towards their ATHs.
Edit *WeWork pays 500 million not billion a year for Manhattan rent.
Disclaimer: This information is only for educational purposes. Do not make any investment decisions based on the information in this article. Do you own due diligence.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--Here Are Some Things You Can Control in an Out-of-Control World

It seems like lately , all the news is bad news and every day we ’ re losing more autonomy over our lives .
2020 has been “ interesting ” so far , to put it mildly .
When the world seems so completely out of control , it ’ s important to get a handle on the things you can .
This is advice straight from Selco .
Operate in “ small circles ” ( your family , prepper group , network of friends ) .
Learn useful skills , meet good and interesting people ( in prepper terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is all about and what is important when SHTF .
Sorry , but your political opinion and worries about state policies are worthless , and can not change anything big- it is the big circle , and it is important only in terms of looking and recognizing signs of future events , so you may recognize the correct moment for bugging out for example .
Do not be pulled into general fear and hate because it clouds your judgment and it simply wastes your time .
Do not be pulled into it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he ’ s right .
This isn ’ t Selco ’ s first SHTF rodeo .
While it ’ s important to stay informed , your influence on a grand scale is pretty limited .
You can ’ t personally change the way the government is handling the virus .
You can only adapt your response to theirs .
If you disagree with the handling , you may have choices to make – like bugging out , getting out of their scope of influence , or staying under the radar .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies themselves .
So while everybody else is getting worked up about yet another misstep during a White House press conference , the campaign of Creepy Uncle Joe , and quarantines , take the information you need to make decisions and then disregard the rest of it .
It ’ s not worth your time .
It ’ s better to spend your energy on making things better within your small circle .
Take a look at your current income and then adapt your budget to fit it .
I ’ m not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( At this point , I think Before is a term that needs to be capitalized . )
I ’ m talking about what you ’ re bringing in right now .
Sure , we all hope to walk right back into our former positions and put this all behind us , but I think that is very unlikely – and more so the longer the economy stays shut down .
Our country is in real economic trouble and I don ’ t foresee it improving or “ going back to normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s important to work with what is true right now – not what was true or what you hope will be true tomorrow .
Can you afford your bills on your current income while living your current lifestyle ?
Do an audit of your finances and make adjustments as necessary .
• If you can ’ t pay your bills on time , see this article for advice on talking to your creditors • If you ’ ve lost your job due to COVID-19 , see this article for specific suggestions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ your bills at all , see this article .
Recognize that you may not come out of this with your credit intact .
Try not to worry too much about this because you ’ ll be in good company .
I know it sucks when you ’ ve spent years building a good credit rating , but in the grand scheme of things , your credit rating is of minimal importance when compared with “ do we have enough money for food ?
” and “ can I pay rent this month ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ make the most important choices .
Control how you spend your time .
It ’ s easy to slip into bad patterns when every day feels like a weekend .
For those who still go to work , your normal routine of taking the kids to activities , going out for dinner or a drink , or hitting the gym is no longer an option .
For those who are furloughed , your routine is now completely thrown off .
For those who are working from home , you ’ re now trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being interrupted by your partner , and conquer your workload .
But…you can control how you spend this time .
Don ’ t get sucked into all-day marathons of Netflix binge-watching .
Don ’ t spend all day every day in your pajamas .
Don ’ t just sit around eating junk food and bemoaning your fate .
Create a new routine for yourself and adhere to it with discipline .
I ’ ve worked from home for a decade now and for me , a schedule is essential .
I also have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a better term .
I get up early , before anyone else in the house , and get the most essential business tasks done first .
Then I take a short break for some food and conversation .
I do not sit down in front of the television for “ just one episode ” of whatever we ’ re streaming .
After we eat , I work for a few more hours , and then I attend to household tasks including making dinner .
After dinner , and only then , will I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily schedule may look very different but I urge you to get the essential things done first and put off the relaxing part of your day until those tasks are complete .
It can also help to keep part of your previous schedule – get up , have a shower , and get dressed , even if you aren ’ t going anywhere .
Set work hours for adults and school hours for children .
And of course , don ’ t forget to leave some time for fun .
If you aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on tasks that make you better prepared .
Start some seeds , get your garden ready , organize your supplies , do some canning , and test out equipment to make sure it works in a way that is efficient .
Do everything you can to keep yourself healthy .
• Eat high-quality whole food .
Although it ’ s tough with a limited budget , select whole grains , plenty of protein , and nutritious fruits and vegetables .
Here are some suggestions on eating healthfully on a budget .
• Get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couch may be tempting but it isn ’ t going to do your body or your mental health any favors .
Just spending time doing tasks around the house or yard at a fast pace with some good music can help keep you active .
• Spend time outdoors .
Even if you can only go into your backyard or out on your balcony spending a little bit of time in the fresh air and sunshine is good for your mind and body .
If you ’ re able to in your current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out on a hike or walk .
If you have a pre-existing condition , strive to get things under control to the best of your ability .
The healthier you are , the more your body will be able to fight off any virus you might come into contact with at some point in the future .
Take care of your mental health , too .
It isn ’ t just people with pre-existing mental health problems who are struggling right now .
• Try to keep stress to a minimum .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these days .
Here are some tips on dealing with “ doom fatigue ” about the coronavirus .
It ’ s easy to get overwhelmed when all the news seems bad .
• Spend some time in meditation or prayer .
Whatever your faith or belief system , spend some quiet and reflective time each day connecting to it .
This is good for your peace of mind .
• Spend time outdoors .
We talked about this above but one thing I ’ ll add here is that the Vitamin D you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your mental health .
• Don ’ t dwell on things you can ’ t control .
It ’ s important to stay informed but that doesn ’ t mean you need to fall into a pit of existential angst over things that you can ’ t control .
Take note of things but don ’ t take them on board as your personal burden .
Treat these things as points of data to help you make decisions and try to keep yourself separated from it emotionally .
• Focus on gratitude .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ roof over your head , utilities running , and food in your kitchen , you are ahead of a lot of folks .
Every day , spare a few moments to take stock of the positive things in your life , no matter how big or small they are .
• Do something to help others .
While keeping OPSEC in mind do something to help other people .
This might mean sending a financial donation to an organization that helps those who are hardest hit , donating to the food bank if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , grabbing a cup of coffee or a meal for a homeless person , or picking up supplies for a vulnerable neighbor .
• Take joy in the little things .
A video of a friend ’ s baby laughing is all it takes to turn my day around .
The spring flowers are coming out where we live .
The weather is beautiful .
My seedlings are coming along nicely .
I have a big stack of books to read .
Go back to the simple pleasures in life instead of always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state of mind has a huge effect on your resilience .
You need to treat it with the same importance you treat your physical well-being .
Be aware of how you ’ re consuming information .
First of all , stop thinking that you ’ re being weak or fragile by being bothered by these horrific events .
I ’ ve seen people commenting that they aren ’ t “ tough ” enough to handle all of the awful things we ’ re being bombarded with by the media .
It has nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or fragility .
If you are a caring human being , of course these things get to you .
It ’ s natural and , bonus , a sign that you aren ’ t a sociopath .
This isn ’ t to say that people who can put some mental distance between themselves and the events are unstable – it is just to say that there is nothing wrong or weak about those who are overwhelmed by it .
We all want to be well-informed about the goings-on in the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a preparedness site .
That ’ s why you are paying attention to this .
You don ’ t want to be one of those oblivious , reality TV show aficionados whose form of entertainment actually has nothing to do with reality .
But how do you balance this when you ’ re feeling horribly beaten down by the things in the news ?
• Choose where you get your news .
Some news outlets are a lot more brutal than others and seem to take pleasure by posting the most horrific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over , they show disturbing clips .
The headlines shout at you about worst-case scenarios .
You can avoid the news outlets that are the most controversial , the ones who stir up the problem to keep the hits coming in , the ones who make insulting , blanket generalizations .
Avoid those with obvious bias and stick to the ones that report in a less sensationalistic manner .
Reuters is rather dry but they tend to be a little bit less blatantly biased .
You can often get a good idea of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world by simply scanning the headlines on their homepage .
Check out their service , The Wire , too .
• Avoid the comments section .
Unless you want to see the worst of humanity , avoid the comments section of major news outlets .
In most of them , you ’ ll be besieged by laptop warriors who spew hatred and ill-conceived 30-second “ solutions ” for complicated issues .
Don ’ t get sucked into the hateful comments , don ’ t try to help them see the light or become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there is nothing they love more than picking apart every word , every nuance , and every typo in an article and then using as a launching point for a diatribe .
• Limit the time you spend consuming news .
Unless you do this professionally , there ’ s no need to spend hours every day reading articles or watching YouTube videos about dead bodies being stacked on top of one another or how everyone is out of PPE .
Limit yourself to a half an hour a couple of times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are your go-to sites for information .
For the purpose of coronavirus coverage , I ’ ve found that Zero Hedge covers it from multiple angles , they break the news quickly , and even though they may be controversial and outspoken , they are extremely accurate .
You can also subscribe to my newsletter here to get some quick updates .
• Forget about all those lengthy press briefings .
For a while , I was watching press briefings for the state where I ’ m staying and the presidential briefings .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours and hours were wasted on this every day .
Reporters ask questions that were just answered in the briefing .
Countless experts blow sunshine up your pants telling you how they have things under control .
Lie after lie is told .
A lot of the briefings from different governors as well as the White House are meant to be more conciliatory than factual .
This isn ’ t to say that every person with a microphone is outright lying , but that they ’ re meant to keep people calm .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ place that gives a reliable summary and spend five minutes reading that instead .
We live in a world in which information is constantly at our fingertips .
This can be very unhealthy unless you control your consumption of it .
There ’ s no doubt that this is a difficult time .
We are living through historic times that will no doubt be analyzed for decades or even centuries if human beings are around long enough .
The things occurring right now like the pandemic , the lockdowns , and the collapse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything and a lot of those changes will lead to even more difficult times ahead .
Always remember there are things within your control .
Cultivate things that are positive and reduce your exposure to things that are negative .
Remember that you can ’ t control the huge , horrible events in this world , but you can control your response to them by focusing on your preparations and your mental well-being .
You can choose to stay out of these arguments that nobody wins .
You aren ’ t going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ names on the internet .
You aren ’ t going to enlighten people who aren ’ t seeking that kind of knowledge .
If your own well-being is at risk , take a step back .
Observe it all from a place of distance .
As the old saying goes , those who wrestle with pigs get muddy too .
Stay out of the mud and you will feel far less overwhelmed .
Make yourself a list of the projects you want to tackle , the things that bring you a sense of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do to be better prepared .
Make these things your focus .
Right now , as far as “ apocalypses ” go , most of us aren ’ t doing too badly .
We have access to food , running water , power , relative peace , and the internet .
Things may very well get worse but you can have a plan for that .
What are the things you ’ re focusing on ?
Let go of the stuff you can ’ t control and focus on the stuff you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the bad stuff .
It ’ s as simple – and perhaps as difficult – as that .
What are the things within your control on which you ’ re focusing ?
Share your thoughts in the comments below .
Daisy Luther writes about current events , preparedness , frugality , voluntaryism , and the pursuit of liberty on her website , The Organic Prepper .
She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site , PreppersDailyNews.com .
Daisy is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a small digital publishing company .
You can find her on Facebook , Pinterest , and Twitter .

by Daisy Luther
It seems like lately, all the news is bad news and every day we’re losing more autonomy over our lives. 2020 has been “interesting” so far, to put it mildly. When the world seems so completely out of control, it’s important to get a handle on the things you can.
Focus on small circles.
This is advice straight from Selco.
Operate in “small circles” (your family, prepper group, network of friends). Learn useful skills, meet good and interesting people (in prepper terms). That small circle is what it is all about and what is important when SHTF. Sorry, but your political opinion and worries about state policies are worthless, and can not change anything big- it is the big circle, and it is important only in terms of looking and recognizing signs of future events, so you may recognize the correct moment for bugging out for example. Do not be pulled into general fear and hate because it clouds your judgment and it simply wastes your time. Do not be pulled into it. (source)
And of course, he’s right. This isn’t Selco’s first SHTF rodeo. While it’s important to stay informed, your influence on a grand scale is pretty limited. You can’t personally change the way the government is handling the virus. You can only adapt your response to theirs. If you disagree with the handling, you may have choices to make – like bugging out, getting out of their scope of influence, or staying under the radar. But you probably can’t change the policies themselves.
So while everybody else is getting worked up about yet another misstep during a White House press conference, the campaign of Creepy Uncle Joe, and quarantines, take the information you need to make decisions and then disregard the rest of it. It’s not worth your time. It’s better to spend your energy on making things better within your small circle.
Work on your budget.
Take a look at your current income and then adapt your budget to fit it. I’m not talking about the income you made Before. (At this point, I think Before is a term that needs to be capitalized.)
I’m talking about what you’re bringing in right now. Sure, we all hope to walk right back into our former positions and put this all behind us, but I think that is very unlikely – and more so the longer the economy stays shut down. Our country is in real economic trouble and I don’t foresee it improving or “going back to normal” any time soon.
So it’s important to work with what is true right now – not what was true or what you hope will be true tomorrow.
Can you afford your bills on your current income while living your current lifestyle? Do an audit of your finances and make adjustments as necessary.
If you can’t pay your bills on time, see this article for advice on talking to your creditors
If you’ve lost your job due to COVID-19, see this article for specific suggestions.
If you can’t pay your bills at all, see this article.
Recognize that you may not come out of this with your credit intact. Try not to worry too much about this because you’ll be in good company. I know it sucks when you’ve spent years building a good credit rating, but in the grand scheme of things, your credit rating is of minimal importance when compared with “do we have enough money for food?” and “can I pay rent this month?” Prioritize the money you have to make the most important choices.
Control how you spend your time.
It’s easy to slip into bad patterns when every day feels like a weekend. For those who still go to work, your normal routine of taking the kids to activities, going out for dinner or a drink, or hitting the gym is no longer an option. For those who are furloughed, your routine is now completely thrown off. For those who are working from home, you’re now trying to take care of your kids, being interrupted by your partner, and conquer your workload.
But…you can control how you spend this time.
Don’t get sucked into all-day marathons of Netflix binge-watching. Don’t spend all day every day in your pajamas. Don’t just sit around eating junk food and bemoaning your fate.
Create a new routine for yourself and adhere to it with discipline. I’ve worked from home for a decade now and for me, a schedule is essential. I also have a work-reward system, for lack of a better term. I get up early, before anyone else in the house, and get the most essential business tasks done first. Then I take a short break for some food and conversation. I do not sit down in front of the television for “just one episode” of whatever we’re streaming. After we eat, I work for a few more hours, and then I attend to household tasks including making dinner. After dinner, and only then, will I stream any shows or movies.
Your daily schedule may look very different but I urge you to get the essential things done first and put off the relaxing part of your day until those tasks are complete.
It can also help to keep part of your previous schedule – get up, have a shower, and get dressed, even if you aren’t going anywhere. Set work hours for adults and school hours for children. And of course, don’t forget to leave some time for fun.
If you aren’t working from home, focus on tasks that make you better prepared. Start some seeds, get your garden ready, organize your supplies, do some canning, and test out equipment to make sure it works in a way that is efficient.
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Stay healthy.
Do everything you can to keep yourself healthy.
Eat high-quality whole food. Although it’s tough with a limited budget, select whole grains, plenty of protein, and nutritious fruits and vegetables. Here are some suggestions on eating healthfully on a budget.
Although it’s tough with a limited budget, select whole grains, plenty of protein, and nutritious fruits and vegetables. Here are some suggestions on eating healthfully on a budget. Get some exercise. Becoming one with the couch may be tempting but it isn’t going to do your body or your mental health any favors. Just spending time doing tasks around the house or yard at a fast pace with some good music can help keep you active.
Becoming one with the couch may be tempting but it isn’t going to do your body or your mental health any favors. Just spending time doing tasks around the house or yard at a fast pace with some good music can help keep you active. Spend time outdoors. Even if you can only go into your backyard or out on your balcony spending a little bit of time in the fresh air and sunshine is good for your mind and body. If you’re able to in your current circumstances, absorb some vitamin D while out on a hike or walk.
If you have a pre-existing condition, strive to get things under control to the best of your ability. The healthier you are, the more your body will be able to fight off any virus you might come into contact with at some point in the future.
Take care of your mental health, too.
It isn’t just people with pre-existing mental health problems who are struggling right now.
Try to keep stress to a minimum. I know – much easier said than done these days. Here are some tips on dealing with “doom fatigue” about the coronavirus. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when all the news seems bad.
I know – much easier said than done these days. Here are some tips on dealing with “doom fatigue” about the coronavirus. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when all the news seems bad. Spend some time in meditation or prayer. Whatever your faith or belief system, spend some quiet and reflective time each day connecting to it. This is good for your peace of mind.
Whatever your faith or belief system, spend some quiet and reflective time each day connecting to it. This is good for your peace of mind. Spend time outdoors. We talked about this above but one thing I’ll add here is that the Vitamin D you absorb being outside is really good for your mental health.
We talked about this above but one thing I’ll add here is that the Vitamin D you absorb being outside is really good for your mental health. Don’t dwell on things you can’t control. It’s important to stay informed but that doesn’t mean you need to fall into a pit of existential angst over things that you can’t control. Take note of things but don’t take them on board as your personal burden. Treat these things as points of data to help you make decisions and try to keep yourself separated from it emotionally.
It’s important to stay informed but that doesn’t mean you need to fall into a pit of existential angst over things that you can’t control. Take note of things but don’t take them on board as your personal burden. Treat these things as points of data to help you make decisions and try to keep yourself separated from it emotionally. Focus on gratitude. If at this time you have a roof over your head, utilities running, and food in your kitchen, you are ahead of a lot of folks. Every day, spare a few moments to take stock of the positive things in your life, no matter how big or small they are.
If at this time you have a roof over your head, utilities running, and food in your kitchen, you are ahead of a lot of folks. Every day, spare a few moments to take stock of the positive things in your life, no matter how big or small they are. Do something to help others. While keeping OPSEC in mind do something to help other people. This might mean sending a financial donation to an organization that helps those who are hardest hit, donating to the food bank if you have some food you can spare, grabbing a cup of coffee or a meal for a homeless person, or picking up supplies for a vulnerable neighbor.
While keeping OPSEC in mind do something to help other people. This might mean sending a financial donation to an organization that helps those who are hardest hit, donating to the food bank if you have some food you can spare, grabbing a cup of coffee or a meal for a homeless person, or picking up supplies for a vulnerable neighbor. Take joy in the little things. A video of a friend’s baby laughing is all it takes to turn my day around. The spring flowers are coming out where we live. The weather is beautiful. My seedlings are coming along nicely. I have a big stack of books to read. Go back to the simple pleasures in life instead of always looking at the complicated problems.
Your state of mind has a huge effect on your resilience. You need to treat it with the same importance you treat your physical well-being.
Be aware of how you’re consuming information.
First of all, stop thinking that you’re being weak or fragile by being bothered by these horrific events. I’ve seen people commenting that they aren’t “tough” enough to handle all of the awful things we’re being bombarded with by the media.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with toughness, weakness, or fragility. If you are a caring human being, of course these things get to you. It’s natural and, bonus, a sign that you aren’t a sociopath. This isn’t to say that people who can put some mental distance between themselves and the events are unstable – it is just to say that there is nothing wrong or weak about those who are overwhelmed by it.
We all want to be well-informed about the goings-on in the world. That’s why you’re on a preparedness site. That’s why you are paying attention to this. You don’t want to be one of those oblivious, reality TV show aficionados whose form of entertainment actually has nothing to do with reality.
But how do you balance this when you’re feeling horribly beaten down by the things in the news?
Choose where you get your news. Some news outlets are a lot more brutal than others and seem to take pleasure by posting the most horrific version of every event. Over and over, they show disturbing clips. The headlines shout at you about worst-case scenarios. You can avoid the news outlets that are the most controversial, the ones who stir up the problem to keep the hits coming in, the ones who make insulting, blanket generalizations. Avoid those with obvious bias and stick to the ones that report in a less sensationalistic manner. Reuters is rather dry but they tend to be a little bit less blatantly biased. You can often get a good idea of what’s going on in the world by simply scanning the headlines on their homepage. Check out their service, The Wire, too.
Some news outlets are a lot more brutal than others and seem to take pleasure by posting the most horrific version of every event. Over and over, they show disturbing clips. The headlines shout at you about worst-case scenarios. You can avoid the news outlets that are the most controversial, the ones who stir up the problem to keep the hits coming in, the ones who make insulting, blanket generalizations. Avoid those with obvious bias and stick to the ones that report in a less sensationalistic manner. Reuters is rather dry but they tend to be a little bit less blatantly biased. You can often get a good idea of what’s going on in the world by simply scanning the headlines on their homepage. Check out their service, The Wire, too. Avoid the comments section. Unless you want to see the worst of humanity, avoid the comments section of major news outlets. In most of them, you’ll be besieged by laptop warriors who spew hatred and ill-conceived 30-second “solutions” for complicated issues. Don’t get sucked into the hateful comments, don’t try to help them see the light or become more positive people. For some folks, there is nothing they love more than picking apart every word, every nuance, and every typo in an article and then using as a launching point for a diatribe.
Unless you want to see the worst of humanity, avoid the comments section of major news outlets. In most of them, you’ll be besieged by laptop warriors who spew hatred and ill-conceived 30-second “solutions” for complicated issues. Don’t get sucked into the hateful comments, don’t try to help them see the light or become more positive people. For some folks, there is nothing they love more than picking apart every word, every nuance, and every typo in an article and then using as a launching point for a diatribe. Limit the time you spend consuming news. Unless you do this professionally, there’s no need to spend hours every day reading articles or watching YouTube videos about dead bodies being stacked on top of one another or how everyone is out of PPE. Limit yourself to a half an hour a couple of times per day. Have some websites that are your go-to sites for information. For the purpose of coronavirus coverage, I’ve found that Zero Hedge covers it from multiple angles, they break the news quickly, and even though they may be controversial and outspoken, they are extremely accurate. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here to get some quick updates.
Unless you do this professionally, there’s no need to spend hours every day reading articles or watching YouTube videos about dead bodies being stacked on top of one another or how everyone is out of PPE. Limit yourself to a half an hour a couple of times per day. Have some websites that are your go-to sites for information. For the purpose of coronavirus coverage, I’ve found that Zero Hedge covers it from multiple angles, they break the news quickly, and even though they may be controversial and outspoken, they are extremely accurate. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here to get some quick updates. Forget about all those lengthy press briefings. For a while, I was watching press briefings for the state where I’m staying and the presidential briefings. Particularly in the White House briefings, hours and hours were wasted on this every day. Reporters ask questions that were just answered in the briefing. Countless experts blow sunshine up your pants telling you how they have things under control. Lie after lie is told. A lot of the briefings from different governors as well as the White House are meant to be more conciliatory than factual. This isn’t to say that every person with a microphone is outright lying, but that they’re meant to keep people calm. Do yourself a favor – find a place that gives a reliable summary and spend five minutes reading that instead.
We live in a world in which information is constantly at our fingertips. This can be very unhealthy unless you control your consumption of it.
There’s no doubt that this is a difficult time.
We are living through historic times that will no doubt be analyzed for decades or even centuries if human beings are around long enough. The things occurring right now like the pandemic, the lockdowns, and the collapse of economies around the world are changing everything and a lot of those changes will lead to even more difficult times ahead.
Always remember there are things within your control. Cultivate things that are positive and reduce your exposure to things that are negative. Remember that you can’t control the huge, horrible events in this world, but you can control your response to them by focusing on your preparations and your mental well-being.
You can choose to stay out of these arguments that nobody wins. You aren’t going to change the minds of people calling others names on the internet. You aren’t going to enlighten people who aren’t seeking that kind of knowledge. If your own well-being is at risk, take a step back. Observe it all from a place of distance. As the old saying goes, those who wrestle with pigs get muddy too. Stay out of the mud and you will feel far less overwhelmed.
Make yourself a list of the projects you want to tackle, the things that bring you a sense of peace, and the tasks you can do to be better prepared. Make these things your focus.
Right now, as far as “apocalypses” go, most of us aren’t doing too badly. We have access to food, running water, power, relative peace, and the internet. Things may very well get worse but you can have a plan for that.
What are the things you’re focusing on?
Let go of the stuff you can’t control and focus on the stuff you can control. Don’t dwell non-stop on the bad stuff. It’s as simple – and perhaps as difficult – as that.
What are the things within your control on which you’re focusing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and runs a small digital publishing company. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--How the CARES Act “Helps” Retirement Savers

The Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act was passed by Congress to help businesses and individuals who are facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Part of the bill is intended to help Americans with their retirement planning .
The first notable way it may help on this front is by suspending required minimum distributions ( RMDs ) for the remainder of 2020 : The same article from Forbes continued by explaining the benefits of this change to those that would normally need to take an RMD : As market volatility continues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helpful to many .
Retirement savers could “ ride out ” the remainder of this year without having to reduce the amount saved in their accounts .
Another change allows self-employed individuals and business owners to defer some of their Social Security taxes until December 31 , 2020 .
But the Forbes piece also highlights a bit of interesting Social Security advice : Whether you choose to consider claiming your benefits or not , you should know that it is a possibility if you ’ re suffering economically due to the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ off , had hours reduced , were quarantined or suffered any of the conditions in Section 2202 of the bill , the Forbes article notes that you could withdraw funds from your retirement without paying the taxes normally associated with early withdrawal : Of course , these changes are helpful .
But one question remains… In addition to 401 ( k ) changes in Section 2202 , and charitable donation changes in Section 2204 , there are many other items buried in the 880-page Act that could help retirement savers .
As with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ intention ” behind them sounds good when they are selling their packages of legislation .
But in order to find the few nuggets of real benefit , you have to sort your way through hundreds to thousands of pages of legal language .
And to begin with , it usually takes forever and a day to pass the legislation .
By the time a citizen can gain any benefits from a bill ( if there are any “ real ” benefits ) , too much time has passed .
Plus , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dates only does so much , what you ’ re left with isn ’ t likely to help for long .
If that ’ s all the Government can do for you , it may be a good idea to see what you can do for yourself .
Take Back Control of Your Retirement Now is the time to consider actions like examining your retirement account ’ s exposure to risk and diversifying your assets into new funds and asset classes .
One example would be to consider physical assets like gold and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the moment .
They both can provide peace of mind by helping to reduce risk in your portfolio while acting as a store of real value .

From Birch Gold Group
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress to help businesses and individuals who are facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part of the bill is intended to help Americans with their retirement planning.
The first notable way it may help on this front is by suspending required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the remainder of 2020:
The provision is very broad and is not a push off to 2021 – you will not have to take two RMDs next year. In essence, you do not owe any RMDs for 2020, inherited or otherwise.
The same article from Forbes continued by explaining the benefits of this change to those that would normally need to take an RMD:
They still have the flexibility to pull out as much money as they need from their retirement accounts in 2020, they just aren’t required to take out anything.
As market volatility continues in 2020, this rule could be helpful to many. Retirement savers could “ride out” the remainder of this year without having to reduce the amount saved in their accounts.
Another change allows self-employed individuals and business owners to defer some of their Social Security taxes until December 31, 2020.
But the Forbes piece also highlights a bit of interesting Social Security advice:
Many people over age 62 who wanted to delay Social Security, which can often be the best overall retirement income strategy to maximize long-term Social Security benefits, may want to consider claiming benefits sooner.
Whether you choose to consider claiming your benefits or not, you should know that it is a possibility if you’re suffering economically due to the virus.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
And if you’ve been laid off, had hours reduced, were quarantined or suffered any of the conditions in Section 2202 of the bill, the Forbes article notes that you could withdraw funds from your retirement without paying the taxes normally associated with early withdrawal:
Up to $100,000 can be withdrawn from a retirement, exempt from the 10% penalty tax if the distribution is taken before age 59.5. A retirement plan can rely on a participant’s written statement that he or she meets the conditions.
Of course, these changes are helpful. But one question remains…
Are the CARES Act Provisions Helpful?
In addition to 401(k) changes in Section 2202, and charitable donation changes in Section 2204, there are many other items buried in the 880-page Act that could help retirement savers.
As with most bills created by politicians, the “intention” behind them sounds good when they are selling their packages of legislation. But in order to find the few nuggets of real benefit, you have to sort your way through hundreds to thousands of pages of legal language. And to begin with, it usually takes forever and a day to pass the legislation.
By the time a citizen can gain any benefits from a bill (if there are any “real” benefits), too much time has passed.
Plus, when you consider that deferred taxes and shifting dates only does so much, what you’re left with isn’t likely to help for long.
If that’s all the Government can do for you, it may be a good idea to see what you can do for yourself.
Take Back Control of Your Retirement
Now is the time to consider actions like examining your retirement account’s exposure to risk and diversifying your assets into new funds and asset classes.
One example would be to consider physical assets like gold and silver, which are doing quite well at the moment. They both can provide peace of mind by helping to reduce risk in your portfolio while acting as a store of real value.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--The Path to Socialism is Paved in Bailouts

“ …many people living in the West are dissatisfied with their own society .
They despise it or accuse it of no longer being up to the level of maturity by mankind .
And this causes many to sway toward socialism , which is a false and dangerous current.
” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn , Harvard University , June 8 , 1978 In the political primaries leading up to the 2016 and 2020 Presidential elections , the United States experienced something never before witnessed in its history ; a major Presidential candidate who did not espouse democratic , free-market principles .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ socialist ” , built a significant following beginning during the 2016 campaign and was a major threat in his pursuit of the Democratic party nomination .
Although he failed to capture the party ’ s bid , he successfully shifted the Democratic platform to the extreme left with arguments in favor of free college and free healthcare .
With the prosperity the United States has delivered over nearly 250 years , it is bewildering to think that the citizens who greatly benefited from its political , legal , and economic systems now think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand this seismic shift in perspectives and what does it mean for investors ?
In March 2008 , the Federal Reserve ( Fed ) stepped in to broker what amounted to a bailout of sorts in the demise of Bear Stearns .
JP Morgan , the only allowed bidder , won , or shall we stole Bear Stearns for $ 2 per share .
After some heat from the media , JP Morgan was strong-armed by the Fed to pay $ 10 per share , partially rescuing equity shareholders and bondholders .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to raise the stakes to $ 10 per share , the U.S. taxpayers assumed most of the residual credit risk of Bear Stearns , leaving JP Morgan with virtually no additional risk as a result of the purchase whatsoever .
Bear Stearns real estate holdings alone were worth well in excess of the $ 10 per share price , not to mention many other valuable assets .
It was a sweetheart deal for JP Morgan as they got all of the upside .
Not so much for the taxpayer who took all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that assumed risk ?
Zero percent interest rates , languishing retirement fund returns , and a widening wealth inequality gap .
Later that year , as the financial fiasco gained steam and after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy , the Fed directly lobbied Congress to provide $ 700 billion in taxpayer funds to bailout the United States banking system .
In their words and with appropriate hyperbole , it was to prevent the collapse of the global financial system and modern society as we know it .
Rumor has it that Treasury Secretary Hank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to beg Nancy Pelosi to quickly advance the effort ( no doubt after looking at the value of his Goldman Sachs stock ) .
Sorry taxpayers , the bailout which gave ex-Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson full authority to distribute funds to banks and make purchase of bank ’ s securities was not allowed to be checked for fairness , indiscretion , or quid pro quo actions from Paulson and friends .
As the Fed and U.S. Treasury were using all of their powers to pump trillions of liquidity into the financial system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , executives at big , white-shoe financial firms who had advertised themselves as intellectually superior had been caught front-running the system and were now at the mercy of that system and the ridiculous amounts of leverage they employed .
They were not actually that smart , they were like the campers being chased by a hungry bear .
You don ’ t have to be the fastest , you just can ’ t be the slowest .
The bankers were just a little bit smarter than the Fed and just happened to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deem to be “ SIFIs ” , or “ systemically important financial institutions.
” Too big to fail .
Jackpot .
That status gave them unprecedented special privileges unlike those any other company before had ever enjoyed .
EVER .
They were feeding at the trough of U.S. taxpayer generosity with a sense of arrogance and entitlement .
That pattern of corporate favoritism , dare we say welfare , took on a new monstrous form during the financial crisis and has stayed in place throughout the entire decade that followed .
Although more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free money through four rounds of quantitative easing ( QE ) .
That policy expanded reserves and even paid the banks interest on excess reserves ( IOER ) generated from QE and held at the Fed .
Just to be clear , that interest ( IOER ) too was from taxpayer funds .
Those actions and many similar ones that have since transpired are now echoing in the Democratic primary .
Bernie Sanders used language on the stump that was laced with vitriol toward politicians who in past years have used bailouts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and harvest campaign contributions .
Ignore for a moment that Sanders himself owns three houses and often flies on private jets like the bankers ; he has been properly critical of the bailouts received by the banks and other financial institutions .
He singled out JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon in June 2019 after Dimon made a pointed case against Sanders and political socialism .
Sanders ’ response rang true .
In a tweet he stated , “ I didn ’ t hear Jamie Dimon criticizing socialism when Wall Street begged for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some $ 700 billion from the Treasury and even more from the Fed.
” In response , Dimon said JP Morgan did not need the bailout money and only took it because they “ were asked to ” by the Fed so weaker rivals could tap it without being singled out .
You may chuckle as do we at that odd effort to characterize a bailout as altruism .
Our view is that , if a financial institution assumes risks that jeopardizes their existence , they absolutely should be singled out .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffer losses .
Bondholders fight over the scraps .
is capitalism .
Sanders is correct , Jamie Dimon too is a socialist when it suits his pragmatic preferences and wallet .
As so many bankers were being spared wrath and enrichened for their role in the 2008 crisis , hundreds of thousands of homeowners across the country were coming under enormous distress as a result of unemployment , falling home prices , and unmanageable debt balances .
There is not much evidence that JP Morgan , the other banks , or the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans who were suddenly displaced by the recession .
In fact , in many cases , predatory practices against these struggling citizens were commonplace .
Again , preferential treatment ( socialism ) was afforded to the poor unfortunate banks while taxpayers were offered rugged free-market capitalism in exchange for providing those benefits to the banks .
Although socialism in various forms has been gaining traction in the United States since 1933 and The New Deal of the Roosevelt administration , what we are seeing today is radically different .
People are generally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a failure of capitalism .
It is not .
What we are seeing is not capitalism at all .
Bernie Sanders ’ complaints were about the way socialism is applied to the corporate elite .
It is an inauthentic argument from both directions .
Capitalism does not rely on bailouts or preferential treatment .
Capitalism depends on the rule of law being upheld equally for citizens and business owners .
If a financial sector-induced financial crisis comes about , citizens should expect that exposed firms dissolve and those engaged in negligent and/or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those things happened over the past ten years .
Nothing could be further from the foundational principles on which this country is built and the basis of prosperity which it produced .
Hyman Minsky famously outlined his theory that “ stability breeds instability.
” The paradox embedded in Minsky ’ s theory is that , while stability gives the appearance of comfort , security , and prosperity , it induces risk-taking behavior that creates financial instability and eventually causes panic and crisis .
In much the same way that Minsky describes an economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breeds dissatisfaction , entitlement , and contempt .
As Soltzhenitsyn discussed in 1978 , we have reached a flashpoint whereby the most radical ideas gain traction .
A large enough segment of the population did not enjoy the benefits of a system that gave away money to the corporate elite and the wealthiest of citizens for the last ten years , and they will advance a misguided but purposeful agenda aimed at “ equality ” and “ fairness ” .
It is , however , neither .
Bernie Sanders is correct .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s wealthiest 5 % .
Banks and corporations enjoy the benefits of a government and Fed that takes extreme measures to protect the value of those businesses and their stock prices .
At the same time , individuals are not so fortunate .
You , my friend , are on your own .
Corporate margins lean ?
You ’ re fired .
Meanwhile the C-Suite orders another debt issue and billion-dollar stock buyback to ensure their stock-laced compensation is intact .
Sanders ’ political appeal reaches a large group of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were often punished by , the preferential treatment of corporate fat cats .
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin , among many other well-connected elites , was granted exorbitant privileges during the fall-out of the financial crisis and reaped exorbitant profits .
Wealthy investors and Fed officials who advocate for capitalism are not clear-headed on the issue .
They have been a part of and beneficiaries of corporate socialism , not capitalism .
And yet , we want to be clear – We do not in any way endorse a socialist government .
We DO endorse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognize that what we have today is far from free-market capitalism , and it explains the appeal of Bernie Sanders for many .
It remains an incoherent and misinformed attraction .
Any power granted to Sanders or those with his views , will further hobble an economy propped up by financial accounting gimmicks , Fed sorcery , and misguided government largesse .
The ideology of Bernie Sanders is not a remedy that investors or capitalism should welcome .
Paradoxically , neither will the espoused policies of Donald Trump or Joe Biden rectify our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ load , weak economic growth , and poor productivity , it is difficult to see a path forward apart from devaluing the currency .
That , however , presents an entirely different challenge and one history suggests we desperately should try to avoid .
As a country , we will either live with the short-term pain of discipline or the long-term pain of regret .

by Michael Lebowitz and Jack Scott
Prelude: This article was largely written before the emergence of the Coronavirus. Recent developments as a result of the pandemic only add emphasis and gravity to the points made here.
“…many people living in the West are dissatisfied with their own society. They despise it or accuse it of no longer being up to the level of maturity by mankind. And this causes many to sway toward socialism, which is a false and dangerous current.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Harvard University, June 8, 1978
In the political primaries leading up to the 2016 and 2020 Presidential elections, the United States experienced something never before witnessed in its history; a major Presidential candidate who did not espouse democratic, free-market principles. Bernie Sanders, a self-avowed “democratic socialist”, built a significant following beginning during the 2016 campaign and was a major threat in his pursuit of the Democratic party nomination. Although he failed to capture the party’s bid, he successfully shifted the Democratic platform to the extreme left with arguments in favor of free college and free healthcare.
The Path to Socialism
With the prosperity the United States has delivered over nearly 250 years, it is bewildering to think that the citizens who greatly benefited from its political, legal, and economic systems now think it inferior. How can we better understand this seismic shift in perspectives and what does it mean for investors?
Bailouts
In March 2008, the Federal Reserve (Fed) stepped in to broker what amounted to a bailout of sorts in the demise of Bear Stearns. JP Morgan, the only allowed bidder, won, or shall we stole Bear Stearns for $2 per share. After some heat from the media, JP Morgan was strong-armed by the Fed to pay $10 per share, partially rescuing equity shareholders and bondholders. As part of the agreement with the Fed to raise the stakes to $10 per share, the U.S. taxpayers assumed most of the residual credit risk of Bear Stearns, leaving JP Morgan with virtually no additional risk as a result of the purchase whatsoever. Bear Stearns real estate holdings alone were worth well in excess of the $10 per share price, not to mention many other valuable assets.
It was a sweetheart deal for JP Morgan as they got all of the upside. Not so much for the taxpayer who took all the risk. What was the reward for that assumed risk? Zero percent interest rates, languishing retirement fund returns, and a widening wealth inequality gap.
Later that year, as the financial fiasco gained steam and after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, the Fed directly lobbied Congress to provide $700 billion in taxpayer funds to bailout the United States banking system. In their words and with appropriate hyperbole, it was to prevent the collapse of the global financial system and modern society as we know it. Rumor has it that Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen literally got down on his knees to beg Nancy Pelosi to quickly advance the effort (no doubt after looking at the value of his Goldman Sachs stock).
Sorry taxpayers, the bailout which gave ex-Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson full authority to distribute funds to banks and make purchase of bank’s securities was not allowed to be checked for fairness, indiscretion, or quid pro quo actions from Paulson and friends.
Feed the Monster
As the Fed and U.S. Treasury were using all of their powers to pump trillions of liquidity into the financial system using highly unconventional fiscal and monetary policies, executives at big, white-shoe financial firms who had advertised themselves as intellectually superior had been caught front-running the system and were now at the mercy of that system and the ridiculous amounts of leverage they employed. They were not actually that smart, they were like the campers being chased by a hungry bear. You don’t have to be the fastest, you just can’t be the slowest. The bankers were just a little bit smarter than the Fed and just happened to work for financial companies that the government would deem to be “SIFIs”, or “systemically important financial institutions.” Too big to fail. Jackpot.
That status gave them unprecedented special privileges unlike those any other company before had ever enjoyed. EVER. They were feeding at the trough of U.S. taxpayer generosity with a sense of arrogance and entitlement.
That pattern of corporate favoritism, dare we say welfare, took on a new monstrous form during the financial crisis and has stayed in place throughout the entire decade that followed. Although more heavily regulated, financial institutions were granted free money through four rounds of quantitative easing (QE). That policy expanded reserves and even paid the banks interest on excess reserves (IOER) generated from QE and held at the Fed. Just to be clear, that interest (IOER) too was from taxpayer funds.
“Democratic Socialist”
Those actions and many similar ones that have since transpired are now echoing in the Democratic primary. Bernie Sanders used language on the stump that was laced with vitriol toward politicians who in past years have used bailouts and tax cuts to enrich their wealthy constituents and harvest campaign contributions.
Ignore for a moment that Sanders himself owns three houses and often flies on private jets like the bankers; he has been properly critical of the bailouts received by the banks and other financial institutions. He singled out JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon in June 2019 after Dimon made a pointed case against Sanders and political socialism. Sanders’ response rang true. In a tweet he stated, “I didn’t hear Jamie Dimon criticizing socialism when Wall Street begged for the largest federal bailout in American history – some $700 billion from the Treasury and even more from the Fed.”
In response, Dimon said JP Morgan did not need the bailout money and only took it because they “were asked to” by the Fed so weaker rivals could tap it without being singled out. You may chuckle as do we at that odd effort to characterize a bailout as altruism.
Our view is that, if a financial institution assumes risks that jeopardizes their existence, they absolutely should be singled out. The equity owners should make it whole or suffer losses. Bondholders fight over the scraps. THAT is capitalism. Sanders is correct, Jamie Dimon too is a socialist when it suits his pragmatic preferences and wallet.
The Average Joe
As so many bankers were being spared wrath and enrichened for their role in the 2008 crisis, hundreds of thousands of homeowners across the country were coming under enormous distress as a result of unemployment, falling home prices, and unmanageable debt balances.
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There is not much evidence that JP Morgan, the other banks, or the U.S. Government had much sympathy for the families of Americans who were suddenly displaced by the recession. In fact, in many cases, predatory practices against these struggling citizens were commonplace. Again, preferential treatment (socialism) was afforded to the poor unfortunate banks while taxpayers were offered rugged free-market capitalism in exchange for providing those benefits to the banks.
Not a Failure of Capitalism
Although socialism in various forms has been gaining traction in the United States since 1933 and The New Deal of the Roosevelt administration, what we are seeing today is radically different. People are generally confused and believe what we are seeing is a failure of capitalism. It is not.
What we are seeing is not capitalism at all. Bernie Sanders’ complaints were about the way socialism is applied to the corporate elite. It is an inauthentic argument from both directions. Capitalism does not rely on bailouts or preferential treatment. Capitalism depends on the rule of law being upheld equally for citizens and business owners. If a financial sector-induced financial crisis comes about, citizens should expect that exposed firms dissolve and those engaged in negligent and/or illegal conduct are prosecuted.
Neither of those things happened over the past ten years. Nothing could be further from the foundational principles on which this country is built and the basis of prosperity which it produced.
Minsky
Hyman Minsky famously outlined his theory that “stability breeds instability.” The paradox embedded in Minsky’s theory is that, while stability gives the appearance of comfort, security, and prosperity, it induces risk-taking behavior that creates financial instability and eventually causes panic and crisis.
In much the same way that Minsky describes an economic cycle, the good fortune of prosperity breeds dissatisfaction, entitlement, and contempt. As Soltzhenitsyn discussed in 1978, we have reached a flashpoint whereby the most radical ideas gain traction. A large enough segment of the population did not enjoy the benefits of a system that gave away money to the corporate elite and the wealthiest of citizens for the last ten years, and they will advance a misguided but purposeful agenda aimed at “equality” and “fairness”. It is, however, neither.
Summary
Bernie Sanders is correct. We are already a socialist nation for the nation’s wealthiest 5%. Banks and corporations enjoy the benefits of a government and Fed that takes extreme measures to protect the value of those businesses and their stock prices. At the same time, individuals are not so fortunate. You, my friend, are on your own.
Corporate margins lean? You’re fired. Meanwhile the C-Suite orders another debt issue and billion-dollar stock buyback to ensure their stock-laced compensation is intact.
Sanders’ political appeal reaches a large group of those citizens who did not benefit from and were often punished by, the preferential treatment of corporate fat cats. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, among many other well-connected elites, was granted exorbitant privileges during the fall-out of the financial crisis and reaped exorbitant profits. Wealthy investors and Fed officials who advocate for capitalism are not clear-headed on the issue. They have been a part of and beneficiaries of corporate socialism, not capitalism.
And yet, we want to be clear –
We do not in any way endorse a socialist government.
We DO endorse free-market capitalism in true form.
We recognize that what we have today is far from free-market capitalism, and it explains the appeal of Bernie Sanders for many. It remains an incoherent and misinformed attraction. Any power granted to Sanders or those with his views, will further hobble an economy propped up by financial accounting gimmicks, Fed sorcery, and misguided government largesse.
The ideology of Bernie Sanders is not a remedy that investors or capitalism should welcome. Paradoxically, neither will the espoused policies of Donald Trump or Joe Biden rectify our problems. Given the already heavy debt load, weak economic growth, and poor productivity, it is difficult to see a path forward apart from devaluing the currency. That, however, presents an entirely different challenge and one history suggests we desperately should try to avoid.
As a country, we will either live with the short-term pain of discipline or the long-term pain of regret.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--When It Comes To The Stock Market, This May Be As Great As America Gets

President Donald Trump loves to talk about how he is in the process of and will continue to , “ Make America Great Again.
” However , there are many signs that , at least when it comes to the stock market , this may already be as great as it gets .
Over the past decade or so , U.S. stocks have dramatically outperformed their counterparts around the world .
Over the past few months , this relative performance gain has gone totally parabolic .
The question equity investors should be asking right now is : Is this sustainable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes down to a pair of dynamics .
First , U.S. equity valuations over the past decade have risen to record heights while most other major markets have actually seen their own valuations decline .
Second , the dollar has also soared higher over the past decade or so leaving it significantly overvalued in relation to most other major currencies around the globe .
Thus the dramatic outperformance of the U.S. stock market is mainly a function of both equity and currency valuations rising to extremes over the past decade relative to most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as Warren Buffett likes to say , “ the price you pay determines your rate of return , ” then investors in U.S. equities should not expect this relative outperformance to be sustainable .
In fact , given the relative undervaluation of overseas equity markets paired with the undervaluation of their currencies , there may have never been a more dangerous time to suffer from home country bias .
Conversely , there may have never been a better time to diversify overseas .

by jessefelder
President Donald Trump loves to talk about how he is in the process of and will continue to, “Make America Great Again.” However, there are many signs that, at least when it comes to the stock market, this may already be as great as it gets.
Over the past decade or so, U.S. stocks have dramatically outperformed their counterparts around the world. Over the past few months, this relative performance gain has gone totally parabolic. The question equity investors should be asking right now is: Is this sustainable?
In my view, this phenomenon comes down to a pair of dynamics. First, U.S. equity valuations over the past decade have risen to record heights while most other major markets have actually seen their own valuations decline.
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Second, the dollar has also soared higher over the past decade or so leaving it significantly overvalued in relation to most other major currencies around the globe.
Thus the dramatic outperformance of the U.S. stock market is mainly a function of both equity and currency valuations rising to extremes over the past decade relative to most other markets around the world. If, as Warren Buffett likes to say, “the price you pay determines your rate of return,” then investors in U.S. equities should not expect this relative outperformance to be sustainable.
In fact, given the relative undervaluation of overseas equity markets paired with the undervaluation of their currencies, there may have never been a more dangerous time to suffer from home country bias. Conversely, there may have never been a better time to diversify overseas.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--The Out Of The Shadows documentary lifts the mask on how the mainstream media & Hollywood manipulate

The Out Of The Shadows documentary lifts the mask on how the mainstream media & Hollywood manipulate & control the masses.

6.25 Million Views in about 4 days .
That ’ s a large percentage .
Plus there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ a million views on some Vice channel .
Adios .

by Orangutan
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6.25 Million Views in about 4 days. That’s a large percentage. Plus there’s a mirror up with over 1/2 a million views on some Vice channel. Adios.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--Freddie Mac: The Housing Market Faces Challenges Amid Economic Uncertainty

The fiscal stimulus provided by the CARES Act will mute the impact that the economic shock has on house prices @ @ @ @ @ foreclosure mitigation programs will limit the fire sale contagion effect on house prices .
We @ @ @ @ @ 0.5 percentage points over the next four quarters .
Two forces prevent a collapse in @ @ @ @ @ as we indicated in our earlier research report , U.S. housing markets face a large @ @ @ @ @ population growth and pent up household formations provide a tailwind to housing demand .
Price @ @ @ @ @ long-run trend of between 2 and 3 % per year .

The fiscal stimulus provided by the CARES Act will mute the impact that the economic shock has on house prices. Additionally, forbearance and foreclosure mitigation programs will limit the fire sale contagion effect on house prices. We forecast house prices to fall 0.5 percentage points over the next four quarters. Two forces prevent a collapse in house prices. First, as we indicated in our earlier research report, U.S. housing markets face a large supply deficit. Second, population growth and pent up household formations provide a tailwind to housing demand. Price growth accelerates back towards a long-run trend of between 2 and 3% per year.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--China Preparing for War!

China Preparing for War!

China seems to have forgotten about the global pandemic they started .
Keep your eyes on activity in the South China Sea .
“ Despite the continuing coronavirus pandemic , China has not slowed its military and research activities in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
” The First Real U.S.-China War Could Be Fought In The South China Sea Watch Korean Peninsula too .
The balloon could go up as tensions escalate between the US and China .
I ’ ll be monitoring South Korean preparedness .
thehill.com/opinion/international/476899-china-russia-north-korea-iran-confronting-the-new-axis-of-aggression-and-evil In response to the Vietnamese fishing boat incident , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a strongly worded statement expressing its concerns about China ’ s behavior.
” haha–strongly worded statement ?
How is that a deterrent ?
Aggression in the SCS will continue .
thediplomat.com/2020/04/the-danger-of-chinas-maritime-aggression-amid-covid-19/ “ On the high seas , the Chinese Navy is protecting the all-important sea lines of communication , bringing essential petroleum back from the Persian Gulf .
Not since the 15th century Ming navy , which sponsored seven Treasure Fleets to the south and west , has China exerted such influence over the seas.
” As the US deals with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening in Iraq : China just secured a huge oil deal !
In effect , China taking control of Iraqi oil after US sacrificed in the Gulf War .
“ For the United States , “ our long-term challenges , ” Esper continued , “ are China , No .
1 , and Russia , No .
2 .
And what we see happening out there is a China that continues to grow its military strength , its economic power , its commercial activity , and it ’ s doing so , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s using the international rules-based order against us to continue this growth , to acquire technology , and to do the things that really undermine our [ and our allies ’ ] sovereignty , that undermine the rule of law , that really question [ Beijing ’ s ] commitment to human rights.
” “ The problem is that China has spent at least the past 20 years , partly informed by observations of how the U.S. conducted the Gulf War in the 1990s , preparing for exactly this kind of conflict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violently thwart a U.S. approach .
It has missiles that can sink ships .
It has missiles that can down airplanes .
And it has missiles that could theoretically reach U.S. regional bases in Japan and Guam , leaving planes and runways vulnerable to attack .
“ Many Chinese observers suggest that missile strikes on air bases would be part of the opening salvos of a war .
”

China seems to have forgotten about the global pandemic they started. Keep your eyes on activity in the South China Sea.
“Despite the continuing coronavirus pandemic, China has not slowed its military and research activities in disputed areas of the South China Sea.”
www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/china-continues-south-china-sea-military-action-covid-19-200415125529388.html
The First Real U.S.-China War Could Be Fought In The South China Sea
nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/first-real-us-china-war-could-be-fought-south-china-sea-143847
Watch Korean Peninsula too. The balloon could go up as tensions escalate between the US and China. I’ll be monitoring South Korean preparedness.
thehill.com/opinion/international/476899-china-russia-north-korea-iran-confronting-the-new-axis-of-aggression-and-evil
In response to the Vietnamese fishing boat incident, “the U.S. Department of State also responded with a strongly worded statement expressing its concerns about China’s behavior.”
haha–strongly worded statement? How is that a deterrent? Aggression in the SCS will continue.
thediplomat.com/2020/04/the-danger-of-chinas-maritime-aggression-amid-covid-19/
“On the high seas, the Chinese Navy is protecting the all-important sea lines of communication, bringing essential petroleum back from the Persian Gulf.
Not since the 15th century Ming navy, which sponsored seven Treasure Fleets to the south and west, has China exerted such influence over the seas.”
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www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/12/21/op-ed-if-you-seek-peace-with-china-prepare-for-war/
China’s New Hypersonic Aircraft can beat air defense systems:
As the US deals with the Chinese Coronavirus bio-attack, look what is happening in Iraq: China just secured a huge oil deal! In effect, China taking control of Iraqi oil after US sacrificed in the Gulf War.
From Defense Secretary Esper:
“For the United States, “our long-term challenges,” Esper continued, “are China, No. 1, and Russia, No. 2. And what we see happening out there is a China that continues to grow its military strength, its economic power, its commercial activity, and it’s doing so, in many ways, illicitly — or it’s using the international rules-based order against us to continue this growth, to acquire technology, and to do the things that really undermine our [and our allies’] sovereignty, that undermine the rule of law, that really question [Beijing’s] commitment to human rights.”
www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/03/19/espers-dark-vision-for-us-china-conflict-makes-war-more-likely/
“The problem is that China has spent at least the past 20 years, partly informed by observations of how the U.S. conducted the Gulf War in the 1990s, preparing for exactly this kind of conflict, and investing in defenses that could violently thwart a U.S. approach.
It has missiles that can sink ships. It has missiles that can down airplanes. And it has missiles that could theoretically reach U.S. regional bases in Japan and Guam, leaving planes and runways vulnerable to attack. “Many Chinese observers suggest that missile strikes on air bases would be part of the opening salvos of a war.”
www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/07/china-us-war/594793/
AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--Banking websites crashing – People looking for their money!

Everyone is checking for their payments , along with the typical 15th of the month folks are crashing banking websites @ @ @

Everyone is checking for their payments, along with the typical 15th of the month folks are crashing banking websites all around!
downdetector.com/
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AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--Africans burn down Chinese factory in Nigeria in retaliation to mistreatment of Africans in China

This is spiralling out of control .
I don ’ t think the Chinese government will stand idly by watching @ @ @ @ @ it gets to that point .
I wonder if this could build up into a @ @ @ @ @ .

This is spiralling out of control. I don’t think the Chinese government will stand idly by watching Africans kill their nationals if it gets to that point. I wonder if this could build up into a war between the two sides.
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h/t PBD


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--Woah. The company that Hunter Biden is still a board member of (BHR), is an investment fund created

Woah. The company that Hunter Biden is still a board member of (BHR), is an investment fund created by the company he co founded (Rosemont Seneca) and the government owned Bank of China which funds the entire thing…..

Rosemont Seneca and the Bank of China created a $ 1 billion investment fund called Bohai Harvest RST ( BHR @ @ @ @ @ reflected who was involved .
Bohai ( or Bo Hai ) , the innermost gulf @ @ @ @ @ was a reference to the Chinese stake in the company .
The “ RS ” @ @ @ @ @ The “ T ” was Thornton .
The fund enjoyed an unusual and special status @ @ @ @ @ its “ unique Sino-US shareholding structure ” and “ the global resources and network ” @ @ @ @ @ investment “ opportunities.
” Funds were backed by the Chinese government .

by PropagandaDebunker
nypost.com/2018/03/15/inside-the-shady-private-equity-firm-run-by-kerry-and-bidens-kids/
Rosemont Seneca and the Bank of China created a $1 billion investment fund called Bohai Harvest RST (BHR), a name that reflected who was involved. Bohai (or Bo Hai), the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea, was a reference to the Chinese stake in the company. The “RS” referred to Rosemont Seneca. The “T” was Thornton.
The fund enjoyed an unusual and special status in China. BHR touted its “unique Sino-US shareholding structure” and “the global resources and network” that allowed it to secure investment “opportunities.” Funds were backed by the Chinese government.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--I just ran out to the Home Depot, haven’t been out in a month and here is what I saw

Most people , I would say 60-70 % were masked up , 15-20 % were wearing gloves…no one wearing goggles… @ @ @ @ @ more likely to be prepared and informed than your typical grocery store/walmart crowd .
They @ @ @ @ @ lines on the ground and they were only letting a few people in at once @ @ @ @ @ there were a lot of people in the store .
They weren ’ t limiting @ @ @ @ @ the store so I really don ’ t understand the reason for the line outside… @ @ @ @ @ really wish I didn ’ t go now because they didn ’ t even have @ @ @ @ @ I needed for painting… it ’ s all LED now .
The second pic is @ @ @ @ @ goggles , the second selfie I ’ ve ever taken lol .

This is SE Pa btw.
Most people, I would say 60-70% were masked up, 15-20% were wearing gloves…no one wearing goggles… granted, construction/contractor types are more likely to be prepared and informed than your typical grocery store/walmart crowd.
They had a queue with tape lines on the ground and they were only letting a few people in at once but when you got in there were a lot of people in the store.
They weren’t limiting how many people were in the store so I really don’t understand the reason for the line outside… made no sense.
I really wish I didn’t go now because they didn’t even have the 5800k flouro flood bulbs I needed for painting… it’s all LED now.
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F*ckers.
The second pic is me with my p-100 and goggles, the second selfie I’ve ever taken lol.
ibb.co/gZ83QN8
ibb.co/Gc6Wq6X
h/t BFD


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-15--Hospitals STILL Facing 2-Week Waits For Test Results!  More health workers dying than official data

Hospitals STILL Facing 2-Week Waits For Test Results!  More health workers dying than official data suggests

CHICAGO ( CBS ) — Doctors and patients are dealing with two week waits for COVID-19 test results at some @ @ @ @ @ St. Anthony Hospital , a small community hospital with only 18 beds for the acutely @ @ @ @ @ of its 18 intensive care unit beds occupied by patients who have suspected or confirmed @ @ @ @ @ call it a level three disaster , ” said Dr. Zaher Sahloul .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ Sahloul runs the ICU at St. Anthony with a team of other dedicated doctors and @ @ @ @ @ are doing their best to save lives , but it ’ s a challenge when @ @ @ @ @ they are treating for coronavirus have underlying chronic illnesses .
Plus , compared to non-minorities @ @ @ @ @ room much later .

CHICAGO (CBS) — Doctors and patients are dealing with two week waits for COVID-19 test results at some smaller hospitals in Chicago.
St. Anthony Hospital, a small community hospital with only 18 beds for the acutely ill, now has 11 of its 18 intensive care unit beds occupied by patients who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases.
“We call it a level three disaster,” said Dr. Zaher Sahloul. “It is overwhelming the system.”
Sahloul runs the ICU at St. Anthony with a team of other dedicated doctors and nurses. He says they are doing their best to save lives, but it’s a challenge when many of the black patients they are treating for coronavirus have underlying chronic illnesses. Plus, compared to non-minorities they come to the emergency room much later.