investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--Jim Rickards: Worst Recession in 150 Years

The stock market had another big day today , spurred by the Fed ’ s massive recent liquidity injections .
But you really shouldn ’ t be terribly surprised by the rally .
Even the worst bear markets see substantial bouncebacks .
And you can expect the market to give back all of its recent gains in the months ahead as the economic fallout of the lockdowns becomes apparent .
This bear market has a long way to run .
And we could actually be looking at the worst recession in 150 years if one economist is correct .
Let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know I have a low opinion of most academic economists , the ones you find at the Fed , the IMF and in mainstream financial media .
The problem is not that they ’ re uneducated ; they have the Ph.D.s and high IQs to prove otherwise .
I ’ ve met many of them and I can tell you they ’ re not idiots .
The problem is that they ’ re miseducated .
They learn a lot of theories and models that do not correspond to the reality of how economies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet , they keep coming up with new ones that muddy the waters even further .
For example , concepts such as the Phillips curve ( an inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment ) are empirically false .
Other ideas such as “ comparative advantage ” have appeal in the faculty lounge but don ’ t work in the real world for many reasons , including the fact that nations create comparative advantage out of thin air with government subsidies and mercantilist demands .
It ’ s not the early 19th century anymore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For example , at that time , a nation that specialized in wool products like sweaters ( England ) might not make the best leather products like shoes ( Italy ) .
If you let England produce sweaters and Italy make shoes , everybody was better off at the end of the day .
It ’ s a simple example , but you get the point .
But in today ’ s highly integrated and globalized world , where you can simply relocate a factory from one country to the next , comparative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can produce both sweaters and shoes in China as easily as you can produce them in England and Italy ( and much more cheaply besides ) .
There are many other examples of lazy , dogmatic analysis among mainstream economists , too many to list .
Yet there are some exceptions to the rule .
A few economists have developed theories that are supported by hard evidence and do a great job of explaining real-world behavior .
One of those economists is Ken Rogoff of Harvard .
With his collaborator , Carmen Reinhart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debt-to-GDP ratios greater than 90 % negate the Keynesian multiplier through behavioral response functions .
At low debt ratios , a dollar borrowed and a dollar spent can produce $ 1.20 of GDP .
But at high ratios , a dollar borrowed and a dollar spent will produce only $ 0.90 of GDP .
This is the reality behind the phrase “ You can ’ t borrow your way out of a debt crisis.
” It ’ s true .
Meanwhile , the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio was about 105 % even before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher .
We ’ re just digging a deeper hole for ourselves .
So when Ken Rogoff talks ( or writes ) , I listen .
In his latest article , Rogoff offers a dire forecast for the recovery from the New Depression resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic .
He writes , “ The short-term collapse… now underway already seems likely to rival or exceed that of any recession in the last 150 years.
” That obviously includes the Great Depression and many other economic crises .
This is something you should really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear and it ’ s time to jump back into stocks .
Zooming out a bit , and as I ’ ve argued before , the pandemic is a prime example of complex systems colliding into one another… Investors and everyday citizens are focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic ( one complex dynamic system ) is crashing into the economy ( another complex dynamic system ) and influencing the political process and the upcoming U.S. presidential election ( still another complex dynamic system ) .
Analyzing the operations of one complex dynamic system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do it because they ’ re using the wrong paradigms .
Analysis becomes far more challenging when multiple complex systems interact with each other and produce feedback loops .
That ’ s where the real so-called “ Black Swans ” reside .
And this crisis is the blackest swan most people alive today have ever seen , especially if Rogoff ’ s insight is correct — 150 years is a very long time .
That ’ s not to minimize in any way recent events like 9/11 or the 2008 financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neither led to a virtual lockdown of the entire economy like we ’ re seeing now .
The current crisis simply has no precedent .
What we ’ re seeing is a full-fledged global contagion .
Let ’ s discuss the word “ contagion ” for a minute because it applies to both human populations and financial markets — and in more ways than you may expect .
There ’ s a reason why financial experts and risk managers use the word “ contagion ” to describe a financial panic .
Obviously , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or pandemic .
In the public health field , a disease can be transmitted from human to human through coughing , shared needles , shared food or contact involving bodily fluids .
An initial carrier of a disease ( “ patient zero ” ) may have many contacts before the disease even appears .
Some diseases have a latency period of weeks or longer , which means patient zero can infect hundreds before health professionals are even aware of the disease .
Then those hundreds can infect thousands or even millions before they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , such as the “ Spanish flu ” pandemic of 1918–20 involving the H1N1 influenza virus , the number infected can reach 500 million and the death toll can run over 100 million .
It can begin with one bank or broker going bankrupt as the result of a market collapse ( a “ financial patient zero ” ) .
But the financial distress quickly spreads to banks that did business with the failed entity and then to stockholders and depositors of those other banks and so on until the entire world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panic as happened in 2008 .
Still , the comparison between medical pandemics and financial panics is more than a metaphor .
Disease contagion and financial contagion both work the same way .
The nonlinear mathematics and system dynamics are identical in the two cases even though the “ virus ” is financial distress rather than a biological virus .
But what happens when these two dynamic functions interact ?
What happens when a biological virus turns into a financial virus ?
We ’ re seeing those effects now .
Yet even this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ > economy > politics ) does not go far enough .
The next phase has been little noticed and less discussed .
It involves social disorder .
An economic breakdown is more than just economic .
It leads quickly to a social breakdown that involves looting , random violence , fraud and decadent behavior .
The Roaring ’ 20s in the U.S. ( with Al Capone and Champagne baths ) and Weimar Germany ( with riots and cabaret ) are good examples .
Looting , burglary and violence in the midst of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things to come .
The veneer of civilization is paper-thin and easily torn .
Most people don ’ t realize how fragile it is .
But they ’ re going to learn that lesson , I ’ m afraid .
Expect social disorder to get worse long before it gets better .

by Jim Rickards via Daily Reckoning
The stock market had another big day today, spurred by the Fed’s massive recent liquidity injections.
But you really shouldn’t be terribly surprised by the rally. Even the worst bear markets see substantial bouncebacks. And you can expect the market to give back all of its recent gains in the months ahead as the economic fallout of the lockdowns becomes apparent.
This bear market has a long way to run. And we could actually be looking at the worst recession in 150 years if one economist is correct. Let’s unpack this…
My regular readers know I have a low opinion of most academic economists, the ones you find at the Fed, the IMF and in mainstream financial media.
The problem is not that they’re uneducated; they have the Ph.D.s and high IQs to prove otherwise. I’ve met many of them and I can tell you they’re not idiots.
The problem is that they’re miseducated. They learn a lot of theories and models that do not correspond to the reality of how economies and capital markets actually work.
Worse yet, they keep coming up with new ones that muddy the waters even further. For example, concepts such as the Phillips curve (an inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment) are empirically false.
Other ideas such as “comparative advantage” have appeal in the faculty lounge but don’t work in the real world for many reasons, including the fact that nations create comparative advantage out of thin air with government subsidies and mercantilist demands.
Not the Early 19th Century Anymore
It’s not the early 19th century anymore, when the theory first developed. For example, at that time, a nation that specialized in wool products like sweaters (England) might not make the best leather products like shoes (Italy).
If you let England produce sweaters and Italy make shoes, everybody was better off at the end of the day. It’s a simple example, but you get the point.
But in today’s highly integrated and globalized world, where you can simply relocate a factory from one country to the next, comparative advantage has much less meaning. You can produce both sweaters and shoes in China as easily as you can produce them in England and Italy (and much more cheaply besides).
There are many other examples of lazy, dogmatic analysis among mainstream economists, too many to list. Yet there are some exceptions to the rule.
A few economists have developed theories that are supported by hard evidence and do a great job of explaining real-world behavior. One of those economists is Ken Rogoff of Harvard.
The Worst Recession in 150 Years
With his collaborator, Carmen Reinhart and others, he has shown that debt-to-GDP ratios greater than 90% negate the Keynesian multiplier through behavioral response functions.
At low debt ratios, a dollar borrowed and a dollar spent can produce $1.20 of GDP. But at high ratios, a dollar borrowed and a dollar spent will produce only $0.90 of GDP.
This is the reality behind the phrase “You can’t borrow your way out of a debt crisis.” It’s true.
Meanwhile, the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio was about 105% even before the crisis. It’s only going higher. We’re just digging a deeper hole for ourselves.
So when Ken Rogoff talks (or writes), I listen. In his latest article, Rogoff offers a dire forecast for the recovery from the New Depression resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He writes, “The short-term collapse… now underway already seems likely to rival or exceed that of any recession in the last 150 years.”
That obviously includes the Great Depression and many other economic crises.
This is something you should really consider before you decide the coast is clear and it’s time to jump back into stocks.
Complex Systems Collide
Zooming out a bit, and as I’ve argued before, the pandemic is a prime example of complex systems colliding into one another…
Investors and everyday citizens are focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic (one complex dynamic system) is crashing into the economy (another complex dynamic system) and influencing the political process and the upcoming U.S. presidential election (still another complex dynamic system).
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Analyzing the operations of one complex dynamic system is difficult enough; most analysts can’t do it because they’re using the wrong paradigms.
Analysis becomes far more challenging when multiple complex systems interact with each other and produce feedback loops. That’s where the real so-called “Black Swans” reside.
And this crisis is the blackest swan most people alive today have ever seen, especially if Rogoff’s insight is correct — 150 years is a very long time.
That’s not to minimize in any way recent events like 9/11 or the 2008 financial crisis. Both were devastating. But neither led to a virtual lockdown of the entire economy like we’re seeing now. The current crisis simply has no precedent.
What we’re seeing is a full-fledged global contagion.
Biological and Financial Contagions
Let’s discuss the word “contagion” for a minute because it applies to both human populations and financial markets — and in more ways than you may expect.
There’s a reason why financial experts and risk managers use the word “contagion” to describe a financial panic.
Obviously, the word contagion refers to an epidemic or pandemic. In the public health field, a disease can be transmitted from human to human through coughing, shared needles, shared food or contact involving bodily fluids.
An initial carrier of a disease (“patient zero”) may have many contacts before the disease even appears.
Some diseases have a latency period of weeks or longer, which means patient zero can infect hundreds before health professionals are even aware of the disease. Then those hundreds can infect thousands or even millions before they are identified as carriers.
In extreme cases, such as the “Spanish flu” pandemic of 1918–20 involving the H1N1 influenza virus, the number infected can reach 500 million and the death toll can run over 100 million.
A similar dynamic applies in financial panics.
It can begin with one bank or broker going bankrupt as the result of a market collapse (a “financial patient zero”).
But the financial distress quickly spreads to banks that did business with the failed entity and then to stockholders and depositors of those other banks and so on until the entire world is in the grip of a financial panic as happened in 2008.
Still, the comparison between medical pandemics and financial panics is more than a metaphor.
Disease contagion and financial contagion both work the same way. The nonlinear mathematics and system dynamics are identical in the two cases even though the “virus” is financial distress rather than a biological virus.
But what happens when these two dynamic functions interact? What happens when a biological virus turns into a financial virus?
We’re seeing those effects now.
Get Ready for Social Disorder
Yet even this three-system analysis I just described (pandemic > economy > politics) does not go far enough. The next phase has been little noticed and less discussed.
It involves social disorder. An economic breakdown is more than just economic. It leads quickly to a social breakdown that involves looting, random violence, fraud and decadent behavior.
The Roaring ’20s in the U.S. (with Al Capone and Champagne baths) and Weimar Germany (with riots and cabaret) are good examples.
Looting, burglary and violence in the midst of a state of emergency are the shape of things to come.
The veneer of civilization is paper-thin and easily torn. Most people don’t realize how fragile it is. But they’re going to learn that lesson, I’m afraid.
Expect social disorder to get worse long before it gets better.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--No one seems to be noticing the massive uptick in global EQs

Especially around the Yellowstone area .
There has been a massive amount of activity and yet nearly every major source @ @ @ @ @ either mute or barely acknowledging it .

Especially around the Yellowstone area.
There has been a massive amount of activity and yet nearly every major source, including GLP, is either mute or barely acknowledging it.
Source:
www.oe-files.de/gmaps/eqmashup.html
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Source:
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/chunk-yellowstone-size-chicago-has-been-pulsing/
AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--Three Reasons China Manufactured COVID-19 and How They Did It

In 1979 , China introduced the One Child Policy to control the size of its rapidly growing population .
This policy was abolished in 2015 , and former Wall Street Journal reporter Mei Fong summarized the reasoning behind abolishing the policy as “ The reason China is doing this right now is because they have too many men , too many old people , and too few young people .
They have this huge crushing demographic crisis as a result of the one-child policy .
And if people don ’ t start having more children , they ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support a huge aging population.
” Fong believed the huge retiree community must be supported , which would severely dampen China ’ s future growth .
Since the citizens of China are living longer and having fewer children , the growth of this population imbalance is expected to continue , as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation which referred to a United Nations projections forecast that “ China will lose 67 million working-age people by 2030 , while simultaneously doubling the number of elderly .
That could put immense pressure on the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense for China to create a disease that disproportionately affects the elderly .
The China-United States trade war is an ongoing economic conflict between the world ’ s two largest national economies .
In 2018 , President Donald Trump began imposing tariffs and other trade barriers on China with the intent of forcing it to amend what the U.S. claims are “ unfair trade practices.
” Among those trade practices and their effects are the growing trade deficit , the theft of intellectual property , and the forced transfer of American technology to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States has placed over $ 600 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods .
China has always seen itself as a world leader ; however during the time frame starting from Donald Trump ’ s inauguration until the first confirmed Coronavirus death on January 11th , 2020 , the Shanghai SSE Composite Index lost 12 % of its overall value , while the United States S & P 500 gained 35 % .
China was losing its battle for economic supremacy and it ’ s plausible that they wanted to even the score .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ & P 500 has dropped as much as 35 % , while the SSE has remained relatively steady .
The West may have been hit harder from the virus because the three most internationally traveled nations are all located in Europe and North America .
With free travel laws , more visitors , and decentralized governments it is much harder for Western Nations to contain an airborne pandemic .
Additionally , China did not do its part to warn the rest of the world .
Numerous intelligence agencies have stated that China has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This underreporting is believed to have made other countries less prepared for this virus and helped contribute to its rapid spread across the rest of the globe .
Despite numerous US video-sharing apps that have been used for years such as Webex , Google Hangouts , Microsoft Teams , and Skype , Zoom has recently taken over the video conferencing market share .
In fact , the two most downloaded apps since the COVID-19 outbreak are Zoom and the trending video app TikTok .
Both are Chinese-run applications that have been linked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Zoom has been banned by Google , NASA , Space X , the Taiwanese Government , the NYC public school district and the German Foreign Ministry .
Space X cited “ significant privacy and security concerns ” and the German Foreign Ministry said that “ security and data protection weaknesses made it too risky to use ” .
Zoom has been linked to stealing logins and passwords , harvesting data , leaking personal information , taking control of users ’ microphones and cameras , allowing calls to be routed through whitelisted Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the web , and the ability to gain root access to a Mac OS .
TikTok has also amassed numerous concerns .
According to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in California federal court , TikTok has been illegally and secretly harvesting vast amounts of personally identifiable user data and sending it to China .
The lawsuit also accuses the company and its Chinese parent company ByteDance of taking user content such as draft videos without their consent and having “ ambiguous ” privacy policies .
It raises concerns that data gathered by TikTok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and track users in the US .
The company is benefiting from this alleged activity because it uses this data to sell targeted ads , the lawsuit alleges .
Furthermore , Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point has conducted research finding that TikTok has serious vulnerabilities that would have allowed hackers to manipulate user data and reveal personal information .
TikTok admitted to some of these mistakes and paid a $ 5.7 million fine to the United States for stealing data related to children under 13 .
China has a long history of intellectual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to enhance their capabilities and global reach during this virus .
It seems that China was oddly prepared to capitalize on this pandemic .
How they did it : What we know so far is that COVID-19 originated in Wuhan , China .
Additionally , China has only one Top Level-Four Microbiology Lab that is equipped to handle deadly coronaviruses , the National Biosafety Laboratory located in Wuhan .
The first-ever case of a coronavirus outbreak in humans was in 2003 when SARS was first discovered .
Over two-thirds of SARS diagnosed cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first-ever country to be majorly affected by a coronavirus .
Prior to COVID-19 , there have been less than 100 total diagnosed cases of human coronaviruses ( SARS and MERS ) in the United States and Europe combined .
Given the effects of SARS on China , in congruence with the rarity of the disease in the United States and Europe , it is not unreasonable to think that China has been studying coronaviruses more intently and for a longer period of time than any Western nation .
In fact , just recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped against coronaviruses , while China has known otherwise for many years .
Scientists believe that COVID-19 likely originated in a wet market , or natural environment , instead of a laboratory .
This is because the DNA of the virus is thought to have been created through zoonotic spillover .
Zoonotic spillover is the transmission of a virus from a vertebrate animal to a human .
Scientists believe COVID-19 started from a bat coronavirus which was presumably spread to a pangolin , and then to a human .
This is not unique @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARS ’ inception was also through zoonotic spillover , from bats to civets to humans .
MERS is also believed to have been created through zoonotic spillover , from bats to camels to humans .
Many scientists have pointed to zoonotic spillover as the reason COVID-19 started in nature instead of a laboratory .
The issue with this argument is that zoonotic spillover does not necessitate mutual exclusivity from human intervention .
It is reasonable to believe that if a group of scientists wanted to spread a deadly coronavirus and cover it up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
Instead , they would take bats infected with coronavirus , put them in cages with other animals , and study the effects .
There have been many leaked photos from China of primates in cages undergoing inhumane tests in laboratories , so animal atrocities of this kind are neither unprecedented nor uncommon in China .
Although it is possible that COVID-19 could have started in nature , the majority of the world ’ s bat population lives in South America and tropical climates .
This makes it less likely that naturally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as opposed to elsewhere .
It is much more likely that the only microbiology lab that is equipped to handle deadly coronaviruses , the one at the epicenter of the virus outbreak , performed some sort of animal experiment that either intentionally or unintentionally spread outside the laboratory .
If China didn ’ t manufacture the virus then they should have nothing to hide .
However , China has banned the publication of research into the origins of COVID-19 without government review and approval .
So much human knowledge could be gained from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 in order to prevent another pandemic .
Instead , China is actively censoring the press and changing the facts .
All of this leads me to believe that China manufactured the novel coronavirus and they are trying to cover up and control the narrative .
TL ; DR – China has both political and financial motives to create a virus that affects the elderly and the West .
China ’ s only laboratory that experiments with deadly coronaviruses is in Wuhan .
With the knowledge that the last two coronavirus outbreaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through zoonotic spillover , China performed animal experiments to form a new disease .
China has banned information about COVID-19 origins because they are trying to cover up and control the narrative .
Disclaimer : This is a guest post and it doesn ’ t necessarily represent the views of IWB .

by 1_Day_At_A_T1me
1: Age Demographics
In 1979, China introduced the One Child Policy to control the size of its rapidly growing population. This policy was abolished in 2015, and former Wall Street Journal reporter Mei Fong summarized the reasoning behind abolishing the policy as “The reason China is doing this right now is because they have too many men, too many old people, and too few young people. They have this huge crushing demographic crisis as a result of the one-child policy. And if people don’t start having more children, they’re going to have a vastly diminished workforce to support a huge aging population.” Fong believed the huge retiree community must be supported, which would severely dampen China’s future growth.
Since the citizens of China are living longer and having fewer children, the growth of this population imbalance is expected to continue, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation which referred to a United Nations projections forecast that “China will lose 67 million working-age people by 2030, while simultaneously doubling the number of elderly. That could put immense pressure on the economy and government resources.” So it makes sense for China to create a disease that disproportionately affects the elderly.
2. Trade War Retaliation
The China-United States trade war is an ongoing economic conflict between the world’s two largest national economies. In 2018, President Donald Trump began imposing tariffs and other trade barriers on China with the intent of forcing it to amend what the U.S. claims are “unfair trade practices.” Among those trade practices and their effects are the growing trade deficit, the theft of intellectual property, and the forced transfer of American technology to China. Since 2018, the United States has placed over $600 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods.
China has always seen itself as a world leader; however during the time frame starting from Donald Trump’s inauguration until the first confirmed Coronavirus death on January 11th, 2020, the Shanghai SSE Composite Index lost 12% of its overall value, while the United States S&P 500 gained 35%. China was losing its battle for economic supremacy and it’s plausible that they wanted to even the score. Since the Coronavirus outbreak, the S&P 500 has dropped as much as 35%, while the SSE has remained relatively steady. The West may have been hit harder from the virus because the three most internationally traveled nations are all located in Europe and North America. With free travel laws, more visitors, and decentralized governments it is much harder for Western Nations to contain an airborne pandemic. Additionally, China did not do its part to warn the rest of the world. Numerous intelligence agencies have stated that China has severely under-reported both deaths and cases. This underreporting is believed to have made other countries less prepared for this virus and helped contribute to its rapid spread across the rest of the globe.
3. Information Theft
Despite numerous US video-sharing apps that have been used for years such as Webex, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and Skype, Zoom has recently taken over the video conferencing market share. In fact, the two most downloaded apps since the COVID-19 outbreak are Zoom and the trending video app TikTok. Both are Chinese-run applications that have been linked to major security concerns and private data theft.
Zoom has been banned by Google, NASA, Space X, the Taiwanese Government, the NYC public school district and the German Foreign Ministry. Space X cited “significant privacy and security concerns” and the German Foreign Ministry said that “security and data protection weaknesses made it too risky to use”. Zoom has been linked to stealing logins and passwords, harvesting data, leaking personal information, taking control of users’ microphones and cameras, allowing calls to be routed through whitelisted Chinese servers, call records remaining viewable on the web, and the ability to gain root access to a Mac OS.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
TikTok has also amassed numerous concerns. According to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in California federal court, TikTok has been illegally and secretly harvesting vast amounts of personally identifiable user data and sending it to China. The lawsuit also accuses the company and its Chinese parent company ByteDance of taking user content such as draft videos without their consent and having “ambiguous” privacy policies. It raises concerns that data gathered by TikTok could be used to identify, profile and track users in the US. The company is benefiting from this alleged activity because it uses this data to sell targeted ads, the lawsuit alleges.
Furthermore, Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point has conducted research finding that TikTok has serious vulnerabilities that would have allowed hackers to manipulate user data and reveal personal information. TikTok admitted to some of these mistakes and paid a $5.7 million fine to the United States for stealing data related to children under 13. China has a long history of intellectual property theft, and they were able to enhance their capabilities and global reach during this virus. It seems that China was oddly prepared to capitalize on this pandemic.
How they did it:
What we know so far is that COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China. Additionally, China has only one Top Level-Four Microbiology Lab that is equipped to handle deadly coronaviruses, the National Biosafety Laboratory located in Wuhan. The first-ever case of a coronavirus outbreak in humans was in 2003 when SARS was first discovered. Over two-thirds of SARS diagnosed cases came from China, making China the first-ever country to be majorly affected by a coronavirus. Prior to COVID-19, there have been less than 100 total diagnosed cases of human coronaviruses (SARS and MERS) in the United States and Europe combined. Given the effects of SARS on China, in congruence with the rarity of the disease in the United States and Europe, it is not unreasonable to think that China has been studying coronaviruses more intently and for a longer period of time than any Western nation. In fact, just recently Western nations did not believe that masks helped against coronaviruses, while China has known otherwise for many years.
Scientists believe that COVID-19 likely originated in a wet market, or natural environment, instead of a laboratory. This is because the DNA of the virus is thought to have been created through zoonotic spillover. Zoonotic spillover is the transmission of a virus from a vertebrate animal to a human. Scientists believe COVID-19 started from a bat coronavirus which was presumably spread to a pangolin, and then to a human. This is not unique to COVID-19. It is believed that SARS’ inception was also through zoonotic spillover, from bats to civets to humans. MERS is also believed to have been created through zoonotic spillover, from bats to camels to humans.
Many scientists have pointed to zoonotic spillover as the reason COVID-19 started in nature instead of a laboratory. The issue with this argument is that zoonotic spillover does not necessitate mutual exclusivity from human intervention. It is reasonable to believe that if a group of scientists wanted to spread a deadly coronavirus and cover it up, they would not manufacture a man-made coronavirus. Instead, they would take bats infected with coronavirus, put them in cages with other animals, and study the effects. There have been many leaked photos from China of primates in cages undergoing inhumane tests in laboratories, so animal atrocities of this kind are neither unprecedented nor uncommon in China.
Although it is possible that COVID-19 could have started in nature, the majority of the world’s bat population lives in South America and tropical climates. This makes it less likely that naturally spread coronaviruses would keep originating in China as opposed to elsewhere. It is much more likely that the only microbiology lab that is equipped to handle deadly coronaviruses, the one at the epicenter of the virus outbreak, performed some sort of animal experiment that either intentionally or unintentionally spread outside the laboratory.
If China didn’t manufacture the virus then they should have nothing to hide. However, China has banned the publication of research into the origins of COVID-19 without government review and approval. So much human knowledge could be gained from a world of scientists studying the origins of COVID-19 in order to prevent another pandemic. Instead, China is actively censoring the press and changing the facts. All of this leads me to believe that China manufactured the novel coronavirus and they are trying to cover up and control the narrative.
TL;DR – China has both political and financial motives to create a virus that affects the elderly and the West. China’s only laboratory that experiments with deadly coronaviruses is in Wuhan. With the knowledge that the last two coronavirus outbreaks, SARS and MERS, were caused through zoonotic spillover, China performed animal experiments to form a new disease. China has banned information about COVID-19 origins because they are trying to cover up and control the narrative.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post and it doesn’t necessarily represent the views of IWB.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--So Basically The FBI Was A Russian Asset, Damaging The Us Political System At Putin’s Instigation:

It looks like Putin conned the FBI into the ‘ Russiagate ’ probe .
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Russia investigation launched and conducted by James Comey ’ s Federal Bureau of Investigation deserves to rank as one of the agency ’ s great blunders — at best .
President Trump famously calls the probe a hoax , a label he uses liberally , but in this instance , it may literally be true .
We ’ ve spent years obsessing about Russian meddling in our politics , and now it turns out that the original FBI investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Mueller probe may have been instigated , in part , by Russian disinformation .
In other words , the Kremlin may have succeeded in getting us to turn even more viciously against ourselves and conduct our politics in an atmosphere characterized by screaming headlines , dark insinuations and endless investigations — all by feeding a few lies to a private eye hired by the Hillary Clinton campaign to dig up dirt on Trump .
And the people who did the most to whip up this hysteria were the same ones who professed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If this was the product of a deliberate Russian intelligence operation , it has to be judged one of the most audaciously clever of all time .
The operative who first conceived of it deserves high honors , indeed , is a cinch to become a Hero of the Russian Federation .
A couple of footnotes in the report of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz into the conduct of the FBI investigation , released in December , have just been unredacted .
They relate to the so-called Steele dossier compiled by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked indirectly for the Clinton campaign .
One footnote says that the FBI received word of potential “ Russian disinformation influencing Steele ’ s election reporting.
” The FBI was told multiples times that information in the dossier was inaccurate .
One warning said a subset of bad information was “ part of a Russian disinformation campaign to denigrate US foreign relations , ” another that falsehoods were the work of Russian intelligence “ infiltrat [ ing ] a source into the network ” providing information .
A second unredacted footnote says that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steele source “ had historical contact with persons and entities suspected of being linked to ” Russian intelligence .
Trump critics have always pooh-poohed the dossier , but IG Horowitz has told Congress that the document was the basis of the illicit surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page .
How about another premise of the Russia investigation , the alleged information that Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos had of the Russian hacking beforehand ?

It looks like Putin conned the FBI into the ‘Russiagate’ probe.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Russia investigation launched and conducted by James Comey’s Federal Bureau of Investigation deserves to rank as one of the agency’s great blunders — at best.
President Trump famously calls the probe a hoax, a label he uses liberally, but in this instance, it may literally be true.
We’ve spent years obsessing about Russian meddling in our politics, and now it turns out that the original FBI investigation into the Trump campaign that morphed into the Mueller probe may have been instigated, in part, by Russian disinformation.
In other words, the Kremlin may have succeeded in getting us to turn even more viciously against ourselves and conduct our politics in an atmosphere characterized by screaming headlines, dark insinuations and endless investigations — all by feeding a few lies to a private eye hired by the Hillary Clinton campaign to dig up dirt on Trump.
And the people who did the most to whip up this hysteria were the same ones who professed to be most alarmed at Russia meddling.
If this was the product of a deliberate Russian intelligence operation, it has to be judged one of the most audaciously clever of all time. The operative who first conceived of it deserves high honors, indeed, is a cinch to become a Hero of the Russian Federation.
A couple of footnotes in the report of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz into the conduct of the FBI investigation, released in December, have just been unredacted. They relate to the so-called Steele dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, who worked indirectly for the Clinton campaign.
One footnote says that the FBI received word of potential “Russian disinformation influencing Steele’s election reporting.” The FBI was told multiples times that information in the dossier was inaccurate. One warning said a subset of bad information was “part of a Russian disinformation campaign to denigrate US foreign relations,” another that falsehoods were the work of Russian intelligence “infiltrat[ing] a source into the network” providing information.
A second unredacted footnote says that the FBI has information that an unnamed Steele source “had historical contact with persons and entities suspected of being linked to” Russian intelligence.
Trump critics have always pooh-poohed the dossier, but IG Horowitz has told Congress that the document was the basis of the illicit surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
How about another premise of the Russia investigation, the alleged information that Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos had of the Russian hacking beforehand?


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--CHINA: Coronavirus runs roughshod over debt-laden belt and road projects.

• Developing countries ’ ‘ hidden debts ’ to China totalled US $ 380 billion well before the global health and economic crisis , analysts estimate • Montenegro , which has a US $ 750 million Chinese loan for highway construction , is among the borrowers seeing commodity prices plunge and exchange rates shift In 2014 , the tiny Eastern European country of Montenegro saw an opportunity to catapult onto the world stage when it borrowed US $ 750 million from China to build a highway between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia .
The highway , funded as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Road Initiative , would spur the economy and help pave the young nation ’ s entry into the European Union .
Six years later , with the coronavirus pandemic destroying lives and economies worldwide , massive debt and “ highway to nowhere ” concerns hound the 103-mile Bar-Boljare venture and scores of other BRI projects across Asia , Africa and Eastern Europe .
The project has increased Montenegro ’ s public debt to 80 per cent of its gross domestic product ( GDP ) .
Its vital tourism industry is reeling .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ March downgraded its credit outlook to stable , citing the highway project .
“ The Bar-Boljare motorway is not just a roadway , it is a path to the Western value system , ” Prime Minister Dusko Markovi said last month in the capital of Podgorica , defending his pet project .
A government statement added : “ Markovi underlined that there was no talk of bankruptcy or ‘ debt bondage ’ , as it has often been speculated .
”

Developing countries’ ‘hidden debts’ to China totalled US$380 billion well before the global health and economic crisis, analysts estimate
Montenegro, which has a US$750 million Chinese loan for highway construction, is among the borrowers seeing commodity prices plunge and exchange rates shift
In 2014, the tiny Eastern European country of Montenegro saw an opportunity to catapult onto the world stage when it borrowed US$750 million from China to build a highway between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia. The highway, funded as part of President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, would spur the economy and help pave the young nation’s entry into the European Union.
Six years later, with the coronavirus pandemic destroying lives and economies worldwide, massive debt and “highway to nowhere” concerns hound the 103-mile Bar-Boljare venture and scores of other BRI projects across Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.
The project has increased Montenegro’s public debt to 80 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). Its vital tourism industry is reeling. And rating agency Moody’s in March downgraded its credit outlook to stable, citing the highway project. We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
“The Bar-Boljare motorway is not just a roadway, it is a path to the Western value system,” Prime Minister Dusko Markovi said last month in the capital of Podgorica, defending his pet project. A government statement added: “Markovi underlined that there was no talk of bankruptcy or ‘debt bondage’, as it has often been speculated.” www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3079918/coronavirus-runs-roughshod-over-debt-laden-belt-and-road


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--FOREIGN COLLUSION: US colleges received millions from China, Russia, Saudi Arabia…and didn’t report

FOREIGN COLLUSION: US colleges received millions from China, Russia, Saudi Arabia…and didn’t report it.

We need much stricter enforcement of the various foreign-influence laws .
Colleges and universities across America failed to report nearly $ 1 billion in foreign gifts between 2013 and 2018 .
Universities and colleges across the United States failed to report nearly $ 1 billion in foreign gifts from 2013-2018 , despite legal requirements from the Department of Education , according to the Clarion Project .
Campus Reform previously reported the investigation launched by the Department of Education into Harvard and Yale ’ s undisclosed foreign gifts .
Since then , the Clarion Project has revealed that more than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to colleges and universities from the United States since 2012 .
However , a significant portion of these gifts remain undisclosed .
According to a report from the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations , foreign government spending is a “ black hole ” and often goes unreported .
The Clarion Project has found that colleges and universities failed to report funding from countries such as China , Russia , and Saudi Arabia .
More than $ 140 million dollars in funding from China to 48 universities and 281 contracts have gone undisclosed .
About @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York University went undisclosed in 2018 .
Over $ 70 million dollars in funding from Saudia Arabia to 19 universities and 193 contracts have gone undisclosed .
The Senate Subcommittee also found that the Chinese government has been using Confucius Institutes ’ “ soft power ” to “ encourage complacency towards China ’ s pervasive , long-term initiatives against both government critics at home and businesses and academic institutions abroad.
” The Department of Education is concerned about colleges and universities giving “ unprecedented levels of access to foreign governments , corporations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Education also said , “ These colleges and universities actively solicit foreign governments , corporations , and nationals for funds although some donors are known to be hostile to the United States and may be seeking to project ‘ soft power , ’ steal sensitive and proprietary research and development data and other intellectual property , and spread propaganda benefitting foreign governments .
”

We need much stricter enforcement of the various foreign-influence laws.
via campusreform
Colleges and universities across America failed to report nearly $1 billion in foreign gifts between 2013 and 2018.
Universities and colleges across the United States failed to report nearly $1 billion in foreign gifts from 2013-2018, despite legal requirements from the Department of Education, according to the Clarion Project.
Campus Reform previously reported the investigation launched by the Department of Education into Harvard and Yale’s undisclosed foreign gifts. Since then, the Clarion Project has revealed that more than $10 billion has flowed from foreign countries to colleges and universities from the United States since 2012. However, a significant portion of these gifts remain undisclosed.
According to a report from the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, foreign government spending is a “black hole” and often goes unreported.
The Clarion Project has found that colleges and universities failed to report funding from countries such as China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
More than $140 million dollars in funding from China to 48 universities and 281 contracts have gone undisclosed.
About $500,000 in funding from Russia to New York University went undisclosed in 2018.
Over $70 million dollars in funding from Saudia Arabia to 19 universities and 193 contracts have gone undisclosed.
The Senate Subcommittee also found that the Chinese government has been using Confucius Institutes’ “soft power” to “encourage complacency towards China’s pervasive, long-term initiatives against both government critics at home and businesses and academic institutions abroad.”
The Department of Education is concerned about colleges and universities giving “unprecedented levels of access to foreign governments, corporations and persons without adequate oversight.”
The Department of Education also said, “These colleges and universities actively solicit foreign governments, corporations, and nationals for funds although some donors are known to be hostile to the United States and may be seeking to project ‘soft power,’ steal sensitive and proprietary research and development data and other intellectual property, and spread propaganda benefitting foreign governments.”


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--The W.H.O. should be held accountable for lying about the virus and saying it cannot be passed via h

The W.H.O. should be held accountable for lying about the virus and saying it cannot be passed via human to human transmission and advising AGAINST travel restrictions in January and February.

Jan 12th – At this stage , there is no infection among healthcare workers , and no clear evidence of human to human transmission .
Jan 31st – In their official statement declaring the emergency , the WHO stressed that they are not recommending “ any travel or trade restriction based on the current information available.
” Feb 4th – The World Health Organization has again warned countries against imposing travel restrictions to tackle the coronavirus outbreak , asserting that doing so would create “ fear and stigma.
” Feb 29th – WHO continues to advise against the application of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 outbreaks .
All countries in the world including the US only really implemented travel bans in February because the WHO was lying about the severity of the virus .
It ’ s a lie that the US was somehow less prepared and was behind other countries on responding .
The US actually implemented their travel ban before most countries after the CDC determined that it could be passed via human to human transmission .
The next big bombshell was when the first case in the US was found and the person did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is was really the first proof we had of the disease spreading which is when the US and the other countries started taking more actions .
Virus response timeline for all countries in February – en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2019 % E2 % 80 % 9320_coronavirus_pandemic_in_February_2020 Then for all the people that are going to comment and try to blame Trump , Heres a list of every executive order , proclamation or other presidential action that Trump took .
Sources are from the federal register and you have to click the link and read for the specifics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus and Other Appropriate Measures To Address This Risk February 29 , 2020 – Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus March 3 , 2020 – Delegation of Authority to Re-establish the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic- Resistant Bacteria March 11 , 2020 – Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease ( COVID-19 ) Outbreak March 14 , 2020 – Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus March 18 , 2020 – Prioritizing and Allocating Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID-19 March 22 , 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors ’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19 March 23 , 2020 – Preventing Hoarding of Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Delegating Additional Authority Under the Defense Production Act With Respect to Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread of COVID-19 March 27 , 2020 – National Emergency Authority To Order the Selected Reserve and Certain Members of the Individual Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty March 28 , 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors ’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19 March 30 , 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors ’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19 April 2 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19 April 7 , 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors ’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19 FLASHBACK : Time to put China on lockdown for its dishonesty amid coronavirus crisis .
Also : Xi Jinping ’ s China did this : The corrupt , criminal regime wasted 40 days blocking information while it crushed domestic dissent and ensured COVID-19 would become a global pandemic .
Trump announces U.S. will halt funding for WHO over coronavirus response YES : Boris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in funding from World Health Organisation .
Disclaimer : This is a guest post and it doesn ’ t necessarily represent the views of IWB .

by PropagandaDebunker
Jan 12th – At this stage, there is no infection among healthcare workers, and no clear evidence of human to human transmission.
Jan 31st – In their official statement declaring the emergency, the WHO stressed that they are not recommending “any travel or trade restriction based on the current information available.”
Feb 4th – The World Health Organization has again warned countries against imposing travel restrictions to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, asserting that doing so would create “fear and stigma.”
Feb 29th – WHO continues to advise against the application of travel or trade restrictions to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks.
All countries in the world including the US only really implemented travel bans in February because the WHO was lying about the severity of the virus. It’s a lie that the US was somehow less prepared and was behind other countries on responding. The US actually implemented their travel ban before most countries after the CDC determined that it could be passed via human to human transmission. The next big bombshell was when the first case in the US was found and the person did not do any recent travelling. This is was really the first proof we had of the disease spreading which is when the US and the other countries started taking more actions.
Virus response timeline for all countries in February – en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic_in_February_2020
Then for all the people that are going to comment and try to blame Trump, Heres a list of every executive order, proclamation or other presidential action that Trump took. Sources are from the federal register and you have to click the link and read for the specifics –
January 31, 2020 – Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus and Other Appropriate Measures To Address This Risk
February 29, 2020 – Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus
March 3, 2020 – Delegation of Authority to Re-establish the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic- Resistant Bacteria
March 11, 2020 – Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus
March 11, 2020 – Making General Use Respirators Available
March 13, 2020 – Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak
March 13, 2020 – Expanding State-Approved Diagnostic Tests
March 14, 2020 – Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
March 18, 2020 – Prioritizing and Allocating Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID-19
March 22, 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19
March 23, 2020 – Preventing Hoarding of Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread of COVID-19
March 27, 2020 – Delegating Additional Authority Under the Defense Production Act With Respect to Health and Medical Resources To Respond to the Spread of COVID-19
March 27, 2020 – National Emergency Authority To Order the Selected Reserve and Certain Members of the Individual Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty
March 28, 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19
March 30, 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19
April 2, 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19
April 7, 2020 – Providing Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard To Respond to COVID-19
Related:
FLASHBACK: Time to put China on lockdown for its dishonesty amid coronavirus crisis.
Also: Xi Jinping’s China did this: The corrupt, criminal regime wasted 40 days blocking information while it crushed domestic dissent and ensured COVID-19 would become a global pandemic.
Trump announces U.S. will halt funding for WHO over coronavirus response
YES: Boris urged to follow Trump and pull billions in funding from World Health Organisation.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post and it doesn’t necessarily represent the views of IWB.


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--Coronavirus Patients Warned Of New ‘Frost Bite’ And ‘Red Hives’ Symptoms

I told you months ago these weird symptoms would start to come out in the press as doctors begin reporting @ @ @ @ @ one am not surprised in the least , as I have had some of them @ @ @ @ @ to fully understand HIV and it ’ s course of disease .
Scientists studying coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ watch out for a new symptom similar to frostbite .
It is well-know coronavirus is @ @ @ @ @ a high fever , headache , fatigue or a strong persistent cough .
Sufferers have @ @ @ @ @ of smell and taste , a strange fizzing sensation on the skin and a testicle @ @ @ @ @ are finding new things about the disease every day , and scientists in France believe @ @ @ @ @ range of symptoms which affect the skin .
The symptoms include hives , painful red @ @ @ @ @ to frostbite .

I told you months ago these weird symptoms would start to come out in the press as doctors begin reporting on them.
I for one am not surprised in the least, as I have had some of them.
It took them YEARS to fully understand HIV and it’s course of disease.
From the article:
Scientists studying coronavirus have warned Covid-19 sufferers to watch out for a new symptom similar to frostbite.
It is well-know coronavirus is likely to show itself as a high fever, headache, fatigue or a strong persistent cough.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Sufferers have also reported diarrhoea, loss of smell and taste, a strange fizzing sensation on the skin and a testicle pain in men.
Researchers are finding new things about the disease every day, and scientists in France believe they have now discovered a range of symptoms which affect the skin.
The symptoms include hives, painful red skin and a smilier condition to frostbite.
www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/coronavirus-patients-warned-new-frost-21870046
h/t BFD


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--Tim Pool: CNN Was Just CAUGHT Pushing Fake News, Cuomo Panicking After Witness Confirms He Is NOT Is

Tim Pool: CNN Was Just CAUGHT Pushing Fake News, Cuomo Panicking After Witness Confirms He Is NOT Isolating

Busted !
A cyclist saw Fredo out with his family when he ’ s playing being in isolation on the @ @

Busted! A cyclist saw Fredo out with his family when he’s playing being in isolation on the news.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--This Japanese experiment shows how easily coronavirus can spread – and what you can do about it

We ’ ve all heard the advice about catching sneezes and coughs in a tissue to avoid spreading coronavirus .
But new research from Japan suggests that infection could be spread by simply holding a conversation with another person .
Using high-definition cameras and laser lighting , NHK , Japan ’ s public broadcaster , conducted an experiment with a group of researchers to capture the movement of microdroplets – particles that are less than 100th of a millimetre in size .
They found these microdroplets are emitted every time we speak – and the louder we talk , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people holding a conversation at a normal distance apart could easily lead to infection .
The findings underline the social distancing message from the World Health Organization , which advises people to keep at least 1 metre apart at all times .
It also reinforces the need to keep rooms well-ventilated .
The research sheds new light on the rapid spread of coronavirus .
Previous studies focused on sneezes and coughs , which emit larger 1 millimetre droplets that can be seen using a normal camera .
NHK found that droplets from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not travel very far , even in still air .
But their cameras also picked up microdroplets , less than 100th of a millimetre across .

Microdroplets less than 100th of millimetre in size may spread the coronavirus.
Research in Japan shows microdroplets can remain in the air for 20 minutes in enclosed spaces.
Opening a window or a door can eliminate the droplets.
We’ve all heard the advice about catching sneezes and coughs in a tissue to avoid spreading coronavirus. But new research from Japan suggests that infection could be spread by simply holding a conversation with another person.
Using high-definition cameras and laser lighting, NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, conducted an experiment with a group of researchers to capture the movement of microdroplets – particles that are less than 100th of a millimetre in size.
They found these microdroplets are emitted every time we speak – and the louder we talk, the more are emitted. So, two people holding a conversation at a normal distance apart could easily lead to infection.
The findings underline the social distancing message from the World Health Organization, which advises people to keep at least 1 metre apart at all times. It also reinforces the need to keep rooms well-ventilated. We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
A floating threat
The research sheds new light on the rapid spread of coronavirus. Previous studies focused on sneezes and coughs, which emit larger 1 millimetre droplets that can be seen using a normal camera.
NHK found that droplets from a sneeze fall quickly to the ground and do not travel very far, even in still air. But their cameras also picked up microdroplets, less than 100th of a millimetre across. www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-microdroplets-talking-breathing-spread-covid-19/


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--Ending coronavirus lockdowns will be a dangerous process of trial and error

’ s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center .
The world is holding its breath .
After the novel coronavirus made its way from China around the world , one country after another adopted harsh measures to stop SARS-CoV-2 from spreading and overwhelming hospitals .
They have hit the pause button on their economies and their citizens ’ lives , stopping sports events , religious services , and other social gatherings .
School closures in 188 countries affect more than 1.5 billion students .
Borders are closed and businesses shuttered .
While some countries are still seeing daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but increasingly in Europe—have managed to bend the curve , slowing the transmission of COVID-19 .
But what is the exit strategy ?
“ We ’ ve managed to get to the life raft , ” says epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch of the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health ( HSPH ) .
“ But I ’ m really unclear how we will get to the shore.
” As they seek a path forward , governments around the world must triangulate the health of their citizens , the freedoms of their population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be reopened ?
Restaurants ?
Bars ?
Can people go back to their offices ?
“ How to relax the lockdown is not something around which there is a scientific consensus , ” says Caroline Buckee , an epidemiologist at HSPH .
Most researchers agree that reopening society will be a long haul , marked by trial and error .
“ It ’ s going to have to be something that we ’ re going to have to take baby steps with , ” says Megan Coffee , an infectious disease researcher at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch in the next phase may no longer be the actual number of cases per day , but what epidemiologists call the effective reproduction number , or R , which denotes how many people the average infected person infects in turn .
If R is above 1 , the outbreak grows ; below 1 it shrinks .
The goal of the current lockdowns is to push R well below 1 .
Once the pandemic is tamed , countries can try to loosen restrictions while keeping R hovering around 1 , when each infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , keeping the number of new cases steady .
To regulate R , “ Governments will have to realize that there are basically three control knobs on the dashboard , ” says Gabriel Leung , a modeler at the University of Hong Kong : isolating patients and tracing their contacts , border restrictions , and social distancing .

Science ’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center.
The world is holding its breath.
After the novel coronavirus made its way from China around the world, one country after another adopted harsh measures to stop SARS-CoV-2 from spreading and overwhelming hospitals. They have hit the pause button on their economies and their citizens’ lives, stopping sports events, religious services, and other social gatherings. School closures in 188 countries affect more than 1.5 billion students. Borders are closed and businesses shuttered. While some countries are still seeing daily case numbers increase, others—first in Asia but increasingly in Europe—have managed to bend the curve, slowing the transmission of COVID-19.
But what is the exit strategy? “We’ve managed to get to the life raft,” says epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH). “But I’m really unclear how we will get to the shore.”
As they seek a path forward, governments around the world must triangulate the health of their citizens, the freedoms of their population, and economic constraints. Could schools be reopened? Restaurants? Bars? Can people go back to their offices? “How to relax the lockdown is not something around which there is a scientific consensus,” says Caroline Buckee, an epidemiologist at HSPH. Most researchers agree that reopening society will be a long haul, marked by trial and error. “It’s going to have to be something that we’re going to have to take baby steps with,” says Megan Coffee, an infectious disease researcher at New York University.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The number to watch in the next phase may no longer be the actual number of cases per day, but what epidemiologists call the effective reproduction number, or R, which denotes how many people the average infected person infects in turn. If R is above 1, the outbreak grows; below 1 it shrinks. The goal of the current lockdowns is to push R well below 1. Once the pandemic is tamed, countries can try to loosen restrictions while keeping R hovering around 1, when each infected person on average infects one other person, keeping the number of new cases steady.
To regulate R, “Governments will have to realize that there are basically three control knobs on the dashboard,” says Gabriel Leung, a modeler at the University of Hong Kong: isolating patients and tracing their contacts, border restrictions, and social distancing.
MORE:
www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/ending-coronavirus-lockdowns-will-be-dangerous-process-trial-and-error


investmentwatchblog--2020-04-16--Evidence proves Russian collusion undeniably true. This is a “must read” before you vote.

Russian collusion does exist .
The question is “ Would you be part of a political party that supported a US President that colluded with Russia ?
” We are not at war with Russia , so Russia is not our enemy .
The democrats and Fake News MSM have made it clear that it really doesn ’ t matter if we are at war .
They have made it perfectly clear that no US President should have any involovement with Russia .
We are expected to believe the president is guilty simply because they said so .
No evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinions .
Some example stories that accused a US President of Russian collusion include , I would like to add my proof of Russian collusion .
Unlike what the democrats and the Fake News MSM has provided for us , my addition is factual proof of Russian collusion .
The following comes from a US Presidential document .
Circled at the top , It mentions “ technical cooporation with Russia “ .
Underlined it is repeated with the addition of “ including lab to lab contacts and collaboration on verification technologies “ .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ States provided the Russian Federation with diplomatic non-paper entitled U.S. Russian Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
” We see the words “ utilization “ , “ techinques “ , “ technologies ” and “ classified discussions are warranted.
” Using the standards that the democrats and Fake News MSM go by , this is being far too friendly with Russia .
This is more than simple collusion .
This is the president talking about sharing information and working with the Russians .
What and how much is being shared with Russia ?
The following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is clear that a lot of planning was put into this .
It is clear that there are more people involved than the president .
This is an organized effort to give Russia American secrets .
The democrats and Fake News MSM would love to have this information to bring charges up on the president .
With this information , the republicans would have no choice to go along with it .
There ’ s just too much deny .
So much that I would have to agree with them .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they would keep it from the public at one point in time .
After they got it all together , they would then let the public in on it .
I don ’ t need to see anymore .
If that isn ’ t Russian collusion , I couldn ’ t tell you what is .
Now all we need to do is pin it on the president .
Lucky for us , that won ’ t be that difficult .
It ’ s signed at the bottom .
Wait a minute , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s President Clintons signature .
That ’ s right .
Sorry to disappoint the Trump haters .
This is all Bill Clinton complete with signatures from his advisors .
The next time the democrats or the Fake News MSM cry Russian collusion , just bring this up .
I ’ ve even provided the full PDF file The next time you vote just remember that the democrats are the party of Russian collusion

by Deplorable Patriot
Russian collusion does exist. The question is “Would you be part of a political party that supported a US President that colluded with Russia?”
We are not at war with Russia, so Russia is not our enemy. The democrats and Fake News MSM have made it clear that it really doesn’t matter if we are at war. They have made it perfectly clear that no US President should have any involovement with Russia. We are expected to believe the president is guilty simply because they said so. No evidence. Just their opinion, hunches and opinions.
Some example stories that accused a US President of Russian collusion include,
I would like to add my proof of Russian collusion. Unlike what the democrats and the Fake News MSM has provided for us, my addition is factual proof of Russian collusion.
The following comes from a US Presidential document.
Circled at the top, It mentions “technical cooporation with Russia“. Underlined it is repeated with the addition of “including lab to lab contacts and collaboration on verification technologies“. Next, we see “the United States provided the Russian Federation with diplomatic non-paper entitled U.S. Russian Scientific and Technical Cooperation.”
We see the words “utilization“, “techinques“, “technologies” and “classified discussions are warranted.”
Using the standards that the democrats and Fake News MSM go by, this is being far too friendly with Russia. This is more than simple collusion. This is the president talking about sharing information and working with the Russians. What and how much is being shared with Russia?
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The following screenshots come from the same document.
It is clear that a lot of planning was put into this. It is clear that there are more people involved than the president. This is an organized effort to give Russia American secrets.
The democrats and Fake News MSM would love to have this information to bring charges up on the president. With this information, the republicans would have no choice to go along with it. There’s just too much deny. So much that I would have to agree with them. There was Russian collusion. They even mention they would keep it from the public at one point in time. After they got it all together, they would then let the public in on it.
I don’t need to see anymore. If that isn’t Russian collusion, I couldn’t tell you what is. Now all we need to do is pin it on the president. Lucky for us, that won’t be that difficult. It’s signed at the bottom.
Wait a minute, that say’s William J Clinton. That’s President Clintons signature. That’s right. Sorry to disappoint the Trump haters. This is all Bill Clinton complete with signatures from his advisors.
The next time the democrats or the Fake News MSM cry Russian collusion, just bring this up. I’ve even provided the full PDF file
The next time you vote just remember that the democrats are the party of Russian collusion
Respectfully
Deplorable Patriot


investmentwatchblog--2020-03-15--CDC Recommends Schools Closed for 8 Weeks, Warns Against Travel Within the US. New Jersey Under A Cu

CDC Recommends Schools Closed for 8 Weeks, Warns Against Travel Within the US. New Jersey Under A Curfew

CDC : School closures of 8 weeks or more may be needed Closing schools for eight weeks or more may @ @ @ @ @ mitigating the spread of the novel coronavirus than two- to four-week closures , the US @ @ @ @ @ Prevention has said .
Shorter-term closures will likely make little difference in the spread of @ @ @ @ @ guidance states , even as K-12 school districts across the country began announcing school closures @ @ @ @ @ .
Closing schools also comes with its own setbacks , namely a potentially negative impact @ @ @ @ @ the CDC also acknowledged in its updated guidelines .

CDC: School closures of 8 weeks or more may be needed
Closing schools for eight weeks or more may have a greater impact on mitigating the spread of the novel coronavirus than two- to four-week closures, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.
Shorter-term closures will likely make little difference in the spread of the disease, new CDC guidance states, even as K-12 school districts across the country began announcing school closures within the shorter time frame.
Closing schools also comes with its own setbacks, namely a potentially negative impact on academic outcomes, which the CDC also acknowledged in its updated guidelines.


investmentwatchblog--2020-03-14--Signs suggest a good chance of historic market movements coming next week.

Here is a graph of market up v.s .
down days ( shamelessly stolen from www.wolfstreet.com ) .
Notably BOTH the upward movements and the downward movements have been trending larger over time since the start of the crash .
Obviously this trend is unsustainable and it will stop at some point , but at the moment it looks full steam ahead into next week .
As a confirmation of this real possibility look at the highest strikes for the VIX options that expire March 18th .
The VIX in all of history has never gone above 60 [ EDIT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is very real open option interest for next week ( and so far next week only ) for the VIX reaching as high as 130 , i.e .
more than 2x as bad as any financial crisis that has ever existed during the history of the VIX .
Obviously these are probably hedges as opposed to bets , but if you look at the numbers involved for open interest : These are not “ on a lark ” hedges done because “ well it was cheap so I bought a few options.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ extreme the strikes are implying numerous significant market players believe that there is enough of a real possibility that next week will be history making crazy that they want to put down some non-trivial money on buying insurance against it .
“ That ’ s great retard but I can ’ t read and wouldn ’ t if I could .
Just give me the strike and expiry.
” Up and down next week harder and faster then your wife ’ s boyfreind pounds the both of you .
Buy puts at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near the end of any day where futures + cash market triggered at least one “ down ” circuit breaker between the two of them ( preferably more than one to be safe , but one will probably suffice ) .
“ Calls and puts on what , and what strike ?
” It looks like it might not even matter on what ticker or what strike , anything that is not nailed down and is affordable ( and isn ’ t an inverse ETF you retard ) .
Timing on entry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then what garbage you bought ( and its all garbage right now ) , and timing will be getting down to almost twitch reflexes pitting you against the HFTs while any sane individuals will just check out of the market completely and wait for the dust to settle .
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 cischiral
Here is a graph of market up v.s. down days (shamelessly stolen from www.wolfstreet.com). Notably BOTH the upward movements and the downward movements have been trending larger over time since the start of the crash. Obviously this trend is unsustainable and it will stop at some point, but at the moment it looks full steam ahead into next week.
As a confirmation of this real possibility look at the highest strikes for the VIX options that expire March 18th. The VIX in all of history has never gone above 60 [EDIT: Before last week], but there is very real open option interest for next week (and so far next week only) for the VIX reaching as high as 130, i.e. more than 2x as bad as any financial crisis that has ever existed during the history of the VIX. Obviously these are probably hedges as opposed to bets, but if you look at the numbers involved for open interest:
27,838 at strike 90
20,166 at strike 100
5,234 at strike 130
These are not “on a lark” hedges done because “well it was cheap so I bought a few options.” These are large numbers given how extreme the strikes are implying numerous significant market players believe that there is enough of a real possibility that next week will be history making crazy that they want to put down some non-trivial money on buying insurance against it.
“That’s great retard but I can’t read and wouldn’t if I could. Just give me the strike and expiry.”
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
Up and down next week harder and faster then your wife’s boyfreind pounds the both of you. Buy puts at the end of up days. Buy calls near the end of any day where futures + cash market triggered at least one “down” circuit breaker between the two of them (preferably more than one to be safe, but one will probably suffice).
“Calls and puts on what, and what strike?”
It looks like it might not even matter on what ticker or what strike, anything that is not nailed down and is affordable (and isn’t an inverse ETF you retard). Timing on entry and exit of your positions will mater more then what garbage you bought (and its all garbage right now), and timing will be getting down to almost twitch reflexes pitting you against the HFTs while any sane individuals will just check out of the market completely and wait for the dust to settle.
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--2020-03-14--Does this mean the street is not interested in liquidity to make markets?  They only want to liquida

Does this mean the street is not interested in liquidity to make markets?  They only want to liquidate?

S & P 500 : The shortest bear market in history lasted 3 months .
The longest lasted more than @ @ @ @ @ lasts 14 months .
For those of you so eager to buy back in , @ @ @ @ @ get educated on what a bear market actually is .
It ’ s not just @ @ @ @ @ down or a particularly deep dip to buy .
Bear markets act a certain way @ @ @ @ @ of time and certainly don ’ t magically reset back into the last bull market @ @ @ @ @ be a new bull market ( at some point ) but it likely will be @ @ @ @ @ of the one that is now dead and buried that we all loved so much @ @ @ @ @ Expect different market leadership , different return patterns and certainly a different duration .
The @ @ @ @ @ the sharper the drop into bear market territory , the quicker the recovery is .

Second of Fed's half trillion Dud-zookas and guess how much dealers bid for? $17bln out of $500bln. A crisis is upon us, the scale of which we won’t know for some time, and no one wants the Fed’s “money.”t.co/dPogGbgYNA pic.twitter.com/4xjUaqbXye — Jeffrey P. Snider (@JeffSnider_AIP) March 13, 2020
S&P 500: The shortest bear market in history lasted 3 months. The longest lasted more than five years. The average lasts 14 months.
For those of you so eager to buy back in, it would be good to get educated on what a bear market actually is. It’s not just a term for stocks going down or a particularly deep dip to buy.
Bear markets act a certain way, last a certain amount of time and certainly don’t magically reset back into the last bull market we had. There will be a new bull market (at some point) but it likely will be very different from the nature of the one that is now dead and buried that we all loved so much from 2009 – 2020. Expect different market leadership, different return patterns and certainly a different duration.
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
The good news is that typically the sharper the drop into bear market territory, the quicker the recovery is.
AC


investmentwatchblog--2020-03-14--Watch for Florida replacing Washington as the epicenter:

· Washington has been hunkering down , closing schools , setting limits on numbers for gatherings , canceling events , and self isolating with even mega corps like Microsoft closing their campus and requiring workers to work from home .
· Florida : Spring Breakers – ie college students from all over the USA who have not been tested – party on like Titanic passengers tempting the little coronakiller .
Florida is the # 1 Spring Break destination in the US and will have far more college crazies than other spots , but it isn ’ t alone .
Other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Island , Lake Havasu , Gulf Shores in Alabama , etc.
, though not as popular as Florida , still will have their share of : – Kissing , canoodling & all kinds of other bodily fluid exchange activities going on – Drunken carousing which leads to dulled , misguided and reckless behavior which can only magnify by who knows how many order of magnitude the outbreak – Partying at bars , clubs , hotels and pools where surfaces are not being sanitized and revelers are thoughtlessly touching everything A number of large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ festivals have been canceled , but that has not deterred massive numbers of derelict college partiers from congregating in other areas such as beaches , hotel pools , clubs , restaurants , bars , etc .
Three of America ’ s Best & Brightest college students – our future – think of it this way : “ But with the world seemingly coming to a jarring halt all around them , Edwards , Don , and Ganley aren ’ t going to let the pandemic turn their Spring Break into a buzzkill .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard , and hook up with girls .
And with their school extending Spring Break by another week , they are also contemplating the next locale to keep the party raging—even as experts sounded the alarm about the young exposing the more vulnerable.
” And because many colleges and universities have EXTENDED Spring Break , the Spring Break Assassins aren ’ t taking that as a way to slow the spread or reduce risk , but instead are seeing the extension as a way to CONTINUE to spread their carelessness & insolence – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry : “ We ’ re about to go somewhere else because the flights are cheap as hell , ” one defiant Spring Breaker says .
“ We might go to Toronto .
I don ’ t know .
”

· Washington has been hunkering down, closing schools, setting limits on numbers for gatherings, canceling events, and self isolating with even mega corps like Microsoft closing their campus and requiring workers to work from home.
· Florida: Spring Breakers – ie college students from all over the USA who have not been tested – party on like Titanic passengers tempting the little coronakiller. Florida is the #1 Spring Break destination in the US and will have far more college crazies than other spots, but it isn’t alone. Other Spring Break hotspots such as South Padre Island, Lake Havasu, Gulf Shores in Alabama, etc., though not as popular as Florida, still will have their share of:
– No social distancing
– Kissing, canoodling & all kinds of other bodily fluid exchange activities going on
– Drunken carousing which leads to dulled, misguided and reckless behavior which can only magnify by who knows how many order of magnitude the outbreak
– Partying at bars, clubs, hotels and pools where surfaces are not being sanitized and revelers are thoughtlessly touching everything
– Sharing bottles, glasses, joints, pipes and bongs
We are primarily funded by readers. Please subscribe and donate to support us!
– Many boarded Caribbean cruises , petri dishes for mass virus infections
bit.ly/2wSTEg2
A number of large gatherings such as concerts, fairs and festivals have been canceled, but that has not deterred massive numbers of derelict college partiers from congregating in other areas such as beaches, hotel pools, clubs, restaurants, bars, etc.
Three of America’s Best & Brightest college students – our future – think of it this way:
“But with the world seemingly coming to a jarring halt all around them, Edwards, Don, and Ganley aren’t going to let the pandemic turn their Spring Break into a buzzkill. The mission remains the same: party hard, and hook up with girls. And with their school extending Spring Break by another week, they are also contemplating the next locale to keep the party raging—even as experts sounded the alarm about the young exposing the more vulnerable.”
And because many colleges and universities have EXTENDED Spring Break, the Spring Break Assassins aren’t taking that as a way to slow the spread or reduce risk, but instead are seeing the extension as a way to CONTINUE to spread their carelessness & insolence – on the back of a broken airline industry: “We’re about to go somewhere else because the flights are cheap as hell,” one defiant Spring Breaker says. “We might go to Toronto. I don’t know.”
h/t UP


investmentwatchblog--2020-03-14--Buckle Up: The CDC is hiring Quarantine officers

Serve as a project representative for a program responsible for preventing the importation and spread of communicable diseases .
Many @ @ @ @ @ :

by dog
www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/549063900
Summary
Serve as a project representative for a program responsible for preventing the importation and spread of communicable diseases.
Salary $51,440 to $93,077 per year
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations: