Goldman's Top Charts Of 2020

Goldman's Top Charts Of 2020 In the year's final report published by Goldman's economists the bank has summarized key global themes that stood out this year and are likely to shape 2021 in a series of charts. First, here are some of Goldman's key observations on the global economy: * The global economy came to a sudden pandemic stop with a peak hit to global GDP in mid-April of 20% that varied significantly in magnitude across economies. * Unprecedented policy easing and adaptation drove the rapid but partial global recovery in the second half of 2020.  Fiscal easing led to relatively stable real disposable income in most DMs and an actual surge in the US despite a historic collapse in GDP.  Monetary easing stabilized financial markets and brought the most accommodative financial conditions on record.  Targeted policies such as mask wearing mandates and other consumer and business adaptations including surges in e-commerce and work from home lowered the relative impact on economic activity from successive virus waves. * Relatively low bankruptcies, increased business formations, limited increases in unemployment in Europe and Japan, and sharp declines in unemployment in North America all point to surprisingly limited long-term damage to the supply side of the economy. * We expect the virus situation to improve sharply in 2021, driven by warmer weather in the Northern hemisphere, rising immunity from natural infections and—most importantly—a successful global vaccination campaign.  Vaccine supply is well below demand at present, but it should become plentiful in DMs in the next several months and in EMs later in the year.  The remaining issues are mostly logistical, but the speed of the rollout in Israel in recent weeks suggests that they are surmountable. * Slowing virus spread should boost activity in virus-sensitive sectors that account for the bulk of the output gap and the 2020 decline in inflation and drive our 2021 above-consensus global growth forecast of +6.4% And here are the charts, starting with the Global Sudden Stop, with China becoming the first country to lock down followed promptly by other countries in March... ... leading to a 20% collapse of global GDP in April... ... yet the decline wasn't uniform and varied in both speed and magnitude across economies. The collapse reversed rapidly if partially in the second half, thanks to a panicked policy response and behavioral adaptation... Meanwhile, the historic $20 trillion QE unleashed by global central banks... ... helped push stocks to all time highs while pushing financial conditions to the easiest on record. Looking ahead, Goldman sees limited supply side damage and improved virus control which drive the bank's above-consensus 2021 global GDP forecast of +6.4%... ... boosted by a strong business sector which "experienced surprisingly few bankruptcies and elevated business formations" Adding to its optimistic outlook, Goldman sees the virus spread slowing once the weather warms up in the Northern hemisphere... ... and as natural immunity from infections builds... ... while distribution of plentiful vaccines will further cut down on virus spread... ... benefiting DM countries most and helping drive successful vaccination campaigns… ... with the assumption that logistic issues get resolved, something which Goldman is optimistic about referring to Israel's "rapid rollout": The gradual elimination of covid should boost activity in virus-sensitive and restricted sectors that account for the bulk of the output gap according to Goldman… ... which concludes by putting all of the above together, and predicting a jump in inflation in the coming years. Tyler Durden Thu, 12/31/2020 - 21:00
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BOB KUDLA: THE PEOPLE HAVE REACHED THE PRECIPICE, THE GREAT RESET HAS BEEN TRUMPED

from X22report: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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Pfizer, GSK & Others Quietly Hike Prices On 100s Of Drugs

Pfizer, GSK & Others Quietly Hike Prices On 100s Of Drugs With just hours to go until the new year, Reuters reports that a group of the world's largest drug companies is preparing to hike drug prices, defying President Trump to issue a last-minute rebuke, as he has done in the past. Drugmakers including Pfizer Inc, Sanofi SA, and GlaxoSmithKline Plc plan to raise U.S. prices on more than 300 drugs in the United States on Jan. 1, according to drugmakers and data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. The hikes come as drugmakers are reeling from effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reduced doctor visits and demand for some drugs. They are also fighting new drug price cutting rules from the Trump administration, which would reduce the industry’s profitability. The companies kept their price increases at 10% or below, and the largest drug companies to raise prices so far, Pfizer and Sanofi, kept nearly all of their increases 5% or less, 3 Axis said. 3 Axis is a consulting firm that works with pharmacists groups, health plans and foundation on drug pricing and supply chain issues. During the early days of the Trump presidency, reports of price hikes elicited angry tweets from the president. This dynamic was credited with staving off a hike or two, but that doesn't change the fact that drug companies tend to raise prices on their inventory at least once, usually twice, per year. Still, even Reuters pointed out that the pace of drug price increases has "slowed substantially" since 2015, per Reuters. And the Trump Administration is pushing legislation that would constrain drugmakers' ability to raise prices. Nevertheless, with drugmakers' dedicating themselves to defeating COVID-19 (of course, the state has doled out billions of dollars in subsidies, which sort of diminishes the selflessness narrative), the industry is insisting that profits must be made up elsewhere. So prices on some 300 drugs will rise, with more formal announcements expected on Friday, and over the weekend. GSK did raise prices on two vaccines - shingles vaccine Shingrix and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine Pediarix - by 7% and 8.6%, respectively, 3 Axis said. Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc hiked prices on 15 drugs, including Austedo, which treats rare neurological disorders, and asthma steroid Qvar, which together grossed more than $650 million in sales in 2019 and saw price hikes of between 5% and 6%. Teva hiked prices for some drugs, including muscle relaxant Amrix and narcolepsy treatment Nuvigil, as much as 9.4%. More price hikes are expected to be announced on Friday and in early January. [...] In 2020, drugmakers raised prices on more than 860 drugs by around 5 percent, on average, according to 3 Axis. Drug price increases have slowed substantially since 2015, both in terms of the size of the hikes and the number of drugs affected. Pfizer, which threw money at its "partner", BioNTech, to help develop and distribute a vaccine using the latter's revolutionary mRNA technology, is one of the biggest offenders, hiking prices on cancer drugs, and the ubiquitous rheumatoid arthritis treatment Xeljanz, famous for commercials that have spawned satirical takes on social media. Pfizer plans to raise prices on more than 60 drugs by between 0.5 % and 5%. Those include roughly 5% increases on some of its top sellers like rheumatoid arthritis treatment Xeljanz and cancer drugs Ibrance and Inlyta. Pfizer said it had adjusted the list prices of its drugs by around 1.3% across all products in its portfolio, in line with inflation. "This modest increase is necessary to support investments that allow us to continue to discover new medicines and deliver those breakthroughs to the patients who need them," spokeswoman Amy Rose said in a statement, pointing in particular to the COVID-19 vaccine the company developed with Germany’s BioNTech SE. It said that its net prices, which back out rebates to pharmacy benefit managers and other discounts, have actually fallen for the last 3 years. By contrast, China is cracking heads to ensure that drugmakers are responding to the public's need with massive price cuts. According to state-run media, some drugmakers are cutting prices by as much as 51%. Chinese patients can now get reimbursement for 2.8K medicines, including 1.4K Western drugs and 1,374 traditional Chinese medicines. With holiday parties about to start, we wonder, will President Trump take another stand on twitter? Pfizer & others should be ashamed that they have raised drug prices for no reason. They are merely taking advantage of the poor & others unable to defend themselves, while at the same time giving bargain basement prices to other countries in Europe & elsewhere. We will respond! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2018 Though, at this point, even if he does, it would only serve to further complicate the relationship with these companies as 'Operation Warp Speed' lags further behind its target. Tyler Durden Thu, 12/31/2020 - 18:30
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Perdue In Quarantine Days Before Critical Georgia Runoff

Perdue In Quarantine Days Before Critical Georgia Runoff With just days to go until the special election vote in Georgia where he - alongside Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who is facing her own opponent - will face off against Democrat Jon Ossoff, Republican Sen. David Perdue is being forced to quarantine, alongside his family, after coming into contact with a COVID-positive individual. The news comes at a particularly inopportune moment for Perdue and his family. Polls show Perdue's lead over Ossoff, a progressive Democrat from the Atlanta suburbs who has gained a degree of national prominence after putting up a good fight (but still losing) in an earlier Georgia special election, has been slipping as national anger simmers over the Senate GOP's decision to block the $2K stimulus checks pushed by President Trump. Statement from our campaign: pic.twitter.com/3U3TJ9Va9l — David Perdue (@Perduesenate) December 31, 2020 Here's a statement from Perdue and his campaign. "This morning, Senator Perdue was notified that he came into close contact with someone on the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19. Both Senator Perdue and his wife tested negative today, but following his doctor's recommendations and in accordance with CDC guidelines, they will quarantine. "The Senator and his wife have been tested regularly throughout the campaign, and the team will continue to follow CDC guidelines. Further information will be provided when available." Perdue's race has tremendous implications for Republicans nationwide, as their grip on the Senate is hanging in the balance.Republicans currently have a razor-thin majority of 50-48 in the Senate. If Democrats win both seats, then the balance of the Senate would be 50-50, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be empowered to cast the tie-breaking vote. But even losing one seat would put Democrats just one Mitt Romney away from doing whatever they want. Tyler Durden Thu, 12/31/2020 - 16:40
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The Curse Of The Third 10%-Plus Year

The Curse Of The Third 10%-Plus Year Via DataTrekResearch.com, The Third Year Curse Jessica has written several times about the seeming market anomaly that the S&P 500 rarely posts three or more consecutive +10 percent years.  Since 1928 (93 years), it’s happened only 5 times: * World War II (4 years): 1942 (+19 pct), 1943 (+25 pct), 1944 (+19 pct) and 1945 (+36 pct) * Korean War (4 years): 1949 (+18 pct), 1950 (+31 pct), 1951 (+24 pct) and 1952 (18 pct) * Start of Vietnam War (3 years): 1963 (+23 pct), 1964 (+16 pct), and 1965 (+12 pct) * Late 1990s Bull Market (5 years): 1995 (37 pct), 1996 (+23 pct), 1997 (+33 pct), 1998 (+28 pct) and 1999 (+21 pct) * Post-Financial/Greek Debt Crisis (3 years): 2012 (+16 pct), 2013 (+32 pct) and 2014 (14 pct) That’s the whole list, across almost an entire century of US equity returns… The famous bull market of the 1980s did not see 3 consecutive +10 percent years. Nor did the 1970s, when the S&P 500 rose by 78 percent over that inflationary decade. Even the post-1932 snapback from the Great Depression bottom for US stocks failed to string together 3 years in a row of +10 percent returns in the 1930s. We’re closing 2020 with a 15 percent price return, and 2019 was 31 percent, so why would one think that there’s enough left in the tank for another +10 percent year in 2021? * Do we really think investors haven’t figured out that corporate earnings will rebound sharply in 2021? * … Or that they don’t believe the Federal Reserve is serious about keeping interest rates low across the curve? * Those factors explain 2020’s return, especially the lift off the March 23rd bottom. But they do nothing useful to defend the view that 2021 will see the S&P 500 return another +10 percent. Some thoughts about what a real “surprise” would actually be next year that could propel US stocks: * S&P earnings could be more like $50/share in Q3 and Q4 2020, rather than the $45-$46/share Wall Street currently has in its models. This is our “base case” surprise, something that is likely to happen but not yet fully incorporated into stock prices. Earnings leverage through a cyclical bottom (both on the way down and back up again) is always hard to call, which is why markets always swoon at the start of recessions and rip at the bottom of economic downturns. * US vaccine rollout and adoption could be faster than expected, supporting the idea earnings might be better than expected since consumer confidence will recover more quickly. * Congress and the Biden administration might agree on multiple large fiscal stimulus packages over the course of 2021, taking the risk out of next year’s earnings estimates even if we don’t get to $50/share in Q3/Q4. Also, some of that cash would end up in equities, as 2020’s $1,200/person cash payments did. * Worth noting: the Georgia Senate races could be a negative surprise for markets if both Democrats prevail. This would swing the upper house to 50/50, making Democrat VP Harris the tie breaking vote on issues like tax policy. Takeaway: if we had to guesstimate, we’d say 80% of all the baseline good news expected in 2021 is already incorporated in an S&P 500 at 3,700 in late December 2020. If all we get is a sub-1.5 percent 10-year yield and a 2H earnings run rate of $90/share, then the “Third Year Curse” will likely prevail. On a separate note, you’ve probably looked at this chart many, many times in the last decade. It is, of course, the Shiller Price-Earnings multiple for the S&P 500, which uses rolling 10-year average earnings for the “E” to approximate underlying corporate profitability across an economic cycle. With that 33.9x multiple at present, US equities look dramatically overvalued by long run historical norms.  The only other red dot on that graph is Black Tuesday 1929, when the Shiller PE was actually lower than today. Scary stuff… But… Let’s remember that the Shiller PE ignores a lot of important variables: Interest rates. Stock prices reflect discounted future cash flows, and discount rates vary with risk free rates. It makes no sense to compare 2020 to prior periods, at least as naively as the Shiller PE does, without acknowledging that 10-year Treasuries yield 1.0 percent now and were higher at any other point on that graph. Index composition. Every sector in the S&P 500 has its own fundamentals and therefore its own valuation. We don’t expect Technology to trade for the same multiple as Energy, for instance. Consider the 1980 – present part of this time series. That’s the rightmost third of the graph, when the Shiller PE rose from 10x to that current 34x reading. * In 1980, Energy was 26 percent of the S&P 500; now it is 2 percent. * In 1980, Technology was 8 percent of the index; now it is 28 percent. * That’s actually the biggest market story of the last 4 decades, and the Shiller PE misses it entirely. Rate of change. This is one place where a careful reading of historical Shiller PEs does deliver useful investment conclusions, but we rarely see it mentioned. Look carefully at the run-up to Black Tuesday 1929, Black Monday 1987 and the peak of the dot com bubble in 2000. In all 3 cases, the Shiller PE more than doubled in the 5 years before its peak. From 1925 – 1929, it went from 10x to 30x. From 1983 – 1987, it went from 8x to 17x. From 1995 to 1999, it went from 20x to 44x. To show the same speculative fervor now the S&P would have to trade for 48x trailing 10-year earnings, not the 34x multiple we have today. That would be an S&P 500 at 5,200, in case you’re wondering. Takeaway: US equity valuations remind us of the pre-Socratic Greek philosophical statement “No man steps in the same river twice, for its not the same river and he’s not the same man”. A stock index that is 26/8 percent Energy/Technology should not have as high a multiple as one that is 28/2 percent the other way. And an investor in 2021 faces a different rate environment from one in 1980. In the end, we should really just concern ourselves with how fast the river is rising and not step in if the waters are moving too quickly. Finally, forget forecasting 2021 – where will markets be in 2030? To our thinking, the decade of the 2020s actually starts Friday because the Gregorian calendar has no “year zero”. That means 2020 was the last year of the 2010s, at least to the letter of the law. And yes, we’re aware the late great Prince saw things differently. To look forward, let’s start by looking back; here is the Effective Fed Funds Rate from 1954 to the present day. The important bit for our purposes is towards the right side. There you will see that Fed Funds were 0 – 25 basis points for 7 years, from December 2008 to November 2015. This remarkable stability has no precedent in the post-World War II historical record, either in terms of level or duration. We know that the bulk of the Federal Open Market Committee sees rates remaining at zero for 2021 – 2023, in eerily similar fashion to much of the last decade, because that’s what was in their December 2020 “Dot Plot”. Add in the 9 months of 2020 with zero rates, and the 2020s will see zero interest for at least half as long a time as during the 2010s. Fed Funds Futures markets price rate policy in much the same way. As of today, every contract with at least one trade on the books expects rates to stay at 0 – 25 basis points through September 2022. This observation leads to a fork in the road when it comes to equity returns in the 2020s. Path #1: The Fed, and Fed Fund Futures, are wrong and rates will rise sooner than either one expects. This is the inflation-driven bear case for stocks. Anyone who was investing in 1994 or 2000 (see chart above if you weren’t) knows what equities do when the Fed starts to raise rates after a long period of easy policy. There’s a bit of patience at first, but eventually fears of a policy mistake seep into the market narrative. And Q4 2018 shows how unforgiving investors are in the current day to such a possibility. Path #2: Rates will remain at zero for at least the next several years, replicating the 2010s experience. In that case, equities have a chance to generate reasonable returns as long as corporate earnings recover (more on this in Point #4 below). There are, however, some other issues to consider: * This is not 2010 - 2012, when US energy production was the hot investment theme. In 2011, Energy’s share of the S&P was 13 percent, not far-off Technology’s 18 percent. Capital impatient with zero interest rates was almost as likely to take a flyer on a fracking project as a Series A venture capital round. * We’re seeing where capital goes in 2020, and it’s basically to one place: technology. It might be electric vehicles, or online shopping/learning/working anywhere in the world. Four billion smartphone users can’t be wrong, and capital still sees them as the most important investment opportunity out there. Takeaway: when we get to year end 2030 and look back at the last 10 years, we’re most likely to consider either: #1 How anyone in 2021 (including the Fed) could have thought inflation was dead given all of 2020’s fiscal/monetary stimulus or … #2 … how ultra-low Fed policy rates forced a tidal wave of capital into funding the disruptive technologies we all take for granted as we start 2031. Tyler Durden Thu, 12/31/2020 - 12:40
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It's Interesting How The Violent Riots Of 2020 Ended Right After The Election

It's Interesting How The Violent Riots Of 2020 Ended Right After The Election Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog, Lest people think that 2020 was only about Covid-19, lockdowns, and economic disaster, don’t forget about the protests, riots, and escalating exhibits of rage. The triggering event was the death of George Floyd. He was killed during an arrest on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The entire thing was caught on video. It had all the potential to be a turning point with regard to police brutality and race – the nation was riveted and outraged. But then, as often occurs, the protests were co-opted. Extremists took over, extremists on the other side took umbrage, and  Mr. Floyd became a footnote. 2020 devolved into ongoing violence in American streets that most of us haven’t seen in our lifetimes. Distinct sides were chosen, lines were drawn, and those who saw the middle ground were quickly shouted down while America burned. May Minneapolis immediately erupted into violent riots that turned deadly. Rioters set the police station on fire. Within a week of Mr. Floyd’s death, demonstrations had spread to 30 cities across the United States, many turning from peaceful protests to riots. Riots in Denver: Seattle was the site of particularly destructive and violent riots. In fact, protestors took over a six-block area in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle, driving out police and maintaining their presence there for months. They even strategically changed the name of the area to make it part of a bigger movement. June The National Guard was deployed to cities across the country in an attempt to quell the violence. Seattle: Atlanta: Los Angeles and Hollywood: In this article, a National Guardsman shared a personal account of what was really going on during the Seattle riots. July In July, police and rioters in cities across the country were engaged in violent clashes. Federal police squared off with rioters in Portland. August On August 23, fuel was added to the raging inferno when Jacob Blake was shot and killed by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At this point, the facts of the shootings were no longer relevant – any police violence against a black suspect was going to result in riots. By that evening, Kenosha was on fire. The destruction of Kenosha, a moderate-sized town, was shocking. We ran the first-person account of a Kenosha resident who said, “Everyone in the city was getting ready for a war.” Looting and rioting broke out in Chicago after another police shooting and the “Magnificent Mile” was trashed by angry mobs. It got so bad that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the drawbridges raised. Interestingly, activists attempted to justify the looting as “reparations.” September By September 1st, riots occurred for the 95th consecutive day in Portland. Violence also erupted in Louisville, Kentucky when the Grand Jury declined to charge the officers accused of killing Breonna Taylor, a local paramedic, with homicide. These protests also spread across the nation. Some of those arrested in the New York City riots were entitled kids from wealthy families who were “enacting their revolutionary strategy.”. October In October, Walter Wallace was shot sixteen times by Philadelphia police during a mental health call after he refused to drop a knife. Looting soon followed the rioting. November While America braced itself for riots based on the outcome of the hotly contested US presidential election, these fears did not come to fruition. In fact, the violence has slowed down since the outcome (which is still being argued by attorneys for President Trump.) Did police shootings suddenly cease? Did racially-motivated violence end? Did the justice system radically evolve? Did everyone finally agree and settle their differences amicably? It’s almost enough to make a person ask questions about the widespread violence from May through October. Tyler Durden Wed, 12/30/2020 - 21:00
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“Move Slowly, Carefully — And Then Strike Like The Fastest Animal On The Planet!” – Ep. 2366

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Remember, We're All In This Together...

Remember, We're All In This Together... Authored by Eric Peters via Eric Peters Autos, An easy way to establish the fatuity –  the evil – at the core of what’s going on would be to apply it universally. Every “lockdown” applies to everyone – including every politician and every government worker. If anyone is forced by decree to stop earning their living then everyone is forced to stop earning their living. The big box stores are shuttered, too. Aren’t we “all in this together”? Of course, “we” aren’t. There is the essential class – which issues and enforces the “mandates” – which it is important to constantly repeat are not laws but literally the arbitrary decrees of politicians grown fat, like blood-gorged ticks, with limitless power somehow acquired in the name of gesund – even though we’re healthy, thanks – and there is the rest of us, deemed non-essential. We are supposed to just make do; figure out a way to keep a roof over our heads and food in the ‘fridge – without a paycheck. Or a third of one. To pay 100 percent of our mortgages/rent and power bills and so on. Shutter our businesses; send our employees home to do nothing — while their bills pile up. The essentials  lecture, finger-point – and enforce. But never miss a paycheck. Which we are forced to pay for. Their bills do not go unpaid. There is no sacrifice by those demanding it – the usual practice of the coercive sector as distinct from the private sector. The latter can only ask for your business; the former can force you to close it – and then make you pay them for doing it. How about we all pay? Them and us – alike. If they decree we may not work, then they must be “in it” with us, together. No paycheck for us? None for them as well. No forcing us to pay for their paychecks, either. The taxes that pay for them held in abeyance until the cases! the cases! recede. If, in fact, that is truly what this is all about. In fact – literally – it’s not. This store is not “closed due to COVID.” It is closed by decree of “essential” government workers. As should by now be obvious to anyone still capable of rational thought. What conclusions can be drawn from the coercive class declaring itself essential – and us, not? From our being “locked down” – told by them we may not move without their permission, while they are free to move as they like? Ordered to accept economic death while they continue to feed – off of us? While we get to watch them ignore their own “mandates”? The restaurant owner in California who used his truck prevent an essential government worker from working was trying to make the point – to both the essential government worker and the essential government enforcers who came to make sure the essential government worker could go about his essential work. It is easy to be unctuous when there is no cost to you – and possibly much to gain. The essentials who are getting paid – by us – have more than just our money to pay their bills. The have our money to buy our losses. When a non-essential’s home goes into foreclosure or his business is shuttered, someone else is going to acquire the property. It will inevitably be someone with the means to pay for it. That will be someone who hasn’t been bled white. It will probably be someone essential, who has spent the past year bleeding the non-essentials white. Who, having taken everything away from the previous owner will now use the previous owner’s money – transferred via taxes – to own everything that was taken away. Probably at a fire-sale price, too. The same process is under way at the corporate level. The Big Box retailers were not locked down – which is why their profits have gone up (skyrocketed up) during the worst year – for us – since 1929. It is not hard to understand why. Wal-Mart and the rest were open while everything not Big Box wasn’t, by “mandate.” The non-essentials were forced to do business with the essentials. Forced to facilitate the transfer of wealth from local, privately owned stores to massive, shareholder-owned corporations, who sold the same stuff and were not attacked by swarms of gesundpolizei for allowing more than 10 people within their stores at a time. A simpleton should be able to draw the obvious conclusions. The essentials want to use the corporations as feed lots are used for cattle. We – the nonessentials – are to be herded onto these feedlots, where we will be obliged to be obliging, else no more “corn” for us. The essentials want to be able to partner with a handful of big corporations who will employ everyone who is still allowed to work and sell everything we’re still allowed to buy. When there are no alternatives, there are no options. When you can work for yourself or work for someone who owns the business you work for, you are much less under the thrall of a pyramidal hierarchy that mandates things which can be appealed – or avoided. When there is no work except corporate work, the corporations own you. And then the coercive sector controls you . . . via the corporations. Neat, sweet and not petite. It is all very essential – and has nothing to do with “stopping the spread.” If it did, then everything would be closed, everyone “locked down.” If, in fact, we are “all in this together.” Tyler Durden Wed, 12/30/2020 - 18:20
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ARK's Innovation ETF Posts $137 Million Outflow On Tuesday, Its Largest On Record

ARK's Innovation ETF Posts $137 Million Outflow On Tuesday, Its Largest On Record One day after we speculated the top in ARK Funds could be in, based on what appeared to be a technical trend in inflows breaking down, ARK's Innovation ETF posted its largest outflow on record. The ETF saw $137 million in outflows on Tuesday of this week, according to Bloomberg, marking a stark break from the trend of inflows that the fund has seen over the last 18 months. Prior to Tuesday, the fund had not had a daily withdrawal dating back to November. It also hadn't seen a weekly withdrawal dating back to February, the report says.  Todd Rosenbluth, director of ETF research for CFRA Research told Bloomberg: “Given the strong demand in the fourth quarter for ARKK and its hard-to-duplicate returns in 2020, it was inevitable that some investors would want to take profits.” The fund sunk 4.2% on Tuesday, but as of this writing is up about 2.4% on Wednesday.  Recall, on Tuesday of this week we wrote that the most recent data on ARKK fund flows heading into the last few trading days of 2020 appeared to show a meaningful reversal in flows. ARKK inflows made a lower low on Monday, we pointed out: This suggested the obvious to us: that we may have witnessed a blowoff top of cash pouring into the ETF this month. Tuesday's data seems to confirm our suspicions and could be a bellwether for a less-than-stellar start to 2021 for ARKK holders.  Recall, last week we published a report highlighting Bloomberg's ETF expert Eric Balchunas' take on how ARK Funds could wind up becoming victims of their own success.  Many of Balchunas' assumptions pointed out sustained massive inflows into the ARK family of ETFs - notably its ARKK ETF - which we noted last week was seeing inflows of about $400 million per day. In fact, ARK's haul has been so massive that Balchunas noted that it has a chance of taking in more cash than Blackrock in December. The funds are on pace to bring in $11 billion, he said last week. "This one ETF has more in assets than the other 240 actively managed equity ETFs combined," he pointed out. Tyler Durden Wed, 12/30/2020 - 16:40
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LISTEN: Sidney Powell lays out evidence of rampant election fraud in latest interview, "for five states to stop counting on election night is absolutely unprecedented"

Attorney Sidney Powell joined Todd Herman for a radio interview on Tuesday. When asked about what her “Elevator Pitch” would be to the Supreme Court, she responded with undeniable truths. (Natural News) (Article by Allan Miller republished from 100PercentFedUp.com) Via Twitter user Murray: “The very night of the election many people saw something that they had never seen before in...
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Wealthy Americans Are Rushing For 2nd Passports, 85% Of All Bus Workers Laid Off Or Furloughed

from Silver Report Uncut: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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The Top 10 Most-Suppressed News Stories Of 2020

The Top 10 Most-Suppressed News Stories Of 2020 Authored by Frank Miele via RealClearPolitics.com, Back in the day, when I was managing editor at the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Mont., I enjoyed the end-of-year ritual of voting in the Associated Press’s poll of the Top 10 news stories. When I started participating in the year 2000, my list would include many of the same stories that made the final AP list, although often with differences in ranking. But by the time I retired in 2018, my view of the news had sharply diverged from the AP’s consensus view. I’d become something of a gadfly by then, questioning what seemed to be an ever more transparent left-leaning bias in mainstream reporting. That divergence was probably magnified by the 2016 candidacy of Donald Trump and the bright light he had shined on Fake News, but my disenchantment with my profession had been growing for years, as chronicled in my book “The Media Matrix: What If Everything You Know Is Fake?” Still, there is no way that even as recently as four years ago I would have predicted just how abysmally irresponsible the media would become by 2020. Major newspapers are winning Pulitzer Prizes for blatantly false reporting on topics such as “Russian collusion.” Meanwhile, Silicon Valley oligarchs have appointed themselves censors -- warning the American people not to read or watch anything that hasn’t been “fact-checked” by their hand-picked thought police. The situation has gotten so bad that it’s no longer worth ranking the top news stories of the year because so little that is covered is news and so much that is news is written off as a “conspiracy theory.” That’s why I’m introducing Heartland Diary USA’s first annual presentation of “Last Chance to Wake Up and Smell the News They Tried to Kill.” So here are five of the biggest suppressed stories of 2020. Pardon me if I don’t go into great detail on them, but the closer I get to the truth, the more likely that Google, Twitter and Facebook will bury my story, too. 5) Mysterious mutating lockdown: Has anyone ever figured out why it is OK for grocery store workers to remain on the job during an international pandemic while serving the needs of the entire population with no restrictions other than wearing a mask, but it is considered dangerous for gyms to open or, most ludicrously, for anyone other than spouses of governors to take their boat for a quick spin around the lake? It seems like the lockdown can turn into whatever is convenient for politicians. The uneven effects of the lockdown on different states and different sectors have resulted in the shift of trillions of dollars of capital in ways that will reshape the economy for generations to come, yet we are not supposed to talk about it. 4) Hydroxychloroquine: If you know anything about this drug, it is probably just that some guy in Arizona died after drinking it, and that maybe President Trump was somehow responsible. Well, as they say, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. The guy in Arizona didn’t take hydroxychloroquine; he took a fish tank cleaner called chloroquine phosphate. And Trump never told anyone to take either the drug or the fish-tank cleaner. He just said hydroxychloroquine was a promising treatment against COVID-19. Of course, as soon as he said it, the radical academic leftists who control medical journals and associations warned that hydroxychloroquine had no benefit as a treatment and was potentially dangerous even though it had been safely used against malaria and various immune deficiency syndromes for decades. Fortunately, many doctors who were familiar with the drug continued to use it as a therapy in the early stages of COVID infections, and many patients around the world have been spared the most dire effects of the virus as a result. Just don’t expect to read about it in the New York Times. 3) Trump’s vaccine victory: While the president has been painted as anti-science, it was his administration’s support that led to the fastest turnaround ever from viral discovery to viral vaccine — essentially less than a year. Even as House Democrats are poised to launch investigations into Trump’s supposed crimes against humanity for being president during the COVID crisis, lives are being saved as a result of his policies. Just don’t expect to read about it in the mainstream media, which spent much of 2020 ridiculing Trump for his prescient predictions that a vaccine would be developed by the end of the year. 2) Hunter Biden’s laptop: The ability to bury the Hunter Biden story throughout the 2020 presidential campaign ranks as one of the greatest victories in the history of propaganda. Hunter is the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, and his acknowledged history as a drug addict is now considered his strong suit. The Senate Homeland Security Committee found extensive evidence that Hunter has made hundreds of millions of dollars for the Biden family by selling access to his father, so when Hunter’s laptop turned up with first-person incriminating evidence, it was pretty obvious that Joe Biden had a lot of answer for. Except that the media never made him answer for anything. It preferred to rest on the bizarre assertion from 50 former U.S. intelligence officials that clear evidence of foreign collusion on Hunter’s laptop had all the earmarks of a “Russian disinformation” campaign. This was errant nonsense. Reporters, read the emails! 1) Election fraud: It turned out that everything that happened in 2020 before Nov. 3 was just prologue for the greatest deception in American history — namely the hijacking of a presidential election through means both legal and illegal. Most importantly, every state that changed its election procedures without the consent of its legislature violated the U.S. Constitution. That’s why Republicans plan to challenge the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6. Whether you like Donald Trump or not should be irrelevant. You either follow the Constitution or you don’t. The fact that Trump increased his support in almost every demographic since 2016 and yet lost the election will apparently remain a mystery because the Democratic Party, with an assist from weak Republicans, is intent on continuing the charade that Joe Biden is a beloved elder statesman even more popular than Barack Obama. I should add a disclaimer here. My list will not be your list. This is 2020, and there is plenty of suppression to go around. You are hereby invited to submit your own contributions in the comments section below. In the meantime, rounding out my Top 10, here are some of the other major stories suppressed in 2020: * The communist links to antifa and Black Lives Matter; * how the Russian hoax was exposed but left unpunished; * how the policies of a certain governor in New York state led to thousands of COVID deaths in nursing homes; * the successful campaign of billionaire George Soros to subvert American jurisprudence by electing pro-criminal district attorneys; * and of course the suppression of news itself. Big Tech, take a bow! Tyler Durden Tue, 12/29/2020 - 20:45
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BrighteonSocial

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WHO Changes Definition of 'Herd Immunity', Literally Re-writing Hundreds of Years of Scientific Understanding, Just to Push Vaccines

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Mexican State Adds New Tax On Foreign Tourists

Mexican State Adds New Tax On Foreign Tourists By Matt Hochberg of Royal Caribbean Blog One state in Mexico has announced it will increase its tourist tax, which may have an impact on cruise ship guests. The Mexican state of Quintana Roo, which is where the popular ports of Couzmel and Costa Maya are located, announced new $10 tourist tax on foreigners. This news was first reported by the Riviera Maya Times and does not mention cruise ships in the article. There are no details yet on how the tax will be collected, nor if it applies to cruise ship visitors or not. Typically, cruise lines pay the port a per-passenger tax already when ships visit a port. The new tourist tax would go into effect beginning April 1, 2021, and is intended to help make up the deficit the area has seen as a result of fewer tourists visiting in 2020 due to the global health crisis. The tourism industry in Quintana Roo have said they are against this new tax, because they fear it will lead to less tourists willing to visit and opting to go elsewhere. Of course, government bureaucrats are never swayed by logic. In a document signed by Cuitláhuac Gutiérrez Martínez, country manager of IATA Mexico, and Luis Noriega Benet, president of National Air Transport Chamber (Canaero), asked to reconsider this proposal contemplated in the 2021 tax package. Quintana Roo is located on the eastern portion of the Yucatan peninsula, and two popular cruise ports are within the state.  The other port in Mexico that Royal Caribbean cruise ships visit, Progreso, is in the state of Yucatan. The number of cruise passengers that visited Cozumel has steadily grown over the last few years, and saw 4.57 million passengers in 2019. The island is the third-busiest cruise ship port in the world, and is visited by about 1,250 cruise ships each year. In November 2019, Cozumel announced its first tax on cruise ship passengers with a 65 cent per passenger tax to pay for security, environmental and civil defense projects. Tyler Durden Tue, 12/29/2020 - 12:40
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Trump's Parting Shot: China Rips Pro-Taiwan & Tibet Measures In Spending Package

Trump's Parting Shot: China Rips Pro-Taiwan & Tibet Measures In Spending Package China has reacted fiercely to what it says is anti-China language and policies contained in the huge $2.3 trillion spending package President Trump signed Sunday night, namely centered on Tibet Policy and Support Act and the Taiwan Assurance Act. China's foreign affairs minister Zhao Lijian expressed the Chinese Communist Party's anger, saying the country is "resolutely opposed" to the two measures as they unfairly "target China" and constitute blatant interference in its own foreign affairs and relations. Urging Washington to not enforce those parts of the two bills within the spending package, Lijian said further that "The determination of the Chinese government to safeguard its national sovereignty, security, and development interests is unwavering," according to Reuters. The sections are part of a controversial series of foreign aid related massive spending stipulations contained within the nearly 6,000 pages which have now become law. The Tibet Policy and Support Act further bans China from establishing new consulates in the US until the US is able to do so freely in Tibet. Moreover, the bill specifically directs the secretary of state to establish an American consulate in Tibet, which has long been claimed by China in a situation parallel to the historic standoff over the Republic of Taiwan.. The bill also targets Chinese officials for travel bans if they are deemed "complicit in identifying or installing a government-approved candidate" to succeed the Dalai Lama. Trump’s parting shot. New US law backs the right of Tibetans to name the next Dalai Lama,calls for a US consulate in Lhasa. The msg is clear: bipartisan support for action against China, now signed into law, must be enforced. Where’s India in the new Tibet game?Watch #Gravitas pic.twitter.com/pqEl29wBUm — Palki Sharma (@palkisu) December 28, 2020 As for the Taiwan Assurance Act, it aims to solidify a 1979 US law that affirms "substantive ties" between the US and Taiwan, including more weapons sales and increased moves toward normalization. This after over the past months the US and Taiwan have inked deals for a record breaking series of advanced weapons transfers, which Beijing sees as a blatant violation of the previously agreed upon longtime 'One China Policy' status quo. Tyler Durden Mon, 12/28/2020 - 21:00
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Iran Vows "Massive Response" If Israel Crosses 'Red Lines' With Sub Presence In Gulf

Iran Vows "Massive Response" If Israel Crosses 'Red Lines' With Sub Presence In Gulf Just a little over three weeks to go until President-Elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan.20 and tensions in the Persian Gulf are at boiling point given not only the presence of a US nuclear submarine but allegedly a major Israeli presence as well. A week ago Israeli sources confirmed that an Israeli submarine had crossed the Suez Canal visibly above water en route to the Persian Gulf as a clear "message" to the Islamic Republic. On Monday Iran's foreign ministry warned that Israel now risks crossing "red lines" should it enter deeply into the Gulf and thus Iran's own backyard, with ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh warning that Israel should be "aware of the risks of crossing Iran’s red lines." "Everybody knows what the Persian Gulf means to Iran, and what policy Iran pursues about its national interests and security," Khatibzadeh said according to Tasnim news agency. The build-up in Persian Gulf waters comes after the November assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh near Tehran in a sophisticated operation widely blamed on Israeli intelligence. Khatibzadeh added that Iran has sent "messages to the US government and our friends in the region warning the current US regime not to embark on a new adventure in its final days at the White House." Separately on Monday a top level Iranian parliament member issued a more directly threatening response to the Israeli sub presence. According to new statements by the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Abolfazl Amouei: Iran will not hesitate to give a "strong and massive" response to any Israeli submarine in the Persian Gulf, a lawmaker says, after the Washington Post  claimed that Tel Aviv was sending one to the strategic waters.  "Israel must know that our response to aggression against our national security will be strong and massive," Amouei added, speaking on behalf of Iranian lawmakers. An Israeli submarine has embarked for the Persian Gulf in possible preparation for any Iranian retaliation over the November assassination of a senior Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Israeli media reported.https://t.co/C9iHZIq1LU — Nukes of Hazard (@nukes_of_hazard) December 25, 2020 Echoing prior statements of both Iran's president and the foreign ministry, Amouei alleged that Israel and the outgoing Trump administration were busy looking to provoke a conflict, given the door is closing for such an opportunity as Biden has vowed to immediately restore US participation in the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA). "Israel is looking for excuses to drag the region into a tension that creates chaos in the last days of the Trump presidency," Amouei said in an interview with Al Jazeera. However, whether the Israeli sub is currently actually in Gulf waters or even as far as in the Strait of Hormuz remains a different question. Iran's foreign ministry downplayed this at the same time, calling both recent Israeli and a Washington Post report a "media assumption." Tyler Durden Mon, 12/28/2020 - 20:40
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Neoliberal Champion Larry Summers Opens Mouth, Inserts Both Feet: Taibbi

Neoliberal Champion Larry Summers Opens Mouth, Inserts Both Feet: Taibbi Authored by Matt Taibbi via TK News Lawrence Summers, the former Treasury Secretary under Bill Clinton, director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama, president of Harvard, and Chief Economist at the World Bank, wrote a post-Christmas editorial for Bloomberg entitled, “Trump’s $2000 Stimulus Checks are a Big Mistake.” It’s a classic: Some argue that while $2,000 checks may not be optimal support for the post-Covid economy, taking stimulus from $600 to $2,000 is better than nothing. They need to ask themselves whether they would favor $5,000, or $10,000 — or more. There must be a limiting principle. The genesis of this Summers article is a perfect tale in microcosm about how America’s intellectual elite manages to lose elections to people like Donald Trump. It’s a two-step error. First, they put people like Summers in charge of economic policies. Then, they let them talk in public. Summers the day before Christmas appeared on Bloomberg to offer his initial thoughts on why $2000 checks must be bad: he looked at which politicians were supporting the plan, and worked backward. “When I see a coalition of Josh Hawley, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump getting behind an idea, I think that’s time to run for cover,” he said, adding: “When you see the two extremes agreeing, you can almost be certain that something crazy is in the air.” "$2,000 checks would be a pretty serious mistake." Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers says larger stimulus checks to Americans could risk overheating the economy https://t.co/Ui1v0zd7Hz pic.twitter.com/ITF6slQwKf — Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) December 24, 2020  After delivering that cheery message, Summers got feces-pelted on the Internet: Larry Summers (pictured below, far right) thinks $2000 per person is excessive. pic.twitter.com/pDqTSHWblU — Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) December 25, 2020 No other way to say it...Larry Summers is a piece of shit. https://t.co/6yZ910V53l — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 24, 2020 Here's "key economic decision-maker in the Obama administration" (and friend to Jeffrey Epstein) Larry Summers arguing AGAINST giving struggling Americans $2K. https://t.co/FZRByGeHZW — Peter Daou (@peterdaou) December 24, 2020 Seeing that his comments “lit up the Twittersphere,” Summers then sat down to compose an article doubling down on his reasoning. Essentially, he argued that from an econometric point of view, we’re already overdoing it on the help front. If you were under the impression that huge numbers of people are living off meals from food banks and/or are at risk in an eviction crisis, you were wrong. Noting that “total employee compensation” is “only running about $30 billion per month behind the Covid baseline,” he insisted that $200 billion more in tax rebates per month over the next quarter would “equal an additional seven times the loss of household wage and salary income over the next quarter.” He then showed a graph explaining that “because of the legislation passed in 2020, total household income… has exceeded normal levels relative to the economy’s potential more or less since the pandemic began.” The good news, as a result, is that “the existing stimulus bill is sufficient to elevate household income relative to the economy’s potential to abnormally high levels — unheard of during an economic downturn.” The whole piece reads like an extended New Yorker cartoon, in which an evictee with empty pockets is about to dive after a rotten apple core in a dumpster, only to be blocked by a cauldron-bellied Harvard economist in a $3000 Zegna suit. Caption: “Actually, total household income relative to the economy’s potential sits at abnormally high levels.” There are of course different positions one could take on the question of stimulus checks, but the issue with people like Summers is the utter predictability of their stances. Summers belongs to a club of neoliberal thinkers who’ve dominated American policy for decades. From Bob Rubin to Tim Geithner to Jason Furman to Michael Froman and beyond, the people one friend jokingly refers to as the “Rubino Crime Family” are all basically the same person, affectless technocrats who play up reputations as giant-brained intellectuals — I always imagine them with bulbous Alien Nation heads — while reveling in cold, hard truths about the limits of government assistance. Read the rest here. Tyler Durden Mon, 12/28/2020 - 18:20
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WHO Chief Scientist Warns "No Evidence COVID Vaccine Prevents Viral Transmission"

WHO Chief Scientist Warns "No Evidence COVID Vaccine Prevents Viral Transmission" Once again, the WHO has stepped in to offer some confusing comments about the coronavirus vaccine, warning that there is "no evidence to be confident shots prevent transmission" and that people who receive the vaccine should continue wearing masks and following all social distancing and travel guidelines. The comments were made by WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan during what appears to have been a virtual press conference held Monday. "I don't believe we have the evidence on any of the vaccines to be confident that it's going to prevent people from actually getting the infection and therefore being able to pass it on”, says WHO Chief Scientist @doctorsoumya pic.twitter.com/QdTvzj7Nyd — Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) December 28, 2020 A clip of the offending line has begun circulating on social media. "At the moment, I don't believe we have the evidence on any of the vaccines, to be confident that it's going to prevent people from getting the infection and passing it on," Of course, a close look at the research released by Pfizer and Moderna shows the studies haven't actually tested whether the vaccines actually prevent transmission of the virus; the goal of the trials was to see whether vaccinated patients presented with COVID symptoms at a rate that was substantially less frequent than individuals who hadn't been vaccinated. That's pretty much it. Though the data might hint at lowering transmission rates, that's still tbd, apparently. WHO: NO EVIDENCE TO BE CONFIDENT SHOTS PREVENT TRANSMISSION wait. what? — zerohedge (@zerohedge) December 28, 2020 Some on twitter scoffed at the comment. Lmao is this how they force everyone to get it? — Pruvate (@Pruvate1) December 28, 2020 The doctor went on to explain that there's no evidence to suggest that those who have been vaccinated wouldn't be a risk if they traveled to a foreign country, say Australia, with relatively low COVID rates. At this point, it might be helpful for the WHO to produce some kind of clarification that either offers substantially more context to explain this remark. But we suspect they won't. Why? Well, perhaps because that context might undermine certain government officials' insistence that there's absolutely no reason to question the efficacy, and potential side effects (both long-term, and short) tied to the new COVID-19 vaccines. Tyler Durden Mon, 12/28/2020 - 16:40
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California Bar Owner Reaches Desperation Point – Blocks COVID Health Dept Enforcer, Confronts Police

from The Conservative Treehouse: (H/T Todd Starnes) Carlos Roman is the owner of a Bread & Barley restaurant in Covina, California, who reached his breaking point with health inspectors and COVID compliance officers when a public health dept. official ordered his restaurant to shut down. [Facebook Video Here – Article HERE and HERE] Mr. Roman decided if he was going to […]
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Which States Saw The Biggest Population Inflows And Outflows In 2020

Which States Saw The Biggest Population Inflows And Outflows In 2020 When it comes to migratory patterns among US states and cities, there were some notable winners and losers in 2020. Among the former, Indiana gained nearly 24,000 new residents during 2020, a slight increase that continued the state's ongoing trend of slow population growth, the U.S. Census Bureau's annual estimate shows.  The Hoosier state's population grew to 6.75 million, up from 6.73 million in 2019 - a 23,943-person increase, according to the federal agency's estimates. Other states, however, saw a continued exodus as people couldn't wait to bail: take adjacent Illinois - its population fell by 79,487 residents to 12.6 million, the second biggest loss nationwide after only New York state, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported. The official results of the 2020 Census have not been released yet, and the new numbers reflect the Census Bureau's annual estimate and not the official count. The annual estimates show that northwest Indiana has been gaining population for the first time in years, adding an estimated 2,102 more residents last year. That increase reverses a long-running trend that followed deindustrialization and a loss of jobs at the region's steel mills, Micah Pollak, an Indiana University Northwest assistant professor of economics, in a recent article for the Indiana Business Research Center. He wrote that better public transportation from the expansion of the South Shore Line commuter rail line, "a wider range of high-end retail, restaurants and breweries" and expanded bicycle trails and green spaces now "allow the Region to better meet the needs and expectations of the next generation." "While Northwest Indiana was once a region many residents hoped to one day leave, we are now seeing more people return, choose to remain here, or be attracted into the region," Pollack wrote. In any case, what is quite clear is that such "progressive" bastions of Democratic power such as New York, Illinois, California and Michigan saw the biggest population outflows in 2020, while the biggest winners were the sunbelt states Texas, Florida and Arizona. Expect this trend to only accelerate. Tyler Durden Sun, 12/27/2020 - 20:40
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Mass Media Propaganda Is Enemy #1: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

by Caitlin Johnstone, Caitlin Johnstone: The most Orwellian tool of our rulers which does the most damage and affects the most lives is not surveillance, nor police militarization, nor government secrecy, but domestic mass media propaganda. It’s also the most overlooked. It’s good to protest the other mechanisms of authoritarian control, but propaganda is enemy […]
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Illegal Street Vendors "Overtaking" NYC And The Entire City is Blaming Bill De Blasio

Illegal Street Vendors "Overtaking" NYC And The Entire City is Blaming Bill De Blasio Another day, yet another way in which Comrade De Blasio is turning New York City into a third world country. In addition to murders rising, restaurants closing, shops being boarded up and a litany of taxation and "redistribution of wealth" tactics that De Blasio has brought to the table during his tenure as Mayor, he is now also being blamed for a inconspicuous rise in illegal street vendors that the New York Post says is "overtaking" the city.  Pushing items like live crabs, knock-off Louis Vuitton caps and disposable face masks, illegal vendors are making an already miserable 2020 for shop owners even worse. The Post says it counted 27 street vendors on just one side of the street between Sanford and 41st Avenue on Main Street in Flushing. And it doesn't stop there: vendors are scattered everywhere from Manhattan to the Bronx to Brooklyn.  The number of illegal street vendor complaints for 2020 have almost eclipsed 2019's number, despite New York City being in lockdown for 78 days.  DianSong Yu of the Flushing Business Improvement District told the paper that 90% of vendors aren't licensed. Of the 20,000 vendors across the city, only a "few thousand" are licensed, Yu said. “It’s a very tough time for everybody, we get it. But we need to be fair to the local merchant who are paying very high rent and taxes. And they’re hurting.” One vendor who did have a license, and was a military veteran, told the Post: “They’re robbing the city of taxes. They’re taking money from the veterans. They’re taking jobs.” Another former illegal vendor, now in his 70s, said: “I can understand if you can go out and sell. Why not? But the situation is out of hand – outrageously out of hand.” Ira Dananberg, who has worked in Flushing for 19 years, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it. People literally have no choice but to walk on top of each other.” He blames the issue on De Blasio for ordering the NYPD to stop cracking down on vendors in June.  Councilman Peter Koo, who introduced a bill 2 years ago to ban vending on Main Street, called it a "circus" and said the issue "falls squarely on the mayor".  The Department of Consumer Affairs is in charge of handing out licenses and limits non-Veteran licenses citywide to 853. Veterans that are honorably discharged can get one for free, while others pay between $100 and $200. And for items like the live crabs that are being sold during a pandemic that supposedly started in a Chinese wet market? The wife of a licensed vendor bought a dozen crabs several weeks ago from another vendor and "started to feel sick" after eating them. After her husband cracked one of the crabs open, he found "white worms in the bellies". The Health Department says it is investigating.  "Whether the crabs are legal or safe to eat is anybody’s guess. No agency could tell The Post with certainty and none took responsibility for oversight," the article concluded.  Tyler Durden Sun, 12/27/2020 - 18:20
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Are 'Never Trumpers' The Future Of The GOP?

Are 'Never Trumpers' The Future Of The GOP? Authored by Pat Buchanan via Buchanan.org, Denouncing the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill as a parsimonious “disgrace” and hinting at an Alamo-style finish on Jan. 6, when Congress votes to declare Joe Biden the next president, Donald Trump is not going to go quietly. The anti-Trumpers and “Never Trumpers” celebrating at Christmas 2020, in this “dark winter” of Joe Biden’s depiction, are assuring each other that Trumpism and Trump are dead and gone for good in four weeks. The future of the GOP, they suggest, belongs to the Republicans who resisted and renounced Trump through the last five years of his candidacy and presidency. As for those cowards and collaborators who stood by Trump and refused to repudiate him, they will, in turn, be repudiated by history and the American electorate alike. The wish, here, is very much the father to the thought. For if the past is any guide, not only are the reports of the death of Trumpism premature, the probability is that Trumpism has put down roots in our national politics that are not soon, if ever, going to be pulled up. For those of us of a certain age, a comparable situation arose at Christmas 1964. Barry Goldwater had just been crushed in a 44-state landslide, winning the votes of only 27 million Americans. The senator had carried only five states of the Deep South and his home state of Arizona. The establishment saw in the crushing of Goldwater the defeat and rout of the “extremist” movement that had produced him. “The Party That Lost Its Head” was the title of a widely hailed post-election book by two Ripon Society Republicans. The establishment consensus was that Govs. Nelson Rockefeller of New York, William Scranton of Pennsylvania and George Romney of Michigan were the future of the party, if it was to have a future. What followed? Richard Nixon, who had stood by Goldwater when the party’s liberal elite abandoned him, would lead the GOP to recapture 47 House seats in 1966, take the presidency in 1968, and run up a 49 state landslide in 1972. Thus began a period of GOP presidential ascendancy, with Nixon, Reagan and Bush I winning five of six elections from 1968 to 1988, until the first baby boomer president, Bill Clinton, arrived on the scene. And while there are differences between now and then, there are many similarities. Do the anti-Trumpers or “Never Trumpers” represent the future of the GOP? If so, where is the postwar precedent for this? No Republican who turned his back on Goldwater was ever nominated for president or vice president following Goldwater’s defeat. When President Gerald Ford put Rockefeller on his ticket after taking over from President Nixon, the Kansas City convention of 1976 demanded Rockefeller’s removal as the price of party unity. Rockefeller was sacrificed, as the right had demanded. Four years after Ford’s defeat, Mr. Conservative himself, Ronald Reagan, Goldwater’s most effective surrogate in 1964, was nominated and won successive landslides in 1980 and 1984. Other factors and forces point to the probability that Trumpism has a major role in the party’s future. Where Presidents Truman, Nixon, and George W. Bush left office with approval ratings in the 20s, Trump’s approval rating is still in the 40s, where it has been for the duration of his presidency. Second, the issues that propelled Trump to the nomination and the Oval Office still resonate with the American people. Among them are mass migration, insecure borders and dependency upon foreign imports for the necessities of our national life. Moreover, there is shrinking support for a foreign policy that has us tied down militarily in Europe, East Asia and the Middle East, to fight if need be, in the defense of scores of nations, few of which have a direct bearing on the national security of the United States. Another issue Trump elevated and exploited that is more acute now than in 2016, is a distrust of the media, the “deep state” and the political, cultural and academic establishments that have alienated the 74 million who voted for Trump. And if the past is prologue, the Republican Party will make a major comeback in 2022. Consider. Two years after his smashing victory over Goldwater, LBJ and his party lost 47 House seats. Ronald Reagan, after his landslide in 1980, lost 26 House seats in 1982. After routing Bush I in 1992, Bill Clinton lost 54 House seats and the Senate. Two years after winning the presidency, Barack Obama lost both the House and Senate in 2014. Is it likely Joe Biden will be celebrating his 80th birthday after making history by leading his party to control of Congress in 2022? For Republicans, the nomination of 2024 is a prize to be sought. However, if one has spent the last four years trashing Trump, it may be as out of reach as it was for Rocky. Tyler Durden Sun, 12/27/2020 - 16:35
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The Most Hopeful Scenario for 2021

by Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds: Choose wisely, America, or the options for a positive outcome will vanish like mist in Death Valley on a clear July afternoon. From the point of view of evolution, the most hopeful scenario for 2021 is the sudden and complete collapse of everything that is obsolete, inefficient, ineffective […]
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Welcome to RussiaGate 2.0, Right on Schedule

by Tom Luongo, Strategic Culture: Now that a majority of the country believes the election was fraudulent and the Supreme Court has completely abdicated its authority now the next obstacle in front of President Trump is here. And, as always, it comes from his complicit Secretary of State who undermines Trump with his every move […]
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Welcome To RussiaGate 2.0, Right On Schedule

Welcome To RussiaGate 2.0, Right On Schedule Authored by Tom Luongo via Gold, Goats, 'n Guns blog, Now that a majority of the country believes the election was fraudulent and the Supreme Court has completely abdicated its authority the next obstacle in front of President Trump is here. And, as always, it comes from his complicit Secretary of State who undermines Trump with his every move to turn the State, Defense and Intelligence apparatuses of the U.S. against Russia. Pompeo goes on Mark Levin’s show, whose ratings are through the roof right now, to tell all the slavering normie-conservatives that it was definitely the Russians who hacked our government. From Zerohedge: Without offering any evidence or specifics, Pompeo said Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the cyberattack during an appearance on the conservative talk radio Mark Levin Show. “I can’t say much more, as we’re still unpacking precisely what it is, and I’m sure some of it will remain classified. But suffice it to say there was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of US government systems and it now appears systems of private companies and companies and governments across the world as well,” Pompeo explained. Notice how there is no evidence given, just the typical intelligence agency, “believe me” line, which is your first clue that whoever it was behind this attack the one group who was definitely NOT behind it was the Russians. This week’s cyber attack on the U.S. government was perfectly timed with the Electoral College submitting its votes to the Congress and Joe Biden claiming he’s president-elect. The reason why the release of this ‘attack’ on our government was perfectly timed is because it is a distraction from the growing unrest over the Democrats’ having stolen the election and cowering the courts into irrelevance. This is classic CIA-level misdirection from what was more likely a Chinese or, dare I say it, homegrown operation for the very purpose of blaming the Russians to tamp down the anger and confuse the MAGA crowd. And it resurrects the ghost of RussiaGate for the libs by putting Trump in a Catch-22. * If he doesn’t respond to this it keeps alive the smoldering embers of the TDS crowd watching Rachel Maddow that Trump really does have deep, covert ties to Russia. * If he does react, what possible reaction could he take to escalate the tensions with Russia that are already one step below open warfare? Oh, and he has to respond to this while also fighting an uphill battle against the courts and his own bureaucracy to invoke his executive order involving outside interference into the election. And in classic Trump fashion he did: The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control. Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2020 Provoking the exact reaction you’d expect from the BlueChecked Sneetches among the Twitterati. RussiaGate was an embarrassment that should have died years ago but it persists precisely because Trump refuses to formally concede and continues to give his people the opportunity to fight the Swamp. The only way Putin and the Russians were behind this attack on the U.S. government was as a 5-d chess move where Trump invited them to do it on his behalf to ‘prove’ external interference in the election and allow Trump to cross the Rubicon, invoke the Insurrection Act and his 2018 EO on election interference. Yeah, by the way, John Le Carre died this week, life ain’t a movie and Trump isn’t that savvy a player. Ye gods, I wish he was. That we are in this mess proves he isn’t. This pronouncement by Pompeo was just good ol’ fashioned swamp double talk who continues his job of maintaining continuity of U.S. foreign policy on behalf of the Neoconservatives whose raison d’etre is the destruction of Russia to the exclusion of nearly every other consideration of any other human on the planet. Don’t be confused by this nonsense. Whoever was behind this attack wasn’t the Russians. The motive for this operation lies squarely with China, The Davos Crowd, the Democrats and our own intelligence agencies trying to move the Overton Window away from the real problem, a stolen election. Outing Solarwinds and tying it directly to Dominion Voting Systems is your smoking gun. But the courts, as I said at the open, have left the building. Martin Armstrong pointed out the Supreme Court denied the ‘shouting behind closed doors’ because they met via Zoom call. But they didn’t deny the substance of the charge against them, that they bowed to political pressure thanks to the Democrats’ open blackmail campaign of terror this past summer. So, at this point there really is little hope of overturning the election. From what I’ve heard on the ground in Georgia the same Dominion Voting machines are in place there for the Senate runoffs. Those who voted didn’t even get a receipt this time. So the fix is in there too, folks. There will be no victories in this fight. Every possible avenue of hope must be crushed if the Great Reset of The Davos Crowd is to occur.  Pompeo plays his part just like everyone else in this pantomime, one day giving Trump supporters hope by saying he’s preparing for a 2nd term, the next using that cache to undermine him with a far bigger betrayal. This is how the Deep State works to protect itself and we have to be smart enough to see it for what it is: preparing the ground for the next phase of the greatest intelligence show on earth. Same spook time, same spook channel. *  *  * Join my Patreon if you think Russia isn’t the world’s ultimate evil Tyler Durden Sat, 12/26/2020 - 20:30
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WHO pledges not to find ‘guilty’ party during coronavirus investigation in China

by Katrina Haydon, WND: A team of scientists leading a World Health Organization mission to China to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus is not looking to assign guilt to the communist regime over its failure to prevent the pandemic, a member of the delegation says. “This is not about finding a guilty country […]
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Marin Katusa: “Forgotten” Metals Are Making Investors a Fortune

by John Rubino, Dollar Collapse: From Katusa Research: This year has been one for the record books. From all-time highs in the major indices to the Coronavirus meltdown… and then for the market to race back and hit new all-time highs, it’s been quite the ride. If you felt like your head was spinning this year […]
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Top European court tosses Christian family's case where kids were seized by state

(Natural News) The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dismissed the legal challenge of a Christian Pentecostal family in Norway whose children were unlawfully seized in 2015 for their Christian beliefs. The decision to throw out the case came after four painstaking years of international litigation. (Article by David McLoone republished from LifeSitenews.com) ADF International recorded that the Bodnariu...
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Bloomberg News Attempts to Capture the “Speculative Frenzy” of Today’s Markets; Here’s the Key Stuff It Missed

by Pam Martens and Russ Martens, Wall St On Parade: Merry Christmas Eve 2020 and welcome to a rerun of the roaring 20s, complete with one-termer President Herbert Hoover in the White House, Wall Street running wild with unchecked corruption, and unprecedented income inequality. On Saturday, Bloomberg News attempted to outline the key components of markets gone […]
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#CNNRAW 10-21-20

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GoDaddy Phished Its Own Employees Under The Guise Of Giving Them A $650 Holiday Bonus

GoDaddy Phished Its Own Employees Under The Guise Of Giving Them A $650 Holiday Bonus Roughly 500 GoDaddy employees failed a company-wide phishing test this month that was disguised as a message that they would be receiving a $650 holiday bonus. Yes, you're reading that right: GoDaddy purposely emailed its employees during a year in which the U.S. economy went into recession, promising them $650 for the holidays, as a test to see if they would click certain links embedded in emails. The e-mail came from an address called "happyholiday@godaddy.com", the e-mail read: “Though we cannot celebrate together during our annual Holiday Party, we want to show our appreciation and share a $650 one-time Holiday bonus! To ensure that you receive your one-time bonus in time for the Holidays, please select your location and fill in the details by Friday, December 18th.” But instead of a bonus, those who thought they were getting extra cash instead got the following message two days later: “You’re getting this email because you failed our recent phishing test. You will need to retake the Security Awareness Social Engineering training.” The e-mail came from a GoDaddy domain name and bore the GoDaddy logo. The company says that "roughly 500" people clicked on the link and "failed the test",  according to The Copper Courier.  While the test is similar to ones that other companies use to gauge how susceptible their employees are to phishing attacks, the holiday theme and promise of money during a tough year makes these tests, in particular, a little - well...uncool.  While the company refused requests from media about the incident, the Courier says that "three GoDaddy employees" forwarded the e-mails to the press. We're guessing the company is going to have to make a statement - or least make these people whole after completing their new training - before the "woke" mob decides to "cancel" their GoDaddy services this holiday season.  GoDaddy is likely on its guard after suffering a data breach either this year where 28,000 customers saw their accounts compromised. The company had "record customer growth" for the year, but still wound up laying off or reassigning "hundreds of employees" due to the pandemic.  All told, sounds like a great place to work. Happy Holidays, GoDaddy team! Tyler Durden Fri, 12/25/2020 - 18:00
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Our Phantom Middle Class

by Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds: What happens when America finally admits its middle class is a phantom of feel-good fantasy? We may well find out in the next four years. Of the many things we cannot bring ourselves to admit, one of the most consequential is that our vaunted middle class is illusory, […]
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BBC Publishes Cringe Guide For "Talking To Conspiracy Theorist Relatives" At Christmas

BBC Publishes Cringe Guide For "Talking To Conspiracy Theorist Relatives" At Christmas Authored by Steve Watson via Summit News, The British Broadcasting Corporation, the bastion of all that is proper and right, has published a handy Christmas guide for how to talk down to relatives who believe in nasty ‘conspiracy theories’, and it’s a huge sack full of cringe. Prime Minister Boris Johnson effectively cancelled Christmas for a third of the UK, and is now threatening to lockdown the entire country on Boxing Day. That is not enough for the woke state broadcaster, however, which clearly feels it needs to instruct Brit NPCs on how to debunk the dangerous disinformation being spread by their unmutual uncles and disharmonious descendants. “How should you talk to friends and relatives who believe conspiracy theories?” The BBC headline reads. “You’re dreading the moment. As your uncle passes the roast potatoes, he casually mentions that a coronavirus vaccine will be used to inject microchips into our bodies to track us,” the ‘five point guide’ outlines, adding “Or maybe it’s that point when a friend, after a couple of pints, starts talking about how Covid-19 ‘doesn’t exist’.” “Or when pudding is ruined as a long-lost cousin starts spinning lurid tales about QAnon and elite Satanists eating babies.” Cringe. Ok, so what does one do in this horrible situation, oh mighty and wise Big BBC Brother? “Keep calm; don’t be dismissive; encourage critical thinking; ask questions; don’t expect immediate results.” Eh? So don’t immediately shut them down as a dangerous conspiracy theorist who spreads fake news? Just retain that thought in your head while you deeply patronise them with your received BBC approved spoon-fed opinion. OK then. Perhaps chase them down the street screeching questions about why they are not wearing a face mask? Probably a good tactic. Next tip? “People who believe conspiracy theories often say: “I do my own research.” Well, how dare they believe something not published by the BBC. How bloody awful. “The problem is that their research tends to consist of watching fringe YouTube videos, following random people on Facebook, and cherry-picking evidence from biased Twitter account.” So we take away their social media accounts then, right? “Your aim is not to make them less curious or sceptical, but to change what they are curious about, or sceptical of.” Ah, OK. Direct them to the BBC website then? Any more tips, oh corporate board of directors earning millions per year from scalping old ladies by pretending they have to pay you to own a TV? “Focus on those who are pushing these ideas, and what they might be getting,” says Claire Wardle. “For instance, financial gain by selling health supplements, or reputational gain in building a following.”  Yeah, those evil conspiracy theorists, making a living AND selling vitamins that are good for your health. What’s next Gandalf BBC? “Conspiracy theories tend to be simple, powerful stories that explain the world. Reality is complex and messy, which is harder for our brains to process.” Ouch, thinking hurts too much. Got it. Wait, so pedos don’t run the world then? Tyler Durden Fri, 12/25/2020 - 12:05
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Bloomberg Intelligence Projects $50 Silver in 2021

by Peter Schiff, Schiff Gold: Saxo Bank recently projected silver will soar to $50 an ounce in 2021, powered by loose monetary policy along with the push for “green energy.” Bloomberg Intelligence is now making a similar call, saying silver will be “the primary metal” benefiting from electrification and quantitative easing in 2021. Gold set […]
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Russia Reopens Soviet-Era Lab To Develop Weapons For Arctic Sub-Zero Conditions

Russia Reopens Soviet-Era Lab To Develop Weapons For Arctic Sub-Zero Conditions Russia is believed to be greatly expanding and beefing up its ability to wage warfare in extreme cold and icy conditions after it was announced Thursday that a Soviet-era laboratory has been reconstituted and newly opened in order to test weapons in Arctic weather. "The Central Scientific-Research Institute for Precision Machine Engineering, that makes weapons for Russia's military, said it had restored testing chambers to simulate extreme conditions," Reuters reports of the facility which was shut down since the the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.  Via AP The Institute issued a press release saying "the certification is the final step towards restoring this unique technological capability that had been lost after the fall of the USSR." The complex's test chambers will actually be able to simulate a variety of conditions to also include extreme heat as well as wet weather. Russian media cited a senior technician, Sergei Karasev, as detailing further: He said the test site will begin work on a number of weapons, including rifles, specially-made grenade launchers and small caliber cannons in "extreme temperatures" as low as minus 60 degrees. The conditions are designed to mimic environments like the Arctic, but the facility will also recreate a number of other potential battlefields. Tests to see whether weapons can withstand tropical climes will be carried out in a combined heat and rain chamber, while a dust chamber mimics the pressures that deserts exert on firing mechanisms. Typically when temperatures reach such extremes as minus 60 degrees Celsius, cars and machinery break down unless they are specially outfitted to operate in the extreme cold.  Without extensive protections even a person's face can become frostbitten in just minutes after being exposed to such temperatures.  The post-Cold War picture of Russia as weak and declining is outdated. Today’s Russia is formidable in cyberspace and a resurgent global power, from Crimea to Syria to the Arctic and beyond, writes Kathryn E. Stoner. https://t.co/1t0L8EErBK — The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) December 23, 2020 In remote locations like Russia's Sakha Republic (Yakutia) for example, schools, colleges and public places will only stay open until temperatures as low as -52°C, but upon reaching that limit will shut down for safety reasons. Much standard military equipment would also not work properly in these conditions, hence Russia's focus on developing and testing weapons that are optimal in Arctic conditions. The plan is to also simulate how battlefield tactics would change in extreme and varied conditions. Tyler Durden Thu, 12/24/2020 - 20:00
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UK FOOD SHORTAGES LIKELY AS LOCKDOWN OVER “MUTATED” STRAIN OF COVID-19

by Mac Slavo, SHTF Plan: In an attempt to prevent the spread of a new, more transmissible strain of the COVID-19 virus in the United Kingdom, harsher lockdowns have been imposed on the public, the food supply chain is at serious risk of breaking. The people in the UK have used the government to make […]
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New York Closing 3 Upstate Prisons Due To Budget Constraints, 1,000 Jobs Affected

New York Closing 3 Upstate Prisons Due To Budget Constraints, 1,000 Jobs Affected In this day and age of printing "infinite" cash, as Neel Kashkari so wonderfully put it on national television, it's a wonder any state is actually making cuts to save money instead of just lobbying the Federal Government for a bailout.  But that is the case in New York, where the state has decided it is going to close 3 upstate prisons in early 2021 due to budget constraints. The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision confirmed that "the Gowanda and Watertown correctional facilities, both medium-security prisons, and the Clinton Annex, which is part of the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora" will all close down in early 2021, according to Syracuse.com. 1,000 jobs are expected to be affected due to the shutdowns.  The move is expected to save the state about $89 million per year, but will reduce its statewide prison capacity by about 2,750 beds. A spokesman for the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said: “While conducting the review, DOCCS based the decision on a variety of factors, including but not limited to physical infrastructure, program offerings, facility security level, specialized medical and mental health services.” The Clinton Correction Facility / Syracuse.com While no layoffs are expected, there will be about 975 jobs that need to be relocated. The state says it will work with unions on transfers.  Members of both political parties lashed out at the closures.  Democrat Assemblyman Billy Jones commented: “Couldn’t come at a worse time. What a way to end the year and go into the Christmas season. I’m just very disgusted by this and extremely upset.” Republican State Sen. Patty Ritchie added: “I find it unacceptable & utterly despicable the Gov. would announce 4 days before Christmas that Watertown Correctional will close. Simply put, this is a slap in the face to the people who work in this facility, as well as their families.” Dannemora Town Supervisor Bill Chase commented: “The Lyon Mountain Correctional Facility was closed in 2011 and it still sits there empty. There has been no reuse put to it." The state has closed more than 17 state prisons over the last decade. Prisoners in New York have decreased by 39% since Gov. Andrew Cuomo took office.   Tyler Durden Thu, 12/24/2020 - 16:05
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How Price Inflation Benefits the Wealthy

from belangp: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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San Francisco: Drug Overdoses Have Killed Four Times More People Than COVID

San Francisco: Drug Overdoses Have Killed Four Times More People Than COVID Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News, Official figures out of San Francisco show that drug overdoses have killed almost four times more people than COVID-19 this year, and yet the government continues to hand out free needles to addicts. “A record 621 people died of drug overdoses in San Francisco so far this year, a staggering number that far outpaces the 173 deaths from COVID-19 the city has seen thus far,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle. “Many people overdosed in low-income apartment buildings and in city-funded hotel rooms for the homeless. Others died on sidewalks, in alleyways and parks around the city.” Despite the deaths, the government continues to hand out some 5.8 million free syringes a year to drug users. It also appears as though lockdowns have exacerbated illegal drug use throughout the state of California. “Other areas of the state have seen a spike in drug use and overdoses amid lockdowns, including in Los Angeles County,” reports the Washington Examiner. “In 2013 in the county, fentanyl accounted for 3% of drug-related deaths. At the start of 2020, 42% of drug deaths were fentanyl-related in the area, and that number jumped to 51% when lockdowns were enacted in March.” San Francisco’s homeless drug user problem is so chronic that in 2019, residents began desperately installing boulders on the side of streets in an effort to prevent camping. A knock-on effect of the massive increase in the city’s homeless population has been the routine sight of feces on the street. A 2019 study discovered that each case of poop that has to be cleaned up on the streets of San Francisco costs the taxpayer $32 dollars, with 118,352 recorded reports of human feces since 2011. As we document in the video below, San Francisco is a shit-stained cesspool that is only getting worse, a situation increasingly being mirrored in other major Democrat-run cities across America. *  *  * New limited edition merch now available! Click here. In the age of mass Silicon Valley censorship It is crucial that we stay in touch. I need you to sign up for my free newsletter here. Support my sponsor – Turbo Force – a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown. Also, I urgently need your financial support here. Tyler Durden Wed, 12/23/2020 - 20:20
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