GOLD PRICE CLOSED:  DOWN $8.70 TO $2037.25

SILVER PRICE CLOSED: DOWN 20 CENTS   AT $25.26

Access prices: closes 4: 15 PM

Gold ACCESS CLOSE 2036.60

Silver ACCESS CLOSE: 25.28

NOV 28

Shanghai Gold Benchmark Price

 

Shanghai Gold Benchmark Price

USD  oz 

AM2043.81

PM2053.14

Historical SGE Fix

SHANGHAI GOLD PREMIUM OVER NY: 9 DOLLARS

Bitcoin morning price:, 37,907  UP 188 DOLLARS

Bitcoin: afternoon price: $37,750 UP 31. dollars

Platinum price closing  $936.00 DOWN  $12.70

Palladium price;     $1016.65 DOWN $41.10

END

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Due to the huge rise in the dollar, we must look at gold and silver in currencies other than the dollar to understand where we are heading

I will now provide gold in Canadian dollars, British pounds and Euros

4: 15 PM ACCESS

*CANADIAN GOLD: $2,762.53 DOWN $16,40 CDN dollars per oz( * NEW ALL TIME HIGH 2,782.61//OCT 272023)

*BRITISH GOLD: 1612.92 UP 2.41 pounds per oz// *(NEW ALL TIME HIGH//CLOSING///1655.17) OCT 2/2023

*EURO GOLD: 1869,90 UP 6.69 euros per oz //* (NEW *ALL TIME HIGH/CLOSING//1898.24)//high.* OCT 27.2023

DONATE

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EXCHANGE: COMEX

EXCHANGE: COMEX
CONTRACT: DECEMBER 2023 COMEX 100 GOLD FUTURES
SETTLEMENT: 2,047.100000000 USD
INTENT DATE: 11/29/2023 DELIVERY DATE: 12/01/2023
FIRM ORG FIRM NAME ISSUED STOPPED

---

072 C GOLDMAN 230
118 C MACQUARIE FUT 260
132 C SG AMERICAS 50 114
159 C MAREX CAPITAL M 18
190 H BMO CAPITAL 607
323 C HSBC 1265
323 H HSBC 4050
357 C WEDBUSH 1
363 H WELLS FARGO SEC 625
365 C MAREX CAPITAL M 5
365 H MAREX CAPITAL M 3
435 H SCOTIA CAPITAL 1946
624 C BOFA SECURITIES 269
624 H BOFA SECURITIES 633
657 C MORGAN STANLEY 1359
661 C JP MORGAN 17 6640
661 H JP MORGAN 817
685 C RJ O’BRIEN 4
686 C STONEX FINANCIA 22
690 C ABN AMRO 2
700 C UBS 211

DLV615-T CME CLEARING
BUSINESS DATE: 11/29/2023 DAILY DELIVERY NOTICES RUN DATE: 11/29/2023
PRODUCT GROUP: METALS RUN TIME: 20:50:48
732 C RBC CAP MARKETS 3 387
737 C ADVANTAGE 39
905 C ADM 109 5
972 C IRONBEAM INC 1

---

TOTAL: 9,846 9,846
MONTH TO DATE: 9,846

JPMorgan stopped 6640/9846 contracts.

FOR DEC.:

GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR DEC/2023. CONTRACT:  9846 NOTICES FOR 984,600 OZ  or  30.625 TONNES

total notices so far: 9846 contracts for 984600  oz (30.625 tonnes)

FOR  DEC:

SILVER NOTICES  1509 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR 7,545,000 OZ/

total number of notices filed so far this month : 1509 for 7,545,000 oz

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END

BOTH GLD AND SLV ARE FRAUDULENT VEHICLES

GLD

WITH GOLD DOWN $8.70//

INVESTORS SWITCHING TO SPROTT PHYSICAL  (PHYS) INSTEAD OF THE FRAUDULENT GLD/ : / HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.02 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD

INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.53 TONNES

SLV//

WITH NO SILVER AROUND AND SILVER UP 20  CENTS  AT  THE SLV// NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A SHOCKER:

INVESTORS ARE SWITCHING SLV TO SPROTT’S PSLV.

CLOSING INVENTORY: 436.051 MILLION OZ

Let us have a look at the data for today

SILVER//OUTLINE

SILVER COMEX OI ROSE BY A GIGANTIC SIZED 5188 CONTRACTS TO 144,332 AND CLOSER TO  THE  RECORD HIGH OI OF 244,710, SET FEB 25/2020 AND THIS HUGE SIZED GAIN IN COMEX OI WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH OUR  $0.15 GAIN  IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX ON WEDNESDAY. WE HAD A SOME SPEC SHORT COVERING EPISODE IN WEDNESDAY’S COMEX TRADING . TAS ISSUANCE WAS A GOOD  SIZED 592 CONTRACTS. THESE WILL BE USED FOR MANIPULATION LATER THIS MONTH/AS WELL AS TODAY.

CRAIG HEMKE HAS POINTED OUT THAT THE CROOKS USE THE MID MONTH FOR MANIPULATION AS THEY SELL THEIR BUY SIDE OF THE CALENDAR SPREAD FIRST AND THEN KEEP THE SELL SIDE TO LIQUIDATE AT A LATER DATE.  THUS WE HAVE TWO VEHICLES THE CROOKS USE FOR MANIPULATION AND BOTH ARE SPREADERS:  1) AT MONTH’S END/SPREADERS COMEX AND 2/ TAS SPREADERS, MID MONTH. TOTAL TAS ISSUED ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT: 592 CONTRACTS. DESPITE MANY COMPLAINTS THAT THE CROOKS HAVE VIOLATED POSITION LIMITS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE TAS ISSUED HAVE A VALUE  OF ZERO (AS TO POSITION LIMITS FOR OUR CROOKED BANKERS). THE PROBLEM OF COURSE IS THAT THE CROOKS DO NOT LIQUIDATE THE TAS TOGETHER BUT SELL THE BUY SIDE FIRST AND THEN LIQUIDATE THE SELL SIDE TWO MONTHS HENCE. IT IS OBVIOUS MANIPULATION TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE BUT IT NATURALLY FELL ON DEAF EARS WITH OUR REGULATORS (OCC) WHEN THEY RECEIVED OUR COMPLAINTS. IT THUS LOOKS LIKE THE FED (GOV’T) IS BEHIND ALL OF THESE TRADES.

WE HAVE NOW SET ANOTHER RECORD LOW AT 114,102 CONTRACTS ///JULY 3.2023//  OUR BANKERS WITH THE HELP OF SPECULATORS AND HIGH FREQUENCY TRADERS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING THE PRICE OF SILVER DOWN (IT ROSE BY $0.15). AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING ANY SILVER LONGS AS WE HAD A HUGE SIZED GAIN OF 6068  OI CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES AS THE SPEC SHORTS TRIED AGAIN DESPERATELY TO COVER THEIR SHORTFALLS BUT AT  HIGHER PRICES AS THEY ARE CONTINUALLY BEING SENT TO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE

WE  MUST HAVE HAD:

A STRONG SIZED 880  ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS) iiii) AN  INITIAL SILVER STANDING FOR COMEX SILVER MEASURING AT 18.755 MILLION OZ (FIRST DAY NOTICE)  

//NEW STANDING FOR SILVER IS THUS 18.755 MILLION OZ 

//HUGE SIZED COMEX OI GAIN/ HUGE SIZED EFP ISSUANCE/VI)  GOOD GIGANTIC SIZED NUMBER OF  T.A.S. CONTRACT ISSUANCE 592 CONTRACTS)/

 I AM NOW RECORDING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN OI FROM PRELIMINARY TO FINAL + ADDED A HUGE 3512 CONTRACTS (the cme will no longer provide preliminary no to be except through a paywall)

HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS NOV. ACCUMULATION FOR EFP’S SILVER/JPMORGAN’S HOUSE OF BRIBES/STARTING FROM FIRST DAY/MONTH OF NOV:

TOTAL CONTRACTS for 21 days, total 10,010 contracts:   OR 50.050 MILLION OZ  (476 CONTRACTS PER DAY)

TOTAL EFP’S FOR THE MONTH SO FAR:  50.050 MILLION OZ

LAST 23 MONTHS TOTAL EFP CONTRACTS ISSUED  IN MILLIONS OF OZ:

MAY 137.83 MILLION

JUNE 149.91 MILLION OZ

JULY 129.445 MILLION OZ

AUGUST: MILLION OZ 140.120

SEPT. 28.230 MILLION OZ//

OCT:  94.595 MILLION OZ

NOV: 131.925 MILLION OZ

DEC: 100.615 MILLION OZ

YEAR 2022:

 JAN 2022-DEC 2022

JAN 2022//  90.460 MILLION OZ

FEB 2022:  72.39 MILLION OZ//

MARCH 2022: 207.140  MILLION OZ//A NEW RECORD FOR EFP ISSUANCE

APRIL: 114.52 MILLION OZ FINAL//LOW ISSUANCE

MAY: 105.635 MILLION OZ//

JUNE: 94.470 MILLION OZ

JULY : 87.110 MILLION OZ

AUGUST: 65.025 MILLION OZ

SEPT. 74.025 MILLION OZ///FINAL

OCT.  29.017 MILLION OZ FINAL

NOV: 134.290 MILLION OZ//FINAL

DEC, 61.395 MILLION OZ FINAL

TOTALS YR 2022: 1135.767 MILLION OZ (1.1356 BILLION OZ)

JAN 2023///   53.070 MILLION OZ //FINAL

FEB: 2023:       100.105 MILLION OZ/FINAL//MUCH STRONGER ISSUANCE VS THE LATTER TWO MONTHS.

MARCH 2023:  112.58 MILLION OZ//FINAL//STRONG ISSUANCE

APRIL  118.035 MILLION OZ(SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THAN LAST MONTH)

MAY 66.120 MILLION OZ/INITIAL (MUCH SMALLER THIS MONTH)  

JUNE: 110.395 MILLION OZ//MUCH LARGER THAN LAST MONTH

JULY 85.745 MILLION OZ (SMALLER THAN LAST MONTH)

AUGUST: 171.43 MILLION OZ (THIS MONTH IS GOING TO BE HUGE //2ND HIGHEST ON RECORD

SEPT: 72.705 MILLION OZ (SMALLER THIS MONTH)

OCT: 97.455 MILLION OZ

NOV.  50.050 MILLION OZ (GOING TO BE QUITE SMALL THIS MONTH)

DEC.

RESULT: WE HAD A  HUGE SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 5188  CONTRACTS WITH OUR GAIN  IN PRICE OF  $0.15 IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX//WEDNESDAY.,.  THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A GOOD  EFP ISSUANCE  CONTRACTS: 592  ISSUED FOR DEC AND 0 CONTRACTS ISSUED FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS) WHICH  EXITED OUT OF THE SILVER COMEX  TO LONDON  AS FORWARDS.  WE HAVE A GOOD INITIAL SILVER OZ STANDING FOR NOV. OF  18.755 MILLION  OZ 

NEW STANDING 18.755 OZ   /// WE HAVE A HUGE SIZED GAIN OF 2556 OI CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES. THE TOTAL OF TAS INITIATED CONTRACTS TODAY:  A GOOD SIZED 592 CONTRACTS//SOME FRONT END OF THE TAS CONTRACTS WERE LIQUIDATED  DURING THE WEDNESDAY COMEX SESSION.   THE NEW TAS ISSUANCE WEDNESDAY NIGHT  (592) WILL BE PUT INTO “THE BANK” TO BE COLLUSIVELY USED AT A LATER DATE., .

WE HAD 1509  NOTICE(S) FILED TODAY FOR 7,545,000  OZ

THE SILVER COMEX IS NOW BEING ATTACKED FOR METAL BY LONDONERS ET AL.

GOLD//OUTLINE

IN GOLD, THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST ROSE BY A FAIR  SIZED 2627 CONTRACTS  TO 508,285 AND CLOSER TO THE RECORD (SET JAN 24/2020) AT 799733  AND  PREVIOUS TO THAT: (SET JAN 6/2020) AT 797,110.

THE DIFFERENTIAL FROM PRELIMINARY OI TO FINAL OI IN GOLD TODAY:  – REMOVED   939 CONTRACTS

WE HAD A  STRONG SIZED INCREASE  IN COMEX OI ( 7,818 CONTRACTS) WITH OUR  $7.20 GAIN IN PRICE//WEDNESDAY. WE ALSO HAD A RATHER LIGHT INITIAL STANDING IN GOLD TONNAGE FOR DEC.. AT 44.914 TONNES ON FIRST DAY NOTICE /   // TOTAL GOLD STANDING FOR DEC SO FAR: 44.914 TONNES // ALL OF..THIS HAPPENED WITH OUR $7.20 GAIN IN PRICE  WITH RESPECT TO WEDNESDAY’S TRADING. WE HAD A STRONG SIZED GAIN  OF 7818  OI CONTRACTS (24.317) PAPER TONNES) ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES.

E.F.P. ISSUANCE

THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A STRONG SIZED 5191 CONTRACTS:

The NEW COMEX OI FOR THE GOLD COMPLEX RESTS AT 508,285

IN ESSENCE WE HAVE A STRONG SIZED INCREASE IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 7,818 CONTRACTS  WITH 2627  CONTRACTS INCREASED AT THE COMEX// AND A STRONG SIZED 5191 EFP OI CONTRACTS WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS  TOTAL OI GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 7818 CONTRACTS OR 25.317 TONNES. WE HAD 0 CONTRACT EXCHANGE FOR RISK FOR 0 TONNES. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING TAS CONTRACTS INITIATED (ISSUED):  A  STRONG 2162 CONTRACTS. 

CALCULATIONS ON GAIN/LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES

WE HAD A STRONG SIZED ISSUANCE IN EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS (5191 CONTRACTS) ACCOMPANYING THE FAIR SIZED GAIN IN COMEX OI (2627) //TOTAL GAIN FOR OUR THE TWO EXCHANGES: 7818 CONTRACTS. WE HAVE ( 1) NOW RETURNED TO OUR FORMER FORMAT OF BANKERS GOING LONG AND SPECULATORS GOING SHORT  ,2.) FAIR INITIAL STANDING AT THE GOLD COMEX FOR DEC. AT 44.914 TONNES / / 3) ZERO LONG LIQUIDATION AND  SOME TAS LIQUIDATION HELPING THE PRICE GAIN, AND WE HAD ATTEMPTED  SPEC SHORT COVERINGS  DURING THE COMEX SESSION BUT AT HIGHER PRICES AS THE SPECS ARE CONTINUALLY USHERED INTO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE //4)  FAIR SIZED COMEX OPEN INTEREST GAIN/ 5)    STRONG ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL PAPER///6:  STRONG T.A.S.  ISSUANCE: 2162 CONTRACTS

HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS IN 2023 INCLUDING TODAY

NOV

ACCUMULATION OF EFP’S GOLD AT J.P. MORGAN’S HOUSE OF BRIBES: (EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL) FOR THE MONTH OF NOV. :

TOTAL EFP CONTRACTS ISSUED:  76,893 CONTRACTS OR 7,689,300 OZ OR 239.16 TONNES IN 21 TRADING DAY(S) AND THUS AVERAGING: 3661 EFP CONTRACTS PER TRADING DAY

TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO THE  SIZE OF THESE EFP TRANSFERS :  THIS MONTH IN 21 TRADING DAY(S) IN  TONNES  239.16 TONNES

TOTAL ANNUAL GOLD PRODUCTION, 2022, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD EX CHINA EX RUSSIA: 3555 TONNES

THUS EFP TRANSFERS REPRESENTS  239.16/3550 x 100% TONNES  6.73% OF GLOBAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION

ACCUMULATION OF GOLD EFP’S YEAR 2021 TO 2023

JANUARY/2021: 265.26 TONNES (RAPIDLY INCREASING AGAIN)

 FEB  :  171.24 TONNES  ( DEFINITELY SLOWING DOWN AGAIN)..

MARCH:.   276.50 TONNES (STRONG AGAIN/

APRIL:      189..44 TONNES  ( DRAMATICALLY SLOWING DOWN AGAIN//GOLD IN BACKWARDATION)

MAY:        250.15 TONNES  (NOW DRAMATICALLY INCREASING AGAIN)

JUNE:      247.54 TONNES (FINAL)

JULY:        188.73 TONNES FINAL

AUGUST:   217.89 TONNES FINAL ISSUANCE.

SEPT          142.12 TONNES FINAL ISSUANCE ( LOW ISSUANCE)_

OCT:           141.13 TONNES FINAL ISSUANCE (LOW ISSUANCE)

NOV:           312.46 TONNES FINAL ISSUANCE//NEW RECORD!! (INCREASING DRAMATICALLY)//SIGN OF REAL STRESS//SURPASSING THE MARCH 2021 RECORD OF 276.50 TONNES OF EFP

DEC.           175.62 TONNES//FINAL ISSUANCE//

TOTALS: 2,578.08 TONNES/2021

JAN:2022   247.25 TONNES //FINAL

FEB:           196.04 TONNES//FINAL

MARCH/2022:  409.30 TONNES //FINAL( THIS IS NOW A RECORD EFP ISSUANCE FOR MARCH AND FOR ANY MONTH.

APRIL:  169.55 TONNES (FINAL VERY  LOW ISSUANCE MONTH)

MAY:  247.44 TONNES FINAL//

JUNE: 238.13 TONNES  FINAL

JULY: 378.43 TONNES FINAL

AUGUST: 180.81 TONNES FINAL

SEPT. 193.16 TONNES FINAL

OCT:  177.57  TONNES FINAL ( MUCH SMALLER THAN LAST MONTH)

NOV.  223.98 TONNES//FINAL ( MUCH LARGER THAN PREVIOUS MONTHS//comex running out of physical)

DEC:  185.59 tonnes // FINAL

TOTAL: 2,847,25 TONNES/2022

JAN 2023:    228.49 TONNES FINAL//HUGE AMOUNT OF EFP’S ISSUED THIS MONTH!!

FEB: 151.61 TONNES/FINAL

MARCH: 280.09 TONNES/INITIAL (ANOTHER STRONG MONTH FOR EFP ISSUANCE)

APRIL: 197.42 TONNES

MAY: 236.67 TONNES (A VERY STRONG ISSUANCE FOR THIS MONTH)

JUNE: 172.667 TONNES (WEAKER ISSUANCE THIS MONTH)

JULY:  151.69 TONNES (WEAKER THAN LAST MONTH)

AUGUST:  195.28 TONNES (A STRONGER MONTH)//FINAL

SEPT: 254.709 TONNES (WILL BE LARGER THAN LAST MONTH AND A STRONG MONTH)

OCT. 248.09 TONNES. LIKE SILVER, THIS MONTH IS GOING TO BE A STRONG E.F.P. ISSUANCE.

NOV.   239.16 TONNES//WILL BE STRONG THIS MONTH,

DEC. 

SPREADING OPERATIONS

(/NOW SWITCHING TO GOLD) FOR NEWCOMERS, HERE ARE THE DETAILS

SPREADING LIQUIDATION HAS NOW COMMENCED   AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THE  NEW  ACTIVE FRONT MONTH OF SEPT. WE ARE NOW INTO THE SPREADING OPERATION OF  GOLD

HERE IS A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF HOW THE CROOKS FLEECE UNSUSPECTING LONGS IN THE SPREADING ENDEAVOUR ;MODUS OPERANDI OF THE CORRUPT BANKERS AS TO HOW THEY HANDLE THEIR SPREAD OPEN INTERESTS:HERE IS HOW THE CROOKS USED SPREADING AS WE ARE NOW INTO THE  NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF MAY HEADING TOWARDS THE  ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF JUNE., FOR BOTH GOLD:

YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE THAT THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST  STARTS TO RISE BUT SO IS THE OPEN INTEREST OF SPREADERS. THE OPEN INTEREST IN WILL CONTINUE TO RISE UNTIL ONE WEEK BEFORE FIRST DAY NOTICE OF AN UPCOMING  ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH (SEPT), AND THAT IS WHEN THE CROOKS SELL THEIR SPREAD POSITIONS BUT NOT AT THE SAME TIME OF THE DAY.  THEY WILL USE THE SELL SIDE OF THE EQUATION TO CREATE THE CASCADE (ALONG WITH THEIR COLLUSIVE FRIENDS) AND THEN COVER ON THE BUY SIDE OF THE SPREAD SITUATION AT THE END  OF THE DAY. THEY DO THIS TO AVOID POSITION LIMIT DETECTION. THE LIQUIDATION OF THE SPREADING FORMATION CONTINUES FOR EXACTLY ONE WEEK AND ENDS ON FIRST DAY NOTICE.”

WHAT IS ALARMING TO ME, ACCORDING TO OUR LONDON EXPERT ANDREW MAGUIRE IS THAT THESE EFP’S ARE BEING TRANSFERRED TO WHAT ARE CALLED SERIAL FORWARD CONTRACT OBLIGATIONS AND THESE CONTRACTS ARE LESS THAN 14 DAYS.  ANYTHING GREATER THAN 14 DAYS, THESE MUST BE RECORDED AND SENT TO THE COMPTROLLER, GREAT BRITAIN TO MONITOR RISK TO THE BANKING SYSTEM.  IF THIS IS INDEED TRUE, THEN THIS IS A MASSIVE CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD AS WE NOW WITNESS A MONSTROUS TOTAL EFP’S ISSUANCE AS IT HEADS INTO THE STRATOSPHERE.

The crooks also use the spread in the TAS  account  (trade at settlement).  They buy the spot TAS (e.g. June) and sell the future TAS two months out (e.g. August). Then they unload the front month (i.e. unload the buy side first so the price of gold/silver falls. This occurs in the middle  of the  front delivery month cycle. They unload the sell side of the equation, two months down the road.  The crooks violate position limits as the OCC refuse to hear our complaints.

First, here is an outline of what will be discussed tonight:

1.Today, we had the open interest at the comex, in SILVER ROSE BY A HUGE SIZED 5188  CONTRACTS OI TO  144,332 AND CLOSER TO  OUR COMEX HIGH RECORD //244,710(SET FEB 25/2020).  THE LAST RECORDS WERE SET  IN AUG.2018 AT 244,196 WITH A SILVER PRICE OF $14.78/(AUGUST 22/2018)..THE PREVIOUS RECORD TO THAT WAS SET ON APRIL 9/2018 AT 243,411 OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS WITH THE SILVER PRICE AT THAT DAY: $16.53). AND PREVIOUS TO THAT, THE RECORD  WAS ESTABLISHED AT: 234,787 CONTRACTS, SET ON APRIL 21.2017 OVER  5 YEARS AGO.  HOWEVER WE HAVE NOW SET A NEW RECORD LOW OF 114,102 CONTRACTS JULY 3.2023

EFP ISSUANCE  880  CONTRACTS

OUR CUSTOMARY MIGRATION OF COMEX LONGS CONTINUE TO MORPH INTO LONDON FORWARDS  AS OUR BANKERS USED THEIR EMERGENCY PROCEDURE TO ISSUE:

DEC  880  and ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE:  880  CONTRACTS. EFP’S GIVE OUR COMEX LONGS A FIAT BONUS PLUS A DELIVERABLE PRODUCT OVER IN LONDON.  IF WE TAKE THE  COMEX OI GAIN  OF 1676 CONTRACTS AND ADD TO THE 880  OI TRANSFERRED TO LONDON THROUGH EFP’S,

WE OBTAIN A  MEGA GIGANTIC SIZED GAIN OF OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 6068 CONTRACTS

THUS IN OUNCES, THE GAIN  ON THE TWO EXCHANGES  TOTAL 30,34 MILLION OZ  

OCCURRED WITH OUR     $0.15 GAIN IN PRICE …..

END

OUTLINE FOR TODAY’S COMMENTARY

1a/COMEX GOLD AND SILVER REPORT

(report Harvey)

b, ) Gold/silver trading overnight Europe,//GOLD COMMENTARIES

(Peter Schiff)

c) Commentaries from: Egon von Greyerz///Matthew Piepenburg via GoldSwitzerland.com, Pam and Russ Martens

ii a) Chris Powell of GATA provides to us very important physical commentaries

b. Other gold/silver commentaries

c. Commodity commentaries//

d)/CRYPTOCURRENCIES/BITCOIN ETC

2.ASIAN AFFAIRS//

THURSDAY MORNING/WEDNESDAY  NIGHT

SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 7.99 PTS OR 0.26%  //Hang Seng CLOSED UP 49.44 PTS OR 0.29%           /The Nikkei CLOSED UP 165.67 PTS OR 0.50% //Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP .72 %   /Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) closed DOWN AT 7.1363   /OFFSHORE CHINESE YUAN CLOSED DOWN TO 7.1457 /Oil UP TO 78,08dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT  DOWN AT 83.64/ Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN// ONSHORE YUAN TRADING ABOVE LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN  TRADING STRONGER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE STRONGER

a)NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
outline

b) REPORT ON JAPAN/
OUTLINE

3  CHINA
OUTLINE

4/EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE

5. RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE

6.Global Issues//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES
OUTLINE

7. OIL ISSUES
OUTLINE

8 EMERGING MARKET ISSUES
9. USA

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1. COMEX DATA//AMOUNTS STANDING//VOLUME OF TRADING/INVENTORY MOVEMENTS

GOLD

 LET US BEGIN:

THE TOTAL COMEX GOLD OPEN INTEREST ROSE  BY A FAIR SIZED 2627  CONTRACTS  TO 509,724 WITH OUR STRONG GAIN IN PRICE OF $7.20 WITH RESPECT TO WEDNESDAY TRADING. WE MUST HAVE HAD FEW SPEC SHORT COVERINGS.

EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE

WE ARE NOW IN THE NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF NOV..…  THE CME REPORTS THAT THE BANKERS ISSUED A STRONG SIZED  TRANSFER THROUGH THE EFP ROUTE AS THESE LONGS RECEIVED A DELIVERABLE LONDON FORWARD TOGETHER WITH A FIAT BONUS.,

THAT IS 5191  EFP CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED: :  DEC 5191 & ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS:

TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 5191 CONTRACTS

ON A NET BASIS IN OPEN INTEREST WE GAINED THE FOLLOWING TODAY ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES: A STRONG SIZED TOTAL OF 7818  CONTRACTS IN THAT 5191 LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS FORWARDS TO LONDON AND WE HAD A FAIR SIZED GAIN OF 2627 COMEX  CONTRACTS..AND  THIS GAIN ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES HAPPENED WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE OF $7.20//WEDNESDAY COMEX.  AS PER OUR NEWBIE TRADE AT SETTLEMENT (TAS) MANIPULATION OPERATION (WHICH CRAIG HEMKE HAS POINTED OUT HAPPENS DURING MID MONTH IN THE DELIVERY CYCLE), THE CME REPORTS THAT THE TOTAL T.A.S. ISSUANCE FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAS A FAIR SIZED   2162 CONTRACTS.  THROUGHOUT THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, THE BANKERS SOLD OFF THE LONG SIDE OF THE SPREAD WHICH  OF COURSE CONTINUES TO MANIPULATE THE PRICE OF GOLD SOUTHBOUND. (THEY KEEP THE SHORT SIDE OF THE CALENDAR SPREAD WHICH WILL BE LIQUIDATED TWO MONTHS HENCE)//. 

// WE HAVE A LIGHT AMOUNT OF GOLD TONNAGE STANDING:   DEC  (44.914 TONNES  (  ACTIVE MONTH)

HERE ARE THE AMOUNTS THAT STOOD FOR DELIVERY IN THE PRECEDING 12 MONTHS OF 2021-2022:

DEC 2021: 112.217 TONNES

NOV.  8.074 TONNES

OCT.    57.707 TONNES

SEPT: 11.9160 TONNES

AUGUST: 80.489 TONNES

JULY: 7.2814 TONNES

JUNE:  72.289 TONNES

MAY 5.77 TONNES

APRIL  95.331 TONNES

MARCH 30.205 TONNES

FEB ’21. 113.424 TONNES

JAN ’21: 6.500 TONNES.

TOTAL  YEAR  2021 (JAN- DEC): 601.213 TONNES

YEAR 2022:

JANUARY 2022  17.79 TONNES

FEB 2022: 59.023 TONNES

MARCH: 36.678 TONNES

APRIL: 85.340 TONNES FINAL.

MAY: 20.11 TONNES FINAL

JUNE: 74.933 TONNES FINAL

JULY 29.987 TONNES FINAL

AUGUST:104.979 TONNES//FINAL

SEPT.  38.1158 TONNES

OCT:  77.390 TONNES/ FINAL

NOV 27.110 TONNES/FINAL

Dec. 64.000 tonnes

(TOTAL  YEAR 656.076 TONNES)

2023:

JAN/2023:    20.559 tonnes

FEB 2023: 47.744 tonnes

MAR:  19.0637 TONNES

APRIL: 75.676  tonnes

MAY: 19.094 TONNES + 1.244 tonnes of exchange for risk =  20.338

JUNE: 64.354 TONNES

JULY: 10.2861 TONNES

AUGUST: 38.855 TONNES(INCLUDING .6842 EXCHANGE FOR RISK)

SEPT: 15.281 TONNES FINAL

OCT.    35.869 TONNES + 1.665 EXCHANGE FOR RISK =37.0355 tonnes

NOV: 18.7122 TONNES + 16.2505 EX. FOR RISK   = 34.9627 TONNES

DEC. 44.914 TONNES

THE SPECS/HFT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING GOLD’S PRICE( IT GAINED $7.20) //// AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING ANY  SPECULATOR LONGS AS  WE HAD A STRONG SIZED GAIN OF 7818 TOTAL CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES. WE HAD CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION ON THE FRONT END OF WEDNESDAY’S TRADING.   THE T.A.S. ISSUED ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WILL BE “PUT INTO THE BANK” TO BE USED AT A LATER DATE AT THE COLLUSIVE CHOOSING OF OUR BANKERS. WE ALSO EXPERIENCED  MASSIVE SPECULATOR SHORT COVERING BUT AT MUCH HIGHER PRICES

WE HAVE GAINED A TOTAL OI OF  24.317 PAPER TONNES FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES, ACCOMPANYING OUR INITIAL  GOLD TONNAGE STANDING FOR DEC. (44.914 TONNES) ON FIRST DAY NOTICE ALL OF THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE  TO THE TUNE OF $7.20.  FOR THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, THE SPECULATORS HAVE GONE MASSIVELY SHORT WITH OUR BANKERS NET LONG.  THE BIG QUESTION IS NOW HOW MUCH GOLD WILL THE BANKERS PULL FROM OUR SHORT SPECULATORS. 

WE HAD  REMOVED – 939 CONTRACTS  TO THE  COMEX TRADES TO OPEN INTEREST (CROOKS)

NET GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES 7818  CONTRACTS OR 781,800 OZ OR 24.317 TONNES.

Estimated gold volume today:// 145,676  POOR//

final gold volumes/yesterday   225,676  FAIR

//speculators have left the gold arena

NOV 30

/ /// THE DEC.  2023 GOLD CONTRACT

Gold	Ounces
Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory in oz	nil
Withdrawals from Customer Inventory in oz	NIL           .
Deposit to the Dealer Inventory in oz	62,834.556 OZ ASAHI
Deposits to the Customer Inventory, in oz	nil
No of oz served (contracts) today	9846  notice(s) 984,600 OZ 30.625 TONNES
No of oz to be served (notices)	4594  contracts    459,400 oz 14.289 TONNES
Total monthly oz gold served (contracts) so far this month	9846 notices 984,600  oz 30.625 TONNES
Total accumulative withdrawals of gold from the Dealers inventory this month	NIL oz
Total accumulative withdrawal of gold from the Customer inventory this month	x

1 dealer deposit:

I) Into ASAHI: 62,834.556 oz

total dealer deposits:  62,834.556 oz

customer deposits: 0

total customer deposits:  nil    oz

we had  0 customer withdrawals

total withdrawals 0 oz

Adjustments; 1

b) dealer to customer/JPMorgan 11,574.360 oz

CALCULATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR DEC.

For the front month of DECEMBER we have an oi of 14,440  contracts having LOST 9768 contracts. . 

THUS BY DEFINITION, THE INITIAL AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR DECEMBER IS AS FOLLOWS:

14,440 NOTICES X 100 OZ PER NOTICE = 1,444,000 OZ  OR 44.914 TONNES

JAN. LOST 103 contracts FALLING TO 3479 contracts.

FEB GAINED 12,802 CONTRACTS RISING TO 410,643.

We had  9846 contracts filed for today representing 984,600    oz  

Today, 0 notice(s) were issued from J.P.Morgan dealer account and 834  notices were issued from their client or customer account. The total of all issuance by all participants equate to  9846   contract(s) of which 0   notices were stopped (received) by  j.P. Morgan dealer and  6640  notice(s) was (were) stopped  ( received) by J.P.Morgan//customer account   and 0 notice(s) received (stopped) by the squid  (Goldman Sachs)

To calculate the INITIAL total number of gold ounces standing for the DEC. /2023. contract month, we take the total number of notices filed so far for the month (9846 x 100 oz ), to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of  DEC. (14,440  CONTRACTS)  minus the number of notices served upon today  9846 x 100 oz per contract equals  1,444,000 OZ  OR 44.914 TONNES 

thus the INITIAL standings for gold for the DEC. contract month:  No of notices filed so far (9846) x 100 oz +  (14,440) {OI for the front month} minus the number of notices served upon today (9846)  x 100 oz) which equals  1,444,000 oz standing OR 44.914 TONNES 

TOTAL COMEX GOLD STANDING FOR DEC: 44.914 TONNES WHICH IS LIGHT FOR THE BIGGEST ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH IN THE CALENDAR.  THEY PROBABLY KNOW THAT NO REAL GOLD IS PRESENT AT THE COMEX.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

COMEX GOLD INVENTORIES/CLASSIFICATION

NEW PLEDGED GOLD:

241,794.285 oz NOW PLEDGED /HSBC  5.94 TONNES

204,937.290 PLEDGED  MANFRA 3.08 TONNES

83,657.582 PLEDGED JPMorgan no 1  1.690 tonnes

265,999.054, oz  JPM No 2 

1,152,376.639 oz pledged  Brinks/

Manfra:  33,758.550 oz

Delaware: 193.721 oz

International Delaware::  11,188.542 oz

total pledged gold: 1,559,349,955  OZ   48.50 tonnes

TOTAL OF ALL GOLD ELIGIBLE AND REGISTERED GOLD:  19,937,493.603 OZ  

TOTAL REGISTERED GOLD 10,163,133.467  (316,11  tonnes).

TOTAL OF ALL ELIGIBLE GOLD: 9,834,360.136 OZ  

REGISTERED GOLD THAT CAN BE SERVED UPON: 8,603,784 (REG GOLD- PLEDGED GOLD) 267,61

END

SILVER/COMEX

NOV 30

//2023// THE DEC 2023 SILVER CONTRACT

Silver	Ounces
Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory	NIL oz
Withdrawals from Customer Inventory	138,879.340 oz Brinks .
Deposits to the Dealer Inventory	nil oz
Deposits to the Customer Inventory	3931.815 oz Delaware
No of oz served today (contracts)	1509  CONTRACT(S)    (7,545,000  OZ)
No of oz to be served (notices)	2242 contracts  (11,210,000 oz)
Total monthly oz silver served (contracts)	1509 Contracts  (7,545,000 oz)
Total accumulative withdrawal of silver from the Dealers inventory this month	NIL oz
Total accumulative withdrawal of silver from the Customer inventory this month

i)  0 dealer  deposit

total dealer deposit: 0

total: nil oz

i) We had  0 dealer withdrawal

total dealer withdrawals: 0 oz

We had  1 deposits customer account:

customer deposits: 1

i) Into Delaware: 3931.815 oz oz

total customer deposit 3931.815   oz

JPMorgan has a total silver weight: 134.441  million oz/266,191 million  or 50.31%

Comex withdrawals 1

we had  1 customer withdrawals

ii) Out of Brinks 138,879.340 oz

total withdrawals 138,879.340 oz

adjustments: 1 and it is huge

CNT customer to dealer 1,341,873.290 oz

TOTAL REGISTERED SILVER: 42.290 MILLION OZ//.TOTAL REG + ELIGIBLE. 266,191 million oz

CALCULATIONS FOR THE NEW STANDING FOR SILVER FOR DECEMBER:

silver open interest data:

FRONT MONTH OF DEC /2023 OI: 3751   CONTRACTS HAVING LOST 3368  CONTRACT(S).

THUS BY DEFINITION, THE INITIAL AMOUNT OF SILVER STANDING IN THIS ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF DECEMBER IS AS FOLLOWS:

3751 NOTICES  X 5000 OZ PER NOTICE = 18,755,000 OZ  

JAN LOST 92 CONTRACTS DOWN TO 1817 CONTRACTS

MARCH GAINED 8184 CONTRATS TO 123,814 .

TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR TODAY: 1509 for 7,545,000  oz

Comex volumes// est. volume today   50,292,// poor

Comex volume: confirmed yesterday 76,633 good/roll

To calculate the number of silver ounces that will stand for delivery in DEC. we take the total number of notices filed for the month so far at 1509 x  5,000 oz = 7,545,000 oz 

to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of DEC. (3751) and the number of notices served upon today 1509 x (5000 oz) equals the number of ounces standing.

Thus the  standings for silver for the DEC/2023 contract month:  1509 (notices served so far) x 5000 oz + OI for the front month of DEC. (3751) – number of notices served upon today (1509 )x 500 oz of silver standing for the DEC  contract month equates to 18.755 MILLION OZ 

There are 42.290 million oz of registered silver.

The record level of silver open interest is 234,787 contracts set on April 21./2017 with the price on that day at $18.42. The previous record was 224,540 contracts with the price at that time of $20.44

END

GLD AND SLV INVENTORY LEVELS//

BOTH GLD AND SLV ARE MASSIVE FRAUDS!

NOV 30/WITH GOLD DOWN $8.70  TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.02 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.53 TONNES

NOV 29/WITH GOLD UP $7.20 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.73 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 880.55 TONNES

NOV 28/WITH GOLD UP $26.45 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 882.28 TONNE

NOV 27/WITH GOLD UP $9,85 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 882.28 TONNES

NOV 24/WITH GOLD UP $11.20 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.15 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD// / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 882.28 TONNES

NOV 22/WITH GOLD DOWN $8.45 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 883.43 TONNES

NOV 21/WITH GOLD UP $21.65 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 883.43 TONNES

NOV 20/WITH GOLD DOWN $4.15 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD A MAMMOTH DEPOSIT OF 12.98 TONNES INTO THE GLD:/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 883.43 TONNES

NOV 17/WITH GOLD DOWN $1.85 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 870.45 TONNES

NOV 16/WITH GOLD UP $22.70 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 870.45 TONNES

NOV 15/WITH GOLD DOWN $1.00 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 870.45 TONNES

NOV 14/WITH GOLD UP $16.35 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/ / // //A DEPOSIT OF 2.3 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD// INVENTORY RESTS AT 870.45 TONNES

NOV 13/WITH GOLD UP $12.00 TODAY:SMALL CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/ / // //A DEPOSIT OF .87 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD// INVENTORY RESTS AT 868.15 TONNES

NOV 10/WITH GOLD DOWN $30.70 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 867.28 TONNES

NOV 9/WITH GOLD UP $12.50 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 867.28 TONNES

NOV 8/WITH GOLD DOWN $14.95 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 4.04 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 867.28 TONNES

NOV 7/WITH GOLD DOWN $14.70 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF 4.33 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 863.24 TONNES

NOV 6/WITH GOLD DOWN $9.90 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF 1.73 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD/ / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 863.24 TONNES

NOV 3/WITH GOLD UP $5.75 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 861.51 TONNES

NOV 2/WITH GOLD UP $6.55 TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A HUGE DEPOSIT OF 2.02 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD/ // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 861.51 TONNES

NOV 1/WITH GOLD DOWN $6.15 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 859.49 TONNES

OCT 31/859.49 TONNES//

OCT 30/WITH GOLD UP $7.80 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 861.80 TONNES

OCT 27/WITH GOLD UP $1.20 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 861.80 TONNES

OCT 26/WITH GOLD UP $2.90 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD A DEPOSIT OF 1.73 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD// // INVENTORY RESTS AT 861.80 TONNES

OCT 25/WITH GOLD UP $9.00 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/: //: // INVENTORY RESTS AT 860.07 TONNES

GLD INVENTORY: 880.55 TONNES

Now the SLV Inventory/( vehicle is a fraud as there is no physical metal behind them

NOV 30/WITH SILVER UP 20 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/ //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 436.051 MILLION OZ

NOV 29/WITH SILVER UP 15 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV” A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 4.122 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV// //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 436.051 MILLION OZ

NOV 28/WITH SILVER UP 64 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.173 MILLION OZ

NOV 27/WITH SILVER UP 32 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV //:////A WITHDRAWAL OF 1,008,000 OZ FROM THE SLV. //INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.173 MILLION OZ

NOV 24/WITH SILVER UP 70 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV //:////A WITHDRAWAL OF 549,000 OZ FROM THE SLV. //INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.181 MILLION OZ

NOV 22/WITH SILVER DOWN 21 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.730 MILLION OZ

NOV 21/WITH SILVER UP 32 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A DEPOSIT OF 2.794 OZ FROM THE SLV//://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.730 MILLION OZ

NOV 20/WITH SILVER DOWN 26 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 1,824,000 OZ FROM THE SLV//://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 438.936 MILLION OZ

NOV 17/WITH SILVER DOWN 6 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 1,832,000 OZ FROM THE SLV//://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 437,104 MILLION OZ

NOV 16/WITH SILVER UP 38 CENTS TODAY:SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 778,000 OZ FROM THE SLV//://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.768 MILLION OZ

NOV 15/WITH SILVER UP 39 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.587 MILLION OZ

NOV 14/WITH SILVER UP 78 CENTS TODAY:SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV:A DEPOSIT OF 183,000 OZ INTO THE SLV ////// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.587 MILLION OZ

NOV 13/WITH SILVER UP 5 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: ////// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.364 MILLION OZ

NOV 10/WITH SILVER DOWN 59 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF .733 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV////// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.364 MILLION OZ

NOV 9/WITH SILVER UP 17 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: //// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.631 MILLION OZ

NOV 8/WITH SILVER UP 13 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: //// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.631 MILLION OZ

NOV 7/WITH SILVER DOWN 59 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: //// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.631 MILLION OZ

NOV 6/WITH SILVER DOWN 6 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: //// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.631 MILLION OZ

NOV 3/WITH SILVER UP 41 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 0.638 MILLION OZ OF SILVER FROM THE SLV///// /// /INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.631 MILLION OZ

NOV 2/WITH SILVER UP 11 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.924 OZ OF SILVER FROM THE SLV///// /// /INVENTORY RESTS AT 439.993 MILLION OZ

NOV 1/WITH SILVER DOWN 11 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 916,000 OZ OF SILVER FROM THE SLV///// /// /INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.917 MILLION OZ

OCT 31/442.833 MILLION OZ///INVENTORY

OCT 30/WITH SILVER UP 46 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: /// /// /INVENTORY RESTS AT 443.750 MILLION OZ

OCT 27/WITH SILVER UP 3 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 641,000 OZ FROM THE SLV/// /// /INVENTORY RESTS AT 443.750 MILLION OZ

OCT 26/WITH SILVER DOWN 14 CENTS TODAY: NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/ /// /INVENTORY RESTS AT 444.391 MILLION OZ

OCT 25/WITH SILVER DOWN 6 CENTS TODAY: NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/ /// /INVENTORY RESTS AT 444.391 MILLION OZ

CLOSING INVENTORY 436.051 MILLION OZ//

PHYSICAL GOLD/SILVER COMMENTARIES

1:Peter Schiff/Mike Maharrey

Marc Faber: Inflation Is Here To Stay

https://WWW.ZEROHEDGE.COM/MARKETS/MARC-FABER-INFLATION-HERE-STAY

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 09:45 AM

Via SchiffGold.com,

During a recent interview at the 2023 Precious Metals Summit Zurich event, Doom, Boom & Doom Report publisher Marc Faber says now is the time to buy gold, silver and platinum because inflation is here to stay.

We are in an uptrend in inflation and uptrend in interest rates that will be interrupted from time to time by countertrend moves, such as we had in the 1970s, but the long-term trend in the next 20 to 30 years is for inflation to accelerate and for interest rates to move up.”

Faber said it’s important to understand that we have long-term cycles. He said we hit an interest rate peak, along with a peak in commodity prices in the early 1980s.

Thereafter we had a declining structure of both inflation and interest rates, partly artificially steered by central banks. But we made a major low in say May-August of 2000 where the 10-year Treasury yielded less than 0.6%.”

Financial analyst Jim Grant has made a similar observation about long-term trends, particularly for interest rates.

So what characterizes interest rate movements is their generation length phasing, not necessarily cycles, but there are phases. Interest rates fell for the last quarter of the 19th century, rose for the first 20 years of the 20th, fell from 1920, ‘46 rose in ‘46 to ‘81, fell from ‘81 to, call it, 2021. So at each juncture there was some mark of excess, some mark of speculative excess blow-off. Certainly in 1981, you know, a 20%+ funds rate seemed excessive. A 14% yield in 1984 in long bond when the CPI was printing at four or five, that seemed excessive. 10 percentage points of real yield — that seemed a lot.

“So I speculate that we are embarked on a long cycle of rising rates. And I say that first of all, for reasons of pattern recognition, there’s no theory behind it.”

Faber said in the short-term, perhaps the next six months, he expects interest rates to fall.

So, we have to distinguish between the short-term trend and the long-term trend.”

Faber pointed out that while interest rates have gone up significantly over the last year, financial conditions aren’t actually tight. In fact, the Fed and central banks globally are still running somewhat inflationary monetary policy.

You can have an increase in interest rates in the US and the money doesn’t become tight. If money was tight, the spread between junk bonds and Treasuries would be much wider. It hasn’t widened much. The VIX index volatility would shoot up. It hasn’t shot up. So, I think the monetary policies are still inflationary at the present time.”

The Chicago Fed’s Financial Conditions Index confirms this. As of the end of Nov. 24, the index stood at -0.5. Any negative number indicates loose financial conditions.

Faber said he has about 25% of his portfolio in gold and other precious metals. He pointed out that gold was $35 an ounce in the 1970s.

So, gold has actually been a good store of value for what it is. … I think in consideration of central banks whose function in the long-run is to print money – we never forget that a central bank exists to print money – in view of that, I think gold and other precious metals are still a good investment from a long-term perspective and also from a safety aspect.”

Faber does not buy into the “soft landing” narrative, and he thinks the dollar will weaken.

I think the conditions in America are not as rosy as government statistics suggest. I think the economy is going into recession, or is in a recession already. For most people, the economic recession is a reality already because their wages have gone up less than the cost of living increases.”

From a broad investment standpoint, Faber said people should “get out of the dollar.”

END

Unrealized Losses At US Banks Exploded In Q3

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 02:20 PM

Via SchiffGold.com,

Unrealized losses on securities held by US banks exploded by 22% in the third quarter.

Of course, unrealized losses don’t really matter — until they do.

This is yet more evidence that the financial crisis that kicked off last March continues to bubble under the surface.

Unrealized losses, primarily on US Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities rose by $126 billion in Q3 and now total $684 billion, according to the FDIC’s quarterly bank data release.

Current unrealized losses are only slightly below the record set in the third quarter of 2022. This reflects the fact that the FDIC took over three failed banks earlier his year and ate their unrealized losses when it sold the banks’ assets, thus wiping them from the books.

Unrealized looses on securities are divided between two accounting methods.

• Unrealized losses on held-to-maturity (HTM) securities jumped by $81 billion to $391 billion.
• Unrealized losses on available-for-sale (AFS) securities jumped by $45 billion to $293 billion.

It’s important to understand these are only paper losses. Ostensibly, the banks will hold these bonds until maturity and then will be paid their face value. If it plays out this way, there won’t be any real losses.

The problem is that these unrealized losses drastically decrease a bank’s liquidity. If it has to sell bonds in order to raise capital, the bank will experience significant losses. This is exactly what took down Silicon Valley Bank last March.

Here’s what happened.

SVB sold a large portion of its bond portfolio at a $1.8 billion loss. At the time, SVB CEO Greg Becke said the bank made the sale “because we expect continued higher interest rates, pressured public and private markets, and elevated cash burn levels from our clients.”

The bank bought the bonds when interest rates were low. As a result, the $21 billion available for sale (AVS) bond portfolio was not yielding above cash burn. Meanwhile, rising interest rates caused the value of the portfolio to fall significantly. The plan was to sell the longer-term, lower-interest-rate bonds and reinvest the money into shorter-duration bonds with a higher yield. Instead, the sale dented the bank’s balance sheet and caused worried depositors to pull funds out of the bank.

WolfStreet explained more generally how these “irrelevant” unrealized losses can suddenly become relevant.

Banks, via a quirk in bank regulations, don’t have to mark these securities to market value, but can carry them at purchase price. The difference between market value and purchase price is the ‘unrealized gain or loss’ that the bank must disclose in its quarterly financial filings, so that we the depositors can see them and get spooked by them and yank our money out, us billionaires and centimillionaires first, on the two fundamental principles of investing: 1, he who panics first, panics best; and 2, after us the deluge.”

The Federal Reserve set up a bailout program to allow banks to deal with this problem. Instead of selling bonds at a loss, cash-strapped banks can go to the Fed’s Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) and borrow against them “at par” (face value). This allows banks to use these undervalued assets to raise cash (at least temporarily) without realizing big losses on their balance sheets.

As unrealized losses rise, banks continue to tap into this bailout program more than nine months after the crisis kicked off.

Total outstanding loans in the BTFP program jumped by just over $5 billion in November alone.

In effect, the Fed managed to paper over the financial crisis with this bailout program.

It basically slapped a bandaid on it. But it has not addressed the underlying issue – the impact of rising interest rates on an economy and financial system addicted to easy money.

end

2,c) Commentaries from: Egon von Greyerz///Matthew Piepenburg via GoldSwitzerland.com, Pam and Russ Martens, John Rubino

3. CHRIS POWELL//GATA GOLD COMMENTARIES:

END

4, OTHER IMPORTANT GOLD/SILVER COMMENTARIES/ 

5 a. IMPORTANT COMMENTARIES ON COMMODITIES:RICE

Rice Nears 15-Year High As Global Food Crisis ‘Much Worse Than 2008’

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 07:45 AM

Rice prices are on the verge of hitting new 15-year highs as the damage effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon across Asia have damaged farmlands, leading to dwindling supplies. 

Thai white rice 5% broken hit $640 per ton this week. These prices are back to levels not seen since October 2008. Prices are up over 50% since the start of 2022.

Bloomberg spoke with Chookiat Ophaswongse, an honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, who provided new details about the deteriorating conditions for global rice markets. 

Ophaswongse said the demand for Thai rice from Brazil and the Philippines continues to rise. He said prices are being pushed up as top producer countries run low on supplies and demand increases elsewhere.

“We’re selling well now because Vietnam is low on stocks,” said Chookiat, whose group sets the weekly price for 5% broken. 

We provided readers with enough understanding that rice, which is critical to the diets of billions of people worldwide, was headed for a shortage:

• Sept. 2022: The Stage Is Being Set For A Massive Global Rice Shortage
• May 2023: Global Rice Shortage Looms, Set To Be The Biggest In Decades
• May 2023: Thai Rice Crop In Crosshairs Of El Nino As Farmers Are Warned About Water Shortages

And the panic started earlier this year: 

• July 2023: “So It Begins “: US Supermarkets Hit With Buying Panic As India Bans Rice Exports

In mid-September, Frederic Neumann, Chief Asia Economist at HSBC Global Research, told clients that soaring rice prices are “a memory of the 2008 Asian food price scare.” 

And just weeks ago, Sara Menker, founder and CEO of Gro Intelligence, told Bloomberg in an interview that the current food crisis surpassed the one in 2007-08, which ultimately sparked Arab Spring across the Middle East a few years later. 

END

5 B GLOBAL COMMODITY ISSUES/FOOD IN GENERAL//FREIGHT

END

6.CRYPTOCURRENCY//DIGITAL CURRENCY// COMMENTARIES/

end

1.YOUR EARLY CURRENCY VALUES/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN AND EUROPEAN BOURSE MOVEMENTS/AND INTEREST RATE SETTINGS THURSDAY MORNING.7:30 AM

ONSHORE YUAN:   CLOSED DOWN AT 7.1363

OFFSHORE YUAN: DOWN TO 7.1457

SHANGHAI CLOSED  UP 7.99 PTS OR 0.26%

HANG SENG CLOSED UP 49,44 PTS OR 0.29%

2. Nikkei closed  UP  165.67PTS OR 0.50%

3. Europe stocks   SO FAR:   ALL GREEN 

USA dollar INDEX UP  TO  103.17 EURO FALLS TO 1.0928 DOWN 46 BASIS PTS

3b Japan 10 YR bond yield: FALLS TO. +.668 Japan buying 100% of bond issuance)/Japanese YEN vs USA cross now at 147,58/JAPANESE YEN FALLING AS WELL AS LONG TERM 10  YR. YIELDS RISING //EVENTUALLY THIS WILL BREAK THE JAPANESE CENTRAL BANK

3c Nikkei now  ABOVE 17,000

3d USA/Yen rate now well ABOVE the important 120 barrier this morning

3e Gold DOWN /JAPANESE Yen DOWN  CHINESE ONSHORE YUAN: DOWN//  OFFSHORE: DOWN

3f Japan is to buy INFINITE  TRILLION YEN worth of BONDS. Japan’s GDP equals 5 trillion USA

Japan to buy 100% of all new Japanese debt and NOW they will have OVER 50% of all Japanese debt.

3g Oil UP for WTI and UP  FOR Brent this morning

3h European bond buying continues to push yields lower on all fronts in the EMU. German 10yr bund DOWN TO +2.4365***/Italian 10 Yr bond yield UP to 4.195** /SPAIN 10 YR BOND YIELD UP TO 3.445…**

3i Greek 10 year bond yield UP TO 3.628

3j Gold at $2040.85 silver at: 25.09 1 am est) SILVER NEXT RESISTANCE LEVEL AT $30.00

3k USA vs Russian rouble;// Russian rouble DOWN 0  AND 19 /100        roubles/dollar; ROUBLE AT 88.74//

3m oil into the  78  dollar handle for WTI and 83  handle for Brent/

3n Higher foreign deposits moving out of China//  huge risk of outflows and a currency depreciation. This can spell financial disaster for the rest of the world/

JAPAN ON JAN 29.2016 CONTINUES NIRP. THIS MORNING RAISES AMOUNT OF BONDS THAT THEY WILL PURCHASE UP TO .5% ON THE 10 YR BOND///YEN TRADES TO 147,58//  10 YEAR YIELD AFTER FIRST BREAKING .54% LAST YEAR NOW EXCEEDS THAT LEVEL TO 0.668% STILL ON CENTRAL BANK (JAPAN) INTERVENTION

30 SNB (Swiss National Bank) still intervening again in the markets driving down the FRANC. It is not working: USA/SF this 0.8754 as the Swiss Franc is still rising against most currencies. Euro vs SF:   0.9564 well above the floor set by the Swiss Finance Minister. Thomas Jordan, chief of the Swiss National Bank continues to purchase euros trying to lower value of the Swiss Franc.

USA 10 YR BOND YIELD: 4.289 UP 2 BASIS PTS…

USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 4.473 UP 2 BASIS PTS/

USA 2 YR BOND YIELD:  4.643 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS

USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 28.86…(TURKEY SET TO BLOW UP FINANCIALLY)

GREAT BRITAIN/10 YEAR YIELD: UP 8  BASIS PTS AT 4.1760

end

2.a  Overnight:  Newsquawk and Zero hedge:

US Futures Rise As November Surge Closes Strong, Oil Jump Ahead Of Fresh OPEC+ Output Cut

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 08:14 AM

US equity futures, European bourses and Asian markets all advanced, and Treasuries steadied at the end of a blistering November run after more dovish comments from hawkish Fed officials this week, and as investors waited for a key US inflation metric for further evidence that price pressure are cooling.  As of 7:55am ET, S&P futures rose 0.3% while US 10-year yields climb 3bp to 4.29%. Treasuries paused their strongest monthly gain since 2008, with yields on 10-year paper up four basis points at 4.30%. The dollar bounced 0.4% at the end of its worst month in a year, sending all major developed- and emerging-market currencies lower. The euro traded down 0.5% versus the greenback as the pace of price growth in the region cooled. Today’s macro focus will be the PCE, Personal Income/Spending and Initial Jobless Claims. The PCE release today will provide us with more details on the disinflation trend in Q4: Consensus sees core PCE printing 3.5% YoY vs. 3.68% prior. Eyes will also be on OPEC+ today as the group may consider a production cut at today’s meeting: RTRS sources said OPEC+ ministers agreed for a preliminary cut for over 1mn bpd.

In premarket trading, megacap tech are leading gains morning, with TSLA +65bp and GOOGL + 29bp. Salesforce jumped about 9% after the application software company’s third-quarter results and profit forecasts beat estimates. Here are some other notable premarket movers:

• HP Enterprise shares are up about 3% and are set to extend gains for a second session as Morgan Stanley raised its recommendation following results.
• ImmunoGen shares are halted after AbbVie (ABBV) agreed to buy the company. Stock is set to resume trading at 8 a.m.
• Nutanix gains about 9% as strong demand fueled a quarterly sales beat.
• Okta Inc. is down about 2% after a pair of analysts issued downgrades following the company’s breach disclosures.
• Pure Storage slumps 17% after the technology company’s outlook disappointed.
• Snowflake climbs about 7% after the US cloud-software company posted 3Q results that beat expectations and the firm gave an outlook that is seen as strong.
• Synopsys shares are up 2% after the maker of electronic design automation software reported fourth-quarter results that beat expectations.

Easing inflation and signs of a milder-than-expected slowdown in the US economy have sent Treasuries, agency and mortgage debt to their best month since the 1980s, triggering a November surge that pulled along assets from stocks to credit to emerging markets.

Oil gained following a Reuters reports that OPEC+ has reached a preliminary agreement on an additional output cut of more than 1mb/d. Details of how the cut will be distributed are yet to be finalised, but it is important that Saudi Arabia appears to have been able to maintain the unified stance from OPEC+ — at least long enough to move through the seasonally low demand period of 1Q24. Front-month Brent crude is up is up 2% at $84.69 a barrel.

Data due Thursday is forecast to show the Fed’s preferred inflation metric — the personal consumption expenditures price index — decelerated in October to the slowest annual rate since early 2021.

“Momentum on the other side of the pond is likely to remain bullish rates,” wrote Evelyne Gomez-Liechti, a multi-asset strategist at Mizuho International Plc in London. “The PCE inflation data for October is most likely going to echo what we already saw in the October CPI and PPI reports and add to the soft-landing narrative.”

Now, traders are looking to a speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday.

“Upcoming Fed communication could continue to stress the need hold rates steady for some time,” said Hauke Siemssen, rates strategist at Commerzbank AG. “We expect the air to be getting thinner for further bond market performance ahead of the usual supply wave early next year.”

European stocks are in the green with the Stoxx 600 rising 0.4%, set for their best month since January. Energy, financial and insurance shares are leading gains; oil stocks are the top performers on Europe’s Stoxx 600 index, as OPEC+ producers prepare to discuss additional output cuts of about one million barrels a day.  The euro sank after weak French economic data and a Euro-zone inflation print that came in lower than the estimates of all economists in a Bloomberg poll. Traders are now fully pricing in a rate cut from the ECB by April after data showed euro-area inflation slowed more than expected in November.  Here are some of the biggest movers on Thursday:

• VAT Group shares climb as much as 5.6%, to the highest level since January 2022 after the Swiss chipmaker announced it will end its short-time work scheme in the country’s production sites.
• Leonardo shares rise as much as 4.8%, the most intraday since Oct. 9, as JPMorgan reinstates full coverage of the aerospace and defense company with an overweight rating. A recovery in end markets and “self-help” can drive the shares higher in coming years, according to the analysts.
• ABB shares climb as much as 1.9%, touching the highest level since August, as the Swiss industrial conglomerate’s new revenue and margin targets came in ahead of estimates. The update will trigger low to mid-single digit percentage upgrades to 2025 consensus expectations, according to Citigroup.
• ASR Nederland and NN Group both soar by as much as 15% as ASR’s settlement of a long-standing miss-selling case removes a major overhang for the company and provides optimism of a resolution for its Dutch peer NN.
• Outokumpu shares surge as much as 14%, the most in almost 13 months, after the Finnish steelmaker announces an extension to its partnership with AM/NS within the Americas region, which Morgan Stanley says removes a key overhang.
• ASML shares drop as much as 1.8% after the Dutch chip-equipment maker said Christophe Fouquet will become CEO when Peter Wennink retires next year. Chief Technology Officer Martin van den Brink, who worked at the firm since its foundation in 1984, will also retire.
• Dr Martens shares plummet as much as 27%, dropping to the lowest intraday level on record, after the bootmaker’s first-half revenue missed estimates. The company also said that improvement in the US business will probably take longer than expected. Analysts viewed the results as weak overall, with Morgan Stanley attributing the miss mainly to industry-wide destocking across the Americas wholesale channel.
• OCI falls as much as 9.3% after being downgraded to hold from buy at Jefferies, which said that natural gas supply is becoming ample, potentially hurting profits from company’s planned investments.
• Future plc drops as much as 8.5% after Canaccord Genuity downgrades the media company to sell from hold, saying there is material risk of downgrades to consensus. It is the stock’s only negative analyst rating.
• Elekta shares fall as much as 7.1%, the most intraday in six months, after the Swedish medical equipment firm reported second-quarter results, with analysts noting some weakness in the company’s outlook comments and a strong share-price performance ahead of the release.
• Siltronic shares fall as much as 5.7% after the German silicon wafer manufacturer says chip inventories will remain high for at least the first half of 2024. The company also set mid-term sales growth targets that Jefferies said were slightly below consensus expectations.

Earlier in the session, Asian stocks gained, with investors in Chinese shares shrugging off a weak set of economic data on expectations that Beijing will ramp up support for the flagging economy. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose as much as 0.2%, buoyed by Chinese tech giants such as Tencent, with the gauge headed toward its best month since January. Japanese shares fell for a fourth day as the yen strengthened, while Korean stocks advanced after the Bank of Korea held its key interest rate. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rebounded from the lowest level in a year after activity in China’s manufacturing and services sectors shrank in November, adding to expectations of further government support for the economy. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first visit to Shanghai in three years was also seen as a positive for the tech sector. The relief rally in Chinese stocks could extend into early 2024 on “easing US-China tensions, China’s easing deflation, revenue growth pickup and further cost and interest expense cuts by enterprises lending support to non-financial margins,” JPMorgan & Chase Co. strategists including Wendy Liu wrote in a note.

• Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were indecisive with only brief pressure seen after the PMI data showed a steeper contraction in China’s factory activity which raises the prospects for further supportive measures.
• Japan’s Nikkei 225 swung between gains and losses amid recent currency strength and with better-than-expected Industrial Production offset by softer Retail Sales.
• Korea’s Kospi was just about kept afloat following the unsurprising decision by the BoK to keep rates unchanged and noted that it will maintain a restrictive policy stance for a sufficiently long period of time.
• Australia’s ASX 200 was choppy after mixed data in which Building Approvals topped forecast and Private Capital Expenditure missed estimates.

In FX, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose as much as 0.4%; but for the month it is poised to fall around 3%, its worst month in a year. The euro fell 0.5% as German yields slid as markets pulled forward expectations for ECB rate cuts, now fully pricing in the first rate cut by April 2024. Investors have become confident that the Fed has ended its monetary tightening campaign, and have turned their focus on rate cuts for next year, which has weighed on the dollar and boosted Treasuries. “A medium-term US dollar weakening trend is already underway,” Wells Fargo strategists including Aroop Chatterjee wrote in a research note. “The US dollar owes its recent strength to the high levels of US real rates — above 2% across much of the curve. We expect these to head toward more normal levels as the economy slows and disinflation continues”

In rates, treasuries were slightly cheaper across the curve with losses led by long-end, extending Wednesday’s steepening move. US 10-year yields around 4.295%, cheaper by 4bp on the day with bunds outperforming by 3bp in the sector; continued long-end underperformance steepens 2s10s spread by 2.5bp while 5s30s is only slightly wider vs Wednesday close. 10-year touched 4.246% during Asia session, lowest level since September, extending retreat from October’s multiyear high near 5.02% that has fueled the market’s biggest monthly advance since 2008 (3.9% through Nov. 29). Core European rates outperform after French November inflation slowed more than expected.

In commodities, crude futures advance as the OPEC meeting gets underway, with WTI rising 1% to trade near $78.70. Spot gold falls 0.3%.

To the day ahead now, and the main data highlight will be the flash CPI release for the Euro Area in November, which printed below the lowest estimate as European inflation slides, along with the unemployment rate for October. In the US, we’ll get the weekly initial jobless claims, PCE inflation, and personal income and spending for October. Central bank speakers include ECB President Lagarde, the ECB’s Panetta and Nagel, the Fed’s Williams, and the BoE’s Greene. Otherwise, the COP28 summit begins today, and there’s also the OPEC+ meeting taking place.

Market Snapshot

• S&P 500 futures up 0.1% to 4,565.75
• STOXX Europe 600 up 0.2% to 459.86
• MXAP up 0.4% to 162.25
• MXAPJ up 0.3% to 505.27
• Nikkei up 0.5% to 33,486.89
• Topix up 0.4% to 2,374.93
• Hang Seng Index up 0.3% to 17,042.88
• Shanghai Composite up 0.3% to 3,029.67
• Sensex little changed at 66,932.47
• Australia S&P/ASX 200 up 0.7% to 7,087.33
• Kospi up 0.6% to 2,535.29
• German 10Y yield little changed at 2.41%
• Euro down 0.3% to $1.0936
• Brent Futures up 0.8% to $83.80/bbl
• Gold spot down 0.1% to $2,041.77
• U.S. Dollar Index up 0.34% to 103.11

Top Overnight News

• Occidental Petroleum is in talks to buy CrownRock, a major energy producer in the west Texas area of the Permian basin, continuing a frenzy of deal making in the oil patch. A deal for the closely held company, which could be valued well above $10 billion including debt, could come together soon assuming the talks don’t fall apart or another suitor doesn’t prevail, according to people familiar with the matter. WSJ
• Elon Musk told advertisers who have halted spending on X due to his endorsement of an antisemitic post to “go F” themselves, deepening a rift between the billionaire and the companies that generate most of the social media platform’s revenue. FT
• China’s NBS PMIs for Nov fall short of expectations, with manufacturing coming in at 49.4 (down from 49.5 in Oct and below the Street’s 49.8 forecast) and services sliding to 50.2 (down from 50.6 in Oct and below the Street’s 50.9 forecast). FT
• WMT shipped 25% of all its US imports from India between Jan and Aug of ’23 vs. just 2% in ’18 as the firm moves its supply chain away from China (imports from China went from 80% to 60% of the total). RTRS
• China Evergrande seeks to avoid liquidation with a last-minute debt restructuring plan, but creditors are unlikely to accept the new proposal. RTRS
• France’s CPI falls by more than expected in Nov, coming in at +3.8% (down from +4.5% in Oct and below the Street’s +4.1% forecast). RTRS
• Eurozone CPI sinks by more than anticipated in Nov, with headline coming in at +2.4% (down from +2.9% in Oct and below the Street’s +2.7% forecast) and core +3.6% (down from +4.2% in Oct and below the Street’s +3.9% forecast). BBG
• Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their truce for at least another day in an announcement just minutes before it was set to expire. Antony Blinken will discuss the path forward with the Israeli government today. BBG
• Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state, died at the age of 100. He defined American foreign policy in the 1970s with his strategies to end the Vietnam War, and remained China’s preferred go-between with Washington until his death. BBG

A more detailed look at global markets courtesy of Newsquawk

APAC stocks were mixed and indecisively capped off this month’s notable gains as the Israel-Hamas truce hung in the balance before the announcement of a last-minute one-day extension, while participants also digested a slew of key data releases including disappointing Chinese official PMI figures. ASX 200 was choppy after mixed data in which Building Approvals topped forecast and Private Capital Expenditure missed estimates. Nikkei 225 swung between gains and losses amid recent currency strength and with better-than-expected Industrial Production offset by softer Retail Sales. KOSPI was just about kept afloat following the unsurprising decision by the BoK to keep rates unchanged and noted that it will maintain a restrictive policy stance for a sufficiently long period of time. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were indecisive with only brief pressure seen after the PMI data showed a steeper contraction in China’s factory activity which raises the prospects for further supportive measures.

Top Asian News

• Taiwan is closely monitoring China’s respiratory illnesses outbreak and will adjust epidemic prevention measures when needed.
• BoK kept its base rate unchanged at 3.50%, as expected, with the decision unanimous and four out of the seven board members said the door to a rate hike should remain open. BoK said uncertainties to the growth path are high with the economy facing heightened geopolitical risks and restrictive monetary policies abroad, while it will maintain a restrictive policy stance for a “sufficiently long period” of time (prev. “considerable time”) until the board is confident inflation will converge to the target level. Furthermore. Governor Rhee said the current policy rate is sufficiently restrictive and that restrictive monetary policy could stay for longer than six months.
• Hong Kong Exchange consultation paper on severe weather: severe conditions will no longer have automatic consequential impact on the continuity of trading

European bourses currently post modest gains, Euro Stoxx 50 +0.2%, despite spending the majority of the morning in the red; with the FTSE 100 outperforming, +0.6%, boosted by broader Crude price action pre-OPEC+; DAX 40 is lifted by SAP, +1.1%, as a read-over from Salesforce earnings. European sectors are mixed, though with a positive tilt; Energy significantly outperforms whilst Autos lag. Stateside futures, NQ & ES +0.2%, tilt higher in-fitting with the European bias as markets await US PCE data.

Top European News

• German Finance Minister Lindner said Germany faces a EUR 17bln gap in the 2024 budget.
• Dutch NSC party said it is not ready to negotiate on joining the Cabinet with far-right leader Wilders, according to ANP.
• ECB to, as usual, temporarily pause PEPP purchases (reinvestments) in anticipation of significantly lower market liquidity towards the end of this year. The last trading day before 19th December 2023, and purchases will resume on 2nd January 2024.
• BoE Monthly Decision Maker Panel (3rd-17th Nov): One-year ahead CPI inflation expectations decreased to 4.4% in November, down from 4.6% in October, expected year-ahead wage growth remained unchanged at 5.1%. The three-month moving average fell by 0.2 percentage points to 4.6% in the three months to November. Three-year ahead CPI inflation expectations increased 0.1 percentage point to 3.2% in November.
• ECB will discuss QT in December, via Econostream citing an ECB insider; some preference for coming to a QT decision next year as it means less once in 2024. Lagarde will not try to delay the discussion indefinitely. Will not take many meetings to come to a decision on PEPP, given broad agreement currently. PEPP change is expected, liquidity is high; unworried by how markets will take the change.
• ECB’s Panetta says ECB needs to avoid “useless damage” to the economy and financial stability that would end up also putting price stability at risk; ECB may be able to ease monetary conditions if persistently weak output accelerates decline in inflation; Monetary tightening has not yet had full impact, it will continue to dampen demand in the future

FX

• Dollar resumes recovery rally with a firm fillip from the Euro post-EZ inflation data and pre-US PCE/IJC.
• DXY towards top of 103.35-102.71 range and EUR/USD hovering near bottom of 1.0910-84 band.
• Pound and Yen suffer contagion, with Cable sub-1.2650 and USD/JPY above 147.50 compared to 1.2700+ and 146.85 at one stage.
• Loonie underpinned between 1.3568-1.3616 parameters as oil rebounds in advance of Canadian GDP metrics.
• PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1018 vs exp. 7.1273 (prev. 7.1031).
• Banxico Governor Rodriguez said they do not see a rate cut in the December decision but it is possible they could begin a discussion of rate cuts in meetings early next year.

Fixed Income

• Debt futures wane after short squeeze fizzles out.
• Bunds hit brakes just ahead of 133.00 as cool EZ inflation data pre-empted.
• Gilts undermined by extra DMO issuance and probing 97.00 to downside.
• T-note near base of 110-05+/14 range awaiting US PCE and IJC.
• UK DMO Gilt Auction Calendar: December 2023-March 2024. Two Gilts (2053 & 2034) to be sold at the additional auctions on 13th & 19th December; The gilts to be issued at auctions on 5, 6 and 12 December 2023 were previously announced on 31 August 2023. The auctions on 13 and 19 December 2023 were added to the calendar at the remit revision published on 22 November 2023

Commodities

• WTI and Brent, +1.9%, extend gains following reports that OPEC+ has a preliminary agreement for additional oil output cuts in excess of 1mln BPD, according to Reuters; reminder the JMMC commences at 08:30EST and the OPEC+ gathering at 09:30EST.
• Spot Gold is marginally lower, owing to the firmer Dollar, though with overall trade rangebound ahead of US PCE, base metals are mixed/flat following on from weaker Chinese PMI data and the FX influence.
• OPEC “proposal is around Saudi Arabia extending the voluntary cuts of 1 million bpd and then on top of that other states may add additional cuts”, via Energy Intel’s Bakr
• OPEC+ has a preliminary agreement for additional oil output cuts in excess of 1mln BPD, via Reuters citing a delegate; Talks around an OPEC cut of more than 1mln BPD will depend on how much could be contributed by members states, Energy Intel reports; adds almost all member states appear to be aligned that a deeper cut is needed
• Updated OPEC Timings for today: OPEC meeting at 10:00GMT/05:00EST, JMMC meeting at 13:30GMT/08:30EST, OPEC+ meeting at 14:30GMT/09:30EST, according to EnergyIntel’s Bakr
• OPEC/OPEC+ meetings expected to occur as scheduled on Thursday, via Reuters citing sources; OPEC+ continues to discuss additional oil output cut for early-2024
• OPEC+ additional output cut discussions range from 1-2mln BPD, according to Reuters sources
• OPEC+ reportedly mulls new oil production cuts amid the Middle East conflict with Saudi Arabia favouring a curb of up to 1mln BPD, while other members oppose downgrading quotas with Nigeria and Angola resisting a downgrade of their individual quotas and the UAE is also reluctant to cut output. Furthermore, it was stated that a rollover of most existing output curbs is the most likely scenario but talks are continuing, according to WSJ citing delegates.
• Kazakhstan Energy Ministry said oil output was down 34% at Karachaganak oilfield on November 29th due to the Black Sea storm.
• Oil loadings from Novorossiysk and CPC terminals remained shut on Wednesday amid a storm with the November plan for Novorossiysk delayed by over 1mln tons, according to Reuters sources.
• First Quantum (FM CA) announced the suspension of 7,000 contract employees due to force majeure at its Panama mine.

Geopolitics: Israel-Hamas

• Israeli military said the truce will continue in light of mediators’ efforts to release more hostages and Hamas also confirmed that it agreed to extend the truce for a seventh day, according to Reuters.
• Sources in Israel’s war council earlier noted that Hamas’s list of the new batch of hostages to be released did not meet the agreed criteria and Israel officials warned fighting will resume if Hamas does not present a new list by 07:00 local time (05:00GMT/00:00EST), while Hamas confirmed Israel rejected its proposed hostage release and it told its fighters to be ready for renewed battles if the truce with Israel was not extended, according to Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and Reuters.
• Israeli prison service announced it released 30 Palestinians in the sixth round of Gaza truce swaps on Wednesday.
• UK Defence Minister Shapps is sending a warship to the Gulf region amid fears of a ramp up in Iranian missile attacks. The warship will protect against drone threats and ensure safe flow of trade, according to the Telegraph.
• China issued a position paper on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which stated that the UN Security Council should respond to the general call of the international community for a comprehensive ceasefire to be put in place to stop the fighting. Furthermore, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said a spillover of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the entire Middle East region should be avoided by urging countries that have an impact on the parties to play an active role, while he added that China is to send another batch of emergency humanitarian supplies to Gaza to alleviate the humanitarian situation.
• “Sirens in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel after a march crept in from southern Lebanon”, according to Al Arabiya
• United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon says Israel retaliated to cross-border fire from Lebanon
• “Estimates in Israel indicate that tomorrow is the last day of the truce in Gaza”, according to Al Arabiya citing Israeli Press Yedioth Ahronoth

Geopolitics: North Korea

• North Korean leader Kim inspected satellite photos of a US naval base in San Diego and Kadena air base in Japan, while North Korea said it will never sit face-to-face with the US for negotiations, according to KCNA.

US Event Calendar

• 08:30: Nov. Initial Jobless Claims, est. 218,000, prior 209,000
  • Nov. Continuing Claims, est. 1.87m, prior 1.84m
• 08:30: Oct. Personal Income, est. 0.2%, prior 0.3%
  • Oct. Personal Spending, est. 0.2%, prior 0.7%
  • Oct. Real Personal Spending, est. 0.1%, prior 0.4%
• 08:30: Oct. PCE Deflator MoM, est. 0.1%, prior 0.4%
  • Oct. PCE Core Deflator YoY, est. 3.5%, prior 3.7%
  • Oct. PCE Core Deflator MoM, est. 0.2%, prior 0.3%
  • Oct. PCE Deflator YoY, est. 3.0%, prior 3.4%
• 09:45: Nov. MNI Chicago PMI, est. 46.0, prior 44.0
• 10:00: Oct. Pending Home Sales YoY, est. -8.8%, prior -13.1%
  • Oct. Pending Home Sales (MoM), est. -2.0%, prior 1.1%

Central Bank speakers

• 09:15: Fed’s Williams Speaks on Innovations in Central Banking

DB’s Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap

Morning from Zurich where it is currently snowing. I know that as the hotel gym is 200 meters away from the hotel and I’ve finished this off on an exercise bike here this morning. That was a long 200 meters dressed in just gym kits!

For markets the sun has shined almost every day this month and as we arrive at the last day, bonds have continued their extraordinary performance over November, driven by growing hopes for a soft landing and a dovish central bank pivot. That excitement meant that we saw another strong rally yesterday, with the 2yr Treasury yield (-8.8bps) falling to its lowest level since July, at 4.65%, whilst other records were being set across the board. For instance, Bloomberg’s global bond aggregate is currently on course for its best month since December 2008, and the US bond aggregate is on course for its best month since May 1985. That said, equities struggled to gain much traction yesterday after an equally dizzying run, with the S&P 500 paring back its initial gains to close down -0.09%.

The main catalyst for this rally was another round of downside surprises on inflation. In particular, the preliminary German CPI reading for November fell to just +2.3% on the EU-harmonised measure (vs. +2.5% expected), which is the lowest it’s been since June 2021. Earlier in the day, we also had a downside surprise from Spain, where CPI fell to +3.2% (vs. +3.7% expected). So all that has set us up nicely for the Euro Area-wide release this morning.

That good news narrative was then supported by some robust data from the US, which saw the strong Q3 GDP performance revised up even higher. The latest estimate showed annualised growth at a +5.2% rate (vs. +4.9% before), and it also included downward revisions to PCE and core PCE inflation, which is the measure the Fed officially targets. Specifically, the Q3 PCE number was revised down a tenth to +2.8%, and core PCE was also revised down a tenth to +2.3%. So all other things being equal the revisions were in a soft landing direction. Today’s PCE and personal spending data for October will give us more colour on where in Q3 these revisions came and the read through for Q4.

This data meant that investors grew even more excited about near-term rate cuts, with futures pricing in the most dovish path in months. For instance, a March rate cut by the Fed was seen as a 50% chance at the close, and a cut is now fully priced in by the May meeting. It’s a similar story at the ECB as well, with a cut now fully priced by April. So when it comes to market pricing, a Q1 rate cut has gone from being a complete out-of-consensus view only a month ago, to a serious proposition now. It will be fascinating to see what Mr Powell makes of all this tomorrow. This rally all started at the last FOMC meeting on 1 November with him repeatedly noting that financial conditions had tightened “significantly”. This shifted the market’s attention from a slight chance of hikes to cuts. Since then this trade has taken a life of its own. With bonds and equities performing so strongly over the past month, it will be very interesting if Powell endorses or pushes back on it.

With rate cuts seemingly coming closer, sovereign bonds rallied very strongly on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly at the front end. For instance, yields on 2yr Treasuries (-8.8bps) fell to their lowest level since July, at 4.65%, and those on 10yr Treasuries (-6.6bps) were at their lowest since September, at 4.26%. In Europe, there was a similar rally, with yields on 10yr bunds (-6.4bps), OATs (-6.4bps) and BTPs (-8.2bps) all seeing a considerable decline. In fact for 10yr bunds, that left them at 2.43%, which is the lowest they’ve been since July .

Whilst hopes were growing about a soft landing, risk assets struggled to gain much traction despite a strong performance at the open. Some of that weakness followed comments from Richmond Fed President Barkin, who struck a more hawkish tone than recent Fed speakers. He pointed out that “if inflation is going to flare back up, I think you want to have the option of doing more on rates. That said, other Fed speakers avoided such hawkish signals. Atlanta Fed President Bostic expressed confidence that the “the downward trajectory of inflation will likely continue”, while Cleveland Fed President Mester said that “monetary policy is in a good place”. Back in Europe, we heard from Greek central bank Governor Stournaras that the first rate cut could come in mid-2024 but that pricing of an April ECB cut seemed a bit optimistic. So some pushback against increased market pricing of cuts coming from one of the more dovish ECB voices.

Equities started the day on the front foot but then lost ground, with the S&P 500 falling back from a gain of +0.72% to close -0.09% lower. The Dow Jones (+0.04%) and the NASDAQ (-0.16%) were also near-flat on the day, with one outperformer being the small-cap Russell 2000, which rose +0.61%. Bank stocks were also a notable outperformer, with the S&P 500 banks index (+1.46%) rising to its highest level since mid-August .

European risk assets outperformed their US counterparts yesterday, with the STOXX 600 advancing +0.45%, whilst the DAX was up +1.09% to its highest level since early August. That was echoed in the credit space too, where the iTraxx Crossover (-10.2bps) moved to its tightest since April 2022, at 367bps. The moves came as we also got some better-than-expected sentiment data, with the European Commission’s economic sentiment indicator ticking up for a second month running to 93.8 (vs. 93.6 expected), having previously been on a run of five consecutive declines.

In the commodities space, oil prices gained ahead of today’s OPEC+ meeting, with Brent crude up +1.74% to $83.10/bbl and WTI up +1.90% to $77.86/bbl. Today’s OPEC+ meeting had previously been scheduled for last weekend but was delayed amid negotiation difficulties over potential new output cuts. The WSJ reported yesterday that the alliance was considering new production cuts of as much as 1mmb/day. In our 2024 World Outlook mentioned at the start, our oil analyst noted that, with subdued oil demand growth and rising non-OPEC production, the global oil market would move into an oversupplied position in early 2024 if there were no further OPEC+ output cuts .

Moving on to Asia, equity markets are trading in a tight range this morning even with the downbeat China PMIs highlighting the sustained softness in the world’s second biggest economy. In terms of specific moves, the Hang Seng (+0.18%), the CSI (+0.24%) and the Shanghai Composite (+0.16%) are trading slightly higher on the hopes for more policy support. Elsewhere, the Nikkei (+0.03%) is reversing its opening losses while the KOSPI (+0.04%) is also fairly flat following the Bank of Korea’s decision to keep its interest rate unchanged at 3.5%. S&P 500 (+0.13%) and NASDAQ 100 (+0.20%) futures are looking to wrap up a stella month in style .

Coming back to China, the official factory activity measure shrank for the second consecutive month in November, slipping to 49.4 (v/s 49.8 expected) from 49.5 in October, dragged down by insufficient demand. Additionally, the official non-manufacturing PMI dropped to 50.2 in November (v/s 50.9 expected) from 50.6 in October, recording its weakest level since December 2022. Elsewhere, retail sales in Japan rose at its slowest pace so far this year, increasing +4.2% y/y in October (v/s +6.0% expected) compared to a revised +6.2% gain in September. Meanwhile, industrial output rebounded +0.9% y/y in October, exceeding market forecasts for a +0.4% increase and after a -4.4% drop in the previous month.

Staying with data, there was some more positive data from the UK yesterday, where mortgage approvals rose to 47.4k in October (vs. 45.3k expected), ending a run of three consecutive declines. That was above every economist’s estimate in Bloomberg’s survey, and it adds to the theme of better-than-expected UK data over the last week, including the flash PMIs and the GfK’s consumer confidence reading.

To the day ahead now, and the main data highlight will be the flash CPI release for the Euro Area in November, along with the unemployment rate for October. In the US, we’ll get the weekly initial jobless claims, PCE inflation, and personal income and spending for October. Central bank speakers include ECB President Lagarde, the ECB’s Panetta and Nagel, the Fed’s Williams, and the BoE’s Greene. Otherwise, the COP28 summit begins today, and there’s also the OPEC+ meeting taking place.

END

2 B) NOW NEWSQUAWK (EUROPE/REPORT)

Equities & DXY firmer, Crude gains though off highs post OPEC+ sources; US PCE due – Newsquawk US Market Open

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 06:23 AM

• Equities post modest gains with the FTSE 100 & DAX 40 outperforming given crude and SAP/Salesforce
• Stateside futures tilt higher in-fitting with the European bias as markets await US PCE data.
• DXY is firmer, leading G10’s lower with clear underperformance in the EUR post cooler than expected CPI.
• Debt futures wane after short squeeze fizzles out; Bunds fade from near 133.00
• Crude extends gains following reports that OPEC+ has a preliminary agreement for additional oil output cuts in excess of 1mln BPD, according to Reuters
• The overnight session saw a slew of key data releases including disappointing Chinese official PMI figures which showed a steeper contraction in China’s factory activity.
• Looking ahead, US Personal Consumption, PCE Price Index, IJC, Dallas Fed PCE, Canadian GDP, Average Weekly Earnings, Australian PMI (Final), Japanese Unemployment Rate, OPEC+ Meeting, Speeches from Fed’s Williams, BoE’s Greene & ECB’s Lagarde.

More Newsquawk in 3 steps:

1. Subscribe to the free premarket movers reports

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EUROPEAN TRADE

EQUITIES

• European bourses currently post modest gains, Euro Stoxx 50 +0.2%, despite spending the majority of the morning in the red; with the FTSE 100 outperforming, +0.6%, boosted by broader Crude price action pre-OPEC+; DAX 40 is lifted by SAP, +1.1%, as a read-over from Salesforce earnings.
• European sectors are mixed, though with a positive tilt; Energy significantly outperforms whilst Autos lag.
• Stateside futures, NQ & ES +0.2%, tilt higher in-fitting with the European bias as markets await US PCE data.
• Click here and here for the sessions European pre-market equity newsflow, including earnings.
• Click here for more details.

FX

• Dollar resumes recovery rally with a firm fillip from the Euro post-EZ inflation data and pre-US PCE/IJC.
• DXY towards top of 103.35-102.71 range and EUR/USD hovering near bottom of 1.0910-84 band.
• Pound and Yen suffer contagion, with Cable sub-1.2650 and USD/JPY above 147.50 compared to 1.2700+ and 146.85 at one stage.
• Loonie underpinned between 1.3568-1.3616 parameters as oil rebounds in advance of Canadian GDP metrics.
• PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1018 vs exp. 7.1273 (prev. 7.1031).
• Banxico Governor Rodriguez said they do not see a rate cut in the December decision but it is possible they could begin a discussion of rate cuts in meetings early next year.
• Click here for more details.
• Click here for the Option Expires for the NY Cut.

FIXED INCOME

• Debt futures wane after short squeeze fizzles out.
• Bunds hit brakes just ahead of 133.00 as cool EZ inflation data pre-empted.
• Gilts undermined by extra DMO issuance and probing 97.00 to downside.
• T-note near base of 110-05+/14 range awaiting US PCE and IJC.
• UK DMO Gilt Auction Calendar: December 2023-March 2024. Two Gilts (2053 & 2034) to be sold at the additional auctions on 13th & 19th December; The gilts to be issued at auctions on 5, 6 and 12 December 2023 were previously announced on 31 August 2023. The auctions on 13 and 19 December 2023 were added to the calendar at the remit revision published on 22 November 2023
• Click here for more details.

COMMODITIES

• WTI and Brent, +1.9%, extend gains following reports that OPEC+ has a preliminary agreement for additional oil output cuts in excess of 1mln BPD, according to Reuters; reminder the JMMC commences at 08:30EST and the OPEC+ gathering at 09:30EST.
• Spot Gold is marginally lower, owing to the firmer Dollar, though with overall trade rangebound ahead of US PCE, base metals are mixed/flat following on from weaker Chinese PMI data and the FX influence.
• OPEC “proposal is around Saudi Arabia extending the voluntary cuts of 1 million bpd and then on top of that other states may add additional cuts”, via Energy Intel’s Bakr
• OPEC+ has a preliminary agreement for additional oil output cuts in excess of 1mln BPD, via Reuters citing a delegate; Talks around an OPEC cut of more than 1mln BPD will depend on how much could be contributed by members states, Energy Intel reports; adds almost all member states appear to be aligned that a deeper cut is needed
• Updated OPEC Timings for today: OPEC meeting at 10:00GMT/05:00EST, JMMC meeting at 13:30GMT/08:30EST, OPEC+ meeting at 14:30GMT/09:30EST, according to EnergyIntel’s Bakr
• OPEC/OPEC+ meetings expected to occur as scheduled on Thursday, via Reuters citing sources; OPEC+ continues to discuss additional oil output cut for early-2024
• OPEC+ additional output cut discussions range from 1-2mln BPD, according to Reuters sources
• OPEC+ reportedly mulls new oil production cuts amid the Middle East conflict with Saudi Arabia favouring a curb of up to 1mln BPD, while other members oppose downgrading quotas with Nigeria and Angola resisting a downgrade of their individual quotas and the UAE is also reluctant to cut output. Furthermore, it was stated that a rollover of most existing output curbs is the most likely scenario but talks are continuing, according to WSJ citing delegates.
• Kazakhstan Energy Ministry said oil output was down 34% at Karachaganak oilfield on November 29th due to the Black Sea storm.
• Oil loadings from Novorossiysk and CPC terminals remained shut on Wednesday amid a storm with the November plan for Novorossiysk delayed by over 1mln tons, according to Reuters sources.
• First Quantum (FM CA) announced the suspension of 7,000 contract employees due to force majeure at its Panama mine.
• Click here for more details.
• Click here for the newsquawk OPEC+ primer.

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• German Finance Minister Lindner said Germany faces a EUR 17bln gap in the 2024 budget.
• Dutch NSC party said it is not ready to negotiate on joining the Cabinet with far-right leader Wilders, according to ANP.
• ECB to, as usual, temporarily pause PEPP purchases (reinvestments) in anticipation of significantly lower market liquidity towards the end of this year. The last trading day before 19th December 2023, and purchases will resume on 2nd January 2024.
• BoE Monthly Decision Maker Panel (3rd-17th Nov): One-year ahead CPI inflation expectations decreased to 4.4% in November, down from 4.6% in October, expected year-ahead wage growth remained unchanged at 5.1%. The three-month moving average fell by 0.2 percentage points to 4.6% in the three months to November. Three-year ahead CPI inflation expectations increased 0.1 percentage point to 3.2% in November.
• ECB will discuss QT in December, via Econostream citing an ECB insider; some preference for coming to a QT decision next year as it means less once in 2024. Lagarde will not try to delay the discussion indefinitely. Will not take many meetings to come to a decision on PEPP, given broad agreement currently. PEPP change is expected, liquidity is high; unworried by how markets will take the change.
• ECB’s Panetta says ECB needs to avoid “useless damage” to the economy and financial stability that would end up also putting price stability at risk; ECB may be able to ease monetary conditions if persistently weak output accelerates decline in inflation; Monetary tightening has not yet had full impact, it will continue to dampen demand in the future

DATA RECAP

• UK Lloyds Business Barometer (Nov) 42 (Prev. 39)
• German Retail Sales YY Real (Oct) -0.1% vs. Exp. -2.0% (Prev. -4.3%); MM Real 1.1% vs. Exp. 0.4% (Prev. -0.8%)
• Swiss Retail Sales YY (Oct) -0.1% (Prev. -0.6%, Rev. -1.2%)
• French GDP QQ Final (Q3) -0.1% vs. Exp. 0.1% (Prev. 0.1%)
• French CPI (EU Norm) Prelim YY (Nov) 3.8% vs. Exp. 4.1% (Prev. 4.5%); French CPI Prelim YY NSA 3.4% vs. Exp. 3.70% (Prev. 4.00%)
• French Consumer Spending MM (Oct) -0.9% vs. Exp. -0.2% (Prev. 0.2%)
• Swiss KOF Indicator (Nov) 96.7 vs. Exp. 96.6 (Prev. 95.8, Rev. 95.1)
• German Unemployment Rate SA (Nov) 5.9% vs. Exp. 5.8% (Prev. 5.8%); German Unemployment Change SA 22.0k vs. Exp. 22.0k (Prev. 30.0k)
• German Unemployment Total SA (Nov) 2.702M (Prev. 2.678M); NSA 2.606M (Prev. 2.607M)
• Polish CPI Flash YY (Nov) 6.50% (Prev. 6.60%); MM 0.70% (Prev. 0.30%)
• Italian Unemployment Rate (Oct) 7.8% vs. Exp. 7.5% (Prev. 7.4%, Rev. 7.6%)
• EU HICP Flash YY (Nov) 2.4% vs. Exp. 2.7% (Prev. 2.9%); EU HICP-X F&E Flash YY 4.2% (Prev. 5.0%); EU HICP-X F,E,A&T Flash YY 3.60% vs. Exp. 3.90% (Prev. 4.20%); EU HICP-X F, E, A, T Flash MM -0.60% (Prev. 0.20%)
• EU Unemployment Rate (Oct) 6.5% vs. Exp. 6.5% (Prev. 6.5%)
• Italian CPI (EU Norm) Prelim YY (Nov) 0.7% vs. Exp. 1.1% (Prev. 1.8%); Prelim MM -0.4% vs. Exp. -0.1% (Prev. 0.1%)

NOTABLE US HEADLINES

• Salesforce (CRM) – Better than expected earnings and upbeat guidance helped CRM shares surge almost 9% in US afterhours trading. Q3 adj. EPS 2.11 (exp. 2.06), Q3 revenue USD 8.72bln (exp. 8.72bln). Q3 professional services and other revenue USD 579mln (exp. 621.5mln), Q3 adj. income from operations USD 2.72bln (exp. 2.64bln), Q3 adj. operating margin 31.2% (exp. 30.4%), Q3 FCF 1.37bln (exp. 898.3mln). Sees Q4 revenue between USD 9.18-9.23bln (exp. 9.22bln), and sees Q4 adj. EPS between 2.25-2.26 (exp. 2.17); raises its FY24 EPS outlook to between USD 8.18-8.19 (prev. 8.04-8.06, exp. 8.06), and sees FY24 revenue between USD 34.75-34.8bln (prev. 34.7-34.8bln, exp. 34.80bln). Shares seen +9% pre-market
• Click here for the US Early Morning Note.

GEOPOLITICS

ISRAEL-HAMAS

• Israeli military said the truce will continue in light of mediators’ efforts to release more hostages and Hamas also confirmed that it agreed to extend the truce for a seventh day, according to Reuters.
• Sources in Israel’s war council earlier noted that Hamas’s list of the new batch of hostages to be released did not meet the agreed criteria and Israel officials warned fighting will resume if Hamas does not present a new list by 07:00 local time (05:00GMT/00:00EST), while Hamas confirmed Israel rejected its proposed hostage release and it told its fighters to be ready for renewed battles if the truce with Israel was not extended, according to Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and Reuters.
• Israeli prison service announced it released 30 Palestinians in the sixth round of Gaza truce swaps on Wednesday.
• UK Defence Minister Shapps is sending a warship to the Gulf region amid fears of a ramp up in Iranian missile attacks. The warship will protect against drone threats and ensure safe flow of trade, according to the Telegraph.
• China issued a position paper on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which stated that the UN Security Council should respond to the general call of the international community for a comprehensive ceasefire to be put in place to stop the fighting. Furthermore, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said a spillover of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the entire Middle East region should be avoided by urging countries that have an impact on the parties to play an active role, while he added that China is to send another batch of emergency humanitarian supplies to Gaza to alleviate the humanitarian situation.
• “Sirens in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel after a march crept in from southern Lebanon”, according to Al Arabiya
• United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon says Israel retaliated to cross-border fire from Lebanon
• “Estimates in Israel indicate that tomorrow is the last day of the truce in Gaza”, according to Al Arabiya citing Israeli Press Yedioth Ahronoth

North Korea

• North Korean leader Kim inspected satellite photos of a US naval base in San Diego and Kadena air base in Japan, while North Korea said it will never sit face-to-face with the US for negotiations, according to KCNA.

CRYPTO

• Bitcoin, USD 37.7k, is marginally weaker whilst Ethereum teeters around the unchanged mark; with specifics light for Crypto, though action influenced by Dollar strength.

APAC TRADE

• APAC stocks were mixed and indecisively capped off this month’s notable gains as the Israel-Hamas truce hung in the balance before the announcement of a last-minute one-day extension, while participants also digested a slew of key data releases including disappointing Chinese official PMI figures.
• ASX 200 was choppy after mixed data in which Building Approvals topped forecast and Private Capital Expenditure missed estimates.
• Nikkei 225 swung between gains and losses amid recent currency strength and with better-than-expected Industrial Production offset by softer Retail Sales.
• KOSPI was just about kept afloat following the unsurprising decision by the BoK to keep rates unchanged and noted that it will maintain a restrictive policy stance for a sufficiently long period of time.
• Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were indecisive with only brief pressure seen after the PMI data showed a steeper contraction in China’s factory activity which raises the prospects for further supportive measures.

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• Taiwan is closely monitoring China’s respiratory illnesses outbreak and will adjust epidemic prevention measures when needed.
• BoK kept its base rate unchanged at 3.50%, as expected, with the decision unanimous and four out of the seven board members said the door to a rate hike should remain open. BoK said uncertainties to the growth path are high with the economy facing heightened geopolitical risks and restrictive monetary policies abroad, while it will maintain a restrictive policy stance for a “sufficiently long period” of time (prev. “considerable time”) until the board is confident inflation will converge to the target level. Furthermore. Governor Rhee said the current policy rate is sufficiently restrictive and that restrictive monetary policy could stay for longer than six months.
• Hong Kong Exchange consultation paper on severe weather: severe conditions will no longer have automatic consequential impact on the continuity of trading

DATA RECAP

• Chinese NBS Manufacturing PMI (Nov) 49.4 vs. Exp. 49.7 (Prev. 49.5); Non-Manufacturing PMI (Nov) 50.2 vs. Exp. 51.1 (Prev. 50.6)
• Chinese Composite PMI (Nov) 50.4 (Prev. 50.7)
• Japanese Industrial Production MM (Oct P) 1.0% vs. Exp. 0.8% (Prev. 0.5%)
• Japanese Retail Sales YY (Oct) 4.2% vs. Exp. 5.9% (Prev. 5.8%, Rev. 6.2%)
• Australian Building Approvals MM (Oct) 7.5% vs. Exp. 2.0% (Prev. -4.6%, Rev. -4.0%)
• Australian Capital Expenditure (Q3) 0.6% vs. Exp. 1.0% (Prev. 2.8%); Private Capital Expenditure 2023-2024 (AUD)(Est. 4) 171.2B (Prev. 157.8B)
• New Zealand ANZ Business Confidence (Nov) 30.8 (Prev. 23.4); Activity Outlook (Nov) 26.3 (Prev. 23.4)

THURSDAY MORNING/WEDNESDAY  NIGHT

SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 7.99 PTS OR 0.26%  //Hang Seng CLOSED UP 49.44 PTS OR 0.29%           /The Nikkei CLOSED UP 165.67 PTS OR 0.50% //Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP .72 %   /Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) closed DOWN AT 7.1363   /OFFSHORE CHINESE YUAN CLOSED DOWN TO 7.1457 /Oil UP TO 78,08dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT  DOWN AT 83.64/ Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN// ONSHORE YUAN TRADING ABOVE LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN  TRADING STRONGER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE STRONGER

2 d./NORTH KOREA/ SOUTH KOREA/
//

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA

END

2e) JAPAN

end

3 CHINA

END

4.EUROPEAN AFFAIRS//UK /SCANDINAVIAN AFFAIRS

EU

EU economy is crashing.  Their inflation rate is cooling but still quite high

(zerohedge)

ECB Rate-Cut Expectations Soar After EU Inflation Cools More Than Expected

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 08:01 AM

Following cooler than expected CPI from Germany and Spain yesterday, the aggregate euro-zone inflation cooled more than expected this morning with headline CPI tumbling from +2.9% in October to +2.4% in November. Core CPI – that excludes volatile components including fuel and food – also moderated for a fourth month, to 3.6%.

Source: Bloomberg

The decline in inflation was dominated by Energy deflation…

And inflation is slowing across all of Europe…

However, inflation is likely to tick higher before returning to target due to statistical effects and the wind-down of measures deployed last year by governments to offset soaring energy prices.

President Christine Lagarde has warned price gains may quicken “slightly” in the coming months and Bloomberg Economics’ Nowcast for December points to a reading of 3.2%.

And this has raised expectations for ECB rate-cuts next year, bringing forward expectations for the first cut from May to April…

Source: Bloomberg

Additionally, markets are betting on four quarter-point reductions in 2024 – up from three last week – and are assigning a 70% chance of a fifth, which would bring the deposit rate back to 2.75% from a record 4% currently.

ECB officials are adamant, however, that monetary policy must remain tight to ensure inflation makes it all the way back to 2%.

END

IRELAND

The Irish get it: they do not want migrants in their community

(Brooke/ReMix)

Irish Villagers Erect Roadblocks To Stop Govt From Bussing Migrants Into Their Community

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 03:30 AM

Authored by Thomas Brooke via ReMix News,

Residents of villages in Ireland have resorted to establishing barricades and road checkpoints around their communities to prevent the government from relocating asylum seekers to the area.

Locals of Dromahair in County Leitrim took the drastic measure to cordon off the village on Friday amid rumors the Department of Integration was planning to bus in dozens of foreign nationals without prior agreement by community leaders.

According to the Irish Examiner, three checkpoints were erected on roads around the village and members of the Dromahair Concerned Residents Association manned the roadblocks and checked cars as they sought to enter the area.

Protesters have expressed their discontent in recent days at the possibility of new arrivals to the town, citing security and the saturation of public services as their primary concerns.

The Irish government did not attempt to relocate the migrants on Friday and the citizens’ association in the village confirmed on Monday they had received written confirmation from Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman that no new arrivals would descend on the town without sufficient engagement among the local residents.

The letter sent to the organization followed what the Department of Integration called a “positive” meeting on Sunday with local MPs Frank Feighan, Martin Kenny, and Marian Harkin.

The government plans to repurpose the Abbey Manor Hotel in the village to house dozens of asylum seekers but is facing fierce resistance as has also been seen in several other towns and villages across the country.

“If a contract is agreed, it is hoped that this property can be brought into use. Capacity and configuration will not be agreed until negotiations reach the final stage, however, it is anticipated that the capacity will be circa 155 persons,” a government spokesperson said previously.

Similar scenes have been witnessed in Rosslare Harbour where the government is attempting to scrap the planned renovation of a derelict hotel into a nursing home and cater for hundreds of “male adult” migrants in a village that has already taken its fair share of refugees.

“Between the amount of refugees that we have currently in Rosslare Harbour and what’s planned for the Great Southern site, it will mean that this village will have taken in over 700 refugees. That will add about a third to the indigenous, settled population, with no additional services or provisions made,” local councilor Ger Carthy said earlier this month.

…

Read more here…

END

IRELAND

Irish government moves to crackdown on free speech. How awful!

(Jonathan Turley)

Irish Government Moves To Crackdown On Free Speech After Anti-Immigration Riot

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 11:00 AM

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

We have previously discussed the growing anti-free speech movement in Ireland. As discussed in The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in the Age of Rage, these crackdowns on free speech tend to come with periods of public  panic or anger.

Anti-free speech advocates use such periods as opportunities to get the public to surrender this core right to government censors or prosecutors.

Right on schedule, Ireland is now pushing one of the most chilling crackdowns to date.

The excuse for the latest rollback of free speech was a riot in Dublin leading to the arrest of 34 people and extensive property damage in anti-immigration protests. 

The protests have challenged the government policies on handling undocumented migrants.

The bill criminalizes any “preparing or possessing material likely to incite violence or hatred against persons on account of their protected characteristics.” 

That includes any material concerning national or ethnic origin, as well as protected characteristics including “transgender and a gender other than those of male and female.”

The bill includes crimes relating to “xenophobia” and can be committed merely by the”public dissemination or distribution of tracts, pictures or other material.”

Elon Musk has flagged the law as have other free speech advocates.

Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has rushed to ride the political wave after the recent Dublin riot to announce that he would fight hatred by taking away rights.  He declared his intent to “modernize laws against hatred” by criminalizing speech that his government decides is “incitement.” He insisted that the existing legislation is “not up to date for the social media age” and needs to have a broad reach of criminalized speech. He wants to crackdown not just on violence but on those who say things that might “stir up” others.

What was particularly chilling was a speech by the Irish Green Party Sen. Pauline O’Reilly who admitted that  “We are restricting freedom, but we’re doing it for the common good.”

That is all it takes to get citizens to surrender core rights, a declaration that fewer rights is better for the common good. It has become a Siren Call on the left not just abroad but in the United States.

I have previously written columns about the rising generation of censors in our country. After years of being told that free speech is harmful and dangerous, many young people are virtual speech phobics — demanding that opposing views be silenced as “triggering” or even forms of violence. A recent Pew poll showed just how much ground we have lost, including the emergence of the Democratic Party as a virulent anti-free speech party. Pew found that “Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are much more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to support the U.S. government taking steps to restrict false information online (70% vs. 39%).”

Ireland shows how public disorder can play into the hands of government officials in further limiting the right of free speech.

As O’Reilly explained, free speech is simply too dangerous and denying the right is now viewed as a public good.

Of course, some have more direct measures.

Dublin Councilman Abul Kalam Azad Talukder has reportedly called for protesters to be “shot in the head or bring the public in and beat them until they die.”

END

5 RUSSIA//UKRAINE AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS

ISRAEL/HAMAS/

here are the 12 hostages released today:

(Jerusalem Post)

Israel-Hamas deal: These are the 12 hostages released on Wednesday

An additional two Russian citizens were released by Hamas on Wednesday.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFNOVEMBER 29, 2023 23:31

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The 12 Israeli hostages released from Hamas captivity on Wednesday, November 29, 2023(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)

Israel has confirmed the identities of the 10 hostages who were released on Wednesday evening, after 53 days of being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

An additional two Russian citizens were released by Hamas on Wednesday.

Raya Rotem

Raya Rotem, released from Hamas captivity November 29, 2023 (credit: BRINGTHEMHOMENOW)

Raya Rotem, 54, mother to Hila Rotem, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists during an attack on their community in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. This attack resulted in the death of an estimated 10% of the residents and the kidnapping of dozens of people.

She was hiding in her safe room with her daughter that morning and sent a message to Raya’s brother at 12:05 p.m., informing him that they were being abducted and taken to Gaza.

This was the last communication anyone had with Raya or Hila. 

It wasn’t confirmed that they were Hamas hostages until October 29 when their family was informed that they were officially captives in Gaza.

Raz Ben Ami

Raz Ben Ami, 55, and Ohad, 57, were abducted from their home by Hamas in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 during a violent attack. Advertisement

Raz Ben Ami, 57 (credit: Bring Them Home Now)

One of their daughters, Ela, survived and communicated with her father until his abduction.

Both Ohad and Raz were later photographed being pulled by terrorists, and Raz, who has a serious illness, requires medication for pain management, making her situation critical.

Yarden Roman, 36, was also among those released.

Liat Beinin Atzili

American-born couple Liat Beinin Atzili and Aviv Atzili, 49, have been missing from Kibbutz Nir Oz since October 7. Aviv left in the early morning as part of the security response team when Hamas terrorists entered the kibbutz, while Liat remained in their safe room, last contacting a friend at 11:30 a.m.

Liat Beinin Atzili, 49 (credit: Bring Them Home Now)

Aviv’s phone was tracked to Gaza, and their house was found burned, though without signs of struggle.

Aviv’s mother, Telma Atzili, 78, hid for 10 hours during the attack and is now in Eilat with her grandchildren.

Liam Or

Liam Or, 18, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists along with his cousins and uncle from their home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. 

Liam Or, 18 (credit: Bring Them Home Now)

Ofir Engel

Ofir Engel, 17, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists when they attacked his kibbutz on October 7. The Engel family has been missing since then, with the last known communication being with Ofir’s mother and her sister when she told her that there were terrorists in their home. 

Ofir Engel (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

The family’s phones were traced to Gaza, and while there were no signs of violence in their home and their dog was alive, their fate remains uncertain. 

Amit Shani

Amit Shani, 16, was staying at his mother’s home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 when seven Hamas terrorists came into the home and kidnapped him from his room.

According to Amit’s father who spoke to BringThemHomeNow, Amit, his mother, and his two sisters were hiding in the safe room when the terrorists came in, threatened them at gunpoint, grabbed Amit, and pushed him into a vehicle with two other hostages.

Amit Shani, 16 (credit: Bring Them Home Now)

Gali Tarshansky

Gali Tarshansky, 13, was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. Gali and her older brother Lior were hiding in the saferoom when Hamas terrorists came in, killed Lior, and kidnapped Gali. Her dog Moka was also killed.

Gali Tarshansky, 13 (credit: Bring Them Home Now)

Yarden Roman, 36

Yarden Roman, 36, released on November 29, 20233 (credit: BRINGTHEMHOMENOW)

Yarden Roman was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri the morning after she returned to Israel to celebrate Simchat Torah after a trip abroad with her husband, daughter, and sister. Yarden, husband Alon, and daughter Geffen hid in their family’s safe room until terrorists broke into their home and loaded them into a car. As they approached the Gaza border, the terrorists paused for a moment, and Alon and Yarden escaped. She handed Geffen to her husband, and the two of them made it to safety, while Yarden was recaptured and abducted to Gaza. 

Itay Regev, 18

Itay Regev, 18, released on November 29, 2023 (credit: BRINGTHEMHOMENOW)

Itay Regev, from Herzliya, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival along with his sister Maya, who was released on Saturday. The morning of the attack, Maya called their father, and screamed, “Dad, they’re shooting at me, I’m dead.” Itay was later seen in a Hamas video, handcuffed in the back of a vehicle. 

Moran Stela Yanai, 40

Moran Stela Yanai, 40, released on November 29, 2023 (credit: BRINGTHEMHOMENOW)

Moran Yanai, a jewelry designer, was selling her work at the Nova festival on October 7. She made several frightened calls to her parents the morning of the attack, who then lost contact. A video later surfaced showing terrorists taking Yanai from a ditch where she was hiding. Family have described her to media as a caretaker of her elderly parents and a committed animal-rescue activist.

Yelena Trupanob and Irena Tati

Yelena Trupanob (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

Yelena Trupanob and Irena Tati, two dual Russian-Israeli citizens, were taken hostage by Hamas from their home in Nir Oz on October 7.  Hamas stated on Wednesday afternoon that they were released as a gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to the 10 Israelis released as part of the ceasefire deal on Wednesday.

Trupanob’s son Sasha and Sasha’s partner, Sapir Cohen, are still being held hostage by Hamas. Trupanob’s husband, Vitaly, was murdered on October 7.Russian-Israeli hostage Irena Tati, 73 (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

end

This is not good: a UN teacher held a hostage in GAZA

Released hostage says he was held by UNRWA teacher in Gaza – report

Furthermore, Boker’s report also cites another hostage saying that he was held hostage by a Gazan doctor as he was treating children patients.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFNOVEMBER 30, 2023 02:40Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 02:43

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AN ISRAELI military helicopter with released Israeli hostages on board arrives at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva, on Sunday.(photo credit: YOSSI ALONI/FLASH90)

One of the hostages, recently released from Gaza, revealed on Wednesday that he was held for nearly 50 days in an attic by a UNRWA teacher.

The story was publicized on X by Channel 13 journalist Almog Boker.

The hostage also stated that the teacher who held him captive was a father of 10 children. Additionally, the hostage had barely been provided food or medical attention, and was locked away by the teacher.

Furthermore, Boker’s report also cites another hostage saying that he was held hostage by a Gazan doctor as he was treating children patients.

end

Released hostage says he was held by UNRWA teacher in Gaza – report

Boker’s report also cites another hostage saying that he was held by a Gazan doctor as he was treating children patients.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFNOVEMBER 30, 2023 02:40Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 09:23

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AN ISRAELI military helicopter with released Israeli hostages on board arrives at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva, on Sunday.(photo credit: YOSSI ALONI/FLASH90)

One of the hostages, recently released from Gaza, revealed on Wednesday that he was held for nearly 50 days in an attic by a teacher from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The story was publicized on X by Channel 13 journalist Almog Boker.

The hostage also said that the teacher who held him captive was a father of 10 children. He had barely been provided food or medical attention, and was locked away by the teacher, he said.

Furthermore, Boker’s report also cites another hostage saying that he was held hostage by a Gazan doctor as he was treating children patients.

The UNRWA school in Nablus

A report from the beginning of the month saw a UNRWA-run school in Nablus in the West Bank posting a video to its official Facebook page in which a young student called for the victory of Hamas’s “jihad warriors” in Gaza.

Red Cross vehicle carrying hostages abducted by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel, arrives at Rafah border, amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in southern Gaza Strip, November 28, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)

The report also documented several examples of teachers at UNRWA schools in Gaza praising the attacks on social media, and found ties between Hamas terrorists and the agency’s schools.

The report also revealed that more than 100 Hamas terrorists were confirmed to have graduated from UNRWA schools.

end

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: 

initial rejection of Hamas list because it included 3 dead bodies

(Jerusalem Post/Reuters)

Hamas says Israel rejected proposed hostage release to extend truce

By REUTERSNOVEMBER 30, 2023 06:02

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Gaza’s ruling Hamas group said Israel declined to receive seven women and child hostages and the bodies of three others who the terrorists said were killed during Israel’s bombardment of the enclave in exchange for a temporary truce extension on Thursday.

“This is despite confirming through mediators that this group is all the (Hamas) movement has in terms of detainees in the agreed-upon category,” Hamas said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

A truce between Israel and Hamas was due to expire at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT).

END

TIMES OF ISRAEL

same story as above

Gaza truce set to end at 7 a.m.; Hamas says Israel rejects latest offer for hostages

Israel, Hamas lack agreement on next group of abductees up for release to uphold temporary ceasefire * 14 hostages freed Wednesday back in Israel

By JACOB MAGID

Hamas announces that Israel rejected its offer to release seven women and children along with the bodies of three other Israelis for an extension of the truce that started Friday and held for six days by Wednesday.

Israel said it would be willing to extend the truce for an additional day for every 10 abducted Israeli women and children that Hamas releases.

The truce is set to end at 7 a.m.

Hamas says in its statement that the list of seven Israelis it presented earlier this evening were the only Israeli women and children that it was able to locate in Gaza. Other allied terror groups also abducted Israelis on October 7, but several of those hostages were still released over the past week.

An Israeli official told reporters on Wednesday that Jerusalem believes at least 15 more women and children remain in Gaza.

Israel has in the past rejected Hamas claims that it could not locate all of the hostages in Gaza, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad falsely claimed that one of its hostages was killed in Israeli airstrikes when she was in fact alive and released in recent days

Meanwhile, Hamas’s military wing issues a statement saying that it ordered its forces to be on high alert in anticipation of a renewal in the terror group’s fighting with Israel.

The statement came two hours before the deadline set by Israeli officials who warned that they would resume fighting if Hamas did not deliver by 7 a.m. an updated list of the hostages it is prepared to release in order to extend the truce by at least one more day.

end

THEN: AT 7 AM ISRAEL TIME. 12 00 midnight EST

10 live hostages to be released on their next list

Gaza war on hold for another 24 hours, 10 captives to be freed tonight

The IDF said it believes some 159 hostages are still in Gaza.

By TOVAH LAZAROFFNOVEMBER 29, 2023 23:44Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 07:37

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. November 22, 2023(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Israel and Hamas agreed that the Gaza war would be on hold for another 24 hours and that another ten captives would be freed on Thursday night, bringing the total of Israeli captives released since last week to 83.

“The War Cabinet unanimously decided last night that if a list [of ten captives] is not delivered by seven o’clock this morning as agreed upon in the outline – fighting will be resumed immediately,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

“A short time ago, Israel was given a list of women and children in accordance with the terms of the agreement, and therefore the truce will continue,” it added.

Hamas had initially said it could only free seven live captives and three dead ones — all women and children.

It’s presumed that there are still some three children and some 24 women remaining in captivity in Gaza and some 150 male captives.

It’s not clear however if all of the children and women are alive. Hamas had said that Shiri Bibas and her two children Kfir and Ariel had died in captivity. The IDF has not been able to verify that account. A Hamas claim about a dead hostage had been proven false in the last week.

There is no formula for the release of dead hostages or male ones, with Hamas insisting on a high price for soldiers.

end

Then the list was changed to 8 Israeli captives. It is believed that two more Thai workers will also be released, bringing the total to 10.

Jerusalem Post 

Gaza war on hold for another 24 hours, 8 captives to be freed tonight

The IDF said it believes some 159 hostages are still in Gaza.

By TOVAH LAZAROFFNOVEMBER 29, 2023 23:44Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 09:30

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. November 22, 2023(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Israel and Hamas agreed that the Gaza war would be on hold for another 24 hours and that another eight captives would be freed on Thursday night, bringing the total of Israeli captives released since last week to 81.

“The War Cabinet unanimously decided last night that if a list [of ten captives] is not delivered by seven o’clock this morning as agreed upon in the outline – fighting will be resumed immediately,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

“A short time ago, Israel was given a list of women and children in accordance with the terms of the agreement, and therefore the truce will continue,” it added.

Hamas had initially said it could only free seven live captives and three dead ones — all women and children

. 

It’s presumed that there are still some three children and some 22 women remaining in captivity in Gaza and some 131 male captives.

It’s not clear however if all of the children and women are alive. Hamas had said that Shiri Bibas and her two children Kfir and Ariel had died in captivity. The IDF has not been able to verify that account. A Hamas claim about a dead hostage had been proven false in the last week.

There is no formula for the release of dead hostages or male ones, with Hamas insisting on a high price for soldiers.

end

Then, the list came to 10 Israeli’s including two Russian-Israeli citizens

(Jerusalem Post)

10 Israeli hostages to be released by Hamas today – report

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Ten Israeli hostages, including two Russian dual citizens, will be released on Thursday as part of a ceasefire extension agreement reached between Israel and Hamas on Thursday morning, a source in Hamas told the AFP.

Sky News Arabia reported that the agreement also included the release of 30 Palestinians and the continued flow of aid to Gaza.

end

More confusion: however it seems that Hamas will release the three bodies  that they claimed were killed in a bombing

Hamas says will release 10 hostages, 3 bodies on Thursday as Gaza truce extended

Israel initially said to be expecting 8; terror group later says 2 Russian dual nationals to be freed; terms finalized just ahead of 7 a.m. deadline, when fighting would have renewed

A Hamas source said that 10 more Israeli hostages will be released from the Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, two of them also holding Russian citizenship, as part of one-day truce extension.

Previous statements by the sides had said eight hostages and three bodies will be returned today. It appeared that the two Russian citizens could be slated for release as part of a side agreement between Hamas and Moscow, as has occurred in previous days.

“All of them are alive,” the Hamas source told AFP. “Israel last night refused a list Hamas proposed that included three Israeli bodies.”

However, a senior Hamas official has said the Palestinian terror group will return the bodies of three dead hostages in addition.

The Hamas announcement came hours after Israel confirmed that a temporary truce in Gaza would extend for at least one more day — with initial reports that eight Israeli hostages were set to be released in the agreement — after negotiations went on until just before the 7 a.m. deadline to restart fighting.

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Shortly before 7 a.m., the IDF said that “in light of the mediators’ efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the agreement, the ceasefire will continue.”

Members of the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terror groups release Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, November 28, 2023. (Flash90)

Following various reports in Hebrew media about Hamas providing a list of additional hostages that was deemed unacceptable by Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office said that it had received a list “in accordance with the terms of the outline, and therefore, the pause will continue.”

About an hour later, the PMO said the family members of the hostages on the list had been updated that their loved ones are slated to be released Thursday evening.

Unconfirmed reports in Hebrew media suggested that there were eight people on the list, and that Hamas had included either two Russian-Israelis who had already been released on Wednesday in a side deal with Moscow, or the bodies of Israeli hostages, among the 10 slated for release, in a fudging of the terms of the deal.

Later Thursday, Hamas said it would be handing over the bodies of three Israelis, claiming without evidence that they were killed by Israel’s military operation in Gaza.

The reports that the three bodies would be transferred along with eight living Israeli hostages seemed to imply that Israel agreed to go ahead with the extension even without Hamas meeting the demand of 10 living Israeli hostages for every extra day without fighting.

A Red Cross convoy carrying Israeli hostages heads to Egypt from the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Nov. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Adding to the confusion, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the one-day extension of the truce between Israel and Hamas, saying that it will be under the same terms as the previous six days. Previous days had seen a minimum of 10 Israelis freed per day.

The agreement came just hours after Israel’s war cabinet convened Wednesday night for a special session to weigh the possibility of extending the truce.

Underscoring the urgency, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel early Thursday for talks on aid for Gaza and the truce.

Hamas released 16 hostages Wednesday — 12 Israelis and four Thais.

end

THURSDAY//LATE MORNING

first two Israelis released..

(Jerusalem Post)

Mia Schem, Amit Soussana first two Hamas hostages released Thursday

These are the first two Israeli hostages to be released without all Israeli hostages together.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFNOVEMBER 30, 2023 17:48Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 17:50

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Two Israeli hostages, Mia Schem and Amit Soussana, were handed over to the Red Cross and were on their way to Israeli territory, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stated on Thursday evening.

IDF and security service agents will accompany them back home.

These are the first two Israeli hostages to be released without all Israeli hostages together- the only other was Roni Krivoy who was released as a foreigner under his Russian passport.

Two Israeli-Russian captives returned to Israel on Wednesday through a separate agreement with Moscow as were four Thai citizens as part of a deal with Thailand. All other Israeli hostages have been released daily as one group.

In the coming hours, additional Israeli hostages are expected to be handed over to the Red Cross.

First two hostages released on ThursdayAdvertisement

Soussana, 40, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists after they invaded her home in Kfar Aza, one of the hardest hit communities on October 7.

Amit is the youngest of three sisters, a lawyer by profession, and she moved to Kfar Aza a year ago. She grew up in Sderot.Schem, 21, was at the Nova festival with her friend on October 7 when Hamas terrorists kidnapped her.

END

MIA SCHEM

Mia Schem’s aunt: ‘She was operated on in Gaza by a veterinarian’

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFNOVEMBER 30, 2023 22:46

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https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fbreaking-news%2Farticle-775993&unitId=2900003088&userId=0984023a-6fcf-4b29-a5e6-1be85cfd6d0a&isLegacyBrowser=false&version=20231129_c0affcf1c8636b1c045335f2d4e4419456198b45&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=140

The aunt of released Israeli hostage Mia Schem told Israel media on Thursday that her niece had been “operated on in Gaza by a veterinarian.”

Shem appeared in a video by Hamas early after October 7 having just come out of surgery.

Her aunt’s statement contradicts what Schem stated in the video while in Hamas custody, “Hi, I’m Mia Schem, 21 years old from Shoham. Currently, I’m in Gaza. I returned early Saturday morning from Sderot; I was at a party. I was seriously injured in my hand. I underwent surgery on my hand at the hospital [in Gaza] for 3 hours. They are taking care of me, giving me medicine, everything is fine. I only ask that they bring me home as soon as possible to my parents, to my siblings. Get me out of here as soon as possible. Please.

WEST BANK

IDF distributes leaflets in Tulkarm demanding those wanted turn themselves in

By WALLA!NOVEMBER 30, 2023 04:55Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 04:56

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The IDF operated early Thursday in the city of Tulkarm in the West Bank, accompanied by bulldozers, according to Palestinian reports.

Israeli forces have been deployed in several neighborhoods in the city and around the camp and are dropping flyers with the help of aircraft demanding the wanted persons to turn themselves in, before they work to arrest them.

end

Early Wednesday, before the 10 hostages were released.

(Jerusalem Post)

Prime Minister Netanyahu prepares to restart war as the end of pause nears

The IDF said it believes some 159 hostages are still in Gaza.

By TOVAH LAZAROFFNOVEMBER 29, 2023 23:44

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. November 22, 2023(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the Gaza war would resume as the war cabinet discussed hostage releases, and Doha attempted to mediate a series of agreements that could extend the temporary ceasefire, whose deadline was set to expire on Thursday morning.

“In recent days I have heard a question: After completing this stage of the return of our hostages, will Israel go back to the fighting? My answer is an unequivocal yes,” said Netanyahu.

“There is no situation in which we do not go back to fighting until the end. This is my policy. The entire security cabinet is behind it. The entire government is behind it. The soldiers are behind it. The people are behind it – this is exactly what we will do,” he stated.

Senior Hamas member Osama Hamdan told the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV that the “resistance has prepared itself for all possibilities after the end of the ceasefire. If the occupation carries out any aggression, the resistance is ready, and if the calm continues, we will continue the calm.”

They spoke as Israel hit a critical juncture concerning the hostage deals and the war, which has been on hold since Friday morning.

In the intervening days, 65 Israeli hostages had been welcomed home to huge fanfare, in five groups over five nights, which have almost become a nightly ritual of joy at the return of the captives from Gaza, where they have been held since Hamas and other terror groups seized them during its October 7 attack and sadness at the absence of those still held in the enclave.

The IDF said it believes some 159 hostages are still in Gaza.

Two Israeli-Russian captives returned to Israel on Wednesday but the release of an additional 10 Israelis slated to be freed – five women and five children – which had been expected to go smoothly early in the evening was delayed for unspecified reasons and appeared to be finally underway close to midnight.

The families of the 10 had already been notified and were awaiting their loved ones. While the focus was on the hostage return, there was no simultaneous announcement of an additional mini-hostage deal that would extend the lull in the Gaza war beyond Thursday morning.

end

Thursday morning

3 Israeli killed by East Jerusalem terrorist affiliated with Hamas. Two gunmen neutralized.  Israelis arrested the father and mother of the gunmen.

(Jerusalem Post)

Three murdered by Hamas terrorists in Jerusalem shooting attack

The two terrorists who carried out the attack were shot and killed by police and a nearby civilian.

By TZVI JOFFRENOVEMBER 30, 2023 07:45Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 14:28

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The scene of a shooting attack near the entrance to Jerusalem. November 30, 2023(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Three people were killed and five other people were wounded in a shooting attack at the entrance to Jerusalem on Thursday morning, according to emergency services.

A 73-year-old man, a woman in her 60s, and 24-year-old woman were killed in the attack, while three other people were seriously wounded, and two more were in light to moderate condition.

The man murdered in the attack was Rabbi Elimelech Wasserman, who served as a rabbinical judge in the rabbinical court in Ashdod, according to Religious Services Minister Michael Malchieli. One of the women murdered in the attack was Chana Ifergan, the principal of Beis Yaakov Bnot Hadassah in Beit Shemesh. Livia Dickman, a resident of Har Nof, was named as the third victim.

According to police, two terrorists from east Jerusalem carrying an M16 and a handgun arrived at the Givat Shaul junction near the entrance to Jerusalem on Thursday morning and began firing at civilians at a nearby bus stop.

The two terrorists were shot and killed by security forces and a civilian who was at the scene, including an IDF soldier who was heading back to base after being on a break from service in Gaza.

Police at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. November 30, 2023 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Police quickly closed off the scene of the attack and launched searches to ensure there were no other attackers on the loose.Advertisement

Video from the scene showed people running as gunshots were heard in the background.

Two terrorists affiliated with Hamas

The two terrorists were identified as Murad and Ebrahim Nemer, brothers from Sur Baher in east Jerusalem who were affiliated with the Hamas terrorist movement. Murad was imprisoned in Israel from 2010-2020 because of his intention to carry out terrorist operations in Gaza; Ebrahim was imprisoned in 2014 due to terrorist activity.

Hamas announced as well that the two terrorists were part of the terrorist movement, saying that the attack came as “natural response to the occupation’s unprecedented crimes.”

A large amount of ammunition was found in the terrorists’ vehicle. A few hours after the attack, Israeli police raided the Nemer family’s home in Sur Baher, arresting six members of the family, including their siblings and parents.

Highway 1 from the Motsa Junction toward Jerusalem was closed to traffic after the attack, with police directing traffic to Highway 16.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived at the scene shortly after the attack, saying “This event proves once again how much we must not show weakness; how much we should talk to Hamas only through the gun sight, only through war. My stance about the ceasefire is known: Hamas must not be allowed to speak to us with two voices.”

Ben-Gvir added that the attack displayed how important it is to distribute weapons to civilians. “Weapons save lives> We see it time after time: Wherever there are weapons, citizens, policemen, [and] soldiers save lives. And this weapon can save us and it proves itself time and time again.”

National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those wounded, saying “This attack is further proof of our commitment to continue the fight with strength and determination against the murderous terrorism that threatens our citizens: in Jerusalem, in Gaza, in the West Bank, and everywhere.”

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew condemned the attack on Thursday, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “Abhorrent terrorist attack in Jerusalem this morning. We unequivocally condemn such brutal violence. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and I offer my sincere condolences to all those affected.”

The European Union’s Ambassador to Israel Dimiter Tzantchev condemned the attack as well, writing “I condemn the terrorist shooting attack in Jerusalem this morning, which killed two [later three] and wounded many other Israelis. Condolences to the loved ones of the victims. Refuah shleimah [complete healing] to the injured. The EU condemns all forms of terrorism and stands with Israel in this difficult time.”

Two weeks ago, an IDF soldier was shot and killed and five other Israelis were wounded by a Palestinian terrorist at a security checkpoint on the Bethlehem bypass road south of Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening ordered the demolition of the terrorists’ homes.

Attack comes a year after bombing at the same bus stop

Last November, two Israelis, Tadasa Tashume Ben Ma’ada and Arye Shechopek, were killed in a double bombing attack that took place at the same bus stop and at another one near the Ramot neighborhood.

end

Terror in Jerusalem shows spillover from Gaza threat – analysis

The attack on Thursday morning took place at the same bus stop at the entrance to the city as the November 2022 bombing attack.

By SETH J. FRANTZMANNOVEMBER 30, 2023 10:37Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 13:46

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Israeli security forces at the scene of a shooting attack in at the entrance to Jerusalem, November 30, 2023.(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The attack on Thursday morning in Jerusalem is a reminder of the serious threat of illegal weapons in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. There are small arms and rifles in the hands of terrorists.

The attack on Thursday morning took place at the same bus stop at the entrance to the city as the November 2022 bombing attack.

Video from the attack shows terrorists exiting a car and shooting people, before they were quickly neutralized. The quick response of a soldier who was returning to his unit, and also an armed civilian and others, saved lives. The bodies of the terrorists could be seen in photos and video. One showed an M-16 style rifle next to one of the men; the video appears to show the other terrorists using a pistol.

Channel 14 reported that the terrorists were brothers from Sur Baher in east Jerusalem. More details will be discovered about them, such as the extent of their reported links to Hamas. Arabic media, including Maan News, named the perpetrators as Murad Namr and said he had served time in prison. The reports also said his brother, Ibrahim, was the other perpetrator.

Sur Baher is near the Jewish Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ramat Rachel, east Talpiot and Armon HaNatziv. It is also near other east Jerusalem areas such as Jebel Mukaber.

Sur Baher often in the news in connection to extremism and threats

Israeli security forces at the scene of a shooting attack in at the entrance to Jerusalem, November 30, 2023. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Sur Baher in east Jerusalem has often been in the news in connection to extremism and threats. For instance, in mid-October, four men aged 18-28 were detained for making threats to kill Jews in the wake of the October 7 attack. In August, an arrest was made in the same area over three shooting incidents that took place locally.

In July, nine residents of the neighborhood were arrested for assaulting an Orthodox Jewish man at a hospital, but only four of the perpetrators were charged. The other incident, involving an allegation of being involved in gun violence, reportedly ended with the suspect being released.Advertisement

In 2016 a terror cell was uncovered operating in Sur Baher. Over the years there have been attempts to crack down on the lawlessness and threats from these neighborhoods. There is a Catch-22 in a sense here because the neighborhoods are generally not integrated well into the city and they are in many ways abandoned to a kind of lawlessness that would never be permitted in west Jerusalem.

On the other hand, this breeds extremism and leads to crackdowns but not a long-term attempt to create peace, stability, and security. Illegal gun violence, for instance, is common in east Jerusalem, whereas in west Jerusalem people have to apply for gun permits and obey the law.

Ceasefire in Gaza, but threats from West Bank, Jerusalem will continue

The attack on Thursday reveals that while the pause in fighting may hold in Gaza, threats from the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as other fronts, will continue. Israel has worked hard since October 7 to prevent the attack by Hamas from spreading to the West Bank. Thousands have been detained and there are often raids there. For instance, this week two Islamic Jihad members were eliminated in Jenin.

East Jerusalem has always been a challenge from the point of view of law enforcement and counter-terrorism. There have generally not been a large number of attacks from these neighborhoods, but there are numerous threats and every year there are incidents.

The challenge in east Jerusalem is that it is part of the capital, and as such there is no easy security solution to the challenge. That means there is no security fence or other obstacle to some of these attacks. On the other hand, the police have proven that many of these threats can be kept to a minimum by security forces.

Nevertheless, the threat from illegal weapons in east Jerusalem and the West Bank is clear, both there and extending into Israel proper. The last year has been one of the most violent in terms of shootings in Israeli society. Most of these shootings happened among criminal gangs and many took place in the Arab sector.

This phenomenon is a serious challenge, but the attack on October 7 has overshadowed most of this. Nevertheless, on Thursday there were violent incidents in Lod and Umm al-Fahm. The attack in Jerusalem illustrates that the terror threat is always present and that the extremists behind it must be kept in check.

The release of terrorists and detainees from east Jerusalem or neighboring areas of the West Bank as part of the deal with Hamas can also have unintended although not unexpected consequences – and could inspire more threats.

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Netanyahu To Blinken Vows “Nothing Will Stop Us” From Destroying Hamas

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 09:20 AM

“I just finished a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, shortly after Hamas murderers murdered Israelis here in Jerusalem, and I told him: This is the same Hamas,” Netanyahu said at the end of the meeting which came during Blinken’s third trip to Israel since the war started.

This was after Blinken stressed the need to protect civilians. The US top diplomat “stressed the imperative of accounting for humanitarian and civilian protection needs in southern Gaza before any military operations there,” according to a summary by the State Department, which added that Blinken “urged Israel to take every possible measure to avoid civilian harm.”

As for the murders referenced by Netanyahu, on Thursday a pair of gunmen unleashed M16 and pistol fire on a crowd waiting at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing three Israelis and injuring 16. Shortly after the attack, Hamas claimed responsibility.

The Hamas statement said “the operation came as a natural response to unprecedented crimes conducted by the occupation” and further called for “an escalation of the resistance.”

All of this will surely complicate the current temporary truce, which was just extended by two days. Ten Israeli hostages are set to be released in Thursday’s swap, with two of them holding Russian citizenship. 

Netanyahu had stressed to Blinken in the meeting: “It’s the same Hamas that committed the terrible massacre on October 7, the same Hamas that is trying to murder us everywhere.” 

“I told him we have sworn, and I have sworn, to destroy Hamas. Nothing will stop us,” he informed a post-meeting press conference. Netanyahu has also made reference to this fresh terror attack in Jerusalem in stressing the need for broadly distributing weapons to the Israeli population, a controversial program which began soon after the Hamas Oct.7 terror raids on Southern Israel.

“The quick reaction of two fighters and a civilian who eliminated the terrorists prevented an even more serious attack. I salute them,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X. “The government headed by me will continue expanding the distribution of weapons to citizens. This is a measure that proves itself time and time again in the war against murderous terrorism.”

Though a shaky ceasefire has held in Gaza since Friday, fighting has escalated in the West Bank town of Jenin, which as of Wednesday was declared by the Israel Defense Forces a “closed military zone”. Automatic gunfire has been ringing out across the city since. International reports have documented the shootings of two Palestinian children:

Four people, including two children, were reportedly killed during a major Israeli incursion into the West Bank city of Jenin that the Israel Defense Forces said was aimed at suppressing jihadist activity.

Adam Samer al-Ghoul, eight, and Basil Suleiman Abu al-Wafa, 15, were shot dead during the fighting, Palestinian officials said, while the IDF said a terror leader and his associate had been found dead after their building was attacked.

A video from the Palestinian news agency Wafa appeared to show Adam being shot dead in a street by what the agency said were Israeli forces. No shooter can be seen in the film and there was no immediate comment from the IDF.

While there has been growing violence in various parts of the West Bank, what’s happening in Jenin – including major gunfights between armed Palestinians and and the IDF – is the biggest escalation outside Gaza thus far since Oct.7.

At the same time, US, Israeli, and Qatari officials are in Doha scrambling to continue an extension of the truce. Some regional states like Iraq have recently warned that if the ceasefire can’t become permanent, a bigger regional war is on the horizon. Still a last-minute deal saw the truce get extended by a day, through Thursday.

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(JERUSALEM POST)

Israel cannot tolerate Hezbollah acting with impunity at the border – editorial

If the residents of Israel’s north are ever to return to their homes, they need to know that Hezbollah terrorists are not just a few meters beyond their gates.

By JPOST EDITORIALNOVEMBER 30, 2023 06:37

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Residents of border communities in the north launched a social media campaign this week under the headline, “1701 or 10.07.”

The number 1701 refers to the UN Security Council Resolution that ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

Among that resolution’s clauses is one that states that there are to be no “armed personnel, assets, and weapons” between Israel’s border and the Litani River except for those of UNIFIL and the government of Lebanon.

That clause has been honored more in breach than in observance. In the intervening 17 years, Hezbollah – one of the most heavily armed non-state actors in the world, with a missile arsenal exceeding that of most countries – has entrenched itself in southern Lebanon with arms, outposts, and forces directly overlooking Israel’s border communities.

The date 10.07, of course, is a reference to the Hamas massacre of October 7.

Hezbollah has said it plans to invade the Galilee

The message of the “1701 or 10.07” campaign is clear: move Hezbollah back behind the Litani River – away from the border, where it observes Israeli communities such as Metulla and Zar’it; otherwise, it is just a matter of time before a massacre like the one that happened in the south on October 7 is replicated by Hezbollah’s Radwan commando force.

Hezbollah has said in the past that it intends to invade the Galilee and take over Israeli communities. After October 7, no one can dismiss those threats as empty bluster.Advertisement

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza – a war Hezbollah chose to join by firing mortars, anti-tank missiles, and rockets at Israeli soldiers and civilians – Israel has responded forcefully and destroyed some of the Hezbollah positions established on the northern border.

The temporary ceasefire in the south to facilitate the release of hostages held by Hamas, a truce that Hezbollah has taken upon itself to honor in the north as well, has brought a few days of quiet. With the guns temporarily silenced, however, Hezbollah terrorists have once again menacingly reappeared directly on the border.

In a meeting Tuesday between leaders of the northern communities and the IDF top brass, including Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, pictures and videos of armed Hezbollah men once again right on the border were presented.

This is something that Israel simply cannot tolerate.

Kiryat Shmona mayor says he saw Hezbollah terrorists on the border

One of the participants in the meeting, Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern, was quoted as saying that he was surprised when he saw photos and videos of Hezbollah terrorists on the border in civilian clothes.

“We were promised that we will no longer see Hezbollah on the border, and that anyone on the border will be shot, but in actuality, they returned,” he said. “What is preventing them from firing a Kalashnikov from the fence at civilians in the border communities? After October 7, does anyone have any doubts about the intentions, threats, and capabilities of our enemies beyond the border?”

While it is true that Jerusalem needs to focus on the war inside Gaza – dismantling Hamas’s capabilities and gaining the release of the hostages – it cannot permit a situation where Hezbollah, under cover of the truce in Gaza, once again takes up positions directly overlooking Israel’s communities in the north.

Those communities have largely been evacuated, and if their residents are ever to return to their homes, they need to know that Hezbollah terrorists are not just a few meters beyond their gates.

That is in the short term.

In the long term, Israel – either through military force, diplomacy, or a combination of the two – needs to ensure that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is honored and that Hezbollah does not have armed personnel, assets, or weapons south of the Litani.

As Metula local council head David Azulai said in the meeting with Halevi, “Israel needs to understand that if Hezbollah is not pushed back beyond the Litani, there will not be a state here. We are facing a second War of Independence for our existence. Every Arab state, Iran, and Hezbollah are watching us, and if we do not deal with the northern threat, they will see our weakness.”

The IDF and the government, he said, “have to remove the threat from the northern border.”

We wholeheartedly concur.

END

Nazi Germany?

Hamas drugged children; burned legs with motorcycle exhaust for identification

Each child seized by Hamas was placed on a motorcycle. They positioned the child’s leg against the bike’s exhaust pipe, causing burns.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFNOVEMBER 30, 2023 22:02Updated: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 22:04

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On October 7, Hamas terrorists kidnapped children on motorcycles and were trained to create a specific sign on their bodies: they put one of the children’s legs in the motorcycle exhaust. In addition, according to an uncle of two of these children hostages who were freed, they were drugged – according to a report on N12.Yaniv, the uncle of Yagil, 12, and Or Yaakov, 16 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, who were released by Hamas, told foreign ministers in Europe.

Hamas uses burns as identification method

According to the plan, published on N12, the kidnappers would recognize that the children ‘belonged’ to them by a specific sign. Beyond just marking a part of the body, a practice that revives traumatic memories from grim periods in history, the children were repeatedly drugged and shuffled from one location to another.

“The children have been returned to us and shared harrowing tales of their experiences in Gaza,” the uncle recounted. “’One particularly disturbing detail that shook me was how each child seized by Hamas was placed on a motorcycle. They positioned the child’s leg against the bike’s exhaust pipe, causing burns. This was done to mark the children, ensuring their identification should they try to escape or be rescued. They’re now safely with us, although they were drugged and treated horrifically, but at least they’re here with us now.'”

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LT. COL RICHARD HECHT:

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SAUDI ARABIA/IRAN/ISRAEL/GAZA

This will be ideal! Saudi’s offer to invest in Iran in order to de escalate Gaza tension

(zerohedge)

Saudis Offer To Invest In Sanctioned Iranian Economy To Deescalate Gaza Tensions

WEDNESDAY, NOV 29, 2023 – 08:00 PM

Saudi Arabia has for the past month been directly engaging Iran on the Gaza issue, a half-year after the longtime rivals restored official relations in a China-brokered agreement. Prior to that, a decade-long proxy war had raged, chiefly centered on Syria, where Saudi Arabia and its partners backed al-Qaeda groups in an effort to topple Iran-aligned President Bashar al-Assad.

But the potential for major regional conflict has returned in light of the Israel-Hamas war, and Tehran is seen as a key backer of Palestinian Islamist factions now holding Israeli and foreign captives hostage.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reports the major development that “Saudi Arabia has approached Iran with an offer to boost cooperation and invest in its sanctions-stricken economy if the Islamic Republic stops its regional proxies from turning the Israel-Hamas war into a wider conflict.”

It was only this month that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met in person for the first time, after the restoration of diplomatic ties, during a summit in Riyadh which focused on addressing the Gaza war.

Bloomberg continues, “The proposal has been delivered directly and through multiple means since Hamas’s attack on Israel last month and the ensuing war in Gaza, according to Arab and Western officials familiar with the matter.”

Hamas is widely believed to be funded and trained by Iran, and prior to the Syria war even had an official office in Damascus (after 2012, Hamas had joined the anti-Assad jihadist insurgents), and so Tehran is seen as having the most influence. Qatar too has long had links to Hamas.

“While its unclear how seriously Tehran has taken Riyadh’s overtures, so far a regional war’s been averted,” Bloomberg observes. Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has so far respected the temporary truce which has been on since last Friday.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels, however, have persisted in drone and rocket launches toward southern Israel after ‘declaring war’ on Tel Aviv. Houthi militants have also hijacked an Israeli-linked vessel in the Red Sea. The Shia militants have long been backed by Iran, which also supplies them with advanced drone and missile systems. 

Houthi attacks on international shipping in Mideast waters have ramped up of late…

If this fresh reporting of the Saudis offering investment opportunities to Iran proves accurate, it could create deeper tensions between Riyadh and Washington, considering the longtime US sanctions on Iran. US law requires even third parties doing business with Iran to face punishment.

However, this could also have the quiet blessing of the Biden White House, which has sought ways to reverse the prior Trump administration’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, also amid efforts to reign in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. While a couple of years ago the US was more aggressive in seizing Iranian oil as it shipped globally, these efforts appear to have waned.

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end

UKRAINE/RUSSIA

GLOBAL VACCINE/COVID ISSUES

We have been reporting on this for well over a year.

(EpochTimes)

FDA Investigating “Serious Risk” Of New Cancers Arising From Gene Therapy Cancer Treatments

WEDNESDAY, NOV 29, 2023 – 10:20 PM

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

A gene therapy treatment used in cancer patients is under scrutiny by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the agency received reports of new blood cancers among treated individuals.

The treatment, CAR-T, was first approved by the FDA in 2017 and is used in the treatment of blood cancers. However, the agency has received “reports of T-cell malignancies”—a group of blood disorders—among some of the patients who received CAR-T treatments, according to a Nov. 28 announcement.

The reported malignancies include lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system which includes lymph nodes, the thymus gland, bone marrow, and the spleen.

“Although the overall benefits of these products continue to outweigh their potential risks for their approved uses, FDA is investigating the identified risk of T cell malignancy with serious outcomes, including hospitalization and death, and is evaluating the need for regulatory action,” the agency said.

In CAR-T treatments, a type of white blood cells called T cells are removed from the blood of a patient. These cells are then genetically engineered to make proteins called chimeric antigen receptors (CAR).

The receptors allow T cells to attach to cancer cells and kill them. Once the genetic engineering is completed, the modified cells are then infused back into the patient’s blood, The New York Times reported.

The FDA pointed out that “patients and clinical trial participants receiving treatment with these products should be monitored life-long for new malignancies.”

“In the event that a new malignancy occurs following treatment with these products, contact the manufacturer to report the event and obtain instructions on collection of patient samples for testing for the presence of the Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) transgene,” the agency said.

At present, the FDA has approved six CAR-T products:

• Kymriah from Novartis
• Yescarta from Gilead
• Carvykti from J&J and Legend
• Breyanzi from Bristol Myers Squibb
• Abecma from Bristol Myers Squibb
• Tecartus from Gilead

The risk for developing malignancies applies to all six products, the FDA said.

Surprising Announcement

Medical experts did not expect the FDA’s recent announcement.

“In informal emails among many scientists and physicians in the field, we are all surprised by this announcement,” Marcela Maus, a researcher at Mass General Cancer Center, told health outlet STAT.

Ms. Maus said that the only cases of CAR-T lymphoma or leukemia she heard of were from Australia where the products used a genetic element which was not present in the six CAR-T treatments approved by the FDA.

Bruce Levine, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, said in a Nov. 29 X post that the FDA report leaves “many questions unanswered,” adding that “colleagues I’ve consulted with are very surprised” by the announcement.

“What was the clinical status of the patients in terms of immunosuppression, prior therapy, conditioning chemotherapy, evidence of prior clonal hematopoiesis?” he asked.

“It’s important to put into context the remote though real risk when compared to conventional chemotherapy that has significant long and short term side effects, including genotoxicity and predisposition to secondary cancers.”

Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, chief of the Division of Hematology at Florida’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center said in a social media post that he “would love to see absolute risk and some details on likelihood of causality here,” regarding the FDA announcement.

In an interview with The New York Times, Dr. John DiPersio, director of the Center for Genetic and Cellular Immunotherapy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said he hasn’t seen “a single one” of his 500 to 700 patients who received CAR-T treatments develop a new T cell cancer.

CAR-T treatments are reserved for patients who would otherwise die without it, he noted.

“They are all going to die and they are all going to die quickly without this treatment. It saves their life … It works in a substantial portion of patients. The benefit is enormous.”

When a patient’s T cells are genetically modified in the CAR-T treatment, a virus is used to slip new genes into the DNA of these cells. As such, when the modified T cells are inserted back into the blood of the patient, it could potentially disrupt other genes and lead to cancer, The New York Times explained.

However, blood cancers among CAR-T treated patients could also be explained by the fact that individuals who receive such treatments have already undergone other treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, which can give rise to cancers.

Company Responses

Based on an analysis by medical news outlet FiercePharma, 12 total cases of T-cell lymphoma have been reported, with Kymriah accounting for seven cases, Yescarta three, and one each from Breyanzi and Carvykti.

The Epoch Times reached out to the respective companies for comment.

A Gilead spokesperson told FiercePharma that the company is “confident in the overall safety profile of both Tecartus and Yescarta.” Both treatments have been applied on 17,700 patients, with no evidence linking them with development of new malignancies, the spokesperson stated.

“We have a rigorous process in place to continuously monitor for and report adverse events to regulatory authorities. … We have fully cooperated with the FDA’s request for an analysis of our data related to this inquiry.”

Novartis pointed out that over 10,000 patients have been treated with Kymriah and that the company has not identified its link to any secondary malignancies. Bristol Myers Squibb told the outlet that Abecma and Breyanzi have been used among 4,700 patients, with none of them developing T-cell malignancy.

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) show that the six products have reported the following adverse events:

• Kymriah—2,470 adverse events, including 2,303 serious cases, 662 deaths, and 504 blood and lymphatic system disorders.
• Yescarta—3,729 adverse events, including 3,551 serious cases, 746 deaths, and 567 blood and lymphatic system disorders.
• Carvykti—408 adverse events, including 251 serious cases, 28 deaths, and 18 blood and lymphatic system disorders.
• Breyanzi—202 adverse events, 172 serious cases, 38 deaths, and 18 blood and lymphatic system disorders.
• Abecma—528 adverse events, 454 serious cases, 60 deaths, and 87 blood and lymphatic system disorders.
• Tecartus—6

END

DNA Contamination In COVID-19 Vaccines May Explain Rise In Cancers, Clots, Autoimmune Diseases: Pathologist

WEDNESDAY, NOV 29, 2023 – 07:00 PM

Authored by Tom Ozimek and Jan Jekielek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Clinical pathologist Dr. Ryan Cole has said that DNA contamination in some COVID-19 vaccines may be related to an increase in cancers, micro-clotting, and autoimmune diseases.

“My big concern is the fact that billions of people across the earth have received a product that was overtly contaminated with something that should not have been in the product,” Dr. Cole, an anatomic clinical pathologist with postgraduate Ph.D. training in immunology, recently told the “American Thought Leaders” program.

“If I went and bought some meat at the grocery store and they had heavy metal or pesticide toxins, they would pull those from the shelves immediately,” he added.A 6-year-old child is comforted by her mother as she receives her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Novi, Michigan, on Nov. 3, 2021. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Recently, researchers found that vaccine vials containing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines had billions of residual DNA fragments, including molecules derived from Simian Virus 40 (SV40) used as “promoters” or “enhancers” that help produce the mRNA molecules that help human cells make proteins that trigger an immune response inside the body.

Monkey Virus ‘Enhancers’ in Vaccines

SV40 is a monkey polyomavirus that has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. While the virus itself was not found to be present in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, the presence of the SV40 enhancer gene is controversial because it comes from a virus associated with malignant transformation. However, some experts have raised concerns that the SV40 enhancer itself may be associated with adverse events.

Dr. Cole believes that the SV40 enhancer has health risks, saying it contains a “concerning” nuclear co-localization sequence that “allows it to get into the nucleus of the cell and to induce these different pathways of action and mechanisms that can, again, go haywire, mutate, cause toxicity.”

Molecular virologist David Speicher, the lead author of the study that found SV40 enhancers in COVID-19 vaccines, told The Epoch Times in a recent interview that much more research is needed to investigate DNA contamination in the COVID-19 vaccines. Unanswered questions include whether the SV40 sequence in the vaccines is triggering “turbo cancers,” meaning ones of a particularly aggressive and fast-growing variety, he said.

A recent review of cancer registry records from 44 countries found a rapid rise in the incidence of early-onset cancers for 14 types—including colorectal, breast, esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancers—especially in younger adults.

‘Turbo Cancers’ Rising?

Dr. Cole said that “turbo cancers” is a colloquial term for a phenomenon physicians are increasingly observing, namely that the cancer symptoms come faster.

“Now I’m seeing the solid tissue cancers at rates I’ve never seen,” Dr. Cole said. “Patients that were stable, or cancer-free for one, two, five, ten years and their cancer’s back—it’s back with a vengeance and it’s not responding to the traditional therapies.”

He said there’s no easy explanation for the “turbo cancer” phenomenon but he believes it may have something to do with immune system suppression.

“It’s not necessarily that the gene sequence is causing cancer with the gene sequence … it can cause some of the mutations that lead to cancers—but what it’s also doing it’s suppressing the immune system,” he said.

“And your immune system is what kills cancer. And if your immune system is asleep, your killer cells can’t be activated,” he added.

In a separate study, microbiologist Kevin McKernan, a researcher who worked on MIT’s Human Genome Project, said he found that the amount of DNA in COVID-19 vaccines could be 18 to 70 times higher than the limits required by a top health agency.

Earlier this year, Mr. McKernan published a paper finding that the quantities of DNA contamination in the vaccines exceeded the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA’s) 330 ng/mg of DNA to RNA requirement by between 18 and 70 times. It’s also higher than the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 0 ng/dose requirements, and it had a reading of 12 ng/dose.

At the time, he warned that the DNA plasmids could infiltrate the human genome, contradicting public statements made by the FDA and other regulators that COVID-19 vaccines do not alter human DNA.

Dr. Cole explained that the smaller a fragment of DNA is, the more likely it has the opportunity to intercalate into one’s own DNA, though he added more research is needed.

“Do we still have some testing, some probes, that we need to develop to prove this? Yes, we do have to do that,” he said. “Several of us are in some small communication groups, trying to figure out the long term implications of this. But it does explain a lot of the really strange happenings in the human body that we’re seeing in terms of, you know, clots, auto-immune disease, cancers, etc.”

He said the reason he and others believe this may be the case is because the DNA fragments are changing the signals within cells.

“Human cells are meant to make human proteins,” he said. “Human cells were not meant to make foreign proteins. When we program people’s cells to make things they’re not supposed to make, they can go haywire, they can mutate, they can become a target, have our own immune attack … our own immune system attacking ourselves.”

‘Horrific Idea’

Dr. Cole said that there are “so many tangents” of possible adverse events associated with the DNA fragments in the COVID-19 vaccines, while warning that it’s not known how long these fragments can remain in human cells.

He added that his concern about the impact of the DNA fragments on human health isn’t just confined to COVID-19 vaccines.

“My concern is this entire technology, a lipid nanoparticle in and of itself, is an unproven product,” he said, referring to the tiny balls of fat that contain and shield the messenger RNA, or mRNA, from destructive enzymes as it’s shuffled into human cells to make proteins.

“They’re trying to create them for RSV and for flu and for many other pathogens,” he continued, saying that the lipid nanoparticles take “those little gene sequences any and everywhere in the body” and that they were designed to take chemotherapeutic agents across the blood-brain barrier into the brain in particular.

“So to use this as a carrier platform, a lipid nanoparticle plus whatever gene—[it’s] cool conceptually,” he said, but “in practicality, a horrific idea.”

But “to randomly and willy nilly give this to everybody with no long-term safety data” is a bad idea, he argued.

Besides possible links to cancer and immune system issues, Dr. Cole said that blood clotting was another possible adverse reaction to the vaccines, in particular to the spike protein that they contain.

“But not just the spike protein,” he was quick to add. “This was a message I got flying in yesterday, from a colleague: ‘Hey, we need to look at this particular sequence within the DNA contamination because it also codes for a very sticky protein,'” calling it “another area” that needs more research and further exploration.

“But the clots are an unusual type of clot,” he said, saying they’re an amyloid-type protein rather than a traditional amyloid.

While he cautioned that he was just “hypothesizing,” he said that clinical patterns suggest some people who got COVID-19 vaccines continue to produce “considerable” amounts of spike protein, which he said can “induce clotting pathways.”

He suggested that the human enzymes that naturally break clots down “are being blocked and inhibited because of those unusual sequences that have been injected into a lot of people” by way of COVID-19 vaccines.

‘Benefits of Their Use Outweigh Their Risks’: FDA

The FDA has responded to concerns about billions of plasmid DNA fragments in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by saying that the benefits of the shots outweigh their risks.

“The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines authorized or approved for use in the United States are not defined as a gene therapy,” the FDA told Maryanne Demasi, a former Australia Broadcasting Corporation journalist who now writes a Substack page.

The FDA spokesperson continued by saying that the agency “is confident in the quality, safety, and effectiveness of these vaccines” and added that the “agency’s benefit-risk assessment and ongoing safety surveillance demonstrates that the benefits of their use outweigh their risks.”

The context for the FDA’s response was Ms. Demasi’s interview with Phillip Buckhaults, a cancer genomics expert and a professor at the University of South Carolina, who said that “there is DNA contaminating the vaccine, but I was also able to put a stop to some of the rumors on social media about the SV40 virus being in the vaccine and that it’s going to give everybody cancer because that’s not true.”

He was referring to claims that the SV40 virus was present in COVID-19 vaccines and was giving people cancer after vaccinations.

“There’s just a piece of SV40 promoter in the vaccine,” Mr. Buckhaults added. “And that’s what people were seizing on, people were saying there’s a monkey virus, we’re all going to turn into monkeys or get cancers next week or something,” the professor continued, referring to the earlier claims on social media about it being the cause of cancers. “I did my due diligence to tamp down that kind of fear—which was my original purpose.”

Regarding the DNA fragments found in the Pfizer vaccine, the size of the tiny particles is what matters, Mr. Buckhaults said.

“The FDA says 10 nanograms. Now 10 nanograms could be from one molecule that’s absurdly ginormous. Or it could be a whole bunch of little bitty molecules. And the hazard for genome modification is not a function of the mass,” he continued. “It’s a function of how many independent molecules you’ve got. So, it’s actually way worse, having a whole bunch of these little pieces in terms of a risk of some insertional mutagenesis happening. That’s way worse than even having one big piece left over.”

However, he expressed the opinion that there likely isn’t “anything nefarious” at play and instead it was “kind of accidentally administratively dumb.”

What may have happened, according to the researcher, is that Pfizer, federal officials, and others “were scared to death” about COVID-19 in 2020 when the vaccines were being worked on and that mistakes were made.

‘Genotoxicity Risk’

Dr. Robert Malone, who helped invent the mRNA technology that the companies used for the shot, was among the witnesses testifying at a recent hearing in Washington in which he said that the SV40 enhancer sequence leaves behind residual DNA that could cause problems.

“That’s a proven genotoxicity risk,” he said.

There’s a possibility the fragments are causing the unusual types of cancers that have appeared following the rollout of the vaccines, he added later.

“I speculate that what we may find is that the cancer risk here may be partially attributed to these DNA contaminations; that would be consistent with the peer reviewed literature,” Dr. Malone said. “And by the way, these DNA fragments may also be shown to contribute to genetic anomalies in fetus[es], which is one of the most prominent causes of premature abortion.”

Dr. Malone previously said that the inclusion of the sequence means the vaccine is adulterated and should be recalled by the FDA.

The regulator told The Epoch Times that “no safety concerns related to the sequence of, or amount of, residual DNA have been identified” and that the FDA would not be recalling the shot.

The EMA, which regulates vaccines in European Union member states, told The Associated Press that “non-functional” fragments of SV40’s DNA sequence were used as “starting material” in producing the vaccine.

The EMA added that while most of these materials are broken down and removed in the manufacturing process, trace amounts might still remain at “very low levels” in the final product. However, the EMA has insisted they are well within established safety guidelines.

“EMA has seen no evidence of an association between mRNA vaccines and adverse events that could be linked to the presence of DNA material, nor are we aware of any scientific evidence showing that the very small amounts of residual DNA that may be present in vaccine batches could integrate into the DNA of vaccinated individuals,” the Amsterdam-based agency said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.

Pfizer did not respond to earlier requests for comment on the presence of the DNA fragments in its COVID-19 vaccine.

However, Pfizer told The Associated Press that “there is no evidence to support claims that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine contains plasmid DNA that could potentially impact a person’s DNA or be a theoretical cancer risk.”

Jack Phillips, Zachary Stieber, and Marina Zhang contributed to this report.

END

Your new variant called Pirola.  Not dangerous at all

(EpochTimes) 

New COVID Variant Spreading In US, Experts Explain Risks (Or Lack Thereof)

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 07:20 AM

Authored by Marina Zhang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Compared to Eris, BA.2.86 has a significantly lower growth efficiency, meaning that it is less capable of replicating itself in the human bodies.

The new BA.2.86 variant, unofficially known as Pirola is taking hold in the United States.

Between Oct. 28 to Nov. 25, its prevalence increased from 1 to around 9 percent in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The World Health Organization designated Pirola as a variant of interest on Nov. 21, yet it also found the public health risk posed by BA.2.86 to be “low at the global level (pdf).”

In an update published on Nov. 27, the CDC agreed with the WHO’s assessment “that the public health risk posed by this variant is low compared with other circulating variants, based on available limited evidence.”

(Dotted Yeti/Shutterstock)

Current Research Suggests Low Risk of Disease

Pirola is derived from BA.2, an earlier Omicron variant.

Other variants derived from BA.2 include XBB.1.5 which became the dominant strain in early 2023.

The current dominant variant is H.V.1, and it is derived from the variant EG.5, unofficially known as Eris, a previously dominant variant in the United States.

“At this time, BA.2.86 does not appear to be driving increases in infections or hospitalizations in the United States,” the CDC wrote.

Research outside of the United States similarly suggests that Pirola should not be more severe than current variants.

Researcher Yunlong Cao, who holds a doctorate in physical biochemistry from Harvard found that Pirola “exhibits lower cell infectivity” compared to XBB.1.5 and Eris.

A preprint study from Japan found that while Pirola may be more transmissible than Eris a previous dominant variant, it is less likely to cause disease.

Compared to Eris, Pirola has a significantly lower growth efficiency, meaning that it is less capable of replicating itself in the host, the authors wrote.

“This is not the second coming of omicron. If it were, it is safe to say we would know by now,” Bill Hanage, associate director and professor of epidemiology at Harvard wrote on X on Sep. 1 ,when the variant’s prevalence was significantly lower.

Prior Infections Gives Immunity Against the New Variant

Compared to BA.2, its ancestral subvariant, Pirola has more than 30 mutations in its spike protein. The virus uses the spike protein to infect human cells.

The substantial number of mutations initially raised concerns among virologists, who feared this variant might partially evade earlier immunity from previous exposure, whether from natural infection or prior vaccination.

However, evidence is still lacking to predict if there will be more immune evasions as well as the severity of future Pirola cases.

Mr. Cao’s own research in mice who have been vaccinated or infected with XBB vaccines showed that the antibodies generated “cannot well recognize and neutralize BA.2.86,” he wrote in a thread posted on the social media platform, X.

However, Pirola had a low cell infectivity, which can affect the variant’s transmission, he added.

In discussion of Mr. Cao’s findings, Mr. Hanage agreed that immune evasion is not a definite indication of more severe infection and transmission.

“Any hopeful virus has to have some immune evasion, because almost everyone has immunity,” he wrote.

The most recent research on Pirola’s immune evasion abilities comes from a series of reports conducted by researchers at Columbia University.

The first study, published in Nature, tested Pirola, XBB1.5, and Eris spike proteins against antibodies produced from a breakthrough XBB infection.

These antibodies conferred robust neutralizing activity against Pirola. The authors also noted that Pirola’s ability to evade immunity was no better than that of XBB1.5 and EG.5.

The same group of researchers then tested antibodies produced from the new XBB1.5 COVID vaccine against several variants, including XBB1.5, Eris, and JN.1, a derivative of Pirola. The findings were published in a preprint.

The authors found that, compared to all variants investigated, JN.1 was the most immune evasive against antibodies produced from the vaccine.

HV.1: The Current Dominant Variant

The current dominant subvariant is HV.1, a new variant derived from Eris.

Eris is currently the most dominant globally and HV.1 succeeded Eris as the dominating variant in the U.S. on Oct. 28.

Like Pirola, the WHO has classified HV.1 as a variant with low public health risk. The variant accounted for about 31.5 percent of all cases in the United States as of Nov. 25.

end

Problems of Medicare in the USA as highlighted by Newt Gingrich

(Newt Gingrich)

Medicare’s Private Contractors Are Gaslighting Transplant Patients: Newt Gingrich

WEDNESDAY, NOV 29, 2023 – 09:40 PM

Authored by Newt Gingrich via RealClear Wire,

Once again, the government is getting between patients and their doctors to ration care – and it’s endangering my own family.

Due to rare a lung disease that runs in the McPherson side of my family, two of my siblings have had lung transplants. Further, my sister-in-law has had a liver transplant. When my brother Randy received his transplant four years ago at our local hospital, INOVA, he stayed at our house for months while he recovered. I have personally witnessed the physical and emotional journey of a loved one who needs a transplant – and the relief and joy of being given a second chance through the gift of a donated organ.

Randy’s lung transplant was successful, but we quickly learned it was just the beginning of his journey as a transplant recipient. The complexity and precision needed to keep his newly transplanted organ healthy was intense. Estimates indicate that more than 40% of lung transplants will fail within five years. This is most often due to organ rejection by the recipient’s immune system. Doctors must find a precise balance of immunosuppressive drugs to keep the body from attacking itself.

Fortunately, there are advances in molecular diagnostics that give doctors the ability to monitor the health of organs more effectively. This largely replaced the previous surveillance method, which includes costly, painful biopsies. Biopsies are invasive procedures that require recovery time and have complication risks. Before the non-invasive molecular tests were available, Randy might have had to endure eight to 16 invasive biopsies in his first year post-transplant. Now, he just has his blood drawn. Access to these non-invasive surveillance tests is vital for identifying organ injury or rejection. Rejection can occur without signs or symptoms, and detecting it early can help prevent irreversible damage. So, when I heard that coverage for these tests was being dramatically curtailed, I suspected a faceless, unaccountable bureaucracy was the culprit. I was right.

Earlier this year, one of Medicare’s private contractors dramatically limited coverage for these tests without any opportunity for public comment, which violated the Medicare statute. The decision was made by Palmetto, a private contractor that operates Medicare’s Molecular Diagnostic Services Program (MolDX), with opaque accountability and oversight from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Doctors were given 30 days’ notice that they would be left without this critical surveillance tool to help manage organ rejection. Patients, such as my brother Randy, are left wondering if they will be able to protect their transplanted organ.

The Honor the Gift coalition, comprising 13 patient organizations such as the Lung Transplant Foundation, Transplant Life Foundation, and Transplant Recipients International Organization, alongside physician organizations like the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Transplantation, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, have written to the government to advocate for this cause. Regrettably, their appeals have been met with silence. They have had to turn to the public and Congress for assistance.

My friend, Congressman Michael Burgess (who is a medical doctor), along with 14 other members of Congress, sent CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure a letter asking for an explanation and calling into the question the process. They wrote, “This approach effectively silenced the voices of the transplant community, including patients, healthcare providers, and experts in the field.” Importantly, they noted that MolDX’s policy may especially harm poor communities that have “less access to specialized transplant centers, making non-invasive diagnostic tests even more critical for their ongoing post-transplant care.” Additionally, this decision disproportionally impacts black and Hispanic patients who represent 40% of transplants in the U.S., despite being only 32% of the population.

Rather than question its private contractor, review evidence, or listen to the front-line doctors using the tests, CMS doubled down on its decision. CMS issued a statement denying there was a coverage change and claimed it was just a clarification of coverage, asserting “… neither CMS nor the MACs have made changes that affect patient’s ability to have blood tests used to monitor organ transplantation.”

CMS’s private contractor is gaslighting Medicare transplant patients, their loved ones, and the physicians who care for them. It is using its private contractors and sub-regulatory policymaking to do so. Despite claiming that there was no change, now MolDX is attempting to promulgate these changes in coverage through a new proposed “Local Coverage Determination” (LCD). It is doing so while it continues to claim that substantial coverage changes are mere “clarifications.” CMS is also inappropriately limiting the comments it will consider to those related to clarity, not the decision itself. This is pure bureaucratic doublespeak and misdirection.

Dr. Burgess and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo sent a follow-up letter to CMS writing, “Your response letter dated September 26, 2023 did not answer our questions. Your letter also asserts beneficiary access to noninvasive post-transplant blood testing remains unchanged. This is in stark contrast to what transplant patients and physician associations nationwide have shared with us.”

The Wall Street Journal editorial board has published three brilliant editorials in the last several months on this issue. The board described the nonsensical actions CMS and Palmetto have taken and the economic short-sidedness of the decision. Ultimately, the editorial board called out this overreach for what it is: “MolDX and CMS may not admit it, but this looks like a classic case of government denying coverage to save money, though it isn’t clear it really will save money or lives if more transplants are rejected. This rule by bureaucratic diktat is the future of medicine as government dominates payments.”

The change in Medicare coverage puts patients’ health in jeopardy. It goes against medical evidence. And it is irrational economics. The surveillance blood test costs an estimated $3,000 each time, but lung and heart biopsies – which are invasive, painful, and damage the transplanted organ each time – can be triple the cost (if there are not complications).

All of this is happening under the watch of President Joe Biden, the Cancer Moonshot President, who claims he supports health innovation and signed a bill trying to make transplant organs more available. What is he doing to protect the gifted organs already in transplant patients while CMS is running amuck?

As we await the final decision from CMS, we will soon discover if government-led health care that dictates and rations medical care has been the president’s real agenda all along.

Newt Gingrich is a former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Gingrich 360 advises the Honor the Gift coalition and consults with various companies in the health care industry.

end

DR PAUL ALEXANDER:

‘Breakthrough Discovery: Neurosurgeon Unveils Shocking Link Between COVID Vaccine and Brain Damage & Cancer Risk And Ivermectin confers neuroprotective effects in brain damage.’ (2ND SMARTEST GUY IN

THE WORLD reports of an EXPOSE publication), this is quite comprehensive a review with a focus on the pioneering work of Retired American neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock

DR. PAUL ALEXANDERNOV 29

READ IN APP

2nd Smartest Guy in the World

Breakthrough Discovery: Neurosurgeon Unveils Shocking Link Between COVID Vaccine and Brain Damage & Cancer Risk

by The Exposé Retired American neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock recently gave an in-depth presentation on the adverse effects the spike proteins, induced by Covid-19 vaccination, have on the body. The doctor shared shocking discoveries about neurological damage, cancer rates, cardiac arrest and other exacerbating health issues as well as their connection to …

Read more

Moderna’s ‘Disinformation Department’ Monitors 150 Million Websites for ‘Anti-Vaccine’ Narratives; Through a pharma-funded nonprofit and Talkwalker, a “social listening” company, Moderna’s team,

run by a former 20-year veteran of the FBI — deploys artificial intelligence to monitor everything from mainstream news outlets to gaming sites. Vigilant News does some excellent reporting here

DR. PAUL ALEXANDERNOV 29

READ IN APP

‘This article originally appeared on The Defender and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D.

end

SLAY NEWS

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EVOL NEWS

New York Can Now Put Citizens in Quarantine Detention Camps against Their Will, Court RulesREAD MORE…

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Canada to Mandate WEF’s Digital ID System for PublicCanada has just signed an agreement to mandate the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) digital ID system for all members of the public.READ THE FULL REPORTNew York Can Now Put Citizens in Quarantine Detention Camps against Their Will, Court RulesA court has ruled that New York’s Democrat leadership can now place citizens in quarantine detention camps against their will.READ THE FULL REPORTNorth Korea Reveals Its New Spy Satellite Has Images of Pentagon and White HouseNorth Korea asserted that its first spy satellite launched into space successfully captured images of the White House, the Pentagon, and several U.S. naval stations.READ THE FULL REPORTMajor Plot Twist in Story of Kid Accused of Wearing ‘Black Face’ at Chiefs GameThere is a massive problem with Deadspin’s famously failed report of a 5-year-old kid who was “caught” wearing face paint at a Chiefs game, only to be targeted in a hit piece for wearing “face paint.”READ THE FULL REPORTFederal Court Rejects Another Attempt to Bar Trump From 2024 Primary BallotOn Monday, a federal district court in Rhode Island turned down a bid in an attempt to disqualify ex-President Donald Trump from running in the 2024 presidential elections, pointing to a previous decision by an appeals court that dismissed a similar claim.READ THE FULL REPORT

MICHAEL EVERY/PHIL MAREY/OR OTHER EXECS //RABOBANK

Angry Citizens Are Losing Patience With Monetary Frameworks That Enrich Those Closest To The Money Printer

BY TYLER DURDEN

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 11:40 AM

By Benjamin Picton, senior strategist at Rabobank

Gift Wrapped

Today is the big day. I’m not talking about the release of the US PCE deflator or the OPEC+ meeting (though both are on the calendar and will be a big deal), but the annual event that is the Spotify Wrapped summary and associated ubiquitous social media posts. Consequently, we can look forward to learning that we spent the whole year listening to the same 3 artists as last year, which might just be the definitive symptom of the cruel descent into middle age.

While millennials are poised to again discover that TayTay was number 1, central bankers are equally surprised to learn that the imminent trajectory for policy rates is down (as it largely has been since Volcker). We had more Fed speak overnight from Raphael Bostic (a dove), who said that he is increasingly confident that inflation’s downward trajectory will continue. Conversely, Thomas Barkin adopted Bowman’s wrongthink of the day before by saying that the Fed needs to keep the option of further hikes on the table, and noted hawk Loretta Mester hedged her bets by suggesting the Fed has the luxury of waiting for more data.

Predictably, markets chose to accentuate the positive. The jubilation over Chris Waller’s dovishness on Tuesday carried into yesterday’s price action for bonds. The US 10-year yield fell another 6.5bps to 4.25% and 2-year yields fell almost 9bps to 4.65%. This was despite a substantial upgrade to Q3 GDP that saw real annualized growth revised up to 5.2% from the originally reported 5%. The core PCE index that accompanied the national accounts ticked a little lower to 2.3%, which perhaps helps to explain the move in yields.

Another likely influence was the deflationary CPI prints out of Spain and Germany yesterday. Spanish CPI fell to -0.4% m-o-m from 0.1% in October, while the German figure also fell to -0.4% from -0.1%, prompting bull-steepening in the Bund curve. That takes year-on-year headline CPI to 3.2% for both countries and follows on from the lower than expected October inflation figures out of Australia yesterday that confirmed deflation for some goods categories. Markets don’t need too much prodding to adopt a rates down narrative at the moment, so these European numbers look like they were just the ticket and there will probably be more to come today when France and Italy report their own CPI numbers for November.

So, inflation is lower and growth is higher. That sounds like the promised soft landing is imminent! Rate cuts soon then? The OECD says no, at least for Europe. In its Economic Outlook released yesterday the organisation said that European rates would remain elevated all the way through 2024 with the first cuts to come in 2025. On the bright side, they DID support our own forecast of a 4.35% peak in the Aussie cash rate and suggested that market pricing on a Fed rate cut by the middle of next year is on the money.

That’s our view too. We have a cut to Fed funds penciled in for June, with another two cuts expected to arrive in the final quarter of the year owing to the three consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth we are forecasting in the USA from Q4 ’23 onwards.

The Austrians among us should be encouraged by that forecast, tracking as it does the developments in the Fed balance sheet and broader measures of money supply. Suspiciously, the peak in inflation came shortly after the peak in the balance sheet, and the disinflationary trend has also followed balance sheet reduction.

Weirdly (for Keynesians), very low rates of unemployment seem to have been no impediment to disinflation occurring in the USA and elsewhere. It’s almost as if enlisting more people to produce goods and services (rather than paying them to sit at home and not produce) is actually helpful for fighting inflation rather than a hindrance. That’s particularly the case if the wages paid to those workers are an accurate reflection of the marginal product of labor (and therefore not inflationary).

We’re in the weeds here though, so it might be best to get back to the job at hand of analysing Spotify habits. Mine are humdrum, and heavily weighted to audiobooks and comedy shows like the ECB podcast. A highlight for me has been the excellent audiobook of Edward Chancellor’s ‘The Price of Time’ which revealed to me that the Emperor Augustus caused a general inflation and pump-primed the market for villas by repatriating the treasure of Egypt into Rome (we might call that an exogenous increase in the money supply).

Tiberius then raised interest rates and got prices under control by hoarding the treasure for his own purposes, before proceeding to cause a general inflation and accidentally inventing quantitative easing by lending the treasure out at zero to Roman patricians. This is the Cantillon Effect in action, and apparently it proved to be politically destabilising after the plebeians realised that the rich were getting richer and food was becoming a luxury. Sound familiar? Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.

Around the same time that this was all going on a Jewish carpenter in Jerusalem struck an early blow against financialization by flipping the tables of the money changers in the temple forecourt. Fast-forwarding to the modern day, discontented citizens in a number of countries are losing patience with monetary frameworks that enrich those closest to the spigot while debasing the coinage of the realm and repeatedly failing in their one main job of preventing economic calamity. Indeed, some would argue that they are more adept at seeding financial calamity. Perhaps that’s why Javier Milei has adopted Andrew Jackson’s views on central banking by seeking to abolish it?

END

7//OIL ISSUES//NATURAL GAS ISSUES//ELECTRICAL GRID ISSUES// RENEWABLE ENERGY ISSUES//USA AND GLOBE

Russia takes control over a huge oil discovery in Iraq

(OilPrice.com)

Russia Takes Control Of Iraq’s Biggest Oil Discovery For 20 Years

WEDNESDAY, NOV 29, 2023 – 09:00 PM

By Simon Watkins of OilPrice.com

Preliminary estimates suggested that Iraq’s Eridu oil field holds between 7-10 billion barrels of reserves.

Senior Russian oil industry sources spoken to exclusively by OilPrice.com last week said the true figure may well be 50 percent more than the higher figure of that band. In either event, the Eridu field – part of Iraq’s Block 10 exploration and development region – is the biggest oil find in Iraq in the last 20 years, and Russia wants to control all of it, alongside its chief geopolitical ally, China.

This is in line with Moscow and Beijing’s objective of keeping the West out of energy deals in Iraq to keep Baghdad closer to the new Iran-Saudi axis and to “end [the] Western hegemony in the Middle East [that] will become the decisive chapter in the West’s final demise,” as exclusively related to OilPrice.com. The approval last week by Iraq’s Oil Ministry for Inpex – the major oil company of key U.S. ally Japan – to sell its 40 percent stake in the Block 10 region that contains the huge Eridu discovery leaves the way clear for Lukoil to take total control of the entire oil-rich area.

Lukoil had held a 60 percent stake in the entirety of Block 10, with the remainder held by the Japanese firm. However, from March it has been looking for ways to push Inpex out of the Block, and with it the last remnants of Western influence in the area. March saw Iraq’s state-owned Dhi Qar Oil Company (DQOC) formally approve the development of Block 10’s reserves, including for the whole Eridu field. Block 10 lies in the southeast of Iraq, approximately 120 km west of the key oil export route from Basra, and just south of the huge oil fields in and around Nassirya. The contract for Block 10 awarded to Lukoil and Inpex back in 2012 in Iraq’s fourth licensing round gives a relatively high remuneration per barrel rate of US$5.99, although at that point the vast Eridu field had not been discovered. In 2021, after some preliminary testing, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said it expected peak production of at minimum 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Eridu by, at that point, 2027. The senior Russian oil industry sources exclusively spoken to by OilPrice.com last week, believe peak production could run at least 100,000 bpd higher than the previous figure, contingent on whether the new reserves estimates are correct, although given delays in development since 2021, the date at which that will be achieved is now toward the end of 2029.

Back in 2021 – at least before the U.S. formally withdrew from Iraq by ending its ‘combat mission’ there at the end of December – it was clear that Washington knew what Russia and China were up to long term in the country, and how the U.S. was being manipulated by Iraq. In a moment of insight, the then-U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Dana Stroul, said:

“It’s […] clear that certain countries and partners would want to hedge and test what more they might be able to get from the United States by testing the waters of deeper co-operation with the Chinese or the Russians, particularly in the security and military space.”

This view could equally have been aimed, not just at Iraq, but also at most other countries in the Middle East at that time – most notably Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. That said, this profound insight had no effect on Washington at that point, and posed no impediment at all to either Russia or China’s continued drive to entirely push the U.S. out of the Middle East, as analysed in depth in in my new book on the new global oil market order.

For Iraq, the endgame has been apparent from Russia’s effective takeover of the oil and gas industry of the country’s troublesome semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in the north. This occurred in the chaos that followed the brutal put-down of the region after 93 percent of its inhabitants voted for full independence from Iraq in September 2017. Russian control over Iraqi Kurdistan was secured via the state’s corporate proxy, Rosneft, through three means, as also analysed in full in my new book. Subsequent to this, Russia has manipulated the region into such a toxic standoff with the central Iraq government in Baghdad that the final stage of the plan to effectively incorporate the Iraqi Kurdistan region into the rest of Iraq, is now proceeding at full throttle. Given this, Russia and China are now moving to secure their dominance over the rest of Iraq, with the removal of Inpex from the vast Eridu field being only the latest example of their broader strategy at work.

Multiple field exploration and development deals, plus countless lower-profile ‘contract-only’ agreements, with Russian and Chinese firms allow the two countries plenty of scope to leverage these out into a harder geopolitical presence across the country, including into the very fabric of its key infrastructure. At a recent Iraq Cabinet meeting, it was agreed that the country should now give its full support to rolling out all aspects of the wide-ranging ‘Iraq-China Framework Agreement’ signed in December 2021, but agreed in principle more than a year before that. This agreement is very similar in scope and scale to the all-encompassing ‘Iran-China 25-Year Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement’, as first revealed anywhere in the world in my 3 September 2019 article on the subject and fully examined in my new book.

A key part of both deals is that China has first refusal on all oil, gas, and petrochemicals projects that come up in Iraq for the duration of the deal, and that it is given at least a 30 percent discount on all oil, gas, and petrochemicals it buys. Another key part of the Iraq-China Framework Agreement is that Beijing is allowed to build factories across the country, with a corollary build-out of supportive infrastructure. This includes – importantly for its ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ – railway links, all overseen by its own management staff from Chinese companies on the ground in Iraq. The railway infrastructure in Iraq will be completed out after the network in Iran has been finished, and this began in earnest in late 2020 with the contract to electrify the main 900-kilometre railway connecting Tehran to the north-eastern city of Mashhad. As an adjunct to this, plans were put in place to establish a Tehran-Qom-Isfahan high-speed train line and to extend this upgraded network up to the north-west through Tabriz. Tabriz – home to several key sites relating to oil, gas, and petrochemicals, and the starting point for the Tabriz-Ankara gas pipeline – is to be a pivot point of the 2,300-kilometre New Silk Road that links Urumqi (the capital of China’s western Xinjiang Province) to Tehran, and will connect Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan along the way, before it then runs into Europe, via Turkey. 

These plans, in turn, link into corollary plans by Russia and China to turn the entire southeast region of Iraq – that culminates with the major oil export hub of Basra – into a region criss-crossed by Russian- and Chinese-controlled oil and gas fields and transportation hubs, as also analysed in full in my new book. One such cornerstone deal was Baghdad’s approval of nearly IQD1 trillion (US$700 million) for infrastructure projects in the city of Al-Zubair just to the south of Basra. The city’s Governor at the time the deal was struck, Abbas Al-Saadi, said China’s heavy involvement in the projects was part of the broad-based ‘oil-for-reconstruction and investment’ agreement – part of the general ‘oil-for-projects’ idea signed by Baghdad and Beijing in September 2019.

The Al-Zubair announcement came shortly after the awarding by Baghdad of another major contract to another Chinese company to build a civilian airport to replace the military base in the capital of the southern oil rich Dhi Qar governorate. The Dhi Qar region includes two of Iraq’s potentially biggest oil fields – Gharraf and Nassiriya – and China has said it intends to complete the airport by 2024. This region is also to the immediate north of the huge Eridu oil field and to the northwest of Basra. The airport project will include the construction of multiple cargo buildings and roads linking the airport to the city’s town centre and separately to other key oil areas in southern Iraq. This, in turn, followed yet another deal that will involve Chinese companies building out Al-Sadr City, located near Baghdad, at a cost of between US$7-8 billion, also within the framework of the 2019 ‘oil-for-reconstruction and investment’ agreement.

end

OPEC agrees to a one million per barrel supply cut along side extension of Saudi one million barrel cut. Oil rises

(zerohedge)

OPEC+ Agrees On 1 Million Bpd Additional Oil Supply Cut, Alongside Extension Of Saudi 1MMb/d Cut

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 09:49 AM

As previewed repeatedly in recent days, and as Reuters once again leaked overnight, moments ago the delayed OPEC+ meeting concluded with the expanded cartel agreeing on an additional 1 million barrels in production cuts, alongside an extension of Saudi Arabia’s 1 million bpd in voluntary “lollipop” cuts.

While we wait for further details, there is speculation is that of the 1 million “additional” barrels, some 300kb/d is an extension of existing Russian cuts, which means an incremental 700kb/d in cuts are coming from the group. Furthermore, of the balance, 500kb/d may be from those overproducing on their existing quotas. Which would mean new cuts are really just 200kb/d.

In any case while we wait for details, Bloomberg’s Julian Lee calculates that if the extra 1 million barrels a day cut is applied to the existing 2024 targets, with the various voluntary reductions applied on top of that, the new target for Saudi Arabia will be about 8.7 million barrels a day which is just over 200,000 barrels a day above the level to which it’s target was cut in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In other words, the oil market is about to get very, very tight especially if any of the multiple stimulus packages China is throwing around actually works and China’s economy rebounds.

In response Crude rose just over 2% in New York, peaking around $79.5 before reversing some gains.

8. EMERGING MARKETS//AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND ISSUES//

CANADA/

END

YOUR EARLY CURRENCY/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN CLOSING MARKETS AND EUROPEAN BOURSE OPENING AND CLOSING/ INTEREST RATE SETTINGS THURSDAY MORNING 7;30AM//OPENING AND CLOSINGS

EURO VS USA DOLLAR:  1.0928 DOWN  0.0046

USA/ YEN 147.58 UP .523  NOW TARGETS INTEREST RATE AT 1.00% AS IT WILL BUY UNLIMITED BONDS TO GETS TO THAT LEVEL…//YEN  STILL FALLS//

GBP/USA 1.2647  DOWN    0.0047

USA/CAN DOLLAR:  1.3607 UP 16 (CDN DOLLAR  DOWN 16 BASIS PTS)

 Last night Shanghai COMPOSITE CLOSED UP 7.99 PTS OR 0.26%

 Hang Seng CLOSED UP 49.44  PTS OR 0.29%

AUSTRALIA CLOSED UP .72%  // EUROPEAN BOURSE:  ALL GREEN

Trading from Europe and ASIA

I) EUROPEAN BOURSES:  ALL GREEN

2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang SENG UP 49.44 PTS OR 0.29%  

/SHANGHAI CLOSED UP  7.99 PTS OR 0.26%

AUSTRALIA BOURSE CLOSED UP 0.72%

(Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED  UP 165.67  PTS OR 0.50%

INDIA’S SENSEX  IN THE GREEN

Gold very early morning trading: 2038.25

silver:$25.08

USA dollar index early THURSDAY  morning: 103.17 UP 5 BASIS POINTS FROM WEDNESDAY’s CLOSE.

THURSDAY  MORNING NUMBERS ENDS

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And now your closing THURSDAY NUMBERS 11: 30 AM

Portuguese 10 year bond yield: 3.116%  UP 4  in basis point(s) yield

JAPANESE BOND YIELD: +0.673% DOWN 0 AND  0//100   BASIS POINTS /JAPAN losing control of its yield curve/

SPANISH 10 YR BOND YIELD: 3.476  UP 4  in basis points yield

ITALIAN 10 YR BOND YIELD 4.227 UP 6 points in basis points yield ./ THE ECB IS QE’ ING ITALIAN BONDS (BUYING ITALIAN BONDS/SELLING GERMAN BUNDS)

GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD: 2.4560 UP 3  BASIS PTS

END

IMPORTANT CURRENCY CLOSES FOR  THURSDAY  

Closing currency crosses for day /USA DOLLAR INDEX/USA 10 YR BOND YIELD/1:00 PM

Euro/USA 1.0911 DOWN  0.0062 or 62  basis points

USA/Japan: 147.86 UP .790 OR YEN DOWN 79 basis points/

Great Britain/USA 1.2652  DOWN  0.0043  OR 43  BASIS POINTS //

Canadian dollar UP .0020 OR 20 BASIS pts  to 1.3570

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The USA/Yuan,  CNY: closed    ON SHORE  CLOSED    (DOWN) …7.1363

THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE:    (YUAN CLOSED (DOWN)…. (7.1435)

TURKISH LIRA:  28.85 EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL/DEATH WATCH/HYPERINFLATION TO BEGIN.//ON DEATH WATCH

the 10 yr Japanese bond yield  at +0.673…VERY DANGEROUS

Your closing 10 yr US bond yield UP 6 in basis points from WEDNESDAY at  4.327% //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%) very problematic

 USA 30 yr bond yield  4.478 UP 3  in basis points   ON THE DAY/12.00 PM

USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.703 UP 6  BASIS PTS.

Your  12:00 AM bourses for Europe and the Dow along with the USA dollar index closing and interest rates:  THURSDAY: CLOSING TIME 12:00 PM

London: CLOSED UP 21.33  POINTS or 0.29%

German Dax :  CLOSED UP 65.26 PTS OR 0.80%

Paris CAC CLOSED DOWN 59.20 PTS OR 0.59%

Spain IBEX UP 5.10  PTS OR 0.05%

Italian MIB: CLOSED UP 60.56 PTS OR 0.20%

WTI Oil price  76.78   12: EST

Brent Oil:  81.37 12:00 EST

USA /RUSSIAN ROUBLE ///   AT:  89.45;   ROUBLE DOWN 0 AND  90//100      

GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD; +2.4530 DOWN 7  BASIS PTS

UK 10 YR YIELD: 4.220 UP 8  BASIS PTS

CLOSING NUMBERS: 4 PM

Euro vs USA: 1.0881  DOWN   0.0093   OR 93 BASIS POINTS

British Pound: 1.2618 DOWN   .0076 or 76 basis pts

BRITISH 10 YR GILT BOND YIELD:  4.2614%  UP 14 BASIS PTS//

JAPAN 10 YR YIELD: .666%

USA dollar vs Japanese Yen: 148.29 UP 1.228 //YEN  DOWN 123  BASIS PTS//

USA dollar vs Canadian dollar: 1.3565 DOWN 0.0027 CDN dollar  UP 27   basis pts)

West Texas intermediate oil: 76.04

Brent OIL:  80.78

USA 10 yr bond yield UP 9  BASIS pts to 4.361%  

USA 30 yr bond yield UP 9  BASIS PTS to 4.538%

USA 2 YR BOND: UP 8 PTS AT  4.721 %

USA dollar index: 103.50 UP 82  BASIS POINTS

USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 28.86 (GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO BLOWING UP/

USA DOLLAR VS RUSSIA//// ROUBLE:  89,45 DOWN 0  AND  90/100 roubles

GOLD  2035.30 3:30 PM

SILVER: 25.24  3:30 PM

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE: UP 519.91 PTS OR 1.47%

NASDAQ DOWN 39.73 PTS OR 0.25%

VOLATILITY INDEX: 12.94 UP .04 PTS (0.31)%

GLD: $188.75 DOWN 0.79 OR 0,42%

SLV/ $23.13 UP .25 OR 1.09%

end

USA AFFAIRS

USA TRADING IN GRAPH FORM

Mo’vember Marks Best Month For US Bonds In 40 Years; Global Markets Add Over $11 Trillion

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 04:00 PM

Remember, remember, the surge of November…

Global bond and stock markets added over $11 trillion in capitalization in November. That is the second biggest monthly gain in history (Nov 2020 added $12.5 trillion)…

Source: Bloomberg

Who could have seen that coming?

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1720524781139664991&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fmarkets%2Fmovember-marks-best-month-us-bonds-40-years-global-markets-add-over-11-trillion&sessionId=4486a02025999d3ff454f6ad743346dab1f13b03&siteScreenName=zerohedge&theme=light&widgetsVersion=01917f4d1d4cb%3A1696883169554&width=550px

Global bonds had their best month since Dec 2008 with US bonds soaring to their best month since May 1985…

Source: Bloomberg

…and back into the green for the year…

Source: Bloomberg

For context, that is a 60bps or so collapse in yields for Treasury bonds on the month (with the short-end underperforming)…

Source: Bloomberg

Despite bull-steepening in the last few days, the yield curve (2s30s) is flatter (more inverted) for the second straight month…

Source: Bloomberg

“There’s a little bit of the fear of missing out,” said Ed Al-Hussainy, a rates strategist at Columbia Threadneedle Investment.

“Suddenly 5% yields on the 10-year Treasury have become a distant memory.”

No fear here in stock-land as all the US majors rallied almost non-stop (up around 8-10% on the month) led by Nasdaq…

Source: Bloomberg

Random but interesting… the sales per employee in the Russell 2000 (where people expect job cuts) has never been higher.

The energy sector was the only one to end the month red while Tech and Real Estate were the big winners…

Source: Bloomberg

And VIX plunged to a 12 handle – its biggest absolute monthly decline since Nov 2022…

The rally in bonds and stocks sent financial conditions dramatically looser…

Source: Bloomberg

In fact, October saw the biggest absolute monthly loosening of financial conditions in history (back to 1982)…

Source: Bloomberg

The dollar index tumbled 3% in November – its biggest monthly decline since Nov 2022 (and 2nd biggest since July 2020). Note that today’s bounce ripped up to its 200DMA and stalled…

Source: Bloomberg

Bitcoin rallied for the 3rd month in a row, back above $38,000…

Source: Bloomberg

Ethereum soared over 12% in November – its best month since March and its first monthly outperformance of BTC since May – but as is obvious from the chart, it has stalled since the early surge…

Source: Bloomberg

Gold rallied for the 2nd straight month, back up to record highs…

Source: Bloomberg

Silver also soared back above $25…

Source: Bloomberg

Oil prices fell for the second straight month, with WTI finding resistance at the 200DMA for the last week (including a stop-run that failed today)…

Source: Bloomberg

Finally, November was truly a month of “bad news” being “good news” for stocks…

Source: Bloomberg

‘Hard’ data hits a 14-month low as stocks surge back near record highs.

“We’ve been getting economic data recently that reinforces the idea of the Goldilocks slowdown,” said Rebecca Patterson, former chief investment strategist at Bridgewater Associates.

“Inflation is coming down, and at the same time it hasn’t been unduly impinging growth.”

But be careful what you wish for – if financial conditions loosen much more, The Fed will be forced to jawbone some reality back into market as November saw the biggest increase in rate-cut expectations for 2024 since Nov 2022.

Do investors really think anything but a NOT-soft-landing would spark 5 x 25bps rate-cuts in an election year!

EARLY MORNING TRADING//

TUCKER CARLSON

II USA DATA

Continuing jobless claims surge but the data is generally corrupt

(zerohedge)

Continuing Jobless Claims Surge To 2 Year Highs

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 08:50 AM

After last week’s surge in NSA initial claims, this week saw that completely erased as SA initial claims edge higher…

Source: Bloomberg

The NSA drop was driven by a plunge in CA claims…

…which reversed the prior week’s huge jump in NSA claims in CA…

WTF!?

But, continuing claims jumped back above 1.9mm (1.926mm to be exact) for the first time since Nov 2021…

Source: Bloomberg

And it’s going to get worse, as Goldman reminds us that ongoing seasonal distortions have increasingly weighed on the level of continuing claims over the last six months, and we now expect that the reversal of those distortions could exert a cumulative boost of 375k to the level of continuing claims between now and March.

We’re gonna need more seasonal adjustments.

END

Pending home sales index slumps again to record lows

(zerohedge)

US Pending Home Sales Index Slumps To Record Low

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 10:10 AM

After a small bounce last month – following the puke in August – pending home sales dropped 1.5% MoM in October (better than the 2.0% MoM decline expected). This left YoY sales down 6.6% (negative for the 23rd straight month)…

Source: Bloomberg

The Pending Home Sales Index dropped back to a new record low…

Source: Bloomberg

By region, only the Northeast saw an increase in pending sales last month.

Sales fell the most in the West, down 6%, while contract signings in the South and Midwest slipped 1.9% and 0.4%, respectively.

Home sales are rising in places with more inventory, Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist said, noting that purchases of new houses are up so far this year because of builders’ ability to create inventory.

“During October, mortgage rates were at their highest, and contract signings for existing homes were at their lowest in more than 20 years,” Yun said in a statement.

“Recent weeks’ successive declines in mortgage rates will help qualify more home buyers, but limited housing inventory is significantly preventing housing demand from fully being satisfied.”

The trend in pending home sales is following the mortgage rate (with a one month lag) and is set to fall further still…

Source: Bloomberg

The pending-home sales report is a leading indicator of existing-home sales given houses typically go under contract a month or two before they’re sold.

How long with Powell and his pals be able to keep this ‘higher for longer’ stress up as Americans’ largest source of wealth evaporates?

END

III) USA ECONOMIC STORIES

Trump Gag Order Reinstated By NY Appeals Court

BY TYLER DURDEN

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 02:40 PM

Color us less than surprised; but a New York appeals court reinstated Thursday the gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump by the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial.

The gag order was initially imposed by Judge Engeron on Oct. 3 (after President Trump accused the judge’s top clerk of political bias in a post on social media).

An appeals court judge temporarily paused the gag order on Nov. 16 while the former president appealed the order.

But now, in an order issued on Nov. 30, a four-judge panel of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, overturned the temporary suspension of the gag order:

“Now, upon reading and filing the papers with respect to the motion, and due deliberation having been had thereon…

…it is ordered that the motion is denied; the interim relief granted by order of a Justice of this Court, dated November 16, 2023, is hereby vacated,” the appeals court’s order states. 

Trump’s legal team filed a mistrial motion earlier this month purporting that Engoron and his clerk have “tainted” the trial with their bias against Trump.

Engoron denied the motion, calling it “utterly without merit.”

President Trump has not publicly commented on the latest development.

Trump also faces a gag order in his federal 2020 election subversion case. That order is currently on pause as a panel of federal judges weighs its merit.

END

IIIB USA COMMENTARIES RE ISRAEL/HAMAS WAR/ANTISEMITISM

END

FREIGHT ISSUES/USA

END

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON

end

USA// COVID//VACCINE/

end

SWAMP STORIES

Unbelievable!!

Special Counsel Jack Smith Demanded Info On Americans Who “Favorited Or Retweeted” Trump Tweets; Newly Released Docs Show

WEDNESDAY, NOV 29, 2023 – 11:00 PM

Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,

Special Counsel Jack Smith demanded information on Twitter users who liked or retweeted former President Donald Trump’s tweets leading up to the January 6 riot, according to a heavily redacted search warrant and other documents released Monday.

Smith’s comprehensive search warrant sought the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner’s search history, direct messages, and “content of all tweets created, drafted, favorited/liked, or retweeted” by his account from October 2020 to January 2021.

The special counsel also demanded a list of all devices used to log into Trump’s then-Twitter, now X account, as well as information on users who interacted with the then-president in the months leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, the court filings show.

Among the information Smith sought were lists of all Twitter users who “favorited or retweeted” Trump’s tweets, “as well as all tweets that include the username associated with the account” in “mentions” or “replies.”

The special counsel also requested a list of every user Trump “followed, unfollowed, muted, unmuted, blocked, or unblocked” and a list of users who took any of the same actions with Trump’s account during the aforementioned timeframe.

“There is no benign or reasonable justification for that demand,” wrote former FBI agent/whistleblower Steve Friend on X.

Smith demanded the information as part of the special counsel “investigation into Trump’s actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.” In August, Smith formally lodged a four-count indictment against Trump, accusing him of a massive criminal conspiracy to reverse the results of the 2020 election.

The court released the warrant after multiple media organizations filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain the document.

Eight of the search warrant’s 14 pages are completely redacted, the New York Post reported.

The warrant included a nondisclosure order instructing the company not to notify Trump about the search.

The social media giant objected to the order, arguing unsuccessfully that it was a violation of the First Amendment and the Stored Communications Act.

The DOJ argued back that notifying Trump would result in “statutorily cognizable harm.”

“For what appears to be the first time in its history, Twitter Inc. (‘Twitter’) has filed a motion to vacate or modify an order that it not disclose the existence of a search warrant,” Smith said, adding that “there is reason to believe notification to the former president, a sophisticated actor with an expansive platform, would result in a statutorily cognizable harm.”

X ultimately complied with the warrant but was fined $350,000 for failing to meet Smith’s demands by deadline, according to the Federalist.

Trump’s legal team has since appealed the order, calling it “unconstitutional,” and has threatened to take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.

END

Texas Judge With Ties To Biden, Obama, Clinton Under Investigation For COVID Bid-Rigging Scheme

WEDNESDAY, NOV 29, 2023 – 11:00 PM

Authored by Alice Giordano via The Epoch Times,

A Texas judge is under investigation by the Texas Rangers for allegedly rigging an $11 million pandemic outreach contract so it would be awarded to one of her political allies, a former campaigner for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and data director for the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

On Nov. 9, 2023, the Texas Rangers Public Corruption Investigation Unit announced it had obtained search warrants for documents relative to an investigation it has launched in conjunction with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office into Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. The corruption investigation unit accuses Ms. Hidalgo of witness tampering, intent to conceal evidence, and the misuse of emergency authorization powers to bypass the county’s contract voting process. They are planning to take their findings to a grand jury.

“Whether it’s the White House or the Harris County Judge’s office, there appears to be an epidemic of corruption among high-level Democrat officials,” Harris County GOP Chairman Cindy Siegel said in a statement about the recently announced investigation into Judge Hidalgo.

According to a Nov. 14 story by Fox 26 in Texas, invoices from the Harris County auditor show that the companies paid out from the $11 million COVID outreach money paid to Elevate Strategies, were all Democratic campaign organizations that focused on outreach to Democratic voters, and had no history of engaging in pandemic-related activity.

Rice University political analyst Mark Jones told the television network that the evidence overwhelmingly shows that the public money was being used as a “camouflage” to maximize Democratic voter turnout by buying voter lists and funding data mining operations.

Ms. Hidalgo already boasts an influential list of Democrats who have stumped for her in the past, including First Lady Jill Biden and “Hamilton” creator and liberal activist Lin Manuel-Miranda.

Prior to the bid-rigging scandal, Ms. Hidalgo was under scrutiny by state Republicans for creating a controversial “threat policy” at the height of the pandemic that included a $1,000 fine and jail time for not wearing a mask. Some of the $11 million in pandemic funds was intended to be used to enforce her policies.

The search warrants, which were obtained by The Epoch Times, show that Ms. Hidalgo is accused of using her position to direct $11 million worth of pandemic outreach money to Elevate Strategies, which is owned by her political ally Felicity Pereyra.

Ms. Pereyra and Elevate Strategies did not respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times.

According to her resume posted on LinkedIn, Ms. Pereyra has worked on a variety of other Democratic campaigns including as the analytics director for Ms. Clinton’s Hillary for America campaign in 2016. Her resume shows she was also DNC’s director of data between 2017 and 2018, and served as deputy data director for Obama for America campaign in 2012.

Mrs. Hidalgo held a press conference on Nov. 10, the day after the search warrants were served, to deny any wrongdoing. She said she is a victim of “dirty politics” and accused Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg of abusing her office for political reason. Mrs. Hidalgo pointed out that her staffers were indicted during her reelection bid in 2022 and that the search warrants were obtained during Mrs. Ogg’s campaign for reelection.

Ms. Hidalgo, who won her reelection bid, has publicly endorsed Mrs. Ogg’s Democrat challenger Sean Teare.

“This is the same politics she’s been playing for years,” Ms. Hidalgo said about Mrs. Ogg. “She’s abused the power of her office the way that a bully abuses size on the playground.”

Harris County is located in Houston, a liberal stronghold in otherwise heavily Republican Texas. It has voted Democrat for more than a decade.

Mrs. Ogg told KHOU-11 that Judge Hidalgo was using her status to “taint the investigative process and confuse the public.”

“County Judge Hidalgo’s outburst today was nothing more than an attempted deflection from the facts and evidence that led to the initial indictment of her staffers,” Mrs. Ogg said.

Three of Ms. Hidalgo’s senior staffers, including her chief of staff, have already been indicted on felony charges that include record tampering and misuse of official information.

Following their indictment in April 2022, Ms. Hidalgo took a leave of absence, citing “mental health reasons.” She returned to the bench last month. Three weeks later, the Texas Rangers announced their investigation.

According to the search warrants, the Texas Rangers believe Ms. Hidalgo edited and/or erased documents relative to the COVID contract and that she failed to turn over correspondence she was initially asked for in the criminal investigation into her staffers.

The search warrants also claim that Ms. Hidalgo sometimes uses encrypted messaging to communicate with her senior-level staff members and that show her staffers used their personal phones to communicate about the vaccine outreach money with Ms. Pereyra.

They also showed that Ms. Hidalgo communicated with Ms. Pereyra about the availability of the $11 million contract before it was publicly announced and that when she believed the county commissioner might not approve the allocation of funds, she used her emergency authorization powers to bypass the voting process and award it to Ms. Pereyra’s Elevate Strategies.

As uncovered by Houston blogger Aubrey Taylor, county real estate records show Ms. Pereyra and her husband bought a new home two months after her company was awarded the contract.

Prior to the bid rigging scandal, Ms. Hidalgo also came under public scrutiny for her behavior at the funeral of slain Harris County police officer Cpl. Charles Galloway, who was shot to death during a routine traffic stop on Jan. 23, 2022.

A video taken of Officer Galloway’s funeral shows Ms. Hidalgo arguing with several law enforcement officials.

According to Sgt. Roy Guinn of the Harris County Constable’s Office, when he and the other officers asked her to take her seat with all the other elected officials in attendance, she refused, saying, “Do you know who I am, I’m the county judge.”

Mr. Guinn made a YouTube video of the incident and was interviewed by both TV and radio media about it.

Sgt. Guinn, who accused Judge Hidalgo of deliberately positioning herself in front of media cameras during the entire service “to be seen,” said she even refused to move when she was told she was in the way of the honor guard.

A spokesperson for Judge Hidalgo said she would not be commenting on the incident.

END

We finally get to see what is on Seth Rich’s lap top hidden from us by the FBI.  Probably Hilary is involved

(zerohedge)

Federal Judge Orders FBI To Finally Release Seth Rich’s LaptopN

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 10:25 AM

The murder of Seth Rich has long been one of the stones left unturned since the fall out following the 2016 presidential election. Rich, a 27-year old staffer for the Democratic National Committee was shot twice in the back on July 10th, 2016 while walking back to his home in Washington DC. He was not robbed, yet his death was ruled nothing more than a botched robbery.

Although his murder would occur months before the election of Donald Trump, Rich’s name would become inextricably tied to the build up that culminated in that populist victory.

Many suspect Rich was the source of the leaked DNC emails provided to WikiLeaks – a rumor which was fueled by the odd circumstances surrounding his death, the sudden retirement of D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier five weeks after the murder, and an email John Podesta sent to Hillary’s inner circle about ‘making an example’ of a suspected leaker, written more than a year before Rich’s death.

Troves of emails were published by Wikileaks giving insight into the corrupt inner machination of the Democratic National Committee. While Rich was never officially revealed as the source of the leaked emails, it has been heavily suggested. Julian Assange was one key figure who made that suggestion when he highlighted Rich’s murder during a 2016 interview in which he was asked about the risks that come with operating WikiLeaks. Megavideo founder and entrepeneur Kim Dotcom said in May of 2017 that he worked with Rich to connect him with Assange.

At one point, Assange heavily implied Rich was his source for the DNC emails. Meanwhile, WikiLeaks offered a $130,000 reward for information leading to the murderer of Rich. 

Following Rich’s murder, law enforcement took possession of the deceased staffer’s personal and work laptops in addition to other possessions found on his person at the scene of the crime. However, the information in that evidence has long been kept under lock and key, furthering speculation of a cover-up of his murder as a move for power consolidation by those with vested interests in the democratic establishment. After years, it finally appears that they will not remain a secret much longer.

The emails pointed to evidence of of “Pay for Play” by Clinton Foundation donors who funded ISIS, the DNC cheating against Bernie Sanders, MSM collusion with the Clinton campaign, Hillary’s dreams of open borders, “unaware and compliant” citizens, ‘Spirit Cooking’ (email), Wet Works, and evidence of Aliens and Zero Point Energy.

The FBI Must hand it over

On Tuesday, Federal Judge Amose Mazzant of the United States District Court For The Eastern District of Texas issued a memorandum opinion and ordering the FBI to release the information contained in Rich’s laptops. The order comes from the lawsuit Huddleston v. Fed. Bureau of Investigation. Brian Huddleston, the plaintiff in the civil case, filed FOIA requests in 2017 and 2020 compelling the FBI and DOJ to release the information contained in Rich’s laptops.

After filing those FOIA requests, the FBI and DOJ spent years manipulating the legal system in order to avoid disclosing that evidence. It has repeatedly filed motions to stay the scheduling orders advancing Huddleston’s case in the aim of bringing the evidence to light. In 2022, the plaintiff achieved a major victory when Judge Mazzant ruled the FBI improperly withheld the evidence from Huddleston’s FOIA request. The order issued Tuesday dictates that the FBI finally must agree to a timeline for the disclosure of the information with Huddleston.

Mazzant’s order to release the information in response to Huddleston’s FOIA request may prove to be a watershed moment in the pursuit of revealing what information Rich had that could have prove to be the motive behind his murder. To this day, no arrests have ever made following his shooting. Despite police characterizing the murder as an attempted robbery, Rich’s wallet, watch, and other valuables were not taken from him after being fatally shot twice in the back.

Suspicions spawned by the nature of the supposed “robbery” have fueled speculation about the real motive behind Rich’s murder to this day. Like anything else that didn’t conform to the mainstream narrative surrounding the 2016 election, suggestions that Rich’s murder was politically motivated have since been “debunked” as conspiracy theories. However, with the forthcoming release of the information contained in Seth Rich’s laptops, it appears that a fact-checker who is actually determined to uncover the truth has finally emerged.

END

Money Laundering Expert Raised Alarm Over “Unusual” Chinese Payments To Hunter Biden

THURSDAY, NOV 30, 2023 – 03:25 PM

A bank investigator hired to monitor Hunter Biden’s company, Owasco P.C. raised the alarm over an influx of Chinese money while despite the company providing zero services.

In a June 26, 2018 email from the investigator, concerns were raised over wire transfers from a Chinese company, and Biden’s joint Chinese venture, Hudson West III. Specifically, $5 million initially sent to Hudson West was described as a business loan, however “there was no loan agreement document submitted,” wrote the investigator, whose name and which bank he was working for was redacted.

Most of the funds were sent to Owasco via 16 wire transfers labeled as management fees and reimbursements.

“We find it unusual that approximately 58 percent of the funds were transferred to the law firm in a few months and the frequency of the payments appear erratic,” said the investigator. “It was also previously indicated that Hudson West III LLC does not currently have any investment projects at this time, which raises further concerns as millions in fees are being paid but does not appear to have any services rendered by Owasco PC.”

The investigator also noted that Hunter was the son of then-former VP Joe Biden, and that there were allegations that Hunter was spending money on drugs, strip clubs and prostitutes (such as his baby mama), and concerns were raised that the CCP was “targeting children of politicians and purchas[ing] of political influence through ‘sweetheart deals.'”

“Specifically, Hunter Biden’s $1.5 billion dollar deal with the Chinese-State to establish a private-equity firm in which they manage the funds over time and make huge fees,” the investigator wrote. “The management company’s purpose is to invest in companies that benefit [the] Chinese government. Thus, the activity on the account appears unusual with no current business purpose.”

As the Epoch Times notes further,

Mr. Biden has previously defended his business dealings that occurred while his father was vice president, and before his father became president, saying he did nothing wrong.

The email was released by the House Oversight Committee, which has been probing Mr. Biden’s actions and their connections to President Biden. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the panel, obtained the email through a subpoena, the committee said.

‘Shady China Dealings’

“Long before our investigation into President Biden’s corruption, a bank money laundering investigator raised the exact concerns that we raised publicly about the Biden family business,” Mr. Comer said in a statement.

“Even worse, we know that the sitting president of the United States knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family’s shady China dealings,” Mr. Comer added. “Joe Biden showed up to his son’s CEFC meetings and benefited from the money wired from China. The White House and their Corporate Media allies’ efforts to excuse and coverup [sic] this blatant corruption is appalling to the American people. House Republicans will continue to unearth the facts and provide the accountability the American people deserve.”

Northern International Capital Holdings was affiliated with CEFC, which was a Chinese energy firm.

Republicans say that records they obtained established that $40,000 sent by the wife of James Biden, President Biden’s brother, to the then-former vice president in 2017 and labeled as a loan repayment originated in China as part of the $5 million for Hudson West.

The White House and a lawyer for Mr. James Biden have defended the transaction, saying it was a normal loan repayment.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee reacted to the newly disclosed email by accusing Republicans of omitting important context. Democrats released additional emails, including one that showed an assistant vice president at the bank that employed the investigator saying that payments were wired to Owasco as part of the company’s operating agreement.

“Unfortunately, the information does not help much as it reiterates that there’s [sic] payments to Owasco per operating agreement, but it still does not indicate any reason for the large payments as management fees, when this entity does not have any stated project,” the investigator responded.

In a follow-up message, the bank’s assistant vice president said they spoke with Mervyn Yan, the Chinese businessman operating Hudson West with Mr. Biden. Mr. Yan said that Hudson West was working on “sourcing large projects, including LNG, shale, solar, and port infrastructures in US, hence the carrying cost is very high.”

He alleged the firm was in negotiations for deals in Louisiana, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania.

“To the extent that where are no guarantees [sic] incomes derived from any of these negotiations, only time will tell, and subject to further roadshow and capital raising in China and other market markets [sic],” Mr. Yan was quoted as saying. “The typical deals size [sic] we are considering is over 500 millions [sic] and more. It is time consuming and a lot of efforts [sic] spent. The expenses are inline with these types of high risk high return venture activities.”

A later email from the bank said that an official spoke with an expert and that she thought the activity was “reasonable and consistent with the business profile.”

The expert “does not see any signs of bribery as the activity is clearly written in the operating agreement,” the message said. She also assessed that “the activity does not appear unusual.”

END

THE KING REPORT

The King Report November 30, 2023 Issue 7129

Independent View of the News

We warned several weeks ago, that Team Obama-Biden and Team Obama-Biden leftists on the Fed would stimulate the economy to aid and abet Biden and Democrats for the 2024 Election.  We noted that we positioned our holdings for this very high probability and its ugly consequences in 2025.   The evidence keeps mounting that the Team Obama-Biden operation to rescue The Big Guy is operative.  Besides the fake US economic data, Fed dovish braying and government spending is escalating.   Q3 US GDP was revised to 5.2% from 4.9% (5.0% expected) mostly because government spending contributed 0.94 percentage points, up from 0.74.  (Table 2, Line 50; full CPI report at link)  Consumption added 2.44; Gross private domestic investment contributed 1.82; Inventories added 1.40. https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/gdp3q23_2nd.pdf   This is Bidenomics, which is ‘Trickle Down’ from the government economics, AKA socialism.  And we all know that socialism produces inflation, perpetual debt increases, plus further concentration of wealth and income (Dukes & serfs).   @Lavorgnanomics: Why is growth so strong? One factor has been government spending which grew an unsustainable 4.7% in real terms over the last year. Outside the pandemic, this is one of the fastest rates in decades and works at a cross purpose with monetary policy objectives.   Experienced economists have been warning that GDP and GDI (income) are NOT aligning and they should align.  GDI has been negative y/y for the past few quarters.   @spomboy: This is probably a better look…and more ominous.  It appears that GDI has only been negative y/y while GDP was positive twice before– 2001 and 2007.   Buckle up for the hard landing. https://twitter.com/spomboy/status/1729884682446319845   Dueling Fed officials appeared on Wednesday.    Richmond Fed President Barkin said the Fed should keep the option to hike rates on the table due to stubborn inflation.  If inflation falls to 2%, then the Fed can make the case for rate cuts.  But Barkin is skeptical that inflation is on track to fall to 2%.  He sees stubborn inflation.   Barkin said housing inflation is still elevated, and while rents have softened housing prices are still rising.  Barkin also said there is no politics at the Fed.  The fact that Barkin had to issue this remark is proof that at the least there is growing perceptions of politics at the Fed.    The ubiquitous Atlanta Fed President Bostic said inflation is likely to slow further and economic growth could soften.  But Bostic conceded that recent economic data is at odds with his forecast.   ESZs traded slightly positive from the Nikkei opening until they bounced higher at 19:48 ET.  After a 5-handle rally, ESZs went flat until they bounced at 3:34 ET.  After an 8-handle rally, ESZs went flat again, trading within a 3-handle range until a rally at 6:36 ET began.   ESZs hit 4590.25 at 8:28 ET and then retreated to 4582.75 after the stronger than expected US Q3 GDP Report appeared.   Buying for the NYSE Pump & Dump scheme then commenced.  ESZs soared to a daily high of 4597.00 at 9:55 ET.  ESZs then tumbled to 4574.50 at 10:23 ET.  Some in the fin media blamed Barkin’s hawkish remarks.  However Bostic’s dovish comments hit the tape at 10:00 ET.  Barkin’s speech at the CNBC CFO Council Summit began 8 minutes later.  To blame Barkin implies someone had his remarks early.   After a modest bounce, ESZs resumed their descent at 11:00 ET.  USZs were in rally mode.  ESZs hit 4562.75 at 11:32 ET, just 0.25 from the low near the Nikkei opening.  The entire rally was lost!   ESZs then bounced after the 11:30 ET European close.  ESZs rallied to 4578.00 at 13:03 ET and then rolled over.  They commenced a decline at 14:31 ET that took ESZs to new daily lows.  ESZs hit a daily low of 4555.50 at 15:40 ET.  Someone juiced ESZs 6 handles by the close.   The Fed Beige Book, released at 14:00 ET, might have contributed to the late ESZ decline.   Fed Beige Book HighlightsPrice Increases Largely Moderated across Districts, though Prices Remained ElevatedConsumer Spending on Discretionary Items DeclinedConsumers Showed More Price SensitivityConsumer credit remained fairly healthy, but some banks noted a slight uptick in consumer delinquenciesMost Districts Expect Moderate Price Increase to Continue into Next Yearhttps://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/BeigeBook_20231129.pdf  Per Fed Beige Book: Consumers see inflation.  Businesses see inflation.  But Team Obama leftists at the Fed don’t or don’t want to see inflation.  No wonder Barkin had to issue the no politics at the Fed trope.   Some pundits opined that ESZs and USZs rallied sharply during early European trading due to the German CPI for November report.  This metric was released at 8 ET.  As noted above, the ESZ rally commenced at 3:34 ET.  USZs rallied from the Nikkei opening until they hit 117 24/32 at 1:31 ET.  They then sank to 116 17/32 at 8:49 ET on the strong US GDP Q3.  They bounced at 8:50 ET and continued higher on the German CPI Report.   @SquawkStreet: We’ve all heard the Fed’s “higher-for-longer” messaging, but when should you expect to see interest rates move lower? @DeutscheBank CIO in the Americas Deepak Puri thinks we’ll likely get three cuts next year, with the first coming in June.   If the Fed cuts rates in June, it will be, barring an economic crisis, a blatant interference in the US 2024 Election – and Fed officials know this!  Typically, the Fed abhors changing policy within 6 months of an election.  Will the Team Obama-Biden leftists on the Fed jettison precedent?   Financial media stories and Street research bits proclaiming that Fed rate cuts are good for bonds are proliferating.  This is Grand Super Cycle Bond Bull Market for 40 years linear thinking.  In the inflationary Seventies, Fed rate cuts were inflationary.  They hurt the dollar and boosted flight from debt.  Gold is telling us that Fed rate cuts will be inflationary, or worse.   CBS News: Americans need an extra $11,400 today just to afford the basics The typical American household must spend an additional $11,434 annually just to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed in January of 2021 (Biden’s reign began), right before inflation soared to 40-year highs, according to a recent analysis of government data…  https://t.co/t79U2FLqFv   Elliot Management Takes $1B Stake in Phillips 66, Sees 75% Upside https://t.co/ueQJtXkPJv   Discounts drew crowds but Black Friday week sales gain softest in years –report Despite the sales gain, the increase is the smallest Black Friday-week gain since 2017’s 4.8% year-over-year increase… Another index published by Mastercard indicated more shoppers opted to take advantage of deeper and earlier online discounts, with e-commerce sales on Nov. 24 growing by 8.5% on a yearly basis compared to a 1.1% increase for in-store sales… https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/discounts-drew-crowds-black-friday-week-sales-gain-softest-years-report-2023-11-28/   @biancoresearch (Responding to those that cherry pick data to declare housing inflation is over): This is NEW home sales, 18% of all home sales. The other 82% is EXISTING home sales, and those prices are not falling (an earlier tweet). How are the builders faring during this “crash?” Up 51% YTD! The market is not worried, why are you? https://t.co/TAJ2KdgosK   GM Shares Surge Over 10% after Announcing $10 Billion Buyback, Raising Dividend By 33%, Updating 2023 Guidance https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/gm-shares-surge-over-10-after-announcing-10-billion-buyback-raising-dividend-33-updating   Positive aspects of previous session The DJTA rallied sharply early in the session ESZs soared from 3:34 ET until 9:55 ET Bonds rallied sharply and closed near the daily high   Negative aspects of previous session US stocks declined sharply after the 9:56 ET peak, probably on defensive asset allocation   Ambiguous aspects of previous session How big is the divide within the Fed on monetary policy?   First Hour/Last Hour Action [S&P 500 Index]: 1st Hour from NYSE Open: Down; Last Hour: Down   Pivot Point for S&P 500 Index [above/below indicates daily trend to traders]: 4561.79 Previous session S&P 500 Index High/Low: 4587.64; 4547.15   @KobeissiLetter: On a price-to-earnings basis, the S&P 7 is now as overvalued as tech in 2000 and the Nifty Fifty in 1972. These are the same stocks that have accounted for 95% of the S&P 500’s gain this year. The P/E ratio on some components of the S&P 7 is now more than DOUBLE the levels seen in previous bubbles… Nvidia now has a P/E ratio of 115x. However, without these 7 companies, the S&P 500 is up just 4% this year. Can these stocks continue to carry the entire market? https://t.co/C1P6A2fP9c   Disney’s movie business under siege as Marvel actor Jonathan Majors heads to trial https://t.co/WzIkk7nI9V   Today –Stocks have acted tired and trading has been sluggish the past three sessions.  Apparently, defensive asset allocation is boosting bonds and weighing on stocks.  The usual suspects want to commence November performance gaming ASAP.  Will defensive asset allocation thwart them?   ESZs are +2.00; USZs are +8/32; and February Gold is -0.90 at 20:10 ET.    Expected economic data: Initial Jobless Claims 218k, Continuing Claims 1.865m; Oct Personal Income 0.2%, Spending 0.2%, PCE Deflator 0..1% m/m & 3% y/y, PCE Core Deflator 0.2% m/m & 3.5% y/y; Chicago PMI 47.9, Prices Paid 46.1; Cleveland Fed Pres Mester 13:45 ET   S&P 500 Index 50-day MA: 4351; 100-day MA: 4418; 150-day MA: 4364; 200-day MA: 4282 DJIA 50-day MA: 33,934; 100-day MA: 34,397; 150-day MA: 34,153; 200-day MA: 33,882 (Green is positive slope; Red is negative slope)   S&P 500 Index – Trender trading model and MACD for key time frames Monthly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 3828.58 triggers a sell signal Weekly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 4229.80 triggers a sell signal Daily: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 4473.52 triggers a sell signal Hourly: Trender is positive; MACD is negative– a close below 4541.36 triggers a sell signal   Special Counsel Jack Smith Demanded Info on Americans Who “Favorited or Retweeted” Trump Tweets; Newly Released Docs Show (Egregious Stalinist-like political intimidation!)     Trump’s legal team has since appealed the order, calling it “unconstitutional,” and has threatened to take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/special-counsel-jack-smith-demanded-info-americans-who-favorited-or-retweeted-trump   Putin won’t make peace in Ukraine before 2024 US election -US official The official said it was a “widely shared premise.”… https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-wont-make-peace-ukraine-before-2024-us-election-us-official-2023-11-28/   @RNCResearch: BIDEN (heavily slurring): “I am friends with your leader, Mr. Moon, you know, hoo, we’re, we’re good guys”   https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1729966923759210707     BIDEN: “I cut the federal deficit by over $7 billion!” https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1729970980267684030      BIDEN: “I’ve said this to Deng Xiaoping in the Himalayas…” Did he mean Xi Jinping? https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1729972228949766269     BIDEN: “Congressman Trump”  https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1729971112732230136     BIDEN: “Look, my Marine has a code to blow up the world” https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1729961860307292494   After criticism for Biden skipping global climate summit, White House to send Kamala Harris https://t.co/o9WKaYvgsH   Court filings reveal secret agreement between Biden admin, eco groups seeking to tear down key power source – ‘The U.S. Government chose for months to hold secret negotiations and refused to share any details with us,’ lead industry groups say in joint statement… The groups have argued in favor of breaching the four federally-managed dams amid declining salmon populations in the lower Snake River, which winds through Idaho and Washington before feeding into the Columbia River and then into the Pacific Ocean…   https://www.foxnews.com/politics/court-filings-reveal-secret-agreement-between-biden-admin-eco-groups-seeking-tear-down-key-power-source   BLM leader endorses Trump for 2024, accuses Dems of ‘racist’ policies: ‘We’re not stupid’ https://t.co/zINFubxJbg   @RonDeSantis: BLM praising Donald Trump — and Trump celebrating it — makes perfect sense.  When BLM was burning down cities and assaulting police officers in cities across this country, Trump did nothing but sit in the White House tweeting “LAW & ORDER!”  We did it differently in Florida. I didn’t just tweet. I took action and called up the National Guard. We were not going to let our cities burn. Dimon Urges Even Liberals to Back Nikki Haley as an Alternative to Trump https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-29/dimon-urges-even-liberals-to-back-haley-as-alternative-to-trump   Bank raised red flags about $5 million loan from Chinese firm to Hunter Biden, memo reveals https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/bank-raised-red-flags-about-5-million-loan-chinese-firm-hunter   Bloomberg @business: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday Israel will “unequivocally” continue fighting against Hamas in Gaza when the truce expires. “There is no chance that we won’t resume the war until the end,” he said  https://bloom.bg/3sYajfG   Senior CIA official posted pro-Palestine propaganda on social media Amy McFadden, an associate deputy director for analysis at the CIA, posted a Palestinian flag as her Facebook background two weeks after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel.  Her LinkedIn page also showed support for the International Crisis Group, an anti-Israel organization linked to an Iranian propaganda network and previously led by Robert Malley, the suspended special envoy for Iran… https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/senior-cia-official-posted-pro-palestine-propaganda-on-social-media/article_b25b86dd-db80-56cd-9cd8-405be27783c0.html   @SpeakerJohnson: The House passed a bipartisan Israel aid bill over a month ago.  Since then, the bill has been gathering dust while Senate Democrats argue with each other over how to hamstring this urgent aid to our ally.  It’s time for the Senate to get moving.   @JCAndersonNYC: Protesters are waving a Nazi sign while chanting “free Palestine” at the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. The world has truly gone mad. https://twitter.com/JCAndersonNYC/status/1730009420803854473   Dem Rep. Raskin Denounces Closed-Door Depositions Despite Conducting Closed-Door Depositions This is the same Rep. Raskin who sat on the Jan. 6th Committee, which held extensive close-door depositions with witnesses and then held tightly scripted public hearings where witnesses seemed like props in a television production… (Dem privilege and Dem hypocrisy in one story!) https://jonathanturley.org/2023/11/29/raskin-denounces-closed-door-depositions-despite-conducting-closed-door-depositions/?s=02   Democrat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s Car Stolen Just before Joe Biden’s Arrival for Campaign Event https://t.co/znoTN3l5f0   @ABC: An FBI special agent was carjacked at gunpoint in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, according to multiple law enforcement sources.   Wild scenes in Midtown Manhattan as carjacker steals Bentley, totals a yellow taxi, lays down in front of bus and leaps on top of SUV https://trib.al/sFyQQlM   @RealMattCouch: FBI ordered to disclose information on Seth Rich’s personal laptop, Seth Rich’s work laptop, the DVD, and the tape drive within 14 days following this order by the Federal Judge in Texas! https://t.co/XPAeqWjjzN   Elon Musk: “If somebody’s gonna try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f**k yourself. But go f*** yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.”…  https://t.co/33dPDu8wZC   @TheChiefNerd: MUSK: “The judge is the public.” SORKIN: “And you think that the public is going to say that Disney is making a mistake?” MUSK: “Yes.” SORKIN: “And they’re going to boycott Disney?” MUSK: “They already are.”  https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1730028921779818819

GREG HUNTER 

SEE YOU FRIDAY