DEC 29//LAST TRADING DAY FOR 2023//FIRST DAY NOTICE AND LBMA/OTC EXPIRY DAY//GOLD CLOSED DOWN $10.25 TO $2063.00//SILVER WAS DOWN $0.29 TO $23.82//PLATINUM WAS DOWN $13.90 TO $993.40 WHILE PALLADIUM WAS DOWN $32.60 TO $1105.00/GOLD COMMENTARY TODAY FROM ALASDAIR MACLEOD///UPDATES FROM ISRAEL: ISRAEL LAUNCHES STRIKE DEEP INTO LEBANON//ALSO LAUNCHES MASSIVE RAIDS INTO 10 WEST BANK CITIES//COMMENTARY TONIGHT FROM AYELET FRISCH..A MUST READ//OTHER IMPORTANT COMMENTARIES RE ISRAEL VS HAMAS/HEZBOLLAH VS ISRAEL/ISRAEL ELIMINATES 11 TOP GUNS FOR IRAN (IRCG)//NEW YORK TIMES DESCRIBES THE HUGE AND AWFUL RAPE CRIMES OF HAMAS OCT 7//UKRAINE VS RUSSIA UPDATES: RUSSIA HITS UKRAINE WITH MASSIVE ROCKETS //COVID UPDATES/VACCINE INJURIES/DR PAUL ALEXANDER/SLAY NEWS/ETC//VENEZUELA LAUNCHES A 6,000 TROOP EXERCISE GETTING READY TO STORM GUYANA//SWAMP STORIES FOR YOU TONIGHT//
118 C MACQUARIE FUT 235 159 C MAREX CAPITAL M 1 363 H WELLS FARGO SEC 1061 435 H SCOTIA CAPITAL 52 624 H BOFA SECURITIES 1859 657 C MORGAN STANLEY 23 661 C JP MORGAN 772 244 686 C STONEX FINANCIA 2 737 C ADVANTAGE 40 905 C ADM 3
TOTAL: 2,146 2,146 MONTH TO DATE: 2,14
JPMorgan stopped 244/2146 contracts.
FOR JAN.:
GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR DEC/2023. CONTRACT: 2146 NOTICES FOR 214,600 OZ or 6.675 TONNES
total notices so far: 2146 contracts for 214,600 oz (6.675 tonnes)
FOR JANUARY:
SILVER NOTICES 28 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR 140,000 OZ/
total number of notices filed so far this month : 28 for 140,000 oz
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Click here if you wish to send a donation. I sincerely appreciate it as this site takes a lot of preparation
END
BOTH GLD AND SLV ARE FRAUDULENT VEHICLES
GLD
WITH GOLD DOWN $10.25//
INVESTORS SWITCHING TO SPROTT PHYSICAL (PHYS) INSTEAD OF THE FRAUDULENT GLD/ : / HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: //A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.16 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD//
INVENTORY RESTS AT 880.55 TONNES
SLV//
WITH NO SILVER AROUND AND SILVER DOWN 29 CENTS AT THE SLV// NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: V/
INVESTORS ARE SWITCHING SLV TO SPROTT’S PSLV.
CLOSING INVENTORY: 438.265 MILLION OZ
Let us have a look at the data for today
SILVER//OUTLINE
SILVER COMEX OI ROSE BY A GIGANTIC SIZED 884 CONTRACTS TO 133,987 AND CLOSER TO THE RECORD HIGH OI OF 244,710, SET FEB 25/2020 AND THIS HUGE SIZED GAIN IN COMEX OI WAS ACCOMPLISHED DESPITE OUR LOSS OF $0.25 IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX ON THURSDAY. WE HAD A ZERO LONG LIQUIDATION WITH CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION (WITH HUGE SHORT COVERING BUT AT LOWER PRICES) AT THE COMEX SESSION. WE HAD A FAIR 402 T.A.S ISSUANCE AND 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 THURSDAY NIGHT: 402CONTRACTS. 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 SUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING THE PRICE OF SILVER DOWN (IT FELL BY $0.25), BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING ANY SILVER LONGS AS WE HAD A HUGE SIZED GAIN OF 1109 OI CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES.
WE MUST HAVE HAD:
A SMALL SIZED 225 ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS) iiii) AN INITIAL SILVER STANDING FOR COMEX SILVER MEASURING AT 6.850 MILLION OZ (FIRST DAY NOTICE)
//NEW STANDING FOR SILVER IS THUS 6.685 MILLION OZ
//MEGA GIGANTIC SIZED COMEX OI GAIN/ SMALL SIZED EFP ISSUANCE/ VI) FAIR SIZED NUMBER OF T.A.S. CONTRACT ISSUANCE 402 CONTRACTS)/
I AM NOW RECORDING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN OI FROM PRELIMINARY TO FINAL – REMOVED – 221CONTRACTS (the cme will no longer provide preliminary no to be except through a paywall)
HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS DEC. ACCUMULATION FOR EFP’S SILVER/JPMORGAN’S HOUSE OF BRIBES/STARTING FROM FIRST DAY/MONTH OF DEC:
TOTAL CONTRACTS for 21 days, total 13,228 contracts: OR 66.140MILLION OZ (629 CONTRACTS PER DAY)
TOTAL EFP’S FOR THE MONTH SO FAR: 66.140 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
DEC. 66.140 MILLION OZ//
TOTAL 2023: 1,104.10 MILLION OZ/
RESULT: WE HAD A GIGANTIC SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 884CONTRACTS WITH OUR STRONG LOSS IN PRICE OF SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX//THURSDAY.,. THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A SMALL EFP ISSUANCE CONTRACTS: 225 ISSUED FOR FEB 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 JAN. OF 6.850 MILLION
NEW STANDING 6.850 million OZ /// WE HAVE A HUGE SIZED GAIN OF 1109OI CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES WITH THE GAIN IN PRICE. THE TOTAL OF TAS INITIATED CONTRACTS TODAY: A SMALL SIZED 402CONTRACTS//CONSIDERABLE FRONT END OF THE TAS CONTRACTS WERE LIQUIDATED DURING THE THURSDAY COMEX SESSION WITH HUGE SHORT CAPITULATION FROM OUR SPEC SHORTS. THE NEW TAS ISSUANCE THURSDAY NIGHT (402) WILL BE PUT INTO “THE BANK” TO BE COLLUSIVELY USED AT A LATER DATE., .
WE HAD 28 NOTICE(S) FILED TODAY FOR 140,000 OZ
THE SILVER COMEX IS NOW BEING ATTACKED FOR METAL BY LONDONERS ET AL.
GOLD//OUTLINE
IN GOLD, THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST FELL BY A SMALL SIZED 951 CONTRACTS TO 500,162 AND FURTHER FROM THE RECORD (SET JAN 24/2020) AT 799,733 AND PREVIOUS TO THAT: (SET JAN 6/2020) AT 797,110.
THE DIFFERENTIAL FROM PRELIMINARY OI TO FINAL OI IN GOLD TODAY: -removed 54 CONTRACTS
WE HAD A SMALL SIZED DECREASE IN COMEX OI ( 951 CONTRACTS) WITH OUR $8.35 LOSS IN PRICE//THURSDAY. WE ALSO HAD A RATHER STRONG INITIAL STANDING IN GOLD TONNAGE FOR JAN. AT 8.214 TONNES ON FIRST DAY NOTICE // ALL OF..THIS HAPPENED WITH OUR $8.35 LOSS IN PRICE WITH RESPECT TO THURSDAY’S TRADING. WE HAD A SMALL SIZED GAIN OF 706OI CONTRACTS (2.196)PAPER TONNES) ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES.
E.F.P. ISSUANCE
THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A FAIR SIZED 1657CONTRACTS:
The NEW COMEX OI FOR THE GOLD COMPLEX RESTS AT 500,162
IN ESSENCE WE HAVE A HUGE SIZED INCREASE IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 706 CONTRACTS WITH 951 CONTRACTS DECREASED AT THE COMEX// AND A FAIR SIZED 1657EFP OI CONTRACTS WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS TOTAL OI GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 706 CONTRACTS.. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING TAS CONTRACTS INITIATED (ISSUED): A FAIR 1533CONTRACTS.
CALCULATIONS ON GAIN/LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES
WE HAD A FAIR SIZED ISSUANCE IN EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS (1657CONTRACTS) ACCOMPANYING THE SMALL SIZED LOSS IN COMEX OI (951) //TOTAL GAIN FOR OUR THE TWO EXCHANGES: 709 CONTRACTS. WE HAVE ( 1) NOW RETURNED TO OUR FORMER FORMAT OF BANKERS GOING LONG AND SPECULATORS GOING SHORT ,2.) STRONG INITIAL STANDING AT THE GOLD COMEX FOR JAN AT 8.214 TONNES / 3) LITTLE LONG LIQUIDATION AND CONSIDERABLE TAS LIQUIDATION WITH SOME SHORT LIQUIDATION// 4) SMALL SIZED COMEX OPEN INTEREST LOSS/ 5) FAIR ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL PAPER///6: FAIR T.A.S. ISSUANCE: 1533CONTRACTS
HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS IN 2023 INCLUDING TODAY
DEC
ACCUMULATION OF EFP’S GOLD AT J.P. MORGAN’S HOUSE OF BRIBES: (EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL) FOR THE MONTH OF DEC. :
TOTAL EFP CONTRACTS ISSUED: 68,706 CONTRACTS OR 6,870,600 OZ OR 213.704 TONNES IN 21 TRADING DAY(S) AND THUS AVERAGING: 3528 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 213.705 TONNES
TOTAL ANNUAL GOLD PRODUCTION, 2022, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD EX CHINA EX RUSSIA: 3555 TONNES
THUS EFP TRANSFERS REPRESENTS 213.704/3550 x 100% TONNES 6.02% OF GLOBAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION
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. 213.704 TONNES. A STRONG MONTH//
TOTAL FOR YEAR 2023: 2,569.57 TONNES VS 2578 TONNES LAST YEAR
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 DEC. 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 NOV HEADING TOWARDS THE ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF FEB., FOR GOLD: AND MARCH FOR SILVER
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 GIGANTIC SIZED 884CONTRACTS OI TO 133,987 AND CLOSER TO THE 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 225 CONTRACTS
OUR CUSTOMARY MIGRATION OF COMEX LONGS CONTINUE TO MORPH INTO LONDON FORWARDS AS OUR BANKERS USED THEIR EMERGENCY PROCEDURE TO ISSUE:
MARCH 229 and ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 225 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 1105 CONTRACTS AND ADD TO THE 225 OI TRANSFERRED TO LONDON THROUGH EFP’S,
WE OBTAIN A HUGE SIZED GAIN OF OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 1109CONTRACTS
THUS IN OUNCES, THE GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES TOTAL 5,545 MILLION OZ
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//
FRIDAY MORNING/THURSDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 20.23 PTS OR 0.68% //Hang Seng CLOSED UP 3.86 PTSOR 0.02% /The Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 75.45 PTS OR 0.22% //Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED DOWN .29% /Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) closed DOWN AT 7.1049 /OFFSHORE CHINESE YUAN CLOSED UP TO 7.1201 /Oil DOWN TO 72.04 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT UP AT 77,30/ Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN// ONSHORE YUAN TRADING ABOVE LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE WEAKER
1. COMEX DATA//AMOUNTS STANDING//VOLUME OF TRADING/INVENTORY MOVEMENTS
GOLD
LET US BEGIN:
THE TOTAL COMEX GOLD OPEN INTEREST FELL BY A SMALL SIZED 951 CONTRACTS TO 500,216 WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE OF $8.35 WITH RESPECT TO THURSDAY TRADING. WE MUST HAVE HAD ZERO LONG SPEC LIQUIDATIONS IN THE COMEX SESSION WITH SOMEE SPEC SHORT COVERINGS DURING THURSDAY’S FALL IN PRICE.
EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE
WE ARE NOW IN THE ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF DEC..… THE CME REPORTS THAT THE BANKERS ISSUED A FAIR SIZED TRANSFER THROUGH THE EFP ROUTE AS THESE LONGS RECEIVED A DELIVERABLE LONDON FORWARD TOGETHER WITH A FIAT BONUS.,
THAT IS 1657 EFP CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED: : FEB 1657 & ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS:
TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 1657CONTRACTS
ON A NET BASIS IN OPEN INTEREST WE GAINED THE FOLLOWING TODAY ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES: A SMALL SIZED TOTAL OF 709 CONTRACTS IN THAT 1657LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS FORWARDS TO LONDON AND WE HAD A SMALL SIZED LOSS OF 951 COMEX CONTRACTS..AND THIS SMALL GAIN ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES HAPPENED WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE OF $8.35//THURSDAY 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 THURSDAY NIGHT WAS A GOOD SIZED 1533 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: JAN (8.214 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
DEC. 47.073 + 4.634 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK = 51.707TONNES
TOTAL 2023 YEAR : 436.546 TONNES
JAN. 8.214 TONNES
THE SPECS/HFT WERE SUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING GOLD’S PRICE( IT LOST $8.35) //// BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING ANY SPECULATOR LONGS AS WE HAD A SMALL SIZED GAIN OF706TOTAL CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES. WE HAD A GOOD T.A.S. LIQUIDATION ON THE FRONT END OF WEDNESDAY’S TRADING . THE T.A.S. ISSUED ON THURSDAY NIGHT, WILL BE “PUT INTO THE BANK” TO BE USED AT A LATER DATE AT THE COLLUSIVE CHOOSING OF OUR BANKERS. WE ALSO EXPERIENCED CONSIDERABLE SPECULATOR SHORT COVERING
WE HAVE GAINED A TOTAL OI OF 2.196PAPER TONNES FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES, ACCOMPANYING OUR INITIAL GOLD TONNAGE STANDING FOR JAN. (8,214 TONNES) ON FIRST DAY NOTICE/ ALL OF THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE TO THE TUNE OF $8.35.
WE HAD -removed 54 CONTRACTS TO THE COMEX TRADES TO OPEN INTEREST (CROOKS)
NET GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES 706 CONTRACTS OR 70,600 OZ OR 2.196 TONNES.
Total monthly oz gold served (contracts) so far this month
2146 notices 214,600 oz 6.675 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
0 dealer deposit:
total dealer deposits: nil oz
customer deposits: 0
we had 0 withdrawals
total withdrawals nil oz
Adjustments; 1
i)Brinks//customer to dealer: 675.171 oz (21 kilobars)
CALCULATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR JAN.
For the front month of JANUARY we have an oi of 2641 contracts having LOST 265 contracts. Thus by definition, the initial amount of gold standing for delivery in this non active delivery month of January is as follows:
2641 notices x 100 oz per notice = 264,100 oz or 8.214 tonnes, which is huge for our non active delivery month of January.
FEB LOST 2995 CONTRACTS FALLING TO 380,618
APRIL GAINED 2172 CONTRACTS RISING TO 62,002,
We had 40 contracts filed for today representing 4000 oz
Today, 0 notice(s) were issued from J.P.Morgan dealer account and 772 notices were issued from their client or customer account. The total of all issuance by all participants equate to 2146 contract(s) of which 0 notices were stopped (received) by j.P. Morgan dealer and 244 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 JAN. /2023. contract month, we take the total number of notices filed so far for the month (2,146 x 100 oz ), to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN. (2641 CONTRACTS) minus the number of notices served upon today 2146 x 100 oz per contract equals 264,100 OZ OR 8.214 TONNES
thus the INITIAL standings for gold for the JAN.contract month: No of notices filed so far (2,146) x 100 oz + (2641) {OI for the front month} minus the number of notices served upon today (2146) x 100 oz) which equals 264,100oz standing OR 8.214 TONNES
TOTAL COMEX GOLD STANDING FOR JAN: 51.707 TONNES WHICH IS LIGHT FOR AN INACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH IN THE CALENDAR.
TOTAL OF ALL GOLD ELIGIBLE AND REGISTERED GOLD: 20,041,014.732 OZ
TOTAL REGISTERED GOLD 10,253,267.729 (318,91 tonnes).
TOTAL OF ALL ELIGIBLE GOLD: 9,787,747,013 OZ
REGISTERED GOLD THAT CAN BE SERVED UPON: 8,681.000 oz (REG GOLD- PLEDGED GOLD) 270,01 tonnes
END
SILVER/COMEX
DEC 29
//2023// THE JAN 2023 SILVER CONTRACT//INITIAL
Silver
Ounces
Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory
NIL oz
Withdrawals from Customer Inventory
6967.747 oz Delaware
.
Deposits to the Dealer Inventory
nil OZ
Deposits to the Customer Inventory
1,074,484.820 oz Brinks HSBC
No of oz served today (contracts)
28 CONTRACT(S) (140,000 OZ)
No of oz to be served (notices)
1309 contracts (6,545,000 oz)
Total monthly oz silver served (contracts)
28 Contracts (140,000 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: nil oz
i) We had 0 dealer withdrawal
total dealer withdrawals: 0 oz
We had 2 deposits customer account:
i) Into Brinks 481,538.020 oz
ii) Into HSBC: 592,946.800 oz
total customer deposits: 1,074,474.820 oz
JPMorgan has a total silver weight: 133.1390 million oz/277.869 million or 47.87%
Comex withdrawals
Out of Delaware: 6967.747 oz
total withdrawals 6967.747 oz
TOTAL REGISTERED SILVER: 44.193 MILLION OZ//.TOTAL REG + ELIGIBLE. 277,869 million oz
CALCULATIONS FOR THE NEW STANDING FOR SILVER FOR DECEMBER:
silver open interest data:
FRONT MONTH OF JAN. /2023 OI: 1337 CONTRACTS HAVING LOST 196 CONTRACT(S). THUS BY DEFINITION, THE INITIAL AMOUNT OF SILVER STANDING IN THIS NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF JANUARY IS AS FOLLOWS:
1337 NOTICES X 5,000 OZ PER NOTICE = 6,605,000 OZ
FEB GAINED 53 CONTRACTS TO STAND AT 625
MARCH GAINED 712 CONTRACTS TO 111,120
TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR TODAY: 28 for 140,000 oz
Comex volumes// est. volume today 47,327// poor
Comex volume: confirmed yesterday 37,497 poor
To calculate the number of silver ounces that will stand for delivery in JAN. we take the total number of notices filed for the month so far at 28 x 5,000 oz = 140,000 oz
to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN. (1337) and the number of notices served upon today 28 x (5000 oz) equals the number of ounces standing.
Thus the standings for silver for the DEC/2023 contract month: 28 (notices served so far) x 5000 oz + OI for the front month of JAN. (1337) – number of notices served upon today (28 )x 500 oz of silver standing for the DEC contract month equates to 6.685 MILLION OZ.
New total standing: 6.6850 million oz.
There are 44.193 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!
DEC 29/WITH GOLD DOWN $10.25 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.16 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD///. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 880.55 TONNES
DEC 28/WITH GOLD DOWN $8.35 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A DEPOSIT OF 1.45 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD///. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 881.71 TONNES
DEC 27/WITH GOLD UP $23.25 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A DEPOSIT OF 2.01 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD///. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 880.26 TONNES
DEC 26/WITH GOLD UP $1.25 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.25 TONNES
DEC 22/WITH GOLD UP $17,85 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.25 TONNES
DEC 21/WITH GOLD UP $5.10 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT .58 TONNES OF 2.02 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD//. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.25 TONNES
DEC 20/WITH GOLD DOWN $3.60 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.02 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD//. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 877.67 TONNES
DEC19/WITH GOLD UP $12.15 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 879.69 TONNES
DEC18/WITH GOLD UP $5.50 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:. /A DEPOSIT OF 173 TONNES INTO THE GLD// INVENTORY RESTS AT 879.69 TONNES
DEC14/WITH GOLD UP $47.35 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:. /A DEPOSIT OF 2.42 TONNES FROM THE GLD// INVENTORY RESTS AT 877.96 TONNES
DEC13/WITH GOLD UP $3.90 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:. /A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.89 TONNES FROM THE GLD// INVENTORY RESTS AT 875,65 TONNES
DEC12/WITH GOLD DOWN $0.60 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:. /A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.01 TONNES FROM THE GLD// INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.54 TONNES
DEC11/WITH GOLD DOWN $21.20 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:. // / / // INVENTORY RESTS AT 880.55 TONNES
DEC 8/WITH GOLD DOWN $30,80 TODAY: SMALL CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:. // / / // A WITHDRAWAL OF .28 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD/// INVENTORY RESTS AT 880.55 TONNES
DEC 7/WITH GOLD DOWN $.20 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:. // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 880.83 TONNES
DEC 6/WITH GOLD UP $11.70 TODAY:SMALL CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 0.29 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 880.83 TONNES
DEC 5/WITH GOLD DOWN $5.85 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A DEPOSIT OF 2.30 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 881.12 TONNES
DEC 4/WITH GOLD DOWN $43.15 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A DEPOSIT OF 2.31 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.82 TONNES
DEC 1/WITH GOLD UP $32.05 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.02 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. // / / // // INVENTORY RESTS AT 876.51 TONNES
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
GLD INVENTORY: 880.55 TONNES
Now the SLV Inventory/( vehicle is a fraud as there is no physical metal behind them
DEC 29/WITH SILVER DOWN 29 CENTS TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: //////INVENTORY RESTS AT 438.265 MILLION OZ
DEC 28/WITH SILVER DOWN 25 CENTS TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: //////INVENTORY RESTS AT 438.265 MILLION OZ
DEC 27/WITH SILVER UP 20 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.374 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV//////INVENTORY RESTS AT 438.265 MILLION OZ
THIS IS THE 3RD STRAIGHT DAY THAT THE SLV HAS ENGAGED IN WITHDRAWALS
DEC 26/WITH SILVER DOWN 14 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.465 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV//////INVENTORY RESTS AT 439.639 MILLION OZ
DEC 22/WITH SILVER UP 0 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.289 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV//////INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.104 MILLION OZ
DEC 21/WITH SILVER DOWN 2 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV//////INVENTORY RESTS AT 443.393 MILLION OZ
DEC 20/WITH SILVER UP 28 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV//////INVENTORY RESTS AT 443.393 MILLION OZ
DEC 19/WITH SILVER UP 27 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 2.747 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV////INVENTORY RESTS AT 443.393 MILLION OZ
DEC 18/WITH SILVER DOWN 9 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWAL OF 0.794 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV////INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.646 MILLION OZ
DEC 14/WITH SILVER DOWN 8 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 3.00000 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV////INVENTORY RESTS AT 441.470 MILLION OZ
DEC 13/WITH SILVER DOWN 8 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A DEPOSIT OF 10.326 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV////INVENTORY RESTS AT 444.470 MILLION OZ
DEC 12/WITH SILVER DOWN 5 CENTS TODAY:BIG CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWAL OF 594,000 OZ FROM THE SLV////INVENTORY RESTS AT 434.144 MILLION OZ
DEC 11/WITH SILVER DOWN 19 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A ////INVENTORY RESTS AT 434.735 MILLION OZ
DEC 8/WITH SILVER DOWN 80 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A DEPOSIT OF 1.648 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV////INVENTORY RESTS AT 434.735 MILLION OZ
DEC 7/WITH SILVER DOWN 15 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: // //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.090 MILLION OZ
DEC 6/WITH SILVER DOWN 25 CENTS TODAY:NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: // //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.090 MILLION OZ
DEC 5/WITH SILVER DOWN 34 CENTS TODAY:SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWAL OF 0.305 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV// //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.090 MILLION OZ
DEC 4/WITH SILVER DOWN 90 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWAL OF 0.7333 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV// //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.395 MILLION OZ
DEC 1/WITH SILVER UP 15 CENTS TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.923 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV// //://// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 434.128 MILLION OZ
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
CLOSING INVENTORY 438.265 MILLION OZ//
PHYSICAL GOLD/SILVER COMMENTARIES
1:Peter Schiff/Mike Maharrey
END
2,c) Commentaries from: Egon von Greyerz///Matthew Piepenburg via GoldSwitzerland.com, Pam and Russ Martens, John Rubino
END
3. CHRIS POWELL//GATA GOLD COMMENTARIES:
Alasdair Macleod: Gold in 2024
Your weekend reading material:
Alasdair Macleod….
Submitted by admin on Thu, 2023-12-28 12:16Section: Daily Dispatches
By Alasdair Macleod GoldMoney, Toronto Thursday, December 28, 2023
To market observers, gold appears ready to break into new high ground measured in all the major currencies. In fact, it is the currencies’ collapse in their values, rather than gold rising. Appreciating this distinction is vital for understanding the future of the gold/currency relationship.
To support this thesis, the relative price volatility for commodities and energy in dollars and gold are compared. Gold wins hands down as the objective value in commodity transactions. It is hardly surprising, bearing in mind that gold is legal money and currencies are credit with counterparty risk.
Therefore, the prospects for the dollar as the leading fiat currency should be considered, not gold. And the outlook for the dollar is not good. Going into a recession, commercial banks are highly leveraged, so credit is being withheld from the private sector, guaranteeing a deepening recession. It is from here that stimulus and corporate rescues will add additional deficit spending, which will be highly inflationary in nature.
The current decline in bond yields will prove to be misleading. The outlook for both inflation and time preference is for higher rates instead.
To make matters worse, the US Government is ensnared in a distressing debt trap. And beyond current short-term funding by T-bills, sufficient buyers of US Government longer-term debt are hard to discern. Foreigners, who have been the marginal buyers in the past, are becoming net sellers.
2024 is shaping up to be the year when the dollar loses international credibility, and its value measured in real, legal money — which is only gold — will decline accordingly. …
Wheat Rises As Grain Ship In Black Sea Hit By Mine
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 07:50 AM
The war in Ukraine has transformed parts of the Black Sea into a conflict area. Commercial vessels transporting agricultural goods from the ‘breadbasket of Europe’ have been caught in the crossfire.
The latest maritime incident occurred on Wednesday when a Panama-flagged bulk carrier struck a mine in the Black Sea while sailing to a port on the Danube River to load grain, according to Reuters.
“A Panama-flagged civilian vessel was blown up on an enemy sea mine in the Black Sea … The vessel lost its course and control, and a fire broke out on the upper deck,” Ukraine’s southern military command said on Telegram.
Bloomberg shipping data shows that the Greek-operated “VYSSOS” is possibly beached near the Danube Dela Biosphere Reserve. This could be because the captain is preventing the vessel from sinking after the blast.
The sailing of VYSSOS shows bulk carriers are still moving farm goods to and from Ukraine despite the Russian defense ministry saying all cargo ships in the Black Sea bound for Ukraine are potential military targets. This followed the end of the Russia and Ukraine Black Sea agreement – brokered by Turkey – which ended over the summer – that allowed cargo ships to sail along a corridor in the Black Sea to Ukraine
Wheat prices in Chicago are up about 2.5% since the incident earlier this week.
“Wheat is finding at least a bit of support again this morning on more action in the Black Sea,” Matt Zeller, senior market analyst at StoneX Financial Inc., said in a note.
END
5 B GLOBAL COMMODITY ISSUES/FOOD IN GENERAL//FREIGHT
Crime Pays: Binance Founder CZ’s Net Worth Rose By Almost $25 Billion In 2023
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 05:45 AM
It’s appears to be another clear cut case of “crime pays”.
Binance Holdings Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao – who plead guilty to criminal charges and is facing prison time next year – saw his net worth rise by almost $25 billion in 2023, according to Bloomberg.
He’s been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Bitcoin’s stunning rise in 2023, up nearly 160% from the collapse in markets in 2022.
How’s that for something to think about while you’re sitting in the klink counting down the days until your release?
CZ’s wealth has surged to over $37 billion, notably surpassing the $4.3 billion fine Binance paid to U.S. authorities. This fortune stems from his majority stake in Binance, the largest crypto exchange globally, which he founded.
Despite a dip in market share, Binance has profited from higher trading volumes amid crypto market recovery. Zhao also owns Bitcoin and Binance’s BNB, that were not counted in Bloomberg’s wealth estimate.
In a significant settlement with the U.S., Zhao and Binance admitted to anti-money laundering and sanctions violations earlier this year, allowing the exchange to remain operational. Zhao personally paid a $50 million fine and stepped down as CEO but kept his ownership stake.
Facing a potential 10-year prison sentence, Zhao is likely to serve no more than 18 months due to a plea deal. The exact term sought by the Justice Department is unknown. A federal judge recently barred him from returning to his UAE home, with sentencing set for February 23, the report says.
His wealth had peaked at around $97 billion at the beginning of 2022, the report notes. It’s year to date high was about $50.4 billion in July of 2023.
Campbell Harvey, a finance professor at Duke University who studies digital-asset markets, told Bloomberg: “Investment in crypto is not for the faint of heart; you need to be prepared for the spectacular ups and downs. There is a reason that these investors are billionaires, and it is not luck. They are not tempted to dump their holdings in down markets. They believe in the long-term opportunities this space offers.”
If Bitcoin continues to hold and with the clock ticking already on days until he is a free man once again, CZ may have already hit his “spectacular” low. And if Bitcoin has another stellar year, we’ll be left to ask: has anyone ever become the richest person in the world while serving a prison sentence?
end
1.YOUR EARLY CURRENCY VALUES/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN AND EUROPEAN BOURSE MOVEMENTS/AND INTEREST RATE SETTINGS FRIDAY MORNING.7:30 AM
ONSHORE YUAN: CLOSED DOWN AT 7.1049
OFFSHORE YUAN: DOWN TO 7.1201
SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 20.23 PTS OR 0.68%
HANG SENG CLOSED UP 3.86 PTS OR 0.02%
2. Nikkei closed DOWN 75.48 PTS OR 0.22%
3. Europe stocks SO FAR: ALL GREEN
USA dollar INDEX DOWN TO 100.84 EURO RISES TO 1.1079 UP 12 BASIS PTS
3b Japan 10 YR bond yield:RISES TO. +.635 Japan buying 100% of bond issuance)/Japanese YEN vs USA cross now at 140.87/JAPANESE YEN NOW RISING 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 UP /JAPANESE Yen UP 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 DOWN for WTI and DOWN FOR Brent this morning
3h European bond buying continues to push yields lower on all fronts in the EMU. German 10yr bund UP TO +2,0135***/Italian 10 Yr bond yield UP to 3.666** /SPAIN 10 YR BOND YIELD UP TO 2.961…**
3i Greek 10 year bond yield UP TO 3.026
3j Gold at $2065.45 silver at: 23.75 1 am est) SILVER NEXT RESISTANCE LEVEL AT $30.00
3k USA vs Russian rouble;// Russian rouble DOWN 0 AND 75 /100 roubles/dollar; ROUBLE AT 90.11//
3m oil into the 72 dollar handle for WTI and 77 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 141,44// 10 YEAR YIELD AFTER FIRST BREAKING .54% LAST YEAR NOW EXCEEDS THAT LEVEL TO 0.635% 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 0.8359 as the Swiss Franc is still rising against most currencies. Euro vs SF: 0.9362 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: 3.885 UP 4 BASIS PTS…
USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 4.028 UP 4 BASIS PTS/
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.297 UP 2 BASIS PTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 29.55…(TURKEY SET TO BLOW UP FINANCIALLY)
GREAT BRITAIN/10 YEAR YIELD: UP 7 BASIS PTS AT 3.5639
end
2.a Overnight: Newsquawk and Zero hedge.
Futures Flat On Last Trading Day Of 2023 As All Time High Beckons
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 08:25 AM
US futures once again flirted between gains and losses on the last trading day of the year, but with the all time high in the S&P just 0.3% away, it is virtually guaranteed that the script calls for a new record to close out 2023 because that’s how centrally-planned markets work. And who knows, maybe this time BIden’s approval rating will actually increase; after all that’s what all of this is about.
As of 8:00am, S&P futures traded unchanged after rising just a few points away from its all-time high on Thursday, extending its 2023 advance to nearly 25%. Nasdaq 100 futures, which just refuse to give dip buyers any opportunity to BTFD, were up about 0.1%, with the underlying index already posting its best year since 1999, the year before the first tech bubble burst. The Bloomberg Dollar index first dipped then rose amid thin liquidity in currency markets. It’s on track for the worst annual loss since the onset of the pandemic on expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates aggressively in 2024. Treasuries extended to Thursday’s losses, with the 10-year yield rising three basis points. Global bonds, meanwhile, remained on track for their biggest two-month gain on record.
In premarket trading, Fisker jumped 8.3% after the EV maker said it grew deliveries by over 300% from 3Q to 4Q. Lyft drops 2.8% after an insider sold shares in the company and as Nomura cut the stock to reduce from neutral. Bakkt Holdings rises 5.7% to lead an advance in crypto stock peers, with Bitcoin gaining.
The market is on pace for its second straight monthly gain of more than 3%, extending first annual gain since 2020, after Federal Reserve policymakers appeared to affirm that they’re unlikely to raise interest rates further and will pivot to easing in 2024.
The MSCI All Country World Index has rallied about 20% this year, despite concerns about a market that’s flashing overbought signals raising concern about a pullback, with some observers saying that traders have gone too far, too fast in pricing in a dovish Fed pivot. For now, however, the year-end meltup rally holds at least one more day… what happens on Tuesday is a different story.
“The notion that the major central banks have surely done enough to quell the inflationary surge of 2022-23 is powering the rally,” said Brian Barish, chief investment officer of Cambiar Investors LLC.
“It’s not hard to imagine new things for the markets to be concerned by, such as elections, the sizable bond funding requirements of the US government, and/or any notion that inflation resurges anew. But for now, there’s not much news and not a lot of sellers.”
“The market shows signs of fatigue and undoubtedly needs to consolidate,” said Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist for LPL Financial, on Thursday. “But as long as participation remains broad, the bullish sentiment should carry the indexes as they navigate geopolitical and domestic scenarios, and an overarching positive consensus that 2024 will be a similarly strong year.”
Europe’s Stoxx 600 index climbed 0.3%, capping a 13% advance for the year. Trading volumes were low, with a number of regional markets including Germany and the UK closing early on Friday. Germany’s DAX Index ended the year 20% higher in its best performance since 2019, outpacing the wider European benchmark. The German index peaked at a record high on Dec. 11 this year. while the broader Stoxx 600 index is up 13% in 2023. The DAX’s biggest gainers by points were software firm SAP and industrial giant Siemens. Pharmaceutical giants Bayer and Merck KGaA were the biggest laggards.
Earlier in the session, Asian stocks fell in the last trading session of 2023, led by losses in Hong Kong, rounding out a year of underperformance for the region versus global shares amid trepidation over China’s economy. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.4%, with Tencent and Xiaomi among the biggest drags. Key gauges were also down in Japan, Australia and India, while stocks advanced in Singapore. Markets in South Korea and Thailand were closed for holidays.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index slid as much as 0.6% after climbing over the previous two days. The measure of Hong Kong-listed Chinese stocks is on track for an unprecedented fourth straight year of declines as Beijing’s stimulus measures have yet to spur meaningful recovery. Chinese equities have been the biggest drags on the regional index this year. The MSCI Asian gauge has gained a bit more than 8% in 2023, while the MSCI AC World Index has jumped 20% with a boost from soaring US tech shares. US hedge funds have “almost unwound” their 2022 purchases of Chinese firms’ American depository receipts this year, Morgan Stanley strategists including Gilbert Wong wrote in a note. US-based long-only managers, meanwhile, have slowed their selling of Chinese ADRs “significantly” compared to the last two years, they added.
In FX, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index inched up 0.1% as the dollar gained against most Group-of-10 peers; Swedish krona and Australian dollar led losses, while the Swiss franc and Norwegian krone led gains. EUR/USD dropped 0.1% to as low as 1.1046 after the pace of Spanish inflation failed to slow in December; Euro remains on track for three straight weeks of gains against the dollar. USD/NOK fell as much as 0.7% and EUR/NOK as much as 0.8% before partially paring the drop, after Norway’s central bank announced a cut to foreign currency purchases in January.
In rates, treasuries were under pressure to begin the year’s last US session, paced by declines for most European bond markets. Treasuries bear-steepened with two-year yields up 1bp to 4.29% and 10-year yields up 4bps to 3.88% but still inside weekly ranges that included lowest levels since at least July for all tenors. Sifma has recommended a 2pm close for USD-denominated cash bonds; IG credit-issuance slate has been blank for several days, with January expected to bring around $160b in new high-grade bond supply.
In commodities, despite a much larger than expected inventory draw, oil extended its slump as CTAs closed out the market 100% net short. Oil was set for its biggest annual drop since 2020 as war and OPEC+ production cuts failed to lift prices. All that will change bigly in 2024.
Looking at the calendar, we only have the December MNI Chicago PMI at 9:45am (3 minutes earlier to subscribers) to round out the year. No Fed speakers are scheduled for remainder of year
Market Snapshot
S&P 500 futures up 0.1% to 4,837.25
STOXX Europe 600 up 0.4% to 479.84
German 10Y yield little changed at 1.99%
Euro down 0.1% to $1.1046
MXAP down 0.3% to 168.86
MXAPJ down 0.2% to 527.76
Nikkei down 0.2% to 33,464.17
Topix up 0.2% to 2,366.39
Hang Seng Index little changed at 17,047.39
Shanghai Composite up 0.7% to 2,974.94
Sensex down 0.3% to 72,229.27
Australia S&P/ASX 200 down 0.3% to 7,590.82
Kospi up 1.6% to 2,655.28
Brent futures up 0.9% to $77.83/bbl
Gold spot up 0.1% to $2,068.48
US Dollar Index up 0.15% to 101.38
Top Overnight News
Global aircraft leasing companies are reassessing their risk appetite for China amid heightened tensions with the US and in the wake of big losses following the grounding of planes in sanctions-hit Russia. FT
China is set to overtake Japan as the world’s largest auto exporter (the last time Japan didn’t hold the #1 spot was 2016, when it fell to Germany). Nikkei
South Korea’s CPI for Dec eases by more than anticipated, with headline coming in at +3.2% (down from +3.3% in Nov and below the Street’s +3.3% forecast) and core at +2.8% (down from +3% in Nov and below the Street’s +2.9% forecast). RTRS
Spain’s headline CPI holds steady in Dec vs. Nov at +3.3% (inline w/the Street consensus) while the core number cools to +3.8% (down from +4.5% in Nov). BBG
Israel’s former PM (Naftali Bennett) says the true enemy in the Middle East is Iran, which backs a variety of proxy militant/terror groups without facing any real repercussions. WSJ
Chase Coleman is taking over Tiger Global’s $34 billion VC arm. The move comes after some investors asked Coleman and other partners to get more involved in the wake of steep markdowns and has given many comfort that the firm is seeking to correct the biggest misstep in its history, according to clients. BBG
NYC is set to experience an office construction drought that will last for years (“the next wave of large office towers may not open until the early 2030s, if not later”). NYT
Maine barred Donald Trump from the primary ballot Thursday, becoming the second state to block the former president from running again because of his actions before and during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. WaPo
Applebee’s, which has two locations in Times Square, sold tickets starting at $650 a pop for its New Year’s Eve celebration. Ball Drop, the event’s producer, said tickets have sold out as of Wednesday, but the priciest ticket was $850, as it uses a dynamic pricing model. The Times Square Olive Garden is selling $450 tickets that include a buffet, open bar, DJ, and champagne toast, though a view of the ball drop isn’t guaranteed. A similar package at seafood restaurant Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which also doesn’t promise a view of the Times Square ball, costs $1,015 per person. Business Insider
HFs have net sold mega cap tech stocks in the past few months, driven by long sales. Net exposure to the group, however, is still elevated at 18.1% of total US single stock Net market value (vs. record level of ~20% seen in July, currently in the 92ndpercentile on a 5-year lookback)…
US Event Calendar
09:45: Dec. MNI Chicago PMI, est. 50.0, prior 55.8
2 B) NOW NEWSQUAWK (EUROPE/REPORT)
2C ASIA AFFAIRS
FRIDAY MORNING/THURSDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 20.23 PTS OR 0.68% //Hang Seng CLOSED UP 3.86 PTSOR 0.02% /The Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 75.45 PTS OR 0.22% //Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED DOWN .29% /Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) closed DOWN AT 7.1049 /OFFSHORE CHINESE YUAN CLOSED UP TO 7.1201 /Oil DOWN TO 72.04 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT UP AT 77,30/ Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN// ONSHORE YUAN TRADING ABOVE LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE WEAKER
2 d./NORTH KOREA/ SOUTH KOREA/ //
NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
END
2e) JAPAN
JAPAN
3 CHINA
CHINA
end
CHINA/TAIWAN
end
4.EUROPEAN AFFAIRS//UK /SCANDINAVIAN AFFAIRS
GERMANY
Would you believe this garbage? Migrants ae entitled to mass loot grocery stores
(zerohedge)
Leftist Politician In Germany Says Migrants Are “Entitled” To Mass-Loot Grocery Stores
A shop owner in Germany was denounced as a racist for complaining about migrants mass looting his store, while a left-wing politician sided with the criminals, saying they were “entitled” to steal.
Grocery store manager Gatzke told Bild that the thieves who steal huge bags full of items are usually migrants, with around a third of them being Tunisian.
During one incident at the Edeka supermarket in Regensburg, a man stole €140 euros worth of goods, while the manager has also tried to stop thieves stealing groceries worth €300 euros.
“In the bag were spirits: vodka and liqueurs again. They are Muslims — did they want to resell the alcohol?” asked Gatzke.
“What do you need 10 sea bream and so many shrimp for? Nobody steals that because they’re hungry,” he added.
Gatzke noted that the culprits even steal shopping bags worth up to €2.50 euros.
However, he was denounced as a “racist” for complaining about the mass looting and subsequently criticized by Ferat Koçak, a member of the Berlin House of Representatives for The Left party.
Siding with the criminals, Koçak suggested that the migrants were “entitled” to steal because the government wasn’t giving them enough free money in welfare payments.
“I would say that people get back what they are entitled to,” Koçak posted on X.
“One of the central problems is that the authorities are overloaded and many refugees are not even paid what they need to live,” he added.
The leftist demanded that more migrants immediately be given work permits “so that they can lead their lives independently.”
Koçak’s sentiment is increasingly being rejected by ordinary Germans however, with the country becoming the latest major European nation to begin openly talking about re-migration.
Anti-mass migration party AfD has also rapidly increased its support base, despite attempts by the establishment to ban the party altogether in the name of “democracy”.
Meanwhile, in the UK, supermarkets are now having to employ people to stand at the exit and check receipts against shopping carts due to try to stem mass looting.
Another win for diversity!
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch.
END
EU/UKRAINE/HUNGARY
END
end
5 RUSSIA//UKRAINE AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
IRAN/HAMAS//ISRAEL
Here is the whole story on how they planned the attack and kept it quiet
(zerohedge)
Report details ultra-secret buildup to October 7, and isolation of Hamas in its wake
Gaza terror leader Yahya Sinwar is said to have used ‘dummy’ commanders as cannon fodder, but now he is under fire for pre-empting Hezbollah and Iran while cutting off his bosses
Palestinian terrorists head toward the border with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. (SAID KHATIB / AFP)
Hamas alerted the leader of fellow terror group Hezbollah just minutes before launching its October 7 assault, according to a report this week, detailing rifts between various Iran-backed groups and within Hamas in the wake of the unprecedented assault.
According to the report in French daily Le Figaro, members of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance, including Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and other alleged proxies around the Middle East, have offered only middling support for Hamas as it faces off against Israel, along with alleged evidence of souring ties between Hamas’s Gaza leadership and the group’s Qatar-based politburo.
The report, largely based on sources with ties to various terror groups, including one said to be close to Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, describes Hamas’s exhaustive preparations for the attacks and expected reprisal, from appointing dummy commanders to take the brunt of Israel’s response, to sending members on secret training missions, all while keeping the timing of the assault and other details from all but a handful of people, a decision that may have wound up leaving the group largely isolated.
The shock attack on the morning of October 7 came as a complete surprise to Israel, whose security apparatus had largely dismissed various indications of Hamas’s aims over previous months as empty boasting. Early that Saturday, a Jewish holiday, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists streamed out of Gaza into southern Israel, overrunning military positions and infiltrating over a dozen communities and towns, as well as an outdoor rave festival, under cover of heavy rocket fire on southern and central Israel.
Some 1,200 people were killed in the ensuing massacres, most of them civilians, often slaughtered in their homes, gunned down in fields or butchered on roads. The bloodletting included atrocities from rape to torture, mutilations and executions of bound captives.
Around 240 people — including young children and the elderly — were kidnapped and taken into Gaza to be used as bargaining chips; some 129 of them remain there, though some are thought to have since been killed. Another two Israelis and the remains of two soldiers have been captive since 2014.
Palestinian terrorists take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. (SAID KHATIB / AFP)
As Israel struggled to mount a response, Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon was also scrambling to get a picture of what was happening, according to Le Figaro, citing a Lebanese source close to the terror group.
It was only some 30 minutes before the 6:30 a.m. rampage kicked off, that Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas official based in Lebanon, was told over the phone to give Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah a heads up on what was about to happen, the paper reports.
Hezbollah, which had been planning a similar assault on Israel, was not pleased, the report claimed. “The cards they had been holding for a future attack against Israel had been shown by the Palestinians: penetrating inside Israel, airborne [assaults], the element of surprise,” said the Lebanese source, noting a “well-known plan by Hezbollah’s elite al-Radwan to infiltrate the Galilee.”
While Hezbollah began firing at northern Israel the next day in support of Hamas’s mission, its attacks have largely been limited to anti-tank missile strikes, launching armed drones and sporadic rocket fire, mostly aimed at since-evacuated border towns. A source with fellow Iran-backed terror group Islamic Jihad also tells the paper that it has kept a lid on attacks against Israel.
Smoke rises from inside an Israeli army position which was hit by missiles launched by the Hezbollah terror group, as seen from Tair Harfa village, a Lebanese border village with Israel, south Lebanon, October 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Hezbollah’s heaviest attacks, such as Wednesday’s barrages on Kiryat Shmona and Rosh Hanikra, have generally come in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its members or positions in Lebanon or Syria.
Nine soldiers and four civilians in Israel have been killed in attacks from Lebanon since October 8, while Hezbollah has named 129 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes. The fighting has been heavy enough that Israeli leaders indicate they may soon launch a major military operation aimed at pushing the terror group away from the border, describing the situation in northern Israel as untenable.
Hamas, though, was apparently expecting beefier backing from Iran-backed groups.
Hamas terror group leader Yahya Sinwar holds the child of an Al-Qassam Brigades member, who was killed in the recent fighting with Israel, during a rally in Gaza City on May 24, 2021. (Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)
According to the Hezbollah source, Arouri “oversold” Hamas’s leaders on the support they could expect from Hezbollah and others. Nasrallah, unable to commit backing, sent Arouri to Tehran, where he and Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh were told by Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that it would not be embarking on an “all-out war” against Israel, Le Figaro said, corroborating a November Reuters report on the meeting.
According to Reuters, Iran refused to help because it was not given prior warning about the assault.
The Le Figaro report described Sinwar as keeping his cards extremely close to his chest, hiding his plans from even many of Hamas’s heavies, including Osama Hamdan, a Beirut-based official who tells the paper he heard about the attack on the news.
A short clip from the day of the attack showed Haniyeh, Arouri and others giddily watching the attacks unfold on TV.
Former Hamas politburo head Khaled Meshal refused to tell Le Figaro if the political leadership had known about the attack ahead of time.
In the months leading up to the attack, according to the report, Sinwar largely stopped communicating with Hamas officials in Qatar and elsewhere, even making Moussa Abu Marzouk, another bigwig in Hamas’s politburo, wait to see him in person.
The report indicated that while the politburo was open to negotiating with Israel, Sinwar’s harder line has placed him at odds with his bosses.
Speaking to the paper, Meshal said “a long-term truce with Israel is certainly negotiable,” and recognition of Israel could be considered “when the time comes.”
Sinwar, on the other hand, has long carried a reputation as an uncompromising hawk dedicated to destroying Israel.
Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh (C) speaks with Yahya Sinwar (L) upon his arrival on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip on September 19, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / SAID KHATIB)
“He is a little dictator, insensitive to the death of Palestinian civilians” the paper quoted the Jordan-based source, described as a longtime associate of Sinwar, who has long known the terrorist and speaks to him regularly. He said the Gazan’s brusque personality had led to run-ins with the political leadership.
Others have rued the destruction brought upon Gaza in the wake of the attacks, with Hamas health authorities claiming over 20,000 people killed, numbers that cannot be verified and do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Israel says it has killed around 8,000 terrorists in Gaza.
“Hamas led to 100 catastrophes in Gaza,” Palestinian National Council member Osama al-Ali recently told Emirati television.
The shadow’s shadow
According to Le Figaro, while Sinwar kept his plans secret from much of Hamas’s leadership and allies, he did approach small Salafist groups for arms and training.
Other preparations included sending Hamas members and allies to drill for the assault in Syria and Lebanon, getting them out of Gaza under the guise of sending them to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage. Six weeks before the attack, he ordered commanders to freeze communications between each other, according to the report.
A picture, reportedly from 2018, purporting to show Muhammad Deif, the commander of the Hamas terror group’s military wing, which was published by Hebrew media outlets on December 27, 2023. (Screen capture; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The Jordan-based source claimed that Sinwar went as far as appointing figurehead commanders of armed units in order to protect the actual commander. According to the report, Mohammed Deif, long-described as the head of the Izzeldine al-Qassam Brigades, is one such decoy.
Deif has largely lurked in the shadows. Pictures of him are so rare that a Channel 12 news report Wednesday night revealing a photo purporting to show him was enough to cause a major stir in Israel and raise hopes that troops in Gaza could be closing in on him.
He is also apparently useful as bait. Despite his elusiveness, Deif has been subjected to no less than seven Israeli assassination attempts, somehow crawling away each time, though missing an eye and possibly some limbs.
The source named Mohammed Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar’s younger brother, as the actual leader of Hamas’s armed wing.
A screenshot of an undated video released by the Israel Defense Forces on December 17, 2023, shows Hamas commander Mohammed Sinwar, right, riding in a car traveling through a tunnel under the Gaza Strip. (Screenshot, X: Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
The younger Sinwar has survived several assassination attempts himself, according to a report in the Telegraph. In 2014, he faked his death, and had not been seen since last month, when the Israel Defense Forces published video it found of the Sinwar brothers cruising through a massive tunnel in northern Gaza in a car.
Reports indicate that Israel believes Mohammed Sinwar is a top commander in Hamas’s armed wing and played a major role in planning the October 7 attacks. He is among the most wanted men in Gaza, and a leaflet reportedly distributed in the Strip offering rewards for information on Hamas’s leaders put the second highest price on his head, three times what it offered for Deif.
A leaflet apparently airdropped by the IDF in Gaza offers monetary rewards for information on Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, his brother Mohammed, Rafaa Salameh and Muhammad Deif. (Screenshot from X used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
“Deif is not dead, he walks with canes, but his head still works well, he resolves internal problems in the armed branch,” the source was quoted saying. “He is a respected figure, but the one who moves the brigades is Mohammed, the brother, whom Yahya protects.”
The claims by the paper’s sources could not be independently verified, including the assertion that only three or four people knew the time and day when the attack would take place.
A car destroyed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists is seen in Sderot, Israel, October 7, 2023. (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)
On Wednesday, Channel 12 news reported that the Shin Bet received a tip over the summer on Hamas’s attack plans, including when it would take place, seemingly contradicting the claim.
The Jordan-based source claimed that though he did not know when the attack would take place, he had heard about plans for it from Sinwar at least two years prior. Those plans were for an assault possibly even more devastating than what took place: a 5,000-man-strong siege on Ashkelon, the Israeli city Sinwar still claims as his hometown.
end
ISRAEL/HAMAS/
The sexual assault by Hamas is now documented by the New York Times and it is awful
(New York Times/Jerusalem Post)
NYT report details weaponization of sexual violence during Oct. 7 terror onslaught
Protestors gather outside the UN headquarters in New York City on December 4, 2023, to protest the international community’s perceived silence on sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli women during the October 7 massacre. (Carli Fogel)
The New York Times publishes an exposé detailing the systematic sexual violence employed by Palestinian terrorists during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.
The two-month investigation included interviews with more than 150 witnesses, medical personnel, soldiers, rape counselors and government officials along with the scanning of video footage, photographs and GPS data from cell phones.
NYT says it identified at least seven locations where Israeli women and girls were apparently sexually abused or mutilated and those the paper interviewed described finding the bodies of more than 30 women around the Re’im rave site.
Photographs viewed by The Times included ones of a woman in a besieged kibbutz who was found with dozens of nails driven into her thighs and groin. Footage viewed by the newspaper showed two dead Israeli soldiers apparently shot directly in their vaginas.
One witness from the rave tells The Times that roughly 100 terrorists congregated along the road where the festival took place, passing weapons and badly wounded women amongst one another.
The witness says she saw at least five women raped in front of her while she tried to hide.
Protestors gather outside the UN headquarters in New York City on December 4, 2023, to protest the international community’s perceived silence on sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli women during the October 7 massacre. (Carli Fogel)
Another witness, who agreed to be identified as Raz Cohen, tells NYT, “They all gather around [one woman]… She’s standing up. They start raping her. I saw the men standing in a half circle around her. One penetrates her. She screams. I still remember her voice, screams without words.”
In at least six different houses in the Be’eri and Kfar Aza Kibbutzim, at least 24 bodies of women and girls were found either stripped, tied up or mutilated — sometimes all three — according to eight volunteer medics and two Israeli soldiers who spoke to The Times.
At least 10 bodies of female soldiers from a Gaza observation posts were found with signs of sexual violence, a military dentist working at a body ID center tells the paper.
The vast majority of the women raped were subsequently murdered, but at least three managed to survive, according to Welfare Ministry spokesman Gil Horev.
“None of them has been willing to come physically for treatment,” he says.
Two therapists treating a woman who was gang raped at the Re’im rave tell The Times she is in no condition to speak with reporters or investigators about what she endured.
“According to Jewish tradition, funerals are held promptly. The result was that many bodies with signs of sexual abuse were put to rest without medical examinations, meaning that potential evidence now lies buried in the ground,” the NYT says.
end
Captured Islamic Jihad terrorist admits his squad committed rape on Oct 7
(Jerusalem Post)
Captured Islamic Jihad terrorist admits his squad committed rape on Oct. 7
A survivor of the massacre recently testified to the police about a rape she saw with her own eyes.
A terrorist from the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is seen inside a military tunnel in Beit Hanun, in the Gaza Strip.(photo credit: ATTIA MUHAMMED/FLASH90)
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist captured in Gaza admitted during questioning that he participated in the massacre on October 7 and that his squad committed rape and then murdered victims during the massacre, KAN reported on Thursday.
Serious sexual offenses were part of the method Hamas and other terrorist groups utilized in the massacre on October 7. Lahav 433, Israel’s top national police unit, collected evidence of dozens of cases of sexual offenses and sexual abuse from investigations of the terrorists and from the collection of survivor testimonies.
A survivor of the massacre recently testified to the police about a rape she saw with her own eyes, and her testimony was verified by another survivor who was close to her.
“I understand that he raped her, then they gave her to someone else. She was alive and finally he shot her,” said the survivor. Some of the terrorists said in their investigation that they received permission to abuse corpses, in order to create fear in Israeli society.
On Channel 11, testimonies were revealed that were provided to the Zman Emet (Real Time) show – two witnesses who saw and heard the atrocities and decided to speak about it now for the first time and openly. One of them, Raz, a discharged officer who participated in the Nova festival in Re’im, said: “A white car arrived and five terrorists exited out of it. They stood in a semi-circle around her, grabbing her by force so she wouldn’t move. It happened 30 or 40 meters from us. There was a lot of movement…he raped her. I look and see that the girl is no longer moving, but the terrorist still continues to rape her. It was impossible to help her. I couldn’t do anything. I wish I had a weapon and I could help,” he said.
Personal belongings near cars abandoned following the party in Kibbutz Re’im (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
After Cohen’s appearance on Channel 11, he gave evidence to the police, becoming the first witness to openly describe the acts of rape he witnessed on October 7.
The New York Times publishes evidence of Hamas sexual violence
The same day as the KAN reported was published, a separate investigation by The New York Times was published that described in detail how Hamas weaponized sexual violence on October 7, with details showing “a pattern of rape, mutilation and extreme brutality against women in the attacks on Israel,” according to the report. The NYT investigation was reportedly two months in the making.
Video evidence verified by the Times included Gal Abdush, “a woman in a black dress lying on her back, dress torn, legs spread, vagina exposed” with her face burnt beyond recognition. The Times also sourced Israeli police officials saying they believed that Abdush was raped.
New details by the Times showed that the attacks on women were part of a broader pattern of gender-based violence on October 7, and were not “isolated events.” The investigation utilized photographs, GPS data, video footage from interviews and mobile phones, and interviews with more than 150 people. Interviews were conducted with witnesses, medical personnel, soldiers and rape counselors.
The investigation showed seven locations where Israeli women were raped or mutilated. The Times received testimony from four witnesses describing in graphic detail seeing the rape and murder of women along Highway 232 near Gaza, which is the same highway where Abdush’s half-naked body was found.
Interviews with soldiers and medics revealed the discovery of more than 30 bodies of women near the Nova music festival and in two kibbutzim, where, like in the case of Abdush, their clothes were off, their legs were spread and they had signs of abuse in their genital areas. Israeli military told the Times about two Israeli soldiers at a base near Gaza who were reportedly shot directly in their vaginas.
Lahav 433 have not yet put together a number on how many women were raped on October 7, stating that most are dead and therefore they will never know.
The report noted that many dead bodies from October 7 were buried as quickly as possible, and so many weren’t examined.
Another witness of the Hamas’s sexual violence is Sapir, 24, who attended the Nova festival and was shot in the back during the Hamas attacks. She recounted seeing groups of armed gunmen rape and kill at least five women. Sapir told the Times that “she was hiding under the low branches of a bushy tamarisk tree, just off Route 232.”Go to the full article >>
end
ISRAEL/HAMAS
IDF troops in Khirbat Ikhza’a. Operation Oz and Nir intensifies in Khan Younis
(Jerusalem Post)
IDF troops in Khirbat Ikhza’a as ‘Operation Oz and Nir’ intensifies
Operation Oz and Nir was launched a few days ago and was named after Kibbutz Nir Oz, which suffered so much at the hands of Hamas.
Soldiers of the IDF’s 5th Brigade on duty in southern Gaza, December 29, 2023 (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
For the first time since Israeli ground operations began against Hamas in Gaza, soldiers of the 5th “Sharon” (Reserve) Infantry Brigade are operating in Gaza’s Khirbat Ikhza’a , in Khan Yunis which was the base of many of the terrorists who attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.
Commanding Officer of the 5th Brigade, Col. Tal Kuritsky gives an update of IDF operations in Khirbat Ikhza’a, December 29, 2023 (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
Named “Operation Oz and Nir,” soldiers, working alongside IDF engineering battalions, have eliminated Hamas terrorists and attacked several significant terror targets, including tunnel entrances, tunnel shafts, and rocket launch positions.
Dozens of tunnel shafts were discovered, the IDF announced on Friday, and large caches of weapons including Kalashnikovs, grenades, mines, rocket launchers, and RPGs were found.Weapons and uniforms located by the IDF’s 5th Brigade, southern Gaza, December 29, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
Engineering troops destroyed the tunnel shafts, which were found in the homes of Hamas terrorists who participated in October 7.
Operation Oz and Nir was launched a few days ago and was named after Kibbutz Nir Oz, which suffered so much at the hands of Hamas.Commander of the Gaza Division, Brig.-Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, in a statement to soldiers, announced that “On October 7, terrorists came from Khuza’a who committed the most horrifying crimes imaginable. The attack by the Gaza terrorists from Khirbat Ikhza’a was aimed at Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community of people of work and peace.
IDF troops continue to operate in Khan Yunis, one of the last strongholds of Hamas. On Thursday, Israeli paratroopers identified a terrorist pulling an RPG out of a stash and threw several grenades toward him.
Additionally, soldiers located several terrorists hiding inside a building and eliminated them using tank fire.
In another incident, the combat team located a terrorist cell barricaded in a structure, and an Israeli Air Force jet targeted the building, killing the terrorists.
END
ISRAEL/USA
These Apache helicopters are precision attack vehicles. The USA so far are not giving them to Israel. So the uSA complains on civilian deaths and yet they do not want to give Israel the precision apparatus they need?
(zerohedge)
Israel Pressures US For More Apache Helicopters Even While Owning Up To Mass Civilian Casualty Airstrikes
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 09:40 AM
Already the bulk of Israel’s military arsenal is courtesy of the US and the American taxpayer, following decades of foreign and defense aid—and Israel is far and away the top recipient over the many years—as well as weapons and ammo urgently rushed to Tel Aviv in the wake of the Oct.7 Hamas terror attacks.
But Israeli officials have been urging their American counterparts to send additional AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, which some Israeli media reports say has already been denied. Apaches have been heavily relied on for air power and to disrupt Hamas ground operations throughout the conflict, equipped with heavy chain guns and Hellfire missiles.Via Axios
Israel’s defense minister has formally made the request, but as YNet reports: “The IDF has requested Apache attack helicopters from the United States but has been denied so far.”
“The request was made to the Pentagon in recent weeks and was also raised by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during his meetings with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during his visit to Israel last week,” the report says, adding: “Security sources suggest that a final decision on the potential acquisition has not been made, and Jerusalem is continuing to apply pressure.”
Israel’s current two squadrons of the Boeing-made Apaches have seen heavy use as YNet explains: “These squadrons have been conducting round-the-clock operations in Gaza since the beginning of the war.” Israel’s total number of Apaches in its arsenal are typically listed at 48.
While the White House has long said its defense aid to Israel will remain ‘unconditional’ – international pressure has mounted due to the unprecedented civilian death toll. Gaza’s health ministry has cited a death toll of more than 21,000 killed over the past nearly three months of conflict.
Israel’s military has of late even admitted to conducting mass casualty strikes against civilian camps, killing “dozens” of innocents, as The New York Times documented in a Thursday report:
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had caused “unintended harm” to “uninvolved civilians” in two strikes this week on a densely packed Gaza Strip neighborhood, where, the local health authorities said, dozens were killed.
It was a rare admission of fault by the military over its conduct of the war. The military said it was targeting Hamas on Sunday when it launched two strikes on the central Gazan community of Al Maghazi, which has been flooded with Palestinians uprooted by war and crammed into homes by the dozen.
An IDF statement said, “A preliminary investigation revealed that additional buildings located near the targets were also hit during the strikes, which likely caused unintended harm to additional uninvolved civilians.” It added, “The I.D.F. regrets the harm to uninvolved individuals, and is working to draw lessons from the incident.”AFP via Getty Images
One of Israel’s arguments to Washington in pressing for more Apaches is that the sophisticated attack helicopters may allow for more precision operations against ground targets, given they go after targets in closer proximity compared to either mortar fire or missiles launched by fast-moving jets.
END
ISRAEL/HAMAS
Hamas terrorist with RPG attempts to kill IDF troops but is struck by tank fire
Israel launches the largest raid on 10 cities in the West Bank.
(Jerusalem post)
Assault On 10 Cities: Israel Mounts Largest Raid On West Bank Since War’s Start
THURSDAY, DEC 28, 2023 – 11:00 PM
Events of the last few days have made it clear that Israel is intent on widening its Gaza offensive, even after pressure from the White House and other allies to reign in operations which have killed many thousands of civilians, and PM Netanyahu himself has urged troops “do not stop” and they must fight “to the end” toward the goal of destroying Hamas.
One Gaza resident identified as Rami Abu Mosab was cited in a Wednesday CBS report as follows: “It was a night of hell. We haven’t seen such bombing since the start of the war.” Central and southern Gaza are still being pummeled. Via Reuters
Palestinian civilian deaths have continued to mount, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issuing a rare statement of regret over the December 24 attack on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, which killed an estimated 70 people.
An IDF statement to CNN said that during “operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas terrorist targets, IAF fighter jets struck two targets adjacent to which Hamas operatives were located on December 24, 2023.”
“Before the strikes were carried out, steps were taken by the IDF to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians in the area,” it added. “A preliminary investigation revealed that additional buildings located near the targets were also hit during the strikes, which likely caused unintended harm to additional uninvolved civilians.” Israel says it is continuing to investigate the matter.
In another key sign that the war is indeed widening further, Israeli forces are conducing unprecedented raids in the West Bank. Al Jazeera has described the IDF’s “most intense raids yet on cities in the occupied West Bank as they pressed on with one of the largest incursions in the territory since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October.”
At least one person was killed after Israeli troops launched a coordinated overnight assault on 10 cities including Hebron, Halhul, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, el-Bireh, Jericho and notably the centre of Ramallah, which is the administrative headquarters of the Palestinian Authority.
The raids, which continued until early on Thursday morning, targeted Palestinian money exchange outlets.
“This was a raid like we haven’t seen in the centre of Ramallah, like no other. Since October 7 we haven’t seen a raid of this size,” Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said, reporting from near the scene on Thursday.
The headquarters of six money exchange companies were reportedly raided, apparently the result of Israeli authorities accusing these of aiding in ‘terror financing’ and activities. Several casualties among Palestinians have been reported.
The Palestine Monetary Authority issued a statement denouncing the raids. “The Israelis arrested a number of the owners of these companies and seized sums of money from their safes, after blowing them up.” The authority further said it considers the attack “an act that violates all international norms, laws, charters and agreements, and aims to undermine confidence in the Palestinian banking and banking sector.”
Regional sources say that Israeli forces seized about $2.5 million. “The Israelis say [the money exchanges] have been used by the resistance movements to finance their activities,” a correspondent said.
In total at least 312 Palestinians have been killed by the military or Israeli settlers in the West Bank since the Hamas terror attack of Oct.7 – while nearly 5,000 Palestinians have been arrested amid clashes with security forces.
Scenes like the below will likely persist on the streets of the West Bank for the coming months and foreseeable future…
END
END
LEBANON//HEZBOLLAH//ISRAEL
This is all due to the policies of Biden, the weak. Biden refuses confrontation and the enemy senses this. Israel has immense air superiority with Hezbollah zero. Israel can probably bomb Beirut into dust However Hezbollah has hundreds of thousands of long range missiles. Israel cannot afford a war on these two fronts. Israel may threaten nuclear if Hezbollah fires huge numbers of ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem….and then the war escalates.
(Kyle Anzalone/libertarian Institute)
Israel: Time For Diplomacy With Hezbollah Running Out As Expanded War Looms
A member of the Israeli war government says the chance for a diplomatic settlement with Hezbollah is getting low. The fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border is intensifying between the IDF and Hezbollah. The Lebanese militant group conducted its heaviest barrage of northern Israel on Wednesday.
Senior Israeli minister Benny Gantz indicated that Tel Aviv is preparing for a war with Hezbollah. “The situation on Israel’s northern border demands change,” Gantz said. “The stopwatch for a diplomatic solution is running out, if the world and the Lebanese government don’t act in order to prevent the firing on Israel’s northern residents, and to distance Hezbollah from the border, the [Israeli military] will do it.”Image via IDF
Fighting along the border broke out after Israel began its historically brutal military operations in Gaza. Hezbollah says its attacks on Israel are to force the IDF to split its army between Gaza in the south and its northern border with Lebanon.
Gantz’s remarks follow other Israeli officials’ comments explaining that Hezbollah must withdraw several miles from the border, or Tel Aviv will escalate its bombing of southern Lebanon. The US is pressuring Hezbollah to accept the Israeli demands. And earlier this month:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on a visit to troops near the border that Israel would “single-handedly turn Beirut and South Lebanon, not far from here, into Gaza and Khan Yunis” if Hezbollah started an all-out war.
Washington has also threatened to directly intervene if Israel is attacked over its genocidal war against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. However, the White House has applied pressure on Tel Aviv not to escalate the conflict with Hezbollah. The Joe Biden administration has steadfastly opposed using the $3.8 billion in military aid the US provides to Israel every year to get Tel Aviv to curtail its attacks on Gaza, Syria, or Lebanon.
The IDF conducted an airstrike on the home of a Hezbollah member on Tuesday night, killing two of his relatives. On Wednesday, Hezbollah responded by two large attacks on cities in northern Israel.
The Times of Israel reported, “Rockets fired from Lebanon pummeled the towns of Rosh Hanikra and the city of Kiryat Shmona.” The outlet said there were no other injuries.
The Israeli war on Gaza has provoked groups across the Middle East to attempt to apply pressure on Tel Aviv and Washington to end the campaign to ethnically cleanse the Strip. The Houthis have stifled Red Sea shipping, Shia groups in Iraq and Syria have targeted American forces over 100 times, and Hezbollah has traded fire with Israel on a near-daily basis since October 7.
NEW: The Israeli military is sending large numbers of reinforcements to the Lebanese border. The Israeli military has struck several Hezbollah targets at this hour.
More from Ramallah tonight.
Tonight’s raids across the Occupied West Bank are some of the largest since October 7th. pic.twitter.com/sXLpaJI62l
Israel cannot wait any longer: They have attacked Hezbollah in Lebanon in an attempt to knock them from their border. The goal is to get back to retreat north of the Litani River
(Jerusalem Post)
Sirens sound across Israel’s North as IDF launches assault on Hezbollah
Sirens sounded across northern Israel on Friday afternoon amid suspected hostile aircraft intrusions, as the IDF said it was carrying out a widespread assault on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The IDF struck a Hezbollah military compound and other infrastructures in addition to several launchpads placed along the border. Israeli forces also struck an anti-tank cell and a launcher used to fire rockets at northern Israeli border towns.
IDF forces attacked a squad belonging to Hezbollah in the village of Aitaroun.
Following a warning of a hostile aircraft infiltrating Israel’s north, the incident has ended.
Also, in the last hour several launches were detected from Lebanon towards Israeli territory, three of them crossed into Israeli territory. The IDF attacked the sources of the fire with artillery.
Syrian media also claimed on Thursday evening that Israel had targeted sites in southern Syria and near Damascus with airstrikes in two separate waves.
Funeral of members of Iran’s IRGC who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Syria, in Tehran(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)
11 leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in an airstrike targeting Damascus International Airport on Thursday evening, Saudi media reported the following morning.
The commander of the Revolutionary Guards in eastern Syria, Nur Rashid, was injured in the airstrike, Saudi media channel Al-Hadath reported.
IRGC commanders were reportedly at the airport to meet with high-ranking delegates.
Other strikes on Syria this week, foreign media also claims were done by Israel
Syrian media also claimed on Thursday evening that Israel had targeted sites in southern Syria and near Damascus with airstrikes in two separate waves. Syrian air defenses were activated in the Damascus area during the strikes. The country’s media quoted one Syrian military source as saying that the alleged airstrike carried out by Israel came from the “occupied Syrian Golan Heights.”
Earlier this week, Iran vowed that Israel would “pay” for the killing of Sayyed Reza Mousavi, another IRGC commander who was killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike last Monday in the vicinity of Damascus.Damascus International Airport (credit: IGOR BUBIN (GFDL 1.2 http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)/VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Shortly after the strike that killed Mousavi occurred, footage on social media showed smoke near the Damascus airport, as Iranian proxies have often used the location.
Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report. This is a developing story.
END
IRAN, US/ HOUTHIS/RED SEA
Why on earth does Biden not want to attack Iranian assets in Iran?
They should shut them down immediately
(Jerusalem Post)
US intercepts Houthi drone, missile in 22nd attack since start of war
As part of efforts to combat the Houthi threat, the US issued sanctions against entities facilitating Iranian funding for the Houthis.
By TZVI JOFFREDECEMBER 29, 2023 02:33Updated: DECEMBER 29, 2023 04:03
The guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) fires its 5-inch gun during a live-fire exercise.(photo credit: US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rob Aylward/Released)
The US Navy’s USS Mason shot down a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the southern Red Sea on Thursday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Friday morning.
According to CENTCOM, this was the 22nd attempted attack conducted by the Houthis against international shipping since October 19. No damage was caused to the 18 ships present in the area at the time.
The incident comes as the Houthis continue their attacks on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea despite the establishment of a US-led coalition aimed at deterring such attacks.
On Tuesday, the US military downed 12 kamikaze drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles fired by the Houthis in the southern Red Sea within a period of just 10 hours.The guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) comes alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) to conduct a replenishment at sea (RAS) in the Atlantic Ocean. (credit: Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Andrew Geraci/US Navy)
Additionally on Tuesday, the IDF said that it had intercepted a drone over the Red Sea that was headed toward Israel.
US sanctions network transferring Iranian funds to Houthis
As part of efforts to combat the Houthi threat, the US issued sanctions against one individual and three entities for facilitating Iranian funding for the Houthis on Thursday. The sanctioned individual is Nabil Ali Ahmed Al-Hadha – the head of the Currency Exchangers Association in Sanaa, Yemen – and the three entities are exchange houses in Yemen and Turkey.
The sanctioned individual and entities facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars to the Houthis at the direction of Sa’id al-Jamal, a person affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force.
Jamal’s network uses a web of exchange houses throughout the Middle East to facilitate the transfer of funds to the Houthis, including the Turkey-based Al Aman Kargo Ithalat Ihracat Ve Nakliyat Limited Sirketi, the Yemen-based Nabco Money Exchange and Remittance Co., and the Yemen-based Al Rawda Exchange and Money Transfers Company.
“Today’s action underscores our resolve to restrict the illicit flow of funds to the Houthis, who continue to conduct dangerous attacks on international shipping and risk further destabilizing the region,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States, along with our allies and partners, will continue to target the key facilitation networks that enable the destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their backers in Iran.”
END
USA/ISRAEL
(JERUSALEM POST)
US skips congressional review to approve sale of 155mm projectiles to Israel
By REUTERSDECEMBER 29, 2023 23:16
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the potential sale to Israel of M107 155mm projectiles and related equipment for $147.5 million and skipped its review by Congress, the Pentagon said on Friday.
Blinken determined that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to Israel, thereby waiving the congressional review requirements, according to the Pentagon.
SYRIA//ISRAEL
Last night: two airstrikes in Southern Syria. We now know why: they killed 11 Iranian IRCG top commanders
(JerusalemPost)
Alleged Israeli airstrikes target southern Syria, Damascus twice within hours
Syrian air defenses were activated in the Damascus area during the strikes.
By TZVI JOFFREDECEMBER 28, 2023 22:18Updated: DECEMBER 29, 2023 03:12
A streak of light is seen in the night sky in the vicinity of the Syrian capital Damascus during what Syrian authorities said was an Israeli air strike, in this handout released by state news agency SANA on February 24, 2020.(photo credit: SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Alleged Israeli airstrikes targeted sites in southern Syria and near Damascus on Thursday night in two separate waves, according to Syrian reports.
Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that Israeli fighter jets conducted airstrikes from over the Golan Heights targeting sites in southern Syria, causing material damage.
The local Suwayda 24 news site reported that a radar site belonging to the Syrian Army at Tal al-Sahn, not far from the Syrian-Jordanian border, was targeted and destroyed in the airstrikes. No injuries were reported in the strike.
Syrian air defenses were activated in the Damascus area as well during the strikes, although it is as of yet unclear what locations in the Damascus area were targeted.An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots (credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
The Tal al-Sahn site has been targeted repeatedly in the past by alleged Israeli airstrikes.
A few hours after the first wave of airstrikes, a second wave of airstrikes was reported in the Damascus area, with Syrian air defenses activated in response.
SANA reported that the second airstrikes were conducted from over Lebanon and targeted several sites near Damascus, causing material damage.
According to the Syrian Capital Voice news site, all the sites targeted were sites holding air defense systems.
Recent alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria
The airstrikes come just days after Razi Mousavi, a senior officer in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in the Damascus area. Mousavi served as one of the leaders of Iran’s efforts in Syria and had been targeted by Israel in the past, according to Iranian media.
The airstrikes also come just a day after the Damascus International Airport returned to service after being put out of service by an alleged Israeli airstrike in late November.
END
IRANIAN BACKED PROXIES/SYRIA VS USA
Iranian proxies strike uSA military bases in Syria. When will the idiot Biden learn to strike Iranian assets in Iran
(Jerusalem Post)
Iranian proxies strike US military base in Syria – report
Pro-Iranian militias in Syria struck the US military base of Kharab al-Jir on Friday afternoon, Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen reported.
This is a developing story.
Ayelet Frisch..
commentary…..
Consigning Yahya Sinwar and Hamas to the dustbin of history – opinion
An analysis of the Israel-Hamas war by international strategic advisor Ayelet Frish
By AYELET FRISHDECEMBER 28, 2023 20:42Updated: DECEMBER 29, 2023 17:19
IDF operation updates:
Israeli Defense Forces continue to intensify the operation in Gaza this week from the ground, the air and the sea, taking hold of strategic Hamas outposts in the northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip. Since the onset of the operation, the IDF has taken hold of Hamas’ parliament, its command-and-control centers and weapons facilities- most of which are embedded in civil infrastructure such as schools, mosques and residential buildings.
In the Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaiya, IDF troops directed targeted airstrikes on Hamas terrorists spotted moving between buildings of a confirmed Hamas command center. The IDF airstrike led to secondary explosions at the site, indicating that Hamas rigged the structure with explosives aimed at attacking Israeli forces.
Since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, the IDF has uncovered over 1,500 terror tunnel shafts and underground passages in Gaza constructed by Hamas and used as their underground operating facilities. Israeli forces have also uncovered and destroyed a large number of weapons depots and production plants, both above and below ground.
On the northern front, Israel continues to stay on high-alert in the area and is prepared to intensify its retaliation and military activity in the north while continuing to strike and eliminate terrorist outposts on the border. Hezbollah continues their attacks on Israeli posts along the northern border, including a number of launches this week that fell in open areas in Israeli territory.
Over the years, Hamas has constructed a complex network of underground terror tunnels, transforming into a full-scale subterranean city of terror, with tunnels wide and tall enough for vehicles to drive through and transport terrorists and weapons from one location to another in minimal time. It is important to mention that these tunnels were built with the money of international organizations such as UNWRA, and Arab countries such as Qatar, who openly back Hamas and its terrorism. A large sum of these funds were meant to support civilian life and strengthen Gaza’s civil infrastructure and social wellbeing. But instead, the governing body in the Gaza strip, the Hamas terrorist regime, used it to bolster its ability to one day eliminate the Jewish State. Just as they stole money and resources from their own people throughout the years, they are stealing humanitarian aid and fuel from innocent Gazans trapped in the crosshairs of the war today.
The heads of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and others, are presumed to be deep underground in southern Gaza, surrounded by some of the same Nukhba commandos who led the terror attacks on October 7. It is also thought that these Hamas leaders may have surrounded themselves with a large number of Israeli captives, using them as human shields for the inevitable day when the IDF will finally lay its hands on Sinwar and the other Hamas leaders.
Hundreds of kilometers of tunnels in Gaza reflect the ethos of Hamas – of the war that they initiated against the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and the great suffering they brought to their own people throughout the years and since the onset of the Hamas-launched war with Israel. Their extreme beliefs and hate-filled ideology led to suffering, misery, impoverishment and destruction- they have offered nothing but this cruelty to their people.
Leaders of the world have an obligation to ensure that Sinwar, who paints himself as a great leader, is remembered as a cruel and relentless villain of humanity.
There is no better way to become fully acquainted with the true nature of Hamas, its leadership, and its overt antisemitism than by reading the organization’s charter, which was issued in August 1988. While a revised version amended some of the original text of 1988, it is important to note that the original charter was never explicitly revoked.
I would like to emphasize that the Hamas manifesto is not a historic document that was tucked away and forgotten with the rise to power of the terrorist organization. It serves as the backbone, foundation and force that dictates not only Hamas’ internal organizational activity, but also its governorship over Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Its vile teachings are studied by Gaza’s children in grade school and summer camps; it is memorized and quoted by Palestinian youth; it is taught in religious courses about the Quran and Islam; it is integrated into theater and entertainment. This charter is the source of evil and destruction.
We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the teachings of Hamas have spread to Palestinians in the West Bank as well. As seen in various opinion polls and by the reality on the ground, the ideology present in the Hamas charter has permeated to Palestinians and extremist factions in the region who want nothing more than the destruction of the Jewish State “from the river to the sea”.
The world must not let the Hamas charter spread any further. If we don’t change the narrative in Gaza- if we don’t remove hate from its school curriculum and eradicate extremist ideals- terrorism will continue to flourish, and Israel won’t be the only state affected.
Following are excerpts from the original version of the Charter of Hamas:
Violence against Jews:
The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him. (Article 7)”
“There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by jihad. Initiatives, proposals, and international conferences are a waste of time and a farce. (Article 12)”
Elimination of Jews and the Jewish state:
“Our fight with the Jews is very extensive and very grave, and it requires all the sincere efforts. It is a step that must be followed by further steps; it is a brigade that must be reinforced by brigades upon brigades from this vast Islamic world, until the enemies are defeated and Allah’s victory is revealed.”
“Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” (Preamble)
Antisemitism and stereotypes:
“There is no end to what can be said about [the Jewish involvement in] local wars and world wars. They [the Jews] were behind World War I,
through which they achieved the destruction of the Islamic Caliphate, reaped material profits, took control of numerous resources, obtained the Balfour Declaration, and established the League of the United Nations [sic] so as to rule the world through this organization.”
“They [the Jews] were [also] behind World War II, through which they reaped enormous profits from commerce in war materials and paved the way for the establishment of their state. They [also] suggested the formation of the United Nations and the Security Council to replace the League of the United Nations [sic] and to rule the world through this [new organization]. Wherever there is war in the world, it is they who are pulling the strings behind the scenes. ‘Whenever they ignite the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They strive to spread evil in the land, but Allah does not love those who do evil. (Koran, 5:64)’”
The Hamas charter, its original version, has become the manifesto of Gaza and has paved the way for a generation of youngsters who believe that the Jewish people don’t have the right to exist. Falsely connected to Islam, we must note that Islamic religion does not encompass these ideals, its values are opposite to those promoted by Hamas.
The world must pay attention to the intents listed in Hamas’ charter. Hamas is not interested in a country or territory. It is the struggle of an extremist religious narrative opposed to Islam. When one adds to this the fact that Hamas raped the women they captured and holds captive women and the elderly, as well as those with chronic illnesses who require medication, it becomes clear that the entire premise of Hamas stands in opposition to Islamic religious practices.
Yahya Sinwar must be cast outside the camp of Islam, and rather than be remembered as a hero, he must be remembered as the one who brought a great catastrophe to the Palestinians and operated outside the boundaries of Islam. In the same way that we teach about the Nazis as a movement that existed outside the norms of humanity, so too we must speak of Hamas and Sinwar. The true face of Sinwar does not fight for his country. It fights for death and destruction.
One of the great dangers of people such as Sinwar is that his influence and the false narratives about his leadership will trickle down to the next generation of Palestinian leaders, who may seek to emulate him and mimic his beliefs. It is imperative that Sinwar’s legacy not be falsely labeled as heroic. His goal has been genocidal – to kill people. This was evident, not only by Hamas’ actions on October 7, but in its plans to go even deeper into Israeli territory, which thankfully did not come to pass.
When looking at the enemy in the North, we must also realize that the intents of Hamas and its operational objectives under the leadership of Yahya Sinwar are similar to those of Hezbollah under the leadership of Hassan Nasrallah. The extreme hate and antisemitic beliefs that dictate Hamas are the same beliefs that drive Hezbollah. The world must not forget that Israel found and destroyed terror tunnels coming into its borders on both fronts – from within Lebanon and Gaza. Just as Sinwar used his Nukhba troops to rape, pillage, and murder Israelis, Nasrallah can unleash his Radwan forces against Israeli citizens living in the north. It is likely that Nasrallah has similar plans to attack Israel.
It is clear that Israel’s war with Hamas will take some time to complete. Yet even if it takes months, we must enable the IDF to rid Israel of the Hamas infrastructure, its underground city, and eliminate Yahya Sinwar and the evil that he stands for.
At the same time, we must ensure that the Hamas charter is rejected and relegated to the dustbin of history in the same way that the Nazi way of thinking was discarded. We know that in Gaza, it was quite common for six-and-seven-year-old children to speak enthusiastically about murdering Jews. We cannot allow these teachings to continue. We cannot allow these beliefs to spread further. It is incumbent on the world’s leaders, from the region and beyond, to make sure that teachings about hate of Jewish people and the State of Israel stop.
Sinwar is no savior. He went against all of the principles of Islam and brought destruction and death to his people and to Israel. It is our responsibility to tell the true story of Hamas and its evils. We cannot let Hamas be remembered as a glorified freedom movement in human history.
end
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht
END
/
RUSSIA/USA/UKRAINE.
Absolutely stupid: USA paying the salaries and pensions of Ukrainians
(zerohedge)
Millions Of Ukrainians About To See Salaries & Pensions Paused As Western Aid Dries Up
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 02:45 AM
Just as the Biden administration has announced a new $250 million weapons package for Ukraine, which is to be the last unless Congress approves new spending for next year, Ukraine is warning of salary and pension delays for millions of people in the war-ravaged country. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed last week that after this final aid package, “We will have no more replenishment authority available to us, and we’re going to need Congress to act without delay.”
For nearly two years of the war Ukraine has poured its billions received in foreign aid primarily into defense, but also relies on external assistance to pay Ukrainian government workers and even social payments. It needs the constant flow of aid simply to keep the lights on and the country functioning under Russian bombs. All the while it’s been no secret that corruption continues to be rampant, which Zelensky time and again has promised to get a handle on.
Not only has Biden’s $60 billion package for Ukraine for 2024 been blocked by Republican holdouts in Congress, but a proposed European Union package for some $55 billion has been stymied by Hungary. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Wednesday, “The support of partners is extremely critical, we need it urgently.”Image source: AP-Yonhap
Svyrydenko warned that Ukraine’s economy is about to be forced into “survival” mode without the critical aid, which would likely see Kiev pausing wages for 500,000 civil servants and 1.4 million teachers. Also put on hold will be benefits for some 10 million pensioners.
FT writes that to avoid this dire scenario, also as a frigid winter sets in, “The Ukrainian government is racing to cobble together money to pay for public services and benefits after promised funding from its closest allies failed to come through. It needs $37bn in external support next year.”
An EU scheme to sidestep Hungary and push through $20 billion for Ukraine isn’t expected to be available until at least March, assuming everything goes smoothly with the plan, which we detailed previously.
The Zelensky government says it can keep things stable for perhaps a few more months by borrowing domestically which also presents certain risks. FT details further:
Kyiv has been trying to save cash and reprioritize expenditure since September, when western support began to falter. It has increased a windfall tax on banks to 50 per cent and transferred revenues from a 1.5 per cent supplemental income tax from local to central government. But it is already facing a shortfall, the minister said. About $5bn in disbursements from international donors and lenders in December “won’t be sufficient” to cover spending needs.
Svyrydenko said Ukraine would prioritize defense and debt servicing which meant “there’s a huge risk of underfunding of certain social sectors”.
Other war-time factors have been detrimental to Ukraine’s economy as well, especially deteriorated ties with Poland which have lately seen Polish truck drives blockade border crossings over what they say is unfair competition from Ukrainian drivers. There is also the ongoing dispute over Ukrainian grain and the bans on Ukrainian exports by nearby states, also including Hungary and Slovakia.
On Thursday there are reports saying the Ukrainian government is now writing to donors seeking urgent funds for its 2024 budget. But the reality is that after nearly two years, and many tens of billions later, these very donors are likely themselves stretched or tapped out.
END
RUSSIA/UKRAINE
Russia unleashes biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the war
(zerohedge)
Russia Unleashes Biggest Aerial Attack On Ukraine Since Opening Days Of War
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 10:40 AM
Ukraine has said on Friday Russia launched the largest single day of airstrikes ever conducted throughout nearly two years of war. At least 18 people were reported killed, and over a hundred wounded after several Ukrainian cities were pummeled in drone and missile attacks.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces cited that up to 158 missiles and drones were launched, describing that this was a “record number” and the “most massive missile attack” of the conflict, excluding the very opening few days of the invasion. This was said include ballistic and supersonic missiles, launched from air and sea. Ukraine’s military claimed its anti-air defenses downed and intercepted the majority of these.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also said, “Today Russia hit us with almost everything it has in its arsenal.” The attacks began overnight into Friday, with large explosions rocking Kiev, Dnipro, and places like Odessa in the south and Kharkiv in the east. Inbound projectiles were also seen as far from the front lines as Lviv, in the country’s far west.
“It’s been a long time since we have seen so many enemy targets on our monitors in all regions and all directions,” Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat told a television broadcast. “Everything was being fired.”
Widespread rescue operations continued into the day Friday:
There was a strong smell of burning plastic as firefighters wearing oxygen masks tackled the blaze and a huge column of black smoke billowed into the sky, an AFP reporter saw.
There were believed to be 10 people trapped under the rubble, said the head of the city’s military administration, Sergiy Popko.
AFP journalists also saw smoke near the building of Lukyanivska metro station close to the city center. Popko said the metro station had been damaged but it reopened later in the day.
Scenes in the far Western city of Lviv, which is rarely touched by the war, were as follows based on Ukrainian officials:
In Lviv, one person was killed and 15 wounded by drones and missiles that damaged high-rise blocks of flats and two schools, the interior ministry said.
An image released by the emergency services showed window frames blown out in a nine-story block of flats.
As expected, Ukraine is referencing the large-scale aerial assault as reason for allies to urgently authorize more defense funds for 2024. Tens of billions are currently being held up in US Congress and the European Union.
Zelensky aide Andriy Yermak said the war-ravaged country needs “more support and strength to stop this terror” while US ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink immediately emphasized “Ukraine needs funding now”.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described Friday’s assault as “yet another cowardly and indiscriminate” attack on civilians. The EU has been seeking to sidestep Hungary as it has sought to pass some €50 billion in funding, which remains blocked.Smoke billows over Kiev on Friday as a result of the strikes, via Reuters.
Meanwhile, Orthodox Church Christmas is around the corner, and it’s as yet unclear whether there might be a hoped-for “Christmas truce” between Russia and Ukraine – as was speculated last year (but didn’t really materialize). Orthodox Christians in both countries celebrate the holiday on January 7 (according to when Dec.25 appears on the ecclesiastical/or Julian calendar).
LIONESS prints lots of Yeadon’s work who is likely one of smartest around…I know Yeadon…smart, good man; you & I know it was captured as COVID; IMO, PCR used to detect something was always there
We must never forget nor forgive, they knew, they knew what they were doing had no medical or scientific basis, there was malfeasance here too…we must punish them, never forget!
Pamela Villanueva, 30, a reporter and host of a Spanish news program suddenly collapsed live on air yesterday.
No need to speak Spanish to get what’s happening.
Video:
Emergency Brain Surgery
Dancing With The Stars Derek Hough’s wife, Hayley Erbert, underwent an emergency craniectomy on Thursday after suffering a burst blood vessel in her brain. The surgery was needed to treat a cranial hematoma, a collection of blood that can put pressure on the brain. She is fully vaxxed.
This is happening all over. The new normal, folks.
illegal islamist men; this video is so sickening & I cannot understand why the Wales governgment would use under-aged teen girls to lure these 6th century medieval predators who WILL rape their girls
No sane nation does this, it is as if you are lighting your won funeral pyre…makes no sense…and using under-aged girls? Is this government insane? Does the corrupted reckless Welsh government not know that Sweden became the rape capital of Scandinavian nations, Europe, their white blond girls, victim to the neanderthalic medieval 6th century animal…this is l;iteral suicide bring in these rapefugees!
Lauren Boebert Makes Big Move to Improve Her Odds of Re-Election in 2024READ MORE…LATEST NEWS:Official Data Reveals ‘Countdown to Death’ Among VaxxedRead more…Proud Boy Faked Overdose to Delay Jan. 6 Sentencing, Prosecutors SayRead more…Russell Brand Looks to Christ as Elites Try to Silence HimRead more…Singapore Welcomes World ID Verification Debut As Worldcoin Struggles In Red ZoneRead more…Biden Secretively Vacations at Home of Billionaire Media Mogul Who is Connected to Over 800 Media CompaniesRead more…The REAL Reason Melania Missed the Trump Family Christmas Photo Should Put the Media to ShameRead more…Former ESPN Reporter Says She Was Censored Over Trans Swimmer TweetsRead more…IRONIC TWIST: New York Times Columnist Suggests Trump is Now Seen as the ‘Return to Normalcy’ CandidateRead more…
Lauren Boebert Makes Big Move to Improve Her Odds of Re-Election in 2024Rep. Lauren Boebert said Wednesday night that she will not fight for reelection in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District next year, instead opting to run in the state’s 4th Congressional District, which is on the opposite side of the state and significantly more friendly to Republicans.READ THE FULL REPORT
Almost all of Russia’s oil exports this year have been shipped to China and India, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday, after Moscow responded to Western economic sanctions by quickly rerouting supplies away from Europe.
Russia has successfully circumvented sanctions on its oil and diverted flows from Europe to China and India, which together accounted for around 90% of its crude exports, Novak, who is in charge of the country’s energy sector, told Rossiya-24 state TV.
He said that Russia had already started to forge ties with Asia-Pacific countries before the West introduced sanctions against Moscow following the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022.
“As for those restrictions and embargoes on supplies to Europe and the U.S. that were introduced… this only accelerated the process of reorienting our energy flows,” Novak said.
He said that Europe’s share of Russia’s crude exports has fallen to only about 4-5% from about 40-45%.
“The main partners in the current situation are China, whose share has grown to approximately 45-50%, and, of course, India…Earlier, there basically were no supplies to India; in two years, the total share of supplies to India has come to 40%,” Novak said.
Oil Demand Did Not Change
The numbers are believable. Oil demand certainly did not fall. All the sanctions did was force a shift in global supply chains.
There was a cost to Russia to shift supply chains, but there was also a cost to Europe and the US as well.
The increased costs meant a higher price of oil, for everyone.
Buyer’s Cartel Silliness
The number of economists promoting a buyer’s cartel to suppress the price of Russian oil (and only Russian oil) only was stunning.
The agreement, reached in the early hours of the third day of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, follows growing frustration among Western countries that their embargoes on Russian oil have had the counterproductive effect of driving up the global crude price. This has led to a situation where Moscow ends up earning more money for its war chest and where oil market reactions help drive runaway inflation.
The statement from the leaders ultimately identified this specifically as a preferred choice. “We will consider a range of approaches, including options for a possible comprehensive prohibition of all services, which enable transportation of Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products globally, unless the oil is purchased at or below a price to be agreed in consultations with international partners,” the statement said.
Root of the Stupidity
The G7 does not want Russia to sell any oil but if they succeeded, the price has to rise unless production picks up elsewhere or demand drops.
Rather than admit economic fundamentals, G7 leaders, especially Biden and Macron keep doubling down on dumber and dumber ideas.
Despite the obvious stupidity of the scheme, some prominent economists backed the idea.
Central Bank Buy-Ins
Treasury Secretary and former Fed Chair Janet Yellen signed off on the cartel idea.
Former ECB president Mario Draghi also pushed the idea.
Insurance Scheme Backfires
The next not so brilliant Western sanction scheme was to deny insurance to ships carrying Russian oil.
Russia responded by buying Greek ships and then transporting oil without insurance on its own ships instead of paying others. It unloaded oil in the middle of the night to large Chinese oil tankers.
Not having to pay for insurance coupled with using its own ships helped Russia’s profits even if the price Russia received was slightly smaller.
Sanctions Don’t Work Because They Create New Markets
Foreign Policy: “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Greece’s mighty shipping sector has continued to earn good money shipping Russian oil. But Greek shipowners have discovered an apparently even more lucrative source of revenue: selling the ships themselves to mysterious buyers linked to Russia. One publication has declared that a “Great Greek Tanker Sale” is taking place, and no price seems too high for a secondhand tanker. But the formerly Greek ships are entering a Hades-like shadow economy.”
Lesson Number Two
Countries, political leaders, and market makers act in their best interest.
It is in the best interest of Greek shippers to sell ships so they do. It is in the best interest of India and China to buy Russian oil and Greek ships so they do.
It is in the best interest of Dubai middlemen to make a market in ships so they do.
What this boils down to is simple: It is the best interest of middlemen in Greece, Russia, India, China, and Dubai to tell Biden to go to hell, so they do.
Today, President Biden signed a new Executive Order (E.O.) that strengthens U.S. sanctions authorities against financial facilitators of Russia’s war machine. The E.O. makes clear to foreign financial institutions that they risk losing access to the U.S. financial system if they facilitate significant transactions relating to Russia’s military industrial base. The E.O. also provides authority to broaden U.S. import bans on certain Russian goods.
What did Biden Do?
He blocked diamond imports and seafood imports.
Yeah, like that will have Russia crawling on its knees. Is anyone buying Russian seafood now other than China?
Indian Envoy Meets With Putin, Bypassing Western Pressure
President Vladimir V. Putin on Wednesday met with the Indian foreign minister at the Kremlin, highlighting Russia’s attempts to break through its isolation from the West by pivoting to an increasingly powerful Asian nation.
Despite the Biden administration’s efforts to make supporting Russia costly, American officials have avoided open criticism of India. Instead, President Biden and others have courted Mr. Modi, even welcoming him to a state dinner over the summer. That courtship has continued even after American law enforcement officials accused Indian officials in November of plotting the assassination of an American Sikh activist in the United States.
New Delhi is heavily reliant on Russia for the largest part of its arms imports and Moscow has helped India to build nuclear and space capabilities from scratch.
“Typically, defense, nuclear and space are collaborations you only do with countries with whom you have a high degree of trust,” Mr. Jaishankar had told members of the Indian diaspora in Moscow on Tuesday.
During Mr. Jaishankar’s visit on Tuesday, India and Russia agreed to the construction of future power-generating units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in southern India, which is being built with assistance from Russia. Construction on the plant began in March 2002. It is expected to start operating at full capacity in 2027
Hello Janet Yellen, who precisely was it that pushed China and and now India into Russia’s arms?
Both Trump and Biden believe they can set policy for the whole world. How has that worked out?
US sanction policy has not only failed, it has backfired. The biggest beneficiary has been China.
END
8. EMERGING MARKETS//AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND ISSUES//
VENEZUELA//UK
This is what happens when you have a weak President Biden; Venezuela launches a 6,000 troop exercise in response to UK warships coming to the aid of Guyana
(zerohedge)
Venezuela Launches 5,000+ Troop Exercise In Response To UK Warship’s Approach
THURSDAY, DEC 28, 2023 – 05:20 PM
Just on the heels of the recent panic over the risk of a Venezuela invasion of its neighbor Guyana, fears which finally subsided over a week ago upon a mutual pact pledging that both would avoid direct conflict, the UK sent a warship to patrol off Venezuela’s coast.
Britain previously said it would dispatch the HMS Trent near Guyana by December’s end as a significant show of support for the government in Guyana’s capital Georgetown, on concerns Nicolás Maduro would make moves to claim the vast, mineral-rich Essequibo region, which borders his country but has been part of Guyana – a member of the British Commonwealth and the only English-speaking nation in South America – for more than a century.
A December 14 report in The Guardian suggested tensions were cooling fast: “The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela promised in a tense meeting that neither side would use threats or force against the other, but failed to reach agreement on how to address a bitter dispute over a vast border region rich with oil and minerals that has concerned many in the region,” the publication said at the time. But on Thursday’s there’s been a new shocking development reversing this hoped-for state of ‘cooler heads prevailing’ and which raises the potential for the UK and Venezuela to directly clash in Caribbean waters.HMS Trent, UK Navy
AFP reports breaking statements from Maduro’s office as follows:
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday ordered more than 5,600 military personnel to participate in a “defensive” exercise, after Britain said it was sending a Royal Navy warship to waters off neighboring Guyana.
Maduro said he was launching “a joint action of a defensive nature in response to the provocation and threat of the United Kingdom against peace and the sovereignty of our country.”
Prior to the current standoff the HMS Trent had reportedly monitored the Caribbean in search of drug smugglers as a military offshore patrol vessel. It is armed with heavy guns and typically carries a unit of Royal Marines and a combat helicopter.
HMS Trent was reported to have made a stop in Bridgetown, Barbados, after leaving its homeport at Gibraltar earlier this month. The vessel is scheduled to head towards Guyana this week and anchor off Georgetown to participate in a series of training exercises with the country’s navy and other allies, the BBC reported.
The border dispute has been a source of tension and disagreements going all the way back to the 19th century, but Maduro recently sponsored a referendum on whether his government should use force to finally resolve it. He then provocatively announced that 95% of Venezuelan citizens voted in favor of a forced annexation. This drew quick condemnation from Caracas’ longtime enemies the US and Britain.
On Wednesday Venezuelan forces were placed on a ‘high state of alert’ following the reports of the British warship moving toward the coast.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López issued a blistering warning on X in response to HMS Trent’s presence. “A warship in waters yet to be demarcated?” he said.Source: Financial Times
“How does that fit with the commitment to good neighborliness and peaceful coexistence? And the agreement not to threaten or use force against each other under any circumstances? We remain alert to these provocations that put the peace and stability of the Caribbean and our America at risk!” he warned, saying that the prior agreement with Guyana’s leader Irfaan Ali about use of force has been called into question.
END
YOUR EARLY CURRENCY/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN CLOSING MARKETS AND EUROPEAN BOURSE OPENING AND CLOSING/ INTEREST RATE SETTINGS FRIDAY MORNING 7;30AM//OPENING AND CLOSING
EURO VS USA DOLLAR: 1.1079 UP .0012
USA/ YEN 141.44 DOWN 0.017 NOW TARGETS INTEREST RATE AT 1.00% AS IT WILL BUY UNLIMITED BONDS TO GETS TO THAT LEVEL…//YEN STILL FALLS//
GBP/USA 1.2744 UP .0009
USA/CAN DOLLAR: 1.3257 UP .0027 (CDN DOLLAR DOWN 27 BASIS PTS)
Last night Shanghai COMPOSITE CLOSED UP 30.23 PTS OR 0.68%
Hang Seng CLOSED UP 418.69 PTS OR 2.52%
AUSTRALIA CLOSED down .29% // EUROPEAN BOURSE: ALL GREEN
Trading from Europe and ASIA
I) EUROPEAN BOURSES: ALL GREEN
2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang SENG UP 3.86 PTS OR 0.02%
/SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 30.23 PTS OR 0.68%
AUSTRALIA BOURSE CLOSED DOWN .29%
(Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED DOWN 141.44 PTS OR 0.017%
INDIA’S SENSEX IN THE RED
Gold very early morning trading: 2066.80
silver:$23.76
USA dollar index early FRIDAY morning: 100.84 DOWN 7 BASIS POINTS FROM THURSDAY’s CLOSE.
The USA/Yuan, CNY: closed ON SHORE CLOSED (UP) …7.0982
THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE: (YUAN CLOSED (UP)…. (7.1189)
TURKISH LIRA: 29.55 EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL/DEATH WATCH/HYPERINFLATION TO BEGIN.//ON DEATH WATCH
the 10 yr Japanese bond yield at +0629…VERY DANGEROUS
Your closing 10 yr US bond yield UP 2 in basis points from THURSDAY at 3.870% //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%) very problematic
USA 30 yr bond yield 4.014 UP 2 in basis points ON THE DAY/12.00 PM
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.281 UP 1 BASIS PTS.
Your 12:00 AM bourses for Europe and the Dow along with the USA dollar index closing and interest rates: FRIDAY: CLOSING TIME 12:00 PM
London: CLOSED UP 10.50 PTS OR .14%
German Dax : CLOSED UP 50.09 PTS OR .30%
Paris CAC CLOSED UP 8.02 PTS OR .11%
Spain IBEX CLOSED UP 15.90 PTS OR .16%
Italian MIB: CLOSED UP 20.45 PTS OR .07%
WTI Oil price 72.02 12: EST
Brent Oil: 77.44 12:00 EST
USA /RUSSIAN ROUBLE /// AT: 90.19; ROUBLE DOWN 0 AND 82//100
GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD; +2.029 UP 9 BASIS PTS
UK 10 YR YIELD: 3.5645 UP 5 BASIS PTS
CLOSING NUMBERS: 4 PM
Euro vs USA: 1.1046 DOWN 0.0022 OR 22 BASIS POINTS
British Pound: 1.2753 UP .0018 or 18 basis pts
BRITISH 10 YR GILT BOND YIELD: 3.5645% UP 2 BASIS PTS//
JAPAN 10 YR YIELD: 0.625%
USA dollar vs Japanese Yen: 140.99 DOWN 0.442 //YEN UP 44 BASIS PTS//
USA dollar vs Canadian dollar: 1.3229 UP 0.0000 CDN dollar DOWN 00 basis pts)
West Texas intermediate oil: 71.48
Brent OIL: 77,04
USA 10 yr bond yield UP 3 BASIS pts to 3.881%
USA 30 yr bond yield UP 3 BASIS PTS to 4.019%
USA 2 YR BOND: DOWN 3 PTS AT 4.250%
USA dollar index: 100.99 UP 8 BASIS POINTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 29.59 (GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO BLOWING UP/
USA DOLLAR VS RUSSIA//// ROUBLE: 90.36 DOWN 1 AND 00/100 roubles
GOLD 2065.40 3:30 PM
SILVER: 23.80 3:30 PM
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE: DOWN 20.56 PTS OR 0.05%
NASDAQ DOWN 72.54 PTS OR 0.43%
VOLATILITY INDEX: 12.51 UP .04 PTS 0.32%
GLD: $191.17 DOWN 0.30 OR 0.16%
SLV/ $21.78 DOWN .21 OR 0.95%
end
USA AFFAIRS
TODAY’S TRADING IN GRAPH FORM
Powell’s Pivot Adds $20 Trillion To Global Debt/Equity Markets In 2023; ‘Fiat Alternatives’ Fly
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 04:00 PM
Global bond and stock markets added almost $20 trillion in capitalization during 2023… and all of that gain came in the last two months of the year after it had tested unchanged on Oct 28th! The gains were dominated by global stocks (which added $13.3TN) while global bonds rose by $6.1TN…
Source: Bloomberg
Nasdaq soared to its best year since the peak of the dotcom bubble in 1999 (and the rest of the US major equity market indices all rallied).
Source: Bloomberg
Bonds ended higher in price (lower in yield) on the year. Gold up, dollar down, oil down, NatGas collapsed as The Fed shocked the world, suddenly flipping from uber-hawk to full-dove-tard…
And they did all that with ‘hard’ economic data unchanged in 2023 – no real economic progress – as only ‘soft’ data (hopes and dreams) provided support for ‘goldilocks’ narratives…
Source: Bloomberg
But, 2023 was dominated by a few themes:
The Magnificent 7 stocks dominated the price action and outsized index gains in 2023. Investors preferred the ‘safe haven’ of these mega-cap tech names over longer-duration profit-less tech… until The Fed unleashed hell at the start of November and everything exploded higher…
Source: Bloomberg
Which left a record 72% of stocks in the S&P 500 have under-performed the index this year
Source: Bloomberg
AI – the apparent benefits of AI know no bounds when it comes to investment as Goldman’s basket of AI stocks soared over 90% this year (while businesses ‘at risk’ of AI’s impact rose 17% – helped by the everything rally in the last two months)…
Source: Bloomberg
Anti-Obesity Drugs – losing weight the easy way appealed to investors in 2023 as the GLP-1 analogs sparked a surge in biotech/pharma (and hurt food/beer stocks)…
Source: Bloomberg
Banks – SVB’s collapse in March sparked an exodus of deposits and demand for Fed bailouts. Regional bank stocks ended the year down just 8% having bounced back from being down around 40% in May (despite record usage of the Fed’s bailout facility)…
Source: Bloomberg
Meme Stocks – Retail favorites had a wild year but ended up 25% in 2023, the best year since 2020’s chaos, thanks again to the last two months of panic-buying, dash-for-trash trading after The Fed folded…
Source: Bloomberg
Cryptos – 2023 was a huge comeback year after 2022’s ‘existential threat’ moments from FTX to TerraUSD and so on. Of the larger coins, Solana massively outperformed – up around 1000% on the year – but bitcoin (+160%) and ethereum (+100%) also had big years…
Source: Bloomberg
Bonds – Global bonds ended the year with the largest two-month gain in history…
Source: Bloomberg
And that rally pulled the entire curve lower in yields on the year with the 5Y the biggest decliner, down 19bps on the year – after bloodbathing up around 100bps at its highs in October. Bear in mind that Fed Funds added 100bps this year and bond yields are all lower…
Source: Bloomberg
Liquidity – stocks did what they do: follow the money. As macro data disappointed, stocks charged ahead on a re-emerging wave of global liquidity…
Source: Bloomberg
Rate-cuts – It was a very volatile, flip-floppy year for The Fed and Fed-watchers as rate-cut expectations swung wildly from 160bps to less than 60bps to more than 160bps to just 70bps and now back to highs above 160bps (more than 6 cuts, when The Fed ‘dots’ are calling for 3)…
Source: Bloomberg
Additionally, the odds of a rate-cut as soon as March are now near 90% (up from less than 10% in September)…
Source: Bloomberg
Financial Conditions – The rally in bonds, stocks, and credit – and collapse in the dollar – since The Fed signaled the end of hikes prompted the most aggressive easing of financial conditions ever. Financial conditions are now as easy as they were in May 2022 – when Fed Funds was 300bps below current levels…
Source: Bloomberg
No Recession – expectations heading into 2023 was for a recession – it never came to pass on the backs of exponentially rising govt debt throughout the year and Fed jawboning that lifted macro data in the last month
Source: Bloomberg
Cash Is King – Money-market funds saw their largest annual inflows ever…
Source: Bloomberg
Gold – A weaker dollar, signals of loosening from The Fed, and a world on fire means no one should be surprised by gold’s great year, up almost 14% (best year since 2020) to a new all-time record high…
Source: Bloomberg
* * * Under the hood of the markets this year.
Equities
2023 ended on a down-note with all the US majors tumbling into the red for the week, erasing Santa Claus rally gains, but the afternoon saw dip-buyers return and rescue the weekly win-streak…
Both ‘Most Shorted’ stocks and the MAG7 were also hit…
Source: Bloomberg
Tech and Consumer Discretionary dominated the performance this year with Staples and Utes the biggest losers (Energy was the other losing sector on the year)…
Source: Bloomberg
Nvidia, Meta Platforms, and Royal Caribbean were the best-performing S&P 500 stocks in 2023 while FMC Corp, Enphase Energy, and Dollar General were the biggest losers…
Source: Bloomberg
While VIX was smashed to an 11 handle at its lows of the year (multi-year lows), it notably decoupled from stocks in the last few weeks
Source: Bloomberg
Small Caps outperformed Nasdaq in the first few months of the year, then the AI boom struck and Nasdaq exploded higher relative to Small Caps (as the latter was hit harder by soaring rates). The last month has seen dramatic outperformance of Small Caps, dragging the NDX/RTY ratio lower…
Source: Bloomberg
But, overall, Nasdaq’s dramatic outperformance this year lifted it to a new record high relative to Small Caps… and then fell back (as Small Caps outperformed) to the dotcom highs…
Source: Bloomberg
Bonds
Only the 2Y yield and earlier remain above 4.00%, but the curve is massively inverted from Fed Funds…
Source: Bloomberg
After 2022’s massive flattening/inversion of the yield curve, 2023 saw 2s30s actually end steeper (the first steepening year since 2020). The yield curve de-inverted a few times during the year but was unable to sustain it…
Source: Bloomberg
Real yields ended the year basically unchanged – after soaring to their highest since 2008 in October. Since then 10Y real yields have plummeted almost 100bps…
Source: Bloomberg
If S&P 500 valuations are to be believed, the market is expecting negative real yields again soon enough…
Source: Bloomberg
FX
The dollar ended lower against its fiat peers in 2023 (BBDXY -2.9%) – its biggest drop since 2020 back to pre-COVID-spike levels…
Source: Bloomberg
Swissy was the best performing currency (of the majors) against the dollar while Japan’s yen was the weakest.
Source: Bloomberg
The Swiss Franc soared to its best year since 2010 and its highest since 2011 (in the middle of the EU crisis)…
Source: Bloomberg
The Japanese Yen spent the first 10 months of 2023 plunging to its weakest against the dollar since 1990. Then as The Fed’s dovish pivot and BoJ’s hawkish jawboning picked up, the yen surged higher (finding support at Oct 2022 lows)…
Source: Bloomberg
Emerging Market currencies plummeted to their weakest ever (on an indexed level) against the USdollar at the start of October, but the last two months have seen EM FX recover notably as The Fed pivoted…
Source: Bloomberg
Cryptos
The big story of the year was the anticipation of a spot bitcoin ETF, and nowhere is that more clearly illustrated than in the collapse of the massive discount to NAV in GBTC…
Source: Bloomberg
Bitcoin’s rally in 2023 erased all of the ‘existential’ crisis crash losses from 2022 (FTX/TerraUSD/3AC etc.), up to its highest level since April 2022…
Source: Bloomberg
Ethereum did have a good year but only made it back to May 2022 highs…
Source: Bloomberg
ETH underperformed BTC all year until the last week or so that saw ETH/BTC bounce significantly off June 2022 support…
Source: Bloomberg
Commodities
The broad commodity landscape saw prices plunge in 2023 with Bloomberg’s Commodity Index down over 12% – its worst year since 2015…
Source: Bloomberg
And that plunge in (growthy) commodities is in direct conflict with the large gains in (growthy) stocks.
Gold outperformed among the major commodities (best year since 2020 – after two unchanged years) while crude fell YoY for the first time since 2020. NatGas was clubbed like a baby seal to start the year and never recovered for its worst year since 2001…
Source: Bloomberg
On an energy-equivalent basis, NatGas was systemically ‘cheap’ to WTI all year after the huge selloff in January…
Source: Bloomberg
The big gains in gold over the last two months reversed the outperformance of oil in the prior quarter, bring the Oil-in-Gold ratio (how many oz of gold to buy a barrel of oil) back down to a key support level in recent years…
Source: Bloomberg
And Finally…
If history rhymes, we can expect this buying-panic-gasm to continue into Q1 as it did in 2000…
Politically, next year is a big one which makes it noteworthy that for the third year in a row, foreign-born workers dominated all job gains with the native-born American labor force basically unchanged since Biden’s election…
Source: Bloomberg
This trend is not America’s friend…
Source: Bloomberg
China and Russia are dumping Bonds and buying Bullion.
And the market is starting to sniff it out. 2023 saw the biggest rise in the market’s perception of USA’s sovereign credit risk since the Lehman crisis in 2008…
Source: Bloomberg
Cloward, Piven, and Chomsky would be proud.
And on that note – happy new year!!
END
MORNING TRADING//
end
AFTERNOON TRADING
TUCKER CARLSON
II USA DATA.
Bank bailout fund at record highs
(zerohedge)
Bank Bailout Fund Usage Soars To Another Record High As 2023 Sees Greatest Annual Money-Market Inflows Ever
THURSDAY, DEC 28, 2023 – 04:40 PM
After two weeks of outflows, money-market funds returned to inflows in the week ending 12/27, adding $16.4BN to $5.89TN…
Source: Bloomberg
Which means 2023 saw the largest annual money-market inflow ever – a whopping $1.151TN. That is the seventh year in a row of annual MM inflows…
Source: Bloomberg
But, with recession odds declining rapidly, are we about to see MM outflows accelerate?
Source: Goldman Sachs
Retail money-market funds capped the year with yet another inflow (+$13.3BN) meaning there was only one weekly outflow from retail funds in 2023. Institutional funds saw a $3.4BN inflow also…
Source: Bloomberg
In a breakdown for the week to Dec. 27, government funds – which invest primarily in securities like Treasury bills, repurchase agreements and agency debt – saw assets rise to $4.81 trillion, an $18.9 billion gain.
Prime funds, which tend to invest in higher-risk assets such as commercial paper, meanwhile, saw assets fall to $951.4 billion, a $3.8 billion decrease.
“The big question is how overweight are investors in money markets,” Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco, said in a Bloomberg Television interview earlier this week.
“Some exposure makes sense. That’s part of being diversified. But there is significant overweight on the part of some investors and I do think that starts to come out.”
Interestingly, bank deposits are rising rapidly in the last few weeks as are money-market funds…
Source: Bloomberg
Notably, with year-end liquidity needs growing, the exodus from The Fed’s reverse-repo facility has stalled (for now)…
Source: Bloomberg
The Fed’s balance sheet shrank by $11.3BN last week to its lowest level since March 2021…
Source: Bloomberg
Usage of The Fed’s bank bailout facility rose by another $4.5BN last week to a new record high of $136BN…
Source: Bloomberg
But Regional bank shares don’t care…
Source: Bloomberg
The BTFP-Fed Arb continues to offer ‘free-money’ (and usage of the BTFP has risen by $26.7BN since the arb existed):
The rate on the Fed’s Bank Term Funding Program – which allows banks and credit unions to borrow funds for up to one year, pledging US Treasuries and agency debt as collateral valued at par – is the one-year overnight index swap rate plus 10 basis points.
That figure is currently 4.83%, down from 5.59% in September.
For institutions that have an account at the Fed, they can borrow from the BTFP at 4.83% and park that at the central bank to earn 5.40% – the interest on reserve balances.
Source: Bloomberg
The 57bp spread is the widest level since the Fed introduced the facility to support a struggling banking system after the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in New York.
Finally, equity market caps continue to soar after recoupling with bank reserves at The Fed (though the stalling in the drawdown of the RRP has slowed the expansion again this week in a bigger way)…
Source: Bloomberg
WTF are banks going to do when The Fed shuts down this ‘temporary’ bailout program in March?
end
Window dressing!
Treasuries Tumble After $1 Trillion Reverse Repo Drains $190BN In Liquidity, Index Change
BY TYLER DURDEN
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 01:55 PM
Earlier today, when discussing the sudden spike in the SOFR rate to an all time high 5.40% and which dragged the SOFR-Fed Funds spread to the highest since the March 2020 repo crisis…
… we said that “two factors are the likely culprits: the year-end liquidity crunch, and the recent sharp increase in the Fed’s reverse repo facility, which has increased from a multi-year low of $683 billion on Dec 15 to yesterday’s $830 billion, and which STIR strategists expect will shoot up above $1 trillion in today’s final for 2023 reverse repo operation as a whopping $300+ billion in short-term liquidity in pulled from markets in just days.”
Moments ago that’s precisely what happened when the NY Fed revealed that in the final reverse repo operation of 2023, 102 counterparties parked a whopping $1.018 trillion at the Fed in the now traditional year-end window dressing operation (yielding 5.30% or 10bps below the record high SOFR rate). This means that, as we speculated, over $300 billion in reserves had been drained by this operation in the past two weeks alone.
The flood of demand at the operation, which started at 12:45pm ET and whose results were announced at 1:15pm was likely leaked among the participants who were bracing for such an outcome, one which also explains the repricing of risk lower for much of this morning.
An additional factor for the sudden drop in bond prices may have been today’s month end index pricing which at 1pm, which as Bloomberg notes took place three hours earlier than normal because of the Sifma recommended 2pm close of trading for cash bonds. According to BBG calculations, the month-end change to the Treasury index was expected to extend duration by an estimated 0.06 year only, which is why it’s improbable that this was the driving factor, unless there had been a huge mismatch between what passive investors were expecting and the actual outcome, which is unlikely.
Still, between the index pricing and the liquidity drain, even a small sale order would have an outsized effect, and sure enough, one look at the 30Y future shows that that’s precisely what happened.
In yield terms the 30Y spiked 6bps from low of day to high of day, in seconds…
The flip side to all this, as noted earlier, is that on Jan 2 reverse repo is almost guaranteed to plunge back to $700BN or lower, substantially boosting system liquidity with a flood of reserves, a daily liquidity tango back and forth which will continue until some time in late March when the reverse repo facility is finally drained and the real funding squeeze can begin.
CHICAGO PMI…..
And The Final Economic Data-Point Of 2023 Is A Disaster
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 10:00 AM
Remember in November when Chicago PMI unexpected exploded higher, back above 50 to its highest since May 2022, prompting an array of self-reinforcing, goal-seeked “see, we told you so, the economy is awesome” narratives?
Well all that is now out the window as December’s Chicago PMI plunged back to earth – from 55.8 to 46.9 (back into contraction) and well below the expected level of 50…
Source: Bloomberg
That is the biggest MoM puke in Chicago PMI since April 2020 – the peak of the COVID lockdowns.
Under the hood, everything was a mess…
New orders fell and the direction reversed; signaling contraction
Employment fell and the direction reversed; signaling contraction
Inventories fell and the direction reversed; signaling contraction
Supplier deliveries rose at a slower pace; signaling expansion
Production rose at a slower pace; signaling expansion
Order backlogs fell at a faster pace; signaling contraction
Only 1 component rose in December – and that is not good news.
Prices paid rose at a faster pace; signaling expansion
2023 ended with ‘hard’ data unchanged – no ‘real’ economic progress. ‘Soft’ survey data has risen (as stocks soared) in the last two months, but recently (and confirmed by Chicago PMI), ‘soft’ data has started to crumble back to reality…
…and just like that, the final economic data-point of 2023 is a disaster… perfectly summing up Bidenomics.
III USA ECONOMIC COMMENTARIES
END
IIIB USA COMMENTARIES RE ISRAEL/HAMAS WAR/ and PERVASIVE ANTISEMITISM/WOKISM
Harvard Academics Were Slamming Scandal-Plagued Claudine Gay Long Before Plagiarism Accusations
FRIDAY, DEC 29, 2023 – 12:40 PM
The Wall Street Journal just published a sympathetic piece on Harvard President Claudine Gay, painting her as the victim of a hit jobby ‘detractors who were skeptical of her work and qualifications,’ and who used her ham-fisted response to antisemitism on campus to pounce on Gay, who is both #Stunning and #Brave.
Fluffing intensifies:
From the time she began carving her path through the most elite private schools in the nation to the presidency of Harvard University, Claudine Gay earned plaudits and promotions.
She also amassed detractors who were skeptical of her work and qualifications and outraged by what they saw as the political decisions she made as an increasingly powerful administrator. -WSJ
Yes, she was the gold standard until she injected woke politics into Harvard.
Buried about halfway down, the Journal describes how “For years people who identify themselves as academics have aired their resentments and grievances toward Gay on publicly accessible chat boards like the econjobrumors blog and Political Science Rumors,” adding “As Gay rose in prominence the posts about her became more frequent and negative—but they also held some truth.”
The Journal then notes that with generally limited opportunities in academia, bright and competitive scholars are often passed over for the job they think they deserve – and take to said chat boards to bitch. According to Harvard professor of government and African-American studies, Jennifer Hochschild – who has worked with Gay, the message boards can be “toxic.”
“When I was department chair, I sent out notices to my grad students saying, ‘Don’t read these things,’” she said. “There’s a huge negative slant, there’s a piling-on process and tremendous disaffection.”
According to Hochschild, women are disproportionately targeted(see! It’s not the plagiarism, or even the botched study that landed her major tenure at Stanford. It’s sexism…). Others, of course, say there is a ‘double standard for black women in power (see! It’s racism too!). The Journal cites a 2022 McKinsey report that found that black female leaders are more likely to have people question their competence compared with others. (Maybe being a giant woke plagiarist has something to do with it in this case?).
Longstanding Accusations of Plagiarism
Long before journalist Chris Rufo ‘seized and pounced’ (per wsj) on Gay for plagiarism, Harvard academics lodged frequent complaints against Gay, including accusations that she’s a serial plagiarist.
“Whole sentences in her literature review lifted off original sources with no quotation marks,” wrote one anonymous poster who went by “Economist 1f7f” on econjobrumors.com 11 months ago.
“The corporation has to do their homework in the sense that when they make a choice for a leader, they have to look at the entire background of that leader,” said Harvard professor of physics, Avi Loeb. “That’s their responsibility because otherwise, you risk getting into a situation that we’re in right now.”
Alongside rumors of plagiarizing, critics condemned Gay’s publication record as too thin to have earned consideration for the presidency. She has published 11 papers and no books. Her H-Index, which attempts to measure both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar, is an 11, according to Elsevier, an academic publishing company. By comparison, Dartmouth President Sian Beilock, who is younger than Gay, has an H-Index of 54.
Critics online and on campus took issue with her performance as dean of faculty, which began in 2018, with some saying she lowered Harvard’s standards by indulging a political agenda to attract more faculty of color. They also said she weakened Harvard’s position on academic freedom by censoring conservative points of view. -WSJ
And then, Gay came under fire after Dec. 5 Congressional testimony in which she refused to condemn pro-Palestinian protesters on campus calling for ‘intifada’ (an uprising, not a genocide) against Israel, during which Jewish students on campus felt threatened.
At that moment, Chris Rufo dropped bombshell evidence of Gay’s extensive plagiarism – which Harvard would later review and deem ‘no big deal.’
Rufo, who has advocated against critical race theory and believes universities are advancing a damaging left-wing ideology, received an anonymous file of about 40 pages with side-by-side highlighted passages detailing the alleged plagiarism. He said he knew immediately “that this is a weapon of war.”
“I think the entire corporation needs to resign as well as President Gay,” Rufo said in an interview. “I would be happy to join the corporation to help turn it around.”
end
FREIGHT ISSUES/USA
END
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON
end
USA// COVID//VACCINE/
end
SWAMP STORIES
totally absurd!!
Democrat Secretary Of State Kicks Trump Off Maine Ballot
THURSDAY, DEC 28, 2023 – 07:40 PM
A day after former president Trump’s lawyers demanded the Maine secretary of state recuse herself from her upcoming decision on the former president’s ballot eligibility under the 14th Amendment – citing her past statements about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot; Shenna Bellows – a Democrat – has kicked Trump off the state’s primary ballot.
The letter from Trump’s lawyers seeking Bellows’ recusal cites two social media posts Bellows issued the day Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment trial, which concerned the Capitol riot.
“The Jan 6 insurrection was an unlawful attempt to overthrow the results of a free and fair election. Today 57 Senators including King & Collins found Trump guilty. That’s short of impeachment but nevertheless an indictment. The insurrectionists failed, and democracy prevailed,” Bellows wrote on Twitter, the platform now known as X.
The letter also takes aim at a post Bellows issued on the one-year anniversary of Jan. 6, in which she reposted a news report highlighting Bellows’s efforts to protect election workers.
“One year after the violent insurrection, it’s important to do all we can to safeguard our elections,” Bellows wrote.
Thus, the lawyers argued, Bellows “has already passed judgment” on Trump’s “core assumptions.”
But, as The Hill reports, unlike other states, where plaintiffs have sued over Trump’s eligibility in court, Maine’s system first allows the secretary of state to weigh in – unilaterally, Judge Dredd-style.
Challengers can then appeal in state court.
Bellows determined that the former president could not run for office due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
She argued his actions violated the 14th Amendment.
Maine is now the second state to bar the president citing 14th Amendment claims, following Colorado’s Supreme Court decision.
As we noted previously, the question will ultimately be decided by the US Supreme Court, which constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley says “will be overturned because it is wrong on the history and the language of the 14th Amendment.”
As I have previously written, the disqualification of Trump is based on the use of a long-dormant provision in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
After the Civil War, House members were outraged to see Alexander Stephens, the Confederate vice president, seeking to take the oath with an array of other former Confederate senators and military officers.
They had all previously taken the same oath and then violated it to join a secession movement that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
That was a true rebellion.
January 6, 2021, was a riot.
As a reminder, Maine has only four electoral votes but it’s one of two states to split them, and Trump won one of Maine’s electors in 2020.
Caden Pearson reports at The Epoch Times that the Trump campaign issued a statement denouncing the decision, vowing to move quickly to fight the Maine secretary of state’s “atrocious decision” in state court to prevent it from taking effect.
“The Maine Secretary of State is a former ACLU attorney, a virulent leftist, and a hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat who has decided to interfere in the presidential election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden,” said Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung.
“We are witnessing, in real-time, the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of the American voter. Democrats in blue states are recklessly and un-Constitutionally suspending the civil rights of the American voters by attempting to summarily remove President Trump’s name from the ballot.
“Make no mistake, these partisan election interference efforts are a hostile assault on American democracy. Biden and the Democrats simply do not trust the American voter in a free and fair election and are now relying on the force of government institutions to protect their grip on power,” he added.
Mr. Cheung noted that state and federal courts in Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Arizona, Florida, Rhode Island, and West Virginia, along with 10 more federal jurisdictions, have rejected “these bad-faith, bogus 14th Amendment ballot challenges.”
“We know both the Constitution and the American people are on our side in this fight. President Trump’s dominating campaign has a commanding lead in the polls that has dramatically expanded as Crooked Joe Biden’s presidency continues to fail,” the Trump campaign spokesperson added.
“We will quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in Maine from taking effect, and President Trump will never stop fighting to Make America Great Again.”
Jason Meister, a member of President Trump’s campaign advisory panel in New York, told The Epoch Times that the Maine action would fail.
“These 14th amendment challenges are last gasping breaths of a dying party,” he said.
Isn’t it the very definition of ‘tyranny‘ that one person unilaterally decides that the residents of Maine do not deserve democracy?
All of which means, as Ben Shapiro wrote earlier, that “2024 is going to be the most insane and ugly presidential election in American history. And that’s saying a lot, since 1968 and 2020 are both years that existed. Under what circumstances, precisely, would Democrats accept the result of a Trump election? Under what circumstances, precisely, would Republicans accept the result of a Biden election?”
“The weaponization of the legal system creates an all-consuming fire, burning everything in its path. There is simply no 2024 result likely to result in anything but complete—and perhaps violent—chaos at this point.”
END
Crazy!!
“Expect To Be Shot”, Ohio Prosecutor Tells Would-Be Store Looters
THURSDAY, DEC 28, 2023 – 06:50 PM
Hamilton County Ohio Prosecutor Melissa Powers was forced to weigh in on the issue of self-defense during robbery attempts after indicting a smoke shop manager who allegedly shot a 16 year old boy to death after he attempted to rob the store.
The manager of the store, 29 year old Tony Thacker, shot the would-be robber on his way running out of the store, prompting the prosecutor to bring charges. But her comments also came with a stern warning to looters.
“There is simply no justification for shooting at someone as they are running away,” she said in a statement reported by the NY Post and the Cincinnati Enquirer. “However, I want to make perfectly clear — these retail thefts will not be tolerated. If you try to rob a store, you should expect to be shot.”
Thacker was inside the store when numerous people threw rocks through the front window to gain entry, the report says. Thacker lived in the back of the business and, when he went to investigate, found a 16 year old and a 19 year old.
Thacker wasn’t allowed to own a firearm due to a previous felony he received as a child. Nonetheless, he shot the 16 year old and continued to shoot at the other suspects before they attempted to leave the scene in stolen vehicles.
Prosecutor Melissa Powers
The manager than reportedly tried to disable the store’s alarm and hide the shell casings, the report says. He was indicted on charges of felonious assault, tampering with evidence and illegal possession of a firearm and his brother, who helped with the attempted cover up, was charged with tampering with evidence.
The 19 year old faces potential life in prison and is facing charges of murder, burglary and possession of criminal tools. Three other suspects were also arrested, the report says. They also face murder and burglary charges.
THE KING REPORT
The King Report December 29, 2023 Issue 7149
Independent View of the News
Global Bond ‘Carnival’ Sets Stage for Record Two Months – BBGThe Bloomberg Global Aggregate Total Return Index has risen nearly 10% over November and December, its best two-month run in data going back to 1990… @zerohedge: Didn’t get filled on your bond bid today? Don’t worry you will get your chance: there is $1.9 Trillion of net treasury coupon supply in 24 vs ~$1 Trillion in 23. That’s double the supply on deck, and it’s all uphill from there. https://t.co/MfKnKzBmYE Yes, Virginia, ‘The Best & The Brightest’ along with the ‘Masters of the Universe’ are incontinently pouring into bonds while the supply of bonds and debt explodes higher. The Biden Administration Is Quietly Shifting Its Strategy in Ukraine – PoliticoThe Biden administration and European officials are quietly shifting their focus from supporting Ukraine’s goal of total victory over Russia to improving its position in an eventual negotiation to end the war, according to a Biden administration official and a European diplomat based in Washington. Such a negotiation would likely mean giving up parts of Ukraine to Russia… For Biden, navigating the nearly two-year-old war in the middle of a tough election campaign — with former President Donald Trump and other Republican candidates openly mocking his efforts — will prove tricky at best. As it helps Ukraine shift to a more defensive posture, the Biden administration can’t appear to be handing the advantage to Putin after insisting since the war began in February 2022 that it stands fully behind Zelenskyy’s pledge of victory over Moscow…https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/27/biden-endgame-ukraine-00133211?s=02 @ZaidJilani: The White House signals… that the war in Ukraine will end through negotiation, probably by giving up territory, something which if you said 6 months ago made you Putin’s right hand man @I_Katchanovski: Wow! Ukraine Ambassador Chalyi, who participated in peace talks with Russia in Spring 2022, states that “we concluded” “Istanbul Communique” & “were very close in… April to finalize our war with some peaceful settlement” & that Putin “tried everything possible to conclude agreement with Ukraine.” He says that it was Putin’s “personal decision to accept the text of this communique.” Such peace deal framework to end war was also confirmed by head of Ukrainian delegation, officials close to Zelensky, ex-Israeli PM, ex-German chancellor, Putin, Turkish FM, former US officials & Arestovych. First five stated that deal was blocked by US/UK.https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1740231338546864453 @seanmdav: It was obvious from the beginning this would only end with a negotiated settlement that included Russia claiming a large swath of land. That settlement could’ve been agreed to years ago, before hundreds of thousands of people were killed… And the only reason they were sent into the meat grinder is because a bunch of politicians in Washington and London decided years of death and misery were worth it because a profit could be made for their benefactors in the military-industrial… Lindsey Graham was happy to fight to the last Ukrainian. Mitch McConnell all but said wiping out a generation of Ukrainian men was a worthwhile trade for rebuilding America’s defense industry. Major national newspapers and networks published and broadcast that propaganda in both their news and editorial products. Joe Biden and the remnants of the Obama administration decided Zelensky had to be protected at any cost because of all the money that flowed to the Biden family through Ukraine…ESHs rallied sharply from 18:45 ET until they hit the daily high of 4841.50 at 21:09 ET. ESHs then made a triple top over the next 45 minutes. ESHs then traded in a 3-handle range until they broke down after the 3:00 ET European opening. ESHs hit a bottom of 4831.25 at 5:54 ET. From that point on, ESHs gyrated wildly in an increasing range (megaphone pattern) into the NYSE close. The ESH daily low of 4828.00 appeared one minute before the NYSE close. Someone then manipulated ESHs 5 handles higher at the close. Positive aspects of previous sessionThe DJIA made an all-time highGold and silver declined moderately Negative aspects of previous sessionUSHs were -24/32 at the NYSE closeThe DJTA, Nasdaq, the Nasdaq 100, and the NY Fang+ Index declined modestly Ambiguous aspects of previous sessionHas trader liquidation commenced? First Hour/Last Hour Action [S&P 500 Index]: 1st Hour from NYSE Open: Up;Last Hour: DownPivot Point for S&P 500 Index [above/below indicates daily trend to traders]: 4785.88Previous session S&P 500 Index High/Low: 4793.30; 4780.98Google, Meta, other tech giants slash DEI-related jobs, resource groups in 2023: report Devika Brij, CEO of Brij the Gap Consulting, which works with tech companies’ DEI efforts, told CNBC that some companies have cut nearly 90% of their DEI budget by midyear 2023… https://t.co/Scn1lOINKFApple Watch ban will boost Biden mega-donor whom president calls ‘one of my closest friends’Joe Kiani, the multimillionaire founder and CEO of Masimo, has donated millions to Democrats and is a particularly close supporter of Biden, with donations including $1 million to his Biden Foundation. But his legal war with Apple led to the US International Trade Commission ruling that its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models breached Masimo’s patent for blood-oxygen level reading technology, and that importing them should be banned…https://nypost.com/2023/12/28/news/apple-watch-ban-will-boost-joe-biden-mega-donor-joe-kiani/ Fed Balance Sheet: -$11.282B with MBS -$11.719B; Reserves -$89.646B Today – The Santa Rally window is still open. However, the last day of a year is a total crapshoot. There is no telling what large entities want or need to do at yearend. There could be significant liquidation or determined performance gaming. Nasdaq has been down 16 of the past 22 final sessions of the year. Though the usual suspects have been trying to goose the stocks the past two sessions, someone has been liquidating into the rallies. This liquidation is likely to be more urgent for yearend. ESHs are +2.75; USHs are +1/32; and Feb AU is -5.80 at 20:17 ET. Expected economic data: De Chicago PMI 50.0 S&P 500 Index 50-day MA: 4494; 100-day MA: 4446; 150-day MA: 4436; 200-day MA: 4349DJIA 50-day MA: 35,211; 100-day MA: 34,751; 150-day MA: 34,607; 200-day MA: 34,270(Green is positive slope; Red is negative slope) S&P 500 Index – Trender trading model and MACD for key time framesMonthly: Trender andMACD arepositive – a close below 3919.56 triggers a sell signalWeekly: Trender andMACD arepositive – a close below 4432.43 triggers a sell signalDaily: Trender and MACD arepositive – a close below 4703.38 triggers a sell signalHourly: Trender and MACD arepositive – a close below 4775.61 triggers a sell signal NYT Pollster: Donald Trump Seen as the Return to Normalcy CandidateVoters perceive Donald Trump as the return to normalcy candidate after Joe Biden failed to “put things back in order,” pollster and NYT columnist Kristen Soltis Anderson wrote…https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2023/12/27/nyt-pollster-donald-trump-seen-as-return-to-normalcy-candidate/Colorado Secretary of State says Trump is BACK on the ballot unless the Supreme Court rules he should be disqualified https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12907741/Trump-Colorado-ballot-unless-Supreme-Court-disqualifies.htmlMaine’s Democratic secretary of state removes Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause — AP Donald Trump’s 2024 Vice President – The Last RefugeFor the unique nature of the 2024 election, the VP pick technically becomes the 2028 MAGA candidate by default and general intention. Therefore, the selection of Trump’s running mate holds a greater weight of importance given the single term objective. The primary factor of President Trump’s pick for VP should be, who will be the 2028 nominee…https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/12/25/donald-trumps-2024-vice-president/ Nikki Haley self-immolated her presidential campaign on Wednesday night when she refused to say that slavery was the cause of the US Civil War – and then tried to BS her way out of the faux pas. @CBSNews: Nikki Haley did not mention slavery when a voter at a New Hampshire campaign event asked her what the cause of the Civil War was, instead saying it was about “how government was going to run” and “what people could and couldn’t do.”https://t.co/srBkAo1OVR @AnnCoulter: The donors are willing to saddle us with a complete bimbo as long as she doesn’t mention transgenders and promises to start a lot of wars. WPTV: ‘Nikki Haley asked what caused Civil War, did not mention slavery.” The donors sure can pick ’em…I’m now for a confiscatory wealth tax. I don’t care if it destroys the country, as long as it destroys the donors. Jamie Dimon apparently isn’t as smart as he thinks he is when it comes to picking presidential timber. @SteveDeaceShow: Nikki Haley really is the perfect embodiment of the GOP establishment. Betrays her southern base by removing the confederate flag as governor, but then turns around and can’t give a Republican president credit for ending slavery. Establishment is always the worst of both worlds. @ggreenwald: If any other candidate refused to say “slavery” and glorified the Civil War this way, CNN would have declared a national racism emergency. But because DC elites are so desperate for Nikki Haley, watch CNN blame the voter for asking, then say her imperfect answer doesn’t matter: @MichaelMule: Fellow Americans are seeing what South Carolinians have always known: @NikkiHaley can’t speak beyond scripted talking points. What she tells you today, she will walk back tomorrow and is different than what she’s done in the past. She stands for nothing beyond personal ambition. @DeSantisWarRoom: CLEANUP ON AISLE 5 – Listen: Haley embarrassingly attempts to walk back her Civil War flub, explains that she couldn’t answer the simple question because the voter was a “Democrat plant.” https://twitter.com/DeSantisWarRoom/status/1740395660816625963 Fox: Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down NY World Trade Center entranceNYPD bracing for pro-Palestinian protest at New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Squarehttps://t.co/5LvVZKYQSVRetailers at migrant-filled Roosevelt Hotel dwindle, demand lower rent as sales plungehttps://trib.al/q9jIgVy @TuckerCarlson: The Biden administration is importing millions of third world immigrants to live here illegally, and at same time telling them that white people are the source of their problems. How’s that going to work out in the end?Illegal Immigrants with Anchor Babies Using Up More Welfare Than American Citizens: Reporthttps://t.co/zVAQcCBidW @EndWokeness: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson warns that every city service is on the verge of collapse thanks to the illegalshttps://t.co/pLwYS6Kak2Illinois NAACP President Teresa Haley: “These immigrants come over here and are rapíng, breaking into homes… they are like savages as well” She was just suspended over this video. https://t.co/sb5AAKewan @Bubblebathgirl: NYC Mayor Eric Adams just said his city council is suggesting legalizing prostitution and open air drug use to deal with the mounting crime. https://twitter.com/Bubblebathgirl/status/1739760061348458888 @EndWokeness: Ronald Reagan signed the death warrant of the GOP when he signed the Immigration R.A.C. Act of 1986. With a stroke of a pen, President Reagan granted citizenship to millions of illegals, permanently flipping California blue. His last speech as president in 1989 was a warning against closing our borders from growing tides of mass immigration. https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1740454744135540903 @gopher_marc: Ronald Reagan signed the Amnesty bill, in 1986, legalizing millions of illegal aliens. In return, Democrat House Speaker Tip O’Neill promised to seal the border and end illegal immigration. Tip O’Neill lied. Let that be a lesson to never trust a Democrat. We wish you a Healthy and Happy New Year!
In this last Weekly News Wrap-Up of 2023, I stand back and look at the biggest unstoppable trends coming in 2024. They are in no particular order:
War will continue in various spots around the world especially in the Middle East.
Democrats divide themselves on massive illegal immigration, economy and Israel.
Revelations about voter fraud and desperation over Trump winning in 2024 reach a peak.
Economy tanks in 2024 so badly, everybody will know it’s a massive depression.
Nothing will stop the wake-up call for the CV19 bioweapon shots designed to make people sick and murder them. At least 700 million Cv19 injections were given in USA alone. The CV19 shots were “intentionally toxic,” and nearly everybody will finally realize this–even Senator Bernie Sanders.
There is much more in the 38-minute newscast.
Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he talks about these stories and more in the Weekly News Wrap-Up for 12.29.23.
A terrorist from the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is seen inside a military tunnel in Beit Hanun, in the Gaza Strip.(photo credit: ATTIA MUHAMMED/FLASH90)![posts[i].image.ImageName (photo credit: ATTIA MUHAMMED/FLASH90)](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NauAevQzsoAqbsL-SCcFiXvFOP-jRjy5HGVFVJ84GkcIbndJ1Lnhd6Rh6Pzk1-m6F14MQN8XlkUEGUxYhHLyF-o77FZSmkRjPFLy8FSFSApBZAO4S1rjc2ewL80PC7LgXinx3vrMjGsfyyE=s0-d-e1-ft#https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/567651)
Exposing The Darkness
harveyorganblog.com 
