GOLD PRICE CLOSED: UP $0.40 TO $2035.60

SILVER PRICE DOWN 18 CENTS TO $22.27

Gold ACCESS CLOSED 2034.00

Silver ACCESS CLOSED: 22.19

Bitcoin morning price:, 43,043 DOWN 91 DOLLARS

Bitcoin: afternoon price: $44,007 UP 873 dollars

Platinum price closing $882.45 DOWN $21.45

Palladium price; $900.00 DOWN 47.80

END

A Hospital in Russia which specializes in treating Senior Citizens who suffer from Dementia, has new advertising posters showing . . . . Joe Biden

Biden supporters in the US have allegedly responded with a poster of their own:

SHANGHAI GOLD PREMIUM 43 DOLLARS/COMEX GOLD

SHANGHAI GOLD (USD) FUTURES – QUOTES

Beginning Monday, April 1, 2024, CME Group settlement data will no longer be accessible through ftp.cmegroup.com and will have a delayed publication time of 12:00 a.m. CT on all cmegroup.com web pages. Learn about alternate ways to access the data in our FAQ.

Last Updated 07 Feb 2024 09:27:40 AM CT.

Market data is delayed by at least 10 minutes.

LAST	CHANGE	PRIOR SETTLE	OPEN	HIGH	LOW	VOLUME	UPDATED
–	–	2076.6	–	–	–	0	08:50:01 CT 07 Feb 2024
–	–	2087.1	–	–	–	0	08:50:01 CT 07 Feb 2024
2092.3	+5.3 (+0.25%)	2087.0	2093.8	2093.8	2090.9	128	08:50:01 CT 07 Feb 2024
–	–	–	–	–	–	0	–
–	–	2098.6	–	–	–	0	08:50:01 CT 07 Feb 2024
–	–	2099.2	–	–	–	0	08:50:01 CT 07 Feb 2024
–	–	2099.8	–	–	–	0	08:50:01 CT 07 Feb 2024
–	–	2100.4	–	–	–	0	08:50:01 CT 07 Feb 2024
–	–	–	–	–	–	0	–

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

4: 15 PM ACCESS

*CANADIAN GOLD: $2,738.55 DOWN 6.75 CDN dollars per oz( * NEW ALL TIME HIGH 2,795.90 CDN DOLLARS PER OZ//DEC 1 2023)

*BRITISH GOLD: 1610.77 DOWN 5.10 pounds per oz// *(NEW ALL TIME HIGH//CLOSING///1655.17 BRITISH POUNDS/OZ) OCT 2/2023

*EURO GOLD: 1888.01 DOWN 4.90 euros per oz //* (ALL TIME CLOSING HIGH: 1903.75 EUROS PER OZ//DEC 1.2023)

DONATE

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EXCHANGE: COMEX

EXCHANGE: COMEX
CONTRACT: FEBRUARY 2024 COMEX 100 GOLD FUTURES
SETTLEMENT: 2,034.500000000 USD
INTENT DATE: 02/06/2024 DELIVERY DATE: 02/08/2024
FIRM ORG FIRM NAME ISSUED STOPPED

132 C SG AMERICAS 74
190 H BMO CAPITAL 1
363 H WELLS FARGO SEC 132
435 H SCOTIA CAPITAL 44
624 H BOFA SECURITIES 188
657 C MORGAN STANLEY 17
661 C JP MORGAN 1
690 C ABN AMRO 11
737 C ADVANTAGE 1
845 C GOLDMAN SACHS C 5

TOTAL: 237 237
MONTH TO DATE: 16,388

JPMorgan stopped 1/237 contracts.

FOR FEB.:

GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR FEB/2024. CONTRACT: 237 NOTICES FOR 23,700 OZ or 0.7371 TNNES

total notices so far: 16,388 contracts for 1,638,800 Oz (50.973 tonnes)
FOR FEBRUARY:

SILVER NOTICES 396 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR 1,980,000 OZ/

total number of notices filed so far this month : 1058 for 5,290,000 oz

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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END

BOTH GLD AND SLV ARE FRAUDULENT VEHICLES//THEY ARE NOW RAIDING GLD AND SLV FOR PHYSICAL

GLD

WITH GOLD UP $0.40

INVESTORS SWITCHING TO SPROTT PHYSICAL (PHYS) INSTEAD OF THE FRAUDULENT GLD/ : HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 4.04 TONNES FROM THE GLD/

INVENTORY RESTS AT 847.69 TONNES

SLV//

WITH NO SILVER AROUND AND SILVER DOWN 18 CENTS AT THE SLV//

HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV AGAIN: A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 4.85 MILLION OZ INTO THESLV

INVESTORS ARE SWITCHING SLV TO SPROTT’S PSLV.

CLOSING INVENTORY: 439.444 MILLION OZ

Let us have a look at the data for today

SILVER//OUTLINE

SILVER COMEX OI ROSE BY A MEGA HUMONGOUS SIZED 2,891 CONTRACTS TO 147,333 AND CLOSER TO THE RECORD HIGH OI OF 244,710, SET FEB 25/2020 AND THIS FAIR SIZED GAIN IN COMEX OI WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH OUR SMALL GAIN OF $0.11 IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX ON TUESDAY. WE HAD A ZERO LONG LIQUIDATION AT THE COMEX SESSION BUT ATTEMPTED AND FAILED SHORT COVERING AS THE OPEN INTEREST ROSE APPRECIABLY. WE HAD A STRONG 676 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 TUESDAY NIGHT: 676 CONTRACTS. DESPITE MANY COMPLAINTS THAT THE CROOKS HAVE VIOLATED POSITION LIMITS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE TAS ISSUED HAVE A VALUE OF ZERO (AS TO POSITION LIMITS FOR OUR CROOKED BANKERS). THE PROBLEM OF COURSE IS THAT THE CROOKS DO NOT LIQUIDATE THE TAS TOGETHER BUT SELL THE BUY SIDE FIRST AND THEN LIQUIDATE THE SELL SIDE TWO MONTHS HENCE. IT IS OBVIOUS MANIPULATION TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE BUT IT NATURALLY FELL ON DEAF EARS WITH OUR REGULATORS (OCC) WHEN THEY RECEIVED OUR COMPLAINTS. IT THUS LOOKS LIKE THE FED (GOV’T) IS BEHIND ALL OF THESE TRADES.

WE HAVE NOW SET ANOTHER RECORD LOW AT 114,102 CONTRACTS ///JULY 3.2023// OUR BANKERS WITH THE HELP OF SPECULATORS AND HIGH FREQUENCY TRADERS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING THE PRICE OF SILVER DOWN (IT ROSE BY $0.11), AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING ANY SILVER LONGS AS WE HAD A MEGA HUMONGOUS SIZED GAIN OF 3939 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES.

WE MUST HAVE HAD:

A HUGE SIZED 900 ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS) iiii) AN INITIAL SILVER STANDING FOR COMEX SILVER MEASURING AT 3.535 MILLION OZ (FIRST DAY NOTICE) ACCOMPANYING A STRANGE 89 CONTRACT ISSUANCE FOR EX. FOR RISK FOR 445,000 OZ ON FIRST DAY NOTICE/ FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S HUGE 1,970,000 OZ QUEUE JUMP//NEW TOTAL; 6.15 MILLION OZ

//NEW STANDING FOR SILVER IS THUS 6.15 MILLION OZ

/ HUMONGOUS SIZED COMEX OI GAIN/HUGE SIZED EFP ISSUANCE/ VI) STRONG SIZED NUMBER OF T.A.S. CONTRACT ISSUANCE 676 CONTRACTS)/

I AM NOW RECORDING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN OI FROM PRELIMINARY TO FINAL -REMOVED 148 CONTRACTS //

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

TOTAL CONTRACTS for 5 days, total 3036 contracts: OR 15.180 MILLION OZ (607 CONTRACTS PER DAY)

TOTAL EFP’S FOR THE MONTH SO FAR: 15.180 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/

JAN ’24 : 78.655 MILLION OZ//

FEB /2024 : 15.180 MILLION OZ.

RESULT: WE HAD A HUMONGOUS SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 2891 CONTRACTS WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE OF SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX//TUESDAY.,. THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A HUGE EFP ISSUANCE CONTRACTS: 900 ISSUED FOR MARCH 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 FEB. OF 3.535 MILLION OZ ACCOMPANIED BY FIRST DAY NOTICE OF 445,000 OZ EX. FOR RISK FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S 1,970,000 OZ QUEUE JUMP //NEW TOTAL 6.15 MILLION OZ

NEW STANDING 6.15 MILLION OZ /// WE HAVE A MEGA HUMONGOUS GAIN OF 3939 OI CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES WITH THE SMALL GAIN IN PRICE. THE TOTAL OF TAS INITIATED CONTRACTS TODAY: A STRONG SIZED 676 CONTRACTS//HUGE FRONT END OF THE TAS CONTRACTS WERE LIQUIDATED DURING THE TUESDAY COMEX SESSION/// WITH ATTEMPTED AND FAILED SHORT COVERING FROM OUR SPEC SHORTS (OPEN INTEREST ROSE DRAMATICALLY AGAIN) . THE NEW TAS ISSUANCE TUESDAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT (676) WILL BE PUT INTO “THE BANK” TO BE COLLUSIVELY USED AT A LATER DATE//PROBABLY TODAY., .

WE HAD 396 NOTICE(S) FILED TODAY FOR 1,980,000 OZ

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

GOLD//OUTLINE

IN GOLD, THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST ROSE BY A FAIR SIZED 1092 CONTRACTS TO 419,121 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: – added 79 CONTRACTS

WE HAD A FAIR SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI ( 1092 CONTRACTS) WITH OUR $8.35 GAIN IN PRICE//TUESDAY. WE ALSO HAD A RATHER LARGE INITIAL STANDING IN GOLD TONNAGE FOR FEB. AT 49.773 TONNES ON FIRST DAY NOTICE ACCOMPANIED BY FIRST DAY NOTICE : 55,400 OZ EX. FOR RISK //THUS INITIAL STANDING FOR FEB: 51.494 TONNES FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S 13,300 OZ QUEUE JUMP//NEW TOTAL OF GOLD STANDING: 54.132 TONNES // ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WITH OUR $8.35 GAIN IN PRICE WITH RESPECT TO TUESDAY’S TRADING. WE HAD A FAIR SIZED GAIN OF 3769 OI CONTRACTS (11.723) PAPER TONNES) ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES.

E.F.P. ISSUANCE

THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A STRONG SIZED 2677 CONTRACTS:

The NEW COMEX OI FOR THE GOLD COMPLEX RESTS AT 419,042

IN ESSENCE WE HAVE A FAIR SIZED INCREASE IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 3769 CONTRACTS WITH 1092 CONTRACTS INCREASED AT THE COMEX// AND A STRONG SIZED 2677 EFP OI CONTRACTS WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS TOTAL OI GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 3769 CONTRACTS.. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING TAS CONTRACTS INITIATED (ISSUED): A FAIR SIZED 1075 CONTRACTS.

CALCULATIONS ON GAIN/LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES

WE HAD A STRONG SIZED ISSUANCE IN EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS (2677 CONTRACTS) ACCOMPANYING THE SMALL SIZED GAIN IN COMEX OI (1013) //TOTAL GAIN FOR OUR THE TWO EXCHANGES: 3,769 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 FEB. AT 49.773 TONNES PLUS FIRST DAY NOTICE OF 1.723 TONNE OZ EX. FOR RISK FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S 13,300 OZ QUEUE JUMP//NEW STANDING 54.132 TONNES. / 3) ZERO LONG LIQUIDATION // 4) FAIR SIZED COMEX OPEN INTEREST GAIN/ 5) STRONG ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL PAPER///6: FAIR T.A.S. ISSUANCE: 1075 CONTRACTS

HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS IN 2023-2024 INCLUDING TODAY

FEB.

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

TOTAL EFP CONTRACTS ISSUED: 22,590 CONTRACTS OR 2,259,000 OZ OR 70.264 TONNES IN 5 TRADING DAY(S) AND THUS AVERAGING: 4518 EFP CONTRACTS PER TRADING DAY

TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO THE SIZE OF THESE EFP TRANSFERS : THIS MONTH IN 5 TRADING DAY(S) IN TONNES 70.264 TONNES

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

THUS EFP TRANSFERS REPRESENTS 70.264/3550 x 100% TONNES 1,97% OF GLOBAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION

ACCUMULATION OF GOLD EFP’S YEAR 2021 TO 2023

JANUARY/2021: 265.26 TONNES (RAPIDLY INCREASING AGAIN)

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

MARCH:. 276.50 TONNES (STRONG AGAIN/

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

MAY: 250.15 TONNES (NOW DRAMATICALLY INCREASING AGAIN)

JUNE: 247.54 TONNES (FINAL)

JULY: 188.73 TONNES FINAL

AUGUST: 217.89 TONNES FINAL ISSUANCE.

SEPT 142.12 TONNES FINAL ISSUANCE ( LOW ISSUANCE)_

OCT: 141.13 TONNES FINAL ISSUANCE (LOW ISSUANCE)

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

DEC. 175.62 TONNES//FINAL ISSUANCE//

TOTALS: 2,578.08 TONNES/2021

JAN:2022 247.25 TONNES //FINAL

FEB: 196.04 TONNES//FINAL

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

APRIL: 169.55 TONNES (FINAL VERY LOW ISSUANCE MONTH)

MAY: 247.44 TONNES FINAL//

JUNE: 238.13 TONNES FINAL

JULY: 378.43 TONNES FINAL

AUGUST: 180.81 TONNES FINAL

SEPT. 193.16 TONNES FINAL

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

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

DEC: 185.59 tonnes // FINAL

TOTAL: 2,847,25 TONNES/2022

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

FEB: 151.61 TONNES/FINAL

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

APRIL: 197.42 TONNES

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

JUNE: 172.667 TONNES (WEAKER ISSUANCE THIS MONTH)

JULY: 151.69 TONNES (WEAKER THAN LAST MONTH)

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

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

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

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

DEC. 213.704 TONNES. A STRONG MONTH//

TOTAL FOR YEAR 2023: 2,569.57 TONNES VS 2578 TONNES LAST YEAR

JAN ’24: 291.76 TONNES (WILL BE MUCH GREATER THAN LAST MONTH.//3RD HIGHEST EVER RECORDED EX FOR PHYSICAL)

FEB’24: 70.264 TONNES (SHOULD BE A STRONG ISSUANCE MONTH)

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 FEB. 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 (FEB), 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 MEGA HUMONGOUS SIZED 2891 CONTRACTS OI TO 147,333 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 900 CONTRACTS

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

MARCH 900 and ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 900 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 2891 CONTRACTS AND ADD TO THE 900 OI TRANSFERRED TO LONDON THROUGH EFP’S,

WE OBTAIN A MEGA GIGANTIC SIZED GAIN OF OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 3791 CONTRACTS

THUS IN OUNCES, THE GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES TOTAL 18.995 MILLION OZ

OCCURRED WITH OUR $.11 GAIN IN PRICE …..

END

OUTLINE FOR TODAY’S COMMENTARY

1a/COMEX GOLD AND SILVER REPORT

(report Harvey)

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

(Peter Schiff)

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

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

b. Other gold/silver commentaries

c. Commodity commentaries//

d)/CRYPTOCURRENCIES/BITCOIN ETC

2.ASIAN AFFAIRS//

WEDNESDAY MORNING/TUESDAY NIGHT

SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 40.21 PTS OR 1.44% //Hang Seng CLOSED DOWN 54.22 PTS OR 0.95% /The Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 40.74 OR 0.11% //Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP 0.54% /Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) closed DOWN AT 7.1946 /OFFSHORE CHINESE YUAN CLOSED UP TO 7.2079 /Oil UP TO 73.90 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 79.20/ Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL RED// ONSHORE YUAN TRADING ABOVE LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE WEAKER

A)NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA

outline

b) REPORT ON JAPAN/
OUTLINE

3 CHINA
OUTLINE

4/EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE

5. RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE

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

7. OIL ISSUES
OUTLINE

8 EMERGING MARKET ISSUES
9. USA

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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

GOLD

LET US BEGIN:

THE TOTAL COMEX GOLD OPEN INTEREST ROSE BY A FAIR SIZED 1092 CONTRACTS TO 419,121 WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE OF $8.35 WITH RESPECT TO TUESDAY TRADING.

EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE

WE ARE NOW IN THE ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF FEB..… 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 2672 EFP CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED: : APRIL 2672 & ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS:

TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 2672 CONTRACTS

ON A NET BASIS IN OPEN INTEREST WE GAINED THE FOLLOWING TODAY ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES: A FAIR SIZED TOTAL OF 3769 CONTRACTS IN THAT 2672 LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS TO LONDON AND WE HAD A FAIR SIZED GAIN OF 1092 COMEX CONTRACTS..AND THIS GAIN ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES HAPPENED WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE OF $8.35 TUESDAY 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 TUESDAY NIGHT WAS A FAIR SIZED 1075 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/T.A.S. SPREAD WHICH WILL BE LIQUIDATED IN DAYS HENCE//.

// WE HAVE A STRONG AMOUNT OF GOLD TONNAGE STANDING: FEB (54.132 TONNES) ( ACTIVE MONTH)

HERE ARE THE AMOUNTS THAT STOOD FOR DELIVERY IN THE PRECEDING 24 MONTHS OF 2021-2023:

DEC 2021: 112.217 TONNES

NOV. 8.074 TONNES

OCT. 57.707 TONNES

SEPT: 11.9160 TONNES

AUGUST: 80.489 TONNES

JULY: 7.2814 TONNES

JUNE: 72.289 TONNES

MAY 5.77 TONNES

APRIL 95.331 TONNES

MARCH 30.205 TONNES

FEB ’21. 113.424 TONNES

JAN ’21: 6.500 TONNES.

TOTAL YEAR 2021 (JAN- DEC): 601.213 TONNES

YEAR 2022:

JANUARY 2022 17.79 TONNES

FEB 2022: 59.023 TONNES

MARCH: 36.678 TONNES

APRIL: 85.340 TONNES FINAL.

MAY: 20.11 TONNES FINAL

JUNE: 74.933 TONNES FINAL

JULY 29.987 TONNES FINAL

AUGUST:104.979 TONNES//FINAL

SEPT. 38.1158 TONNES

OCT: 77.390 TONNES/ FINAL

NOV 27.110 TONNES/FINAL

Dec. 64.000 tonnes

(TOTAL YEAR 656.076 TONNES)

2023:

JAN/2023: 20.559 tonnes

FEB 2023: 47.744 tonnes

MAR: 19.0637 TONNES

APRIL: 75.676 tonnes

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

JUNE: 64.354 TONNES

JULY: 10.2861 TONNES

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

SEPT: 15.281 TONNES FINAL

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

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

DEC. 47.073 + 4.634 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK = 51.707TONNES

TOTAL 2023 YEAR : 436.546 TONNES

JAN ’24. 22.706 TONNES

FEB. ’24: 54.132 TONNES (INCLUDES 1.723 TONNES EX. FOR RISK)

THE SPECS/HFT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING GOLD’S PRICE( IT GAINED $8.35 //// AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING ANY SPECULATOR LONGS AS WE HAD A FAIR SIZED GAIN OF 3769 TOTAL CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES. WE HAD A FAIR T.A.S. LIQUIDATION ON THE FRONT END OF TUESDAY’S TRADING . THE T.A.S. ISSUED ON TUESDAY NIGHT, WILL BE “PUT INTO THE BANK” TO BE USED AT A LATER DATE AT THE COLLUSIVE CHOOSING OF OUR BANKERS. WE ALSO EXPERIENCED NERVOUS SPECULATOR SHORT COVERING AS LONGS NOTIFIED THE CME THAT THEY WERE TAKING DELIVERY ON THEIR JUST PURCHASED GOLD CONTRACTS.

WE HAVE GAINED A TOTAL OI OF 11.723 PAPER TONNES FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES, ACCOMPANYING OUR INITIAL GOLD TONNAGE STANDING FOR FEB. (49.773 TONNES) ON FIRST DAY NOTICE ALONG WITH AN EXCHANGE FOR RISK FOR 1.7235 TONNES. THIS WAS FOLLOWED WITH TODAY’S 13,300 OZ QUEUE JUMP .4136 TONNES//NEW TOTAL STANDING 54.132: ALL OF THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE TO THE TUNE OF $8.35

WE HAD + added 79 CONTRACTS TO THE COMEX TRADES TO OPEN INTEREST (CROOKS)

NET GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES 3769 CONTRACTS OR 376,900 OZ OR 11.723 TONNES.
estimated volume today: 122,109 extremely poor

final gold volumes/yesterday 134,435 extremely poor

//speculators have left the gold arena

FEB 7 INITIAL FEB GOLD

/ /// THE FEB 2024 GOLD CONTRACT

Gold	Ounces
Withdrawals from Dealers* Inventory in oz*	nil
Withdrawals from Customer* Inventory in oz*	35,687.610 oz Brinks JPMorgan 100 kilobars and 1010 kilobars .
Deposit to the Dealer* Inventory in oz*	nil oz
Deposits to the Customer* Inventory, in oz*	2420.55 oz HSBC enhanced
No of oz served (contracts) today	237 notice(s) 23700 OZ .7371 TONNES
No of oz to be served (notices)	460 contracts 46,000 oz 1.430 TONNES
Total monthly oz gold served (contracts) so far this month	16,388 notices 1,638,800 oz 50.973 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 deposits:

total dealer deposits: nil oz

total customer withdrawals: 2

i) out of Brinks: 3215.100 oz (100 kilobars)

ii) Out of JPMorgan: 32,472.510 oz (1010 kilobars)

total withdrawals 35,687.610 oz (1110 kilobars)

we had 1 customer deposits

i)Into HSBC enhanced: 2420.551 oz

total customer deposits 2420.551 oz

Adjustments:1 customer account to dealer

a) Manfra: 1253.856 oz

CALCULATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR FEB.

For the front month of FEBRUARY we have an oi of 697 contracts having LOST 8 contracts. We had 125 notices filed on Tuesday, so we gained ANOTHER WHOPPING 133 contracts or an additional 13,300 oz will stand in this active delivery month of February.

We also had 554 notices filed under exchange for risk on first day notice for a total of 55,400 oz or 1.723 tonnes to which must be added to the delivery cycle.

Thus initial standing for gold for February is 50.136 tonnes + 1.723 tonnes = 51.859 tonnes. This was followed with today’s queue jump of 13,300 oz for .4136 tonnes//New standing 52.409 tonnes + 1.723 tonnes = 54.132 TONNES

March LOST 10 contracts to stand at 2063.

APRIL LOST 162 CONTRACTS FALLING TO 343,300.

We had 237 contracts filed for today representing 23,700 oz

Today, 0 notice(s) were issued from J.P.Morgan dealer account and 0 notices were issued from their client or customer account. The total of all issuance by all participants equate to 237 contract(s) of which 0 notices were stopped (received) by j.P. Morgan dealer and 1 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 FEB. /2024. contract month, we take the total number of notices filed so far for the month (16,388 x 100 oz ), to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of FEB. (697 CONTRACTS) minus the number of notices served upon today 237 x 100 oz per contract equals 1,684,800 OZ OR 52.404 TONNES + 1.723 Ex for Risk/prior = 54.132 tonnes

thus the INITIAL standings for gold for the FEB. contract month: No of notices filed so far (16,385) x 100 oz + (697) {OI for the front month} minus the number of notices served upon today (237) x 100 oz) which equals 1,684,800 oz (52.404 TONNES) + 54,400 oz(1.723 TONNES) ex. for risk/prior// NEW total standing OR 54.132 TONNES

TOTAL COMEX GOLD STANDING FOR FEB: 54.132 TONNES WHICH IS GREAT FOR AN ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH IN THE CALENDAR.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

COMEX GOLD INVENTORIES/CLASSIFICATION

NEW PLEDGED GOLD:

241,794.285 oz NOW PLEDGED /HSBC 5.94 TONNES

204,937.290 PLEDGED MANFRA 3.08 TONNES

83,657.582 PLEDGED JPMorgan no 1 1.690 tonnes

265,999.054, oz JPM No 2

1,152,376.639 oz pledged Brinks/

Manfra: 33,758.550 oz

Delaware: 193.721 oz

International Delaware:: 11,188.542 oz

total pledged gold: 1,350,186.829 41.99 tonnes

TOTAL OF ALL GOLD ELIGIBLE AND REGISTERED GOLD: 19,038,641.594 OZ

TOTAL REGISTERED GOLD 8,824,515,404 (274.47 tonnes).

TOTAL OF ALL ELIGIBLE GOLD: 10,214,126.190 OZ

REGISTERED GOLD THAT CAN BE SERVED UPON: 7,474,329 oz (REG GOLD- PLEDGED GOLD) 232.48 tonnes

END

SILVER/COMEX

FEB 7/INITIAL

//2024// THE FEB 2024 SILVER CONTRACT//INITIAL

Silver	Ounces
Withdrawals from Dealers* Inventory*	NIL oz
Withdrawals from Customer Inventory	896,263.190 oz Brinks JPMorgan .
Deposits to the Dealer* Inventory*	nil OZ
Deposits to the Customer Inventory	niloz
No of oz served today (contracts)	396 CONTRACT(S) (1,980,000 OZ)
No of oz to be served (notices)	83 contracts (415,000 oz)
Total monthly oz silver served (contracts)	1058 Contracts (5,290,000 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 0 deposits customer account:

total customer deposits nil oz

JPMorgan has a total silver weight: 129.806 million oz/274.633 million or 47.44%

adjustment: 0

Comex withdrawals: 2

i) Out of Brinks 502,735.890 oz

ii) Out of JPMorgan 393,827.300 oz

total withdrawal: 896,263.190 oz

TOTAL REGISTERED SILVER: 42.873 MILLION OZ//.TOTAL REG + ELIGIBLE. 274.633 million oz

CALCULATIONS FOR THE NEW STANDING FOR SILVER FOR DECEMBER:

silver open interest data:

FRONT MONTH OF FEB. /2023 OI: 479 CONTRACTS HAVING GAINED 369 CONTRACT(S). WE HAD 25 NOTICES FILED YESTERDAY SO WE GAINED 394 CONTRACTS OR AN ADDITIONAL 1,970,000 OZ OF SILVER CONTRACTS WILL STAND FOR DELIVERY.

MARCH SURPRISINGLY LOST ONLY 291 CONTRACTS TO 98,261

APRIL SAW A GAIN OF 11 CONTRACTS TO STAND AT 18

MAY SAW A GAIN OF 1827 CONTRACTS UP TO 32,806

TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR TODAY: 396 for 1,980,000 oz

Comex volumes// est. volume today 65,424 very good

Comex volume: confirmed yesterday 52,288 good

To calculate the number of silver ounces that will stand for delivery in FEB. we take the total number of notices filed for the month so far at 1058 x 5,000 oz = 5,290,000 oz

to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of FEB. (479) and the number of notices served upon today 396 x (5000 oz) equals the number of ounces standing.

Thus the standings for silver for the FEB/2024 contract month: 1058 (notices served so far) x 5000 oz + OI for the front month of FEB. (479) – number of notices served upon today (396 )x 500 oz of silver standing for the FEB contract month equates to 5.705 MILLION OZ. + .445 MILLION OZ EX. FOR RISK PRIOR//NEW TOTAL 6.15 MILLION OZ

New total standing: 6.15 million oz.

There are 42.873 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!

FEB7/WITH GOLD UP $0.40 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 4.04 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 847.69 TONNES:

FEB6/WITH GOLD UP $8.50 TODAY NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:/ / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 851.73 TONNES:

FEB5/WITH GOLD DOWN $9.85 TODAY SMALL CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF .58 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD// / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 851.73 TONNES:

FEB 2/WITH GOLD DOWN $17.95 TODAY SMALL CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF .58 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD// / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 851.15 TONNES:

FEB 1/WITH GOLD UP $5.00 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.73 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD// / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 851.15 TONNES:

JAN 31/WITH GOLD UP $16.40 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.01 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD// / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 852.88 TONNES:

JAN 30/WITH GOLD UP $6.50 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.16 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD// / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 854.89 TONNES:

TOTAL IN LAST 18 DAYS WITHDRAWAL OF 14.12 TONNES

JAN 29/WITH GOLD UP $8.70 TODAYHUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.88 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD// / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 856.05 TONNES

JAN 26/WITH GOLD DOWN $0.10 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 858.93 TONNES

JAN 25/WITH GOLD UP $2.50 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 858.93 TONNES

JAN 24/WITH GOLD DOWN $9.75 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: / //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 858.93 TONNES

JAN 23/WITH GOLD UP $3.95 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.02 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD/ //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 858.93 TONNES

JAN 22/WITH GOLD DOWN $6.00 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.15 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD/ //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 860.95 TONNES

JAN 19/WITH GOLD UP $8.15 TODAY:NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD //://INVENTORY RESTS AT 862.10 TONNES

JAN 18/WITH GOLD UP $14.85 TODAY:HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.30 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD//://INVENTORY RESTS AT 862.10 TONNES

JAN 17/WITH GOLD DOWN $23.25 TODAY: BIG CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD A DEPOSIT OF .549 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD.;//://INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.40 TONNES

JAN 12/WITH GOLD UP $31.65 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD; A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 4.61 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD//://INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.99 TONNES

JAN 11/WITH GOLD DOWN $7.40 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD; A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 4.61 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD//://INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.99 TONNES

JAN 10/WITH GOLD DOWN $4.80 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD://INVENTORY RESTS AT 869.60 TONNES

JAN 9/WITH GOLD UP $0.95 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD://INVENTORY RESTS AT 869.60 TONNES

JAN 8/WITH GOLD DOWN $16.85 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 4.61 TONNES FROM THE GLD. INVENTORY RESTS AT 869.60 TONNES

JAN 5/WITH GOLD UP $0.80 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:///. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 874.21 TONNES

JAN 4/WITH GOLD UP $7.60 TODAY: NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:///. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 874.21 TONNES

JAN 3/WITH GOLD DOWN $29.40 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 4.90 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD///. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 874.21 TONNES

JAN 2/WITH GOLD UP $1.50 TODAY: HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.44 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD///. // INVENTORY RESTS AT 879.11 TONNES

GLD INVENTORY: 847.69 TONNES

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

FEB 7/WITH SILVER DOWN 18 CENTS TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 4.04 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV///INVENTORY RESTS AT 439.994 MILLION OZ//LAST 9 DAYS: 10.7598 MILLION OZ WITHDRAWAL

FEB 6/WITH SILVER UP 11 CENTS TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: /INVENTORY RESTS AT 435.144 MILLION OZ//LAST 9 DAYS: 10.7598 MILLION OZ WITHDRAWAL

FEB 5/WITH SILVER DOWN 32 CENTS TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 3.345 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // /INVENTORY RESTS AT 435.144 MILLION OZ//LAST 8 DAYS: 10.7598 MILLION OZ WITHDRAWAL

FEB 2/WITH SILVER DOWN 50 CENTS TODAY SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 0.58 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // /INVENTORY RESTS AT 438.489 MILLION OZ//LAST 7 DAYS: 14.105 MILLION OZ WITHDRAWAL

FEB 1/WITH SILVER UP 7 CENTS TODAY MEGA CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.19 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // /INVENTORY RESTS AT 438.947 MILLION OZ//LAST 6 DAYS: 10.3018 MILLION OZ WITHDRAWAL

JAN 31/WITH SILVER DOWN 8 CENTS TODAY MEGA CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.7438 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // /INVENTORY RESTS AT 440.137 MILLION OZ//LAST 5 DAYS: 9.1118 MILLION OZ WITHDRAWAL

JAN 30/WITH SILVER DOWN 5 CENTS TODAY MEGA CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.876 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // /INVENTORY RESTS AT 442.699 MILLION OZ//LAST 4 DAYS: 7.368 MILLION OZ WITHDRAWAL

JAN 29/WITH SILVER UP $.37 TODAY MEGA CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.105 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // /INVENTORY RESTS AT 444.575 MILLION OZ

JAN 26/WITH SILVER DOWN $0.03 TODAY MEGA CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.556 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // /INVENTORY RESTS AT 446.680 MILLION OZ

JAN 25/WITH SILVER UP $0.03 TODAY MEGA CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.831 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // /

INVENTORY RESTS AT 448.236 MILLION OZ

JAN 24/WITH SILVER UP $0.44 TODAY MEGA CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: ANOTHER DEPOSIT OF 1.375 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 450.067 MILLION OZ

JAN 23/WITH SILVER UP $0.21 TODAY MEGA CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 16.201 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV(FAIRY TALES) // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 448.694 MILLION OZ

JAN 22/WITH SILVER DOWN $0.45 TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 458,000 OZ OUT OF THE SLV // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 432.493 MILLION OZ

JAN 19/WITH SILVER DOWN $0.11 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 458,000 OZ OUT OF THE SLV // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 432.493 MILLION OZ

JAN 18/WITH SILVER UP $0.13 TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 432.951 MILLION OZ

JAN 17/WITH SILVER DOWN $0.38 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 779,000 OZ FROM THE SLV.: // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.500 MILLION OZ

JAN 16/WITH SILVER DOWN $0.08 TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.500 MILLION OZ

JAN 12/WITH SILVER UP $0.62 TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.500 MILLION OZ

JAN 11/WITH SILVER DOWN 34 CENTS TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: // //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.912 MILLION OZ

JAN 10/WITH SILVER DOWN 3 CENTS TODAY SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 450,000 OZ FROM THE SLV// //INVENTORY RESTS AT 433.912 MILLION OZ

JAN 9/WITH SILVER DOWN 20 CENTS TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV //INVENTORY RESTS AT 434.370 MILLION OZ

JAN 8/WITH SILVER DOWN 8 CENTS TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 1,602,000 OZ INTO THE SLV//:././/////INVENTORY RESTS AT 434.370 MILLION OZ

JAN 5/WITH SILVER UP 20 CENTS TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A DEPOSIT OF 916,000 OZ INTO THE SLV//:././/////INVENTORY RESTS AT 435.972 MILLION OZ

JAN 4/WITH SILVER UP 5 CENTS TODAY NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/:././/////INVENTORY RESTS AT 435.056 MILLION OZ

JAN 3/WITH SILVER DOWN 78 CENTS TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWALOF 2.294 MILLION OZ OZ FROM THE SLV././/////INVENTORY RESTS AT 435.056 MILLION OZ

JAN 2/WITH SILVER DOWN 9 CENTS TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/: A WITHDRAWALOF 915,000 OZ FORM THE SLV././/////INVENTORY RESTS AT 437.35 MILLION OZ

CLOSING INVENTORY 439.994 MILLION OZ//

PHYSICAL GOLD/SILVER COMMENTARIES

1:Peter Schiff/Mike Maharrey

END

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

MATHEW PIEPENBURG

END

3. CHRIS POWELL//GATA GOLD COMMENTARIES: daily Dispatches

4. OTHER GOLD COMMENTARIES/PODCASTS

END

5 a. IMPORTANT COMMENTARIES ON COMMODITIES /diamonds

De Beers CEO Declares “2024 Year Of Recovery” As Diamond Prices Stuck At 2004 Low

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 09:40 AM

Al Cook, CEO of De Beers, the world’s largest diamond company, appeared on Bloomberg TV Wednesday morning to discuss the future of diamond prices. He anticipates that demand will follow a “U” shape pattern.

Bloomberg’s Jennifer Zabasajja asked Cook: “Where do you see demand coming from?”

Cook responded: “So 2023 was a very challenging year for the diamond industry. And lower demand was driven by three things: falls in the global economic growth rate, long-Covid (lack of interaction between the world’s largest economies), and encroachment of lab-grown diamonds.”

He said all three factors that suppressed the diamond market “will reverse in 2024.”

“We see 2024 as a year of recovery,” Cook added.

Over the last year, we have outlined to readers that diamond prices are imploding as luxury demand floundered and lab-grown diamonds flooded markets worldwide (here & here & here).

According to Bloomberg data, the Diamond Standard Index Price recently hit lows not seen since 2004.

How long until De Beers or other miners are hit with convenient labor actions at mines that curb global supplies

END

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

END

6.CRYPTOCURRENCY//DIGITAL CURRENCY// COMMENTARIES/

end

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

ONSHORE YUAN: CLOSED DOWN 7.1946

OFFSHORE YUAN: UP TO 7.2079

SHANGHAI CLOSED UP40.21 PTS OR 1.44%

HANG SENG CLOSED DOWN 54.22 PTS OR 0.95%

2. Nikkei closed DOWN 40.74 PTS OR 0.11%

3. Europe stocks SO FAR: ALL RED

USA dollar INDEX UP TO 103.93 EURO RISES TO 1.0770 UP 14 BASIS PTS

3b Japan 10 YR bond yield:RFALLS TO. +.716 Japan buying 100% of bond issuance)/Japanese YEN vs USA cross now at 148.19/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 DOWN /JAPANESE Yen UP CHINESE ONSHORE YUAN: UP// OFFSHORE: UP

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

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

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

3h European bond buying continues to push yields lower on all fronts in the EMU. German 10yr bund UP TO +2.341***/Italian 10 Yr bond yield DOWN to 3.870* /SPAIN 10 YR BOND YIELD DOWN TO 3.228…**

3i Greek 10 year bond yield DOWN TO 3.3115

3j Gold at $2033.05 silver at: 22.26 1 am est) SILVER NEXT RESISTANCE LEVEL AT $30.00

3k USA vs Russian rouble;// Russian rouble UP 0 AND 70 /100 roubles/dollar; ROUBLE AT 90.91//

3m oil into the 73 dollar handle for WTI and 79 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 148,19// 10 YEAR YIELD AFTER FIRST BREAKING .54% LAST YEAR NOW EXCEEDS THAT LEVEL TO 0.716% 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 0.8720 as the Swiss Franc is still rising against most currencies. Euro vs SF: 0.9393 well above the floor set by the Swiss Finance Minister. Thomas Jordan, chief of the Swiss National Bank continues to purchase euros trying to lower value of the Swiss Franc.

USA 10 YR BOND YIELD: 4.130 UP 4 BASIS PTS…

USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 4.337 UP 4 BASIS PTS/

USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.418 UP 1 BASIS PTS

USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 30.60…(TURKEY SET TO BLOW UP FINANCIALLY)

GREAT BRITAIN/10 YEAR YIELD: DOWN 1 BASIS PTS AT 4.025

end

2.a Overnight: Newsquawk and Zero hedge

Futures Rebound To Session High After NY Community Bank Reverses Overnight Rout; Record 10Y Auction Looms

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 08:14 AM

US equity futures and global markets were mixed, while bond yields rose as the Treasury prepared to auction a record $42 billion in 10-year bonds that may indicate if a recent selloff was overdone. As of 7:50am ET, S&P futures rose 0.2%, reversing earlier losses and trading near session highs…

… trading in lock step with sentiment surrounding the latest troubled regional bank, NY Community Bancorp, which tumbled by 16% overnight to the lowest since 1997 after it was downgraded to junk before rebounding more than 10% after announcing it hired Flagstar bank’s Alessandro Dinello as executive chairman.

In premarket trading, Ford rallied 6% after reporting fourth quarter results that soundly beat expectations and forecast higher profits in 2024. Other automakers are up: General Motors (GM) +1%, Stellantis (STLA) +2%. Snap crashed 30% after yet another terrible company in which the parent company of the Snapchat app reported disappointing revenue in the holiday quarter. Pinterest (PINS) falls in sympathy, -4%. Here are some other notable premarket movers:

Cognizant Technology (CTSH) falls 7% after the IT services company gave an outlook that analysts say reflects a weak backdrop.
Enphase Energy (ENPH) jumps 13% as investors look past disappointing fourth-quarter revenue and toward a recovery post first-quarter 2024 in Europe and the US, excluding California.
FuboTV (FUBO) tumbles 15% after Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery and Walt Disney’s ESPN announced plans to launch a sports-focused streaming service that will feature college and pro games.
Ford (F) rises 6% after reporting fourth quarter results that soundly beat expectations and forecast higher profits in 2024.
Other automakers are up: General Motors (GM) +1%, Stellantis (STLA) +2%
Fortinet (FTNT) climbs 9% after the cybersecurity company reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter billings.
Perion (PERI) tumbles 11% after the advertising technology company’s full-year projections for revenue trailed the average analyst estimates.
Sonos (SONO) jumps 10% after the audio products company’s earnings beat the projections of analysts.
Triumph Group (TGI) slides 22% after the maker of aircraft components lowered its projections for net sales and operating income for its fiscal year.
VF Corp (VFC) slumps 10% after the owner of Vans reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share that missed estimates.
WestRock (WRK) climbs 5% after analysts see upside potential ahead of a merger with Irish paper and packaging firm Smurfit.
Yum China (YUMC) soars 14% after the fast-food restaurant owner and operator reported fourth-quarter comparable sales that beat estimates. Jefferies viewed the increase to dividend per share as a “nice positive surprise.”

US Treasury yields rose ahead of the sale on Wednesday, with the 10-year yield hovering around 4.10%. The latest auction comes after a sale of three—year notes saw stronger-than-expected demand. Treasuries steadied after strong economic data triggered a two-day slump and market bets on the speed of Fed rate cuts were dialed back. Central bank officials kept to their cautious tone on Tuesday, indicating that more progress is needed on inflation though rate reductions may be possible later in the year.

“The sale should go well given the sizable yield concession that has been factored in following the selloff,” said Marc Ostwald, chief economist & global strategist at ADM Investor Services Int. Ltd. “It would only impact markets if the take-up is weak. Central bank speakers are very much in focus.”

European stocks and US futures trade in narrow ranges as investors wait for the next batch of Fed speakers later on Wednesday. Auto shares outperformed in Europe as Ford rallies ~6% in the premarket after 4Q profit topped estimates. Meanwhile, shares of European lenders including Deutsche Bank declined on Wednesday amid renewed fears over exposure to the commercial real estate market. The Stoxx 600 Banks Index slipped 0.7%, underperforming the broader market, with declines led by Deutsche Bank, Bawag, Intesa Sanpaolo and Commerzbank. State-owned German lender Deutsche Pfandbriefbank also fell, extending Tuesday’s slump. German banking regulator BaFin said Wednesday that it is monitoring turmoil in the commercial real estate market, while Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, or PBB, said in a statement today that it increased risk provisioning in 4Q in light of persistent weakness of real estate markets. Bonds in PBB and some other real estate-focused German lenders have been slumping this week after Bloomberg reported that Morgan Stanley analysts recommended clients sell senior bonds issued by PBB because of its exposure to the CRE market in the US.

Earlier in the session, the Asian rally slowed as Hong Kong shares dipped amid doubts over the potency of Beijing’s measures to stabilize the market. Volatility is likely to be elevated as Chinese markets are closed for a weeklong Lunar New Year holiday starting Friday. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose as much as 0.9% to the highest level since Jan. 2, as traders ignored cautious remarks from a number of Federal Reserve officials. Toyota, AIA Group and Samsung were among the biggest contributors as the regional benchmark advanced for a second day. Key gauges rose more than 1% in South Korea, Singapore and the Philippines.

Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were mixed despite early momentum following the latest support efforts from China which were targeted at real estate financing and new energy vehicles. Nonetheless, Chinese stocks gradually faded some of their initial gains and the Hong Kong benchmark ultimately turned negative.
Nikkei 225 was indecisive amid a slew of earnings and with the BoJ reportedly on track for a policy shift by April.
ASX 200 gained with the index led by outperformance in mining and property sectors amid lower yields.
Indian stocks experienced a bout of volatility after opening higher with lenders rallying while technology stocks dragged. Paytm surged 10% in its second day of recovery, while Adani Green ended 8.4% higher, after briefly erasing all its losses since the Hindenburg report. The S&P BSE Sensex index closed little changed at 72,152.00, while the NSE Nifty 50 Index was also steady at 21,930.50. The regional trend was overwhelmingly higher.

In FX, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index drifted as the market awaited fresh trading impetus from Fed speakers. The Kiwi dollar led gains against the greenback, while the franc and yen fell. The term structure in USD/JPY shows relatively low demand for long-gamma exposure in the front-end, which picks up when the two-month tenor comes in, as that captures the BOJ and Fed March meetings.

In rates, US Treasuries traded lower ahead of the sale on Wednesday, with the 10-year yield rising to 4.12%. Gilts are nursing larger declines after the BOE’s Breeden signaled she’s likely to wait before cutting rates. Her comments also look to have helped the pound, which is the best performer among the G-10 currencies, rising 0.3% versus the greenback.

In commodities, oil prices advance, with WTI rising 0.6% to trade near $73.80 after two days of gains as geopolitical risk in the Middle East was partially offset by a report showing stockpiles expanding in the US. Spot gold fell 0.1%.

Looking to the the day ahead now, European data releases include German industrial production and Italian retail sales for December, while in the US we get the trade balance for December. From central banks, we’ll hear from the Fed’s Harker, Kugler, Collins, Barkin and Bowman, as well as BoE Deputy Governor Breeden and the ECB’s Muller. Finally, earnings releases include PayPal, Walt Disney and Uber.

Market Snapshot

S&P 500 futures little changed at 4,975.25
STOXX Europe 600 little changed at 486.42
MXAP up 0.4% to 168.08
MXAPJ up 0.4% to 514.41
Nikkei down 0.1% to 36,119.92
Topix up 0.4% to 2,549.95
Hang Seng Index down 0.3% to 16,081.89
Shanghai Composite up 1.4% to 2,829.70
Sensex little changed at 72,164.41
Australia S&P/ASX 200 up 0.5% to 7,615.84
Kospi up 1.3% to 2,609.58
German 10Y yield down 1 bp at 2.28%
Euro up 0.1% to $1.0769
Brent Futures up 0.6% to $79.10/bbl
Gold spot down 0.1% to $2,034.59
U.S. Dollar Index down 0.16% to 104.04

Top Overnight News

Stocks and bonds fluctuated as the US Treasury prepared to auction a record $42 billion in 10-year bonds that may indicate if a recent selloff was overdone.
Losses in the commercial property market, which have already sent some banks in New York and Japan into a tailspin, moved to Europe’s biggest economy this week.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that while losses in commercial real estate are a worry, US regulators are working to ensure that loan-loss reserves and liquidity levels in the financial system are adequate to cope.
Recent economic figures and aggressive market bets on rapid interest-rate cuts mean the European Central Bank should be patient before loosening borrowing costs, according to Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel.

A more detailed look at global markets courtesy of Newsquawk

Asia-Pacific stocks were mostly positive after a decline in global yields and further Chinese support efforts. ASX 200 gained with the index led by outperformance in mining and property sectors amid lower yields. Nikkei 225 was indecisive amid a slew of earnings and with the BoJ reportedly on track for a policy shift by April. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were mixed despite early momentum following the latest support efforts from China which were targeted at real estate financing and new energy vehicles. Nonetheless, Chinese stocks gradually faded some of their initial gains and the Hong Kong benchmark ultimately turned negative.

Top Asian News

China’s MOFCOM issued guidelines to support the new energy vehicle industry and will optimise credit support for the NEV sector, as well as improve management for exports. MOFCOM encourages NEV firms to set up R&D centres overseas and will optimise export procedures for NEVs and batteries, while it will guide banks to provide domestic and overseas financial services for the NEV supply chain.

European equities are generally lower and have been edging lower since the open; the FTSE MIB remains firmer with banks assisted by gains in BMPS (+5.6%). European sectors are mixed; Autos hold the top spot, with several names benefitting from strong Ford (+6%) earnings after-hours. Meanwhile, China’s MOFCOM has issued guidelines to support the EV industry. Optimised Personal Care is hampered by Sainsbury’s (-3.6%) after its trading update. US equity futures (ES U/C, NQ +0.1%, RTY -0.5%) meander the unchanged mark, with underperformance in the Russell and investors jittery after Moody’s downgraded New York Community Bancorp (-9.3% pre-market) to junk status of Ba2.

Top European News

UK may have narrowly slipped into a technical recession at the end of 2023, according to NIESR estimates cited by FT.
UK will wave through animal products from the EU without checks under a contingency plan if there are capacity issues as ports, according to documents cited by FT.
ECB’s Schnabel said lower borrowing costs risk flare-up of inflation and that the last mile in bringing down inflation could be the most difficult one. Schnabel also noted that commercial lenders are reducing borrowing rates on mortgages in expectation the ECB will start cutting interest rates soon and that if demand is held back by restrictive monetary policy, it will be much harder for firms to pass through higher costs to consumers, according to FT.
BoE’s Breeden says she has become less concerned that rates might need to be tightened further; focus shifted to how long rates need to remain at their current level

Earnings

Ford Motor Co (F) Q4 2023 (USD): Adj. EPS 0.29 (exp. 0.14), Revenue 46bln (exp. 40.12bln); declares Q1 regular dividend of 0.15/shr and supplemental dividend of 0.18/shr. KEY METRICS: Ford Blue revenue 26.2bln (exp. 24.52bln). Ford Model E revenue 1.6bln (exp. 1.91bln). Ford Pro revenue 15.4bln (exp. 13.86bln). Adj. EBIT 1.1bln (exp. 997.4mln). FY24 GUIDANCE: Adj. EBIT 10-12bln (exp. 9.24bln). Ford Pro EBIT at least 8-9bln (exp. 7.05bln). Ford Blue Ebit 7-7.5bln (exp. 6.34bln). (Newswires) Shares +6.1% in pre-market trade
Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD) – Q4 2023 (USD): Adj. EPS 1.72 (exp. 1.76), Revenue 7.12bln (exp. 7.10bln). Sees FY adj. EPS USD 6.85-7.25 (exp. 7.21). Sees FY total product sales 27.10bln-27.50bln (exp. 27.66bln). (Newswires) Shares -1.7% in pre-market trade
Snap Inc (SNAP) – Q4 2023 (USD): Adj. EPS 0.08 (exp. 0.06), Revenue 1.36bln (exp. 1.38bln). KEY METRICS: Adj. EBITDA 159.1mln (exp. 111.8mln). DAUs 414mln (exp. 411.59mln). ARPU 3.29 (exp. 3.33). GUIDANCE: Q1 revenue 1.10-1.14bln (exp. 1.11bln). Q1 adj. EBITDA loss 55-95mln (exp. loss 32.7mln). Q1 DAUs 420mln (exp. 418.55mln). COMMENTARY: “While we are encouraged by the progress we are making with our ad platform and the improved results we are delivering for many of our advertising partners, we estimate that the onset of the conflict in the Middle East was a headwind to year-over-year growth of approximately 2 percentage points in Q4.” (Newswires) Shares -30.7% in pre-market trade
Siemens Energy (ENR GY) – Q1 (EUR): Net 1.88bln (exp. 813mln, prev. -384mln Y/Y), Revenue 7.65bln (exp. 7.42bln, prev. 7.06bln Y/Y), Orders 15.4bln +23.9%. Affirms outlook. (Newswires) Shares +0.8% in European trade
TotalEnergies (TTE FP) – Q4 (USD) adj. net 5.23bln (exp. 5.66bln), adj. EBITDA 11.69bln (exp. 11.66bln). Final dividend of 0.79/shr. Plans a USD 2bln share buyback in Q1, which will remain the base level for quarterly buybacks in the current environment. Shares -2.2% in European trade
BMPS (BMPS IM) – Q4 (EUR): Net 1.12bln (exp. 340mln), Revenue 993mln (exp. 953mln), Resumes dividend first time in 13 years. CET1 Ratio 18.1% (prev. 15.6% Y/Y). (Newswires) Shares +5.5% in European trade

Dollar trades within tight parameters of 104.01-16 after yesterday’s pullback from Monday’s 104.60 YTD peak. Sits below its 100DMA at 104.20 with support seen at 104 and Monday’s 103.96 trough.
EUR is steady against the USD after printing a YTD low of 1.0722 yesterday. Comments from Schnabel suggest that imminent rate cuts are not forthcoming; Upside sees 100DMA at 1.0784.
GBP managing to eke out modest gains vs. the USD after printing a YTD low on Monday at 1.2519. Interim catalysts for the UK are light ahead of a raft of data next week.
NZD once again the better performer of the two, this time thanks to stronger-than-expected job metrics overnight. NZD/USD back on a 0.61 handle but needs a more sustained pick-up to reverse the 2024 downtrend.
PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1049 vs exp. 7.1858 (prev. 7.1082).

Fixed Income

USTs are pivoting the unchanged mark with newsflow slow thus far though banking fears remain in view after NYCB was cut at Moody’s. In a similar fashion to peers, within 110-22+ to 111-21+ WTD bounds; US 10yr due, 3yr was well received.
Gilts were unreactive to commentary from BoE’s Breeden who said her focus is now on how long to keep rates at current levels, but added little on the timing of easing aside from emphasising the need for more data around pay growth and demand; within WTD levels of 97.71-98.79 with the accompanying 10yr yield yet to reclaim 4.0%.
Bunds are at the unchanged mark with initial upside stalling a handful of ticks above Tuesday’s 134.55 best and someway shy of the WTD 134.98 peak; EGBs unreactive to soft German Industrial Output; a strong German 2030 outing led to marginal upticks in the complex, but this ultimately proved fleeting.
UK sells GBP 4bln 3.75% 2027 Gilt: b/c 3.04x (prev. 3.44x), average yield 4.131% (prev. 3.887%) & tail 0.5bps (prev. 0.2bps)
Germany sells EUR 2.476bln vs exp. EUR 3.0bln 2.40% 2030 Bund: b/c 2.15x (prev. 1.92x), average yield 2.22% (prev. 2.7%) & retention 17.47% (prev. 19.0%)
Guidance for the Belgium 30yr EUR-denominated syndication at the June 2054 benchmark +7bps.

Commodities

Crude is firmer but upside remains somewhat limited amid a lack of fresh fundamentals in the mid-week European morning; Brent Apr sits between a USD 78.49-79.04/bbl parameter. Complex ultimately unreactive to reports that Hamas has proposed a 135-day truce which will be in three phases, via Al Arabiya.
XAU is flat and within a particular narrow USD 5/oz range thus far, largely moving in tandem with the Dollar with traders on standby for a slew of Fed speakers in the European afternoon.
Base metals are contained in the run-up to the Chinese New Year, but prices have been edging into slightly negative territory in recent trade in tandem with the performance across European equities.
IEA Executive says seeing delays of oil product deliveries impacting European markets in particular due to Red Sea attacks; global oil markets comfortable with supply with growth from Non-Opec producers and demand not robust due to macroeconomic concerns
OPEC executive sees global oil demand to grow by 2.2mln bpd this year and to taper to 1.8mln bpd next year, while the executive added to expect 2022-2045 to see incremental additional demand of at least 60mln bpd, according to Reuters.

Geopolitics

Hamas proposes 45 day phase where remains and bodies will be exchanged; proposes indirect talks with Israel in the first stage to end military operations and restore total calm, in document seen by Reuters.
Hamas has proposed a 135-day truce which will be in three phases, via Al Arabiya.
Saudi’s Foreign Ministry said there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel without recognising an independent Palestinian state and ending Israeli aggression in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Iraq’s Foreign Minister stressed in a call with US Secretary of State Blinken a need to return to the negotiation table over the future of the US-led coalition in Iraq and asked Blinken for the US to reconsider sanctions imposed on Iraqi banks, according to Reuters.

US Event Calendar

07:00: Feb. MBA Mortgage Applications 3.7%, prior -7.2%
08:30: Dec. Trade Balance, est. -$62b, prior -$63.2b
15:00: Dec. Consumer Credit, est. $15.9b, prior $23.8b

Central Bank Preview

11:00: Fed’s Kugler Speaks at Brookings Event
11:30: Fed’s Collins Speaks at Boston Economic Club
12:30: Fed’s Barkin Speaks on Outlook, Regional Economy
14:00: Fed’s Bowman Speaks on Supporting Small Businesses
15:15: Fed’s Remache Delivers Keynote Remarks at NY Fed Conference
16:30: Fed’s Nordstrom Speaks at NY Fed Conference

DB’s Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap

The market has had a lot thrown at it (positive and negative) over the last week, but the last 24 hours have felt like a pause in proceedings ahead of some very important US inflation data coming up. In the last week alone we’ve had 25% of the S&P 500 report across 5 “Mag 7” stocks, Meta see the largest single day gain in dollar terms of any stock in history, New York Community Bank fall over -60%, US Regional Banks fall more than -10%, payrolls unexpectedly go into orbit, and 10yr USTs having their 6th largest 2-day yield increase in the last decade. So a fair amount to keep up with.

For yesterday, the S&P 500 (+0.23%) posted a modest gain while 10yr yields rallied back -5.8bps after the aggressive 2-day sell-off Friday and Monday. The next major planned events are perhaps the 10yr Treasury auction today and then US CPI revisions on Friday, followed by the January CPI release next Tuesday. Last year, the revisions showed that i nflation had fallen less aggressively in the second half of 2022 which influenced rate cut pricing at the time so one to watch.

Even though US equities were subdued in aggregate, beneath the surface there was some reversal of recent trends, with the Russell 2000 (+0.85%) posting a sizeable advance and rebound from a weak 2024 to date (-3.62%), whereas the FANG+ index (-0.52%) lost ground for a second day running (but +9.31% YTD). There were further sharp losses for New York Community Bancorp (-22.2%), which closed at its lowest level since 1997, whilst the KRW Regional Banking Index fell a further -1.41%.

After the closing bell, Moody’s downgraded New York Community Bancorp’s long-term debt rating by two notches from Baa3 to Ba2 and into HY territory. It remains on watch negative. Its shares fell another -15% after the bell. So certainly one to watch today. This story doesn’t feel like it’s over in terms of wider market attention by a long stretch.

By contrast in Europe, there was a much more upbeat session, with the STOXX 600 (+0.63%) closing at a two-year high and Germany’s DAX (+0.76%) also reaching a new all-time high.

Fed speakers were a big focus yesterday. First up, Cleveland Fed President Mester struck a cautious tone, saying that “It would be a mistake to move rates down too soon or too quickly without sufficient evidence that inflation was on a sustainable and timely path back to 2%”. Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari noted that “there’s been very good news” on inflation though “we’re not all the way there yet”. In the evening, Philadelphia Fed President Harker struck an optimistic tone, saying that the Fed’s approach “has put us on the path to a soft landing” although he did not comment on rate cut prospects.

The comments did little to prevent a partial recovery from the sharp rates sell-off seen over the two previous sessions. Investors dialled up the chance of a rate cut by March from 16% on Monday to 20% by the close. And looking at the year as a whole, the number of rate cuts priced by the December meeting moved up to 122bps, +8.9bps from Monday. That helped Treasury yields fell back again, with the 10yr yield down -5.8bps to 4.10%. Overnight, yields are another basis point lower.

Over in Europe it was a similar story, and investors raised the expected number of ECB cuts this year to 133bps, up +8.2bps on the day. That helped yields fall across the continent, with those on 10yr bunds (-2.3bps), OATs (-1.6bps) and BTPs (-2.9bps) all moving lower. But it was gilts that saw the largest outperformance, with the 10yr yield down -5.8bps to 3.94%, which marked a reversal from its underperformance the previous day. The ECB Schnabel has warned against cutting rates too soon in the FT today so we’ll see if that gets traction. Her views are already known.

In Asia, mainland Chinese stocks are extending this week’s gains with the CSI (+0.45%) and the Shanghai Composite (+0.91%) higher on stimulus and stabilisation expectations. However, the momentum looks slightly weaker in Hong Kong as the Hang Seng (-0.07%) is slightly lower after an opening gain of +1.5%. Elsewhere, the KOSPI (+0.98%) and S&P/ASX 200 (+0.48%) are trading higher while the Nikkei (-0.51%) is lower. US futures are largely unchanged. .

Looking at yesterday’s other data, Euro Area inflation expectations were mixed in December, according to the ECB’s Consumer Expectations Survey. On the one hand, 1yr expectations were down to 3.2%, but 3yr expectations were up to +2.5%. Separately in Germany, factory orders expanded by +8.9% in December (vs. -0.2% expected), but the construction PMI fell to 36.3 in January. The factory orders ex large orders series was -2.2% which wasn’t so great and more in line with the weak economy.

To the day ahead now, and data releases include German industrial production and Italian retail sales for December, along with the US trade balance for December. From central banks, we’ll hear from the Fed’s Harker, Kugler, Collins, Barkin and Bowman, as well as BoE Deputy Governor Breeden and the ECB’s Muller. Finally, earnings releases include PayPal, Walt Disney and Uber.

2 B) NOW NEWSQUAWK (EUROPE/REPORT)

Equites tilt lower, Dollar flat and crude firmer; Fed speak and earnings from PYPL and UBER due – Newsquawk US Market Open

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 05:58 AM

European equities are mixed whilst US futures meander around the unchanged mark; the Russell underperforms as Moody’s downgrades NYCB’s rating
Dollar is flat and holds just above 104.00, GBP the G10 outperformer
Bonds are divergent, though the overall trend is bearish ahead of US supply
Crude benchmarks are firmer and XAU holds around flat alongside base metals as we await updates on the ceasefire proposal
Looking ahead, US Trade Data, NBP Policy Announcement, US Budget and Economic Outlook 2024 to 2034, Comments from, Fed’s Kugler, Barkin, Collins & Bowman, Supply from the US, Earnings from Uber & PayPal.

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EUROPEAN TRADE

EQUITIES

European equities are generally lower and have been edging lower since the open; the FTSE MIB remains firmer with banks assisted by gains in BMPS (+5.6%).
European sectors are mixed; Autos hold the top spot, with several names benefitting from strong Ford (+6%) earnings after-hours. Meanwhile, China’s MOFCOM has issued guidelines to support the EV industry. Optimised Personal Care is hampered by Sainsbury’s (-3.6%) after its trading update.
US equity futures (ES U/C, NQ +0.1%, RTY -0.5%) meander the unchanged mark, with underperformance in the Russell and investors jittery after Moody’s downgraded New York Community Bancorp (-9.3% pre-market) to junk status of Ba2.
Click here and here for the sessions European pre-market equity newsflow, including earnings from TotalEnergies, Sainsbury’s (update) & more.
Click here for more details.

FX

Dollar trades within tight parameters of 104.01-16 after yesterday’s pullback from Monday’s 104.60 YTD peak. Sits below its 100DMA at 104.20 with support seen at 104 and Monday’s 103.96 trough.
EUR is steady against the USD after printing a YTD low of 1.0722 yesterday. Comments from Schnabel suggest that imminent rate cuts are not forthcoming; Upside sees 100DMA at 1.0784.
GBP managing to eke out modest gains vs. the USD after printing a YTD low on Monday at 1.2519. Interim catalysts for the UK are light ahead of a raft of data next week.
NZD once again the better performer of the two, this time thanks to stronger-than-expected job metrics overnight. NZD/USD back on a 0.61 handle but needs a more sustained pick-up to reverse the 2024 downtrend.
PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1049 vs exp. 7.1858 (prev. 7.1082).
Click here for more details.

FIXED INCOME

USTs are pivoting the unchanged mark with newsflow slow thus far though banking fears remain in view after NYCB was cut at Moody’s. In a similar fashion to peers, within 110-22+ to 111-21+ WTD bounds; US 10yr due, 3yr was well received.
Gilts were unreactive to commentary from BoE’s Breeden who said her focus is now on how long to keep rates at current levels, but added little on the timing of easing aside from emphasising the need for more data around pay growth and demand; within WTD levels of 97.71-98.79 with the accompanying 10yr yield yet to reclaim 4.0%.
Bunds are at the unchanged mark with initial upside stalling a handful of ticks above Tuesday’s 134.55 best and someway shy of the WTD 134.98 peak; EGBs unreactive to soft German Industrial Output; a strong German 2030 outing led to marginal upticks in the complex, but this ultimately proved fleeting.
UK sells GBP 4bln 3.75% 2027 Gilt: b/c 3.04x (prev. 3.44x), average yield 4.131% (prev. 3.887%) & tail 0.5bps (prev. 0.2bps)
Germany sells EUR 2.476bln vs exp. EUR 3.0bln 2.40% 2030 Bund: b/c 2.15x (prev. 1.92x), average yield 2.22% (prev. 2.7%) & retention 17.47% (prev. 19.0%)
Guidance for the Belgium 30yr EUR-denominated syndication at the June 2054 benchmark +7bps.
Click here for more details.

COMMODITIES

Crude is firmer but upside remains somewhat limited amid a lack of fresh fundamentals in the mid-week European morning; Brent Apr sits between a USD 78.49-79.04/bbl parameter. Complex ultimately unreactive to reports that Hamas has proposed a 135-day truce which will be in three phases, via Al Arabiya.
XAU is flat and within a particular narrow USD 5/oz range thus far, largely moving in tandem with the Dollar with traders on standby for a slew of Fed speakers in the European afternoon.
Base metals are contained in the run-up to the Chinese New Year, but prices have been edging into slightly negative territory in recent trade in tandem with the performance across European equities.
IEA Executive says seeing delays of oil product deliveries impacting European markets in particular due to Red Sea attacks; global oil markets comfortable with supply with growth from Non-Opec producers and demand not robust due to macroeconomic concerns
OPEC executive sees global oil demand to grow by 2.2mln bpd this year and to taper to 1.8mln bpd next year, while the executive added to expect 2022-2045 to see incremental additional demand of at least 60mln bpd, according to Reuters.
Click here for more details.

NOTABLE EUROPEAN HEADLINES

UK may have narrowly slipped into a technical recession at the end of 2023, according to NIESR estimates cited by FT.
UK will wave through animal products from the EU without checks under a contingency plan if there are capacity issues as ports, according to documents cited by FT.
ECB’s Schnabel said lower borrowing costs risk flare-up of inflation and that the last mile in bringing down inflation could be the most difficult one. Schnabel also noted that commercial lenders are reducing borrowing rates on mortgages in expectation the ECB will start cutting interest rates soon and that if demand is held back by restrictive monetary policy, it will be much harder for firms to pass through higher costs to consumers, according to FT.
BoE’s Breeden says she has become less concerned that rates might need to be tightened further; focus shifted to how long rates need to remain at their current level
Riksbank Minutes of the monetary policy meeting on 31 January. Click here for full details.

DATA RECAP

UK Halifax House Prices MM (Jan) 1.3% (Prev. 1.1%)
German Industrial Output MM (Dec) -1.6% vs. Exp. -0.4% (Prev. -0.7%)
French Non-Farm Payrolls QQ (Q4) 0.0% (Prev. 0.10%)
French Trade Balance, EUR, SA (Dec) -6.829B (Prev. -5.943B, Rev. -5.939B); Imports, EUR (Dec) 57.021B (Prev. 55.395B); Exports, EUR (Dec) 50.192B (Prev. 49.451B); Current Account (Dec) -0.7B (Prev. -2.8B)
Spanish Ind Output Cal Adj YY (Dec) -0.2% vs. Exp. -0.2% (Prev. 0.8%, Rev. 0.9%)
Italian Retail Sales NSA YY (Dec) 0.3% (Prev. 1.5%); Retail Sales SA MM (Dec) -0.1% (Prev. 0.4%)

NOTABLE US HEADLINES

Fed’s Harker (non-voter) said the Fed’s decision to hold rates was the correct move and noted that data shows inflation is falling and the labour market is in better balance. Harker also said consumer spending has been resilient and sees real progress on getting inflation back to 2%, while he added that the economy is on track for a soft landing.
US House rejected the Republican-led effort to pass a standalone Israel aid bill without funds for Ukraine with the final vote at 250 to 180, which is short of the two-thirds majority required for the expedited procedure.
Moody’s downgraded New York Community Bancorp’s (NYCB) long-term issuer rating to junk status of Ba2 and said most ratings remain on review for a further downgrade. Moody’s added that NYCB’s elevated use of market funding may limit the bank’s financial flexibility in the current environment and that pressure on profitability could challenge NYCB’s internal capital generation plans.
New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) issued current liquidity and deposit information in which it noted that it maintains over USD 10bln of reciprocal deposit capacity to offer expanded deposit insurance to its clients and that total uninsured deposits excluding collateralised and internal deposits are USD 22.9bln. NYCB said it took decisive actions to fortify the balance sheet and strengthen risk management processes during Q4, while it added that total deposits are around USD 83bln and total liquidity of USD 37.3bln exceeds uninsured deposits with a coverage ratio of 163. Furthermore, it stated that Moody’s downgrade is not expected to have a material impact on contractual arrangements.

EARNINGS

Ford Motor Co (F) Q4 2023 (USD): Adj. EPS 0.29 (exp. 0.14), Revenue 46bln (exp. 40.12bln); declares Q1 regular dividend of 0.15/shr and supplemental dividend of 0.18/shr. KEY METRICS: Ford Blue revenue 26.2bln (exp. 24.52bln). Ford Model E revenue 1.6bln (exp. 1.91bln). Ford Pro revenue 15.4bln (exp. 13.86bln). Adj. EBIT 1.1bln (exp. 997.4mln). FY24 GUIDANCE: Adj. EBIT 10-12bln (exp. 9.24bln). Ford Pro EBIT at least 8-9bln (exp. 7.05bln). Ford Blue Ebit 7-7.5bln (exp. 6.34bln). (Newswires) Shares +6.1% in pre-market trade
Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD) – Q4 2023 (USD): Adj. EPS 1.72 (exp. 1.76), Revenue 7.12bln (exp. 7.10bln). Sees FY adj. EPS USD 6.85-7.25 (exp. 7.21). Sees FY total product sales 27.10bln-27.50bln (exp. 27.66bln). (Newswires) Shares -1.7% in pre-market trade
Snap Inc (SNAP) – Q4 2023 (USD): Adj. EPS 0.08 (exp. 0.06), Revenue 1.36bln (exp. 1.38bln). KEY METRICS: Adj. EBITDA 159.1mln (exp. 111.8mln). DAUs 414mln (exp. 411.59mln). ARPU 3.29 (exp. 3.33). GUIDANCE: Q1 revenue 1.10-1.14bln (exp. 1.11bln). Q1 adj. EBITDA loss 55-95mln (exp. loss 32.7mln). Q1 DAUs 420mln (exp. 418.55mln). COMMENTARY: “While we are encouraged by the progress we are making with our ad platform and the improved results we are delivering for many of our advertising partners, we estimate that the onset of the conflict in the Middle East was a headwind to year-over-year growth of approximately 2 percentage points in Q4.” (Newswires) Shares -30.7% in pre-market trade
Siemens Energy (ENR GY) – Q1 (EUR): Net 1.88bln (exp. 813mln, prev. -384mln Y/Y), Revenue 7.65bln (exp. 7.42bln, prev. 7.06bln Y/Y), Orders 15.4bln +23.9%. Affirms outlook. (Newswires) Shares +0.8% in European trade
TotalEnergies (TTE FP) – Q4 (USD) adj. net 5.23bln (exp. 5.66bln), adj. EBITDA 11.69bln (exp. 11.66bln). Final dividend of 0.79/shr. Plans a USD 2bln share buyback in Q1, which will remain the base level for quarterly buybacks in the current environment. Shares -2.2% in European trade
BMPS (BMPS IM) – Q4 (EUR): Net 1.12bln (exp. 340mln), Revenue 993mln (exp. 953mln), Resumes dividend first time in 13 years. CET1 Ratio 18.1% (prev. 15.6% Y/Y). (Newswires) Shares +5.5% in European trade

GEOPOLITICS

Hamas proposes 45 day phase where remains and bodies will be exchanged; proposes indirect talks with Israel in the first stage to end military operations and restore total calm, in document seen by Reuters.
Hamas has proposed a 135-day truce which will be in three phases, via Al Arabiya.
Saudi’s Foreign Ministry said there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel without recognising an independent Palestinian state and ending Israeli aggression in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Iraq’s Foreign Minister stressed in a call with US Secretary of State Blinken a need to return to the negotiation table over the future of the US-led coalition in Iraq and asked Blinken for the US to reconsider sanctions imposed on Iraqi banks, according to Reuters.

CRYPTO

Bitcoin modestly lower, though still holds above the USD 43k mark.

APAC TRADE

APAC stocks were mostly positive after a decline in global yields and further Chinese support efforts.
ASX 200 gained with the index led by outperformance in mining and property sectors amid lower yields.
Nikkei 225 was indecisive amid a slew of earnings and with the BoJ reportedly on track for a policy shift by April.
Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were mixed despite early momentum following the latest support efforts from China which were targeted at real estate financing and new energy vehicles. Nonetheless, Chinese stocks gradually faded some of their initial gains and the Hong Kong benchmark ultimately turned negative.

NOTABLE HEADLINES

China’s MOFCOM issued guidelines to support the new energy vehicle industry and will optimise credit support for the NEV sector, as well as improve management for exports. MOFCOM encourages NEV firms to set up R&D centres overseas and will optimise export procedures for NEVs and batteries, while it will guide banks to provide domestic and overseas financial services for the NEV supply chain.

DATA RECAP

New Zealand HLFS Job Growth QQ (Q4) 0.4% vs. Exp. 0.3% (Prev. -0.2%); HLFS Unemployment Rate (Q4) 4.0% vs. Exp. 4.2% (Prev. 3.9%); Labour Cost Index QQ(Q4) 1.0% vs. Exp. 0.8% (Prev. 0.8%); Labour Cost Index YY (Q4) 3.9% vs. Exp. 3.8% (Prev. 4.1%)
Chinese FX Reserves (Monthly) (Jan) 3.219Trl vs. Exp. 3.217Trl (Prev. 3.238Trl)

2C ASIA AFFAIRS

WEDNESDAY MORNING/TUESDAY NIGHT

2 d./NORTH KOREA/ SOUTH KOREA/

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA

END

2e) JAPAN

JAPAN

END

3 CHINA

CHINA/

END

4.EUROPEAN AFFAIRS//UK /SCANDINAVIAN AFFAIRS

POLAND

Protests galore through Europe as farmers protest the stupid green deal

(Watson)

Polish Farmers Set To Join European Revolt With Mass Blockade

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 02:00 AM

Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news,

Polish farmers are set to join the continent-wide revolt against the EU by launching a massive nationwide strike and blockade later this week.

Farmer protests have exploded in multiple different countries against the EU’s green agenda and the flooding of markets with cheap grain from Ukraine, which is bankrupting the agricultural industry.

While the EU continues to pour millions of euros into Ukraine to prop up their economy, European farmers have been hit with tax hikes and emissions caps that threaten to destroy their livelihoods.

They cannot compete with the cheap price of imported Ukraine grain and in some cases are being ordered not to farm at all.

In France, there is a farmer suicide every other day as the EU deploys high-tech surveillance drones as a tool of enforcement which in some cases means the farmers cannot even cut back bushes and hedgerows without permission.

In Poland, the Trade Union of Individual Farmers said, “Our patience has run out” as they announced a general strike across the whole country.

“We ask our compatriots for understanding and awareness of the situation we all find ourselves in. We are fighting for our common good, which is to prevent the collapse and bankruptcy of Polish family farms, often multi-generational. Where possible, we ask to avoid travel in the affected areas,” the group stated.

From February 9, farmers will launch a blockade of all Polish border crossings with Ukraine, as well as highway blockades in numerous provinces.

“The situation is exacerbated by alarming statements from Brussels,” reports Remix News.

“The European Union will need €1.5 trillion per year in investments to achieve its net-zero emissions goal by 2050, according to research supported by EU lawmakers, as reported by Reuters. This week, the European Commission is expected to recommend that the EU reduce its net emissions by 90 percent by 2040 compared to 1990 levels; it will also outline a massive increase in investments needed to set Europe on the path to achieving zero net emissions by 2050.”

Another organization of farmers already blocked a key border crossing with Ukraine although they backed down after their demands were met.

end

SWEDEN ,GERMANY/USA/RUSSIA/NORDSTREAM 1 AND 2

Sweden Halts Nord Stream Investigation, Hands Off To Germany, As Hersh Fills In More Blanks

BY TYLER DURDEN

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 10:20 AM

Prosecutors in Stockholm announced Wednesday they have shut down the investigation into who was behind the 2022 sabotage explosions that crippled Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines to Germany.

Sweden has long said it suspected an unknown state actor, and an official statement from its top prosecutor’s office now claims “The conclusion of the investigation is that there is no Swedish jurisdiction and that the investigation should therefore be closed.” This is because “nothing has emerged to indicate that Sweden or Swedish citizens were involved in the attack that took place in international waters.”

Still, the same statement says they now have a “good picture” of the incident after a “systematic and thorough” investigation and this has ultimately led to the conclusion that “Swedish jurisdiction is missing” – according to Swedish Public Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist. “It is not Sweden’s task to continue this investigation.”

“We have had good international cooperation with several countries, above all Denmark and Germany, where we have continuously shared information and situational images,” it said, also underscoring that Germany’s investigation continues, but necessarily under the “secrecy that prevails for international judicial cooperation.”

Also disappointing is the following: “I will also not be able to comment anything further on the conclusions of the Swedish investigation or comment on any suspected persons in the Swedish investigation,” Ljungqvist said.

Presumably, Russia fully cooperated as well, given the statement is absent some kind of censure on this front, and long gone are the early days after the blast of blaming Russia for the destruction of its own vital pipeline, as was common in Western media in the weeks that followed Sept. 26, 2022. However, the Kremlin has repeatedly complained that it has been denied access or any insight into the ongoing Western investigations.

At the same time, Russia has at various times laid blame on the US, Britain and Ukraine for the covert operation which permanently severed this key method of access supplying energy to the lucrative European market.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday Russia will now follow closely what Germany will do to investigate the explosions. “Of course, now we need to see how Germany itself reacts to this, as a country that has lost a lot in relation to this terrorist attack,” he said. Moscow further suspects that given the likelihood of Western intelligence services or Ukraine being behind the sabotage attack, this is all a big stall tactic and that each investigation will ultimately point nowhere.

Responsible Statecraft points out that “All signs since the year anniversary of the blasts have been pointing — in bright neon — to Ukraine as the culprit.” However, legendary journalist Seymour Hersh has been reporting since February 2023 that an elite team of US Navy deep sea divers with the assistance of the CIA as well as Norwegian intelligence did it. He has not backed off his bombshell findings despite the mainstream press seeming to settle on a narrative saying a rogue group of Ukrainian operators sailing on a small boat were behind it.

Hersh said the covert op had the full knowledge and oversight of the Biden administration, but naturally US officials have consistently denied it in those rare instances they are publicly asked about Hersh’s reporting.

Hersh has written a follow-up and bit of a retrospective this week, saying “Thursday marks one year since I reported President Joe Biden’s decision in the fall of 2022 to send a signal of resolve to Vladimir Putin by destroying Nord Stream 1 and 2, the Russian natural gas pipelines. Nord Stream 1 had turned Germany into the most powerful economic force in Western Europe.”

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-

“I won’t dwell on the failure of the mainstream media to follow up on that story—some reporters, as I learned decades ago, have inside sources and others do not,” Hersh wrote. And on the failed investigations:

Nothing more about the cause of the underwater bombings has been heard since from either Sweden or Denmark, although both nations knew, as I have written, that the US was practicing underwater diving in the Baltic Sea for months before the explosions. The failure of the two nations to complete their inquiry may have stemmed from the fact, as I was told, that some senior officials in both countries understood precisely what was going on.

Below are more excerpts from Hersh’s latest piece entitled The Nord Stream Pipelines and the Perils of Containment…

* * *

Putin would have canceled the invasion

It is now widely accepted that Putin would have delayed or canceled the invasion if Secretary of State Antony Blinken had assured him that Ukraine would not be permitted to join NATO. That promise was not made. Instead, Biden publicly warned Putin two weeks before the Russians attacked that America would destroy the newly constructed pipeline, Nord Stream 2, that was prepared to funnel Russian gas to Germany. Putin had already slowed down and then cut off the earlier pipeline, Nord Stream 1, that began delivering gas to Germany a decade earlier.

The cheap gas helped propel Germany into becoming the dominant manufacturing entity in Western Europe. Since the late 1950s, the United States and its Western European allies had worried about the political impact of Russian energy.

A CIA plan to convince Putin to “back off”

The idea of blowing up Nord Stream 1 and 2 had come from the American intelligence community, spearheaded at the time by the CIA. The community had been asked in late 2021 for options—American actions—that could convince Putin to back off. It was with this understanding that a most secret CIA unit was organized to find a way to do what President Biden wanted: to present Putin with a threat that could stop the Russian president from going to war. Bolstered by the CIA’s confidence, Biden stunned the intelligence community by threatening to blow up Nord Stream at a White House news conference on February 7, 2022, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz standing at his side.

The CIA team, ensconced in secrecy in Norway, continued to work on its assignment, and found a way to get the complicated job done by early spring. The understanding then, in the view of some of the planners, was for Biden to pull the trigger and publicly tell Putin that he had done what he threatened to do and he, Putin, had to understand that he was dealing with an American president whose words were to be taken seriously. But Biden changed his mind at the last minute—a time had been set for the underwater detonation of bombs that had been planted earlier—and the operation was put on hold. The CIA team was given no explanation, and the American bombs were left in place, to be triggered whenever Biden chose to do so.

Sullivan blamed Russia first

Sullivan—who, as I reported last February, was the major player in generating a secret potential pre-war threat to Russia—provided an answer that was breathtaking in its obfuscation. “First,” he responded, “Russia has done what it frequently does when it is responsible for something . . . which is to make accusations that it was really someone else who did it. We’ve seen that repeatedly over time.” He said that the president was also clear—which he was not –that “there is more work to do on the investigation before the United States government is prepared to make an attribution in this case.” The White House, he said, would not make a “definitive determination” until its allies in the region concluded their work.

Sullivan said that Russia’s suggestion that the US was involved in the bombing was “flat out false. Russian know they’re false. But, of course, that is part of their playbook.”

Russia excluded from investigations

Sweden and Denmark, whose governments had every reason to know what had taken place, announced within days of the explosions that they would work together to investigate the explosions. On October 2, Germany said it would work with Sweden and Denmark on the inquiry. Twelve days later the Russian foreign ministry expressed its “bewilderment” at being excluded from the inquiry. On that day, too, Sweden said it would not join in the inquiries because it would involve the transfer of information related to Sweden’s national security.

Hersh in his new note goes on to cite Emmanuel Todd, a French demographer and political scientist, who explains that that “one of the great goals of American politics, and therefore of NATO, was to stop the inevitable reconciliation of Russia and Germany” given that despite US-led sanctions it remained that Russia was “evincing economic stability.” Hersh cites him to conclude:

“This was a great source of fear,” Todd said, “and that is why the Americans”—he cited my Nord Stream exposé—”blew up the Nord Stream pipeline.”

The full Hersh piece can be accessed at this Substack here.

END

5 RUSSIA//UKRAINE AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS

ISRAEL/HAMAS/GAZA/WEDNESDAY

IDF reveals Gaza tunnel, previously used by Hamas officials, with cell for hostages

Military says 12 captives were held in the tunnel at various times; army says troops killed dozens of operatives in south Gaza city over past day; ground op toll reaches 227

By EMANUEL FABIAN

FOLLOWToday, 3:31 pm

A photo released by the IDF on February 7, 2024, shows a holding cell inside a major Hamas tunnel captured by Israeli troops in Khan Younis, southern Gaza (IDF)

The Israel Defense Forces revealed on Wednesday a barred cell area in a major Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis that it said was used by the terror group to hold hostages.

The military said a total of 12 hostages were held in the tunnel at different times, three of whom have already returned to Israel.

In addition to the cell used to hold hostages, troops found a bathroom and a rest area for the terrorists guarding the captives.

The IDF said senior Hamas officials had resided in the tunnel before it was repurposed to hold the hostages, and that troops recovered various items and weapons in the subterranean passage.

The military said the tunnel was built “in the heart of a civilian area in Khan Younis” and according to its estimates, millions of shekels were invested in its construction.

Troops of the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and other special forces under the 98th Division raided the “strategic” underground network, which the IDF said was around one kilometer long (0.6 mile).

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-reveals-gaza-tunnel-previously-used-by-hamas-officials-with-cell-for-hostages/

“The troops battled terrorists in the tunnel, breached blast doors, and neutralized explosive devices,” the IDF said, adding that the tunnel is part of a “branching underground labyrinth” that also connects to another tunnel where hostages were held, revealed by the IDF several weeks ago.

The revelation came hours after Hamas proposed a ceasefire plan that would see a four-and-a-half-month truce during which the hostages would be freed in three stages, and which would lead to an end to the war. This was the terror group’s counterproposal to an outline sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and backed by the United States and Israel. The Hamas plan would also see steps taken to address the spiraling humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

It is believed that 132 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November. Four hostages were released prior to that, and one was rescued by troops.

The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military. Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015, respectively, along with the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, since 2014.

A photo released by the IDF on February 7, 2024 show a kitchen inside a major Hamas tunnel captured by Israeli troops in Khan Younis, southern Gaza (IDF)

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Monday that at least 31 of the hostages held in Gaza are no longer alive, including Shaul and Goldin. The New York Times said another 20 are also feared dead, but the IDF did not confirm this.

Israel launched its punishing campaign against Hamas after the terror group led an unprecedented assault into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, and kidnapping 253 to Gaza, while committing brutal atrocities including mass sexual violence.

On Wednesday it was announced that Staff Sgt. (res.) Hanan Drori, 26, had died from a fungal infection after being seriously injured in Gaza, bringing the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 227.

Staff Sgt. (res.) Hanan Drori, 26, who died from a fungal infection after being seriously injured in Gaza, February 7, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

More than 27,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. These figures cannot be independently verified, are believed to include fatalities caused by failed rocket fire by Gaza terror groups, and do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed 10,000 Hamas gunmen in Gaza, as well as 1,000 terrorists in Israel on October 7.

The IDF said Wednesday that ground troops are continuing to raid Hamas sites across the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli Air Force and Navy hit targets belonging to the terror group.

The IDF said the Paratroopers Brigade battled and killed dozens of Hamas operatives in western Khan Younis over the past day. The soldiers also discovered and seized weapons used by Hamas, including assault rifles and explosives, the IDF said.

IDF troops are seen operating in the Gaza Strip in this handout photo cleared for publication on February 7, 2024. (IDF)

Also in western Khan Younis, the IDF said troops of the Maglan commando unit killed several Hamas gunmen in close-quarters combat, including three operatives who fired anti-tank missiles, and the Egoz commando units raided several Hamas sites, killing operatives in the process and discovering tunnel shafts.

In another area of Khan Younis, the IDF, said the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade spotted a Hamas operative near them and called in an airstrike. A short while later, three more operatives were spotted and were also struck and killed in strikes, the IDF said.

The Givati Brigade, also in Khan Younis, killed several Hamas operatives and located weapons and documents belonging to the terror group, it said.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

end

ISRAEL/HAMAS

IDF chief: No stone will be left unturned in October 7 investigation

Netanyahu has opposed any broad probes about October 7 and has opposed anyone trying to label him as having part of or significant responsibility for the failure.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB, JERUSALEM POST STAFF

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 19:21Updated: FEBRUARY 6, 2024 22

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi speaks on February 6, 2024 (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) — IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi speaks on February 6, 2024(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi implied on Tuesday that he will open an internal IDF review of the failure to stop Hamas’s October 7 invasion of southern Israel in the coming weeks.

While part of Halevi’s speech at a conference held by the Air Force emphasized the idea of moving forward with the internal probe, the IDF chief said nothing about the external probe that he had originally tried to kick-start on January 4 and that was to be led by former IDF chief Shaul Mofaz.

Following withering criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and without support from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Halevi seems to have dropped this probe or delayed it indefinitely until after the internal investigation.

Netanyahu opposes having any significant responsibility for October 7

Netanyahu has opposed any broad probes about October 7 and has challenged anyone trying to label him as bearing partial or significant responsibility for the failure.

In political and security terms, this means that the IDF, rather than former defense officials who were not involved, will be judging its own errors and that no broader strategic issues will be raised.

Israeli forces operate in the Gaza Strip on February 6, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) — Israeli forces operate in the Gaza Strip on February 6, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

Halevi defended the delay in the internal probe until now, saying that the IDF had to focus on defeating Hamas as well as managing the conflict with Hezbollah.

Also, the IDF released the name of Maj. David Shakuri on Tuesday evening as the latest Israeli soldier to have fallen in combat in Gaza. Shakuri, 30, from Rehovot, was a deputy commander of the 601st Battalion of the 401st Brigade. He was killed in combat in northern Gaza.

IDF fighter jet demolishes Hezbollah observation post in southern Lebanon

The IDF continued mopping up operations throughout northern, central, and southern Gaza on Tuesday but has largely achieved operational control except in Deir al-Balah and Rafah, where most of the 2.3 million Palestinian civilians are and where Hamas’s leadership and the Israeli hostages may be.

In the North, Israeli Air Force jets targeted a military building used by Hezbollah in the region of Marwahin in southern Lebanon, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported on Tuesday.

In addition, on Monday night, jets attacked Hezbollah’s operational infrastructure in the Meiss Ej Jabal area in southern Lebanon.

https://player.jpost.com/public/player.html?player=jpost&media=3664075&url=www.jpost.com

IDF artillery also fired toward areas in southern Lebanon to remove various threats.

The military further noted that artillery forces also fired at the sources of rocket fire into Israeli territory on Tuesday. As a result of these rockets, two IDF soldiers were lightly wounded and evacuated for medical care.

Earlier on Tuesday, an IDF unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacked a target in the village of Marwahin, N12 reported, citing Lebanese sources.

On Tuesday night, the IDF produced new documents that it obtained from tunnel areas in Khan Yunis, purporting to show the transfer of $154 million in funds from Iran to Hamas. It showed envelopes of funds provided to Hamas Gaza Chief Yahya Sinwar and the seizing of large volumes of Hamas funds that were left behind.

END

end

ISRAEL/HAMAS//last night

Hamas demands permanent ceasefire for all the hostages. Israel states this is unacceptable

(Jerusalem Post)

Hamas demand for permanent ceasefire in hostage talks unacceptable — Israeli source

Biden chides terror group’s ‘over the top’ reply to Paris outline * Israel evaluating response * Qatar ‘optimistic’ * Death of Maj. David Shakuri brings ground op toll at 226

end

ISRAEL/HAMAS/last night

Israel pushes ahead in Khan Younis

(Jerusalem Post)

IDF pushes ahead with Gaza offensive as soldier’s death brings ground op toll to 226

Dozens of gunmen killed, including Islamic Jihad member who took part in Oct. 7 assault on Nir Oz; 80 terror suspects captured in Khan Younis; UN vest, machine gun found in home

By EMANUEL FABIAN, FOLLOW
TOI STAFF and AGENCIES6 February 2024, 3:51 pmUpdated: Today, 3:12 a

IDF troops are seen operating in the Gaza Strip in this handout photo cleared for publication on February 6, 2024. (IDF)

An overnight airstrike in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught, the Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday, as troops continued to battle Hamas operatives above and below ground in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

The IDF also carried out raids in the northern and central parts of the Strip, pressing ahead with its Gaza offensive even as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region on a quest to broker a ceasefire in the four-month-old war.

The IDF said that the PIJ operative killed in the overnight airstrike had participated in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, in which almost a quarter of the community was kidnapped or murdered.

On Tuesday evening, the military announced the death of an officer killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, bringing the toll of slain troops in the ground offensive against Hamas to 226.

He was named as Maj. David Shakuri, 30, the deputy commander of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion, from Rehovot.

Speaking to Ynet, his lifelong friend Ariel Bernstein eulogized him as a “quiet and humble man.”

Maj. David Shakuri. (Courtesy)

Blinken arrived in Egypt for talks after a stop in Saudi Arabia during his latest troubleshooting Middle East swing that Palestinians hope will nail down a ceasefire before IDF forces move into Gaza’s southern fringes, where over a million of Gaza’s people are sheltering.

It was the top US diplomat’s fifth trip to the region since thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people, kidnapping another 253, mostly civilians, and triggering the war. It was his first visit since Washington brokered an offer, with Israeli input, for the first extended ceasefire of the conflict.

The terror group says it is still weighing the proposal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he departs to Doha at Cairo East airport on February 6, 2024, during his Middle East tour, his fifth urgent trip to the region since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza erupted in October. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein / POOL/AFP)

The Egoz commando unit searched a home in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis and discovered a United Nations vest in one room and a machine gun in another, the IDF said Tuesday.

An Egoz team commander gave a video tour of the home, showing where the soldiers found the vest and gun. “You can see a clothes closet here… and here is a UN vest,” the lieutenant said.

Heading upstairs, the commander entered a bedroom that he said troops scanned, and opened another closet, pulling out the machine gun. “Right here we spotted the machine gun, a PK machine gun used by Hamas,” he said.

Israeli intelligence has allegedly shown that 12 staff members of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, in Gaza were involved in the brutal October 7 attacks and that hundreds more employees are directly linked to Hamas and other terror groups.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-pushes-ahead-with-gaza-offensive-as-blinken-lands-in-egypt-in-bid-to-secure-truce

In western Khan Younis, the IDF said the 98th Division is moving to clear out new areas, both above and below ground, from Hamas operatives and infrastructure, and is encountering numerous operatives moving around in civilian clothing.

The IDF said that over the last day, troops killed dozens of operatives and captured some 80 terror suspects in western Khan Younis, including several who participated in the October 7 massacre.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Tuesday that at least 27,585 Palestinians have been killed and 66,978 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7. These figures cannot be independently verified, and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires.

The IDF says it has killed over 10,000 operatives in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

During the operations, the IDF said on Tuesday that snipers of the Givati Brigade killed more than 15 operatives; troops of the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade spotted and eliminated a Hamas lookout; and troops of the Paratroopers Brigade and elite Egoz unit located a cache of weapons, including assault rifles, RPGs, and anti-tank explosive devices.

IDF troops are seen operating in the Gaza Strip in this handout photo cleared for publication on February 6, 2024. (IDF)

In northern Gaza, the IDF said, observation soldiers of the Border Defense Corps’ 414th unit spotted four Hamas operatives placing surveillance equipment in the Beit Hanoun area, in what appeared to be an attempt by the terror group to restore its capabilities. The cell was struck by an attack helicopter, the IDF said.

During raids, ambushes, and battles in northern and central Gaza, the IDF said the Nahal Brigade killed dozens of Hamas operatives, and the 401st Armored Brigade killed some 15 operatives.

In one incident, a Navy missile boat spotted a Hamas cell close to the Nahal troops on the coast of central Gaza. The IDF said the cell was then struck by the Navy, Israeli Air Force, and the ground troops.

The 401st Brigade, with the IAF, also struck a building used by Hamas to fire at troops and store weapons, the IDF added.

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Also Tuesday, the IDF released footage showing close air support provided to troops of the 98th Division in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis in recent days.

The first clip shows an Israeli Air Force drone identifying a Hamas operative nearing forces of the Paratroopers Brigade. In the clip, drone operators notify the soldiers of the threat, as the operative enters a building a few dozen meters away. As the operative exits the building, he is struck by the drone, with the footage showing a large explosion, indicating he was armed with explosives.

The second clip shows the moment Hamas gunmen opened fire from a building at troops of the Givati Brigade. The IDF said the soldiers directed an attack helicopter to the area, and within moments, it struck the Hamas position, killing the operatives.

Later in the day, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military had uncovered documents and other materials from a tunnel in the Gaza Strip, indicating Hamas’s direct links and coordination with Iran.

“We found official documents of Hamas from 2020, including the details of the funds transferred from Iran to Hamas and [Yahya] Sinwar, between 2014 and 2020. More than 150 million dollars were transferred from Iran to Hamas,” he said.

“This is another example of how Iran exports terror across the Middle East. This is a global problem,” Hagari said.

He said the intelligence information was given to Israel’s allies to be verified.

Hagari said that in the same underground complex, troops located a safe and additional bags containing more than NIS 20 million ($5.5 million) in cash. He added that troops have found millions more dollars in Hamas sites across the Gaza Strip.

In images released by the IDF, several envelopes of cash are addressed to Sinwar.

Cash uncovered by IDF troops in a Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip, in footage released by the IDF on February 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Meanwhile, protesters on Tuesday blocked the Kerem Shalom crossing to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Army Radio reported Tuesday evening that 132 aid trucks entered Gaza rather than the 160 that were scheduled to cross. Channel 12 news gave different figures — saying 70 trucks entered and 132 were stopped.

Channel 12 news estimated that a few hundred activists were at the crossing, despite the IDF announcing last week that it was a closed military zone, meaning it is illegal for civilians to be in the area or on nearby roads.

Police prevent activists from blocking trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip at the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza, in southern Israel, January 29, 2024. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)

Activists, including the families of some of the hostages held by terrorists in Gaza and some far-right lawmakers, have been blocking the Kerem Shalom crossing for several days, to prevent humanitarian aid from entering the Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted to reopen the crossing for the entry of aid into the Strip amid a growing humanitarian crisis there.

Ministers say the aid is necessary to enable Israel to continue operating freely against Hamas amid intense international pressure.

Also Tuesday, United Nations humanitarian monitors said Israel’s evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip now cover two-thirds of the territory, or 246 square kilometers (95 square miles).

The affected area was home to 1.78 million Palestinians, or 77% of Gaza’s population, before October 7.

Children stand atop a small hill near tents at a make-shift shelter for Palestinians who fled to Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on January 30, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (Mahmud Hams / AFP)

Early in the war, the IDF began telling Palestinians in the northern half of the territory to leave their homes to get out of the way of eventual ground combat.

Over the course of the war, evacuation orders eventually expanded to parts of the south, including the southern city of Khan Younis and surrounding areas, the current focus of Israel’s ground operation.

Tens of thousands of people have fled and continue to flee from there, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says in its latest daily report on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

More than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people is now crammed into the town of Rafah on the border with Egypt and surrounding areas, OCHA says.

end

ISRAEL HAMAS/this morning

Possible structure of a 3 stage ceasefire

(Reuters/Jerusalem Post)

Hamas proposes three-stage ceasefire over 135 days, leading to end of war

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the Hamas counterproposal envisions three phases lasting 45 days each.

By REUTERS, DARCIE GRUNBLATTFEBRUARY 7, 2024 10:46Updated: FEBRUARY 7, 2024 13:13

Nili Margalit and Shani Goren, hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct 7 attack on Israel, are handed over by Hamas to the International Red Cross, as part of a hostage-prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel, Gaza Strip, November 30, 2023 (photo credit: Hamas Military Wing/Handout via REUTERS) — Nili Margalit and Shani Goren, hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct 7 attack on Israel, are handed over by Hamas to the International Red Cross, as part of a hostage-prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel, Gaza Strip, November 30, 2023(photo credit: Hamas Military Wing/Handout via REUTERS)

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?l

Hamas has proposed a ceasefire plan that would quiet the guns in Gaza for four-and-a-half months leading to an end to the war, in response to a proposal sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and backed by the United States and Israel.

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the Hamas counterproposal envisions three phases lasting 45 days each.

The proposal would see terrorists exchange the remaining Israeli hostages they captured on Oct. 7 for Palestinian prisoners. The reconstruction of Gaza would begin, Israeli forces would withdraw completely, and bodies and remains would be exchanged.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived overnight in Israel after meeting the leaders of mediators Qatar and Egypt in the most serious diplomatic push of the war so far aimed at reaching an extended truce. Details of Hamas’s counteroffer have not previously been reported.

Protesters calling for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, February 1, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/SUSANA VERA)Deal to include increase in humanitarian aid

According to the Hamas counterproposal, all Israeli women hostages, males under the age of 19, the elderly, and the sick would be released during the first 45-day phase in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails.

The remaining male hostages would be released during the second phase and remain exchanged in the third phase. By the end of the third phase, Hamas would expect the sides to have reached an agreement on an end to the war.

The group, which governs Gaza, said in an addendum to the proposal that it wished for the release of 1500 prisoners, a third of whom it wanted to select from a list of Palestinians handed life sentences by Israel.

Hamas also demands an increase in aid to the Gaza Strip to at least 500 trucks per day, a commitment to increase equipment, water, and electricity that is transferred to Gaza, facilitation of the return of refugees to their homes, and the removal of any Israeli restriction regarding those traveling through the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after terrorists from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

END

Part B: exile of senior Hamas leaders to probably Algeria

(Jerusalem Post)

End of Hamas’s leaders: Towards the exile of terror group’s senior members?

According to a report on Channel 13, Israel and the US have recently been discussing a plan for the exile of senior Hamas members as part of a wider deal.

By MAARIV ONLINEFEBRUARY 7, 2024 10:18Updated: FEBRUARY 7, 2024 10:35

The son of senior Hamas terrorist Mazen Fuqaha sits on the shoulders of Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar (photo credit: REUTERS) — The son of senior Hamas terrorist Mazen Fuqaha sits on the shoulders of Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar(photo credit: REUTERS)

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?

Israel and the United States have recently been discussing a plan for the exile of senior Hamas members as part of a wider deal, according to a report on Tuesday on Channel 13.

Officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner circle stated in recent closed-door discussions that this is a very favorable option for Israel, as “the implication of the exile is the end of Hamas leadership.”

There were reports in the past of a new proposal by mediators that included the exile of Hamas leaders from the Gaza Strip to a third country. According to the report, in exchange for this, Hamas would release all the Israeli captives it holds, but it would be done in stages until the withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza.

In recent months, several similar initiatives have been reported in the foreign press, which shed light on the ideas underlying the current diplomatic effort. Two weeks ago, the French newspaper Le Monde reported that Saudi Arabia is involved behind the scenes in an attempt to reach a compromise that would end the war in Gaza. According to the report, the Saudis have established think tanks in an attempt to offer creative solutions to the crisis. A confidential document received by Le Monde outlined a plan in which the central component is that the mechanism for ending the war should include the exile of the military leaders of Hamas, who are currently in the Gaza Strip, abroad, specifically possibly to Algeria.

Hamas Gaza Chief Yahya Sinwar (L) gestures as he speaks with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip September 19, 2017 (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)

Algeria touted as possible destination

According to the sources interviewed by the newspaper, the Saudi writer Abd al-Aziz al-Saqr primarily directed his words toward familiar figures such as Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif, who were defined as “the military and security leaders of Hamas.” The Saudi plan proposal was presented to Anne Grillo, Director of the North Africa and Middle East Department at the French Foreign Ministry.According to the newspaper’s claim, Algeria is considered a possible destination for Hamas leaders to seek refuge due to its good relations with Qatar and Iran, which were defined in Saudi Arabia as the main supporters of the terrorist organization, as well as due to what was defined as “its security capability” that would allow it “to control the activities of these leaders.”

The idea evokes the mass expulsion that Israel agreed to during the First Lebanon War in 1982 when Yasser Arafat and Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) leaders were expelled from Beirut by the Israeli Defense Forces. At that time, the refugees arrived in Athens by a French Navy ship, and from there, they moved to Tunisia.

END

Israel kills head of Hamas police’s special forces in Rafah – report

The commander of the IDF’s 98th Division said he would work on evacuation plans “if and when” he is told to launch an invasion.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFFEBRUARY 7, 2024 16:42Updated: FEBRUARY 7, 2024

Palestinians at the site of a destroyed police car after it was hit from an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, on February 7, 2024 (photo credit: ATIA MOHAMMED/FLASH90) — Palestinians at the site of a destroyed police car after it was hit from an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, on February 7, 2024(photo credit: ATIA MOHAMMED/FLASH90)

A Hamas police vehicle was struck in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah on Wednesday evening in what Palestinian media reported as a targeted assassination by the IDF.

According to the reports, Hamas police’s special forces head, Majdi Abd al-Aal, was killed in the suspected attack.

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https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-785674

END

Netanyahu: Victory in Gaza ‘within reach’; no surrender to Hamas demands; day after the war ‘is the day after Hamas’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference in Jerusalem, February 7, 2023. (Screenshot)

At a press conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again calls for a “crushing victory” over Hamas.

“We are on the way to complete victory. The victory is within reach,” he says, predicting that the war will be won in a “matter of months” not years.

He reiterates the goals of the war: Destroying Hamas, returning the hostages and ensuring Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

Netanyahu calls the military’s accomplishments in the offensive against Hamas “unprecedented,” touting the damage that Israel has inflicted on the Gaza-ruling terror group.

The premier says that after Khan Younis the IDF is readying to fight next in Rafah.

“We will continue until the end,” he says. “There is no other solution besides complete victory.”

Netanyahu also says that Hamas’s defeat will be the “victory of the entire free world” and vows the return of the hostages remains a top priority, arguing that increased military pressure will raise the chances the captives are freed.

Surrendering to Hamas’s demands would spell disaster, he says.

“The ‘day after’ is the day after Hamas,” he adds, saying only that Israel can ensure Gaza is demilitarized.

END

Netanyahu: Israel ordered IDF to begin operating in Gaza’s Rafah

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that he is “especially alarmed” by reports that the IDF intends to focus next on Rafah in Gaza.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFFEBRUARY 7, 2024 19:37Updated: FEBRUARY 7, 2024

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?language=en&pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fbreaking-news%2Farticle-785708&unitId=2900003088&userId=0984023a-6fcf-4b29-a5e6-1be85cfd6d0a&isLegacyBrowser=false&isPartitioningSupport=1&version=20240207_4cfc30300973b2671da9ce372faa7fc482c39ed6&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=140

Israel is within striking distance of a complete victory in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, with total triumph being only a “matter of months away.”

Further, the prime minister confirmed that the IDF had been ordered to begin operating in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu renewed a pledge to destroy Hamas, saying there was no alternative for Israel but causing the collapse of Hamas. “The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas,” he told a news conference.

United Nations ‘alarmed’ by IDF operations in Rafah

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that he is “especially alarmed” by reports that the IDF intends to focus next on Rafah in Gaza.

“Such an action would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences,” Guterres told the 193-member UN General Assembly as he again called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks on February 7, 2024 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/POOL)

Earlier this week, an Israeli official said on Sunday that the IDF would coordinate with Egypt and seek ways of evacuating most of the displaced people northward ahead of any ground sweep of Rafah.

However, despite the steady flow of reports in recent weeks that the IDF would immediately take action with ground troops in Rafah, The Jerusalem Post has learned that such moves could still take time and significant negotiations.Advertisement

Reuters and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.

END

/ISRAEL//SYRIA

Israel strikes Syria again

(Times of Israel)

Syrian media reports casualties in alleged Israeli strike; intel source says airbase was targeted

By EMANUEL FABIAN and REUTERS

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency, citing a military source, say a number of civilians were killed and wounded amid an alleged Israeli strike on the Homs area.

SANA says Israeli warplanes launched their missiles from an area north of Lebanon’s Tripoli, targeting several sites in Homs and the nearby area.

The source claims Syrian air defenses shot down some of the Israeli missiles.

In addition to the casualties, SANA says damage was caused to both public and private property.

Local sources tell Reuters that the attack targeted several Syrian army outposts and an airbase in the Homs area, with a Syrian military intelligence source familiar with the matter saying it targeted the Shayrat airbase.

geolocation of the building destroyed by a suspected Israeli airstrike in Homs tonight https://google.com/maps?ll=34.730773,36.699044&q=34.730773,36.699044&hl=en&t=h&z=17…

5:51 PM · Feb 6, 2024

10K Views

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END

ISRAEL/WEST BANK

IDF kills wanted terror suspect in West Bank ‘pressure cooker’ op.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFFEBRUARY 7, 2024 21:28

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?

IDF and Border Control troops killed a senior terrorist operative wanted by security forces, Muazzam Ali, and two other terrorists in the Nur a-Shams refugee camp in the Menashe regional Brigade, the IDF Spokesperson’s unit and Police Spokesperson’s Unit said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Troops were directed by the Shin Bet for over four hours. The fighters carried out a “pressure cooker” procedure on the building where the wanted man was barricaded, and after using various means and an exchange of fire, the terrorist was eliminated.

In addition, the troops killed two armed terrorists who tried to escape from said building.

During the operation, the fighters located weapons that were transferred to the security forces for further inspection.

No casualties were reported, according to the statement. Ali was suspected of shooting at Israeli forces in the past in addition to other terrorist activities.

END

LEBANON/HEZBOLLAH/IRAQ

Drone strike in Baghdad kills a Kataib Hezbollah commander (IRANIAN BACKED )

Drone strike on vehicle in Baghdad kills Kataib Hezbollah commander

Iraq has witnessed tit-for-tat attacks between hardline Iran-backed armed groups and US forces stationed there.

By REUTERS

FEBRUARY 7, 2024 20:40Updated: FEBRUARY 7, 2024 21:57

A member of Hashd al-Shaabi (paramilitary forces) holds a flag of Kataib Hezbollah militia group during a protest to condemn air strikes on their bases, in Baghdad, Iraq December 31, 2019 (photo credit: KHALID AL MOUSILY / REUTERS) — A member of Hashd al-Shaabi (paramilitary forces) holds a flag of Kataib Hezbollah militia group during a protest to condemn air strikes on their bases, in Baghdad, Iraq December 31, 2019(photo credit: KHALID AL MOUSILY / REUTERS)

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?

A drone attacked a vehicle in Iraq’s capital Baghdad on Wednesday night, killing at least one person, security sources said after several loud blasts were heard in quick succession across parts of the city.

One security source said the strike killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander.

A second source said three people were killed and that the vehicle targeted was used by Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a state security agency comprised of dozens of armed groups, many of them close to Iran.

The drone strike took place in the city’s eastern Mashtal neighborhood, the sources said.

Tit-for-tat attacks

Iraq has witnessed tit-for-tat attacks between hardline Iran-backed armed groups and US forces stationed in the country since the Gaza war began in October.

In January, a US drone strike killed a senior militia commander in central Baghdad, an attack Washington said came in response to drone and rocket attacks on its forces.

US officials did not immediately respond to a requests for comment on Wednesday’s strike.

END

ISRAEL HAMAS/LATE IN THE DAY

Israel-Hamas Deal Is Dead As Netanyahu Dismisses ‘Delusional’ Terms, War To ‘Expand’

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 02:50 PM

Update(1450ET): Statements currently coming out of both sides strongly suggest the much anticipated Israel-Hamas truce is simply not going to happen. This despite a series of ambiguous statements out of Qatar over the last week of ‘positive’ developments. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has on Wednesday called Hamas’ demands “delusional” (see below for Hamas’ said list of truce terms). This is according to Axios:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that caving to Hamas’ “delusional” ceasefire demands won’t lead to the release of the hostages still being held in Gaza, but instead to another attack like the one the militant group committed on Oct. 7.

It was the first time Netanyahu commented on Hamas’ response to a recent hostage deal proposal since it was given to Israel on Tuesday. While dismissing Hamas’ demands, Netanyahu didn’t close the door to negotiations, however.

Netanyahu has reportedly also told visiting US Secretary of State Blinken of Hamas’ “crazy” conditions that “The continuation of military pressure is a basic condition for the release of the hostages.” He is vowing to not stop the military campaign until “total victory” is achieved and that this would happen “within months.” Netanyahu emphasized, “We won’t settle for less.”

Additionally, according to Israel’s Channel 12, Netanyahu told Blinken that he cannot end the war without fully eliminating Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Thus not only is there no ceasefire deal on the horizon, but the war looks to actually expand.

@BarakRavid

BREAKING: Israeli MoD Gallant told Blinken that Hamas’ negative response to the hostage deal proposal will push Israel to expand its ground operation in Gaza soon, a senior Israeli official said. My story on

@axios

Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands. Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Anadolu via Getty Images

Blinken to Bibi: U.S. very concerned about possible Israeli ground operation in Rafah

From axios.com

12:04 PM · Feb 7, 2024

29.7K Views

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Hamas has in response said it’s ready for any option and has accused Israel of pursuing the “genocide” of Palestinians.

RUSSIA/UKRAINE/POLAND

Poland’s F-16s on High Alert: Protecting Borders from Russian Threats #shorts – YouTube

Polish F16’s can carry the German Taurus missiles and American B61 nukes. Sad to see. If Poland launches at Belarus or Russia, be certain Russia will respond and we have WWIII.

end

Medvedev Warns Russia Has ‘No Choice’ But To Unleash Nuclear ‘Apocalypse’ If Attacked By NATO

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 11:50 AM

Not for the first time, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has warned that a direct war between Moscow forces and NATO would lead to nuclear apocalypse.

The current deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council issued the warning on Telegram Wednesday, in response to recent statements and reports that some European leaders are telling their populations to ‘prepare for war’. For example, just last month UK Army chief General Patrick Sanders called on authorities to “mobilize the nation” to prepare for war with Putin, and that the population needs a “shift” in thinking to be ready.

Medvedev mocked this and other examples of NATO leaders accusing Moscow of seeking a broader war as but “dangerous drivel”. He said that this all about trying to bolster support for sending more weapons to Kiev amid what’s become war fatigue among Western publics.

According to Russian media translation of his words, Medvedev said this is part of efforts to prop up Ukraine—”a dying country that is foreign to taxpayers”—while ignoring problems at home. “Therefore, every day the leaders of these countries broadcast: We need to prepare for war with Russia and continue to help Ukraine,” he wrote.

That’s when he said that people in the West have to be told the blunt truth. Medvedev underscored that the Russian response to attack by NATO would without doubt be “asymmetrical”. He explained:

“Since our military capabilities are incomparable, we will simply have no choice. The response will be asymmetrical. To protect the territorial integrity of our country, ballistic and cruise missiles with special warheads will be used… This will be the proverbial Apocalypse. The end of everything.”

This is certainly not the first time that Medvedev, known for this bellicose and hawkish rhetoric, has warned of nuclear apocalypse. But it is the clearest he has ever spelled out that the Kremlin would not hesitate to activate its nuclear arsenal if Russian territory is directly threatened by NATO.

His comments also come at a very dangerous moment where Ukraine security services are increasingly targeting oil refineries on Russian soil with drone and missile attacks, sometimes at long ranges.

Below: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Britain ready for war….

If Russia turns its guns in our direction, is Great Britain ready to defend itself?

“Yes. And my task is to ensure everyone’s safety.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/medvedev-again-warns-russia-has-no-choice-unleash-nuclear-apocalypse-if-attacked-nato

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-

Moscow has accused Western and NATO intelligence services of assisting with such attacks. Recently it has accused France of maintaining mercenaries in the northern city of Kharkiv, in order to mount attacks on nearby Belgorod Oblast. There are rising fears that this ‘indirect’ fighting or proxy war could drift into direct ‘live fire’ between Russia and NATO countries, but so far this has been narrowly avoided.

6.Global Issues//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES

mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Caused More Deaths Than Saved: Peer-Reviewed Study

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 05:00 AM

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

With considerably lower efficacy rates, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause more deaths than save lives, according to a new study whose researchers called for a “global moratorium” on the shots and “immediate removal” from childhood immunization schedule.

The peer-reviewed study, published in the Cureus journal on Jan. 24, analyzed reports from the initial phase 3 trials of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. These trials led to the shots being approved under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States. The study also looked into several other research and reviews of the trials. It found that the vaccines had “dramatically lower” efficacy rates than the vaccine companies claimed.

Moreover, based on “conservative assumptions, the estimated harms of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines greatly outweigh the rewards: for every life saved, there were nearly 14 times more deaths caused by the modified mRNA injections.”

“Given the well-documented SAEs (serious adverse events) and unacceptable harm-to-reward ratio, we urge governments to endorse and enforce a global moratorium on these modified mRNA products until all relevant questions pertaining to causality, residual DNA, and aberrant protein production are answered.”

The authors also recommended an “immediate removal” of the COVID-19 vaccines from the childhood immunization schedule. They pointed out that children were at very low risk from the infection.

“It is unethical and unconscionable to administer an experimental vaccine to a child who has a near-zero risk of dying from COVID-19 but a well-established 2.2 percent risk of permanent heart damage based on the best prospective data available.”

Very Low Efficacy Rate

Following the first trials of Pfizer and Moderna, it was claimed that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines had a 95 percent reduction of symptomatic COVID-19. The study pointed out that this efficacy assumption was false.

Pfizer’s claim was based on the fact that only eight out of 22,000 vaccine recipients contracted COVID-19 during the trial compared to 162 out of 22,000 people in the placebo group. In total, 170 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in both groups.

However, the researchers pointed out that a large number of infections fell under the “suspected” COVID-19 category, which was ignored. A total of 3,410 such suspected cases were identified in the trial, which is 20 times the 170 confirmed cases.

“There were 1,594 such cases in the vaccinated group and 1,816 in the placebo. When factoring in both confirmed and suspected cases, vaccine efficacy against developing symptoms drops to only 19 percent, far below the 50 percent RR (relative risk) reduction threshold required for regulatory authorization,” the study said.

“Thus, when considering both confirmed and suspected cases, vaccine efficacy appears to have been dramatically lower than the official 95 percent claim.”

The study’s authors declared no financial support from any organization for their work. A few conflict of interest disclosures were made.

One author received a grant from Quanta Computer Inc. Another author, cardiologist Peter A. McCullough, declared employment and owning stock/stock options in The Wellness Company. A third author is the founder of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation (VSRF).

Lives Saved Versus Deaths

Researchers criticized the Pfizer and Moderna trial reports for “exclusive focus” on relative risk or RR measure while omitting absolute risk reduction. They argued that absolute risk reduction “gives a better indication of a drug’s clinical utility.”

“Both types of risk estimation are required to avoid reporting bias and to provide a more comprehensive perspective on vaccine efficacy. Omitting the absolute risk statistics leads to overestimation of the clinical benefits of the vaccines.”

In contrast with the 95 percent efficacy rate using the RR measure, absolute risk reduction for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 0.7 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively, the study stated.

“An absolute risk reduction of approximately 1 percent for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccinations meant that a substantial number of individuals would need to be injected in order to prevent a single mild-to-moderate case of COVID-19.”

To prevent one case of COVID-19 infection, 142 individuals would need to be vaccinated with Pfizer’s shot, the study said. When it came to Moderna, 88 people had to be injected.

Taking into account these numbers as well as the infection fatality rates of COVID-19, the researchers concluded that roughly 52,000 people would need to be vaccinated to prevent one COVID-19-related death.

This would mean two lives saved for roughly 100,000 injections of the Pfizer vaccine. However, there is a risk of 27 deaths per 100,000 doses of Pfizer shot, the researchers calculated. As such, for every life saved by the jab, almost 14 lives would be lost due to the mRNA vaccine, the study stated.

Authors noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) “did not include absolute risk reduction measures” when reviewing vaccine data.

This action deviated from FDA guidelines “which state that both approaches are crucial in order to avoid the misguided use of pharmaceuticals.”

Serious Adverse Events

Researchers cited a September 2022 analysis to detail the pervasiveness of serious adverse effects (SAE) among the vaccinated group in the trials. The analysis looked at both Pfizer and Moderna trial data, discovering roughly 125 SAEs per 100,000 vaccine recipients. This indicated one SAE per 800 vaccines.

“The Pfizer trial exhibited a 36 percent higher risk of serious adverse events in the vaccine group (compared to placebo) … The Moderna trial exhibited a 6 percent higher risk of serious adverse events in the vaccine group,” the analysis stated.

“These findings stand in sharp contrast with the FDA’s initial claim that SAEs reported by the two pivotal trials were ‘balanced between treatment groups,’” researchers from the Jan. 24 study noted.

This discrepancy could be because the FDA only counted the number of individuals with serious adverse events rather than the total SAEs experienced by the trial subjects, they said.

Since a single person can have multiple SAEs, counting only individuals would produce a lower number than the total number of such adverse events.

“When the SAEs were viewed collectively, the risks in the vaccine group were substantially elevated beyond those previously determined by the FDA,” the researchers wrote.

The analysis found that the excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest (AESI) among the placebo group was 10.1 per 10,000 individuals. However, the risk reduction for COVID-19 hospitalization in this group was only 2.3 per 10,000 people.

This meant that the subjects were at over four times the risk of suffering AESIs after getting vaccinated than they were of getting hospitalized from the infection. In the Moderna trial, subjects were more than two times at risk of experiencing AESI than being hospitalized.

“To put these findings in perspective, the official SAE rate for other vaccines is only 1-2 per million,” the Jan. 24 study said. The 2020 analysis’ “estimate based on the Pfizer trial data (1,250 SAEs per million) exceeds this benchmark by at least 600-fold.”

Rushed Vaccines

In the Jan. 24 study, researchers noted that the safety of mRNA products was “never assessed” in a manner consistent with scientific standards for vaccines or for gene therapy products (GPT), which they claim is “the more accurate classification” for these jabs. “Many key trial findings were either misreported or omitted entirely from published reports.”

The usual safety testing protocols and toxicology requirements were bypassed by the FDA and vaccine manufacturers. As the two trials were terminated prematurely, there was never an “unbiased assessment” of potential serious adverse events.

“It was only after the EUA that the serious biological consequences of rushing the trials became evident, with numerous cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, hematological, malignant, and autoimmune SAEs identified and published in the peer-reviewed medical literature.”

In addition, the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines produced and evaluated in the trials were not the same ones that were manufactured and administered to people around the world. The global vaccination campaign used a vaccine produced by a different process, which has been shown to have “varying degrees of DNA contamination.”

The researchers pointed out that several excess deaths, cardiac events, strokes, and other serious adverse events have wrongly been ascribed to COVID-19 rather than the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines since early 2021.

Injuries from these vaccines overlap with both post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) and severe acute COVID-19 illness, which end up often obscuring the vaccine’s contribution to such conditions. “Multiple booster injections appear to cause immune dysfunction, thereby paradoxically contributing to heightened susceptibility to COVID-19 infections with successive doses.”

For the “vast majority” of adults below 50 years of age, the perceived benefits of the mRNA vaccines were dwarfed by their “potential disabling and life-threatening harm.” The study said older adults may be at higher risk of such harm.

CDC and FDA Criticized

Commenting on the study, Mat Staver, the founder and chairman of nonprofit Liberty Counsel, said that in the paper, scientists “confirm what sound scientific research has been showing for years, that these shots have never been safe nor effective.”

“The FDA and the CDC are supposed to protect the people, but they have become the lapdog of the pharmaceutical industry. This must change.”

The CDC is currently under scrutiny for suppressing an alert for myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccination. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle called the myocardium.

A document recently obtained by The Epoch Times shows that in May 2021, the CDC had prepared a draft alert for myocarditis related to the jabs.

The agency was supposed to send the alert to federal, state, and local public health officials and doctors nationwide through its Health Alert Network (HAN). However, the alert was never sent as some officials were worried about appearing “alarmist.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the agencies for comment.

GLOBAL ISSUES

The True Costs Of Net-Zero Are Becoming Impossible To Hide

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 06:30 AM

Authored by Mike Shedlock via mishtalk.com,

Our net zero lesson of the day is from the U.K. but it applies universally. It’s increasingly difficult for Biden and the EU to hide the true costs of net zero mandates.

Britain Boiler Tax Scandal

In the latest green fiasco, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak created a quota system that would require manufacturers to sell more heat pumps to households.

Instead of meekly complying with the regulation as happens with Biden administration EPA announcements, manufacturers let consumers know they would have to pay up whether they installed the heat pumps or not.

Manufacturers correctly dubbed the scheme a “boiler tax” and consumer outrage killed the regulation.

Britain Dumps Another Net-Zero Gimmick

The Wall Street Journal reports Britain Dumps Another Net-Zero Gimmick

Most English households use natural gas to fuel the cabinet-sized boilers that provide central heating and hot water, and forcing them to adopt electric heat pumps (ultimately powered by renewable energy) is part of the government’s net-zero agenda.

An earlier proposal to ban gas-boiler sales after 2035 proved politically toxic as households balked at the cost of replacing their reliable natural-gas boilers with more expensive, untested heat pumps. So politicians resorted to subterfuge, imposing a sales quota on manufacturers. Starting in April, heat pumps would have to replace 4% of annual boiler sales or companies would pay a £3,000 fine for each “excess” natural-gas boiler they sold.

Worcester Bosch, Britain’s leading manufacturer, warned last year that the proposed quota would add up to £300 ($376) to the cost of natural-gas boilers, which retail for £1,000 and up.

A novelty is that industry fought back against the mandate. Manufacturers were transparent about passing the cost of the heat-pump fines to consumers, calling it a “boiler tax.” Mr. Sunak’s government tried to blame the companies for anticompetitive behavior. But when voters realized they’d be stuck paying for heat pumps even if they didn’t buy them, it was game over for the rule.

Biden’s Wind Tax

In the US, manufacturers have yet to stand up to idiotic Biden regulations, mostly because they have received tax incentives that hide the true costs.

But the actual costs are difficult to hide now that subsidies won’t hide the true cost. So Biden’s schemes are unraveling.

Bloomberg reports a 48% Surge in Costs Wrecks Biden’s Much-Lauded Wind-Power Plans

When President Joe Biden in 2021 laid out a target of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity during the next nine years, the plan was deemed bold and ambitious. Best of all, many saw it as within reach.

Two years later, the industry has another word for it: impossible.

After a cascading series of setbacks, from sobering cost revisions to billions in possible impairment charges, the US offshore wind industry’s 2030 generation goal now looks further away than ever.

Cancelled in New Jersey

Offshore wind is stumbling over costs. EnergyWire asks Can Biden Save the Industry?

The Biden administration is facing increasing pressure to take action to bolster the offshore wind industry after a major project was canceled in New Jersey on Tuesday, although options appear limited to ease financial hurdles facing developers.

Developers are taking billion-dollar losses due to the industry’s exploding costs and the dropping value of assets. Two companies in Massachusetts walked away from deals that they said did not cover costs. New York regulators rebuffed attempts to renegotiate contracts with wind companies for higher prices, casting uncertainty over the future of several wind farms off the state’s coast. Meanwhile, the supply chain of businesses to support offshore wind construction has expanded too slowly to meet the needs of proposals.

But the starkest sign of a troubled sector came Tuesday, when Ørsted, the largest offshore wind developer in the U.S. market, said it will abandon its Ocean Wind project. The two-phased wind array off the Jersey coast was one of just five major offshore wind projects approved in the U.S. — all by the Biden administration. Along with creating more uncertainty for the industry, the cancellation is raising speculation over whether other projects will follow.

Defending the administration’s record, White House spokesperson Michael Kikukawa said Biden has “used every available tool to advance the growing American offshore wind industry.”

Outright Lies Are Biden’s Biggest Tool

Without a doubt, Biden has “used every available tool to advance the growing American offshore wind industry.”

His biggest tool is a pack of lies starting with a claim that these projects are cheaper and will pay for themselves.

Downgrades and Write Offs

Fitch Ratings downgraded Eversource Energy and its NSTAR Electric utility subsidiary from stable to negative, partly on the grounds that the company may struggle to unload three offshore wind projects it had wanted to sell.
Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, BP’s head of gas and low-carbon energy, told attendees at a London conference that the U.S. offshore wind sector was “fundamentally broken” and in need of a reset.
BP has taken a pretax impairment charge — a devaluing of an asset — of $540 million due to its New York offshore wind projects.
Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor said last month it was taking a $300 million impairment in its U.S. offshore wind portfolio. Ørsted could take a $5 billion hit.

Even with massive subsidies, these projects are not economical. All they do is replace one form of energy with another at increasing costs that must be born by someone.

Let’s accurately label this fiasco for what it really is: A mandate to use wind, then a wind tax to support it.

Biden Backs Off Gas Stove Crackdown

Fox News reports Biden Backs Off Gas Stove Crackdown After Widespread Pushback

On Feb. 1, 2023, the DOE issued its original proposal which was set to take effect in 2027 and impact a staggering 50% of current gas stove models. The DOE argued it is required to put forth such regulations under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act which mandates energy efficiency rules while not harming consumer choice.

In response, Republicans and consumer advocacy organizations blasted the Biden administration for curbing consumer choice and pushing a regulatory regime that would lead to higher prices. They also criticized the DOE for attempting to force Americans to electrify their homes in an effort to reduce emissions and fight global warming.

“President Biden is committed to using all the tools at the Administration’s disposal to lower costs for American families and deliver healthier communities — including energy efficiency measures like the one announced today,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement [after the administration backed off the proposal].

Gas Stove Tax

Let’s label the Biden administration proposal for what it really is, a tax on gas stoves.

Biden then had the audacity to brag about lowering costs when he backed off the proposal.

Tax This, Tax That, Tax Everything

Up and down the line, we need to label the green regulations and mandates from this administration for what they really are: Across the board tax hikes.

And since these these taxes apply to everyone, not just the wealthy, they are very regressive in nature.

We have wind taxes, heat pump taxes, gasoline taxes, stove taxes, air conditioner taxes, internal combustion engine taxes, etc., all of which are mislabeled in ways to sound like they are positive things.

Cap-and-trade is nothing but a giant tax scheme in which manufacturers have to pass on the costs.

Industry is fighting back in the UK and farmers are fighting back in the EU. Republicans need to carry the regressive tax hike message into the upcoming US election.

Inflation Pressures Everywhere

Please note that all of these mandates purposely increase costs. They are all inflationary.

Nearly everything this administration does is inflationary. The same applies to every regulation in California.

Minimum Wage Hikes

On February 4, I noted Cost of Running a McDonalds Jumps $250,000 in CA Due to Minimum Wage Hikes

Impact on Joe’s Grill and Susie’s Diner

Don’t think for one second that these wage hike only hit wealthy franchise owners. For starters, many franchise owners are deep in debt to buy that franchise.

In addition, how are Joe and Susie going to get help at $16 when McDonalds is paying $20?

The answer is they won’t. Effectively, $20 is the new minimum wage in California, and not just restaurants.

Big Explosion of Government and Social Assistance Jobs

President Biden is bragging about job growth in 2023. But he doesn’t say where those jobs are.

Data from the BLS, chart and calculations by Mish.

On February 5, I noted a Big Explosion of Government and Social Assistance Jobs in 2023 to Help Migrants

A surge in immigration led to a surge in need for government and social assistance jobs at taxpayer expense. City and local governments are under financial strain.

Under Bidenomics policy, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs that are of net negative benefit to US taxpayers. That’s what Biden is really bragging about.

Fed Chairman Tells 60 Minutes US Fiscal Path is Unsustainable

Fed Chair Jerome Powell tells 60 Minutes that it’s “urgent” the US address its “Unsustainable Fiscal Path”

Please consider Fed Chairman Tells 60 Minutes US Fiscal Path is Unsustainable

The Fed normally does not comment on fiscal policy, but Powell did. “Debt is growing faster than the economy. So, it is unsustainable. … You could say that it was urgent,” said Powell.

I list 15 key takeaways from the interview. Click on the above link for discussion.

It’s not just Democrats causing this problem. Republicans are in on the fiscal madness. For example, please see 169 Republicans Vote to Expand Welfare, Bill Heads to Senate

Inflationary Tariffs

Also consider Help for the Heartland? Trump Tariffs Failed the Mission

Since tariffs are a tax on consumers, Trump is proposing a huge tax hike. Biden is on fully on board.

China will retaliate and so will Europe. Costs will soar across the board. More inflation is on deck. Irony abounds. How can tariffs help both candidates?

Is Inflation Transitory?

Biden is bragging inflation is coming down. Economists have fully embraced the softest of softy landing. And Powell told 60 Minutes he thinks inflation is transitory.

I keep asking: Is inflation transitory or is this recent decline in the rate of inflation what’s transitory?

To help decide, please check out some of the links above.

Then factor in Biden’s regulations, the end of just in time manufacturing, a surge in immigration, and trade wars with China no matter who wins the election.

Here’s my concern: How Much Inflation Is Baked in the Cake?

END

MARK CRISPIN MILLER

Link

end

DR PAUL ALEXANDER

No SANE nation has done & is doing what America is doing! We have a sitting POTUS, Biden INC., the cartel of Biden INC. that has INVADED America, Biden INVADED America with islamists, rapists,

murderers, illegals who will take and kill, yes MARA etc., we have terror cells due to ‘Tashfeen’ Obama & Biden, these people have placed the vaginas of your daughters in harms way, GANG rape to come

DR. PAUL ALEXANDERFEB 6

READ IN APP

Biden et al. know what they are doing and have done, they have lit the funeral pyres of Americans…

I say a Trump POTUS or whomever, I want the best person of all the clown car cast of characters running now, the best among the stench, but POTUS Trump must declare that he will deport all, man, woman, child illegal who entered America the last 30 years…all, every one of them…and close the US borders for 10 years. only legal immigration and only based on merit to America…what do you bring to America?

Subscribed

so I say, guard your 2nd, ensure your guns are working well, oiled, target practice legal, scopes positioned, packed well, managed well, stored well, legal paperwork, ensure its legal, and get training and be willing to use it once life is imminently threatened, help the police to deal the islamist jihadist medieval 6th century dog… For they will gang rape your daughter, especially if blond and blue eyed, they like them so…guard them, your girls, train your girls to dispatch mercilessly the rabid feral islamist North African dog, the Middle Eastern dog that comes to rape…not the good ones, for there are good ones…I mean the ones we should have left…who we should have left in the hot sands for 1000 more years…

see this friendly beast here, this is the type Obama and Biden and Susan Rice and Jarrett let in…all over America, laying in wait…

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-k-soldier-lee-rigby-s-gruesome-beheading-described-1.2444836

end

8 FRAUDS that killed us & we were subjected to: 1)COVID ‘is a pandemic’ lie/fraud (0.05% IFR) 2)PCR-manufactured 95% false-positive pandemic 3)lie of asymptomic spread to force masks & lockdowns 4)

deadly medical management of vulnerable people e.g. sedation, Remdesivir, ventilator, isolation etc. 5) Malone/Bourla mRNA technology/vaccines deadly & fraud 6) lockdown response 7)Freedom Fighter

DR. PAUL ALEXANDERFEB 7

READ IN APP

money whores sucking on moma’s DONOR money teats was a fraud and 8) the denial of antibiotics as the key critical ingredient in ‘early treatment’, particularly for high-risk, elderly persons confronting whatever they released or did (who needed antibiotics desperately), early in the fraud non-pandemic (highest risk persons early in this lie e.g. March-June 2020)

For NY Times to report this 9 months out, you know it was true and the press refused to cover this as to how many American children hung themselves due to the lockdowns and school closures as I was in DC and the word was the legacy media decided DO NOT cover it as Trump would get credit, as he was banging at CDC and the corrupted insane Teacher Union President to open schools…he knew children were hanging themselves…how, we told him, data was coming to us from states…thats why he was fighting Fauci on stage to open economy and schools…Fauci and Birx have blood on their hands…

end

Biden, Romney, Kerry, Pelosi, all had children working for Ukrainian gas companies…do you understand this? do you know how many republican & democrat children & grandchildren names appear on Ukraine

bogus contracts? Do you understand that Ukraine OWNS the democrat party & Sam was really operating a ponzi slush fund for democrats and some republicans…

DR. PAUL ALEXANDERFEB 7

READ IN APP

Just Saying!🤔😎F**K yes we get it! No o e has to tell We The People it’s nothing but a corrupt money laundering scheme 😡😡😡

SLAY NEWS

The latest reports from Slay News

Whistleblower Exposes Cause of Sudden Deaths Among Vaxxed Young People A leading expert has blown the whistle to warn the public about the true cause of the soaring sudden deaths among young Covid mRNA-vaccinated young people.READ MORE

European Farmer Protests Force EU to Scrap WEF’s ‘Net Zero’ Targets The European Union (EU) has been forced to scrap the “Net Zero” targets dictated to the bloc by the globalist World Economic Forum (WEF).READ MORE

Illegal Aliens Involved in Mob Beating of NYPD Cops Arrested in Arizona Several members of the illegal alien gang involved in the shocking beat down of NYPD officers last week have been rearrested by authorities in Arizona.READ MORE

Biden Responds to Trump’s Challenge of ‘Immediate’ Debate for ‘Good of the Country’President Donald Trump has laid down the gauntlet for his main rival in the 2024 presidential election.READ MORE

El Salvador President Humiliates Ilhan Omar El Salvador’s president has publically humiliated Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) after the radical Democrat congresswoman attempted to warn his nation’s voters that he’s a “threat to democracy.” READ MORE

Trump Warns Republicans Biden’s Border Bill Is a ‘Sophisticated Trap’President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Republicans about the Senate’s so-called “border security” bill.READ MORE

Ex-MLB Star Patrick Mahomes Sr Arrested on Third DWI Charge in Texas Former Major League Baseball (MLB) star Patrick Mahomes Sr. has just been arrested on his third DWI charge.READ MORE

Gavin Newsom Declares State of Emergency in Southern California as Brutal Winter Storm Moves In Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency across Southern California as a brutal winter storm brings record-breaking levels of rain and snowfall.READ MORE

Country Music Star Toby Keith Dead at 62 Country music legend Toby Keith has tragically died at the age of 62, his management team announced early Tuesday.READ MORE

Tax-Preparation Firms Gave Facebook ‘Extraordinarily Sensitive’ Personal Data, Report Shows Three tax-preparation companies have given the private information of millions of American taxpayers to Facebook’s parent company Meta, a bombshell new congressional report has revealed.READ MORE

Bank of America Walks Back Green Agenda Pledge to Stop Financing Fossil Fuel Industry Bank of America has walked back its pledge to comply with the globalist green agenda by cutting off the fossil fuel industry.READ MORE

GOP Rep Victoria Spartz Reverses Retirement Decision, Vows to Run for Re-Election Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) has announced that she is reversing her decision to retire from Congress and has vowed to run for re-election this year instead.READ MORE

Marjorie Taylor Greene Demands Fani Willis Resign over Affair with Prosecutor: ‘She Should Be Absolutely Ashamed of Herself’Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is demanding that Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis resign over her inappropriate relationship with fellow get-Trump prosecutor Nathan Wade.READ MORE

EVOL NEWS:

NEWS ADDICT

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

END

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

Japanese Shipping Giant Warns “Historic” Red Sea Crisis Could Last “Six Months Or One Year”

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 04:15 AM

President Biden’s Operation Prosperity Guardian to shield commercial vessels in the Red Sea, along with US and UK bombing raids across the Middle East, have yet to stop Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks around the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

On Tuesday morning, Houthi rebels fired “projectiles” at two commercial vessels, striking one, highlighting the ongoing risks of sailing through the Red Sea.

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-

Japanese shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. issued a warning today that shipping disruptions might extend for up to a year, indicating that expectations for short-term disruptions are quickly fading.

“It’s a historic event,” President Takeshi Hashimoto said in an interview, quoted by Bloomberg.

Hashimoto said, “The situation will continue at least for the coming two or three months. And as a worst-case scenario, six months or one year.”

He pointed out that there’s enough shipping capacity to weather current supply chain disruptions. Still, he warned that if the global economy suddenly expanded, it could spark a shortage of shipping capacity.

Mitsui OSK Lines has about 800 vessels in its fleet. It said last month that all transits through the Red Sea were halted due to Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial vessels.

Two weeks ago, MUFG Bank warned clients that “higher friction geopolitics” jeopardizes maritime chokepoints.

Last week, Deutsche Bank Research warned clients: “Red alert 101: Tension in the global supply chain.”

Here’s the problem: If regional instability risks continue to spread across the Middle East, other critical chokepoints could be affected and accelerate snarled global supply chains.

END

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

CANADA//

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

EURO VS USA DOLLAR: 1.0770 UP .0014

USA/ YEN 148.19 UP .375 NOW TARGETS INTEREST RATE AT 1.00% AS IT WILL BUY UNLIMITED BONDS TO GETS TO THAT LEVEL…//YEN STILL FALLS//

GBP/USA 1.2628 UP .0024

USA/CAN DOLLAR: 1.3470 DOWN .0019 (CDN DOLLAR UP 19 BASIS PTS)

Last night Shanghai COMPOSITE CLOSED UP 40.21 PTS OR 1.44%

Hang Seng CLOSED DOWN 54.22 PTS OR 0.95%

AUSTRALIA CLOSED UP 0.54% // EUROPEAN BOURSE: ALL RED

Trading from Europe and ASIA

I) EUROPEAN BOURSES: ALL RED

2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang SENG DOWN 54.22 PTS OR 0.95%

/SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 40.21 PTS OR 1.44%

AUSTRALIA BOURSE CLOSED UP 0.54%

(Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED DOWN 40.74 OR 0.11%

INDIA’S SENSEX IN THE GREEN

Gold very early morning trading: 2033.70

silver:$22.29

USA dollar index early WEDNESDAY morning: 103,93 DOWN 13 BASIS POINTS FROM TUESDAY’s CLOSE.

WEDNESDAY MORNING NUMBERS ENDS

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And now your closing WEDNESDAY NUMBERS 1: 30 AM

Portuguese 10 year bond yield: 3.004% UP 1 in basis point(s) yield

JAPANESE BOND YIELD: +0.717% DOWN 0 AND 2//100 BASIS POINTS /JAPAN losing control of its yield curve/

SPANISH 10 YR BOND YIELD: 3.214 UP 1 in basis points yield

ITALIAN 10 YR BOND YIELD 3.862 UP 1 points in basis points yield ./ THE ECB IS QE’ ING ITALIAN BONDS (BUYING ITALIAN BONDS/SELLING GERMAN BUNDS)

GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD: 2.2930 UP 1 BASIS PTS

END

IMPORTANT CURRENCY CLOSES FOR WEDNESDAY

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

Euro/USA 1.0757 UP 0.0005 or 5 basis points

USA/Japan: 148.00 UP 0.187 OR YEN DOWN 19 basis points/

Great Britain/USA 1.2626 UP .0023 OR 23 BASIS POINTS //

Canadian dollar UP .0021 OR 21 BASIS pts to 1.3468

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The USA/Yuan, CNY: closed ON SHORE CLOSED (DOWN) …7.1950

THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE: (YUAN CLOSED (DOWN)…. (7.2119)

TURKISH LIRA: 30.60 EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL/DEATH WATCH/HYPERINFLATION TO BEGIN.//ON DEATH WATCH

the 10 yr Japanese bond yield at +0.717…

Your closing 10 yr US bond yield DOWN 1 in basis points from MONDAY at 4.097% //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%) very problematic

USA 30 yr bond yield 4.3000 UP 1 in basis points /12.00 PM

USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.385 DOWN 2 BASIS PTS.

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

London: CLOSED DOWN 52.26 PTS OR 0.68%

German Dax : CLOSED DOWN 111.28 PTS OR 0.65%

Paris CAC CLOSED DOWN 27.71 PTS OR 0.36%

Spain IBEX CLOSED DOWN 114.80 PTS OR 1.15%

Italian MIB: CLOSED DOWN 140.73 PTS OR 0.45%

WTI Oil price 73.52 12: EST

Brent Oil: 78.78 12:00 EST

USA /RUSSIAN ROUBLE /// AT: 91.16; ROUBLE UP 0 AND 5//100

GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD; +2.2930 UP 1 BASIS PTS

UK 10 YR YIELD: 4.016 UP 3 BASIS POINTS

CLOSING NUMBERS: 4 PM

Euro vs USA: 1.0773 UP .0017 OR 17 BASIS POINTS

British Pound: 1.2625 UP .0022 or 22 basis pts

BRITISH 10 YR GILT BOND YIELD: 4.031 UP 16 BASIS PTS//

JAPAN 10 YR YIELD: 0.703%

USA dollar vs Japanese Yen: 148.18 UP 0.364//YEN DOWN 36 BASIS PTS//

USA dollar vs Canadian dollar: 1.3465 DOWN .0024 CDN dollar UP 24 basis pts)

West Texas intermediate oil: 74.04

Brent OIL: 79.33

USA 10 yr bond yield UP 2 BASIS pts to 4.115%

USA 30 yr bond yield UP 1 BASIS PTS to 4.309%

USA 2 YR BOND: UP 2 PTS AT 4.423%

USA dollar index: 103.92 DOWN 14 BASIS POINTS

USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 30.60 (GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO BLOWING UP/

USA DOLLAR VS RUSSIA//// ROUBLE: 91.27 DOWN 0 AND 4/100 roubles

GOLD 2034.75 3:30 PM

SILVER: 22.21 3:30 PM

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE: UP 156.00 PTS OR 0.40%

NASDAQ UP 182.34 PTS OR 1.04%

VOLATILITY INDEX: 12.85 DOWN .21 PTS OR 1.61%

GLD: $188,50 DOWN 0.05 OR 0.027%

SLV/ $20.33 DOWN .18 OR 0.88%

end

USA AFFAIRS

TODAY’S TRADING IN GRAPH FORM

Big-Tech & Bitcoin Bounce, Regionals Red As Flotilla Of FedSpeak Hints ‘Higher For Longer’

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 04:00 PM

The buyers are back in banks and big-tech today despite an avalanche of hawkish talk from Fed speakers. An ugly consumer credit print at the end of the day offset the fact that the US trade deficit narrowed last year by the most since 2009 as the value of imported goods declined and the services surplus increased.

The algos only had one think in mind – S&P 500 hitting 5,000… and they managed to get to 4999.89 before the front-running failed.

Nomura’s Charlie McEllifgott noted that “large investors including real money, continue to indicate they are being forced to ‘grab into’ beta through futures and/or index options upside.”

But, the narrative is clearly being shifted back to ‘higher for longer’.

Six Fed speakers today – all saying the same thing – don’t expect cuts any time soon…

KUGLER: MAY BE APPROPRIATE TO HOLD TARGET RANGE STEADY AT CURRENT LEVEL FOR LONGER
KASHKARI: WE CAN TAKE TIME TO ASSESS DATA BEFORE CUTTING; SEE 2-3 CUTS THIS YEAR AS APPROPRIATE RIGHT NOW
BARKIN: “IN THE WORLD OF ELEVATED UNCERTAINTY,… IT’S A REASONABLE IDEA TO BE PATIENT”; LOW RESPONSE RATES, REVISIONS MAKE YOU WARY OF DATA
COLLINS: THERE IS A RISK THAT INFLATION PROGRESS STALLS, REASONABLE CHANCE RATES SETTLE HIGHER VS PRE-PANDEMIC

Yesterday we had:

KASHKARI: “WE’RE NOT ALL THE WAY THERE YET” ON INFLATION
MESTER: EXPECT FED TO GAIN CONFIDENCE TO CUT “LATER THIS YEAR”; POLICY IS IN A GOOD PLACE, MISTAKE TO CUT RATE TOO SOON

And that followed Powell on Sunday who very clearly confirmed that ‘higher for longer’ view (no matter what 60 Minutes editing/voice-over said).

As Goldman Sachs’ Nelson Armbrust noted:

“The economy is stronger than expected, consumption is solid and jobs are very strong.

Personally, I have a hard time going along with the narrative of multiple cuts this year with the data at hand. Rates normalization just for the sake of it doesn’t seem enough for me.

If the economy can sustain higher rates, it might be positive to have more room to cut in the future in case the economy needs a boost.”

Of course, all that hawkishness hits the fan if a bank or two collapses…

COLLINS: OVERALL, I SEE BANKS AS WELL-CAPITALIZED
KASHKARI: WE’RE WATCHING CRE VERY CAREFULLY, CRE ISSUES APPEAR LIMITED TO INDIVIDUAL BANKS
REMACHE: FED TO WATCH MONEY MARKET CONDITIONS AS RRP USE FALLS

And today was all about NYCB (which is/was the 35th largest bank in the US) as it oscillated from total failure to heroic resurrection…

But some context might help…

Source: Bloomberg

The overall Regional Bank index rebounded solidly (but we note that we have seen this kind of rebound three times now in the last week and we’re still a lot lower)… but ended the day lower…

Source: Bloomberg

But the regional bank rebound, and FedSpeak, sent rate-cut expectations (hawkishly) lower…

Source: Bloomberg

Nasdaq outperformed on the day, followed closely by the S&P 500. The Dow managed solid gains but Small Caps battled ‘unch’ in the last hour (and lost)…

The Mag7 soared to new highs today, up 13.5% from January ‘s lows…

Source: Bloomberg

…as the NVDA soared back above $700 again (up $50BN today)…

Nasdaq’s gains relative to Small Caps have pushed it back up to a notable level…

Source: Bloomberg

Before we leave equity-land, with the S&P within an inch of 5,000 and record-er highs, the last time the S&P 500 was at this record high, in Jan 2022, 77% of names were above their 10DMA, 73% above the 50DMA, and 76% above their 200DMA…

Source: Bloomberg

This time, only around 40% of names are above their 10DMA, less than 60% above their 50DMA and less than 70% above their 200DMA…

Source: Bloomberg

As @JasonGoepfert noted on X, “Since 1928, that’s only happened once before: August 8, 1929.”

Stocks rallied even with yields being higher today – despite a strong (record size) 10Y auction. The roller-coaster day left yield sup only around 2bps on the day across the curve but 30Y is lagging on the week…

Source: Bloomberg

Bitcoin rallied today, back above $44,000 at one-month highs…

Source: Bloomberg

…after the 8th straight day of net inflows into bitcoin ETFs…

Source: Bloomberg

Amid all the moves in other assets today, the dollar went absolutely nowhere…

Source: Bloomberg

Gold spiked amid bank chaos early on (above $2040) but ended unch…

Source: Bloomberg

Oil prices drifted gently higher today after big product draws

Source: Bloomberg

US NatGas prices dropped below $2 for the first time since Sept 2020…

Source: Bloomberg

Finally, Powell and Biden may have a problem soon as wholesale gasoline prices are ‘high’, suggesting pump prices are going to be heading up soon…

Source: Bloomberg

…must be those greedy ‘Big Oil’ execs again!!

Oh, and while you’re celebrating, this analog just keeps chugging along…

Source: Bloomberg

But hey, the nice people on CNBC said ‘buy stocks, this ain’t anything like 1990!’.

END

MORNING TRADING//

end

II USA DATA

Stunning Collapse In Credit Card Debt Change As Average APR Hits New All-Time High

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 03:42 PM

After several months of wild swings in US consumer debt, culminating with last month’s explosion in credit card debt which was the 2nd biggest on record, in December households finally hit a brick wall because according to the latest consumer credit data published by the Federal Reserve moments ago, in the last month of 2023 total consumer debt rose by a paltry $1.561 billion, which was not only nearly a 90% miss to consensus estimates of $15.9 billion..

… but also a huge slowdown from November, tumbling by almost $22BN, the third biggest monthly drop since covid shut down the economy.

When looking into the details of the report, we find something remarkable: while non-revolving credit rose a tiny $0.5BN…

… which is to be expected in a time when student debt continues to shrink due to illegal debt discharges by the Biden admin (which is defying SCOTUS and continues to forgive billions in student loans) while auto loans are barely rising due to record interest rates…

… what was the big shock in today’s data was the absolute collapse in revolving credit, i.e., credit card debt, which in December collapsed from a $15.4BN increase in November – the second biggest on record – to just $1 bilion, the second smallest monthly increase with just the June 2023 contraction a greater outlier.

Last but not least, the slowdown in debt, and especially credit card debt, is hardly a surprise since as the Fed also reported that in Q4, the average rate across all commercial banks on all credit card amounts just hit a new record high of 21.47% despite the drop in rates observed in late 2023, which is a vivid reminders that while banks are happy to hike credit card rates, they rarely if ever cut them.

And with consumers increasingly reluctant to max out their credit cards due to record high rates, at a time when the personal savings rate in the US has collapsed from over 5% to 3.7% – the lowest since 2022 – in just a few months…

… it is now only a matter of time before US GDP prints deep negative now that that pillar supporting 70% of the US economy, consumer purchases, is about to crack… or it would if it wasn’t an election year and every single economic data point is now gamed and politicized BS.

-END-

TUCKER CARLSON..

III USA ECONOMIC COMMENTARIES

USA/GERMANY/JAPAN

More dominoes will fall due to huge USA CRE downturns

(zerohedge)

More Dominoes: US CRE Downturn Sends German Lenders Into Turmoil

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 07:45 AM

A severe downturn in the US commercial real estate property sector has already sent some banks in New York and Japan into full-blown crash mode because of their high CRE exposure. This turmoil is now beginning to affect European banks as well.

Bloomberg reports that real estate-focused German lenders were hammered this week after Morgan Stanley analysts told clients to sell senior bonds linked to Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG due to the lender’s high exposure to the US CRE market.

The bank’s €150 million ($161 million) tier 2 bond was indicated 17.4 cents lower at 52 cents on the euro on Tuesday, by far its biggest one-day drop, while its senior bonds followed suit. A more junior €300 million additional tier 1 note fell 9.5 cents, an even sharper drop than the loss it recorded in the aftermath of Credit Suisse’s AT1 wipeout last year. The latter two securities slipped further on Wednesday. -Bloomberg

Besides Pfandbriefbank, the most significant declines in a Bloomberg index of euro-denominated bank bonds were a €750 million AT1 by Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg and €300 million note by Aareal Bank AG on Tuesday. Declines continued into Wednesday.

Shares of Pfandbriefbank have slid about 15% this month.

“We see risks that PBB might have to further increase loan loss provisions and, thus, put pressure on its already subdued profitability,” Deutsche Bank analyst Marlene Eibensteiner told clients on Tuesday. She pointed out the turmoil is an issue of profitability and not solvency due to the bank’s capital buffers.

“Both Deutsche Pfandbriefbank and Aareal Bank are German issuers with one of the highest commercial real estate exposures relative to their total lending,” Marine Leleux, an analyst at ING, wrote in a recent note.

Leleux continued: “This is not without consequences as the construction and real estate sectors are expected to continue to suffer from the higher interest rates. We would, therefore, be more cautious on banks with larger exposures to these sectors.”

The German banking authority, BaFin, informed Bloomberg that they are closely monitoring German banks and the CRE market.

“BaFin has a watch on the current market developments and is reflecting them in its supervision,” a spokesman for the agency told Bloomberg in an email.

According to market participants, traders have had no success selling Pfandbriefbank bonds this week unless they take a massive haircut.

Just last week, Aozora Bank, the 16th largest in Japan by market value, saw shares crash after slashing the value of some of its US office tower loans by more than 50%.

Several months ago, we predicted the “Next bank failure will be in Japan.”

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-

@zerohedge

Next bank failure will be in Japan

Japan to stress-test banks for risk of Silicon Valley Bank-style crisis

From asia.nikkei.com

Overnight, Moody’s cut all long-term and some short-term ratings of New York Community Bancorp to ‘junk’ (Ba2 from Baa3) over the bank’s high exposure to the multi-family CRE space. Shares of the bank have collapsed to 1997 lows.

Here are the regional banks with the biggest CRE loans relative to capital.

Analysts at Green Street warned one major concern is that the value of CRE properties could see further writedown this year, upwards of 15%.

Is the US CRE turmoil triggering the beginnings of another global banking crisis? If so, banks with high exposure to CRE loans could fall like dominoes.

END

SEATTLE

Life in Seattle

(zerohedge)

Seattle Restaurant Has Been Broken Into 5 Times In Past 6 Months

TUESDAY, FEB 06, 2024 – 08:10 PM

Even before Biden took over the White House thanks to millions of mailed-in harvested ballots dropping in at 3am in the morning, Seattle had emerged as one socialist America’s liberal meccas. Here are the consequences.

According to Seattle’s King5 news, Sandia, a Mexican restaurant in the city’s Laurelhurst neighborhood, has been broken into no less than 5 times in the past 6 months, costing the business $10,000.

“As of today, now we have been broken into five times,” said Nathan Yeager, the owner.

In the surveillance video provided to KING 5, you can see criminals break the front door with a crowbar, climb over the counter, steal money from the till, and then sneak around while looking in every door for something to take.

“People are just breaking in our windows blatantly, stealing nothing. I mean, they’re really getting away with nothing,” Yeager said.

Recently, someone broke in and took their elevator key box, which costs around $2,000 to repair and install.

Yeager said they are now out $10,000 for the repeat break-ins.

On Thursday night, someone smashed through the window facing the Burke Gilman Trail and took alcohol. They left behind broken glass everywhere.

“That was that $900 to replace the window for one bottle of alcohol,” Yeager said. Yeager feels at a loss for what to do about the crime. He feels “heartbroken, sad and defeated.”

Owning seven businesses in Seattle, Yeager had strong feelings about the brazen crime.

“I don’t think I’ll open another business in Seattle. I think that Seattle has failed small businesses,” he said.

The City of Seattle does have a “storefront repair fund,” and according to their latest update, funds are still available. They have updated the eligibility requirements for the $2,000 grants to include more small businesses and now nonprofit organizations.

Yeager has seen an incredible show of support from his customers after posting about the crime on the business’ Instagram. He hopes sharing his experience will lead to change.

“We just can’t keep writing these checks every day, you know, but we have to, you know, like, I have to fix this window. I have to fix this door,” Yeager said. “We’ve got to solve this problem somehow and figure this out.”

end

NEW YORK

These guys have no chance: they will bite the dust

(zerohedge)

“Whatever It Takes” – NYCB Shares Drop After Chairman Reassures “Virtually” No Deposit Outflow From Branches

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 09:02 AM

NYCB shares puked down to $3.50 overnight after Moody’s downgraded them to junk.

This morning, the beleaguered, CRE-heavy bank released a statement from Chief Executive Thomas Cangemi that:

“The Moody’s downgrade is not expected to have a material impact on our contractual arrangements.”

Which seems a little disingenuous, given Moody’s comments on the fact that one of the bank’s major vulnerabilities is its need for market financing.

Additionally, as Goldman’s Sara Cha notes, the lender stated that deposits are up from YE23 at $83b and that total liquidity at the firm exceeds uninsured deposits ($37.3b vs $22.9b of uninsured deposits), while adding that “this doesn’t give much insights into types of deposits,” and it does show a decline in uninsured deposits.

That data was as of the close on 2/5 (i.e before yesterday’s share price collapse and the downgrade).

The bank also named board member Alessandro (Sandro) DiNello as executive chairman to “work alongside” Chief Executive Cangemi in an effort to “improve all aspects of the bank’s operations.”

All of which dragged the share price well off the lows.

And DiNello has just held a conference call during which he stated that the bank has “seen virtually no deposit outflow from retail branches.”

Interesting choice of words – what about deposit flight from online?

NYCB’s CFO commented that deposits on Feb 6th were “relatively stable” with Feb 5th.

DiNello reassured that the lender is focused on doing “whatever it takes” to build capital, has “really curtailed” CRE origination in recent months, and will consider loan sales among the options to reduce CRE exposure, as well as selling assets.

The market’s response was disappointment…

Not exactly the vote of confidence they were expecting as shares are now down 4% from yesterday’s close.

END

Delinquency Rates Are Spiking! Has The Final Meltdown Of The U.S. Consumer Now Begun?

February 6, 2024 by Michael SNYDER

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According to the New York Fed, total household debt in the United States increased by 212 billion dollars during the fourth quarter of 2023. It is now sitting at a grand total of 17.5 trillion dollars. I suppose the good news is that we aren’t 34 trillion dollars in debt like the federal government is. But 17.5 trillion dollars is still really bad, and it is far more than U.S. households can handle. Unsurprisingly, delinquency rates have started to spike, and I fully expect this trend to intensify in the months ahead.

Let’s start by taking a look at credit card debt. During the fourth quarter, it hit a brand new all-time record high of 1.13 trillion dollars…

Americans are increasingly turning to their credit cards to cover everyday expenses, with debt hitting a new record high at the end of December, according to a New York Federal Reserve report published Tuesday.

In the three-month period from October to December, total credit card debt surged to $1.13 trillion, an increase of $50 billion, or 4.6% from the previous quarter, according to the report. It marks the highest level on record in Fed data dating back to 2003 and the ninth consecutive annual increase.

The average rate of interest on credit card balances is now way above 20 percent, and so it has been very foolish of us to run up so much credit card debt.

And now millions of Americans are falling behind on their payments.

In fact, it is being reported that credit card delinquencies “surged more than 50% in 2023”…

Credit card delinquencies surged more than 50% in 2023 as total consumer debt swelled to $17.5 trillion, the New York Federal Reserve reported Tuesday.

Debt that has transitioned into “serious delinquency,” or 90 days or more past due, increased across multiple categories during the year, but none more so than credit cards.

With a total of $1.13 trillion in debt, credit card debt that moved into serious delinquency amounted to 6.4% in the fourth quarter, a 59% jump from just over 4% at the end of 2022, the New York Fed reported.

As delinquency rates rise, lenders will be forced to become more stingy, and that means that U.S. consumers will have less money to throw around.

The New York Fed is also telling us that delinquency rates on auto loans are surging too…

In the case of auto loans, delinquency rates are now above pre-pandemic levels “and the worsening appears to be broad-based,” New York Fed researchers wrote.

“Loans opened during 2022 and 2023 are, so far, performing worse than loans opened in earlier years, perhaps because buyers during these years faced higher car prices and may have been pressed to borrow more, and at higher rates,” they wrote. Increased delinquency rates “merit monitoring in the months ahead, particularly with the amplified distress shown by borrowers in lower-income areas.”

This is exactly what we would expect to see if the U.S. economy was plunging into a recession.

A lot more Americans are having trouble paying their bills these days, and as the economy slows down throughout the rest of 2024 that is just going to make matters even worse.

One of the reasons why Americans have been relying on their credit cards so much is because virtually everything has become so much more expensive.

At this point, even a trip to McDonald’s has become financially painful…

The CEO of McDonald’s admitted Monday that the sales for the fast food giant have dipped amid increased menu prices that have not gone unnoticed by customers.

The Chicago-based chain has taken heavy criticism over its Big Mac combo that is priced at nearly $18, among other menu hikes, and has promised to focus on affordability, the New York Post reported.

“I think what you’re going to see as you head into 2024 is probably more attention to what I would describe as affordability,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said on an earnings call with analysts.

In 1996, you could get a Big Mac for just 99 cents.

Things sure have changed since then.

I never imagined that we would be reminiscing about the “good old days” of the 1990s, but here we are…

I also miss the days when it seemed like there was a bank branch on just about every corner.

Once upon a time it was so easy to set up a bank account that even a kid could do it.

But now banks all over the nation have gotten into big financial trouble and they are shutting down branches at a staggering rate…

Bank of America has emerged as a front-runner in the ongoing elimination of costly brick-and-mortar banking locations in the US.

It said it would shut almost 160 last year and having already announced 30 in the first month of 2024 alone, there are no signs the trend will slow.

A total of 139 scheduled bank branch closures were made public in January – more than the monthly average across 2023, according to their regulator.

The Federal Reserve is doing all that it can to try to prop up the system, but I still expect another wave of bank failures in 2024.

In this sort of an environment, I think that it is wise to not have all of your eggs in one basket.

We really are moving into wild and unpredictable times, and no financial institution is 100 percent safe.

If you have spread your assets around, that will help mitigate your risk.

Of course most Americans don’t actually need to spread their assets around because they hardly have any at all.

According to one recent survey, 60 percent of all Americans have 500 dollars or less in their checking accounts.

That means that most of us are living right on the edge of financial disaster, and we are collectively piling up more credit card debt with each passing day.

The stage is set for the final meltdown of the U.S. consumer, and it will be truly horrifying to watch it play out.

IIIB USA COMMENTARIES RE ISRAEL/HAMAS WAR/ and PERVASIVE ANTISEMITISM/WOKISM…

END

FREIGHT ISSUES/USA

END

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON

END

SWAMP STORIES

USA is now officially a banana republic

Next 4 commentaries outlines this beautifully

(zerohedge)

House Fails To Impeach Mayorkas After Four Republicans Join Democrats

TUESDAY, FEB 06, 2024 – 07:50 PM

House lawmakers on Tuesday failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, under whose tenure more than 10 million illegal immigrants have entered the US – doubling the existing population.

Three Republicans voted with House Democrats – while a fourth, Blake Moore (R-UT) flipped his “Aye” to a “No” in order to preserve the ability to bring ‘Motions to Reconsider’ (which can only be brought by someone who voted ‘no’).

The open-border Republicans who voted against impeachment are:

Ken Buck (CO)
Tom McClintonck (CA)
Mike Gallagher (WI)

In a Monday op-ed in The Hill, Buck said that while Mayorkas may be incompetent, his behavior wasn’t impeachable, and that doing so would set a bad precedent.

The vote to impeach Mayorkas was held as a bipartisan effort in the Senate to send $60 billion to Ukraine and lock in 1.5 million illegal migrants per year unraveled.

In the articles of impeachment, Mayorkas was accused of demonstrating a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law,” and “breaching the public trust,” which Democrats suggested was nothing more than disagreements over policy or performance failings, but not impeachable crimes.

The border has become a central concern of Congress and the White House, as arrests hit records in recent months. Border Patrol agents in December set a monthly record of nearly 250,000 arrests of migrants caught crossing the border illegally, up 31% from November, with daily arrests sometimes topping 10,000. An additional 50,000 migrants entered the country in December at legal border crossings to seek asylum.

Democrats said the effort to impeach Mayorkas amounted to political theater at the start of a heated presidential-election campaign in which immigration is expected to be a top issue for voters. –WSJ

According to Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), Mayorkas “is the very type of public official the Framers feared—someone who would cast aside the laws passed by a co-equal branch of government, replacing those with his own preferences.”

On Monday, the White House said that impeaching Mayorkas “would be an unprecedented and unconstitutional act of political retribution that would do nothing to solve the challenges our nation faces in securing the border,” and suggested that he’s been a great DHS secretary.

If the House had succeeded in impeaching Mayorkas, he would have been the second cabinet secretary in US history to be impeached.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

end

Kristi Noem: “Somebody’s Running The White House. I Don’t Believe It’s Joe Biden”

TUESDAY, FEB 06, 2024 – 07:10 PM

Authored by Aaron Pan via The Epoch Times,

South Dakota governor Kristi Noem said President Joe Biden is not running the White House, but someone else is governing the country as she raised concerns over the border crisis that is “an extreme remaking of America.”

During an interview on Fox News on Feb. 4, when asked by host Maria Bartiromo why President Biden is providing free housing and health care to illegal immigrants, Ms. Noem said,

“He’s weak. Somebody’s running the White House. I don’t believe it’s Joe Biden. He’s never been this extreme. This is an extreme remaking of America.”

“It is a socialist-communist agenda. I think that they’ve so infiltrated the Democrat party that it’s no longer the Democrat Party of 20 years ago; it’s now a socialist party that does not want a strong America,” she added.

Ms. Noem is one of over a dozen GOP governors who have visited Texas to show their support for Gov. Greg Abbott in his fight with the Biden administration over the influx of illegal immigrants crossing the border in Eagle Pass.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) estimated throughout the 2023 fiscal year, 2.4 million people illegally crossed the border, up from 2.3 million the previous year. In contrast, between Oct. 1, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2020, before President Biden took office, there were only 458,000 encounters with illegal immigrants by border patrol agents.

In the interview, South Dakota’s governor criticized the Biden administration for the border crisis. “We see the president undermining our country by allowing this invasion at the southern border, and it’s destabilizing our country,” she said.

For weeks, the Biden administration has clashed with Mr. Abbott after the National Guard took control of the 47-acre Shelby Park area in Eagle Pass, Texas, to stop the flood of illegal border crossings.

The Texas National Guard has been accused of denying Border Patrol agents access to the park, leading to multiple legal battles. The Texas state government has cited its constitutional right to exercise its authority to protect the borders.

Ms. Noem has previously sent South Dakota National Guard troops three times to support Texas border control efforts. Last month, she indicated that she would continue to deploy her state’s troops to the border.

Ms. Noem’s border visit comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that the federal government could remove razor wire and other barriers the Texas state government had placed along the border with Mexico to deter illegal crossings.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, Mr. Abbott has ordered even more razor wire barriers to be installed. Numerous Republican political leaders, in turn, have voiced their support for the Texas governor’s efforts. Ms. Noem was one of 25 Republican governors who signed a letter voicing support for the Texas governor after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

In the interview with host Maria Bartiromo, she explained, “The reason that the federal government went after Texas was because they’d actually figured out a way to put up the razor wire that was impenetrable that people could not get through. They said even those able-bodied military-aged men could not get through the barrier at that point. And it was so effective that that’s when the federal government came after Texas to take it down.”

The South Dakota governor accused Democrats and President Biden of abusing their power by seeking to federalize the National Guard. She stated that she would defend her authority and even warned of a potential war.

“Democrats have been encouraging this president. They’ve been encouraging President Biden to come after our state’s rights. They’ve been talking about federalizing our National Guard, which would be the first time in American history that we would have a president that would pay soldiers to stand down, to actually not protect America,” she noted.

“If he’s willing to do that and to take away my authority as governor, as commander in chief of those National Guard, boy, we do have a war on our hands,” she warned.

END

MS 13 gang members, al Qaeda terrorists living in the USA

(zerohedge)

MS-13 Gang Members, Al-Qaeda Terrorist Found Living Illegally In US

TUESDAY, FEB 06, 2024 – 06:30 PM

Authored by Alice Giordano via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Members of the notorious MS-13 gang, as well as several terrorists, including one linked to al-Qaeda and another to Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s largest criminal organization, have recently been arrested by immigration officials in U.S. cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Chicago.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records, they were all living in the United States illegally and were released by detention centers under the Biden administration despite previous convictions for violent crimes, including murder.

The latest arrest occurred just last week, involving an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador who had been convicted in 2023 of being an accessory after the fact in a first-degree murder case and was sentenced to five years in prison.

According to Darius Reeves, acting field director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Baltimore, a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge suspended most of his sentence, ignored an immigration detainer issued against the Salvadoran national, and instead ordered his release into the general public.

“This unlawfully present Salvadoran gang member’s presence in the United States represents a threat to the safety and security of our residents,” Mr. Reeves stated. “Not only is he a validated member of a notorious criminal enterprise, but he also aided other criminals in the commission of a murder. ERO Baltimore will continue to apprehend and remove such criminal elements from our Maryland communities.”

An ICE spokesman told The Epoch Times that the name of the 30-year-old MS-13 gang member, who initially entered the United States illegally near Falfurrias, Texas, is being withheld pending a removal order, as mandated by federal law.

Two days after the MS-13 gang member’s arrest, Patrick Lechleitner, President Biden’s acting ICE director, admitted that last year, a Somali terrorist from the Islamic military group al-Shabaab was accidentally released after being found living illegally in the United States. He had been freely roaming until his re-arrest on Jan. 20 in Minneapolis.

According to the National Counterterrorism Center, al-Shabaab has killed more U.S. citizens than any other al-Qaeda affiliate. It reportedly has between 7,000 and 10,000 members, according to the federal agency. The group lists its main targets as U.S. military forces and is known to attack civilian targets such as hotels, shopping malls, universities, and busy intersections.

Members of other foreign terrorist organizations have also been discovered living illegally in the United States recently. Last month, a man from Bangladesh, convicted of attempting to provide material support to an unnamed foreign terrorist organization, was deported. He had been found living in the United States illegally more than eight years ago.

According to ICE records, Rakin Islam Chowdhury was granted temporary permission to remain in the United States on June 5, 2015. This authorization expired on Dec. 4, 2015.

Recent reports from Chicago have highlighted the presence of dangerous illegal immigrants in the United States, where law enforcement has allegedly discovered a cell operated by Tren de Aragua. This gang, known in English as the Aragua Train, is considered the largest criminal organization in Venezuela and is primarily engaged in sex trafficking.

Telemundo Chicago Investiga wrote in a Jan. 22, 2024, article that it had obtained communications between Willow Springs, Illinois, police chief Garry McCarthy and the Cook County Sheriff’s Department in Los Angeles, California, showing growing concerns about gang operations in their communities.

Neither Mr. McCarthy nor the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department responded to multiple inquiries from The Epoch Times. A Telemundo report featured an email sent by the Cook County Sheriff.

“I wanted to give you a heads-up about a new threat developing among the newly arriving immigrant community,” the email stated. “There is a gang from Venezuela known as Tren de Aragua. This gang has strong human trafficking operations in Latin America and is likely engaged in sex and labor trafficking in the United States. Multiple agencies have confirmed their presence in the United States.”

The email includes a redacted source that claims to have “information that the gang is here in Chicago.”

In another report, Mr. McCarthy told Telemundo that law enforcement is having a hard time identifying gang members as they cross the border because Venezuela does not share criminal records with the United States.

“We do not have data on them because I am sure that if it is Venezuela, it does not share it with the United States. So you can’t connect dots when we don’t have points,” Mr. McCarthy told Telemundo.

In September, Interpol put out a red notice to law enforcement worldwide to be on the lookout for Tren de Aragua boss Héctor Guerrero Flores after he escaped from a prison in Venezuela.

On Monday, Borderreport.com quoted former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ammon Blair as saying Venezuela has become a “significant concern along the US-Mexico border.”

An ICE spokesman told The Epoch Times that the agency has encountered members of the Venezuelan gang, but did not yet have anything that could be released. Telemundo reported that Border Patrol confirmed that at least 38 members have been arrested around the United States in the past year and that all of their points of entry were in El Paso, Texas.

Several other members of MS-13, short for Mara Salvatrucha, have also appeared on ICE’s radar after crossing the Texas border.

In 2022, another MS-13 member who entered the United States illegally through Texas under the Biden administration’s open border policy, allegedly raped and killed Kayla Hamilton just days before she turned 20.

According to an investigation into Kayla’s murder by the Committee on the Judiciary and the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, the then 16-year-old gang member was housed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the same foster home where Kayla was living. Kayla was autistic, but trying to transition to a life of independence.

The Republican-led committee concluded its investigation with a report blaming Kayla’s murder on the “Biden administration’s radical open-borders policies.”

The report highlighted that, in addition to an already lengthy criminal history, the Salvadoran minor had MS-13-specific tattoos, which should have alerted border officials to his affiliation and led to him being flagged for deportation.

Kayla’s mother Tammy Nobles has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against both HHS and the Department of Homeland Security.

In a press release announcing the suit, Ms. Noble’s attorney Brian Claypool, claims that another illegal immigrant was placed in charge of housing Kayla and her alleged murderer in the same home and that the MS-13 gang member was released to his custody.

“We’re bringing this lawsuit because we’re tired of being held hostage in our own country. We’re tired of DHS playing Russian roulette with our lives,” Mr. Claypool said in a Facebook post.

According to the judiciary committee’s investigation, the MS-13 gang member was originally apprehended at the Texas border on March 23, 2022, and referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The ORR is a program run by the HHS’s administration for children and families and helps minor children who are not from the United States become what it calls “integrated members of American society.”

The recent reports of terrorists and gang members coming into the United States at the Texas border come amidst a recent Supreme Court ruling that Texas could not block the passage of illegal immigrants into the United States.

Texas is refusing to recognize the order, which has created a standoff between Texas law enforcement and federal border agents.

The report also comes amidst a controversial Senate bipartisan bill that seeks to allow up to 4,000 daily crossings by migrants before a cap is considered.

“Only a fool, or a radical left Democrat, would vote for this horrendous border bill,” former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday.

END

This is what happens when a company goes woke: a great franchise is destroyed

(zerohedge)

This Is The Way: Fired ‘Mandalorian’ Star Sues Disney, Lucasfilm After Elon Musk Offer

TUESDAY, FEB 06, 2024 – 04:50 PM

In February of 2021, two stars of Disney’s The Mandalorian made Nazi and Holocaust analogies in political statements.

Lucasfilm, owned by Disney, fired one of them. And now she’s suing.

In the first instance, Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal made a now-deleted Instagram post likening Trump supporters losing the 2020 election to the Confederacy and Nazi Germany losing in 1865 and 1945. In 2018, Pascal compared Jews in a Nazi concentration camp to ‘children in cages‘ (using a 2010 photo of Palestinian children waiting to be fed at a soup kitchen).

In the second instance, actress Gina Carano, who played former Rebel Alliance soldier Cara Dune – was fired from the show and dropped by her agency after she shared a TikTok post comparing the current divided political climate to the treatment of Jewish people in pre-WWII Germany, saying that “the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews.”

The hypocrisy did not go unnoticed:

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According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lucasfilm had planned on giving Carano her own show before she expressed her opinions.

Carano also drew criticism from the left for mocking pronouns, putting “boop/bop/beep” in her Twitter bio.

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-

Carano’s other ‘crime’ was mocking masks during the pandemic.

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-

Now, Carano is suing…

In a Tuesday post on X, Carano laid out what happened, and why she’s suing.

After my 20 years of building a career from scratch, and during the regime of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Lucasfilm made this statement on Twitter, terminating me from The Mandalorian: “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm & there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural & religious identities are abhorrent & unacceptable.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is I was being hunted down from everything I posted to every post I liked because I was not in line with the acceptable narrative of the time. My words were consistently twisted to demonize & dehumanize me as an alt right wing extremist. It was a bullying smear campaign aimed at silencing, destroying & making an example out of me.

…

Look at why I was called a transphobe–for making droid noises from Star Wars? “Beep, bop, boop” was obviously directed to the online bullies and did not in any way denigrate transgender people.

Were my questions about masks, lockdowns & forced vaccines ok to ask & push the subject into the light? Should we have been allowed to publicly discuss those topics at that time without being harassed or censored? Absolutely.

Carano goes on to explain that “A couple months ago @ElonMusk tweeted that if you had been fired from using the platform (X) for exercising your right to free speech, he would like to offer these people legal representation.”

Some time later, Carino received an email from a lawyer hired by X to explore her case.

Carano then thanked Musk and X, and says she would love to keep acting.

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-

end

“Not A Woke Company”: Trump Says Bud Light’s Owner Should Be Given Second Chance

WEDNESDAY, FEB 07, 2024 – 09:20 AM

Authored by Frank Fang via The Epoch Times,

Former President Donald Trump said Bud Light’s parent company is not “woke” and suggested that it “deserves a second chance.”

“The Bud Light ad was a mistake of epic proportions, and for that a very big price was paid,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Feb. 6, referring to Bud Light’s decision last year to produce a customized beer can featuring the face of transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.

The promotion led to a sustained boycott of the brand, with Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev losing billions of dollars in revenue.

“Anheuser-Busch is not a Woke company,” the former president added.

“Anheuser-Busch spends $700 Million a year with our GREAT Farmers, employ[s] 65 thousand Americans, of which 1,500 are Veterans, and is a Founding Corporate Partner of Folds of Honor, which provides Scholarships for families of fallen Servicemen & Women. They’ve raised over $30,000,000 and given 44,000 Scholarships.

“Anheuser-Busch is a Great American Brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance? What do you think? Perhaps, instead, we should be going after those companies that are looking to DESTROY AMERICA!”

While asserting that Anheuser-Busch is not a “woke” company, the former President said he can name “plenty that are.”

“[I] am building a list, and might just release it for the World to see,” President Trump wrote.

“Why not, the Radical Left does it viciously to well-run, Conservative companies—and people! Very nasty, but it’s the way they play the game!”

In May last year, the former president joined conservative criticism of Anheuser-Busch, while promoting the “The Great Patriot BUY-Cott Book” by Wayne Allyn Root.

“It’s time to beat the Radical Left at their own game,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.

“Money does talk, Anheuser-Busch now understands that.”

Bud Light has pivoted back to its more traditional, sports-related advertising. It is now the “official beer partner” of the mixed martial arts league UFC after a multiyear deal was signed late last year.

The brand has created a 60-second commercial dubbed “Easy Night Out” that will air during the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. The advertisement centers around a group of friends who release a genie from a bottle of Bud Light.

In January, Anheuser-Busch agreed to partner with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for events through 2028. Corona Cero, AB InBev’s zero-alcohol beer, will be the global beer sponsor of the Olympic Games.

“Beer and sports are better together, so we are proud to be the first beer sponsor for the Olympics at the Worldwide Olympic Partner level,” Anheuser-Busch CEO Michel Doukeris said in a statement.

“We look forward to partnering with the IOC, and activating at the 2024, 2026, and 2028 games.”

Anheuser-Busch also signed a sponsorship deal last month with the U.S. Olympic team for its Michelob Ultra light beer brand. The brewing company will sponsor Team USA at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milan-Cortina 2026), and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“Team USA joins Michelob ULTRA’s incredible roster of sports partners including the NBA, WNBA, PGA, U.S. Soccer Federation, Mexican Football Federation, Copa America, and Professional Bull Riders, all of which share our passion for quality, excellence, and celebrating an active and balanced lifestyle,” Anheuser-Busch U.S. CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement.

Modelo Especial, owned by Constellation Brands in the United States, overtook Bud Light as the best-selling beer in the United States in June last year.

In October 2023, Anheuser-Busch reported a 13.5 percent loss for its third-quarter revenue in the United States.

Bud Light sales dropped by nearly 30 percent year over year for the week ending Jan. 20, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, according to Fox Business, citing data from Bump Williams Consulting.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/polish-farmers-set-join-european-revolt-mass-blockade

end

KING REPORT

The King Report February 7, 2024 Issue 7175

Independent View of the News

@FoxBusiness: Trump says he wouldn’t reappoint Fed Chair Powell: ‘He’s political’“I think he’s political,” Trump told Bartiromo. “I think he’s going to do something to probably help the Democrats, I think, if he lowers interest rates.” “But you have the potential of having massive inflation again, because the Middle East could drive up the price of energy,” he continued. “And the Middle East, again, the bombs are dropping all over the place and the ships are starting to get hit and hit hard. If that happens, you’re going to have tremendous spikes in the price of oil. And if you do that, you’re going to have big inflation. He’s not going to be able to do anything. But it looks to me like he’s trying to lower interest rates for the sake of maybe getting people elected.“… https://t.co/eye8XLd4h4

Chinese stocks again got hammered during early trading on Tuesday. Then, intervention appeared, again.

@Sino_Market: CHINA CENTRAL HUIJIN INVST. SAID IT HAS EXPANDED THE RANGE AND HOLDINGS OF ETFS TO HELP STABILISE THE MARKET.   20:47 ET Feb. 5, 2024
    CSRC on China Huijin’s announcement: CSRC will continue to coordinate and guide public funds, private funds, securities companies, social security funds, insurance organizations, and other types of institutional investors to enter the market more vigorously, introducing more incremental funds for the A-share market, and making full efforts to maintain stable market operation

China Sovereign Fund (Huijin) Vows to Further Increase ETF Holding – BBG 20:47 ET.
Shanghai Composite Erases 1.2% Loss after Huijin Statement – BBG 20:48 ET
China’s CSI 1000 Index Erases Early Loss of as Much as 2.3% – BBG 20:49 ET

Xi Set to Discuss China Stock Market with Financial Regulators – BBG
Regulators led by the CSRC plan to update the top leadership on market conditions and the latest policy initiatives as soon as Tuesday said the people with knowledge of the matter. However, it’s unclear whether any new support measures will come out of the meeting.

China securities regulator will guide institutional investors to increase stock investments
China’s securities regulator said on Tuesday it will guide institutional investors to raise stock investment and encourage listed companies to increase share buybacks. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said this on its website following state fund Central Huijin’s announcement to expand investment in exchange-trade funds (ETFs). It added it would provide a smoother channel for Central Huijin to invest in the market and make its operation more convenient.
https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/China-securities-regulator-will-guide-institutional-investors-to-increase-stock-investments-45888477/

China stocks surge over 3% amid measures to prop up markets; Hong Kong shares gain 4%
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/06/asia-markets.html

BOJ on track for policy shift by April, helped by wage outlook
The Bank of Japan is laying the groundwork to end negative interest rates by April and overhaul other parts of its ultra-loose monetary framework, sources say, but is likely to go slow on any subsequent policy tightening amid lingering risks.
    The clearest hint of a change to date came from a summary of debate at the BOJ’s January meeting released last week, where some policymakers called for an immediate policy shift including one who said now was a “golden opportunity” to phase out stimulus…  https://t.co/Lv9F8MRdJl

NY Fed: HOUSEHOLD DEBT AND CREDIT REPORT (Q4 2023)
Household Debt Reaches $17.5 Trillion in Fourth Quarter; Delinquency Rates Rise 
    Total household debt rose by $212 billion to reach $17.5 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. Credit card balances increased by $50 billion to $1.13 trillion over the quarter, while mortgage balances rose by $112 billion to $12.25 trillion. Auto loan balances rose by $12 billion to $1.61 trillion, continuing an upward trajectory seen since 2011. Delinquency transition rates increased for all debt types except for student loans…
https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc

The NY Fed: Delinquency & Public Records
Aggregate delinquency rates increased in the fourth quarter of 2023. As of December, 3.1% of outstanding debt was in some stage of delinquency, up by 0.1 percentage point from the third quarter. Still, overall delinquency rates remain 1.6 percentage points lower than the fourth quarter of 2019.
Delinquency transition rates increased for all product types, except for student loans. Annualized, approximately 8.5% of credit card balances and 7.7% of auto loan balances transitioned into delinquency. (Highest since 2011)…
https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/interactives/householdcredit/data/pdf/HHDC_2023Q4

The Fed: The January 2024 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices
Over the fourth quarter, moderate net shares of banks reported having tightened standards on C&I loans to firms of all sizes.  Banks also reported having tightened most queried terms on C&I loans to firms of all sizes over the fourth quarter…
    Questions on residential real estate lending. Over the fourth quarter, banks reported having tightened lending standards for all categories of RRE loans and HELOCs, except government residential mortgages and GSE-eligible residential mortgages, for which standards remained basically unchanged…
     Questions on consumer lending. Over the fourth quarter, significant net shares of banks reported tightening lending standards for credit card and other consumer loans, while a modest net share of banks reported tighter standards for auto loans. Banks also reported tightening most queried terms on credit card loans… https://www.federalreserve.gov/data/sloos/sloos-202401.htm

Yellen Says Commercial Property Is a Worry, Regulators Are on It – BBG 12:29 ET
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that while losses in commercial real estate are a worry, US regulators are working to ensure that loan-loss reserves and liquidity levels in the financial system are adequate to cope. A combination of factors “is going to put a lot of stress on the owners of these properties,” Yellen told lawmakers Tuesday in the first of two days of congressional testimony this week. She cited the increase in interest rates, higher vacancy rates thanks to shifting work patterns triggered by the pandemic and a wave of commercial real estate loans coming due this year…

@RNCResearch: “Has Treasury … instructed financial institutions to search Americans’ legal transactions in attempts to surveil their purposes?” Biden Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen dodges — three times in a row.   https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1754919758082814271

US stocks and ESHs rallied on China’s significant intervention into their stock markets.

The DJTA soared as Avis soared as much as 7% and Jet Blue jumped as much as 6%.

Hertz Shares Jump (“as much as 9.7%”) as Rental-Car Firm Eyes Cost Cuts – BBG

@MacroEdgeRes: Hertz is reportedly considering mass layoffs after offloading its 20,000 strong Tesla fleet, cancels plans to purchase EVs from Polestar due to disastrous depreciation.

Tesla hit an intraday high of 265.13 on Dec. 28, 2023. Its low yesterday was 177.11. EVs are in trouble!

Avis Budget Options Surge, Led by Call Spreads – BBG 10:50 ET

ESHs opened lower on Monday night but rallied on the Chinese intervention. ESHs hit a high of 4971.25 at 2:27 ET. They then intractably declined until they hit a daily low of 4950.50 at 7:25 ET. The rally for the NYSE open was even more jiggy than usual. ESHs soared to a daily high of 4978.25 at 9:45 ET.

After a wildly choppy bounce to 4969.75 at 11:23 ET. Selling reappeared; ESHs fell to 4955.75 at 12:12 ET. Another reflexive bounce appeared; ESHs hit 4965.75 at 13:04 ET.

The early US ‘dump’ was also more spirited than usual. ESHs tumbled to 4955.00 at 10:23 ET. After a rally to 4970.75 at 14:00 ET, ESHs sank to 4955.75 at 14:18 ET. The late rally took ESHs to 4970.50 at 15:07 ET. But there were persistent sellers in the market. ESHs fell to 4961.25 at 15:33 ET. The late manipulation forced ESHs to 4975.75 at 15:59 ET.

Stocks and ESHs vacillated wildly during NYSE trading on Tuesday. This is an indication that a significant number of sellers are in the market and stocks could be forming some type of top.

Weighing on ESHs and stocks during US trading: Nvidia got hammered, “Down 4.37% at today’s intraday low; largest intraday decrease since Nov. 22, 2023, when it fell as much as 4.51%… Third worst performer in the SP 500 today – second most active stock in S%P 500 today” – Bloomberg

The Nvidia tumble began on the NYSE opening and is likely due to trader liquidation after Nvidia soared to record highs on Friday and Monday.

Barclays says sell Nvidia bonds as risk is to the downside – BBG 11:30 ET

Positive aspects of previous session
China’s significant intervention boosted stocks globally
The late manipulation saved stocks during a very choppy session
The DJTA on rank speculation buying by day traders
Bonds rallied sharply on renewed US regional banking angst; USHs rallied as much a 1 point

Negative aspects of previous session
Fangs got hammered, declining as much as 1.4%
There were persistent and significant sellers in the equity market
NY Community Bancorp tumbled 27% to its lowest level (3.96) since 1997 (What say you, Yellen?)

Ambiguous aspects of previous session
How bad is the US regional bank crisis about to get?

First Hour/Last Hour Action [S&P 500 Index]: 1st Hour from NYSE Open: Down; Last Hour: Up

Pivot Point for S&P 500 Index [above/below indicates daily trend to traders]: 4939.36
Previous session S&P 500 Index High/Low: 4957.77; 4934.88

More Americans are getting a second job to offset sting of high inflation
Nearly 8.13 million people held multiple jobs in January – up from 7.87 million one year ago. In total, they represent about 5.1% of the total U.S. workforce, an increase from 5% just one year ago.
   The growing likelihood of Americans holding more than one job comes as they continue to confront stubbornly high inflation that has rapidly eroded their purchasing power.
    In fact, the government reported last month that the average hourly earnings for all employees was $11.10 in December, which represents a 2.89% decline from the $11.43 figure in January 2021, shortly before the inflation crisis began…  https://t.co/FUpSDKGNYq

Why McDonald’s is charging $18 for a Big Mac meal — and why there’s no relief in sight
Low-income customers making less than $45,000 per year have largely stopped ordering from McDonald’s, the fast-food giant’s chief executive Chris Kempczinski admitted Monday on an earnings call with Wall Street analysts. A Big Mac, fries and drink has risen to nearly $18 at a handful of locations while hash browns are up to $6… McDonald’s franchisees say they are being financially squeezed by the rising cost of insurance, equipment and labor…
https://nypost.com/2024/02/06/business/why-mcdonalds-is-charging-18-for-a-big-mac-meal-theres-no-relief-in-sight/

When CPI broke out to the upside in Q1 of 2021, the Fed and Street shills repeatedly debunked, dismissed, and downplayed subsequent inflationary data – for over a year! Inflationary data points and CPI Reports were downplayed. ‘Transitory’ was the operative word.

When CPI rolled over in Q3 of 2022, each lower CPI Report or price data point was widely heralded. This practice still occurs even though CPI bottomed in June 2023. Over the past few months, the Fed and Street shills are back in 2021 mode: downplaying, debunking, and dismissing inflationary data points.

Though Team Obama-Biden is laboring to concoct lower-than-reality inflation metrics, the public and their checkbooks have a different inflation perspective. If underlying inflation continues to increase, Team Obama-Biden will have to make a Herculean effort to adjust into something benign.

While the Fed is likely to go along to get along with Team Obama-Biden, Mr. Bond is the wild card.

@NeilMunroDC: Senate GOP caucus has forced Sen. Mitch McConnell to oppose quick passage of the estb’s border giveaway bill. Credit the voters who recognize migration as a Ponzi scheme to divert family wages to wealthy investors. Perhaps we should follow the money. https://t.co/c6gCtvrk2c

Senate Republicans to block border deal, putting Ukraine in limbo – Thune said that Schumer is “rushing it” by pushing for a vote to be held Wednesday on whether the bill should proceed.
https://justthenews.com/government/congress/senate-republicans-block-border-deal-putting-ukraine-limbo

(Top McConnell Lt.) Barrasso Statement on Senate Border Proposal – CASPER, WY – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement on the Senate border proposal.
    “For three years President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats fought against every attempt to protect Americans from the crisis at our Southern Border. The results of their open-border policies have been predictable and deadly. In those three years, there have been 8.8 million illegal border crossings. Joe Biden’s surrender to cartels, drug dealers, and criminals has made every American less safe.
    “Senator Lankford worked relentlessly to change the course of this crisis. He fought for us to close the border and for a return to policies that stop the flood of illegal immigration. Joe Biden and Senate Democrats failed him and failed the country.
    “The proposed legislation does not meet most Americans’ standard of securing our border now. It doesn’t force the Biden administration to end its abuse of current law. It leaves in place a number of the Democrat-created incentives that are fueling the crisis.
    “President Biden and Senator Schumer will never accept the significant changes required for American safety and border security. Joe Biden will never enforce any new law and refuses to use the tools he already has today to end this crisis. I cannot vote for this bill. Americans will turn to the upcoming election to end the border crisis.”
https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=08C722A6-609F-4F9B-842C-7FE520F3A4AE

@seanmdav: There’s a LOT going on in this statement from Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), one of Mitch McConnell’s top lieutenants and the head of the Senate Republican conference.
    Barrasso and McConnell are in a real jam here, because it was Mitch McConnell who actually negotiated the abominable amnesty bill with Chuck Schumer, and it was Mitch McConnell who enlisted James Lankford to sell it. The entire exercise was a disaster, and now McConnell is trying to wash his hands of the whole mess. So who to blame?…
    In this statement from Barrasso, it’s obvious that McConnell has decided to cast Lankford as the victim and Joe Biden, who doesn’t even know what decade it is, as the mastermind behind the amnesty bill debacle. What’s really going on here is members feel bad for Lankford, who they genuinely like, and are not happy with McConnell for making them nearly walk the plank on one of the worst immigration bills this century. McConnell has been slowly losing control of his conference due to his poor health, which his staff are unable to hide, and his increasingly poor decision making. McConnell is losing his grip on power, everyone in the Capitol knows it even if they won’t say it out loud, and this is causing an existential crisis among incompetent McConnell staff and hangers-on whose entire livelihoods depend on the ability of McConnell to browbeat industry interests into hiring them and giving them money. Without him, they are nothing, so he must be propped up and protected at all costs…
    So what do McConnell’s lieutenants do when it becomes obvious even to them that no one is going to support this bill they desperately wanted to pass? They can’t publicly blame McConnell, even though deep down they know it’s his fault, that he’s really not up to the job anymore, and it’s probably time for him to move on. Easy: they blame Biden…
    They know nobody normal is going to believe this.  All they care about is convincing 5-10 dumb GOP senators that this is totally not Mitch McConnell’s fault for nearly destroying his conference over an insane gambit to cost Trump (and Republicans) the 2024 election by giving Democrats political cover for a toxic crisis they deliberately created, voting for a bill that does nothing to fix the border, and giving another $60 billion to the only nation Mitch McConnell actually cares about protecting: Ukraine.
https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1754915817953591718

GOP senators call for McConnell to step down, declare border bill ‘unadulterated bulls—‘
Cruz said ‘I think it is’ when asked if it’s time for McConnell step down
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-senators-mcconnell-step-down-border-bill-unadulterated-bull

The GOP Senate Leadership’s Border Bill Mess
One of the central questions — as Lee’s sharp words highlight — is that GOP Senate leadership did in fact negotiate this bill. But somehow, in some mysterious way, they didn’t see these reactions coming from their GOP colleagues when the results would be announced?…
    Now…  there will be serious internal turmoil in the Senate GOP caucus over just who should be in the GOP Senate leadership — not to mention a fight over which direction the leadership will take the GOP caucus… It seems clear that a version of this sentiment is growing inside the Senate GOP caucus — with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell in the role of the hapless Stan Laurel creating “another fine mess” for the GOP…  https://t.co/SXiZwmvKI7

(Speaker) Johnson rips Biden’s threat to veto $17B Israel aid bill as ‘act of betrayal’
‘President Biden is abandoning our ally in its time of greatest need,’ Johnson says
    “Israel is at war, fighting for its very right to exist, while our brave men and women in uniform are in harm’s way on his orders to deter Iran. In threatening to veto aid to Israel and to our military forces, President Biden is abandoning our ally in its time of greatest need. I urge friends of Israel and opponents of Iran to call the President’s bluff and pass this clean aid package.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/johnson-rips-bidens-threat-veto-17-billion-israel-aid-bill-act-betrayal

Biden (1.5 hours late for presser on immigration bill): “All indications are this bill won’t even move forward…why? A simple reason; Donald Trump. Donald Trump thinks it’s bad for him politically. Therefore, he doesn’t even know it helps the country. He’s not for it. He’d rather weaponize this issue than actually solve it. So, for the last 24 hours he’s done nothing I’m told but reach out to Republicans in the House and the Senate and threaten them and trying to intimidate them to vote against this proposal. And it looks like they’re caving.
Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends. It’s time for the Republicans in the Congress to show a little courage, to show a little spine…
   Republicans have to decide who do they serve: Donald Trump or the American people? Are they here to solve problems or just weaponize those problems?… ”

@abigailmarone: Joe Biden just said he won’t take questions because he doesn’t want to influence Border Bill negotiations???? He just gave an ENTIRE SPEECH about why people should support it…
(Decades of lying mixed with dementia and decades of the media allowing and facilitating Biden lying)

Fox: Biden torched for claiming Trump is ‘only reason’ the border is not secure: ‘Peak gaslighting’

Biden threatening to make immigration a campaign issue is as stupid as making Bidenomics a campaign issue.  The Big Guy’s worst ratings are on immigration and the economy. Who is advising him?

NBC: Poll: 20-point deficit on handling economy highlights Biden’s struggles against Trump
Biden’s deficit versus Trump on handling immigration and the border is greater than 30 points…
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/poll-biden-trump-economy-presidential-race-rcna136834

@charliekirk11: President Trump’s newest campaign ad is [Fire] (immigrants assaulting NYC cops)
https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1754955393024065896

Biden and his handlers have been abjectly lying about his ability to close the border. Here’s the law:

Scope and History of Section 212(f) Presidential Authority to Suspend/Restrict Entry by Proclamation – Section 212(f) of the INA (Immigration & Naturalization Act) reads as follows:
f. Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by President
    Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Whenever the Attorney General finds that a commercial airline has failed to comply with regulations of the Attorney General relating to requirements of airlines for the detection of fraudulent documents used by passengers traveling to the United States (including the training of personnel in such detection), the Attorney General may suspend the entry of some or all aliens transported to the United States by such airline…  https://myattorneyusa.com/scope-and-history-of-section-212f-presidential-authority-to-suspendrestrict-entry-by-proclamation

@RNCResearch: Biden, who routinely smears his political opponents: “We’ve gotta move past this toxic politics.”  https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1754935830307573991

@TheChiefNerd: Biden struggles to finish a sentence giving an update on the Israel-Hamas war.
https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1754958192671428966

GOP-led House rejects Mayorkas impeachment resolution (By 214 to 216 vote)
A handful of House GOP lawmakers had indicated that they would vote against the resolution on the floor, arguing that it would set a new precedent that could backfire on a future Republican administration. The resolution failed with 4 no votes from Republicans, including Reps. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Tom McClintock of California, Ken Buck of Colorado and Blake Moore of Utah.
https://justthenews.com/government/congress/hold-gop-led-house-passes-mayorkas-impeachment-resolution

But Pelosi et al impeaching Trump twice was okay!?!? Too many RINOs in the GOP!

GOP Rep. @realannapaulina: FYSA: Impeachment vote on Mayorkas will be brought back to the floor next week. Moore voted no so that it could be reconsidered next week. It’s a procedural maneuver so it’ll pass next week (pending votes).
    @AliBradleyTV: The final vote to impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas was 215-215—A tie fails. There was 1 person who did not vote, Rep. Steve Scalise (out for surgery) and that vote made the difference.

Speaker Mike Johnson’s $17B Israel aid standalone bill COLLAPSES after Democrats join hardline Republicans to tank measure following days of internal turbulence in Congress
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13053233/speaker-johnson-israel-bill-collapses-democrats-join-republicans.html

@themarketswork: Ever wonder how many members of Congress are compromised & controlled by the Intelligence Community?

NYT: The chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, has told former President Donald J. Trump she is planning to step down shortly after the South Carolina primary on Feb. 24, according to two people familiar with the plans.

Rank and file Republicans wanted McDaniel to exit after the poor GOP showing in 2022; but Trump and GOP Establishment types saved her. Recently media reports highlighted the GOP’s sad financial condition, lack of grass roots organization, and lavish spending on perks for RNC staff. Trump will now act like he didn’t support her from the beginning.

@bennyjohnson: Ronna McDaniel should have resigned on stage when Vivek asked her to resign (at the first GOP Presidential Candidate Debate)  https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1755033025648238726

With McConnell getting spanked and Mitt’s niece Rona McDaniel exiting, the GOPe is under assault – a critical mass of GOP solons are purging NeverTrump GOP Establishment types. Is it because they now believe that Trump will win?

@TrendSpider: Percent of stocks in the S&P 500 above their 50-day SMA just hit the lowest level since early November. Warning signs flashing?

Today – Choppy action after protracted rallies is often an indication of the formation of some type of top. Tuesday’s action indicates that there is serious profit taking occurring in equities. The best example is Nvidia. Ergo, the key for today will be the presence or absence of those liquidators. Astute and quick traders will try to ascertain as quickly as possible if they should front run those sellers.

ESHs fell modestly early on Tuesday night because Moody’s and Fitch cut NY Community Bancorp to ‘junk’. But ESHs rallied when Chinese stocks soared on rumors of more stimulus and intervention. The Hang Sang is +4.04%; the CSI 300 is +3.48%; and the Shenzhen Composite is +5.14% at 20:17 ET.

Expected Economic Data: Dec Trade Balance -$62.0B; Dec Consumer Credit $16.0B; Fed Gov. Kugler 11:00 ET, Boston Fed Pres Collins 12:30 ET, Richmond Fed Barking 12:30 ET, Fed Gov Bowman 14 ET

Expected earnings: CVS 1.98, HLT 1.57, YUM 1.41, ORLY 9.16, DIS 1.01, MAA 2.31, ALL 3.93

S&P Index 50-day MA: 4743; 100-day MA: 4543; 150-day MA: 4522; 200-day MA: 4450
DJIA 50-day MA: 37,272; 100-day MA: 35,574; 150-day MA: 35,2318 200-day MA: 34,897
(Green is positive slope; Red is negative slope)

S&P 500 Index – Trender trading model and MACD for key time frames
Monthly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 4314.46 triggers a sell signal
Weekly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 4633.13 triggers a sell signal
Daily: Trender is negative; MACD ispositive – a close above 4960.45 triggers a buy signal
Hourly: Trender and MACD are negative – a close below 4967.48 triggers a sell signal

@RNCResearch: Biden — dazed and confused — shuffles back inside the White House without taking questions (It’s night; Sundown Syndrome)  https://t.co/pskhyX7Wo4

@TexasLindsay_: (Fox’s) PETER DOOCY: How Biden is going to convince 3/4 of voters that his mental acuity is ok when he told a story about recently talking to a French president who died 1996? KJP: I’m not even gonna go down that rabbit hole with you sir. DOOCY: What is the rabbit hole?!
https://twitter.com/TexasLindsay_/status/1754966016747032576

Bloomberg: Donald Trump can be prosecuted for trying to overturn the 2020 US election, a federal appeals court (in DC) ruled, rejecting his claim that a president is immune from criminal charges…

@thevivafrei: Under the D.C. appeals ruling in the Trump case, not only can Obama now be indicted for extra-judicial assassination of American citizens, but Biden can be impeached and even if not convicted, charged after he leaves office for neglecting the border and immigration laws

@JonathanTurley: The D.C. Circuit order adds a wrinkle on scheduling by saying that Trump only has until Monday, Feb. 12 to file with the Supreme Court. The standard rules allow Trump 90 days. If he does not, the mandate returns to the District Court which can restart pre-trial proceedings…
   However, if the judge restarts pre-trial proceedings it could again be interrupted by an appeal. That includes a possible emergency motion to the Court to stay proceedings. That would go Chief Justice Roberts and he would likely send it to the full court…
    Keep in mind, there is still much to be done on the district court level. Whenever the court restarts pretrial proceedings, it could take weeks, if not months. If everything breaks for Smith on the calendar, he could still secure a pre-election trial but he is facing diminishing odds.

Atty @shipwreckedcrew: How do you think SCOTUS feels about three judges on the DC Appeals court putting them on a clock (7 days to trial)? My suspicion: “Who the fook do they think they are?”
    At least 4 SCOTUS justices will not allow the final word on the “public policy” considerations of allowing a POTUS to be criminally prosecuted after leaving office to rest with the words of two Appellate Judges each with only 18 months on the Court, and the Judge older than any of the 9 SCOTUS Justices – when none would put their name on the opinion. Take that to the bank.

Legal eagles note that the Dem-controlled DC Appeals Court ruling appears to suggest that the ruling only pertains to Trump and not other presidents, current, future or past. “For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump…” (Page 3 of 57-page ruling)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/politics/read-trump-presidential-immunity/index.html

Trump challenged Biden to debates. Biden response is pure gold.

@disclosetv: Biden says, “If I were [Trump], I’d wanna debate me, too.”  https://t.co/On56cM0RY9

Philly US attorney with ties to Bidens accused of retaliating against Hunter prosecutor: ‘Power trip’   https://nypost.com/2024/02/06/news/philly-us-attorney-with-ties-to-bidens-accused-of-retaliating-against-hunter-prosecutor-power-trip/

@ChefGruel: Seattle introduced a mandatory $5 fee on delivery apps to cover their driver’s living wage and sales were almost cut in half. Now the drivers can’t make rent. https://t.co/gOZmX1vvw

San Francisco police station burglarized in Fillmore District https://t.co/neO5AnpTYs

CBS’s @FaceTheNation: Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson confirmed Tuesday that he will be interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will be the first Western journalist to do so since the start of Moscow’s invasion into Ukraine nearly two years ago.

@WBBMNewsradio: Activists who are planning protests during this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago say they won’t let the city’s denials of permits stop them.

Dem leaders, under the influence of Obama, selected Chicago for its 2024 National Convention. With the crime epidemic, immigrant saturation, and a large Arab population in the area, the event could be…

Actress & ex-MMA fighter Gina Carano, With Elon Musk’s backing launched a lawsuit against Disney and Geroge Lucas Films for this: After my 20 years of building a career from scratch, and during the regime of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Lucasfilm made this statement on Twitter, terminating me from The Mandalorian: “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm & there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural & religious identities are abhorrent & unacceptable.”…
   My words were consistently twisted to demonize & dehumanize me as an alt right wing extremist… I was called a transphobe…
https://twitter.com/ginacarano/status/1754952279646437655

@elonmusk: If you were discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries (ABC, ESPN, Marvel, etc), just reply to this post to receive legal support…
     An anonymous source just sent me this from Disney. It is mandatory, institutionalized racism and sexism!  https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1754999578619707658

OANN: John Kirby of the National Security Council, a White House spokesman in the Biden administration, apologized on Tuesday for erroneously claiming that the U.S. had informed Iraq in advance of Friday’s attacks against terrorists backed by Iran…    https://www.oann.com/newsroom/kirby-apologizes-for-falsely-claiming-u-s-forewarned-iraq-about-airstrikes-against-iran-backed-groups/

GOP Sen. @HawleyMO: Companies like McKinsey make millions doing business in China – including helping their military – and then turn around & make millions off the US Defense Department. That should be illegal. If you want to help America’s enemies, then no money from America.
https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1755010975759991222

GREG HUNTER

SEE YOU ON THURSDAY

Biden supporters in the US have allegedly responded with a poster of their own:

SHANGHAI GOLD (USD) FUTURES – QUOTES

GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR FEB/2024. CONTRACT: 237 NOTICES FOR 23,700 OZ or 0.7371 TNNES

total notices so far: 16,388 contracts for 1,638,800 Oz (50.973 tonnes)FOR FEBRUARY:

SILVER NOTICES 396 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR 1,980,000 OZ/

total number of notices filed so far this month : 1058 for 5,290,000 oz

4. OTHER GOLD COMMENTARIES/PODCASTS

De Beers CEO Declares “2024 Year Of Recovery” As Diamond Prices Stuck At 2004 Low

Futures Rebound To Session High After NY Community Bank Reverses Overnight Rout; Record 10Y Auction Looms

Equites tilt lower, Dollar flat and crude firmer; Fed speak and earnings from PYPL and UBER due – Newsquawk US Market Open

EUROPEAN TRADE

EQUITIES

FX

FIXED INCOME

COMMODITIES

EARNINGS

GEOPOLITICS

CRYPTO

APAC TRADE

Polish Farmers Set To Join European Revolt With Mass Blockade

Sweden Halts Nord Stream Investigation, Hands Off To Germany, As Hersh Fills In More Blanks

IDF reveals Gaza tunnel, previously used by Hamas officials, with cell for hostages

Military says 12 captives were held in the tunnel at various times; army says troops killed dozens of operatives in south Gaza city over past day; ground op toll reaches 227

IDF chief: No stone will be left unturned in October 7 investigation

Netanyahu has opposed any broad probes about October 7 and has opposed anyone trying to label him as having part of or significant responsibility for the failure.

Netanyahu opposes having any significant responsibility for October 7

IDF fighter jet demolishes Hezbollah observation post in southern Lebanon

Hamas demand for permanent ceasefire in hostage talks unacceptable — Israeli source

Biden chides terror group’s ‘over the top’ reply to Paris outline * Israel evaluating response * Qatar ‘optimistic’ * Death of Maj. David Shakuri brings ground op toll at 226

IDF pushes ahead with Gaza offensive as soldier’s death brings ground op toll to 226

Dozens of gunmen killed, including Islamic Jihad member who took part in Oct. 7 assault on Nir Oz; 80 terror suspects captured in Khan Younis; UN vest, machine gun found in home

Hamas proposes three-stage ceasefire over 135 days, leading to end of war

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the Hamas counterproposal envisions three phases lasting 45 days each.

Protesters calling for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, February 1, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/SUSANA VERA)Deal to include increase in humanitarian aid

End of Hamas’s leaders: Towards the exile of terror group’s senior members?

According to a report on Channel 13, Israel and the US have recently been discussing a plan for the exile of senior Hamas members as part of a wider deal.

Algeria touted as possible destination

Israel kills head of Hamas police’s special forces in Rafah – report

The commander of the IDF’s 98th Division said he would work on evacuation plans “if and when” he is told to launch an invasion.

Netanyahu: Victory in Gaza ‘within reach’; no surrender to Hamas demands; day after the war ‘is the day after Hamas’

Netanyahu: Israel ordered IDF to begin operating in Gaza’s Rafah

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that he is “especially alarmed” by reports that the IDF intends to focus next on Rafah in Gaza.

United Nations ‘alarmed’ by IDF operations in Rafah

Syrian media reports casualties in alleged Israeli strike; intel source says airbase was targeted

IDF kills wanted terror suspect in West Bank ‘pressure cooker’ op.

Drone strike on vehicle in Baghdad kills Kataib Hezbollah commander

Iraq has witnessed tit-for-tat attacks between hardline Iran-backed armed groups and US forces stationed there.

Tit-for-tat attacks

Israel-Hamas Deal Is Dead As Netanyahu Dismisses ‘Delusional’ Terms, War To ‘Expand’

Medvedev Warns Russia Has ‘No Choice’ But To Unleash Nuclear ‘Apocalypse’ If Attacked By NATO

mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Caused More Deaths Than Saved: Peer-Reviewed Study

Very Low Efficacy Rate

Lives Saved Versus Deaths

Serious Adverse Events

Rushed Vaccines

CDC and FDA Criticized

The True Costs Of Net-Zero Are Becoming Impossible To Hide

Britain Dumps Another Net-Zero Gimmick

Biden’s Wind Tax

Cancelled in New Jersey

Outright Lies Are Biden’s Biggest Tool

Downgrades and Write Offs

Biden Backs Off Gas Stove Crackdown

Gas Stove Tax

Tax This, Tax That, Tax Everything

Inflation Pressures Everywhere

Minimum Wage Hikes

Big Explosion of Government and Social Assistance Jobs

Fed Chairman Tells 60 Minutes US Fiscal Path is Unsustainable

Inflationary Tariffs

Is Inflation Transitory?

DR PAUL ALEXANDER

No SANE nation has done & is doing what America is doing! We have a sitting POTUS, Biden INC., the cartel of Biden INC. that has INVADED America, Biden INVADED America with islamists, rapists,

murderers, illegals who will take and kill, yes MARA etc., we have terror cells due to ‘Tashfeen’ Obama & Biden, these people have placed the vaginas of your daughters in harms way, GANG rape to come

8 FRAUDS that killed us & we were subjected to: 1)COVID ‘is a pandemic’ lie/fraud (0.05% IFR) 2)PCR-manufactured 95% false-positive pandemic 3)lie of asymptomic spread to force masks & lockdowns 4)

deadly medical management of vulnerable people e.g. sedation, Remdesivir, ventilator, isolation etc. 5) Malone/Bourla mRNA technology/vaccines deadly & fraud 6) lockdown response 7)Freedom Fighter

Biden, Romney, Kerry, Pelosi, all had children working for Ukrainian gas companies…do you understand this? do you know how many republican & democrat children & grandchildren names appear on Ukraine

bogus contracts? Do you understand that Ukraine OWNS the democrat party & Sam was really operating a ponzi slush fund for democrats and some republicans…

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

Japanese Shipping Giant Warns “Historic” Red Sea Crisis Could Last “Six Months Or One Year”

total notices so far: 16,388 contracts for 1,638,800 Oz (50.973 tonnes)
FOR FEBRUARY: