GOLD CLOSED DOWN $14.00 TO $2641.30
SILVER CLOSED UP 17 CENTS TO $29.61
Gold ACCESS CLOSED $2638.15
Silver ACCESS CLOSED: $29.62
Bitcoin morning price:$96,493 UP 1291 DOLLARS.
Bitcoin: afternoon price: $98,670 UP 3468 DOLLARS
Platinum price closing UP $20.20 TO $942.50
Palladium price; UP 17.05 TO $930.35
END
*CANADIAN GOLD: $3810.66 DOWN 19.38 CDN dollars per oz( * NEW ALL TIME HIGH 3,872.51 CDN DOLLARS PER OZ//OCT 30 2024)
*BRITISH GOLD: 2122.61 DOWN 26.20 Pounds per oz// *(NEW ALL TIME HIGH//CLOSING///2161.00 BRITISH POUNDS/OZ) NOV 22/2024
*EURO GOLD: 2,558/50 DOWN 32.20 Euros per oz //* (ALL TIME CLOSING HIGH: 2600.25 EUROS PER OZ//NOV 22 //.2024)
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END
EXCHANGE;
EXCHANGE: COMEX
CONTRACT: JANUARY 2025 COMEX 100 GOLD FUTURES
SETTLEMENT: 2,658.900000000 USD
INTENT DATE: 01/02/2025 DELIVERY DATE: 01/06/2025
FIRM ORG FIRM NAME ISSUED STOPPED
072 H GOLDMAN 170
118 C MACQUARIE FUT 14
118 H MACQUARIE FUT 355
363 C WELLS FARGO SEC 28
363 H WELLS FARGO SEC 520
435 H SCOTIA CAPITAL 76
624 H BOFA SECURITIES 894
657 C MORGAN STANLEY 69
657 H MORGAN STANLEY 659
661 C JP MORGAN 192
686 C STONEX FINANCIA 15
726 C PLUS500US FINAN 33
730 C PTG DIVISION SG 69
732 C RBC CAP MARKETS 17
737 C ADVANTAGE 1 29
905 C ADM 5
TOTAL: 1,573 1,573
JPMorgan stopped 182/1573
GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR JANUARY/2024. CONTRACT: 1573 NOTICES FOR 157300 OZ 4.893 TONNES
total notices so far: 3266 contracts for 326,600 Oz (10.158 tonnes)
FOR JANUARY
SILVER NOTICES: 251 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR 1,255,000 OZ/
total number of notices filed so far this month : 1301 for 6.505 million oz
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GLD/
BOTH GLD AND SLV ARE FRAUDULENT VEHICLES//THEY ARE NOW RAIDING GLD AND SLV FOR PHYSICAL
THE CROOKS ARE STEALING GOLD AND SILVER FROM THE GLD/SLV AND REPLACING THE PHYSICAL WITH PAPER DOLLARS.
WITH GOLD DOWN $14.00 INVESTORS SWITCHING TO SPROTT PHYSICAL (PHYS) INSTEAD OF THE FRAUDULENT GLD:
NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:
INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES
SLV/
WITH NO SILVER AROUND AND SILVER UP $0.17 AT THE SLV: HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 1.709 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV
INVESTORS ARE SWITCHING SLV TO SPROTT’S PSLV.
CLOSING INVENTORY: 463.837 MILLION OZ
Let us have a look at the data for today
SILVER//OUTLINE
SILVER COMEX OI FELL BY A SMALL SIZED 25 CONTRACTS TO 150,988 AND CONTINUING ON ITS MARCH TO THE RECORD HIGH OI OF 244,710, SET FEB 25/2020, AND THIS TINY SIZED LOSS IN COMEX OI WAS ACCOMPLISHED DESPITE OUR HUGE GAIN OF $0,45 IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX WITH RESPECT TO THURSDAY’S TRADING. WE HAD A SMALL GAIN OF 175 TOTAL CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES DESPITE OUR HUGE GAIN IN PRICE//THURSDAY’S TRADING.. WE HAD CONSIDERABLE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS ON THURSDAY COMEX TRADING AS THEY DESPERATELY TRIED TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS WHERE THE RAIDS WERE CALLED UPON AGAIN TO QUELL MASSIVE DERIVATIVE LOSSES BY OUR BULLION BANKS. THEY FAILED WITH //THURSDAY PRICING WITH ZERO LONGS BEING KNOCKED OFF. DERIVATIVE LOSSES CONTINUE TO MOUNT. AWE HAD CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION THURSDAY
WE HAD A 200 CONTRACT EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE ACCOMPANIED BY A HUGE 852 CONTRACT T.A.S ISSUANCE WHICH WILL BE USED IN FRIDAY;S TRADING AS THEY PLAY AN INTEGRAL PART IN OUR COMEX TRADING TRYING TO CONTAIN ANY SILVER PRICE RISE. IN ESSENCE WE GAINED A FAIR SIZED 175 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE. WE HAD CONSIDERABLE TAS LIQUIDATION THROUGHOUT THURSDAY’S COMEX SESSION
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CROOKS NEED A HIGHER SILVER/GOLD T.A.S. TO CARRY ON THEIR CROOKED MANIPULATION ON A DAILY BASIS BUT DEMAND IS JUST TOO HIGH FOR THEM. THE HIGHER ISSUANCE OF T.A.S. IS NOW USED TO TEMPER OUR SILVER/GOLD PRICE RISE OR RAID AS WHAT HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES LAST MONTH AND AGAIN YESTERDAY.
CRAIG HEMKE HAS POINTED OUT THAT THE CROOKS USE THE MID MONTH FOR MANIPULATION AS THEY SELL THEIR BUY SIDE OF THE CALENDAR SPREAD FIRST AND THEN KEEP THE SELL SIDE TO LIQUIDATE AT A LATER DATE. THUS WE HAVE TWO VEHICLES THE CROOKS USE FOR MANIPULATION AND BOTH ARE SPREADERS: 1) AT MONTH’S END/SPREADERS COMEX AND 2/ TAS SPREADERS, MID MONTH. TOTAL TAS ISSUED ON THURSDAY NIGHT: A HUGE 852 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 NOW SEEMS THAT THE OCC HAS ORDERED THE BANKS TO REDUCE ITS NEW LEVEL OF 1 TRILLION DOLLARS IN GOLD/SILVER DERIVATIVES AND THUS THE REASON FOR CONSTANT RAIDS ESPECIALLY WITH YESTERDAY’S TRADING. IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE THE FED (GOV’T) IS BEHIND EVERY DAY TRADING.
WE HAVE IN THE PAST YEAR 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 $0.45) AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF ANY APPRECIABLE NET SILVER LONGS FROM THEIR PERCH AS WE HAD A HUGE GAIN IN PRICE DESPITE HUGE TAS LIQUIDATION.
WE HAD A 200 CONTRACT ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS) iiii) AN INITIAL SILVER STANDING FOR COMEX SILVER MEASURING AT 8.110 MILLION OZ (FIRST DAY NOTICE)
// STANDING FOR SILVER//JAN RISES TO 8.110 MILLION OZ
WE HAD:
/ SMALL SIZED COMEX OI LOSS +// 200 SIZED EFP ISSUANCE/ VI) HUGE SIZED NUMBER OF T.A.S. CONTRACT ISSUANCE 852 CONTRACTS)/
I AM NOW RECORDING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN OI FROM PRELIMINARY TO FINAL: REMOVED 204 CONTRACTS.
HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS JAN. ACCUMULATION FOR EFP’S SILVER/JPMORGAN’S HOUSE OF BRIBES/STARTING FROM FIRST DAY/MONTH OF JAN
TOTAL CONTRACTS for 1 DAY, total 200 contracts: OR 1.000 MILLION OZ (200 CONTRACTS PER DAY)
TOTAL EFP’S FOR THE MONTH SO FAR: 1.00 MILLION OZ
LAST 24 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 111.035 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 : 66.135 MILLION OZ./FINAL
MARCH: 143.750 MILLION OZ// 4TH HIGHEST ON RECORD.
APRIL: 161.770 MILLION OZ (THIS MONTH WILL BE A WHOPPER OF ISSUANCE OF EFPS//3RD HIGHEST EVER RECORDED FOR A MONTH)
MAY: 135.995 MILLION OZ //WILL BE A STRONG MONTH FOR EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE
JUNE 110.575 MILLION OZ ( WILL BE ANOTHER STRONG MONTH ISSUANCE)
JULY: 108.870 MILLION OZ (WILL BE A STRONG ISSUANCE MONTH/ A TOUCH OVER 100 MILLION OZ/)
AUGUST; 99.740 MILLION OZ//THIS MONTH WILL BE STRONG FOR ISSUANCE BUT LESS THAN JULY.
SEPT: 112.415 MILLION OZ//WILL BE A HUGE MONTH FOR EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE
OCT; 97.485 MILLION OZ (WILL BE SMALLER ISSUANCE THIS MONTH )
NOV. 115.970 MILLION OZ ( HUGE THIS MONTH)
DEC: 132.54 MILLION OZ (THIS MONTH WILL BE A HUMDINGER FOR ISSUANCE BUT ISSUANCE SLOWED DRAMATICALLY THESE PAST FIVE DAYS/// WILL NOT EXCEED MARCH 2022 RECORD OF 209 MILLION OZ
YEAR 2024 TOTAL: 1363.84 MILLION OR 1.363 BILLION OZ
RESULT: WE HAD AN SMALL SIZED DECREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 25 CONTRACTS DESPITE OUR HUGE GAIN IN PRICE OF SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX//THURSDAY.,. THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A 200 EFP ISSUANCE CONTRACTS: 200 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 DEC OF 8.110 MILLION OZ ON FIRST DAY NOTICE, FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S QUEUE JUMP 275,000 OZ
//NEW TOTAL STANDING FOR JAN AT 8.385 MILLION OZ
WE HAVE A SMALL SIZED GAIN OF 175 OI CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE…..THE TOTAL OF TAS INITIATED CONTRACTS TODAY: A HUGE 852 CONTRACTS TRYING DESPERATELY TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE,//CONSIDERABLE FRONT END OF THE TAS CONTRACTS WERE LIQUIDATED DURING THE THURSDAY COMEX SESSION BUT THEY STILL NEED THESE ISSUANCE FOR REPLENISHMENT FOR FUTURE TRADING /THE HUGE TA.S. ISSUANCE// STRONG LIQUIDATION DISTORTS THE TOTAL OI CONTRACTS STANDING AT THE COMEX. NO NET LONG SPECULATORS WERE BURNED ON THURSDAY WITH THE GAIN IN PRICE. ALSO SOME OF OUR LONGS EXERCISED THEIR RIGHT AND TENDERED FOR PHYSICAL SILVER MUCH TO THE ANGER OF OUR BANKERS. SILVER IS NOT BASEL III COMPLIANT SO THE BANKERS CAN TAKE THEIR TIME WITH THE DELIVERY OF SILVER.
THE NEW TAS ISSUANCE THURSDAY NIGHT (852) WILL BE PUT INTO “THE BANK” TO BE COLLUSIVELY USED AT A LATER DATE, AND PROBABLY NOT TODAY.
WE HAD 251 NOTICE(S) FILED TODAY FOR 1,255,000 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 STRONG SIZED 8751 OI CONTRACTS TO 467,335 AND CLOSER TO THE RECORD (SET JAN 24/2020) AT 799,733 AND PREVIOUS TO THAT: (SET JAN 6/2020) AT 797,110, BUT WE ARE NOW MUCH FURTHER FROM OUR ALL TIME LOW OF 390,000 CONTRACTS.
THE DIFFERENTIAL FROM PRELIMINARY OI TO FINAL OI IN GOLD TODAY: REMOVED A HUGE SIZED 1646 CONTRACTS//
WE HAD A STRONG SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI (8751 CONTRACTS) OCCURRED WITH OUR GAIN OF $29.40 IN PRICE THURSDAY. THE FRBNY SUPPLIED THE NECESSARY SHORT PAPER.. WE ALSO HAD A GOOD INITIAL STANDING IN GOLD TONNAGE FOR JAN AT 10.1331 TONNES FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S GAIN OF 1094 CONTRACTS OR 109,400 OZ . NEW STANDING 13.536 TONNES
/NEW STANDING 13.536 TONNES
/ ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WITH OUR $29.40 GAIN IN PRICE WITH RESPECT TO THURSDAY’S COMEX ///. WE HAD A STRONG GAIN OF 12,746 OI CONTRACTS (39.64 PAPER TONNES) ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES, WITH MANY LONGS, REMAINING AT THE END OF THE DAY, TENDERING FOR PHYSICAL GOLD VIA THE EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ROUTE, MUCH TO THE ANGER AND HORROR EXHIBITED BY OUR MAJOR BANKER, THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK. THE HORROR INTENSIFIED ONCE LONDON STARTED TO TRADE LAST WEEK, AND THROUGHOUT THE WEEK WITH MAJOR TENDERING FOR PHYSICAL VIA THE EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ROUTE! YOU CAN VISUALIZE THIS WITH THE VIOLENT ACTION AT THE COMEX WITH RESPECT TO QUEUE JUMPING WHICH WILL CONTINUE WITH THURSDAY’S TRADING
E.F.P. ISSUANCE
THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A STRONG SIZED 3995 CONTRACTS:
The NEW COMEX OI FOR THE GOLD COMPLEX RESTS AT 468,981
IN ESSENCE WE HAVE A STRONG SIZED INCREASE IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 12,746 CONTRACTS WITH 8,751 CONTRACTS INCREASED AT THE COMEX// AND A STRONG SIZED 3995 EFP OI CONTRACT ISSUANCE WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS TOTAL OI GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 12,746 CONTRACTS.. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING TAS CONTRACTS INITIATED (ISSUED): A GOOD SIZED BUT CRIMINAL 1251 CONTRACTS ISSUED. WE HAD A MINOR LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S CONTRACTS WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE THURSDAY AS THE NEED FOR REPLENISHMENT WAS STILL IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT ITS PRICE CONTAINMENT STRATEGY IN FUTURE TRADING. WE ALSO HAD STRONG MONTH END SPREADER LIQUIDATION FINALIZING THIS CRIMINAL OPERATION .
CALCULATIONS ON GAIN/LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES
WE HAD A STRONG SIZED ISSUANCE IN EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS (3995 CONTRACTS) ACCOMPANYING THE STRONG SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI OF 8751 CONTRACTS/TOTAL GAIN FOR OUR THE TWO EXCHANGES: 12,746 CONTRACTS..WE HAVE 1) NOW RETURNED TO OUR FORMER FORMAT OF BANKERS GOING LONG AND SPECULATORS GOING SHORT ,2.) STRONG INITIAL STANDING AT THE GOLD COMEX FOR JAN 10.1331 TONNES FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S QUEUE JUMP OF 1094 CONTRACTS OR 109400 OZ (3.402 TONNES) = NEW STANDING: 13.536 TONNES
//NEW STANDING JAN: 13.536 TONNES
/ 3) LITTLE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION TRYING TO LOWER GOLD’S PRICE THURSDAY WITH NO SUCCESS IN REMOVING SPECULATOR LONGS, AS WE HAD A 1) $29.40 PRICE GAIN, BUT 2) ZERO NET LONG SPECS BEING CLIPPED WITH OUR TOTAL GAIN OF 12,746 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES. HOWEVER, 3)STICKY GOLD’S LONGS WERE REWARDED THURSDAY EVENING AS THEY EXERCISED EFP’S FROM LONDON TO TAKE DELIVERY OF BADLY NEEDED PHYSICAL.
4) STRONG SIZED COMEX OPEN INTEREST INCREASE 5) FAIR ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL PAPER///STRONG T.A.S. ISSUANCE: 1251 T.A.S.CONTRACTS//
HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS IN 2023-2024 INCLUDING TODAY
JAN
ACCUMULATION OF EFP’S GOLD AT J.P. MORGAN’S HOUSE OF BRIBES: (EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL) FOR THE MONTH OF JAN :
TOTAL EFP CONTRACTS ISSUED: 3995 CONTRACTS OF 399,500 OZ OR 12.426 TONNES IN 1 TRADING DAY(S) AND THUS AVERAGING: 3995 EFP CONTRACTS PER TRADING DAY
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO THE SIZE OF THESE EFP TRANSFERS : THIS MONTH IN 1 TRADING DAY(S) IN TONNES 12.426 TONNES
TOTAL ANNUAL GOLD PRODUCTION, 2023, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD EX CHINA EX RUSSIA: 3555 TONNES
THUS EFP TRANSFERS REPRESENTS 12.426 DIVIDED BY 3550 x 100% TONNES = 0.350% 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/SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD
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 EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL)
FEB’24: 201.947 TONNES
MARCH 2024: 352.21 TONNES//2ND HIGHEST EVER RECORDED EFP ISSUANCE.
APRIL: 267.05TONNES (WILL BE AN EXTREMELY STRONG MONTH BUT LESS THAN MARCH 2024)
MAY; 316.606 TONNES (WILL BE ANOTHER STRONG MONTH// 3RD HIGHEST RECORDED EFP ISSUANCE )// NOTICE THE HUGE INCREASES IN EX FOR PHYSICAL THESE PAST FEW MONTHS. THESE CONTRACTS ARE CIRCLED BACK FROM LONDON WHEREBY METAL IS REMOVED FROM THE COMEX.
JUNE 175.11 tonnes HEADING FOR A WEAKER MONTH AND MUCH LESS THAN THE THREE PREVIOUS MONTHS
JULY: 351. 65 TONNES (3RD HIGHEST EVER RECORDED EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL AND THE HIGHEST EVER RECORDED POST BASEL III)
AUGUST: 274.79 TONNES//THIS MONTH WILL NO DOUBT BE A STRONG ISSUANCE OF EFP’S BUT MUCH LESS THAN LAST MONTH.
SEPT: 335 .104 TONNES//IF THIS CONTINUES WE WILL HAVE A HUMDINGER OF AN EFP ISSUANCE. WE WILL PROBABLY END JUST SHORT OF THE 3RD HIGHEST ISSUANCE EVER RECORDED.
OCT. 277.71 TONNES (THIS WILL BE A GOOD ISSUANCE THIS MONTH)
NOV: 393.875 TONNES ( A HUGE MONTH////NOW SURPASSED THE PREVIOUS 3RD AND 2ND HIGHEST EVER RECORDED EX FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE TO BECOME THE 2ND HIGHEST EVER RECORDED
DEC 360.03 TONNES THIRD HIGHEST EVER RECORDED FOR EFP ISSUANCE
TOTAL 2024 YEAR.3,597.846
JAN. 12.426 TONNES
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 (OCT), 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 FELL BY A SMALL SIZED 25 CONTRACTS OI TO 150,988 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 7 YEARS AGO. HOWEVER WE HAVE NOW SET A NEW RECORD LOW OF 114,102 CONTRACTS JULY 3.2023
EFP ISSUANCE 200 CONTRACTS
OUR CUSTOMARY MIGRATION OF COMEX LONGS CONTINUE TO MORPH INTO LONDON FORWARDS AS OUR BANKERS USED THEIR EMERGENCY PROCEDURE TO ISSUE:
MAR 200 and ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 200 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 179 CONTRACTS AND ADD TO THE 200 E.FP. ISSUED
WE OBTAIN A FAIR SIZED GAIN OF OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 175 CONTRACTS
THUS IN OUNCES, THE GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES TOTALS A FAIR 0.875 MILLION OZ OCCURRED WITH OUR $0.45 GAIN IN PRICE
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/FRIDAY MORNING THURSDAY NIGHT
ASIA TRADING FRIDAY MORNING/THURSDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 89.20 PTS OR 2.66%
//Hang Seng CLOSED DOWN 436.63 PTS OR 2.18%
// Nikkei CLOSED HOLIDAY%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP 0.53%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED UP TO 7.3360 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED UP TO 7.3359// Oil UP TO 72.78 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 75.72 Stocks in Europe OPENED MOSTLY RED
ONSHORE USA/ YUAN TRADING AT LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING STRONGER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE YUAN STRONGER
A)NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
outline
b) REPORT ON JAPAN/
OUTLINE
3 CHINA
OUTLINE
4/EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE
5. RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE
6.Global Issues//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES
OUTLINE
7. OIL ISSUES
OUTLINE
8 EMERGING MARKET ISSUES
9. USA
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1. COMEX DATA//AMOUNTS STANDING//VOLUME OF TRADING/INVENTORY MOVEMENTS
GOLD
LET US BEGIN:
THE TOTAL COMEX GOLD OPEN INTEREST ROSE BY A STRONG SIZED 8751 CONTRACTS TO 467,335 WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE OF $29.40 WITH RESPECT TO THURSDAY’S TRADING. WE LOST ZERO NET LONGS WITH OUR PRICE GAIN FOR GOLD. WE HAD, AS YOU WILL SEE BELOW, A STRONG NUMBER OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUED (3995). THUS WE HAD A HUGE GAIN ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 12,746 CONTRACTS WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE. OUR FRIENDLY PHYSICAL LONDON BOYS HAD ANOTHER FIELD DAY AGAIN ON THURSDAY NIGHT AS THEY WERE READY FOR THE FRBNY.S CONTINUED ORCHESTRATED RAID AS THEY ABSORBED EVERYTHING IN SIGHT FROM THE DAILY ATTACKS WITH THE CONTINUAL LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS. LONDONERS EXERCISED THEIR BOUGHT CONTRACTS FOR PHYSICAL GOLD VIA THE EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ROUTE AND THANKED THE FRBNY FOR THE THOUGHTFULNESS.
THE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS THROUGHOUT LAST MONTH CONTINUES TO DISTORT OPEN INTEREST NUMBERS GREATLY AND IT SURELY WAS ON DISPLAY THIS ENTIRE PAST WEEK. WE HAD LITTLE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION DURING THE THURSDAY COMEX SESSION.
THE FED IS THE MAJOR SHORT OF AROUND 82+ TONNES OF GOLD OWING TO THE B.I.S. THE FED NEEDS TO COVER AS THEY ARE VERY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO GOLD PRICES ONCE THE BRICS BEGIN THEIR INITIATIVE AND ABANDON THE US DOLLAR. THIS IS SCHEDULED TO HAPPEN LATE OCT 2024/(AS OUTLINED IN OUR GOLD PHYSICAL COMMENTARIES//VIEW ANDREW MAGUIRE LATEST LIVE FROM VAULT PODCAST 197 , 199, 2001, AND FRIDAY NIGHTS 202, 203 AND 204 AS HE TACKLES THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC). THE FOUR OR FIVE BANKS ARE ALSO WORRIED ABOUT THEIR HUGE PRECIOUS METAL DERIVATIVE EXPOSURE (NORTH OF ONE TRILLION DOLLARS) AND THIS IS PROBABLY THE MAJOR REASON FOR GOLD/SILVER’S RISE THESE PAST TWO MONTHS. THEY ARE TOTALLY TRAPPED., AND THEIR FAILURE TO STOP CENTRAL BANK PURCHASES OF PHYSICAL GOLD IS THE MAJOR ISSUE OF THE DAY!
OUR PHYSICAL LONDONERS BOUGHT NEW MASSIVE QUANTITIES OF LONGS AT ANY PRICE AND THIS GOLD BOUGHT WILL BE TENDERED FOR PHYSICAL ON A T + 1 BASIS. BECAUSE GOLD IS BASEL III COMPLIANT, GOLD MUST BE DELIVERED IN A VERY TIMELY ONE DAY. CENTRAL BANKS AROUND THE WORLD, BEING REPRESENTED BY OUR LONDONERS, ARE THE REAL PURCHASERS OF THIS GOLD.
THE PROBLEM FOR THOSE PROVIDING THE SHORT PAPER IS THE SHOCK TO THEM ON RECEIVING NOTICE THAT THE LONGS WANT THE PHYSICAL GOLD AS THEY TENDER FOR THAT SHINY YELLOW METAL. THE HIGH LIQUIDATION OF THE SPREADERS // T.A.S DURING LAST WEEK IS SURELY DISTORTING COMEX OPEN INTEREST BUT THAT DOES NOT STOP LONDON’S ACCUMULATION OF PHYSICAL! YOU CAN ALSO VISUALIZE THAT PERFECTLY WITH THE HUGE AMOUNTS OF QUEUE JUMPING ORCHESTRATED BY CENTRAL BANKERS BOLTING AHEAD OF ORDINARY LONGS AS THEIR NEED FOR PHYSICAL IS GREAT AS THEY SCOUR THE PLANET LOOKING FOR GOLD. AS YOU WILL SEE BELOW, WE HAD ANOTHER HUGE QUEUE JUMPING SESSION.
EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE
WE ARE NOW DEEP INTO THE NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF JANUARY.… THE CME REPORTS THAT THE BANKERS ISSUED A STRONG SIZED TRANSFER THROUGH THE EFP ROUTE AS THESE LONGS RECEIVED A DELIVERABLE LONDON FORWARD TOGETHER WITH A FIAT BONUS.,
THAT IS A STRONG SIZED 3995 EFP CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED: : /FEB 3995 & ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS:
TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 3995 CONTRACTS. THESE EFP;S CIRCLE AROUND LONDON ON A 13 DAY BASIS AND ARE NOW USED BY GLOBAL CENTRAL BANKS TO EXERCISE FOR PHYSICAL GOLD WITH THE OBLIGATION TO DELIVER BEING FORCED ONTO COMEX BANKS. THE GOLD DELIVERED COMES FROM LONDON.
ON A NET BASIS IN OPEN INTEREST WE GAINED THE FOLLOWING TODAY ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES: A HUGE SIZED TOTAL OF 12,746 CONTRACTS IN THAT 3995 CONTRACT LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS TO LONDON AND WE HAD A STRONG GAIN OF 8751 COMEX CONTRACTS..AND THIS HUGE GAIN ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES HAPPENED WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE OF $29.40 THURSDAY// COMEX. THE EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS WILL BE USED BY CENTRAL BANKS, TO EXERCISE FOR PHYSICAL GOLD AT THE COMEX AS MENTIONED ABOVE.
AS PER OUR NEWBIE TRADE AT SETTLEMENT (TAS) MANIPULATION OPERATION (WHICH CRAIG HEMKE HAS POINTED OUT HAPPENS USUALLY DURING MID MONTH IN THE DELIVERY CYCLE), BUT NOW ON A DAILY BASIS, THE CME REPORTS THAT THE TOTAL T.A.S. ISSUANCE FOR THURDAY NIGHT WAS A FAIR SIZED SIZED 1251 CONTRACTS, AND THESE WILL BE USED TO REPLENISH SUPPLIES.. ALMOST ALL OF THE TRADING AND SUPPLY OF CONTRACTS WAS ORCHESTRATED BY GOVERNMENT (FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK).
THROUGHOUT THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, THE BANKERS CONTINUE TO SELL OFF THE LONG SIDE OF THE SPREAD (T.A.S.) 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//. IT SEEMS THAT OUR CROOKS ORCHESTRATED, ON DEC. 27, THEIR HUGE RAID TO LOWER THE PRICE OF GOLD TO MAKE THEIR COMEX BETS WHOLE ON OPTIONS EXPIRY WEEK AND THUS THE NEED FOR CONTINUAL STRONG T.A.S. ISSUANCE AND THEN LIQUIDATION. THIS WAS COUPLED WITH THE LIQUIDATION OF CALENDAR SPREADERS . THE USE OF OUR TWO SPREADER MECHANISMS WERE OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE TO OUR CROOKS IN LATE DECEMBER’S OPTIONS EXPIRY TRADING. T.A.S. LIQUIDATION WAS VERY MINOR IN THURSDAY’S COMEX TRADING.
// WE HAVE A STRONG AMOUNT OF GOLD TONNAGE STANDING: JAN (13.536 TONNES) WHICH IS HUGE FOR OUR NON ACTIVE JAN DELIVERY MONTH.
JANUAR: 10.1331 TONNES
HERE ARE THE AMOUNTS THAT STOOD FOR DELIVERY IN THE PRECEDING 49 MONTHS OF 2021-2024:
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 = 51.707 TONNES
TOTAL 2023 YEAR : 436.546 TONNES
2024
JAN ’24. 22.706 TONNES
FEB. ’24: 66.276 TONNES (INCLUDES 1.723 TONNES EX. FOR RISK)
MARCH: 18.8398 TONNES + 1.1695 EX FOR RISK = 20.093 TONNES
APRIL: 2024: 53.673TONNES FINAL
MAY/ 2024 8.5536 TONNES + 3.3716 TONNES EX FOR RISK/= 11.9325
JUNE; 95.578 TONNES. + 1.045 TONNES EXCHANGE FOR RISK =96.623 THIS IS THE HIGHEST RECORDED GOLD STANDING SINCE AUGUST 2022
JULY: 11.692 TONNES
AUGUST 69.602 TONNES//FINAL STANDING
SEPT. 13.164 TONNES.
OCT 39.474 TONNES + + 20.917 TONNES EXCHANGE FOR RISK =60.391 TONNES
NOV . 11.265 TONNES +4.665 TONNES EXCHANGE FOR RISK/TUESDAY + 3.11 TONNES OF EX. FOR RISK/PRIOR = 19.0425 TONNES
DEC: 80.4230 TONNES PLUS DEC MONTH EXCHANGE FOR RISK TOTAL 14.6836 TONNES EQUALS 95.1066 TONNES
total year: 540.30 tonnes
January 2025: 13.536 tonnes
THE SPECS/HFT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING GOLD’S PRICE( IT ROSE BY $29.40/)//AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF ANY NET SPECULATOR LONGS AS WE DID HAVE A HUGE GAIN IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES. AS EXPLAINED ABOVE WE HAD LITTLE T.A.S. SPREADER LIQUIDATION THURSDAY
THE CROOKS COULD NOT STOP CENTRAL BANK LONGS, SEIZING THE MOMENT, THEY EXERCISED AGAIN FOR PHYSICAL IN A BIG WAY TENDERING FOR PHYSICAL THURSDAY EVENING.
EXCHANGE FOR RISK EXPLANATION/DECEMBER TRADING
19 DAYS AGO, FRIDAY NIGHT (EARLY SATURDAY MORNING NOV 30) THE CME ANNOUNCED ANOTHER OF THOSE CRAZY DELIVERIES: THE ISSUANCE OF 250 EXCHANGE FOR RISK CONTRACTS WHICH TOTAL 25000 OZ (.7776 TONNES. HERE THE BUYER ASSUMES THE RISK THAT HE WILL BE DELIVERED UPON IN PHYSICAL METAL. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE AND A HUGE VIOLATION OF THE TRUE DISCOVERY PRICE MECHANISM WHICH IS THE COMEX MANTRA!. AND THEN GUESS WHAT? THE CME ANNOUNCED ANOTHER EXCHANGE FOR RISK, LATE TUESDAY EVENING/ EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING, (DEC 5) OF 617 CONTRACTS FOR 61,700 OZ OR GOLD (1.919 TONNES). THEN MUCH TO MY ANGER, THE CME ANNOUNCED A THIRD ISSUANCE FRIDAY NIGHT DEC 7 FOR A MONSTROUS 2254 EXCHANGE FOR RISK CONTRACTS OR 225,400 OZ OR 7.0108 TONNES. NOT TO BE UNDONE, THE CROOKS CONTINUED WITH THEIR NONSENSE WITH ANOTHER 50 CONTRACT EXCHANGE FOR RISK THE MORNING OF DEC 12 FOR 5000 OZ OR .1555 TONNES. AND THIS BRINGS US TO THIS EARLY FRIDAY MORNING (DEC 13) WHERE I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE FOR THE FIFTH TIME THIS MONTH AN ENTRY FOR 250 CONTRACTS OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK FOR 25000 OZ OR .7776 TONNES.THUS ALL FIVE OF THESE ISSUANCES WILL BE ADDED TO THE TOTAL GOLD BEING “DELIVERED UPON”. THIS BRINGS US TO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING DEC 21 WHERE TO MY SHOCK AGAIN WE HAD OUR 6TH ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK TOTALLING 1300 CONTRACTS FOR AN ASTOUNDING 4.043 TONNES. THIS BRINGS THE TOTAL ISSUANCE FOR THE MONTH TO 14.6836 TONNES. THE COMEX IS TOTALLY SHATTERED TO PIECES.
TOTAL DELIVERIES JANUARY TRADING
WE HAVE GAINED A TOTAL OF 39.67 PAPER TONNES FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES, ACCOMPANYING OUR INITIAL GOLD TONNAGE STANDING FOR JAN (10.133TONNES) ON FIRST DAY NOTICE FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S QUEUE JUMP OF 1094 CONTRACTS OR 109400 OZ (3.402 TONNES)
NEW STANDING FOR JAN: 13.536 TONNES (WHICH IS HUGE FOR OUR VERY ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH)
ALL OF THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED DESPITE OUR GAIN IN PRICE TO THE TUNE OF $29.40
WE HAD 1646 CONTRACTS REMOVED FROM THE COMEX TRADES TO OPEN INTEREST (CROOKS)//PRELIMINARY TO FINAL.
NET GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES 12,746 CONTRACTS OR 1,274,600 OZ (39.67 TONNES)
confirmed volume THURSDAY 166,422 contracts: weak ////
//speculators have left the gold arena
END
/ /// THE JAN 2024 GOLD CONTRACT
JAN 3
INITIAL
| Gold | Ounces |
| Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory in oz | nil |
| Withdrawals from Customer Inventory in oz | . NIL |
| Deposit to the Dealer Inventory in oz | NIL |
| Deposits to the Customer Inventory, in oz | a) Into JPMORGAN: 31,990.000 oz (995 kilobars |
| No of oz served (contracts) today | 1573 notice(s) 157,300 OZ 4.893 TONNES |
| No of oz to be served (notices) | 1086 contracts 108,600 OZ 3.378 TONNES |
| Total monthly oz gold served (contracts) so far this month | 3266 notices 326,600 oz 10.159 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 |
dealer deposits: 0
total dealer deposits: end
we have 1 customer deposit
a) into JPMorgan:
31,990.000 oz (995 kilobars)
total deposit 31,990.000 oz
.995 tonnes
strictly a paper gold entry.
withdrawals: 0
adjustments:1
customer to dealer: Brinks 63,562.530 oz (1977 kilobars)
a paper entry.
CALCULATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR JAN.
For the front month of JAN: we have an oi of 2659 contracts having GAINED A HUGE 1247 contracts. We had a strong 3995 contract issuance for exchange for physical. Thus a gain of 1094 contracts on our two exchanges. (3.402 tonnes)
FEBRUARY GAINED 4317 CONTRACTS TO 332,751 .
MARCH HAD A GAIN OF 34 CONTRACTS UP TO 62
APRIL HAD A GAIN OF 2369 CONTRACTS UP TO 70,231 CONTRACTS
We had 1523 contracts filed for today representing 152,300 oz
This is a huge major assault on the comex for gold and this time it is physical that will be requested.
Today, 0 notice(s) were issued from J.P.Morgan dealer and 659 notices issued from their client or customer account. The total of all issuance by all participants equate to 1523 contract(s) of which 0 notices were stopped (received) by j.P. Morgan dealer and 182 notice(s) was (were) stopped (received) by J.P.Morgan//customer account
To calculate the INITIAL total number of gold ounces standing for JAN /2025. contract month, we take the total number of notices filed so far for the month (3266 x 100 oz ) to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN(2659 CONTRACTS) minus the number of notices served upon today (1573 x 100 oz per contract( equals 435,200 OZ OR 10.1331 TONNES.
thus the INITIAL standings for gold for the JAN contract month: No of notices filed so far (3266 x 100 oz +we add the difference for front month of JAN (XXX OI} minus the number of notices served upon today (1573 x 100 oz which equals 325,800 oz (13.536 TONNES)
TOTAL COMEX GOLD STANDING FOR JAN.: 13.536 TONNES WHICH IS HUGE FOR THIS NON 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 OZ 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: 2,122,692.639 oz 66.02 tonnes
TOTAL OF ALL GOLD ELIGIBLE AND REGISTERED GOLD: 21,940,766.258 OZ
TOTAL REGISTERED GOLD 9,010,390.697 oz or 280.260 tonnes
TOTAL OF ALL ELIGIBLE GOLD: 12,930,375.561 OZ
REGISTERED GOLD THAT CAN BE SERVED UPON: 6,887,697 oz (REG GOLD- PLEDGED GOLD)= 214.23 tonnes //
JPMorgan enhanced inventory is 3.592 million oz/1,877,000 oz = 19.15% of entire inventory..
END
SILVER/COMEX
JAN 3. 2025
INITIAL
//2024// THE JAN 2025 SILVER CONTRACT//INITIAL
| Silver | Ounces |
| Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory | NIL oz |
| Withdrawals from Customer Inventory | 2 i) Out of Brinks 599,940.850 oz ii) Out of CNT 106,342,765 oz total withdrawal: 706.283.645 oz . |
| Deposits to the Dealer Inventory | NIL |
| Deposits to the Customer Inventory | i) Into Brinks: 145,917.600 oz ii)Into HSBC: 672,806.600 oz total deposit: 818.724.200 oz |
| No of oz served today (contracts) | 251 CONTRACT(S) (1,255,000 OZ) |
| No of oz to be served (notices) | 376 contracts (1.880 MILLION oz) |
| Total monthly oz silver served (contracts) | 1301 Contracts (6.505 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
i) Into Brinks: 145,917.600 oz
ii)Into HSBC: 672,806.600 oz
total deposit: 818.724.200 oz
We had 2 withdrawals
i) Out of Brinks 599,940.850 oz
ii) Out of CNT 106,342,765 oz
total withdrawal: 706.283.645 oz
JPMorgan has a total silver weight: 135.532million oz/319.008million or 42.50%
adjustments:0
TOTAL REGISTERED SILVER: 72.365MILLION OZ//.TOTAL REG + ELIGIBLE. 319.008 million oz
CALCULATIONS FOR THE NEW STANDING FOR SILVER FOR JANUARY
silver open interest data:
FRONT MONTH OF JAN /2024 OI: 627 OPEN INTEREST FOR A GAIN OF 91 CONTRACT(S).
WE HAD A STRONG 200 CONTRACT EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE. THUS A HUGE QUEUE JUMP OF 291 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES OR 1.455 MILLION OZ
FEBRUARY SAW A GAIN 0F 28 CONTRACTS TO STAND AT 681
MARCH SAW A LOSS OF 47 CONTRACTS UP TO 120,322
TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR TODAY: 251 for 1,255,000 oz
CONFIRMED volume; ON THURSDAY 48,241 awful//
To calculate the number of silver ounces that will stand for delivery in JAN we take the total number of notices filed for the month so far at 1301x 5,000 oz = 6.505 MILLION oz
to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN (627) and the number of notices served upon today (251)x (5000 oz)
Thus the standings for silver for the JAN 2025 contract month: 1301 Notices served so far) x 5000 oz + OI for the front month of JAN(627) minus number of notices served upon today (251)x 5000 oz equals silver standing for the JAN contract month equating to 8.385 MILLION OZ.
New total standing: 8.385 million oz.
There are 72.365 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.
Now that we have surpassed $28.40 the next big line in the sand for silver is $34.76. After that the moon
END
BOTH GLD AND SLV ARE MASSIVE FRAUDS!
GLD AND SLV INVENTORY LEVELS//
JAN 3 WITH GOLD DOWN $14.00 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES
JAN 2 WITH GOLD UP $29.40 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES
DEC 31 WITH GOLD UP $20.60 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES
DEC 30 WITH GOLD DOWN $11.95 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 0.28 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD : ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES
DEC 27 WITH GOLD DOWN $17.10 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.15 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD : ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.80 TONNES
DEC 26 WITH GOLD UP $17.55 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: : ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 873.95 TONNES
DEC 24 WITH GOLD UP $6.10 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 3.45 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD. / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 873.95 TONNES
DEC 23 WITH GOLD DOWN $13,75 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF 16.66 TONNES OF GOLD VAPOUR GOLD INTO THE GLD. / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 877.40 TONNES
DEC 20 WITH GOLD UP $29,75 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 3.16 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 860.74 TONNES
DEC 19 WITH GOLD DOWN $45.00 ON THE DAY; SMALL CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF .29 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD. / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 863.90 TONNES
DEC 18 WITH GOLD DOWN $8.40 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.19 TONNES
DEC 17 WITH GOLD DOWN $6.85 ON THE DAY; SMALL CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: A DEPOSIT OF 0.23 TONNES INTO THE GLD / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.19 TONNES
DEC 16 WITH GOLD DOWN $2.80 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 4.70 TONNES INTO THE GLD / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 863.90 TONNES
DEC 13 WITH GOLD DOWN $24.55 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 4.78 TONNES INTO THE GLD / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 868.60 TONNES
DEC 12 WITH GOLD DOWN $34.00 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: A DEPOSIT OF 2.59 TONNES INTO THE GLD / // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 873.38 TONNES
DEC 11 WITH GOLD UP $29.75 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 870.79 TONNES
DEC 9 WITH GOLD UP $31.10 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD. // : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 871.94 TONNES
DEC 6 WITH GOLD UP $6.60 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD. A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.71 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD// : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 871.94 TONNES
DEC 5 WITH GOLD DOWN $26.80 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD./ : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 873.65 TONNES
DEC 4 WITH GOLD UP $6.15 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.31 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD./ : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 873.65 TONNES
DEC 3 WITH GOLD UP $10.30 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.59 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD./ : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 875.96 TONNES
DEC 2 WITH GOLD DOWN $20.20 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD : .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.55 TONNES
NOV 29 WITH GOLD UP $16.00 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD : Z WITHDRAWAL OF .86 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD . .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 878.55 TONNES
NOV 27 WITH GOLD UP $18.05 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD : . .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 879.41 TONNE
NOV 26 WITH GOLD UP $3.80 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD : A DEPOSIT OF 1.44 TONNES OF GOLDINTO THE GLD. .///INVENTORY RESTS AT 879.41 TONNES
GLD INVENTORY: 872.52 TONNES, TONIGHTS TOTAL
SILVER
JAN 3 WITH SILVER UP 17 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 1.709 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 463.837 MILLION OZ
JAN 2 WITH SILVER UP 45 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 1.616 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 462.128 MILLION OZ
DEC 31 WITH SILVER DOWN 14 CENTS //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 460.512 MILLION OZ
DEC 30 WITH SILVER DOWN 39 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: // A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.13 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 460.512 MILLION OZ
DEC 27 WITH SILVER DOWN 24 CENTS //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: // //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 461.651 MILLION OZ
DEC 24 WITH SILVER UP 2 CENTS //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 463.747 MILLION OZ
DEC 23 WITH SILVER UP 19 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/////A DEPOSIT OF 6.15 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 463.747 MILLION OZ
DEC 20 WITH SILVER UP 43 CENTS //SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV/////A DEPOSIT OF 183,000 OZ INTO THE SLV //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 457.597 MILLION OZ
DEC 19 WITH SILVER DOWN 25 CENTS //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV///// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 457.414 MILLION OZ
DEC 18 WITH SILVER DOWN 19 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.094 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 457.414 MILLION OZ
DEC 17 WITH SILVER DOWN 12 CENTS //SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A DEPOSIT OF 0.456 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 458.052 MILLION OZ
DEC 16 WITH SILVER DOWN 0 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 4.84 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 458.052 MILLION OZ
DEC 13 WITH SILVER DOWN 46 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF .536 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 462.892 MILLION OZ
DEC 12 WITH SILVER DOWN 94 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 5.787 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 463.428 MILLION OZ
DEC 11 WITH SILVER UP 10 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 2.597 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 469.215 MILLION OZ
DEC 10 WITH SILVER DOWN 8 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.868 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 471.812 MILLION OZ
DEC 9 WITH SILVER UP $0.91 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.367 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 473.680 MILLION OZ
DEC 6 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.00 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 4.329 MILLION OZ/// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 475.047 MILLION OZ
DEC 5 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.23 //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV” /// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 470.718 MILLION OZ
DEC 4 WITH SILVER UP 26 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV”: A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.206 MILLION OZ FORM THE SLV. /// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 470.718 MILLION OZ
DEC 3 WITH SILVER UP 59 CENTS //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV /// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 472.924 MILLION OZ
DEC 2 WITH SILVER DOWN 19 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV. A WITHDRAWAL OF 1,458,000 OZ FROM THE SLV. /// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 472.924 MILLION OZ
NOV 29 WITH SILVER UP 51 CENTS //SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV. A WITHDRAWAL OF 365,000 OZ FROM THE SLV. /// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 474.382 MILLION OZ
NOV 27 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.25 //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV.. /// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 474.747 MILLION OZ
NOV 26 WITH SILVER UP $0.10 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV:.A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.094 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV./.. /// //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 474.747 MILLION OZ
CLOSING INVENTORY 463.837 MILLION OZ//
PHYSICAL GOLD/SILVER COMMENTARIES
1/ PETER SCHIFF/SCHIFF GOLD/MIKE MAHARRY
END
2/ Commentaries from: Egon von Greyerz///Matthew Piepenburg via GoldSwitzerland.com, Pam and Russ Martens
Alasdair Macleod
Decline and fall of Britain
It is time the financial world woke up to the economic destruction being perpetrated by the Labour government on the British economy. Both sterling and bonds are bound to crash.
| Alasdair MacleodJan 2∙Paid |
Last year, in a fit of pique against a government that had lost its political way, the British public elected a Labour government by default. As has often been the case in British politics, the incumbent government lost the election rather than the opposition won it.
Let’s look briefly at some of the new government’s ministers’ credentials.
Starmer is a lawyer clearly ignorant of economics. As proof, if it were needed, he recently decided to take advice from government regulators on how to make the economy grow, presuming that they would know better than the private sector actors they regulate. Clearly, he spurns free market solutions and is in thrall to Britain’s prewar socialist idealism.
Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was forced to amend her LinkedIn entry removing claims to have worked at the Bank of England as an economist. Therefore, she is in office on a false prospectus. And Ed Miliband, Energy Secretary, when he previously held that post stopped the dredging of the rivers Parrett and Tone which led to the Somerset Levels (lowlands) being flooded for months. Now he wants to carpet England with solar panels, electricity pylons, and wind farms in a vain attempt to replace fossil fuels.
Kier Starmer’s campaigning approach was to copy Tony Blair’s in 1997: to promise capitalist ideals and responsible government. Once Starmer became prime minister, that changed rapidly to be replaced with a deeply socialist idealism aimed to promote the state and minimise the private sector. It has its roots unashamedly in the Labour and trade union movements of the 1920—1930 era, bolstered by the cocktail party socialism of North London. The economic progress under Margaret Thatcher, which took Britain from being the acknowledged sick man of Europe to its greatest success, is being reversed.
Freedom of speech is being destroyed in a general replacement of Christian morality and manners by wokeness — another trend foolishly tolerated by the previous government and now being accelerated by Labour. The railways are to be renationalised for the appeasement of far-left rail unions. Parents privately educating their children are faced with extra taxes imposed on their school fees, crippling for ambitious parents already struggling to make ends meet and designed to put private education out of business to satisfy socialist ideals. And history lessons in state schools are to be “de-colonised.”
This class warfare also extends to inheritance of farmland. Nothing riles the urban left more than property ownership by farmers who kill foxes and hares on horseback and hounds for sport. Inheritance tax at 20% has been introduced on agricultural land, enough to force many farming families at the heart of country traditions to sell up. Doubtless, the socialist ideal will be to increase this tax further over time so that the state will end up taking land into public ownership in lieu of taxes.
Further destruction of private sector activities will be brought about by climate change policies. Despite his abysmal previous ministerial record in this department, under Ed Miliband his energy policies are set to rapidly deprive the nation of carbon fuel energy, which is the lifeblood of economic progress.
Meanwhile, the state is being advanced as the solution to everything and the profit-seeking private sector to nothing.
Taking railways back into the state sector will almost certainly be followed by the water companies. Thames Water faces difficulty refunding its debt and will likely end up being renationalised. Its debt problems arose from the Bank of England’s foolish suppression of interest rates which encouraged Thames’s private equity owners to leverage its earnings. Subsequently, interest rates began rising — which was entirely predictable but not to the Monetary Policy Committee. Thames is now struggling with the refinancing. The end result is likely to be state ownership, creating a precedent for further water company nationalisations.
So far, markets seem unaware of the strength of these economically destructive forces. Though newspaper editorials criticise Labour’s politics, there has been very little commentary on the consequences for markets in the financial pages of mainstream media. But unknown to most, the pound sterling against the US dollar has already entered a dangerous bear market, as the chart below illustrates.
This currently forming death cross tells us that sterling is heading far lower and it is likely to test unity against the dollar, given Labour’s economic policies. And it might not stop there. Due to London’s position as the major international centre for European time zones, sterling is heavily owned internationally. As the economic consequences of the Starmer government’s policies reveal themselves, sterling and sterling credit are therefore likely to be heavily sold down by these actors.
A consequence of a declining currency is for interest rates and bond yields to rise. Interest rates may be held back temporarily by a central bank prepared to tolerate further currency weakness. But a weakening sterling is bound to lead to yet higher gilt-edged yields, which is already happening and confirmed by the chart below of the UK Treasury 1 5/8% 2071 long gilt.
In this case, a death cross on the price becomes a golden cross for the yield, which from late-October has already propelled yields higher. It is now at an all-time high for this bond. No more statistical evidence or further argument is needed about the dreadful outlook for the currency and subordinate credit values.
Labour’s political idiocies are hastening the collapse of the economy, its revenues, and therefore government finances. The only escape for members of Britain’s public is to sell currency and dependent credit in favour of gold, which still remains the highest form of money in common law.
Sadly, very few Brits know this, and they have yet to seek refuge from the financial storms to come.
end
Strong dollar, higher yields, and strong gold
rise along with the dollar and higher Treasury yields. But the transition to this way of thinking brings some short-term uncertainty with it
| Alasdair MacleodJan 3∙Paid |
Gold and silver ended 2024 consolidating earlier gains. But the first few days of trading in 2025 were positive. In European trading today, gold was $2658, up $37 from last Friday’s close after testing $2600. Silver was $29.75, up 40 cents on balance. Trading has been seasonally light as shown by Comex volumes.
While Comex Open Interest in silver has held steady, in gold it has sold off to oversold levels. This is next.
Now let’s look at gold’s technical chart for clues for price development over the coming months.
Clearly, gold’s consolidation at the $2600 level has been healthy, finding support at the 55-day moving average. Open Interest on Comex is rising again having increased by about 20,000 contracts since last Friday. But gold will have to break through the $2700 level convincingly or risk further consolidation and rule out a move towards the 12-month moving average (currently at $2500).
While a $200 drop might seem painful, it is not really significant andmight not happen. To assess the probability, we must turn to fundamentals. Without doubt, the greatest short-term threat is revealed in our next chart:
Clearly, yields on US Treasuries are rising, and have further to rise, a point which is now clear to speculators in gold futures, who normally would associate rising bond yields with lower gold values. Something has changed in their thinking, particularly when we see the dollar’s trade weighted, treasury yields, and gold all rising at the same time as it has on occasions this week.
I think the narrative is as follows. Market participants now expect higher budget deficits under Trump, at least initially. The US economy will grow at a more rapid pace in 2025 than previously expected because of this factor. And a combination of rising consumer demand and the impact of higher import tariffs will lead to more inflation. The Fed will put further rate cuts on hold, possibly increasing them instead. This is why bond yields are rising, but the increasing risk to equity markets from this change in interest rate outlook will make the Fed reluctant to raise them sufficiently. On a net basis this should be positive for gold.
There are two further factors. The first is that year-end window dressing, which is normally negative for gold, is now over and paving the way for higher prices. And secondly, the strong dollar is creating havoc for the euro, yen, and pound. The USD trade weighted chart makes this point for us:
Trump’s stimulus for America will force higher consumer and commodity inflation on the EU, Japan, and Britain all of which are stagnating and will suffer economic destruction.
In conclusion, it appears that gold, treasury yields, and the dollar can all rise in sync. But we cannot rule out doubt on this analysis if a more hawkish attitude is expected from the Fed, in which case gold may have to consolidate a little longer. However, the message is clear: all this uncertainty is extremely bad for credit in its relationship with gold, whatever the currency.
Happy New Year!
END
3. CHRIS POWELL AND GATA DISPATCHES
end
4. OTHER GOLD COMMENTARIES/
END
ANDREW MAGUIRE AND ALASDAIR MACLEOD//LIVE FROM THE VAULT 204
end
5 B GLOBAL COMMODITY ISSUES/FOOD IN GENERAL//FREIGHT/COMMODITIES: COMMODITY/CATTLE
Cattle Futures Hit New Record High As Polar Blast Set To Hit Nation’s Beef Supply
Friday, Jan 03, 2025 – 10:50 AM
Cattle futures in Chicago surged to fresh record highs on Friday, driven by severe winter weather forecasts for the Central Plains and Midwest, two key regions home to the nation’s cattle belt. Analysts warn that the harsh conditions could reduce herd sizes and impact carcass weights, further tightening the nation’s cattle supply.
“While cattle can tolerate cold weather, extreme cold forces them to expend more energy, directly impacting feed conversion rates and ultimately reducing carcass weights,” Daily Livestock Report wrote in a note on Friday, warning that cattle weights fell 3% during last year’s cold blast across the Lower 48.
For the last week, we have been tracking polar air blast models and incoming winter storms expected for the eastern half of the US. Also, we touched on energy markets, specifically soaring NatGas prices:
- Dec. 27: “All Systems Go” For Polar Vortex Air Dumping Into US
- Dec. 30: NatGas Futures Spike Ahead Of Forecasted “Historic Cold”
- Jan. 2: Old Man Winter Points Crosshairs On US Mid-Atlantic
As of Friday morning, the NWS Weather Prediction Center’s latest forecast shows widespread heavy snow and ice from the Central Plains (cattle belt) to the Mid-Atlantic this weekend and early next week.
The cold weather complicates America’s crumbling cattle herd. The latest figures show the herd size has tumbled to the lowest levels since 1961.
As a result, Cattle futures in Chicago jumped to fresh record highs.
We noted last month…
The nation’s tight cattle supply, unable to rebuild quickly enough, has driven average retail ground beef prices to record highs, reaching $5.628 per pound in late 2024, according to USDA data. However, we all know ground beef prices are often much higher—especially for “organic” ground beef, where prices can exceed $10 or more per pound.
Prices are going much higher in 2025.
end
6 CRYPTOCURRENCY NEWS
END
ASIA TRADING THURSDAY MORNING TUESDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 51.13 PTS OR 1.57%
//Hang Seng CLOSED UP 136.95 PTS OR 0.20%
// Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 386.62 OR 0.96%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP 0.55%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED UP TO 7.3360 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED UP TO 7.3359// Oil UP TO 73.28 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT UP AT 76.03 Stocks in Europe OPENED MOSTLY RED
ONSHORE USA/ YUAN TRADING AT LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE YUAN WEAKER
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
1.YOUR EARLY CURRENCY VALUES/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN AND EUROPEAN BOURSE MOVEMENTS/AND INTEREST RATE SETTINGS FRIIDAY MORNING.7:30 AM
ONSHORE YUAN: CLOSED DOWN AT 7.3575
OFFSHORE YUAN: DOWN TO 7.3568
SHANGHAI CLOSED CLOSED DOWN 51.13 PTS OR 1.57%
HANG SENG CLOSED CLOSED UP 136.95 PTS OR 0.20%
2. Nikkei closed DOWN 386.62PTS OR .96%
3. Europe stocks SO FAR: ALL MOSTLY RED
USA dollar INDEX UP TO 108.82 EURO RISES TO 1.0295 UP 28 BASIS PTS
3b Japan 10 YR bond yield: FALLS TO. +1.070 Japan buying 100% of bond issuance)/Japanese YEN vs USA cross now at 157.12…… JAPANESE YEN NOW FALLING AS WE HAVE NOW REACHED THE RE EMERGING OF THE YEN CARRY TRADE AGAIN AFTER DISASTROUS POLICY ISSUED BY UEDA
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: DOWN OFFSHORE: DOWN
3f Japan is to buy INFINITE TRILLION YEN worth of BONDS. Japan’s GDP equals 5 trillion USA
Japan to buy 100% of all new Japanese debt and NOW they will have OVER 50% of all Japanese debt.
3g Oil UP for WTI and DOWN FOR UP this morning
3h European bond buying continues to push yields lower on all fronts in the EMU. German 10yr bund YIELD UP TO +2.3810 Italian 10 Yr bond yield UP to 3.545 //SPAIN 10 YR BOND YIELD UP TO 3.068
3i Greek 10 year bond yield UP TO 3.203
3j Gold at $2650.00/Silver at: 29.82 1 am est) SILVER NEXT RESISTANCE LEVEL AT $50.00//AFTER 28.40
3k USA vs Russian rouble;// Russian rouble UP 0 AND 50/100 roubles/dollar; ROUBLE AT 110.50
3m oil into the 73 dollar handle for WTI and 76 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 157.12 10 YEAR YIELD AFTER FIRST BREAKING .54% LAST YEAR NOW EXCEEDS THAT LEVEL TO 1.070% STILL ON CENTRAL BANK (JAPAN) INTERVENTION//YEN CARRY TRADE IS NOW UNWINDING.
30 SNB (Swiss National Bank) still intervening again in the markets driving down the FRANC. It is not working: USA/SF this 0.9090 as the Swiss Franc is still rising against most currencies. Euro vs SF: 0.9360 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: 4.539 DOWN 4 BASIS PTS…
USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 4.763 DOWN 4 BASIS PTS/
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.233 DOWN 2 BASIS PTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 35.37…
10 YR UK BOND YIELD: 4.6130 UP 2 PTS
10 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 3.218 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS
5 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 2.954 DOWN 1 PTS.
2a New York OPENING REPORT
Futures Rebound After Longest Losing Streak Since April
by Tyler Durden
Friday, Jan 03, 2025 – 08:13 AM
US equity futures posted modest gains suggesting stocks may finally halt a five-day losing streak, the longest since April, although we have seen early strength quickly turn to selling so it is unclear if today’s modest bounce will last. As of 8:00am, S&P 500 contracts rose a modest 0.2%, fading stronger gains earlier, while the Nasdaq 100 rose 0.3%. European stocks dropped while Asian equities rebounded to erase Thursday’s losses, boosted by gains in the region’s technology companies even as Mainland China shares sank again as Chinese yields plunged to a new record low. And speaking of yields, the 10Y TSY yield ticked lower, dipping 2 bps to 4.54% while the dollar slipped from the two-year high it set Thursday. The US economic data calendar includes December ISM manufacturing at 10am. Fed speakers scheduled for the session include Barkin (11am).
In premarket trading, Tesla rebounding partially from Thursday’s slump prompted by disappointing vehicle sales numbers. US Still plunged more than 9% after reports that President Joe Biden has decided to block Nippon Steel’s purchase of the company. Here are some other notable premarket movers:
- Block rose 2% after Raymond James turned bullish on the digital payments firm, expressing confidence in the company’s seller gross payments volume.
- Nu Skin Enterprises jumped 12% on a pact to sell its Mavely marketing technology platform.
- Stellantis dropped slips 1.6% as some EV models that had previously received US tax credits for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids failed to make it into the new list under tougher rules.
Overnight, Bloomberg reported that Biden has decided to block the sale of US Steel to Nippon Steel, ending a $14.1 billion deal that has faced months of vocal opposition and raising questions over the future of a US industrial giant. The news sent the stock sliding by double digits. The president had indicated his opposition to the proposed acquisition, arguing US Steel should remain American owned and operated, though the White House has never said outright that he would block the deal.
Separately, investors will be watching the US House Speaker vote Friday to see if Mike Johnson will retain his position. Republican squabbling over his reelection could bode ill for Trump’s agenda, according to Tom Essaye, founder of the Sevens report.
It’s been a volatile start to the year for stocks, with the S&P 500 index posting intraday gains in the previous two sessions, only to close lower. US manufacturing data due later will give investors clues on the health of the economy while they look ahead to Trump’s inauguration 17 days away to reduce uncertainty over future US policy.
“We really need to see more of that clarity on January 20th for markets to have greater conviction,” said Laura Cooper, global investment strategist at Nuveen. “But I think US exceptionalism will continue to be the dominant theme at least in the first half of the year, regardless of what some of those policies that come through are.”
In Europe, the Stoxx 600 fell 0.3% while French stocks underperform their regional peers. Autos, consumer products and miners are the biggest laggards on growing concerns about Chinese demand. Stellantis NV fell as much as 3.8% as some EV models that had previously received US tax credits for electric vehicles were excluded under tougher rules. Here are some other notable European movers:
- Tullow Oil gains after an international body found it wasn’t liable for a $320 million tax assessment in Ghana, where its key oil assets are located
- Outokumpu falls as much as 2.2% after being downgraded at BNP Paribas Exane in a review of its steelmaking coverage; Voestalpine meanwhile falls as much as 2.4% after also receiving a downgrade in the same review
- Shares of European hearing-aid makers GN Store Nord and Demant drop after EssilorLuxottica’s acquisition of Pulse Audition, a French startup delivering AI-based noise reduction and voice enhancement
Earlier in the session, Asian equities rebounded to erase Thursday’s losses, boosted by gains in the region’s technology companies. Mainland China shares sank extending their worst start to the year since 2016. The MSCI Asia Pacific excluding Japan index rose as much as 0.8%, the most since Dec. 23, with TSMC, Xiaomi and SK Hynix contributing the most. South Korean shares led the gains in the region after five days of selling. Benchmarks also gained in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia, while India’s fell. China’s stocks were mixed after a selloff on Thursday that saw mainland equities register their worst start to the year since 2016. China’s CSI 300 slumped 1.2%, while the Hang Seng Index rose 0.7%. The weakness was more prominent in the country’s small-caps stock after the CSI 2000 index marked its worst day in more than a week. The yuan fell to breach the psychological milestone of 7.3 per dollar for the first time since late 2023. The nation’s 10-year government bond yield slipped below 1.6% for the first time ever.
“There’s been many false dawns in China in recent months and it looks as though it’s unraveling again,” said Kenneth Broux, a strategist at Societe Generale. “We’ve seen three big days of selling which is not really conducive to sentiment.”
In FX, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.2% from the two-year high it set Thursday, while the Swiss franc tops the G-10 FX leader board, rising 0.3% against the greenback. The onshore yuan weakened past 7.3 per dollar, a level that China had been defending since late last year.
In rates, Treasuries edged up, with US 10-year yields falling 2 bps to 4.54%. German government bonds underperform, more notably at the short-end of the curve with German two-year borrowing costs up 3 bps. Gilts advance.
In commodities, oil prices dipped with WTI falling 0.5% to $72.80 after a four-day rally. European natural gas prices are also in the red. Spot gold is steady near $2,656/oz on track for its biggest weekly gain since November. Bitcoin dropped for the first time in four days, trading below $97K.
Looking at today’s calendar, US economic data calendar includes December ISM manufacturing at 10am. Fed speakers scheduled for the session include Barkin (11am).
Market Snapshot
- S&P 500 futures up 0.3% to 5,938.50
- STOXX Europe 600 down 0.2% to 509.80
- MXAP up 0.2% to 181.45
- MXAPJ up 0.3% to 568.60
- Nikkei down 1.0% to 39,894.54
- Topix down 0.6% to 2,784.92
- Hang Seng Index up 0.7% to 19,760.27
- Shanghai Composite down 1.6% to 3,211.43
- Sensex down 0.9% to 79,236.01
- Australia S&P/ASX 200 up 0.6% to 8,250.49
- Kospi up 1.8% to 2,441.92
- German 10Y yield little changed at 2.38%
- Euro up 0.3% to $1.0297
- Brent Futures down 0.5% to $75.58/bbl
- Gold spot down 0.1% to $2,654.67
- US Dollar Index down 0.39% to 108.97
Top Overnight News
- President-elect Donald Trump is throwing more weight behind Mike Johnson’s speakership bid, as a handful of Republicans are weighing whether to block Johnson’s attempt to reclaim the gavel. Trump has argued publicly and privately that Johnson is the only Republican who can secure the 218 necessary to win the post, a critical step for both Trump and GOP lawmakers to quickly implement his agenda. Politico
- US House Speaker vote is scheduled for today, NBC reports that the first call should begin at around 12pm EST.
- Joe Biden will block the sale of US Steel to Nippon Steel. An announcement is expected today. The Washington Post said senior officials attempted to dissuade Biden, arguing it could damage relations with Japan. US Steel shares -8.5% in the premarket. BBG
- US President-elect Trump named a team to work in conjunction with US Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent with Ken Kies to be Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy and he named Cora Alvi as Deputy Chief of Staff.
- China’s PBOC says it will cut interest rates this year “at an appropriate time” as it looks to shift and simplify its monetary policy framework toward a Fed/ECB-like focus on a single benchmark rate. FT
- China will sharply increase issuance of ultra-long treasury bonds in 2025 to spur business investment and consumer-boosting initiatives, a state planner official said on Friday, as Beijing cranks up fiscal stimulus to revitalize the faltering economy. RTRS
- Apple received another negative headline from China as reports suggest shipments of foreign-branded smartphones to the country (including the iPhone) slumped 47% Y/Y in November, down for the fourth straight month. RTRS
- The UN food price index came in at 127 in Dec, down 0.5% from Nov, as decreases in the price indices for sugar, dairy products, vegetable oils and cereals more than offset increases in meat. UN
- US EV sales jumped 12% in the fourth quarter, pushing the full-year total to a record 1.3 million, boosted by Trump’s threat to eliminate tax credits for plug-in cars, Cox Automotive said. Total car sales also rose. BBG
- Reserves in the US banking system fell to the lowest in over four years in the week through Jan. 1, as year-end dynamics forced lenders to pare balance-sheet intensive activities. At the same time, the Fed has been removing excess cash through its QT program. BBG
- Investors yanked a net $333 million from BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF yesterday, the most withdrawn since the fund’s launch. BBG
A more detailed look at global markets courtesy of Newsquawk
APAC stocks were ultimately mixed with most major indices higher although the gains were capped amid the holiday closure in Japan and after the negative handover from the US where the dollar strengthened and Tesla deliveries disappointed. ASX 200 was underpinned with energy and gold miners leading the advances after recent gains in underlying commodity prices. KOSPI outperformed despite reports of a standoff between a military unit and South Korean investigative authorities attempting to arrest impeached President Yoon, while acting President Choi ordered to deploy market stabilising measures swiftly and boldly if volatility heightens. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp traded mixed despite falling yields amid a report the PBoC is said to plan a policy overhaul as pressure mounts on the economy and would likely cut interest rates from the current level of 1.5% at an appropriate time. Nonetheless, some support was seen for Hong Kong tech stocks after an NDRC official said they will sharply increase funding from ultra-long treasury bonds this year to support “two new” programmes and will broaden the consumer trade-in initiative to include smartphones, while the mainland failed to benefit amid the ongoing US-China trade-related frictions.
Top Asian News
- PBoC is reportedly to plan a policy overhaul as pressure mounts on the economy and said it was likely it would cut interest rates from the current level of 1.5% at an appropriate time, while the report noted it would prioritise “the role of interest rate adjustments” and move away from “quantitative objectives” for loan growth in what would amount to a transformation of Chinese monetary policy, according to FT.
- China’s NDRC held a briefing regarding high-quality growth and announced it will sharply increase funding from ultra-long treasury bonds this year to support “two new” programmes, while it is to broaden the consumer trade-in initiative to include smartphones. NDRC expects consumption to maintain steady growth in 2025 and noted China’s economy is facing many new difficulties and challenges in 2025 but added there is ample room for macro policies in 2025. Furthermore, the NDRC deputy head announced an allocation of CNY 100bln in 2025 for two new and two major projects in advance, while it will push major reforms in 2025 to stabilise expectations, boost confidence and promote development, as well as step up efforts surrounding employment.
- South Korean investigative authorities visited President Yoon’s residence to attempt to carry out an arrest warrant but were prevented from carrying out the arrest amid a standoff with a military unit, while two South Korean military officials including the martial law commander were indicted and detained by prosecutors. Furthermore, South Korean acting President Choi ordered to deploy market stabilising measures swiftly and boldly if volatility heightens, as well as announced to prepare tax support measures for small and medium-sized firms to boost corporate investment.
European bourses opened modestly mixed, but quickly succumbed to some selling pressure to display a negative picture in Europe thus far. European sectors opened mixed, but now hold a slight negative bias. A broker upgrade for UBS has helped to prop up Financial Services; Consumer Products once again is towards the foot of the sector list, with Luxury names doing much of the dragging. US equity futures are modestly firmer, with modest outperformance in the NQ after trading lower in the prior session. Phone shipments within China -5.1% Y/Y at 29.61mln handsets in November (vs +1.8% Y/Y to 29.67mln units in October), according to CAICT; shipments of foreign branded phones including Apple (AAPL) iPhone within China -47.4% Y/Y at 3.04mln handsets in November (vs -44.3% Y/Y in October), according to Reuters calculations based on CAICT data.
Top European News
- UK Chancellor Reeves warned ministers to consider cuts to frontline services to fund above-inflation pay increases for public sector workers, according to The Times.
FX
- USD is giving back some of yesterday’s gains vs. peers with DXY returning to a 108 handle after topping out at 109 yesterday (highest since November 2022); currently around the 109.00 mark. For today’s data docket, focus will be on the December ISM manufacturing print which is expected to remain in contractionary territory at 48.4. Elsewhere, markets will be awaiting the outcome of the US House speaker vote (from around 17:00GMT, according to NBC).
- EUR has managed to claw back some lost ground vs. the broadly softer USD but is yet to undo a bulk of the damage yesterday which saw the pair slip from a 1.0375 peak to a 1.0224 low (lowest since November 2022).
- Japanese-specific newsflow remains on the light side with Japan way from market overnight. As such, the USD leg of the USD/JPY pair has been doing a bulk of the heavy lifting and therefore the broadly softer USD has dragged the pair lower. That being said, the pair has been unable to return to a 157 handle after delving as low as 156.44 yesterday.
- GBP is attempting to reverse some of yesterday’s heavy selling pressure which dragged the pair from a 1.2540 peak to a 1.2353 low. Whilst there was no specific catalyst for yesterday’s price action, desks pointed to a reversal of last year’s relative outperformance of the GBP vs. peers (ex-USD).
- Antipodeans are both firmer vs. the broadly weaker USD with AUD managing to overlook losses in iron ore. Newsflow for both has been light, however, attention was on events in China overnight amid reports of support measures from China’s state planner.
- RBI likely selling USD around 85.77-79 levels to support the INR, according to traders cited by Reuters.
- PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1878 vs exp. 7.2868 (prev. 7.1879).
Fixed Income
- A relatively contained start for benchmarks, with USTs in a narrow 108-27+ to 109-01 band with the docket light until we get to the US morning when ISM Manufacturing PMI is due before the expected commencement of the vote concerning House Speaker Johnson at around 17:00GMT.
- Bunds hold a bearish bias as the benchmark pares some of the upside seen late-doors on Thursday. Currently, at the low-end of a 132.95-133.48 band, which remains entirely within but approaching the trough of Thursday’s 132.90-133.86 range.
- OATs are the EGB laggard, with pressure stemming from reports in Le Monde that French PM Bayrou is aiming for a 2025 budget deficit as a % of GDP of 5.4%, higher than the 5.0% targeted by Barnier’s failed administration.
- Gilts stand as the marginal outperformer, initially gapped higher at the open, but has since succumbed to the broader fixed income pressure; currently near the day’s trough at 92.24. Specifics include mortgage and money supply data for November from the BoE, metrics which came in below forecast across the board but spurred no real Gilt follow through.
Commodities
- Subdued trade in the crude complex as prices take a breather from the prior day’s surge, and amid a generally cautious risk tone. Brent sits in a USD 75.53-76.26/bbl parameter.
- Nat gas is slightly softer intraday in tandem with broader energy markets, with Dutch TTF front-month oscillating on either side of EUR 50/MWh.
- Mixed trade across precious metals with Palladium clearly benefitting from the softer Dollar, whilst silver ekes mild gains and gold trades subdued. Spot gold resides towards the middle of a current USD 2,649.95-2,665.40/oz range.
- Base metals are modestly higher but with price action contained to a tight range between 8,781.50-8,852.00/t awaiting the next catalyst.
- Goldman Sachs sees significant risks that TTF gas prices rally towards oil-switching economics in a EUR 63-84/MWh range in the coming months.
- Russian oil product exports from the Black Sea port of Tuapse are reportedly planned at 0.798mln/T in January (0.885mln/T scheduled in Dec.), via Reuters citing sources.
- Austria’s Grid Manager says other NatGas sources are compensating for the loss of Russian fuel via Ukraine, gas imports via Germany and Italy are sufficient, according to Bloomberg’s Stapczynski.
- Indonesia Minister says Indonesia is reviewing nickel ore mining quote, seeking to prevent further price falls.
Geopolitics
- Israeli PM Netanyahu will convene a meeting today to discuss the mandate of the Israeli delegation that will leave for Qatar, according to Journalist Stein.
- Israeli army noted sirens sounded in several areas of central Israel after a rocket was fired from Yemen, according to Sky News Arabia.
- Sky News Arabia correspondent reported huge explosions in Syria’s Aleppo amid Israeli raids.
US Event Calendar
- 10:00: Dec. ISM Manufacturing, est. 48.2, prior 48.4
- Dec. ISM Employment, prior 48.1
- Dec. ISM New Orders, prior 50.4
- Dec. ISM Prices Paid, est. 51.8, prior 50.3
DB’s Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap
Markets got 2025 off to a gloomy start yesterday, with the S&P 500 (-0.22%) extending its post-Christmas losses as various headlines added to the downbeat tone. The latest decline is now the 5th consecutive move lower for the S&P, making it the longest run of declines for the index since April. But as we mentioned yesterday, the first trading day has been a very poor guide to the rest of the year in recent times, so we shouldn’t extrapolate things too far. Indeed, both of the last two years saw the S&P 500 lose ground on the first day, before going on to rise more than +20% over the year as a whole.
Several factors helped to extend the selloff over the last 24 hours. First up, we had a lot of negative headlines out of Europe, as concerns mounted about the energy situation after the expiry of the transit deal between Russia and Ukraine. That meant European natural gas futures closed above €50/MWh for the first time since October 2023, and the end of the transit deal has also coincided with some very cold temperatures in northern Europe right now. So the fear is that higher gas prices are going to add to inflationary pressures, whilst gas storage has been falling faster than usual this year as well.
That backdrop saw the euro (-0.88%) close at its weakest level against the US Dollar since November 2022, ending the session at $1.0265. This continues the declining trend that’s been evident since late-September, as the prospect of US tariffs and a more hawkish Fed have put the currency under pressure. In the meantime, sterling saw even bigger losses, falling by -1.09% to $1.2380, which is its weakest closing level since April. And with inflationary pressures mounting, including from a weaker currency, sovereign bonds struggled across much of Europe, with yields on 10yr bunds (+1.2bps), OATs (+3.8bps) and gilts (+3.1bps) all moving higher. In fact, for another sign of the risk-off tone yesterday, the Franco-German 10yr spread moved up to 85.6bps, which is the widest it’s been since December 2, the day that the National Rally announced they’d back a motion of no confidence in Michel Barnier’s government.
That downbeat European narrative got a further push yesterday from the final manufacturing PMIs for December, which saw modest downward revisions compared to the flash prints. For example, the Euro Area manufacturing PMI came down a tenth to 45.1, and the UK reading came down three-tenths to 47.0. And in the UK’s case, that also leaves the manufacturing PMI at an 11-month low.
To be fair, the European equity performance was pretty good in the circumstances, with the STOXX 600 (+0.60%) and all the other major indices advancing. That was driven by an outperformance from energy stocks given the upward moves for energy commodities, and Brent crude oil ended the session up+1.73% at $75.93/bbl, marking its 4th consecutive move higher. That trend has continued this morning too, with Brent crude prices up another +0.28% to $76.14/bbl. But for US equities there was a much more negative story, with the S&P 500 (-0.22%) posting a 5th consecutive loss, driven by even deeper losses for the Magnificent 7 (-0.69%). In fact, Tesla (-6.08%) was the worst performer in the entire S&P 500 after they reported that their annual vehicle sales had fallen for the first time since 2011. The NASDAQ (-0.16%) and the Dow Jones (-0.36%) lost ground as well, with the small-cap Russell 2000 (+0.07%) outperforming as it posted a modest gain.
Whilst there were several negative headlines yesterday, a more positive story were some upside surprises in the US data. For instance, the weekly initial jobless claims fell to their lowest since April over the week ending December 28, coming in at just 211k (vs. 221k expected). That pushed the 4-week moving average down to 223.25k, and the continuing claims for the previous week also fell to their lowest since September, at 1.844m (vs. 1.890m expected). Separately, we had the final manufacturing PMI for December, which was revised up from the flash reading to 49.4 (vs. flash 48.3). So that was all coming in on the upside.
But even with those upside data surprises, it meant investors dialled back their expectations for rate cuts from the Fed over the next few months, so that meant risk assets lost a bit of support. Moreover, given the latest moves in energy prices, investors moved to raise their near-term inflation expectations, with the US 1yr inflation swap up +4.9bps yesterday to 2.57%. And after the jobless claims numbers were out, the 2yr Treasury yield (-0.2bps) moved off its intraday low of 4.20%, paring back that decline to end the session at 4.24%. It was a similar story for the 10yr yield (-1.0bps) too, which came off its intraday low of 4.51% to close at 4.56%.
Overnight, there have been some signs of a recovery, with advances for South Korea’s KOSPI (+1.78%) and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 (+0.60%). And looking forward, US equity futures are also positive, with those on the S&P 500 up +0.14%. However, Chinese equities have continued to lose ground, with both the CSI 300 (-0.25%) and the Shanghai Comp (-0.69%) extending their 2025 losses. That comes as China’s 10yr government bond yield has fallen below 1.6% intraday for the first time ever this morning, whilst the FT reported comments from the People’s Bank of China that they would likely cut interest rates “at an appropriate time” this year. The article said that the PBoC would prioritise “the role of interest rate adjustments”, moving away from “quantitative objectives” for loan growth. Otherwise, Japanese markets remain closed for a holiday.
Looking forward, one thing to look out for today will be the start of the new session of Congress in the United States, including the vote to elect the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The incumbent Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to stay in post and has the endorsement of Donald Trump, but the Republicans have a very tight majority in the House, with a 220-215 margin over the Democrats. A few Republicans haven’t committed to voting for Johnson for Speaker, and two years ago it took 15 ballots over multiple days before Kevin McCarthy was elected. From a market standpoint, this will be an interesting test as to the unity of the new Republican majority as they seek to enact Trump’s second term agenda, as it’s a much tighter margin than they had after the 2016 election, when the Republicans began with a 241-194 majority in the House.
To the day ahead now, and data releases include the US ISM manufacturing print for December, German unemployment for December, and UK mortgage approvals for November. From central banks, we’ll hear from the Fed’s Barkin and the ECB’s Lane.
2B) EUROPEAN REPORT
2C ASIAN REPORT
APAC stocks mixed & PBoC reportedly plans policy overhaul – Newsquawk Europe Market Open
Friday, Jan 03, 2025 – 01:44 AM
- APAC stocks were ultimately mixed with most major indices higher although the gains were capped following the negative handover from the US.
- PBoC is reportedly to plan a policy overhaul as pressure mounts on the economy; likely it would cut interest rates at an appropriate time.
- European equity futures indicate a slightly softer cash open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.1% after the cash market closed higher by 0.5% on Thursday.
- USD is a touch softer, EUR/USD remains on a 1.02 handle, and Cable is sub-1.24.
- Looking ahead, highlights include German Unemployment Rate, US ISM Manufacturing PMI, US House Speaker Vote, Fed’s Barkin & ECB’s Lane.
SNAPSHOT
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US TRADE
EQUITIES
- US stocks were marginally sold on the first trading session of 2025 with relative outperformance in the Russell, while sectors were predominantly lower with notable weakness in Consumer Discretionary, which was weighed on by Tesla’s (TSLA) downside after it reported disappointing Q4 delivery numbers. Real Estate and Materials also lagged, while Energy, Utilities, and Communication Services outperformed with Energy stocks buoyed by the upside in crude and natgas prices.
- SPX -0.22% at 5,869, NDX -0.17% at 20,976, DJIA -0.36% at 42,392, RUT +0.07% at 2,232.
- Click here for a detailed summary.
NOTABLE HEADLINES
- US President Biden decided to block the sale of US Steel (X) to Nippon Steel (5401 JT), according to The Washington Post.
- US President-elect Trump named a team to work in conjunction with US Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent with Ken Kies to be Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy and he named Cora Alvi as Deputy Chief of Staff.
APAC TRADE
EQUITIES
- APAC stocks were ultimately mixed with most major indices higher although the gains were capped amid the holiday closure in Japan and after the negative handover from the US where the dollar strengthened and Tesla deliveries disappointed.
- ASX 200 was underpinned with energy and gold miners leading the advances after recent gains in underlying commodity prices.
- KOSPI outperformed despite reports of a standoff between a military unit and South Korean investigative authorities attempting to arrest impeached President Yoon, while acting President Choi ordered to deploy market stabilising measures swiftly and boldly if volatility heightens.
- Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp traded mixed despite falling yields amid a report the PBoC is said to plan a policy overhaul as pressure mounts on the economy and would likely cut interest rates from the current level of 1.5% at an appropriate time. Nonetheless, some support was seen for Hong Kong tech stocks after an NDRC official said they will sharply increase funding from ultra-long treasury bonds this year to support “two new” programmes and will broaden the consumer trade-in initiative to include smartphones, while the mainland failed to benefit amid the ongoing US-China trade-related frictions.
- US equity futures (ES +0.2%) nursed some of the prior session’s losses alongside the mostly constructive mood in the major Asia-Pac indices.
- European equity futures indicate a slightly softer cash open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.1% after the cash market closed higher by 0.5% on Thursday.
FX
- DXY took a breather after opening 2025 with broad-based gains despite relatively thin newsflow, while participants now look ahead to ISM Manufacturing PMI due later today and with Fed’s Barkin (2027 voter) also scheduled to speak at a Maryland Bankers event.
- EUR/USD was off lows but remained beneath the 1.03 handle after slipping to its weakest level since late 2022 owing to the recent dollar strength, while the single currency was also not helped by mixed PMI releases and rhetoric from ECB’s Stournaras who sees rates falling to about 2% around Autumn.
- GBP/USD attempted to regain some composure following yesterday’s underperformance and retreat to sub-1.2400 territory, while reports noted that UK Chancellor Reeves warned ministers to consider cuts to frontline services to fund above-inflation pay increases for public sector workers.
- USD/JPY marginally eased back overnight but retained the recently reclaimed 157.00 status with trade muted amid the market closure in Japan.
- Antipodeans eked slight gains alongside a firmer CNY and reports of support measures from China’s state planner.
- PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1878 vs exp. 7.2868 (prev. 7.1879).
FIXED INCOME
- 10yr UST futures kept afloat but with the upside limited after recent whipsawing and data releases which showed a surprise fall in initial jobless claims, while overnight cash trade was shut owing to the market holiday closure in Tokyo.
- Bund futures were rangebound following yesterday’s fluctuations and somewhat mixed PMI figures from Europe, while the attention turns to Germany’s Unemployment Rate.
COMMODITIES
- Crude futures were little changed overnight but held on to the prior day’s gains after climbing alongside the advances in natgas prices in the wake of the Ukraine/Gazprom transit deal expiring without a renewal.
- US President Biden is reportedly planning to permanently ban new offshore oil and gas development in portions of the country’s outer continental shelf during his final weeks in the White House, according to Bloomberg.
- Slovak PM Fico said the Slovak coalition and government are to discuss in the coming days reciprocal measures for the end of the Ukraine gas transit and an alternative for Slovakia would be restarting gas transit through Ukraine, or compensation mechanisms, while the Slovak government delegation is to discuss the gas situation in Brussels on Tuesday.
- Goldman Sachs sees significant risks that TTF gas prices rally towards oil-switching economics in a EUR 63-84/MWh range in the coming months.
- Spot gold plateaued after steadily climbing yesterday with the precious metal unfazed by the recent dollar strength.
- Copper futures lacked conviction amid the mixed risk appetite in Asia and were only briefly underpinned after China’s state planner announced support efforts.
CRYPTO
- Bitcoin was choppy and briefly reclaimed the USD 97,000 level before returning to flat territory.
NOTABLE ASIA-PAC HEADLINES
- PBoC is reportedly to plan a policy overhaul as pressure mounts on the economy and said it was likely it would cut interest rates from the current level of 1.5% at an appropriate time, while the report noted it would prioritise “the role of interest rate adjustments” and move away from “quantitative objectives” for loan growth in what would amount to a transformation of Chinese monetary policy, according to FT.
- China’s NDRC held a briefing regarding high-quality growth and announced it will sharply increase funding from ultra-long treasury bonds this year to support “two new” programmes, while it is to broaden the consumer trade-in initiative to include smartphones. NDRC expects consumption to maintain steady growth in 2025 and noted China’s economy is facing many new difficulties and challenges in 2025 but added there is ample room for macro policies in 2025. Furthermore, the NDRC deputy head announced an allocation of CNY 100bln in 2025 for two new and two major projects in advance, while it will push major reforms in 2025 to stabilise expectations, boost confidence and promote development, as well as step up efforts surrounding employment.
- South Korean investigative authorities visited President Yoon’s residence to attempt to carry out an arrest warrant but were prevented from carrying out the arrest amid a standoff with a military unit, while two South Korean military officials including the martial law commander were indicted and detained by prosecutors. Furthermore, South Korean acting President Choi ordered to deploy market stabilising measures swiftly and boldly if volatility heightens, as well as announced to prepare tax support measures for small and medium-sized firms to boost corporate investment.
GEOPOLITICS
MIDDLE EAST
- Israeli military said it attacked and destroyed medium-range rocket launchers at a Hezbollah military site in southern Lebanon.
- Israeli army noted sirens sounded in several areas of central Israel after a rocket was fired from Yemen, according to Sky News Arabia.
- Israeli PM Netanyahu approved of the delegation to resume ceasefire negotiations in Qatar’s Doha, according to the PM’s office cited by Reuters.
- Israeli negotiators will travel to Doha on Friday for a last-ditch effort to reach a breakthrough in the negotiations over the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal before Trump assumes office, according to Axios citing Israeli officials.
- Hostage negotiations are reportedly not stuck and there has been progress, via The Jerusalem Post citing sources familiar with the matter.
- Sky News Arabia correspondent reported huge explosions in Syria’s Aleppo amid Israeli raids.
- US President Biden reportedly discussed plans to strike Iran’s nuclear sites if Tehran speeds towards a nuclear bomb, according to Axios. White House national security adviser Sullivan presented Biden with options for a potential US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities if the Iranians move towards a nuclear weapon before January 20 in a meeting several weeks ago that remained secret until now. Biden and his national security team discussed various options and scenarios during the meeting, which took place roughly one month ago, but the president did not make any final decision, while a US official with knowledge of the issue said the White House meeting was not prompted by new intelligence or intended to end in a yes or no decision from Biden. Instead, it was part of a discussion on “prudent scenario planning” of how the US should respond if Iran were to take steps like enriching Uranium to 90% purity before January 20. Furthermore, another source said “There are currently no active discussions inside the White House about possible military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities”.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE
- Ukrainian President Zelensky said US President-elect Trump can be decisive in the war and can help Ukraine stop Russian President Putin.
EU/UK
NOTABLE HEADLINES
- UK Chancellor Reeves warned ministers to consider cuts to frontline services to fund above-inflation pay increases for public sector workers, according to The Times.
3B NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
end
3C JAPAN
end
3D. CHINA/
4.EUROPEAN AFFAIRS//UK /SCANDINAVIAN AFFAIRS
UK
Trump Calls On The UK To Open Up The North Sea And Get Rid Of Wind Farms
Friday, Jan 03, 2025 – 12:25 PM
Authored by Tsvetana Paraskova via OilPrice.com,
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has called for opening up the UK North Sea to oil and gas and getting rid of windmills, in response to the recent announcement by Texas-based Apache that it would cease oil and gas production in the region due to the uneconomical windfall tax.
“The U.K. is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea. Get rid of Windmills!” President-elect Trump posted late on Thursday on social media platform Truth Social.
Trump attached an article about Apache’s recent announcement that it would exit the UK North Sea.
In November 2024, U.S. oil producer Apache said that it plans to cease oil production at its assets in the UK North Sea by 2030, due to the windfall tax on operators.
Apache’s parent company APA Corporation said in an SEC filing that its assessment of the impact of the windfall tax, officially known as the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), resulted in findings that continued production in the UK North Sea would be uneconomical.
The ruling Labour Party’s Autumn Statement confirmed that the windfall tax on UK North Sea operators is rising to 38% from 35%, effective November 1, 2024. The tax will now expire on 31 March 2030, a year later than the previous tax regime. The government is also removing the 29% investment allowance.
Since the tax was initially introduced by the Conservative government at the height of the energy crisis in 2022, oil and gas companies operating in the UK North Sea have been calling for certainty in the regulatory and tax framework. Recent changes in policies and the rising taxes have driven away operators, who say that a lack of North Sea investments would only make the UK more dependent on oil and gas imports.
U.S. President-elect Trump, for his part, has been a vocal critic of offshore wind. In the United States, offshore wind faces an uncertain future under Trump’s second-term administration. The President-elect has criticized offshore wind as the most expensive form of energy which, Trump says, also ruins the environment.
5 RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
ISRAEL/USA/HOUTHIS//YEMEN
SIRENS sound across central-southern Israel as Yemen launched another missile
(JerusalemPost)
Sirens sound across central, southern Israel following missile launched from Yemen
Sirens blared across central and southern Israel early Friday as the IDF intercepted another Yemeni missile in what has become almost a nightly occurrence.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 3, 2025 04:48Updated: JANUARY 3, 2025 05:47
Sirens sounded across central and southern Israel due to a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthis early Friday morning, the IDF announced.
According to the IDF, the missile was identified as it was crossing into Israeli territory, and interceptors were launched toward the target.
Shrapnel from the interception fell in Modi’in, the IDF reported.
While no one was reported wounded as a result of falling debris, 12 people were injured on their way to shelters, along with nine panic victims, Israel’s emergency medical service Magen David Adom reported.
The Houthis claimed the incident on Telegram, showing videos of people running to shelters from Israeli social media channels.
Israeli – Houthi conflict
For over a week, the Houthis have launched a missile at Israel nearly every night.
The IDF has intercepted most before entering Israeli territory.
This is a developing story.
end
Earlier in the day:
As the missile entered Israeli territory there were some attempts at interceptions.
(Times of Israel)
IDF says missile entered Israeli territory after attempted interceptions; no direct injuries reported
The military says that the missile fired from Yemen entered Israeli territory, and that it attempted to intercept the projectile.
“The results [of the attempted interceptions] are being looked into,” says an IDF statement.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service meanwhile says it hasn’t received reports of any direct injuries due to the missile attack, but medics are treating over 20 people suffering from acute anxiety or who were hurt while seeking shelter.
Later:
confirms the downing of the missile
(Times of Israel)
IDF confirms downing missile fired from Yemen, says checking reports of fallen debris near Modiin
In another update, the IDF now says it downed the missile fired from Yemen.
The military adds that it’s looking into reports that missile debris fell near the central city of Modiin.
There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which occurred shortly after 4:30 a.m., waking millions of people and sending then scrambling to air raid shelters. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched missiles and drones at Israel nearly every day in recent weeks.
end
The downing of the Yemen missile, complete story..
(Times of Israel)
IDF says it downed Yemen missile that triggered sirens in central Israel, Jerusalem
Eighth such attack in some two weeks sends millions to bomb shelters around 4:30 a.m.; fragment hits Modiin; drone fired from Yemen intercepted later Friday morning
By Emanuel Fabian Follow
and ToI StaffToday, 9:45 am
People gather in a shelter after airstrike sirens sound near Tel Aviv, on January 3, 2024. (AP/Matias Delacroix)
Sirens were activated across central Israel and in Jerusalem around 4:30 a.m. Friday after a ballistic missile was launched at the country from Yemen, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The military said it successfully shot down the projectile, but a fragment following the interception impacted near the central city of Modiin.
Footage posted to social media showed a projectile falling from the sky before an explosion was seen near the city.
The military was investigating the incident. In the past, partially intercepted missiles launched at Israel have at times crashed with their warhead intact, and caused extensive damage.
Another fragment reportedly fell in the settlement of Har Gilo, near Jerusalem.
Slight damage was caused by the falling debris.
No physical injuries were reported as a direct result of the attack. However, medics treated more than nine people who suffered from acute anxiety and 12 who were hurt while seeking shelter, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.
Later on Friday morning, a drone launched at Israel from Yemen was successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, the military said. According to the IDF, the drone was shot down outside Israel’s borders, and therefore no sirens sounded.
The attack came amid a wave of similar launches in recent weeks by the Houthis in Yemen, a rebel group that is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and Jews.
The Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel in the past year, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The vast majority did not reach Israel or were intercepted by the military or Israel’s allies in the region.
The Houthis have vowed to keep up the attacks until the end of the war in the Gaza Strip that began on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage to Gaza.
Recently the Houthis have repeatedly fired missiles at central Israel in the middle of the night. The latest was the eighth such launch over the past two weeks.
Since December, the group has fired 12 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel.
The group did not immediately claim Friday’s attacks but is believed by Israel to have been behind them.
Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels carry a mock rocket and chant slogans during an anti-Israel rally in the capital Sanaa, December 27, 2024. (AP/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Alongside the attacks on Israel, the Iran-backed group has carried out repeated missile and drone attacks on some 100 merchant vessels attempting to traverse the Red Sea, forcing many carriers to avoid the key waterway and hamstringing global shipping. The Houthis initially said they would attack Israel-linked ships but few of the vessels targeted had ties to Israel.
The US military struck Houthi targets in Yemen’s capital on Monday in response to attacks on American warships and commercial vessels. Israeli fighter jets also struck targets there late last month, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Houthis that Israel was “just getting started.”
Additionally, UN Ambassador Danny Danon on Monday issued what he called a final warning to the group to halt their missile attacks on Israel, saying they risked the same “miserable fate” as fellow Iranian allies Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad if they persisted.
end
ISRAEL HAMAS /
Guerilla warfare from tunnels:
(zerohedge)
Israel To Intensify Gaza Fight If Hamas Doesn’t Release Hostages
Thursday, Jan 02, 2025 – 11:00 PM
Amid reports of over 45,000 Palestinians dead following well over a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israel is warning that it is preparing to escalate its offensive against Hamas even more.
Defense Minister Israel Katz issued an ultimatum Wednesday, telling Hamas to immediately release the some 100 hostages that remain or else Israel deal it “blows with a force not seen in Gaza for a long time.”
At this point the hostages have been held for more than 450 days, and many of the remaining one hundred are feared dead.
“The IDF will intensify its activities against the terrorist nests in Gaza until the release of the hostages and the elimination of Hamas,” Katz warned while touring the southern Israeli city of Netivot.
“I call on Gaza’s residents to rise up against the murderous Hamas group, which also uses you as human shields, and to bring about the release of the hostages, to prevent suffering and end the war,” Katz said.
Netivot had witnessed a New Year’s Day salvo of Hamas rockets fired on it. The defense minister touted Israel’s “willingness to make far-reaching compromises in accordance with the principles outlined by the U.S. president.”
On Thursday Reuters cited PM Netanyahu’s office as saying he has authorized the resumption of negotiations by an Israeli delegation in Doha. “Hostage negotiations are reportedly not stuck and there has been progress,” The Jerusalem Post additionally said.
A new Israeli military statement has said that warplanes continue to be engaged in heavy operations over the Gaza Strip. “Air Force aircraft and control rooms are in direct contact with the fighting [ground] forces and support the fighting in the various sectors,” a statement said.
The IDF added, “This is an early warning. Terror groups are again firing rockets from this area, which has been warned several times in the past.”
But with much of the Strip already completely leveled and devastated, it’s hard to know how or in what ways Israel can still escalate. Hamas leadership has been degraded, but likely there are still many thousands more Hamas militants operating from the vast tunnel system, waging guerilla war.
END
ISRAEL/HAMAS
WATCH: IDF drones find Hamas weapons in school, RPG in child’s room in Gaza Strip
IDF drone footage also caught Hamas terrorists in the act of concealing improvised explosive devices near IDF soldiers conducting operations.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 3, 2025 16:23Updated: JANUARY 3, 2025 16:56
The IDF‘s Nahal and Givati Brigades have located numerous Hamas weapons, explosives, and underground tunnel shafts during operations in the Jabalya and Beit Hanun areas of the Gaza Strip, the military announced on Friday.
Givati soldiers, operating under the command of the 162nd Division, have been conducting missions in the Jabalya area to locate weapons, neutralize terrorists, and dismantle terror infrastructure.
During a search of a building that previously served as a school, soldiers uncovered a significant cache of weapons across several floors. In a nearby building, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was found hidden in a child’s bed.
Additionally, drone reconnaissance identified terrorists planting an explosive device near the forces. The terrorists were neutralized, and the device was safely destroyed.
https://player.jpost.com/public/player.html?player=jpost&media=3826387&url=www.jpost.comAn IDF drone discovers Hamas terrorists concealing an explosive device in an area near where IDF soldiers are operating in the Gaza Strip. (IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
Nahal Brigade operates in Beit Hanun
In parallel, soldiers from the Nahal Brigade, under the command of the Gaza Division, have been operating in the Beit Hanun area in northern Gaza.
The Nahal Brigade conducted raids and searches, eliminating armed terrorist cells, destroying terror infrastructure, and dismantling underground facilities. Reconnaissance troops uncovered a significant cache of weapons and supplies, including rocket launchers, mortars, RPGs, uniforms, and explosive devices. They also discovered and neutralized a booby-trapped tunnel shaft.
https://player.jpost.com/public/player.html?player=jpost&media=3826390&url=www.jpost.comIDF’s Nahal Brigade discovers a Hamas tunnel shaft in civilian homes in Beit Hanun, Gaza Strip. (IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
The brigade’s fire coordination unit provided critical fire support to maneuvering forces. In one precision strike, based on prior intelligence, an Israel Air Force (IAF) aircraft targeted a launch pit used by terrorists.
END
HAMAS/ISRAEL/FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Rockets from Gaza trigger alerts in Gaza border area
Rocket alerts sounded in the Gaza border community of Be’eri in addition to Sderot and Nir Am, among other localities.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 3, 2025 12:12Updated: JANUARY 3, 2025 14:10
Three projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip at the Gaza border area, with two crashing in Israeli territory, the military said on Friday.
At 12:08 p.m. local time, rocket alerts sounded in the Gaza border community of Be’eri, after which the military said one projectile had been fired at Israeli territory from central Gaza.
The IDF added that an interception attempt had been made and that its results were being examined.
Shortly after, the IDF Spokesperson in Arabic, Col. Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for residents of al-Bureij in central Gaza in a post on X/Twitter.
“Terrorist organizations are once again firing rockets from this area that has been warned several times in the past,” the statement read, adding “For your own safety, move immediately to the humanitarian zone.”
Additional alerts in Gaza border area
Later on Friday, at 1:29 p.m., alerts further sounded in the Gaza border area, in Sderot and Nir Am, among other localities.
Israel’s emergency medical response service Magen David Adom stated its paramedics were dispatched to a scene of a reported crash.
The military later noted that two rockets had crossed into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, with one rocket crashing near Nir Am and an additional rocket hitting an open area.
This is a developing story.
END
Same story as above
(Times of Israel)
Gaza rocket lands near Nir Am, missile fired at chopper, as IAF pounds Hamas targets
IDF orders evacuation from Bureij area that saw shoulder-launched missile fired at helicopter, downed by Iron Dome; Nahal Brigade demolishes tunnels, kills gunmen in Beit Hanoun
By Emanuel Fabian Follow
and AgenciesToday, 3:25 pm
Troops of the Nahal Brigade operate in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on January 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Rocket sirens sounded several times Friday in Israeli communities along the Gaza border, in the eighth straight day of incoming fire from the enclave, as the IDF said it launched airstrikes against some 40 staging grounds of terror operatives and Hamas command centers across the territory over the past day.
A siren in Be’eri midday Friday was triggered by a surface-to-air missile launched at an Israeli Air Force helicopter flying over Gaza, according to military sources.
The shoulder-launched missile, fired by a gunman in the Bureij area of central Gaza, did not come close to hitting the helicopter, and was successfully shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system, the sources said.
A few hours later, two rockets were launched from the northern Gaza Strip at the southern border city of Sderot. According to the military, one of the rockets impacted near Kibbutz Nir Am, while another hit an open area.
The attack marked the eighth day in a row of rocket fire from Gaza, with at least 16 rockets fired during that time.
Rocket fire has generally become rare since the early months of the ongoing multi-front war, which began on October 7, 2023, when the Hamas terror group invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Following the sirens in Be’eri, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for Palestinian civilians in the Bureij area of central Gaza.
“Terror organizations are once again firing rockets from this area that has received warnings several times in the past,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman said on X, attaching a map of the areas to be evacuated.
Civilians were urged to head for the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza before the IDF launched strikes on the area.
The IDF also said Friday it had launched airstrikes against some 40 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, including staging grounds for terror operatives as well as Hamas command centers.
The strikes were launched by the Israeli Air Force in a joint operation with the IDF’s Southern Command, using intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet security agency.
The IDF said dozens of Hamas operatives were gathered at the targeted sites, from which they planned and launched attacks against troops in Gaza and against Israel.
Some sites were embedded in former schools, which have also served as shelters for displaced Palestinians.
The IDF said this was “another example of Hamas’s cynical and systematic use of civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip for terror purposes.”
The military said it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strikes, including by using “precision munitions, aerial surveillance and other intelligence.”
Also on Friday, the IDF released drone footage from one former school in northern Gaza’s Jabalia where Hamas operatives had been holed up. The video showed several assault rifles inside the damaged school building.
According to the IDF, the school was searched by troops of the Givati Brigade, who found numerous weapons. In a nearby residential building, the military said, the troops found RPGs in a child’s bedroom.
Also during the operations in Jabalia, the IDF said the Givati troops, using a drone, spotted terror operatives planting bombs close to where they were operating. The operatives were eliminated and the explosive device was destroyed, the military added.
The IDF’s statement came amid local reports in Gaza that at least 30 people, including children, were killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes overnight and into Friday morning.
Staff at the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said more than a dozen women and children were killed in strikes that hit various locations in Central Gaza, including Nuseirat, Zawaida, Maghazi and Deir al Balah.
Palestinians check the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 3, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)
Dozens of people were also killed across the enclave the previous day, they said, bringing the purported total of people killed in the past 24 hours to 56. Figures from the Hamas-run health authorities in the strip are not independently verified, and they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Troops of the IDF’s Nahal Brigade also destroyed several Hamas tunnels and weapons during operations this past week in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, the military announced Friday. The IDF launched a fresh operation in Beit Hanoun last weekend.
The military said that the Nahal troops, operating under the Gaza Division, killed several cells of gunmen and demolished infrastructure used by terror groups, including tunnels.
The troops also located numerous weapons, including rocket launchers, mortars, RPGs and explosive devices, along with other equipment, the IDF said.
The brigade has also directed several airstrikes in Beit Hanoun, the IDF said, including a drone strike on a rocket launcher used by terrorists in a previous attack on Israel.
Troops of the Nahal Brigade operate in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on January 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Meanwhile, COGAT, the Defense Ministry body responsible for overseeing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, said that 1,200 units of blood and 3,000 units of plasma were delivered Thursday to Nasser Hospital, in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis via the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
COGAT said the blood and plasma were delivered “to support ongoing treatments and maintain essential operations at the hospital.”
The operation was carried out in coordination with international organizations, COGAT said, adding the transfer underwent “stringent security inspections.”
“The IDF, through COGAT, will continue to act in accordance with international law to provide humanitarian assistance to the residents of the Gaza Strip, especially as it pertains to medical care,” it added.
Images provided by COGAT depict the delivery of 1,200 units of blood to Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom Crossing, on January 2, 2025. (COGAT)
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 45,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 18,000 combatants in battle as of November and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 395. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry civilian contractor.
end
UNRWA said preparing to shutter Gaza, West Bank operations ahead of Israeli ban
Officials from the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees tell NYT it won’t be safe for staffers to operate because they rely on coordination with Israel, which will end on Jan. 28
By ToI StaffToday, 5:36 pm
A man carries a sack of donated flour distributed by UNRWA at the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Tuesday December 3, 2024.(AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees is reportedly preparing to shut down in Gaza and the West Bank ahead of the implementation of Knesset legislation significantly curbing its operations.
The laws passed on October 28 bar UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory and prevent Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency. The laws will go into effect at the conclusion of a 90-day grace period, which expires at the end of the month.
Appearing to explain the decision to shutter operations in the Palestinian territories, senior UNRWA Gaza official Louise Wateridge told The New York Times, “If we can’t share that information with Israeli authorities on a daily basis then we have staff lives in danger.”
The UN agency says it is required to coordinate with the Israeli military every time its workers deliver aid or move across Gaza and parts of the West Bank — contact that will be severed going forward.
But UNRWA has also repeatedly warned it is on the brink of collapse, and aid groups speculate that it will continue trying to operate in the West Bank and Gaza as long as it has the funds to do so.
Israel has long had an adversarial relationship with UNRWA, accusing it of perpetuating the Palestinian refugee crisis, as it allows Palestinians to maintain the status for generations both in and outside the Palestinian territories. But Jerusalem’s campaign against UNRWA intensified significantly following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.
Over a dozen UNRWA staffers were found to have participated in the attack, and there has been a drumbeat of revelations in the year that followed regarding the extent to which Hamas has managed to infiltrate the agency.
While Israel has sought to box out the agency from the humanitarian effort over the past year, UNRWA remains the backbone of much of the operations, providing shelters to repeatedly displaced Palestinians, storing and distributing aid to civilians and providing logistical support to the various international organizations operating in Gaza.
A Palestinian woman walks past a damaged wall bearing the UNRWA logo at a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 28, 2024. (Eyad Baba/AFP)
Israel said it was prepared to work with other aid agencies during the 90-day grace period to help fill any vacuums that could be left by UNRWA once the legislation goes into place, but it is unclear whether such cooperation ensued.
Before the legislation was advanced, a senior Israeli official briefing The Times of Israel last January said that Jerusalem opposed shutting down UNRWA in the middle of the war due to fears that it would spark a humanitarian crisis.
However, animosity toward the organization increased in the months that followed, as the issue became increasingly politicized.
The US has sent somewhat mixed signals regarding the Knesset legislation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin penned a letter to their Israeli counterparts in October warning that banning UNRWA “would devastate the Gaza humanitarian response at this critical moment.”
On the other hand, US President Joe Biden signed into law congressional legislation halting US funding to UNRWA until March. That move is almost certain to be made permanent in the next, Republican-controlled Congress.
Palestinians at the site of an Israeli airstrike on a United Nations (UNRWA) school building in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on July 15, 2024.(Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Palestinians who receive services from UNRWA expressed fears regarding how they’ll make ends meet if the agency ceases to operate.
“The world has abandoned us. We have nothing but the aid we get from UNRWA to survive,” Sami Abu Darweesh, a refugee in a UNRWA camp in southern Gaza told the Times. “If that stops, what will we do?”
“UNRWA has always been our only hope for jobs, food, flour,” said Enas al-Hila, another displaced person in Gaza. “It’s the lifeline for us and our children, just as it was for our parents and grandparents.”
In the West Bank, UNRWA runs education and healthcare systems, serving roughly 900,000 Palestinians in what The New York Times described as “a quasi-governmental role.” The Palestinian Authority, which has limited sovereignty in the territory has 650,000 students in its school system. It is unclear whether the PA can fold in so many more students. In recent years, PA teachers went on strike for months over low pay.
Jamila Lafi, a resident of the densely populated Qalandiya refugee camp in the West Bank, told the Times that her family relies on UNRWA schools and medical clinics. “Without UNRWA, I don’t know how we’d survive,” she said.
end
Not good: a stabbing on a major commercial street in Tel Aviv (Ben Yehuda street)
30-year-old man in critical condition after stabbing on Ben Yehuda Street Tel Aviv
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 2, 2025 18:38
A 30-year-old man was stabbed on Tel Aviv’s Ben Yehuda Street on Thursday evening and is in critical condition, the Israel Police said following the incident.
The police added that the officer arrived at the scene of the criminal incident and detained a woman in her 40s for questioning.
IRAN/ISRAEL/USA
Bird brain Biden presented with options to strike Iran. Too complicated for his tiny brain
(JerusalemPost)
Biden Presented With Options To Strike Iran Nuke Sites If Tehran Speeds Toward Bomb
Thursday, Jan 02, 2025 – 07:40 PM
President Biden was presented with options for a potential US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in the scenario that Tehran was deemed by the intelligence community as speeding toward a bomb.
Per a Thursday Axios report citing several insider sources, the Biden admin discussions were based on “if the Iranians move towards a nuclear weapon before Jan. 20″ and came in “a meeting several weeks ago that remained secret until now.”
No final decision was made, the report noted, and was not necessarily prompted by fresh or specific intelligence of a new threat, but was part of “prudent scenario planning” related to if the Islamic Republic reaches Uranium enrichment to 90% purity before Jan. 20.
Western officials have feared that due to fast-moving events in the region, most notably Hezbollah’s leadership being decimated and the collapse of the Assad government, the Iranians could be desperate enough to pursue nuclear weapons in order to restore the security balance in the region, given Israel has clearly come out on top.
Interestingly, months ago when Israel and Iran conducted tit-for-tat direct strikes on each other, President Biden made it clear that the US would not back Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The internal Biden White House ‘scenario planning’ discussions were said to have taken place about a month ago. One source tried to caution that “there are currently no active discussions inside the White House about possible military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities,” Axios noted.
There is an international consensus that Iran has increased its Uranium enrichment to 60%, putting it within easy striking distance of being able to develop a bomb if it wanted to.
Axios has also pointed out that “Even if Iran decided to build a bomb, it would need to develop a nuclear explosive device or warhead. Israeli intelligence believes that would take at least a year.”
All of these newly revealed executive branch discussions over whether to launch a preemptive attack on Iranian nuclear sites are taking place completely outside of Congressional debate or approval.
The last several US administrations have argued that they don’t need Congressional approval in launching such strikes, whether it be on Syria, Iraq, Iran, or Libya.
Trump in his first administration tried but failed to bring the troops occupying northeast Syria home, but deeper entanglement in striking Iran could surely draw these troops into a broader conflict. The Pentagon would in that case likely expand its deployed forces in the region as well.
Iran has long maintained it develops only peaceful nuclear energy, and there’s little doubt that after the dramatic events that unfolded in Syria, and with Hezbollah top leadership removed by Israeli attacks (especially the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah), Tehran finds itself on a back foot.
Some Israeli and Western officials believe that all of this will make Iranian leaders more desperate to ensure they have a final and ultimate defense against any threats (as in rapidly developing a nuke).
But if a soon to be inaugurated Trump were to authorize strikes on Iranian facilities, this would also obviously violate his frequent vows to his voters to not start new wars in the Middle East. The reality is that even ‘limited’ strikes still constitute an act of war. The potential for runaway escalation involving the US, Iran, and Israel would be a much bigger likelihood.
END
ISRAEL WEST BANK
After Israel bans Al Jazeera from Israeli soil, now the Palestinian authority bans Al Jazeera for incitement
(JerusalemPost)
Palestinian Authority Bans Al Jazeera From West Bank For ‘Stirring Strife’
Thursday, Jan 02, 2025 – 05:20 PM
The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced Wednesday the suspension of Al-Jazeera’s operations in the Palestinian West Bank, citing alleged violations of Palestinian laws and ‘interference’.
The major Qatar-based outlet is accused of “manipulation, interference in internal affairs, and dissemination of misleading and incendiary reports,” according to a statement in the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The broadcaster has been further blamed for “reports that were deceiving and stirring strife” in the context of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) effort to crackdown on unauthorized armed groups.
For the past more than two weeks the PA has laid police siege to the Jenin refugee camp in an effort to root out the Jenin Brigade and associated factions. The PA has called the groups “outlaws” and “Iranian gangs” which are operating in the camp.
At least nine Palestinians have been killed as a result of the assault, including reportedly children. The PA had already banned Al Jazeera from reporting from inside Jenin amid the crisis.
Al Jazeera issued a Thursday statement saying it was “shocked by this decision” and is urging an immediate reversal of the temporary ban, for which there hasn’t been a timetable. It has confirmed its coverage has moved to Jordan.
The outlet has charged the PA with “an attempt to hide the truth about events in the occupied territories, especially what is happening in Jenin and its camps.”
Months ago Israeli commandoes raided Al Jazeera’s West Bank offices and seized equipment and ordered the bureau closed.
As early as October 2023, soon after the Oct.7 Hamas terror attacks, Israel moved to ban Al Jazeera from having offices in Tel Aviv or operating anywhere in Israel.
This came on the heels of Israeli government approving “emergency regulations” giving it the power to shut down foreign news agencies which are deemed to be acting against the “security of the state”.
On Thursday a United Nations spokesperson urged the Palestinian Authority to reverse its decision to ban Al-Jazeera, in a rare moment.
END
LEBANON/IRAN
STRANGE!! this is really strange: Lebanese authorities attempts to search Iranian delegation at the Beirut airport. It was thought that they were carrying cash to pay Hezbollah. Finally the search was on and no cash was found
(JerusalemPost)
Iranian delegation attempts to bar plane from being searched in Beirut – report
The Rafic Hariri International Airport had been in a state of alert following reports that the flight may be carrying funds for Hezbollah.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 3, 2025 07:53
An Iranian delegation on board an Iranian Air Mahan flight that had landed in Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport from Tehran attempted to bar Lebanese security officials from searching the plane, according to the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar on Thursday.
The publication added that the Beirut airport had been in a state of alert following reports that the flight may be carrying funds for Hezbollah.
Earlier on Thursday, the Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath reported, citing Western sources, that the Islamic Republic was planning on transferring millions of dollars to Hezbollah on Thursday via an Air Mahan flight from Tehran to the Lebanese capital.
According to the Lebanese publication, one of the delegation members refused to have his bag searched. The Lebanese authorities ultimately confiscated the contents of the bag.
Iranians claim bags containing sums are diplomatic bags
Two bags, which the Iranian embassy in Beirut said were diplomatic bags containing documents and sums intended for its embassy in Lebanon, were reportedly allowed into the country.
An-Nahar further noted that the plane was subsequently searched. However, nothing was found on it.
end
ISRAEL/LEBANON
Israel demands Lebanese army interception of Hezbollah rocket launchers with no luck. So Israel struck them down
(JerusalemPost)
WATCH: After Lebanese army fails to act, strikes Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon
Explosions were heard in the Beit Lif area of southern Lebanon, Al-Akhbar reported.
By SAM HALPERNJANUARY 2, 2025 19:34Updated: JANUARY 3, 2025 22:38
Israel Air Force strikes Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon. January 2, 2025. (Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
The Israeli air force struck medium-range rocket launchers belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization in Lebanon, the IDF stated on Thursday evening. The air force also reportedly struck additional rocket launchers next to a military site in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon.
The IAF strike was conducted under the direction of the Military Intelligence Directorate.
According to the military, before the strikes were conducted, Israel asked the Lebanese Armed Forces to address the issue, as per the current ceasefire agreement. The Lebanese army did not do so, the IDF noted.
“The IDF continues to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel in accordance with the ceasefire understandings,” the military stated.
Earlier local reports
The IDF statement confirmed an earlier report from the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which stated that Israel had struck targets in Al-Bureij Forest in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon.
Further, explosions were heard in the Beit Lif area of southern Lebanon, Al-Akhbar reported. Later, the outlet claimed that Israel had struck the Ar-Rihan mountain, also in south Lebanon.
Israel has struck a number of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon since the start of the ceasefire. The IDF notes that its activities are in accordance with the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement.
On Wednesday, Israel struck and destroyed a Pantsir missile system in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. That day, the Israel Air Force struck a weapons storage facility in south Lebanon’s Bani Haiyyan, where IDF soldiers identified Hezbollah terrorists moving weapons into a nearby truck.
This is a developing story.
END
SYRIA/ISRAEL
Israel raided a defense facility and a research centre near Aleppo. Here is a detailed look as to how they did it:
(JerusalemPost)
Israel said to hit defense facility, scientific research center near Syria’s Aleppo
Resident of area tells AFP that the intensive strikes, the latest since Assad’s fall, ‘turned the night into day’
By Emanuel Fabian Follow
and AgenciesToday, 5:53
A screenshot of video showing a fireball in the air following reported Israeli strikes near Syria’s Aleppo, late January 2, 2024. (X screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Syrian media reported an Israeli airstrike near Aleppo late Thursday, the latest such attack since the overthrow of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad last month.
According to the Sham FM radio station, the strikes hit a defense facility and a scientific research center near the city of al-Safirah, close to Aleppo.
It was not clear whether the strikes caused any casualties.
A resident of the al-Safirah area told AFP on condition of anonymity: “They hit defense factories, five strikes… The strikes were very strong. It made the ground shake, doors and windows opened — the strongest strikes I ever heard… It turned the night into day.”
There was no immediate comment from the IDF.
Since Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad in early December, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syrian military assets, saying they are aimed at preventing military weapons from falling into hostile hands. Targets have included chemical weapons sites, missiles, air defenses and air force and navy targets.
The leader of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who spearheaded the overthrow of the Assad regime, stated last month that Israel had “no more excuses” to carry out airstrikes in Syria. Better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani, Ahmad al-Sharaa said the IDF attacks on Syrian soil had crossed red lines and threatened an unjustified escalation in the region.
But he also appeared to indirectly respond to Israeli concerns and offer reassurance that the new Syrian government would not threaten the Jewish state or allow Iran to reestablish itself in Syria. He said that Syria was exhausted by years of civil war and that at this stage it would not be dragged into conflicts that may lead to further destruction, but would rather focus on reconstruction and stability.
As well as the major aerial campaign, Israel also entered a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights just hours after the rebels, led HTS, took Damascus. Israel has said it will not become involved in the conflict in Syria and that its seizure of the buffer zone established in 1974 was a temporary defensive move that would last only until it could guarantee security along the frontier.
Israel and Syria do not have diplomatic relations and have formally been in a perpetual state of war since Israel declared independence in 1948.
While the fall of the Assad regime, which stood for over five decades, could provide a historic opportunity for recognition between Israel and its neighbor, the potential power vacuum in Syria could also lead to further chaos and serve as a breeding ground for a resurgence of terror in the region.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
END
ISRAEL/SYRIAN (IRANIAN MISSILE FACTORY)
Back in Sept when Assad was still in power, Israel raided a defense facility and a research centre near Aleppo. Here is a detailed look as to how they did it:
(JerusalemPost)
120 commandos deep inside Syria: IDF reveals daring raid on Iranian missile factory
Elite Air Force unit breached underground facility 200 kilometers from Israel, laid explosives and escaped unscathed after 2.5 hours, in one of the most complex operations to date
By Emanuel Fabian Follow2 January 2025, 6:27 pm
Footage from an Israeli Air Force commando raid against an Iranian missile manufacturing site near Masyaf, Syria, September 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The Israeli Air Force on Thursday revealed details and footage from one of its most daring and complex commando operations ever, in which 120 members of special forces units raided and destroyed an underground Iranian missile manufacturing plant deep in Syria in September.
At the time, the regime of Bashar al-Assad was still in power in Syria, and Israel had not yet launched its devastating campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Some of the details of the September 8 operation previously reported by foreign media outlets — including the name of the raid — are now known to have been wrong, or slightly incorrect.
The raid — dubbed internally by the Israel Defense Forces “Operation Many Ways” — was aimed at destroying an underground facility used by Iranian forces to manufacture precision missiles for Hezbollah in Lebanon and for the Assad regime in Syria.
The facility, codenamed by the military “Deep Layer,” was dug into a mountain at the Scientific Studies and Research Center, known as CERS or SSRC, in the Masyaf area of Syria, west of Hama. The site lies more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the Israeli border, and some 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Syria’s western coastline.
The IDF said the site was Iran’s “flagship project” in its effort to arm Hezbollah.
The military said the raid was carried out successfully by the IAF’s elite Shaldag unit, along with the search and rescue Unit 669. No soldiers were injured during the entire operation.
Footage from an Israeli Air Force commando raid against an Iranian missile manufacturing site near Masyaf, Syria, September 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The revelation of the raid comes weeks after the fall of the Assad regime, which was closely aligned with Iran. Assad allowed Iran to use Syria to manufacture and deliver weapons to Hezbollah. Iranian forces have since withdrawn from Syria after losing their close ally.
The Iranian facility
Iran began planning “Deep Layer” in 2017, after an Israeli airstrike that same year at CERS took out a rocket engine manufacturing site that was stationed aboveground, according to the military.
The aboveground manufacturing site had been used to supply Hezbollah with many of the projectiles it would eventually launch at Israel when it started firing at northern Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas invasion in the south.
The destruction of that site, as well as other IDF strikes in Syria targeting weapon shipments to Hezbollah, led Iran to rethink its strategy, according to the military, and to establish a new underground facility that would be safe from Israeli strikes.
The site that Iran constructed was 70-130 meters (230-430 foot) underground and thus virtually impossible to destroy from the air.
Iranian digging into the mountain at the research center began in late 2017. The IDF said it had intelligence on the facility from the moment construction began.
By 2021, Iran had completed the digging and construction work and began bringing in equipment for mass-producing missiles. Over the following years, equipment continued to be delivered, and tests were carried out on the production line.
This infographic issued by the IDF on January 2, 2025, shows where an underground Iranian missile factory was built near Masyaf, Syria. (Israel Defense Forces)
The facility was built in the shape of a horseshoe, with one entrance on the side of the mountain for raw materials and an exit nearby for the completed missiles. A third entrance adjacent to those two was used for logistics and to reach offices inside the facility. The office section also connected to the manufacturing section inside.
Along the horseshoe were at least 16 rooms housing the production line for the missiles, from planetary mixers for the rocket fuel to missile body construction and paint rooms.
The facility was not yet completely active when Israel launched its operation against it, but according to the military, it was at the final stages of being declared operational by Iran. At least two missiles had been successfully manufactured as part of testing, and rocket engines were already being mass produced.
The IDF has assessed that the facility would have been used to produce between 100 and 300 missiles a year, including long-range missiles with ranges of up to 300 kilometers, precision-guided missiles with ranges of up to 130 kilometers, and short-range rockets with ranges of 40-70 kilometers.
According to the IDF’s assessments, the facility, located relatively close to the border with Lebanon, was meant to replace Iran’s method of trucking missiles and parts from its own territory to Lebanon via Syria. Such convoys were repeatedly struck by the IAF over the years. The distance the weapons would need to travel from the new facility to reach Hezbollah would be far shorter.
Preparations to strike
The general idea of raiding and destroying the facility began to take form years ago, but only when the current multifront war began did top officials begin to consider it as a serious possibility.
The IAF’s Shaldag was chosen for the role because of its capabilities and training, and because the IAF thought it would be more efficient to carry out the raid using its own special forces rather than a commando unit from the Ground Forces or the Navy.
Two months before the raid was carried out, Shaldag and Unit 669 members were already training for the operation by drilling various models and scenarios, to ensure that if anything did not go to plan there would always be a backup.
Members of the IAF’s Shaldag unit prepare to carry out a raid against an Iranian missile factory in Syria, September 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Training was held concurrently with the campaign against Hamas in Gaza and while the IAF was conducting strikes in Lebanon and defending against daily barrages of rockets and drones by Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militias.
The training itself was considered by the IAF to be something of a high risk, as it took up a lot of attention and resources amid the war and, if the raid had not been carried out, it would have been a waste of time.
Intelligence efforts were ramped up ahead of the operation in order to plan where exactly the soldiers would land, how they would enter and destroy the facility, what the layout of the site looked like and what sort of threats they could face — including Syrian air defense systems and ground forces.
Lastly, the timing of the operation needed to be determined. September 8 was chosen due to a myriad of reasons, among them the clear weather conditions for IAF helicopters carrying the troops.
A timeline of the raid
In the evening of September 8, 100 members of Shaldag and another 20 members of Unit 669 boarded four CH-53 “Yasur” heavy transport helicopters and set off from an airbase in Israel for Syria.
Joining them were another two attack helicopters to provide close air support, 21 fighter jets, five drones and 14 spy planes and other aircraft. Another 30 aircraft waited in Israel on standby in case something did not go to plan.
The six helicopters flew over the Mediterranean Sea far off the coast of Lebanon, before crossing into Syria above its own coastline. The choppers flew unusually low in order to evade Syrian radars and air defense systems.
Members of the IAF’s Shaldag unit prepare to carry out a raid against an Iranian missile factory in Syria, September 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
At the time, the Masyaf area had the second-highest concentration of air defenses in Syria, surpassed only by Damascus, according to the IDF, with dozens of radars and defense systems that could detect and engage Israeli aircraft. Some of those radars had been destroyed in previous IAF strikes in Syria, and had not been repaired by September 8.
Adding to the complexity of the raid, Russian forces maintained a substantial military presence on the Syrian coast, with their own air defense systems.
It took just 18 minutes for the helicopters to fly from the coast to the facility, during which the aircraft were not detected. At the same time, IAF fighter jets and drones along with Navy missile boats launched a major wave of strikes targeting both the CERS facility and several other sites in Syria. The strikes were intended to both mask the approach of the helicopters and trick the Syrian military into believing this was a regular Israeli attack, hundreds of which had been carried out over the years, including at Masyaf.
Some of the strikes that night were aimed at luring Syrian soldiers away from CERS, though dozens were identified beginning to approach the facility as the raid began. Strikes were also carried out against the roads and anyone trying to reach the site.
Members of the IAF’s Shaldag unit carry out a raid against an Iranian missile factory near Masyaf, Syria, September 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The first of the CH-53 “Yasur” helicopters landed close to the entrance, dropping off several Shaldag commandos, while another two choppers simultaneously landed at another position in the area overlooking the science center. The fourth helicopter waited behind for several minutes before landing where the first one had, dropping off additional troops.
The four helicopters then flew away to other positions in the area, where they landed and waited for over two hours for the 100 commandos to carry out their mission.
The 20 Unit 669 members, still on board the choppers, were to spring into action if any of the commandos were wounded. The plan was to treat any wounded soldiers, but not to leave until the end of the mission. Therefore, Unit 669 brought along additional medical equipment to act as a makeshift hospital in the event of an injury.
At the facility, a first team of commandos began to secure the area while a second team advanced toward the entrance, killing two guards. Another team set up on a nearby hill, from which they flew a small drone to observe the raid and eliminate anyone approaching the facility.
At nighttime, Syrian soldiers would lock the three entrances to the facility and guard the perimeter. The IDF said there were fewer guards at the site than would have likely been had the facility already been active, and no one was inside when the raid was carried out.
Members of the IAF’s Shaldag unit carry out a raid against an Iranian missile factory near Masyaf, Syria, September 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
One of the central challenges of the mission was getting through the heavy duty doors at the entrance to the underground site. According to officers who participated in the planning and the mission itself, this was no easy task.
At the mission’s 50-minute mark, the first team of commandos managed to break through one of the entrances — the one used for logistics and to reach the offices. The soldiers entered the site and reached the two production entrances — the horseshoe — opening them using forklifts that were inside the facility. The IDF had known in advance that the facility had such equipment, and had sent some of the commandos participating in the raid to get forklift certification.
At the same time, another team of commandos carrying explosives arrived at the entrances. The troops had brought a quad bike with them in one of the choppers to enable them to quickly move to and through the facility to plant the explosives.
This illustrative map shows an underground Iranian missile facility near Masyaf, Syria, raided by the IAF’s Shaldag unit on Sepetmeber 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Some 50 commandos then moved along the facility’s production line, attaching bombs to all of the equipment, and especially the three planetary mixers. The other 50 waited outside and continued to keep the area clear by scanning the area and firing at threats.
At the same time, fighter jets continued to pound the surrounding region to prevent dozens of people identified on the ground — apparently Syrian soldiers — from approaching. In all, 49 munitions were used by IAF aircraft during the raid.
After the commandos had rigged up all the explosives — around 300 kilograms’ (660 pounds’) worth — to a remote detonator planted at the entrance to the site, all 100 evacuated to the initial landing site. The helicopters flew in from their waiting positions, picking up the soldiers after two and a half hours on the ground.
As they boarded, Shaldag’s chief explosives specialist set off the bombs — a blast with an estimated as the equivalent of one ton of explosives, when factoring in the explosive material inside the facility.
Inside an Iranian missile factory in Syria, during a raid by the IAF’s Shaldag unit, September 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Soldiers who participated in the operation said the underground blast was not only visible but could be felt as well, like “a mini earthquake.”
The helicopters then flew away from the facility back toward the sea, and then to Israel. Some of their equipment, including the quad bike, was left behind.
Hundreds of Syrian soldiers reached CERS around an hour after the troops left, according to the military, highlighting time crunch for the operation.
The IDF assessed that it killed some 30 guards and Syrian soldiers during the entire operation. Syrian media at the time reported 14 dead and 43 wounded.
The soldiers also captured some intelligence documents at the facility, which the military said proved its assessments that the site was near being operational.
Currently, the IDF said the underground site is not in use, and Iran has withdrawn from Syria following the fall of the Assad regime.
end
RUSSIA/UKRAINE
Robert H:
The Madness: US Funds Everything in Ukraine, Even Bureaucrats
Craziness on full display.
6.GLOBAL ISSUES//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES/HEALTH ISSUES
END
GLOBAL ISSUES//
MARK CRISPIN MILLER
Broadway performances of “Gypsy” canceled due to “illnesses”; Raphael felled by stroke during Xmas special in Madrid; A.C.A.B. drummer collapses on stage in Malaysia; Gary Valenciano halts show midway
Canadian actor Garry Chalk cancels appearances for 7 months; darts star Sandro Eric Sosing forced by GBS to withdraw from first round match in World Darts Championship in Philippines; & more
| Mark Crispin MillerJan 3 |
UNITED STATES
‘Gypsy’ on Broadway cancels both shows Thursday as illnesses impact company
December 26, 2024
“Gypsy,” the latest revival of the Stephen Sondheim classic on Broadway, has canceled both performances scheduled for Thursday after multiple illnesses hit the company, according to a social media post. With less than two hours to curtain, “Gypsy” announced on social media it is canceling the Thursday evening 7:30 p.m. performance. The latest production of Gypsy stars six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald alongside Danny Burstein, Joy Woods and Jordan Tyson. The next scheduled performance is set for Friday at 7 p.m. It’s unclear if that show will proceed as scheduled. Gypsy is playing at the Majestic Theatre on 44th Street. Opening night was Dec. 19.
DR PAU ALEXANDER
END
EVOLS NEWS
SLAY NEWS
| The latest reports from Slay News |
| Canada Advances Bill Gates’ Plan Destroy Earth’s AtmosphereLiberal Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has thrown its weight behind Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’s radical plan to supposedly “stop global warming.”READ MORE |
| mRNA Inventor Blows Whistle on Plans for ‘Infectious Vaccines’ to Vaccinate Public ‘Whether You Want It or Not’Dr. Robert Malone, the world-renowned biochemist who is credited as the inventor of mRNA technology, has blown the whistle on chilling plans to vaccinate members of the public without their consent.READ MORE |
| Judge Stephen Yekel Found Dead in Georgia Courtroom on Last Day of TenureJudge Stephen Yekel has been found dead in his courtroom on the final day of his tenure on the Georgia State Court, according to reports.READ MORE |
| Former Clinton Advisor Calls for Investigation into Cover-Up of Biden’s Mental DeclineA former advisor to Bill Clinton is calling for an investigation into the cover-up of President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.READ MORE |
| Biden Blocks Oil Drilling in Nevada to Thwart Trump’s AgendaPresident Joe Biden is attempting to limit oil drilling to thwart the energy independence agenda of the incoming administration.READ MORE |
| 12-Year-Old Girl and Mom Shot While Used as Human Shield in NYC ShootingA 12-year-old girl and her 40-year-old mother were shot during a brazen shooting in New York City. READ MORE |
| Tesla Cybertruck Explosion Outside Trump Hotel Confirmed as Terror Attack, ‘Could Be Linked’ to New OrleansInvestigators have confirmed the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas was a terrorist attack.READ MORE |
MICHAEL EVERY/PHIL MAREY/OR OTHER EXECS //RABOBANK/
7.OIL AND NATURAL GAS ISSUES/GLOBAL
8. EMERGING MARKETS//AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND ISSUES//
END
YOUR EARLY CURRENCY/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN CLOSING MARKETS AND EUROPEAN BOURSE OPENING AND CLOSING/ INTEREST RATE SETTINGS FRIDAY MORNING 6;30AM//OPENING AND CLOSING
EURO VS USA DOLLAR: 1.0295 UP 27 BASIS PTS
USA/ YEN 157.12 DOWN 0.225 NOW TARGETS INTEREST RATE AT 1.00% AS IT WILL BUY UNLIMITED BONDS TO GETS TO THAT LEVEL…//YEN STILL FALLS//END OF YEN CARRY TRADE BEGINS AGAIN OCT 2024/Bank of Japan raises rates by .15% to 1.15..UEDA ENDS HIKING RATES AND NOW CARRY TRADES RE INVENTS ITSELF//
GBP/USA 1.2408 UP .0028 OR 28 PTS
USA/CAN DOLLAR: 1.4412 UP 0.0013 (CDN DOLLAR DOWN 13 BASIS PTS)
Last night Shanghai COMPOSITE CLOSED DOWN 51.13 PTS OR 1.57%
Hang Seng CLOSED UP 136.95 PTS OR 0.20%
AUSTRALIA CLOSED UP 0.55%
// EUROPEAN BOURSE: ALL MOSTLY RED
Trading from Europe and ASIA
I) EUROPEAN BOURSES: ALL MOSTLY RED
2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang SENG CLOSED UP 136.95 PTS OR 0.20%
/SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 51.13 PTS OR 1.57%
AUSTRALIA BOURSE CLOSED UP 0.55%
(Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED HOLIDAY
INDIA’S SENSEX IN THE REDE
Gold very early morning trading: 2648.30
silver:$29.78
USA dollar index early FRIDAY morning: 108.82UP 39 BASIS POINTS FROM THURSDAY’s CLOSE.
FRIDAY MORNING NUMBERS ENDS
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And now your closing FRIDAY NUMBERS 1: 30 AM
Portuguese 10 year bond yield: 2.883% UP 7 in basis point(s) yield
JAPANESE BOND YIELD: +1.070% DOWN 0 AND 0/ 10 BASIS POINTS /JAPAN losing control of its yield curve/
SPANISH 10 YR BOND YIELD: 3.084 UP 5 in basis points yield
ITALIAN 10 YR BOND YIELD 3.575 UP 5 points in basis points yield ./ THE ECB IS QE’ ING ITALIAN BONDS (BUYING ITALIAN BONDS/SELLING GERMAN BUNDS)
GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD: 2.3985 UP 5 BASIS PTS
IMPORTANT CURRENCY CLOSES : FRIDAY
Closing currency crosses for day /USA DOLLAR INDEX/USA 10 YR BOND YIELD/1:00 PM
Euro/USA 1.0298 UP .0030 OR 30 basis points
USA/Japan: 157.22 DOWN 0.128 OR YEN IS UP 13 BASIS PTS//
Great Britain 10 YR RATE 4.6195 UP 2 BASIS POINTS //
Canadian dollar DOWN .0016 OR 16 BASIS pts to 1.4420
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The USA/Yuan, CNY ON SHORE CLOSED DOWN 7.3612 (ON SHORE)..CHINA MUST DEVALUE TO GOLD
THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE: (YUAN CLOSED (DOWN)…. (7.3612)
TURKISH LIRA: 35.38 EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL/DEATH WATCH/HYPERINFLATION TO BEGIN.//
the 10 yr Japanese bond yield at +1.070
Your closing 10 yr US bond yield DOWN 3 in basis points from FRIDAY at 4.550% //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%)
USA 30 yr bond yield 4.776 DOWN 2 in basis points /11:00 AM
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.230 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS.
GOLD AT 11;00 AM 2648.10
SILVER AT 11;00: 29.81
Your 11:00 AM bourses for Europe and the Dow along with the USA dollar index closing and interest rates: FRIDAY CLOSING TIME 11:00 AM//
London: CLOSED DOWN 36.11 pts or 0.49%
German Dax : DOWN 118.58 pts or .59%
Paris CAC CLOSED DOWN 111.54 pts or 1.51%
Spain IBEX CLOSED DOWN 25.30 PTS OR .22%
Italian MIB: CLOSED DOWN 247.15 PTS OR 0.72%
WTI Oil price 73.54 11 EST/
Brent Oil: 76.08 11:00 EST
USA /RUSSIAN ROUBLE /// AT: 110.55 ROUBLE UP 0 AND 45/100
GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD; +2.3985 UP 5 BASIS PTS.
UK 10 YR YIELD: 4.6195 UP 2 BASIS POINTS
CDN 10 YEAR RATE: 3.218 DOWN 3 BASIS PTS.
CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 2.954 DOWN 3 BASIS PTS
CLOSING NUMBERS: 4 PM
Euro vs USA 1.0303 UP 0.0035 OR 35 BASIS POINTS//HEADING TO PARITY WITH THE DOLLAR
British Pound: 1.2431 UP 0.0052 OR 52 basis pts
BRITISH 10 YR GILT BOND YIELD: 4.5915 DOWN 4 BASIS PTS//
JAPAN 10 YR YIELD: 1.070
USA dollar vs Japanese Yen: 157.16 DOWN 0.194 OR 19 BASIS PTS// HEADING FOR 160 TO THE DOLLAR
USA dollar vs Canadian dollar: 1.4442 UP 0038 BASIS PTS CDN DOLLAR DOWN 38 BASIS PTS
West Texas intermediate oil: 74.00
Brent OIL: 76.57
USA 10 yr bond yield UP 3 BASIS pts to 4.600
USA 30 yr bond yield UP 2 BASIS PTS to 4.816%
USA 2 YR BOND: UP 3 PTS AT 4.281
CDN 10 YR RATE 3.260 UP 1 BASIS PTS
CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 2.987 UP 0 BASIS PTS
USA dollar index: 108.78 DOWN 43 BASIS POINTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 35.37 GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO BLOWING UP/
USA DOLLAR VS RUSSIA//// ROUBLE: 110.50 UP 0 AND 50/100 roubles
GOLD 2,639.00 3:30 PM
SILVER: 29.61 3:30 PM
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE: UP 339.92 PTS OR 0.80%
NASDAQ UP 349.95 PTS OR 1.67%
VOLATILITY INDEX: 16.35 DOWN 1.58 PTS OR 8.81%
GLD: $243.49 DOWN 1.93 OR 0.79%
SLV/ $26.98 UP .05 OR 0.19%
TORONTO STOCK INDEX// TSX INDEX: CLOSED UP 140.97 PTS OR 0.57%
end
USA AFFAIRS
ZEROHEDGE HEADLINE:
Stocks Break Losing Streak But Santa Rally Slumps; Bitcoin & Black Gold Jump Over Holidays
II USA DATA
Both USA and global PMI’s plummet!
(zerohedge)
Global Manufacturing PMIs Drop Back Into Contraction As US Prices Paid Jumps
Friday, Jan 03, 2025 – 10:06 AM
While ‘Hard’ data has stabilized after its big run up in the second half of 2024, US Manufacturing PMI surveys remain in contractionary territory with S&P Global’s PMI limping lower to 49.4 and ISM’s PMI rising up to 49.3 to end the year. The ISM print was better than expected (49.3 vs 48.2 exp vs 48.4 prior)…
Source: Bloomberg
Prices Paid and New Orders jumped into year-end but Employment tumbled…
Source: Bloomberg
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence confirms that US factories reported a tough end to 2024, and have scaled back their optimism for growth in the year ahead.
“Production was cut at an increased rate in December amid disappointing inflows of new orders. While November had seen a near-stabilization of order books as uncertainty surrounding the election passed, reviving customer demand, this respite has proved temporary. Factories are reporting an environment of subdued sales and inquiries, notably in terms of exports.”
Williamson adds that while businesses were pleased that Trump got re-elected, they are now questioning just how great that new America can be…
“Many firms are generally anticipating that business will pick up in the New Year, with respondents pinning hopes on expectations that the new administration will loosen regulations, reduce tax burdens and boost demand for US-made goods via tariffs. Confidence has consequently risen from a low-point last June, having jumped higher in November on the election result. However, this optimism has been pared back somewhat in December, as firms are now reporting worries over higher input prices, and are concerned that inflation may pick up again, adding to speculation that interest rates will not be cut as much as previously thought likely over the coming year.”
Finally, we note that globally, according to JPMorgan’s latest PMI surveys, the global manufacturing sector fell back into contraction at the end of 2024, with output and new orders declining in December following slight increases.
Regional variations were again marked, with business conditions affected by the possibility of US tariffs being imposed in the coming year.
Perhaps most problematically, while input cost inflation accelerated to a four-month high in December, selling price inflation meanwhile eased to a nine-month low – crushing the prospect for corporate margins going forward.
III USA ECONOMIC NEWS
Johnson Wins Speakership After Reps Switch Votes
REPUBLICANS dare not go against Trump: Johnson wins
Johnson Wins Speakership After Reps Switch Votes
Friday, Jan 03, 2025 – 02:37 PM
(Update 1440ET): Mike Johnson has won the speakership after Ralph Norman and Keith Self switched their votes on the first-round.
https://x.com/Olivia_Beavers/status/1875248371331690993
* * *
(Update 1330ET): Looks like it won’t be one-and-done for Johnson, who just lost two Republican votes (he could only afford to lose one) on the first round of voting.
The Republican Main Street Caucus will now be ‘holding a gaggle’ before they move on to the next vote…
Here’s a breakdown of the 1st round votes:
- Johnson 216
- Jeffries 215
- Others 3
- Massie (R) for Emmer
- Norman (R) for Jordan
- Self (R) for Donalds
* * *
Vegas Police Say “Very Strange Similarities” Between Cybertruck Bombing & Bourbon Street Massacre
Thursday, Jan 02, 2025 – 06:49 PM
Wait, one day after this event and a reporter is allowed to stroll through this house on a tour? I actually like it — It’s just totally inconsistent with anything we’ve ever seen before.
Welcome to the second day of 2025.
* * *
Update (1859ET):
Wait–we’ve been told for over a day the place burned down. What is this?
·
16K Views
But…
Wait, one day after this event and a reporter is allowed to stroll through this house on a tour? I actually like it — It’s just totally inconsistent with anything we’ve ever seen before.
* * *
Update (1849ET):
The FBI’s field office in New Orleans wrote on X, “Newly released surveillance photos show Shamsud- Din Jabbar a little more than an hour before the deadly Bourbon Street attack.”
Update (1736ET):
Academy Securities published a note summarizing the views of four retired US generals on the Cybertruck bombing and the New Orleans terrorist attack:
General Spider Marks: “Most importantly, we must acknowledge that terrorism in its many forms (both kinetic and non-kinetic) will never be eliminated or determined irrelevant. As the investigation continues, we’ll know more about the motivation of the attack. Regardless, all forms of terrorism require a network of inspiration and support. Where isolation occurs, virtual access to a ‘community’ of shared interests and beliefs provides a readily available justification for action. There is no ‘lone wolf’ anymore. More facts to follow, but terrorism still exists.”
General John Evans: “It is likely premature to assess motives, motivations, and linkages. However, the ‘vehicle as a weapon’ TTP (tactics, techniques, and procedures) that we have seen used with devastating effect in Europe (and the US), although not new, now creates yet another attack vector which local, state, and federal law enforcement must plan for at events such as the gathering we saw in New Orleans. Individuals suffering from political or personal disenfranchisement can now leverage the ubiquity of motor vehicles to inflict great harm in virtually any setting, since most security plans only focus on keeping vehicles away from critical nodes or VIPs.”
General Robert Ashley: “The intel community will be focused on any reflections on the attack which normally would happen within the first 24-36 hours. Given the domestic nature of the attack, I would expect a joint White House/FBI announcement in the near-term if there is a foreign nexus, otherwise updates will likely remain in law enforcement channels. We become less vigilant with each passing day. Significant calendar events (New Year’s) and major public events require greater vigilance, which means increased funding for the security forces that protect all of us daily. Moreover, it will require greater tolerance by the public regarding the associated delays of enhanced force protection. As this unfolds, it will be key to uncover the attacker’s network (domestic and/or foreign) and to determine if there are any foreign connections (that include nation state involvement) that may have assisted or motivated the attacker(s).”
General Rick Waddell: “It is too early to say anything decisive, but if news accounts are in any way accurate then: 1) more people than just the driver were involved in NOLA; 2) this terror cell spent time preparing and planting IEDs; and 3) NOLA was changing out its bollards blocking vehicular traffic from Bourbon Street and were months into the project with a targeted completion date before the 2025 Super Bowl, but not before the New Year’s celebrations or the Sugar Bowl. In the absence of the bollards, a police vehicle was used to block the entrance to Bourbon Street, but the killer avoided the blocking vehicle by simply driving onto the sidewalk. What is unknown is whether the NOLA event is connected to what now looks like a suicide vehicle bombing outside the Trump Tower in Las Vegas. Both attacks used vehicles that were rented through the app Turo. As Spider points out, terrorism is with us and won’t go away. We can harden likely targets, we can put up barriers (like the bollards) before key events, we can increase guard forces for key facilities and key events, and we can use intelligence and law enforcement methods to penetrate terrorist cells.”
END
South Carolina…
Tractor-Trailer Bomb Threat Shuts Down I-85 In South Carolina
Thursday, Jan 02, 2025 – 06:19 PM
Live Feed:
Concerns over terrorism are intensifying in the wake of the Bourbon Street massacre and the Las Vegas Cybertruck bombing. Adding to the anxiety, police are now investigating a potential bomb in a tractor-trailer on a major highway in South Carolina.
Local media WSPA reports all lanes of Interstate 85 are blocked in both directions between exits 42 and 44 near White Horse Road in Greenville County.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed to WSPA that bomb squad personnel are responding to a potential bomb inside a tractor-trailer. Details are limited.
“Situation unfolding in Greenville Co South Carolina that’s closed I-85 | Sources tell me it involves an 18-wheeler. Driver apparently pulled over and stated he has a bomb. Multiple agency incident,” WXIA’s Cody Alcorn wrote on X.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wrote on X:
Traffic nightmare.
*Developing…
END
“Trump Is Not Wrong” – MSNBC Finally Admits Massive Spike In Illegal Immigration Under Biden
Thursday, Jan 02, 2025 – 08:30 PM
Unless you have lived under a rock or never dared to venture beyond MSNBC or CNN or the front page of the New York Times as your source of ‘news’, none of this will come as a surprise at all…
But, for those that have lived blinkered from the truth about the border for the past four years, MSNBC just sent your minds to ’11’ on the ‘cognitive dissonance’ scale as they dared to show a chart that – hold your breath here for a moment – shows a massive surge in illegal immigration during Biden’s reign (especially compared to Trump’s).
“The border was not Biden’s finest moment, frankly,” former Obama administration official Steve Rattner sheepishly admits while showing the dramatic chart, shocking his co-host on MSNBC’s Morning Joe by admitting that:
“you can see what happened here and Trump is not wrong when he talks about how border crossings were quite low.”
“They were running about 74,000 a month when he left office. And they, in fact, did shoot up. Some of it was some things Biden said and some ways that they put a moratorium, for example, on deportations.”
“But in fact, we did get up here almost to 300,000 a month,” Rattner continued.
Enjoy…
As a reminder, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas claimed that the border is secure on multiple occasions prior to a March 2024 impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, despite the fact that the Border Patrol encountered millions of illegal immigrants since the start of fiscal year 2021, according to figures released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
IIIB USA COMMENTARIES RE ISRAEL/HAMAS WAR/ and PERVASIVE ANTISEMITISM/WOKISM
end
iiiC USA COVID //VACCINE ISSUES/IMPORTANT MEDICAL ISSUES
END
FREIGHT ISSUES/USA/
END
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON OR NEWT GINGRICH/TUCKER CARLSON
TUCKER CARLSON INTERVIEWING
KING REPORT
| The King Report January 3, 2024 Issue 7403 | Independent View of the News |
| Chinese Stocks Tumble in Worst Start to a Year Since 2016 – BBG Data show China’s manufacturing activity slowed in December Investors likely preparing for greater uncertainties in 2025 The CSI 300 Index closed down 2.9% on Thursday, its steepest drop on a year’s first day of trading since 2016. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index slid as much as 3.1%… The People’s Bank of China injected massive liquidity into the market at the end of 2024 without using high-profile stimulus, as officials preserve policy space before Trump returns to office… “Many are also talking about avoiding too much stock exposure ahead of Trump’s inauguration, which is close to the Lunar New Year holidays.” https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinese-stocks-slide-economic-woes-040144904.html @jsblokland: US initial jobless claims fell to 211K last week (221k exp., 220k prior), the lowest level since April last year. The US labor market is not weakening. As a result, markets now price less than two rate cuts for the whole of 2025… Tesla shares slide after it reports first drop in annual deliveries Tesla posted its fourth-quarter vehicle production and deliveries report on Thursday. Here are the key numbers: Total deliveries Q4 2024: 495,570 (504,770 expected) Total production Q4 2024: 459,445 Total annual deliveries 2024: 1,789,226 Total annual production 2024: 1,773,443 Tesla shares fell by as much as 7% in trading on Thursday… https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/02/tesla-tsla-q4-2024-vehicle-delivery-and-production-numbers.html Tesla’s annual sales of 1,789,226 was the first annual sales drop since 2011 (1,808,581 in 2023). Apple Shares Slip (-3.43% at low) on Report of Discounted (by $68) iPhones in China – BBG https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/7108b2aa-6068-33bc-8ccc-642001c5ff6a/apple-stock-falls-on-report.html Despite Tesla and Apple, The NY Fang+ Index jumped higher in early NYSE trading. It hit a peak of 1338.524 (+1.66%) at 10:13 ET. Alas, sellers appeared; the index sank to 13153.8262 at 10:41 ET. ESHs jumped on the Nikkei opening but quickly sank to a daily low of 5910.75 at 19:17 ET. Traders eagerly bought the Sunday night decline to play for: The Monday Rally; The New Year Rally; and the rebound after end of 2024 portfolio rebalancing torpedoed stocks. ESHs hit 5973.00 at 3:09 ET. The dump for the European opening pushed ESHs down to5953.25 at 3:34 ET. After a rebound to 5972.00 at 4:12 ET, ESHs traded sideways until buying for the NYSE opening began at 6:39 ET. ESHs hit a daily high of 5995.25 at 7:16 ET. Aggressive selling pushed ESHs down to 5935.75 at 9:42 ET. Dip buyers and bullish traders aggressive bought the opening dip; ESHs jumped to 5985.00 at 10:05 ET. Alas, there were real sellers in the market; ESHs sank to 5924.00 at 11:03 ET. The manipulation for the 11:30 ET European close lifted ESHs to 5959.00 at 11:49 ET. ESHs then traded sideways until they commenced a tumble at 12:14 ET. ESHs sank to a new daily low of 5879.75 at 12:50 ET. The NY Fang+ Index turned negative at 12:29 ET and was -0.88% at 12:50 ET. @bespokeinvest 12:41 ET: Nasdaq 100 QQQ now down 1.3% over the last 20 minutes and 1.75% from its intraday high. Not a happy new year for stocks. After a 14-handle rebound, ESHs traded sideways until they hit a new low of 5874.75 at 13:54 ET. The afternoon rally then began; ESHs stair stepped to 5925.25 at 15:32 ET. ESHs retreated modestly and then traded sideways into the close. There was no material buying near or at the close to start 2025. The Big Guy’s petty & vindicative handlers continue to try to sabotage Trump’s coming administration. Yes, Virginia, it’s reasonable to assume that Barack Obama is involved in this, ala what he did in 2016. Biden moving to ban oil and gas leases for 20 years in Nevada region, just weeks before Trump inauguration https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-moving-ban-oil-gas-leases-20-years-nevada-region-just-weeks-before-trump-inauguration Biden to Block More Offshore Oil Drilling Before Trump Arrives – BBG Order would set permanent protections for some coastal waters Decree to complicate Trump’s plan to boost US crude production https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-02/biden-to-block-more-offshore-oil-drilling-before-trump-arrives Gasoline and oil soared on Monday. OANN’s @baldwin_daniel_: Once again, Biden is doing whatever he can to sabotage President Trump: – permanently banning new offshore oil and gas development in some US coastal waters; – selling off border wall pieces below fair value; – permitting Ukraine to shoot US-supplied missiles into Russia Biden discussed plans to strike Iran nuclear sites if Tehran speeds toward bomb… before Jan. 20… A U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear program during the lame duck period would be an enormous gamble… Iran’s nuclear program has advanced dramatically during Biden’s time in office, bringing Iran to the status of a de-facto “nuclear threshold state.” https://www.axios.com/2025/01/02/iran-nuclear-weapon-biden-white-house Positive aspects of previous session Fangs, ex-Tesla, rallied sharply in early and afternoon NYSE trading. USHs were +3/23 at the NYSE close; they had declined as much as 16/32. Negative aspects of previous session USHs declined moderately in early trading. Precious metals, Bitcoin, and energy rallied sharply. Stocks reversed after an early NYSE rally; major equity indices, ex-DJTA, posted declines. Ambiguous aspects of previous session The dollar, precious metals, and cryptocurrencies soared. 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]: 5877.72 Previous session S&P 500 Index High/Low: 5935.09; 5829.53 @nickgerli1: The value of a home in America since 1924. https://t.co/Q54XguSuk5 Tesla Laid Off THOUSANDS of U.S. Workers, Replaced Them With H-1B Migrants. https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/01/01/revealed-tesla-laid-off-thousands-of-u-s-workers-replaced-them-with-h-1b-migrants/ @MichaelMOTTCM: Global central bank liquidity (cascading)… seems to be a rather significant divergence… https://x.com/MichaelMOTTCM/status/1874973748606169534 Fed Balance Sheet: -$33.472B, Bonds & Notes -$18.106B, MBS -$ 12.217B; Reserves at Fed: -$20.954B https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h41/current/h41.htm The Fed Balance Sheet at $6.852491 trillion is at its lowest level since May 5, 2020 ($6.7211T) China’s central bank plans policy overhaul as pressure mounts on economy – The FT People’s Bank of China will start to behave more like US Fed in using one main interest rate to steer demand for credit https://www.ft.com/content/794577b2-6bdd-4a03-bfab-19463543048a Today – The S&P 500 Index has declined for 5 straight sessions, a rarity. The DJIA has fallen for 4 days. Furthermore, the declines are occurring during one of the strongest upward seasonals: The Santa Rally. This pattern inversion is also very rare. Ergo, traders will play for a rebound rally in the final session of the Santa Rally window. PS – The DJIA is close to a major breakdown – more on Monday. ESHs are +12.25; NQHs +65.75; and USHs +12/32 at 20:22 ET. Expected Economic Data: Dec ISM Mfg. 48.2, Prices Paid 51.4; Dec Wards Total Vehicle Sales 16.5m; Richmond Fed Pres Barkin 11:00 ET S&P Index 50-day MA: 5943; 100-day MA: 5798; 150-day MA: 5681; 200-day MA: 5555 DJIA 50-day MA: 43,439; 100-day MA: 42,520; 150-day MA: 41,502; 200-day MA: 40,852 (Green is positive slope; Red is negative slope) S&P 500 Index (5868.55 close) – BBG trading model Trender and MACD for key time frames Monthly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 5329.29 triggers a sell signal Weekly: Trender is positive; MACD is negative – a close below 5735.66 triggers a sell signal Daily: Trender and MACD are negative – a close above 6089.00 triggers a buy signal Hourly: Trender and MACD are negative – a close above 5904.63 triggers a buy signal @CBSNews: President Biden announced he is awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to Rep. Bennie Thompson and former Rep. Liz Cheney, the two lawmakers who led the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. (Awarded for prosecuting DJT – ugly optics!) @ChicagoBreaking: President Joe Biden is giving the 2nd highest civilian award to the leaders of the Jan. 6 congressional committee. @SpeakerJohnson: What a complete joke and utter embarrassment. Biden is foolishly giving an award to members of Congress who intentionally and repeatedly lied to the American people?! The Jan 6 Select Committee manipulated AND destroyed evidence – created a fake, phony narrative all to try and hurt Trump. They even hired a TV producer from the legacy media in a desperate attempt to legitimize what Americans knew was a total hoax and complete waste of time. Be assured of this: House Republicans WILL continue our investigation into this corrupt committee, and it will be FULLY FUNDED so it can continue next Congress. Biden and/or his handlers are further tarnishing his presidency. Biden has been a corrupt, thin-skinned, braggart for 50+years but has avoided harsh criticism under the Democrat privilege umbrella. Team Obama-Biden’s last-ditched efforts to hogtie Trump will produce litigation and legislation. Dems must join the move to remove Team Obama-Biden’s action – or Trump will do even worse when he exits! @nicksortor: Trump Las Vegas Cybertruck Bomber identified as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger of Colorado Springs. The FBI has just executed a search warrant on his home in CO, per KOAA. Local media reports he has military experience, similar to that of the New Orleans attacker. @BillMelugin: A US Army spokesperson confirms to @FoxNews that the suspect in the Las Vegas truck explosion, Matthew Livelsberger, was an active-duty Special Forces Operations sergeant who was on leave from Germany where he was serving w/ the 10th Special Forces Group. Vegas Cybertruck bomber Matthew Livelsberger revealed as special forces soldier overseeing drones as first pic shows him posing in camo with rifle https://trib.al/2EwkYX7 NBC: Authorities probe possible military link between suspects in New Orleans attack and Trump Tower Cybertruck blast https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-orleans-attack-trump-tower-cybertruck-suspects-military-link-rcna185960 @pepesgrandma: Fort Bragg runs psychological operations linked to the very anti conservative ones ran on social media. Specifically the 4th psychological operations group. (I know more than I’m telling.) Conveniently Shamsud-Din Jabbar worked at a company, Accenture LLP, that did Facebook moderation after his stint at Ft Bragg. Coincidence? Maybe, but it’s enough to bother me. Authorities are also continuing to investigate the link between Livelsberger and the New Orleans attacker, as they both served at the SAME base, Fort Bragg, and both rented EVs from Turo. @JackPosobiec: Apparent anti-Trump cybertruck bomber was a Special Forces operative who wore ‘Slava Ukraini’ shirts @nicksortor: The Trump Cybertruck Bomber Matt Livelsberger was trying to recruit fighters for Ukraine, per his social media posts. This comes after a photo of him surfaced wearing a “Glory to Ukraine.” It’s also worth noting that Ryan Routh, who tried to take out Trump at his golf course in Florida last year, also worked to recruit soldiers for Ukraine. Additionally, Routh visited Fort Bragg, which Livelsberger and New Orleans attacker Jabbar served at, over 100 times. So many “coincidences.” Livelsberger body was burned beyond recognition; but his military ID was virtually unscathed! https://x.com/DefiantLs/status/1874906427967602982 @paulsperry_: CT investigators tell me they’re following leads the Bourbon Street terrorist was radicalized at a pro-jihad MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD mosque in N. Houston that actively converts inmates inside the Texas Dept of Corrections. Jabbar recently traveled to BROTHERHOOD HQ: Cairo. @CollinRugg: New Orleans Police Superintendent says she had no clue that New Orleans had sidewalk barriers to defend against terror attacks, which are now being used today. What a total embarrassment. Reporters seemed shocked when Anne Kirkpatrick bizarrely admitted that she was unaware of sidewalk barriers, something that would have likely saved lives had they been installed on New Year’s… https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1874894171498037254 Trump on Wed. night: Our Country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World! This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS, with weak, ineffective, and virtually nonexistent leadership. The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job. They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself. Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to our Country. The CIA must get involved, NOW, before it is too late. The USA is breaking down – A violent erosion of Safety, National Security, and Democracy is taking place all across our Nation. Only strength and powerful leadership will stop it. See you on January 20th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! People are discovering the 2013 court transcript of the “Pakistani grooming gang” case in Britain and it’s one of the most disturbing things I have ever read The short version: Thousands of British girls have been raped by gangs of foreign Muslims who threaten to kill them unless they comply, and British police have gone so far to cover it up that they’ve actually arrested fathers who were in the process of trying to rescue their daughters. No, this isn’t a fake story. It’s real. This week, the court transcript of a 2013 case involving Pakistani child rapes between 2002 and 2005 was either made public or recirculated, and it is spreading like fire across social media… https://notthebee.com/article/the-transcript-of-the-pakistani-grooming-gangs-trial-in-britain-is-one-of-the-most-disturbing-things-i-have-ever-read/ @elonmusk: In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require the Crown Prosecution Service’s approval for the police to charge suspects. Who was the head of the CPS when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice? Keir Starmer, 2008-2013 (Current UK Prime Minister) | |
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SWAMP STORIES FOR YOU TONIGHT
GREG HUNTER
SEE YOU ON MONDAY
harveyorganblog.com 
