GOLD CLOSED UP $13.85 TO $2670.10

SILVER CLOSED UP 8 CENTS TO $30.16

Gold ACCESS CLOSED $2669.75

Silver ACCESS CLOSED: $30.09

Bitcoin morning price:$93,776 DOWN 2348 DOLLARS.

Bitcoin: afternoon price: $92,008 DOWN 1955 DOLLARS

Platinum price closing UP $1.25 TO $960.30

Palladium price; UP 0.35 TO $930.80

END

*CANADIAN GOLD: $3841.31 UP 13.63 CDN dollars per oz( * NEW ALL TIME HIGH 3,872.51 CDN DOLLARS PER OZ//OCT 30 2024)

*BRITISH GOLD: 2168.84 UP 14.43 Pounds per oz// *(NEW ALL TIME HIGH//CLOSING///2168.84 BRITISH POUNDS/OZ) JAN 9/2025

*EURO GOLD: 2,591.84 UP 10.34 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: 2,664.500000000 USD
INTENT DATE: 01/08/2025 DELIVERY DATE: 01/10/2025
FIRM ORG FIRM NAME ISSUED STOPPED

072 C GOLDMAN 25
072 H GOLDMAN 13
118 C MACQUARIE FUT 6 1
118 H MACQUARIE FUT 200
190 H BMO CAPITAL 185
323 C HSBC 60
363 C WELLS FARGO SEC 2
363 H WELLS FARGO SEC 464
435 H SCOTIA CAPITAL 191
624 H BOFA SECURITIES 351
657 C MORGAN STANLEY 4
661 C JP MORGAN 364
686 C STONEX FINANCIA 16 6
730 C PTG DIVISION SG 4
732 C RBC CAP MARKETS 1
737 C ADVANTAGE 34 11
905 C ADM 66

TOTAL: 1,002 1,002

JPMorgan stopped 364/1002

GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR JANUARY/2024. CONTRACT: 1002 NOTICES FOR 100,200 OZ  3.116 TONNES

total notices so far: 6632 contracts for 663,200 Oz (20.646 tonnes)

FOR  JANUARY

SILVER NOTICES: 35 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR 175,000 OZ/

total number of notices filed so far this month : 1579 for 7.895 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 UP $13.85 INVESTORS SWITCHING TO SPROTT PHYSICAL  (PHYS) INSTEAD OF THE FRAUDULENT GLD:

NO CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD:

INVENTORY RESTS AT 871.08 TONNES

SLV/

WITH NO SILVER AROUND AND SILVER UP $0.08 AT THE SLV: NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV:

INVESTORS ARE SWITCHING SLV TO SPROTT’S PSLV.

CLOSING INVENTORY: 459.353 MILLION OZ

Let us have a look at the data for today

SILVER//OUTLINE

SILVER COMEX OI ROSE BY A FAIR SIZED 253 CONTRACTS TO 151,843 AND CONTINUING ON ITS MARCH TO THE RECORD HIGH OI OF 244,710, SET FEB 25/2020, AND THIS FAIR SIZED GAIN IN COMEX OI WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH OUR TINY LOSS OF $0,01  IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX WITH RESPECT TO WEDNESDAY’S TRADING. WE HAD A MONSTER GAIN OF 1303 TOTAL CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES EVEN WITH OUR SMALL LOSS IN PRICE//WEDNESDAY’S TRADING.. WE HAD SOME LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS ON WEDNESDAY COMEX TRADING AS THEY DESPERATELY TRIED TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS WHERE THE RAIDS WERE CALLED UPON AGAIN AND AGAIN TO QUELL MASSIVE DERIVATIVE LOSSES BY OUR BULLION BANKS AND TO STOP THE RISE IN SILVER’S PRICE. THEY FAILED WITH //WEDNESDAY PRICING WITH ZERO LONGS BEING KNOCKED OFF. DERIVATIVE LOSSES CONTINUE TO MOUNT. WE HAD SOME T.A.S. LIQUIDATION WEDNESDAY BUT A NEW MASSIVE T.A.S. ISSUANCE OF 1572 CONTRACTS WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE CME AND THAT SIGNALS RED THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER RAID SHORTLY. WE HAD A MONSTER 1050 CONTRACT EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR ILLUSTRIOUS HUMONGOUS 1572 CONTRACT T.A.S ISSUANCE WHICH WILL BE USED IN FUTURE TRADING AS THEY PLAY AN INTEGRAL PART IN OUR COMEX TRADING TRYING TO CONTAIN ANY SILVER PRICE RISE. IN ESSENCE WE GAINED A HUMONGOUS SIZED 1303 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES DESPITE OUR TINY LOSS IN PRICE. WE HAD SOME TAS LIQUIDATION THROUGHOUT WEDNESDAY’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 WEDNESDAY NIGHT: A HUMONGOUS 1572 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 LAST MONDAY’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 FELL BY ONLY $0.01) AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF ANY APPRECIABLE NET SILVER LONGS FROM THEIR PERCH AS DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE WE HAD A HUMONGOUS GAIN IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 1337 CONTRACTS.

WE HAD A 1050 CONTRACT ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS) iiii) AN  INITIAL SILVER STANDING FOR COMEX SILVER MEASURING AT 8.110 MILLION OZ (FIRST DAY NOTICE) FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S 160,000 OZ QUEUE JUMP//NEW STANDING ADVANCES TO 8.380 MILLION OZ

// STANDING FOR SILVER//JAN RISES TO 8.380 MILLION OZ 

WE HAD:

/ FAIR SIZED COMEX OI GAIN +// A MONSTER 1050 SIZED EFP ISSUANCE/ VI)  HUMONGOUS SIZED NUMBER OF  T.A.S. CONTRACT ISSUANCE 1572 CONTRACTS)/

 I AM NOW RECORDING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN OI FROM PRELIMINARY TO FINAL: REMOVED 34 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 5  DAYS, total 3310 contracts:   OR 16.55 MILLION OZ  (662 CONTRACTS PER DAY)

TOTAL EFP’S FOR THE MONTH SO FAR:  16.55 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

JANUARY 2025: 16.55 MILLION OZ///

RESULT: WE HAD A FAIR SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 253  CONTRACTS DESPITE OUR TINY LOSS IN PRICE OF SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX//WEDNESDAY.,.  THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A 1050 EFP ISSUANCE  CONTRACTS: 1050 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 OF 160,000 OZ

//NEW TOTAL STANDING FOR JAN ADVANCES TO 8.380 MILLION OZ 

WE HAVE A HUMONGOUS SIZED GAIN OF 1303 OI CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES DESPITE OUR TINY  LOSS IN  PRICE…..THE TOTAL OF TAS INITIATED CONTRACTS TODAY: A HUMONGOUS 1572 CONTRACTS TRYING DESPERATELY TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE,//SOME FRONT END OF THE TAS CONTRACTS WERE LIQUIDATED DURING THE WEDNESDAY COMEX SESSION BUT THEY STILL NEED THESE ISSUANCE FOR REPLENISHMENT FOR FUTURE TRADING /ANOTHER HUGE TA.S. ISSUANCE//. NO NET LONG SPECULATORS WERE BURNED ON WEDNESDAY WITH THE TINY LOSS 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 WEDNESDAY NIGHT   (1572) WILL BE PUT INTO “THE BANK” TO BE COLLUSIVELY USED AT A LATER DATE, NO DOUBT PRIOR TO TRUMP’S INAUGURATION.

WE HAD 35 NOTICE(S) FILED TODAY FOR 175,000 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 4815 OI CONTRACTS  TO 481,858 AND FURTHER FROM THE RECORD (SET JAN 24/2020) AT 799,733  AND  PREVIOUS TO THAT: (SET JAN 6/2020) AT 797,110, BUT WE ARE NOW GETTING CLOSER TO OUR ALL TIME LOW OF 390,000 CONTRACTS.

THE DIFFERENTIAL FROM PRELIMINARY OI TO FINAL OI IN GOLD TODAY:  REMOVED A HUGE SIZED 1035 CONTRACTS//

WE HAD A STRONG SIZED INCREASE  IN COMEX OI (4815 CONTRACTS) OCCURRED WITH OUR  GAIN OF $5.35 IN PRICE WEDNESDAY. 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 MONSTER QUEUE JUMP OF 969 CONTRACTS OR 96,900 OZ TO WHICH WE ADD THE FIRST ISSUANCE FOR EXCHANGE FOR RISK CONTRACTS TOTALLING 1700 CONTRACTS OR 170,000 OZ (5.28775 TONNES) ISSUED JAN 6/2025 TO WHICH WE ADD JAN 8 EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE OF 150 CONTRACTS OR 15,000 OZ OR .4665 TONNES . NEW STANDING FOR JAN ADVANCES TO 22.752 TONNES (NORMAL DELIVERY) + 5.28775 TONNES EX FOR RISK/PRIOR + .4665 EX FOR RISK YESTERDAY = 28.505 TONNES

/NEW STANDING 25.510 TONNES

/ ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WITH OUR  $5.35 GAIN IN PRICE  WITH RESPECT TO WEDNESDAY’S COMEX ///. WE HAD A VERY STRONG GAIN OF 9387 OI CONTRACTS (29.19 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 AND EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE.

E.F.P. ISSUANCE

THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A STRONG SIZED 4572 CONTRACTS:

The NEW COMEX OI FOR THE GOLD COMPLEX RESTS AT 481,858

IN ESSENCE WE HAVE A VERY STRONG SIZED INCREASE IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 9387 CONTRACTS  WITH 4815 CONTRACTS INCREASED AT THE COMEX// AND A STRONG SIZED 4572 EFP OI CONTRACT ISSUANCE WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS TOTAL OI GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 9387 CONTRACTS.. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING TAS CONTRACTS INITIATED (ISSUED): A MEGA HUMONGOUS SIZED AND CRIMINAL 35,171 CONTRACTS ISSUED. WE HAD A ZERO LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S CONTRACTS WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE WEDNESDAY. MORE MONSTER ISSUANCE OF T.A.S IS NEEDED FOR REPLENISHMENT TO CARRY OUT ITS PRICE CONTAINMENT STRATEGY IN FUTURE TRADING (FUTURE RAIDS)

CALCULATIONS ON GAIN/LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES

WE HAD A STRONG SIZED ISSUANCE IN EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS (4572 CONTRACTS) ACCOMPANYING THE STRONG SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI OF 4815 CONTRACTS/TOTAL GAIN FOR OUR THE TWO EXCHANGES: 14,493 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 969 CONTRACTS OR 96900 OZ (3.014 TONNES) TO WHICH WE ADD THAT CRAZY “DELIVERY” CALLED EXCHANGE FOR RISK YESTERDAY OF .4665 TONNES TOGETHER WITH OUR EARLIER EX FOR RISK//// NEW STANDING FOR JAN ADVANCES TO:

22.752 TONNES NORMAL DELIVERY +

5.753 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK ON OUR TWO OCCASIONS IN JANUARY (6TH AND 8TH )

EQUALS: 28.505 TONNES

//NEW STANDING JAN: 28.505 TONNES

 / 3) ZERO T.A.S. LIQUIDATION TRYING TO LOWER GOLD’S PRICE TUESDAY WITH ZERO SUCCESS IN REMOVING SPECULATOR LONGS, AS WE HAD A 1)  $5.35 PRICE GAIN, AND 2) ZERO NET LONG SPECS BEING CLIPPED AS WE HAD A TOTAL GAIN OF 10,422 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES. ALSO, 3)STICKY GOLD’S LONGS WERE REWARDED WEDNESDAY EVENING AS THEY EXERCISED EFP’S FROM LONDON TO TAKE DELIVERY OF BADLY NEEDED PHYSICAL.

  4)  STRONG SIZED COMEX OPEN INTEREST INCREASE 5)  STRONG ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL PAPER///MEGA HUMONGOUS T.A.S.  ISSUANCE: 35,171 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: 19,856 CONTRACTS OF 1,985,600 OZ OR 61.76 TONNES IN 5 TRADING DAY(S) AND THUS AVERAGING: 3972 EFP CONTRACTS PER TRADING DAY

TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO THE  SIZE OF THESE EFP TRANSFERS :  THIS MONTH IN 5  TRADING DAY(S) IN  TONNES  61.76 TONNES

TOTAL ANNUAL GOLD PRODUCTION, 2023, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD EX CHINA EX RUSSIA: 3555 TONNES

THUS EFP TRANSFERS REPRESENTS  61.76 DIVIDED BY 3550 x 100% TONNES = 1.77% 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. 61.76 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 ROSE BY A FAIR SIZED 253 CONTRACTS OI  TO 151,843 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 3.20233EFP 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 1050 and ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 1050 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 287  CONTRACTS AND ADD TO THE 1050 E.FP. ISSUED

WE OBTAIN A HUMONGOUS SIZED GAIN OF OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 1303 CONTRACTS

THUS IN OUNCES, THE GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES  TOTALS A  HUGE 6.515 MILLION OZ OCCURRED DESPITE OUR $0.01 LOSS  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/THURSDAY MORNING WEDNESDAY  NIGHT

SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 18.77 PTS OR 0.58%

//Hang Seng CLOSED DOWN 39.95 PTS OR 0.20%

// Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 375.97 OR 0.20%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED DOWN 0.25%

//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED UP TO 7.3553 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED UP TO 7.3561// Oil DOWN TO 73.49 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 76.10 Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN EXCEPT GERMAN DAX

ONSHORE USA/ YUAN TRADING ABOVE LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN  TRADING STRONGER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE YUAN STRONGER

ASIA TRADING THURSDAY MORNING/WEDNESDAY  NIGHT

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 4815 CONTRACTS TO 481,858 WITH OUR SMALL GAIN  IN PRICE OF $5.35 WITH RESPECT TO WEDNESDAY’S TRADING. WE LOST ZERO NET LONGS WITH OUR PRICE GAIN FOR GOLD AS WE HAD ALSO, AS YOU WILL SEE BELOW, A VERY STRONG NUMBER OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUED (4572) . THE CME ISSUED THEIR SECOND ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK ON JAN 8: (150 CONTRACTS FOR 15000, OZ OR .4665 TONNES) . THUS IN TOTAL WE HAD A VERY STRONG GAIN ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 9387 CONTRACTS WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE. OUR FRIENDLY PHYSICAL LONDON BOYS HAD ANOTHER FIELD DAY AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY 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 ZERO T.A.S. LIQUIDATION DURING THE WEDNESDAY COMEX SESSION. WE HAD A HUMONGOUS 10,184 T.A.S. ISSUANCE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

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 WAS 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!IT SURE LOOKS LIKE THE BIS HAS GIVEN THE FED ITS MARCHING ORDERS TO COVER ITS PHYSICAL GOLD SHORT AS TRUMP IS COMING INTO OFFICE IN 7 TRADING DAYS. TRUMP WOULD PROBABLY BE FURIOUS WITH THE FED IF IT FOUND OUT THAT THEY (FRBNY) HAS BEEN MANIPULATING THE GOLD MARKET FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS.

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 THE LAST WEEK OF DECEMBER 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 TODAY.

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 4572 EFP CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED: :  /FEB  4572 & ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS:

TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 4572 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 VERY STRONG SIZED TOTAL OF 9387 CONTRACTS IN THAT 4572 CONTRACT LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS TO LONDON AND WE HAD A VERY STRONG SIZED GAIN OF 4815 COMEX  CONTRACTS..AND THIS STRONG GAIN  ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES HAPPENED WITH OUR SMALLISH GAIN IN PRICE OF $5.35 WEDNESDAY// COMEX. THE EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS WILL BE USED BY CENTRAL BANKS, TO EXERCISE FOR PHYSICAL GOLD AT THE COMEX AS MENTIONED  ABOVE.

T.A.S. ISSUANCE

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 WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAS A MEGA HUMONGOUS SIZED SIZED 35,171 CONTRACTS,AS THE FED CALLED FOR THE FED-MOBILE AS THESE WILL BE USED TO ORCHESTRATE A MASSIVE RAID BEFORE THE TRUMP-MOBILE TAKES OFFICE.. ALMOST ALL OF THE TRADING AND SUPPLY OF CONTRACTS  HAVE BEEN 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 EVIDENT IN LAST MONDAY’S COMEX TRADING//RAID. HOWEVER NOT TO BE UNDONE, THE CROOKS ISSUED ANOTHER MONSTER 35,181 T.A.S CONTRACTS AND THIS WILL BE USED IN OUR NEXT RAID IN GOLD TRADING NO DOUBT BEFORE TRUMP’S INAUGURATION AS THE FED MUST REDUCE ITS MASSIVE PHYSICAL GOLD SHORT OF 82 TONNES. WE HAD ZERO T.A.S. LIQUIDATION WITH RESPECT TO WEDNESDAY’S COMEX TRADING.

// WE HAVE A STRONG AMOUNT OF GOLD TONNAGE STANDING:   JAN (28.505 TONNES) WHICH IS HUGE FOR OUR  NON ACTIVE JAN DELIVERY MONTH.

JANUARY: 10.1331 TONNES

HERE ARE THE AMOUNTS THAT STOOD FOR DELIVERY IN THE PRECEDING 50 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: 22.752 TONNES + 5.753 EX FOR RISK/PRIOR = 28.505 TONNES

THE SPECS/HFT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING GOLD’S PRICE( IT ROSE BY $5.35/)//AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF ANY NET SPECULATOR LONGS AS WE DID HAVE A VERY STRONG GAIN IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES. AS EXPLAINED ABOVE WE HAD ZERO T.A.S. SPREADER LIQUIDATION WEDNESDAY BUT DID HAVE A MONSTER ISSUANCE OF T.A.S. OF 35,171 CONTRACTS.

THE CROOKS COULD NOT STOP CENTRAL BANK LONGS, SEIZING THE MOMENT, THEY EXERCISED AGAIN FOR PHYSICAL IN A BIG WAY TENDERING FOR PHYSICAL WEDNESDAY EVENING.

EXCHANGE FOR RISK EXPLANATION/DECEMBER TRADING AND NOW JANUARY!!

37 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 OF DEC TO 14.6836 TONNES. THE COMEX IS TOTALLY SHATTERED TO PIECES.

WE NOW BEGIN OUR NEW MONTH OF JANUARY AND LO AND BEHOLD, THE CROOKS ISSUED ANOTHER MONSTER 1700 CONTRACTS FOR EXCHANGE FOR RISK TOTALLING 170,000 OZ OR 5.28775 TONNES ON MONDAY JAN 6/2025. THEN TO MY HORROR, THEY ISSUED THEIR SECOND EXCHANGE FOR RISK ON JAN 8, TOTALLING 150 CONTRACTS FOR 15000 OZ OR .4665 TONNES. THIS TONNAGE WILL BE ADDED TO THE FIRST ISSUANCE. THUS TOTAL EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE FOR JANUARY: 5.7533 TONNES

TOTAL DELIVERIES JANUARY TRADING

WE HAVE GAINED A TOTAL OF 29.19 PAPER TONNES FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES, ACCOMPANYING OUR INITIAL  GOLD TONNAGE STANDING FOR JAN (10.133TONNES) ON FIRST DAY NOTICE FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S MONSTER QUEUE JUMP OF 969 CONTRACTS OR 96900 OZ (3.014 TONNES) TO WHICH WE MUST ADD OUR 5.7533 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE WHERE THE BUYERS ASSUMES THE RISK FOR DELIVERY.(ISSUED JAN 6/2025 AND JAN 8).. THIS IS ,OF COURSE, AGAINST ALL RULES OF THE COMEX AS IT IS MEANT TO DECEIVE US. IT IS TOTALLY INSANE FOR A BUYER TO ASSUME RISK OF DELIVERY.

NEW STANDING FOR JAN: 22.752 TONNES + 5.753 TONNES EX FOR RISK/PRIOR = 28.505 TONNES (WHICH IS HUGE FOR OUR VERY ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH)

ALL OF THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED DESPITE OUR SMALL GAIN IN PRICE  TO THE TUNE OF $5.35

WE HAD 1035 CONTRACTS REMOVED TO THE  COMEX TRADES TO OPEN INTEREST (CROOKS)//PRELIMINARY TO FINAL.

NET GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES 9387 CONTRACTS OR 938,700 OZ (29.19 TONNES)

confirmed volume WEDNESDAY 261.407 contracts: FAIR ////nobody wishes to play with the crooks

//speculators have left the gold arena

END

/ /// THE JAN 2025 GOLD CONTRACT

JAN 9

INITIAL

dealer deposits: 0

total dealer deposits: 

we have 2 customer deposit

96,452.000 Brinks
3000 kilobars

ii) Brinks Enhanced: 45,076.753 oz
(112 london good delivery bars
each london bar around 400. oz each)

total deposit 141,529.753oz

withdrawals: 1

i) Out of Brinks 64.302 oz

2 kilobars

adjustments:3

a) dealer to customer JPMorgan 482.265 oz 15 kilobars

b) adjustment customer to dealer Manfra 199.707 oz

c) adjustment customer to dealer HSBC 208,724.292 oz

CALCULATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR JAN.

For the front month of JAN: we have an oi of 1685 contracts having LOST 741 contracts. We had a strong 1710 contract issuance on WEDNESDAY. Thus ANOTHER MONSTER QUEUE JUMP (GAIN) of 969 contracts on our two exchanges. (96900 oz or 3.014 tonnes)

FEBRUARY LOST 7703 CONTRACTS TO 317,522 AS IT BEGINS ITS COUNTDOWN BEFORE FIRST DAY NOTICE.

MARCH HAD A GAIN OF 379 CONTRACTS UP TO 569

APRIL HAD A GAIN OF 12,803 CONTRACTS UP TO 96,084 CONTRACTS

We had 1002 contracts filed for today representing 100,200 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 0 notices issued from their client or customer account. The total of all issuance by all participants equate to 1002 contract(s) of which 0  notices were stopped (received) by  j.P. Morgan dealer and 364 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 (6632 x 100 oz ) to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of  JAN(1685 CONTRACTS)  minus the number of notices served upon today  (1002 x 100 oz per contract) equals  731,500 OZ  OR 22.752 TONNES. to which we add those criminal exchange for risk issuance of .4665 TONNES (JAN 8) AND 5.28775 tonnes/JAN 8//TOTAL EXCHANGE FOR RISK = 5.753 TONNES. THUS NEW STANDING FOR GOLD AT THE COMEX FOR JAN IS 22.752 TONNES PLUS 5.753 TONNES EX FOR RISK = 28.505 TONNES

thus the INITIAL standings for gold for the JAN contract month:  No of notices filed so far (6632 x 100 oz +we add the difference for front month of JAN (1685 OI} minus the number of notices served upon today (1002 x 100 oz which equals  731500 oz (22.752 TONNES) + 5.753 tonnes ex for risk (yesterday +/PRIOR) = 28.505 tonnes

TOTAL COMEX GOLD STANDING FOR JAN.: 28.505 TONNES WHICH IS HUGE FOR THIS  NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH IN THE CALENDAR. 

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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: 2,149,310,301  oz 66.85 tonnes

TOTAL OF ALL GOLD ELIGIBLE AND REGISTERED GOLD: 22,248,361.008 OZ  

TOTAL REGISTERED GOLD 9,251,523.301 oz or 287.76 tonnes

TOTAL OF ALL ELIGIBLE GOLD: 13,063.819.091 OZ  

REGISTERED GOLD THAT CAN BE SERVED UPON: 7,102213 oz (REG GOLD- PLEDGED GOLD)= 22.090 tonnes //

JPMorgan enhanced inventory is 3.592 million oz/1,877,000 oz = 19.15% of entire inventory..

END

SILVER/COMEX

JAN 9. 2025

INITIAL

//2025// THE JAN 2025  SILVER CONTRACT//INITIAL

i)  0 dealer  deposit/

total dealer deposit : nil oz

i) We had  0 dealer withdrawal

total dealer withdrawals: 0 oz

deposits:2

i) Into CNT 11,104.890. oz
ii) Into Loomis: 1,200,082.100 oz

total deposit 1,211,186.990

WITHDRAWALS

:a) Brinks 155,266.820 oz
b) Loomis 719,924.610. oz

total withdrawal 875,191.480 oz

total withdrawal: 1,211,182.990 oz

ADJUSTMENT

CUSTOMER ACCOUNT TO DEALER CNT: 161,674.020 OZ

JPMorgan has a total silver weight: 135.532million oz/322.899million  or 41.96%

TOTAL REGISTERED SILVER: 73.611 MILLION OZ//.TOTAL REG + ELIGIBLE. 322.899 million oz

CALCULATIONS FOR THE NEW STANDING FOR SILVER FOR JANUARY

silver open interest data:

FRONT MONTH OF JAN /2024 OI: 132 OPEN INTEREST FOR A LOSS OF 24 CONTRACT(S).

WE HAD 56 CONTRACT ISSUANCE ON TUESDAY. THUS WE GAINED A STRONG 32 CONTRACTS, THAT IS WE HAD A 32 CONTRACT QUEUE JUMP FOR 160,000 OZ AS THE BOYS WILL TRY THEIR LUCK FINDING SILVER OVER ON THIS SIDE OF THE POND.

FEBRUARY SAW A GAIN 0F 72 CONTRACTS TO STAND AT 745

MARCH SAW A GAIN OF 35 CONTRACTS UP TO 119,217

TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR TODAY: 35 for 175,000 oz

CONFIRMED volume; ON WEDNESDAY 48,599 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 1579x 5,000 oz = 7.895 MILLION oz 

to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN (132) and the number of notices served upon today (35)x (5000 oz)

Thus the  standings for silver for the JAN 2025 contract month:  1579 Notices served so far) x 5000 oz + OI for the front month of JAN(132) minus number of notices served upon today (35)x 5000 oz equals silver standing for the JAN contract month equating to 8.380 MILLION OZ. 

 New total standing: 8.380 million oz.

There are 73.242 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 9  WITH GOLD UP $13.85 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD::A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.44 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 871.08 TONNES

JAN 8  WITH GOLD UP $5.35 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD::A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.44 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 871.08 TONNES

JAN 7  WITH GOLD DOWN $14.50 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES

JAN 6  WITH GOLD DOWN $4.90 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES

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: 871.08 TONNES, TONIGHTS TOTAL

SILVER

JAN 9 WITH SILVER UP $0.08 CENTS //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 4.484 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 459,353 MILLION OZ

 JAN 8 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.01 CENTS //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A WITHDRAWAL OF 4.484 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 463.837 MILLION OZ

 JAN 7 WITH SILVER UP 48 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 6 WITH SILVER UP 38 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 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 459.353 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…

The message of higher bond yields

Rising bond yields signal increasing credit risk. It indicates that the largest credit bubble in history is about to burst. I assess the consequences for credit markets, currencies, and gold.

The yield on the US long bond has definitely broken into new high ground post-covid. It should be noted that interest rates and bond yields primarily reflect default risk. In aggregate, the banking system cannot reduce credit outstanding, only lessening lending and duration risks. The resulting credit shortage drives up interest rates as indebted borrowers seek to extend their loans. Today, these distressed borrowers include highly indebted governments, led by the US. The chart below shows how lending risk to the US Government has been increasing over the last three months, measured in the yield for the 10-year UST note.

Having observed a number of credit cycles over the decades, I have noticed the value relationship between bonds and equities. Towards the end of a period of credit expansion, equities become increasingly driven by momentum rather than value. At the same time, bonds undergo the first phase of rising yields. This is taken by the momentum bulls as irrelevant, or perhaps evidence of a growing economy and higher corporate profits to come. With the additional stimulus of a Trump presidency, that is roughly where US market sentiment stands today.

As the chart of the US long bond above shows, yields found a bottom in late-September before moving significantly higher. Evidently, a second phase of yield increases is in progress with the long bond yield having already risen 100 basis points to levels above those of last May. Based on this chart, if nothing else, alarm bells should be ringing in all credit-driven markets.

This brings us to a destructive stage in the bond/equity relationship. A new phase of rising bond yields will prove fatal for momentum driven equity markets. Sober value considerations are sure to return. That is why recent developments in bond markets must be taken extremely seriously. And the current credit bubble has become so extreme that the return to value-reality in equities promises to be a very violent transition, because the gap over bonds has become exceptionally large. It is in fact a record, as my next chart shows.

I’m always reluctant to produce complex charts, but this one is worth taking the time to consider. I have presented it in such a way that the normally close negative corelation between the long bond yield and the S&P Index is clearly demonstrated. Obviously, distortions in the relationship do occur but these should be ignored. Instead, the valuation gap which opened up during the 1996—2000 dot-com boom should be noted. After initially declining, bond yields (the blue line inverted) rose through 1999 while the S&P continued rising until the disparity become too much for momentum investors to sustain. Fortunately for equity bulls, Greenspan was at hand and quickly reduced interest rates, limiting the decline in equities to about 50%. That was not the end of the matter, because Greenspan’s interest rate policy continued to fuel the credit bubble, with its focus moving to residential property instead.

That need not concern us here. We should move on to the current situation, where the S&P has continued to rise despite the increase in bond yields so far. Today, the value disparity is more than twice as extreme as that at the end of the dot-com bubble, a bubble which itself was extreme in its psychology with alarming similarities to the South Sea Bubble three hundred years ago.

The thing about a financial bubble is that the vast majority of investors are totally unaware of it when investing. They are seized of a belief that equities will continue to rise for ever. This time, we have the addition of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, the former of which, we are told will certainly rise to hundreds of thousands of dollars and millions being not out of the question. And even those who do recognise this additional evidence of a credit bubble play along for fear of missing out — which even has an acronym, FOMO.

Look again at the first chart of the yield on the long bond. It has now risen to new highs, stretching the value disparity between bonds and equities even further. When wiser heads awaken to the likelihood that bond yields are not going to stop rising (we are told that further declines are still expected) but will continue rising, an equity market crash is guaranteed.

The Fed’s position

While Alan Greenspan succeeded in 2000—2002 to force interest rates and bond yields lower, the situation today is unlikely to permit Jay Powell to do the same, because with US Government debt-to-GDP at about 130% and rising, it is in a debt trap. The marginal buyers setting the yield are foreigners backing off from the dollar and its mounting risks by selling them for gold. If Powell goes soft on interest rates, holders of dollars will take the hint and expect an even more rapid decline in its purchasing power. Put more conventionally, this means that inflation will accelerate. Couple this currency effect with Trump’s promise of tariffs, and you have the recipe for a dollar disaster — measured against gold rather than other currencies.

When equities crash and bond yields continue to rise, the Fed will come under enormous pressure to ease. Without the wealth creation engine of rising financial assets, undoubtedly the economy will enter a slump. That is not too strong a description, given that we are witnessing the end of the largest credit bubble in recorded history as it enters a period of severe deflation. Furthermore, falling revenues and rising welfare commitments will increase the government’s funding demands, leading to further increases in the budget deficit and pressure on bond values. With a growing reluctance of foreigners to fund it, the Fed may be forced into monetising debt through massive QE programmes.

But before that happens, the realisation that interest rates are not going to fall as expected is beginning to play havoc in foreign bonds and the assets that depend on them. The following charts of the UK long gilt and the JGB’s 10-year bond show the damage so far.

Currencies are collapsing as well as bond prices, as the charts of the euro and the yen (inverted) respectively illustrate. These are next.

The underlying point is that the current record-sized credit bubble is not confined to the US and when it bursts it will create global economic and financial chaos. It is against this background that we watch how gold behaves. Are the days over when traders could claim that higher interest rates are good for the dollar and bad for gold?

We are seeing some evidence of this shibboleth being discarded, with increasing numbers of financial actors appearing to realise that credit as opposed to money (i.e. gold) is increasingly risky. Furthermore, if interest rates are to rise to a level to compensate for credit risk, credit risk itself will increase more rapidly than the rise in rates to offset it. In other words, the problems of debt traps for the dollar, the euro, the yen, and sterling are crossing the Rubicon into crisis.

The dollar is central to the world’s currencies. Its declining purchasing power and the loss of confidence in it on the foreign exchanges are undermining the euro, yen, and pound to an even greater extent than the dollar. As the largest ever recorded credit bubble deflates, the era of fiat currencies is ending, and gold returns as the only medium of exchange valued by its lack of counterparty risk and its legal status as final settlement. In other words, its status as true money is being increasingly valued.

END

3. CHRIS POWELL AND GATA DISPATCHES

CME Group says its rules ban market rigging, but so what? They didn’t catch it

Submitted by admin on Wed, 2025-01-08 11:00 Section: Daily Dispatches

11a ET Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Dear Friend of GATA and Gold (and Silver):

Our friend Paul Fitzgerald of Groton, Massachusetts, has just proven that even individuals can get the attention of the entities and organizations that purportedly supervise our rigged markets, even if the truth can’t always be extracted from them.

Fitzgerald recently filed a formal complaint with CME Group, operator of the major futures exchanges in the United States, alleging longstanding manipulation of the gold and silver markets operated by CME Group. While CME Group, in response, claimed to be unable to find evidence of substantial manipulation, Fitzgerald’s complaint prompted CME Group’s lead investigator to make himself ridiculous.

As you’ll see in the account provided by Fitzgerald and appended here, the investigator replied that no entity, including the U.S. government, is allowed to manipulate the gold and silver markets, since that would be against CME Group rules.

The assertion is ridiculous since CME Group neither spotted nor stopped the manipulation of the gold and silver futures markets that was identified by the U.S. Justice Department and led to convictions and prison terms:

In fairness to CME Group, it must be acknowledged that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission itself conducted long investigations of complaints of silver futures price manipulation and said it couldn’t find any wrongdoing. But then the Justice Department did.

That is, while CME Group may have rules against market rigging, they’re not much good if the futures market operator is incapable of enforcing them.     

CHRIS POWELL, Secretary/Treasurer
Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee Inc.
CPowell@GATA.org

end

For your interest…

‘Huge fortune’ in gold and silver coins from 1600s found in German church where Luther preached

Submitted by admin on Wed, 2025-01-08 13:04 Section: Daily Dispatches

By Laura Geggel
Live Science, New York
Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Restorers at a famous Gothic church in Germany have discovered a “huge fortune” that was hidden in the leg of a statue nearly 400 years ago. 

The treasure — four bags of coins from the 1600s — was likely concealed during the Thirty Years War, when Swedish soldiers frequently plundered the region.

The discovery is an “incredible story,” Ulf Drager, curator and head of department at the State Coin Cabinet of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, told Live Science in an email. 

The restorers, who made the find in May 2022 but didn’t announce it until last November, uncovered the coins at St. Andrew’s Church, a Gothic church in Eisleben, a town in the east-central state of Saxony-Anhalt. This church is where Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer who wrote the “Ninety-five Theses” against corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, delivered his last four sermons in 1546. …

… For the remainder of the report:

Indian government slashes November gold import data by $5 billion

Submitted by admin on Wed, 2025-01-08 12:49 Section: Daily Dispatches

By Shreya Nandi
Business Standard, New Delhi
Wednesday, January 8, 2025

The central government has revised downward the gold import data for November to $9.8 billion, a sharp reduction from the earlier announced figure of $14.8 billion, according to data from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) released today.

The $5 billion revision is attributed to a “calculation error” caused by the alleged double counting of gold shipments in warehouses following a shift in the online filing services to the National Securities Depository (NSDL) from the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE) starting in July 2024 for gold traders.

A senior government official told Business Standard that there seems to be an “error” in the transition from NSDL to ICEGATE. However, the Department of Commerce did not issue an official statement on the revised data. …

… For the remainder of the report:

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”COCOA

INFLATION EVERYWHERE

Panic Hedge? Hershey Reportedly Asks CFTC Approval To Buy Huge Cocoa Pile On NY Exchange

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 10:05 AM

The worsening global cocoa squeeze has taken a new turn, with US chocolate giant Hershey Co. reportedly seeking approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to purchase a massive amount of cocoa through the New York exchange. The move highlights that cocoa cost inflation will get even more extreme in 2025.

First reported by Bloomberg, the maker of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups asked the CFTC for approval to purchase 90,000 metric tons of cocoa on ICE Futures US. Sources said this is equivalent to about 5,000 20-foot containers and more than nine times the amount the exchange allows. 

“The headlines on Hershey today suggest the outlook for confectionary (cocoa) cost inflation is getting even more extreme,” Goldman’s Natasha de la Grense told clients Thursday morning. 

In a note to clients, JPMorgan’s Ken Goldman suggested that Hershey might be attempting to replicate its 2020 strategy, leveraging price dislocations to manage and reduce cocoa costs. 

Still, the current hedge “don’t have to be for the same reason or have the same directional impact,” Goldman said. 

He added: “For all we know, Hershey may very well want to buy hard cocoa because of supply concerns. We also don’t necessarily believe all of 2025’s cocoa needs are hedged.”

In Hershey’s third-quarter earnings call, CFO Steve Voskuil told analysts that the company was “well hedged” in 2024. He said for 2025: “Now you flash ahead to current pricing and you look at pricing for next year, it’s a pretty significant step-up. And it’s not just the cocoa side. The cocoa beans, of course, the biggest piece, but there’s also cocoa butter, cocoa liquor and some of the other physical derivatives of cocoa that’ll be inside that inflation.” 

A Hershey spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company has a” rigorous” procurement process and is “well covered” on its cocoa needs for 2025. 

In markets, the most active cocoa contract rose more than 10% in early trading in New York. Prices nearly tripled in 2024 on tightening global supplies after the spread of disease and poor weather crushed harvests in West Africa. 

In mid-December, Goldman’s commodity derivatives analyst Hugo Fuentes told clients to “go long cocoa” as “prices are positioned for significant upside driven by structural supply deficits, under-hedged consumers, and historically low warehouse stocks.”

END 

end

6 CRYPTOCURRENCY NEWS

END

ASIA TRADING THURSDAY MORNING  WEDNESDAY  NIGHT

SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 18.77 PTS OR 0.58%

//Hang Seng CLOSED DOWN 39.95 PTS OR 0.20%

// Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 375.97 OR 0.20%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED DOWN 0.25%

//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED UP TO 7.3553 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED UP TO 7.3561// Oil DOWN TO 73.49 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 76.10 Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN EXCEPT GERMAN DAX

ONSHORE USA/ YUAN TRADING ABOVE LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN  TRADING STRONGER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE YUAN STRONGER

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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

ONSHORE YUAN:   CLOSED UP AT 7.3553

OFFSHORE YUAN: UP TO 7.3561

SHANGHAI CLOSED CLOSED DOWN 18.77 PTS OR 0.58%

HANG SENG CLOSED CLOSED DOWN 38.95 PTS OR 0.20%

2. Nikkei closed DOWN 375.97 PTS OR 0.94%

3. Europe stocks   SO FAR:  MOSTLY ALL GREEN EXCEPT GERMAN DAX

USA dollar INDEX UP TO  109.00 EURO FALLS TO 1.0301 DOWN 11 BASIS PTS

3b Japan 10 YR bond yield: RISES TO. +1.185 Japan buying 100% of bond issuance)/Japanese YEN vs USA cross now at 157.70…… 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 UP /JAPANESE Yen UP CHINESE ONSHORE YUAN: UP OFFSHORE: UP

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

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

3g Oil DOWN 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 +2.5265 Italian 10 Yr bond yield UP to 3.694 //SPAIN 10 YR BOND YIELD UP TO 3.209

3i Greek 10 year bond yield UP TO 3.327

3j Gold at $2671.95/Silver at: 30.35  1 am est) SILVER NEXT RESISTANCE LEVEL AT $50.00//AFTER 28.40

3k USA vs Russian rouble;// Russian rouble UP 2 AND 00/100  roubles/dollar; ROUBLE AT 102.50

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 157.70  10 YEAR YIELD AFTER FIRST BREAKING .54% LAST YEAR NOW EXCEEDS THAT LEVEL TO 1.185% 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 0.9115 as the Swiss Franc is still rising against most currencies. Euro vs SF:   0.9395 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: 4.659 DOWN 3 BASIS PTS…

USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 4.900 DOWN 3 BASIS PTS/

USA 2 YR BOND YIELD:  4.264 DOWN 3 BASIS PTS

USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 35.35…

10 YR UK BOND YIELD: 4.8720 UP 7 PTS

10 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 3.345 UP 1 BASIS PTS

5 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 3.038 DOWN 2 PTS.

2a New York OPENING REPORT

2B) EUROPEAN REPORT

USD maintains strength ahead of Fed speak, Gilts briefly touched 89.00 but quickly pared – Newsquawk US Market Open

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 05:58 AM

• European bourses are mixed whilst US is away amid the National Day of Mourning in honour of President Jimmy Carter.
• Pound under pressure as Cable hangs by a thread; DXY broadly firmer vs peers (ex-JPY).
• Gilts gap lower and hit 89.00 but have since pared into an imminent parliamentary question, hefty European supply well received.
• Subdued trade in energy but base metals tilt higher.
• Looking ahead, Fed’s Harker, Collins, Barkin, Schmid, Bowman and BoE’s Breeden.

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EUROPEAN TRADE

EQUITIES

• European bourses began the European morning with a strong negative bias, but sentiment has since improved to display a more mixed picture.
• European sectors are mixed vs initially opening with a negative tilt. Basic Resources is by far the clear outperformer today, benefiting from broad-based strength in underlying metals prices (following Chinese inflation data overnight). Retail bottoms the index and is the clear underperformer today, after a few trading updates from UK retailers, which highlighted future cost pressures as a result of the Autumn Budget.
• US equity futures reside in negative territory, with modest underperformance in the NQ; as a reminder, cash markets are shut on account of the National Day of Mourning in honour of President Jimmy Carter.
• Click for the sessions European pre-market equity newsflow
• Click for the additional news
• Click for a detailed summary

FX

• USD is broadly firmer vs. peers (ex-JPY). Harker, Collins, Barkin, Schmid, Bowman. As it stands, with January widely expected to see an unchanged rate from the FOMC, the March meeting has around 11bps of loosening. Note, today sees no trade for the US stock market and on account of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter – volumes will be lighter than normal.
• EUR is marginally softer vs. the USD. Updates from the Eurozone have seen a better-than-expected outturn for German Industrial Output. However, this appeared to be more of a bounce back from recent softness rather than the start of a noteworthy recovery in German. EUR/USD has just about managed to reclaim the 1.03 level after printing a WTD low yesterday at 1.0273.
• JPY is the only of the majors that is firmer vs. the USD. JPY has been lent a helping hand by firmer-than-expected labour cash earnings which supports the case for the BoJ to resume rate hikes. Elsewhere, the BoJ’ Nagoya Branch Manager attempted to jawbone JPY, stating that excess FX volatility is undesirable, important for it to move stably. USD/JPY has been as high as 158.39 but is yet to approach yesterday’s multi-month peak at 158.55.
• GBP is once again at the foot of the G10 leaderboard as the ongoing spike in UK yields shows no signs of abating. Accordingly, Cable cracked 1.23 to the downside for the first time since November 2023 (1.2240 is the current low), whilst EUR/GBP briefly took out 0.84 to the upside for the first time since 4th November 2024.
• Antipodeans are both near the foot of the G10 leaderboard vs. the USD as risk sentiment remains soggy and Chinese price data remained lacklustre overnight. AUD/USD was unfazed by mixed data in which the trade balance printed a larger-than-expected surplus, imports and exports improved, although Retail Sales disappointed.
• PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1886 vs exp. 7.3159 (prev. 7.1887).
• Click for a detailed summary
• Click for NY OpEx Details

FIXED INCOME

• No respite at the open with Gilts gapping lower by 78 ticks and then extending to an 89.00 low, which of course marked yet another contract trough. Since, Gilts have pared much of this downside and have at times been back within reach of the 90.00 mark, though still markedly in the red, as such yields are off highs with the 10yr around 4.85%.
• Ahead, an urgent question has been granted in parliament today to discuss the “growing pressure of borrowing costs on public finances”; the question will be heard around 10:30GMT and while Chancellor Reeves should theoretically be there to respond, it remains to be seen if that will be the case.
• USTs are just about in the green, a light data docket on account of the Federal Holiday for former President Carter though we still get December’s Challenger Layoffs. Currently at the mid-point of a 108-05 to 108-11+ band. Ahead, a slew of Fed speakers dotted throughout the day.
• Bunds are pressured having moved in tandem with Gilts in the early morning, and since rebounded off 131.34 lows. EGBs generally, and particularly OATs, heavy into supply with Spain and more pertinently France in the market. The Spanish auction was somewhat mixed with nearly the full amount sold though some of the lines saw weak demand. Following the Spanish results a bout of modest pressure was seen in EGBs, but a decent French outing helped to lift Bunds off worst levels.
• Spain sells EUR 6.22bln vs exp. EUR 5.5-6.5bln 2.40% 2028, 3.10% 2031, 2.90% 2046 Bono & EUR 0.515bln vs. Exp. 0.25-0.75bln 2.05% 2039 I/L.
• France sells EUR 12.997bln vs exp. EUR 11-13bln 3.0% 2034, 1.25% 2036, 2.50% 2043, and 3.25% 2055 OAT Auctions
• PIMCO says it “still likes UK Gilts”, says much of the rise in yields has been US-led, changes to spending cuts or tax increases rise if gilt yields continue to climb and slowing growth persists.
• Click for a detailed summary

COMMODITIES

• A subdued session for the crude complex thus far as the dollar holds an upward bias, with broader sentiment also flimsy following this week’s hot US data, UK bond market turmoil, and tariffs threats ahead of US President Trump’s inauguration. Brent Mar sits in a USD 75.68-76.36/bbl parameter.
• Precious metals hold an upward bias across the board, albeit modestly, with some demand seen given the cautious risk tone across markets, and with little action seen on the FOMC minutes yesterday. Spot gold resides in a current USD 2,655.63-2,666.98/oz range vs yesterday’s USD 2,645.37-2,670.15/oz, with the 50 DMA seen at USD 2,650/oz.
• Copper futures remain underpinned following yesterday’s advances and after Chinese CPI data printed in line with expectations overnight. Gains were maintained throughout the European morning thus far despite the resilient dollar and cautious risk tone. 3M LME copper remains north of USD 9,000/t in a current USD 9,029.50-9,103.00/t parameter.
• Citi sees US Henry Hub prices likely to be supported by an extended cold wave in the short-term with upside potential for Q2-Q4 2025 and said prices are likely to rise further to mid-USD 4/mmbtu range in Q2-Q4 2025.
• Norway’s 2025 Natural Gas output seen at 120.4 BCM (prev. guided 120.6 BCM); crude oil output seen at 10.2MCM (prev. guided 108.7 MCM).
• India is to reportedly sign a prelim mining pact with Mongolia soon, according to Reuters sources.
• Iraq sets Feb Basrah medium crude OSP to Asia at USD + 0.05/bbl (prev. USD -0.60/bbl) to Oman/Dubai average; Feb Basrah medium Crude OSP to Europe at USD -4.0/bbl vs dated brent (prev. USD -5.5/bbl), according to SOMO. Feb Basrah medium crude OSP to North and South America at USD -1.05/bbl vs ASCI.
• Russia’s Kremlin says there are still countries in Europe which are interested in “more competitive” Russian gas.
• Click for a detailed summary

NOTABLE DATA RECAP

• UK BRC Shop Price Index YY (Dec) -1.0% vs Exp. -0.4% (Prev. -0.6%)
• German Trade Balance, EUR, SA (Nov) 19.7B vs. Exp. 14.8B (Prev. 13.4B); Exports MM 2.1% vs. Exp. 2.0% (Prev. -2.8%); Imports MM -3.3% vs. Exp. 0.7% (Prev. -0.1%)

NOTABLE EUROPEAN HEADLINES

• Reports that an ‘urgent question’ on the UK market turmoil has been granted, via Sun’s Cole.
• BoE Monthly Decision Maker Panel data – December 2024. Expectations for CPI inflation a year ahead rose from 2.7% to 2.8% in the three months to December. The three-year ahead CPI inflation expectations was 2.7% in the three months to December, 0.1 percentage points higher than the three months to November.
• UK Chancellor Reeves will favour fresh cuts to public spending over tax hikes if soaring UK borrowing costs wipe out her fiscal headroom, while Reeves later stated that meeting the government’s fiscal rules is non-negotiable and the government will have an iron grip on public finances, according to Sky News.
• ECB’s Cipollone said monetary policy should let Euro zone economy run at potential, according to Corriere.
• German engineering orders -6% Y/Y in November (Domestic orders -4%, Foreign -7%), according to VDMA; Sept-Nov orders -7% Y/Y (Domestic orders -5%, Foreign orders -8%).

NOTABLE US HEADLINES

• US President-Elect Trump, during a closed door meeting, backed US House Speaker Johnson’s preferred strategy on budget reconciliation – a package covering tax & spending cuts, immigration & energy policy, according to Punchbowl.
• US President Biden declared California wildfires to be a major disaster and he cancelled his upcoming trip to Italy due to the California wildfires, while it was also reported that a mandatory evacuation order was imposed on Hollywood after a new fire erupted, according to AFP.
• US President-elect Trump says after meeting with Republicans in Congress that whether it is one or two bills to pass his agenda, something will be done, while he added that China is running the Panama Canal and “that’s not going to happen either”.
• US dockworkers and port employers reached an agreement to avert a strike, according to Bloomberg.

GEOPOLITICS

• US official says President Biden is set to announce new sanctions targeting Russian economy this week. Likely to also sanction more Chinese entities for supporting Russia. US official says long-range ATACMS missiles, F-16 fighter jets and Abrams tanks have not been a game changer for Ukraine against Russia. US is studying North Korean military operations in Ukraine to “understand lessons for Asia”
• US and Arab mediators have made some progress in Gaza peace talks, no deal yet, according to Reuters sources. Breakthrough when it comes to narrowing old existing gaps, but there is still no deal yet, says a Palestinian official
• Houthi media reported US-British bombing of targets in Sanaa, Amran and Hodeidah with six raids, while the Pentagon later confirmed that Central Command carried out strikes against two Houthi facilities and said that strikes were carried out in Yemen as part of efforts to weaken Houthi capabilities.
• Russia’s Kremlin says there have been no contact between US President-elect Trump and Russia President Putin yet

CRYPTO

• Bitcoin continues to slip and edges below USD 94k; Ethereum holds around USD 3.3k.
• US President-elect Trump’s transition team has interviewed at least a half dozen candidates to fill the role of chairman of the CFTC which will likely be the lead regulator of the USD 3.5tln crypto industry, according to Fox Business’s Gasparino.

APAC TRADE

• APAC stocks were mostly negative following the cautious mood in global counterparts amid the recent UK bond market turmoil and Trump tariff reports.
• ASX 200 was dragged lower amid pressure in industrials, tech and the consumer sectors, while the data was mixed with a larger-than-expected Trade Surplus and an improvement in both monthly Exports and Imports, although Retail Sales disappointed.
• Nikkei 225 underperformed following firmer-than-expected labour cash earnings which supports the case for the BoJ to resume rate hikes, while participants also awaited after-market earnings releases including from index heavyweight Fast Retailing.
• Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were ultimately subdued but with price action indecisive amid ongoing trade-related concerns, while participants digested the latest Chinese inflation data in which Consumer Prices matched forecasts but printed at a 9-month low and factory gate prices remained in deflation territory albeit at a slightly slower-than-expected pace of decline.

NOTABLE ASIA-PAC HEADLINES

• MOFCOM says it will ask EU to adjust relevant practices in foreign subsidy probes, after it determines EU probes constitute trade and investment barriers, according to the Global Times
• China 2024 passenger car sales: 23.1mln, Dec car sales: 2.66mln (vs 2.45mln sold in Nov, +16.6% Y/Y), according to China’s CPCA. Tesla (TSLA) exported 10,839 China-made cars in December (5366 in Nov) (18,334 in 2023).
• China’s CPCA says China car sales are estimated to grow 2% in 2025, EV sales estimated to rise 20%, and make up 57% of China’s total car sales in 2025. Car export growth estimated to slow to 10% in 2025. Exports for EVs estimated to see no growth.
• US President Biden’s administration plans additional curbs on exports of AI chips from Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD) in the final days of the administration, while it was also reported that the White House is rushing to finish cyber order after China hacks, according to Bloomberg.
• China’s MOFCOM said regarding the investigation into unfair EU trade barriers that it concluded EU’s measures constitute trade and investment barriers.
• China 2024 passenger car sales: 23.1mln, Dec car sales: 2.66mln (vs 2.45mln sold in Nov, +16.6% Y/Y), according to China’s CPCA.
• Fast Retailing (9983 JT) Q1 (JPY): Operating Profit 157.56bln (exp. 157.81bln, prev. 146.69bln), Net 131.9bln (prev. 107.8bln Y/Y), Revenue 895.19bln (prev. 810.83bln); Co. affirms FY25 net, Operating Profit and Revenue guidance.
• BoJ Osaka Branch Manager says compared to the prior year, more large firms in the region are expressing willingness to hike wages earlier than before; significant number of firms are keen to hike pay, so expect solid wage hikes in 2025 wage talks. Rising import costs/commodity prices have moderated, concern over sharp inflation risk has not increased much.
• BoJ’s Nagoya Branch Manager says some firms, incl. smaller ones, are considering increasing wages this year at/above last year’s pace.

DATA RECAP

• Chinese CPI MM (Dec) 0.0% vs. Exp. 0.0% (Prev. -0.6%); YY 0.1% vs. Exp. 0.1% (Prev. 0.2%)
• Chinese PPI YY (Dec) -2.3% vs. Exp. -2.4% (Prev. -2.5%)
• Japanese Overall Lab Cash Earnings (Nov) 3.0% vs. Exp. 2.7% (Prev. 2.6%, Rev. 2.2%)
• Australian Trade Balance (AUD)(Nov) 7079M vs. Exp. 5750M (Prev. 5953M)
• Australian Goods/Services Exports (Nov) 4.8% (Prev. 3.6%)
• Australian Goods/Services Imports (Nov) 1.7% (Prev. 0.1%)
• Australian Retail Sales MM Final (Nov) 0.8% vs. Exp. 1.0% (Prev. 0.6%)

2C ASIAN REPORT

FOMC minutes indicated they were at/near an appropriate point to slow the pace of easing – Newsquawk Europe Market Open

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 01:48 AM

• APAC stocks were mostly negative following the cautious mood in global counterparts amid the recent UK bond market turmoil and Trump tariff reports.
• FOMC Minutes stated that participants indicated the Fed was at or near a point at which it would be appropriate to slow the pace of easing.
• European equity futures indicate a flat cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures unchanged after the cash market closed with losses of 0.3% on Wednesday.
• USD is firmer vs peers (ex-JPY), GBP remains on the backfoot in the wake of bond market pressure, EUR/USD eyes 1.03 to the upside.
• Looking ahead, highlights include German Industrial Output, BoE DMP, EZ Retail Sales, Fed’s Harker, Collins, Barkin, Schmid, Bowman and BoE’s Breeden, Supply from Spain & France.
• National Day of Mourning – The desk will close at 19:00GMT/14:00EST on Thursday 9th January, upon which the desk will close and re-open at 22:00GMT/17:00EST the same day due to US market closures.

SNAPSHOT

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US TRADE

EQUITIES

• US stocks were mixed as were the sectors with Health and Consumer Staples the relative outperformers, while Communication Services, Energy, and Health all sat in the red. Risk sentiment was initially hit in the European morning, on a couple of factors; firstly it was by weakness in the fixed income space, led by Gilts plummeting, before being further weighed on by CNN sources noting President-elect Trump is reportedly considering a national economic emergency declaration to allow for new tariff programme. However, as the US day progressed Treasuries and stocks managed to pare most of the losses in a choppy session.
• SPX +0.16% at 5,918, NDX +0.04% at 21,181, DJIA +0.25% at 42,635, RUT -0.48% at 2,239.
• Click here for a detailed summary.

FOMC MINUTES

• FOMC Minutes stated that participants indicated the Fed was at or near a point at which it would be appropriate to slow the pace of easing and participants indicated if data came in about as expected, it would be appropriate to continue to move gradually toward a more neutral policy stance. The vast majority of participants forecast it as appropriate to lower the target range by 25bps at the December meeting although some participants noted there was merit in keeping rates unchanged at the December meeting, citing a higher risk of persistently elevated inflation. The Minutes also stated that a number of participants indicated they had incorporated ‘placeholder assumptions’ regarding potential trade and immigration policy changes into their projections, while Fed staff projected slightly lower GDP growth and ‘a bit’ higher unemployment rate than the previous baseline forecast after incorporating recent data and placeholder assumptions of potential policy changes from the incoming administration.

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• US President Biden declared California wildfires to be a major disaster and he cancelled his upcoming trip to Italy due to the California wildfires, while it was also reported that a mandatory evacuation order was imposed on Hollywood after a new fire erupted, according to AFP.
• US President-elect Trump says after meeting with Republicans in Congress that whether it is one or two bills to pass his agenda, something will be done, while he added that China is running the Panama Canal and “that’s not going to happen either”.
• US President-elect Trump’s advisers are reportedly considering Kevin Hassett, Larry Lindsey, Marc Sumerlin, Kevin Warsh, David Malpass and Michelle Bowman as potential successors to Fed Chair Powell at the end of Powell’s term in 2026, according to Bloomberg citing sources. Furthermore, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack is said to be in the mix for a possible seat on the Board during Trump’s second term.
• US dockworkers and port employers reached an agreement to avert a strike, according to Bloomberg.

APAC TRADE

EQUITIES

• APAC stocks were mostly negative following the cautious mood in global counterparts amid the recent UK bond market turmoil and Trump tariff reports.
• ASX 200 was dragged lower amid pressure in industrials, tech and the consumer sectors, while the data was mixed with a larger-than-expected Trade Surplus and an improvement in both monthly Exports and Imports, although Retail Sales disappointed.
• Nikkei 225 underperformed following firmer-than-expected labour cash earnings which supports the case for the BoJ to resume rate hikes, while participants also awaited after-market earnings releases including from index heavyweight Fast Retailing.
• Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were ultimately subdued but with price action indecisive amid ongoing trade-related concerns, while participants digested the latest Chinese inflation data in which Consumer Prices matched forecasts but printed at a 9-month low and factory gate prices remained in deflation territory albeit at a slightly slower-than-expected pace of decline.
• US equity futures (ES -0.2%) marginally weakened amid the risk aversion in Asia and with US stock markets closed on Thursday for a National Day of Mourning.
• European equity futures indicate a flat cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures unchanged after the cash market closed with losses of 0.1% on Wednesday.

FX

• DXY paused overnight around the 109.00 level after gaining yesterday alongside the risk-off tone which was triggered by a sell-off in Gilts and a report that US President-elect Trump is considering a national economic emergency declaration to allow for a new tariff programme. Attention was also on Fed rhetoric as Waller noted he would support further cuts in 2025 but the pace will depend on further inflation progress, and the FOMC Minutes were widely as expected and signalled a January pause, while there are several Fed speakers scheduled today including Barkin, Bowman, Harker, Collins, and Schmid although volumes are expected to be lower owing to the US market closure for the National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter.
• EUR/USD was contained after a recent brief dip beneath the 1.0300 handle with the single currency not helped by mixed European data and the Trump tariff report.
• GBP/USD remained pressured and is eyeing 1.23 to the downside after underperforming yesterday amid the gilt market turmoil.
• USD/JPY mildly pulled back overnight following the firmer-than-expected labour cash earnings data and just about retained the 158.00 status.
• Antipodeans were confined within a narrow range amid the mostly negative risk appetite and after mixed data from Australia including disappointing Retail Sales.
• PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1886 vs exp. 7.3159 (prev. 7.1887).

FIXED INCOME

• 10yr UST futures kept afloat after clawing back yesterday’s initial losses with the help of dovish comments from Fed’s Waller and a strong 30yr auction.
• Bund futures languished near a six-month low beneath the 132.00 level ahead of German Industrial Production and Trade data.
• 10yr JGB futures were restricted after firmer-than-expected wage data and despite stronger-than-previous results from the 30yr JGB auction.

COMMODITIES

• Crude futures were subdued after the prior day’s losses owing to headwinds from the downbeat risk tone and recent dollar strength.
• Slovak PM Fico secured gas for domestic consumption during talks in Moscow last month.
• Citi sees US Henry Hub prices likely to be supported by an extended cold wave in the short-term with upside potential for Q2-Q4 2025 and said prices are likely to rise further to mid-USD 4/mmbtu range in Q2-Q4 2025.
• Spot gold struggled for direction after yesterday’s price swings and with a lack of major fireworks from the FOMC Minutes.
• Copper futures remained underpinned following yesterday’s advances and after Chinese CPI data printed in line with expectations.
• Chile’s Codelco copper production reached 1.328mln metric tonnes in 2024.

CRYPTO

• Bitcoin remained on the back foot and retreated back to beneath the USD 95,000 level.
• US President-elect Trump’s transition team has interviewed at least a half dozen candidates to fill the role of chairman of the CFTC which will likely be the lead regulator of the USD 3.5tln crypto industry, according to Fox Business’s Gasparino.

NOTABLE ASIA-PAC HEADLINES

• US President Biden’s administration plans additional curbs on exports of AI chips from Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD) in the final days of the administration, while it was also reported that the White House is rushing to finish cyber order after China hacks, according to Bloomberg.
• China’s MOFCOM said regarding the investigation into unfair EU trade barriers that it concluded EU’s measures constitute trade and investment barriers.

DATA RECAP

• Chinese CPI MM (Dec) 0.0% vs. Exp. 0.0% (Prev. -0.6%)
• Chinese CPI YY (Dec) 0.1% vs. Exp. 0.1% (Prev. 0.2%)
• Chinese PPI YY (Dec) -2.3% vs. Exp. -2.4% (Prev. -2.5%)
• Japanese Overall Lab Cash Earnings (Nov) 3.0% vs. Exp. 2.7% (Prev. 2.6%, Rev. 2.2%)
• Australian Trade Balance (AUD)(Nov) 7079M vs. Exp. 5750M (Prev. 5953M)
• Australian Goods/Services Exports (Nov) 4.8% (Prev. 3.6%)
• Australian Goods/Services Imports (Nov) 1.7% (Prev. 0.1%)
• Australian Retail Sales MM Final (Nov) 0.8% vs. Exp. 1.0% (Prev. 0.6%)

GEOPOLITICS

MIDDLE EAST

• Houthi media reported US-British bombing of targets in Sanaa, Amran and Hodeidah with six raids, while the Pentagon later confirmed that Central Command carried out strikes against two Houthi facilities and said that strikes were carried out in Yemen as part of efforts to weaken Houthi capabilities.

EU/UK

NOTABLE HEADLINES

• UK Chancellor Reeves reportedly eyes more spending cuts if the UK bond rout eats up headroom, according to Bloomberg citing sources. Furthermore, Reeves will favour fresh cuts to public spending over tax hikes if soaring UK borrowing costs wipe out her fiscal headroom, while Reeves later stated that meeting the government’s fiscal rules is non-negotiable and the government will have an iron grip on public finances, according to Sky News.
• ECB’s Cipollone said monetary policy should let Euro zone economy run at potential, according to Corriere.
• ECB’s Villeroy said a slight increase in Eurozone inflation in December was expected and does not call into question their victory over inflation, while he added if the inflation pullback is confirmed, ECB rates are to head towards neutral by Summer.

DATA RECAP

• UK BRC Shop Price Index YY (Dec) -1.0% vs Exp. -0.4% (Prev. -0.6%)

3B NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA

end

3C JAPAN

end

3D. CHINA/

4.EUROPEAN AFFAIRS//UK /SCANDINAVIAN AFFAIRS

end

HUNGARY

end

GERMANY

Germany Faces Highest Number Of Bankruptcies Since Great Financial Crisis

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 05:10 AM

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

Germany is bracing for a sharp rise in bankruptcies this year, with an anticipated 25–30 percent increase compared to 2024, reaching levels not seen since the 2009 financial crisis.

The grim forecast, reported by Handelsblatt based on an analysis by restructuring consultancy firm Falkensteg, highlights deepening struggles in key industries and the broader economy.

In 2024, 364 major companies with annual revenues exceeding €10 million filed for bankruptcy — a 30 percent increase over the previous year. This marks a stark contrast to 2020, the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic when 292 such companies went bankrupt.

The hardest-hit sectors include automotive suppliers, mechanical engineering, construction, and healthcare.

“We are at the level where individual months are definitely 20-year highs,” said the head of insolvency research at Leibniz -Institute for Economic Research Halle (IWH), Steffen Müller, as cited by the German broadsheet.

“At the time of the financial crisis in 2009, we had around 1,400 insolvent partnerships and corporations per month. Now we have reached that level again,” he added.

Automotive suppliers have been identified as the most at-risk sector for insolvency in 2025, with one in six major bankruptcies in 2024 stemming from this industry. The transition to electric vehicles, declining car production, and weaker demand in key markets like China have exposed cracks in the sector’s foundation.

“We have rested on our laurels for too long,” said Düsseldorf insolvency administrator Dirk Andres, pointing to outdated business models and rising competition.

Similarly, mechanical engineering firms saw a 33 percent jump in bankruptcies last year. Flagship companies like Manz and Illig, despite their global market leadership, have faced significant challenges due to falling demand, higher production costs, and international competitors offering comparable technology at lower prices. The result has been mass redundancies with Illig alone reducing its workforce by nearly half.

The construction industry took a heavy hit last year, with bankruptcies rising by 53 percent. Increased costs and higher interest rates brewed a perfect storm for a sharp decline in housing construction, which is set to continue into the new year. Only 220,000 apartments are expected to be built in 2025 — far below the government’s target of 400,000.

Labor shortages and rising costs also affected the healthcare sector with 23 major bankruptcies recorded last year and two-thirds of hospitals and clinics expecting their balance sheet to look even bleaker this year, according to a recent report from the German Hospital Association.

As Remix News previously reported in November, the Federal Statistical Office expected bankruptcies in 2024 to top 20,000, while last month the Ifo Employment Barometer, which tracks hiring and job cuts, fell to its lowest level since 2020, indicating widespread layoffs and hiring freezes across industries.

“Fewer and fewer companies are adding staff,” said Klaus Wohlrabe, who leads Ifo surveys. “In contrast, the proportion of companies that want to cut jobs is increasing. Almost all sectors are considering job cuts.”

Read more here…

END

UK

UK MP Refuses To Apologize After Saying “Alien Cultures” Are Making Britain Unsafe

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 04:00 AM

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

A Conservative MP in the UK has refused to back track after he urged that “alien cultures” propagated via mass immigration in Britain are making the country unsafe.

Robert Jenrick, who is the shadow Justice Secretary, stood by his comments, and doubled down, telling GB News “we have seen millions of people enter the UK in recent years and some of them have backward, frankly medieval attitudes to women”.

Jenrick further urged that the ongoing pedophile rape gang scandal “started with the onset of mass migration”.

“I will not disguise or sanitise my language simply to ensure that some people are not offended,” Jenrick asserted.

Here is Jenrick’s original post:

After the cut off it states:

“The rule of law was abandoned to sustain the myth that diversity is our strength, destroying the lives of thousands of vulnerable white working class girls in the process. This appalling affair is the final nail in the coffin for liberals who still cling to the argument that Britain is an integration success story. The scandal started with the onset of mass migration. Importing hundreds of thousands of people from alien cultures, who possess medieval attitudes towards women, brought us here. And after 30 years of this disastrous experiment, we now have entrenched sectarian voting blocs that make it electoral suicide for some MPs to confront this. This scandal shows why we must end it. The foreign nationals responsible must be deported – no ifs, no buts. And the officials that covered up must be sent to jail for their appalling cowardice. Even that won’t be enough for the victims.”

In a further post, Jenrick noted “Millions of people in this country want justice and answers for the thousands of young girls who were raped and abused in the most evil ways imaginable. They want an end to the abuse that victims say continues to this very day. They are not the far-right – and to suggest otherwise is outrageous.”

The so called ‘grooming gang’ scandal has exploded into the headlines this week as Elon Musk continues to direct vitriol toward Prime Minister Kier Starmer, accusing him of facilitating a massive cover up.https://www.youtube.com/embed/5-9yh74MMqk

Musk has continued to expose Starmer, who is now clearly attempting to prevent a new public inquiry into the matter.

Starmer responded by accusing Badenoch of having “jumped on the bandwagon” of the ‘far right’, repeating comments from earlier in the week trashing everyone who has expressed disgust and called for action on the matter.

END

UK

the pound is plummeting this morning

‘Great British Peso’ Plummets To 13-Month-Low As Investors Lose Faith In The UK

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 08:45 AM

Another day, another pummeling for the pound…

No relief in sight for UK markets this morning with traders sending stock markets lower, gilt yields higher, and cable below 2024 lows.

This is the fourth day of losses on concern the Labour government will struggle to keep the deficit in check as borrowing costs surge.

That smashed the pound to its weakest since Nov 2023…

Source: Bloomberg

The UK’s domestically-focused FTSE 250 Index fell as much as 1.1% to the lowest since April, and was on course for its worst three-day drop since August.

The FTSE 100, which is comprised of large, internationally-geared stocks, outperformed, rising 0.6% as its companies benefit from a weaker pound.

“The worry is that investors have just lost faith in the UK as a place to put their assets,” said Eva Sun-Wai, a fund manager at M&G Investments, on Bloomberg Radio.

The speed of the moves has seen comparisons drawn to the fallout from Liz Truss’ ill-fated mini-budget in 2022, and prompted questions to UK lawmakers in Parliament, but – ever in search of a silver lining – while gilts opened with yields dramatically wider, they have been bid since the open and are now lower on the day…

Source: Bloomberg

Compounding the gilt market’s problems are changes in the pension industry as their investment goals shift, historically a major buyer of UK government debt.

“Markets are rightly nervous about depth of demand for gilts,” said Giles Gale, a strategist at UBS.

“Fixed income weakness has been a global theme, but sentiment on the UK is particularly vulnerable.”

But, as Bloomberg reports, Sun-Wai added the pound’s drop despite a surge in yields can be seen as a signal of capital flight, as normally higher returns would make a currency more attractive.

The move prompted jokes in the City and beyond, with Citigroup describing sterling as the “Great British Peso” – a reference to a more volatile emerging-market currency.

“The pound could remain the preferred pressure valve for anxious investors who worry about the outlook of their UK portfolios,” said Valentin Marinov, head of Credit Agricole’s Group-of-10 FX strategy in London.

“Markets are quite skittish at the moment. FX traders will continue to ‘milk’ the heightened FX volatility for whatever it’s worth.”

But, traders should have no fear because Treasury officials have assured the public that the move as “orderly“…

Add that words to the list: “contained” and “transitory“…

5 RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS

ISRAEL HAMAS /

IDF announces fallen soldier Nevo Fisher, killed in the northern Gaza Strip

Fisher was killed in the same accident as Staff Sergeants Matityahu Ya’akov Perel and Kenew Kasa.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 8, 2025 23:30Updated: JANUARY 8, 2025 23:38

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?language=en&pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fbreaking-news%2Farticle-836724&unitId=2900003088&userId=1938e01a-2e38-4f76-9d42-6dd0304d8a0a&isLegacyBrowser=false&isPartitioningSupport=1&version=20250108_fd48aad8b8707147e551ff81d1ec7599fa7176d5&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=140&unitType=tts-player

Staff Sergeant Nevo Fisher, was killed in battle while fighting in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Wednesday night.

Staff Sergeant Fisher, 20, from Bruchin, served in the 46th Armored Battalion, 401st “Iron Trails” Brigade.

Staff Sergeants Matityahu Ya’akov Perel and Kenew Kasa were killed in the same incident.

An improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated against the soldier’s tank while they were operating inside the Beit Hanun neighborhood of Gaza City. As a result of the explosion, the tank they were in caught fire, Ynet reported earlier on Wednesday.

Fisher was promoted to staff sergeant posthumously.

end

3 soldiers killed in northern Gaza fighting, raising ground offensive toll to 401

3 other troops seriously wounded alongside Staff Sergeants Matityahu Ya’akov Perel, Kanaoo Kasa and Nevo Fisher; IDF intercepts rocket fired from southern Gaza at Kerem Shalom

By Emanuel Fabian FollowToday, 2:11 a

From left: Staff Sgt. Nevo Fisher, Staff Sgt. Kanaoo Kasa and Staff Sgt. Matityahu Ya’akov Perel (IDF)

Three Israeli soldiers were killed and three were wounded while fighting Wednesday in the northern Gaza Strip, the military announced amid several days of deadly battles in the area.

The three slain troops were named as Staff Sgt. Matityahu Ya’akov Perel, 22, from Beit El, Staff Sgt. Kanaoo Kasa, 22, from Beit Shemesh, and Staff Sgt. Nevo Fisher, 20, from Bruchin.

They all served with the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion.

In the same incident, three other soldiers were wounded, including an officer in serious condition.

According to an initial IDF probe, the troops were hit by a large explosive device that was detonated against a tank during operations in Beit Hanoun.

The incident came after three other troops were killed and several more wounded in separate incidents the previous two days, and brought Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in the Strip and in military operations along the border with the enclave to 401.

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)

During Wednesday’s combat in northern Gaza, the military said an Israeli Air Force attack helicopter carried out a strike against a group of Hamas operatives at a former school in Jabalia.

According to the IDF, the Hamas operatives were at a command center embedded within the Halawa School, and were using the complex to plan and carry out attacks against troops in Gaza and against Israel.

The building had also served as a shelter for displaced Gazans, according to Palestinian media.

Gaza’s Civil Defense reported at least nine people were killed in the strike.

The IDF said it took “numerous steps” to mitigate civilian harm, including by using aerial surveillance and other intelligence.

Meanwhile, a rocket launched from southern Gaza at the Kerem Shalom area was successfully intercepted by air defenses.

The IDF later launched an interceptor missile near the border with Gaza, though the military said it was found to have been fired at a “false” identification.

There were no reports of injuries.

In the past two weeks, more than 20 rockets have been fired from Gaza at Israel, mostly from the Strip’s north.

This picture taken from southern Israel shows trails of smoke from Palestinian rocket fire as well as smoke from Israeli strikes rising above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip, on January 8, 2025. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP)

Also Wednesday, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby shot down claims of genocide in Gaza, when pressed on why the US formally recognized genocide in Sudan while not doing so in the coastal territory.

“The IDF isn’t waking up every day and putting their boots on the floor, saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to go kill some innocent people because they happen to be Palestinian,’” Kirby said during a press briefing.

“That doesn’t mean that there haven’t been too many civilian casualties in this conflict… and we have been nothing but direct with our Israeli counterparts about our concerns on that and about trying to get them… to be more discriminate about the civilian toll in Gaza. It’s unacceptably high… but that is not the same as saying genocide,” he argued.

The White House spokesperson said slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his terror organization have been the ones with “genocidal intentions,” as demonstrated during their October 2023 onslaught in which they slaughtered some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.

The subsequent war in Gaza has killed around 46,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose unverified figures do not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The IDF said it had killed some 18,000 combatants in battle as of November and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7, 2023.

end

ISRAEL/HAMAS/GAZA/HOSTAGESUSA/

Blinken is one big imbecile. Trump will not accept this. He wants all the hostages released prior to Jan 20/2025

(JerusalemPost)

Blinken: Ceasefire agreement will be handed over to Trump if not completed before inauguration

Challenges remain, Blinken said, but so far, the mechanism put forth by France and the US is functioning well, as more than one-third of Israeli forces have withdrawn from Lebanon.

By HANNAH SARISOHNJANUARY 8, 2025 22:54

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?language=en&pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Farab-israeli-conflict%2Farticle-836722&unitId=2900003088&userId=1938e01a-2e38-4f76-9d42-6dd0304d8a0a&isLegacyBrowser=false&isPartitioningSupport=1&version=20250108_fd48aad8b8707147e551ff81d1ec7599fa7176d5&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=140&unitType=tts-player

Israel and Hamas are “very close” to a ceasefire and hostage agreement, and the US is hopeful it can “get it over the line in the time that we have left,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a joint press conference on Wednesday in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. 

Blinken’s trip to France is slated to be the last of his international travels before President-elect Trump’s inauguration in less than two weeks. 

If Israel and Hamas don’t come to an agreement, President Biden’s ceasefire plan will be handed over to the incoming Trump administration, Blinken said.  

“And I believe that when we get that deal – and we’ll get it – it will be on the basis of the plan that President Biden put before the world back in May,” he added. 

Blinken said the US has done an incredible amount of work on the hostage-ceasefire agreement in terms of the “necessary arrangements” for Gaza’s security, its administration and its reconstruction. 

“And more broadly, the work, the investment we’ve made in transformative arrangements for the Middle East, starting with the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, all of that is ready to go if the opportunity presents itself with a ceasefire in Gaza as well as understandings on a pathway forward for the Palestinians,” Blinken said. ” So there’s tremendous opportunity there.”

Efforts in Lebanon

Earlier in the press conference, Barrot commended Blinken’s actions in Lebanon and the combined efforts of the US and France to facilitate Israel’s ceasefire with Hezbollah. 

“We joined our efforts to contribute or facilitate the election of a president,” Barrot said. “The vote will be taking place tomorrow, and we very much hope that a president will be elected in Lebanon so that Lebanon can continue with its institution in full place.”

Blinken echoed his counterpart’s sentiment saying the Lebanese ceasefire is holding and “creating the possibility for a much different and much better future for the country as well as for its relationship with Israel. “

Challenges remain, Blinken said, but so far the mechanism put forth by France and the US is functioning well as more than one third of Israeli forces have withdrawn from Lebanon. 

“I think the ceasefire can be a bridge to a durable peace,” Blinken continued, “that allows people on both sides of the border – Israel and Lebanon – to return to their homes, to return to their lives, and to move forward in greater peace and security.”

END

ISRAEL/HAMAS

they are not enough close to a deal

(JerusalemPost)

Hamas claims it made concessions for Gaza ceasefire

A Hamas official claimed Wednesday the group is “not far” from reaching a deal, but maintained any agreement must include a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 8, 2025 22:40Updated: JANUARY 9, 2025 01:15

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?language=en&pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fbreaking-news%2Farticle-836721&unitId=2900003088&userId=1938e01a-2e38-4f76-9d42-6dd0304d8a0a&isLegacyBrowser=false&isPartitioningSupport=1&version=20250108_fd48aad8b8707147e551ff81d1ec7599fa7176d5&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=140&unitType=tts-player

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu claimed the terror group made concessions to complete ceasefire-hostage deal negotiations, Saudi outlet Al-Resalah reported on Wednesday.

“We are not far from an agreement if [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] responds positively regarding the matters of permanent ceasefire and withdrawal,” he said.

“We have made many concessions to help mediation efforts succeed in achieving a ceasefire and ending the suffering of our people in the Gaza Strip.” 

According to Al-Resalah, Hamas will require any agreement with Israel to include a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, while Israeli officials have refused to commit to these conditions. 

“Each time we have faced Israeli obstinacy and rejection, undermining all these efforts and returning to square one because Netanyahu wants to evade any commitments that would lead to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza,” al-Nunu said.

Eleven days until Trump’s inauguration

With President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration just days away, there has been increased pressure to reach an agreement, as he recently posted on social media that there would be “hell” if the hostages were not released before January 20.

“It would be better for Trump to think about making mediation efforts successful and ending the war in Gaza instead of making threats that will only bring more destruction and death to our Palestinian people,” al-Nunu said. 

END

Trump Envoy To Join Gaza Ceasefire Talks In Qatar

Wednesday, Jan 08, 2025 – 11:00 PM

Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Tuesday that he was traveling to Qatar to take part in Gaza hostage and ceasefire negotiations with Biden administration officials.

Chances of a deal seem slim as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he has no intention of ending the genocidal war, and Hamas is saying any deal must lead to a permanent ceasefire, but Witkoff insisted progress was being made.

“We’re making a lot of progress, and I don’t want to say too much because I think they’re doing a really good job back in Doha,” Witkoff, a real estate investor, said at a press conference with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Witkoff said he was “really hopeful that by the inaugural, we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president.” When asked what has been impeding a deal, Witkoff declined to answer. “I believe we’ve been on the verge of [a deal]. I don’t want to discuss what’s delayed it — no point to be negative in any way,” he said.

Standing alongside Witkoff, Trump repeated his threat that there would be “all hell to pay” if Hamas doesn’t start releasing hostages by his inauguration on January 20.

“If those hostages aren’t back — if they’re not back by the time I get into office — all hell will break out in the Middle East and it will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out. I don’t have to say anymore, but that’s what it is and they should have been back a long time ago,” Trump said.

The president-elect has vowed to be a staunch supporter of Israel, as he was in his first term, and said on Monday that he was the “best friend that Israel ever had.”

According to media reports, Hamas has released a list of 34 hostages it is willing to release as part of the first phase of a ceasefire deal in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The Times of Israel reported that a potential deal that’s on the table would only involve a six to seven-week temporary ceasefire. Relatives of Israelis still held in Gaza are calling for the government to pursue a comprehensive deal that releases all the hostages and brings an end to the conflict.

During previous rounds of negotiations, Netanyahu sabotaged the chances of a deal by constantly declaring that he wouldn’t agree to a permanent truce and adding new demands.

END

ISRAEL/HAMAS

US Intelligence Believes Only 20 Israeli Hostages Still Alive In Gaza

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 06:55 AM

A new report has cited multiple American intelligence and security sources to say that the United States believes that only 20 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on Oct.7, 2023 remain alive.

This is of the total of 251 which were taken alive during the terror attack. After the initial prisoner swap, Israel has said that about 100 remain in Gaza since, but its military has also said at least a third of those are likely already deceased.

There have been recent efforts to revive ceasefire talks in Doha, including Israel authorizing a delegation to resume talks, but no significant breakthroughs have been reported.

According to the new report on the hostages in Newsmax:

One U.S. government source said that 20 is the “working number” of those believed to be alive in ongoing negotiations underway in Qatar between Israel and Hamas.

The figure of 20 is approximate and includes only civilians and female Israeli soldiers taken prisoner.

“If the number included Israeli male soldiers, it could go higher,” one senior Israeli source told Newsmax, but suggested it would not be a large increase.

The Israeli government has not offered any new or updated information on the status of the hostages of late. Large anti-Netanyahu protests have persisted in Israel, led by hostage victims’ family members who believe the prime minister has prioritized war over the safety of the hostages.

Amid reports that on the Gaza side over 45,000 Palestinians are 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 last week, telling Hamas to immediately release the remaining hostages or else Israel deal it “blows with a force not seen in Gaza for a long time.”

This week at a Mar-a-Lago press conference, President-elect Donald Trump vowed that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the hostages are not released by Jan. 20, when he enters office.

Back to these headlines again?…

“And it will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” Trump pledged. “We want to get back those hostages for Israel and for us.”

Yet it seems there are few or no viable options left – Gaza is already in ruins, Hamas leadership has been largely decimated, but still thousands of Hamas insurgents can make use of the tunnels to keep waging a slow-burning guerilla war.

ISRAEL/LEBANON

IDF discovers Hezbollah weaponry hidden in mountains of southern Lebanon

Inside the storage facilities, troops reportedly discovered over 200 mortar shells, loaded rocket launchers, and military vests.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 8, 2025 15:45Updated: JANUARY 8, 2025 16:26

The IDF‘s 300th Brigade, acting under the 146th Division, located and dismantled five Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in southern Lebanon, the military confirmed on Wednesday afternoon. 

The operation saw soldiers target thicketed, mountainous terrain in search of terrorists. It was during this search that the military said it located the storage facilities.

Inside these storage facilities, troops reportedly discovered over 200 mortar shells, loaded rocket launchers, and military vests.

The soldiers also uncovered a truck containing three medium-range rocket launchers, the IDF noted. The truck has stickers expressing support for Hezbollah, the IDF revealed in a video of the discovery.

Israel’s battle against terrorists

The IDF stressed that the military would continue to carry out defensive activities, including neutralizing active threats and dismantling terrorist infrastructure, which is permitted under the current Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group began firing at Israel on October 8 2023 – a day after its terror ally in Gaza, Hamas, launched its October 7 attacks and murdered some 1200 people.

END

ISRAEL LEBANON

Joseph Anoun elected President of Lebanon. USA and Israel very happy with this selection

US ambassador to Lebanon ‘very happy’ over Aoun’s election as president

By Reuters

US ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson says she is “very happy” about Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun’s election as president, ending a more than two-year vacuum in the post.

Johnson and other foreign envoys are attending today’s session at the Lebanese parliament in which Aoun was elected.

In message to Hezbollah, new Lebanese president vows to ensure state has monopoly on power

Army chief Joseph Aoun elected president after role was vacant for 2 years; Israel welcomes move, hope for stability

Who is Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese army commander elected president? – explainer

Aoun’s media appearances are extremely rare, and he has not stated a view on Hezbollah’s arsenal.

By REUTERSJANUARY 9, 2025 15:21

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?language=en&pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fmiddle-east%2Farticle-836828&unitId=2900003088&userId=0825748c-83eb-4fa6-9d99-5d5781551d74&isLegacyBrowser=false&isPartitioningSupport=1&version=20250109_61bcb8952e4cefd3ddf8e39c493aab5131b7bfd4&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=140&unitType=tts-player

General Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese army commander who was elected president on Thursday, kept his military on the sidelines of a recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, ordering it to prioritize civil peace even as troops were killed.

Aoun, a 60-year-old career soldier, became the fifth Lebanese army commander to be elected as president in Lebanon’s history, ending a more than two-year vacuum in the post.

Since taking over the army command in 2017, he steered the institution through a national financial crisis that demolished the currency and with it the value of his soldiers’ salaries, shaking an institution that has underpinned internal stability since the 1975-90 civil war.

He also kept it out of a more than year-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group that had long expressed reservations about Aoun’s candidacy. More than 40 Lebanese troops were killed in Israeli strikes over that period but the army did not clash with Israel directly.

Hezbollah has emerged bruised from the conflict, with Israeli strikes killing most of its top commanders and wreaking devastation on the group’s bastions.

Aoun’s media appearances are extremely rare, and he has not stated a view on Hezbollah’s arsenal, widely considered to be more powerful than the Lebanese army’s.

Aoun has a key role in shoring up a 60-day ceasefire brokered by Washington and Paris in November. The terms require the Lebanese military to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.

In meetings with lawmakers in the lead-up to Thursday’s election, US and Gulf officials expressed approval of him as the new president, without expressly endorsing him, parliamentarians in attendance told Reuters.

In a rare interview with pro-Hezbollah Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar in 2017, Aoun said he would “limit political interference” in the army.

He did not speak about his candidacy for the presidency in any public forum and did not make the rounds to Lebanon’s divided political factions to shore up support, like other candidates typically do before an election.

Rare political statements

Aoun was born in Sin el-Fil near Beirut and enrolled in the army in 1983 during Lebanon’s civil war. His first assignment was as a platoon commander in the army rangers in 1985 and his training included two infantry officer courses in the United States.

Shortly after his appointment as commander, the army waged an offensive to clear Islamic State terrorists from an enclave at the Syrian border, drawing praise from the US ambassador at the time, who said the military had done an “excellent job.”

In becoming president, a post reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon’s sectarian system, he will follow in the footsteps of other former army commanders who have assumed the post, including the last head of state, Michel Aoun, who is no relation.

In an unusually political statement for an army commander, Aoun criticized ruling politicians over Lebanon’s financial collapse in 2021, saying soldiers were going hungry along with the rest of the population and asking politicians “what do you intend to do?”

The United States, which has funneled more than $2.5 billion in support to the LAF since 2006, stepped in with additional aid, including helping salary support for soldiers.

Aoun described the support of friendly states, including Qatar, as “a strong support during this phase.”

On Aoun’s watch, US aid has continued to flow to the army, part of a US policy focused on supporting state institutions to curb the influence of Hezbollah, which Washington deems a terrorist group.

Aoun is married with two children.

end

zero hedge on the above story:

Lebanon Has A President After 2-Year Gridlock, Vows Only State To Have ‘Monopoly’ On Arms

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 10:55 AM

Lebanon finally has a new president of the nation on Thursday, after a years-long stalemated process which many Lebanese feared would never come to fruition. US-backed army chief Joseph Aoun has been elected after two rounds of voting by parliament, after which he immediately relinquished his military role and appeared in civilian clothing to be quickly sworn in.

Lebanon has been without a president since the tenure of Joseph Aoun (not related), which ended in October 2022. The small Mediterranean and Mideast country which sits West of Syria and north of Israel has been enduring a years-long financial and banking crisis, as well as a year-plus-long devastating war with Israel.

The past two years had witnessed no less that a dozen failed attempts to elect a new president, thwarted in large part by Hezbollah’s significant influence over the country.

CNN writes that “Hezbollah and its main Shia ally Amal are widely believed to have cast their ballots for Aoun in the second round after withholding their votes in the first round. Aoun won by 99 parliamentary votes out of 128 in the second round of votes.”

Parliament erupted in celebration as soon as enough votes were passed to secure Aoun as president of the country.

International pressure has been mounting for Lebanon to find way forward, given just 17 days remain in a 60-day ceasefire brokered with Israel which requires the deployment of Lebanese troops alongside UN peacekeeping forces in south Lebanon.

“No more mafias, no security hotbeds, no smuggling, no money laundering, no drug trafficking, no interference in the judiciary, no protections, no favoritism, and no immunity for a criminal, corrupt person, or perpetrator,” President Aoun said after being newly sworn in.

Crucially the new leader, who has the backing of the US and Saudi Arabia, has called for all militias, most notably including Hezbollah, to lay down their arms. He said only the state will have ‘monopoly’ on arms.

“My pledge is to exercise my role as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and to affirm the right of the state to monopolize the carrying of weapons,” he stated. “Lebanon has remained the same despite wars, bombings and mismanagement of our crises,” he elsewhere added.

He stressed: “If we want to build a country, we must all be under the umbrella of the law and the judiciary.” The 60-year old Maronite Christian has long previously vowed he would “limit political interference” in the army.

The now former military chief’s election is seen as a hugely positive sign that the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement will hold. Without a president, there was waning confidence that key aspects of the arrangement would find implementation, given it required much of south Lebanon to be administered by national army troops.

Hezbollah has long been better armed than even the national military, given also its support from Iran via former President Assad’s Syria. Hezbollah’s leadership has since been decimated and Assad ousted, and Lebanon has been on its knees as it hopes to rebuild following many months of brutal Israeli attacks on Beirut and other parts of the country.

end

ISRAEL/IRAN

Israeli military on high alert as regional tensions, Iranian rhetoric escalate

Faced with mounting military, economic, and political pressures, Iran may seek to strike Israel in the coming days, although experts say escalating Iranian rhetoric could be mere bluster

By VERONICA NEIFAKH / THE MEDIA LINEJANUARY 7, 2025 11:20Updated: JANUARY 8, 2025 13:00

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?language=en&pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fmiddle-east%2Firan-news%2Farticle-836434&unitId=2900003088&userId=1938e01a-2e38-4f76-9d42-6dd0304d8a0a&isLegacyBrowser=false&isPartitioningSupport=1&version=20250108_fd48aad8b8707147e551ff81d1ec7599fa7176d5&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=140&unitType=tts-player

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has placed the Israeli military on high alert, warning that Iran may take extreme measures against Israel in the coming days. According to a report from Walla News, this heightened caution stems from escalating tensions in Iran in the country’s economic, political, and military spheres.

For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org

Unnamed defense sources cited in the report indicate that these factors, combined with uncertainty surrounding the return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House later this month, could push Tehran toward aggressive actions. Given the complex and unpredictable nature of Iran’s current situation, Israeli military leadership is preparing for a range of possible scenarios, though specific details were not disclosed.

This attack would be the third direct Iranian attack on Israel since the war began, following major strikes in April 2024 and October 2024.

Meir Litvak, a senior research associate at the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that the most likely target for a potential Iranian attack is domestic Israeli infrastructure rather than Israeli embassies abroad.

“I can imagine another major missile attack—this could be one option. Another option could be an attempt to target Israeli natural gas drilling stations or a major cyberattack aimed at paralyzing a critical system in Israel,” Litvak told The Media Line.

He advised Israeli civilians to be cautious but to avoid panicking, noting that more information will likely be available soon.

Beni Sabti, a researcher in the Institute for National Security Studies’ Iran program, said that Iran has long promised a third attack on Israel following the attacks in April and October of last year.

“They’ve conducted the second attack, but the third one seems stuck, and they’re very frustrated about that,” he told The Media Line. “Over the past few days, there have been a lot of promises in Iranian media—saying they will act at the right place and time, and that it will surely come.”

He explained that the Iranian military is currently conducting a major exercise involving air, naval, and ground forces. “There’s a concern they could use this exercise as a cover for launching an attack, similar to what Egypt and Syria did in 1973—starting with a maneuver and turning it into a war,” Sabti said.

Timing and Motives

Litvak said that the timing of a potential Iranian attack might be linked to the upcoming change in the US administration.

“Probably, they want to set something in motion, assuming [US President Joe] Biden would hesitate to respond strongly in the last few days of his term,” he said. “They may hope to act before Trump takes office, thinking Biden won’t respond decisively and that Trump won’t retaliate immediately upon taking power.”

He said that Iran may be attempting to force Trump to react to an already escalating situation.

Sabti emphasized that Iran’s recent rhetoric may be aimed at increasing psychological pressure on Israel rather than actual escalation. “These statements are about showing strength—saying, ‘We are here. We exist. You didn’t beat us.’ It’s a way of thinking rooted in Iranian and Shiite culture,” he said.

He compared current Iranian rhetoric to that of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah when he insisted that his group had achieved victory in the 2006 war with Israel despite incurring significant losses.

While Iran may talk a big talk, Sabti said it likely understands the sensitivity of the current moment. “If they’re already this afraid of Trump, and he’s not even in the White House yet, what will they do when he actually takes office?” he said.

“Israel has improved its defenses, and Iran lacks proper protection,” he continued. “I just can’t imagine them taking such a risk.”

Iranian Strategy and Limitations

Litvak described Iran’s current position as one of internal debate following setbacks in Syria and Lebanon. “Should they reconsider or restructure their proxy strategy—perhaps relying more on Iraqi militias and less on Hezbollah—or should they abandon the proxy strategy altogether and instead focus on nuclear deterrence? There are voices in Iran now calling for a full commitment to nuclear weapons,” he said.

He said that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has likely not yet made a decision about how to move forward. “The Iranians certainly suffered a setback, but they may want to show that despite this, they remain powerful and undeterred,” he said.

Sabti said that Iranian proxies are unlikely to be involved in a potential attack. “Which proxy? Hezbollah has its own problems—no money, no command,” he said. “Iraqi militias have put their guns aside, especially with Trump about to take office. That leaves us only with the Houthis, but they’re occupied with their own issues.”

Iranian domestic issues, including fuel shortages and electricity outages, may complicate Khamenei’s decision-making. “They have to decide whether pursuing a foreign venture is wise while facing such difficulties at home,” Litvak said.

Sabti said that Iran may not be able to afford an attack on Israel. “They’re facing their worst economic situation ever,” he said. “Inflation is out of control—basic food prices have risen by 70% or more, and there are daily electricity shortages lasting six or seven hours. They can’t even provide clean air and water.”

“They still have to face their own people,” he continued. “How many times can they tell the population to eat ideology instead of bread?”

Israeli Preparedness

Without support from the US, Israel is not capable of complete defense against an Iranian attack, Litvak said, estimating that Iran still possesses more than 1,000 ballistic missiles.

“For a major missile attack, we have protection, but we don’t have enough anti-missile systems to intercept all Iranian missiles,” he said. “This is why we need American support. If they launch, say, 400 missiles, we’ll face a problem. We can intercept some of the missiles, and others may fall into open areas, but it remains a significant issue.”

While acknowledging that Israel currently enjoys significant support from the US, Litvak expressed concerns about future American aid to Israel under the coming Trump administration and in the transition period. “I fear that our current government is making every effort to make Israel unpopular in the US,” he said. “My great fear is that eventually, we may lose American support. The Americans may grow tired of us.”

Sabti, on the other hand, said that Israel was likely well prepared to face another Iranian strike. “I don’t have exact military knowledge, but Israel is very good at learning lessons and improving its systems,” he said. “Unlike Iran, where they don’t criticize themselves or reassess their strategies, Israel constantly evaluates and upgrades its capabilities.”

He highlighted Israel’s multilayered defense system, mentioning the recent interception of a Houthi missile by an American system as an example of effective cooperation. “There are layers upon layers of defense, and Israel also has other actions it can take. We’ve seen surprises before, so I wouldn’t rule anything out,” he said.

END

ISRAEL/SYRIA/IRAN

(TIMES OF ISRAEL)

Top Iranian general acknowledges Assad regime’s fall was ‘very big blow’ to Tehran

An Iranian flag lies on the ground at the entrance of the Iranian embassy which damaged by opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP/Hussein Malla)

In a speech last week, Iran’s top general in Syria said the Islamic Republic was “defeated very badly” by the fall of Syria’s Bashar Assad, despite the repeated public downplaying of its significance by Iranian leaders.

“I don’t consider losing Syria something to be proud of,” says Brig. Gen. Behrouz Esbati in a recording of the speech, according to the New York Times. “We were defeated, and defeated very badly, we took a very big blow and it’s been very difficult.”

Esbati also said ties with Assad had been strained prior to the Syrian regime’s collapse over his refusal to let Iran-backed militias to open a new front against Israel from Syria, and accused Russia of saying it was bombing rebel forces when it was in fact dropping munitions on open fields.

Despite Assad’s ouster, Esbati said Tehran will still look for ways to enlist fighters in Syria regardless of political developments there.

“We can activate all the networks we have worked with over the years,” he is quoted as saying. “We can activate the social layers that our guys lived among for years; we can be active in social media and we can form resistance cells.”

“Now we can operate there as we do in other international arenas, and we have already started.”

END

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY/WEST BANK

END

/HOUTHIS/USA/ISRAEL

CENTCOM strikes key Houthi tunnel base under 24 hours after IDF meeting

The Houthis have increased the frequency of firing ballistic missiles at Israel for several weeks without any significant breaks.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB, JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 8, 2025 13:48Updated: JANUARY 8, 2025 18:09

https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity-player.php?language=en&pageURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fbreaking-news%2Farticle-836627&unitId=2900003088&userId=1938e01a-2e38-4f76-9d42-6dd0304d8a0a&isLegacyBrowser=false&isPartitioningSupport=1&version=20250108_fd48aad8b8707147e551ff81d1ec7599fa7176d5&useBunnyCDN=0&themeId=140&unitType=tts-player

US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday said it carried out precision strikes on the Houthis’ underground advanced conventional weapons storage facilities in Yemen. The airstrikes took place less than 24 hours after CENTCOM’s deputy commander met with the IDF’s deputy chief of staff, it said.

The Houthis had used the facilities to conduct attacks against US Navy vessels and merchant ships in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM said.

“The strikes are part of CENTCOM’s effort to degrade Iranian-backed Houthi attempts to threaten regional partners and military and merchant vessels in the region,” it said.

CENTCOM Deputy Commander V.-Adm. Brad Cooper and IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Amir Baram met in Israel on Tuesday afternoon to discuss strategy against the Houthis. Meetings of this nature usually have been focused on Gaza, Lebanon, or Iran.

Cooper and Baram visited several IAF bases, including Nevatim in the South, CENTCOM said. In 2023 at Nevatim, The Jerusalem Post watched a joint drill of Israeli F-35s and American F-15s training for striking countries at a distance.

Cooper and Baram discussed countering threats from the Houthis in Yemen and other terrorist organizations in the Middle East. They attended a strategic briefing led by IAF Commander Brig.-Gen. Omer Tishler, the Nevatim base commander, and other senior officers.

Increasing frequency of Houthi fire

On Sunday, the Houthis fired another ballistic missile at Israel, and they have increased the frequency of firing ballistic missiles at Israel for several weeks without any significant breaks.

Many of these attacks have forced millions of Israelis in the Tel Aviv and central regions into bomb shelters and safe rooms. There have been no fatalities from Houthi attacks since last July, but NIS 11 million in damage was caused to a school in the Tel Aviv area. Falling shrapnel after air-defense systems shot down Houthi ballistic missiles caused other damage.

The Houthi attacks have continued even after Israel launched four separate large-scale airstrikes on areas under the terrorist group’s control in Yemen. The IAF struck the Houthis’ main maritime ports multiple times and their international airport on December 25.

Even a CENTCOM strike against a key Houthi installation on December 31 did not stop the missiles being launched at Israel.

So far, the Houthis have launched more than 200 ballistic missiles and close to 200 drones against Israel.

Israel has said it would target Houthi leaders, but that or an end to the missile attacks has not taken place yet. The Mossad and the US are said to be making an effort to improve their intelligence gathering on the Houthis.

end

RUSSIA/UKRAINE

Up In Flames: Ukraine Strikes Key Fuel Depot Crucial To Moscow’s Victory Plan

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 08:25 AM

Via Remix News,

Ukrainian drones attacked fuel depots in the city of Engels in the Saratov region in western Russia.

There was an explosion and a huge fire. Local authorities decided to introduce a state of emergency, reports the Interia news portal. 

The attack on the oil depot, which supplies fuel to the Engels-2 military airport, was carried out on Tuesday night. The strike was confirmed in a statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“Numerous explosions were reported near the target and a large-scale fire broke out. Local authorities confirm that an ‘industrial facility’ was hit  (…) More detailed information on the results of combat operations is being clarified,” it was written.

“Damage to the oil base creates serious logistical problems for the strategic aviation of the Russian occupiers and significantly reduces its ability to attack peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian facilities,” it added.

Due to the huge fire that was caused by the shelling, local authorities announced a state of emergency in Engels. The decision was announced by the governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin.

“Unfortunately, while putting out the fire, two employees of the Fire Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations died. One specialist was also taken to the hospital (…) Throughout the day in Engels, in the area of ​​the fire, specialists from the Rospotrebnadzor department have been taking air samples. No excess pollutants were recorded,” state Russian authorities.

Petro Lakiychuk spoke about the effectiveness of the drone strike on the city of Engels. The Ukrainian expert stated that for the Russians, the military airport “Engels-2,” which is located near the warehouses that were hit, is a key one in the war.

“It is a key airport for Russian strategic aviation, strategic bombers, which are used against Ukraine. In total, they have three such airports,” he said.

“They simply do not have a substitute, where they would make intermediate landings. The more “Engels” is neutralized, the harder it will be for them to work towards victory,” he said.

Read more here..

6.GLOBAL ISSUES//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES/HEALTH ISSUES

Sugary Drinks Linked To Millions Of New Diabetes And Heart Disease Cases

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 12:10 PM

Authored by Rachel Ann T. Melegrito via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Sugary drinks are a major contributor to chronic health issues. A new study from Tufts University in Boston suggests that approximately one in 10 new cases of Type 2 diabetes and one in 30 new cases of cardiovascular disease are linked to sugary drinks.

For the study, published in Nature Medicine on Monday, researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of the global burden of sugar-sweetened beverages. Researchers examined sugary drink intake data from dietary surveys involving 2.9 million people across 118 countries, representing nearly 90 percent of the global population.

They found that from 1990 to 2020, sugary drinks caused 5 percent of all Type 2 diabetes deaths and 2 percent of all cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths.

The proportion of Type 2 diabetes cases linked to sugary drinks increased by 1.3 percent absolute percentage points globally.

“T2D (Type 2 diabetes) burdens increased from 1990 to 2020 globally, although CVD burdens remained stable,” Laura Lara-Castor, corresponding author and postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation based at the University of Washington, told The Epoch Times.

“If we do not act promptly with strategies to decrease SSB (sugar-sweetened beverage) intakes, we’ll see a continued rise in heart and metabolic health problems linked to them,” she said.

Global Burden of Diseases Tied to Sugary Drink Intake

The study analyzed people’s dietary intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) based on 450 surveys.

The researchers found that from 1990 to 2020, SSB intake was linked to approximately 12.5 million years of healthy life lost to disease. Among these, 5 million were due to Type 2 diabetes, and 7.6 million were due to cardiovascular disease.

Latin America and the Caribbean were the most affected, with the highest proportion of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease cases linked to sugary drink consumption. Southeast and East Asian countries were the least affected.

Latin America had the highest number of Type 2 diabetes cases linked to sugary drinks, while the Middle East and North Africa had the highest number of CVD cases linked to them.

The authors categorized sugary drinks as beverages containing added sugar and at least 50 calories. Examples included soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and lemonades.

Drinks composed of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, sweetened milk, and zero-calorie artificially sweetened drinks did not count as sugary drinks.

Sugary drinks lead to adverse health effects for many reasons, including raising blood sugar and promoting fat buildup.

Drinking sugary drinks causes a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, forcing the body to work hard to return to baseline. Over time, constant sugar spikes impair the body from being able to cope with these sugar rushes, leading to chronically high blood sugar levels—a key factor in Type 2 diabetes.

The fructose present in table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, used to sweeten drinks, prompts the liver to produce excess fat. This fat can build up in the liver and blood vessels, leading to fatty liver and cardiovascular disease.

Sugary drinks may replace healthier options, resulting in people missing out on essential nutrients. This can lead to malnutrition, weight gain, and inflammation.

Developing Nations Are the Most Affected

Developing nations, including Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa, are among the hardest hit by the adverse effects of sugary beverages. In Colombia, over 48 percent of new diabetes cases and 23 percent of new cardiovascular disease cases were linked to SSB consumption.

“As SSB intakes have leveled or started to decline in high-income nations, the beverage industry has turned to emerging markets where populations are highly susceptible to marketing appeal of aspirational ‘Western’ lifestyles,” Lara-Castor said.

Adults who are more educated are the most affected by this trend, she added.

Countries with lower income, education, and health outcomes often face challenges in reducing sugary drink consumption. Contributing factors include lower tax rates on sweetened beverages and weak government enforcement of regulations. Also, limited clean water access can exacerbate the problem, Lara-Castor said.

It is difficult for people to transition to reducing their sweetened drink consumption when they are exposed to so much advertising and cheap drinks, she said, with industry opposition blunting efforts to reduce sugary drink consumption.

Help manage your blood sugar here…

END

GLOBAL ISSUES//

MARK CRISPIN MILLER

n memory of those who “died suddenly” in the United States and worldwide, December 30, 2024-January 6, 2025

Actor John Capodice (Seinfeld); singer Wayne Osmond (The Osmonds); punk rocker Marc Campbell; golf journo Steve DiMeglio (63, C); hoopster Malia Kipp; whistleblower Mike Rinder 69, C); & more

Mark Crispin Miller

Jan 09, 2025

30

9

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‘Seinfeld’ actor John Capodice dies

January 2, 2025

An actor known for his roles in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “General Hospital” and “Seinfeld” has died. John Capodice was 83 years old. Capodice’s death was announced on the Pizzi Funeral Home’s website , according to Deadline . His death notice said he died on Dec. 30 but his cause of death was not listed. The actor was born in Chicago in 1941, Variety reported. He joined the Army and served in Korea from 1964 through 1966 before becoming an actor in the 1970s. He racked up guest starring roles on shows such as “Ellen,” “Knots Landing,” “Murphy Brown” and “Seinfeld,” according to IMDB.

Researcher’s note – According to IMDb, Capodice was working into 2024.

No cause of death reported.

Link

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Wayne Osmond, brother of Donny and Marie, dies at age 73

January 2, 2025

Wayne Osmond, a singer, guitarist and a founding member of the family act The Osmonds, has died. He was 73. His brother, Donny Osmond, posted on social media: “My dear brother Wayne passed away peacefully last night from a stroke,” adding he was grateful he got to visit him in the hospital before he passed. Merrill Osmond posted on his Facebook page that Wayne died this week at a Salt Lake City hospital after suffering a “massive stroke.” Wayne Osmond was the second oldest of nine children raised in a Mormon household in Ogden, Utah.

Link

Reported on December 26:

Remembering Marc Campbell of the Ravers and the Nails

December 26, 2024

Marc Campbell — a pioneer of Colorado punk and post-punk whose best-known song was the ’80s classic “88 Lines About 44 Women” — died early December 21 of undisclosed causes at his home in Austin, Texas. He was 73.

Researcher’s Note - The artist passed away at his home, on his couch while he was watching TV with his wife. It was an unexpected incident, but it happened very quickly. Link

No cause of death reported.

Link

Steve DiMeglio dead aged 63: Tiger Woods leads tributes as PGA Tour stalwart passes away following two-year cancer fight

January 2, 2025

Tiger Woods has led the tributes following the death of legendary golf writer Steve DiMeglio aged 63. DiMeglio passed away this week following a battle with rectal cancer that spread to his liver. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2022 and the golfing world has honoured him since his death.

Researcher’s Note – PGA Tour encouraged COVID-19 “vaccination” for players, caddies. In the memo obtained by ESPN, the tour said while it will not mandate vaccination [sic], it will require those who do not get the shots to still be tested each week for COVID-19 within 72 hours of arrival on-site and at their own expense. Those who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to withdraw and be subject to contact tracing and quarantine procedures.

Link

Malia Kipp, former Lady Griz star and first Native from Montana to get D-I hoops scholarship, dies

January 1, 2025

Missoula, MT — Former Montana women’s basketball standout Malia Kipp [50] has died, according to a Facebook post made by her mother, Dee Ann Kipp, on Wednesday. Dee Ann Kipp shared the following: “We are saddened to share with you the passing of our daughter, Malia Kipp. She was a devoted daughter, granddaughter, mother, sister, auntie, cousin, nurse, and friend. Our hearts are breaking.” No further information was offered and funeral arrangements are pending. Kipp, who grew up in Browning, was living in Ronan [MT], according to her Facebook site.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Scientology whistleblower dies after health battle

January 5, 2025

Palm Harbor, Florida – A former senior Scientologist who became one of the Church’s fiercest critics has died, his family revealed – following a battle with cancer. Mike Rinder, 69, passed a year-and-a-half removed from his advanced esophageal cancer diagnosis, and shortly after sharing a photo with his wife and two kids over Christmas. In the snap, a smiling Rinder looks a far cry from the man seen next to wife Christie Collbran in photos shot just a few months ago, where the Australian-born defector still had a full head of hair and a healthy complexion. In the photograph taken December 25, he was bald – seemingly losing his hair within just three months as he grappled with his diagnosis. In a heartfelt post showing the family during better days, Collbran paid tribute to the father-of-two, who cohosted the Emmy-winning docuseries Scientology and the Aftermath with Leah Remini.

Link

James Arthur Ray was convicted of negligent homicide after 3 people died at a sweat lodge in Sedona in 2009. He died on Friday

January 4, 2025

Phoenix, AZ — James Arthur Ray, the self-help guru convicted of negligent homicide after three people died in a sweat lodge at a retreat he organized near Sedona in 2009, has died. He was 67 years old. The announcement of Ray’s death was made by his brother, John, on Ray’s social media accounts. The statement is in full below. “It is with extreme disbelief and unfathomable pain to communicate that my brother James Arthur Ray passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last night. Obviously, this has left the 3 of us in total and complete shock James was always larger than life and lived it to the fullest.” In June 2011, Ray was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Former CNN anchor Aaron Brown, who helped viewers through the Sept. 11 attacks, has died

December 31, 2024

Aaron Brown, a veteran television news anchor whose steady hand helped guide CNN viewers through the unfolding tragedy of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has died. Brown died Sunday of pneumonia in Washington, D.C., where he lived, family spokesperson Molly Levinson said. He was 76.

Link

Tarrant County spokesman, longtime Star-Telegram reporter dies at 62

January 2, 2025

Dallas, TX — Bill Hanna, the Tarrant County government spokesman and a former longtime reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has died at 62. His family shared the news with the Star-Telegram, saying he died “peacefully and unexpectedly” this week while on vacation with his family in Mexico. Hanna was the chief public information officer for Tarrant County, a position he held since 2019. He took the county spokesman role after a 29-year career as a reporter for the Star-Telegram, where he covered an array of major stories and topics, including rural healthcare, severe weather and its aftermath, the 1993 Branch Davidian standoff and the 9/11 attacks.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Lehigh radio host AJ Fritz has died at 67 years old

January 6, 2025

Bethlehem, PA – Longtime Lehigh radio host Alfred Fritzinger, known to many as AJ Fritz, died unexpectedly Dec. 31 at the age of 67. Fritz worked as the manager of WLVR-HD-2 at Lehigh for 22 years. The digital subchannel is Lehigh’s NPR station, which features a college radio station programmed by students. Fritz was also the host of the show FritzRocks, an award winning free form rock radio program that has been running since 1996.

Researcher’s Note – Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College to Require COVID Boosters [sic] for Spring Semester: Link

Link

Cybersecurity pioneer, tech CEO Amit Yoran dies ‘unexpectedly’ amid cancer battle

January 4, 2025

Amit Yoran, a tech executive who served as CEO of Tenable Holdings., Inc., died on Friday, his company announced. Yoran died “unexpectedly” during a battle with cancer, Tenable said on Saturday. He was 54 years old. Tenable is a cybersecurity company with 44,000 customers, according to a 2023 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) report. The company’s clients include around 65% of Fortune 500 companies, according to the filing. Yoran’s death came almost a month after he began a leave of absence on Dec. 5, the company said.

Link

Randy Perkins, founder of disaster recovery company AshBritt, dies unexpectedly at 60

December 31, 2024

Deerfield Beach, FL – Randal Ray Perkins, known to many as “Randy,” passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, Dec. 28, at 60. Over 32 years, the Perkins family grew AshBritt into the nation’s leading disaster recovery and emergency management company, setting the industry standard and achieving tremendous success. Perkins lived life to the fullest, enjoying mountain biking, scuba diving, fishing, football, and spirited debates.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Fowler Packing VP Sean Nelsen Dies Unexpectedly. He Had a Global Impact

January 3, 2025

Ag giant Fowler Packing announced via LinkedIn that the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Nelsen, unexpectedly died on Dec. 21. Mr. Nelsen, 48 years old from Visalia [CA], leaves behind his wife, Jennifer Marie Nelsen; and daughters Julia, Kaylee, Sophie, and Mia, according to an obituary from Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel.

Researcher’s Note – Fowler Packing Vaccinates [sic] Nearly 900 Employees: Link

No cause of death reported.

Link

A politician “died suddenly”:

Samson rocked by sudden death of longest sitting mayor

December 31, 2024

Dothan, Ala — The 2024 holiday season in Samson was rocked by tragedy over the weekend. Longtime Samson mayor Clay King died on Saturday after developing sepsis from a recent surgery and was rushed to a Dothan hospital the night before. He was 60. King, born and raised in Samson, graduated from Samson High School and served on the city council before being elected as mayor in 1996, a position he held for 28 years.

Link

28 infants “died suddenly”:

Heartbreaking update from family of girl, 1, injured when car smashed into daycare and killed her teacher

January 3, 2025

A one-year-old girl who was injured after a driver crashed into a daycare fence in Texas has tragically died. Mkaya Amrani, who was just 14 months old, was one of several children hospitalized after a mother backed into another car and then into a fence at Excelled Montessori Plus Daycare Preschool in Scenic Oaks outside San Antonio on December 19. Four other children were taken to the hospital but were quickly released. Mkaya’s teacher, Alexia Rosales, 22, also died after being pinned under the vehicle with a child in her arms. It is unclear if Mkaya was the child Rosales was holding. Mkaya stayed in the hospital, where she was unconscious in critical condition on life support until her death on Thursday, according to News 4 San Antonio. Police do not believe the driver was under the influence and she does have past medical conditions that ‘may have contributed to this,’ according to Salazar.

Link

Ava Mae Bredda, 0 days

January 5, 2025

Wausau, Wisconsin – It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved daughter, Ava Mae Bredda, on Friday, December 27, 2024. We were blessed to have Ava with us for two hours and one minute before she peacefully took her last breath in her parents’ arms. Born with Trisomy 18, a rare chromosomal condition, Ava touched our lives in ways that words cannot fully express. Weighing three pounds five ounces and measuring 16.25 inches, she was a precious little one whose brief time with us will forever be cherished.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Micah Carter Guidroz, 2 months, 2 days

January 5, 2025

Hammond, Louisiana – Our sweet baby boy, Micah Carter Guidroz, went to be with the Lord in Heaven on Thursday, December 26, 2024, at the precious age of 2 months and 2 days. He was born on Thursday, October 24, 2024, in Hammond, Louisiana. Micah was a perfect, loveable, 2-month-old with the brightest smile and biggest blue eyes you’ve ever seen. He had just had his very first laugh on December 23^rd which made his family so happy. He enjoyed his holidays being held by loved ones, and all his siblings were his favorite friends. He was loved and cared for by so many. He is and always will be so greatly missed.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Ryker Thomas Harrison, 3 months

January 5, 2025

Ryker Thomas Harrison, 3 Months Old, of Mustang Oklahoma, passed away on Friday, December 27^th, 2024. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at Lakeside Woman’s Hospital on September 18^th, 2024 at 4:38 pm to parents Thomas and Shelbie Harrison! He was just shy of being 6 weeks early and was a whopping 5 lbs and 18 inches long. He was due November 1^st 2024 but he decided he was ready to meet the world early and along came a beautiful brown hair blue eyed healthy boy. He was such a sweet baby and such a bright light to be around. He may have only been 3 Months old but he brought so much joy and laughter to the people around him and could light up any room he was in! He was so strong and already had the biggest personality. He would make some of the silliest faces and loved sticking his tongue out at his daddy. He also loved cartoons, he would lay in his swing or on his play mat and watch them just as long as you would let him.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Cassidy Shalyn Scarberry, 2 months

January 5, 2025

Paw Paw, WV- Cassidy Shalyn Scarberry, 2 months, of Paw Paw, passed away Friday, January, 3, 2025, at UPMC Western Maryland. Born October 22, 2024, in Cumberland, she was the daughter of Natalie Shalyn Scarberry.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Josephine Nicole DeMoss, 3 months

January 4, 2025

Josephine Nicole DeMoss, 3 months old, passed away suddenly on Sunday, December 29, 2024. She was born September 25, 2024, in Winfield, IL. Josephine was a sweet, happy baby with a smile that brought joy to all. Josephine’s love was felt by her parents, brother, and grandparents through her beautiful eyes and cheery personality. Her short time with family was filled with love and happiness. Josephine will be remembered and cherished as the beautiful, precious, and bubbly girl that she was. She is in the hearts of her family forever.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Finn Patrick Giblin, 3 months

January 4, 2025

Saint Augustine, Florida – It is with profound sorrow and heavy hearts that we announce the unexpected passing of our precious baby boy, Finn Patrick Giblin, who left this world too soon on December 28^th. Finn was just 3 months old and brought immeasurable joy, love, and light into the lives of his parents, Cortney and Patrick, and his big sister, Lilly. His gentle spirit touched all who knew him, and though his time on earth was brief, his love will forever remain in the hearts of those he left behind.

No cause of death reported.

Link

Baby girl Da’Layah LaTrice Harris, 5 1/2 weeks

January 4, 2025

Flint, MI – Baby girl Da’Layah LaTrice Harris was born November 19, 2024, in Flint, MI. She was the daughter of Brittney Kelly and Dontrale Harris. Dember 19, 2024 – December 31, 2024.

No cause of death reported.

Link

The “liberals” shrieking in defense of “our democracy” are doing far more to crush it than Trump ever did

By barking endlessly about TRUMP’S Nazi playbook, the Democrats and “our free press” have freed THEMSELVES to use that playbook with impunity, and “liberals” to CHEER them for it

“Eric Adams Tells Fox News Democrats Lost Election By Comparing Trump to Hitler: ‘What The Hell Are You Talking About?’” (link)

“You guys lost because y’all stupid. Come up with solutions. I don’t think everybody who voted for Trump is racist for whatever.”—Charles Barkley (link)

Here we are, two weeks before Inauguration Day, but there’s no reason to be confident that day will come. Indeed, there’s not much reason to be confident of anything in this mad country, which now reeks of bananas, the air charged with vague terror of some looming existential crisis, or crises, that, by Jan. 20, could be used to justify a(nother) “state of emergency”—recalling 2020, when “COVID” was deployed to nullify the Constitution (no right to assembly, dissent verboten, jury trials suspended); or 1973 in Chile, 1965 in Indonesia, 1954 in Guatemala, 1953 in Iran, of any other “hot spot” where US forces have undone democracy, canceling the people’s choice through force and guile.

That US forces are, today, attacking us, slowly ravaging what’s left of our democracy, should be clear from the apocalyptic specters chillingly projected everywhere by “our free press” and the government. So what’s it going to be then, eh? Some new rogue virus(es)? As Dr. Fauci did in January, 2017, warning that “an unknown infectious disease”—a “surprise,” he called it—“was likely to spread widely” under Trump, the jab-happy Dr. Peter Hotez lately told MSNBC’s wide-eyed Nicolle Wallace that a whole slew of such diseases (plural) would break out worldwide one day after the inauguration, thanks to the “anti-vaxxers,” and their twisted guru, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Here’s the reason why we need to care about this stuff, Nicolle, is that we have some big picture stuff”—bird flu, a “new coronavirus,” pertussis, measles, polio, fresh tropical diseases—“coming down the pike starting on Jan. 21,” he said, as articulate as well-informed. (Just as when Fauci prophesied COVID-19 so precisely, no “journalist” has asked Hotez exactly how he knows that such pestilence is going to “come crashing down on the Trump administration.”)

Also scheduled to “come crashing down” on Trump, according to a range of other seers, is terrorism (Islamic and/or “white nationalist”), nuclear war, an economic crash, food shortages, vast power failures, “natural” disasters due to “climate change,” as in Ohio, Maui and North Carolina (and, overseas, in Spain), and/or even an attack from outer space, as in The Blob or Independence Day.

That’s all petrifying “stuff”; and yet it’s not the scariest thing “coming down the pike” to greet Trump’s second coming. The very scariest, according to “our free press” and the spooks maintaining it, is Trump himself, empowered (again) by his high office. Unless you’re Amish, or in solitary confinement, or a coma, you “know” full well that Trump is no mere loutish billionaire, but another Hitler—a “fact” that has long since replaced “the virus” as the gravest danger of them all, according to the propaganda; or, to put it more accurately, Trump has been a major focus of the propaganda since before the world had ever heard of COVID; and now that COVID is increasingly passé, Trump-as-Hitler is the terror dominating countless minds; and, just like the COVID terror, this one is both inane and highly dangerous; and so we must trace its history, and analyze it carefully, to grasp its purpose, and defeat it..

END

DR PAUL ALEXANDER

So that I am clear, at times I want to say ALL, all vaccines must be banned & we need none! but let us calm down! I am saying IF some entity that is EFFECTIVE & SAFE & proven so with years of study &

can be beneficial to humans, in saving lives, then we should consider it! But I argue likely ALL, all vaccine, drug, medical device research the last 50 years have been fraud & false & corrupted with

If we can manage without drugs or vaccines, we take none, zero. We should have none. Only if there is a necessity for something and it is proven safe and effective, beneficial, then we consider it.

Necessity first and with public discourse and agreement.

Today I think and can prove, most if not all drugs, medical devices, vaccines approved by FDA were done so falsely and fraudulently. Are not safe or beneficial.

vaccine, drug makers, with pharma…I am saying I can near guarantee if we were to go back and examine each drug and vaccine etc. given regulatory approval by FDA over the last 50 years, approvals by CDC and NIH and HHS etc., we will find that the submitted data and research methods by pharma were fraud, flawed, weak, and FAILED! WE will find that the corrupted fraud relationship between pharma and FDA resulted in studies being accepted and analysis and approvals given by FDA when they should not have been. EUA or BLA.

I call on Bobby Kennedy Jr. to command FDA’a Makary and NIH etc. to produce all the data and methods and paperwork used to approve drugs and vaccines etc. across the last 50 years in USA; in the last 50 years. Let us do an audit. I will bet my life that 100% were fraudulent and cannot pass proper regulatory approval. Today.

Think about what I am arguing. I am arguing for safe vaccines, 100% proven safe, ONLY safe vaccines and I want all re-examined today for it will be shown none are effective and none are safe, even with present EUA or BLA full regulatory approval.

EVOLS NEWS

SLAY NEWS

NEWS ADDICTS

end

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

7.OIL AND NATURAL GAS ISSUES/GLOBAL

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

Canada

With Trudeau On His Way Out, Can Canadians Get Their Free Speech Back?

Wednesday, Jan 08, 2025 – 07:15 PM

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

With Justin Trudeau’s announcement that he will step down as prime minister, Canada is now looking for a new leader after a decade under his policies. The question is whether anyone will look for the remnants of Canadian free speech in the wreckage of the Trudeau government.

In my book “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” I write about the collapse of free speech in Canada under Trudeau.

Canada has long been a country caught between two influences: the United Kingdom and the United States.

It has shared DNA with both nations. Unfortunately, it has largely followed the British approach in treating free speech more like a privilege than a right.

That dubious tradition was magnified over the last decade by a wholesale attack on free speech deemed hostile, insulting or triggering for different groups.

In many ways, Canada has been a cautionary tale for many in the U.S., as the same voices of censorship and criminalization grow on our campuses and in Congress.

Indeed, BlueSky, a social media site that offers a safe space for liberals who do not want to be triggered by opposing views, has apparently embraced Canadian-style standards for censorship as part of its pitch for those with viewpoint intolerance.

For over a decade, Trudeau has been the cheerful face of modern censorship. While exuding tolerance and inclusivity, he hammered critics with draconian measures and perfectly Orwellian soundbites. In the name of tolerance, he proudly proclaimed intolerance for opposing views.

Trudeau shows how speech codes and virtue signaling are now chic on the left.

In a town hall event, Trudeau chastised a woman for asking a question that used the term “mankind” and instructed her, “We like to say ‘peoplekind’ … because it’s more inclusive.”

(He later claimed he was joking. If so, many of his policies have the same punchline and are no joking matter.)

In many ways, Trudeau’s true colors emerged in his crackdown on the trucker protests opposing COVID-19 mandates in 2022, a campaign widely supported by an enabling media. Trudeau invoked the 1988 Emergencies Act for the first time to freeze bank accounts of truckers and contributions by other Canadian citizens, powers long condemned by civil liberties groups in Canada.

The anti-free speech apple did not fall far from the tree. It was Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, who as prime minister used the predecessor to the act for the first time in peacetime to suspend civil liberties.

Trudeau was widely criticized for his anti-free speech policies, including his move to amend the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act to criminalize any “communication that expresses detestation or vilification of an individual or group of individuals on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.”

It was used to prevent “social media platforms [from being] used to threaten, intimidate, bully and harass people, or used to promote racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, misogynistic and homophobic views that target communities, put people’s safety at risk and undermine Canada’s social cohesion or democracy.”

Under Trudeau, human rights commissions became virtual speech commissars in Canada. A conservative webmaster was prosecuted for allowing third parties to leave insulting comments about gay people and minorities on the site. Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley insisted that “the minimal harm caused … to freedom of expression is far outweighed by the benefit it provides to vulnerable groups and to the promotion of equality.” Even a comedian was prosecuted for insulting jokes involving lesbians.

Recently, a Canadian mayor and a town were prosecuted for not hoisting an “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag” in celebration of Pride Month — even though they did not have a flag pole.

Despite crushing the trucker protests, the Canadian parliament extended Trudeau’s emergency powers to allow him to continue to harass and threaten those on the right. Despite broad opposition, the Liberal Party, the NDP and other allies were able to muster 181 votes to keep authoritarian powers alive in Canada. (The Canadian courts later, belatedly, declared the Trudeau powers unconstitutional).

Many of the same legislators would later push to increase the penalties for certain speech crimes to life imprisonment.

One of the most tragically ironic moments for Canada came last year, when Trudeau’s government blocked the citizenship of Russian dissident Maria Kartasheva because she has a conviction in Russia. She had been tried in absentia by a judge sanctioned by Canada for her exercise of free speech in Russia in condemning the Ukrainian war. The Canadian government informed Kartasheva that her conviction in Russia aligns with a Criminal Code offense relating to false information in Canada.

Think about that. Canada was concerned because she violated anti-free speech laws that are similar to its own. The Russians convicted her of disseminating “deliberately false information,” and Canada convicts people under laws like Section 372(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada for efforts “to convey, cause, or procure to be conveyed false information with the intent to alarm or injure anyone.”

That is why some of us spit out our soup in 2022 when Trudeau’s government condemned Cuba for its own crackdown on protesters, claiming that “Canada strongly advocates for freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly free from intimidation.” Trudeau also condemned China for cracking down on protests over COVID-19, the very subject of his own crackdown on the truckers.

Yet Trudeau has been a darling of the Canadian and American press despite a disapproval rate of around 68 percent among Canadian citizens. The media clearly approves of his position that “freedom of expression is not without limits” when others seek “to arbitrarily or unnecessarily injure those with whom we are sharing a society and a planet.”

So the question is: Now that Trudeau is heading out, where do Canadians go to get their free speech back?

end

CANADA

GO FIGURE!

Islamic Terror Group Banned In Most Arab Nations And Vowing To ‘Defeat’ US To Hold Annual Meeting In Canada

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 02:15 PM

So much for becoming our 51st state…

A designated terror group, Hizb ut-Tahrir, plans to host its annual Islamic supremacy conference in Mississauga, Ontario, on January 18, according to the Post Millennial. The event, focused on “eliminating obstacles delaying the return” of a global Islamic caliphate, was first reported by the Western Standard.

On Facebook, the group questioned, “Is America really so powerful that our Ummah can’t defeat it?”

The post reads: “There have been superpower states in the past too, like the Romans and the Persians; yet, they were defeated by the Ummah. Their great cities, like Constantinople, are now Muslim cities.”

It continues: “What steps do we need to take to become victorious against today’s Colononialist superpowers? Learn what it will take for our Ummah to overcome America, Europe, Russia, China and others from the position we’re in today. If you want to help create real change in our Ummah, then get this critical knowledge by attending, inshallah.”

The controversial Hizb ut-Tahrir, aiming to establish a global Muslim state under Sharia Law, is designated as a terrorist group in numerous countries, including the UK, Germany, India, and Russia.

A Facebook post promoting its upcoming conference featured a video depicting a Muslim conquest. The event’s location remains undisclosed, with details provided only to those registered via Eventbrite. The group is banned in most Arab and Central Asian nations, along with Indonesia, Pakistan, and several others.

Is Trudeau out of office yet? Asking for a friend. 

END

India, China/USA Canada, Greenland….

ROBERT H:

What if………

I admit I am an amateur at using AI given what my friends tell me. However analytics is what it is. 

Is China’s population only half of what it claims? Using AI and official statistics, I think  that China’s actual local population maybe 37% to 50% lower than the reported 1.4 billion. A simple comparison of fertility rates and population trends between China and India revealed an unexplained 37% discrepancy. My findings suggest that China’s official demographic data is significantly overstated—and now, AI seemingly agrees with me!

If this is correct, then everything about China is over blown. And this would explain many anomalies. And would mean the largest country by population is India. And why some forecasts indicate the largest consumer market will be India. And perhaps why India is more than willing to see foolish countries like Canada take their uneducated citizens who will not be useful in tomorrow’s economy. Shifting the burden of cost to another country is far better than paying for it. 

When I saw Russia recently do a long term major oil deal with India I was curious whether it was because of growing demand or diversity. 

I more oriented to now think it is that Russia has concluded that India will be their largest gas and oil market over time. This also explains the new pipelines being constructed to India and new Trade Routes. Seemingly, Russia has a good handle on where growth will be . Just like India seemingly has committed to Russia as their primary supplier of needed raw materials. All of this perhaps as mutual counter weight to China for balance. 

This also explains in part the rush on the part of China to buy as much gold as possible. And why their real estate market is in a state of collapse. 

Their whole game and strategy is to lift their own economy focused on control of essential raw materials to boost controlled supply to hold leverage to be repriced in Yuan at a future time of their choosing. It also maybe why Trump speaks of Greenland and Canada as needed acquisitions to secure cheap resources which keeps the USD going against China.

 In the case of Greenland there is Australian company controlled by China that is going after the rare minerals there. I am guessing since it is a huge diverse region of cheap supply China wants control. Dominance in rare earths is key to controlling advanced technology. Russia is the only country that does not have to seek such resources outside of their borders. Both China and America do and America lacks the ability to process like China and Russia have. 

If I am correct, America is in a catch up game against China and its’ strategic long term planning is forcing reactionary measures by America not to be left behind. And it would suggest long fingers of China are well placed and embedded in American politics. 

END

YOUR EARLY CURRENCY/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN CLOSING MARKETS AND EUROPEAN BOURSE OPENING AND CLOSING/ INTEREST RATE SETTINGS THURSDAY MORNING 6;30AM//OPENING AND CLOSING

EURO VS USA DOLLAR:  1.0301 DOWN 11 BASIS PTS

USA/ YEN 157.71 DOWN 0.486 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 1.2286 DOWN .0072 OR 172 PTS

USA/CAN DOLLAR:  1.4393 UP 0.0017 (CDN DOLLAR DOWN 17 BASIS PTS)

 Last night Shanghai COMPOSITE CLOSED DOWN 18.77 PTS OR 0.58%

 Hang Seng CLOSED DOWN 38.95 PTS OR 0.20%

AUSTRALIA CLOSED DOWN 0.25%

 // EUROPEAN BOURSE:     ALL GREEN EXCEPT GERMANY

Trading from Europe and ASIA

I) EUROPEAN BOURSES:  ALL GREEN EXCEPT GERMANY

2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang SENG CLOSED DOWN 38.95 PTS OR 0.20%

/SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 18.77 PTS OR 0.58%

AUSTRALIA BOURSE CLOSED DOWN 0.25%

(Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED DOWN 375.97 OR 0.94%

INDIA’S SENSEX  IN THE RED

Gold very early morning trading: 2672.75

silver:$30.34

USA dollar index early THURSDAY  morning: 109.00 UP 7 BASIS POINTS FROM  WEDNESDAY’s CLOSE.

THURSDAY  MORNING NUMBERS ENDS

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And now your closing THURSDAY NUMBERS 1: 30 AM

Portuguese 10 year bond yield: 2.999% UP 1 in basis point(s) yield

JAPANESE BOND YIELD: +1.178% DOWN 0 AND 6/ 10   BASIS POINTS /JAPAN losing control of its yield curve/

SPANISH 10 YR BOND YIELD: 3.206 UP 2 in basis points yield

ITALIAN 10 YR BOND YIELD 3.690 UP 2 points in basis points yield ./ THE ECB IS QE’ ING ITALIAN BONDS (BUYING ITALIAN BONDS/SELLING GERMAN BUNDS)

GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD: 2.517 UP 1 BASIS PTS

IMPORTANT CURRENCY CLOSES :  THURSDAY 

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

Euro/USA 1.0312 DOWN .0002 OR 2 basis points

USA/Japan: 157.84 DOWN 0.349 OR YEN IS UP 35 BASIS PTS//

Great Britain 10 YR RATE 4.840 UP 8 BASIS POINTS //

Canadian dollar DOWN .0024 OR 24 BASIS pts  to 1.4401

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The USA/Yuan,  CNY ON SHORE CLOSED UP 7.3546 (ON SHORE)..CHINA MUST DEVALUE TO GOLD  

THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE:    (YUAN CLOSED (DOWN)…. (7.3544)

TURKISH LIRA:  35.33 EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL/DEATH WATCH/HYPERINFLATION TO BEGIN.//

the 10 yr Japanese bond yield  at +1.178

Your closing 10 yr US bond yield DOWN 3 in basis points from WEDNESDAY at  4.665% //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%)

 USA 30 yr bond yield  4.899 DOWN 5 in basis points  /11:00 AM

USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.260 DOWN 1  BASIS PTS.

GOLD AT 11;00 AM 2675.50

SILVER AT 11;00: 30.42

Your  11:00 AM bourses for Europe and the Dow along with the USA dollar index closing and interest rates: WEDNESDAY CLOSING TIME 11:00 AM//

London: CLOSED UP 68.66 pts or 0.83%

German Dax : DOWN 12 pts or 0.06% 

Paris CAC CLOSED UP 37.86 pts or 0.51%

Spain IBEX CLOSED UP 101.80 PTS OR 0.86%

Italian MIB: CLOSED UP 206.77 PTS OR 0.59%

WTI Oil price  73.50 11 EST/

Brent Oil:  76.59 11:00 EST

USA /RUSSIAN ROUBLE ///   AT:  102.87 ROUBLE UP 1 AND  61/100      

GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD; +2.5175 UP 1 BASIS PTS.

UK 10 YR YIELD: 4.899 UP 5 BASIS POINTS

CDN 10 YEAR RATE: 3.355 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS.

CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 3.055 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS

CLOSING NUMBERS: 4 PM

Euro vs USA 1.0303 DOWN 0.0009 OR 9 BASIS POINTS//HEADING TO PARITY WITH THE DOLLAR

British Pound: 1.2314 DOWN 0.0044 OR 44 basis pts

BRITISH 10 YR GILT BOND YIELD:  4.800 UP 1 BASIS PTS//

JAPAN 10 YR YIELD: 1.183

USA dollar vs Japanese Yen: 158.09 DOWN 0.019 OR 2 BASIS PTS// HEADING FOR 160 TO THE DOLLAR

USA dollar vs Canadian dollar: 1.4389 UP 0012 BASIS PTS CDN DOLLAR DOWN 12 BASIS PTS

West Texas intermediate oil: 74.18

Brent OIL:  77.14

USA 10 yr bond yield UP 2 BASIS pts to 4.698

USA 30 yr bond yield UP 2 BASIS PTS to 4.932%

USA 2 YR BOND: DOWN 1 PTS AT  4.266

CDN 10 YR RATE 3.366 UP 3 BASIS PTS

CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 3.062 UP 2 BASIS PTS

USA dollar index: 108.97 UP 5 BASIS POINTS

USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 35.33 GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO BLOWING UP/

USA DOLLAR VS RUSSIA//// ROUBLE:  102.25 UP 2 AND  25/100 roubles

GOLD  2,669.90 (3:30 PM)

SILVER: 30.10 (3:30 PM)

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE:XXXX

NASDAQ XXXX

VOLATILITY INDEX: XXXXX

GLD: $ XXXXX

SLV/ $XXXX

TORONTO STOCK INDEX// TSX INDEX: CLOSED UP 42.96 PTS OR 0.17%

end

USA AFFAIRS

ZEROHEDGE HEADLINE: NYSE CLOSING

III USA ECONOMIC NEWS

LOS ANGELES FIRES WEDNESDAY NIGHT

LA Fire Summary:

• Fast-moving, wind-driven fires are sweeping through the Los Angeles area, forcing mandatory evacuations for over 49,000 residents. The fires remain 0% contained.
• The Palisades Fire (caused unknown) has burned nearly 15,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire has scorched 10,600 acres. 
• AccuWeather Estimates $52 billion to $57 billion in preliminary damage and economic losses
• Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed 1,400 firefighters & declared a state of emergency.
• Nearly 300,000 residential and/or commercial customers are without power in the LA region.
• NWS: Worst fire conditions (high winds) will peak Wednesday morning. 
• Malibu residents warned about potential evacuation.
• Fires ZERO PERCENT CONTAINED 

Evacuation Map (via NYT):

Fire Map (NASA VIIRS image overlaid LA via X user loosenedspirit): 

*  *  * 

Update (1915ET):

“The Palisades Fire, which has quintupled in size since this morning, has now prompted evacuations in the City of Santa Monica,” meteorologist Matthew Cappucci wrote on X.

Evacuations are expanding.

Fire is zero contained. 

*  *  * 

Update (1830ET):

Just awful. 

Update (1545ET):

Via Bloomberg Top Live Desk: 

“In California, nearly 500,000 people have turned to the state’s insurer of last resort, the FAIR Plan, which has doubled in size over the past five years. The state is now exposed to nearly $458 billion in potential damage, Mark Gongloff writes for Bloomberg Opinion. The neighborhoods in the path of the Palisades and other fires burning this week have been among some of the hardest-hit by insurer defections in recent years.”

Via Bloomberg’s Brian Sullivan: 

“The Los Angeles region has a high risk of exposure to wildfires: More than 460,000 homes with a reconstruction value of $300 billion in LA and the Riverside region have a moderate to very high risk of exposure, according to CoreLogic, a property analytics firm.

“CoreLogic noted that not all the homes deemed at risk are directly exposed to the current fires.”

Via AccuWeather:

Estimates $52 billion to $57 billion in preliminary damage and economic loss has occurred from the raging Los Angeles area wildfires.

\END

THURSDAY MORNING/LOS ANGELES INFERNO

Inferno Chaos: LA Fire Spreads To Hollywood Hills, 2,000 Buildings Destroyed, Over 130,000 Evacuated

LA Fire Summary:

• Palisades Fire burned 17,000 acres (0% contained), while Eaton Fire has expanded to 10,000 acres (0% contained)
• Newest fire: Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills area 
• Five dead, 130,000 people under evacuation orders 
• Most destructive fire in LA history: Ten of billions of dollars in damage (early estimates) 
• 2,000 homes, businesses and other buildings have been damaged or destroyed
• Musk Says SpaceX will provide free Starlink terminals to areas hit by LA wildfires
• Arson fears 

Fire Map 

 *   *   * 

The most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history has burned over 17,000 acres with zero containment, scorching the seaside area between Malibu and Santa Monica. The inferno has destroyed at least 2,000 building structures (damage estimates in the tens of billions of dollars) and forced 130,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Meanwhile, a new fire ignited overnight in the Hollywood Hills area.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s latest update on Thursday morning shows that the Palisades Fire has burned through more than 17,200 acres, while the Eaton Fire has expanded to 10,000. Both fires still have zero containment. 

Also, the Hurst fire has spread to nearly 900 acres, 10% of which are contained, while the Lidia Fire has burned 350 acres, 40% of which are contained. 

The newest, the Sunset Fire, was sparked on Wednesday night in Hollywood Hills and has grown to dozens of acres. 

According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, at least 130,000 people are under evacuation warnings or orders due to the Palisades and Eaton fires. 

A new shortwave infrared satellite image by Maxar Technologies shows burning buildings by the Eaton fire in northeast Los Angeles. 

Imagery from Maxar also shows areas of Palisades fire.

Map of Fires 

Over 338,000 energy customers were without power as of early Thursday morning, including 181,000 in LA County. 

Not one word from LA Mayor Karen Bass about the situation. 

Many call for her to be recalled immediately for slashing the fire budgets and lack of leadership. 

Joe Rogan’s LA fire warning six months ago…

There are mounting fears that some of these fires are intentional…

“The LA fires look like Terrorism … These places are miles apart. … Are you supposed to believe that wind teleports a fire miles away but no where in between?” one X use said.

*Developing… 

END

THIS AFTERNOON

Arson Threats A “Major Issue” In Wildfire-Ravaged Los Angeles County

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 01:25 PM

Five people have died, more than 2,000 building structures have been destroyed, and 29,000 acres have been scorched as wildfires rage out of control across Los Angeles County. With over 130,000 residents under evacuation orders, concerns are growing about the very real possibility of arsonists intentionally starting some of the fires. 

According to an LA County fire chief earlier this week, the Palisades Fire began “as a very small fire in a backyard,” then spread up a ridge, was carried by high winds, and created an ember cast that ignited fires throughout the Palisades. 

Some X users struggled to understand how other wildfires many miles away were ignited simultaneously by a single fire. Perhaps high winds were involved. If not, then arson has to be considered.

Let’s not forget: the Palisades have experienced fires before. In 2021, it wasn’t an accident—a homeless man was responsible for starting the fire. And thanks to radical Democrats in the imploding state, the homeless are everywhere. 

Some of the first evidence suggesting that arsonists may have played a role in expanding these fast-moving wildfires comes from Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire, who wrote on X: “This is Andrew Huberman first hand seeing arsonists light a fire in LA I have been told by the LAPD that arson is a major issue in LA right now.” 

Maguire also said, “Democratic leadership has been about style not substance And they have failed us.”

x.com/shaunmmaguire/status/1877238486094295228

Riigght. 

More evidence of possible arson… 

“An arson suspect was reported on the Los Angeles County scanner prior to the Hollywood Hills fire starting,” News Rated wrote on X. 

Another X user posted audio from an LA police scanner that confirms at least one active arsonist was on the run. 

Other arson reports in the LA area:

Pyro-terrorism is not out of the question as well, given the elevated threat level of terrorism in the US. 

The days of blaming cow farts and Taylor Swift’s private jets are over. 

END

Trump Inherits A Deeply Damaged Economy

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 07:45 AM

Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times,

There is finally some optimism in the land. Unfortunately, good vibes are not enough to fix the deep structural problems that now afflict the U.S. economy, from inflation to a weak job market to a small-business sector that is barely hanging on, in addition to a tapped-out consumer and egregious financial problems in government itself.

To be sure, the U.S. economy still shines on the world stage. But that is simply because most everywhere else is in worse shape. The structural problems are global, owing to the explosion of public-sector debt, bureaucratic overhang, and regulatory impositions over these last five years. The United States might be the least bad but that observation alone doesn’t cause the problems to disappear.

In that context, a leading and brilliant economist in China, Dr. Gao Shanwen, admitted in a Washington, D.C forum that the growth rate of 5 percent is likely not real and actual growth in China is closer to 2 percent. He was promptly disciplined by the Chinese Communist Party on his return and no longer allowed to speak publicly.

This has become a pattern worldwide: the silencing of economists who dare to dispute obviously fake numbers. In the United States, however, there is at least the freedom to speak. Where are the problems and what is the reality?

For starters, U.S. inflation has been accelerating since September 2021. It is now running 3 percent in real time, or 50 percent above the target. This continued pain follows four years of the worst inflation in at least 40 years and probably much longer. By some measures, what we’ve been through equals or exceeds the pain of the 1970s. The only difference this time is that the bean counters in government have gotten better at hiding it.

How much purchasing power of the dollar has been lost? By official measures, the total in this inflationary wave is 22 cents, but industry numbers in food, cars, housing, and services such as insurance and transportation generate numbers nearly double that. No one knows for sure, and calculating large indices depend on the methodology of weighting and calculation of mitigating factors. Add in new fees and shrinkflation and you can generate even worse numbers.

Even if inflation ended today, the damage of the last four years will be with us for many years. Sadly, that is not happening. You know it just from being out shopping or looking carefully at the bills you are paying through autopay. Everything is still rising.

Why is this? Did the Fed and Congress not embark on an anti-inflation drive starting two or three years ago? Yes, but Congress did what it always does: spent more money, which creates more debt, which the Fed then monetizes and thus creates more money. The Fed initially worked to sponge up the excess with higher interest rates but reverse coursed last year with a new quantitative easing campaign.

The low point in the money stock came in November 2023. That reversed toward easing. As of today, there is more than $1 trillion in new U.S. dollars sloshing around the country and the world than existed 14 months ago. This combined with rising velocity (pace of spending) pushes inflation in the opposite direction.

In other words, our continued problems are a direct consequence of political pressure put on Congress and the Fed as we moved toward the 2024 election. As usual, the party in power chose money printing and spending as a method of election manipulation through the creation of the illusion of prosperity. The incoming administration is now holding this bag. There is absolutely nothing that the incoming president or Congress can do to reverse the damage. It can only hope to generate wealth effects from dramatic deregulation and tax cuts as a means of mitigating inflation. Even under the best of conditions, the problem will be with us for another year at least.

Another headline issue concerns the job market, which is more broken than is being reported. Both the employment-population ratio and the job participation rate have been falling for six months. This is after failing to fully recover from March 2020 lockdowns. They now stand at levels more commonly seen in the early 1980s before it became more common than not for women with young and school-age children to be in the workforce.

Something dramatic has changed. There are undoubtedly many factors at play but among them is that many people had their lives so fundamentally disrupted and never adapted to the gradual reopening of 2022 and beyond. Many more disabled people are out of work and living off government welfare while many older people simply gave up.

(Data: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), St. Louis Fed; Chart: Jeffrey A. Tucker)

It’s hard to say whether such structural changes are permanent. Some of them seem to be owing to the unavailability of childcare for women of childbearing age. There is a cultural shift at work too, with two-income households turning back to become one-income households homeschooling the kids. No question that the U.S. educational system is deeply stressed and parents and teachers are bailing out at rates never before seen. This undoubtedly affects the job market.

The actual data on job creation over four years seems in a constant state of flux as revisions keep coming in, always in the direction of downgrading and correcting exaggerations over the last four years. The nativity of the demographics also raises questions, as nearly all job creation has benefited not native born but foreign-born workers. Whether and to what extent mass deportations of undocumented workers will affect all these numbers is an open question.

Regardless, the hiring market in white collar professions has grown extremely tight. The Wall Street Journal reports: “There are still plenty of jobs for people looking for hands-on services work, including in the healthcare and hospitality sectors. It’s a much tougher slog for office jobs, where bosses are aiming to be leaner and in some cases replacing workers with AI. … To date, the labor market has been weakening primarily due to less hiring—not widespread layoffs. But once companies decide to reduce payrolls, job cuts often snowball quickly, which could spark a much faster jump in the unemployment rate.”

As for other data points such as retail sales and factory orders, those have been overreported for many years simply because it is not routine for them to be adjusted for inflation. Once you perform those calculations with official or more realistic estimates of prices, we observe economic activity as flat or falling during the whole of the Biden years. This might have worked to keep spirits high but reality is going to dawn in the coming months as national media and agency data collectors are more forthcoming about what is really going on.

Then you have the problem of government finance. Gross federal debt as a percentage of gross domestic product remains at levels not seen since the Second World War. This is an intolerably dangerous situation that puts everything at risk, crowds out private investment, and forever tempts the central bank into dealing with this problem with more money printing.

(Data: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), St. Louis Fed; Chart: Jeffrey A. Tucker)

This cannot last. Elon Musk formed, with Trump’s blessing, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to deal with it, offering up the possibility of cutting $2 trillion from federal spending immediately, without touching entitlements. There is reason to doubt that this is possible but I’ve noticed that in the weeks before the inauguration, talk of such draconian cuts seems to have died down a bit. That is seriously worrying.

There is simply no chance for a major restart of American productivity without dealing with the budgetary crisis. Business as usual cannot work. And yet everything about Washington is designed to forestall such dramatic actions. It is far easier for anyone taking power to look the other way, even inventing new ways to spend money, than to deal with the crisis the way any household would.

The regulatory problem is screamingly obvious. The Biden administration has tangled up multiple sectors in a plethora of mandates and impositions to the point that many have been nonfunctioning by design. This is something that the Trump administration can actually do, and one hopes the de-tangling efforts will be immediate and drastic.

These are all very serious issues that confront the Trump administration. Another factor too: national media is going to be far more willing to call a spade a spade than it was under Biden. Maybe this is good but it does not bode well. Six months in, the Trump administration could find itself dealing with a backdated recession that could foil many of its attempts to entrench tax cuts.

It’s a difficult problem inherited by an administration for whom public expectations could not be higher.

END

NVDA Dips After Biden Doubles Down On AI Chip Export Ban Ahead Of Trump

Wednesday, Jan 08, 2025 – 05:20 PM

With less than two weeks to go until President Trump takes over The White House – and 24 hours after he unveiled a new $20 billion major investment from Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani to build new data centers across the US – the Biden administration plans one additional round of restrictions on the export of AI chips from the likes of Nvidia in a final push in his effort to keep advanced technologies out of the hands of China and Russia.

Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter, that Biden wants to curb the sale of AI chips used in data centers on both a country and company basis, with the goal of concentrating AI development in friendly nations and getting businesses around the world to align with American standards

The regulations, which could be issued as soon as Friday, would create three tiers of chip trade restrictions, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.

• At the top level, a small number of US allies would maintain essentially unmitigated access to American chips.
• A group of adversaries, meanwhile, would be effectively blocked from importing the semiconductors.
• And the vast majority of the world would face limits on the total computing power that can go to one country.

Countries in the last group would be able to bypass their national limits – and get their own, significantly higher caps – by agreeing to a set of US government security requirements and human rights standards, one of the people said.

That type of designation – called a validated end user, or VEU – aims to create a set of trusted entities that develop and deploy AI in secure environments around the world.

Nvidia explained its dissatisfaction at Biden’s decision in the most diplomatic manner:

“A last-minute rule restricting exports to most of the world would be a major shift in policy that would not reduce the risk of misuse but would threaten economic growth and US leadership,” Nvidia said.

Every data center and business is already incorporating AI through what the company calls accelerating computing, Nvidia said.

“The worldwide interest in accelerated computing for everyday applications is a tremendous opportunity for the US to cultivate, promoting the economy and adding US jobs,” the chipmaker said.

NVDA shares are down just over 1% in the after-market…

…which pushes the giant tech company into ‘correction’ – down over 10% from its $3 trillion-plus peak market cap.

end

Why on earth would anybody listen to this moron?

(zerohedge)

Blinken Responds To Trump, Says US Won’t Take Over Greenland

Wednesday, Jan 08, 2025 – 10:35 PM

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States likely will not take over Greenland anytime soon, referring to recent comments made by President-elect Donald Trump expressing interest in controlling the island.

“The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one, but maybe more important, it’s obviously one that’s not going to happen, so we probably shouldn’t waste a lot of time talking about it,” Blinken said during a press conference in Paris on Wednesday.

When he was pressed on Trump’s remarks about the United States acquiring Greenland from Denmark, Blinken stressed the need for allies.

“I think one of the basic propositions we brought to our work over the last four years is that we’re stronger, we’re more effective, we get better results when we’re working closely with our allies, not saying or doing things that may alienate them,” he told reporters.

Greenland, located to the northeast of the United States, is an autonomous territory under the domain of Denmark. Citizens of the territory are considered citizens of Denmark and the European Union.

In a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump did not rule out using the U.S. military to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal.

“I’m not going to commit to that,” Trump said. “It might be that you have to do something.”

This week, his son Donald Trump Jr. took a trip to Greenland to shoot video as part of a podcast.

Denmark’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Greenland can become independent if its residents want it but that it likely won’t become a U.S. state, as Greenland’s leader met with the Danish king in Copenhagen on the day.

“We fully recognize that Greenland has its own ambitions. If they materialize, Greenland will become independent, though hardly with an ambition to become a federal state in the United States,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.

He did not say whether he believed that Greenland would become a territory of the United States, only commenting on whether it could become a state.

He told reporters that the United States has significant security concerns in the Arctic, which he signaled were legitimate, due to higher Chinese and Russian activity in the region in recent years.

“I don’t think that we’re in a foreign policy crisis,” Rasmussen said. “We are open to a dialogue with the Americans on how we can possibly cooperate even more closely than we do to ensure that the American ambitions are fulfilled.”

Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede has said that Greenland is not for sale, in response to Trump’s comments.

“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” he said in a statement in late December 2024.

Trump, while commenting on Greenland, announced he had chosen Ken Howery to be his ambassador to Denmark.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

The president-elect, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, said on Tuesday that the United States also needs to reassert control over the Panama Canal, a structure it built in the early part of the 20th century. He said that the canal’s control is a matter of national security and that Chinese companies control parts of it now.

“The Panama Canal is vital to our country,” he said. “It’s being operated by China—China!—and we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, we didn’t give it to China. They’ve abused that gift.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

END

DOJ Sues 6 Landlords Over Alleged Algorithmic Rent-Fixing Scheme

Wednesday, Jan 08, 2025 – 08:30 PM

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday that it is suing six large landlords over alleged anticompetitive practices in housing rental markets, expanding the DOJ’s first case alleging algorithmic collusion.

The DOJ and a coalition of states filed the antitrust lawsuit in North Carolina in August 2024, accusing property management software company RealPage of enabling landlords to collude by sharing pricing information through the company’s software, which then recommends rent prices.

The DOJ alleged the landlords exchanged competitively sensitive information on rents, occupancy rates, and pricing strategies through phone calls, emails, and user groups hosted by RealPage.

The landlords—Cortland Management, Greystar Real Estate Partners, Blackstone’s LivCor, Camden Property Trust, Cushman’s Pinnacle Property Management Services, and Willow Bridge Property—were named as defendants in the amended complaint.

The landlords collectively operate more than 1.3 million rental units across 43 states and the District of Columbia, according to the DOJ.

“Today’s action against RealPage and six major landlords seeks to end their practice of putting profits over people and make housing more affordable for millions of people across the country,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division stated.

The co-plaintiffs in the amended complaint include the attorneys general of Illinois, Massachusetts, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

“I don’t have to tell anyone, rent is completely unaffordable and out of control right now,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a Jan. 7 statement.

“We are alleging today that some of the nation’s largest landlords—including three operating in Connecticut—rigged the market using unfair algorithmic pricing to suppress competition and jack up costs for millions of renters.”

The DOJ stated that Cortland, which manages more than 80,000 rental units across 13 states, had agreed to cooperate with the department and enter into a proposed settlement.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, a Cortland spokesperson said the proposed settlement will be filed with the court for approval.

“We believe we were only able to achieve this result because Cortland has invested years and significant internal resources into developing a proprietary revenue management software tool that does not rely on data from external, non-public sources,” the spokesperson stated.

Greystar has denied the allegations and stated that it intends to “vigorously defend” itself in the DOJ lawsuit.

“Greystar has and will conduct its business with the utmost integrity. At no time did Greystar engage in any anti-competitive practices,” the company said in a statement.

Camden said it disagrees with the DOJ’s claims and plans to seek dismissal of the lawsuit. The company argued that the allegations stemmed from actions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This was a time when Camden made the decision not to increase renewal rates, to waive late fees, to freeze evictions, and to take the unprecedented step of providing over $10 million in cash directly to our residents to assist them during that uncertain period, no strings attached,” the company said in a statement.

“Rental rates are a result of many factors, most importantly government regulations limiting housing supply. When supply is limited by government regulations, rents go up.”

RealPage issued a statement on Dec. 6 saying that the DOJ has closed its criminal probe into pricing practices in the multifamily rental housing sector.

The company said the remaining lawsuits filed against it were “based on misinformation and baseless allegations.”

The three remaining landlords did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

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

VDH

KING REPORT

—

SWAMP STORIES FOR YOU TONIGHT

Garland will release nothing but garbage. The new Attorney General should arrest him and his cronies for corruption, fraud etc

(Zerohedge)

DOJ Confirms It Will Release Jack Smith’s Report On Trump, But…

Wednesday, Jan 08, 2025 – 10:10 PM

Attorney General Merrick Garland plans to release only the volume of special counsel Jack Smith’s report dealing with Donald Trump’s plans to subvert the transfer of power after his loss in the 2020 election, holding back on sharing the Mar-a-Lago report while the president-elect’s two co-defendants still face trial.

Garland’s decision all but assures the public will never see Smith’s report reviewing Trump’s mishandling of classified records at his Palm Beach, Fla., resort.

However, the filing says the top members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees will be able to review the Mar-a-Lago report at the Department of Justice (DOJ)… so don’t be surprised when the leaks start.

As Zachary Stieber reports for The Epoch Times, DOJ officials said in a court filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that AG Garland intends to release part one of the report, which deals with Trump, “in furtherance of the public interest in informing a co-equal branch and the public regarding this significant matter.”

Smith has already transmitted the report to Garland, officials said.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday had ordered the department not to release the report until the 11th Circuit reviewed a motion by Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, Trump’s co-defendants in a federal case.

While prosecutors dropped charges against Trump following his November 2024 election win, they are still pursuing Nauta, a former Trump aide, and De Oliveira, a manager at Trump’s resort in Florida.

Nauta and De Oliveira say Smith should be fired and that his report should not be released to the public, given he was found by Cannon to be unconstitutionally appointed.

DOJ lawyers said in the new filing that whether Smith was unconstitutionally appointed is irrelevant because the issue at hand is how Garland handles Smith’s report. They also argued that Nauta and De Oliveira have no interest in part one, and do not have standing to block the publication of that part.

“There is also no valid basis for this Court to pretermit the Attorney General’s discretion with respect to Volume One,” they wrote.

Officials said that while part two of the report will not be made available to the public, a redacted version will be available for certain lawmakers to view in camera as long as the lawmakers agree not to publicly release any of the report’s contents.

“This limited disclosure will further the public interest in keeping congressional leadership apprised of a significant matter within the Department while safeguarding defendants’ interests,” they wrote.

Cannon’s order prohibited, pending resolution of the emergency motion from Nauta and De Oliveira by the appeals court, Smith, Garland, the DOJ, and all persons acting together with the parties from releasing, sharing, or transmitting the report or drafts of the report with any person outside of the DOJ.

It did not bar Smith from transmitting the report to Garland.

Federal law governing special counsels requires each counsel to prepare a final report explaining prosecution decisions and transmit it to the attorney general, who can decide whether to make it public.

END

Senate Democrats Attempt To Delay Tulsi Gabbard Confirmation Hearings

Wednesday, Jan 08, 2025 – 08:05 PM

Authored by Eric Lendrum via American Greatness,

Just days after the new members of the United States Senate were sworn into office, Democrats in the upper chamber have already taken steps to delay the confirmation hearings of one major nominee for President-elect Donald Trump’s second Cabinet.

As reported by Axios, Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), who serves as the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is delaying Republican efforts to hold confirmation hearings as early as next week for former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (R-Hawaii), President-elect Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Warner’s excuse for the delay is that the committee has allegedly not yet received certain materials from Gabbard, including her FBI background check, ethics disclosure, and her pre-hearing questionnaire.

The background check, as per committee rules, must be submitted at least one week before the hearing is to take place.

However, Gabbard had in fact completed her background check last week.

Furthermore, her confirmation could be much smoother than most due to her already possessing a security clearance. She also already submitted her pre-hearing questionnaire, but will submit a second one by Thursday due to Warner’s demands.

As for the ethics report, logistical issues have prevented the timely delivery of such information due to the Washington D.C. area being struck by a heavy snowstorm on Monday, which has caused similar delays for other nominees.

Despite Warner’s efforts to block the hearing, Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) reaffirmed that the Senate “intends to hold these hearings before Inauguration Day,” according to a spokesman.

“The Intelligence Committee, the nominees, and the transition are diligently working toward that goal.”

“After the terrorist attacks on New Year’s Eve and New Years Day, it’s sad to see Sen. Warner and Democrats playing politics with Americans’ safety and our national security,” said Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition.

Gabbard has generally been considered one of President-elect Trump’s most controversial nominees.

Originally a Democrat who rose to the rank of vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Gabbard came to be at odds with her own party over its deliberate suppression of the presidential campaigns of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in 2016 and 2020.

She left the House to run for President herself in 2020, then left the Democratic Party and switched to Independent.

She became a vocal supporter of President Trump’s comeback bid in 2024, and switched her party affiliation to Republican shortly after his victory in November.

END

‘It’s All Talk’: Trump Accuses Biden Of Sabotaging ‘Smooth Transition’

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 09:05 AM

Authored by Philip Wegmann via RealClearPolitics,

President Biden and President-elect Trump sat side-by-side in the Oval Office after the election exchanging pleasantries in front of the cameras, both promising “a smooth transition.”

Biden vowed to “do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated,” insisting the president-elect would get “what you need.” Trump replied, “I very much appreciate that,” agreeing with the president that the coming transfer of power would be “as smooth as it can get.”

That era of good feeling, if it hadn’t already, ended two weeks from inauguration day. “They say we’re going to have a smooth transition,” Trump said Tuesday during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate, “all they do is talk. It’s all talk.” The incoming president feels sabotaged by the outgoing president on at least two fronts: A sudden and sweeping offshore drilling ban and his imminent sentencing in his New York hush money trial.

Biden announced earlier this week that he would protect 625 million acres of ocean from offshore oil and gas drilling along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea. An environmentalist, he has conserved more land and waters than any other president in history and condemned the “false choice” of choosing “between protecting the environment and growing our economy” when announcing the ban under a provision of the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Predictably, Trump balked. “It is like the whole ocean,” he said while reflecting on the vast acreage and complaining that his predecessor had just “destroyed the economic viability of drilling in the ocean.”

“I’m going to have it revoked on day one,” he continued before indicating that such a move would likely incur legal challenges. And he should know. Trump tried to reverse former President Barack Obama’s ban on drilling in Arctic and Atlantic waters through executive action, only to be blocked by a federal court in 2019. The judge ruled that reversing a ban would require congressional action.

Democratic administrations tend to be more conservation-minded, while Republican ones are more permissive of oil and gas production. This is nothing. During the campaign, Trump often bragged about how the United States became a net exporter of fossil fuels during his tenure, boasting about the vast reserves of “liquid gold under our feet,” a supply far greater “than any other country.” And while the U.S., in fact, hit record highs of domestic oil production in the last four years, Biden hastened and cheered the transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.

The latest conservation effort is more than just energy policy in the eyes of Trump. It is instead a direct attempt to hamstring his strategy to bring down inflation before that plan can even start. During remarks at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump vowed that increased drilling would bring down gas prices and reduce manufacturing inputs, thus “driving down inflation.” At Mar-a-Lago, an optimistic president-elect pegged the value of offshore drilling at $50 trillion, complaining that Biden “has thrown it away.”

Of course, there is no love lost between Trump and Biden. The Republican calls his counterpart “the worst president in history.” The Democrat regularly called his predecessor “a threat to democracy.”

“Decades ago, this sort of petty behavior was limited to the Clinton team taking the ‘W’ off the keyboard before Bush took office. Now we have this sort of crap,” Mick Mulvaney, who served as Trump’s second chief of staff, told RealClearPolitics. He also pointed to federal employees at the EPA racing to lock in union contracts ahead of a second Trump term as more evidence of a permissive outgoing president stymieing his successor. “It’s outrageous and will likely lead to a bipartisan effort to dramatically curtail presidential authority,” Mulvaney added, “especially during lame duck periods.”

While Biden sees last-minute conservation as part of legacy building, Mulvaney and other Republicans see it as an ongoing failure of Democrats to understand the electorate.

“What I can’t understand is this: If this is about your legacy, why make your legacy something that American voters just soundly rejected?” added the former chief. “If they thought banning offshore drilling was a good idea, they could’ve voted for Kamala.”

Regardless of partisanship, there was a brief reprise. Susie Wiles, the incoming chief of staff, praised Jeff Zients as “very professional,” telling Axios in a recent interview that Biden’s chief of staff has not only been “very helpful” during the transition but even made “great suggestions, helped make sure we stay on time with required functions, helped us navigate the labyrinth that is the Executive Office.” Zients also recently hosted Wiles at his home.

That kind of generosity has done nothing to soothe the anger of Trump, who was bristling during his news conference at his upcoming criminal sentencing in New York related to a hush-money payment to a porn star during his first presidential campaign. He makes little distinction between state and federal cases, and he seemed to accuse the Biden administration of “playing with the courts.”

A prison sentence is off the table in that case in light of Trump’s electoral victory, but that has not stemmed his anger at New York prosecutors or special counsel Jack Smith, who was temporarily blocked by a federal court from releasing his final report on his investigation into the former president.

While the White House has long insisted that they played no part in any of those legal proceedings, the Washington Post has reported that, in private, Biden has said he regrets picking Merrick Garland to be his attorney general. The reason: the tardiness of the Department of Justice in prosecuting Trump ahead of an election.

That contest is now over. The last remaining prize after an electoral rebuke: the moral high ground. Democrats feel confident they have it, given the way they have handled the peaceful transition of power. “Monday was the four-year anniversary of the only time a sitting president tried to overthrow the American government because they didn’t have the guts to accept that they lost,” a former Biden-Harris transition official replied when asked about Trump’s smooth transition comments before telling RCP that “peaceful transfers are not his style.”

Vice President Harris presided over the count of electoral college votes Tuesday and certified his victory over her. There were no objections. It was the first time that a Republican presidential candidate’s victory was certified without objections from House Democrats since 1988.

END

New York Court Denies Trump’s Bid To Halt Friday’s ‘Hush Money’ Case Sentencing

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025 – 01:00 PM

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

New York’s top appeals court on Thursday denied President-elect Donald Trump’s request to halt Friday’s sentencing for his conviction last year on falsified business records.

One judge of the New York Court of Appeals issued a brief order declining to grant a hearing to Trump’s legal team. No explanation was given to Trump’s attorneys.

In a filing to the court this week, Trump’s attorneys had said Justice Juan Merchan and the state’s mid-level appellate court both “erroneously failed” to stop the sentencing, arguing that the Constitution requires an automatic pause as they appeal the judge’s ruling upholding the verdict.

When announcing the sentencing date, Merchan indicated that he would not issue fines, probation, or jail time. A Manhattan jury had found Trump guilty of falsifying business records in connection to payments he made during the 2016 campaign. Trump had pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

In an emergency application, Trump’s lawyers asked the New York Court of Appeals to issue an “immediate stay” for the sentencing hearing and argued that the May trial violated the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in July that had provided their client with broad immunity from prosecution due to acts he took as president. They also argued that the sentencing should be delayed while the appeals process plays out.

“As discussed herein, the commencement of appellate proceedings seeking interlocutory review of these claims of Presidential immunity immediately causes an automatic stay of proceedings in the Supreme Court under Trump v. United States and related case law,” Trump’s attorneys wrote.

“This appellate proceeding should result in a dismissal of this politically motivated prosecution that was flawed from the very beginning, centered around the wrongful actions and false claims of a disgraced, disbarred serial-liar former attorney, violated President Trump’s due process rights, and had no merit.”

His attorneys further contended that the court’s decision to “set sentencing for January 10, 2025, mere days before President Trump’s inauguration to serve a second term as President of the United States, threatens irreparable harm and deprivation of President Trump’s constitutional rights.”

Trump is scheduled to be sworn in as president on Jan. 20.

Last week, Merchan ruled that Trump’s sentencing could move forward for this Friday, rejecting claims from his team that the election victory should put an end to the case. He suggested that he would hand down no punishment.

“While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendant an opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,” Merchan wrote.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which brought the case against the president-elect, said this week in a court filing that it opposes Trump’s bid to halt the sentencing proceedings.

“There is no risk here of an ‘extended proceeding’ that impairs the discharge of defendant’s official duties—duties he does not possess before January 20, 2025 in any event,” the office said in a filing.

Trump also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to call off Friday’s sentencing. The emergency motion to the high court was submitted to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who hears emergency appeals from New York state.

The filing stated that, upon his inauguration, Trump would become “completely immune from all criminal” proceedings and that “the doctrine of sitting-President immunity shields him from criminal process during the brief but crucial period of Presidential transition, while he engages in the extraordinarily demanding task of preparing to assume” power over the executive branch.

Trump had faced a total of four criminal cases in four separate jurisdictions. Two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith were dropped in the aftermath of Trump’s November win, while a case brought in Georgia has effectively been put in limbo after a state court dismissed the district attorney, Fani Willis, amid allegations of impropriety.

GREG HUNTER

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