GOLD CLOSED UP $38.30 TO $2743.80
SILVER CLOSED DOWN 9 CENTS TO $30.74
Gold ACCESS CLOSED $2742.40
Silver ACCESS CLOSED: $30.81
Bitcoin morning price:$104,400 DOWN 23 DOLLARS.
Bitcoin: afternoon price: $106,030 up 1607 DOLLARS
Platinum price closing UP $3.20 TO $946.60
Palladium price; UP $13.40 TO $966.00
END
*CANADIAN GOLD: $3928.30 UP 20.20 CDN dollars per oz( * NEW ALL TIME HIGH 3,928.30 CDN DOLLARS PER OZ//JAN 21 2025)
*BRITISH GOLD: 2222.90 UP 4.00 Pounds per oz// *(NEW ALL TIME HIGH//CLOSING///2,222.90 BRITISH POUNDS/OZ) JAN 21/2025
*EURO GOLD: 2,631.33 UP 3.30 Euros per oz //* (ALL TIME CLOSING HIGH: 2,635.88 EUROS PER OZ/JAN 16 //.2025)
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END
EXCHANGE
XCHANGE: COMEX
CONTRACT: JANUARY 2025 COMEX 100 GOLD FUTURES
SETTLEMENT: 2,744.300000000 USD
INTENT DATE: 01/17/2025 DELIVERY DATE: 01/22/2025
FIRM ORG FIRM NAME ISSUED STOPPED
152 C DORMAN TRADING 1
167 C MAREX 68
190 H BMO CAPITAL 1
323 C HSBC 320
332 H STANDARD CHARTE 400
363 H WELLS FARGO SEC 96
624 H BOFA SECURITIES 196
661 C JP MORGAN 2
686 C STONEX FINANCIA 13 13
709 C BARCLAYS 522
726 C PLUS500US FINAN 1
737 C ADVANTAGE 26 21
905 C ADM 28 4
TOTAL: 856 856
JPMorgan stopped 2/856
GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR JANUARY/2024. CONTRACT: 856 NOTICES FOR 85,600 OZ 2.662 TONNES
total notices so far: 12,664 contracts for 1,266,400 Oz (39.390 tonnes)
FOR JANUARY
SILVER NOTICES: 0 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR nil OZ/
total number of notices filed so far this month : 1892 for 9.460 million oz
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END
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 $35.30 INVESTORS SWITCHING TO SPROTT PHYSICAL (PHYS) INSTEAD OF THE FRAUDULENT GLD:
WHAT!!!
MEGA HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A DEPOSIT OF 10.34 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD./
INVENTORY RESTS AT 879.12 TONNES
SLV/
WITH NO SILVER AROUND AND SILVER DOWN $0.09 AT THE SLV: NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV:
INVESTORS ARE SWITCHING SLV TO SPROTT’S PSLV.
CLOSING INVENTORY: 463.315 MILLION OZ
Let us have a look at the data for today
SILVER//OUTLINE
SILVER COMEX OI ROSE BY A HUMONGOUS SIZED 1362 CONTRACTS TO 155,676 AND CONTINUING ON ITS MARCH TO THE RECORD HIGH OI OF 244,710, SET FEB 25/2020, AND THIS HUMONGOUS SIZED GAIN IN COMEX OI WAS ACCOMPLISHED DESPITE OUR LOSS OF $0,49 IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX WITH RESPECT TO FRIDAY’S TRADING. WE HAD A HUGE GAIN OF 1758 TOTAL CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE//FRIDAY’S TRADING.. WE HAD HUGE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS ON FRIDAY COMEX TRADING AS THEY DESPERATELY TRIED TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS WHERE RAIDS ARE CALLED UPON AGAIN AND AGAIN TRYING TO STOP THE RISE IN SILVER’S PRICE AND TO QUELL ADDITIONAL DERIVATIVE LOSSES TO OUR BANKERS’ MASSIVE TOTALS. THEY FAILED MISERABLY WITH FRIDAY PRICING WITH ZERO LONGS BEING KNOCKED OFF. DERIVATIVE LOSSES CONTINUE TO MOUNT. WE HAD CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION FRIDAY COUPLED WITH ANOTHER NEW STRONG T.A.S. ISSUANCE OF 509 CONTRACTS ISSUED BY THE CME AND THAT SIGNALS RED THAT THE CROOKS ARE DESPERATE TO STOP SILVER BREAKING OVER THE 34.00 DOLLAR MARK. THE FRONT MONTH OF FEB HAS A HUGE $1.23 CONTANGO TO SPOT AS THE CROOKS NEED TO PAY A HUGE PRICE AS A SHORT (AND THUS SUPPLIER TO OUR PATIENT WAITING LONGS) THIS UPCOMING FEB CONTRACT MONTH. WE HAD A STRONG 410 CONTRACT EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR 509 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 HUGE SIZED 1758 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE. WE HAD HUGE TAS LIQUIDATION THROUGHOUT FRIDAY’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 WITH YESTERDAY’S FAILED RAID.
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 FRIDAY NIGHT: A STRONG 509 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 OUR RAID ON JANUARY 13. 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 SUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING THE PRICE OF SILVER DOWN (IT FELL BY $0.49 AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF ANY APPRECIABLE NET SILVER LONGS FROM THEIR PERCH AS WE HAD A HUMONGOUS GAIN IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 1758 CONTRACTS.
WE HAD A 410 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 0 OZ QUEUE JUMP//NEW STANDING REMAINS AT 10.015 MILLION OZ
// STANDING FOR SILVER//JAN 10.015 MILLION OZ
WE HAD:
/ MEGA HUMONGOUS SIZED COMEX OI GAIN +// A STRONG 410 SIZED EFP ISSUANCE/ VI) STRONG SIZED NUMBER OF T.A.S. CONTRACT ISSUANCE 509 CONTRACTS)/
I AM NOW RECORDING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN OI FROM PRELIMINARY TO FINAL: REMOVED 75 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 12 DAYS, total 7729 contracts: OR 38.645 MILLION OZ (644 CONTRACTS PER DAY)
TOTAL EFP’S FOR THE MONTH SO FAR: 38.645 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: 38.645 MILLION OZ///(THIS MONTH’S ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL WILL BE SMALL)
RESULT: WE HAD A HUMONGOUS SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 1362 CONTRACTS DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE OF SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX/FRIDAY.,. THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A 410 EFP ISSUANCE CONTRACTS: 410 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 0 OZ
//NEW TOTAL STANDING FOR JAN REMAINS AT 10.015 MILLION OZ
WE HAVE 1. A MEGA HUMONGOUS SIZED GAIN OF 1772 OI CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES WITH OUR GAIN IN PRICE// 2.THE TOTAL OF TAS INITIATED CONTRACTS TODAY: A STRONG 509 CONTRACTS TRYING DESPERATELY TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE,//HUGE FRONT END OF THE TAS CONTRACTS WERE LIQUIDATED DURING THE FRIDAY COMEX SESSION BUT THEY STILL NEED THESE ISSUANCE FOR REPLENISHMENT FOR FUTURE TRADING //3. ZERO NET LONG SPECULATORS WERE BURNED ON THURSDAY WITH THE GAIN IN PRICE. ALSO 4. SOME OF OUR LONGS EXERCISED THEIR CONTRACTS 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 FRIDAY NIGHT (509) WILL BE PUT INTO “THE BANK” TO BE COLLUSIVELY USED AT A LATER DATE
WE HAD 0 NOTICE(S) FILED TODAY FOR 0 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 GOOD SIZED 4180 OI CONTRACTS TO 555,644 AND CLOSER TO THE RECORD (SET JAN 24/2020) AT 799,105 AND PREVIOUS TO THAT: (SET JAN 6/2020) AT 797,110. (ALL TIME LOW OF 390,000 CONTRACTS.)
THE DIFFERENTIAL FROM PRELIMINARY OI TO FINAL OI IN GOLD TODAY: REMOVED A HUGE SIZED 1289 CONTRACTS//
WE HAD A GOOD SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI (4180 CONTRACTS) OCCURRED DESPITE OUR LOSS OF $9.50 IN PRICE FRIDAY. 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 900 CONTRACTS OR 90,000 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 AND THEN FINALLY TODAY’S ISSUANCE OF 85 CONTRACTS//8500 OZ OR .2644 TONNES . NEW STANDING FOR JAN ADVANCES TO 38.8506 TONNES (NORMAL DELIVERY) + 5.753 TONNES EX FOR RISK/PRIOR + .2644 TONNES THURSDAY EQUALS 46.668 TONNES
/NEW STANDING 43.8633 TONNES
/ ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WITH OUR $9.50 LOSS IN PRICE WITH RESPECT TO FRIDAY’S COMEX ///. WE HAD A STRONG GAIN OF 7066 OI CONTRACTS (21 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 ISSUANCES ON 3 OCCASIONS .
E.F.P. ISSUANCE
THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A STRONG SIZED 2886 CONTRACTS:
The NEW COMEX OI FOR THE GOLD COMPLEX RESTS AT 557,933
IN ESSENCE WE HAVE A STRONG SIZED INCREASE IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 7066 CONTRACTS WITH 4180 CONTRACTS INCREASED AT THE COMEX// AND A STRONG SIZED 2886 EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL OI CONTRACT ISSUANCE WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS TOTAL OI GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 7066 CONTRACTS.. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING TAS CONTRACTS INITIATED (ISSUED): A STRONG SIZED AND CRIMINAL 1858 CONTRACTS ISSUED.(ON WEDNESDAY WE WITNESSED THE END OF 5TH CONSECUTIVE 30,000+ T.A.S CONTRACT ISSUED BY THE CME.) WE HAD A HUGE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S CONTRACTS WITH OUR STRONG LOSS IN PRICE FRIDAY. MORE MONSTER ISSUANCE OF T.A.S WAS NEEDED FOR REPLENISHMENT TO CARRY OUT ITS PRICE CONTAINMENT STRATEGY IN FUTURE TRADING (FUTURE RAIDS).AS I COMMENTED ON THURSDAY: :WE WILL NO DOUBT SEE A FINAL RAID ORCHESTRATED BY THE CROOKS PRIOR TO TRUMP’S INAUGURATION ON MONDAY” AND THAT CAME TO FRUITION WITHTHE RAID ON FRIDAY.
CALCULATIONS ON GAIN/LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES
WE HAD A STRONG SIZED ISSUANCE IN EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS (2886 CONTRACTS) ACCOMPANYING THE GOOD SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI OF 4,180 CONTRACTS/TOTAL GAIN FOR OUR THE TWO EXCHANGES: 7066 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 900 CONTRACTS OR 90,000 OZ (2.7933 TONNES) TO WHICH WE ADD THAT CRAZY “DELIVERY” CALLED EXCHANGE FOR RISK JAN 17 OF .2644 PRECEEDED BY JAN 8 OF .4665 TONNES AND EX FOR RISK OF 5.2867 TONNES JAN 6////
NEW STANDING FOR JAN ADVANCES TO:
40.650TONNES NORMAL DELIVERY +
6.0177 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK ON OUR THREE OCCASIONS IN JANUARY (6TH AND 8TH,17TH)
EQUALS: 46.668 TONNES
//NEW STANDING JAN: 46.668 TONNES WHICH I BELIEVE IS THE HIGHEST EVER GOLD STANDING FOR A JANUARY DELIVERRY MONTH.
/ 3) HUGE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION TRYING TO LOWER GOLD’S PRICE FRIDAY WITH ZERO SUCCESS IN REMOVING ANY NET SPECULATOR LONGS, AS DESPITE OURA1) $9.50 PRICE LOSS, WE HAD 2) ZERO NET LONG SPECS BEING CLIPPED AS WE HAD A TOTAL GAIN OF CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES. ALSO, 3)STICKY GOLD’S LONGS WERE REWARDED THURSDAY EVENING AS THEY EXERCISED EFP’S FROM LONDON TO TAKE DELIVERY OF BADLY NEEDED PHYSICAL.
4) HUGE SIZED COMEX OPEN INTEREST INCREASE 5) HUMONGOUS ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL PAPER///STRONG T.A.S. ISSUANCE: 1526 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: 53,289 CONTRACTS OF 5,328,900 OZ OR 165.75 TONNES IN 12 TRADING DAY(S) AND THUS AVERAGING: 4844 EFP CONTRACTS PER TRADING DAY
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO THE SIZE OF THESE EFP TRANSFERS : THIS MONTH IN 12 TRADING DAY(S) IN TONNES 165.75 TONNES
TOTAL ANNUAL GOLD PRODUCTION, 2023, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD EX CHINA EX RUSSIA: 3555 TONNES
THUS EFP TRANSFERS REPRESENTS 165.76 DIVIDED BY 3550 x 100% TONNES = 4.67% 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 TONNES
JAN. 2025: 165.75 TONNES (ISSUANCE WILL BE PRETTY GOOD THIS MONTH AND MUCH LOWER THAN LAST MONTH)
SPREADING OPERATIONS
(/NOW SWITCHING TO GOLD) FOR NEWCOMERS, HERE ARE THE DETAILS
SPREADING LIQUIDATION HAS NOW COMMENCED AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THE NEW ACTIVE FRONT MONTH OF FEB. WE ARE NOW INTO THE SPREADING OPERATION OF GOLD
HERE IS A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF HOW THE CROOKS FLEECE UNSUSPECTING LONGS IN THE SPREADING ENDEAVOUR ;MODUS OPERANDI OF THE CORRUPT BANKERS AS TO HOW THEY HANDLE THEIR SPREAD OPEN INTERESTS:HERE IS HOW THE CROOKS USED SPREADING AS WE ARE NOW INTO THE NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF NOV HEADING TOWARDS THE ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF FEB., FOR GOLD: AND MARCH FOR SILVER
YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE THAT THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST STARTS TO RISE BUT SO IS THE OPEN INTEREST OF SPREADERS. THE OPEN INTEREST IN WILL CONTINUE TO RISE UNTIL ONE WEEK BEFORE FIRST DAY NOTICE OF AN UPCOMING ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH (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 HUMONGOUS SIZED 1362 CONTRACTS OI TO 155,676 AND CLOSER TO THE COMEX HIGH RECORD //244,710( SET FEB 25/2020). THE LAST RECORDS WERE SET IN AUG.2018 AT 244,196 WITH A SILVER PRICE OF $14.78/(AUGUST 22/2018)..THE PREVIOUS RECORD TO THAT WAS SET ON APRIL 9/2018 AT 243,411 OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS WITH THE SILVER PRICE AT THAT DAY: $16.53). AND PREVIOUS TO THAT, THE RECORD WAS ESTABLISHED AT: 234,787 CONTRACTS, SET ON APRIL 21.2017 OVER 7 YEARS AGO. HOWEVER WE HAVE NOW SET A NEW RECORD LOW OF 114,102 CONTRACTS JULY 3.2023
EFP ISSUANCE 570 CONTRACTS
OUR CUSTOMARY MIGRATION OF COMEX LONGS CONTINUE TO MORPH INTO LONDON FORWARDS AS OUR BANKERS USED THEIR EMERGENCY PROCEDURE TO ISSUE:
MAR 570 and ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 570 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 1362 CONTRACTS AND ADD TO THE 410 E.FP. ISSUED
WE OBTAIN A HUGE SIZED GAIN OF OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 1772 CONTRACTS
THUS IN OUNCES, THE GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES TOTALS A HUGE 8.860 MILLION OZ OCCURRED DESPITE OUR STRONG $0.49 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 TUESDAY MORNING MONDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 1.25 OR 0.05%
//Hang Seng CLOSED UP 180.74 PTS OR 0.91%
// Nikkei CLOSED UP 125.48 OR 0.32%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP 0.68%%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED UP TO 7.3140 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2867// Oil DOWN TO 76.00 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 78.54 Stocks in Europe OPENED MOSTLY RED
ONSHORE USA/ YUAN TRADING BELOW LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING A
STRONGER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE YUAN STRONGER
ASIA TRADING TUESDAY MORNING/MONDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED UP 5.79 PTS OR 0.18%
//Hang Seng CLOSED UP 61.17 PTS OR 0.31%
// Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 121.14 OR 0.31%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED DOWN 0.20%%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED UP TO 7.3289 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED DOWN TO 7.3558// Oil DOWN TO 78.25 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 81.08 Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN
ONSHORE USA/ YUAN TRADING ABOVE LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING A
WEAKER AGAINST US DOLLAR/OFFSHORE YUAN WEAKER
A)NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
outline
b) REPORT ON JAPAN/
OUTLINE
3 CHINA
OUTLINE
4/EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE
5. RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE
6.Global Issues//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES
OUTLINE
7. OIL ISSUES
OUTLINE
8 EMERGING MARKET ISSUES
9. USA
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1. COMEX DATA//AMOUNTS STANDING//VOLUME OF TRADING/INVENTORY MOVEMENTS
GOLD
LET US BEGIN:
THE TOTAL COMEX GOLD OPEN INTEREST ROSE BY A GOOD SIZED 4180 CONTRACTS TO 556,644 DESPITE OUR STRONG LOSS IN PRICE OF $9.50 WITH RESPECT TO FRIDAY’S TRADING. WE LOST ZERO NET LONGS DESPITEOUR PRICE LOSS FOR GOLD AS WE HAD ALSO, AS YOU WILL SEE BELOW, A STRONG NUMBER OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUED (2886) . THE CME ANNOUNCED 0 EXCHANGE FOR RISK CONTRACTS FRIDAY MORNING F
THUS IN TOTAL WE HAD A VERY STRONG GAIN ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 7066 CONTRACTS DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE. OUR FRIENDLY PHYSICAL LONDON BOYS HAD ANOTHER FIELD DAY AGAIN ON FRIDAY NIGHT AS THEY WERE READY FOR THE FRBNY.S CONTINUED ORCHESTRATED TRADING /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 THIS MONTH CONTINUES TO DISTORT OPEN INTEREST NUMBERS GREATLY AND IT SURELY WAS ON DISPLAY THIS ENTIRE PAST WEEK WITH OUR MAMMOTH T.A.S. ISSUANCES. WE HAD A HUGE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION DURING THE THURSDAY COMEX SESSION. WE FINISHED WITH OUR 5 CONSECUTIVE HUGE 30,000+ ISSUANCES WITH TODAY’S STRONG 1526 CONTRACT ANNOUNCEMENT (FRIDAY MORNING).
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 FRIDAY’S 197 , 199, 2001, 202, 203 , 204 ,205 AND 206 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 MONDAY MORNING. 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 AND THEN THIS WEEK, IS SURELY DISTORTING COMEX OPEN INTEREST BUT THAT DOES NOT STOP LONDON’S ACCUMULATION OF PHYSICAL! YOU CAN ALSO VISUALIZE THAT PERFECTLY WITH THE HUGE AMOUNTS OF QUEUE JUMPING ORCHESTRATED BY CENTRAL BANKERS BOLTING AHEAD OF ORDINARY LONGS AS THEIR NEED FOR PHYSICAL IS GREAT AS THEY SCOUR THE PLANET LOOKING FOR GOLD. AS YOU WILL SEE BELOW, WE HAD ANOTHER HUGE QUEUE JUMPING SESSION 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 2886 EFP CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED: : /FEB 2886 & ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS:
TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 2886 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 STRONG SIZED TOTAL OF 7066 CONTRACTS IN THAT 2886 CONTRACT LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS TO LONDON AND WE HAD A STRONG SIZED GAIN OF 4180 COMEX CONTRACTS..AND THIS STRONG GAIN ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES HAPPENED DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE OF $9.50 FRIDAY// 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 THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY MORNING WAS A STRONG SIZED SIZED 1858 CONTRACTS, AS AGAIN, THE FED(FRBNY) CALLED FOR THE FED-MOBILE TO BE USED TO ORCHESTRATE ANOTHER RAID BEFORE THE TRUMP-MOBILE TAKES OFFICE. ON MONDAY. ALMOST ALL OF THE TRADING AND SUPPLY OF CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN ORCHESTRATED BY GOVERNMENT (FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK). AS PER THEIR MEGA 5 DAY ISSUANCE OF T.A.S THIS WEEK, THE FED WAS EXPERIMENTING WITH EINSTEIN’S DEFINITION OF INSANITY….TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN HOPING FOR A DIFFERENT RESULT. HIS DEFINITION STILL STANDS.. THE CROOKS ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING AS NOBODY LEFT OUR GOLD METAL ARENA WITH FRIDAY’S RAID.
MECHANICS OF T.A.S CONTRACTS
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 JAN 6 COMEX TRADING//RAID AND THEN AGAIN WITH TUESDAY’S FAILED ATTEMPT AT A RAID ON GOLD PRICE. HOWEVER NOT TO BE UNDONE, THE CROOKS ISSUED ANOTHER MONSTER 39,913 T.A.S CONTRACTS WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS WAS THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE 30,000+ CONTRACT ISSUANCE. ALL OF THESE T.A.S. ISSUANCES WERE USED TO THWART GOLD TRADING ESPECIALLY BEFORE TRUMP’S INAUGURATION AS THE FED MUST REDUCE ITS MASSIVE PHYSICAL GOLD SHORT OF 82 TONNES. WE HAD CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION WITH RESPECT TO FRIDAY’S COMEX TRADING. (WHICH DISTORTS OPEN INTEREST)
STANDING FOR GOLD FOR THE PAST 4 PLUS YEARS:
// WE HAVE A STRONG AMOUNT OF GOLD TONNAGE STANDING: JAN (46.668 TONNES) WHICH IS HUGE FOR OUR NON ACTIVE JAN DELIVERY MONTH AND I BELIEVE THE HIGHEST STANDING FOR GOLD EVER RECORDED FOR A JANUARY.
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 2024: 540.30 tonnes
January 2025: 40.65 TONNES + 5.753 EX FOR RISK/PRIOR + .2644 TONNES THURSDAY = 46.668 TONNES
COMEX GOLD TRADING
THE SPECS/HFT WERE SUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING GOLD’S PRICE( IT FELL BY $9.50)//BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF ANY NET SPECULATOR LONGS AS WE DID HAVE A STRONG GAIN IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES. AS EXPLAINED ABOVE WE HAD CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. SPREADER LIQUIDATION FRIDAY AS THEY WERE TRYING TO QUELL GOLD’S RISE AND HUGE COMEX/OTC DERIVATIVE LOSSES BUT TO NO AVAIL.
THE CROOKS COULD NOT STOP CENTRAL BANK LONGS, SEIZING THE MOMENT, THEY EXERCISED AGAIN FOR PHYSICAL IN A BIG WAY TENDERING FOR PHYSICAL FRIDAY EVENING.
EXCHANGE FOR RISK EXPLANATION/DECEMBER AND JANUARYTRADING
DECEMBER
47 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.
EXCHANGE FOR RISK THIS JANUARY MONTH
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. MERCILESSLY THEY CONSUMMATED FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS MONTH 85 EXCHANGE FOR RISK LAST NIGHT FOR 8500 OZ OR .2649 TONNES OF GOLD. HERE THE BUYER ASSUMES THE RISK OF DELIVERY FROM THE SELLER WHICH IS TOTALLY ASININE.
TOTAL DELIVERIES JANUARY TRADING
WE HAVE GAINED A STRONG TOTAL OF 25.98 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 900 CONTRACTS OR 90,000 OZ (2.7993 TONNES) TO WHICH WE MUST ADD OUR 5.7533 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE PRIOR TO TODAY’S EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE OF .2649 TONNES: NEW TOTAL OF EX FOR RISK = 6.0177 TONNES WHERE THE BUYERS ASSUMES THE RISK FOR DELIVERY.(ISSUED JAN 6/2025, JAN 8, AND JAN 17).. THIS IS ,OF COURSE, AGAINST ALL RULES OF THE COMEX FORMULATED IN 1974 AS IT IS TOTALLY INSANE FOR A BUYER TO ASSUME RISK OF DELIVERY.
NEW STANDING FOR JAN: 40.65TONNES + 5.753 TONNES EX FOR RISK/PRIOR + .2644 TONNES EX FOR RISK THURSDAY = 46.668 TONNES (WHICH IS HUGE FOR OUR VERY NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH) A NORMAL AMOUNT STANDING FOR A JANUARY IN EARLIER TIMES HAS BEEN GENERALLY AROUND 1/4 TONNE OF GOLD. HOWEVER THESE PAST 4 YEARS QUEUE JUMPING HAS BEEN VERY PRONOUNCED AND THUS STANDING INCREASES DRAMATICALLY.
ALL OF THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE TO THE TUNE OF $9.50
WE HAD 1289 CONTRACTS REMOVED FROM THE COMEX TRADES TO OPEN INTEREST (CROOKS)//PRELIMINARY TO FINAL. AND THIS IS TOTALLY INSANE AS WELL
NET GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES 7066 CONTRACTS OR 706,600 OZ (21.97 TONNES)
confirmed volume FRIDAY 198,435 contracts: poor ////nobody wishes to play with the crooks
//speculators have left the gold arena
END
/ /// THE JAN 2025 GOLD CONTRACT
JAN 20
I/ /// THE JAN 2025 GOLD CONTRACT
JAN 20
INITIAL
| Gold | Ounces |
| Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory in oz | nil |
| Withdrawals from Customer Inventory in oz | nil . nil |
| Deposit to the Dealer Inventory in oz | |
| Deposits to the Customer Inventory, in oz | i) Into Brinks 448,959.421 oz (13,964 kilobars) ii) Into JPMorgan: 128,604.000 oz (4000 kilobars) iii) Into Loomis: 632,891.324 oz (19,685 kilobars) iv) Into Manfra 44,653.375 oz total weight 1,303,330.620 oz or 40.540 tonnes of gold |
| No of oz served (contracts) today | 856 notice(s) 85600 OZ 2.662 TONNES |
| No of oz to be served (notices) | 405 contracts 40500 OZ 1.259 TONNES |
| Total monthly oz gold served (contracts) so far this month | 12,664 notices 1,266,440 oz 39.30 TONNES |
| Total accumulative withdrawals of gold from the Dealers inventory this month | NIL oz |
| Total accumulative withdrawal of gold from the Customer inventory this month | x |
dealer deposits: 0
we have 4 customer deposits
i) Into Brinks 448,959.421 oz (13,964 kilobars)
ii) Into JPMorgan: 128,604.000 oz (4000 kilobars)
iii) Into Loomis: 632,891.324 oz (19,685 kilobars)
iv) Into Manfra 44,653.375 oz
total weight 1,303,330.620 oz or 40.540 tonnes of gold
total dealer and customer deposit: 40.54 paper tonnes
withdrawals: 0
adjustments:2/customer to dealer
i) Out of ASAHI 32,465.440 oz
ii) Out of JPMorgan 160,690..698 oz(4998 kilobars)
total customer to dealer: 193,156.09 oz or 6.000 tonnes
thus basically what comes into eligible is transferred to dealer accounts and then out.
CALCULATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR JAN.
For the front month of JAN: we have an oi of 1261 contracts having LOST 379 contracts. We had a strong 1279 contract issuance on FRIDAY. Thus ANOTHER MEGA HUGE QUEUE JUMP (GAIN) of 900 contracts on our two exchanges. (900,00 oz or 2.7993tonnes). THIS IS CENTRAL BANKERS STANDING FOR PHYSICAL GOLD WITH LONDON VAULTS RUNNING OUT OF PHYSICAL TO SUPPLY THEM.
FEBRUARY SURPRISINLY LOST A SMALL 8616 CONTRACTS TO 278,538 AS IT BEGINS ITS COUNTDOWN BEFORE FIRST DAY NOTICE (JAN 31.2025) EXPECT A MEGA WOPPER OF A FEB DELIVERY MONTH AS THE FRONT MONTH IS NOT DECLINING MUCH.
MARCH HAD A LOSS OF 54 CONTRACTS DOWN TO 6440
APRIL HAD A GAIN OF 12,577 CONTRACTS UP TO 194,011CONTRACTS
We had 856 contracts filed for today representing 85,600 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 856 contract(s) of which 0 notices were stopped (received) by j.P. Morgan dealer and 2 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 (12,664x 100 oz ) to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN(1261 CONTRACTS) minus the number of notices served upon today (856 x 100 oz per contract) equals 1,306,900 OZ OR 40.65 TONNES. to which we add those criminal exchange for risk issuance of .4665 TONNES (JAN 8) AND 5.28775 tonnes/JAN 6//TOTAL EXCHANGE FOR RISK TO TODAY;S .2644 TONNES = 6.0177 TONNES. THUS NEW STANDING FOR GOLD AT THE COMEX FOR JAN IS 37.8506 TONNES PLUS 6.0177 TONNES EX FOR RISK = 46.668 TONNES
thus the INITIAL standings for gold for the JAN contract month: No of notices filed so far (12,664 x 100 oz +we add the difference for front month of JAN (1261OI} minus the number of notices served upon today (856 x 100 oz which equals 1,3069,00 oz (40.760 TONNES) + 5.753 tonnes ex for risk ( JAN 6 AND 8TH) AND THEN THURDAY;S .2644 TONNES = 46.668 tonnes
TOTAL COMEX GOLD STANDING FOR JAN.: 46.668 TONNES WHICH IS HUGE FOR THIS NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH IN THE CALENDAR AND I BELIEVE THE HIGHEST EVER RECORDED FOR A JANUARY.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
COMEX GOLD INVENTORIES/CLASSIFICATION
NEW PLEDGED GOLD:
241,794.285 oz NOW PLEDGED /HSBC 5.94 TONNES
204,937.290 OZ PLEDGED MANFRA 3.08 TONNES
83,657.582 PLEDGED JPMorgan no 1 1.690 tonnes
265,999.054, oz JPM No 2
1,152,376.639 oz pledged Brinks/
Manfra: 33,758.550 oz
Delaware: 193.721 oz
International Delaware:: 11,188.542 oz
total pledged gold: 2,111,518.168 oz 65.67 tonnes
TOTAL OF ALL GOLD ELIGIBLE AND REGISTERED GOLD: 25,885,195.260 OZ
TOTAL REGISTERED GOLD 11,414,600.571 or 355.04 tonnes
TOTAL OF ALL ELIGIBLE GOLD: 14,470,595.449 OZ
REGISTERED GOLD THAT CAN BE SERVED UPON: 9,303,082 oz (REG GOLD- PLEDGED GOLD)= 289.36 tonnes //
JPMorgan enhanced inventory is 3.511 million oz
END
SILVER/COMEX
JAN 20. 2025
INITIAL
//2025// THE JAN 2025 SILVER CONTRACT//INITIAL
| Silver | Ounces |
| Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory | NIL oz |
| Withdrawals from Customer Inventory | a) Brinks 497,048.340 oz b) CNT 10,254.970 oz c) Delaware 991.700 oz d) HSBC 50,577.710.oz total 558,872.710 oz . |
| Deposits to the Dealer Inventory | nil |
| Deposits to the Customer Inventory | i) Into Brinks 579,275.400 oz ii) Into JPMorgan: 1,153.552.000 oz iii) Into Loomis 2,400,434.740 oz total 4,139,262.140 oz |
| No of oz served today (contracts) | 0 CONTRACT(S) (nil OZ) |
| No of oz to be served (notices) | 111 contracts (0.555 MILLION oz) |
| Total monthly oz silver served (contracts) | 1892 Contracts (9.460 million oz) |
| Total accumulative withdrawal of silver from the Dealers inventory this month | NIL oz |
| Total accumulative withdrawal of silver from the Customer inventory this month |
i) 0 dealer deposit/
total dealer deposit : nil oz
i) We had 0 dealer withdrawal
total dealer withdrawals: 0 oz
deposits:3
i) Into Brinks 579,275.400 oz
ii) Into JPMorgan: 1,153.552.000 oz
iii) Into Loomis 2,400,434.740 oz
total 4,139,262.140 oz
WITHDRAWALS 4
a) Brinks 497,048.340 oz
b) CNT 10,254.970 oz
c) Delaware 991.700 oz
d) HSBC 50,577.710.oz
total 558,872.710 oz
ADJUSTMENT 2 customer to dealer Brinks
a) 1,620,777.220 oz
b) CNT : 106,104.464 oz
JPMorgan has a total silver weight: 137.861million oz/334.317million or 41.22%
TOTAL REGISTERED SILVER: 73.636 MILLION OZ//.TOTAL REG + ELIGIBLE. 334.317 million oz
CALCULATIONS FOR THE NEW STANDING FOR SILVER FOR JANUARY
silver open interest data:
FRONT MONTH OF JAN /2024 OI: 111OPEN INTEREST FOR A LOSS OF 38 CONTRACT(S).
WE HAD A 38 CONTRACT ISSUANCE ON FRIDAY. THUS WE GAINED 0 CONTRACTS, THAT IS WE HAD A 0 CONTRACT QUEUE JUMP FOR 0 OZ
FEBRUARY SAW A GAIN 0F 118 CONTRACTS TO STAND AT 1129
MARCH SAW A LOSS OF ONLY 95 CONTRACTS DOWN TO 117,228. THE FRONT ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF MARCH ALSO IS NOT DECLINGING MUCH AND WE SHOULD ALSO HAVE A HUMDINGER OF A DELIVERY MONTH FOR MARCH.
TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR TODAY: 0 for 0 oz
CONFIRMED volume; ON FRIDAY 55,825 poor//
To calculate the number of silver ounces that will stand for delivery in JAN we take the total number of notices filed for the month so far at 1892x 5,000 oz = 9.460 MILLION oz
to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN (111) and the number of notices served upon today (0)x (5000 oz)
Thus the standings for silver for the JAN 2025 contract month: 1892 Notices served so far) x 5000 oz + OI for the front month of JAN(111)minus number of notices served upon today (0)x 5000 oz equals silver standing for the JAN contract month equating to 10.015 MILLION OZ.
New total standing: 10.015 million oz.
There are 73.636 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 20 WITH GOLD UP $35.30 ON THE DAY; MEGA HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 10.34 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 879.12 TONNES
/JAN 17 WITH GOLD DOWN $9.50 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 3.74 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 868.78 TONNES
JAN 16 WITH GOLD UP $24.10 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES
JAN 15 WITH GOLD UP $24.35 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD::A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.01 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 872.52 TONNES
JAN 14 WITH GOLD UP $9.40 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD::A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.29 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 874.53 TONNES
JAN 13 WITH GOLD DOWN $27.75 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD::A DEPOSIT OF 5.74 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 876.82 TONNES
JAN 10 WITH GOLD UP $17.80 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 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
GLD INVENTORY: 879.12 TONNES, TONIGHTS TOTAL
SILVER
JAN 20 WITH SILVER DOWN $.09 //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.568 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 463.315 MILLION OZ
JAN 17 WITH SILVER DOWN $.49 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.568 MILLION OZ FROM THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 463.315 MILLION OZ
JAN 16 WITH SILVER UP $0.23 //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 464.863 MILLION OZ
JAN 15 WITH SILVER UP $0.79 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 4.745 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 464.863 MILLION OZ
JAN 14 WITH SILVER UP $0.15 //SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 0.228 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 460.218 MILLION OZ
JAN 13 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.69 //NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 0.637 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV//INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 459.990 MILLION OZ
JAN 10 WITH SILVER UP $0.19 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 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
CLOSING INVENTORY 463.315 MILLION OZ//
PHYSICAL GOLD/SILVER COMMENTARIES
1/ PETER SCHIFF/SCHIFF GOLD/MIKE MAHARRY
Peter Schiff: All The Data Confirms Stagflation
Monday, Jan 20, 2025 – 11:10 AM
On Wednesday, Peter marked his return to the Peter Schiff Show studio. He tackles the most recent batch of 2025 economic data, highlights inflation signals in commodity prices, and comments on President Biden’s legacy as his term comes to a close. Donald Trump is set to take the reins on Monday, and Peter also analyzes the latest from the president-elect.
To start the show, Peter praises Trump for what appears to be a behind-closed-doors negotiation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Despite his strengths, Trump is unlikely to solve America’s economic troubles:
You know, I criticize Trump when criticism is due. And believe me, there’s a lot of criticism that is due. And I’m going to be criticizing him later in this podcast. But I do want to get credit for what credit is due. And it’s my feeling that he has a lot to do with this. There will be some successes during the Trump presidency. Unfortunately, economically, there’s going to be a lot of failures. And it’s not necessarily because of what Trump’s going to do. It’s kind of preordained. It’s baked into the cake here.
Turning to President Biden’s farewell speech, Peter reiterates how decisively the American electorate renounced the Biden presidency:
He also talked about his accomplishments in his four years as president, which, of course, you know, he doesn’t really have any accomplishments. These are made up. I mean, the things that he’s bragging about actually undermined the economy during his four years. That’s why the public didn’t vote for four more. … The public didn’t feel that the Biden presidency was a success. They didn’t want four more years of that. They wanted four more years of Trump. And that’s because they thought the economy was better when Trump was president than it was when Biden was president.
When looking at recent economic statistics, Peter is reminded of commodity price action during the 2020 pandemic. If history repeats itself, the economy is in for another year of tough inflation:
If you remember, commodity prices really started to boom in the second half of 2020. I was talking about that on this podcast constantly, how we were going to have a big move up in inflation just looking at commodity prices. That’s when the Fed was not worried about it at all. …Look at commodity prices. They’re a leading indicator. And the big increase that we have in commodity prices in 2024, that’s not going to show up in the CPI until 2025 this year. So CPI was up 2.9% last year. Now we have soaring commodity prices. So what’s the odds that the CPI is going to be up less in 2025 than it was in 2024 before we had this big run up in commodity prices?
With alarming CPI numbers downplayed in the headlines, Peter points out that another important metric– the Empire State Manufacturing Index– plummeted this week, signaling recessionary pressures to go with inflation:
You know, while everybody was celebrating the fake good news about inflation, nobody noticed the Empire State Manufacturing Index, which was another disaster. They were looking for a positive number. They didn’t get one. They were looking for plus 1. They got minus 12.6. I think that’s about a seven-month low in the Empire State Manufacturing Index. Look, as far as I’m concerned, all the data confirms stagflation.
Peter lambasts Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for understating the role of the Fed in causing inflation in a recent interview. In fact, the Fed monetizing deficit spending was the primary driver of inflation over the last 5 years:
The deficit spending financed by Fed money printing, that was the inflation. So it wasn’t that the deficit spending may have contributed to it. It was it. It was part of it. It takes two to tango. And in fact, Chairman Powell actually asked for these deficits. He told Congress, ‘Run big deficits, spend a bunch of money, I’ll buy the bonds.’ He was encouraging the inflationary fiscal policy during COVID. So it didn’t just have a casual incidental effect. That was it.
END
2/ Commentaries from: Egon von Greyerz///Matthew Piepenburg via GoldSwitzerland.com, Pam and Russ Martens
ALASDAIR MACLEOD….
Strong dollar = International carnage
President Trump’s proposed policies will raise bond yields, lead to a strong dollar against other currencies, and by popping the credit bubble drive the world into an economic slump.
| Alasdair MacleodJan 20∙Paid |
Introduction
In earlier articles and interviews I have drawn attention to the accumulation of credit bubbles which have never been allowed to wash out malinvestments and eliminate debt zombies. Consequently, previous bubbles have been rolled up into the largest dollar-based debt bubble in history, extending risk into other major currencies as well.
So far, US interest rates and bond yields have risen from the zero bound to the five per cent level, which have so far been insufficient to pop the credit bubble. Instead, equity markets have continued rising. But all credit markets have become inherently unstable.
Will a new and unexpected increase in interest rates and/or bond yields pop the bubble? And what will be the consequences for the other major currencies? These are the questions I attempt to answer in this article.
Interest rate expectations are mistaken
Financial gossip today is of how strong the US economy is going to be under President Trump. And a strong economy means a strong dollar relative to other currencies due to the implications for interest rates. They are already beginning to be discounted in currency markets, which changed the dollar’s direction the moment Trump won his election. This is reflected in the performance of the dollar’s trade weighted index, illustrated in the chart below:
Not only has the TWI completed a basing pattern by breaking above the pecked line, but it has done so forming a bullish golden cross underneath the rising price. It tells us that the TWI is indisputably in a bull market, a challenge of the September 2022 high of 113.30 is on the cards, and that it has the potential to go far higher. It is confirmation that the spread between dollar interest rates and those of the other major currencies will increase.
This is demolishing the euro, yen and pound. Charts of the euro/dollar and yen/dollar (inverted) illustrates how much ground they have lost to the dollar already. The strong dollar is likely to drive the euro below parity, and the yen will sink towards 200.
But there are still hopes that interest rates will not rise. This is a current quote from a market reporting website: “Markets favour the outlook that the Fed will deliver one sole rate cut this year, currently priced for the third quarter.” That is unlikely to happen, and dollar interest rates are set to go higher, not modestly lower. The reason is that the dollar is losing purchasing power at a faster rate than the heavily doctored CPI indicates, which is reflected in its price relationship with real legal money, which is gold. It requires higher rates to be stabilised, not lower. This is in the next logarithmic chart:
Against gold, the decline in the dollar’s purchasing power since 2016 averages a compound rate of just under 9%, closer to independent estimates by Shadowstats.com than official CPI estimates. Furthermore, the rate of decline appears to be accelerating.
Despite lower reported inflation rates in Japan and the Eurozone, their currencies have lost more purchasing power than the dollar. This reflects currency weakness rather than a statement of true inflation and is due to their lower interest rates. However, all four currencies appear to be losing purchasing power at an accelerating rate.
Why Trump will burst the credit bubble
There is no doubt that the world is in an enormous dollar-based credit bubble, being a rolled up accumulation of tin-cans being continually kicked down the road since the mid-eighties. Every credit cycle ends with higher interest rates and bond yields, and this one is doing just that. Consequently, it is collapsing almost all fiat currencies relative to the dollar, hitting emerging nations with dollar debt particularly hard.
Trump’s economic policies can be expected to deliver two material influences on this outlook. First, he has promised to use trade tariffs to supplement government revenue and as a replacement for direct taxes on individuals and corporations. Trade tariffs are expected to disadvantage the EU and possibly Japan. Under its heavily socialist government, Britain’s position with respect to US tariffs is currently uncertain.
Europe particularly is likely to respond with higher tariffs and trade restrictions against American goods, as is China. China is not the focus of this article, other than to point out that if China responds with tit-for-tat trade tariffs, we could have a modern doppelganger for the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act which drove both the US and the rest of the world into the 1930s depression. Furthermore, tariffs are paid for by consumers, so the consequences for US consumer price inflation will make it impossible for the Fed to reduce rates and force it into raising them instead. That is so long as the Fed respects its inflation mandate, which for now we must assume will be the case.
Secondly, the much-vaunted growth in the US economy is in fact the product of a budget deficit which will likely increase in the short-term. Budget deficits are horribly inflationary because they represent an unproductive increase in credit circulating in the economy. Adjusting growth expectations for this fact, we note that a fiscal-2025 budget deficit is likely to be about 8% of GDP, almost all of which is spent in the domestic economy. Therefore, it overstates GDP growth accordingly and compares with the Congressional Budget Office’s current forecast of 4.5% GDP growth (estimate released on January 7th). In other words, the excess issue of credit conceals a contracting private sector measured by its share of nominal GDP.
This is not the story macroeconomists are telling us. Instead, they have the US economy growing at the fastest pace of all the majors. But adjusted for government-induced credit inflation it is already in recession.
So much for statistical analysis and its relationship with the truth!
International capital, which determines the marginal pricing of US Government debt is partly reliant on the expansion of bank credit to fund government budget deficits. But banks everywhere are overleveraged relative to their equity bases and are reluctant to expand their lending further. This means that lending to the government results in credit being withdrawn from the private sector, undermining private sector GDP and pushing it into recession. This is further confirmation that the US economy is in recession, except, that is, for the Federal Government which continues to expand.
So far, the US Treasury has benefited from bank credit migrating from the private sector to the relative safety of treasury bills and short-dated bonds. Consequently, bank credit committees will be pointing out to their directors that they are already very overweight in government paper, which might be a matter of concern.
This is why it requires higher, not lower interest rates and bond yields to fund a $2+ trillion budget deficit when the US Government’s debt to GDP is already about 125% or more — much of it short term. And to understand the prospective course of dollar rates and their consequences for Europe, Japan, and also Britain we must start with the prospects for the dollar’s exchange rate with them.
The simple answer is interest rate differentials. The ECB’s overnight rate is currently 3.15% and the Bank of Japan’s is 0.12%. Both currency areas have been caught flat-footed by rising US interest rates and bond yields, and the likely direction of dollar interest rates in the years ahead will have a profound impact.
In setting interest rates, the Fed will be primarily concerned about the inflation outlook. The combination of a widening budget deficit and increasing import tariffs will lead to higher, not lower dollar interest rates. We can dismiss the employment mandate because the estimates are managed with a view to painting a good picture, management which is likely to continue to make them meaningless.
Markets are waking up to the consequences of Trumpian policies and have already been selling euros and yen, as the second chart above in this article demonstrates. But with markets still discounting one further rate cut from the Fed, the factors driving rates and bond yields higher are yet to be priced in market valuations.
Higher interest rates always occur at the end of a credit bubble, and it is this which pops it. The next chart of the Fed Funds rate and the official recession bars which follow demonstrates this nicely:
Recessions follow every rate peak, with the sole possible exception of the mid-eighties. The only other thing missing is the recession bar for 2025—?.
With interest rates having further to rise, a deep recession is pretty much guaranteed. Equity and crypto bubbles will be the first to deflate, followed by multiple bankruptcies in the private sector, threatening banks’ survival particularly in Japan and Europe where balance sheet leverage is greatest. Owning any form of credit, including currencies will become extremely risky.
Meanwhile, we can expect the more prescient members of the global financial community to increasingly dump collapsing credit for gold, which is real legal money without counterparty risk. And an examination of the third chart above of major currencies priced in gold shows that the rate at which the dollar and other major currencies are losing purchasing power already appears to be accelerating.
JOHN RUBINO
3. CHRIS POWELL AND GATA DISPATCHES
one month lease rate on gold skyrockets to 3.5%
Bloomberg News
Trump tariff risks fuel a chaotic hunt for gold in London
Submitted by admin on Fri, 2025-01-17 21:30 Section: Daily Dispatches
By Jack Ryan, Yvonne Yue Li, and Sybilla Gross
Bloomberg News
via Yahoo News, Sunnyvale, California
Friday, January 17, 2025
The risk that President-elect Donald Trump will impose universal import tariffs is causing fresh turmoil in the global gold market, with a closely watched barometer of bullion demand reaching historic highs in London.
Lease rates reflect the return that holders of bullion in London’s vaults can get by loaning their metal out to other buyers on a short-term basis. Normally the returns on offer sit close to zero, but this week they have surged to historic levels, with profits on one-month lease rates exceeding 3.5% on an annualized basis
That’s the highest level since at least 2002, and it signals surging demand for metal in London’s vaults. There have been similarly extreme moves in the silver market, and some analysts and traders warn that there may not be enough freely available metal to meet dealers’ needs. …
… For the remainder of the report:
END
ANDREW MAGUIRE A MUST MUST VIEW…YOUTUBE/KINESIS LIVE FROM THE VAULT 206
/LIVE FROM THE VAULT 206
end
5 B GLOBAL COMMODITY ISSUES/FOOD IN GENERAL//FREIGHT/COMMODITIES: COMMODITY
END
end
6 CRYPTOCURRENCY NEWS
END
ASIA TRADING TUESDAY MORNING MONDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 1.25 OR 0.05%
//Hang Seng CLOSED UP 180.74 PTS OR 0.91%
// Nikkei CLOSED UP 125.48 OR 0.32%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP 0.68%%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED UP TO 7.3140 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2867// Oil DOWN TO 76.00 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 78.54 Stocks in Europe OPENED MOSTLY RED
ONSHORE USA/ YUAN TRADING BELOW LEVEL OF OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING A
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 TUESDAY MORNING.7:30 AM
ONSHORE YUAN: CLOSED UP AT 7.3140
OFFSHORE YUAN: DOWN TO 7.2867
SHANGHAI CLOSED CLOSED DOWN 1.25 PTS OR 0.32%
HANG SENG CLOSED CLOSED UP 180.74 PTS OR 0.91%
2. Nikkei closed UP 125.48 OR 0.32%
3. Europe stocks SO FAR: MOSTLY RED
USA dollar INDEX UP TO 108.57 EURO FALLS TO 1.03.47 DOWN 7 BASIS PTS HEADING TO PARITY WITH USA
3b Japan 10 YR bond yield: FALLS TO. +1.1890 Japan buying 100% of bond issuance)/Japanese YEN vs USA cross now at 155.80…… 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: DOWN 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 DOWN this morning
3h European bond buying continues to push yields lower on all fronts in the EMU. German 10yr bund YIELD UP TO +2.5025 Italian 10 Yr bond yield UP to 3.621 //SPAIN 10 YR BOND YIELD UP TO 3.162
3i Greek 10 year bond yield UP TO 3.282
3j Gold at $2725.10 /Silver at: 30.53 1 am est) SILVER NEXT RESISTANCE LEVEL AT $50.00//AFTER 28.40
3k USA vs Russian rouble;// Russian rouble UP 1 AND 35/100 roubles/dollar; ROUBLE AT 99.63
3m oil into the 76 dollar handle for WTI and 78 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 155.90 10 YEAR YIELD AFTER FIRST BREAKING .54% LAST YEAR NOW EXCEEDS THAT LEVEL TO 1.189% 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 0.9109 as the Swiss Franc is still rising against most currencies. Euro vs SF: 0.9426 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: 4.584 DOWN 3 BASIS PTS…
USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 4.809. DOWN 3 BASIS PTS/
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.266 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 35.62…
10 YR UK BOND YIELD: 4.690 UP 3 PTS
10 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 3.271 DOWN 2 BASIS PTS
5 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 2.988 DOWN 2 PTS.
2a New York OPENING REPORT
US Futures Jump Even As Trump Pledges 25% Tariffs On Mexico, Canada
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 08:21 AM
US equity futures are higher even as president Trump pledged to impose tariffs up to 25% on Canadian and Mexican imports as soon as Feb. 1, but held off imposing an immediate China tariff, which according to JPMorgan points “to a more cautious view from Trump on tariff implementation”, helping push the USD/CNY lower by -0.7%. The possibility of tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Feb. 1 weighed on futures yesterday evening, if not so much Tuesday morning when S&P futures are near session highs, up 0.4% to 6,060 with Nasdaq futures rising by a similar amount as a more serene mood settled over markets after a rollercoaster session on Donald Trump’s first day in office, with investors looking past the threat of tariffs to the potential boost from fiscal stimulus and tax cuts. Trump also threatened Europe with tariffs unless it buys more American oil, and gave TikTok a 75 day reprieve to sell itself. Other moves included declaring national emergencies on migration and energy, withdrawing from the Paris agreement and WHO, rolling back EV policies, and boosting oil and gas drilling. Elsewhere in markets, the is FTSE flat/DAX -10bps/CAC +5bps/Shanghai -5bps/Hang Seng +91bps/Nikkei +32bps. 10Y yields dropped from their Friday close to trade at 4.58%, down 4bps, as the dollar gained. This week, key macro focus will be Q4 earnings (9% of SPX mkt cap reports) and headlines from Washington. Crude oil dropped after Houthi rebels said they would no longer target tankers transiting the Red Sea. Bitcoin slumped on Monday after Trump failed to mention it even once in his various speeches and addresses. Today, we will hear from KEY, DHI, PLD, SCHW, MMM, FITB pre-open while NFLX, STX, UAL, COF, IBKR, HWC report after the bell.
In premarket trading, US-listed Chinese stocks rise, following gains in Hong Kong peers, as President Donald Trump refrained from announcing any tariffs on Chinese goods on his first day in office. 3M rose 4% as management expects profit to grow this year. Apple falls 2% as sales of iPhones dived 18.2% in China during the December quarter, according to independent research; Jefferies, Loop downgrade on Weak iPhone Demand. D.R. Horton gained 3% after affirming its forecasts for full-year revenue and deliveries. General Motors rose 1% after Deutsche Bank upgraded the automaker to buy on expectations that the automaker will report to the high-end of its guidance range in the fourth quarter.
US stock futures, Treasuries and the dollar all gained as traders chose to focus on the prospects for economic growth and corporate profits under Trump’s second four-year term. Still, the lack of an overall narrative on trade restrictions so far underscores the risk of higher volatility across financial markets.
Trump threatened tariffs of as much as 25% on Canadian and Mexican imports as soon as Feb. 1, triggering sharp declines in the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar. The currencies were among the worst-performing of 30 major currencies on Tuesday, with the peso trading 1.2% lower and the loonie down 0.9%. Their declines stood out as the worst market fallout from a raft of executive orders signed by Trump, including one that declares a national emergency at the US-Mexico border. However, the yuan jumped almost 1% after Trump refrained from announcing immediate tariffs against China.
Investors had been on edge over the first executive orders to be announced by the White House after Trump vowed to quickly implement his “America First” agenda. In the runup to inauguration day, traders had driven up yields and stoked the dollar to a 13-month high, expecting that sweeping trade tariffs will crimp global growth, lift US inflation and potentially cause the Federal Reserve to refrain from interest-rate cuts this year.
“The fears are sometimes greater than reality,” said Robert Dishner, senior portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman. “The market is going to settle to a cadence of the domestic agenda. For now there is an evaluation.”
Here is a recap of all the main events on Monday:
- Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President, while President Trump said in the Inaugural Address that the golden age of America begins now and he will sign a series of executive orders as widely expected. Trump said he will direct his Cabinet to defeat record inflation and will launch astronauts to Mars, while he added that all illegal entry will be halted and he will reinstate ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, as well as send troops to the southern border. Furthermore, Trump said he will declare a national energy emergency and reiterated his ‘drill baby, drill’ catchphrase, while he will begin an overhaul of the trade system, will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich US citizens, as well as establish an ‘External Revenue Service’.
- US President Trump signed rescissions of 78 Biden-era actions orders and memoranda, while he also signed documents on a federal hiring freeze, mandating workers to return to in-person full-time immediately and the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty. Trump also revoked Biden’s 2023 Executive Order on AI policy and Biden’s Executive Order that set a target of 50% of new vehicle sales by 2030 as EVs.
- Trump said they will straighten out the deficit with the EU through tariffs or by them buying US oil and gas.
- Thinking in terms of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and thinks that they will do it on February 1st.
- Trump signed the order related to delaying the TikTok ban and said he may do a TikTok deal or may not, but if he does a TikTok deal, the US should be entitled to half of TikTok and if he doesn’t sign, then TikTok is worthless. Furthermore, Trump said they could put tariffs on China if they make a TikTok deal and China doesn’t approve it, while he floated the idea of universal tariffs on anyone doing business with the US but said they are not there yet.
- A draft Trump trade memo directed federal agencies to investigate and remedy persistent US trade deficits that harm the US economy and seeks to address unfair trade practices and currency manipulation by foreign countries. The trade memo also seeks to ensure trade deals including USMCA prioritise American workers, farmers and businesses, while it seeks to combat the import of counterfeit products and contraband that threaten public health and erode tariff revenues. President Trump is to assess China’s adherence to the US-China trade agreement to determine if enforcement or changes are required.
- Trump’s administration sent a new document to Republican lawmakers detailing immediate priorities and it was stated that Trump will announce the America First Trade Policy. It was also announced that Trump will take bold action to secure the border and protect American communities, while he will unleash American energy by ending Biden’s policies of “extremism” and all agencies will take emergency measures to reduce the cost of living.
Meanwhile, fourth-quarter earnings season resumes, with 3M Co., Netflix Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. among US companies set to report on Tuesday. Traders will also also keep an eye on comments from the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
Europe’s Stoxx 600 shook off early weakness to rise 0.2% as Trump repeated his call on the European Union to buy more American oil and gas if the bloc wants to avoid tariffs. Tariff and policy concerns still weighed on the region’s mining, automotive and renewable stocks. Here are the biggest movers Tuesday:
- Avanza shares rise as much as 11%, hitting a three-year high, after full-year results topped expectations at the Swedish retail-trading platform. The report should help drive upgrades, Citi says
- Abrdn shares rise as much as 9.6%, the most since April 2020, after the investment company posted assets under management and net inflows ahead of expectations
- Truecaller gains as much as 12% to trade at the highest since Sept. 2022, after Carnegie raised its price target on the Swedish caller ID platform by a fifth, highlighting several major catalysts ahead
- Komax shares soar as much as 12%, the most in almost three years, after the Swiss machinery manufacturer posted better-than-expected order intake and sales figures
- Alphawave IP shares soar as much as 16% after the semiconductor firm reported a surge in orders in the final quarter of 2024, while raising expectations for FY adj. Ebitda
- Shares in lenders with UK motor finance exposure jump following a report that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could intervene in a car finance mis-selling case in order to protect car loan providers
- Orsted shares fall as much as 18%, hitting their lowest in more than a year, after the Danish offshore wind developer pre-released impairments that were greater than analysts estimated
- Schott Pharma falls as much as 8.8%, the most since December, after Bank of America downgrades the German drug delivery systems manufacturer to underperform from buy
- The Stoxx 600 basic resources index is among Tuesday’s biggest decliners as base metals fell after US President Donald Trump said he would likely enact tariffs on Mexico and Canada by Feb. 1
- European automakers decline on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump ended his first day in office saying he would put 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada by the beginning of next month
- Greggs shares drop as much as 4.2% after Panmure Liberum downgraded the UK baker and slashed its price target to a new Street-low. Analysts trimmed their profit estimates after becoming more cautious
- DocMorris shares drop as much as 6.9%, reversing an earlier gain of 3.2%, after analysts highlighted the Swiss pharmaceutical products retailer’s lower-than-expected sales in the fourth quarter
Earlier in the session, Asian stocks whipsawed early on Tuesday as traders parsed comments from newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump to gauge impact on markets in the region. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was up 0.2% after swinging between gains and losses earlier. While Trump said he planned to enact previously threatened tariffs of as much as 25% on Mexico and Canada by Feb. 1, he avoided committing to a plan for additional levies on China and said he would be having “meetings and calls” with President Xi Jinping. Chinese stocks rose more than 1% in Hong Kong as Trump avoided committing to a plan for tariffs on goods from China. But Trump also indicated that he could impose taxes on Chinese goods if Beijing blocked the sale of the social media app TikTok to a US entity.
“There is a lot to digest. But one thing to flag here is that I think at the moment, the equity market is not too concerned about US-China tensions,” Kinger Lau, chief China equity strategists at Goldman Sachs, said in a Bloomberg TV interview. China should be able to digest 20% tariffs, “so from markets standpoint we are still forecasting 20% rise in Chinese equities over next 12 months.”
Elsewhere, Indian stocks dropped amid slowing corporte earnings. The stock market correction may have room to run as weak earnings and high valuations will likely weigh on sentiment in the near-term.
In fx, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index climbs 0.6% while the Mexican peso fell and along with the Canadian dollar, was among the worst-performing major currencies after US President Trump threatened both countries with tariffs on his first day in office. US 10-year yields fall 6 bps to 4.57%. Cable is down 0.6% against the greenback following weak job numbers, matching a fall in the euro.
In rates, treasuries rally as fears that Trump’s policies will fuel inflation eased. The 10-year TSY around 4.58% is more than 4bp richer on the day after falling to 4.528% during Asia session; long-end-led gains flatten 2s10s, 5s30s spreads by 2.5bp and 1bp vs Friday’s close. Gilts are steady after mixed UK jobs data did little to shift bets on interest-rate cuts by the Bank of England. Bunds outperform Gilts with German 10-year yields falling 1 bps.
In commodities, oil prices decline, with WTI falling more than 2% to $76.40. Spot gold climbs $14 to $2,722/oz. Bitcoin trades near $103,000.
Looking at today’s calendar, US economic data calendar includes January Philadelphia Fed non-manufacturing activity (8:30am). Fed officials are in communications blackout ahead of Jan. 29 policy announcement; swaps market prices in around 6bp of combined easing over the January and March meetings and 37bp over the course of this year.
Market Snapshot
- S&P 500 futures up 0.4% to 6,055.25
- STOXX Europe 600 little changed at 524.20
- MXAP little changed at 181.03
- MXAPJ little changed at 571.20
- Nikkei up 0.3% to 39,027.98
- Topix little changed at 2,713.50
- Hang Seng Index up 0.9% to 20,106.55
- Shanghai Composite little changed at 3,242.62
- Sensex down 1.6% to 75,823.52
- Australia S&P/ASX 200 up 0.7% to 8,402.39
- Kospi little changed at 2,518.03
- German 10Y yield little changed at 2.51%
- Euro down 0.6% to $1.0355
- Brent Futures down 0.9% to $79.41/bbl
- Gold spot up 0.5% to $2,722.98
- US Dollar Index down 0.62% to 108.67
Top Overnight News
- The dollar rebounded after President Trump touted plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico by Feb. 1, while the Hang Seng rallied as he delayed a reckoning with China. The loonie and peso slumped, and some hedge funds re-entered bullish dollar option trades. BBG
- President Donald Trump did not immediately impose tariffs on Monday as previously promised but said he was thinking about imposing 25% duties on imports from Canada and Mexico as soon as Feb 1. He directed federal agencies to investigate persistent U.S. trade deficits and unfair trade practices and alleged currency manipulation by other countries. RTRS
- US President Trump said they will straighten out the deficit with the EU through tariffs or by them buying US oil and gas: AP
- Trump revoked offshore oil and gas leasing bans that had effectively blocked drilling in most US coastal waters. He expects the US to stop buying oil from Venezuela, and reiterated a call for the EU to buy more American oil and gas to avoid tariffs. BBG
- US Speaker Mike Johnson’s tax adviser Derek Theurer is expected to take a job in the Treasury Department – he would play a “key role” in shaping Republican tax plans: Punchbowl.
- China indicated that sanctions on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wouldn’t impact official exchanges, a sign that Beijing seeks to negotiate with the Trump administration. BBG
- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denied wrongdoing as he branded himself as a firm believer in democracy in his first appearance at an impeachment trial. BBG
- UK wage growth beat in the three months through November from a year earlier. December employment fell more than expected, reinforcing the case for more BOE rate cuts. BBG
- The ECB will probably cut rates 3-4 times in a row, with the first reduction all but certain next week, Governing Council member Peter Kazimir said. Francois Villeroy said it’s plausible the central bank will act at each meeting, bringing the deposit rate down to 2% by summer. BBG
- In Germany the expectations component of the ZEW survey slumped to 10.3 in Jan, down from 15.7 in Dec and below the Street consensus of 15.1. BBG
- BofA January Global Fund Manager Survey states investors are bullish on the USD and equities, bearish everything else (most underweight bonds since October 2022).
- JPMorgan executive Erdoes says US banks under President Trump are “in the beginning of go-mode” and “animal spirits are alive”, via FT citing Davos remarks; adding, it is “hopeful” that his regulatory approach would boost the US economy.
- Tariffs: Goldman is lowering its odds of a universal tariff this year to 25%. If President Trump ultimately implements a tariff affecting all countries, the bank believes it is more likely to be targeted at “critical imports” (between 10-20% of total US imports) or otherwise narrower than the “universal” tariff Trump proposed during the campaign. However, while this as a risk, for now Goldman does not include it in its base case.
A more detailed look at global markets courtesy of Newsquawk
APAC stocks were mixed as the initial broad-based risk-on sentiment after US President Trump refrained from imposing tariffs on the first day of his return to the White House, was ultimately soured after he later flagged potential 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico which could be imposed from the start of February. ASX 200 was led higher as outperformance in the top-weighted financials sector and gold miners helped pick up the slack from the weakness in energy and defensive stocks. Nikkei 225 briefly wiped out its opening gains with price action largely influenced by tariff rhetoric and a firmer currency. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were mixed after the recent tariff-related fluctuations in asset classes, while President Trump also floated the idea of universal tariffs on anyone doing business with the US but added that they are not there yet.
Top Asian News
- China’s Vice Premier says China’s stable economic growth will provide strong impetus for global economic development. “China does not pursue a trade surplus”. “China’s door of opening up will not close”. “Sincerely welcome more foreign companies to invest into China”
European bourses (Stoxx 600 +0.1%) opened with a strong negative bias, with only a couple of indices remaining afloat. As the morning progressed, sentiment in the complex gradually improved, to currently display a mixed picture in Europe. European sectors are mixed vs initially opening mostly in the red. Trump’s inauguration has sparked some considerable moves across sectors in Europe; Autos, Basic Resources and Utilities have all been hampered thus far. The latter is in focus after Trump said he will end leasing to some wind farms.
Top European News
- EU is to reportedly raise concerns with the US over its decision to restrict exports of AI chips from the likes of NVIDIA (NVDA) to some member states, according to Bloomberg sources.
- ECB’s Villeroy says “if the pace of rate cuts is steady, there is no need to make them bigger”, via Bloomberg TV; in terms of easing, it will be entirely data dependent. No question on the neutral rate; if ECB carries on, can be at 2% neutral rate by summer. Perspective of inflation is quite assured. On growth, is slightly positive thus far but not enough.
- UK Chancellor Reeves backs plans for looser limits on mortgage lending and favours proposals by the financial regulator for banks to take more risks to boost home ownership, according to FT.
- UK Chancellor Reeves reportedly intervenes in a car finance mis-selling case to protect lenders in which she launched an effort to shield car loan providers from multibillion-pound payouts, according to FT.
- ECB’s Kazimir said a rate cut next week is all but certain and two to three more will probably follow, while he added that recent data suggest 25bps back-to-back rate cuts should continue although heightened uncertainty means the ECB must remain nimble in case things change, according to Bloomberg.
- EU’s Commissioner Dombrovskis said the EU and US are strategic allies, while he added they need to preserve the EU-US trade relationship and they are ready to defend the EU’s economic interests.
- EU finance ministers agreed to stay united in the approach to the new US administration and stated that a more competitive EU economy is the best answer to potential economic challenges from the US, while they also agreed it is in the EU and US interests to develop a strong economic relationship.
- German Car Association VDA says in discussion with the new US President, it is clear that showing economic strength is the best answer
FX
- The dollar is showing a resurgence after yesterday’s heavy selling pressure which was triggered by news that President Trump refrained from imposing tariffs on day one of his Presidency. That being said, optimism on the trade front was dashed overnight after Trump remarked that he is thinking of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and thinks that they will do it on February 1st. DXY made an incremental new low overnight at 107.86 before returning to a 108 handle and rising as high as 108.79.
- EUR is notably weaker vs. the USD following a particularly strong showing yesterday amid relief that Trump refrained from enacting tariff action on day one of his Presidency. That optimism has faded somewhat following Trump’s threats on Canada and Mexico overnight as well as him stating that the US will straighten out the deficit with the EU through tariffs or by them buying US oil and gas.
- JPY is softer vs. the USD but to a lesser extent than peers given that more cyclically exposed currencies were hit overnight following Trump’s tariff threat. USD/JPY delved as low as 154.79 overnight, finding support just above its 50DMA at 154.77.
- GBP is on the backfoot vs. the broadly firmer USD and marginally softer vs. the EUR. This morning’s UK jobs data saw the unemployment rate tick higher to 4.4% from 4.3% as expected (usual data caveats apply), whilst headline wage growth picked up to 5.6% from 5.2% as expected. Cable currently sits towards the middle of yesterday’s 1.2161-1.2345 range.
- Antipodeans are both on the backfoot as some of yesterday’s trade optimism faded overnight following the aforementioned report of Trump considering tariffs on Mexico and Canada. AUD/USD yesterday was able to propel itself from a 0.6189 base to a 0.6286 peak (highest since 7th Jan). However, a bulk of this move was pared during the APAC session with the pair delving as low as 0.6209.
- After some reprieve yesterday, both the Loonie and Mexican Peso are notably lower vs. the USD following comments from US President Trump that he is thinking of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and thinks that they will do it on February 1st. ING notes that “at this point, there is more downside room for CAD and MXN to fall should Trump follow through with the tariff threat”.
- PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1703 vs exp. 7.2888 (prev. 7.1886).
Fixed Income
- USTs have been gradually fading from best throughout the morning as we prepare for Trump’s first full day back in office. As it stands, USTs are holding around Monday’s 108-24+ best. Monday price action was fairly contained up until the WSJ piece (re. tariffs) drove USTs to a 108-24+ peak.
- Gilts are trading in-line with European peers, specifics for the Gilt market focused on the UK labour report which saw the wage metrics increase but largely as expected while the unemployment and payroll measures both point to the market loosening. Metrics which helped Gilts gap higher by 21 ticks at the open, however the overnight rally in USTs was likely the main driver behind this with Gilts playing catch up this morning. Gilts currently in 91.51-79 parameters.
- Bunds began the morning modestly in the green with yields slightly softer by extension but largely contained with newsflow light so far. German ZEW came in mixed with a significant miss in the Economic Sentiment metric while Current Conditions eclipsed the forecast range, but remained at very low levels; accompanying commentary was, unsurprisingly, downbeat. Action which leaves Bunds towards the lower-end of 131.82 to 132.15 parameters.
- France saw over EUR 100bln of demand for its syndicated bond sale, via Reuters citing lead manager.
- Spain has mandated a 10yr benchmark bond, via Reuters citing lead manager.
- Germany sells EUR 0.945bln vs exp. EUR 1bln 2.10% 2029 and EUR 908mln vs exp. EUR 1bln 2.30% 2033 Green Bund.
- UK gets record of GBP 119bln in orders for 2040 gilt syndication, via Bloomberg TV.
Commodities
- Softer trade across the crude complex this morning as markets digest Trump’s executive orders alongside implications of the new administration for the oil market over the next four years, with the Dollar also on a firmer footing following yesterday’s slide. On energy, Trump said he would declare a national energy emergency and reiterated his ‘drill baby, drill’ catchphrase. Furthermore, US President Trump signed an order on unleashing energy production and repealed Biden’s 2023 memo barring oil drilling in some 16mln acres in the Arctic, according to the White House. Brent trades in and at the bottom of a USD 78.90-80.46/bbl range.
- Mixed trade across precious metals amid the tentative mood around markets as Trump was sworn in as the 47th President yesterday. Spot gold steadily extended on yesterday’s gains and currently trades in a USD 2,702.81-2,733.06/oz range after topping the peak set last Thursday (USD 2,724.78/oz).
- Base metals lower across the board following Trump’s latest tariff-related rhetoric dampening demand in the base metal space.
- Saudi Aramco’s Chief says he still sees a healthy oil market, when asked about US President Trump’s energy comments, via Reuters. Will wait and see how sanctions on Russia translate into tightness in the market, still at an early stage. Expecting additional oil demand this year of around 1.3mln/bpd. On LNG, we are working with our partners and looking at expanding our position.
- Uniper (UN0 GY) CEO says it is positive if US President Trump sends more gas to Europe.
Geopolitics: Middle East
- Israeli Military says forces have begun an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin.
- Hamas said a second batch of hostages will be released on Saturday as planned.
Geopolitics: Russia-Ukraine
- Ukraine’s Military says it hit Russian oil depot in Voronezh region for the second time in a week
- Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said US President Trump’s peace through strength policy is an opportunity to achieve just peace and he looks forward to active and mutually beneficial cooperation with Trump.
- Falling Ukrainian drone triggered a new fire at an oil storage depot in southern Russia’s Voronezh region, according to the regional governor.
Geopolitics: Other
- Russian President Putin tells Chinese President Xi that he “thinks last year was a very fruitful year for us”. Putin says China ties are “self sufficient”
- South Korea said the denuclearisation of North Korea must still be the goal for world peace, following a report US President Trump said that Pyongyang is a nuclear power.
US Event Calendar
- 08:30: Jan. Philadelphia Fed Non-Manufactu, prior -6.0, revised -3.4
DB’s Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap
It was Blue Monday here in the UK yesterday as it is deemed to be the most depressing day of the year (always third Monday in January). My kids have just been taught about it and were asked to add some colour to their school uniform for the day to battle the blues. One of my twins wore one of my red work ties and I now know exactly what he had for lunch as a result!
Meanwhile it was red Monday in Washington DC as Trump’s inauguration ceremony took place. The subsequent speech didn’t really contain any substantive surprises, and in fact was probably more traditional than many of his previous speeches. He did detail a list of executive orders and policy reversals that are imminent across immigration, ending green incentives, promoting the oil and gas sector and pushing back against the DEI movement. A lack of immediate moves on tariffs supported the market mood yesterday, but this has partially reversed overnight as late in the day Trump renewed an immediate threat of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, which could be announced as soon as February 1st.
In my chart of the day yesterday we pointed out how Trump signed Executive Orders at the fastest rate of any President since Jimmy Carter, who left office in 1981. But if we look further back in history, it’s still well below that seen in the first half of the 20th century, peaking under Franklin Roosevelt who had to deal with the Great Depression and WWII. Given Trump’s recent rhetoric we could go back to the first half of the twentieth century levels of executive orders in his second term.
US markets were closed for a public holiday yesterday as the inauguration took place, but the biggest moves of the day came after the WSJ reported that Trump wouldn’t impose new tariffs on his first day in office. The story said that Trump would issue a memorandum on trade, but not impose tariffs yet. So that raised hopes that Trump would initially try and reach a deal with US trade partners, with tariffs as a potential point of leverage, rather than something to be used immediately.
That report led to a clear rally for bond and equity futures, whilst the US dollar index weakened -1.16% on the day, marking its biggest move lower since the very bad jobs report in August. US Treasuries were closed yesterday for the holiday, but overnight the 10yr yield has come down -8.9bps.
However, the more positive take on trade risks has reversed overnight after Trump commented to reporters that he’s thinking of imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico on February 1st, again citing the flow of undocumented migrants and drugs into the US. He also commented the he is considering a universal tariff but that he’s “not ready for that yet.” The Canadian dollar and Mexican peso slumped by as much as -1.5% following the comments before partially recovering, while the broad dollar has recovered around a third of yesterday’s losses. S&P 500 futures have also given up more than half of yesterday’s gains (+0.36% at Europe’s close yesterday). See our economists’ piece here from late November where they said a 25% increase in tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports would increase inflation by up to 1 percentage point in 2025. So although at this stage this was an off the cuff comment to reporters last night, markets should be pretty concerned about the headlines.
Before all this, in European trading markets had been earlier buoyed by the tariff news (or lack of), with a clear advance for those sectors most exposed to trade. As an example one of the biggest sectoral advances came for Automobiles & Parts (+1.08%). That helped the German DAX (+0.42%) to outperform and hit another all-time high, with BMW (+2.80%) as the top-performer in the index. And given the weakness in the US Dollar, that meant the Euro strengthened +1.39% on the day, marking its biggest daily advance since November 2023. This move will be under threat this morning with the Euro already giving up around a quarter of its gains in Asia from yesterday. Let’s see how European autos react.
The WSJ story also led to a clear rally for European sovereign bonds, with 10yr bund yields paring back their earlier increase to close -0.5bps lower. That pattern was echoed across the continent, with yields on 10yr OATs (-1.0bps) and BTPs (-2.7bps) moving lower as well. There was a bit of hawkishness from the ECB’s Holzmann in a Politico interview, who said that a January rate cut was “not a foregone conclusion for me at all”, but Holzmann is one of the most hawkish members of the Governing Council, so investors remained confident that the ECB were still on course to cut rates next week.
Asian equity markets are volatile this morning albeit within a relatively small range as the tariff yo-yo story has impacted sentiment. The Hang Seng (+0.83%) remains higher but is off the highs while Chinese and Japanese equities have dipped lower as I type.
To the day ahead now, and data releases include UK unemployment for November, the German ZEW survey for January, and Canada’s CPI for December. From central banks, we’ll hear from the ECB’s Centeno. Finally, earnings releases include Netflix.
2B) EUROPEAN REPORT
US futures edge higher, DXY bid whilst CAD & MXN take a hit as President Trump signals tariffs – Newsquawk US Market Open
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 05:54 AM
- European bourses are modestly firmer, US futures edge higher with the RTY outperforming ahead of the first full day of trade as Trump returns to office.
- USD bounces back from Monday’s selling as tariff threats loom; the Loonie underperforms as Trump signals tariffs on Canada & Mexico.
- Benchmarks have pared initial early morning upside, with USTs a little firmer whilst Bunds dip into the red.
- Crude and base metals on the backfoot amid Trump tariff rhetoric.
- Looking ahead, Canadian CPI, NZ CPI (Q4), Earnings from Charles Schwab Corp, D.R. Horton, KeyCorp, 3M Company, Fifth Third Bancorp, Forestar Group Inc., Prologis, Netflix, United Airlines, Interactive Brokers Group Inc, Seagate Technology plc, Progress Software Corp., Capital One Financial Corp.
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MONDAY/TRUMP RECAP
- US markets were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, although US equity futures were bid with outperformance in the Russell while ES, NQ and YM saw mild gains. T-Note futures were also underpinned with morning weakness pared after reports that President Trump is to avoid day-one tariff policies, which ultimately was confirmed and largely dictated trade for the session. Significant action was seen in CAD and MXN on the comments around potential 25% tariffs, DXY initially suffered on the lack of day-one tariffs but then rebounded somewhat on the CAD- & MXN-related comments. Amidst this, USD/JPY swung between gains and losses in tumultuous price action.
- Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President, while President Trump said in the Inaugural Address that the golden age of America begins now and he will sign a series of executive orders as widely expected. Trump said he will direct his Cabinet to defeat record inflation and will launch astronauts to Mars, while he added that all illegal entry will be halted and he will reinstate ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, as well as send troops to the southern border. Furthermore, Trump said he will declare a national energy emergency and reiterated his ‘drill baby, drill’ catchphrase, while he will begin an overhaul of the trade system, will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich US citizens, as well as establish an ‘External Revenue Service’.
- US President Trump signed rescissions of 78 Biden-era actions orders and memoranda, while he also signed documents on a federal hiring freeze, mandating workers to return to in-person full-time immediately and the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty. Trump also revoked Biden’s 2023 Executive Order on AI policy and Biden’s Executive Order that set a target of 50% of new vehicle sales by 2030 as EVs.
- A draft Trump trade memo directed federal agencies to investigate and remedy persistent US trade deficits that harm the US economy and seeks to address unfair trade practices and currency manipulation by foreign countries. The trade memo also seeks to ensure trade deals including USMCA prioritise American workers, farmers and businesses, while it seeks to combat the import of counterfeit products and contraband that threaten public health and erode tariff revenues. President Trump is to assess China’s adherence to the US-China trade agreement to determine if enforcement or changes are required.
- US President Trump’s administration sent a new document to Republican lawmakers detailing immediate priorities and it was stated that Trump will announce the America First Trade Policy. It was also announced that Trump will take bold action to secure the border and protect American communities, while he will unleash American energy by ending Biden’s policies of “extremism” and all agencies will take emergency measures to reduce the cost of living.
- Click here for a detailed summary.
EU
- US President Trump said they will straighten out the deficit with the EU through tariffs or by them buying US oil and gas.
CANADA/MEXICO
- Thinking in terms of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and thinks that they will do it on February 1st.
CHINA
- US President Trump signed the order related to delaying the TikTok ban and said he may do a TikTok deal or may not, but if he does a TikTok deal, the US should be entitled to half of TikTok and if he doesn’t sign, then TikTok is worthless. Furthermore, Trump said they could put tariffs on China if they make a TikTok deal and China doesn’t approve it, while he floated the idea of universal tariffs on anyone doing business with the US but said they are not there yet.
GEOPOLS
- US President Trump said he will meet with Russian President Putin but doesn’t know when and he will try to end the Ukraine war as quickly as possible. Trump added that he could speak to Putin very soon and that Ukrainian President Zelensky wants to make a deal, while he commented that Putin is destroying Russia by not making a deal.
- US President Trump said he is not confident regarding the Gaza ceasefire deal, while he rescinded Biden sanctions on Jewish settlers who committed violence against West Bank Palestinians. It was separately reported that Trump was expected to lift the freeze on the supply of one-ton bombs to Israel, according to Walla News.
- US presidential adviser Mike Evans said Trump will punish every country that supports Hamas, according to Sky News Arabia.
COMMODITIES
- US President Trump signed an order on unleashing energy production and repealed Biden’s 2023 memo barring oil drilling in some 16mln acres in the Arctic, according to the White House which said it will prioritise development of Alaska’s LNG potential, including the permitting of all necessary pipeline and export infrastructure.
- US President Trump said they will probably stop buying oil from Venezuela and don’t need their oil.
CRYPTO
- Crypto was reportedly not mentioned as an immediate priority in a document sent by Republican lawmakers, according to Punchbowl.
EUROPEAN TRADE
EQUITIES
- European bourses (Stoxx 600 +0.1%) opened with a strong negative bias, with only a couple of indices remaining afloat. As the morning progressed, sentiment in the complex gradually improved, to currently display a mixed picture in Europe.
- European sectors are mixed vs initially opening mostly in the red. Trump’s inauguration has sparked some considerable moves across sectors in Europe; Autos, Basic Resources and Utilities have all been hampered thus far. The latter is in focus after Trump said he will end leasing to some wind farms.
- US equity futures are entirely in the green, with clear outperformance in the economy-linked RTY on the first day of cash equity trade under the second Trump administration.
- Apple (AAPL) Q4 iPhone sales in China fell 18.2% Y/Y, according to Counterpoint Research
- Click for the sessions European pre-market equity newsflow
- Click for the additional news
- Click for a detailed summary
FX
- The dollar is showing a resurgence after yesterday’s heavy selling pressure which was triggered by news that President Trump refrained from imposing tariffs on day one of his Presidency. That being said, optimism on the trade front was dashed overnight after Trump remarked that he is thinking of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and thinks that they will do it on February 1st. DXY made an incremental new low overnight at 107.86 before returning to a 108 handle and rising as high as 108.79.
- EUR is notably weaker vs. the USD following a particularly strong showing yesterday amid relief that Trump refrained from enacting tariff action on day one of his Presidency. That optimism has faded somewhat following Trump’s threats on Canada and Mexico overnight as well as him stating that the US will straighten out the deficit with the EU through tariffs or by them buying US oil and gas.
- JPY is softer vs. the USD but to a lesser extent than peers given that more cyclically exposed currencies were hit overnight following Trump’s tariff threat. USD/JPY delved as low as 154.79 overnight, finding support just above its 50DMA at 154.77.
- GBP is on the backfoot vs. the broadly firmer USD and marginally softer vs. the EUR. This morning’s UK jobs data saw the unemployment rate tick higher to 4.4% from 4.3% as expected (usual data caveats apply), whilst headline wage growth picked up to 5.6% from 5.2% as expected. Cable currently sits towards the middle of yesterday’s 1.2161-1.2345 range.
- Antipodeans are both on the backfoot as some of yesterday’s trade optimism faded overnight following the aforementioned report of Trump considering tariffs on Mexico and Canada. AUD/USD yesterday was able to propel itself from a 0.6189 base to a 0.6286 peak (highest since 7th Jan). However, a bulk of this move was pared during the APAC session with the pair delving as low as 0.6209.
- After some reprieve yesterday, both the Loonie and Mexican Peso are notably lower vs. the USD following comments from US President Trump that he is thinking of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and thinks that they will do it on February 1st. ING notes that “at this point, there is more downside room for CAD and MXN to fall should Trump follow through with the tariff threat”.
- PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1703 vs exp. 7.2888 (prev. 7.1886).
- Click for a detailed summary
- Click for NY OpEx Details
FIXED INCOME
- USTs have been gradually fading from best throughout the morning as we prepare for Trump’s first full day back in office. As it stands, USTs are holding around Monday’s 108-24+ best. Monday price action was fairly contained up until the WSJ piece (re. tariffs) drove USTs to a 108-24+ peak.
- Gilts are trading in-line with European peers, specifics for the Gilt market focused on the UK labour report which saw the wage metrics increase but largely as expected while the unemployment and payroll measures both point to the market loosening. Metrics which helped Gilts gap higher by 21 ticks at the open, however the overnight rally in USTs was likely the main driver behind this with Gilts playing catch up this morning. Gilts currently in 91.51-79 parameters.
- Bunds began the morning modestly in the green with yields slightly softer by extension but largely contained with newsflow light so far. German ZEW came in mixed with a significant miss in the Economic Sentiment metric while Current Conditions eclipsed the forecast range, but remained at very low levels; accompanying commentary was, unsurprisingly, downbeat. Action which leaves Bunds towards the lower-end of 131.82 to 132.15 parameters.
- France saw over EUR 100bln of demand for its syndicated bond sale, via Reuters citing lead manager.
- Spain has mandated a 10yr benchmark bond, via Reuters citing lead manager.
- Germany sells EUR 0.945bln vs exp. EUR 1bln 2.10% 2029 and EUR 908mln vs exp. EUR 1bln 2.30% 2033 Green Bund.
- UK gets record of GBP 119bln in orders for 2040 gilt syndication, via Bloomberg TV.
- Click for a detailed summary
COMMODITIES
- Softer trade across the crude complex this morning as markets digest Trump’s executive orders alongside implications of the new administration for the oil market over the next four years, with the Dollar also on a firmer footing following yesterday’s slide. On energy, Trump said he would declare a national energy emergency and reiterated his ‘drill baby, drill’ catchphrase. Furthermore, US President Trump signed an order on unleashing energy production and repealed Biden’s 2023 memo barring oil drilling in some 16mln acres in the Arctic, according to the White House. Brent trades in and at the bottom of a USD 78.90-80.46/bbl range.
- Mixed trade across precious metals amid the tentative mood around markets as Trump was sworn in as the 47th President yesterday. Spot gold steadily extended on yesterday’s gains and currently trades in a USD 2,702.81-2,733.06/oz range after topping the peak set last Thursday (USD 2,724.78/oz).
- Base metals lower across the board following Trump’s latest tariff-related rhetoric dampening demand in the base metal space.
- Saudi Aramco’s Chief says he still sees a healthy oil market, when asked about US President Trump’s energy comments, via Reuters. Will wait and see how sanctions on Russia translate into tightness in the market, still at an early stage. Expecting additional oil demand this year of around 1.3mln/bpd. On LNG, we are working with our partners and looking at expanding our position.
- Uniper (UN0 GY) CEO says it is positive if US President Trump sends more gas to Europe.
- Click for a detailed summary
NOTABLE DATA RECAP
- UK Average Week Earnings 3M YY (Nov) 5.6% vs. Exp. 5.6% (Prev. 5.2%); Average Earnings (Ex-Bonus) (Nov) 5.6% vs. Exp. 5.5% (Prev. 5.2%)
- UK ILO Unemployment Rate (Nov) 4.4% vs. Exp. 4.4% (Prev. 4.3%)
- UK Employment Change (Nov) 35k vs. Exp. 33k (Prev. 173k); HMRC Payrolls Change (Dec) -47k (Prev. -35k, Rev. -32k); Claimant Count Unem Chng (Dec) 0.7k (Prev. 0.3k, Rev. -25.1k)
- EU ZEW Survey Expectations (Jan) 18.0 (Prev. 17)
- German ZEW Current Conditions (Jan) -90.4 vs. Exp. -93.0 (Prev. -93.1); ZEW Economic Sentiment (Jan) 10.3 vs. Exp. 15.3 (Prev. 15.7); Germany’s ZEW says the second consecutive year of recession caused economic expectations in Germany to fall. Lack of private household spending and subdued demand in the construction sector continue to stall the German economy. If these trends continue in the current year, Germany will fall further behind the other countries in the EZ.
NOTABLE EUROPEAN HEADLINES
- EU is to reportedly raise concerns with the US over its decision to restrict exports of AI chips from the likes of NVIDIA (NVDA) to some member states, according to Bloomberg sources.
- ECB’s Villeroy says “if the pace of rate cuts is steady, there is no need to make them bigger”, via Bloomberg TV; in terms of easing, it will be entirely data dependent. No question on the neutral rate; if ECB carries on, can be at 2% neutral rate by summer. Perspective of inflation is quite assured. On growth, is slightly positive thus far but not enough.
- UK Chancellor Reeves backs plans for looser limits on mortgage lending and favours proposals by the financial regulator for banks to take more risks to boost home ownership, according to FT.
- UK Chancellor Reeves reportedly intervenes in a car finance mis-selling case to protect lenders in which she launched an effort to shield car loan providers from multibillion-pound payouts, according to FT.
- ECB’s Kazimir said a rate cut next week is all but certain and two to three more will probably follow, while he added that recent data suggest 25bps back-to-back rate cuts should continue although heightened uncertainty means the ECB must remain nimble in case things change, according to Bloomberg.
- EU’s Commissioner Dombrovskis said the EU and US are strategic allies, while he added they need to preserve the EU-US trade relationship and they are ready to defend the EU’s economic interests.
- EU finance ministers agreed to stay united in the approach to the new US administration and stated that a more competitive EU economy is the best answer to potential economic challenges from the US, while they also agreed it is in the EU and US interests to develop a strong economic relationship.
- German Car Association VDA says in discussion with the new US President, it is clear that showing economic strength is the best answer
NOTABLE US HEADLINES
- BofA January Global Fund Manager Survey states investors are bullish on the USD and equities, bearish everything else (most underweight bonds since October 2022).
- JPMorgan (JPM) executive Erdoes says US banks under President Trump are “in the beginning of go-mode” and “animal spirits are alive”, via FT citing Davos remarks; adding, it is “hopeful” that his regulatory approach would boost the US economy.
- US Speaker Mike Johnson’s tax adviser Derek Theurer is expected to take a job in the Treasury Department – he would play a “key role” in shaping Republican tax plans, according to Punchbowl.
GEOPOLITICS
MIDDLE EAST
- Israeli Military says forces have begun an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin.
- Hamas said a second batch of hostages will be released on Saturday as planned.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE
- Ukraine’s Military says it hit Russian oil depot in Voronezh region for the second time in a week
- Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said US President Trump’s peace through strength policy is an opportunity to achieve just peace and he looks forward to active and mutually beneficial cooperation with Trump.
- Falling Ukrainian drone triggered a new fire at an oil storage depot in southern Russia’s Voronezh region, according to the regional governor.
OTHER
- Russian President Putin tells Chinese President Xi that he “thinks last year was a very fruitful year for us”. Putin says China ties are “self sufficient”
- South Korea said the denuclearisation of North Korea must still be the goal for world peace, following a report US President Trump said that Pyongyang is a nuclear power.
CRYPTO
- Bitcoin is on the backfoot, and continues to slip after US President Trump refrained from mentioning crypto in his first day in office; BTC -5.1% at USD 102.5k.
APAC TRADE
- APAC stocks were mixed as the initial broad-based risk-on sentiment after US President Trump refrained from imposing tariffs on the first day of his return to the White House, was ultimately soured after he later flagged potential 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico which could be imposed from the start of February.
- ASX 200 was led higher as outperformance in the top-weighted financials sector and gold miners helped pick up the slack from the weakness in energy and defensive stocks.
- Nikkei 225 briefly wiped out its opening gains with price action largely influenced by tariff rhetoric and a firmer currency.
- Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were mixed after the recent tariff-related fluctuations in asset classes, while President Trump also floated the idea of universal tariffs on anyone doing business with the US but added that they are not there yet.
APAC NEWS
- China’s Vice Premier says China’s stable economic growth will provide strong impetus for global economic development. “China does not pursue a trade surplus”. “China’s door of opening up will not close”. “Sincerely welcome more foreign companies to invest into China”
2C ASIAN REPORT
3B NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
end
3C JAPAN
end
3D. CHINA/
end
4.EUROPEAN AFFAIRS//UK /SCANDINAVIAN AFFAIRS
Trump Returns To A Europe That Has Shifted To The Rig
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 05:00 AM
Authored by Owen Evans via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
When Trump returns to office on Jan. 20, he will face a much-changed political landscape in Europe, where countries including France, Germany, Austria, and Sweden have shifted toward right-wing parties and policies.
With polling in many nations suggesting an accompanying shift in younger generations, many political analysts and pollsters believe this trend is set to continue well into the second Trump presidency.
Progressives, Centrists
When Trump first entered the White House in January 2017 Europe’s political landscape was dominated by centrist and progressive leaders.
France was led by President François Hollande, a member of the Socialist Party; Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was serving her third term in Germany; and Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, head of the Social Democrats, had been in power since 2014.
Italy was governed by a center-left coalition led by Paolo Gentiloni, a member of the social democratic political party Democratic Party (Partito Democratico).
Spain was ran by Mariano Rajoy, the leader of the People’s Party (Partido Popular, PP), a center-right political party, however, Rajoy was ousted by Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party in 2018 after he lost a no-confidence vote.
Attitudes
Although attitudes towards immigration were generally liberal, they had begun to shift.
In a 2016 European Union report, the EU said that immigration of people from non-EU countries evoked a “negative feeling” for a clear majority of Europeans in 24 member states.
A year earlier, the 2015 European migrant crisis took place, a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe, namely from the Middle East.
Merkel in 2015 accepted more than a million Syrian refugees into Germany.
Bucking the trend at the time, the UK with its conservative and liberal democrat coalition government under Tory PM David Cameron, refused in 2015 to accept any further refugees from the Middle East. Cameron also called a referendum in 2016 which resulted in the UK leaving the European Union, known as Brexit, though as a key part of the Remain camp, he subsequently resigned in 2016.
2025: Populists and Change
Eight years on, the Overton window has shifted Trump’s way. In Europe, Trump will find few of the familiar centrists and socialists he battled with in his first presidency.
Last year, The European Council on Foreign Relations predicted that 2024 European Parliament elections would see saw a major shift to the right in many countries, with populist right-wing parties gaining votes and seats across the EU, and center-left and green parties losing votes and seats.
The trend in Western Europe also suggested that the taboo of voting for populist, anti-immigration parties is fading.
Under the leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy has prevented the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean by implementing a program that diverts migrants to Albania while asylum claims are processed. The program is the first of its kind operated by a European Union nation.
Meloni has also banned the production and use of lab-manufactured food to preserve Italian food heritage and has criminalized Italians from seeking a surrogate mother abroad.
The populist Elon Musk-backed Alternative for Germany (AfD), which made an unprecedented breakthrough in state elections last November, is now hoping, as second place in the polls, to make gains in national elections next month.
The right-wing anti-immigration and euroskeptic Freedom Party, led by Herbert Kickl, won the country’s parliamentary election last September, taking 28.8 percent of the vote, knocking Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative Austrian People’s Party into second place. Kickl is currently being tasked with forming a new government.
France’s National Rally performed beyond expectations in the European election last June, garnering 31.5 percent of the votes cast, prompting centrist President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap election, a decision he has expressed regret over.
The veteran Dutch politician Geert Wilders and his Freedom party doubled its seats in the Netherlands parliament in 2023 and is currently part of a coalition. Wilders, a right-wing populist widely known for his anti-Islam views, has pledged to curb “the asylum tsunami” and immigration to the Netherlands.
Due to the influence of The Sweden Democrats, the largest member of Sweden’s right-wing bloc and now the second-largest party in the Riksdag, Sweden has radically tightened its once-liberal migration policies. The country has taken in vast numbers of immigrants over the past two decades, which the government says has led to parallel societies and gang violence.
According to the Spanish polling company 40dB, in Spain, right-wing parties Partido Popular, Vox, and SALF are snapping at the heels of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s ruling socialist PSOE.
There have also been right-wing triumphs in Romania, albeit short-lived. Romania’s top court annulled the first round of the country’s presidential election, which was won by a populist, Calin Georgescu, who campaigned largely on TikTok.
EU officials issued a “retention order” under the Digital Services Act after declassified documents showed Georgescu had been promoted on TikTok through a series of coordinated accounts, recommendation algorithms, and paid promotion.
The UK, with a democratic socialist government under Labour, is again bucking the current trend. However, Brexit campaigner and Trump ally Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK is riding high in the polls. YouGov polling from Jan. 14 showed that if a general election were held tomorrow, 26 percent of British voters would choose Labour and 25 percent would vote Reform UK.
In a November speech, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused conservative governments before him of conducting an experiment with open borders and allowing record-high migration.
“This happened by design, not accident. Policies were reformed, deliberately, to liberalize immigration. Brexit was used for that purpose to turn Britain into a one-nation experiment in open borders,” said Starmer.
‘Antithetical to Our Way of Life’
Frank Furedi, the executive director of MCC Brussels and a sociologist, told The Epoch Times that voters are turning their backs on the established order, putting mainstream conservative and centrist left-wing parties on the defensive.
“And this has created a space for parties to basically say that, look, ’the problem is not only that these parties have not represented us, they’ve agreed and promoted policies that are antithetical to our way of life,’” he said.
Furedi noted that populism is on the rise across Europe, even in Portugal, which has been one of the few countries to resist a significant right-wing shift. He added that many people now believe it’s time to embrace new political alternatives.
He also pointed out a shift among younger generations, who once leaned left, are increasingly now aligning with right-wing movements.
According to an exit poll by the polling company Infratest dimap in June, support for Germany’s AfD was up 11 percentage points to 16 percent among under-25-year-olds, more than double the 5-point rise among the broader population.
In France, National Rally took a 25 percent share of the vote among 18–24-year-olds, according to pollster Ipsos in June.
Furedi said that what unites all of these different parties is the sense that “somebody or something has pulled a carpet under their feet and their way of life has sort of been called into question.”
Furedi added that many people feel alienated by the language and policies promoted by the political elites, policies that often make them feel disrespected. He cited mass migration as a key issue, which challenges national cultural identities.
“For very long time, that you couldn’t be a patriot or feel a strong sense of identity with your nation, the flag, because it was suggested that that’s somehow wrong and it’s xenophobic, whereas other people want to feel that their identity, as Spaniards or as Germans or anybody else, is worthwhile,” he said.
Anti-Woke
Professor of Politics at The University of Buckingham and Director of the Centre for Heterodox Social Science, Eric Kaufmann told The Epoch Times that attitudes to “woke” policies are key drivers to populist movement.
Kaufmann recently wrote the book “Taboo: How Making Race Sacred Produced a Cultural Revolution” and has previously called “cultural socialism” a religious form of wokeness and an ideology has taken precedence over free speech, due process, equal treatment, and other Enlightenment values.
“My view is that populism on the right comes from the same underlying drivers as the populist moment of 2014–16, namely immigration and ethnic change,” said Kaufmann.
“But anti-woke is a compounding factor,” he added.
He said that he didn’t believe that the data show that net-zero climate goals are much of a significant factor for most populist voters, though it is important for populist elites.
“In reaction to the populist surge of 2014–16 we got the cultural left deplorables/‘racist’ pushback narrative, which contributed to the cultural madness of the Great Awokening of 2013/14–2022,” he said.
He said that this produced the “moral panic” of Black Lives Matter in 2020 and the excesses of the MeToo movement, along with cancel culture and a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
He said that “the cultural left is on the ropes in the U.S., a bit less so in Europe.”
“But the direction of travel in both places (don’t forget Canada) is anti-woke and anti-immigration,” said Kaufmann, adding that Trump will find allies in Europe who agree with some of his agenda, especially on immigration.
“They won’t buy his ’might makes right’ agenda, however, of tariffs and threats of annexation, so much depends on whether Trump’s America First is focused on internal cultural threats and China, or whether it broadens out to Europe and Canada as well. If the latter he will antagonize and lose global support,” Kaufmann said.
“So much depends on which ideas are prioritized: the good cultural ones or the often bad foreign policy ones,” he added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
end
5 RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
ISRAEL/HAMAS//
PM: Israel ‘won’t move forward’ with deal until Hamas names first hostages to be freed
Ceasefire set to begin Sunday morning * Man seriously hurt in Tel Aviv stabbing attack, terrorist is shot and ‘neutralized’ * Missile from Yemen intercepted after sirens in central Israel, Jerusalem
Hamas has not provided Israel list of hostages for release Sunday
By AMICHAI STEINJANUARY 18, 2025 18:24Updated: JANUARY 18, 2025 21:32
Israel has not yet received the list of the hostages as of Saturday evening to be released by Hamas on Sunday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel “will not move forward with the outline [of the deal] until we receive the list of hostages to be released, as agreed upon.
“Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement,” he continued. “The sole responsibility lies with Hamas.”
An Israeli source told KAN that they knew “Hamas would be manipulative” in not providing who would be released on Sunday.
On the seventh day of the deal, four more hostages are expected to be released, and this procedure is expected to occur every week on Saturday for the next six weeks, leading up to the release of more hostages.
A source familiar with the details of the negotiations said that the next 24 hours are critical for the beginning of the implementation of the deal and that Israel feared that Hamas would try to violate it. A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that “there has been no violation of the agreement.”
END
ISRAEL HAMAS
PM claims number of troops along Philadelphi Route to increase despite deal stating otherwise
By Amy Spiro
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he stood firm on three issues throughout US and Qatar-brokered negotiations for a ceasefire.
First, he says, Israel maintains the “right to return to fighting if needed” with US support; secondly, he says, he demanded a significant increase in the number of live hostages returning in the first stage of the deal; and thirdly, he insisted on maintaining a presence in the Philadelphi Route along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Netanyahu says Israel will not decrease the number of troops in the Philadelphi Corridor but will increase them during the first stage. This appears to contradict the terms of the deal which says that Israel “will gradually reduce the forces in the corridor area during stage 1.”
He also says that convicted Palestinian murderers freed from Israeli prisons will not be released to the West Bank, but will go either to Gaza or to elsewhere overseas. Prisoners serving serious time for terror convictions who weren’t found guilty of murder will be released to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
end
Islamic Jihad threatens to murder hostages if Israel doesn’t halt strikes before ceasefire
By Reuters
Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists shake hands after handing over hostages to the Red Cross in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 28, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli hostages’ families should ask the Israeli military to stop intensified strikes in the final hours before a ceasefire takes effect as this “would be reason for killing their children,” a Palestinian terrorist spokesperson says.
The spokesperson, Abu Hamza, is with the al-Quds Brigades armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in Gaza, which also holds Israeli hostages in addition to the enclave’s dominant terrorist movement Hamas.
ISRAEL HAMAS
Saturday…
Halevi: Hamas ‘severely weakened,’ IDF won’t let it ‘recover or be in control’ of Gaza
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks after a visit to northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, January 18. 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
I
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in a video statement says the military’s intensive fighting against Hamas enables the release of the hostages in the upcoming ceasefire agreement.
“For more than a year and three months, the IDF has been fighting Hamas and has important achievements – we have defeated Hamas’s military wing and eliminated the organization’s chain of command and its leader, Yahya Sinwar,” Halevi says following a visit to northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun.
“The work doesn’t end here. We still have a lot more to do. We will do this with great strength and determination. The IDF’s powerful fighting has created the conditions necessary to achieve the critical objective before us today: returning the hostages to their homeland and their families,” he says, adding that the fighting “comes at a heavy cost.”
“At this time, alongside the excitement and anticipation, we in the IDF are committed to all the hostages and their families – soldiers and civilians alike. We will not stop or rest until they all return,” Halevi says.
He says the IDF and Shin Bet’s activities in Gaza “have been decisive in creating the conditions for the agreement that was reached.”
“In the coming days, the IDF will prepare for a reinforced defensive posture along the Gaza Strip border, a plan that was pre-planned and incorporates defensive as well as offensive components,” Halevi says.
“In the promise between the IDF and Israeli society, which we failed to uphold on October 7, we are determined to stand firm and ensure that such a difficult, cruel, and horrific event will never happen again,” he continues.
Halevi says the IDF’s operations in Gaza have “already created a new situation on the ground.”
“Hamas has been severely weakened, and we will not allow it to recover, or allow it to be in control. The level of security today is significantly better than it was on October 7 and also prior,” he says.
“Despite the initial failure, the IDF in this war planned, implemented, and achieved many accomplishments. The Middle East is undergoing changes, our map of threats has completely changed, new opportunities have opened, and we are preparing for new challenges. Throughout this journey, we have been determined to achieve the objectives of the war – and we will continue to,” Halevi says.
“My thoughts today are with the families of the hostages whose return dates have not yet been set and with the families awaiting the return of their loved ones soon. The IDF stands with you,” he adds.
end
Saturday….
Ahead of ‘temporary ceasefire,’ PM says Israel has US backing to resume fighting if needed, won’t relent until ‘all war goals completed’
By Amy Spiro
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in a video statement released on January 18, 2025. (GPO screenshot)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the first stage of the hostage release deal a “temporary ceasefire,” in his first public comments on the agreement, slated to go into effect tomorrow.
Netanyahu says both US President-elect Donald Trump and US President Joe Biden stressed that Israel can return to fighting in Gaza if the next stages of the deal are not realized.
Israel will not rest until “all of its war goals are completed,” he says, which includes the return of every single hostage being held in Gaza.
The prime minister says the US has promised Israel will have the weaponry it needs to return to fighting if necessary, and will do so “in new ways and with very great power.”
Netanyahu makes the remarks in a 10-minute video message.
Notably, when first describing the hostage-ceasefire deal, he says that “the cabinet and the government” approved what he calls “the framework for the return of our hostages.”
“In the agreement approved just now, we will get back another 33 of our brothers and sisters — most of them alive,” he says.
He makes no mention at this stage of the further potential phases of the deal, under which the remaining 65 hostages are to be released and a permanent ceasefire instituted in Gaza.
He says the deal is a result of Israel resisting pressures from outside and in, and of cooperation with the outgoing Biden Administration and the incoming Trump administration.
“President Trump joined the mission to free the hostages from the moment he was elected,” Netanyahu says. “He spoke to me on Wednesday evening and welcomed the agreement.”
“He rightly stressed that the first stage of the accord is a temporary ceasefire,” the prime minister says.
Ahead of the future phases of the accord, says Netanyahu, “we retain significant assets in order to get back all of our hostages and to achieve all the goals of the war.”
“Both President Trump and President Biden gave full backing to Israel’s right to return to fighting if Israel concludes that the negotiations on the second phase are going nowhere,” he specifies. “I greatly appreciate this. I also appreciate President Trump’s decision to lift all the restrictions on the supply of essential arms and ammunition to the State of Israel.
“If we do have to resume fighting, we will do so in new ways and with very great power,” he vows.
end
Netanyahu Says Trump “Emphasized” To Him That The Gaza Ceasefire Is “Temporary”
Saturday, Jan 18, 2025 – 03:45 PM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued some surprisingly bold assertions in a national televised address given just 12-hours before the much anticipated Gaza ceasefire is set to go into effect Sunday morning.
Both Biden and Trump have hailed and celebrated the deal, but it’s the Republican president-elect who is by and large receiving the most credit for seeing it to the finish line. Some Israeli media outlets have represented the whole thing as a ‘defeat’ for Netanyahu, who appeared to want to keep the war going until Hamas is completely eradicated.
Among Netanyahu’s most provocative words on Saturday was his claim that he has the support of President-elect Trump in the scenario Israel feels it must abandon the ceasefire and keep fighting. He says he has Trump’s full backing to resume the war, and has claimed further that Trump too agreed that the truce is just “temporary”. Watch below:
“Netanyahu also asserted that he negotiated the best deal possible, even as Israel’s far-right Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he and most of his party would resign from the government in opposition to it,” Times of Israel notes of the remarks.
And there’s some some last-minute details which threaten implementation of the ceasefire…
The prime minister had warned earlier that a ceasefire wouldn’t go forward unless Israel received the names of hostages to be released, as had been agreed. His statement came almost three hours after Israel had expected to receive the names from mediator Qatar. There was no immediate response from Qatar or Hamas.
But without doubt Netanyahu is feeling the pressure, both within but even more from external allies, especially Washington – which writes the checks for the Israeli war machine.
As for Netanyahu’s talk of the deal being ‘temporary’ it’s unclear whether the Trump team agrees with this assessment. There hasn’t been any initial reaction from Trump as he prepares for the inauguration Monday.
But Trump without doubt wants a ceasefire to stick, and is likely to be celebrating its implementation during some of Monday’s inaugural remarks. He has vowed to wind down various conflict hot spots, especially Ukraine, and bring peace.
He has also warned that there will be “hell to pay” if Hamas doesn’t uphold its end of the truce deal. This suggests Netanyahu could be telling the truth, or at least an interpretation of it. An initial small group of hostages are expected to be returned to Israel by Sunday evening, with hopeful families awaiting and on edge.
end
ISRAEL//3 HOSTAGES RETURN HOME
Emily, Doron, Romi: Three hostages released from Hamas captivity on first day of ceasefire
Hostages expected to be released in the first phase are those who fall under the humanitarian category, such as women, children, elderly or wounded.
By DANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARDJANUARY 19, 2025 12:19Updated: JANUARY 19, 2025 18:06
Hamas confirmed on Sunday that 28-year-old Emily Damari, 23-year-old Romi Gonen, and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher have been released on the first day of phase one of the hostage-ceasefire deal.
The deal will see 33 hostages released in the first phase in exchange for the release of security prisoners, humanitarian aid, and an IDF withdrawal from some areas in Gaza.
Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases. Hostages expected to be released in the first phase are those who fall under the humanitarian category, such as women, children, elderly, or wounded.
“The Hostages Families Forum welcomes the exciting news that Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari are expected to be released later today. We await their safe return to Israel to be reunited with their families after 471 days in Hamas captivity,” the forum said.
Who is being released on day one?
Doron Steinbrecher is an Israeli-Romanian dual national who turned 31 in captivity. Hamas abducted her from Kfar Aza on October 7 2023, where she was hiding under her bed. Her family has previously raised alarm bells with the Red Cross, concerned Hamas has not been providing her medication.
Emily Damari, a British-Israeli national, was abducted from her Kfar Aza apartment. Terrorists shot her hand and murdered her dog Chooka before taking her in her own car. She was also wounded by shrapnel.
Romi Gonen was abducted from the Nova Music Festival after being shot by the invading terrorists while on the phone to her mother. Her final words before being taken were, “They shot me, Mom, and I’m bleeding. Everyone in the car is bleeding.”
Ben Shimoni, who has garnered the nickname the ‘Angel of Nova,’ is thought to have returned to the site of the music festival to save Romi and other partygoers. Shimoni was murdered by terrorists after successfully saving nine people after driving back to the festival twice.
Delays in the return
The ceasefire, now in effect, was supposed to go into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday but was delayed until Hamas provided the list of hostages set for release.
Hamas is set to release the three of them at 4:00 p.m. local time.
The IDF said Sunday early afternoon that the latest indications are that the three hostages will be released from an area of central Gaza.
Despite that information, until the hostages are actually being moved, the IDF still is not certain about which part of Gaza the hostages will come from.
It said that company-level commanders of special forces would handle the transfer of the hostages into Israeli custody and would be the first to confirm the hostage’s identity finally, including whether they were alive or dead.
That additional information is expected to be passed on to the public closer to the time when the hostages enter makeshift Gaza border absorption centers, prior to them departing again for hospitals inside Israel.
END
ISRAEL/HAMAS SUNDAY
Hamas emerges from Gaza’s tunnels, showing it never lost control – analysis
Hamas has impressive control over every aspect of Gaza, from local media to hospitals and schools. It will galvanize all of this to help portray this as a victory for the group.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANJANUARY 19, 2025 15:46Updated: JANUARY 19, 2025 19:38
Hamas appears to be emerging from tunnels and rubble in Gaza to show that it never lost control of most of the area despite fifteen months of war. While Hamas suffered many blows from the IDF, it was able to recruit new members, and it even kept trucks and vans ready to return to the streets and show its presence.Videos purported to be from Gaza show the group in white pickup trucks driving around. The videos show large groups of armed men waving to crowds or standing and sitting on vehicles that are parading them through the streets. Hamas police, an arm of the terrorist group, are also reappearing. They have been around throughout the war, but their presence has not been as clearly felt in some areas.Throughout the war, some NGOs and other international organization officials complained that the lack of Hamas police, or their being targeted by the IDF, was leading to a breakdown in law and order. In essence, many groups linked to the international community that work in Gaza prefer working with Hamas and its police.Palestinian media such as Quds has shown the images and videos from Gaza, depicting this as a Hamas victory. They portray the videos as showing “Palestinian factions,” and not just Hamas. They also show civilians celebrating alongside the gunmen.
Shehab media, which is linked to Hamas, also has put out videos showing the “victory” they claim in Gaza. One shows masses of Hamas gunmen in a stylized video, clearly produced for this moment, with the men appearing to emerge from a kind of tunnel.
Another image Shehab put out shows October 7, with Hamas pulling a wounded Israeli soldier out of a tank that Hamas destroyed, and contrasts it with Hamas holding aloft rifles on top of white trucks in Gaza, declaring victory.Many other local and international media and activists are showing images from Gaza. This includes Al Jazeera and also local Gazans.The videos may be meant for propaganda in some cases, but the overall message is clear. Hamas has emerged from tunnels in Gaza and from the rubble in some areas and is clearly in control. The group never disappeared and was never dismantled.Back in March 2024, The Washington Post reported that “the IDF says it has ‘dismantled’ 20 of the original 24 Hamas battalions. Dismantled does not mean destroyed.” Indeed, dismantled did not mean destroyed. Hamas has reemerged quickly. This is not a group that seems to have suffered nearly as many losses as depicted, or it has been able to replace most of the losses and maintain command and control.
History repeating itself
This is not surprising; Hamas has done the same thing after other rounds of fighting. Hamas emerged in the late 1980s, mostly in Gaza. It continued to gain support in the 1990s, opposing the Oslo peace deal. After the Second Intifada, it emerged stronger, despite losing many of its leaders to Israeli airstrikes.
Hamas then took over Gaza in 2007 after winning Palestinian elections. It went on to reemerge after the 2009 and 2014 wars. In May 2021, a brief conflict with Israel once again showed how Hamas is often underestimated by Israel. At the time, the IDF was portrayed as having an impressive track record of striking Hamas tunnels. One report said Israel had “pulverized” Hamas’s underground “metro” of tunnels. Another report from Israel Hayom said Israel had destroyed 100 km. of Hamas tunnels and eliminated 25 “top” operatives. Hamas actually emerged unscathed from this conflict. Hamas is emerging in Gaza quickly to take control and showcase its abilities. It wants to portray this as a major victory, even if it suffered many losses. It doesn’t want any vacuum to emerge or any areas to emerge where it loses control. As the IDF withdraws, Hamas wants to enter quickly. It doesn’t want anyone in Gaza to get the idea that Hamas is weak or to have room to critique the group. Hamas will mobilize masses to come out and cheer. Then it will try to exploit this.Hamas will want to begin to tackle reconstruction and invite the media to try to showcase the destruction. Each step of the way will be choreographed by Hamas’s media machine. Hamas has impressive control over every aspect of Gaza, from local media to hospitals and schools. It will galvanize all of this to portray this as a victory for the group.
END
ISRAEL/HAMAS/MONDAY
IDF fires warning shots on Hamas forces in Gaza moving in its vicinity
Hamas terrorists began approaching IDF soldiers, testing the boundaries of the ceasefire.
By YONAH JEREMY BOB, JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 20, 2025 15:45Updated: JANUARY 20, 2025 16:45
The IDF fired warning shots on Hamas forces operating in the vicinity of its new defensive ceasefire lines during the late morning, the Jerusalem Post learned on Monday.
Although the IDF has not yet issued a public statement on the issue and generally all signs are that Hamas is seeking to maintain the conditions of the ceasefire which went into effect on Sunday at 11:15 a.m., not everything is quiet.
According to the IDF, when the Hamas forces started to approach closer to their position and the IDF fired warning shots, the Gazans retreated and moved away from the Israeli forces without any counterfire or resistance.
Holding down the defenses
Further, the IDF said it remained committed to holding all defense lines set down by the ceasefire and would respond with force to any Gazans who approached those lines in any potentially threatening way.
During the ceasefire with Hezbollah which started on November 27, the IDF eliminated around 50 of the Lebanese terror group’s forces when they tried to violate the ceasefire conditions in one way or another.
Some anticipated that Hamas would do the same and try to regularly test whether IDF forces at their defense lines would hold their ground, however, the IDF is due to start larger withdrawals already this coming Saturday whereas Hezbollah had to wait for a longer period.
As such, it is possible that Hamas will show more patience with testing the IDF, given that it has a shorter wait for the intermediate IDF withdrawals.
There are larger questions about whether the IDF will fully withdraw from Gaza during Phase 2 of the ceasefire deal, after 42 days have passed, or whether Israel and Hamas may return to war at that point.
On Monday, Defense Ministry Director-General Eyal Zamir toured the construction projects along the Gaza border, which the ministry is carrying out to support the IDF’s deployment in the region. The aim is to strengthen the defense of border communities and highways.
Zamir also visited the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings.
Related TagsGazaHamas CeasefireceasefireIsrael-Hamas War
END
ISRAEL //HAMAS
Israel can never have Hamas as neighbours.
(JerusalemPost)
Hamas: Gaza ‘will rise again… and continue on path of steadfastness until occupation is defeated’
By Agencies and ToI StaffToday, 4:10 p
Hamas says that Gaza and its people “will rise again” and rebuild the territory battered by more than 15 months of war sparked by the Palestinian terror group’s October 2023 invasion of southern Israel.
“Gaza, with its great people and its resilience, will rise again to rebuild what the occupation has destroyed and continue on the path of steadfastness until the occupation is defeated,” Hamas says in a statement issued on the second day of a hostage-ceasefire deal with Israel.
end
HAMAS
they are nuts! Children? recruits?
(JerusalemPost)
Hamas fighters, child recruits emerge in ceasefire to claim leadership in Gaza
Fighters aimed to demonstrate strength to Israel, rivals in the Palestinian Authority, and residents of Gaza.
By AHMED ABD AL-SALAM/THE MEDIA LINEJANUARY 21, 2025 15:19Updated: JANUARY 21, 2025 16:30
A group of fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, on Sunday, January 19, 2025, emerged from their tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip and made an open appearance on the streets of Deir al-Balah, where they interacted with local children, many of whom are reportedly undergoing training as recruits for the armed group.
For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org
In an exclusive video obtained by The Media Line, young boys were seen posing with rocket launchers and other weapons as parents encouraged them to take souvenir photographs. Families attended the event in large numbers.
Earlier the same day, as the newly agreed-upon ceasefire with Israel took effect, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade forces held a public parade in Gaza City showcasing their strength.
During the event, the fighters, traveling in white Toyota pickup trucks, displayed a range of weapons, including locally manufactured missiles, drones, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and Russian-made Kornet missiles.
Unusual public appearance
The purpose of the fighters’ unusual public appearance, above ground and in uniform, was to convey three key messages. To Israel and the international community, they aimed to demonstrate that they remain strong and undefeated.
To the Palestinian Authority and other critics who accused them of provoking the war, they sent a message of readiness to govern Gaza.
Finally, to the people of Gaza, they sought to assert control over local markets and public spaces, emphasizing their dominance in the region.
end
Hamas Emerges From Tunnels Still Intact, Starts ‘Policing’ Gaza Again
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 05:45 AM
Since the Gaza ceasefire deal took effect Sunday morning, there’s been clear evidence that Hamas is still intact and operating in various parts of the Gaza Strip even after some 470 days of war.
Among Prime Minister Netanyahu’s goals was the complete eradication of Hamas in the wake of the Oct.7 terror attack and taking of hostages. But Hamas commanders have been emerging from the tunnels and parading openly on streets as the ceasefire holds.
Over the past year-plus of fighting both the political leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, and its Gaza commander, Yahya Sinwar, have been killed – so certainly Hamas has taken serious blows, but it still has many thousands of fighters ready to carry on.
“Hamas appears to be emerging from tunnels and rubble in Gaza to show that it never lost control of most of the area despite fifteen months of war,” The Jerusalem Post acknowledges in a fresh report. “While Hamas suffered many blows from the IDF, it was able to recruit new members, and it even kept trucks and vans ready to return to the streets and show its presence.”
“Videos purported to be from Gaza show the group in white pickup trucks driving around,” the report continues. “The videos show large groups of armed men waving to crowds or standing and sitting on vehicles that are parading them through the streets.
Additionally, “Hamas police, an arm of the terrorist group, are also reappearing. They have been around throughout the war, but their presence has not been as clearly felt in some areas.”
An Al Jazeera regional correspondent has also witnessed evidence of Hamas being organizationally intact:
What happened earlier in Gaza City’s Saraya Square is that the military wing of Hamas handed over three female Israeli captives in a scene that felt beyond imagination.
The military wing of Hamas – which has been engaging in battles with the Israeli occupation forces across many areas in the Gaza Strip – appeared today, organising the implementation of the deal and the exchange of the Israeli captives.
We saw crowds of Palestinians gathering in the area around the fighters of the military wing of Hamas, chanting for liberation and freedom.
So, apparently, despite the significant blows that the military wing of Hamas has endured, they appeared today as an organized force on the ground.
This could indicate that in the foreseeable future, they will still exist as a military force despite the Israeli claims that they managed to degrade their military capabilities and eradicate their military governance of the territory.
Gaza emerges from ceasefire with HAMAS still in control https://t.co/CyDEL512Yd The futility of this War is evident for both sides. The Oslo accords are buried within the decimated landscapes of Gaza. The peace makers are silent or dead, while Israel drifts into the wilderness— Derek (Del) Pickard (@DelPickard) January 20, 2025
Israeli society is witnessing this too, and it is likely creating some dissonance. After all, if the Israeli military has been engaged in a lengthy, full and systematic air and ground campaign in Gaza – and Netanyahu government leaders have faced skepticism in claiming they can finally destroy Hamas.
But the US experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has already demonstrated that an Islamist insurgency is extremely hard to fully root out. This trend is also now on display in Gaza as Hamas militants appear in public.
Below are some further updates on the last 24 hours via Al Jazeera:
- A Red Cross delegation is in Ofer Prison, verifying the identity of the 90 Palestinian prisoners set to be released tonight.
- Hamas handed three Israeli captives to the Red Cross, which transferred them to Israeli forces who took them out of the Gaza Strip.
- Hamas’s military spokesperson, Abu Obeida, has given a televised speech, saying that Hamas is committed to the ceasefire deal, which he said could have been reached over a year ago if it had not been for Netanyahu’s “malicious ambitions”.
- Gaza’s Interior Ministry says in a statement that local security forces were reintroduced to the main streets of Gaza following the start of the ceasefire agreement today.
END
Here is the major problem and why the two state solution will never work. Palestinians claim that all of Israel is their land and that Israel is the occupier. So when you hear the word occupied it means all the land. In 1948 the UN divided the middle east into 4 sections, with Israel having a tiny sliver. Now the Palestinians want Israel as well and that will never happen. Thus the reason for the war
Gaza Strip is part of the ‘State of Palestine,’ PA’s top envoy tells UN Security Council
Palestinian FM Aghabekian at UN: Gaza is integral to “State of Palestine,” rejecting land division and displacement.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 21, 2025 13:20Updated: JANUARY 21, 2025 13:33
Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian said the Gaza Strip was part of the “State of Palestine” in a speech at the United Nations Security Council on Monday.
“We reaffirm in this context that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and that the State of Palestine holds the legal and political jurisdiction over the Strip and all occupied Palestinian territories since 1967, including East Jerusalem,” she said.
“We reiterate our categorical rejection of any attempts to cut off parts of our land or displace our people, which clearly violates international law and the prohibitions established by international legitimacy.”
“We reiterate the inevitability of adhering to our legitimate rights and our national identity that unites our people everywhere in the world, which requires the unity of our land and our people under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and the commitment of all to its political program and international obligations, and working under one system, one law, and one legitimate weapon,” Aghabekian concluded.
The statement was made at a session named “Security Council OPEN DEBATE: The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.”
The session was convened as the signature event of Algeria’s presidency of the council for the month of January. Countries in attendance included Israel, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Qatar and Lebanon.
Israel speaks
At the session, Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly, the political coordinator at Israel’s UN mission in New York, talked about the ongoing war and the future of Hamas in Gaza.
“The Security Council must confront an uncomfortable truth. It called for the release of the hostages, but those calls were ignored by Hamas. And yet, it was Israel that was scrutinized in this room, while no measures against the kidnappers of babies and the elderly were adopted,” she said.
END
ISRAEL WEST BANK JENIN
Israel strikes Jenin hard!!
IDF launches Operation Iron Wall against Palestinian terror in Jenin as PA exits
Palestinian Authority security forces exited the area following a month-long operation of its own against local Palestinian terror groups.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBJANUARY 21, 2025 12:42Updated: JANUARY 21, 2025 14:40
The IDF, on Tuesday early afternoon, started a wide-ranging operation on Palestinian terror in Jenin, including reportedly tanks and air support.
Similar operations this year have sometimes lasted a week or more.
Prior to the IDF operation, the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces exited the area following a month-long operation of its own against local Palestinian terror groups.
Although the IDF generally told the Jerusalem Post that it gave the PA stronger than usual marks for going deep into even in the Jenin refugee camp and getting its hands dirtier than usual against local terror, it appears that the January 6 Palestinian terror attack near Kedumim convinced the defense establishment that the efforts were still insufficient.
That terror attack was carried out by Jenin Palestinian Islamic-Jihad linked terrorists.
PA terror crackdown
The unusual PA operation in Jenin – the PA security forces had not entered the Jenin refugee camp in years – came about and was provoked after those local terror groups carried out a series of attacks on PA security forces, one of their cars, and a PA security station.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the operation was also a broader show of force against Palestinian terror to deter Hamas and others from making trouble in the West Bank now that there is a ceasefire both with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
“This is another step toward achieving the goal we have set—strengthening security in Judea and Samaria,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the operation.
“We are systematically and resolutely acting against the Iranian axis wherever it extends its reach—in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Judea and Samaria,” he continued.
Following the operation, Hamas called for full “mobilization” in the West Bank on Tuesday.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
END
TIMES OF ISRAEL/SAME STORY
IDF launches major counterterror raid in West Bank’s Jenin, expected to last days
Operation Iron Wall begins with drone strikes on terror infrastructure; large numbers of troops enter city; 8 Palestinians said killed, 35 wounded
By Emanuel Fabian FollowToday, 2:26 pm
Israeli troops and their vehicles in the center of Jenin in the West Bank on September 5, 2024. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
The Israel Defense Forces launched a major counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday afternoon, which military sources said was expected to last several days.
The operation began with a series of drone strikes on infrastructure used by terror groups in Jenin, a military source said.
Palestinian media outlets reported several airstrikes and local health officials said at least eight people were killed and 35 were wounded.
Footage published by Palestinian media showed Israeli Air Force helicopters flying over Jenin.
In a brief joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency confirmed the operation, dubbed “Iron Wall,” and said further details would be provided later.
IDF sources said large numbers of troops, including special forces, Shin Bet agents and Border Police officers, were operating in the city.
The goals of the operation were to “preserve the IDF’s freedom of action” in the West Bank, neutralize terror infrastructure and eliminate imminent threats, according to military sources.
The sources said the operation would last at least several days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation was “another step in achieving the goal we set, strengthening security in Judea and Samaria.”
Judea and Samaria is the biblical name for the West Bank.
“We are operating in a systematic and decisive way against the Iranian axis wherever it sends its arms, in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.
On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the military was preparing for “significant operations” in the West Bank, amid a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“Along with the intense defense preparations in the Gaza Strip, we must be prepared for significant operations in Judea and Samaria in the coming days in order to preempt and catch the terrorists before they reach our citizens,” he said during an assessment, in remarks released by the IDF.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks to troops in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, January 16, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
On Sunday, military officials said the Central Command was readying to carry out offensive actions in the West Bank, to prevent Hamas from establishing a foothold in the West Bank in light of the release of members of the terror group in the ceasefire deal.
The offensive plans were being coordinated with the Palestinian Authority, which also fears its rival Hamas gaining power in the West Bank, the officials said.
Hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners are due to be released to the West Bank in the hostage deal and ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including many convicted of deadly terror attacks.
The Tuesday raid came a day after an Israeli reservist soldier was killed and four others were wounded, including a senior officer in serious condition, when they were hit by a roadside bomb in the northern West Bank.
It also followed a shaky truce agreement between the Palestinian Authority and terror groups operating in Jenin that ended a six-week standoff in the northern West Bank city and adjacent refugee camp.
Palestinian security forces gather at the site of a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and terror groups in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)
The PA had been targeting the so-called Jenin Battalion, made up of operatives affiliated with terror groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in a bid to show incoming US President Donald Trump that Ramallah can maintain order in the West Bank, amid its push to take the reins of Gaza from Hamas after the war there.
The IDF, which also staged counterterrorism operations in the northern West Bank in recent months, has said that it supported bolstering the PA forces to help them in the fight against the Jenin Battalion. The military paused its airstrikes on Jenin as PA forces operated there, but ended that policy last week with a pair of airstrikes on terror operatives that killed a dozen people, including civilians.
Palestinian media reported Tuesday that as Israeli troops entered Jenin, PA forces withdrew from the area.
A gunman fires shots in the air during the funeral of five Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike in Jenin in the West Bank on August 6, 2024. (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
The West Bank has seen a sharp rise in violence since the Gaza war was sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
Since then, IDF troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 858 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 46 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another seven members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
ISRAEL IRAN
INTERESTING READ! BACKGROUND OF HOW WE GOT WHERE WE ARE!!
Here’s Why The Stage Has Been Set For War With Iran…
Saturday, Jan 18, 2025 – 10:10 PM
Authored by Chris Macintosh via InternationalMan.com,
The stage is set for a major war with Iran. Let’s first go back to what’s happened and potential implications.
Ten days after the attacks of 11 September 2001, former US Army General Wesley Clark revealed a controversial military strategy. In a conversation in the corridors of the Pentagon, Clark learned of a secret plan to “eliminate seven countries in five years.” This 2007 revelation raised many questions about the real motivations of the “War on Terror” and the garbage narrative fed to the world via mainstream media.
Clark reported that the plan was to invade Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and, finally, Iran. The surprisingly extensive list raised questions about US intentions and global strategy after the 9/11 attacks.
According to Clark, the decision to attack Iraq was made without clear justification, underlining officials’ inability to deal with the terrorist threat effectively. The conversation that took place between Clark and another senior Pentagon official revealed the uncertainty and confusion within the upper echelons of the military. “Are we going to war with Iraq? Why?,” asked Clark. The answer was puzzling: “I don’t know. I guess they don’t know what else to do.”
This admission highlighted the lack of a coherent strategy and a willingness to use military power to topple governments rather than directly confront the terrorist threat. Clark’s statement emphasized how the “War on Terror” had been executed ineffectively and for political reasons rather than a real need for national security.
The list of target countries seemed aimed at consolidating US political and military influence in strategically important regions rather than eliminating concrete threats. Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, Clark’s words still resonate as a warning.
Remembering these events is crucial to understanding today’s geopolitical dynamics and the consequences of the decisions made then. The war in Iraq, which began in 2003, was only the first step in a series of military interventions conducted at the behest of Israel, which have had significant repercussions throughout the Middle East and beyond.
Remember General Wesley Clark?
For a reminder, watch this.
In any event, the West is nearly wetting themselves with glee saying that Syria is now “free.” By free, of course, they have this guy.
Jolani, we are told, is the face of freedom. Who is he? Al-Jolani who fought against the US in Iraq before joining Islamic State and Al-Qaeda and later founding the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, earning a $10 million bounty on his head. As the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), he oversaw a regime of what the UN classified as “war crimes” in Idlib province.
But fortunately for Western media, they’re mostly talking to a bunch of ignorant peasants who won’t do even a cursory investigation into whether or not they’re being fed porkies or not, so here he is, a reformed, legitimate, moderate leader.
Since the 7 countries in 5 years project is entirely an Israeli-led initiative, it is no surprise to see Israel stampeding into the country bombing the isht out of much of it. The operation to divide Syria up will now commence. My guess is Erdy struck a deal and will get a chunk of the north, and Israel will move forward with the greater Israel project.
Just keep in mind that as we watch this taking place in front of our very eyes, any statements to the facts mentioned will be immediately met with the label of “anti semitism.”
It is the same strategy that has been used to silence truth. The labels of “conspiracy theorist,” “anti vaxxer,” “climate denier,” etc. — all are specifically designed to shut down any debate on the topic at hand while ridiculing those pointing out the obvious. The “anti semitism” label is no different. Expect to see it wielded with greater tyranny over the coming years.
The US and therefore NATO will be brought to the fore in order to fight these wars on behalf of Israel. You didn’t think that Jeffrey Epstein’s hard work for Mossad wouldn’t be put to work, did you?
Which brings me to….
Did Erdy Just Sign His Own Death Warrant?
Erdy has been in power since March 2003. That’s a long time. He’s repeatedly made reference to his vision of restoring Turkey’s influence over former Ottoman territories. This has led to a rebellious (and often ambitious) foreign policy, however he is what I like to call politically promiscuous — he’ll screw anyone.
Before we get into what’s just happened — namely Turkey providing military support for the Jihadists to overthrow Assad — let’s dial back the clock to 2016.
In a CIA-led coup attempt, Erdy found himself in a pickle. He was trapped in his resort in Marmaris, pleading on FaceTime with the citizenry after narrowly escaping assisination. It was reportedly Russian intelligence that saved his skin, notifying him of the incoming threat. Since that event, Russian-Turkish relations have been a lot more positive.
So a couple things happened there. Erdogan had become vehemently anti-Israel, and the coup was a strong message from the West that opposition to Israel would not be tolerated. Secondly, he now owed his life to the Russkies.
The way he’s played it ever since has been with ever increasing trade between the Russians while spewing empty rhetoric about his resistance to Israel, but with no actions taken. For example, despite calling out the genocide in Gaza, he has continued the uninterrupted supply of oil to Israel. Furthermore, he’s continued to undermine the Assad government, which — aside from Iran — has been the most anti-Israel government in the region. This also goes against both Russian and Chinese interests, both of whom have been supporters of Assad. Like I said, politically promiscuous.
So as you can see, it’s complicated. But here’s the thing. When you travel around Turkey, you see that all the major developments are financed by… wait for it, Chinese banks. And much of the infrastructure development is in partnership with or exclusively Russian. Mmmm, tricky!
So why did Erdy collaborate with Israel to take out Assad now? I suspect he’ll walk away with a chunk of northern Syria in a deal already struck. I see Israel taking Western Syria and Turkey taking the Kurdish areas and what it can. Plus, the Americans saying, “Well, we’re here for all the oil, but we’ll give it to Israel.”
The issue is Erdy now has decisively pissed off the Russians for sure as well as the Chinese. And you know what else?
Well, the recent cosying up to Russia and China by the Saudis is likely getting a rethink.
They’ll be correctly thinking, “Hmmm, they’re really trying to grab the whole Near East. Maybe we should be very careful about joining BRICS and threatening to move our assets out of the dollar because we could be next.”
They’re familiar with what happened to the US puppet Saddam Hussein, who was originally installed by the CIA, only to then fall out of favour. They know what happened to him. He developed weapons of mass destruction so well concealed they’ve never to this day been found, and furthermore, 9/11… you know, Al Qaeda was linked to… oh, I dunno. He was a bad man, OK.
The Saudis know that the stories told to the peasants in the West don’t even need to make sense and they will fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
This brings up a point I want to make regarding BRICS. It will shortly dawn on the Chinese in particular and the rest of BRICS that formalising BRICS as an economic alliance will not be tolerated, and if they are to have a multi polar world, then they will be forced to form a military alliance, too. And that means WW3. And yes, I know we are already in it, but it will by necessity go overt.
What else? As is always the case it is worth following the money. Here is the money…
So what we’re likely now to see is the Qatar-Turkey pipeline being pushed. I don’t think it’ll happen for the simple reason that it looks more likely that Syria becomes the next Afghanistan. In other words, a fustercluck. Getting any infrastructure built with dozens of factions of warring tribes will prove costly and ultimately won’t happen — at least not within the next five years or so. This in turn is great news for another country, halfway across the world…
* * *
The Western system is undergoing substantial changes, and the signs of moral decay, corruption, and increasing debt are impossible to ignore. With the Great Reset in motion, the United Nations, World Economic Forum, IMF, WHO, World Bank, and Davos man are all promoting a unified agenda that will affect us all. To get ahead of the chaos, download our free PDF report “Clash of the Systems: Thoughts on Investing at a Unique Point in Time” by clicking here.
END
ISRAEL IRAN/WEEKEND
Paranoia present in Iran?
(JerusalemPost)
Fear for his life: Did Khamenei wear a bulletproof vest at funeral of assassinated judges? – report
Two days after the murder, Iran still doesn’t know the motive of the assassinations, sparking rumors of civil unrest.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 20, 2025 14:27Updated: JANUARY 20, 2025 14:33
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei attended the Sunday funeral of two senior Iranian Supreme Court judges involved in handling espionage and terrorism cases who were shot dead in the capital, Tehran, on Saturday.
Notably, photos from the event show the supreme leader appearing a bit bulkier than usual, hinting that he may have even attended the funeral wearing a protective vest.
This theory is further backed by the fact that even two days later, Iran still doesn’t understand a clear motive for the killer, causing mass speculation and rumors of civil unrest.
Khamenei is considered perhaps the most threatened figure in Iran and surrounds himself with heavy security at all times as well as strict security arrangements.
Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir insinuated on state television on Saturday that the murder could be related to the fact that the two judges had long been involved in “national security cases, including espionage and terrorism.”
“In the past year, the judiciary has undertaken extensive efforts to identify spies and terrorist groups, a move that has sparked anger and resentment among the enemies,” he said.
The assassination
The judiciary identified the judges who were killed as mid-ranking Shi’ite Muslim clerics Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini.
It also said the attacker killed himself after opening fire at the judges inside the Supreme Court and that a bodyguard of one of the judges was wounded.
Opposition websites have in the past said Moghiseh was involved in trials of people they described as political prisoners.
Additionally, Iranian opposition media attributes the shooting to unrest and dissatisfaction with the regime.
Razini was a target of an assassination attempt in 1998.
Reuters contributed to this report.
ISRAEL /WEST BANK
IDF reservist killed, senior officer seriously hurt by roadside bomb in West Bank
Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, 31, killed in Palestinian town of Tamun during patrol; blast injures his battalion commander, 3 other soldiers
By Emanuel Fabian FollowToday, 11:19 am
Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, killed in the West Bank on January 20, 2025. (Courtesy)
An Israeli reservist soldier was killed and four others were wounded, including a senior officer in serious condition, when they were hit by a roadside bomb in the West Bank overnight, the military announced on Monday morning.
The slain soldier was named by the Israel Defense Forces as Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, 31, of the Ephraim Regional Brigade’s 8211th Reserve Battalion, from the southern town of Nitzan.
According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were in a David light armored vehicle part of a convoy during a patrol in the town of Tamun, in the northern West Bank, when a large explosive device was detonated.
The explosion killed Ben Yehuda, who was the driver, and seriously wounded his battalion commander, a reservist officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel, who was sitting next to him.
Three other soldiers in the back of the vehicle were also hurt and were listed in light and moderate condition.
In the past year, two soldiers and a police officer have been killed by roadside bombs in the West Bank.
Armed groups in the West Bank frequently plant improvised explosive devices under roads to attack Israeli forces carrying out arrest raids. The military regularly rips up roads with armored bulldozers as a precautionary measure before entering with lighter-armed vehicles.
A convoy of Israeli security forces’ vehicles drives through Aqaba village in the West Bank during a raid on November 9, 2024. (Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Violence in the West Bank has mounted since October 7, 2023, when Hamas assaulted southern Israel, sparking war in Gaza and unrest across the region. Since then, 46 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, including some carried out by Israeli citizens.
Another seven members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank. Much of the violence has been concentrated near Nablus, Jenin and other Palestinian cities in the northern West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, more than 858 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas.
Additionally, settler violence against Palestinians has soared since the Hamas massacre, with security forces accused of turning a blind eye to the attacks.
END
ISRAEL/USA
Trump says he’s not confident ceasefire in Gaza will be kept
US President plans to lift pause on 2,000-pound bomb supply to Israel • Thinks Saudi Arabia will normalize relations with Israel
By HANNAH SARISOHN, REUTERSJANUARY 21, 2025 03:16Updated: JANUARY 21, 2025 03:57
President Donald Trump, while signing a slew of executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday night following his inaugural parade event, was asked if he was confident he could keep the ceasefire in Gaza and complete the three phases of the deal.
“I’m not confident,” Trump replied. “It’s not our war. It’s their war. I’m not confident, but they’re very weakened on the other side.”
Trump said he looked at a picture of Gaza and said it’s like a “massive demolition site” and that it’s “really got to be rebuilt in a different way.”
The President said Gaza is a “phenomenal location on the sea” with the best weather.
“You know, everything’s good,” he said. “Some beautiful things could be done with it, but it’s very interesting, but some fantastic things could be done with Gaza.
On the future governance of Gaza, Trump said, “You certainly can’t have the people that were there. Most of them are dead.”
“But they didn’t exactly run it well. They run viciously and badly,” he said. “You can’t have that.”
Reversing Biden administration decisions on Israel
Trump is expected to lift the Biden administration‘s freeze on the supply of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in his first days in office, Walla News reported on Monday, citing an interview with the Israeli envoy to Washington.
Trump is also expected to reverse sanctions the Biden administration imposed against Israeli settlers accused of violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.
However, Trump said that he thinks Saudi Arabia will end up joining the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab nations.
“I think Saudi Arabia will end up being in the Abraham Accords,” Trump told reporters.
END
Trump cancels sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank
By REUTERSJANUARY 21, 2025 02:44Updated: JANUARY 21, 2025 02:49
US President Donald Trump on Monday rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals for allegedly committing violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the new White House website said.
The website said Trump rescinded Executive Order 14115 issued on February 1, 2024, which authorized the imposition of certain sanctions “on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank.”
This is a developing story.
RUSSIA/
Undersea Cable Damage In Baltic Sea The Result Of Accidents, Not Russian Sabotage; WaPo
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 03:30 AM
Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,
Recent damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea was likely caused by maritime accidents, not by Russian sabotage as many Western officials have alleged, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
NATO has used recent incidents to justify an increase in its military presence in the Baltic Sea and launched a new mission called “Baltic Sentry” just last week, a move that ratchets up tensions with Russia. The Guardian reported on Sunday that a NATO naval flotilla has assembled off the coast of Estonia to “protect” undersea infrastructure.
The Post report, which cited US and European intelligence officials, said that “investigations involving the United States and a half-dozen European security services have turned up no indication that commercial ships suspected of dragging anchors across seabed systems did so intentionally or at the direction of Moscow.”
US officials said “clear explanations” in each case indicated the incidents were likely accidents, and no evidence suggested that Russia was involved. In some cases, ships dragging their anchors damaged cables underwater.
The Washington Post report cites American and European intelligence officials who have ultimately rejected the official Western media narrative:
Ruptures of undersea cables that have rattled European security officials in recent months were likely the result of maritime accidents rather than Russian sabotage, according to several U.S. and European intelligence officials.
The determination reflects an emerging consensus among U.S. and European security services, according to senior officials from three countries involved in ongoing investigations of a string of incidents in which critical seabed energy and communications lines have been severed.
The Eagle S, a tanker suspected of damaging a power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, was recently boarded by the Finnish Coast Guard, and its crew has been detained indefinitely while the ship is being investigated. Finnish officials have accused the Eagle S of being part of a “ghost fleet” that carries Russian oil and avoids Western sanctions.
Yet here’s more from the bombshell WaPo report:
Instead, U.S. and European officials said that the evidence gathered to date — including intercepted communications and other classified intelligence — points to accidents caused by inexperienced crews serving aboard poorly maintained vessels.
A lawyer representing the ship’s owner acknowledged that it was carrying Russian oil but said it was not a violation of international law and denied the tanker purposely damaged the undersea cable.
Western officials have said the incidents in the Baltic were part of a broader Russian sabotage campaign in Europe, and some officials quoted in the Post report said they were not convinced the damage was caused by accident, but they have produced no evidence for their claims.
END
RUSSIA/UKRAINE
Greetings from Putin: There is enough “Oreshnik” for everyone who wants it – VT Foreign Policy
Sometimes one reads and writes and few see the reality of words seen. And while one realizes that the lessons of history are not learnt when it comes to the futilely of war with Russia. To think that the use of Oreshnik was simply an act of psychological intimidation is a mistake that carries consequences that are nation changing.This is article worth reading to ponder the reality of what is said. War with Russia is a fool’s errand that will carry serious consequences too terrible to risk. However, stupidity is hard to change. Thus, when you hear or learn that fools like Starmer soils British dignity by pledging to support a dictator like Zelensky who daily washes his hands in Ukrainian blood with a a 100 year pledge of support, ask why? And when Macron speaks of French troops in Ukraine as peacekeepers ask why he cannot keep peace in France, let alone provoke a fight with Russia.
Russia will never allow such foolishness to flourish in Ukraine. There is no favor for Europe in Ukraine only death. Ukraine was a problem created by the deceit of Macron, Merkel and others in a long planned assault upon Russia to seize the natural resource wealth of Russia. Merkel acknowledged this as fact to give time to arm and train Ukraine to fight as a proxy for natural resource wealth to be exploited. Clearly that did not and will not happen. While today the citizens of Western Europe pay for the folly of poor decision making. Germany lost the cheap energy from Russia that made their mercantile economy the powerhouse of Europe. Today the likes of China gleefully rub their hands in delight to pick off VW car plants being idled for Chinese prosperity. One may suggest such consequence is not a pleasant sequel to Merkel’s folly or that of the incumbent fool. It is know and previously established that Oreshnik is in serial production with at least 10-12 such missiles produced and available for use monthly. With potential of 36 warheads per missile the firepower of such missiles is extraordinary to say the least. The November public demonstration in Ukraine was simply a warning since there explosions and turning to dust of the factory complex big enough to warrant its’ own bus service without explosive material was strictly kinetic energy. When a missile hits at MACH 10+ the sheer energy is astronomical. Imagine what a concentration of 36 neutron warheads in a cluster may accomplish. Why would any national leader want such a consequence for their nation?
For any national leader to think that they can stop such a missile is sheer folly and frankly treason because that nation’s citizens are put to certain death and destruction in a response. That should be a crime and not tolerance. When it comes to missile technology that race ended a decade ago. There not a single Western defense system in operation that can stop a Oreshnik.
A more astute approach would be to be to enter into secure peaceful societies that respect borders of nations and forget the idiotic notion of statehood meddling in other nations for gain, like Russia. That effort was rendered mute the day this missile was publicly tested.
6.GLOBAL ISSUES//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES/HEALTH ISSUES
Despite Biden Pardon, Fauci Still Faces Legal Perils. Here They Are…
by Tyler Durden
Monday, Jan 20, 2025 – 10:35 PM
Authored by Paul D. Thacker via RealClearInvestigations,
President Biden’s pardon of Dr. Anthony Fauci may protect the former National Institutes of Health official from immediate criminal prosecution, but some critics say he is not completely out of legal jeopardy and that public sentiment might still condemn the man who became known during the COVID-19 pandemic as “Mr. Science.”
In the days before Biden offered the pardon to Fauci, along with other critics of Donald Trump, some experts who have followed Fauci’s career and handling of the pandemic, as well as members of the Trump transition team, reiterated their assertion that Fauci perjured himself on several occasions during the pandemic – especially regarding his agency’s links to the lab in Wuhan, China, that might have created the virus that causes COVID-19.
The pardon addresses any COVID-related offenses, and is backdated to 2014—the year a U.S. ban on so-called “gain of function” virus research took effect — research Fauci is accused of outsourcing to China.
Despite reporting that Trump is bent on revenge, the appetite among MAGA appointees for holding Fauci accountable hasn’t been particularly vocal. But former Senate investigator Jason Foster, who now runs the whistleblower nonprofit Empower Oversight, says that Biden’s pardon creates new legal jeopardy for Fauci. Sen. Rand Paul has vowed to continue investigating the COVID origins question, and sources tell RealClearInvestigations that Sen. Ron Johnson and House Republican investigators plan to do so as well. When testifying in those inquiries or answering written depositions, Fauci will be unable to dodge questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination. “They can ask him if he lied before, replough old ground,” Foster said. “And if he lies about any prior lie, he can be prosecuted for that or held in contempt.”
Andrew Noymer, associate professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California, Irvine, said such hearings are necessary for scientific and historical reasons. “I’m hopeful that he will now come clean about everything he knows about the origins of the virus,” Noymer said. “For the sake of public trust in science – explaining what killed 20 million people – that a complete account is much more important than speculation about what criminal penalties he may have avoided.”
“These pardons will not stop Department of Justice investigations,” said one adviser to the Trump transition team, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We expected this and look at it as a predicate to get truth from people who can no longer use the Fifth Amendment. Now we can bring every one of them in front of a grand jury.”
There is no consensus on Fauci’s handling of the pandemic. Legacy media outlets have promoted Fauci throughout the pandemic as “America’s doctor” who “sticks to the facts” and applauded him as “the nation’s top infectious disease expert.” When he retired from the NIH after five decades in 2022, the New York Times granted him space on its opinion page to advise the next generation of scientists, citing his own accomplishments.
Numerous social media outlets have provided a polar opposite perspective. Several X accounts have uploaded videos that show Fauci’s inconsistencies. For example, Fauci claimed in early 2022 interviews that he never recommended lockdowns, but later said he recommended shutting the country down. Independent journalist Matt Orfalea circulated another set of clips that show Fauci claiming he kept an “open mind” about how the pandemic started while alleging in others that the evidence points against a lab accident and “strongly” in favor of a natural spillover.
As Fauci’s flip-flops generated attention in Republican circles and on social media, he charged that such criticism was “totally preposterous,” adding, “Attacks on me, quite frankly, are attacks on science.”
Fauci’s many contradictory statements even caught the attention of a New York Times contributing opinion writer, Megan K. Stack, who chastised Fauci for “the largely one-sided nature of his public remarks” about the possibility the pandemic started from an accident at a lab his agency had helped fund – the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Initially, Fauci dismissed as a “conspiracy theory” the possibility of a Wuhan lab accident on a Feb. 9, 2020, podcast hosted by Newt Gingrich. Afterward, Fauci reversed himself, stating in several interviews that he had always kept an open mind.
Later reports zeroed in on Fauci’s secret involvement in prominent March 2020 research, called the “proximal origin” paper, that turned public and scientific sentiment against the possibility of a lab accident. “Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus,” the paper concluded, adding, “We do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible.” Published in the prestigious Nature Medicine journal, “proximal origin” is the most-cited scientific paper of 2020.
Subsequent emails showed that Fauci helped guide the “proximal origin” paper to publication, as congressional probers found, “without revealing that he had been involved with its creation and had even, according to the emails, given it his approval.”
Distancing himself from his own emails, Fauci later told the Times that he wasn’t sure he even got around to reading the paper. But the House later released a multi-day deposition of Fauci where he was asked about his involvement in the “proximal origin” paper. Under oath, Fauci admitted to having received and read several drafts of the paper.
But while dissembling to the media is not a crime, lying to Congress is illegal. And the Department of Justice has two referrals from Congress already requesting that Fauci be prosecuted for lying under oath.
Lies as Legal Jeopardy
Fauci’s habit of bending the truth, as some see it, was notably on display at a July 2021 Senate hearing when Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican, bore into the funding Fauci approved for gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. While Fauci attempted to downplay his financial involvement with the Chinese government lab, reports were already percolating.
In April 2020, Newsweek reported that Fauci had approved a grant for risky “gain of function” virus research at the Wuhan lab. The Washington Post editorial board in March 2021 then called for an independent investigation into EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit funded by the Fauci-run National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. With this grant, EcoHealth subcontracted research to the Chinese, the Post noted, to do experiments involving “modifying viral genomes to give them new properties, including the ability to infect lung cells of laboratory mice that had been genetically modified to respond as human respiratory cells would.”
Fox News reported Sunday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has barred EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and its former president, Dr. Peter Daszak, from receiving federal funds for five years. EcoHealth allegedly failed to report dangerous gain-of-function experiments to the government, which eventually led to the five-year ban.
A month prior to Fauci’s hearing with Paul, Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs confirmed that U.S.-funded research at the WIV consisted of gain-of-function virus research that could have started the pandemic. “[I]t is clear that the NIH co-funded research at the WIV that deserves scrutiny under the hypothesis of a laboratory-related release of the virus.” At that time, Dr. Sachs led a commission formed by a British medical journal, The Lancet, to investigate how the pandemic began.
But when Paul began grilling Fauci about these details and called him out for what he characterized as evasive answers, Fauci pointed the finger back at Paul. “If anybody is lying here, senator, it is you,” Fauci said. Paul then sent a criminal referral to the Department of Justice requesting they investigate whether Fauci had committed perjury.
“He definitely misled the senator,” said former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield. When Redfield looked at all the evidence, including still-classified information, he said the weight falls in the direction of a lab accident. “Fauci manipulated the public to believe there was only one possible cause for the pandemic, a natural spillover.”
Months after Paul’s referral to the Justice Department, liberal news nonprofit ProPublica released new documents confirming the Wuhan lab had conducted such studies. “Grant money for the controversial experiment came from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is headed by Anthony Fauci,” ProPublica reported on September 9, 2021.
“NIH admits funding risky virus research in Wuhan,” Vanity Fair reported a week after ProPublica, referencing a letter NIH sent to Congress.
Paul sent a second referral to the Department of Justice in July 2023, reiterating his demand that Fauci be investigated. At that time, House investigators released emails showing that, in early 2020, Fauci admitted that scientists were concerned the COVID virus had been engineered and researchers in Wuhan were engaged in gain-of-function research.
“Everything he has been telling us from the very beginning has been a lie,” Sen. Paul told Fox News. “We have documented it’s a lie and it’s a felony to lie to Congress.”
Biden’s pardon negates the two Senate referrals for criminal activity. But future hearings could still require Fauci to respond to evidence that he might have perjured himself, and open him up to future prosecution if he stands by statements that can be proven to be false.
Hiding Use of Private Email
Another area of potential inquiry is Fauci’s congressional testimony last summer denying his use of private email to conduct official business, “Let me state for the record that to the best of my knowledge I have never conducted official business via my personal email,” Fauci wrote in his sworn statement to Congress.
This testimony seemed to contradict evidence in a 35-page memo compiled by Republican investigative staff. One email showed Fauci’s second-in-command, Dr. David Morens, suggesting someone speak with Fauci through an unofficial, private channel. In another email, Morens wrote that he would contact Fauci on Gmail.
After Fauci’s testimony, the writer of this article reported in the DisInformation Chronicle that Morens had connected KFF Health News reporter Arthur Allen with Fauci on Fauci’s private email back in May 2021. The NIH did not respond to comment about Fauci’s use of private email to conduct government business with reporters.
In a second example, the New York Post reported that the watchdog group White Coat Waste Project accused Fauci of lying to Congress about his private email use after they released documents showing Fauci was backchanneling with a Washington Post reporter on his private email.
“I will send you an e-mail via my gmail account,” Fauci wrote in an email dated Oct. 29, 2021, to Washington Post reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb.
Fauci’s lawyer told the Post that Fauci was discussing a personal matter with the Washington Post reporter, although he did not explain what this personal matter was.
Justin Goodman, senior vice president at White Coat Waste Project, said the evidence is clear that Fauci contacted the Washington Post about issues regarding his NIH work and then denied it to Congress. “He should be prosecuted, not pardoned.”
Follow the Money
Congressional hearings might also delve into Fauci’s involvement in research misconduct with the “proximal origin” paper and a grant he approved for the paper’s lead author, Scripps Research Institute’s Kristian Andersen.
“There needs to be a criminal investigation of this grant and paper,” said a former law enforcement official who has worked with congressional staff investigating Fauci and his grants. “Nobody inside the executive branch has taken ownership of this.”
Shortly after the COVID virus outbreak, Fauci began discussing with several virologists, including Andersen, how the pandemic started. In a Feb. 1, 2020 email, Andersen wrote to Fauci that he had analyzed the COVID virus genetic sequence and “some of the features (potentially) look engineered.” Andersen added that, while opinions could change, he and other virologists felt the virus was not natural or consistent with “expectations with evolutionary theory.”
Later that same day, Fauci held a phone call with Andersen and other virologists and then emailed that the scientists were suspicious that a “mutation was intentionally inserted” into the virus. Other emails show that Fauci was concerned that his funding for research in China may have led to the COVID virus.
Despite their initial suspicions, Andersen and other virologists reversed course six weeks later and published the “proximal origin” paper on March 16, 2020, that absolved Fauci of funding research that led to the pandemic. Fauci then promoted the Andersen “proximal origin” paper to reporters at a White House briefing on April 17 without disclosing that he had helped marshal the study into publication.
A month later, Fauci signed off on an $8.9 million grant to Kristian Andersen. Both Andersen and Fauci have denied the grant was quid pro quo for Andersen publishing the “proximal origin” paper that absolved Fauci, but the group Biosafety Now has called twice for the paper to be retracted.
“It is imperative that this clearly fraudulent and clearly damaging paper be removed from the scientific literature,” reads an online petition signed by over 5,000 scientists.
Richard Ebright, a professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University and co-founder of Biosafety Now, said that Fauci should have been prosecuted for “criminal conspiracy” for his secret involvement in the “proximal origin” paper. Ebright added that the grant Fauci gave to Andersen after he published the paper likely also involved criminal behavior.
With Republicans running both the Senate and House, investigations of Fauci will likely continue as members resume digging into any NIH culpability in funding research that started the pandemic. Trump’s CIA nominee, John Ratcliffe, told House members during a 2023 hearing that classified intelligence points toward a lab accident. Ratcliffe is likely to be confirmed, and a Trump transition team source said he would likely then declassify that information, further undermining Fauci’s claims that the pandemic started from a natural spillover.
Ongoing investigations of Fauci, RCI has been told, will only further erode his credibility, even if criminal charges can no longer be filed. “This pardon means he can no longer be brought to justice,” said an adviser to the Trump transition team. “But it guarantees he will be further exposed.”
“I trusted everything Fauci said during the pandemic, and I did everything he told me,” said Bri Dressen, a former preschool teacher in Saratoga Springs, Utah. “I masked, wiped down my groceries with alcohol, kept my kids away from other kids so they wouldn’t catch the virus, and then I got vaccinated.” Dressen ended up injured by AstraZeneca’s vaccine as a volunteer in the company’s clinical trial, and founded React19.org, whose 36,000 members advocate for victims of COVID vaccine harm.
“It was the steepest learning curve in my entire life. The people in authority like Fauci are the ones I shouldn’t have trusted,” Dressen said. “It’s been a huge paradigm shift to see a hero actually turn into a villain.”
US Suspends EcoHealth Alliance, Peter Daszak After COVID-19 Evidence Uncovered By House Committee
Saturday, Jan 18, 2025 – 08:25 PM
EcoHealth Alliance, the nonprofit that Dr. Anthony Fauci used to offshore risky gain-of-function research 6 months before the Obama administration banned it, has finally been cut off by the US Government – along with its former president, Peter Daszak, for a period of five years following scrutiny over its work in Wuhan, China ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision by the Department of Health and Human Services was based on findings by the House Oversight Committee, which announced on Friday that EcoHealth and Daszak had been disbarred.
“Justice for the American people was served today,” said Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) in a statement. “Bad actor EcoHealth Alliance and its corrupt former President, Dr. Peter Daszak, were formally debarred by HHS for using taxpayer funds to facilitate dangerous gain-of-function research in China. Today’s decision is not only a victory for the U.S. taxpayer, but also for American national security and the safety of citizens worldwide.”
EcoHealth funding had been suspended in May by HHS, which recommended a permanent ban on funding the nonprofit.
“Given that a lab-related incident involving gain-of-function research is the most likely origin of COVID-19, EcoHealth and its former President should never again receive a single cent from the U.S. taxpayer,” Comer continued.
As journalist Paul Thacker noted in June, the NIH lied about EcoHealth’s gain-of-function research, feeding lies to reporters, while lying to Congress. Meanwhile, former NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci ‘prompted’ the fabrication of a paper by a cadre of scientists aimed at disproving the Covid-19 lab-leak theory.
According to US Right to Know, emails obtained in 2020 revealed that a statement in The Lancet authored by 27 prominent public health scientists condemning “conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin” was organized by employees of EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit group that has received millions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer funding to genetically manipulate coronaviruses with scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The emails obtained via public records requests show that EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak drafted the Lancet statement, and that he intended it to “not be identifiable as coming from any one organization or person” but rather to be seen as “simply a letter from leading scientists”.
To review;
The US was doing risky gain-of-function research on US soil until 2014, when the Obama administration banned it. Four months before the ban, Dr. Fauci offshored it to Wuhan, China through New York nonprofit, EcoHealth Alliance.
After Sars-CoV-2 broke out down the street from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Fauci engaged in a massive campaign to deny the possibility of a lab-leak from the lab he funded, and instead pin the blame on a yet-to-be discovered zoonotic intermediary species.
And if you’d like to dig even deeper, this is perhaps the best, most comprehensive summary of the “proximal origin” timeline.
Further reading:
- Fauci In 2012: Gain-Of-Function Research ‘Worth Risk Of Lab Accident Sparking Pandemic’
- Fauci-Funded EcoHealth Refuses To Give Wuhan Documents To Congress
- ‘EcoHealth Alliance’ Orchestrated Key Scientists’ Statement On “Natural Origin” Of SARS-CoV-2
- Video Of Live Bats In Wuhan Lab Reveals Daszak Lied In Now-Deleted Tweet
- “Sadly, It Starts With Two Lies”: Peter Daszak’s Latest Wuhan Screed Shredded
- END
GLOBAL ISSUES//
MARK CRISPIN MILLER
Dr. Fauci’s pardon by Joe Biden won’t be worth a pail of ashes when they both lie smoldering in Hell
Nor will that pardon do him any good if some outraged citizen, bereaved by Fauci’s “safe and effective” elixir, should decide to take justice into his/her own hands
| Mark Crispin MillerJan 21∙Preview |
It’s been embarrassingly obvious (to most of us) these past four years that “Joe Biden” wasn’t really President of the United States, since (a) he wasn’t actually elected (the evidence is overwhelming), and, for the most part, (b) he was patently demented—spouting gibberish, wandering off stage, dozing off in public, falling up and down the stairs, and—I really hate to write this—letting out “a long, loud fart” during a tete-a-tete with the Duchess of Cornwall. So blatant was his incapacity that most of us had to wonder: If he can’t even board a plane, or read a TelePrompter, how can he be making all those Big Decisions hailed as genius by the likes of Joe Scarborough and Sunny Hostin? In short, he wasn’t ever really there; so who was making “his” decisions as the president? Was it “Dr.” Jill? Obama? a posse of “woke” staffers? Xi Jinping?
Some day (if we last long enough) we should know more about the inner workings of the White House “under” Biden. For now, let’s entertain the possibility suggested in the photograph above, taken while COVID-19 was still (literally) all the rage, with “Biden” now ostensibly in charge of the US “response.” If you’ve seen any other presidential images like this one, please let me know, as it strikes this observer as the weirdest tableau ever loosed upon us by the White House…
DR PAUL ALEXANDER
Obama was leaving as Trump had won the Presidency in 2015 & Trudeau just came in & it is this meeting (I am told anonymously) Trudeau & Obama made arrangements to fCUk Trump & use Canada as a staging
to allow jihadists who US will not let in, INTO Canada, give them residency and Citizenship and they will then easily cross into USA in time to then kill Americans! It has played out, has it not?
| Dr. Paul AlexanderJan 17 |
Who is willing to state that this was not discussed for I am telling you, it was the purpose, they could not speak on phone etc. had to meet in person one on one. This one meeting was set up for a private one on one talk. Designed with one intent, how best to fuck Trump and how to not allow him to stop illegals and terrorists from entering the USA as he had said in his campaign. He would do. Trump did try as you know yet subverted at each step by Paul ‘eunuch Benedict Arnold’ Ryan.
Let us see what Trump will do this time. I have hope and trust in him.
Every sane person questioned why this one on one meeting then, why that meeting then as Trump was coming in and Obama was leaving, no such history of these like this…we knew…the liberals had to help Obama after he left finish his task of Islamization of US with terrorists, not decent hard working muslims, no, jihadist TERRORISTS…Trudeau had to see Obama in the flesh PRIVATELY…to do the arrangement…and oh so they, terrorists came into USA…due to Trudeau…today Canada is the source of 95% of all islamic terrorists entering USA and 100% have residency or citizenship…legal status. Allows them to simple walk into the USA from Canada.
EVOLS NEWS
| Georgia Senator Provides Update from Hospital After Being Violently Shoved to the Ground – EVOLREAD MORE… |
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Date: Sat, Jan 18, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Subject: 
Japan Sounds Alarm as Heart Failure Surges 4900% Among Covid-Vaxxed
To: Milan Sabioncello <sabioncello@gmail.com>
| The latest reports from Slay NewsJapan Sounds Alarm as Heart Failure Surges 4900% Among Covid-VaxxedLeading experts in Japan are sounding the alarm after uncovering evidence of a staggering surge in heart failure among citizens who received Covid mRNA “vaccines.”READ MOREWEF Vows Millions of ‘Useless’ Human Workers Will Be Replaced with AI by 2030The World Economic Forum (WEF) has vowed that millions of “useless” humans will be eliminated in the workplace and replaced by “emotionless” artificial intelligence (AI) technology over the next five years.READ MOREBiden’s Admin Announces Billions in New Taxpayer-Funded ‘Green Energy’ SpendingIn the final hours of President Joe Biden’s term, his administration has announced that billions of dollars in taxpayer money will be pumped into green agenda spending.READ MORERepublican Georgia Senator Pushed to the Ground and Arrested While Trying to Attend Governor’s SpeechA pro-Trump Republican state senator from Georgia was violently shoved to the ground and arrested while trying to enter the House chamber.READ MOREFBI Shuts Down ‘Office of Diversity and Inclusion’ Ahead of Trump’s InaugurationThe FBI has quietly shut down its far-left Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.READ MOREIsrael-Hamas Ceasefire Finalized After 11th-Hour Obstacles, Handing Trump Early WinIsrael’s ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas has been finalized in the 11th hour, finally bringing peace to the region.READ MOREBiden Will Not Enforce TikTok Ban Before Trump InaugurationPresident Joe Biden won’t enforce a ban on TikTok, which is scheduled to take effect on January 19.READ MOREElon Musk to Speak at Trump’s Pre-Inauguration RallyX boss Elon Musk is scheduled to deliver an address at President Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration rally.READ MOREJoy Behar: ‘Convicted Felon’ Trump Is ‘Not a Normal Person’“The View” co-host Joy Behar has argued that people should boycott President Donald Trump’s inauguration because he’s “not a normal person.”READ MOREBiden Falsely Claims ‘Red States Really Screwed Up’ Their EconomiesAs his lame-duck presidency draws to a close, President Joe Biden has falsely claimed that “red states really screwed up” their economies over the past four years.READ MORETrump’s Swearing-In Ceremony to Be Moved Indoors Due to ‘Severe’ Cold WeatherPresident Donald Trump’s highly anticipated swearing-in ceremony will be moved indoors due to the “severe” cold weather forecast for Washington D.C. next week.READ MORE |
| The latest reports from Slay NewsTop Oncologist Confirms Ivermectin Cures CancerA world-renowned oncologist has confirmed that ivermectin can be used to cure cancer after the top doctor used the wonder drug to treat over 1,000 terminally ill patients.READ MOREExpert Warns Canadian Government Is Euthanizing Mentally Ill and Disabled Citizens: ‘It’s Eugenics’A prominent expert is warning the public that the Canadian government is now euthanizing mentally ill and disabled citizens as part of a “eugenics” agenda that has been thinly disguised as “assisted suicide.”READ MORE‘Whose Line?’ Comedian Tony Slattery Dies Suddenly from Heart AttackBritish comedian Tony Slattery has tragically died suddenly after suffering a fatal heart attack, his family has announced.READ MORETrump’s Inauguration to Feature Performances from Carrie Underwood, Village PeopleSome of President Donald Trump’s favorite musicians are scheduled to sing at his inauguration next week, ensuring a star-studded lineup.READ MOREMichelle Obama’s Public Absences Fuel Divorce RumorsFormer First Lady Michelle Obama’s recent public absences are fueling rumors of a rift in her marriage to Barack Obama.READ MORETrump Vows to Prioritize Deportation of Chinese Illegal Aliens over National Security Threats, Liberal Media Blames XenophobiaThe days are numbered for illegal aliens from Communist China after President Donald Trump announced plans to prioritize their deportation.READ MOREKJP Stuns Reporters in Her Last Briefing, Smears Colleague as ‘Random Person’Outgoing White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre left reporters stunned while desperately trying to avoid giving credit to President Donald Trump during her final briefing.READ MOREArson Suspect Arrested over San Bernardino Blaze amid California Wildfire CrisisAuthorities in San Bernardino have arrested an arson suspect for allegedly igniting a brushfire that scorched 34 acres in the Little Mountain Drive area.READ MORE |
NEWS ADDICTS
———- Forwarded message ———
From: News Addicts <mail@newsaddicts.com>
Date: Sat, Jan 18, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Subject: 
LAFD Whistleblowers Come Forward
To: Milan Sabioncello <sabioncello@gmail.com>
| LATEST REPORTS FOR NEWS JUNKIESLAFD Whistleblowers Come ForwardThe fires are still raging in Los Angeles County, but once contained and extinguished, this fiasco will be investigated. These fires are likely to be the costliest natural disaster in American history.The cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the scrubbing of LAFD memos pointing to deficiencies in the department, and the lack of water have all been documented, especially …READ THE FULL REPORTElderly Woman Found Stuffed in Freezer After Trying Asking Trans Person to Leave Her HomeLas Vegas police released footage of the moment they discovered a woman’s dead body, which her roommate allegedly stuffed into a freezer after murdering her.Police identified the victim as 68-year-old Monique Gilbertson and her roommate as 37-year-old Daniel Roush — who went by “Jazlynn” — as the suspect, according to KVVU in Las Vegas, Nevada.KLAS-TV obtained the grisly footage Wednesday, …READ THE FULL REPORTBiden CIA analyst admits to leaking Israeli plans to strike IranA CIA analyst in the Biden administration has just admitted to leaking the Israeli plans from last October to strike Iran. Despite 20 years in prison being the potential sentence after being charged with two counts of leaking classified documents, he’s apparently agreed to a deal that will only give him 6.5 years. Here’s more from OSI: CIA Analyst Admits …READ THE FULL REPORTDeWine Names Jon Husted to Vance Senate SeatOhio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will replace Vice President-elect J.D. Vance in the Senate, ending weeks of speculation as Washington, D.C., prepares to inaugurate Donald Trump for a second time as president.Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) announced his decision to appoint Husted at a Friday afternoon press conference, calling him a workhorse with the “heart” to represent the people of Ohio. …READ THE FULL REPORTPastor Who Precisely Predicted Trump Getting Shot in the Ear Issues Inauguration WarningPastor Brandon Biggs, who gained nationwide attention after accurately predicting the assassination attempt on Donald Trump months before it occurred, has sounded the alarm once again.This time, the stakes are even higher, as he claims to have received visions of a sprawling, orchestrated attack targeting Trump, his properties, and key U.S. landmarks.Biggs first gained attention when his detailed vision of …READ THE FULL REPORT |
MICHAEL EVERY/PHIL MAREY/OR OTHER EXECS //RABOBANK/
7.OIL AND NATURAL GAS ISSUES/GLOBAL
8. EMERGING MARKETS//AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND ISSUES//
Canada
Toni Gravelle
Deputy Governor,
Bank of Canada
The end of quantitative tightening and what comes next
Remarks
January 16, 2025
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Introduction
Good afternoon. Thank you, Tanya, for the kind introduction. And thank you to VersaFi for hosting this event.
The Bank of Canada’s balance sheet has been larger than normal for a few years now. That’s because of the role it played during the COVID-19 crisis, in making sure financial markets could work properly and in setting the economy on a path to recovery.
As we began to emerge from the worst of the pandemic, we ended quantitative easing (QE) in October 2021. Six months later, in April 2022, we started shrinking the balance sheet through quantitative tightening (QT), a process that continues today. Under QT, we have been letting our bond holdings roll off the balance sheet as they mature, without replacing them.
Last year, I said we thought that QT, also known as balance sheet normalization, would end sometime in 2025. Well, it’s 2025. And since I had also promised to deliver any news about QT ahead of time, that is why I am here today.
When QT ends, we will be back to business as usual for how we manage the balance sheet. This will look a lot like how we managed it before the pandemic, which I outlined in a speech last March.1 Essentially, we’ll be purchasing assets mainly to offset the growth of currency in circulation—the cash in your wallets.
But some things have changed in the five years since the start of the pandemic. In particular, the payment system has evolved, and so has our monetary policy implementation framework. As a result, some evolution in how we manage our balance sheet is needed. So, today I’ll give you an update on:
- when, roughly, we expect QT to end
- how we will manage the balance sheet after QT ends and we resume our business-as-usual asset purchases
- what the likely drivers are of recent pressures in overnight funding markets
Our estimate of demand for settlement balances
Let me start with a bit of background about a crucial element of our balance sheet, one that is key to guiding our QT process. I’m talking about settlement balances—what most other jurisdictions call central bank reserves.
These represent a liability on our balance sheet.2 They are interest-bearing deposits held at the Bank of Canada that belong to members of Lynx, Canada’s high-value wholesale payment system, who use them to settle large payments with each other. Lynx members include the biggest banks, which process the bulk of payments in Canada and, as a result, hold most of the settlement balances.
The interest rate that we pay on settlement balances is called the deposit rate. Due to arbitrage in overnight funding markets, the rate for overnight repurchase—or repo—agreements in these markets tends to be at or close to our deposit rate. And since the deposit rate moves one-for-one with our target policy rate, this helps ensure that the one-day or “overnight” market rate used by financial institutions is also at, or close to, our target rate.
When we change our policy rate, this implies an equivalent change in the deposit rate, leading to changes in the overnight rate and, in turn, influencing longer-term interest rates, such as on mortgages or business loans. This is how we implement our monetary policy and ensure that it is reflected in borrowing and lending rates throughout the economy.
Now, as I discussed in my speech last March, because we now operate in a floor system, our aim in steady state is to supply just enough settlement balances to satisfy the demand for them from banks and other Lynx participants.3 Currently, though, the amount of settlement balances on our books is higher than our best estimate of that demand because of the balance sheet measures that we took during the pandemic. So, as we shrink our balance sheet through QT, we are lowering the supply of settlement balances toward our best estimate of demand. This lower level is really a range, because we use a few different approaches to estimate the demand for settlement balances.
In estimating the overall demand for settlement balances in the financial system, we look at two types of demand. The first is payments-driven demand, which is the amount needed for Canada’s high-value payments system to operate smoothly. In other words, the amount of settlement balances that Lynx members want to keep on hand so that they can settle daily payments with each other.
The second type is precautionary demand. This is where risk-free and liquid assets, such as Government of Canada (GoC) bonds or settlement balances, are held as a buffer against unexpected funding or liquidity shocks.
But measuring either payments- or precaution-driven demand for settlement balances is difficult. So, to come up with the best estimate that we can, we regularly survey and speak with banks and other Lynx participants to help us understand how much demand there is. And in the latter part of 2024, we determined from these discussions and our own subsequent analysis that precautionary demand had grown beyond the level we had previously estimated.
Earlier last year, we thought QT would end when our settlement balances declined to a $20 billion to $60 billion range. This was based on our estimate of Lynx participant demand at the time.
Due to our updated assessment of precautionary demand, we have revised the range upward to between $50 billion and $70 billion. Of this, we continue to see about $20 billion to $30 billion being needed to support the payments system. The rest of the range is what we now expect precautionary demand to be.
Currently, we have about $130 billion in settlement balances, down from a peak of around $395 billion during the pandemic.
As you can see from the chart (Chart 1), we expect settlement balances to reach our new estimated range around mid-year.Chart 1: Historical and projected settlement balancesCan$ (billions)100Estimated range for settlement balances in steady state180160140120100806040200180LLJan 2024Jul 2024Jan 2025Jul 2025Jan 2026Jul 2026
Actual level of settlement balancesForecast level of settlement balances until fiscal year-end 2024–25Forecast level of settlement balances with constant RG (government cash balance) level
Note: The settlement balance forecast is highly uncertain and depends on many factors including, for example, the level of Receiver General (RG) cash balances deposited at the Bank of Canada. The forecast assumes a constant level of RG cash balances after fiscal year-end 2024–25. This could overstate settlement balances by the amount of funding that the government may need ahead of a large maturity. The forecast also does not include the value of any potential routine overnight repurchase agreement (repo) operations (or overnight reverse repo operations) conducted to reinforce the Bank’s policy target, which would increase (or decrease) the projected level of settlement balances.
Source: Bank of Canada calculations and projections
So that brings me to when we will end QT and start buying assets again as part of our business-as-usual balance sheet management process.
Based on the maturity profile of our assets, settlement balances are expected to fall well below the $50 billion to $70 billion range in the third quarter, due to a very large GoC bond maturity coming due on September 1, 2025 (Chart 2).Chart 2: The Bank of Canada’s asset maturity profile until 2030Can$ (billions)10-10302520151050-535LL20252026202720282029203020312032
Source: Bank of Canada calculations and projectionsLast observation: January 15, 2025
To achieve a smoother glide path for settlement balances as they fall ahead of that large maturity, we will need a transition process where asset purchases help to offset the sharp and sudden drop. That means we will need to restart our normal-course asset purchases gradually, and well before September.
As a result, we expect to announce the end of QT and the associated restart of our business-as-usual asset purchases in the first half of this year. When we make that announcement, we will also publish a market notice with more details about the asset acquisition process, including the timing of our initial purchases and expected amounts. Given this timeline, I expect we will be the first major central bank, or among the first, to finish unwinding its pandemic-related QE asset purchases. That reflects three considerations. First, going into the pandemic, our balance sheet was smaller as a proportion of gross domestic product relative to other central banks because we hadn’t used QE before. Second, we ended QE earlier than others. And third, the maturity profile of our asset holdings coming out of our COVID actions was shorter, so QT has gone faster in Canada than in most other jurisdictions.
As you can see from this chart, in terms of assets as a share of the economy, our balance sheet is already smaller than those in other major jurisdictions (Chart 3).Chart 3: Central bank assetsTotal balance sheet for each central bank, as a percent of each jurisdiction’s four-quarter average nominal GDP10%-10%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%-10%-20%100%-40%140%120%100%80%60%40%20%0%-20%160%L20182019202020212022202320242026
Canada (left scale)United States (left scale)Euro area (left scale)United Kingdom (left scale)Sweden (left scale)New Zealand (left scale)Japan (right scale)
Sources: Haver Analytics and Bank of Canada calculations
The estimated range for settlement balances will evolve over time
Once we resume purchasing assets to offset the growth of currency in circulation, we will aim to manage our balance sheet in a way that keeps settlement balances in the range of $50 billion to $70 billion. But there may be brief periods when the amount falls below or rises above this range.4
I also want to stress that, over the long term, demand for settlement balances will continue to evolve as the financial system evolves. So the amount that the major banks and other Lynx participants want to hold will likely vary as well. This means we will probably adjust our estimated range from time to time, possibly both up and down, to reflect changes in settlement balance demand. This way, we can make sure that our framework for implementing monetary policy remains effective at keeping the overnight rate in markets close to our target for the policy rate.
While our core objective is to supply enough settlement balances in the financial system for us to be able to implement our monetary policy effectively, that’s not our only consideration. Another important factor is market discipline, given that we are also responsible for promoting a stable and efficient financial system.
What do I mean by this? Well, we don’t want to see major banks and other core financial institutions under-investing in their capacity to robustly manage their liquidity because they have developed an unhealthy over-reliance on settlement balances. In managing their liquidity needs, financial market participants should be able to respond to fluctuations in those needs in other ways—for example, through access to markets.
Going forward, our assessment of the optimal range of settlement balances will account for the evolving nature of both payments and the financial system, as well as the need to maintain market discipline.
The return to business-as-usual balance sheet management
Okay, so what will business-as-usual look like after QT ends?
Under our normal course of balance sheet management, we buy assets on a passive basis to reflect the autonomous rise in our liabilities. Traditionally, the biggest liability has been currency in circulation. Demand for cash usually grows at roughly the same speed as the nominal growth of the economy.
I want to be clear, though, that while QT is almost finished, the composition of our asset holdings won’t be back to normal for quite some time. As I explained in my speech last March, we want to restore a more balanced mix of assets with a broader range of maturities—including more short-term assets—than we hold now. Currently, our asset portfolio is made up almost entirely of GoC bonds. And as a result, our asset holdings have a maturity profile that skews longer than it did before the pandemic. Going forward, we will hold not only GoC bonds but also GoC treasury bills (t-bills) and term repos, just as we did before the pandemic.
In steady state, we will aim to have the amount of our floating-rate assets, mostly term repos and t-bills, match the amount of our floating-rate liabilities, which include settlement balances. And we will aim to have the size of our bond holdings roughly match currency in circulation, given that currency is assumed to be a permanent liability. Although our asset purchase plan will be designed to ramp up to this steady-state composition, our asset growth is limited by how quickly currency in circulation grows. So we may not reach that composition until around 2030.
I want to emphasize that we will not be buying assets on an active basis to stimulate the economy like we did during the pandemic when we were doing QE. Our normal asset purchases before the pandemic were not QE. And our normal asset purchases after QT ends will not be QE either.
Now let’s get into some of the specifics of our purchasing plans.
When we start growing our assets again for business-as-usual balance sheet management, we will start with term repo operations. These will be 1- and 3-month terms, and we will gradually ramp up the amounts through bi-weekly operations.
T-bill purchases will take place in the primary market. We expect them to resume in the fourth quarter of this year, initially with relatively small amounts through each bi-weekly GoC debt auction.
GoC bond purchases will likely not start until toward the end of 2026—at the earliest. But, as we get closer to purchasing bonds, we will announce the timing well in advance.
When we start buying GoC bonds again in the normal course of business, we will do so in the secondary market, via reverse auctions. Secondary market purchases align with benchmark practices at other major central banks that buy their home jurisdiction’s government bonds as part of their normal-course balance sheet management. And there are advantages to doing it this way compared with buying bonds in the primary market—that is, at GoC auctions—which was our practice before the pandemic.
One advantage is that secondary market purchases will give us the flexibility to buy any GoC bonds outstanding across the full spectrum of maturities, rather than being limited to what’s on offer at individual GoC bond auctions. This will allow us to replace maturing bonds with bonds from the maturity buckets that we want, which will help us rebalance the maturity structure of our balance sheet more quickly.
Buying in the secondary market also helps enhance the GoC bond market’s functioning and liquidity. It gives participants more regular opportunities to trade and see pricing points for off-the-run securities that are less liquid than on-the-run bonds.
When we do become a regular buyer in these markets again, a couple of key principles will guide us to help ensure that our presence leans toward enhancing market functioning. First and foremost, we want to limit the market impact of our purchase operations. Our bond purchase operations, for example, will be price-sensitive, and we won’t necessarily buy everything that dealers offer to us. And second, we will always aim to be as transparent and predictable as possible. For example, we will publish calls for tender ahead of our operations, as well as quarterly purchase schedules.
So now you know what comes next once we’ve finished QT.
Where do recent repo market pressures fit?
Before I conclude, let me also take this opportunity to say a few words about the recent pressures in repo markets and how they fit into all this.
I want to be clear that we will not be ending QT out of any concern about the functioning of repo markets. Our assessment is that, for the most part, other factors are causing these pressures. I also want to be very clear that the pressures in repo markets are not a reflection or indication of broader financial system stress.
Last year, our analysis determined that upward pressure in repo markets was being caused primarily by positioning in bond and futures markets, largely by hedge funds.5 Through our more recent monitoring and discussions, we can see that hedge fund activity and positioning continue to contribute to higher funding requirements sourced in the repo market. These have led to upward pressure on repo market rates—along with other factors, such as the transition to a one-day settlement period for trades, also known as T+1 settlement.6
We’ve also seen greater upward pressure on rates in overnight repo markets around regulatory reporting dates, such as at year-end or quarter-end for banks. This happens in many other major jurisdictions as well.7 Repo trading increases the size of a bank’s balance sheet and, in turn, its regulatory capital requirements. So as reporting dates approach, banks try to reduce their balance sheet to satisfy regulatory requirements. This tends to make them less willing to conduct repo transactions with clients and cash desks, due to the impact that repo deals have on their books. And that reluctance reduces the supply of repo funding to the market and can cause or amplify upward pressures on repo rates.
Our analysis also finds that the Bank’s routine overnight repo operations, where we inject funds into the market to ease upward pressure on overnight repo rates, can at times be less effective in these periods. This is because sourcing liquidity around reporting dates in the inter-dealer broker (IDB) market can be a better deal for banks and other intermediaries than getting it through our repo operations. Repo trading via IDBs offers netting benefits provided by central clearing, which lowers the amount of equity capital required for trades done in the IDB segment of the repo market. That is especially useful for intermediaries around reporting periods.
As always, we will continue to monitor all of these repo market dynamics.
Conclusion
It’s time to wrap up.
It’s been a long road—almost three years since we began QT—but we are just about finished the QT process and the unwinding of our QE-related asset holdings. We will announce the end of QT in the first half of this year, and we will re-start business-as-usual asset purchases after it ends.
When QT is done, we’ll go back to managing the balance sheet in a way that looks a lot like how we managed it before the pandemic. Crucially, when we start buying assets, these will be normal, passive purchases, reflecting the growth in currency—not QE.
However, because payments and the broader financial system have evolved, our approach to balance sheet management has also evolved. This is reflected in our shift to a floor system for implementing our monetary policy, which means we need to supply an amount of settlement balances that roughly matches the demand for them. And that demand is now estimated to be higher than where we thought it would be when I spoke about our QT process last year.
Over the longer term, since the financial system will continue to evolve, demand for settlement balances can be expected to evolve too.
Market participants can count on us to communicate our next steps clearly and ahead of time. And all Canadians can count on us to manage our balance sheet in a way that both lets us achieve our monetary policy mandate and promotes a stable and efficient financial system. Thank you.
I would like to thank Kaetlynd McRae for her help in preparing this speech.
Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies, Market structure and pricing, Monetary policy implementation, Monetary policy transmission, Recent economic and financial developments
Related information
January 16, 2025
Back to normal for the balance sheet
Speech summary Toni Gravelle VersaFi (formerly Women in Capital Markets) Toronto, Ontario
Deputy Governor Toni Gravelle provides an update on when quantitative tightening will end and explains how the Bank of Canada will manage its balance sheet going forward.
Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Speech summaries Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial markets, Financial stability, Financial system regulation and policies, Market structure and pricing, Monetary policy implementation, Monetary policy transmission, Recent economic and financial developments
January 16, 2025
Speech: VersaFi (formerly Women in Capital Markets)
Managing the Bank of Canada’s balance sheet — Deputy Governor Toni Gravelle speaks before VersaFi (formerly Women in Capital Markets) (12:45 (ET) approx.).
Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, WebcastsFootnotes
- 1. See T. Gravelle, “Going back to normal: The Bank of Canada’s balance sheet after quantitative tightening,” (speech to CFA Society Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, March 21, 2024).[←]
- 2. For more detail about how our balance sheet works and its role in the Canadian financial system and economy, see the dedicated page on the Bank’s website.[←]
- 3. For a detailed discussion of why we switched to a floor system for implementation of our monetary policy, see my speech from March 2024.[←]
- 4. In steady state, settlement balances will fluctuate in the new range due to autonomous variations in our other major liabilities. For example, fluctuations in the amount of funds the Government of Canada puts in its deposit account with us will cause offsetting fluctuations in the level of settlement balances, all other things being equal. Fluctuations can also occur due to differences in the timing and size of our asset purchases versus the relatively lumpy maturities of our legacy asset holdings. We will aim to minimize fluctuations in order to keep settlement balances in the range but, on rare occasions, we may not always be able to for a day or so.[←]
- 5. See B. Plong and N. Maru, “What has been putting upward pressure on CORRA?” Bank of Canada Staff Analytical Note No. 2024-4 (March 2024). CORRA (the Canadian Overnight Repo Rate Average) measures the cost of overnight general collateral funding in Canadian dollars using GoC treasury bills and bonds as collateral for repurchase transactions. Making sure overnight rates are at or close to the target for the overnight rate that we set for monetary policy is how we ensure that borrowing and lending conditions in the economy reflect our policy stance.[←]
- 6. See B. Plong and N. Maru, “CORRA: Explaining the rise in volumes and resulting upward pressure,” Bank of Canada Staff Analytical Note No. 2024-21 (August 2024).[←]
- 7. See, for example, R. Perli, “Facing Quarter-End Pressures: Understanding the Repo Market and Federal Reserve Tools” (speech to New York University’s Stern School of Business, New York, November 12, 2024).[←]
END
YOUR EARLY CURRENCY/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN CLOSING MARKETS AND EUROPEAN BOURSE OPENING AND CLOSING/ INTEREST RATE SETTINGS TUESDAY MORNING 6;30AM//OPENING AND CLOSING
EURO VS USA DOLLAR: 1.0347 UP 73 BASIS PTS
USA/ YEN 155.88 UP 0.628 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 1.2229 DOWN .0093 OR 93 PTS
USA/CAN DOLLAR: 1.4445 UP 0.0146 (CDN DOLLAR DOWN 146 BASIS PTS)
Last night Shanghai COMPOSITE CLOSED DOWN 1.75 PTS OR 0.05%
Hang Seng CLOSED UP 1890.74 PTS OR 0.91%
AUSTRALIA CLOSED UP 0.68%
// EUROPEAN BOURSE: ALL MOSTLY RED
Trading from Europe and ASIA
I) EUROPEAN BOURSES: ALL MOSTLY RED
2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang SENG CLOSED UP 180.74 PTS OR 0.97%
/SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 1.75 PTS OR 0.05%
AUSTRALIA BOURSE CLOSED UP .68%
(Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED UP 125.48 PTS OR 0.32%
INDIA’S SENSEX IN THE RED
Gold very early morning trading: 2725.20
silver:$30.53
USA dollar index early TUESDAY morning: 108.57 DOWN 63 BASIS POINTS FROM FRIDAY’s CLOSE.
TUESDAY MORNING NUMBERS ENDS
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And now your closing TUESDAY NUMBERS 1: 30 AM
Portuguese 10 year bond yield: 2.933% DOWN 1 in basis point(s) yield
JAPANESE BOND YIELD: +1.189% DOWN 1 AND 0/ 10 BASIS POINTS /JAPAN losing control of its yield curve/
SPANISH 10 YR BOND YIELD: 3.152 DOWN 1 in basis points yield
ITALIAN 10 YR BOND YIELD 3.607 DOWN 1 points in basis points yield ./ THE ECB IS QE’ ING ITALIAN BONDS (BUYING ITALIAN BONDS/SELLING GERMAN BUNDS)
GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD: 2.4930 UP 1 BASIS PTS
IMPORTANT CURRENCY CLOSES : TUESDAY
Closing currency crosses for day /USA DOLLAR INDEX/USA 10 YR BOND YIELD/1:00 PM
Euro/USA 1.0385 DOWN .0035 OR 35 basis points
USA/Japan: 155.58 UP 0.308 OR YEN IS DOWN 31 BASIS PTS//
Great Britain 10 YR RATE 4.657 DOWN 1 BASIS POINTS //
Canadian dollar DOWN .0107 OR 8 BASIS pts to 1.4409
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The USA/Yuan, CNY ON SHORE CLOSED UP 7.3143 (ON SHORE)..CHINA MUST DEVALUE TO GOLD
THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE: (YUAN CLOSED (UP)…. (7.2774)
TURKISH LIRA: 35.63 EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL/DEATH WATCH/HYPERINFLATION TO BEGIN.//
the 10 yr Japanese bond yield at +1.189
Your closing 10 yr US bond yield DOWN 4 in basis points from WEDNESDAY at 4.574% //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%)
USA 30 yr bond yield 4.808 DOWN 4 in basis points /11:00 AM
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.272 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS.
GOLD AT 11;00 AM 2737.80
SILVER AT 11;00: 30.65
Your 11:00 AM bourses for Europe and the Dow along with the USA dollar index closing and interest rates: TUESDAY CLOSING TIME 11:00 AM//
London: CLOSED UP 27.75 pts or 0.33%
German Dax : UP 51.69 pts or 1.20%
Paris CAC CLOSED UP 37.45 pts or 0.48%
Spain IBEX CLOSED DOWN 10.20 PTS OR 0.17%
Italian MIB: CLOSED DOWN 84.69 PTS OR 0.23%
WTI Oil price 78.17 11 EST/
Brent Oil: 80.83 11:00 EST
USA /RUSSIAN ROUBLE /// AT: 99,75 ROUBLE UP 1 AND 37/100
GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD; +2.4930 UP 1 BASIS PTS.
UK 10 YR YIELD: 4.6470 DOWN 1 BASIS POINTS
CDN 10 YEAR RATE: 3.266 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS.
CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 2.982 DOWN 2 BASIS PTS
CLOSING NUMBERS: 4 PM
Euro vs USA 1.0417 DOWN 0.0004 OR 4 BASIS POINTS//HEADING TO PARITY WITH THE DOLLAR
British Pound: 1.2332 DOWN 0.0000 OR 00 basis pts/HEADING FOR PARITY /USA
BRITISH 10 YR GILT BOND YIELD: 4.5885 DOWN 7 BASIS PTS//
JAPAN 10 YR YIELD: 1.191
USA dollar vs Japanese Yen: 155.55 UP 0.275 OR 28 BASIS PTS// HEADING FOR 160 TO THE DOLLAR
USA dollar vs Canadian dollar: 1.4343 UP .0041 BASIS PTS CDN DOLLAR DOWN 41 BASIS PTS
West Texas intermediate oil: 76.09
Brent OIL: 79.48
USA 10 yr bond yield DOWN 5 BASIS pts to 4.563
USA 30 yr bond yield DOWN 5 BASIS PTS to 4.793%
USA 2 YR BOND: UP 0 PTS AT 4.274
CDN 10 YR RATE 3.274 DOWN 5 BASIS PTS
CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 2.997 DOWN 3 BASIS PTS
USA dollar index: 107.86 DOWN 1.34 BASIS POINTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 35.62 GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO BLOWING UP/
USA DOLLAR VS RUSSIA//// ROUBLE: 99.50 UP 3 AND 00/100 roubles
GOLD 2,742.60 (3:30 PM)
SILVER: 30.78 (3:30 PM)
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE: UP 334.70 PTS OR 0.78%
NASDAQ 100 UP 120.38 PTS OR 0.56%
VOLATILITY INDEX: 15.06 DOWN 0.75 PTS OR 1.56%
GLD: $ 253.13 OR UP 3.86 PTS OR 1.55%
SLV/ $28.04 PTS OR UP 0.43 OR 1.56%
TORONTO STOCK INDEX// TSX INDEX: CLOSED UP 117.03 PTS OR 0.56%
end
TRADING today ZEROHEDGE
‘Stocks, Bonds, Gold, & Crypto All Surge Higher As Trump Takes Office
USA AFFAIRS/HEADLINES /
Stocks, Bonds, Gold, & Crypto All Surge Higher As Trump Takes Office
USA DATA
III USA ECONOMIC NEWS
MONDAY
no tariffs for now! expect on Feb1
Dollar Crashes On Trump Tariff Report
Monday, Jan 20, 2025 – 08:46 AM
It seems we were right when we interpreted incoming Treasury Secretary Bessent’s comments last week…
This morning, with a few short hours until Trump’s swearing in, The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump is planning to issue a broad memorandum Monday that directs federal agencies to study trade policies and evaluate U.S. trade relationships with China and America’s continental neighbors – but stops short of imposing new tariffs on his first day in office, as many trading partners feared.
The Wall Street Journal reviewed a summary of the memo and spoke to Trump’s advisers about it.
A senior Trump policy adviser described the memo as an effort to lay out a vision for Trump’s trade agenda “in a measured way,” suggesting that the incoming president is, at least for now, taking a more deliberative approach to the issue that animated his political campaign.
The memo provides a blueprint for further executive action that Trump may take on trade, the adviser said.
The immediate reaction was a collapse in the dollar…
And a spike higher in S&P futs…
Additionally, the memo directs economic agencies to focus on a few specific trade themes, such as reducing persistent trade deficits – countries that consistently export more to the U.S. than they import from it. And it directs a focus on currency manipulation, which Trump singled out China and Vietnam for during his first term, as well as combating counterfeit products.
Finally, the memo asks agencies to evaluate the feasibility of an “External Revenue Service” – a new federal agency Trump has floated to collect tariff revenue. Exactly how that agency would differ from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which has held that responsibility for decades, hasn’t been spelled out.
end
MONDAY AFTERNOON
“A Fork In The Road Of Human Civilization” – Trump Caps Political Comeback, Fulfills Day One Promises
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 08:45 AM
President Donald Trump wrapped up the greatest political comeback in modern American history on Jan. 20 by taking the oath of office at the Capitol in front of some of his most prominent supporters and opponents.
In the inaugural address, the president envisioned a bold agenda and announced a spree of executive actions to set it in motion the same day. He declared national emergencies regarding energy and the southern border, designated Mexican drug cartels as global terrorist groups, and declared that it is the policy of the United States that there are two genders.
The president recalled the unprecedented challenges he overcame during the campaign, including prosecutions by state and federal authorities, the raid of his home in Mar-a-Lago in Florida, and two attempts on his life.
“I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said.
President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025. SHAWN THEW/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Long before the assassination attempts and the prosecutions, Trump was banned from Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms when he announced his run for office in November 2022. As an illustration of the acuteness of the reversal of his fortunes, the CEOs of the same companies that barred him from their social media sat alongside Trump’s family and Cabinet members as the president delivered his address.
In contrast to his first inauguration, Ivan Pentchoukov writes below for The Epoch Times, Trump takes power having reshaped the Republican Party in the image of his America-first worldview. The comeback isn’t limited to politics. With Trump at the front line of the culture war in and out of office, conservatives appear to have turned the tide long-dominated by progressive values. Corporations and governments are increasingly shedding departments and policies under the ideological umbrella of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. The two abbreviations have come to be associated with the encroachment of progressive politics into business and government.
“Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback. But as you see today, here I am,” Trump said. “The American people have spoken.”
In his address, Trump previewed some of the executive actions that he would roll out the same day.
Border policies topped the list, with the president announcing he’ll declare an emergency on the southern border, reinstate his remain-in-Mexico policy, end catch-and-release, deploy the military and National Guard to the border, designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations, and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to remove cartel members from the United States. Incoming White House officials confirmed earlier in the day that Trump will be signing executive actions the same day to address each of the items.
The president also declared a national emergency on energy, describing it as a necessary countermeasure to what he called an intentional policy by the previous administration. The orders include a measure freeing up drilling in Alaska, ending the Biden administration’s so-called electric vehicle mandate, and filling up the strategic oil reserve. The president will end federal leasing to wind farms, withdraw again from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and end some of the Biden-era regulations on washing machines, lightbulbs, and dishwashers.
President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025. SHAWN THEW/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Trump signed the first nine executive actions immediately after delivering a speech at the Capital One Arena on the night of the inauguration. The orders included the rescission of 78 Biden-administration executive actions, requiring federal employees to show up to work in person, a freeze on hiring and regulations, and the withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. Trump also signed all-of-government directives to address inflation, prohibiting government from restricting speech, and prohibiting the weaponization of federal agencies against political opponents.
The president said he would act on some foreign policy positions that he unveiled during the transition period, including his intention to reclaim the Panama Canal, rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, and establish the External Revenue Service to oversee the collection of tariffs from other nations.
Although Trump threatened to levy tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, those actions will come after the first day. Instead, he will sign a memorandum directing federal agencies to investigate unfair trade practices by foreign countries and recommend associated trade policies.
Speaker Mike Johnson listens as President-elect Donald J. Trump speaks after being sworn in during the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States takes place inside the Capitol Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 20, 2025. Kenny Holston / AFP
Describing the state of the nation in broader strokes, Trump returned to themes from the campaign trail, saying that the United States was in decline due to the policies of the preceding administration. The president positioned his speech as a turning point, opening and closing the address by saying that the “golden age” of America has begun.
“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer,” Trump said. “During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first.”
One of Trump’s signature plans was challenged not long after he took the oath of office. Four groups filed lawsuits on Jan. 20 against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk. Earlier in the day, an administration official confirmed that Vivek Ramaswamy, who co-headed the DOGE effort, has resigned from that role.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump embrace after he was sworn in inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025. KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Some of the president’s directives were put into action even as he attended the ceremonies. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the termination of the CBP One app, which the Biden administration used to help 1,450 immigrants per day enter the country under humanitarian parole. At the Department of Defense, the portrait of former U.S. Army General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley was removed from view.
Milley was among several people who received preemptive pardons from President Joe Biden in the final hours of his term. Biden also preemptively pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the members and witnesses of the Jan. 6 committee, and several members of the Biden family.
After the ceremonies at the Capitol, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump bid farewell to Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden. In his 2021 inaugural address, Biden set a course to root out the cultural and political forces championed by Trump. Four years later, Biden boarded a helicopter to depart the capital, with Trump’s approval ratings higher than when he left office on Jan. 20, 2021.
President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
In a second speech, which did not appear on some of the inaugural schedules distributed to the press, Trump spoke to a different group of supporters who had watched the formal address on a screen at the Capitol. The president broached some of the more controversial topics he did not bring up in the formal address. The speech, which ran for some time, took place at the same time as Biden’s farewell address. As a result, the major TV networks didn’t air Biden’s final remarks.
The former president, speaking before an audience gathered at Joint Base Andrews, thanked his Cabinet and staff, calling them “the best damn team ever.”
“If you heard from the inaugural address today, we got more to do,” Biden said, crossing himself to laughter from the audience. “I know from many years of experience, there are ups and downs, but we have to stay with it.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris listen during the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States takes place inside the Capitol Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025. Kenny Holston / AFP
Trump’s second speech appeared to be impromptu, sprinkled with jokes, and more akin to the speeches at his campaign rallies. The president said the first lady persuaded him not to mention the pardoning of Jan. 6 prisoners during the inaugural address but added that an order on the matter is forthcoming and that people would be happy about it.
At a signing ceremony at the White House on Monday night, Trump granted full and unconditional pardons to all Jan. 6 prisoners with the exception of 14 people, who received commutations.
The inauguration ceremony was moved indoors days before the event because of the bitter cold, with Trump delivering his speech inside the Capitol and the inaugural parade moving to the Capital One Arena. Several speakers—including Musk, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and FBI Director nominee Kash Patel—addressed the crowd at the arena before Trump arrived.
(L-R) CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, US businessman Jeff Bezos, CEO of Alphabet Inc and Google Sundar Pichai and Teska and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attend the inauguration ceremony where Donald Trump will sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025. Julia Demaree Nikhinson / POOL / AFP
In his speech, Patel said the number of murders, rapes, and drug overdoses was unacceptable. Patel referred to fentanyl—the synthetic opioid responsible for the biggest portion of drug overdose deaths—as “CCP fentanyl,” using the acronym for the Chinese Communist Party. The bulk of the chemical precursors for fentanyl manufacturing originate in China.
“We are not prioritized to go after the threats that face this country and most of all that face our future generations,” Patel said. “But, thank God, we will be, starting right now.”
Musk spoke briefly about his excitement for what’s to come.
“This was no ordinary victory,” Musk said. “This was a fork in the road of human civilization.”
Congratulations poured in from world leaders, including those of Russia, Ukraine, Canada, the UK, and the European Union. Chinese communist regime leader Xi Jinping—who was invited to the inauguration but sent an envoy in his place—did not send a greeting.
END
Trump Suspends Foreign Assistance For 90 Days
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 11:45 AM
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order on Monday suspending all US foreign assistance programs for 90 days while his staff reviews whether they are aligned with his policy goals.
According to the EO, the “foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values,” and “serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries.”
Trump also declared that “no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”
It’s unclear how much assistance will initially be affected by the Monday order, as funding for many programs has already been appropriated by congress and is obligated to be spent, AP reports.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that “very dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?“
Monday’s EO leaves those decisions up to Rubio, or a Rubio designee, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget – with the State Department and the US Agency for International Development being the primary agencies which oversee such foreign assistance.
Trump has long railed against foreign aid despite the fact that such assistance typically amounts to roughly 1% of the federal budget, except under unusual circumstances such as the billions in weaponry provided to Ukraine. Trump has been critical of the amount shipped to Ukraine to help bolster its defenses against Russia’s invasion.
The last official accounting of foreign aid in the Biden administration dates from mid-December and budget year 2023. It shows that $68 billion had been obligated for programs abroad that range from disaster relief to health and pro-democracy initiatives in 204 countries and regions. -AP
Of course, Egypt ($1.5 billion / year + 1 US Congressman), Israel ($3.3 billion / year and most of Congress), and Jordan ($1.7 billion / year) are unlikely to see much of a reduction, as those amounts have been included in long-term packages, and are in some cases governed by treaty obligations.
During Trump’s first term, he moved to reduce foreign aid spending – suspending payments to certain UN agencies, including the UN Population Fund, as well as funding to the Palestinian Authority. Trump also pulled out of the UN Human Rights Council, along with its financial obligations, while the Biden administration pulled funding from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
END
Four Lawsuits Targeting DOGE Already Filed While Musk Watched Inauguration
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 12:05 PM
Authored by Shawn Musgrave via TheIntercept.com,
In less than 30 minutes on Monday, Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency were hit with four different lawsuits over the legal status of the effort to find federal regulations to eliminate and federal employees to fire.
The lawsuits landed as Musk rubbed elbows with fellow billionaires at President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
As Trump crowed during his speech about DOGE and sending astronauts to Mars, government watchdogs and civil society organizations filed litigation claiming DOGE violates federal law because of its structure and secrecy.
“Currently, DOGE is operating unchecked, without authorization or funding from Congress and is led by unelected billionaires who are not representative of ordinary Americans,” said Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, in a statement announcing one of the lawsuits, which it filed alongside the American Federation of Teachers and other groups.
Another lawsuit was filed by National Security Counselors, a nonprofit law firm.
The third lawsuit came courtesy of Public Citizen, a consumer protection group, and the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union for federal workers.
Unions have spent the months since the election steeling themselves for a fight over DOGE.
The fourth suit, from the Center for Biological Diversity, per Politico “…seeks all records from the Office of Management and Budget relating to DOGE. ”
Although DOGE is styled as a “department,” Trump lacks the legal authority to create official departments without legislation from Congress.
(During his speech, Trump also said he would establish an “External Revenue Service” to collect his promised tariffs, which would also require a statute.)
The four lawsuits, filed in federal court in Washington, all allege that DOGE flouts the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The law requires certain committees that advise the federal government to follow particular procedures, including drafting a formal charter and holding public meetings, which DOGE has not done.
“The advice and guidance that Mr. Trump has charged DOGE with producing is sweeping and consequential,” said Public Citizen in an emailed statement.
“DOGE — the members of which currently do not represent the interests of everyday Americans — will be considering cuts to government agencies and programs that protect health, benefits, consumer finance, and product safety.”
In its statement, CREW said:
“DOGE representatives have reportedly already been speaking with agency officials throughout the federal government, and communication is allegedly taking place on Signal, a messaging app known for its auto-delete features.”
The initial fight will be over whether DOGE fits the criteria of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The litigants argue it does since it is “an advisory committee charged by Mr. Trump with providing advice or recommendations to the President and to one or more federal agencies regarding regulatory and fiscal matters,” as Public Citizen asserts in its filing.
Since Trump’s victory in November, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump also tapped to lead DOGE, have been busy staffing up the effort with Silicon Valley types and finding office space, including potentially inside the federal Office of Management and Budget.
(Ramaswamy is expected to step away later this month to run for governor in Ohio.)
DOGE’s “intended goal is clear,” according to the National Security Counselors’ suit, which named both Musk and Ramaswamy personally as defendants, along with Trump and other officials. The suit says “recommendations made by unaccountable outsiders without transparent deliberations which will reduce the size of the federal workforce by whatever means necessary.”
CREW’s lawsuit names DOGE, the federal Office of Management and Budget, and the acting head of OMB as defendants, while Public Citizen’s names just Trump and OMB.
END
18,000 Unionized Costco Workers Prepare To Strike After Vote Passes
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 01:45 PM
In the past, the name Costco has been synonymous with high employee morale and quality of life. The company has been revered as a place to work due to its good pay, stock options and high focus on employee retention.
But leave it to unions to take that and flip it on its head.
Now, “eighteen thousand Costco Teamsters are preparing to strike if a ‘fair contract offer’ is not presented by the end of the month,” according to a new report from Fox Business News.
Eighty-five percent of Costco Teamsters nationwide voted to authorize a strike, according to a Sunday press release. As final negotiations began on January 20, tensions rose with practice pickets held in California, Washington, and Long Island. Hundreds in San Diego are set to join a large practice picket by Thursday, the union said.
Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien commented: “From day one, we’ve told Costco that our members won’t work a day past January 31 without a historic, industry-leading agreement.”
“Costco’s greedy executives have less than two weeks to do the right thing. If they refuse, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves when our members go on strike,” he continued.
Bryan Fields, a Costco worker in Baltimore, added: “We are the backbone of Costco. We drive its success and generate its profits. We hope the company will step up and do right by us, but if they don’t, that’s on them. The company will be striking itself.”
Costco’s website says it “is often noted for being much more employee-focused than other Fortune 500 companies. By offering fair wages and top-notch benefits, the company has created a workplace culture that attracts positive, high-energy, talented employees.”
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
END
VDH
KING REPORT
| The King Report January 21, 2025 | Independent View of the News |
| The DJT-Vance swearing ceremony was conducted inside the US Capitol due to cold weather. However, some people believe the impetus was concerns about a terrorist attack, specifically a ‘dirty bomb.’ In the days preceding the inauguration, helicopters fitted with nuclear detection equipment circled DC. The heavy drone activity over New Jersey and other eastern states that US officials refused to explain was probably a panicky search for lost nuclear material. This explanation appeared in some reports. In the runup to the inauguration, there were numerous reports and stories that US officials were taking unprecedented precautions and security measures for DJT’s swearing in ceremony. Obama’s 2009 inauguration was in colder weather. Trump detests anything that suggests weakness. Trump inauguration ‘potential target’ for threats, agencies warn There will be approximately 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel on-site to secure the inauguration… The Islamic Republic has long sought to kill Trump… https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/14/trump-inauguration-security-threats-00198275 Maryland Police ‘Unable to Assist’ With Inauguration Security Due to ‘Use Of Force’ Policy (Woke laws are preventing DC Metro and Maryland police from protecting Trump!) https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/18/washington-dc-police-cite-maryland-use-force-policy-changes-inauguration-security-limits/ China’s population falls for 3rd straight year, posing challenges for its government and economy China’s population fell last year for the third straight year, its government said Friday.. is now facing both an aging population and an emerging shortage of working age people. China’s population stood at 1.408 billion at the end of 2024, a decline of 1.39 million from the previous year… Rising costs of living are causing young people to put off or rule out marriage and child birth… https://t.co/ayl6dtvhIc Like most Chinese official statistics, many observers believe China is understating its population decline. Chinese hackers accessed Janet Yellen’s computer – Bloomberg US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s computer was infiltrated and unclassified files were accessed as part of a broader breach of the agency by Chinese state-sponsored hackers… The attackers also hacked the computers of two of Yellen’s lieutenants, Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Acting Under Secretary Brad Smith… https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-hackers-accessed-yellens-computer-230339479.html GOP Sen. Rubio’s replacement @AGAshleyMoody: Here’s a priority of mine in the Senate: our inflation has been fueled by the Federal Reserve. We must audit the Fed! WSJ’s @NickTimiraos: The Fed announced it has left the Network for the Greening of the Financial System, a group of global central bankers and regulators that focuses on climate and transition risks for the financial sector. Five governors voted in favor of leaving. Michael Barr and Adriana Kugler abstained. The Fed formally joined this group four years ago, after Biden was elected. Statement: “While the Board has appreciated the engagement with the NGFS and its members, the work of the NGFS has increasingly broadened in scope, covering a wider range of issues that are outside of the Board’s statutory mandate.” https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20250117a.htm Once again, the Fed proves that it is highly political! PS – Why did it join in the first place? On Friday, ESHs opened lower on Thursday night but quickly commenced a rally that persisted, with two multi-hour hour respites (23:30 ET to 2:34 ET and 4:26 ET to 8 ET), until they hit a daily high of 6051.50 at 13:22 ET. Fangs/Mag 7 stocks soared because they are the favored vehicle for most everyone. ESHs then did a slow but persistent rollover that lasted until the hit 6032.50 at 15:01 ET. ESHs then meandered up to 6043.50 at 15:54 ET. Late liquidation forced ESHs down to 6029.00 at 16:00 ET. Bitcoin soared on Friday due to reports that DJT and some states would create Bitcoin reserves – and DJT mania ahead of his inauguration. This dynamic probably continued to the big equity rally on expiration Friday. Beaucoup retail traders poured into expiring January calls on Friday. This forced professional option traders to buy the underlying securities as they sold the calls to other traders. @Stocktwits on Saturday: TRUMP coin is now up over 48% from the low today. The market cap is now $37.4 billion. What is happening?! 2:35 PM on Sun, Jan 19, 2025: THIS IS INSANE… $TRUMP now has a record 781,223 wallets holding the coin. There are currently 6 wallets worth over $600 million. Trump’s stake is worth a whopping $55.4 billion. @spectatorindex: 5:01 PM on Sun: Trump meme coin loses 60% in value over past half hour. @RobinhoodApp 12:28 PM on Sun, Jan 19, 2025: OFFICIAL TRUMP ($TRUMP) is now available to trade on Robinhood. @Stocktwits at 21:41 PM on Sun, Jan 19, 2025: $TRUMP is up over 55% from the low earlier… The coin has added $2 billion in market cap since the HOOD news. (Remember, Fed policy is restrictive!) Commerce Nominee Lutnick Is Backer of Outlaws’ Favorite Cryptocurrency – Cantor Fitzgerald holds assets for Tether, the stablecoin used by drug traffickers, terrorists and scammers to move money around the world… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-01-18/trump-commerce-nominee-lutnick-is-backer-of-outlaws-favorite-cryptocurrency?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business As we have stated, cryptocurrencies are patently unconstitutional and are utilized by illicit actors globally. Ergo, the only reason that US authorities allow cryptos is so they can track illicit money & activities. The current bubble is worse than 1929. Most of the public did NOT play stocks in 1929. There were only a few bucket shops that sold 0dte options to speculators; there were no futures; there was no instantaneous computer trading; and there was no Internet to hawk stocks to the public. Few people in 1929 would have bought into the concept of meme coins and cryptocurrencies. JB Hunt Slides after Warning on Costs, 1Q Profit – BBG It expects 1Q operating income to decline around 20$ to 25% sequentially… JB Hunt expects inflationary cost pressure to continue in the areas of insurance premiums and people costs… Positive aspects of previous session Fangs/Mag 7 stocks soared; the DJIA rallied sharply. USHs rallied 3/32. Negative aspects of previous session The DJTA declined sharply on JBHT’s (-8.4% at nadir) ugly Q1 guidance & Q4 EPS of 1.53 (1.63 exp). Ambiguous aspects of previous session Is a Trump Top for equities and cryptos forming? First Hour/Last Hour Action [S&P 500 Index]: 1st Hour from NYSE Open: Down; Last Hour: Down Pivot Point for S&P 500 Index [above/below indicates daily trend to traders]: 5996.69 Previous session S&P 500 Index High/Low: 6014.96; 5978.44 @dailychartbook: “U.S. whiskey sales are falling fast, according to industry tracker IWSR. The volume of all spirits sold in the U.S. declined for the first time in nearly three decades in 2023.” @WSJmarkets https://t.co/JaJFJHRFSS Woodford Reserve’s parent company is cutting nearly 700 jobs as spirit sales sink Inflation-weary drinkers have simultaneously dialed back their spending on pricey liquors, putting premium spirits makers like Brown-Forman in financial peril… https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/14/business/brown-forman-layoffs/index.html @seanmdav: A jury has found CNN liable for defamation against Zachary Young for lying about his efforts to rescue people from Afghanistan. The jury has awarded Zachary Young $5 million in compensatory damages. The jury will next decide how much CNN must pay in punitive damages. @visegrad24: 2 judges on the Supreme Court of Iran, have just been shot and killed. Ali Razini & Mohammad Moghiseh were killed in front of the Supreme Court building in Tehran by a guard who had enough of the Islamist dictatorship. Both judges were hardliners, known as “hangmen. Monday’s Markets Nikkei +1.17%, Hang Seng +1.75%, CSI 300 +0.45%, Shanghai Comp +0.08%, Shenzhen Comp +0.97% Euro Stoxx 50 +0.31%, FTSE +0.18%, CAC 40 +0.31%, DAX 0.42%, IBEX 35 +0.23%, MIB -0.34% Federal govt will hit debt ceiling day after Trump’s inauguration, forcing ‘extraordinary measures’: Treasury Secretary https://trib.al/bMXERze WSJ: Trump to Begin Large-Scale Deportations Tuesday – Chicago will be an early target, with as many as 200 officers being sent to carry out the operation, say people familiar with the planning… ICE officers prepping for ‘big f–king operation’ across sanctuary cities immediately after Trump inauguration – “Chicago is just one of many places. We’ve got 24 [ICE] field offices across the country. On Tuesday, ICE is finally going to go out and do their job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens. That’s what’s going to happen.”… https://nypost.com/2025/01/17/us-news/ice-officers-prepping-for-big-f-king-operation-across-sanctuary-cities-after-trump-inauguration/ Feds offered Jeffrey Epstein a deal for incriminating dirt on Trump, ex-cellmate says https://nypost.com/2025/01/18/us-news/feds-offered-jeffrey-epstein-a-deal-for-dirt-on-trump-ex-cellmate/ Protesters-for-hire firm sees dropoff in inquiries from Democratic groups ‘dejected’ after 2024 election loss – Crowds on Demand CEO cited a ‘lack of passion’ among Democrats https://t.co/FOJzTtwDi4 The Left is now more unpopular worldwide than any time since the Cold War https://trib.al/4roI853 Trump Unveils “Official” MemeCoin Late Friday; 12 Hours Later It Is Up 16,000% to $30 Billion https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/trump-unveils-official-memecoin-late-friday-12-hours-later-it-16000-30-billion DJT’s first official act was to declare a national emergency at the southern border and send troops there. DJT Inaugural Speech highlights (~30 minutes, longest Inaugural Speech since 1933, FDR.): “The Golden Age of America begins right now… I was saved by God to make America great again… All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my Remain in Mexico policy. I will end the practice of catch and release, and I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country. Under the orders I signed today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. And by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks, bringing devastating crime to US soil, including our cities and inner cities… As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female… This week I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate … With full back pay… We will pursue manifest destiny to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars… Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end… I will sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America… Our government confronts a crisis of trust for many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly incomplete disrepair… We will drill baby, drill… America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth…” Other DJT pronouncements The US will withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. He ordered his Cabinet to take measures to defeat inflation. The US will issue tariffs and tax foreign countries. He will end the Green Deal and revoke the Electric Vehicle Mandate. The US will be “merit based.” He wants to be a peacemaker and unifier. The US will have the “strongest military world has even seen.” On the Panama Canal: “We didn’t give it to China, and we are taking it back.” https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/01/greatest-speech-ever-here-is-full-transcript-president/ DJT canceled the CBP One cell phone app that Obama-Biden used to flood the US with illegal immigrants. https://x.com/JennieSTaer/status/1881402093283733991 Why ICE halted its ‘big f–king’ deportation raids scheduled for after Trump inauguration “We’re not reconsidering any operations, there was a leak in Chicago so we’re looking at that leak and finding out how’s that affect officer safety concerns. Chicago’s not off the table, but we’re reconsidering when and how we do it,” said Homan… https://nypost.com/2025/01/20/us-news/ice-puts-big-f-king-deportation-raid-on-hold-after-trump-inauguration/ Repugnant Dem Sen. Chuckie Schumer is inhibiting DJT cabinet votes. GOP Sen. Cotton has vowed to do the same to future Dem cabinet nominations: “Chuck Schumer is playing with fire with these nominations,” Cotton said. “If all they allow is Marco Rubio to be confirmed tonight they’ll be setting the Schumer Precedent. For as long as I’m in a US Senator, no Democrat POTUS will get more than one day one official confirmed, regardless of resume or merit.” (Schmer ‘saving democracy?’) https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/20/exclusive-the-schumer-precedent-tom-cotton-smashes-senate-democrats-for-holding-up-trump-cabinet-confirmations/ Trump EOs and related developments on Monday nightThe first EO rescinded 78 Biden era executive actions, EOs, presidential memoranda etc.The 2nd EO stopped bureaucrats from issuing and regulations.Mandated that federal workers return to the federal offices.End government censorshipA freeze on the hiring of IRS agents and non-defense or essential federal hiringEnded some birthright citizenshipsSigned pardons for ~1500 Jan 6 prisoners and six commutations; ordered immediate releasesDirected the Attorney General to dismiss all pending indictments against Jan 6 defendantsPardoned some pro-life demonstratorsWithdrew from the Paris Climate AccordHalted the weaponization of government against political rivalsExtended the window for legal action on TikTok for 75 daysDesignated that drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizationsWithdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO)Created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)Opened up Alaska energy, including Section 1002 area of ANWRRevoked the security clearance for 50 intel officials that lied about Hunter’s PC, and John BoltonOrdered 90 day pause in US foreign development assistanceResumed LNG exports and terminal projectsOrdered more water be routed to southern CaliforniaEliminate federal DEI requirementsOrdered the death penalty for the murder of a cop, or a capital crime committed by an illegal alien Trump answered random questions from the media while signing the EOs. DJT said he might impose universal tariffs DJT said he was invited to China and might go there this year. Last night, the Senate passed (64-35) the Laken Riley Act, it now awaits DJT’s signature. Rubio was unanimously confirmed to be Secretary of State Trump administration fires immigration judges as crackdown begins – NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/us/politics/trump-administration-fires-immigration-judges.html @MZHemingway: Scoop: Ed Martin is the new US atty for DC, replacing Matthew Graves, the partisan persecutor of J6 protesters. Martin wrote “The Conservative Case for Trump” w Phyllis Schlafly. Early Trump supporter, and a J6 lawyer. Today – Trump euphoria drove cryptos and equity futures higher early on Monday. It should continue today; however, after DJT was inaugurated, Bitcoin tumbled from an all-time high of 109,242.13 to a low of 101k and change. The 2nd-Hour Indicator could be very useful today. If the high or low of the first hour of NYSE trading is breached, the daily trend could be in that direction. Though the Trump Derangement Syndrome for stocks and cryptos should peak soon, earnings season upward bias usually doesn’t end until Apple reports, plus or minus a few days. Apple is scheduled to report results on January 30. This coincides with upward bias of performance gaming at month end. Expected earnings: MMM 1.66, NFLX 4.18, UAL 3.04, COF 2.78, DHI 2.45 Due to DJT euphoria, ESHs were +59.50 and NQHs +136.00. When DJT said he could place 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada on Feb 1, ESHs and QSHs tumbled to sizable losses. S&P Index 50-day MA: 5968; 100-day MA: 5836; 150-day MA: 5720; 200-day MA: 5590 DJIA 50-day MA: 43,537; 100-day MA: 42,744; 150-day MA: 41,771; 200-day MA: 41,014 (Green is positive slope; Red is negative slope) S&P 500 Index (5996.66 close) – BBG trading model Trender and MACD for key time frames Monthly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 5367.17 triggers a sell signal Weekly: Trender is positive; MACD is negative – a close below 5735.66 triggers a sell signal Daily: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 5828.14 triggers a sell signal Hourly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 5953.31 triggers a sell signal Biden pardons Fauci, Milley and Jan. 6 committee in effort to guard against ‘revenge’ by Trump… As well as the US Capitol and DC Metropolitan police officers who testified before the House committee. Biden, a Democrat, has used the power in the broadest and most untested way possible: to pardon those who have not even been investigated. His decision lays the groundwork for an even more expansive use of pardons by Trump, a Republican, and future presidents. While the Supreme Court last year ruled that presidents enjoy broad immunity from prosecution for what could be considered official acts, the president’s aides and allies enjoy no such shield. There is concern that future presidents could use the promise of a blanket pardon to encourage allies to take actions they might otherwise resist for fear of running afoul of the law… https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-fauci-milley-pardons-january-6-3cba287f89051513fb48d7ae700ae747 Biden commutes sentence for indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in the 1975 killings of 2 FBI agents https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/biden-commutes-sentence-for-indigenous-activist-leonard-peltier-who-was-convicted-in-the-1975-killings-of-2-fbi-agents ~20 minutes before exiting, Biden pardoned his family: James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, Francis W Biden! https://x.com/AutismCapital/status/1881382007382659146/photo/1 Biden’s 11th-Hour pardons are for the period from January 1, 2014, to January 20, 2025. https://x.com/HansMahncke/status/1881374058161594846 On Dec. 11, the Biden DoJ warned Jan 6 convicts that ‘an acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt.’ https://x.com/mrddmia/status/1881354857963221468 In Dec. 2020, The Big Guy said he would NOT issue preemptive pardons. Of course, Biden has been a serial liar for at least 50 years. https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1881368129307336829 @RWMaloneMD: Biden preemptively pardons family members as his final criminal act as president. This is unprecedented. If allowed to stand, it will forever change this republic. We will no longer be a nation of laws. Biden is the most corrupt, and has been the worst president in my lifetime and maybe in the history of the United Sates. @CraigCaplan: Schumer from Senate floor: “The President’s reportedly asking his staff whether he can issue preemptive pardons for himself, his family members, Rudy Giuliani. There’s a simple answer. No, No Mr. President. That would be a gross abuse of the presidential pardon authority.” Dec. 2, 2020 https://x.com/CraigCaplan/status/1334183826994688013 DJT on Biden’s pardons: “We won’t discuss it now. There’s plenty of time to discuss it.” @BillboardChris: That’s Joe Biden’s signature on the left, when he pardoned Hunter. Look at today’s signature, on the right. https://x.com/BillboardChris/status/1881478180198129981 Jimmy Carter was a strain on the Democratic Party for many years. Biden will be a stain on the Democratic Party and the US Presidency for decades! Many pundits believe that Gerald Ford’s highly unpopular pardon of Nixon cost him the 1976 Election. The Dems could experience an anomalously bad Midterm Election in 2026! House Gov’t Oversight Com Chair @RepJamesComer: “President Biden’s preemptive pardons for the Biden Crime Family serve as a confession of their corruption as they sold out the American people to enrich themselves. Our investigation revealed that at least ten members of the Biden Crime Family and their associates raked in over $30 million by selling Joe Biden’s influence to corrupt foreign entities and individuals in China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Kazakhstan. The legacy media should be ashamed of themselves for covering up Joe Biden and his family’s abuse of power, corruption, and obstruction. The American people have seen through the legacy media’s coverup and the Bidens’ lies, and they know the truth: President Biden abused his public office to create a slush fund for his family. President Biden will go down as the most corrupt president in U.S. history, and our investigation will be remembered as one of the most successful ever conducted by Congress.” @TrumpWarRoom: @ScottJenningsKY: I thought this was an incredible speech. Watching Donald Trump indict these gangsters to their faces… was remarkable. They had to sit there and take it, just minutes after Biden pardoned his entire family. https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1881405493778006124 Biden urges Americans to stay ‘engaged’: ‘I’m not going anywhere’ “We must hold on to hope. We must stay engaged. Must always keep the faith in a better day to come. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not kidding,” Biden said to applause… https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5095026-joe-biden-final-trip-south-carolina/ The Biden-dementia scandal worsened on Saturday. @CollinRugg: During a one-on-one meeting, Speaker Johnson asked President Biden why he paused LNG exports to Europe, says Biden was completely unaware he had done so. The United States hasn’t had a president for four years. Johnson says Biden was completely unaware of an executive order he signed. The comments from Johnson came during an interview with @bariweiss. Johnson said after fighting for 9 weeks with Biden’s staff, he was finally able to get a meeting with the president. When he arrived, Johnson says he was “ambushed” by Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. Biden, who apparently didn’t know what was going on, asked the others to leave so he could meet privately with Johnson. “It occurred to me he was not lying to me. He genuinely did not know what he had signed. I walked outta that meeting with fear and loathing because I thought, ‘We are in serious trouble.'” https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1880602719754293249 Biden insisted he didn’t sign executive order just weeks after doing so, Speaker Johnson reveals https://search.app/37von7R9snoWDNPZ9 Biden’s dementia was so severe he couldn’t recall his actions, or his leftist handlers signed EOs without The Big Guy’s knowledge. This is the biggest scandal in US history, and it will be investigated. Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, recalled receiving a call from a Democratic senator in late January or early February 2024. “I said, ‘Is there any particular reason why you called me? I’d like to know.’ He said, ‘You do realise, off the record, that Joe Biden is not going to be our nominee?’ I was stunned. I said, ‘What, how, why?’ He said, ‘I just was at a meeting with him with several other senators and he couldn’t even function. We can’t run him.’”… Wendy Schiller, a political scientist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, said: “The Hunter Biden pardon will be the biggest black mark on his presidency because he promised and he gave his word that he wouldn’t do it and then he did it. He was always known, if you liked him or hated him, as someone who kept to his word. And he broke his word.”… https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jan/18/biden-presidency-legacy-trump-election Biden commutes sentences of nearly 2,500′ non-violent drug offenders (Largest 1-day amnesty) “With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” he added… (The addled Biden thinks this is a badge of honor!) https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/biden-says-hes-commuting-sentences-nearly-2500-non-violent-drug-offenders Governor Glenn Youngkin Decries President Biden’s Clemency for the Killers of a Virginia Police Officer https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2025/january/name-1039284-en.html Addled Joe Biden on Friday proclaimed that the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratified. Among The Big Guy’s beaucoup lies is a claim that he has taught Constitution Law. Either Biden or his leftist handlers thought they would make political points or curry favor with their very few admirers with the risible pronouncement. Instead, like many Biden remarks elicited scorn, ridicule, and denunciation. @cspan: President Biden: “Today, I affirm the Equal Rights Amendment has cleared all the necessary hurdles to be added to the U.S. Constitution, now! The Equal Rights Amendment is the law of the land, now! It’s the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, now!…” https://x.com/cspan/status/1880341312987361495 Biden says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratified A symbolic statement that’s unlikely to alter a decades-long push for gender equality… Presidents do not have any role in the amendment process. The leader of the National Archives had previously said that the amendment cannot be certified because it wasn’t ratified before a deadline set by Congress… https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-equal-rights-amendment-era-16b554dfe913797a52f894b72684bc45 The Blaze’s @AuronMacintyre: “I can change the Constitution on Twitter” is a fun precedent to set right before Trump takes office. GOP Sen. @BasedMikeLee: Deeming a proposed, but unratified amendment into existence as part of the Constitution isn’t just lawless, it’s anti-constitutional. Biden’s gone off the deep end—far more so than I ever expected. Biden’s official X account draws mockery with reference to constitutional amendment that doesn’t exist https://trib.al/wwGjIqP If/when Biden’s preemptive blanket, non-specific pardons are challenged at the SCOTUS, justices will be influenced by The Big Guy’s dictator-like acts and proclamations, including his egregious dismissal of SCOTUS rulings on his student loan forgiveness. @IanJaeger29: The Biden Administration gives a last second $6.6 Billion loan to Rivan Automotive for construction of an Electric Vehicle factory. $6.6 Billion loan is unbelievable. Self-deluded Biden is spending his last days as president showcasing all the same lies and cementing his tarnished ‘legacy’ – Joe Biden is leaving office the way he came in — under a cloud of self-delusion and amid a rancid stench of lies… Joe plotted and planned just two things: self-aggrandizement and vengeance. Joe paid lip service to a grab bag of virtuous goals but, really, he was all about himself. As he has been all his life… The congenital liar whose career is marked by plagiarism, mendacity and corruption warned of a future in which “the truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit.”… Vainglorious and small until the bitter end… America sees Joe Biden now for who he is, a one-term failure, a Tammany Hall grifter who sold out his country, an insufferable blowhard whose only claim to fame was that he did more damage than any of his predecessors… https://nypost.com/2025/01/15/opinion/miranda-devine-self-deluded-biden-is-spending-his-last-days-as-president-showcasing-all-the-same-lies-and-cementing-his-tarnished-legacy/ Joe Biden: An Assessment You can expect very shortly, probably only a matter of weeks, to see a raft of news stories, soon-to-be big-money books, revealing the utter sustained chaos that churned behind the pathetic, half-animated figure pretending to be “chief executive” of the US government lo these dismal four years past. You will learn who was pulling his strings day-to-day since 1/20/21, probably a gang of 25-year-old, ambitious, Cluster-B staffers too disorganized to even amount to a cabal — but sufficiently united in their mission to destroy the country by any means necessary. Whose idea was it, anyway, back in the spring of 2020, to retrieve this broken hack from the dumpster of discarded Democratic Party primary candidates and jam him into the role of nominee for president?… Somehow, the old crook got maneuvered into “winning” the 2020 Super Tuesday multi-primary — abracadabra! Ballot magic! — while some little birdie flew around and persuaded Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete, Amy Klobuchar and the rest to drop out… “Joe Biden” has been a disaster and an embarrassment, easily the most damaging character to ever creep onto the US political scene. His one talent was for fakery… The slime trail of crimes he leaves behind would be easy to follow by law enforcement officials actually interested in crime… History will record you as the one president so far who was consciously a villain outright, in true self-knowledge of his own wickedness… https://www.zerohedge.com/political/joe-biden-assessment The NY Times already revealing the dirt: How Biden’s Inner Circle Protected a Faltering President The president’s… family and inner circle… recognized his physical frailty to a greater degree than they have publicly acknowledged. Then they cooperated, according to interviews with more than two dozen aides, allies, lawmakers and donors, to manage his decline. They rearranged meetings… they delayed sharing information with him, including negative polling data… They had Mr. Biden use a teleprompter for even small fund-raisers in private homes…Biden needed naps during the debate preparations… https://t.co/0bysBgvAF0 @WesternLensman: After actively engaging in a coverup of Biden’s cognitive state — the brave, intrepid journalists at NYT are out with a tell-all piece on the coverup — blaming Biden’s inner circle and taking zero responsibility themselves. Everything they lied about for years, they now admit is true — Biden’s “walkers” to hide his shuffle, the short stairs to AF1, his frequent falls, cognitive lapses, teleprompter woes, needing naps for debate prep — everything. Legacy media is attempting to rewrite history and play the hapless victim of a White House inner circle that managed to dupe them for four years, in a vain attempt to salvage their tattered reputations and cratered credibility. @RNCResearch: BIDEN: “Red states really screwed up in terms of the way they handled their economy!” (Biden’s brain is literal pudding — red states are at the top of job creation and economic growth post-pandemic) https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/1880098813404410359 @RonDeSantis: This is an insane statement given people have been fleeing to red states for his entire presidency, but it is typical of the inanities he regularly spews and the media just nods along. Database To Publicize Who Hires Biden’s Appointees, After Trump Staff Were Blackballed Democrats attempted to destroy the careers of many people who worked for Trump during his first term https://www.dailywire.com/news/payback-database-to-publicize-who-hires-bidens-appointees-after-trump-staff-were-blackballed Vice President Kamala Harris: @VP: The Equal Rights Amendment is the 28th Amendment, and it is the law of the land. (What happened to protecting democracy?) https://x.com/VP/status/1880334350044012843 @bennyjohnson: KAMALA: “It is not my nature to go quietly into the night” *Maniacally Cackles* https://t.co/7Pe1M9pcNI @DefiantWorld: Kamala’s definitely drunk here. https://x.com/DefiantWorld/status/1880317915389370377 To the delight of the GOP and bane of Dems, Kamala Harris is the titular head of the Democratic Party. CBS owner considers settling Trump suit over Kamala Harris’ ‘60 Minutes’ interview ahead of merger review: report https://trib.al/4c8VT9S @JacquiHeinrich: FOX News has learned per multiple sources that Assistant Special in Charge Alethea Duncan from FBI New Orleans has been temporarily reassigned following her initial press conference in which she stated: “This is not a terrorist event.” It was terrorism. After the original presser, the FBI put out a statement using the word “terrorism.” AG Garland and President Biden also used the word “terrorism” in their statements. LA Mayor Karen Bass’ office hit with scandals over hush money, bribes and accusations of ‘legalized corruption’ https://trib.al/4kPCMQD The deputy mayor raided by the FBI over an alleged bomb threat against City Hall. Endorsing a former councilor investigated over hush money payments for congress. Awarding fat cat salaries of 750k to a pal, double the predecessor’s salary. Council members accused of embezzlement, perjury, racketeering, tax evasion and bribes. The House Oversight Committee on Friday announced that the Department of Health and Human Services officially cut all federal funding and disbarred EcoHealth Alliance and its former President Peter Daszak for five years… “for using taxpayer funds to facilitate dangerous gain-of-function research in China…” https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/health/hhs-cuts-all-federal-funding-and-disbars-ecohealth-alliance-and-its-former On Saturday, Trump said he would probably visit Los Angeles this week to view the wildfire damage. Has Trump 2.0 Learned from Trump 1.0? Has Trump learned to lead out of the gate on his most important and signature issue, immigration, rather than be sidetracked by such relative distractions as health care or tax cuts (as he was last time)? Has Trump finally learned to trust his own instincts over the questionable instincts of those who try to flatter him?… has Trump finally abandoned once and for all the misguided pursuit of “criminal justice reform” — which, last time, took the form of the Kim Kardashian-peddled First Step Act jailbreak law? Will he finally prove to be the “back the blue” pro-“law and order” stalwart he campaigned as back in 2016?… Has Trump, especially in the aftermath of Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s latest defection that permitted Trump’s criminal “conviction” to proceed, learned the right lessons about how to pick Supreme Court justices who will be more like Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — and less like Chief Justice John Roberts?… https://spectator.org/has-trump-2-0-learned-from-trump-1-0/?s=02 CBS’s @JenniferJJacobs: Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump chose to co-lead DOGE with @ElonMusk, is expected to soon step away from the task force. There has been friction between rank and file DOGE staff and @VivekGRamaswamy, and Ramaswamy has been subtly encouraged to exit. He intends to announce a campaign for Ohio governor as soon as the end of January. (He is grating and officious!) Skip Bayless claims Taylor Swift caused the NFL to ‘rig’ the Texans vs. Chiefs game https://t.co/HjnzNjQ5zO NFL refs under fire over questionable calls in Chiefs’ playoff win over Texans https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-refs-under-fire-over-questionable-calls-chiefs-playoff-win-over-texans Texans Star Calls Out NFL for Officials’ Calls Favoring Chiefs (It’s obvious & blatant!) https://athlonsports.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/texans-star-calls-out-nfl-officials-calls-favoring-chiefs | |
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SWAMP STORIES FOR YOU TONIGHT
Trump To Suspend Security Clearances For CIA Contractors Who Colluded To Discredit Hunter Biden Laptop Story
Sunday, Jan 19, 2025 – 09:35 PM
President-elect Donald Trump will suspend the security clearances of 51 former intelligence officials who were found to have coordinated with the 2020 Biden campaign to discredit credible and serious allegations contained on Hunter Biden’s laptop about his family’s influence peddling operation.
According to the Fox News, citing a senior administration official, Trump will take action against the so-called “Spies Who Lie,” as one of at least 100 executive orders he’s expected to sign on his first day back in the Oval Office.
Not only did federal investigators eventually confirm that Hunter’s laptop was authentic, a June 2024 report from the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Federal Government and the Permanent Select Subcommittee on Intelligence found that “The 51 former intelligence officials’ Hunter Biden statement was a blatant political operation from the start. It originated with a call from top Biden campaign official—and now Secretary of State—Antony Blinken to former Deputy Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Michael Morell.
“The Committees’ investigation revealed that without this outreach from Blinken, Morell would not have written the statement. Indeed, Morell told the Committees that the Blinken phone call “triggered” his intent to write the statement. The statement’s drafters were open about the goal of the project: “[W]e think Trump will attack Biden on the issue at this week’s debate”6 and “we want to give the [Vice President] a talking point to use in response.”
The Committees also found that:
- High ranking CIA officials, up to and including then-CIA Director Gina Haspel, were made aware of the Hunter Biden statement prior to its approval and publication.
- Some of the statement’s signatories, including Michael Morell, were on active contract with the CIA at the time of the Hunter Biden statement’s publication.
- After publication of the Hunter Biden statement, CIA employees internally expressed concern about the statement’s politicized content, acknowledging it was not “helpful to the Agency in the long run.”
It’s going to be a fun week, eh?
end
As expected…
“I Believe In The Rule Of Law, But…” – Biden Pre-Emptively Pardons Fauci, Schiff, Cheney, Milley & More
Monday, Jan 20, 2025 – 07:37 AM
Just as many suspected would happen…
…in these flailing hours of Biden’s presidency, he has issued a large-scale pre-emptive pardon for his various NeverTrump henchmen (and henchwomen) that have done his (or his puppet master’s) bidding for the past four years.
As AP reports, it’s customary for a president to grant clemency at the end of his term, but those acts of mercy are usually offered to everyday Americans who have been convicted of crimes.
But Biden has used the power in the broadest and most untested way possible: to pardon those who have not even been investigated yet.
And with the acceptance comes a tacit admission of guilt or wrongdoing, even though those who have been pardoned have not been formally accused of any crimes.
Here’s Biden in Dec 2020 to explain why he would NEVER do pre-emptive pardons…
Here is the full statement (emphasis ours)…
Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy.
Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.In certain cases, some have even been threatened with criminal prosecutions, including General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, and the members and staff of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.
These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions.
General Milley served our nation for more than 40 years, serving in multiple command and leadership posts and deploying to some of the most dangerous parts of the world to protect and defend democracy. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he guided our Armed Forces through complex global security threats and strengthened our existing alliances while forging new ones.
For more than half a century. Dr. Fauci served our country. He saved countless lives by managing the government’s response to pressing health crises, including HIV/AIDS, as well as the Ebola and Zika viruses. During his tenure as my Chief Medical Advisor, he helped the country tackle a once-in-a-century pandemic. The United States is safer and healthier because of him.
On January 6, 2021, American democracy was tested when a mob of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol in an attempt to overturn a fair and free election by force and violence. In light of the significance of that day. Congress established the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol to investigate and report upon the facts, circumstances, and causes of the insurrection. The Select Committee fulfilled this mission with integrity and a commitment to discovering the truth. Rather than accept accountability, those who perpetrated the January 6th attack have taken every opportunity to undermine and intimidate those who participated in the Select Committee in an attempt to rewrite history, erase the stain of January 6th for partisan gain, and seek revenge, including by threatening criminal prosecutions.
I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing. Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. Even when individuals have done nothing wrong—and in fact have done the right thing—and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.
That is why I am exercising my authority under the Constitution to pardon General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Members of Congress and staff who served on the Select Committee, and the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the Select Committee.
The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.
Finally, it is ironic that all these anti-Trump establishment types would be pre-emptively pardoned on the day of Trump’s greatest victory.
Milley was relieved:
“After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights,” Milley said.
“I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”
While most will be breathing a sigh of relief, it will be interesting to see what Kinzinger does.
“As soon as you take a pardon, it looks like you are guilty of something,” former Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois who served on the Jan. 6 committee along with Ms. Cheney, said on CNN this month.
“I am guilty of nothing besides bringing the truth to the American people and, in the process, embarrassing Donald Trump. Because for 187 minutes, he sat there and did absolutely nothing and showed how weak and scared he truly was,” he added, referring to the former president’s inaction during the attack on Jan. 6.
“So no, I don’t want it,” he said of the pardon.
And then there’s Adam Schiff:
“It would be the wrong precedent to set,” Senator Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, who led the prosecution during Mr. Trump’s first impeachment trial, said on CNN this month.
“I don’t want to see each president hereafter on their way out the door giving a broad category of pardons to members of their administration.”
We’ll see!
Condemnation of the move began to pour in almost immediately. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., blasted Biden’s legacy minutes after the order dropped.
“The guy who claimed he would ‘protect norms’ continues to bulldoze them and the Constitution until the bitter end. Biden truly is one of the worst Presidents in American history and will only be remembered as the guy between Trump’s two terms,” Schmitt wrote on X.
Polymarket traders had called this one…
How do we feel about this?
Biden has set the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued; he announced on Friday he would commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. He previously announced he was commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.
end
“I Believe In The Rule Of Law, But…” – Biden Pre-Emptively Pardons Fauci, Schiff, Cheney, Milley, & Family Members
Monday, Jan 20, 2025 – 07:37 AM
Update (1145ET): As everyone sat in the Captol Rotunda ‘golf-clapping’ the inauguration of President Trump, President Biden snuck in a last minute pre-emptive pardon for his family members
And just like that, he was gone…
Easiest way to get rich: always bet on crime…
END
WTF: Asylum Seekers Caught With 30,000 High-Caliber Rifle Rounds In Arizona
Monday, Jan 20, 2025 – 06:30 PM
President Donald Trump’s imminent executive orders addressing the illegal alien invasion, border crisis, and cartel violence could not come soon enough, as a new report out of Arizona says a multi-agency investigation led to the arrest of several asylum seekers and a US citizen in possession of 30,000 rounds of ammunition.
Sheriff Mark Dannels of Cochise County, Arizona, revealed Sunday in a Facebook post that in mid-January, Cochise County Counter Narcotics, Trafficking Alliance assisted Homeland Security Investigations and Burau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized 10,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition and 19,640 rounds of 7.62×39 ammunition from multiple vehicles, operated by several asylum seekers and one US citizen from Texas.
Dannels’ Facebook post read:
Multi-agency investigation results in ammunition seizure
In mid-January of 2025, the Cochise County Counter Narcotics and Trafficking Alliance (CNTA) assisted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Burau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with an investigation leading to the seizure of 10,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition and 19,640 rounds of 7.62×39 ammunition.
The .50 caliber and 7.62×39 rounds were separated within two vehicles traveling east on Interstate 10 from the Phoenix area. The vehicle containing the 7.62×39 ammunition was interdicted by the Pinal County Sheriff’s office. Still, the second vehicle containing the .50 caliber ammunition was located by CNTA investigators at Motel 6 in Benson.
CNTA, HSI, and USBP contacted the vehicle’s two occupants at the motel. One of the occupants was found to be an asylum seeker out of Cuba and the second individual was identified as a US citizen out of Texas. The second vehicle was occupied by two asylum seekers. This investigation is ongoing and led by HSI and ATF.
Images of the seizure:
Facebook users responded to the sheriff’s post with disgust:
“This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg of what has traveled from this country. Smh Hope they never see American soil again!” one Facebook user said.
Another person said the ammo was mostly likely destined for cartels.
“Bet it was heading to the border or worse, heading to all the illegals who are planning an attack on US soil! So many people from different countries came here and we know nothing of their past or their true intentions,” someone else said.
“Deportation for all. Go, Trump,” someone else said.
Local law enforcement and federal agencies have yet to disclose the buyer or final destination of the ammo. Speculation points to cartels as the likely customer, but the billion-dollar question remains: for cartel operations in the US or in Mexico? Or worse, terror organizations within the US could’ve outsourced ammunition and weapons procurement to migrants.
The good news, according to President Trump earlier today, is that the era of open southern borders under globalist Democrats, which has threatened national security to unprecedented levels, is coming to an end. After being sworn in, Trump assured Americans that he would designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
Law and order must be restored. That’s the mandate the American people have given Trump.
end
IT BEGINS!!
“YOU’RE FIRED!”: Trump Boots 4 High-Profile Biden Appointees Including Mark Milley
by Tyler Durden
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025 – 11:05 AM
President Trump fired four high-profile presidential appointees just after midnight Tuesday, including Gen. Mark Milley, and Biden’s top envoy to Iran, Brian Hook (who also served in the role during Trump’s first term).
“Our first day in the White House is not over yet! My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again,” Trump wrote on Truth social just after midnight Tuesday.
“Let this serve as Official Notice of Dismissal for these 4 individuals, with many more, coming soon,” Trump said before listing off the four officials in the post that ended with “YOU’RE FIRED!”
Hook was fired from the Wilson Center, Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, while celebrity chef José Andrés was chopped from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Bottoms was axed from the President’s Export Council, after she dropped out of the Atlanta mayor’s race to work as a senior advisor on Biden’s reelection campaign.
Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, has questioned whether Trump can carry out his ambitious deportation plans, and seems to be considering a future in politics himself.
The celebrity chef said he submitted his resignation from the post last week and that his term was already up. He elaborated that he was “honored” to work as the co-chair and asked Trump to allow the council to continue its work. -The Hill
“I’m proud of what we accomplished on behalf of the American people…like a historic partnership between the White House and every major sports league to increase access to sports and health programs for kids,” Andres posted Tuesday morning on X.
Coast Guard Commandant Fired
Meanwhile, the acting secretary of Homeland Security removed the Coast Guard commandant from her position, according to USNI News.
Adm. Linda Fagan, the first female commandant of the Coast Guard who assumed duties on June 1, 2022, was terminated over issues with recruitment, operational concerns, and a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Under my statutory authority as the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security I have relieved Admiral Linda L. Fagan of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. She served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation,” reads an ALCOAST message.
GREG HUNTER INTERVIEWING GARY HEAVIN
usawatchdog.com/president-trump-set-them-free-gary-heavin/
CRAIG Roberts wrote an excellent post on this subject called “Trump Must Not Flunk His Litmus Test.”
President Trump Set Them Free – Gary Heavin
By Greg Hunter On January 18, 2025 In Political Analysis6 Comments
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com (Saturday Night Post)
There has been much controversy over the so-called J6 participants in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2020. The Lying Legacy Media (LLM) and the Deep State call it a “violent insurrection.” Donald Trump supporters called it a setup, psyop and frame job of people protesting a stolen election. Martin Armstrong contends the real theft of the 2020 Election happened because Democrats needed an excuse to suspend the rules of election integrity in Congress and push Joe Biden into the White House under emergency rules. Armstrong says, “Videos Prove January 6 was an Inside Job.” Hundreds have been imprisoned under weak and concocted legal cases, where witnesses were tampered with and evidence was destroyed and “lost.” President-elect Donald Trump promised in his 2024 campaign to give a blanket pardon to the people sitting in prison for the crime of exercising free speech and protesting a rigged election on January 6, 2020. Will he pay off on his campaign promise?
Former “billion-dollar franchise owner,” and now, philanthropist Gary Heavin wants to help all J6 prisoners when released and hold President Trump to his promise. Heavin and his wife Diane started a record-breaking string of women-only fitness franchises called Curves International. The company reached 5,000 franchises in 5 years, a feat that took McDonald’s 25 years. Since Heavin sold the company in 2012, he has concentrated on helping people in dire need. Just a few examples include flying doctors and supplies to survivors of the Haiti earthquake, and again in Haiti with Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Most recently, Heavin flew rescue missions for survivors of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
Heavin is known for using his money and skill as a pilot flying rescue missions with his personal helicopter and other aircraft. Heavin says, “Donald Trump has promised on numerous occasions to set the J6 prisoners free on his first day in office, which is going to be Monday. There are going to be some consequences in pardoning these people because the prisons are literally going to be putting these people out on the street with no notice to the families and no resources. We are talking about 300 incarcerated prisoners that are in 75 prisons in 35 states across this country. Many of them are a long way from home and a long way from resources. I am working with a variety of J6 freedom groups to meet those needs. So, we have set up over a hundred volunteers to be at every prison on Monday when these people are released. We are going to make sure they are warm, they’re fed and they have a hotel room. We are going to connect them to their family and figure out how to get them home.”
Heavin will be personally flying some of the J6 prisoners home on his private jet, and that’s not all. Heavin says, “I have organized private aircraft to be available on Tuesday. . . . The ones beyond driving distance, we are going to fly them home.”
In closing, Heavin says, “This is an imminent moment right now. Trump’s mantra from his first term was ‘Lock Her Up, Lock Her Up,’ and, of course, we know what happened to that. The mantra today that begins his second term is ‘Set Them Free, Set Them Free.’ This is literally a litmus test where we are going to discover whether Donald Trump is going to keep his promises to the American people. There is a huge movement right now where millions of people are watching his actions. Is he going to do what he says he’s going to do? We had a little bit of confusion this past week when J.D. Vance was asked about the J6 pardons on FOX News, and he foolishly complicated it and said some will be set free and some won’t and all this other nonsense. My inside information is he (Vance) got his ass handed to him over this whole thing.”
Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he goes One-on-One with philanthropist, entrepreneur and Christian pilot Gary Heavin for 1.18.25.
To help with the needs of the J6 prisoners, go to AmericanPatriotRelief.org.
After the Interview:
To help with the needs of the J6 prisoners click here: americanpatriotrelief.org.
For more on this story, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts wrote an excellent post on this subject called “Trump Must Not Flunk His Litmus Test.”
SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY
harveyorganblog.com 
