GOLD CLOSED UP $23.05 TO $2760.00
SILVER CLOSED UP $.34 TO $30.43
. THIS FRIDAY NIGHT JAN 31. ENDS OTC/LBMA CONTRACTS. AND THE REASON FOR RAIDS AS THIS IS THEIR USUAL MODUS OPERANDI.
Gold ACCESS CLOSED $2763.15
Silver ACCESS CLOSED: $30.37
Bitcoin morning price:$102,640 UP 180 DOLLARS.
Bitcoin: afternoon price: $102,050 down 410 DOLLARS
Platinum price closing DOWN $6.30 TO $944.90
Palladium price; DOWN $35.15 TO $955.00
END
*CANADIAN GOLD: $3977.74 UP 28.45 CDN dollars per oz( * NEW ALL TIME HIGH 3,978.15 CDN DOLLARS PER OZ//JAN 24 2025)
*BRITISH GOLD: 2220.57 UP 18.78 Pounds per oz// *(NEW ALL TIME HIGH//CLOSING///2,237.76 BRITISH POUNDS/OZ) JAN 22/2025
*EURO GOLD: 2,648.25 UP 21.56 Euros per oz //* (ALL TIME CLOSING HIGH: 2,648.25 EUROS PER OZ/JAN 28 //2025)
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EXCHANGEEXCHANGE: COMEX
CONTRACT: JANUARY 2025 COMEX 100 GOLD FUTURES
SETTLEMENT: 2,737.500000000 USD
INTENT DATE: 01/27/2025 DELIVERY DATE: 01/29/2025
FIRM ORG FIRM NAME ISSUED STOPPED
118 C MACQUARIE FUT 4
167 C MAREX 67
190 H BMO CAPITAL 63
323 C HSBC 525
435 H SCOTIA CAPITAL 189
657 C MORGAN STANLEY 230
661 C JP MORGAN 63
686 C STONEX FINANCIA 8 3
709 C BARCLAYS 695
732 H RBC CAP MARKETS 218
737 C ADVANTAGE 16 4
905 C ADM 39
TOTAL: 1,062 1,062
JPMorgan stopped (received) 63/1062 contracts
GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR JANUARY/2024. CONTRACT: 1062 NOTICES FOR 106,200 OZ 3.3032 TONNES
total notices so far: 19,001 contracts for 1,900,100 Oz (59.101 tonnes)
FOR JANUARY
SILVER NOTICES:70 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR 350,000 OZ/
total number of notices filed so far this month : 2,238 for 11.190 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 $23.05 INVESTORS SWITCHING TO SPROTT PHYSICAL (PHYS) INSTEAD OF THE FRAUDULENT GLD:
MEGA HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A WITHDRAWAL OF 3.16 TONNES OF GOLD FROM THE GLD./
INVENTORY RESTS AT 857.02 TONNES
SLV/
WITH NO SILVER AROUND AND SILVER UP $0.34 AT THE SLV: HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A HUGE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.821 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV///
INVESTORS ARE SWITCHING SLV TO SPROTT’S PSLV.
CLOSING INVENTORY: 454.891 MILLION OZ
Let us have a look at the data for today
SILVER//OUTLINE
SILVER COMEX OI ROSE BY A HUGE SIZED 687 CONTRACTS TO 164,806 AND CONTINUING ON ITS MARCH TO THE RECORD HIGH OI OF 244,710, SET FEB 25/2020, AND THIS HUGE SIZED GAIN IN COMEX OI WAS ACCOMPLISHED DESPITE OUR HUGE LOSS OF $0,69 IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX WITH RESPECT TO TUESDAY’S TRADING. WE HAD A MEGA HUMONGOUS GAIN OF 1437 TOTAL CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE//MONDAY’S TRADING.. WE HAD HUGE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS ON TUESDAY COMEX TRADING AS THEY DESPERATELY TRIED TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE FOR THE PAST 3 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 SUCCEEDED A BIT WITH MONDAY’S PRICING LOSS BUT WE HAD ZERO LONGS BEING KNOCKED OFF WITH OUR HUGE GAIN IN OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES. DERIVATIVE LOSSES CONTINUE TO MOUNT. WE HAD CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION MONDAY COUPLED WITH ANOTHER NEW HUGE T.A.S. ISSUANCE OF 968 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 STILL HAS A HUGE CONTANGO TO SPOT AS THE CROOKS NEED TO CASH SETTLE TO GET OUT OF THEIR CONTRACTS. THEY ARE PAYING A HUGE PRICE AS THEY ARE SHORT (AND THUS SUPPLIER TO OUR PATIENT- WAITING LONGS).
WE HAD A HUGE 750 CONTRACT EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR 968 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 MEGA HUMONGOUS SIZED 1437 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE. WE HAD HUGE TAS LIQUIDATION THROUGHOUT MONDAY’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 INITIATE A RAID AS WHAT HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES LAST MONTH AND AGAIN WITH YESTERDAY’S TRADING// RAID ON SILVER.
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 MONDAY NIGHT/TUESDAY MORNING: A HUGE 968 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, JAN 23 AND JAN 24…. 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 $0.69 BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF ANY NET SILVER LONGS FROM THEIR PERCH AS WE HAD A MEGA HUMONGOUS GAIN IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 1437 CONTRACTS.
WE HAD A 750 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 350,000 OZ QUEUE JUMP//NEW STANDING ADVANCES TO 11.220 MILLION OZ
// STANDING FOR SILVER//JAN 11.220 MILLION OZ
WE HAD:
/HUGE SIZED COMEX OI GAIN +// A HUGE 750 SIZED EFP ISSUANCE/ VI) HUGE SIZED NUMBER OF T.A.S. CONTRACT ISSUANCE 968 CONTRACTS)/
I AM NOW RECORDING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN OI FROM PRELIMINARY TO FINAL: ADDED 77 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 18 DAYS, total 10,394 contracts: OR 51.970 MILLION OZ (611 CONTRACTS PER DAY)
TOTAL EFP’S FOR THE MONTH SO FAR: 51.970 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: 51.970 MILLION OZ///(THIS MONTH’S ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL WILL BE SMALL)
RESULT: WE HAD A HUGE SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 687 CONTRACTS DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE OF SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX/MONDAY.,. THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A 750 EFP ISSUANCE CONTRACTS: 750 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 350,000 OZ
//NEW TOTAL STANDING FOR JAN ADVANCES TO 11.22 MILLION OZ
WE HAVE 1. A HUMONGOUS SIZED GAIN OF 1487 OI CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES DESPITE OUR LOSS IN PRICE// 2.THE TOTAL OF TAS INITIATED CONTRACTS TODAY: A HUGE 968, CONTRACTS TRYING DESPERATELY TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE,//HUGE FRONT END OF THE TAS CONTRACTS WERE LIQUIDATED DURING THE MONDAY COMEX SESSION BUT THEY STILL NEED THESE ISSUANCE FOR REPLENISHMENT FOR FUTURE TRADING //3. ZERO NET LONG SPECULATORS WERE BURNED ON THURSDAY DESPITE THE LOSS 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 MONDAY NIGHT (968) WILL BE PUT INTO “THE BANK” TO BE COLLUSIVELY USED AT A LATER DATE
WE HAD 70 NOTICE(S) FILED TODAY FOR 350,000 OZ
THE SILVER COMEX IS NOW BEING ATTACKED FOR METAL BY LONDONERS ET AL.
GOLD//OUTLINE
IN GOLD, THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST FELL BY A VERY STRONG SIZED 14,517 OI CONTRACTS TO 583,174 AND FURTHER FROM 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 SMALL SIZED 396 CONTRACTS//
WE HAD A VERY STRONG SIZED DECREASE IN COMEX OI (14,517 CONTRACTS) OCCURRED WITH OUR LOSS OF $36.05 IN PRICE TUESDAY. 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 855 CONTRACTS OR 85,500 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 THEN LAST WEEK’S ISSUANCE OF 85 CONTRACTS//8500 OZ OR .2644 TONNES. THEN FINALLY THIS WEEK’S (JAN 22) ISSUANCE OF 5000 CONTRACTS FOR 5 MILLION OZ AND THURSDAY NIGHT”S (JAN 23) 500 CONTRACT ISSUANCE AND THEN FINALLY WITH FRIDAY NIGHT’S ISSUANCE OF A MONSTER 6454 CONTRACTS //20.074 TONNES FOR A TOTAL EX FOR RISK OF 43.208 TONNES//NEW STANDING FOR JAN ADVANCES TO 61.179 TONNES (NORMAL DELIVERY) +43.208 TOTAL EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE = 104.389 TONNES
/NEW STANDING 101.727 TONNES
/ ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WITH OUR $36.05 LOSS IN PRICE WITH RESPECT TO MONDAY’S COMEX ///. WE HAD A HUGE LOSS OF 10,307 OI CONTRACTS (32.06 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 6 OCCASIONS THIS MONTH
E.F.P. ISSUANCE
THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A STRONG SIZED 4210 CONTRACTS:
The NEW COMEX OI FOR THE GOLD COMPLEX RESTS AT 582,778
IN ESSENCE WE HAVE A STRONG SIZED DECREASE IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 9911 CONTRACTS WITH 14,517 CONTRACTS DECREASED AT THE COMEX// AND A STRONG SIZED 4210 EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL OI CONTRACT ISSUANCE WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS TOTAL OI LOSS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 9911 CONTRACTS.. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING TAS CONTRACTS INITIATED (ISSUED): A STRONG SIZED AND CRIMINAL 2637 CONTRACTS ISSUED.
CALCULATIONS ON GAIN/LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES
WE HAD A STRONG SIZED ISSUANCE IN EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS (4210 CONTRACTS) ACCOMPANYING THE VERY STRONG SIZED DECREASE IN COMEX OI OF 14,517 CONTRACTS/TOTAL LOSS FOR OUR THE TWO EXCHANGES: 10,307 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 HUMONGOUS QUEUE JUMP OF 855 CONTRACTS OR 85500 OZ (2.659 TONNES) TO WHICH WE ADD THAT CRAZY “DELIVERY” CALLED EXCHANGE FOR RISK ON 6 OCCASIONS THIS MONTH FOR 43.208 TONNES OF GOLD.
NEW STANDING FOR JAN ADVANCES TO:
61.179 TONNES NORMAL DELIVERY +
43.208 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK ON OUR SIX OCCASIONS IN JANUARY (6TH 8TH,17TH, 22ND 24TH AND JAN 25)
EQUALS: 104.387 TONNES
//NEW STANDING JAN: 104.387 TONNES WHICH IS THE HIGHEST EVER GOLD STANDING FOR A JANUARY DELIVERY MONTH.
/ 3) HUGE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION TRYING TO LOWER GOLD’S PRICE MONDAY WITH SOME SUCCESS IN REMOVING SOME NET SPECULATOR LONGS, AS WITH OUR1) $36.05 PRICE LOSDS, WE HAD 2) SOME NET LONG SPECS BEING CLIPPED AS WE HAD A STRONG TOTAL LOSS OF CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES (9911 CONTRACTS). ALSO, 3)STICKY GOLD’S LONGS WERE REWARDED MONDAY EVENING AS THEY EXERCISED EFP’S FROM LONDON TO TAKE DELIVERY OF BADLY NEEDED PHYSICAL.
4) HUGE SIZED COMEX OPEN INTEREST DECREASE 5) STRONG ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL PAPER///STRONG T.A.S. ISSUANCE: 2637 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: 73,003 CONTRACTS OF 7,300,300 OZ OR 227.06 TONNES IN 18 TRADING DAY(S) AND THUS AVERAGING: 4299 EFP CONTRACTS PER TRADING DAY
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO THE SIZE OF THESE EFP TRANSFERS : THIS MONTH IN 18 TRADING DAY(S) IN TONNES 227.06 TONNES
TOTAL ANNUAL GOLD PRODUCTION, 2023, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD EX CHINA EX RUSSIA: 3555 TONNES
THUS EFP TRANSFERS REPRESENTS 227.06 DIVIDED BY 3550 x 100% TONNES = 6.39% 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: 227.06 TONNES (ISSUANCE WILL BE PRETTY GOOD THIS MONTH BUT 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 HUGE SIZED 687 CONTRACTS OI TO 164,806 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 750 CONTRACTS
OUR CUSTOMARY MIGRATION OF COMEX LONGS CONTINUE TO MORPH INTO LONDON FORWARDS AS OUR BANKERS USED THEIR EMERGENCY PROCEDURE TO ISSUE:
MAR 750 and ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 750 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 610 CONTRACTS AND ADD TO THE 750 E.FP. ISSUED
WE OBTAIN A HUGE SIZED GAIN OF OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 1437 CONTRACTS
THUS IN OUNCES, THE GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES TOTALS A HUGE 7.185 MILLION OZ OCCURRED DESPITE OUR $0.69 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 2.02 OR 0.06%
//Hang Seng CLOSED UP 27.34 PTS OR 0.14%
// Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 548.93 OR 1.39%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED DOWN .18%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2509 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2761// Oil DOWN TO 73.79dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 778.65 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
ASIA TRADING TUESDAY MORNING/MONDAY NIGHT
A)NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
outline
b) REPORT ON JAPAN/
OUTLINE
3 CHINA
OUTLINE
4/EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE
5. RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
OUTLINE
6.Global Issues//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES
OUTLINE
7. OIL ISSUES
OUTLINE
8 EMERGING MARKET ISSUES
9. USA
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1. COMEX DATA//AMOUNTS STANDING//VOLUME OF TRADING/INVENTORY MOVEMENTS
GOLD
LET US BEGIN:
THE TOTAL COMEX GOLD OPEN INTEREST FELL BY A VERY STRONG SIZED 14,517 CONTRACTS TO 583,174 WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE OF $36.05 WITH RESPECT TO MONDAY’S TRADING. WE LOST CONSIDERABLE NET LONGS WITH OUR PRICE LOSS FOR GOLD AS WE HAD ALSO, AS YOU WILL SEE BELOW, A STRONG NUMBER OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUED (4210) . THE CME ANNOUNCED MONDAY NIGHT, MUCH TO MY RELIEF 0 EXCHANGE FOR RISK CONTRACTS FOR NIL OZ. OR 0 TONNES OF GOLD. SO FAR THIS MONTH WE HAVE BEEN ISSUED THE HIGHEST NUMBER EVER RECORDED EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE AT 6 FOR 20.074 TONNES.
THUS IN TOTAL WE HAD A STRONG LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 10,307 CONTRACTS WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE. OUR FRIENDLY PHYSICAL LONDON BOYS HAD ANOTHER FIELD DAY AGAIN ON MONDAY NIGHT AS THEY WERE READY FOR THE FRBNY.S CONTINUED ORCHESTRATED RAID AS THEY ABSORBED EVERYTHING IN SIGHT FROM THE DAILY ATTACKS WITH THE CONTINUAL LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS. LONDONERS EXERCISED THEIR BOUGHT CONTRACTS FOR PHYSICAL GOLD VIA THE EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ROUTE AND THANKED THE FRBNY FOR THE THOUGHTFULNESS.
THE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS THROUGHOUT THIS MONTH CONTINUES TO DISTORT OPEN INTEREST NUMBERS GREATLY AND IT SURELY WAS ON DISPLAY THIS ENTIRE PAST WEEK WITH OUR STRONG T.A.S. ISSUANCES. WE HAD A STRONG T.A.S. LIQUIDATION DURING LAST WEEK’S COMEX SESSIONS WHERE WE FINISHED WITH OUR 5 CONSECUTIVE HUGE 30,000+ ISSUANCES. TODAY THEY ISSUED A STRONG 2637 CONTRACT ANNOUNCEMENT (MONDAY NIGHT/TUESDAY 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 ,205 206 AND 207 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 CAME INTO OFFICE LAST MONDAY NOON. TRUMP WILL PROBABLY BE FURIOUS WITH THE FED IF IT FINDS 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 NOW 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 4210 EFP CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED: : /FEB 4210 & ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS:
TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 4210 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 LOST THE FOLLOWING TODAY ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES: A HUGE SIZED TOTAL OF 10,307 CONTRACTS IN THAT 4210 CONTRACT LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS TO LONDON AND WE HAD A VERY STRONG SIZED LOSS OF 14,517 COMEX CONTRACTS..AND THIS STRONG LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES HAPPENED WITH OUR HUGE LOSS IN PRICE OF $36.05 MONDAY// 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 MONDAY NIGHT/TUESDAY MORNING WAS A STRONG SIZED SIZED 2637 CONTRACTS, AS AGAIN, 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 OVER A WEEK AGO, 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 LITTLE AS FEW LEFT OUR GOLD METAL ARENA. OUR HUGE RAID WAS ORDERED BY THE FED WITH MONDAY’S TRADING AS THE GOLD PRICE GOT HAMMERED A BIT WITH COMEX OPTIONS EXPIRY. AS YOU CAN SEE WITH TUESDAY’S TRADING IT HAS NO EFFECT ON GOLD AS IT SHOT UP AGAIN IN PRICE QUITE NICELY TODAY.
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 LAST 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 JAN 17. THIS WAS THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE 30,000+ CONTRACT ISSUANCE. ALL OF THESE T.A.S. ISSUANCES WERE USED IN AN ATTEMPT TO THWART GOLD TRADING ESPECIALLY BEFORE TRUMP’S INAUGURATION AS THE FED MUST REDUCE ITS MASSIVE PHYSICAL GOLD SHORT OF 82 TONNES. THEY FAILED MISERABLY AS GOLD SKYROCKETED IN PRICE THIS WEEK AND NOW TO ALL TIME RECORD HIGHS IN USA DOLLAR TERMS AND OTHER CURRENCIES.
STANDING FOR GOLD FOR THE PAST 4 PLUS YEARS:
// WE HAVE A STRONG AMOUNT OF GOLD TONNAGE STANDING: JAN (104.387 TONNES) WHICH IS HUGE FOR OUR NON ACTIVE JAN DELIVERY MONTH AND THE HIGHEST STANDING FOR GOLD EVER RECORDED FOR ANY JANUARY.
JANUARY: 65.85 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: 61.179 TONNES + 43.208 EXCHANGE FOR RISK= 104.387 TONNES
COMEX GOLD TRADING
THE SPECS/HFT WERE SUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING GOLD’S PRICE( IT FELL BY $36.05)//AND WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF SOME NET SPECULATOR LONGS AS WE DID HAVE A HUGE LOSS IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES. AS EXPLAINED ABOVE WE HAD CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. SPREADER LIQUIDATION MONDAY AS THEY WERE TRYING TO QUELL GOLD’S RISE AND HUGE COMEX/OTC DERIVATIVE LOSSES. THE BANKERS WERE SOMEWHAT SUCCESSFUL IN SLOWING THEIR DERIVATIVE LOSSES IN PRECIOUS METAL BETS WITH OPTIONS EXPIRY MONDAY NIGHT.
THE CROOKS HOWEVER COULD NOT STOP CENTRAL BANK LONGS, SEIZING THE MOMENT, THEY EXERCISED AGAIN FOR PHYSICAL IN A BIG WAY TENDERING FOR PHYSICAL MONDAY EVENING/TUESDAY MORNING.
EXCHANGE FOR RISK EXPLANATION/DECEMBER AND JANUARYTRADING
DECEMBER
50 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 6 FOR 14.6836 TONNES A NEW RECORD. 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 THEIR FIRST ISSUANCE A 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 OUR TWO EARLY JANUARY EX FOR RISK: 5.7533 TONNES. THEN MERCILESSLY THEY CONSUMMATED FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS MONTH 85 EXCHANGE FOR RISK LAST THURSDAY NIGHT (JAN 17) FOR 8500 OZ OR .2649 TONNES OF GOLD. THEN TO MY HORROR THEY ISSUED THEIR 4TH EXCHANGE FOR RISK THIS MONTH (JAN 22) FOR A MONSTER 5000 CONTRACTS OR 5,000,000 OZ.(15.562 TONNES).NOT TO BE UNDONE, THE CROOKS ISSUED THEIR FIFTH EXCHANGE FOR RISK LAST NIGHT FOR 500 CONTRACTS REPRESENTING 50,,000 OZ OR 1.555 TONNES OF GOLD. REMEMBER THAT THE BUYER ASSUMES THE RISK THAT HE WILL BE DELIVERED UPON WHICH IS TOTALLY ASININE!! THUS FOR THE 5 EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUED THIS MONTH TOTALS 23.134 TONNES OF GOLD. THIS BRINGS US TO TODAY, JAN 25 WHERE THE CME ANNOUNCED ITS SIXTH MAJOR EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE OF 6454 CONTRACTS FOR 645400 OZ OR 20.074 TONNES OF GOLD. THIS IS THE HIGHEST EVER RECORDED ISSUANCE IN NUMBER OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK, AT 6, AND FOR NEW TOTALS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY: 43.208 TONNES!!!
TOTAL DELIVERIES JANUARY TRADING
WE HAVE GAINED A STRONG TOTAL OF 30.82 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 855 CONTRACTS OR 85,500 OZ (2.659TONNES) TO WHICH WE MUST ADD THIS MONTH’S 43.208 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE. THESE EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCES ARE TOTALLY INSANE AS THE BUYER ASSUMES RISK FOR THAT DELIVERY.
NEW STANDING FOR JAN: 61.179TONNES + 43.206 TONNES EX FOR RISK = 104.387 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 $36.05
WE HAD 396 CONTRACTS REMOVED FROM THE COMEX TRADES TO OPEN INTEREST (CROOKS)//PRELIMINARY TO FINAL. AND THIS IS TOTALLY INSANE AS WELL
NET LOSS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES 10,307 CONTRACTS OR 1,030,700 OZ (32.06 TONNES)
confirmed volume MONDAY 337,585 contracts: strong ///
//speculators have left the gold arena
END
I/ /// THE JAN 2025 GOLD CONTRACT
JAN 28
INITIAL
| Gold | Ounces |
| Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory in oz | nil |
| Withdrawals from Customer Inventory in oz | 2/ a) out of Brinks: 803.775 oz (25 kilobars) b) Out of Brinks enhanced: 399.975 oz 1 Good London delivery Bar total withdrawal: 1203.75 oz . |
| Deposit to the Dealer Inventory in oz | i) Into Asahi: 96,048.194 oz ii) Into Brinks: 22,570.8 oz total dealer deposit: 118,618.196 oz or 3.689 tonnes |
| Deposits to the Customer Inventory, in oz | i) Into Brinks Customer account: 85,380.697 oz ii) Into Brinks enhanced account 11,255/425 oz (28 London good delivery bars of 400 oz each) iii) Into JPMorgan; 257,208.000 oz (8000 kilobars) iv) Into Malca: 26,363.820 oz (820 kilobars) v) Into Manfra: 29,968.341 oz total weight deposit: customer acct 410,176.283 oz or 12.258 tonnes total weight dealer and customer: 15.947 tonnes |
| No of oz served (contracts) today | 1062 notice(s) 106200 OZ 3.2032 TONNES |
| No of oz to be served (notices) | 668 contracts 668 OZ 2.077 TONNES |
| Total monthly oz gold served (contracts) so far this month | 19,001 notices 1,900,100 oz 59.101 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: 2
i) Into Asahi: 96,048.194 oz
ii) Into Brinks: 22,570.8 oz
total dealer deposit: 118,618.196 oz
or 3.689 tonnes
we have 5 customer deposits
i) Into Brinks Customer account: 85,380.697 oz
ii) Into Brinks enhanced account 11,255/425 oz
(28 London good delivery bars of 400 oz each)
iii) Into JPMorgan; 257,208.000 oz (8000 kilobars)
iv) Into Malca: 26,363.820 oz (820 kilobars)
v) Into Manfra: 29,968.341 oz
total weight deposit: customer acct
410,176.283 oz or 12.258 tonnes
total weight dealer and customer: 15.947 tonnes
withdrawals: 2 customer account;
a) out of Brinks: 803.775 oz (25 kilobars)
b) Out of Brinks enhanced: 399.975 oz
1 Good London delivery Bar
total withdrawal: 1203.75 oz
adjustments:4/customer to dealer
i) out of Brinks 98,,478.513 oz
ii) out of Delaware 6512.26 oz
iii) Out of Loomis: 32,118.847 oz (999 kilobars)
iv) Out of Manfra 50,607.825 oz
total adjusted customer to dealer 187,717.44 oz (5.83 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 1730 contracts having LOST 339 contracts. We had a strong 1194 contract issuance on MONDAY. Thus ANOTHER MEGA HUGE QUEUE JUMP (GAIN) of 855 contracts on our two exchanges. (85500 oz or 2.659tonnes). THIS IS CENTRAL BANKERS STANDING FOR PHYSICAL GOLD WITH LONDON VAULTS DRAMATICALLY RUNNING OUT OF PHYSICAL TO SUPPLY THEM
FEBRUARY LOST 45,726 CONTRACTS TO 172,507 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 HAS NOT BEEN DECLINING AS MUCH AS IT SHOULD. WE HAVE ONLY 3 MORE DAYS BEFORE FIRST DAY NOTICE THIS FRIDAY, JAN 31.
MARCH HAD A GAIN OF 1206 CONTRACTS UP TO 8359
APRIL HAD A GAIN OF 28,824 CONTRACTS UP TO 311,733 CONTRACTS
We had 1062 contracts filed for today representing 106,200 oz
This is a huge major assault on the comex for gold and this time it is physical that will be requested.
Today, 0 notice(s) were issued from J.P.Morgan dealer and 0 notices issued from their client or customer account. The total of all issuance by all participants equate to 1062 contract(s) of which 0 notices were stopped (received) by j.P. Morgan dealer and 0 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 (19,001x 100 oz ) to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN(1730 CONTRACTS) minus the number of notices served upon today (1062 x 100 oz per contract) equals 1,966,900 OZ OR 61.179 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 JAN 17’S ISSUANCE OF .2644 TONNES TO WHICH WE ADD THIS WEEK’S MONSTER 15.562 TONNES ISSUANCE (JAN 22)/TO (JAN 24) 500 EX FOR RISK ISSUANCE = 23.134 TONNES AND THEN FINALLY TODAY’S ISSUANCE OF 20074 TONNES FOR A NEW TOTAL OF 43.208 TONNES EX FOR RISK. THUS NEW STANDING FOR GOLD AT THE COMEX FOR JAN IS 61.179 TONNES PLUS 43.208 TONNES EX FOR RISK = 104.387 TONNES
thus the INITIAL standings for gold for the JAN contract month: No of notices filed so far (19,001 x 100 oz +we add the difference for front month of JAN (1730 OI} minus the number of notices served upon today (1062 x 100 oz) which equals 1,966,900 oz (61.179 TONNES) + 43.208 TONNES = 104.387 TONNES
TOTAL COMEX GOLD STANDING FOR JAN.: 104.387 TONNES WHICH IS HUGE FOR THIS NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH IN THE CALENDAR AND THIS IS THE HIGHEST EVER RECORDED FOR ANY 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: 2,063,584.394 oz 64.186 tonnes
TOTAL OF ALL GOLD ELIGIBLE AND REGISTERED GOLD: 29,784,015.886
TOTAL REGISTERED GOLD 12,767,604.836 or 397.12 tonnes
TOTAL OF ALL ELIGIBLE GOLD: 17,019.411.050 OZ
REGISTERED GOLD THAT CAN BE SERVED UPON: 10,704,020 oz (REG GOLD- PLEDGED GOLD)= 332.94 tonnes //
JPMorgan enhanced inventory is now down to 676,159 oz or 32.77% of entire enhanced inventory
total enhanced inventory; down to 2.063 million oz
END
SILVER/COMEX
JAN 27. 2025
INITIAL
// THE JAN 2025 SILVER CONTRACT//INITIAL
| Silver | Ounces |
| Withdrawals from Dealers Inventory | NIL oz |
| Withdrawals from Customer Inventory | 7097.92 oz international Delaware 2 a) Out of Brinks 6793.499 oz b) Out of Loomis: 50,541.160 oz total withdrawal 57,334.659 oz |
| Deposits to the Dealer Inventory | nil |
| Deposits to the Customer Inventory | i) Into JPMorgan: 1219,036.430 oz ii) Into Loomis: 598,569.32 oz iii) Into Manfra: 197,337.402 oz total deposit 2,014,943.152 oz |
| No of oz served today (contracts) | 70 CONTRACT(S) (350,000 OZ) |
| No of oz to be served (notices) | 6 contracts (0.030 MILLION oz) |
| Total monthly oz silver served (contracts) | 2238 Contracts (10.580 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//customer acct
i) Into JPMorgan: 1219,036.430 oz
ii) Into Loomis: 598,569.32 oz
iii) Into Manfra: 197,337.402 oz
total deposit 2,014,943.152 oz
WITHDRAWALS 2
a) Out of Brinks 6793.499 oz
b) Out of Loomis: 50,541.160 oz
total withdrawal 57,334.659 oz
ADJUSTMENT
nil
JPMorgan has a total silver weight: 141.179million oz/350.561million or 40.24%
TOTAL REGISTERED SILVER: 73.487 MILLION OZ//.TOTAL REG + ELIGIBLE. 350.561 million oz
CALCULATIONS FOR THE NEW STANDING FOR SILVER FOR JANUARY
silver open interest data:
FRONT MONTH OF JAN /2024 OI: 76 OPEN INTEREST FOR A GAIN OF 10 CONTRACT(S).
WE HAD A 60 CONTRACT ISSUANCE ON MONDAY. THUS WE GAINED 70 CONTRACTS, THAT IS WE HAD A HUGE 70 CONTRACT QUEUE JUMP FOR 350,000 OZ
FEBRUARY SAW A GAIN 0F 108 CONTRACTS TO STAND AT 1736
MARCH SAW A LOSS OF 715 CONTRACTS UP TO 121,205. 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: 70 for 350,000 oz
CONFIRMED volume; ON MONDAY 58,531 fair//
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 2238x 5,000 oz = 11.190 MILLION oz
to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of JAN (76) and the number of notices served upon today (70)x (5000 oz)
Thus the standings for silver for the JAN 2025 contract month: 2238 Notices served so far) x 5000 oz + OI for the front month of JAN(76)minus number of notices served upon today (70)x 5000 oz equals silver standing for the JAN contract month equating to 11.220 MILLION OZ.
New total standing: 11.220 million oz.
There are 73.487 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 28 WITH GOLD UP $23.05 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 3.16 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 857.02 TONNES
JAN 27 WITH GOLD DOWN $36.05 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 5.17 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///
JAN 24 WITH GOLD UP $16.00 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 5.17 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.19 TONNES
JAN 23 WITH GOLD DOWN $1.00 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 2.30 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 869.36 TONNES
JAN 22 WITH GOLD UP $15.15 ON THE DAY; MEGA HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 7.46 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 871.66 TONNES
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: 857.02 TONNES, TONIGHTS TOTAL
SILVER
jAN 28 WITH SILVER UP $0.34 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.821 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 454.891 MILLION OZ
jAN 27 WITH SILVER DOWN $.61 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.64 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 457.395 MILLION OZ
JAN 24 WITH SILVER DOWN $.21 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.64 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 457.395 MILLION OZ
JAN 23 WITH SILVER DOWN $.41 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 4.738 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 459.035 MILLION OZ
JAN 22 WITH SILVER UP $.08 //SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A DEPOSIT OF 0.721 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 464.043 MILLION OZ
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 454.891 MILLION OZ//
PHYSICAL GOLD/SILVER COMMENTARIES
1/ PETER SCHIFF/SCHIFF GOLD/MIKE MAHARRY
END
2/ Commentaries from: Egon von Greyerz///Matthew Piepenburg via GoldSwitzerland.com, Pam and Russ Martens
ALASDAIR MACLEOD….
3. CHRIS POWELL AND GATA DISPATCHES
Jan Nieuwenhuijs: China continues covert gold purchases in London
Submitted by admin on Mon, 2025-01-27 16:15 Section: Daily Dispatches
By Jan Nieuwenhuijs
Money Metals Exchange, Eagle, Idaho
Monday, January 27, 2025
While the gold space has been obsessed over the gold streaming from London to New York in reaction to President Donald J. Trump’s tariff threats, even as it had little effect on price, the bigger story is that the People’s Bank of China is quietly stockpiling gold at a frenetic rate.
Direct gold exports from the U.K. to China — a proxy for PBoC purchases — remained impressively strong in November at 50 tonnes. As the Chinese central bank in 2024 secretly bought approximately 600 tonnes with $50 billion U.S. dollars, it’s confident about where the dollar price of gold is going: up.
Since February 2023 I have been publishing evidence of the PBoC buying significantly more gold than what it reports to the International Monetary Fund. These purchases have broken the West’s dominance in the market by driving the price higher. …
… For the remainder of the report:
end
Air Canada ordered to pay just $18,000 for stolen $24 million crate of gold
Submitted by admin on Fri, 2025-01-24 12:15 Section: Daily Dispatches
By Adrian Humphreys
National Post, Toronto
Thursday, January 23, 2025
In the messy aftermath of the Toronto airport gold heist, in which $24 million in gold bars and cash was driven away by thieves from an Air Canada warehouse, the airline has been ordered by the federal court to pay Brink’s transport company just $18,600 in compensation for their huge loss because of poorly completed paperwork on the stolen shipment.
Brink’s, a U.S.-based secure transit company, sued Air Canada, the country’s largest airline, after a large crate Brink’s was moving from Switzerland to Canada was stolen from the airline’s warehouse at Pearson airport shortly after arriving on an Air Canada flight from Zurich in 2023. …
… For the remainder of the report:
* * *
4. ANDREW MAGUIRE A MUST MUST VIEW…YOUTUBE/KINESIS LIVE FROM THE VAULT 207
end
5 B GLOBAL COMMODITY ISSUES/FOOD IN GENERAL//FREIGHT/COMMODITIES: COMMODITY//
end
6 CRYPTOCURRENCY NEWS
END
ASIA TRADING TUESDAY MORNING MONDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 2.02 OR 0.06%
//Hang Seng CLOSED UP 27.34 PTS OR 0.14%
// Nikkei CLOSED DOWN 548.93 OR 1.39%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED DOWN .18%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2509 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2761// Oil DOWN TO 73.79dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT DOWN AT 778.65 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
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 DOWN AT 7.2509
OFFSHORE YUAN: DOWN TO 7.2761
SHANGHAI CLOSED CLOSED DOWN 2.02 PTS OR 0.06%
HANG SENG CLOSED CLOSED UP 27.34 PTS OR 0.14%
2. Nikkei closed DOWN 548.93 OR 0.14%
3. Europe stocks SO FAR: ALL GREEN
USA dollar INDEX UP TO 107.79 EURO FALLS TO 1.0421 DOWN 16 BASIS PT HEADING TO PARITY WITH USA
3b Japan 10 YR bond yield: RISES TO. +1.196 Japan buying 100% of bond issuance)/Japanese YEN vs USA cross now at 155.29…… 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 DOWN CHINESE ONSHORE YUAN: DOWN OFFSHORE: DOWN
3f Japan is to buy INFINITE TRILLION YEN worth of BONDS. Japan’s GDP equals 5 trillion USA
Japan to buy 100% of all new Japanese debt and NOW they will have OVER 50% of all Japanese debt.
3g Oil DOWN for WTI and DOWN FOR DOWN this morning
3h European bond buying continues to push yields lower on all fronts in the EMU. German 10yr bund YIELD UP TO +2.5525 Italian 10 Yr bond yield UP to 3.633 //SPAIN 10 YR BOND YIELD UP TO 3.160
3i Greek 10 year bond yield DOWN TO 3.396
3j Gold at $2744.70 /Silver at: 30.15 1 am est) SILVER NEXT RESISTANCE LEVEL AT $50.00//AFTER 28.40
3k USA vs Russian rouble;// Russian rouble DOWN 1 AND 19/100 roubles/dollar; ROUBLE AT 98.59
3m oil into the 73 dollar handle for WTI and 77 handle for Brent/
3n Higher foreign deposits moving out of China// huge risk of outflows and a currency depreciation. This can spell financial disaster for the rest of the world/
JAPAN ON JAN 29.2016 CONTINUES NIRP. THIS MORNING RAISES AMOUNT OF BONDS THAT THEY WILL PURCHASE UP TO .5% ON THE 10 YR BOND///YEN TRADES TO 155.29 10 YEAR YIELD AFTER FIRST BREAKING .54% LAST YEAR NOW EXCEEDS THAT LEVEL TO 1.196% 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 0.9057 as the Swiss Franc is still rising against most currencies. Euro vs SF: 0.9439 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: 4.561 UP 3 BASIS PTS…
USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 4.804. UP 3 BASIS PTS/
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.218 UP 2 BASIS PTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 35.77…
10 YR UK BOND YIELD: 4.6535 UP 3 PTS
10 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 3.247 UP 2 BASIS PTS
5 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 2.945 UP 2 PTS.
2a New York OPENING REPORT
Futures Rebound After Historic Nvidia Rout; Dollar, Yields Bounce
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 08:23 AM
US futures rose slightly after Monday’s rout over valuations in the artificial-intelligence sector, while the dollar advanced after US President Donald Trump said he wants to enact across-the-board tariffs that are “much bigger” than 2.5%. After suffering a record drop on Monday, Nvidia led a rebound in premarket trading one day after Chinese upstart DeepSeek prompted traders to rethink the extent of US tech dominance. As of 8:00am ET, futures on the Nasdaq 100 rose about 0.2% after the tech index suffered its worst one-day drop since mid-December as Nvidia shares climbed as much as 5% in premarket, poised to claw back some of their 17% slump. Contracts tracking the S&P 500 gained 0.2% with semis poised to recoup some of yesterday’s losses. In Europe, stocks climbed on the back of upbeat earnings. Keep an eye on USD and bond yields, which moved higher as Trump looked set to add a blanket tariff on Feb 1 which could start with a 2.5% blanket tariff and ramp from there. The commodity complex is seeing strength in Energy, weakness in Ags, and Metals are mixed. Today’s macro focus is on Durable/Cap Goods, Housing Pricing, Consumer Confidence, and regional activity indicators ahead of tomorrow’s Fed decision. Starbucks, GM and Boeing are among companies to report results today.
In premarket trading, Nvidia jumped 4% after plunging 17% yesterday as Chinese artificial intelligence upstart DeepSeek prompted traders to rethink the extent of US tech dominance. Chip-related stocks advanced (Broadcom (AVGO) +2%, KLA Corp (KLAC) +1%, Marvell Technology (MRVL) +2%) as did AI infrastructure-related stocks (Constellation Energy (CEG) +2%, Oracle (ORCL) +1%, NuScale (SMR) +2%). Mag7 names were mostly higher after yesterday’s rout: Magnificent Seven: Alphabet (GOOGL) +0.7%, Amazon (AMZN) -0.5%, Apple (AAPL) +0.2%, Microsoft (MSFT) +0.1%, Meta Platforms (META) +0.5%, Nvidia (NVDA) +2% and Tesla (TSLA) -0.2%. Here are some other notable premarket movers:
- JetBlue (JBLU) falls 6% reporting fourth-quarter earnings.
- Royal Caribbean (RCL) climbs 5% after the cruise operator forecast adjusted earnings per share for 2025 that beat the average analyst estimate, and said its busiest booking period is off to a record start.
- Roper Technologies (ROP) rises 1% as TD Cowen upgraded the software firm to buy, citing revenue acceleration into 2025 and saying that the company’s “US centric portfolio” could also be attractive to many investor groups.
- Sanmina (SANM) gains 1% after the electronics contract manufacturing services company reported adjusted earnings per share for the first quarter above what analysts expected.
- Synchrony Financial (SYF) falls 5% after posting fourth quarter results.
Nvidia was poised to recover some of its 17% slump on Monday as DeepSeek’s cost-effective AI model added fuel to the debate over the outlook for big spending by tech companies on the chipmaker’s expensive products, when lower-cost solutions are possible by fine-tuning models. That potential threat to semiconductor demand — albeit too early to gauge, according to Bloomberg Intelligence — was enough to spur concerns among investors over whether the tech megacaps deserve their premium valuations.
“Nvidia has been the number one driver of S&P 500 earnings growth over the past 18 months,” said Mike O’Rourke, chief market strategist at Jonestrading. “If Nvidia does not deliver on earnings growth, an expensive S&P 500 becomes much more expensive.”
Meanwhile, the dollar strengthened against its major peers and copper fell on President Trump’s latest comments about tariffs to reporters on Monday night. The US president said he wants to enact across-the-board tariffs that are “much bigger” than 2.5%. In a speech from Florida, he also pledged tariffs on specific sectors, including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, steel, copper and aluminum.
“I remain an equity bull, and would view this as a dip to be bought,” said Michael Brown, senior research strategist at Pepperstone Group Ltd. “That said, understandably, conviction to ‘catch a falling knife’ might be a little lacking for the time being.” The new US administration has been debating trade levies through January, with FT reporting Trump’s advisers were considering a gradual increase of about 2% to 5% a month.
European stocks also gain with the Stoxx 600 rising and set for a record close thanks to upbeat earnings offering additional support while SAP and Siemens Energy gain after upbeat results. Retail and utilities are the best performing sectors with miners and banks lagging behind. Europe’s largest lender HSBC will wind down some of its investment banking operations in Europe, the UK and the Americas as part of its restructuring efforts. Here are some of the biggest movers on Tuesday:
- Sartorius shares jump as much as 17%, the most since Oct. 17, after the German lab equipment maker reported better-than-expected adjusted Ebitda for the full year and said it expects a moderate increase in sales revenue in 2025.
- Siemens Energy shares gain as much as 5.1% after it pre-released strong fiscal 1Q results.
- Mercedes shares rise as much as 2.4% after a pre-close call late Monday during which the German automaker indicated it had a stronger-than-expected end to the year, according to analysts.
- SAP shares rise as much as 3.1% to an intraday record, after the software company raised full-year guidance on cloud revenue and operating profit, helped by its clients’ migration to cloud.
- Comet shares jump as much as 6.3%, the most since October, after the Swiss supplier of radio-frequency tools to the semiconductor industry posted a strong revenue growth update that shows recovery has gained momentum, according to ZKB.
- Foxtons shares rise as much as 6.7% after the London-focused estate agent said annual earnings for 2024 will be ahead of expectations.
- Xvivo Perfusion gains as much as 14%, the most since July, after Bryan Garnier & Co raised its view on the Swedish organ-transplant technology firm to buy from neutral, saying solid 4Q financials bolstered the broker’s view on the firm.
- Schneider Electric falls as much as 4.9%, extending declines following a DeepSeek-driven selloff. Citi (neutral) said valuation support may be 20% below Monday’s closing price.
- Swatch shares fall as much as 2.1% after Morgan Stanley downgrades the watchmaker to underweight from equal-weight ahead of earnings, flagging further softness in the Swiss watch industry.
- Netcompany falls as much as 17%, the most in two years, after the Danish IT consultancy reported adjusted Ebitda, revenue, margins and gross profits for the fourth quarter that missed average analyst estimates.
Earlier in the session, Asian shares fell on concerns surrounding AI-inflated tech valuations, while several markets were closed or held shortened trading sessions for the Lunar New Year holiday. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell as much as 0.6%. Japanese chip-tester maker Advantest and Australian data center REIT Goodman were among the biggest decliners after DeepSeek’s cheap AI model triggered a selloff in related stocks. Stocks edged higher in Hong Kong, as Tencent and other Chinese internet stocks extended gains. Large-cap shares in India advanced, while Japan’s benchmarks were mixed. Bourses in mainland China, South Korea and Taiwan were shut.
“It’s too early to call the future impact from DeepSeek, but what it has demonstrated is the crowded positioning within the potentially impacted sectors,” said Matthew Haupt, a fund manager at Wilson Asset Management. “Questions around growth outlooks are now not a 100% foregone story, so probabilities have shifted and that’s all that’s needed for a selloff.”
In FX, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.3% as the dollar strengthened against most major currencies after comments from US President Trump and his Treasury Secretary stoked concern about widespread US trade tariffs. The Japanese yen and euro are among the weakest of the G-10 currencies, each falling around 0.6% against the greenback.
In rates, treasuries fell with US 10-year yields rising 2 bps to 4.56%. Bunds also dip while gilts slightly outperform Treasuries and bunds across the curve.
In commodities, oil prices advance, with WTI rising 0.5% to $73.50. Spot gold is steady around $2,744/oz. Bitcoin rises toward $103,000.
On today’s calendar, we get the December durable goods orders (8:30am), November FHFA house price index, S&P CoreLogic home prices (9am), January consumer confidence and Richmond Fed manufacturing index (10am) and January Dallas Fed services activity (10:30am)
Market Snapshot
- S&P 500 futures up 0.2% to 6,061.75
- MXAP down 0.5% to 182.26
- MXAPJ down 0.3% to 572.54
- Nikkei down 1.4% to 39,016.87
- Topix little changed at 2,756.90
- Hang Seng Index up 0.1% to 20,225.11
- Shanghai Composite little changed at 3,250.60
- Sensex up 0.6% to 75,821.14
- Australia S&P/ASX 200 down 0.1% to 8,399.07
- Kospi up 0.8% to 2,536.80
- STOXX Europe 600 up 0.5% to 532.45
- German 10Y yield little changed at 2.56%
- Euro down 0.5% to $1.0442
- Brent Futures up 0.6% to $77.55/bbl
- Gold spot up 0.1% to $2,743.52
- US Dollar Index up 0.44% to 107.82
Top Overnight News
- Trump spoke after the Mon close and said “in the very near future” he would be placing tariffs on computer chips, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminum, and copper. BBG
- Trump said he wants universal tariffs much larger than 2.5% and has a tariff level in mind but had not set it yet, which followed an earlier report in FT that Treasury Secretary Bessent is pushing for a gradual 2.5% universal tariffs plan in which the 2.5% levy would move higher by the same amount each month.
- Trump said he will work with Congress on a plan to secure the borders and that they need a massive increase in funding for border security, while he will work with Congress on tax cuts and must permanently extend tax cuts previously passed under the Trump administration. Trump reiterated “drill baby drill” and said he will give fast approval to anyone building a plant for electric generation. Trump also stated that tariffs will be placed on computer chips in the near future and he will place tariffs on producers of pharmaceuticals, while he added that steel and other industries will be considered for tariffs and tariffs will also be placed on aluminium and copper. Furthermore, he said if you want to stop placing the tariffs, companies need to build plants in the US and it is good that companies in China have come up with a faster method of artificial intelligence whereby Chinese startup DeepSeek should be a wake-up call.
- US Senate voted 68-29 to confirm Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary who is pushing for new universal tariffs on US imports to start at 2.5% and rise gradually. The 2.5% levy would move higher by the same amount each month, giving business time to adjust and countries a chance to negotiate with the Trump’s administration. FT
- Speaker Johnson said he doesn’t think Trump’s tariffs will hit “whole countries or whole industries with across-the-board levies.” Politico
- NVDA (Nvidia) said on Monday that the need for its chips would rise as a result of increased demand for DeepSeek’s services (Nvidia also said that DeepSeek appears to be telling the truth when it said its model was made without access to the highest-end GPUs). BBG
- Pimco and Apollo are among asset managers considering buying a portion of the next $3 billion of debt tied to Elon Musk’s buyout of X, people familiar said. BBG
- Japan’s government risks rejection of its annual budget if it doesn’t concede more ground to a small opposition party seeking a larger tax-free allowance. BBG
- Japan is considering an ordinance to allow GPIF to participate directly in government bond auctions, people familiar said. The fund at present purchases JGBs from auctions via securities companies. The change will make it easier for the fund to rebalance its portfolio. BBG
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK economy is starting to turn around and indicated he wanted a better trading relationship with the US. BBG
- A handful of GenAI stocks are pushing higher in the pre-mrkt: NVDA +5% (>8mn shares already trading) and ALAB, GEV, VRT, AVGO types up 4%+ on light volume.
A more detailed look at global markets courtesy of Newsquawk
APAC stocks were mixed amid holiday-thinned conditions on Chinese New Year’s Eve and after the recent US tech sell-off. ASX 200 traded rangebound on return from the long weekend as gains in the consumer, healthcare, telecoms and financial sectors offset the losses in real estate, utilities, tech and miners, while improved Business surveys did little to spur demand. Nikkei 225 extended on the recent selling but was off worst levels amid a weaker currency and softer Services PPI data. Hang Seng kept afloat but with upside capped amid the absence of mainland participants and Stock Connect flows, while markets in Hong Kong closed early ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations.
Top Asian News
- US President Trump said they will have a lot of people bidding on TikTok and don’t want China involved in TikTok, while he confirmed Microsoft (MSFT) is in talks on TikTok and said he would like a bidding war over TikTok.
- US federal maritime official said the US is not without options in addressing the growing presence of China and Chinese companies in Panama, while the US seeks to increase support for American companies in Panama and throughout the Americas, ensuring Chinese companies are not the sole bidders on contracts.
- Japan’s government nominated Waseda University professor Junko Koeda as BoJ Board Member to replace Board Member Adachi whose term ends on 25th March 2025.
Sentiment has stabilised vs the considerable tech-induced losses seen in the prior session. NVIDIA (+5%) is higher in the pre-market, after sinking as much as 17% on Monday. US equity futures are mixed, but with very clear outperformance in the tech-heavy NQ +0.7% as AI-names jump higher in the pre-market, following the tech-rout seen in the prior session; NVDA +5.0%, AVGO +4.0%, MSFT +0.8%. In Europe, the Tech sector is found towards the middle of the pack; ASML (+0.8%), BE Semi (+0.3%) are both a little higher, but were initially on the backfoot. SAP (+0.2%) post earnings where the name lifted FY25 guidance. European bourses (Stoxx 600 +0.5%) opened the session on a modestly firmer footing, and have generally traded sideways throughout the morning thus far. SAP (SAP GY) Q4 Earnings: Beat on Revenue, Net Income, adj. EBIT and Cloud Revenue. Lifts FY25 guidance and expects strong FY Cloud Revenue growth. CEO: Our strong position in data and business AI gives us additional confidence that we will accelerate revenue growth through 2027”.
Top European News
- ECB Euro area bank lending survey: Credit standards tightened for firms in the fourth quarter of 2024, driven by higher perceived risks and lower risk tolerance. Credit standards remained unchanged for loans to households for house purchase but continued to tighten for consumer credit. Housing loan demand continued to rebound strongly, while demand for firm loans remained weak.
- German economy output forecast to fall by 0.1% in 2025, according to BDI, while global economy expected to grow by 3.2%; must assume a leading role in Brussels with ambitions economic policy agenda.
- German Regulator BaFin says property markets correction among top risks in 2025; other top risks include financial market corrections and corporate loan defaults
- UK PM Starmer has reportedly requested that the relinking of the UK and EU emissions trading scheme is on the agenda for spring talks, via FT citing EU officials.
FX
- USD is bouncing back after being sold yesterday alongside the sell-off in the large cap global tech stocks and failing to act as a safe-haven. The rebound has been bolstered by overnight commentary from US President Trump who pushed back on reports that his administration could impose a gradual 2.5% universal tariff that would increase by 2.5% each month. DXY briefly made its way onto a 108 handle with a current session peak at 108.02.
- EUR is softer vs. the USD and to a lesser extent the GBP. Despite the global risk-aversion yesterday, EUR was actually able to eke out gains vs. the USD. However, this upside has been swiftly reversed on account of the aforementioned inflammatory tariff rhetoric from Trump overnight. EUR/USD is below yesterday’s trough at 1.0453 and the 50DMA at 1.0433.
- JPY has given back the bulk of yesterday’s gains vs. the USD that were triggered by the sell-off in global large-cap tech stocks. However, this move has been tempered during today’s session in the wake of the broadly stronger USD, which has been bolstered by inflammatory tariff rhetoric from US President Trump. USD/JPY is currently tucked within yesterday’s 153.71-156.24 range.
- GBP is softer vs. the USD but firmer vs. the EUR. Fresh macro drivers for the UK are light aside from the BRC Shop Price Index for January showing a 0.7% Y/Y decline vs. prev. 1.0%. Cable matched the bottom-end of yesterday’s 1.2426-1.2524 range.
- Another session of losses for the antipodes after suffering yesterday alongside the tech sell-off. This time around, the broader recovery in the USD is acting as a drag.
Fixed Income
- Overall, USTs are pulling back this morning as tech/market sentiment looks set to attempt a slight recovery from the substantial pressure seen on Monday, with NVDA higher by around 5% in pre-market trade. Supply the scheduled point of focus for the session ahead. Follows on from mixed auctions on Monday where the 2yr tap was a soft auction but was followed by the 5yr which experienced a much better reception. Today, USD 44bln of 7yr Notes are on offer after a 2yr FRN sale. As it stands, USTs are softer to the tune of c. 10 ticks at a 108-25+ low.
- Bunds are pulling back in tandem with the above though magnitudes are slightly more contained today on account of Bunds, relatively speaking, paring more of Monday’s upside in that session than USTs managed to do. No reaction to the latest ECB Bank Lending Survey or Germany’s BDI Industry Association forecasting a domestic output contraction in 2025. Bunds at a 131.42 base vs Monday’s 132.14 high, as such Bunds are back to within touching distance of Monday’s 131.38 opening level/trough.
- Gilts are echoing the above, at a 92.13 trough vs Monday’s 92.68 peak. A low which brings Gilts comfortably below the week’s 92.32 open and at an incremental fresh low for the week.
- UK DMO announces gilt tender for up to GBP 1.5bln of their 0.125% 2026 conventional gilt on Jan 30th.
- Netherlands sells EUR 2.45bln vs exp. EUR 2-2.5bln 2.50% 2030 DSL; average yield 2.493% (prev. 2.481%)
- UK sells GBP 1.5bln 1.125% 2035 I/L Gilt Auction: b/c 3.12x and real yield 1.128%.
- Italy sells EUR 3bln vs exp. EUR 2.75-3.0bln 2.55% 2027 BTP & EUR 2-2.5bln 1.50% 2029 & 1.80% 2036 BTP€i.
Commodities
- The crude complex is a little firmer and ultimately taking a breather from yesterday’s losses, whilst prices could also be underpinned to an extent from reports that protesters at Libya’s Es Sidra port prevent tankers from loading, according to engineers cited by Reuters. Brent Apr resides in a USD 76.12-76.90/bbl parameter.
- Mixed/flat trade across precious metals as prices take a breather from yesterday’s volatility and with newsflow somewhat light during European hours awaiting any impulse from Wall Street. Spot gold currently resides in a USD 2,734.81-2,745.30/oz range.
- Mixed trade across metals amid an overall cautious tone in the market and with Trump tariff threats continuing to cap gains. Adding to bearish sentiment, US President Trump is reportedly set to impose tariffs on steel, aluminium, and copper imports. 3M LME copper resides in a USD 9,016.00-9,115.50/t range
- Russia’s Kremlin says Russia is interested in the continuation of gas transit via Ukraine.
- Saudi’s Energy Minister met with Iraqi and Libyan counterparts and discussed efforts to support stability in energy markets, according to the Saudi state news agency.
- Petrobras CEO told Brazilian President Lula that the company will readjust diesel prices with the readjustment expected to occur in the next weeks.
- Slovakian Foreign Minister said they welcome the European Commission statement on gas supplies through Ukraine and see Ukraine’s willingness to discuss transit of non-Russian gas as a return to a solution they have proposed, such as Azeri gas.
- Protesters at Libya’s Es Sidra port prevent tanker from loading, according to engineers cited by Reuters. Protestors have halted oil loading operations at Libya’s Ras Lanuf port, according to Reuters sources.
- India is set to invest nearly USD 2bln to develop the critical minerals sector, according to Reuters sources
Geopolitics: Middle East
- US Secretary of State Rubio had a call with Jordan’s King Abdullah and discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages and a pathway for stability in the region.
- “Iranian foreign minister told Sky News: If Iran’s nuclear facilities are attacked, it will be answered “immediately and decisively””, according to Sky News Arabia.
- “Hamas: Mediators have begun the process of taking the pulse of the two sides to start the second phase of the agreement”, according to Al Arabiya.
Geopolitics: Other
- US President Trump to sign an order to begin the process of creating the next generation of missile defence, while the order will call for the creation of an ‘Iron Dome’ for the US.
- UK Foreign Secretary Lammy and US Secretary of State Rubio spoke on the phone and said the UK and US will work together in alignment to address the situation in the Middle East, Russia’s war in Ukraine and challenges posed by China.
US Event Calendar
- 08:30: Dec. Durable Goods Orders, est. 0.6%, prior -1.2%
- 08:30: Dec. Durables Less Transportation, est. 0.3%, prior -0.2%
- 08:30: Dec. Cap Goods Ship Nondef Ex Air, est. 0.2%, prior 0.3%
- 08:30: Dec. Cap Goods Orders Nondef Ex Air, est. 0.3%, prior 0.4%
- 09:00: Nov. S&P/CS 20 City MoM SA, est. 0.30%, prior 0.32%
- 09:00: Nov. FHFA House Price Index MoM, est. 0.3%, prior 0.4%
- 09:00: Nov. S&P CS Composite-20 YoY, est. 4.24%, prior 4.22%
- 10:00: Jan. Conf. Board Present Situation, prior 140.2
- 10:00: Jan. Conf. Board Expectations, prior 81.1
- 10:00: Jan. Richmond Fed Business Conditio, prior 14
- 10:00: Jan. Richmond Fed Index, est. -10, prior -10
- 10:00: Jan. Conf. Board Consumer Confidenc, est. 105.9, prior 104.7
- 10:30: Jan. Dallas Fed Services Activity, prior 9.6
DB’s Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap
This morning I’ve just released my latest chartbook, which is called “Deeply Seeking Comparisons to 2000”. We’d been working on a chartbook comparing today with 2000 for a couple of weeks (both positives and negatives), but with the emergence of DeepSeek and the selloff yesterday, it’s hopefully even more relevant now. It takes a look at crude equity valuations, looks at the earnings growth of the Mag 7 (past and future expectations), and shows how the largest stocks in the index today hold a much larger weight than they did in 2000. At a macro level, we’re in a much higher profit era relative to GDP than in 2000 which helps justify higher equities returns to some degree, even if growth is now much slower. The report should offer a framework for working out if today’s valuations are worryingly similar to 2000, or whether this time is different. See the pack for much more and remember Microsoft, Meta and Tesla report tomorrow with Apple on Thursday so there’ll be no shortage of Mag-7 headlines this week.
In terms of the last 24 hours, markets have experienced an aggressive selloff led by US tech, as there were growing questions about the sustainability of their valuations given DeepSeek’s new AI model. We’ll look at the situation in more depth shortly, but in terms of the headline moves, it meant the S&P 500 (-1.46%) and NASDAQ (-3.07%) posted their biggest declines of 2025 so far, with Nvidia down by a huge -16.97%, erasing $593bn of market cap value in a single day. In fact, it was the biggest single-day loss in a stock’s market cap ever in absolute terms. In fact Nvidia make up 8 of the top 10 on that list. Yesterday’s decline was larger than the total market cap of the likes of ExxonMobil and Mastercard. The effects were clear across the board as well, with the 10yr Treasury yield falling back to its lowest level since the start of the year (-8.7bps to 4.535%), whilst investors poured into havens like the Japanese Yen and the Swiss Franc.
Fundamentally, the reason that this DeepSeek release is such an issue is because the performance of global equities since late-2022 has been powered by US tech stocks. For instance, Nvidia was up +239% in 2023, and then another +171% in 2024, surging rapidly to become the world’s most valuable company by market cap as recently as Friday (down to third yesterday). And more broadly, this rally for the S&P 500 has been an unusually narrow one in terms of the companies pushing the index higher, of the sort we haven’t seen since the dot com bubble in the late-1990s. So while that doesn’t make it unsustainable per se, it means that it’s highly vulnerable to a correction among that Magnificent 7 group.
In terms of the specific moves yesterday, chipmakers were hit hardest, with Nvidia (-16.97%) and Broadcom (-17.40%) seeing sharp moves lower. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index (-9.15%) had its worst day since March 2020, while in Europe ASML was down -7.01%. But the largest declines within the S&P 500 came for electric power companies Vistra Corp (-28.27%), GE Vernova (-21.52%) and Constellation Energy (-20.85%), all three of which had been up over +150% in the past year benefiting from expected growth in power demand for data centres. By contrast, other Mag-7 stocks saw a mixed day, with the more AI-linked Alphabet (-4.20%) and Microsoft (-2.14%) losing ground but Apple (+3.18%) rising to again become the world’s most valuable company.
But outside of US tech, it really wasn’t a bad day for equities, with the equal-weighted S&P 500 (+0.02%) little changed on the day. In fact, nearly 70% of the S&P 500 constituents moved higher, with strong rotation into more defensive sectors including consumer staples (+2.85%) and health care (+2.19%). From March 2000 to the end of that year, after the tech bubble burst, there was a huge rotation into defensives such as utilities, consumer staples and healthcare. They were up around 40% over the 9 plus months.
If you’re looking for positives it was that the S&P traded in a very narrow range yesterday and closed towards the top end of it so the story didn’t accelerate to the downside once the US was in. And this morning US futures are fairly calm with S&P 500 futures -0.14% and Nasdaq futures flat.
In terms of macro I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say the launch of ChatGPT played a notable role in helping the US avoiding a recession over 2023. Despite the most aggressive Fed rate hikes in a generation, the ChatGPT’s launch coincided roughly with the bottom for equities, before the market went on a tremendous bull run, which boosted animal spirits and wealth. The S&P is up around 50% since and has helped eased financial conditions. So while it was far from the only factor, the boost helped consumers to keep spending at a time when there was a lot of downward demand pressure from other sources. See Matt Luzzetti’s piece yesterday here on the impact of equity performance on consumer spending in recent quarters and what the implications could be going forward.
In terms of other snap analysis on the situation, Adrian Cox on my team (link here) sees DeepSeek’s release challenging the dominance of large computationally intensive AI models, suggesting that hardware scaling is less critical and that AI models may become commoditised. For FX, George Saravelos argued (link here) that if this becomes a sustainable trend it would work in a dollar negative direction, and the clearest analogy is the unwinding of the dot com bubble in the early 2000s, where the equity selloff spilled over into the real economy, leading to a mild recession, and in turn a more dovish Fed. In the meantime, Henry’s a bit more sanguine (link here), and makes the point that the Mag 7 fell -18% in the space of a month last summer, before rebounding back to record highs. So we’ve seen worse in recent months, and this decline still keeps the S&P and the Mag 7 inside their post-election range.
Amid public reactions to the news, Nvidia called DeepSeek’s new model an “excellent AI advancement” that “illustrates how new models can be created” using the Test Time Scaling technique. Meanwhile, Trump commented that DeepSeek “should be a wake-up call” to the US tech industry.
We also had new comments from Trump on trade yesterday evening. When asked on the possibility of a 2.5% across-the-board tariff, hinted at by Bessant, Trump said he wanted a rate that is “much bigger”. He also threatened tariffs on a range of sectors including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, steel, copper and aluminum, while also singling out auto imports from Canada and Mexico. Off the back of this, the US dollar index is trading +0.52% higher this morning after a fairly steady session yesterday (-0.09%).
In Asia, most of the major markets (Chinese, South Korean & Taiwanese) are closed for the Lunar New Year Holidays. In terms of specific index moves, the Nikkei (-1.02%) is underperforming but with no additional follow through to the US weakness. On the contrary, the Hang Seng (+0.14%) is inching higher in holiday-thinned trade and is set to close early today. Elsewhere, the S&P/ASX 200 (+0.08%) is fairly flat ahead of key fourth-quarter CPI data due tomorrow. Meanwhile, 10yr USTs yields have edged +1.5bps higher to 4.55%, slowly reversing some of the big rally yesterday.
Given the scale of the equity slump yesterday, investors dialled up their expectations for Fed rate cuts this year. For instance, the amount priced in by the Fed’s December meeting moved up +7.8bps on the day to 50bps, though this has reversed by around -1.5bps this morning. So markets are now pretty much in line with last month’s dot plot that penciled in 50bps for this year. It’ll be interesting to see if Chair Powell backs up that assessment at tomorrow’s press conference. That shift helped support a sizeable rally for Treasuries, with the 2yr yield (-6.9bps) down to 4.20%, whilst the 10yr yield (-8.7bps) fell to 4.535%.
Over in Europe, markets put in a relatively stronger performance yesterday, with the STOXX 600 only down -0.07% on the day. In reality, there was a fair bit of regional divergence, with sharper losses for the DAX (-0.53%), and minor gains for the FTSE 100 (+0.02%) and the IBEX 35 (+0.12%). Meanwhile for bonds, there was an advance across the continent as we approach this week’s ECB meeting, with yields on 10yr bunds (-3.7bps), OATs (-3.1bps), and BTPs (-2.3bps) all moving lower.
Looking at yesterday’s other data, Germany’s Ifo business climate indicator ticked up to 85.1 in January (vs. 84.8 expected). However, the expectations reading fell to its lowest level in a year, at 84.2 (vs. 85.0 expected). Over in the US, we also had new home sales for December, which came in at an annualised pace of 698k in December (vs. 675k expected).
To the day ahead now, and data releases from the US include the Conference Board’s consumer confidence for January, the preliminary reading for durable goods orders in December, and the FHFA’s house price index for November. Otherwise, we’ll get French consumer confidence for January. From central banks, we’ll hear from the ECB’s Villeroy and Cipollone, and we’ll also get the ECB’s Bank Lending Survey. Finally, earnings releases include Boeing, Starbucks and General Motors.
2B) EUROPEAN REPORT
NQ outperforms with NVIDIA +5% pre-market, USD gains on punchy Trump tariff rhetoric – Newsquawk US Market Open
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 05:40 AM
- European bourses are on a firmer footing; NQ outperforms with NVIDIA +5% in pre-market trade.
- USD bounces back following punchy Trump tariff rhetoric; G10s broadly in the red.
- Bonds continue to pullback from Monday’s largely tech-driven highs, supply in focus.
- Energy is firmer but base metals are mixed amid tariff threats.
- Looking ahead, US Durable Goods, Richmond Fed Index, NBH Policy Announcement & US Senate Committee, ECB’s Cipollone & Lagarde, Supply from the US, Earnings from LVMH, Boeing, GM, Lockheed Martin, Royal Caribbean, RTX Corporation, Kimberley Clark, Invesco, JetBlue & Starbucks.
EUROPEAN TRADE
EQUITIES
- Sentiment has stabilised vs the considerable tech-induced losses seen in the prior session. NVIDIA (+5%) is higher in the pre-market, after sinking as much as 17% on Monday.
- US equity futures are mixed, but with very clear outperformance in the tech-heavy NQ +0.7% as AI-names jump higher in the pre-market, following the tech-rout seen in the prior session; NVDA +5.0%, AVGO +4.0%, MSFT +0.8%.
- In Europe, the Tech sector is found towards the middle of the pack; ASML (+0.8%), BE Semi (+0.3%) are both a little higher, but were initially on the backfoot. SAP (+0.2%) post earnings where the name lifted FY25 guidance.
- European bourses (Stoxx 600 +0.5%) opened the session on a modestly firmer footing, and have generally traded sideways throughout the morning thus far.
- SAP (SAP GY) Q4 Earnings: Beat on Revenue, Net Income, adj. EBIT and Cloud Revenue. Lifts FY25 guidance and expects strong FY Cloud Revenue growth. CEO: Our strong position in data and business AI gives us additional confidence that we will accelerate revenue growth through 2027”.
- Click for the sessions European pre-market equity newsflow
- Click for the additional news
- Click for a detailed summary
FX
- USD is bouncing back after being sold yesterday alongside the sell-off in the large cap global tech stocks and failing to act as a safe-haven. The rebound has been bolstered by overnight commentary from US President Trump who pushed back on reports that his administration could impose a gradual 2.5% universal tariff that would increase by 2.5% each month. DXY briefly made its way onto a 108 handle with a current session peak at 108.02.
- EUR is softer vs. the USD and to a lesser extent the GBP. Despite the global risk-aversion yesterday, EUR was actually able to eke out gains vs. the USD. However, this upside has been swiftly reversed on account of the aforementioned inflammatory tariff rhetoric from Trump overnight. EUR/USD is below yesterday’s trough at 1.0453 and the 50DMA at 1.0433.
- JPY has given back the bulk of yesterday’s gains vs. the USD that were triggered by the sell-off in global large-cap tech stocks. However, this move has been tempered during today’s session in the wake of the broadly stronger USD, which has been bolstered by inflammatory tariff rhetoric from US President Trump. USD/JPY is currently tucked within yesterday’s 153.71-156.24 range.
- GBP is softer vs. the USD but firmer vs. the EUR. Fresh macro drivers for the UK are light aside from the BRC Shop Price Index for January showing a 0.7% Y/Y decline vs. prev. 1.0%. Cable matched the bottom-end of yesterday’s 1.2426-1.2524 range.
- Another session of losses for the antipodes after suffering yesterday alongside the tech sell-off. This time around, the broader recovery in the USD is acting as a drag.
- Click for a detailed summary
- Click for NY OpEx Details
FIXED INCOME
- Overall, USTs are pulling back this morning as tech/market sentiment looks set to attempt a slight recovery from the substantial pressure seen on Monday, with NVDA higher by around 5% in pre-market trade. Supply the scheduled point of focus for the session ahead. Follows on from mixed auctions on Monday where the 2yr tap was a soft auction but was followed by the 5yr which experienced a much better reception. Today, USD 44bln of 7yr Notes are on offer after a 2yr FRN sale. As it stands, USTs are softer to the tune of c. 10 ticks at a 108-25+ low.
- Bunds are pulling back in tandem with the above though magnitudes are slightly more contained today on account of Bunds, relatively speaking, paring more of Monday’s upside in that session than USTs managed to do. No reaction to the latest ECB Bank Lending Survey or Germany’s BDI Industry Association forecasting a domestic output contraction in 2025. Bunds at a 131.42 base vs Monday’s 132.14 high, as such Bunds are back to within touching distance of Monday’s 131.38 opening level/trough.
- Gilts are echoing the above, at a 92.13 trough vs Monday’s 92.68 peak. A low which brings Gilts comfortably below the week’s 92.32 open and at an incremental fresh low for the week.
- UK DMO announces gilt tender for up to GBP 1.5bln of their 0.125% 2026 conventional gilt on Jan 30th.
- Netherlands sells EUR 2.45bln vs exp. EUR 2-2.5bln 2.50% 2030 DSL; average yield 2.493% (prev. 2.481%)
- UK sells GBP 1.5bln 1.125% 2035 I/L Gilt Auction: b/c 3.12x and real yield 1.128%.
- Italy sells EUR 3bln vs exp. EUR 2.75-3.0bln 2.55% 2027 BTP & EUR 2-2.5bln 1.50% 2029 & 1.80% 2036 BTP€i.
- Click for a detailed summary
COMMODITIES
- The crude complex is a little firmer and ultimately taking a breather from yesterday’s losses, whilst prices could also be underpinned to an extent from reports that protesters at Libya’s Es Sidra port prevent tankers from loading, according to engineers cited by Reuters. Brent Apr resides in a USD 76.12-76.90/bbl parameter.
- Mixed/flat trade across precious metals as prices take a breather from yesterday’s volatility and with newsflow somewhat light during European hours awaiting any impulse from Wall Street. Spot gold currently resides in a USD 2,734.81-2,745.30/oz range.
- Mixed trade across metals amid an overall cautious tone in the market and with Trump tariff threats continuing to cap gains. Adding to bearish sentiment, US President Trump is reportedly set to impose tariffs on steel, aluminium, and copper imports. 3M LME copper resides in a USD 9,016.00-9,115.50/t range
- Russia’s Kremlin says Russia is interested in the continuation of gas transit via Ukraine.
- Saudi’s Energy Minister met with Iraqi and Libyan counterparts and discussed efforts to support stability in energy markets, according to the Saudi state news agency.
- Petrobras CEO told Brazilian President Lula that the company will readjust diesel prices with the readjustment expected to occur in the next weeks.
- Slovakian Foreign Minister said they welcome the European Commission statement on gas supplies through Ukraine and see Ukraine’s willingness to discuss transit of non-Russian gas as a return to a solution they have proposed, such as Azeri gas.
- Protesters at Libya’s Es Sidra port prevent tanker from loading, according to engineers cited by Reuters. Protestors have halted oil loading operations at Libya’s Ras Lanuf port, according to Reuters sources.
- India is set to invest nearly USD 2bln to develop the critical minerals sector, according to Reuters sources
- Click for a detailed summary
NOTABLE DATA RECAP
- UK BRC Shop Price Index YY (Jan) -0.7% (Prev. -1.0%)
NOTABLE EUROPEAN HEADLINES
- ECB Euro area bank lending survey: Credit standards tightened for firms in the fourth quarter of 2024, driven by higher perceived risks and lower risk tolerance. Credit standards remained unchanged for loans to households for house purchase but continued to tighten for consumer credit. Housing loan demand continued to rebound strongly, while demand for firm loans remained weak.
- German economy output forecast to fall by 0.1% in 2025, according to BDI, while global economy expected to grow by 3.2%; must assume a leading role in Brussels with ambitions economic policy agenda.
- German Regulator BaFin says property markets correction among top risks in 2025; other top risks include financial market corrections and corporate loan defaults
- UK PM Starmer has reportedly requested that the relinking of the UK and EU emissions trading scheme is on the agenda for spring talks, via FT citing EU officials.
NOTABLE US HEADLINES
- DeepSeek says an issue has been identified, fix is being implemented.
- US President Trump said he will work with Congress on a plan to secure the borders and that they need a massive increase in funding for border security, while he will work with Congress on tax cuts and must permanently extend tax cuts previously passed under the Trump administration. Trump reiterated “drill baby drill” and said he will give fast approval to anyone building a plant for electric generation. Trump also stated that tariffs will be placed on computer chips in the near future and he will place tariffs on producers of pharmaceuticals, while he added that steel and other industries will be considered for tariffs and tariffs will also be placed on aluminium and copper. Furthermore, he said if you want to stop placing the tariffs, companies need to build plants in the US and it is good that companies in China have come up with a faster method of artificial intelligence whereby Chinese startup DeepSeek should be a wake-up call.
- US President Trump said he wants universal tariffs much larger than 2.5% and has a tariff level in mind but had not set it yet, which followed an earlier report in FT that Treasury Secretary Bessent is pushing for a gradual 2.5% universal tariffs plan in which the 2.5% levy would move higher by the same amount each month.
- US Senate voted 68-29 to confirm Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary.
GEOPOLITICS
MIDDLE EAST
- US Secretary of State Rubio had a call with Jordan’s King Abdullah and discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages and a pathway for stability in the region.
- “Iranian foreign minister told Sky News: If Iran’s nuclear facilities are attacked, it will be answered “immediately and decisively””, according to Sky News Arabia.
- “Hamas: Mediators have begun the process of taking the pulse of the two sides to start the second phase of the agreement”, according to Al Arabiya.
OTHER
- US President Trump to sign an order to begin the process of creating the next generation of missile defence, while the order will call for the creation of an ‘Iron Dome’ for the US.
- UK Foreign Secretary Lammy and US Secretary of State Rubio spoke on the phone and said the UK and US will work together in alignment to address the situation in the Middle East, Russia’s war in Ukraine and challenges posed by China.
CRYPTO
- Bitcoin is back on a firmer footing, after yesterday’s tech-induced weakness; currently trading around USD 103k.
APAC TRADE
- APAC stocks were mixed amid holiday-thinned conditions on Chinese New Year’s Eve and after the recent US tech sell-off.
- ASX 200 traded rangebound on return from the long weekend as gains in the consumer, healthcare, telecoms and financial sectors offset the losses in real estate, utilities, tech and miners, while improved Business surveys did little to spur demand.
- Nikkei 225 extended on the recent selling but was off worst levels amid a weaker currency and softer Services PPI data.
- Hang Seng kept afloat but with upside capped amid the absence of mainland participants and Stock Connect flows, while markets in Hong Kong closed early ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations.
NOTABLE ASIA-PAC HEADLINES
- US President Trump said they will have a lot of people bidding on TikTok and don’t want China involved in TikTok, while he confirmed Microsoft (MSFT) is in talks on TikTok and said he would like a bidding war over TikTok.
- US federal maritime official said the US is not without options in addressing the growing presence of China and Chinese companies in Panama, while the US seeks to increase support for American companies in Panama and throughout the Americas, ensuring Chinese companies are not the sole bidders on contracts.
- Japan’s government nominated Waseda University professor Junko Koeda as BoJ Board Member to replace Board Member Adachi whose term ends on 25th March 2025.
DATA RECAP
- Japanese Services PPI (Dec) 2.90% vs Exp. 3.20% (Prev. 3.00%)
- Australian NAB Business Confidence (Dec) -2.0 (Prev. -3.0); Conditions (Dec) 6.0 (Prev. 2.0)
2C ASIAN REPORT
Dollar firmer as Trump threatens universal tariffs “much bigger” than 2.5%/month – Newsquawk Europe Market Open
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 01:15 AM
- APAC stocks were mixed amid holiday-thinned conditions on Chinese New Year’s Eve and after the recent US tech sell-off.
- US President Trump said he wants universal tariffs much larger than a 2.5% monthly increase and has a tariff level in mind but has not set it yet.
- European equity futures indicate a marginally positive open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.1% after the cash market fell 0.6% on Monday.
- USD is firmer vs. peers following yesterday’s selling, JPY lags, EUR/USD is back below 1.05.
- Looking ahead, highlights include US Durable Goods, Richmond Fed Index, ECB BLS (Q1), NBH Policy Announcement & US Senate Committee, ECB’s Cipollone & Lagarde, Supply from Netherlands, Italy, UK, Germany & US, Earnings from LVMH, Logitech, SAP, Boeing, GM, Lockheed Martin, Royal Caribbean, RTX Corporation, Kimberley Clark, Invesco, JetBlue & Starbucks.
SNAPSHOT
US TRADE
EQUITIES
- US stocks were broadly hit on Monday with steep losses in AI and tech names leading the downside in which NVDA closed down around 17%. The weakness was observed with questions now hanging over the AI dominance in the US after China’s DeepSeek (OpenAI rival) saw impressive performances at a fraction of the costs, bringing into question the need for extortionate CapEx from tech companies expanding their AI portfolios, while the sell-off sparked a flight to quality with T-notes higher across the curve and outperformance seen in haven currencies Yen and Swissy.
- SPX -1.46% at 6,012, NDX -2.97% at 21,127, DJIA +0.65% at 44,714, RUT -1.03% at 2,284.
- Click here for a detailed summary.
NOTABLE HEADLINES
- US President Trump said he will work with Congress on a plan to secure the borders and that they need a massive increase in funding for border security, while he will work with Congress on tax cuts and must permanently extend tax cuts previously passed under the Trump administration. Trump reiterated “drill baby drill” and said he will give fast approval to anyone building a plant for electric generation. Trump also stated that tariffs will be placed on computer chips in the near future and he will place tariffs on producers of pharmaceuticals, while he added that steel and other industries will be considered for tariffs and tariffs will also be placed on aluminium and copper. Furthermore, he said if you want to stop placing the tariffs, companies need to build plants in the US and it is good that companies in China have come up with a faster method of artificial intelligence whereby Chinese startup DeepSeek should be a wake-up call.
- US President Trump said he wants universal tariffs much larger than 2.5% and has a tariff level in mind but had not set it yet, which followed an earlier report in FT that Treasury Secretary Bessent is pushing for a gradual 2.5% universal tariffs plan in which the 2.5% levy would move higher by the same amount each month.
- US Senate voted 68-29 to confirm Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary.
- US President Trump’s AI czar David Sacks posted on X that DeepSeek R1 shows that the AI race will be very competitive and that President Trump was right to rescind the Biden Executive Order that hamstrung American AI companies without asking whether China would do the same.
- Canada’s Foreign Minister said she will be talking to British, EU and Mexican counterparts soon in a bid to fend off US tariffs.
APAC TRADE
EQUITIES
- APAC stocks were mixed amid holiday-thinned conditions on Chinese New Year’s Eve and after the recent US tech sell-off.
- ASX 200 traded rangebound on return from the long weekend as gains in the consumer, healthcare, telecoms and financial sectors offset the losses in real estate, utilities, tech and miners, while improved Business surveys did little to spur demand.
- Nikkei 225 extended on the recent selling but was off worst levels amid a weaker currency and softer Services PPI data.
- Hang Seng kept afloat but with upside capped amid the absence of mainland participants and Stock Connect flows, while markets in Hong Kong closed early ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations.
- US equity futures (ES U/C, NQ +0.2%) lacked firm direction following the recent AI-related tech sell-off on Wall St where Nvidia shares fell by 17% and suffered the largest daily market cap loss in history for a US company.
- European equity futures indicate a marginally positive open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.1% after the cash market fell 0.6% on Monday.
FX
- DXY mildly strengthened against its major counterparts after the latest tariff-related comments from President Trump who stated tariffs will be placed on computer chips in the near future and on producers of pharmaceuticals, aluminium and copper, while he also wants universal tariffs much larger than 2.5% and has a tariff level in mind but has not set it yet.
- EUR/USD was pressured and retreated further beneath the 1.0500 handle alongside US President Trump’s tariff rhetoric.
- GBP/USD failed to sustain the 1.2500 status and gave up ground to the dollar, while the latest UK BRC shop price index showed a continued but slower-than-previous pace of deflation.
- USD/JPY continued its rebound to gain a firm footing above the 155.00 level as the greenback makes headway against major peers and with upside in the pair also facilitated by softer-than-expected Japanese Services PPI.
- Antipodeans retreated alongside their major FX peers and CNH owing to President Trump’s tariff rhetoric and with price action also constrained amid the mixed risk appetite.
- SNB Chairman Schlegel said the SNB does not like negative interest rates but they cannot be excluded and they have worked in the past. Schlegel had also commented that Swiss inflation is to be relatively low this year and monthly inflation data may dip below zero.
FIXED INCOME
- 10yr UST futures slightly pulled back after recently gaining on a haven bid amid the US tech sell-off.
- Bund futures lacked demand after having failed to sustain a brief reclaim of the 132.00 level and with supply ahead.
- 10yr JGB futures benefitted from haven demand but are off the prior day’s levels despite softer Japanese Services PPI data.
COMMODITIES
- Crude futures attempted to nurse some of the prior day’s losses after prices were pressured alongside the broad risk aversion in the wake of Chinese start-up DeepSeek challenging US AI tech dominance.
- Saudi’s Energy Minister met with Iraqi and Libyan counterparts and discussed efforts to support stability in energy markets, according to the Saudi state news agency.
- Oil traders expect OPEC+ to stick with its current supply policy at a review meeting next week, resisting pressure from US President Trump to open the taps and bring down crude prices, according to a survey by Bloomberg.
- Petrobras CEO told Brazilian President Lula that the company will readjust diesel prices with the readjustment expected to occur in the next weeks.
- Slovakian Foreign Minister said they welcome the European Commission statement on gas supplies through Ukraine and see Ukraine’s willingness to discuss transit of non-Russian gas as a return to a solution they have proposed, such as Azeri gas.
- Spot gold traded rangebound after its recent choppy performance and as participants look ahead to this week’s risk events.
- Copper futures marginally extended on yesterday’s intraday rebound but with gains capped amid the mixed risk appetite and week-long absence of the red metal’s largest buyer.
CRYPTO
- Bitcoin saw two-way price action but ultimately gained overnight to reclaim the USD 103k level.
NOTABLE ASIA-PAC HEADLINES
- US President Trump said they will have a lot of people bidding on TikTok and don’t want China involved in TikTok, while he confirmed Microsoft (MSFT) is in talks on TikTok and said he would like a bidding war over TikTok.
- US federal maritime official said the US is not without options in addressing the growing presence of China and Chinese companies in Panama, while the US seeks to increase support for American companies in Panama and throughout the Americas, ensuring Chinese companies are not the sole bidders on contracts.
- Japan’s government nominated Waseda University professor Junko Koeda as BoJ Board Member to replace Board Member Adachi whose term ends on 25th March 2025.
DATA RECAP
- Japanese Services PPI (Dec) 2.90% vs Exp. 3.20% (Prev. 3.00%)
- Australian NAB Business Confidence (Dec) -2.0 (Prev. -3.0)
- Australian NAB Business Conditions (Dec) 6.0 (Prev. 2.0)
GEOPOLITICS
MIDDLE EAST
- Israeli PM Netanyahu is to travel to Washington next week for a meeting at the White House with US President Trump, according to Axios.
- US Secretary of State Rubio had a call with Jordan’s King Abdullah and discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages and a pathway for stability in the region
- White House Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel on Tuesday to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
OTHER
- US President Trump to sign an order to begin the process of creating the next generation of missile defence, while the order will call for the creation of an ‘Iron Dome’ for the US.
- UK Foreign Secretary Lammy and US Secretary of State Rubio spoke on the phone and said the UK and US will work together in alignment to address the situation in the Middle East, Russia’s war in Ukraine and challenges posed by China.
EU/UK
DATA RECAP
- UK BRC Shop Price Index YY (Jan) -0.7% (Prev. -1.0%)
3B NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
end
3C JAPAN
end
4.EUROPEAN AFFAIRS//UK /SCANDINAVIAN AFFAIRS
EUROPE/NATO/USA
Trump Effect: NATO Chief Pleads For Members To Quickly Step Up Defense Spending
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 05:45 AM
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday spoke in Lisbon, Portugal alongside the country’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. The Portuguese prime minister pledge that his country will meet its 2% goal by 2029, but Rutte emphasized this “will not be enough”.
Of course, Rutte primarily had Russia in mind when he spoke the following: “We know that the goal of 2%, now set a decade ago, will not be enough to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”
“To keep NATO strong, we must, however, continue to adapt and to guarantee our security in the future, we also need to ramp up our efforts now. That also means we need to spend more on our defense,” he added.
It has been confirmed that Portugal, a founding member of NATO, only spent 1.5% of its GDP on its NATO commitments in 2023.
White Rutte has been sounding a similar theme and warning since replacing Stoltenberg last year, these calls to go well beyond 2% spending will only amplify now that Trump is in office in the US, and is a reflection of Trump’s own longtime insistence on much higher spending, at a bar of 5%.
The Trump effect has already borne fruit:
Lithuania and Estonia have become the first NATO members to pledge an increase in defense spending to five percent of GDP, according to a report by the Financial Times.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys and Estonian Prime Minister Kristan Michal confirmed their countries’ commitment to strengthening defense capabilities in response to regional security concerns, the report said.
Newsweek and other publications have specifically cited pressure from Trump as well as preparation for his policies as the driving factor that made this happen.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys acknowledged, “Of course, there’s pressure… from our main and biggest ally in NATO. We cannot ignore those messages.”
But Trump’s high bar of the 5% target is going to be a tall order for most NATO allies, so they can certainly expect to keep feeling the pressure over the next four years.
As we detailed previously, Trump recently proposed a more ambitious 5 percent goal, saying during a Jan. 7 press conference at Mar-a-Lago that “they can all afford it.”
5 RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
ISRAEL/HAMAS/USA
Trump Lifts Biden’s Pause On 2,000-Pound Bomb Shipments To Israel
Monday, Jan 27, 2025 – 03:50 PM
President Trump has hailed that the Gaza ceasefire is holding, but simultaneously suggested that Israel should ‘clean out’ the Gaza Strip. It has become obvious that Hamas has not been defeated, and in fact there are signs showing the Islamist militant group is regrouping and resurging.
Trump within the past days has released a hold on a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel previously paused by the Biden administration, according to Axios. This ‘controversial’ move of Biden had largely been but a PR ploy at a time when the prior Democratic administration was being overwhelmed with criticism over its Israel-Gaza policies.
The paused shipment, which is now resuming, includes 1,800 MK-84 bombs being stored in the United States. Trump vowed these “paid for” weapons are en route to Israel.
“A lot of things that were ordered and paid for by Israel, but have not been sent by Biden, are now on their way!” Trump declared on Truth Social.
Shipments of 500-pound bombs had also been temporarily halted, but in July this pause was lifted by Biden. These pauses on large bombs unlikely had any real impact on Israel’s military capabilities or actions.
Instead, the prior administration tried to use it as an incentive for Israel to greatly reduce the number of civilian casualties among Palestinians, as the IDF had been accused of indiscriminate killing.
The Netanyahu government in turn claimed that this was an “arms embargo” by Biden against Israel, despite that something like 99+ percent of all military continued to flow the whole time.
Outgoing Israeli ambassador to the US Mike Herzog was the first to signal over a week ago that Trump was expected to release the bombs.
“We believe that Trump is going to release, at the beginning of his term, the munitions that haven’t been released until now by the Biden administration,” Herzog had said in a media interview.
Israeli government figures have put the number of Hamas dead at 20,000 or more after nearly a year-and-a-half of war. However, Gaza health sources have said at least 45,000 mostly civilians have been killed. Gaza Health authority figures don’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Many independent analysts agree that the overwhelming numbers of Palestinian casualties are indeed civilians. This has been a constant throughout the conflict, for which Israel has faced widespread international criticism.
END
ISRAEL///HAMAS
Islamic Jihad publishes video of hostage Arbel Yehoud, days before scheduled release
The video was seemingly taken on Saturday, January 25, the day that the four female hostages were released.
By MATHILDA HELLERJANUARY 27, 2025 20:35Updated: JANUARY 27, 2025 23:14
Palestinian Islamic Jihad published a video of hostage Arbel Yehoud, 29, on their Telegram channel on Monday.
The video was seemingly taken on Saturday, the day that the four female observer hostages were released. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has asked that the video or screenshots of the video not be made public before Yehoud’s family reaches its decision regarding its publication.
The video begins with Arbel introducing herself, her date of birth, where she is from, and both her ID number and military ID number.
She also states that she served in the IDF between October 2013 and October 2015.
“To my family: I’m fine,” she says. “I miss you so much and hope to be back with you soon, like the other girls who were liberated.”
Seven female hostages have been released so far, four this weekend and three the week before.
Yehoud then adds that she is being held by the PIJ.
She then addresses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, saying “I ask you to do everything you can to ensure that the ceasefire continues as planned so that all the kidnapped people return home safely and all the Palestinian prisoners can be freed and return home safely.”
Hamas violations
The video comes after it was revealed on Monday that Yehoud, alongside IDF observation soldier Agam Berger and an additional male hostage, will be released on Thursday, in a previously unscheduled hostage transfer.
Israel accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire by not releasing Yehoud – a civilian – before releasing the four female soldiers.
In return, Israel said it would not allow Gazans to cross into the northern Gaza Strip until Yehoud’s release was arranged.
END
Islamic Jihad releases propaganda video with sign of life from hostage Arbel Yehoud
Israel says Hamas list shows 18 of remaining first-phase hostages are alive, 8 are dead; delegation from terror group arrives in Cairo to discuss Gaza ceasefire deal implementation
By Emanuel Fabian, Follow
Agencies and ToI StaffToday, 11:25 pm
A man places a photo of Arbel Yehoud, next to a banner in Hebrew demanding the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza Strip, at the entrance of a tent set up in Jerusalem, January 27, 2025. (AP Photo/ Mahmoud Illean)
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group released a propaganda video Monday evening of civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud, who is due to be released on Thursday.
In the video, Yehoud says the date is January 25, meaning it was apparently filmed on Saturday.
Islamic Jihad and Hamas have previously issued similar videos of hostages held by them, in what Israel says is deplorable psychological warfare.
The family asked that the media not broadcast the clip or images from it.
In the video, Yehoud reassures her family that she is “okay,” and says she hopes to return home soon “like the other girls.”
Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, Yehoud was supposed to have been released over the weekend, as she is a civilian, but Hamas instead released four IDF surveillance soldiers: Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Liri Albag.
Israel announced Sunday night that the dispute over Yehoud’s release had been resolved, with the terror group set to release six hostages in two batches this week, including Yehoud and the last remaining surveillance soldier, Agam Berger.
Hostages Arbel Yehoud, left, and Agam Berger, held by terrorists in Gaza since October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)
The fate of Yehoud was briefly a major sticking point in the deal’s implementation, with Israel blocking the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza after Hamas released the four female soldiers on Saturday. Under the ceasefire and hostage release deal, the terror group was required to prioritize the release of civilian women.
Once the dispute was resolved, Israel allowed Palestinians to cross the Netzarim Corridor and return to northern Gaza starting at 7 a.m. Monday morning. According to Hamas, “more than 300,000 displaced” Palestinians returned to the north throughout the day.
This aerial photo shows displaced Gazans walking toward Gaza City on January 27, 2025, after crossing the Netzarim Corridor, from the southern Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Yehoud is being held by Islamic Jihad, which was reportedly falsely describing her as a soldier and demanding more prisoners be released in return for her. The Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday evening that PIJ agreed to classify her as a civilian, helping resolve the crisis.
Yehoud, 28, and her boyfriend Ariel Cunio, 26, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
18 alive, 8 dead
Israel said Monday that Hamas finally sent a list detailing the conditions of the remaining hostages, which showed that 18 of the 26 remaining hostages still to be freed are alive and eight are dead, but did not specify which are alive or dead.
Government spokesman David Mencer conveyed the Hamas information to journalists on Monday.
Thirty-three hostages are being freed in phase one of the deal, including the seven living hostages who have gone free since the implementation of the agreement began on January 19.
The 33 hostages set to be returned in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal. Row 1 (L-R): Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Arbel Yehoud, Doron Steinbrecher, Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas; Row 2: Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Danielle Gilboa, Naama Levy, Ohad Ben-Ami, Gadi Moshe Moses; Row 3: Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon, Eli Sharabi, Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour, Ohad Yahalomi, Oded Lifshitz; Row 4: Tsahi Idan, Hisham al-Sayed, Yarden Bibas, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Sasha Trufanov; Row 5: Eliya Cohen, Or Levy, Avera Mengistu, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov. (all photos courtesy)
Hebrew media reported Monday that some of the families of the hostages slated to be released were being informed that there is concern for their loved ones’ lives.
Among those whose fates are unknown are Shiri Silberman Bibas, her husband Yarden Bibas, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that there were “grave concerns” for their lives.
Speaking to Kan, Yarden’s sister Ofri Bibas said the family is still waiting to receive any concrete information, and that “there is no difference between what we knew yesterday and what we know today.”
“We have known that there is grave fear for their lives, since Hamas’s announcement at the end of the previous deal,” she said, referring to the terror group’s claim in November 2023, that Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir had been killed.
Shiri Bibas (center) and her sons Ariel, 4, (left) and baby Kfir, who were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 (Courtesy)
She appealed to the public to refrain from spreading “false and unverified news,” and said her family “needs information to come to us from official sources, not from the media and WhatsApp groups.”
Whether hostages are alive or dead inside Gaza has been a heartbreaking uncertainty for their families, who have pushed Israel’s government to reach a deal to free them, fearing that time is running out.
Eighty-seven of those abducted by Hamas in the October 7 onslaught remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
In addition to the seven hostages released during a ceasefire that began this month, Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Liri Albag gives a thumbs-up sign to a large crowd of Hamas operatives and supporeters, alongside fellow Israeli hostages Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, before they are released by Hamas to the Red Cross in Gaza City, January 25, 2025. (AP Photo)
Eight hostages were rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military, as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza this month.
Hamas delegation in Cairo
A high-ranking Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Monday evening, saying it aimed to discuss the implementation of all three phases of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The Hamas statement said the delegation includes senior leader Mohammed Darwish and other prominent members of its leadership council and negotiating team.
The terror group said meetings with Egyptian officials will focus on ensuring progress in the ceasefire’s implementation and addressing any challenges in the ongoing exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The Hamas delegation will also meet with Palestinian prisoners released under the ceasefire’s six-week first phase that began just over a week ago.
Egypt is a key mediator in ceasefire talks and part of the joint committee implementing the deal.
The Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo as US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is on a diplomatic trip in the region, in part to work to secure the implementation of the second and third phases of the ceasefire deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) meets then-US president-elect Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff at his office in Jerusalem, January 11, 2025. (Prime Minister’s Office Spokesperson)
Witkoff is slated to visit Israel this week, after visiting Saudi Arabia.
Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is planning for the premier to travel to Washington next week to meet with Trump, two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
The trip has not been finalized and will be dependent on Netanyahu’s health, as he recovers from prostate surgery, but the plan is for him to depart on Sunday and return on Thursday.
If he travels, Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet Trump in his second term, a gesture from the US president to the Israeli leader, in return for him acceding to pressure to reach a deal in Gaza.
END
ISRAEL/HAMAS
IDF conducts operations in Gaza Strip against suspects who posed threat to soldiers
Several threats have been identified by IDF troops in numerous areas of the Strip, and troops fired warning shots to thwart the suspects. Palestinian media reported one person killed.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJANUARY 27, 2025 23:15Updated: JANUARY 27, 2025 23:52
IDF troops conducted operations against suspected threats in the Gaza Strip on Monday who were deemed dangerous to soldiers in the area, the military said in a statement.
Several threats were identified by the IDF in numerous areas of the Palestinian enclave, and troops fired several warning shots to thwart the suspects.
One suspect was identified by Israeli forces in northern Gaza and did not retreat after the troops fired warning shots. The suspect continued to move towards the forces, who then fired shots to eliminate the threat.
In central Gaza, the Israeli Air Force fired at suspicious vehicles that were moving towards a non-authorized area, according to the ceasefire and hostage deal agreed upon by Hamas and Israel.
Palestinian media reports one dead
One person was allegedly killed in the airstrike, Walla reported Monday night citing Palestinian media.
end
HAMAS/ISRAEL.USA
Doubling down, Trump suggests Gazans better off somewhere not ‘associated with violence’
By Jacob Magid FollowToday
US President Donald Trump, watched by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaks to reporters while in flight on Air Force One en route Joint Base Andrews, on January 27, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)
US President Donald Trump doubles down on his desire for Egypt and Jordan to take in Gazans, suggesting that Palestinians would be better off somewhere not “associated with violence.”
“I’d like to get them living in an area where they can live without disruption and revolution and violence,” Trump tells reporters aboard Air Force One.
“When you look at the Gaza Strip, it’s been hell for so many years… There have been various civilizations on that strip. It didn’t start here. It started thousands of years before, and there’s always been violence associated with it. You could get people living in areas that are a lot safer and maybe a lot better and maybe a lot more comfortable,” Trump says.
Asked if this stance means he no longer believes in a two-state solution, Trump avoids answering directly, saying he’ll be discussing the issue with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he comes to Washington to meet him “in the not so distant future.”
He says a date will be set for the meeting “very soon.”
Two sources familiar told The Times of Israel on Monday that Netanyahu’s office is planning for the premier to travel on Sunday to Washington, where he’ll meet Trump at the beginning of the week before returning to Israel on Wednesday. The trip has not been finalized and will depend on Netanyahu’s health as he recovers from prostate surgery, the sources said.
Asked how Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi received his idea of relocating Gazans to his country, Trump responds, “His response [was] that he’d like to see peace in the Middle East.”
“I’d like to see peace in the Middle East,” Trump adds.
Pressed further on how Sissi reacted to his idea, Trump insists that both the Egyptian and Jordanian leaders “would do it.”
“I’d love to do that. I wish [Sissi] would take some. We helped them a lot, and I’m sure he’d help us. He’s a friend of mine. He’s in… a rough neighborhood. But I think he would do it, and I think the King of Jordan would do it too,” Trump adds.
Both Egypt and Jordan have come out strongly against Trump’s idea, saying that Palestinians should be allowed to remain in Gaza, where members of Israel’s far right have been calling to reestablish settlements while advocating for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the enclave.
END
ISRAEL/.HAMAS
‘Netanyahu has no choice but to move forward with deal,’ Hamas says
“The concept of the “day after the war” and the removal of Hamas from the equation no longer exists, and the future of Gaza is purely a Palestinian matter,” he added.
By MATHILDA HELLERJANUARY 28, 2025 10:52Updated: JANUARY 28, 2025 10:54
Mediators have begun testing both sides’ readiness to begin talks regarding the second phase of the deal, Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri announced on the terrorist group’s Telegram on Monday night.
“The mediators have started the process of gauging both sides on whether they are ready to begin the second phase of the agreement, and Netanyahu has no choice but to move forward with this agreement to the end,” he stated.
Abu Zuhri also accused Netanyahu of “empty talk” about returning to fighting, saying it was merely for “local consumption.”
“The concept of the “day after the war” and the removal of Hamas from the equation no longer exists, and the future of Gaza is purely a Palestinian matter,” he added.
Regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, Abu Zuhri said there are no administrative problems and welcomes the establishment of a new government agreed upon by Palestinians.
“Gaza does not suffer from an administrative vacuum, and we welcome the formation of a government agreed upon by the Palestinians.”
‘Return to north Gaza is success’
Another Hamas spokesperson, Hassam Budran, said on Tuesday morning that Hamas “has proven to the world once again that the Palestinians have not and will not leave their homeland no matter how great the sacrifices.”
He referred to the return of Gazan civilians to the north of the enclave as a success.
“Today, all attempts by the Israeli occupation and its criminal leaders, headed by the Prime Minister of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, to displace our honorable Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, were shattered.”
The statements come amid an ongoing hostage deal and ahead of a third release on Thursday, where civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud, soldier Agam Berger, and one unnamed civilian male hostage are set to be returned to Israel.
Egypt and Qatar brokered the deal, which began two weeks ago and has so far seen the release of seven Israeli hostages, three civilians and four soldiers.
As part of the deal, a tota
ISRAEL/LEBANON
Lebanon says 2 killed as protests against Israeli presence erupt for a second day
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem slams extension of IDF pullout deadline, says ‘resistance’ not bound by it, as Lebanese Christian politician blames ‘pointless’ deaths on terror group
By Agencies, Gianluca Pacchiani Follow
and ToI StaffToday, 1:21 a
Locals shout slogans against Israel soldiers blocking a road leading to their southern Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras, Lebanon, January 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Israeli gunfire killed two people and wounded 17 others on Monday, local health officials said Monday, as residents displaced by the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah attempted to return to villages where the Israel Defense Forces has stayed put.
The deadly protests came a day after 24 people were killed and more than 130 wounded in demonstrations over the continued IDF presence.
The military has blamed Hezbollah “provocations” in the protests, where returning residents have hoisted the Iran-backed terror group’s insignia. On Monday, a leading Christian Lebanese politician blasted Hezbollah for urging the residents to return and pushing them toward “certain death.”
Under a US-brokered ceasefire on November 27, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon within sixty days, and Hezbollah was to recede north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Israeli border. The United States and Lebanon announced Sunday that Israel’s deadline to withdraw was extended to February 18.
While the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers took up posts in several villages before the original deadline on Sunday, the IDF remained in over a dozen others towns where it says Lebanon’s troops have failed to deploy.
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Monday that Israel would “firmly enforce” the ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon, warning that “anyone who breaks the rules or threatens IDF troops will bear the full price.”
Hezbollah weapons found by IDF troops in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on January 23, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Meanwhile, in a pre-recorded speech, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem slammed the extension of the IDF’s withdrawal deadline, and accused Israel of violating the ceasefire 1,350 times.
“Israel has to withdraw because the 60 days are over,” said Qassem. “We won’t accept any excuses to extend one second or one day.”
“Any delay in the withdrawal is the responsibility of the United Nations, the US, France and Israel,” he added, naming Lebanon’s four partners in the ceasefire deal.
The “resistance” has the right to act in what it deems appropriate in response to the “occupation,” said Qassem, adding that Hezbollah considered retaliating against Israeli airstrikes but was advised not to by Lebanese authorities.
An image grab taken from Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV on November 29, 2024, shows Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem delivering a televised speech from an undisclosed location. In the corner is a picture of slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. (Al-Manar / AFP)
‘We are staying’
The protests that resumed for the second day in south Lebanon were particularly focused in eastern border villages, as displaced residents, accompanied by the Lebanese Armed Forces, again tried returning to their villages, local media and AFP correspondents reported Monday.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israel opened fire, killing two people and wounding fourteen. It added that the wounded included a child and a rescuer from the Risala Scouts association, affiliated with the Amal movement, Hezbollah’s ally.
Nonetheless, an AFP correspondent reported seeing dozens of vehicles carrying families headed toward border towns, a day after hundreds of residents tried unsuccessfully to return to their homes.
A Lebanese woman holds a portrait of slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, as she sits in a car with her family on their way to Bint Jbeil in south Lebanon, January 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In the city of Bint Jbeil, an access point for many border villages, supporters of Hezbollah were distributing sweets, water and images of slain terror chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in September. Others handed out stickers celebrating the “victory from God” as women held pictures of slain Hezbollah fighters.
In the village of Aitaroun, scores of residents, some waving Hezbollah flags, marched hand-in-hand or rode motorcycles, escorted by ambulances, bulldozers and Lebanese army tanks. They approached the edge of the town but stopped short of Israeli positions, unable to enter.
Saleem Mrad, the head of the municipality, said “we are coming with our heads held high and crowned with victory to our village, Aitaroun.”
“Our village is ours, and we will bring it back more beautiful than it was before, he said.” We are staying.”
Lebanese soldiers and citizens enter a neighborhood in the southern Lebanese village of Aitaroun, Lebanon, January 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hassan al-Ahmad, a resident, said, “We have to give our blood and our souls. If there had not been blood spilled, the land would not have been liberated.”
Lebanon’s national news agency reported that Israel dropped a bomb at the entrance of the southern village of Yaroun to deter residents from proceeding farther. The IDF has not commented on the report.
After Sunday’s violence, an Israeli military official told reporters that hundreds of Lebanese, among them Hezbollah operatives and supporters carrying Hezbollah flags and images of Nasrallah, carried out “provocations” while trying to reach villages in southern Lebanon.
The official said the military had prepared for civilians attempting to reach the border villages at the end of the 60-day truce, despite its warnings.
Lebanese soldiers standing on a vehicle accompanying returning residents, in the southern Lebanese village of Mays al-Jabal January 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)
Iran-led axis ‘does not value people’s lives’
Responding to Sunday’s deadly demonstrations, Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces Party — a Christian faction opposed to Hezbollah — accused the terror group and Lebanese government of risking the displaced residents’ lives, saying: “The current government proves it does not exist, and the Axis of Resistance proves that it does not value people’s lives.”
Hezbollah plays a lead role in Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” network of regional proxies committed to Israel’s destruction. Lebanese critics of Hezbollah accuse it of furthering Iran’s interests at the expense of Lebanon’s.
In an interview published Monday in Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan, Geagea said the axis “does not hesitate to fabricate new events on a daily basis that it uses to cover up the tragedies and loss of life and property it has caused.”
Geagea said the Lebanese government should have informed residents about details of Israel’s deployment “rather than allowing some parties to exploit the scenes for self-interest, causing the death of citizens.”
“Protecting people’s lives is the responsibility of the Lebanese government, not Israel’s,” the party leader said, calling on the Lebanese military “to organize the entry of citizens into safe villages, and prevent them from reaching areas that the Israeli army still occupies.”
Samir Geagea, leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, gestures as he speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Maarab, east of Beirut, Lebanon, April 30, 2024. (AP/Hussein Malla)
Hezbollah “exploited this vacuum and pushed citizens into imminent danger, not caring who would be killed or injured,” Geagea added. “It knows that throwing over 20 citizens into certain death is pointless and will not yield any results, and will not make Israel change its position.”
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came after 14 months of fighting, which began when the terror group, unprovoked, began attacking Israel on a near-daily basis on October 8, 2023 — a day after the Gaza war was sparked when fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed Israel by the thousands, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the terror group.
Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 46 civilians. In addition, 80 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes, attacks on Israel, and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.
The IDF estimates that some 3,500 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in Lebanon.
END
I
IRAN/USA/ ISRAEL
Iran seeks diplomacy amid new Trump administration’s evolving policies
Tehran ramps up its diplomatic outreach and explores talks with the US, Afghanistan, and Turkey.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANJANUARY 27, 2025 21:41
Iran’s government is on a diplomatic outreach push this week as it seeks to orient itself amid the new Trump administration’s policies. The Trump administration is expected to take a tough line on Iran if Iran continues to push proxies to attack US forces in the region. However, the administration may be open to a new deal with Iran as well. Iran knows this, and its government is seeking to shift its gears.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said “that negotiations among neighboring states, including Iran and Afghanistan, are necessary to pave the ground for addressing shared concerns and interests,” Iran’s IRNA state media said on January 27. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, visited Kabul this week.
This is an important mission and is intended to be a breakthrough in Iran-Afghanistan relations. “As to Iran’s concern about its water rights to the Hirmand (Helmand) River, Baghaei mentioned that Afghanistan’s caretaker government pledged to comply with its commitments under the Afghan-Iranian Helmand River-Water Treaty of 1973 and adhere to Islamic and ethical principles in order to respect Iran’s water share,” IRNA noted.
The Iranian Foreign Minister went to Kabul after Mohammed Javad Zarif also went to Davos to pitch Iran’s views there. Zarif downplayed Iran’s movement toward a nuclear weapon, arguing Iran could make other choices. Iran is now pushing to reach out to many countries. This potentially includes the US as well as Turkey, Afghanistan, and the EU, as well as Iran’s recent agreement with Russia. This is all about the economy in Iran as well. Tehran is showcasing its focus on domestic and economic ties.
What has Iran been up to?
Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh traveled to Turkey this week. Farzaneh is one of the highest-ranking women in the Iranian administration. She is following up on previous agreements in her work in Turkey. Sadegh arrived in Ankara on Monday at the head of a delegation, Iran’s IRNA said.
In other news , Iran’s Supreme Leader reached out in support of Lebanon. This came after clashes between Lebanese and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. In a more important development, Iran’s state media is expressing interest in the new Trump administration’s “openness” to diplomacy. Iran senses the new administration has less “hawks” in charge and more officials open to discussions with Iran.
Iran has followed the news in the US that reports how the new Trump admin is at odds with former officials such as Brian Hook and Mike Pompeo. Iran thinks this could be the opening it needs. IRNA terms this “an outward refusal to take radical anti-Iran figures on board, US President Donald Trump could be sending signals to Iran that he may be willing to engage with Tehran diplomatically.” IRNA notes, “it is also unclear whether the moves signal a shift in tactics, strategy, or attitude. Tentative as they are, and taken together, they do represent a marked shift from Trump’s last term. The US president has reportedly put his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in charge of the Iran portfolio as well, which US media say suggests Trump is willing to test diplomacy with Tehran.”
END
IRAN/GAZA/ISRAEL
this is interesting!!
Iran’s Broadcasting Authority: Israel is detaining our journalist who reported in Gaza – report
By LIRAN AHARONIJANUARY 28, 2025 11:10
A senior official from Iran’s broadcasting authority (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) reported on Tuesday that one of its correspondents, who had been reporting from the Gaza Strip, was arrested and is being detained in Israel.
According to the official, this information was not published due to a request from the journalist’s family.
end
ISRAEL/SYRIA
Defense Minister Katz says IDF to stay in Syria buffer zone indefinitely
Defense Minister Israel Katz meets with troops of the Alpinist Unit atop the summit of Mount Hermon, Syria, on January 28, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Israel Katz says during a visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon today that the IDF will remain there indefinitely.
“The IDF will remain at the summit of the Hermon and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel,” Katz says, apparently referring to a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border that Israel seized following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last month.
“We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria… we will act against any threat,” he says.
Katz says Israel will make contact with “friendly populations” in the southern Syria area, “with an emphasis on the large Druze community which has historic and close family relations with our Druze brothers in Israel.”
The defense minister visited an army post at the Mount Hermon summit, where he held an assessment with senior officers and spoke with troops, according to his office.
Israel has previously described its takeover of the buffer zone as a temporary measure aimed at preventing hostile forces from taking advantage of the power vacuum in Syria to enter the strategic zone and threaten Israeli territory.
END
RUSSIA/UKRAINE/USA/EUROPE
What Happens If Ukraine Collapses?
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 02:00 AM
Authored by Tuomas Malinen via substack,
The situation is developing rapidly in Ukraine. Many of the key towns and cities to Ukrainian defence seem to be falling like dominoes. Colonel of the Austrian Armed Forces, Markus Reisner, has warned that the collapse of the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) is likely to be near. Developments on the ground are confirming this with, e.g., Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka falling in consecutive (rapid) fashion.
A “peace plan” has also surfaced, allegedly from the Trump administration. It basically lays out a path, where a truce should be declared by Easter (April 20) 2025 and peace by May 9. If this is the actual plan, I have to ask in what reality are the people who wrote it living in? The collapse of the AFU may be just days (the worst-case) or few weeks away. And then there’s this proposition:
Ukraine does not reduce the size of the army. The United States is committed to continuing support for the modernization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The idea that Russia would allow the U.S. to continue to create a proxy-force along its longest border in the west is ludicrous. For example, in the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947, the Finnish army was heavily sanctioned and it’s size diminished. No outside force was allowed to participate on its modernization or development, because the Soviet Union did not want to see another attack on their soil (Finland took part on the Operation Barbarossa, unofficially). Moreover, like I have noted in the Peace in Ukraine, there’s only one force in the world that can surveillance the line of ceasefire with any credibility: the U.N.
If this really was an actual (second) proposition of President Trump, it’s definitely better than the first one, but there’s still a long way to go. The main point to recognize is that the days of American military hegemony have passed.
To provide some additional motivation, I will now open the best and worst-case scenarios of post-AFU-collapse developments for everyone to read.
* * *
Update II 1/25/2025
It seems that I was a bit too hasty in my conclusions concerning the halt of U.S. military aid to Ukraine. First of all, the stoppage reportedly concerns only the part of the State Department, while most of the military aid (naturally) goes through the Pentagon. Zelenskyy has also just recently stated that U.S. military aid has not been halted (“thank God”). To note, the halt of foreign aid concerned all countries, except Egypt and Israel.
However, we should remember two things. In late-June, President Trump was presented a plan that suggested a halt of military aid to Ukraine, if it refuses to open talsk with Russia. Secondly, the Secretary of Defence, Pete Heghseth, was appointed (approved) by the Congress just yesterday.
These imply that the halt of the flow of aid through State Department could have been a warning. That is, it could have been used to signal President Zelenskyy that negotiations with President Putin needs to commence, asap. And, if this does not happen, actual curbs in the flow of funds through the Pentagon will be introduced.
Based on what I know from the negotiation strategies of President Trump,1 such a work-plan is plausible. Trump has also stated many times that he wants a peace to Ukraine, and it needs to start with getting the two sides to the negotiation table. “Blackmailing” Ukraine with military aid, will accomplish this, I am sure.
With the Kremlin, however, President Trump needs to pull out some (serious) carrots, not just sticks. Russians are progressing steadily in Ukraine and closing in on critical logistic hubs, most notably Pokrovsk. Russia is holding a serious upper-hand in the war, and further economic sanctions are a moot point (more on that later). I think everything needs to start with negotiations between Presidents Putin and Trump. Here’s the roadmap.
Let’s see what comes.
* * *
Update
Yesterday evening, we learned that the Trump administration halted almost all foreign aid, including military aid to Ukraine, for 90 days. This was reported by Politico, and it means that the clock truly starts to tick for the collapse of the AFU.
President Zelenskyy now effectively faces two options:
1. To start negotiations with President Putin.
2. Face an impending collapse or an unconditional surrender of the AFU, possibly leading to a military coup.
In other words, the stakes were just raised heavily. I am keen to think that President Zelenskyy will start negotiations, but first he has to change his decree making all negotiations with President Putin illegal.
In any case, things are in motion now.
* * *
Issues discussed:
- The best-case scenario leading to truce and negotiations after the collapse of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
- The worst-case scenario leading to a regional war after the collapse of the AFU.
- How do we get to the path leading to peace.
Ukraine has become something of a re-entry way to geopolitics for me. This is mostly, because I have made a complete 180 degree turn in my views towards the war between Russia and Ukraine. I started with an over-whelming support for Ukraine (see, e.g., this, this and this), which turned into a suspicion in September 2022, and into a full opposition five months later. Now, I want to understand, what could happen in Europe, if the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) would collapse, a point which edges closer each passing day.
I present two, the best-case and the worst-case, scenarios for post-collapse Ukraine (and Europe). By collapse I mean a mass retreat of soldiers and battle-field commanders from the frontlines across the nation. Such an event may come about much easier than many think. This is because in a situation, where reserves are highly limited, like they are now in Ukraine, collapse of some sections of the frontline can come rapidly leading to panicky capitulations across the entirety of the frontline. When there are no amble reserves to strengthen the failing sections, there’s a risk of forces becoming pocketed in, forcing a wide-scale retreat. This is, e.g., what happened to Finnish Defence Foces in the Karelian Isthmus in early summer of 1944.
More precisely, I will sketch two plausible paths of developments after the defences of Ukraine crumble. I will not go into specifics of possible military developments, because that’s not my expertise. No one also can honestly state that they would know what happens after a collapse of the AFU, but we can speculate. Let’s dive in.
Post-requiem of the AFU: The best-case
The best-case scenario assumes that there will be no aim of the NATO Deep State or Ukrainian leadership to push the whole continent into a war. Based on what we have seen, the opposite seems to hold. Moreover, the best-case scenario assumes that President Trump is willing to accept Ukraine losing a large chunk of its landmass and to end the open-door policy of NATO. We at GnS Economics have recently warned on the possibility of a failure of President Trump in Ukraine, as it appears that he would not be willing to commit to such conditions.
These assumptions lead to 10 developments that could occur after the collapse of the AFU, in the best-case:
- Russian troops quickly progress to the banks of the Dnepr.
- Generals of the AFU hastily secure the defences of Kiev.
- The United Nations jumps into action with the Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire supported also by Russia.
- Russian troops halt their progress to the Kherson-Dnipro-Kiev -line (along the Dnepr).
- NATO halts all Ukraine/NATO attacks to Russian troops in Ukraine, by the order of President Trump.
- Presidents Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy agree on the terms of an U.N. monitored line of ceasefire along the Dnepr.
- Russia limits its military presence to ceded areas and evacuates attack systems to sufficient distance from borders (established line of ceasefire) of the remaining Ukraine.
- The EU and the US stop all deliveries of weapons and volunteers to Ukraine.
- The EU and the U.S. agree on an emergency economic support package for the (remaining) Ukraine.
- The neutrality of Ukraine is agreed as the starting point of peace negotiations including all the major parties: China, The EU, Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and NATO.
Essentially, the best-case scenario mimic the developments and actions we would need to see to establish a (lasting) peace in Ukraine. At this point, this looks unlikely, which is why need to turn to the worst-case to understand what may come.
Post-requiem of the AFU: The worst-case
How could the situation develop in the worst-case?
- Russian troops advance rapidly to the Dnepr.
- NATO calls for imminent ceasefire and hails to send in a “peace-keeping force”, while announcing that Ukraine will be made member of the Alliance.
- Russian troops cross the Dnepr and enact a siege of Kiev with the troops advancing from Belarus, while Russian troops in the South advance on the outskirts of Odessa. President Zelenskyy flees to Poland to oversee the “resistance”.
- France sends troops to Odessa, while the U.K., in accordance with the 100-year Partnership Declaration, send troops to Lviv.
- Russia strikes Lviv with Oreshnik or with a tactical nuclear weapons destroying the U.K. troops.
- The U.K. declares war to Russia, and President Trump warns Russia not to escalate any further.
- Poland strikes Belarus, while sending her forces to Lviv.
- Russia and Belarus strike to NATO bases in Poland.
- NATO enacts Article 5 and starts a massive buildup of troops along its eastern border. Russia and Belarus responds with mobilization.
- A regional conflict forms.
NATO is yet not ready for a full military conflict with Russia, which is why the ladders of escalation end to “forming” of a regional conflict (on which more below). Naturally the sequence of events can also take a much darker turn with the 10 ladders leading into an onset of a nuclear war. There’s also the possibility that, when the imminent collapse of the AFU looms the Zelenskyy regime, with the help of the NATO Deep State, stages a false flag attack targeting either the NATO troops in Europe or a NATO country, blaming Russia. This would start a NATO-Russia war, or at least lead to widening of the conflict.
Conclusions
I have to say that I am not very optimistic on the prospects peace in Ukraine, currently. President Trump seems to be fixated to the old-dated view that NATO and the U.S. would hold a military upper-hand still. Developments in Iran and especially in Ukraine have already shown this not to be true.
Moreover, I worry on the growing military strength of Russia. Just yesterday, I learned that Russia has started to mass-produce battle-drones which are immune to electronic warfare. The story with Russian military development in a conflict is always the same. First, they screw up massively, then retreat, learn, regroup and strike with unmet fervor. During the past 90 years there’s only exception to this, the Soviet-Afghan war, which ended to the defeat of the Red Army and to the collapse of the Soviet Union (driving the defeat). At current time, I am rather certain that Kremlin seeks only peace. If the AFU and Ukraine become over-run, would that change? It probably depends on the scenario we end up to.
I honesty cannot conclude anything else from the actions and comments of some European NATO members than that the Alliance is seeking a pro-longed conflict with Russia. The likelihood of this grows with Russian military strength building up, because it will be met by NATO (eventually). It seems rather obvious that NATO is not yet ready for a pro-longed conflict with Russia, and the NATO Deep State, et al., may look to end the conflict in a way that would create fear and thus wide-spread acceptance in Europe for a re-armament. A false flag attack somewhere in Europe blaming Russia would suit this purpose well. Also, an unconditional surrender of the AFU combined with massive russophobic propaganda could also do the trick. When re-armament cycle gets going in Europe, wars result.
How long do we have, before the AFU collapses (or surrenders)? No one knows for sure, but most estimates put this in the range from months to a year. Yet, we have to acknowledge that this point can also arrive very quickly. Losses are massive and there are rumors of a mutiny building within the AFU. After the collapse, we would enter some very dangerous waters.
I dearly hope that President Trump changes his course in Ukraine rapidly.
end
RUSSIA/UKRAINE
6.GLOBAL ISSUES//COVID ISSUES/VACCINE ISSUES/HEALTH ISSUES
Since 2018, Over 75,000 Canadians Died Waiting For Health Care
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 07:45 AM
Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,
If you think Canada has such a great nationalized health care system, you need to reconsider.
Death by Delay
SecondStreet reports 15,474 Canadians Died Waiting for Health Care in 2023-24
Today, SecondStreet.org released government data showing an additional 15,474 patients in Canada died in 2023-24 before receiving various surgeries or diagnostic scans. However, that number is incomplete, as several governments provide either partial data, or simply do not track the problem.
SecondStreet.org collected the data by filing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests across Canada. When the data collected is extrapolated across jurisdictions which did not provide data, the number actually nearly doubles, to around 28,077. These figures cover everything from cancer treatment and heart operations to cataract surgery and MRI scans.
“Canadians pay really high taxes and yet our health care system is failing when compared to better-performing universal systems in Europe,” said Harrison Fleming, Legislative and Policy Director at SecondStreet.org. “Thousands of Canadians across the country find themselves on waitlists — in some cases for several years -— with too many tragically dying before ever getting treated, or even diagnosed.”
Key Findings
- At least 15,474 patients died in Canada while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic scans. This figure does not include Quebec, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador and most of Manitoba. Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia only provided data on patients who died while waiting for surgeries – not diagnostic scans.
- If one extrapolates the data provided across provinces and health regions that did not provide data, an estimated 28,077 patients died last year on health care waiting lists.
- While some response data is vague, SecondStreet.org observed cases where patients died after waiting anywhere from less than a week for treatment to more than 14 years.
- New data from Ontario Health suggests 378 patients died while waiting for cardiac surgery or a cardiac procedure.
- Since April 2018, SecondStreet.org has identified a staggering 74,677 cases where Canadians died while waiting for care.
Another 15,000-Plus Euthanized
The National Review comments on Canada’s Socialized Health-Care Culture of Death
What a debacle. More than 15,000 people died in Canada in one year because they couldn’t access care in the country’s collapsing socialized health-care system.
But it gets worse. About the same number of people were euthanized in Canada in 2023. Some asked to be lethally jabbed because they couldn’t access health care in a timely fashion.
Free Stuff is Grand
Here are some comments to the National Review Article
- Adjusting proportionally for population, that would be 239,104 deaths in the United States and would make “Unavailability of health care” the third leading cause of death in the US, after heart disease and cancer but ahead of such massive killers as accidents, COVID, and diabetes.
- If the US adopted Canada’s approach to health care, where would Canadians go for their time-critical and technically advanced medical care? Living in the Great Satan’s shadow has its benefits!
I arrived at a similar 234,488 waiting deaths in the US if the results were similar.
Free stuff is grand, if you don’t die waiting for it.
end
ROBERT h:
Gates Foundation Insider Admits Ivermectin Cures ‘Man-Made Turbo Cancer
You decide whether to accept this?
We live in a jungle where survival means independence of thought and critical thinking.
One day ivermectin will get much harder to get than it is now.
GLOBAL ISSUES//
MARK CRISPIN MILLER
DR PAUL ALEXANDER
KABUKI theatre on January 29th 2025 conforming RFK Jr. (Bobby Jr.), as I said before, 1 of 3 things will happen 1)RFJ Jr. is an honest man & so not one Republican or Democrat senator will ask him any
substantive question on the deadly OWS, lockdowns that killed & the deadly Malone Bancel Sahin et al. mRNA transfection gene LNP vaccine for he will be under oath & to answer correctly, he will NOT be
| Dr. Paul AlexanderJan 27 |
confirmed, so they will ask him any and everything about all things except OWS, the failed mRNA vaccines that he was so open and transparent about up to his endorsement of POTUS Trump!
If he spoke the truth, they CANNOT confirm him so they CANNOT ask him any question relevant for he will say that the OWS killed people, and the Malone et al. mRNA death vaccine killed many Americans. He is a good honest man. He will have no choice but to speak truth to align with his prior positions for years as he will be under oath. He will be laughed at, legacy destroyed, if he tries to say his core positions are now CHANGED. However, he will never be asked any relevant questions about the lack of safety etc. of OWS and the mRNA vaccines. See my stack below from a few days ago. So, if they ask him no questions on the issue, he does not need to answer. Allowing him to wax warmly on all things irrelevant to us at this time.
This is what will happen on the 29th 2025…to confirm him…but if the decision by the powers at be are to take him out, to not confirm him, that his weight in gold already extracted in the form of votes for MAGA to win, then he is of no more use and they WILL ask him pointed questions on the death mRNA vaccines and basically to confirm his past statements that the OWS brought in Trump’s first term and the mRNA vaccine was deadly. RFK Jr. knows this as you know, and he and I have spoken in interview about this where he was clear that OWS failed, and the mRNA failed.
2)as well, he may be asked direct questions on the deadliness of the mRNA vaccine and that as he has repeatedly said, must be removed from market, but may sit there, invoke the 5th and say nothing, just stare blankly. This he can do too. In this way he may be confirmed.
3)this brings us to point three, where they could ask him direct questions (or he may go rogue and spell out his answers not even to questions they ask, going rogue) on the failure and deaths of OWS and the Malone et al. mRNA vaccine and he decides he must speak truth, and he does and his time in the MAGA world will be done! It is this RFK Jr. that will WIN our hearts and minds, that we seek to see re-emerge…for he will WIN in 2028! I will vote for that RFK Jr. This one we love and this one we want out again. I will pray the next 2 days that this RFK Jr. comes to DC and rips a new asshole in many of those Republican and Democrat Senators who among them, lurk many thieves, high-crime bandits stealing taxpayer money and pedophiles.
Sasha Latypova said it best with her ‘The ABV Strategy = Anything But Vaccines’ substack article outlining the strategy being adopted and played upon us…
END
Some talk tonight that POTUS Trump signaled getting back into WHO? Right after exiting? I was out buying a case of rum to follow RFK Jr. confirmation Wednesday so will now try to confirm that but that
will be counterproductive & make ZERO sense by 47 for we have our own agencies who can address ANYTHING we did with WHO; it is time we left FOR GOOD, no sound reason to re-enter
We must also leave the UN and shut down and bulldoze the UN building in NY, it is bugged! Bulldoze it! Exiting WHO and then talk of re-entering makes no sense and I need to get busy reading what I can and making some calls for often we have a lot of garbage on the internet and every idiot out there is a talking head and got game and often talking a load of bullocks…I do not trust the sources or believe that and likely 47’s words misconstrued but also, who the hell knows anymore, so much happening all at once…but see this and Dr. Margaret is often on the money:
SLAY NEWS
| Top Oncologist Sounds Alarm: mRNA ‘Vaccines’ Are ‘Driving’ Turbo Cancer SurgeA world-renowned oncologist has called for a global ban on Covid injections and “all mRNA vaccines” after discovering that the shots are “driving” the surge in turbo cancers.READ MORE |
| Pfizer Fined $60 Million Over Kickbacks Paying Doctors to Push Drugs onto PatientsPharmaceutical giant Pfizer has been ordered to pay almost $60 million in fines over a kickback scheme that paid doctors to push drugs onto their patients.READ MORE |
| Soccer Star Anthony Basso Dies Suddenly at 45Soccer fans are in mourning following the tragic news that Anthony Basso has died suddenly.READ MORE |
| Final Four Minutes of Black Box Recordings ‘Missing’ from Plane Crash That Killed 179Investigators have revealed that two black boxes mysteriously stopped recording in the final minutes before last month’s Jeju Air crash in South Korea killed 179 people.READ MORE |
| Supreme Court to Hear Case Regarding Public Funding for Private Religious SchoolThe U.S. Supreme Court is expected to tackle several big cases this term.READ MORE |
| Trump’s Border Patrol Chief Announces Border Wall Construction Has ResumedPresident Donald Trump’s Border Patrol chief has announced that construction of the wall along the Southern Border has now resumed.READ MORE |
| JD Vance Triggers ‘Facial Spasm’ from CBS News Host While Laying Out Immigration AgendaVice President J.D. Vance provoked an unusual reaction from CBS News host Margaret Brennan while he discussed the immigration policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.READ MORE |
| Lindsey Graham Slams Trump Over Jan 6 Pardons, Warns of ‘More Violence’Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has blasted President Donald Trump for pardoning defendants who were targeted over the U.S. Capitol protests on January 6, 2021.READ MORE |
| Sudden Death of Contestant on BBC Reality TV Show ‘Dragons’ Den’ Ruled SuicideFans of the British reality television show “Dragons’ Den” are reacting to the sad news that a former contestant has died suddenly.READ MORE |
NEWS ADDICTS
EVOL NEWS
MICHAEL EVERY/PHIL MAREY/OR OTHER EXECS //RABOBANK/
end
7.OIL AND NATURAL GAS ISSUES/GLOBAL/ENERGY/COAL
Will Trump’s Coal Comments To Davos ‘Greenies’ Revive US Miners?
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 06:55 AM
President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency to boost fossil fuel power generation amid surging load demands on the grid via the ‘Powering Up America‘ theme, including AI data centers, electrification of the economy, and re-shoring trends. The move by Trump underscores a massive policy shift from the Biden-Harris regime’s ‘green’ policies that only acted as a ‘throttle’ on the economy, making US companies less competitive globally. Meanwhile, China ramped up cheap energy via an explosion in coal-fired power production.
“They can fuel it with anything they want, and they may have coal as a backup — good, clean coal,” Trump said in a virtual appearance at Thursday’s annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Trump said that if critical infrastructure, such as natural gas and oil pipelines, gets “blown up,” coal could be used as a critical backup energy source.
He noted, “We have more coal than anybody,” adding, “We have more oil and gas than anybody.”
Trump is correct.
The US is the world’s largest producer of oil and NatGas. Although it holds the largest coal reserves globally, it ranks fourth-largest coal producer, behind China, India, and Indonesia.
With Trump pausing the war on fossil fuels, the urgent need to ramp up power production through NatGas and coal will likely become a reality. This move aims to ensure a more stable transition to a clean energy future, including nuclear, while hopefully lowering energy bills for Americans after Biden-Harris’ reckless green policies drove power prices sky-high.
Trump’s comments on coal sent shares of Peabody Energy, the top US coal miner, surging as much as 7.6% last Thursday—the largest intraday gain since right after the November presidential election.
Will Trump’s comments produce a price floor in the low $18 handle, similar to the price action in 2023?
Meanwhile, the Russell 3000 Coal Subsector Index climbed 4.2%.
“Trump’s support for fossil fuels is well known, but coal didn’t receive as much attention during this campaign as it did in prior elections,” Bloomberg’s Will Wade pointed out in a note.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg Javier Blas doesn’t believe in coal’s revival: “Respectfully, I disagree. In the US we know that ultra cheap shale gas has eviscerated the economics of coal-fired power plants. In America, the biggest enemy of coal is gas.”
With a quarter of US coal power plants set for retirement by 2040, the question arises whether Trump’s push for stable and low-cost fossil fuel power generation will include a revival of coal. Ensuring cheap power for the transition to clean nuclear power is critical for the US and maintaining competitiveness with China in global markets.
8. EMERGING MARKETS//AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND ISSUES//
Mexico/USA
this is interesting!
Chaos On Border: Mexican Cartels Fire At US Border Patrol Agents
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 08:45 AM
Chaos erupted along the US-Mexico border on Monday when cartel members opened fire on US Border Patrol agents. This incident came just one week after President Trump ramped up border security efforts, deployed the military, and formally designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Late Monday night, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez wrote on X:
Earlier today, @TxDPS responded to assist the US Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Starr County.
DPS Drone Operators captured the gunmen fleeing Mexico due to military presence, & seeking refuge on an island between the US & Mexico.
The State of Texas will continue to monitor the area closely & use every resource available to prevent transnational threats to our law enforcement partners & the homeland.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin commented on Olivarez’s post:
Texas DPS releases drone footage showing the cartel gunmen suspected of shooting at US Border Patrol agents in the RGV earlier today. The men can be seen armed with rifles, and appear to aim at the TX DPS drone.
One user on X, asked: “Where are our Marine snipers at?”
On Jan. 20, President Trump designated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
More than 10,000 US troops are being deployed to the southern border to restore national security following globalist policies under the Biden-Harris regime. These policies resulted in a ten million unvetted migrant invasion into the US from third-world countries.
Also, nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids have resulted in thousands of arrests of criminal illegal aliens so far, who will be deported to their home countries. Deportation flight began last week.
Meanwhile, far-left corporate media, Hollywood elites, progressive think tanks, and radical leftist politicians are melting down over Trump deporting criminal illegal aliens. These folks are out of touch, failing to recognize that restoring national and border security was a very clear mandate given to Trump by a majority of voters.
Our view is that the designation of Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations sets up the pathway for US federal investigators to follow the money trail and disrupt cartel operations by sanctioning Mexican banks that wash their dirty money. Pain is likely coming for Mexican banks.
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: 1.0421 DOWN 16 BASIS PTS
USA/ YEN 155.29 UP .378 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 1.2433 DOWN .0018 OR 18 PTS
USA/CAN DOLLAR: 1.4415 UP 0.0014 (CDN DOLLAR DOWN 14 BASIS PTS)
Last night Shanghai COMPOSITE CLOSED DOWN 2.02 PTS OR 0.06%
Hang Seng CLOSED UP 27.34 PTS OR 0.14%
AUSTRALIA CLOSED DOWN 0.18%
// EUROPEAN BOURSE: ALL GREEN
Trading from Europe and ASIA
I) EUROPEAN BOURSES: ALL GREEN
2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang SENG CLOSED UP 27.34 PTS OR 0.14%
/SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 2.02 PTS OR 0.060%
AUSTRALIA BOURSE CLOSED DOWN .18%
(Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED DOWN 548.93 PTS OR 1.39%
INDIA’S SENSEX IN THE GREEN
Gold very early morning trading: 2743.55
silver:$30.10
USA dollar index early TUESDAY morning: 107.79 UP 64 BASIS POINTS FROM MONDAY’s CLOSE.
TUESDAY MORNING NUMBERS ENDS
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And now your closing TUESDAY NUMBERS 1: 30 AM
Portuguese 10 year bond yield: 2.946% DOWN 1 in basis point(s) yield
JAPANESE BOND YIELD: +1.198% UP 1 AND 2/ 10 BASIS POINTS /JAPAN losing control of its yield curve/
SPANISH 10 YR BOND YIELD: 3.157 DOWN 1 in basis points yield
ITALIAN 10 YR BOND YIELD 3.632 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: 2.556 UP 3 BASIS PTS
IMPORTANT CURRENCY CLOSES : MID DAY FRIDAY
Closing currency crosses for day /USA DOLLAR INDEX/USA 10 YR BOND YIELD/1:00 PM
Euro/USA 1.0431 DOWN .0006 OR 6 basis points
USA/Japan: 155.25 UP 0.342 OR YEN IS DOWN .342 BASIS PTS//
Great Britain 10 YR RATE 4.6415 UP 5 BASIS POINTS //
Canadian dollar UP .0023 OR 23 BASIS pts to 1.4382
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The USA/Yuan, CNY ON SHORE CLOSED UP 7.2509 (ON SHORE)..CHINA MUST DEVALUE TO GOLD
THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE: (YUAN CLOSED (UP)…. (7.2727)
TURKISH LIRA: 35.76 EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL/DEATH WATCH/HYPERINFLATION TO BEGIN.//
the 10 yr Japanese bond yield at +1.198
Your closing 10 yr US bond yield UP 2 in basis points from MONDAY at 4.552% //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%)
USA 30 yr bond yield 4.798 UP 3 in basis points /11:00 AM
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.207 UP 1 BASIS PTS.
GOLD AT 11;00 AM 2752.95
SILVER AT 11;00: 30.15
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 30.16 pts or 0.36%
German Dax : UP 148.40 pts or 0.70%
Paris CAC CLOSED DOWN 9.21 pts or 0.12%
Spain IBEX CLOSED UP 157.10 PTS OR 1.31%
Italian MIB: CLOSED DOWN 44.11 PTS OR 0.12%
WTI Oil price 73.35 11 EST/
Brent Oil: 80.15 11:00 EST
USA /RUSSIAN ROUBLE /// AT: 98.66 ROUBLE DOWN 1 AND 22/100
GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD; +2.5560 UP 3 BASIS PTS.
UK 10 YR YIELD: 4.6415 UP 5 BASIS POINTS
CDN 10 YEAR RATE: 3.244 UP 1 BASIS PTS.
CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 2.947 UP 1 BASIS PTS
CLOSING NUMBERS: 4 PM
Euro vs USA 1.0432 DOWN 0.0005 OR 5 BASIS POINTS//HEADING TO PARITY WITH THE DOLLAR
British Pound: 1.2441 DOWN 0.0010 OR 10 basis pts/HEADING FOR PARITY /USA
BRITISH 10 YR GILT BOND YIELD: 4.6119 UP 3 BASIS PTS//
JAPAN 10 YR YIELD: 1.193
USA dollar vs Japanese Yen: 155.53 DOWN .617 OR 62 BASIS PTS// HEADING FOR 160 TO THE DOLLAR
USA dollar vs Canadian dollar: 1.4398 UP .0030 BASIS PTS CDN DOLLAR DOWN 30 BASIS PTS
West Texas intermediate oil: 73.89
Brent OIL: 77.61
USA 10 yr bond yield UP 1 BASIS pts to 4.539
USA 30 yr bond yield UP 0 BASIS PTS to 4.785%
USA 2 YR BOND: UP 1 PTS AT 4.201
CDN 10 YR RATE 3.223 UP 1/2 BASIS PTS
CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 2.913 DOWN 1 BASIS PTS
USA dollar index: 107.72 UP 56 BASIS POINTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 35.73 GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO BLOWING UP/
USA DOLLAR VS RUSSIA//// ROUBLE: 98.00 DOWN 0 AND 62/100 roubles
GOLD 2,764.60 (3:30 PM)
SILVER: 30.42 (3:30 PM)
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE: UP 136.77 PTS OR 0.31%
NASDAQ 100 UP 335.76 PTS OR 1.59%
VOLATILITY INDEX: 16.41 DOWN 1.49 PTS OR 8.342%
GLD: $ 255.18 OR DOWN 2.19 PTS OR 0.87%
SLV/ $27.63 PTS OR UP 0.17 OR 0.62%
TORONTO STOCK INDEX// TSX INDEX: CLOSED UP 130.03 PTS OR 0.52%
end
TRADING today ZEROHEDGE/HEADLINES
USA DATA
a sign of a crumbling economy
(zerohedge)
US Durable Goods Orders Tumbled In December As Boeing Bloodbath Continues
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 08:41 AM
US Durable Goods Orders tumbled in December, according to preliminary data, dropping 2.2% MoM (vs +0.65 MoM expectations). Worse still, November’s 1.2% MoM decline was revised down to a 2.0% MoM decline…
Source: Bloomberg
The large decline appears to be Boeing related as Ex-Transports, durable goods rose 0.3% MoM as expected with non-defense aircraft and parts orders plunging 45.7% MoM…
Source: Bloomberg
The value of core capital goods orders, a proxy for investment in equipment excluding aircraft and military hardware, increased 0.5% last month after a revised 0.9% jump in November.
The bottom line – who knows? Ignore the noise and all is well. But what if the noise is the signal?
end
INFLATION KICKING IN
(zerohedge)
US Home Prices Surge To New Record High (Except In Tampa)
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 09:15 AM
US home prices in America’s 20 largest cities rose 0.41% MoM in November (far better than the 0.3% MoM expected) according to the latest data from S&P CoreLogic’s Case-Shiller Index. That leaves prices up 4.33% YoY (up from 4.23% YoY in October) and the first acceleration in YoY price gains since March 2024
Source: Bloomberg
So 100bps of rate-cuts prompted a re-acceleration in home prices…
Source: Bloomberg
Arguably, (lagged) mortgage rates increased during that period, and dipped since (positive short-term for the highly smoothed and lagged Case Shiller series), but as is clear, things do not end well…
Source: Bloomberg
Tampa stands out with the only price drop on a YoY basis…
In fact Tampa prices are at their lowest since Oct 2023…
However, home price appreciation does seem to track very closely with bank reserves at The Fed (6mo lag)…
Source: Bloomberg
Which suggests the pace of home price appreciation is set to slow further from here.
end
Conference Board Confidence Continues To Collapse Post-Election…
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 10:20 AM
Americans’ consumer confidence fell for the second month in a row in January according to The Conference Board, dropping from an upwardly revised 109.5 (how do you revise ‘confidence’?) to 104.1 (vs 105.7 exp) with expectations and current conditions both falling (from upwardly revised data)…
Source: Bloomberg
That is a four month low in consumer confidence… despite most other indications of confidence and animal spirits having surged since Trump’s election…
Source: Bloomberg
“Consumer confidence has been moving sideways in a relatively stable, narrow range since 2022. January was no exception. The Index weakened for a second straight month, but still remained in that range, even if in the lower part,” said Dana M. Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board.
“All five components of the Index deteriorated but consumers’ assessments of the present situation experienced the largest decline. Notably, views of current labor market conditions fell for the first time since September, while assessments of business conditions weakened for the second month in a row.
Meanwhile, consumers were also less optimistic about future business conditions and, to a lesser extent, income.
The return of pessimism about future employment prospects seen in December was confirmed in January.”
Even the Trump-favoring states saw expectations plunge apparently – after surging in December…
Source: Bloomberg
After 3 months of rebounding, labor market conditions slumped in January…
Source: Bloomberg
Buying conditions for big-ticket items such as cars, houses and appliances softened.
Inflation and interest rate expectations rose while stock market expectations dipped in January…
Source: Bloomberg
Nonetheless, there were positive notes in other aspects of the survey. Peterson added that “consumers’ views of their Family’s Current Financial Situation were more positive, and six-month expectations for family finances reached a new series high. The proportion of consumers anticipating a recession over the next 12 months was stable near the series low.”
end
III USA ECONOMIC NEWS
WHAT!!!!! TUCKER CARLSON AND MATT TAIBBI
FBI hid COVID lab leak data from the public
(Tucker Carlson/Matt Taibbi)
“Gigantic Rat’s Nest”: Taibbi Hints FBI Communications With COVID Scientists Will Be Exposed
Monday, Jan 27, 2025 – 02:35 PM
Award-winning independent journalist Matt Taibbi revealed in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that communications between FBI officials and scientists related to gain-of-function research and the origins of COVID-19 is expected to one day be made public.
Watch: (relevant portion begins at 34:06)
MATT TAIBBI: There are so many different areas where they are going to have to investigate and reinvestigate that. We just went through a period where there was mass stonewalling of Congress when it was trying to investigate what happened with COVID. There were key people like Peter Daszak from the EcoHealth Alliance, who just didn’t answer subpoenas, right? There are documents that we know exist that we’re going to get now with FBI communications between the bureau and a lot of these scientists dating back ten years. And it’s going to tell a crazy story, a really interesting story. There’s a reason why Fauci’s pardon is backdated to 2014, because that’s the time period they are going to have to start looking, which is, when did we start defying the ban on gain of function research. We clearly did. That’s pretty established at this point.
Why were we doing it? What connection did that have to the Wuhan thing? What kind of advanced notice did we get? What kind of lies were told about it? Who were responsible for those lies? What information did we get about the inefficacy of the vaccine and how did that connect to statement by the CDC and the White House? This also connects to the censorship issue in a major way because there was a massive effort to control the public conversation about this that went through the health agencies. We know they’re looking at that. And that’s another executive order, by the way, the free speech order. It directs the Department of Justice to come up with a comprehensive review of all the censorship stuff, so we’re going to find out about that. I just think COVID is a gigantic rat’s nest of stuff. Every direction they look there’s going to find something revelatory.
TUCKER CARLSON: The question is: will that information reach the public? There is these intermediaries like the media. Congressional brand investigators, executive brand investigators like DOJ, inspector generals, they are always constantly releasing reports and no one reads them because no one picks them up in the media. Do we have enough interested reporters to designate what they find?
MATT TAIBBI: I think we do because what we think of as the media is dead. They no longer really matter. The media that matters right now are people like you, Joe Rogan and other independent podcasters out there. There’s this gigantic, thriving independent media out there that turned the last election. It was abundantly clear that the old media no longer had any ability to control the narrative about anything. They’re totally discredited.
end
Scott Bessent confirmed
(zerohedge)
Scott Bessent Confirmed As Treasury Secretary, Pushes For Gradual Universal Tariffs Up To 20%
Monday, Jan 27, 2025 – 09:20 PM
Late on Monday, the Senate confirmed Scott Bessent’s nomination for Treasury Secretary in a 68–29 vote, putting him in a key role in implementing President Trump’s tariff and growth agenda. The billionaire investor will be spearheading Trump’s plan of cutting taxes and curbing deficits, while putting forward a tariff plan that also facilitates growth.
The Senate Finance Committee approved Bessent’s nomination for Treasury Secretary on a 16-11 vote, with two Democrats—Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.)—joining Republicans. Democrats who opposed his nomination alluded to concerns about his tax dispute with the IRS.
“Like a lot of Wall Street titans, he’s opted out of paying a fair share into Medicare,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), ranking member on the committee.
Bessent has previously said the U.S. faces economic calamity if Congress does not renew key provisions from Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that are set to expire Dec. 31, 2025. According to the Epoch Times, negotiating the extension of those tax cuts will be one of Bessent’s major responsibilities even as he pushes for 3 percent annual growth, significant trims to deficits, and increasing domestic oil production by 3 million barrels a day.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) described the Wall Street veteran as an “example of the American dream in action.”
“He brings a wealth of private sector experience in the economy and markets to his new role, as well as the concern for the needs of working Americans,” Thune said on the Senate floor.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) defended Bessent before the vote, saying that the Key Square Group founder has complied with tax laws.
Many Democrats, naturally, disagreed. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), one of the Democrats who voted against Trump’s pick to lead the Treasury Department, called it a “double standard in America” during an executive committee hearing on Jan. 21.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Bessent’s nomination further highlights billionaires’ influence on U.S. politics. “Billionaires dominate the American economy, and Republicans plan to give them more tax breaks,” she said.
In his Jan. 16 confirmation hearing in front of the committee, Bessent discussed various economic issues. Bessent has expressed how critical it is to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), President Donald Trump’s signature legislation from his first term in the White House.
Sitting before the Senate Finance Committee during his Jan. 16 confirmation hearing, the Wall Street veteran told lawmakers that allowing the TCJA to expire would cause “an economic calamity” and lead to “financial instability.” “We will see a gigantic middle-class tax increase. We will see the child tax credit halved,“ Bessent said. ”We will see the deductions halved … it has the potential for a sudden stop.”
Contrary to his most recent hedge fund letter, the billionaire financier now also supports the president’s tariff plans. He highlighted the various benefits associated with trade levies, such as strengthening the U.S. dollar, forcing foreign manufacturers to export deflation, and nudging consumers to change their preferences to support American jobs.
And speaking of flipflopping, exactly one year after he wrote in his KeySquare letter to investors that he found it “unlikely that across-the-board tariffs, as currently reported by the media, would be enacted”, the FT reported that Bessent is now pushing for new universal tariffs on US imports to start at 2.5% and rise gradually.
The 2.5% levy would move higher by the same amount each month, the people familiar with it said, giving businesses time to adjust and countries the chance to negotiate with the US president’s administration.
The levies could be pushed up to as high as 20 per cent — in line with Trump’s maximalist position on the campaign trail last year. But a gradual introduction would be more moderate than the immediate action some countries feared.
The proposal by Bessent comes as Trump’s team debates how to implement tariff plans, with the president escalating his tariff rhetoric on Monday in a speech in Florida, threatening more duties on semiconductors, metals and pharmaceutical goods.
“We have to bring production back to our country,” Trump said.
Trump was speaking after a day of turmoil in US stock markets, triggered by a tech sell-off as China appeared to make a leap ahead of the US in the global artificial intelligence race. His threat to impose tariffs on semiconductors entering the US would be difficult to carry out given the impact on tech companies relying on chipmakers such as Taiwan’s TSMC.
In contrast, Bessent’s plan would see just 2.5% added to tariffs each month. According to the FT, it was unclear if the Treasury secretary had convinced other central stakeholders, including Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick for commerce secretary, to adopt his proposal for a gradual introduction of tariffs.
Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to force tariffs of up to 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico as soon as this weekend, and in recent days threatened Colombia with 25% tariffs in a dispute over deportees. That said, an FT source said that Trump’s thinking said he was weighing different options. “There is not a single plan the president is ready to decide on yet.”
When asked by reporters last week whether he planned to introduce universal tariffs, Trump replied: “We may. But we’re not ready for that yet.”
We may not be there yet, but we will be there soon, especially if Trump follows through on his urging to abolish income tax altogether, which implies that tariffs would need to somehow generate similar amounts of revenue. In that case a 20% universal tariff is just the start.
END
they continue to nab illegal aliens. Sunday night a raid on Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Gang highlights their big score
(zerohedge)
Feds Nab 50 Illegals In Raid On Tren De Aragua Gang’s ‘Makeshift Nightclub’
Monday, Jan 27, 2025 – 06:50 PM
In the latest indication that President Trump’s new administration is dead-serious about securing the border and sweeping up those who already waltzed across it, federal agents raided a Sunday morning party in Denver on and nabbed nearly 50 illegal aliens, including members of the notorious Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang.
The congregation of gang-related revelers made for an inviting target — rather than picking up two or three border-violators at a time, the party at an abandoned warehouse served up dozens of suspects on a single platter. Officials described the site as a “makeshift nightclub” and said the event was only open to invited guests. Around 3 am on a frigid Denver night, armed agents crashed the party, including members of the DEA, ATF, Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“TdA affiliated gang members and associates sent out invitations over social media to come to a party at this location tonight,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen told Denver7, noting that the warehouse on the 6600 block of Federal Boulevard on Denver’s north side has been used for large parties over the past several months. In video posted by the DEA’s Rocky Mountain office, ICE agents are seen processing the partygoers in the bitter conditions, presumably seeking to identify them and confirm which individuals are in the country illegally:
Denver already had an infamous association with TdA, thanks to jarring video images from last August that showed gang members roaming an apartment complex, wielding rifles and pistols. Multiple complexes in and around Denver were reportedly under various extents of domination by the gang, and local government officials have since intervened, seeking closures of some, while seizing others and putting them under new management. It’s not clear who owns the warehouse that’s been serving as a TdA party palace — neighbors can only hope for an enterprising Denver commercial real estate broker to find a higher and better use for the joint.
In addition to the busload of illegals, Feds said they confiscated weapons, money and drugs — including cocaine, crack and “Tusi,” also known as “pink cocaine.” That latter, novel drug is rising to nationwide prominence thanks in large part to TdA, the New York Post has reported. A Chicago Police Department memo described pink cocaine as “a mixture of several drugs [that] can vary between different narcotics, e.g., Ecstasy, Amphetamines, LSD, or other synthetic drugs.” It retails for at least $100 a gram on the street, according to a Post federal law enforcement source.
Trump promised swift action in rounding up illegal immigrants, and his first week in office has delivered a flurry of high-profile, high-yield raids in cities across the country, including Buffalo, Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago. We’ve also seen the commencement of military aircraft hauling captured illegals south. In a Sunday appearance on ABC’s This Week, Trump “border czar” Tom Homan told Martha Raddatz that this is only the beginning, with the pace only rising from here:
“You’re going to see the numbers steadily increase — the number of arrests nationwide — as we open up the aperture. Right now it’s concentrated on public safety threats, national security threats. That’s a smaller population. So we’re going to do this on a priority basis, as President Trump has promised, but as that aperture opens, there’ll be more arrests nationwide.”
Evidencing that prioritization of public safety and national security threats, the White House on Sunday boasted about multiple illegal-alien apprehensions that happened across the United States last week. They include:
- In Seattle, a convicted child rapist
- In Buffalo, a Jordanian with suspected ties to ISIS
- In Los Angeles, a Salvadoran MS-13 gang member wanted for aggravated homicide
- In New Orleans, an Ethiopian sex offender
- In Boston, a Brazilian convicted of vehicular manslaughter
Ideally, they’ll soon be on outbound aircraft, so their home countries may be “enriched” by their presence.
end
EARTH SHATTERING! Trump states that he will order troops into California to turn on the water
(zerohedge)
Trump Says He Sent Troops To “Turn On The Water” In California
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 10:05 AM
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
President Trump issued an emergency directive to send active duty troops to California to help battle the fires that are still destroying people’s lives.
“The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond,” Trump announced on Truth Social.
“The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER,” the President asserted, adding “Enjoy the water, California!!!”
The move comes after Trump signed an executive order Friday titled “Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas.”
“For weeks, residents of the Los Angeles area have watched raging fires consume their homes, belongings, beloved pets, and childhood memories. Almost immediately, firefighters were unable to fight the blaze due to dry hydrants, empty reservoirs, and inadequate water infrastructure,” the order reads.
It continues, “Today, at least 28 people have lost their lives and thousands more have lost everything else, with some damage estimates calculating hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.”
The order further states “it is in the Nation’s interest to ensure that California has what it needs to prevent and fight these fires and others in the future.”
It adds that “it is the policy of the United States to provide Southern California with necessary water resources, notwithstanding actively harmful State or local policies. And it is the policy of the United States to assist Americans in disaster areas through responsive policies that more effectively empower them to rebuild and regain their livelihoods.”
Meanwhile, the he California Department of Water Resources has denied that the military has yet entered California, noting that “The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days. State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful.”
x.com/CA_DWR/status/1884122000232444407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1884191117417275393%7
The development comes after Trump eviscerated the LA mayor to her face last week, demanding that bureaucracy be put aside to help people deal with the disaster.
*END
long overdue!@
“Monday Afternoon Massacre”: USAID Employees Placed On Leave For Allegedly Circumventing Trump’s Orders
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 11:20 AM
Officials for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been placed on paid (!) leave after allegedly trying to circumvent President Donald Trump’s executive orders, according to a memorandum sent to agency staffers on Jan. 27.
USAID officials identified several actions that “appeared to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people,” according to acting administrator, Jason Gray.
“As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions,” he added.
According to USAID’s China policy lead Francisco Benscome, “People are calling it the Monday afternoon massacre,” adding “This decision undermines our national security and emboldens our adversaries. … Instead of focusing on China, North Korea, or Russia, the Trump Administration is going after public servants who have served multiple administrations—including the first Trump administration.”
Cry harder.
Democrats are freaking out over the ‘massacre,’ with Rep. Gregory Meeks (R-NY), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, saying in a statement that the move was harmful and had no benefit.
x.com/HouseForeign/status/1884085427633877425
USAID, which notably gave Wuhan Labn collaborator EcoHealth Alliance a $4.67 million grant in 2021, then stonewalled when asked for documents – and handed Ukrainian energy giant Burisma a lucrative contract months after Hunter Biden joined its board, and gave $15 million to organizations linked to George Soros, is an ‘independent’ federal agency that leads US efforts on international development and ‘humanitarian assistance’ to other countries.
Republicans have been long critical of USAID‘s priorities, including providing funds to Afghanistan to distribute contraceptives.
“USAID needs to be dismantled,” wrote Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) in a Monday post on X.
circumventing-trumps&sessionId=58982f38db93da0aec1763174c7ea4ecb13bf101&siteScreenName=zerohedge&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
As the Epoch Times notes further, President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders since taking office. Some pertain to USAID and the State Department, with which USAID works regularly.
One order suspended U.S. foreign aid for 90 days. The White House said the suspension was because the U.S. government’s foreign policy is “not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values.”
A spokesperson for the State Department said on Jan. 26 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, consistent with the order, has paused all foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and the USAID.
“He is initiating a review of all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda,” Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson, said.
A second memo, sent over the weekend, informed USAID staff that the pause on foreign aid spending meant “a complete halt,” with exceptions for emergency humanitarian food assistance and officials returning to their duty stations.
Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, on Monday called for the U.S. government to consider additional exemptions “to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities for the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on this support.”
IIIB USA COMMENTARIES RE ISRAEL/HAMAS WAR/ and PERVASIVE ANTISEMITISM/WOKISM
iiiC USA COVID //VACCINE ISSUES/IMPORTANT MEDICAL ISSUES
END
FREIGHT ISSUES/USA/
END
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON OR NEWT GINGRICH/TUCKER CARLSON
VDH
END
KING REPORT
| The King Report June 25, 2018 Issue 5784 | Independent View of the News |
| How Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Made a Model that Rivals OpenAI On January 20, DeepSeek, a relatively unknown AI research lab from China, released an open-source model that’s quickly become the talk of the town in Silicon Valley. According to a paper authored by the company, DeepSeek-R1 beats the industry’s leading models like OpenAI o1 on several math and reasoning benchmarks. In fact, on many metrics that matter—capability, cost, openness—DeepSeek is giving Western AI giants a run for their money… “Unlike many Chinese AI firms that rely heavily on access to advanced hardware, DeepSeek has focused on maximizing software-driven resource optimization… This approach not only mitigates resource constraints (US AI chip export restrictions) but also accelerates the development of cutting-edge technologies, setting DeepSeek apart from more insular competitors.”… It started as Fire-Flyer, a deep-learning research branch of High-Flyer, one of China’s best-performing quantitative hedge funds… https://www.wired.com/story/deepseek-china-model-ai/ DeepSeek hits No. 1 on Apple’s App Store The startup caught competitors in Silicon Valley and the AI world by surprise. DeepSeek engineers said they’re building the models with inferior Nvidia chips and less capital. DeepSeek hit No. 1 on the Apple App Store’s Top Free Apps Chart days after the Chinese startup released its flagship model, R1 (On Jan. 20)… Those US companies poured billions of dollars into acquiring highly advanced chips and data to build models that can solve complex problems. DeepSeek, however, appears to be building models that can perform at similar benchmarks — at a fraction of the cost… https://www.businessinsider.com/deepseek-number-one-app-apple-store-openai-chatgpt-2025-1 @TonyNashNerd: ChatGPT just told me this about Deepseek: “If DeepSeek or other MoE-based architectures replace dense LLMs (like ChatGPT), GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) demand per unit of AI output could decline by 80-90%, assuming similar productivity levels.” Tech titan Marc Andreessen (@pmarca): Deepseek R1 is AI’s Sputnik moment. (Musk warned DJT about his hyped $500B AI scheme. Elon said the parties don’t have the money.) Trump aides ‘furious’ with Elon Musk for trashing $500B AI project https://nypost.com/2025/01/24/business/trump-aides-furious-with-elon-musk-for-trashing-500b-ai-project/ China’s DeepSeek AI Moves the Capital of Tech from Palo Alto to Hangzhou https://t.co/AMDZcPtYPE Thanks to the fact that it is fully open source, people have already fine-tuned and trained many multiple variations of the model for different task-specific purposes such as making it small enough to run on a mobile device or combining it with other open-source models. Even if you want to use it for development purposes, DeepSeek’s API costs are more than 90% cheaper than the equivalent o1 model from OpenAI. DeepSeek is a nuclear bomb detonated in the heart of Silicon Valley. It is a straight-up challenge to America’s de facto Royal Family of tech Brahmins who thought their reign would last forever… We’ll end with Bertrand’s insightful critique of Trump’s $500 billion Stargate boondoggle which will be obsolete before they even break ground: Stargate, if it goes forward, is likely to become one of the biggest wastages of capital in history: It hinges on outdated assumptions about the importance of computing scale in AI (the ‘bigger compute = better AI’ dogma), which DeepSeek just proved is wrong… The race for “AI Supremacy” is over — at least for now. Decades of government kowtowing to Big Tech has thus far failed to produce a decisive victory Customers are considering alternatives; there is no longer a sense that OpenAI is the only provider customers can turn to. OpenAI’s relationship with Microsoft has soured. Altman’s credibility has diminished; his latest infrastructure play is being openly mocked (more about that in a future essay)… China caught up so quickly for many reasons. One that deserves Congressional investigation was Meta’s decision to open source their LLMs… DeepSeek reportedly got its start in LLMs retraining Meta’s Llama model.)… https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/the-race-for-ai-supremacy-is-over Nvidia calls China’s DeepSeek R1 model ‘an excellent AI advancement’ https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/27/nvidia-calls-chinas-deepseek-r1-model-an-excellent-ai-advancement.html CNN on Sunday night: White House backs off on tariffs on Colombia after agreement on ‘unrestricted acceptance’ of migrants – “The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in the statement. “Based on this agreement, the fully drafted IEEPA tariffs and sanctions will be held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement.”… https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/26/politics/colombia-tariffs-trump-deportation-flights/index.html Most tech stocks and related indices got hammered on Monday. But because traders are inculcated bullish and the Fed continues to supply the juice, the usual suspects HAD to be long something. They scurried to buy DJTA stocks; bonds; Meta, fallen angel Apple; and to a lesser degree, industrial issues. ESHs tumbled to their daily low of 5948.00 at 5:52 ET. They then soared to 6047.75, almost a 100-point rally, at 10:42 ET. To reiterate, traders have been conditioned to be bullish and buy dips; it’s Fed Week; the heart of Mag 7 reporting results are Wednesday, which is also Fed Day; and despite Fed assertions, financial conditions are extremely loose. The DJTA was +1.65% at 12:37 ET. The DJIA, which had been down as much as 398 handles was +150 and change; USHs were +1 point. BBG captures The Street’s mentality: Nvidia’s Plunge Has Traders Eyeing When to Buy the Dip @bespokeinvest: Mega-cap moves today (as of 1:45 PM ET): NVIDIA -16% Apple +3.8% Meta +0.5% Microsoft -2.9% Alphabet -3.5% Tesla -2.5% Amazon -0.8% Broadcom -18.6% @spectatorindex) tweeted at 2:30 PM on Mon, Jan 27, 2025: Market value of Mastercard: $502 billion Market value of ExxonMobil: $484 billion Market value of Bank of America: $355 billion Market value of CocaCola: $275 billion NVIDIA’s loss of market value today: $560 billion After hitting 6048.00 at 10:41 ET, ESHs retreated 36 handles by 13:25 ET. An elongated A-B-C rally took ESHs to 6056.50 at 16:04 ET. The S&P 500 Index and ESHs closed at NYSE session highs. Nvidia Erases $589 Billion in Value, Most in Market History – BBG 16:01 ET Positive aspects of previous session The DJIA, DJTA, and USHs (+1 6/32 at NYSE close) rallied sharply on rotational buying. Commodities declined sharply. The ESH low (5948.00) appeared at 5:50 ET. ESHs rallied 108.50 by 16:04 ET. Negative aspects of previous session AI-related issues got eviscerated; many techs declined in concert. Nvidia declined 16.91%. Ambiguous aspects of previous session How big will Fangs rally this week for the heart of Mag 7 reporting season? First Hour/Last Hour Action [S&P 500 Index]: 1st Hour from NYSE Open: Up; Last Hour: Up Pivot Point for S&P 500 Index [above/below indicates daily trend to traders]: 5997.46 Previous session S&P 500 Index High/Low: 6117.17; 5962.92 President Donald Trump today to sign executive orders banning transgender service members and DEI programs in the military – NYP Trump restored military service members who were discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine with full back pay and benefits. @AutismCapital: Marc Andreessen breaks down how the University scam works and how they misappropriate taxpayer money. “There is a government supported and funded cartel that doesn’t allow new entrants to get access to Federal money. They must be allowed to fail.” https://x.com/AutismCapital/status/1883697882857087058 Rubio threatens bounties on Taliban leaders over detained Americans (Biden/Obama knew and did nothing) https://www.voanews.com/a/rubio-threatens-bounties-on-taliban-leaders-over-detained-americans/7950570.html @DarioCpx: ~80% of all “AI Capex” spent since the AI mania started was used to buy NVIDIA GPUs which isn’t an AI business but a semiconductor one…@elonmusk stated (see Tech Crunch article “Elon Musk agrees that we’ve exhausted AI training data”) companies already exhausted all the available training data available on the internet and this is a very important factor to consider. Why? Because for AI to improve they require high-quality data, but these can only be available at a certain speed. As a consequence, AI companies are relying on “synthetic data” to keep training the models mindful that the overall quality won’t increase and there is a higher risk of “hallucinations” in the outputs… https://x.com/DarioCpx/status/1881895342893113381 DeepSeek hit with large-scale cyberattack, says it’s limiting registrations https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/deepseek-hit-large-scale-cyberattack-says-limiting-registrations-rcna189451 China’s ‘communist AI’ DeepSeek sparks security and privacy fears as AI arms race heats up DeepSeek will collect users’ device information, IP address and ‘keystroke patterns’ – how a user types – and store it in China. https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2006227/China-DeepSeek-security-privacy-fears Today – The usual suspects will play for a Turnaround Tuesday to the upside, even though ESHs rallied 108.50 from their low. Bulls will be emboldened by the Fed Week Rally that typically runs into the Fed Communique release and/or Powell’s press conference, plus TSLA, MSFT, & Meta results on Wednesday. ‘Tis why Meta jumped to an all-time high after tumbling early (625.10 to 663.87). Most people have NO idea of the implications and impact of AI on US tech firms. Fewer people, including experts, understand what DeepSeek has wrought on US tech firms. Nevertheless, the usual suspects will make trading and investing decisions on the fallacious knowledge that a bubble engenders. @zerohedge: Every talking head on CNBC: “I am not an expert on the space, but I am convinced today’s selloff is overdone.” Expected earnings: PCAR 1.70, BA -2.91, LMT 6.62, GM 1.83, KMB 1.52, PKG 2.52, CB 5.41 Expected economic data: Dec Durable Goods 0.6% m/m; Nov FHFA House Price Index 0.3% m/m; S&P CoreLogic 20-city houses 0.3% m/m & 4.2% y/y; Jan Conference Board Consumer Confidence 105.7 ESHs (6059.50, +12.75 at peak) and NQHs (rallied sharply early on Monday night. Then, Trump said he will be placing tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper. ESHs sank to 6037.00; NQHs fell to 21244.75 from 21357.50 (peak, +99.00). ESHs are +3.50; NQHs are +54.50; and USHs are -8/32 at 20:25 ET. S&P Index 50-day MA: 5982; 100-day MA: 5858; 150-day MA: 5740; 200-day MA: 5612 DJIA 50-day MA: 43,616; 100-day MA: 42,898; 150-day MA: 41,957; 200-day MA: 41,151 (Green is positive slope; Red is negative slope) S&P 500 Index (6101.24 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 5962.31 triggers a sell signal Hourly: Trender and MACD are negative – a close above 6106.65 triggers a buy signal @newsbusters: The leftist media spend 46 minutes on President Trump’s J6 pardons and only 3 minutes on Joe Biden pardoning his family. https://x.com/newsbusters/status/1883924621604290966 @WesternLensman: Two huge Trump DOJ stories: DOJ officials involved in prosecutions of Donald Trump have been fired. A “Special Project” has launched to investigate prosecutors who charged J6 defendants with felony obstruction offenses. The hunters are becoming the hunted: https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1883991123104063851 NPR, PBS, and Voice of America eyed for defunding, reform amid reporting bias concerns Politicians and those who have worked in the public broadcasting industry have criticized NPR, PBS, and VOA, claiming that they promote leftist propaganda on the taxpayer’s dime. https://justthenews.com/accountability/media/public-funding-stake-npr-pbs-voa-eyed-defunding-reform-amid-alleged-reporting Babylon Bee: Democrats Once Again Concerned about Who Will Pick Their Crops https://buff.ly/40PuzxZ NFL refereeing has had a festering problem for years. The smug NFL commissioner has insouciantly ignored it. Due to quantifiable favoritism for the Chiefs, there is now a crisis of legitimacy. The NFL and its TV partners are acutely aware of the situation. This is why for the first time in the past two years, CBS avoided its usual beaucoup ‘shots’ of Taylor Swift celebrating at Chief’s game on Sunday. The NYT’s “The Athletic”: Agree or not, debates are still raging about several of yesterday’s rulings that favored Kansas City, which has become a Sunday tradition this year. Yesterday, that included the ball touching the ground during an Xavier Worthy catch and the questionable spot on Dalton Kincaid’s third-down catch. The latter was followed by Josh Allen’s crucial fourth-and-1 attempt being called short: Very close. It didn’t help appearances that the line judge ran out in a first-down position before seeming to be overruled by the down judge. Both are responsible for marking the runner’s forward progress, but Allen’s back was to the latter… NBCSports.com’s @ProFootballTalk: After the key play in Bills-Chiefs, Line Judge Jeff Seeman and Down Judge Patrick Holt had different spots. The one with a potential view of the ball deferred to the one who couldn’t have seen it. https://t.co/kjake5pLqz Chiefs benefit from controversial ball spot that was upheld on review in win over Bills The spot the officials used was questionable and had color commentator Tony Romo and CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore questioning the call on the broadcast… The situation came after another controversial call awarded Xavior Worthy a catch despite it looking like the ball had hit the ground late in the first half. None of this has done the league or the Chiefs any favors in terms of the perception that has developed that refs are favoring Kansas City... https://t.co/MY6fyiG2wG @SharpFootball: Ref from the Chiefs sideline (bottom) overrules the ref at the top on the key 4th down https://x.com/SharpFootball/status/1883700668801888543 https://x.com/josiasonthebeat/status/1883701422476472367 @SharpFootball: The key 4th down in slow motion… the ref who is completely blocked & is standing on the Chiefs sideline runs in & overrules the spot and marks it short; no way he can see the ball https://t.co/cu9cSRxADB https://x.com/josiasonthebeat/status/1883701422476472367 @Im_goodthanks) tweeted at 8:33 PM on Sun, Jan 26, 2025: Also: the Chiefs are allowed to use the turf and CBs to help them complete a catch. https://t.co/lmW7baODz5 @ProFootballTalk: It’s time for the NFL to ditch the imperfect process of spotting the ball in a scrum and fully embrace technology to determine whether the ball got to where it needed to go. https://t.co/GF9lugb2FX SI’s @AndrewBrandt: Still amazing that a league with $22 billion in annual revenues measures first downs in 2025 with: Two refs figuring out where to spot the ball from 25 yards away; and A couple of guys with two sticks and a chain. @Rate_the_Refs: Even though this ball hit the ground and neither player had complete possession the refs rule that this was a catch by Xavier Worthy. https://x.com/Rate_the_Refs/status/1883680434292461792 Refs’ confusing ruling on questionable Xavier Worthy catch gives Chiefs big break in AFC Championship – The ball appeared to hit the ground… The play allowed the Chiefs to easily score moments later to extend their lead to 21-10 at the time. The entire play seemed to befuddle the CBS broadcast crew calling the game… https://t.co/XLx1LweeAQ LASIK.com (@LASIKdotcom) tweeted at 8:13 PM on Sun, Jan 26, 2025: Wow… Better Vision. Better Calls. Still literally offering all NFL refs free LASIK. https://t.co/YkoB55Eghy @Rate_the_Refs: Bills called for unsportsmanlike conduct. (Chief’s) Kelce was talking in Hamlin’s face. Phillips came over and hit Kelce in the helmet and got flagged https://x.com/Rate_the_Refs/status/1883681983873847649 @_MLFootball: THREAD… THE CHIEFS ARE HEADING BACK TO THE SUPER BOWL AFTER ONE OF THE WORST OFFICIATED GAMES IN NFL HISTORY. THE BILLS GOT SCREWED BY THE REFS, 10 OF THE WORST CALLS EVER… https://x.com/_MLFootball/status/1883716489699901541 @kylenabecker: The @NFL is laughing at us. Taylor Swift and Travis “Jabs” Kelce will go home and giggle about how we all think these games are real. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente): I’m quitting watching football. There is no other way to teach @nflcommish a lesson. This is blatant cheating. #nflrigged Dave Portnoy ‘quitting’ football after ref controversy costs him $1M Bills Super Bowl bet https://t.co/72fio8RqJS Andy Reid Seemed to Acknowledge Controversial Fourth-Down Call After Chiefs’ Win After the Chiefs pulled out yet another one-score win, many on social media had plenty to say about that pivotal tide-turning moment with some believing that Kansas City got preferential treatment from the refs. The Chiefs’ divisional round win over the Houston Texans earlier this month didn’t help change that narrative… “Literally a game of inches today. We were lucky to be on that side of it today. We had the most inches,” Reid said… https://www.si.com/nfl/andy-reid-acknowledge-controversial-fourth-down-call-after-chiefs-win Jason Whitlock: New Big Three: Mahomes, Reid & Refs Poised for Historic 3-Peat https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1PlJQbMXXOkxE @redsteeze: I’m not mad about the NFL because at the end of the day, the entire country and culture is going to hate both the Kansas City Chiefs and Taylor Swift. | |
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SWAMP STORIES FOR YOU TONIGHT
7 Charged In America’s Biggest COVID Tax Credit Fraud Scheme
Monday, Jan 27, 2025 – 05:40 PM
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
A group of seven who allegedly sought to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in the “largest COVID-19 tax credit scheme” by falsely claiming pandemic-era benefits were charged on Jan. 22, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
An indictment unsealed in New York charged the seven people with “operating a multi-state conspiracy in which they attempted to defraud the United States of more than $600 million by filing more than 8,000 false tax returns claiming COVID-19-related employment tax credits,” the agency said in a statement. The fraud targeted programs like employee retention credit (ERC) and paid sick and family leave credit (SFLC), which were passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ERC gave tax credits to businesses, incentivizing them to keep employees on their payroll, while SFLC was a reimbursement made to businesses for paying employees “on sick or family leave and could not work because of COVID-19.”
The charges were made against Keith Williams, Jamari Lewis, Morais Dicks, Janine Davis, Tiffany Williams, James Hames Jr., and Ewendra Mathurin; all of whom are either current or former residents of New York.
Between November 2021 and June 2023, the defendants “repeatedly exploited” ERC and SFLC programs, the DOJ said. “The scheme was allegedly headquartered at Credit Reset, a purported credit repair business Keith Williams owned and operated.”
The defendants acted as tax preparers and allegedly filed over 8,000 fake employment tax returns on behalf of themselves and clients, claiming COVID tax credits from the IRS. In some of the fake returns, they allegedly claimed SFLC which exceeded reported wages, according to the department.
The defendants managed to secure refund checks from the Treasury, while also profiting by charging clients a fee or percentage of the tax refunds they received, the agency accused.
“The defendants allegedly concealed their preparation of the false tax returns by not listing themselves as the paid preparer on the tax returns and by using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to obscure their IP addresses while filing the false returns,” the DOJ said.
“If a client did not have a business, members of the conspiracy allegedly would sometimes sell shell companies to them in order to file false tax returns.”
The fraudsters reportedly filed for $600 million in tax credits as part of the scheme, of which the IRS roughly disbursed $45 million. Authorities charged the defendants with 45 counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and assisting in preparing false tax returns.
Some of the defendants also allegedly submitted false applications for loans under the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Six people allegedly involved in the PPP fraud were charged with wire fraud as well.
If convicted, defendants face prison terms ranging from three to 30 years per count, depending on the charge.
Tackling Pandemic Fraud
The DOJ had previously charged several hundreds of individuals for fraud related to COVID-19. Back in August 2023, the agency announced 718 enforcement actions for alleged COVID-19 fraud offenses involving $836 million. This included federal criminal charges against 371 defendants.
Many of the cases were linked to pandemic unemployment insurance benefit fraud, as well as fraud related to the Economic Injury Disaster Loans and PPP.
In March last year, the IRS announced that its Criminal Investigation (CI) unit had investigated 1,644 tax and money laundering cases worth $8.9 billion that were linked to COVID fraud.
The cases involved fraudulently obtained loans, payments, and credits aimed at supporting American workers and small businesses.
“In the last year alone, we have opened nearly 700 new COVID fraud investigations that collectively add up to $5 billion in potential fraud,” CI Chief Guy Ficco said at the time. “Our special agents continue to seek out fraudsters who stole money from government loan programs for their personal gain.”
This month, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced the introduction of the “Complete COVID Collections Act” that seeks to extend authorization of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) through 2030.
SIGPR, created as a watchdog to oversee loans provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, is scheduled to expire in March 2025. Extending the authorization allows the SIGPR to continue pursuing people who stole COVID funds reserved for small businesses, Ernst said.
“Con artists took advantage of small businesses’ pain during COVID to defraud government programs designed to help hardworking Americans,” Ernst said.
“While we are $36 trillion in debt, we especially cannot afford to leave more than $200 billion floating around, especially in the hands of fraudsters. My Republican colleagues and I are making sure that all resources are available in this fight to get taxpayers’ money back and hold these criminals accountable.”
END
the drones were authorized by FAA. Then why the secrecy?
White House Clarifies ‘Dronegate’: New Jersey UAPs Authorized By FAA For “Research Purposes”
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 01:50 PM
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt provided much-needed transparency regarding the “dronegate” incident that sparked nationwide concerns over potential threats from China and Russia.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Leavitt said the drones spotted over New Jersey and New York in December had been authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration for “research purposes.”
“An update on the New Jersey drones. After research and study, the drones flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons. Many of these drones are hobbyist and recreational drones that enjoy flying drones,” Leavitt said during her press conference.
She concluded on the drone subject: “This was not the enemy.”
Drone gate appears to be a manufactured crisis that cluttered news feeds and headlines with nonsense.
As we noted then: “NJ Drone ‘Invasion’ Just In Time For Congress To Reauthorize Orwellian Law” …
NJ Congressman Jeff Van Drew has some explaining to do:
Hmmm.
Remember what Trump said earlier this month:
One X user commented on Leavitt’s press conference: “Seems like an easy thing to say out loud… Weird this was kept under such secrecy. Transparency is beautiful.”
END
Lots of fun here!
Grand DOJ Purge Continues: Acting AG Mass-Fires Lawyers Who Prosecuted Trump
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2025 – 03:45 PM
It’s often said that “elections have consequences.” More than a dozen Department of Justice lawyers can testify that truth, having been mass-fired by the Trump administration on Monday over their participation in pressing two federal criminal cases against Trump.
“Acting Attorney General James McHenry made this decision because he did not believe these officials could be trusted to faithfully implement the President’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the President,” an anonymous DOJ official told Politico, declining to name the newly-departed. All of them worked under special counsel Jack Smith, who resigned earlier this month, knowing Trump had promised to terminate him.
The fired lawyers found out via electronic messages sent from McHenry on Monday afternoon. Instead of telling the lawyers they’d been terminated for cause, the notices pointed to Trump’s constitutional power over personnel under Article III. At the same time, however, McHenry did cite a “cause”:
“Given your significant role in prosecuting the president, I do not believe that the leadership of the department can trust you to assist in implementing the president’s agenda faithfully.”
Under special counsel Smith, the lawyers fired on Monday brought charges against Trump for alleged unlawful retention of classified documents and alleged interference with the transfer of presidential power following the 2020 election. The documents case was nixed by a judge who said Smith’s appointment was illegal. Smith himself asked a court to withdraw the transfer-of-power case after Trump won in November.
The firings drew howls from Trump foes, including Obama ethics counsel Norm Eisen, who said the firings are illegal in light of legal protections for career federal workers. “These are spurious terminations. The grounds are a hodgepodge of disinformation and distortion of facts and law,” he told Politico. “This will almost certainly trigger litigation and likely will be met with extreme judicial skepticism.” The termination messages informed recipients, that they may have a right to file an appeal with the US Merit Systems Protection Board within 30 days. Some observers contend that the termination notices themselves will lend strength to any appeals:
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The dumping of Trump’s persecutors was just the latest step in a broader, post-election purge at DOJ. Last week, multiple top officials at DOJ’s Executive Office of Immigration Review, which oversees the country’s immigration courts, were pointed to the door. Nearly two dozen more were reassigned.
Acting AG McHenry is keeping DOJ’s top chair warm for Trump nominee Pam Bondi, who merrily pummeled Democrats in her Jan. 15 confirmation hearing. Drawing a contrast with what the country witnessed during Biden’s term, Bondi vowed that “no one will be prosecuted [or] investigated because they are a political opponent.” Her next step is a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee which has yet to be scheduled.
Meanwhile, DOJ employees are feeling like they’re on the wrong end of a shock-and-awe campaign. “It feels like a non-violent war. It’s just wild,” one career DOJ employee told Politico. “People are just in a state of shock and devastated. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen … Nothing that happened during the first Trump administration came anywhere close to this.”
Looking at the wreckage, one former DOJ official summed up the picture like this:
“It’s got to be among the most demoralizing moments in the history of the Department of Justice. It is a flat-out purge of individuals who this administration must view either of suspect loyalty or have worked on matters they just did not like. We are in the early phases of what to me is just looking like a wholesale, politically-inspired demolition of the Department of Justice in key places.”
The former official surely didn’t intend for it to sound so wonderful.
GREG HUNTERINTERVIEWING
SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY
harveyorganblog.com 
