MAR 3/ONCE OPTIONS EXPIRY IS FINISHED, ALL PRECIOUS METALS RESUME FOR NORTHBOUND TRAJECTORY: GOLD CLOSED UP $50.85 TO $2890.75//SILVER CLOSED UP $0.78 TO $31.68//PLATINUM CLOSED UP $14.00 TO $954.70 WHILE PALLADIUM CLOSED UP $27.55/GOLD COMMENTARIES TODAY FROM ALASDAIR MACLEOD AND FROM CHRIS POWELL’S GATA DISPATCHES//BIG NEWS ON TWO FRONTS: RUSSIA VS UKRAINE VS EUROPE WHERE EUROPE DECIDES TO FUND UKRAINE AND PUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND: THIS IS DANGEROUS AND SECOND ISRAEL VS HAMAS WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE A RESUMPTION IN THE WAR//ALSO ISRAEL VS WEST BANK/ISRAEL VS SYRIA AND LEBANON//COVID UPDATES/VACCINE INJURY REPORTS/DR PAUL ALEXANDER//SLAY NEWS ETC//MARK CRISPIN MILLER// IN USA NEWS; ATLANTA FED SURPRISINGLY KNOCKS DOWN LAST QUARTER GDP TO NEGATIVE 2.8%/SWAMP STORIES FOR YOU TONIGHT
072 C GOLDMAN 225 323 C HSBC 100 363 H WELLS FARGO SEC 69 435 H SCOTIA CAPITAL 209 624 H BOFA SECURITIES 98 657 C MORGAN STANLEY 151 661 C JP MORGAN 29 37 686 C STONEX FINANCIA 142 20 690 C ABN AMRO 6 5 709 C BARCLAYS 124 726 C PLUS500US FINAN 1 737 C ADVANTAGE 95 4 905 C ADM 13
TOTAL: 664 664
JPMORGAN STOPS 37/864 CONTRACTS
GOLD: NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR MARCH/2024. CONTRACT: 644 NOTICES FOR 64400 OZ 2.065 TONNES
total notices so far: 10,375 contracts for 1,037,500 Oz (32.270 tonnes)
FOR MARCH
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SILVER NOTICES: 996 NOTICE(S) FILED FOR 4.9800 MILLION OZ/
total number of notices filed so far this month : 11,115 for 55.575 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 $50.85 INVESTORS SWITCHING TO SPROTT PHYSICAL (PHYS) INSTEAD OF THE FRAUDULENT GLD:
HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD INVENTORY AT THE GLD: A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.72TONNES
INVENTORY RESTS AT 904.38 TONNES
SLV/
WITH NO SILVER AROUND AND SILVER UP 78 CENTS AT THE SLV: SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 0.819 MILLION OZ
INVESTORS ARE SWITCHING SLV TO SPROTT’S PSLV.
CLOSING INVENTORY: 438.493MILLION OZ
Let us have a look at the data for today
SILVER//OUTLINE
SILVER COMEX OI FELL BY A MEGA MEGA HUGE SIZED12,461 CONTRACTS TO 146,299 AND STALLING ON ITS MARCH TO THE RECORD HIGH OI OF 244,710, SET FEB 25/2020, AND THIS HUGE SIZED LOSS IN COMEX OI WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH OUR LOSS OF $0,56 IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX WITH RESPECT TO FRIDAY’S TRADING. WE HAD A HUGE LOSS OF 12,111 TOTAL CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES WITH OUR HUGE LOSS IN PRICE//FRIDAY’S TRADING.. WE HAD HUGE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS ON FRIDAY COMEX TRADING COUPLED WITH FINALIZATION OF MONTH END SPREADER LIQUIDATION/ AS THEY DESPERATELY TRIED TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE FOR THE PAST 4 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 ON FRIDAY WITH SILVER’S HUGE LOSS IN PRICE. WE HAD A HUGE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION FRIDAY COUPLED WITH ANOTHER NEW HUGE T.A.S. ISSUANCE OF 573 CONTRACTS ISSUED BY THE CME AND THAT SIGNALS DEEP CODE RED THAT THE CROOKS ARE DESPERATE TO STOP SILVER BREAKING OVER THE 34.00 DOLLAR MARK. WE HAVE A HUGE CONTANGO IN SILVER SPOT VS FRONT FEB OF AROUND 95 CENTS AND A LEASE RATE OF 6%. WE HAD A GOOD 350 CONTRACT EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR STRONG 573 CONTRACT T.A.S ISSUANCE WHICH WILL BE USED IN MONDAY.S TRADING AS THEY PLAY AN INTEGRAL PART IN OUR COMEX TRADING TRYING TO CONTAIN ANY SILVER PRICE RISE. IN ESSENCE WE LOST A HUMONGOUS SIZED 12,111 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES WITH OUR HUGE LOSS IN PRICE. WE HAD HUGE TAS LIQUIDATION THROUGHOUT FRIDAY’S COMEX TRADING SESSION DUE TO IT BEING FINALIZASTION OF OPTIONS EXPIRY.
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 THIS WEEK’S TRADING 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 FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING: A HUGE 573 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
WE HAVE IN THE PAST YEAR SET ANOTHER RECORD LOW AT 114,102 CONTRACTS ///JULY 3.2023// OUR BANKERS WITH THE HELP OF SPECULATORS AND HIGH FREQUENCY TRADERS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING THE PRICE OF SILVER DOWN (IT FELL BY $0.56 BUT WERE SUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF CONSIDERABLE NET SILVER LONGS FROM THEIR PERCH AS WE HAD A MEGA HUMONGOUS LOSS IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 12,111 CONTRACTS WE HAD A MASSIVE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS COUPLED WITH MONTH END SPREADERS TRYING TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE AND THAT ACCOUNTS OF MOST OF OUR OPEN INTEREST FALL.
WE HAD A 350 CONTRACT ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS) iiii) AN INITIAL SILVER STANDING FOR COMEX SILVER MEASURING AT 78.753 MILLION OZ (FIRST DAY NOTICE) FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S HUGE 2.83 MILLION OZ EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL TRANSFER TO LONDON
INITIAL STANDING FOR MARCH REDUCES TO 75.625 MILLION OZ
WE HAD:
/ MEGA HUGE SIZED COMEX OI LOSS+// A GOOD SIZED EFP ISSUANCE/ VI) HUGE SIZED NUMBER OF T.A.S. CONTRACT ISSUANCE 573 CONTRACTS)/
I AM NOW RECORDING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN OI FROM PRELIMINARY TO FINAL: ADDED 344 CONTRACTS.
HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS FEB. ACCUMULATION FOR EFP’S SILVER/JPMORGAN’S HOUSE OF BRIBES/STARTING FROM FIRST DAY/MONTH OF FEB
TOTAL CONTRACTS for 1 DAYS, total 350ontracts: OR 1.75 MILLION OZ (350 CONTRACTS PER DAY)
TOTAL EFP’S FOR THE MONTH SO FAR: 1.750 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: 67.230 MILLION OZ///(THIS MONTH’S ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL WILL BE SMALL)
FEB. 58.260 MILLION OZ//EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE/FINAL
MARCH: 1./75 MILLION OZ///
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RESULT: WE HAD A MEGA HUGE SIZED DECREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 12,461 CONTRACTS WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE OF 56 CENTS IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX// FRIDAY.,. THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A 350 CONTRACT EFP ISSUANCE CONTRACTS: 350 ISSUED FOR MAY 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 78.455 MILLION OZ ON FIRST DAY NOTICE, FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S MASSIVE 2.83 MILLION OZ EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL TRANSFER TO LONDON//NEW STANDING REDUCES TO 75.625 MILLION OZ
WE HAVE 1). A MEGA HUGE SIZED LOSS OF 12,111 OI CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES WITH OUR STRONG LOSS IN PRICE// 2.THE TOTAL OF TAS INITIATED CONTRACTS TODAY: A HUGE 573 CONTRACTS TRYING DESPERATELY TO CONTAIN SILVER’S PRICE RISE,//MONSTER FRONT END OF THE TAS CONTRACTS WERE LIQUIDATED DURING THE FRIDAY COMEX SESSION. HOWEVER THEY STILL NEED THESE ISSUANCES FOR REPLENISHMENT FOR FUTURE TRADING //3. CONSIDERABLE NET LONG SPECULATORS WERE BURNED ON FRIDAY WITH THE HUGE 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 FRIDAY NIGHT (573 ) WILL BE PUT INTO “THE BANK” TO BE COLLUSIVELY USED AT A LATER DATE AND MOST LIKELY TODAY.
WE HAD 996 NOTICE(S) FILED TODAY FOR 4.980 million 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 HUMONGOUS SIZED 18,093 OI CONTRACTS TO 508,807 AND CLOSER TO THE RECORD (SET JAN 24/2020) AT 799,105 AND PREVIOUS TO THAT: (SET JAN 6/2020) AT 797,110. (ALL TIME LOW OF 390,000 CONTRACTS.)
THE DIFFERENTIAL FROM PRELIMINARY OI TO FINAL OI IN GOLD TODAY: REMOVED A STRONG SIZED 1407 CONTRACTS//
WE HAD A HUMONGOUS SIZED DECREASE IN COMEX OI (18,093 CONTRACTS) OCCURRED WITH OUR LOSS OF $44.70 IN PRICE FRIDAY. THE FRBNY SUPPLIED THE NECESSARY SHORT PAPER.. WE ALSO HAD A HUMONGOUS INITIAL STANDING IN GOLD TONNAGE FOR MARCH AT 31.757 TONNES FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S HUGE 66,000 OZ QUEUE JUMP (2.05 TONNES)//NEW STANDING 33.892 TONNES
/NEW STANDING FOR MARCH; 33.892 TONNES
/ ALL OF THIS HAPPENED WITH OUR $44.70 LOSS IN PRICE WITH RESPECT TO FRIDAY’S COMEX ///. WE HAD A HUMONGOUS SIZED LOSS OF 15,429 OI CONTRACTS (47.99PAPER 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! THE RESULT: A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR DELIVERY FOR THE FRONT MARCH CONTRACT MONTH. CENTRAL BANKERS ARE NOW WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THEIR DELIVERY OF GOLD VIA SLOW MOVING SHIPS.
E.F.P. ISSUANCE
THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A STRONG SIZED 2664 CONTRACTS:
The NEW COMEX OI FOR THE GOLD COMPLEX RESTS AT 491,036
IN ESSENCE WE HAVE A HUGE SIZED DECREASE IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 15,429 CONTRACTS WITH 18,093 CONTRACTS DECREASED AT THE COMEX// AND A STRONG SIZED 2664 EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL OI CONTRACT ISSUANCE WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS TOTAL OI LOSS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 15,429 CONTRACTS.. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING TAS CONTRACTS INITIATED (ISSUED): A FAIR SIZED AND CRIMINAL 1795 CONTRACTS ISSUED.
CALCULATIONS ON GAIN/LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES
WE HAD A STRONG SIZED ISSUANCE IN EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS (2664 CONTRACTS) ACCOMPANYING THE HUGE SIZED DECREASE IN COMEX OI OF 18,093 CONTRACTS/TOTAL LOSS FOR OUR THE TWO EXCHANGES: 15,429 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 MARCH 31.757 TONNES FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S HUGE 2.052 TONNES QUEUE JUMP//NEW STANDING 33.872 TONNES
NEW STANDING FOR MARCH ADVANCES TO:
33.872 TONNES
//NEW STANDING MARCH: 33.872 TONNES
.
/ 3) HUGE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION TRYING TO LOWER GOLD’S PRICE FRIDAY WITH SOME SUCCESS IN REMOVING ANY NET SPECULATOR LONGS, AS WITH OUR1) $44.70 PRICE LOSS WE HAD 2) MINOR NET LONG SPECS BEING CLIPPED AS WE HAD A HUGE LOSS OF 15,429 CONTRACTS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES ) ALSO, 3)STICKY GOLD’S LONGS WERE REWARDED FRIDAY EVENING AS THEY EXERCISED EFP’S FROM LONDON TO TAKE DELIVERY OF BADLY NEEDED PHYSICAL AND THUS OUR HUGE TONNAGE STANDING FOR GOLD IN MARCH
4) HUMONGOUS SIZED COMEX OPEN INTEREST DECREASE 5) STRONG ISSUANCE OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL PAPER///FAIR T.A.S. ISSUANCE: 1795 T.A.S.CONTRACTS//
HISTORICAL ACCUMULATION OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS IN 2023-2025 INCLUDING TODAY
MAR
ACCUMULATION OF EFP’S GOLD AT J.P. MORGAN’S HOUSE OF BRIBES: (EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL) FOR THE MONTH OF MON :
TOTAL EFP CONTRACTS ISSUED: 2664 CONTRACTS OF 266,400 OZ OR 8.286 TONNES IN 1 TRADING DAY(S) AND THUS AVERAGING: 3701 EFP CONTRACTS PER TRADING DAY
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA AS TO THE SIZE OF THESE EFP TRANSFERS : THIS MONTH IN 1 TRADING DAY(S) IN TONNES 8.286 TONNES
TOTAL ANNUAL GOLD PRODUCTION, 2024, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD EX CHINA EX RUSSIA: 3555 TONNES
THUS EFP TRANSFERS REPRESENTS 8.286 DIVIDED BY 3550 x 100% TONNES = 0.223% OF GLOBAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION
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: 257.919 TONNES (ISSUANCE WILL BE PRETTY GOOD THIS MONTH BUT MUCH LOWER THAN LAST MONTH)
FEB: 207.21 TONNES//EX FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE (WILL BE A FAIR SIZED ISSUANCE THIS MONTH)
MARCH 8.286 TONNES
SPREADING OPERATIONS
(/NOW SWITCHING TO GOLD) FOR NEWCOMERS, HERE ARE THE DETAILS
SPREADING LIQUIDATION HAS NOW COMMENCED AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THE NEW ACTIVE FRONT MONTH OF FEB. WE ARE NOW INTO THE SPREADING OPERATION OF GOLD
HERE IS A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF HOW THE CROOKS FLEECE UNSUSPECTING LONGS IN THE SPREADING ENDEAVOUR ;MODUS OPERANDI OF THE CORRUPT BANKERS AS TO HOW THEY HANDLE THEIR SPREAD OPEN INTERESTS:HERE IS HOW THE CROOKS USED SPREADING AS WE ARE NOW INTO THE NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF NOV HEADING TOWARDS THE ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF FEB., FOR GOLD: AND MARCH FOR SILVER
YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE THAT THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST STARTS TO RISE BUT SO IS THE OPEN INTEREST OF SPREADERS. THE OPEN INTEREST IN WILL CONTINUE TO RISE UNTIL ONE WEEK BEFORE FIRST DAY NOTICE OF AN UPCOMING ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH (OCT), AND THAT IS WHEN THE CROOKS SELL THEIR SPREAD POSITIONS BUT NOT AT THE SAME TIME OF THE DAY. THEY WILL USE THE SELL SIDE OF THE EQUATION TO CREATE THE CASCADE (ALONG WITH THEIR COLLUSIVE FRIENDS) AND THEN COVER ON THE BUY SIDE OF THE SPREAD SITUATION AT THE END OF THE DAY. THEY DO THIS TO AVOID POSITION LIMIT DETECTION. THE LIQUIDATION OF THE SPREADING FORMATION CONTINUES FOR EXACTLY ONE WEEK AND ENDS ON FIRST DAY NOTICE.”
WHAT IS ALARMING TO ME, ACCORDING TO OUR LONDON EXPERT ANDREW MAGUIRE IS THAT THESE EFP’S ARE BEING TRANSFERRED TO WHAT ARE CALLED SERIAL FORWARD CONTRACT OBLIGATIONS AND THESE CONTRACTS ARE LESS THAN 14 DAYS. ANYTHING GREATER THAN 14 DAYS, THESE MUST BE RECORDED AND SENT TO THE COMPTROLLER, GREAT BRITAIN TO MONITOR RISK TO THE BANKING SYSTEM. IF THIS IS INDEED TRUE, THEN THIS IS A MASSIVE CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD AS WE NOW WITNESS A MONSTROUS TOTAL EFP’S ISSUANCE AS IT HEADS INTO THE STRATOSPHERE.
The crooks also use the spread in the TAS account (trade at settlement). They buy the spot TAS (e.g. June) and sell the future TAS two months out (e.g. August). Then they unload the front month (i.e. unload the buy side first so the price of gold/silver falls. This occurs in the middle of the front delivery month cycle. They unload the sell side of the equation, two months down the road. The crooks violate position limits as the OCC refuse to hear our complaints.
First, here is an outline of what will be discussed tonight:
1.TODAY WE HAD THE OPEN INTEREST AT THE COMEX IN SILVER FELL BY A HUGE SIZED 12,461 CONTRACTS OI TO 146,299 AND FURTHER FROM 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 350 CONTRACTS
OUR CUSTOMARY MIGRATION OF COMEX LONGS CONTINUE TO MORPH INTO LONDON FORWARDS AS OUR BANKERS USED THEIR EMERGENCY PROCEDURE TO ISSUE:
MAY 350 and ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 350 CONTRACTS. EFP’S GIVE OUR COMEX LONGS A FIAT BONUS PLUS A DELIVERABLE PRODUCT OVER IN LONDON. IF WE TAKE THE COMEX OI LOSS OF 12,805 CONTRACTS AND ADD TO THE 350 E.FP. ISSUED
WE OBTAIN A HUGE SIZED LOSS OF OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 3049 CONTRACTS
THUS IN OUNCES, THE LOSS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES TOTALS 62.275 MILLION OZ OCCURRED WITH OUR $0.56 LOSS IN PRICE
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 MONDAY MORNING//FRIDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 3.97 PTS OR 0.12%
//Hang Seng CLOSED UP 64.95 PTS OR 0.28%
// Nikkei CLOSED UP 627.97OR 1,70%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP 0.89%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2910 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2920/ Oil UP TO 69.87 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT UP TO 72.73 Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN
1. COMEX DATA//AMOUNTS STANDING//VOLUME OF TRADING/INVENTORY MOVEMENTS
GOLD
LET US BEGIN:
THE TOTAL COMEX GOLD OPEN INTEREST FELL BY A HUMONGOUS SIZED18,093 CONTRACTS TO 489,629 WITH OUR HUGE LOSS IN PRICE OF $44.70 WITH RESPECT TO FRIDAY’S TRADING//RAID. WE LOST CONSIDERABLE NET LONGS WITH THAT PRICE LOSS FOR GOLD. BUT AS YOU WILL SEE BELOW, OUR LOSS IN PRICE ALSO HAD A GOOD NUMBER OF EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUED (2664 ).
THE CME ANNOUNCED FRIDAY NIGHT, ZERO EXCHANGE FOR RISK CONTRACTS FOR NIL OZ OR 0 TONNES.
IN FEBRUARY: WE HAD FIVE EXCHANGE FOR RISKS NOW TOTALLING 18.4527TONNES!. THE RECIPIENT OF THESE EXCHANGE FOR RISK CONTRACTS IS THE BANK OF ENGLAND WHO DESPERATELY WANT THEIR LEASED GOLD BACK. THUS WE HAVE TWO SEPARATE ENTITIES (CENTRAL BANKS) DEMANDING THEIR GOLD BACK:
THE BANK OF ENGLAND
THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
THE COUNTERPARTY TO THE BANK OF ENGLAND’S EXCHANGE FOR RISK ARE BULLION BANKS THAT CANNOT VERIFY THAT THEIR GOLD IS UNENCUMBERED AND THUS THE BUYER, THE CENTRAL BANK OF ENGLAND, ASSUMES THE RISK OF THAT DELIVERY.
THUS IN TOTAL WE HAD A HUGE SIZED LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES OF 15,429 CONTRACTS WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE. OUR FRIENDLY PHYSICAL LONDON BOYS HAD ANOTHER FIELD DAY AGAIN ON FRIDAY NIGHT AS THEY WERE READY FOR THE FRBNY.S CONTINUED ORCHESTRATED RAID AS THEY TRIED TO ABSORB 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. LONDON ANNOUNCED LATE (JAN 30) THAT THEY WERE OUT OF GOLD. WRONGLY IT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THEIR SHIPPING PHYSICAL GOLD TO COMEX FOR STORAGE DUE TO TRUMP’S INITIATION OF TARIFFS. THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT THIS GOLD LEFT LONDON TO CENTRAL BANKS, AND COMEX BANKS HAVE BEEN PAPERING THEIR LOSSES (DERIVATIVE) WITH KILOBAR ENTRIES. DELIVERY OF GOLD CONTRACTS ARE NOW TAKING SEVERAL WEEKS. NO DEFAULT HAS BEEN INITIATED AS DEALERS ARE AFRAID OF LOSS OF THEIR JOBS. SO THIS FRAUD CONTINUES. THE LEASE RATES IN LONDON HAVE NOW CLIMBED TO 10% AS GOLD IN LONDON IS NOW EXTREMELY SCARCE. WE CAN NOW SAFELY SAY THAT THERE IS A RUN ON A BANK AND THAT BANK IS THE BANK OF ENGLAND!!!
THE LIQUIDATION OF T.A.S. CONTRACTS THROUGHOUT THIS MONTH CONTINUES TO DISTORT OPEN INTEREST NUMBERS GREATLY AND IT SURELY WAS ON DISPLAY TODAY INCLUDING WITH OUR STRONG T.A.S. ISSUANCES AND HUGE T.A.S. LIQUIDATION// FRIDAY // THEY ISSUED A FAIR 1795 CONTRACT ANNOUNCEMENT (FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING). THE T.A.S. ISSUANCE WAS ALSO COORDINATED WITH MONTH END SPREADER LIQUIDATION AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE HAVING A NEGATIVE TOTAL OPEN INTEREST COUPLED WITH HUGE AMOUNTS OF GOLD STANDING FOR DELIVERY. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PHYSICAL GOLD AND PAPER GOLD IS SURELY ON DISPLAY THESE PAST 4 RAID DAYS AT THE COMEX.
THE FED IS THE OTHER MAJOR SHORT OF AROUND 16+ 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, , 203 , ,205 , 207 209 AND TODAY’S 211 AND 212 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 MONDAY NOON JAN 20. 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 + ???? BASIS. BECAUSE GOLD IS BASEL III COMPLIANT, GOLD IS SUPPOSED 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 OUR TWO SPREADERS: 1) THE MONTH END SPREADERS AND 2. T.A.S DURING THESE PAST FEW WEEKS 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.
EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICAL ISSUANCE
WE ARE NOW DEEP INTO THE NON ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH OF MARCH .… 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 2664 EFP CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED: : /APRIL 2664 & ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS:
TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 2664 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 GENERALLY DELIVERED COMES FROM LONDON BUT THEY ARE OUT!! THUS COMEX BECOMES THE MAJOR SOURCE FOR OUR CENTRAL BANKERS.
ON A NET BASIS IN OPEN INTEREST WE LOST THE FOLLOWING TODAY ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES: A HUGE SIZED TOTAL OF 14,022 CONTRACTS IN THAT 2664 CONTRACT LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS TO LONDON AND WE HAD A HUGE LOSS OF 16,686 COMEX CONTRACTS..AND THIS LOSS ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES HAPPENED WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE OF $44.70 FOR FRIDAY/ COMEX. THE EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALS WILL BE USED BY CENTRAL BANKS, TO EXERCISE FOR PHYSICAL GOLD AT THE COMEX AS MENTIONED ABOVE.
T.A.S. ISSUANCE
AS PER OUR NEWBIE TRADE AT SETTLEMENT (TAS) MANIPULATION OPERATION (WHICH CRAIG HEMKE HAS POINTED OUT HAPPENS USUALLY DURING MID MONTH IN THE DELIVERY CYCLE), BUT NOW ON A DAILY BASIS, THE CME REPORTS THAT THE TOTAL T.A.S. ISSUANCE FOR FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING WAS A STRONG SIZED SIZED 1795 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 4 WEEKS 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. A HUGE RAID WAS ORDERED BY THE FED WITH END OF THE MONTH TRADING ( MONDAY TRADING// JAN 27) AS THE GOLD PRICE GOT HAMMERED A BIT WITH COMEX OPTIONS EXPIRY. AS YOU SAW WITH TUESDAY’S TRADING// JAN 28 IT HAS NO EFFECT ON GOLD AS IT SHOT UP AGAIN IN PRICE AND IT CONTINUED TO RISE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. LONDON’S ANNOUNCEMENT TWO WEEKS AGO THAT THEY WERE OUT OF PHYSICAL GOLD SURELY HELPED TO PROPEL GOLD’S METEORIC RISE IN PRICE THESE PAST SEVERAL DAYS PROPELLING IT THROUGH THE 2900 DOLLAR BARRIER BUT FELL BACK DUE TO THE 4 CONSECUTIVE RAIDS! T
THE RAIDS ON OPTIONS EXPIRY DOES TWO IMPORTANT THINGS FOR OUR CROOKS:
STALLS THE ADVANCE IN PRICE
LOWERS THEIR ADVANCING DERIVATIVE LOSSES.
MECHANICS OF T.A.S CONTRACTS/DECEMBER 2024
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//MONTH END SPREADERS . THE USE OF OUR TWO SPREADER MECHANISMS WERE OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE TO OUR CROOKS IN LATE DECEMBER’S OPTIONS EXPIRY TRADING AND AGAIN WITH JANUARY OPTION EXPIRY MONTH. HALF WAY THROUGH THE JANUARY COMEX MONTH, THE CROOKS ISSUED FIVE CONSECUTIVE 30,000+ CONTRACT ISSUANCE.
AND NOW WE HAD MONTH END OPTIONS EXPIRY FOR FEBRUARY. 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 16 TONNES.
STANDING FOR GOLD FOR THE PAST 4 PLUS YEARS:
// WE HAD A HUGE AMOUNT OF GOLD TONNAGE STANDING: MARCH (33.872 TONNES) WHICH IS HUGE FOR OUR NON ACTIVE MARCH DELIVERY MONTH / FEB HAD THE HIGHEST STANDING FOR GOLD EVER RECORDED FOR ANY MONTH.
YEAR 2025:
JAN 2025: 113.30 TONNES
FEB: 2025: 256.607 TONNES (WHICH INCLUDES 18.4567 TONNES OF EX FOR RISK)
AND NOW MARCH:
INITIAL STANDING FOR GOLD : 31.753 TONNES WHICH IS EXTREMELY HIGH FOR A NON DELIVERY MONTH.
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
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: 66.276TONNES (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
2025
January 2025: 70.102 TONNES + 43.208 EXCHANGE FOR RISK= 113.310 TONNES
FEBRUARY:/NEW STANDING ADVANCES TO 238.153TONNES +18.4527
= 256.607 TONNES.
MARCH: 33.872 TONNES
COMEX GOLD TRADING/MARCH CONTRACT MONTH
THE SPECS/HFT WERE SUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING GOLD’S PRICE( IT FELL BY $44.70/)/AND WERE SUCCESSFUL IN KNOCKING OFF APPRECIABLE NET SPECULATOR LONGS AS WE DID HAVE A HUGE SIZED LOSS IN OUR TWO EXCHANGES. BUT AS EXPLAINED ABOVE WE HAD CONSIDERABLE T.A.S. SPREADER LIQUIDATION FRIDAY AS THEY WERE TRYING TO QUELL GOLD’S RISE AND STOP HUGE COMEX/OTC DERIVATIVE LOSSES FROM ALSO RISING. TUESDAY ENDED COMEX OPTIONXS EXPIRY. HOWEVER AS I EXPLAINED ON WEDNESDAY, WE HAVE THE MUCH BIGGER OTC.LONDON.OTC EXPIRY.THE BANKERS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN SLOWING THEIR DERIVATIVE LOSSES IN PRECIOUS METAL BETS WITH OPTIONS EXPIRY FOR BOTH COMEX AND LONDON OTC!!
THE CROOKS HOWEVER COULD NOT STOP CENTRAL BANK LONGS, SEIZING THE MOMENT, THEY EXERCISED AGAIN FOR PHYSICAL IN A BIG WAY TENDERING FOR PHYSICAL FRIDAY EVENING/SATURDAY MORNING AND THUS OUR RECORD NUMBER OF GOLD CONTRACTS STANDING FOR DELIVERY AT THE COMEX. CENTRAL BANKERS WAIT PATIENTLY FOR THE GOLD TO ARRIVE BY BOAT. IT IS NOW TAKING SEVERAL WEEKS TO DELIVER AND THUS THE REASON FOR THE HUGE LEASE RATE AT 10% (SCARCITY OF GOLD)
EXCHANGE FOR RISK EXPLANATION/DECEMBER AND JANUARYTRADING
DECEMBER MONTH EXCHANGE FOR RISK!
88 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 // JANUARY MONTH!!
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 , JAN 25 WHERE THE CME ANNOUNCED ITS SIXTH MAJOR EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCE OF 6454 CONTRACTS FOR 645,400 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!!! AND A NEW RECORD FOR ISSUANCE.
EXCHANGE FOR RISK CONTRACTS/MONTH FOR FEBRUARY:
THE CME ANNOUNCED TO THE WORLD THAT ON FEB 4 THEY ISSUED 100 CONTRACTS OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK TO THE BANK OF ENGLAND.THEN A FEW NIGHTS AGO, THEY ISSUED THEIR SECOND CONSECUTIVE EXCHANGE FOR RISK OF 500 CONTRACTS FOR 50,000 OZ (1.555 TONNES OF GOLD. FEB 6 WAS THE THIRD ISSUANCE FOR A HUGE 2400 CONTRACTS, 240,000 OZ OR 7.465 TONNES. AND THEN FINALLY FRIDAY NIGHT, THE 4TH EXCHANGE FOR RISK WAS ISSUED REPRESENTED BY 2834 CONTRACTS OR 283400 OZ OR 8.8149 TONNES OF GOLD WITH THE OWNER OF THOSE CONTRACTS BEING THE BANK OF ENGLAND. THE BANK OF ENGLAND WANTS THEIR GOLD BACK. THIS NEW EXCHANGE FOR RISK WILL BE ADDED TO PREVIOUS EXCHANGE FOR RISK OF 9.3264 TONNES TO A NEW TOTAL EXCHANGE FOR RISK = 18.1413 TONNES. IN MID WEEK WE HAD ANOTHER .3114 TONNES OF EXCHANGE FOR RISK ISSUANCED//NEW TOTAL 18,4527 TONNES!..FINALLY THIS TOTAL WILL NOW BE ADDED TO OUR REGULAR DELIVERIES THROUGH THE MONTH. FOR FRIDAY FEB 28 ZERO EXCHANGE FOR RISK WAS ISSUED.
TOTAL INITIAL DELIVERIES MARCH GOLD TRADING
MARCH: 33.872 TONNES
WE HAVE LOST A FAIR SIZED TOTAL OF 47.99 PAPER TONNES FROM OUR TWO EXCHANGES, ACCOMPANYING OUR INITIAL GOLD TONNAGE STANDING FOR MARCH (31.753TONNES) ON FIRST DAY NOTICE FOLLOWED BY TODAY’S QUEUE JUMP OF 2.052 TONNES: NEW TOTAL STANDING 33.872 TONNES
ALL OF THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH OUR LOSS IN PRICE TO THE TUNE OF $44.70
WE HAD 1407 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 15,429 CONTRACTS OR 1,542,900 0Z (47.99 TONNES)
2 ENTRIES i) Into Brinks customer acct 182,541.618 oz
ii) Into JPMorgan 96,453.000 oz (3,000 kilobars)
total weight: customer 278,994.618 oz TOTAL WEIGHT CUSTOMER IN TONNES; 8.677
total dealer and customer: IN TONNES 14.777 TONNES
No of oz served (contracts) today
644 notice(s) 64400 OZ 2.065 TONNES
No of oz to be served (notices)
515 contracts 51500 OZ 1.600 TONNES
Total monthly oz gold served (contracts) so far this month
10,375notices 1,037,500 oz 32.270 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: 1
1 ENTRY
i) Asahi dealer 196,349.972 oz
total dealer weight: 196.349.972 oz(6.10 tonnes)
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we have 2 customer deposits:
2 ENTRIES i) Into Brinks customer acct 182,541.618 oz
ii) Into JPMorgan 96,453.000 oz (3,000 kilobars)
total weight: customer 278,994.618 oz TOTAL WEIGHT CUSTOMER IN TONNES; 8.677
total dealer and customer: IN TONNES 14.777 TONNES
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withdrawals: 2
2 entries
2 entries
i) Out of Asahi: 202,348.737 oz
ii) Out of Loomis; 20,,415.885 oz (635 kilobars)
total weight: 222,764.622 oz 6,9 tonnes
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adjustments:1/comex is in chaos
a)customer to dealer
a) Brinks 44,644.190 oz
thus basically what comes into eligible is transferred to dealer accounts and then out.
CALCULATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT OF GOLD STANDING FOR MARCH
THE FRONT MONTH OF MARCH HAD A LOSS OF 9051CONTRACTS TO STAND AT 1159. WE HAD 9711 CONTRACTS SERVED ON FRIDAY SO WE GAINED A STRONG 660 CONTRACTS FOR 66,000 OZ (QUEUE JUMP OF 2.052 TONNES)
APRIL HAD A LOSS OF 11,767 CONTRACTS DOWNTO 353,342 CONTRACTS AS THIS MONTH BECOMES THE FRONT MONTH.
MAY GAINED 79 CONTRACTS UP TO 272.
We had 644 contracts filed for today representing 64,400oz
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 29 notices issued from their client or customer account. The total of all issuance by all participants equate to 644 contract(s) of which 0 notices were stopped (received) by j.P. Morgan dealer and 37 notice(s) was (were) stopped (received) by J.P.Morgan//customer account
To calculate the INITIAL total number of gold ounces standing for MARCH /2025. contract month, we take the total number of notices filed so far for the month (10,373X 100 oz ) to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of MARCH.(1159 CONTRACTS) minus the number of notices served upon today (644 x 100 oz per contract) equals 1,089,000 OZ OR 33.872 TONNES
thus the INITIAL standings for gold for the MARCH contract month: No of notices filed so far (10,375x 100 oz +we add the difference for front month of MARCH ( 1159 OI} minus the number of notices served upon today (644 x 100 oz) which equals 1,089,000 OR 33.872 TONNES
TOTAL COMEX GOLD STANDING FOR MARCH.: 33.872 TONNES WHICH IS HUGE FOR THIS NON ACTIVE ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH IN THE CALENDAR. FEBRUARY HAD THE HIGHEST DELIVERYY FOR ANY MONTH AND MARCH IS FOLLOWING SUIT..
JPMorgan has a total silver weight: 162.957million oz/408.808million or 39.74%
TOTAL REGISTERED SILVER: 136.353MILLION OZ//.TOTAL REG + ELIGIBLE. 408.808Million oz
CALCULATIONS FOR THE NEW STANDING FOR SILVER FOR FEBRUARY
silver open interest data:
FRONT MONTH OF MARCH /2025 OI: 5006 OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS FOR A LOSS OF 10,685 CONTRACTS.WE HAD 10,119 CONTRACTS SERVED ON FRIDAY SO WE LOST A HUMONGOUS 566 CONTRACTS OR AN ADDITIONAL 2.83 MILLION OZ UNDERWENT AN EFP TRANSFER TO LONDON LOOKING FOR METAL OVER THERE//NEW STANDING REDUCES TO 75.625 MILLION OZ.
APRIL SAW ANOTHER GAIN OF 29 CONTRACTS TO STAND AT 1426
MAY SAW A LOSS OF 1762 CONTRACTS DOWN TO 114,517 CONTRACTS
TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED FOR TODAY: 996 or 4.980 MILLION oz
CONFIRMED volume; ON FRIDAY 59,789 small//
AND NOW ONTO MARCH:
To calculate the number of silver ounces that will stand for delivery in MARCH. we take the total number of notices filed for the month so far at 11,115 X5,000 oz = 55.575MILLION oz
to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of MAR (5006 AND the number of notices served upon today (996 )x (5000 oz)
Thus the standings for silver for the MARCH 2025 contract month: 11,115 Notices served so far) x 5000 oz + OI for the front month of MAR(5006) minus number of notices served upon today (996)x 5000 oz equals silver standing for the MARCH contract month equating to 75,625 MILLION OZ.
New total standing: INITIAL 75.625 million oz which is huge for this very active delivery month of March.
There are 136.353million 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
0 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/
MARCH 3 WITH GOLD UP $50.85 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.72 TONNES INTO THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 904.38 TONNES
FEB 28 WITH GOLD DOWN $44.70 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.72 TONNES INTO THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 904.38 TONNES
FEB 26 WITH GOLD DOWN $40,85 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 3.45 TONNES INTO THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 907.83 TONNES
FEB 25 WITH GOLD DOWN $40,85 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 3.45 TONNES INTO THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 907.83 TONNES
FEB 24 WITH GOLD UP 7,65 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 20.66 TONNES FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 904.38TONNES
FEB 21 WITH GOLD DOWN $1.35 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF 5.77ONNES FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 883.72TONNES
FEB 20 WITH GOLD DOWN $10.40 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF 8.51TONNES FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 877,95TONNES
FEB 19/ WITH GOLD DOWN $10.40 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF 6.38TONNES FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 869.44TONNES
FEB 18/ WITH GOLD UP $43.00 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.14TONNES FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 863.06TONNES
FEB 13/ WITH GOLD UP 11.00 TODAY HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 6.901 TONNES FROM THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 866.50TONNES
FEB 12 WITH GOLD DOWN $3,40ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.19 TONNES
FEB 10 WITH GOLD UP $10.75 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.19 TONNES
FEB 7 WITH GOLD UP $10.75 ON THE DAY; NO CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD: ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.19 TONNES
FEB 6 WITH GOLD DOWN $18.15 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF 1.14 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.19 TONNES
FEB 5 WITH GOLD UP $27.10 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.72 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 863.05 TONNES
FEB 4 WITH GOLD UP $25.00 ON THE DAY; SMALL CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A DEPOSIT OF 0.58 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.77 TONNES
JAN 31 WITH GOLD UP $4.80 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.15 TONNES OF GOLD OUT OF THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 864.19 TONNES
JAN 30 WITH GOLD UP $40.95 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 4.30 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 865.34 TONNES
JAN 29 WITH GOLD DOWN $6.25 ON THE DAY; HUGE CHANGES IN GOLD AT THE GLD:A MASSIVE DEPOSIT OF 4.02 TONNES OF GOLD INTO THE THE GLD ///INVENTORY RESTS AT 861.04 TONNES
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 //
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
GLD INVENTORY: 904.38 TONNES, TONIGHTS TOTAL
SILVER
MARCH 3 WITH SILVER UP $0.78//SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 0.819 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 438.493 MILLION OZ
FEB 28 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.56//SMALL CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 0.819 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 438.493 MILLION OZ
FEB 26 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.90//HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 6,245 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 441.4061MILLION OZ
FEB 25 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.90//HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV: A DEPOSIT OF 6,245 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 441.4061MILLION OZ
FEB 24WITH SILVER DOWN $0.15//NO CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 435.171MILLION OZ
FEB 21WITH SILVER DOWN $0.40//HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : HUGE CHANGES AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 0.456MILLION OZ/. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 435,171MILLION OZ
FEB 20WITH SILVER UP $0.29//HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : HUGE CHANGES AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.547 MILLION OZ/. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 435,171MILLION OZ
FEB 19WITH SILVER DOWN $0.16//HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : HUGE CHANGES AT THE SLV A WITHDRAWAL OF 2.276 MILLION OZ/. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 436.717MILLION OZ
FEB 18WITH SILVER UP $.56//HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : NO CHANGES AT THE SLX/. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 438.994MILLION OZ
FEB 14WITH SILVER UP $.01//HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A DEPOSIT OF 1.593 MILLION OZ INTO THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 437.401 MILLION OZ
FEB 12WITH SILVER UP $.01 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A DEPOSIT OF 8 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 437.401 MILLION OZ
FEB 10 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.26 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.73 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 428.66 MILLION OZ
FEB 7 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.26 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A WITHDRAWAL OF 1.73 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 428.66 MILLION OZ
FEB 6 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.17 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 12.383 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 430.39 MILLION OZ
FEB 5 WITH SILVER UP $0.45 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 3.285 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 442.773 MILLION OZ
FEB 4 WITH SILVER UP $0.81 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 2.550 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 446.331 MILLION OZ
FEB 4 WITH SILVER UP $0.81 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 2.550 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 446.331 MILLION OZ
FEB 3 WITH SILVER UP ONE CENT //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 2.550 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 446.331 MILLION OZ
JAN 31 WITH SILVER DOWN $0.19 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 2.369 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 448.881 MILLION OZ
jAN 30 WITH SILVER UP $0.76 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 2.003 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 451.249 MILLION OZ
jAN 29 WITH SILVER UP $0.34 //HUGE CHANGES IN SILVER INVENTORY AT THE SLV : A MASSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF 1.639 MILLION OZ OUT OF THE SLV./. //INVENTORY AT SLV RESTS AT 453.252 MILLION OZ
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./. /
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
CLOSING INVENTORY 438.493MILLION OZ//
PHYSICAL GOLD/SILVER COMMENTARIES
1/ PETER SCHIFF/SCHIFF GOLD/MIKE MAHARRY
2/ Commentaries from: Egon von Greyerz///Matthew Piepenburg via GoldSwitzerland.com, Pam and Russ Martens
Particularly since the end of Bretton Woods, the quantity of government and other debt has risen inexorably. We are all aware of that, of soaring government debt to GDP ratios and unproductive private sector debt. After the Lehman Crisis, there was a general view that debt was the problem. Global debt at that time was estimated to be about $210 trillion, and it was commonly thought that it would have to stop growing and be paid down. Today it is estimated by the Institute of International Finance to be $318 trillion.[i]
But this is not the whole story.
In its recent paper, the IIF doesn’t define debt. Its definition appears to comprise government, financials, non-financials and consumers. Let’s call that the obvious debt, because excluded is an immense mountain of derivatives and foreign exchange obligations. An obligation may have a market value worth a fraction of the principal. Nonetheless, the obligation remains a debt until it is extinguished.
According to the BIS, notional principal OTCs stand at over $700 trillion. We should strip out interest rate swaps, because they don’t involve principal amounts, only material balances whose gross market value is only $3.4 trillion. That leaves $150 trillion where there is an obligation (i.e. debt) on the principal, as shown in Chart B below.
In addition, there are regulated derivatives such as futures totalling a further $37 trillion. Furthermore, there are options, which for simplicity’s sake we shall ignore.
Then there is the $410 trillion of bank balances, assets on one side and obligations to depositors, lenders, and shareholders on the other.[ii] Taking it all together, a base of $318 trillion now becomes $915 trillion. In the light of these enormous figures, bank notes and coin are insignificant.
So far, so good. We are still missing out all sorts of other forms of debt described as non-debt, such as the obligations of companies’ managers to deliver income streams to their shareholders That adds a further $140 trillion. This yields the following:
In round terms, the debt bubble is over $1,000 trillion, excluding shadow banks which are not so much creators, but rather users of existing bank debt.
The reason for totting up debt obligations and obligations that may become recordable debt is that it is the counterparty to credit. Therefore, the debt bubble is the same as the credit bubble. And the credit bubble has generally been accumulating since the financialisation of western economies in the wake of London’s big bang.
Before the Second World War, credit bubbles corrected themselves by total credit contracting. Broadly, the only way a system-wide credit contraction occurs is through defaults either at corporate or banking levels.
This is why US money supply, which actually measures credit, collapsed in the 1930s as thousands of banks went bust on the back of bad debts. Otherwise, credit obligations get passed on into new hands. Consequently, measures of money supply have continued to rise, as shown in the St Louis Fed’s chart of US M3.
The reason it has declined recently is not that credit has been destroyed, but it has been passed out of public circulation onto the Fed’s balance sheet through quantitative tightening, putting an alternative non-M3 debt in the form of government bonds into public ownership. Otherwise, through nine official recessions (the shaded areas in the chart) credit has not contracted cyclically as it would have before the Second World War. Credit which would have been destroyed through bankruptcy and bank failures has fed into subsequent expansions as accumulating malinvestments.
Instead of contracting numerically, credit contracts in value, as it has always done other than credit which is credible gold substitutes. There are losses in individual classes of credit, such as a bear market in equities. At the same time, increasing budget deficits due to a slump in global economic activity leads to an increase in the quantity of both government and corporate debt relative to nominal GDP, undermining their values.
A credit bubble popping undermines wealth, which it does at more than one level at the same time. For example, the stock market crashes, and bond yields rise. Those forms of credit lose value. And the currency declines in value as well. So hapless savers unaware of the fact that they are invested entirely in credit lose out twice over.
The refuge from this folly is to ditch credit in favour of real money. That is why gold measured in credit (i.e. currency) appears to be rising, when it is in fact the currency declining. The last to understand it are those who are ignorant of the difference between the two.
Even casual observers know that gold has been trading near all-time highs lately. The dollar price of gold has been trading around $2,955 per ounce, quite close to the all-time closing high and near the recent intraday high just below $3,000 per ounce. Since November 1, 2022, gold has rallied from $1,650 per ounce to $2,955 per ounce, an 80% gain in 28 months.
Since the U.S. dollar is also near interim highs based on leading indices, gold’s performance when measured in euros, sterling or Swiss francs is even stronger. We expect this trend to continue and to push gold solidly above the $3,000 per ounce level on its way to even higher levels in the months ahead.
Trump: Show Me The Gold!
That’s news in its own right but there’s a lot more going on in the gold space than just the price action. President Trump and Elon Musk (head of the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, and the world’s richest man) are planning to visit Fort Knox in the near future to “audit” the gold stocks and make sure all of the gold is where it’s supposed to be. I’m certain that visit will be the mother of all photo-ops.
Of course, Trump and Musk will not be conducting a real audit in the financial sense. They’ll just look around and show that the gold is actually there. This should lay to rest the rumors and ill-founded theories that the gold is somehow missing or has been shipped to JPMorgan. It hasn’t been.
Make U.S. Assets Great Again
Even this publicity visit has not captured all of the gold news lately. On a more serious note, Scott Bessent the U.S. Treasury Secretary said recently that “within the next twelve months, we’re going to monetize the asset side of the balance sheet for the American people. We’re going to put the assets to work.” There has been so much focus on the liability side of the balance sheet (basically the $38 trillion in national debt) that it’s refreshing to hear a senior official talk about the asset side.
The liberal critics will wail that Bessent plans to sell Yosemite National Park to real estate developers. Nothing like that will happen but the U.S. does have ample assets it can sell, lease or otherwise monetize without invading national parks or wilderness areas. These include mineral and mining rights, intellectual property, airwaves, rights of way, flight paths, and, yes, property development rights and land sales in non-sensitive areas. No one has any idea what all of this is worth, but it’s certainly worth in the trillions of dollars and can be monetized for the benefit of the American people including paying down the national debt.
Gold dealers and gold bugs immediately focused on one particular U.S. asset that could be monetized – gold. The U.S. has 8,133 metric tonnes of gold bullion in three locations – Fort Knox, West Point and the Denver mint – that could be sold. That gold has a current market value of $771 billion. Of course, any effort to sell more than a small fraction of that would drive the price of gold straight down. It would be an immense blunder to sell any of it anyway. The Treasury should be buying gold to maintain confidence in the dollar, not selling it.
Another take on monetizing gold revolves around the fact that the Federal Reserve currently holds a gold certificate issued by the U.S. Treasury in 1934 in compensation for the transfer of gold bullion from the Fed to the Treasury on orders of Franklin Roosevelt (backed up by legislation). That certificate is valued on the Fed’s books at $42.22 per ounce. If the Treasury ordered the Fed to write-up the value to market, that would add $760 billion to the Treasury’s general account, which could be used to finance the U.S. government without adding new debt.
Marked Up Gold: Not A Revenue Stream
Trump definitely wants new revenue streams for the government. I wouldn’t count marking-up the price of gold as a revenue stream. It does produce cash with no addition to the national debt but it’s not really a revenue stream; it’s just an accounting entry. It does produce cash but only on a one-time basis. In principle, you could repeat the process if gold went higher in the future but that’s uncertain and not completely reliable like taxes, leases and tariffs.
Despite the gold bug claims, there is no particular connection between marking up the price of gold (accounting) and selling gold reserves for cash (monetizing). One has nothing to do with the other. The government could sell the gold today at the market price without having to wash the accounting through the Treasury general account at the Fed. There’s nothing about marking up the price of gold on the Fed’s books that affects the government’s ability to sell the gold one way or the other.
Can The U.S. Even Sell Gold?
Still, the issue of monetizing gold has to be put in the context of whether the government can legally sell any gold at all. If you convert the Fed’s gold certificate into Troy ounces of gold (not dollars but ounces), it’s approximately equal to the entire U.S. gold reserve today (8,133 metric tonnes). If the Fed’s gold certificate is intended to be backed by physical gold, it’s possible the government cannot sell any gold without diluting the Fed’s gold certificate.
This is not discussed in economic literature to my knowledge, but it could be a simple derivative of the Fifth Amendment constraint that required the Treasury to give the Fed something of fair value when the gold was confiscated in 1934. This happened when the U.S. was on a gold standard and the weight and value of gold were interchangeable.
That’s not true today. Weight is constant but value fluctuates. It may be the case that the Treasury has to maintain a certain amount of gold by weight regardless of value in order to honor the original deal. If this analysis is correct, that’s extremely bullish for gold. It means the world’s largest single holder of gold (the U.S.) cannot be a seller!
Another idea which has surfaced in the hype surrounding Bessent’s comments about monetizing assets is that the U.S. could sell gold and use the proceeds to buy foreign government bonds that ostensibly produce higher yields than U.S. Treasuries. An alternative is to issue Treasury bonds backed by gold that would (in theory) carry a zero interest rate because they are “inflation proof.” This creates an arbitrage between higher yielding foreign government debt and supposedly zero interest U.S. Treasury debt that produces income for the Treasury.
This idea is nonsense for a long list of reasons.
In the first place, the U.S. already has inflation adjusted Treasury bonds. They’re called TIPS and offer investors a market interest rate plus an adjustment for inflation. An inflation-proof gold-backed bond is therefore redundant. If you like gold, just go buy some. We don’t need to make the Treasury jump through bond market hoops.
The second reason is that gold is not particularly correlated to inflation. In the past two-and-a-half years, gold has gone up 80% and cumulative inflation has been around 10%. Where’s the correlation? The price of gold is driven more by uncertainty, liquidity and geopolitics. Indexing Treasury bonds to gold prices would have resulted in windfalls for investors and a huge loss for the Treasury.
In addition, it’s not clear why selling or monetizing gold reserves has anything to do with buying foreign government bonds. The Fed could just buy them with printed money and the Treasury could just buy them with borrowed money. The gold reserve issue has nothing to do with it.
Finally, the calculation of whether buying foreign sovereign bonds makes sense for the Treasury involves a comparison of U.S. interest rates to German or Italian interest rates. Right now, German interest rates are about two points lower than U.S. rates, so those bonds would have negative carry from the U.S. perspective. That’s a bad deal. You also have to factor in exchange-rate risk. If the euro went down against the U.S. dollar, the Treasury would lose on the exchange rate and the interest rate. That’s a very bad deal.
As mentioned, I recommend gold as an investment asset and own it myself. It’s just not the case that the Treasury has to mess around in gold, bond and currency markets to achieve some opaque goal that can be achieved directly just by leaving the gold in Fort Knox and issuing TIPS.
A U.S. Sovereign Wealth Fund
In the midst of the noise set off by Bessent’s monetization comments was a striking remark by Trump that he would like to establish a U.S. sovereign wealth fund. That’s highly significant.
Right now, official U.S. reserves are about 70% in gold with the rest in a few foreign currencies. The idea of a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) is to allow a country with reserves to diversify into stocks, bonds, natural resources, property and a lot else instead of just holding gold and U.S. Treasuries.
Most countries with SWFs finance it with their trade surplus. Norway, Russia and Saudi Arabia are among the biggest SWF holders in part because of their oil revenue trade surpluses. The U.S. doesn’t have a trade surplus, but we might soon have substantial revenues from tariffs. The U.S. could always borrow money to finance a sovereign wealth fund. Then it would be more like a hedge fund, but that might be Trump’s style. (Scott Bessent was a hedge fund manager for Soros).
I did extensive collections and research on sovereign wealth funds for the Director of National Intelligence when it was a hot topic around 2007-2008. The SWF issue faded after 2009 as it was overshadowed by the global financial crisis. SWFs lost a lot of money in that panic. But they never went away and have recovered their losses since then. Trump may bring SWFs back into style.
Bessent’s asset monetization comment and Trump’s reference to a sovereign wealth fund for the U.S. are critical initiatives that we’ll be watching closely. In the short run, the gold bug and other hype has run far ahead of the reality. In the long run, both initiatives may come to fruition and mark a material reset in the international monetary system
END
Gold Price Sending a Warning Signal: Paper Assets Set to Collapse
Gold prices are sending a warning signal! Experts Alasdair Macleod and Michael Oliver predict a collapse of paper assets due to a fragile credit bubble and banking sector vulnerabilities.
By PRFEBRUARY 27, 2025 20:45
Gold Price Sending a Warning Signal: Paper Assets Set to Collapse(photo credit: PR)
Macleod cautioned against complacency, drawing parallels to the 1929-32 Wall Street crash. “These things don’t happen overnight,” he stated, “It could be that the credit bubble doesn’t pop for some time, or rather like Wall Street in 1929 to 32, you have an initial shock, you’ve got several months of recovery, and then it’s a long, long, long descend.” He emphasized that even after an initial downturn, a prolonged decline could follow, highlighting the potential for a devastating 85% drop from peak to trough.
Oliver, founder of Momentum Structural Analysis, echoed these concerns, pointing to the “mistake” of focusing solely on the “Magnificent 7” tech stocks. He argued that deeper vulnerabilities lie within sectors like healthcare and finance. “I see the breakage in key sectors that people aren’t so focused on, and they should be,” he asserted, citing “extreme technical vulnerability” in the financial sector due to the high-yield debt market.
Banking on Leverage: A House of Cards
Macleod delved into the precarious state of bank balance sheets, noting their “very highly leveraged” position compared to historical norms. “If you look at US bank balance sheets… it looks to me as if they’re round about 13, 14 times equity,” he revealed, contrasting this with the healthier 6-8 times equity seen at the bottom of lending cycles. He further highlighted the even greater leverage in Japanese and Eurozone banks, some reaching 20 times asset-to-equity ratios.
This excessive leverage, Macleod explained, makes banks highly susceptible to a “collapse in the value of their collateral,” triggering a self-feeding cycle of liquidation reminiscent of the 1930s. “This is back to the 1930s thing,” he said, “You know, the idea… once the collateral starts losing value, it then starts getting liquidated by the banks.” He also noted how regulations encourage banks to lend to governments rather than businesses, further distorting the system. “So you can see that the whole system is actually unwittingly almost being moved into the sort of situation where it’s no longer fit for purpose as banks,” he said.
Momentum vs. Price: Uncovering Hidden Dangers
Oliver explained his unique approach to market analysis, focusing on momentum rather than price charts. “Momentum is almost always… leads price in terms of making a top, making a bottom, having a correction, etc.,” he stated. He revealed that his analysis of the healthcare sector (XLV) uncovered a “structure from hell waiting right below its feet,” with a potential for a massive momentum floor breach.
Similarly, his examination of the financial sector (XLF) revealed widespread vulnerability. “I couldn’t find one that didn’t look vulnerable,” he said, noting that several stocks were “literally several percent away from breaking massive quarterly momentum structures.” He singled out BlackRock as an example, suggesting it was “already starting to break its structure.”
Gold’s Silent Message: A Precursor to Crisis
Both experts believe that the rising gold price is not merely a commodity fluctuation but a signal of deeper systemic issues. Oliver stated, “I think Gold knows that, tell you the truth. I think it knows that anyway. It’s a broader situation than merely a tech bubble.” Macleod agreed, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the credit bubble and the banking sector’s vulnerabilities. “I mean, it’ll be something to do with the credit bubble,” he said, “I mean, once the credit bubble goes, I mean, there the banks that will be taken out, I mean, inevitably, inevitably.”
In light of these warnings, Macleod stressed the importance of financial education. “People don’t understand money, credit, and so I need to educate them,” he said, explaining the purpose of his Macleod Finance substack. He aims to “equip them to deal with what’s going to be very, very difficult times ahead.”
Oliver, through Momentum Structural Analysis, offers a unique perspective on market dynamics, urging investors to look beyond conventional price charts. “We’re in a world now where these tectonic plates are impacting and going to impact, yeah loudly,” he warned.
The insights shared by Macleod and Oliver paint a sobering picture of the current financial landscape. Their warnings about the credit bubble’s fragility, the banking sector’s vulnerability, and the potential for a significant market downturn should serve as a wake-up call for investors. As gold continues to rise, it may well be signaling a broader collapse of paper assets, demanding vigilance and a proactive approach to wealth preservation.
Watch the full interview:
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Submitted by admin on Thu, 2025-02-27 16:45 Section: Daily Dispatches
By Dave Kranzler Mining Stock Journal Thursday, Febraruy 27, 2025
Right now there’s 109 million ounces worth of Comex March silver contracts standing for delivery. This is 90% of the registered inventory of silver in the vaults and 27% of the total amount of silver in Comex vaults.
Those are big numbers. But it’s irrelevant if the entities taking delivery do not remove their silver from Comex vault
Possession is 10 10ths of the law when it comes to physical gold and silver ownership. Until the metal is removed from the Comex banks’ possession, it can be subjected to swaps, leases, and rehypothecation activities.
Rehypothecation is when the bank in possession of your gold or silver bars uses those bars as collateral for its own borrowing activities. JP Morgan was caught rehypothecating silver bars when MF Global blew up. …
we exposed the early-warning signs of a system under stress. Now the unraveling accelerates. Physical gold is fleeing, inventories are draining, and the system is running on fumes. But this isn’t just a slow-motion collapse — it’s a full-blown unraveling. The players have lost control, and that’s the real problem.
What follows is a hypothesis; we play the odds.
The fundamentals (the fuse) have been burning for decades, while the technical structure (the keg) has been packed with leverage, suppression, and mountains of gold paper — fueling systemic fragility.
When these two forces collide, the gold market wont just transition — it will detonate. …
5B GLOBAL COMMODITY ISSUES/FOOD IN GENERAL//FREIGHT/COMMODITIES: COMMODITY//EGGS
6 CRYPTOCURRENCY NEWS
END
ASIA TRADING MONDAY MORNING FRIDAY NIGHT
SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 3.97 PTS OR 0.12%
//Hang Seng CLOSED UP 64.95 PTS OR 0.28%
// Nikkei CLOSED UP 627.97OR 1,70%//Australia’s all ordinaries CLOSED UP 0.89%
//Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2910 CHINESE YUAN OFFSHORE CLOSED DOWN TO 7.2920/ Oil UP TO 69.87 dollars per barrel for WTI and BRENT UP TO 72.73 Stocks in Europe OPENED ALL GREEN
1.YOUR EARLY CURRENCY VALUES/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN AND EUROPEAN BOURSE MOVEMENTS/AND INTEREST RATE SETTINGS /M0NDAY MORNING.7:30 AM
ONSHORE YUAN: CLOSED DOWN AT 7.2910
OFFSHORE YUAN: DOWN TO 7.2970
SHANGHAI CLOSED CLOSED DOWN 3.97 PTS OR 0.12%
HANG SENG CLOSED CLOSED UP 64.95 PTS OR 0.28%
2. Nikkei closed UP 627.97OR 1.70%
3. Europe stocks SO FAR: ALL GREEN
USA dollar INDEX UP TO 106.90// EURO RISES TO 1.0459 UP 92 BASIS PT HEADING TO PARITY WITH USA
3b Japan 10 YR bond yield: RISES TO. +1.4000//Japan buying 100% of bond issuance)/Japanese YEN vs USA cross now at 151.19…… 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 UP for WTI and UP FOR BRENT this morning
3h European bond buying continues to push yields lower on all fronts in the EMU. German 10yr bund YIELD UP TO +2.50000/Italian 10 Yr bond yield UP to 3.536 SPAIN 10 YR BOND YIELD UP TO 3.157
3i Greek 10 year bond yield DOWN TO 3.302
3j Gold at $2877.70 Silver at: 31.59 1 am est) SILVER NEXT RESISTANCE LEVEL AT $50.00//AFTER 28.40
3k USA vs Russian rouble;// Russian rouble DOWN 1 AND 13 /100 roubles/dollar; ROUBLE AT 89.65
3m oil into the 69 dollar handle for WTI and 72 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 151.19 10 YEAR YIELD AFTER FIRST BREAKING .54% LAST YEAR NOW EXCEEDS THAT LEVEL TO 1.400 % 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 0.9015 as the Swiss Franc is still rising against most currencies. Euro vs SF: 0.9428well 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: 4.256 UP 3 BASIS PTS…
USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 4.537 UP 2 BASIS PTS/
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.032 UP 4 BASIS PTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 36.47…
10 YR UK BOND YIELD: 4.6390 UP 11 PTS
10 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 2.898 DOWN 7 BASIS PTS
5 YR CANADA BOND YIELD: 2.668 UP 4 PTS.
2a New York OPENING REPORT
2b European Report
US futures gain, USD lower & EUR benefits post EZ HICP, EGBs sink amid expectations of EU defence spending – Newsquawk US Market Open
Monday, Mar 03, 2025 – 04:54 AM
European indices at session highs, Defence stocks roar on EU spending talks. US futures also gain, with the RTY outperforming.
USD is on the backfoot as tariff deadline looms; EUR benefits from hotter-than-expected EZ HICP.
Bonds are weighed on by developments around geopols/defence, currently at session lows.
Crude clipped from APAC highs, Precious metals continue to benefit from the geopolitical risk-premia and softer Dollar.
Looking ahead, US ISM Manufacturing PMI, Japanese Unemployment Rate, Comments from Fed’s Musalem.
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TARIFFS/TRADE
US Commerce Secretary Lutnick said Mexico and Canada have done a reasonable job on the border and there will be tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday but President Trump will decide at what levels. Lutnick added that China tariffs are set unless they end fentanyl trafficking into the US.
White House official announced on Saturday evening that President Trump ordered to bolster the supply of forest resources and directed the Commerce Secretary to investigate harm to US National Security from imported lumber, while any tariffs resulting from the lumber investigation would be added to other tariffs, including fentanyl-related tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Furthermore, the official said China, Canada and Mexico could take quick action to avert fentanyl-related tariffs.
China is studying countermeasures in response to the US March 4th tariff threat, while countermeasures will likely include both tariffs and a series of non-tariff measures with US agricultural and food products most likely to be listed, according to Global Times.
EUROPEAN TRADE
EQUITIES
European bourses (STOXX 600 +0.3%) are mixed vs opening modestly firmer across the board; a significant sell-off was seen soon after the cash open, but with little fundamental driver at the time. As it stands, indices have rebounded from worst levels and look to be approaching the earlier highs. The complex was initially little reactive to slightly hotter-than-expected EZ HICP but then retreated from best levels thereafter.
European sectors are mixed vs opening with a strong positive bias. Industrials take the top spot and is by far the clear outperformer, as Defence names prop up the industry. The likes of Rheinmetall (+8%), BAE Systems (+13%) and Rolls Royce (+5%) all gain for the reasons listed in the next bullets.
Firstly, sentiment regarding a Ukraine-Russia peace deal has been hit after the recent bust-up between US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky at the Oval Office on Friday. Secondly, French President Macron’s proposed to raise the EU’s defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. And finally, Germany is reportedly considering defence-specific funds in the formation of a new government.
US equity futures (ES +0.3%, NQ +0.4%, RTY +0.7%) are very modestly in the green, but with the RTY performing a little better vs peers. Focus ahead is on US ISM Manufacturing.
NVIDIA (NVDA) and Broadcom (AVGO) are reportedly running manufacturing tests with Intel (INTC) advanced process called 18A, according to Reuters sources
For Crypto stocks; Bitcoin rose c. 10% over the weekend after US President Trump announced a US Strategic Reserve for several coins; Coinbase +8.5% in the pre-market.
Tesla (TSLA) reinstated as “top pick” in US autos by Morgan Stanley
DXY is giving back some of Friday’s upside, following the heated exchange between Trump, Vance and Zelensky. Focus today turns back to the US ISM Manufacturing PMI and on US tariffs. On the latter, US Commerce Secretary Lutnick said there will be tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday but President Trump will decide at what levels, and could be lower than 25%. DXY is around the 107 mark.
EUR is firmer vs. the softer USD and one of the better performers across the G10 complex. Despite the tense conversation on Friday between Trump-Vance-Zelensky, markets remain optimistic over Europe’s efforts to provide a plan to get the US and Ukraine back to the negotiation table. Elsewhere, EZ manufacturing PMI was revised a touch higher but ultimately remained below the 50 threshold. EZ flash CPI for February saw the headline (2.4% vs. Exp. 2.3%) and super-core (2.6% vs. Exp. 2.5%) metrics print a touch above expectations, whilst services fell to 3.7% from 3.9%. EUR/USD has moved back above its 50DMA at 1.0388 and gained a firmer footing on the 1.04 handle, towards highs of 1.0444.
USD/JPY has pulled back after hitting resistance at the 151.00 level with the pair dragged lower amid the softer dollar and the early mild upside in Japanese yields; 30-year JGB yield touched its highest since October 2007. USD/JPY briefly made its way onto a 149 handle with a current session trough at 149.95.
GBP is a touch firmer vs. the broadly weaker USD with UK newsflow on the light side and potentially set to remain so this week given the light calendar. The only real notable even this week is BoE Governor Bailey’s appearance before the Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday. UK Manufacturing PMI printed a touch above the prior – but ultimately had little impact on price action. Cable currently sits towards the upper end of a 1.2577-1.2649 range.
Antipodeans both have received some mild reprieve after trickling lower throughout most of last week, while the latest manufacturing PMI data from Australia and New Zealand’s largest trading partner China also provided some encouragement.
PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1745 vs exp. 7.2857 (prev. 7.1738).
SNB Chairman Schlegel said the SNB will only reintroduce negative interest rates if necessary.
A softer start for Bunds as sentiment in Europe has shrugged off the Zelensky-Trump fallout with Chinese PMIs and the APAC handover seeing a stronger start to the session which has been exacerbated by blockbuster performance in European defence names on reports/remarks around spending. Final Manufacturing EZ PMIs were revised modestly higher; EZ Inflation measures printed slightly hotter than expected and spurred a modest hawkish reaction, which then continued to take Bunds to a fresh session trough of 132.15.
USTs are a touch softer as the latest geopolitical/defence developments don’t have quite the same ramifications for the US as they do for Europe. Currently at the lower end of a 110-27+ to 111-03 band, with recent pressure coming alongside the pressure seen across the pond. US newsflow is very much focused on the fallout from Trump-Zelensky, as we await concrete details into a potential Italian-led gathering, and the implementation of tariffs on Canada and Mexico tomorrow. Ahead, focus will be on US ISM Manufacturing PMI which will be scoured for tariff-related movements in input prices, as this could be indicative of a resurgence in inflation in the months ahead.
Gilts are softer, trading in-fitting with European peers. As such, the benchmark is at the bottom end of a 92.76 to 93.39 band. February’s Manufacturing PMI was revised marginally higher but remains well into contractionary territory with internal commentary bleak.
Crude is flat but off overnight highs, as the complex unwinds some of the geopolitical premia seen overnight. Focus has been on both the Middle East and on Ukraine-Russia (Friday clash between Trump/Zelensky); on the former, Israel blocked aid to Gaza after the first phase of the truce deal expired over the weekend with no phase two deal in place. Brent’May trades around USD 72.90/bbl, and off worst levels.
Some of the pressure today could be attributed to traders digesting news over the weekend that suggested Ukrainian President Zelensky is still “ready” to sign a minerals deal with Trump.
Precious metals are on a firmer footing, with gold benefiting from the geopolitical uncertainty, with a softer USD also helping; XAU currently towards the upper end of a USD 2856.08-2876.62/oz range.
Base metals are mixed; 3M LME copper was initially firmer as the complex digested the better-than-expected Chinese Manufacturing PMI figures – but the upside has gradually faded. 3M LME Copper is back towards opening levels of USD 9358 in USD 9330-9432 parameters.
Guyana’s President Ali said a Venezuelan armed patrol ship entered Guyanese waters on Saturday morning and threatened oil production ships, claiming they were in Venezuelan waters, according to News Source Guyana.
Canada is to extend mineral exploration tax credit for two more years, according to the Natural Resources Minister.
Russian President Putin’s ally Matthias Warnig pushes a deal to restart the Nord Stream 2, according to FT.
Russian oil products from Black Sea port of Tuapse planned at 0.798mln T in March vs 0.799mln T scheduled for February, according to traders cited by Reuters.
Diesel loadings from Russia’s Primorsk port set at 1.8mln T for March vs 1.73mln T scheduled for Feb, according to traders cited by Reuters.
Austrian liberal NEOS party members voted in favour of a coalition agreement which paves the way for a three-party government to take office.
S&P affirmed France at AA-; Outlook revised to Negative from Stable and upgraded Portugal to A; Outlook Positive.
S&P Global says US Tariffs would likely dent growth prospects in central Europe; weaker growth could compound existing fiscal challenges, impact of these tariffs are likely to be smaller than that of the weakening demand for German cars in China.
Riksbank Business Survey: Economic activity is weak in most parts of the economy and largely unchanged compared with the previous survey in the autumn.
NOTABLE US HEADLINES
US President Trump posted on Truth “We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country – So that we don’t end up like Europe!”.
US President Trump commented on Truth “Treasury Department has announced that they are suspending all enforcement of the outrageous and invasive Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement for U.S. Citizens”.
US Treasury Secretary Bessent said will appoint an affordability czar to address high prices, according to CBS News.
US House Speaker Johnson said he wants a clean Continuing Resolution for the fiscal year through September, according to Punchbowl.
GEOPOLITICS
MIDDLE EAST
Israel conducted strikes on Gaza on Sunday which killed four Palestinians, according to Reuters citing Gaza health officials. Furthermore, the Israeli military said it eliminated suspects who were planting an explosive device in Gaza.
Israeli PM’s office said they will adopt the outline of US envoy Witkoff for a temporary ceasefire for the Ramadan and Passover holidays.
Israel announced that it had ceased the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. It was separately reported that Israel’s Foreign Minister Saar said Hamas rejected the framework for a ceasefire and this is why were not able to move forward for the time being, while he added that the commitment for goods to enter was only for the first phase which has lapsed and the US understands Israel’s stance on the decision to halt Gaza aid. Saar also said that Israel is ready for the second phase of the agreement but “not for free”.
Israel plans to increase pressure on Hamas to accept the proposal to extend the first phase of the Gaza agreement, according to Israeli media cited by Asharq News.
Hamas said Israeli PM Netanyahu’s decision to halt humanitarian aid is cheap blackmail and a coup on the agreement while it urged Gaza ceasefire mediators to compel Israel to end punitive measures against Gaza. Furthermore, a Hamas official said the group will not agree to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal and that the hostage release will only occur under the agreed phased deal, according to Reuters.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister said Egypt will continue intensive efforts to start negotiations on the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal and the Gaza reconstruction plan has been completed which will be presented at the emergency Arab summit on Tuesday for approval, while foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation will meet in Saudi Arabia after the emergency summit. Furthermore, Egypt’s Foreign Minister said using aid as a weapon of collective punishment and starvation in Gaza cannot be accepted or permitted.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE
Russia’s Kremlin on the London Summit, says this as not aimed at a peaceful settlement. On the Oval Office clash: Russia President Putin is aware of what happened at the Oval Office. Says Ukrainian President Zelensky does not want peace. Russia-US: Russia continues dialogue with the US on normalising bilateral ties. If Russian assets are given to Kyiv then there will be grave legal consequences.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said late on Friday that he wants peace but will require security guarantees to prevent Russia from attacking again, while he is very thankful to US President Trump and said he respects him and the American people but refuses to apologise and believes the relationship with Trump can be repaired.
Ukrainian President Zelensky commented on Sunday that they are ready to sign the minerals deal which he believes the US would be ready to sign as well, while he believes the relationship with the US will continue. Zelensky also said there has not been a day when they have not felt gratitude to the US for support and after meeting with European leaders, he said there will be more diplomatic peace efforts for the sake of Ukraine, all of Europe, and definitely America.
Ukrainian President Zelensky met with UK PM Starmer on Saturday, while Ukraine and the UK signed an agreement that provides an additional GBP 2.26bln in loans towards Ukraine’s defence. It was separately reported that Zelensky said he met with Italian PM Meloni to discuss a common plan to end the war.
UK PM Starmer said Europe needs a security guarantee from the US and that the UK, France and maybe others will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting which they will then discuss with the US and thinks it is a step in the right direction. Starmer said he would not trust Russian President Putin’s word and he does not think Ukrainian President Zelensky has done anything wrong, while he is clear that US President Trump does want lasting peace and added that there is a moment of real fragility in Europe.
UK PM Starmer said on Sunday following the Ukraine summit that a new deal will allow Ukraine to use GBP 1.6bln of export finance and this will help protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, while he added that they agreed to keep military aid flowing to Ukraine and the economic pressure on Russia. Starmer said in the event of peace, they will boost Ukraine’s defence capabilities and the UK is willing to have boots on the ground and planes in the air regarding peacekeeping troops.
US National Security Adviser Waltz said it was not clear Ukrainian President Zelensky was ready to negotiate in good faith at the White House and it is absolutely false that the Oval Office meeting was some kind of ambush. Waltz said Zelensky needs to make clear he is ready for peace and the US needs a Ukraine leader who can deal with Washington and Russia and end the war, while he added the US seeks a permanent end to the Ukraine war with European-led security guarantees, according to CNN.
US Treasury Secretary Bessent said it is impossible to get an economic deal without a peace deal in Ukraine and the plan is for the EU to provide security guarantees for Ukraine not NATO.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned the breach of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty by IAEA employees who visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant via occupied territory which it said was the result of Russian blackmail.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said US President Trump is a pragmatist with the slogan common sense and the discussion in Europe about peacekeepers for Ukraine is arrogant. Lavrov said that the US bluntly said it wants to end the conflict in Ukraine but Europe demands the war to continue, while he added the West cannot explain what will happen to the territory of Ukraine and to the Russian language if European peacekeepers are deployed.
Russia’s Medvedev said Russia is prepared to show flexibility in talks on Ukraine but only in accordance with the Russian constitution and realities on the ground, while he added Russia is ready to discuss a settlement but only with those who are ready to communicate.
Russian Defence Ministry said Russian forces captured two new villages in eastern Ukraine, while Russian forces also struck gas processing plants in Ukraine, according to IFAX.
French President Macron said France and Britain propose a one-month truce in Ukraine, according to The Telegraph.
Germany reportedly discussed setting up special funds for defence and infrastructure, according to sources. It was separately reported that German Chancellor Scholz said they need to financially and militarily support Ukraine. Scholz also said they need a strong army in Ukraine in the future when the war is over and that Thursday’s summit will be about how to do more for their own defences.
Polish PM Tusk said he supports Italian PM Meloni’s proposal to organise a US-Europe summit, while he sees no other power in the world than the US that can stop Russian aggression. Tusk separately commented that Ukraine summit participants declared they are ready to ramp up defence spending.
EU’s von der Leyen said that they urgently need to rearm Europe and need to step up massively and have a surge in defence, while she added member states need more fiscal space to do a surge in defence and that they want the US to know that they are ready to defend democracy.
Canadian PM Trudeau said everything is on the table when asked if he would contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine and said nothing is more important to Canadians right now than standing up for their sovereignty, as well as noted regarding the Trump-Zelensky meeting that he stands with Zelensky.
CRYPTO
Bitcoin is on a firmer footing and sits comfortably above USD 92k, as sentiment in the complex is lifted following Trump’s recent announcement.
US President Trump is to host the first White House cryptocurrency summit on March 7th. Trump also commented that the executive order on digital assets directed a strategic reserve that included XRP, Sol and ADA. Trump also stated that BTC and ETH, as other valuable cryptocurrencies, will be at the heart of the reserve, as well as commented that he loves Bitcoin and Ethereum.
APAC TRADE
APAC stocks began the new trading month mostly higher in a rebound from Friday’s Asian session sell-off and despite geopolitical uncertainty from the fallout of the Trump-Zelensky heated exchange in the Oval Office, while participants digested better-than-expected Chinese PMI data from over the weekend.
ASX 200 traded higher with gains led by strength in the tech, real estate, telecoms, miners and materials sectors, while quarterly Australian company gross profits growth smashed forecasts.
Nikkei 225 recovered some of Friday’s substantial losses despite the lack of fresh drivers and ongoing tariff uncertainty.
Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were underpinned following the better-than-expected official Chinese Manufacturing PMI data over the weekend which showed a surprise return to expansion territory, while Caixin Manufacturing PMI also topped forecasts. However, the gains in the mainland were contained as the tariff threat lingered with US Commerce Secretary Lutnick noting that China tariffs are set unless they end fentanyl trafficking into the US and with China reportedly studying relevant countermeasures in response to the US March 4th tariff threat.
NOTABLE ASIA-PAC HEADLINES
Japan’s Top-Currency Diplomat Mimura says the bright spots in the economy include tourism and strong corporate investment. Hearing not only big firms but from small/medium ones about the strong prospect of wage increases. Weaker JPY is a matter of inflation domestically, via increased import costs. Adds, Japan should increase reliance on foreign investors in the JGB market as the BoJ tapers and the population shrinks.
DATA RECAP
Chinese Manufacturing PMI (Feb) 50.2 vs Exp. 49.9 (Prev. 49.1); Non-Manufacturing PMI (Feb) 50.4 vs Exp. 50.3 (Prev. 50.2)
Chinese Composite PMI (Feb) 51.1 (Prev. 50.1)
Chinese Caixin Manufacturing PMI Final (Feb) 50.8 vs. Exp. 50.3 (Prev. 50.1)
2C Asian Report
APAC stocks & European futures mostly higher despite heated geopolitics – Newsquawk Europe Market Open
Monday, Mar 03, 2025 – 01:16 AM
APAC stocks saw a rebound from Friday’s Asian session sell-off; participants digested better-than-expected Chinese PMI data.
US Commerce Secretary Lutnick said there will be tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday but Trump will decide at what levels.
China is studying countermeasures in response to the US March 4th tariff threat; will likely include both tariffs and a series of non-tariff measures.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to sign the minerals deal; believes the relationship with the US will continue.
European equity futures indicate a higher cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up by 0.7% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.2% on Friday.
DXY is a touch softer, EUR/USD has moved back onto a 1.04 handle, USD/JPY pulled back after hitting resistance at the 151.00 level.
Looking ahead, highlights include EZ HICP, US ISM Manufacturing PMI, Japanese Unemployment Rate, Fed’s Musalem.
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US TRADE
US stocks endured a choppy session on Friday but ultimately closed in the green and at session highs as they saw a notable bid into settlement amongst month-end and despite the initial sell-off seen post-US open, while US January PCE was the key scheduled data but turned out to be a damp squib and printed in line with expectations. Nonetheless, the session highlight came after a fiery and argumentative meeting between US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky at the Oval Office where Trump told Zelensky “You are gambling with World War III” and “You either make a deal or we are out”. Following the meeting, Trump posted on Truth that Zelensky disrespected the US and that he could come back when ready for peace, while the joint presser was cancelled with the deal not signed and leaders throughout Europe announced their solidarity with Ukraine.
SPX +1.59% at 5,955, NDX +1.62% at 20,884, DJI +1.39% at 43,841, RUT +1.09% at 2,163.
US Commerce Secretary Lutnick said Mexico and Canada have done a reasonable job on the border and there will be tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday but President Trump will decide at what levels. Lutnick added that China tariffs are set unless they end fentanyl trafficking into the US.
White House official announced on Saturday evening that President Trump ordered to bolster the supply of forest resources and directed the Commerce Secretary to investigate harm to US National Security from imported lumber, while any tariffs resulting from the lumber investigation would be added to other tariffs, including fentanyl-related tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Furthermore, the official said China, Canada and Mexico could take quick action to avert fentanyl-related tariffs.
China is studying countermeasures in response to the US March 4th tariff threat, while countermeasures will likely include both tariffs and a series of non-tariff measures with US agricultural and food products most likely to be listed, according to Global Times.
NOTABLE HEADLINES
Fed’s Goolsbee (2025 voter) said on Friday that inflation data is still higher than they would like but still appears on a path back to 2% inflation, while he added everything keeps them up at night and they should start working through scenarios of the Trump economic agenda although don’t have enough clarity to forecast off the Trump agenda yet.
US President Trump posted on Truth “We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country – So that we don’t end up like Europe!”.
US President Trump commented on Truth “Treasury Department has announced that they are suspending all enforcement of the outrageous and invasive Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement for U.S. Citizens”.
US Treasury Secretary Bessent said will appoint an affordability czar to address high prices, according to CBS News.
US House Speaker Johnson said he wants a clean Continuing Resolution for the fiscal year through September, according to Punchbowl.
APAC TRADE
EQUITIES
APAC stocks began the new trading month mostly higher in a rebound from Friday’s Asian session sell-off and despite geopolitical uncertainty from the fallout of the Trump-Zelensky heated exchange in the Oval Office, while participants digested better-than-expected Chinese PMI data from over the weekend.
ASX 200 traded higher with gains led by strength in the tech, real estate, telecoms, miners and materials sectors, while quarterly Australian company gross profits growth smashed forecasts.
Nikkei 225 recovered some of Friday’s substantial losses despite the lack of fresh drivers and ongoing tariff uncertainty.
Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were underpinned following the better-than-expected official Chinese Manufacturing PMI data over the weekend which showed a surprise return to expansion territory, while Caixin Manufacturing PMI also topped forecasts. However, the gains in the mainland were contained as the tariff threat lingered with US Commerce Secretary Lutnick noting that China tariffs are set unless they end fentanyl trafficking into the US and with China reportedly studying relevant countermeasures in response to the US March 4th tariff threat.
US equity futures (ES +0.2%, NQ +0.2%) are a touch firmer after last Friday’s late ramp-up.
European equity futures indicate a higher cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up by 0.7% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.2% on Friday.
FX
DXY faded the gains seen on Friday during the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office bust-up although the downside was limited with participants awaiting this week’s key events including Tuesday’s tariff deadline for Canada, Mexico and China related to the border and fentanyl, while President Trump also ordered a probe into alleged dumping of lumber in the US market.
EUR/USD took advantage of the dollar weakness and reclaimed the 1.0400 handle, while several European leaders and senior representatives met in London on Sunday for a summit to discuss support for Ukraine.
GBP/USD rebounded from last week’s trough but with upside limited amid light newsflow from the UK aside from the geopolitical-related rhetoric concerning Ukraine.
USD/JPY gradually pulled back after hitting resistance at the 151.00 level with the pair dragged lower amid the softer dollar and the early mild upside in Japanese yields.
Antipodeans received some mild reprieve after trickling lower throughout most of last week, while the latest manufacturing PMI data from Australia and New Zealand’s largest trading partner also provided some encouragement.
PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1745 vs exp. 7.2857 (prev. 7.1738).
SNB Chairman Schlegel said the SNB will only reintroduce negative interest rates if necessary.
FIXED INCOME
10yr UST futures briefly retreated beneath the 111.00 level alongside the gains in stocks and with demand not helped by looming corporate supply with Synopsys preparing a USD 10bln bond sale to finance the Ansys deal and with Mars preparing to sell more than USD 25bln of bonds this week to finance the Kellanova takeover.
Bund futures gapped lower at the open to beneath the 133.00 level after it was reported over the weekend that Germany discussed setting up special funds for defence and infrastructure, while German Chancellor Scholz commented that they need to financially and militarily support Ukraine.
10yr JGB futures conformed to the subdued picture in the fixed income space as Japanese yields slightly edged higher including the 30-year JGB yield which touched its highest since October 2007.
COMMODITIES
Crude futures mildly gained amid geopolitical uncertainty following the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office bust-up last week and amid tensions in the Middle East with Israel blocking aid to Gaza after the first phase of the truce deal expired over the weekend with no phase two deal in place. Furthermore, stronger-than-expected Chinese Manufacturing PMI data in which the official reading returned to expansion territory also provides some demand-side optimism.
Guyana’s President Ali said a Venezuelan armed patrol ship entered Guyanese waters on Saturday morning and threatened oil production ships, claiming they were in Venezuelan waters, according to News Source Guyana.
Canada is to extend mineral exploration tax credit for two more years, according to the Natural Resources Minister.
Russian President Putin’s ally Matthias Warnig pushes a deal to restart the Nord Stream 2, according to FT.
Spot gold began the new trading month on the front foot after spending most of last week pulling back from record highs.
Copper futures benefitted from the positive risk environment and after the encouraging Chinese PMI data.
CRYPTO
Bitcoin surged on Sunday and briefly rose to back above the USD 94,000 level following comments from US President Trump who named cryptocurrencies that will be included in a strategic reserve of digital assets.
US President Trump is to host the first White House cryptocurrency summit on March 7th. Trump also commented that the executive order on digital assets directed a strategic reserve that included XRP, Sol and ADA. Trump also stated that BTC and ETH, as other valuable cryptocurrencies, will be at the heart of the reserve, as well as commented that he loves Bitcoin and Ethereum.
NOTABLE ASIA-PAC HEADLINES
PBoC and financial regulators held a symposium on financial support of private enterprises and five private enterprises attended the symposium including Geely Holding and SenseTime.
DATA RECAP
Chinese Manufacturing PMI (Feb) 50.2 vs Exp. 49.9 (Prev. 49.1)
Chinese Non-Manufacturing PMI (Feb) 50.4 vs Exp. 50.3 (Prev. 50.2)
Chinese Composite PMI (Feb) 51.1 (Prev. 50.1)
Chinese Caixin Manufacturing PMI Final (Feb) 50.8 vs. Exp. 50.3 (Prev. 50.1)
GEOPOLITICS
3 .ASIA
3A NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
end
3BJAPAN
end
3C. CHINA/
CHINA
CHINA/USA
4.EUROPEAN AFFAIRS//UK /SCANDINAVIAN AFFAIRS
European Reality Check: Without The US There Is No NATO And No Ukraine
Monday, Mar 03, 2025 – 02:45 AM
Is the rest of the world entitled to US money and US security? This is the question that’s never asked when the establishment media rages about Donald Trump’s opposition to continue the status quo in Ukraine. Consider for a moment the situation from the perspective of friends (allies).
Imagine a wealthy man is approached by his friends often for loans which these friends rarely pay back. He obliges out of generosity, but begins to suspect his friends are only interested in his wallet. So, he makes an announcement that he’s trying to get his finances in order and will not be lending any money for the next 90 days.
Do his friends respond with understanding? No. They call the man a criminal and cry endlessly about how their families will starve and the world will fall apart if he doesn’t keep filling their bottomless gullets with cash. They even suggest he is deserving of retribution for daring to ask them to support themselves.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
This has been the core dynamic between the US taxpayer and the rest of the western world for many decades. The level of reliance that Europe has had on America is staggering. The amount of funding that crosses the Atlantic every year to keep “allies” well fed and protected is immense. Most of the population isn’t even aware of how unbalanced the relationship is between America and the rest of the world. To illustrate lets look at one aspect of the US vs European relationship: Defense spending.
Well before the fireworks at the White House between the Trump team and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky European governments were increasingly discussing the possibility of an “EU army” and a NATO without US involvement. UK officials along with those in Germany and France have been playing with the notion of boots on the ground in Ukraine, an action which would no doubt precipitate WWIII with Russia.
Political leaders and media proponents have been flooding social media to show support for Zelensky as the new savior of the EU and many have suggested that Europe can easily fill the void that the US leaves behind. This is dangerous delusion.
For example, the US represents around 70% of the entire annual combined defense spending of NATO countries. No other nation comes close.
In 2023-2024, this expenditure amounted to over $860 billion. The closest NATO member in terms of budget for the alliance is Germany with $68 billion. NATO funding is included in America’s total defense spending package.
According to RAND Corporation’s Defense Spending Index, the US carries 47% of the burden share, vastly outweighing any other NATO member. While NATO’s official budget is $3.5 billion, this does not represent the burden share if NATO goes to war. Members with the largest armies and spending the most on defense will be expected to expend the most resources in a conflict.
The media consistently misrepresents the NATO spending imbalance by comparing NATO fees as a percentage of GDP. This is nonsense. The sheer amount of defense spending is what matters, not the ratio to GDP. When examined in true terms there is no argument to be made – The US is essentially the military cash cow for the entire western world. Without the US there is no NATO.
When it comes to Ukraine the waters are more muddy but the conclusions are the same; the US is expected to bear the brunt of the burden. US aid to Ukraine so far ranges from $120 billion to $180 billion depending on the source. Zelensky claims that $100 billion of this money “never reached Ukraine”. There is no verification of this either way. For now let’s assume Zelensky is misinformed.
A graph of total expenditures between the US and other western nations shows the EU with a large amount of aid, but take a closer look at military commitments and it’s clear that the EU has spent a minimal amount on Ukraine’s actual defense. The US is the primary provider of weapons, ordnance and other equipment used to actually fight the war. Without the US, Ukraine’s defenses will suffer an expedited collapse.
To be clear, Ukraine is not entitled to US tax dollars or US military aid. Europe insists that the war must continue even without US help, but their ability to fund and fight the war is limited. They would trigger WWIII in the process, and they would lose. The belief that more money or more armaments will prevent a Ukraine loss or land concessions to Russia is irrational. Ukraine’s biggest problem is manpower, not money, and no amount of money is going to triple Ukrainian forces on the eastern front.
A peace deal should have been negotiated a long time ago.
For now it appears that the European elites are frantically trying to rally public support around extending the conflict and forming a centralized EU military. This will take them years and it will never come close to the same funding levels that the US provided. Not to mention, younger native born Europeans have no interest in joining to fight.
The western split over Ukraine is a profound event in history. Some will say it was the moment the US “abandoned their allies” and let Russia win. Those with sense will say that this was the moment the US stopped contributing to the problem and offered a solution while Europe foolishly refused to listen.
end
She is correct to blast European head honchos
(zerohedge)
Le Pen Blasts Brussels Over Power-Grab, Says Peace Is The Only Option While Downplaying Zelensky-Trump Spat
After a conference of pro-war leaders in London, Marine Le Pen took aim at the European Union on X for trying to “seize power.”
“The European Commission is completely overstepping its authority. As always, it is using a crisis to seize power that does not belong to it, but to the Member States. It has already used this method before, when it seized immigration policy under the pretext of the migration crisis, and then health policy during the Covid crisis… This must be rejected in the strongest terms!” she posted.
Le Pen had previously also made comments regarding the Zelensky-Trump meeting, reports Le Figaro.
Asked about the argument in the Oval Office, Le Pen said the “unpleasant moment” did not “particularly surprise” her.
“That two leaders of nations defend their national interests, defend the vision that they consider the most just for the world, does not seem to me to be something extraordinary. That there are frictions, words that go higher than what we would like, these are things that happen in politics, but often behind the scenes. Yesterday, to everyone’s astonishment, they happened in public,” she stated.
Le Pen added that she hoped that “this difficult moment will be a step towards peace that I consider inexorable, while some would like to continue the war.”
The French nationalist politician also expressed regret at the fact that France, “a strong and independent voice,” had been “erased from the talks.”
“We were, as young people would say, ‘ghosted’ from these negotiations, when our country could have intervened positively,” she said.
In response to one journalist asking, “Are the United States still our allies?” Le Pen answered emphatically, “Yes,” adding that those who claim otherwise “are not reasonable.”
The president of the National Rally (RN) group in the National Assembly also said the role of Europeans was “to work for peace,” while lamenting that there is no common European voice on this front and reiterating that she cannot advocate a continuation of the conflict.
“If the European Commission wants to be at the forefront of continuing the war, then this will be a new subject of disagreement between us… It will not be the first,” she told media.
Le Pen was also at the agricultural Salon on Saturday, where she told farmers she and her party were ready to defend them and help “French agriculture be reborn.”
Another Apparent Car Ramming Attack In Germany Will Only Fuel More AfD Support
Monday, Mar 03, 2025 – 12:00 PM
Europe has seen a surge in terror attacks, many carried out by migrants, further pushing the continent into a major crisis. This has only fueled growing support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which doubled its voter base in February’s election, securing its position as the Bundestag’s second-largest party. Yet another attack in Germany only suggests that AfD’s support will likely strengthen as liberals have mismanaged the migrant crisis and far-left progressive governments have failed to protect their citizens.
Germany has suffered a wave of terror attacks, with cars and knives used as deadly weapons. The latest attack occurred in Mannheim on Monday when a man drove into a crowd of people.
Police detained the car’s driver and later said he had acted alone, with no broader threat seen for the public. People were seen lying on the ground at the scene and at least two were being resuscitated, an eyewitness told Reuters. Bild newspaper reported that two people were killed and 25 injured, 15 of them seriously, citing security sources.
It remains unclear whether the driver acted deliberately or by accident. However, car-ramming attacks in Germany have been on the rise.
Last month, a man drove a car into a trade union demonstration in the southern city of Munich, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother.
In December, a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, killing six people and wounding hundreds.
In August, three people were killed and eight injured in a knife attack in Solingen. The suspect was a suspected member of the Islamic State group.
The series of attacks on German citizens has given AfD momentum following its surge in voter support to 20.8% in February’s election, making it the second-largest party in the Bundestag.
Website European Conservative listed a timeline of the latest terror attacks in Europe:
February 21, 2025—Syrian refugee stabs and seriously injures a Spanish tourist at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial. Investigators said his goal was to kill Jews.
February 19, 2025—Austrian authorities announce the arrest of a 14-year-old boy with Turkish roots. He had been planning to carry out an attack on one of Vienna’s largest train stations, the Westbahnhof. The boy was radicalised on social media.
February 15, 2025—A 23-year-old Syrian man randomly selects and stabs passers-by in the southern Austrian town of Villach. A 14-year-old boy is killed, and five others are wounded. The perpetrator had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group.
February 13, 2025—Afghan asylum seeker Farhad Noori drives his car into a crowd of demonstrators in Munich, killing two people, and injuring dozens more. Prosecutors say the attacker, who is a failed asylum seeker, had an Islamist motive for the crime.
January 22, 2025—28-year-old Enamullah O. attacks a group of preschool children, killing a 2-year-old toddler and a 41-year-old man, and injuring three more people in the Bavarian city of Aschaffenburg. The Afghan migrant is a failed asylum seeker.
December 20, 2024—A Saudi Arabian man rams his car into a crowd of shoppers at the Magdeburg Christmas market in Germany, killing six people and injuring at least 299 others.
December 4, 2024—A 37-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker is arrested in Augsburg, Germany, for planning a terrorist attack on the city’s popular Christmas market. The man had scouted the market and engaged with Islamic State operatives online.
December 2, 2024—Four men are charged in Sweden with participation in a terrorist organisation following the raid on an Islamic association and several homes in Tyresö outside Stockholm in March of 2024. The men are suspected of preparing a terrorist attack against Jewish targets. The investigation uncovers links to the Islamic State in Somalia.
November 12, 2024—Police in Germany announce that a 17-year-old male of Turkish origin they had arrested the previous week in the northern town of Elmshorn had been planning a terror attack on a local Christmas market. The suspect was aiming to intentionally kill people by driving a truck into them.
November 6-7, 2024—In the wake of rising antisemitism in Western Europe, Israeli football fans are attacked by a pro-Palestine mob in Amsterdam following a match between Dutch team Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv. Twenty to thirty people sustain light injuries, and five people are hospitalized.
October 19, 2024—A Libyan failed asylum seeker is arrested in Bernau, a town just outside of Berlin for intending to carry out a high-profile attack with firearms on the Israeli embassy in Germany. He reportedly was in contact with a member of the Islamic State terror group.
September 28, 2024—A 41-year-old Syrian man sets fire to two buildings, rams his vehicle into a grocery store, and threatens passers-by with a machete in the western German city of Essen, injuring a total of 31 people.
September 19, 2024—One person is killed and another seriously wounded in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam after 22-year-old Ayoub M. randomly attacks passers-by, shouting “Allahu akbar” (‘God is greatest’) during his stabbing spree.
September 13, 2024—A Syrian man is arrested for planning an Islamist machete attack on army soldiers. The suspect planned to attack Bundeswehr soldiers in Hof, northern Bavaria, during their lunch break, “aiming to kill as many of them as possible.”
September 11, 2024—France’s counterterrorism prosecutor says authorities stopped three plots to attack the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in Paris in the summer.
September 5, 2024—An Austrian man of Bosnian extraction fires shots near the Israeli consulate in Munich before being killed by police officers. The man, who had become religiously radicalised, wanted to attack the Israeli consulate.
August 24, 2024—A 33-year-old Algerian man breaks into a synagogue in La Grande Motte, a popular French seaside resort on the Mediterranean, and sets off multiple fires during the Shabbat service but only a handful of people are inside, and no one is injured. President Emmanuel Macron describes the incident as “an act of terror.”
August 23, 2024—Issa al Hasan, a Syrian failed asylum seeker, attacks festivalgoers in the western German city of Solingen, killing three people, and injuring eight more. The Islamic State terror group claims responsibility for the attack.
August 21, 2024—German prosecutors charge two Afghan men with preparation for a terrorist attack near the parliamentary building in Stockholm, Sweden. One of them is suspected of being a member of a terrorist group, while the other is suspected of supporting a terrorist group.
August 7, 2024—Authorities arrest a 19-year-old Austrian national with North Macedonian roots, in the town of Ternitz, and a 17-year-old of Turkish-Croatian origin in Vienna for planning a suicide attack at a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital, intending to use explosives and knives. The former pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
As EU progressives fuel economic discontent and a migrant crisis, the rise of AfD and similar parties will likely gain further momentum. However, Brussels can still suppress its political opponents through dystopic censorship laws.
The takeaway is that each new terror attack in Germany further strengthens AfD’s support.
5 RUSSIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS
ISRAEL/WEST BANK
Israel completes counterterror op. in northen West Bank, arrests 350 wanted people
IDF counterterrorism operation in the West Bank throughout the month of February 2025.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
Israel’s security forces completed a counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank that took place throughout the past month, in which terrorists were eliminated and hundreds of wanted people were arrested, the IDF announced on Sunday afternoon.
During the operation, approximately 25 terrorists were killed. Among them were terrorists who manufactured explosive devices and individuals who planned terrorist attacks, the IDF said.
Additionally, 350 wanted individuals were apprehended, approximately 120 weapons were confiscated, and hundreds of explosive devices were destroyed, the IDF added.
IDF counterterrorism operation in the West Bank throughout the month of February 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
IDF counterterrorism operation in the West Bank throughout the month of February 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
IDF counterterrorism operation in the West Bank throughout the month of February 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)Show Less29
ISRAEL VS HAMAS
Returning to war? No current talks for phase two of deal, Hamas spokesperson says
The terorr group’s spokesman, Hazem Qassem, made this statement after Hamas dismissed Israel’s attempts of extending the hostage deal’s first phase.
Terrorists from the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas and mourners attend the funeral of Al-Qassam fighters who were killed during the war between Israel and Hamas in the Al-Shati camp, in Gaza City, February 28, 2025.(photo credit: Khalil Kahlout/Flash90)
Hamas said on Saturday that it rejected Israel’s “formulation” of extending the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, on the day the first stage of the deal was set to expire.
The group’s spokesperson Hazem Qassem also told Al-Araby TV there were no current talks for a second ceasefire phase in Gaza with the group.
Israel wanted first phase extension by 42 days
Two Egyptian security sources had told Reuters the day before that Hamas disagreed with the plan to extend the first phase of the hostage deal and wanted to proceed with the second phase. The Israeli delegation went to Cairo and wanted to reach a deal to extend its first phase for an additional six weeks.
An official told The Jerusalem Post that such an extension would involve the release of four male hostages – who are all fathers – and others who are critically wounded, in exchange for prolonging the ceasefire during Ramadan.
Israelis demonstrate for the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity to return home, February 22, 2025. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
The terrorist organization called on mediators and the international community to pressure Israel to “fully commit to its role to the agreement” and to immediately enter the second phase.”
The first phase of the ceasefire deal expires on Saturday, but no official statements have been made by either side regarding formally returning to combat.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
END
Israel VS HAMAS
Israel halts humanitarian aid to Gaza shortly after ceasefire expires
An Israeli official noted that the move came in full coordination with the Trump administration.
A truck carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip drives at the inspection area at the Kerem Shalom crossing, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, March 14, 2024.(photo credit: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Israel has halted the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced on Sunday, shortly after the hostage-ceasefire deal expired.
An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that the move came in full coordination with the Trump administration.
“With the completion of the first phase of the hostage deal and in light of Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff framework for continuing negotiations — which Israel had agreed to — Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that, as of this morning, the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will be halted,” the PMO statement read.”Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages,” the statement continued, warning of consequences if Hamas continued in its refusal.
According to Israeli estimates, the 4,200 trucks that entered Gaza on a weekly basis in the last few weeks will be sufficient for the next few months at least.
Terrorists from the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas and mourners attend the funeral of al-Qassam fighters who were killed during the Israel-Hamas War in the Al-Shati camp, in Gaza City, February 28, 2025. (credit: Khalil Kahlout/Flash90)
Later on Sunday, Hamas called the decision to halt the aid “a cheap act of blackmail, a war crime, and a blatant violation of the agreement.”
The terror group called on the mediators “to act to pressure Israel” against the decision. Hamas further noted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “attempting to impose political realities on the ground.”
“We reaffirm that Netanyahu and his government’s actions clearly contradict Article 14 of the agreement, which states that all measures from the first phase will continue into the second phase, and that the guarantors will make every effort to ensure the continuation of negotiations until an agreement on the terms of the second phase is reached,” the terror group claimed.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar noted of Israel’s action, “Following the completion of the first phase of the framework, we halted the entry of trucks into the Gaza Strip.
“A side letter from the previous US administration established that there is no automatic transition between the phases. We are ready to continue negotiations — including on the second phase — under our principles in exchange for the release of hostages. It is important to emphasize that we have fulfilled our commitments up until the very last day.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich characterized Israel’s decision as “an important step in the right direction” in a Sunday post on X/Twitter. He said such pressure should be maintained “upon the cruel enemy, until absolute victory.”
Witkoff’s framework
On Saturday night, the PMO announced that Israel had adopted the US’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire spanning the Ramadan and Passover periods.
On the first day of the framework, proposed by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, half of the living hostages and the remains of deceased hostages will be released.
At the end of the framework — if an agreement is reached for a permanent ceasefire — the remaining living and deceased hostages will be released, the PMO added.
Hamas currently opposes the framework.
The Tikva Forum, which represents some families of hostages and pushes for more pressure on Hamas, called on Israel on Sunday to leave Witkoff’s framework calling for all the hostages to be released together. “We demand to abandon the Witkoff framework and return to the Trump plan — everyone together or unleash hell on Hamas.”
END
ISRAEL HAMAS
Netanyahu: Hamas to face consequences for refusing to release hostages
On the first day of the framework, half of the living hostages and the remains of deceased hostages will be released.
’59 more to go’: An illustrative image shows US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu(photo credit: LIOR SEGEV, REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN, REUTERS/Nathan Howard)
Hamas’s continued refusal to release hostages will be met with consequences, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a security cabinet meeting on Sunday.
He addressed the terror group’s refusal to agree to US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal, noting, “There will be no free lunches.”
He referred to Israel’s halting humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip shortly after, “Hamas is currently seizing all supplies and goods sent to the Gaza Strip. It is abusing the Gazan population trying to receive aid, shooting at them, and turning humanitarian assistance into a terror budget directed against us.”
“We will not agree to this under any circumstances,” he continued.
In the early hours of Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Israel had decided to adopt the US’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire spanning the Ramadan and Passover periods.
Following a security discussion chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and with the participation of the Defense Minister, senior security establishment officials and the negotiating team, it was decided:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 2, 2025
This comes shortly after the end of a four-hour security meeting headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which coincided with the official end of the Gaza ceasefire deal at midnight.
Terrorists from the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas and mourners attend the funeral of Al-Qassam fighters who were killed during the war between Israel and Hamas in the Al-Shati camp, in Gaza City, February 28, 2025. (credit: Khalil Kahlout/Flash90)
On the first day of the framework, proposed by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, half of the living hostages and the remains of deceased hostages will be released.
At the end of the framework — if an agreement is reached for a permanent ceasefire — the remaining living and deceased hostages will be released, the PMO added.
The statement noted that Hamas has “so far remained firm in its refusal of this framework.”
However, it added that should Hamas change its position, “Israel will immediately enter negotiations on all details of Witkoff’s framework.”
Current Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations stalled
Fighting will resume after the 42nd day (1 March) according to the existing agreement if Hamas does not agree on the new framework and other negotiations are ineffective, the PMO added.
The PMO said that this clause was supported by a side letter from the previous US administration and was also endorsed by the Trump administration.
Witkoff’s proposal for an extension of the ceasefire followed assessments that, at this stage, “there is no possibility of bridging the gaps between the parties’ positions to end the war and that additional time is needed for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.”
EU condemns Hamas for rejecting ceasefire extension, urges new negotiations
In the same statement, the EU called for a ‘rapid resumption of negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire’ and ‘expressed its strong support to the mediators.’
The European Union condemned the refusal of Hamas to accept the extension of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to a spokesperson on Sunday evening.
They added that “Israel’s subsequent decision to block the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza could potentially result in humanitarian consequences.”
In the same statement, the EU called for a “rapid resumption of negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire” and “expressed its strong support to the mediators.”
“A permanent ceasefire would contribute to the release of all remaining Israeli hostages while ensuring the necessary conditions for recovery and reconstruction in Gaza to begin. All parties have a political responsibility to make this a reality,” the statement added.
The EU reiterated its calls for “full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid at scale for Palestinians in need and for allowing and facilitating humanitarian workers and international organisations to operate effectively and safely inside Gaza.”
Loaders are lined up at the Rafah border crossing, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, February 18, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY)
EUBAM Rafah
“The EU civilian Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah) is ready to continue its work if requested by the parties,” it clarified.
“Nearly 3,000 people have so far crossed the border into Egypt since 1 February” thanks to EUBAM, the spokesman said
ISRAEL/HAMAS/OPINION
When Arabs kill Arabs, no one bats an eye: Pro-Israel influencer Luai Ahmed slams UNHRC
Ahmed also references other countries such as Sudan and Syria where there are ongoing humanitarian crises, accusing the UN body of only acknowledging such crises where Israel could be blamed.
Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, addresses the UNHRC on his report on the human rights situation in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland.(photo credit: REUTERS/DENIS BALIBOUSE)
Pro-Israel influencer and journalist Luai Ahmed spoke at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this week, and accused them of hypocrisy regarding their conduct and report on Israel.
“I ask the UN, the Arab League, and I ask the UN, the Arab League, and everyone who had waving the Palestinian flag since October 7: Where is the flag of Yemen?” Ahmed asked, referring to his home country. “Half a million people have died [there] in the last 10 years. The biggest famine and humanitarian crisis in modern history. Why does no one care when half a million Yemenis die?”
Ahmed also references other countries such as Sudan and Syria where there are ongoing humanitarian crises, accusing the UN body of only acknowledging such crises where Israel could be blamed.
My speech at the UN Human Rights Council about their recent report on Israel on behalf of the @UNWatch :
I ask the UN, the Arab League, and everyone who had waving the Palestinian flag since October 7:
Ahmed, speaking on behalf of the UN Watch NGO, then went on to directly address Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, asking, “Why is it that when Arabs kill millions of Arabs, no one bats an eye? Why does your report mention Israel 188 times — yet fails to mention the Islamic Republic in Iran even once?
“How can you speak about the conflict while ignoring the party who armed, trained, and funded the terror proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis — who have been bombing Israel thousands of times?”
Luai Ahmed (credit: WIKIMEDIA)
Ahmed then asks Turk why the UNHRC has not acknowledged the Houthi terrorist organization in his home country, who have “spent millions of dollars firing missiles at Israel, instead of feeding [his] starving people?” Ahmed then questions the legitimacy of Qatar sitting in the UN body, when they “host Hamas terror leaders in luxury hotels.”
Turk said there was “no justification” for Israel to fight in Gaza
Turk had previously said on Wednesday that there is “no justification” for Israel’s war in Gaza in a UNHRC meeting, claiming that there was a “raft of human rights violations” and “an unprecedented disregard” for humanitarian law by both Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
Last month, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Israel’s withdrawal from the UNHRC, saying that it has “traditionally protected human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny, and instead obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East – Israel. This body has focused on attacking a democratic country and propagating antisemitism instead of promoting human rights.”
In response to Sa’ar’s announcement, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said that Israel’s decision was “extremely serious” and that “It shows the hubris and the lack of realization of what they [Israel] have done. They insist in self-righteousness, that they have nothing to be held accountable for, and they are proving it to the entire international community.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
end
ISRAEL/HAMAS/OPINION
Hamas is more isolated than ever, and nobody will come to their rescue – analysis
If fighting is renewed, it will be done with Trump in the White House, who will not constrain Israel in the way Biden did.
By HERB KEINONMARCH 2, 2025 19:48Updated: MARCH 2, 2025 22:01
Hostage negotiators (L) Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and (R) Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.(photo credit: Getty Images/Alex Wong, Reuters/witkoff Evelyn Hockstein/Pool, Mlenny from Getty Images Signature)
The first phase of Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas ended on Saturday, closing a chapter that saw the release of 25 Israeli hostages, five Thai hostages, and eight bodies.
In return, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including terrorists involved in some of the worst attacks in recent memory.
It also pulled back from most of Gaza, except for the Philadelphi Corridor, the enclave’s perimeter, and some areas in northern Gaza.
The past six weeks also saw a massive influx of humanitarian aid into the Strip – some 25,000 trucks’ worth – and Israel’s withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gazans to return northward.
For weeks, the burning question was: what comes next?
’59 more to go’: An illustrative image shows US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (credit: LIOR SEGEV, REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN, REUTERS/Nathan Howard)
Under the original plan, by now, both sides were to be deep in negotiations over a second phase that would culminate with the release of all remaining hostages, a withdrawal of all IDF troops, and an end to the war.
Israel was to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor by next Saturday. Then, talks were to begin on the third phase: the reconstruction of Gaza.
But overnight, the entire equation shifted with the introduction of a new term into the lexicon: the Witkoff Framework, named after US Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.
It is easier to follow than the previous ceasefire:
The plan calls for a temporary ceasefire during Ramadan and Passover (Ramadan began Friday night, and Passover runs through April 20). On the first day, half of the living and deceased hostages are to be released. At the end of the framework, if an agreement is reached, the remaining hostages will be freed at the same time.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Witkoff proposed this framework after concluding that an immediate resolution between the two sides was unattainable and that more time was needed to negotiate a lasting agreement.
Why the need for more time? Because the core Israeli dilemma – how to eliminate Hamas while securing the release of the hostages – remains as intractable as ever.
Israel’s position is clear: Hamas must be dismantled, both militarily and politically, and its leaders need to be exiled before any discussion of ending the war can take place.
Hamas, on the other hand, demands an immediate end to the war while insisting on keeping its armed capabilities, even if it agrees to relinquish some degree of civilian control.
Israel faces the same dilemma it did nearly 16 months ago when the war began: how to dismantle Hamas militarily and politically while freeing the hostages. The Witkoff Framework is the latest attempt to square that circle.
THE NEW FRAMEWORK was announced just after midnight on Sunday following a high-level security consultation led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was accompanied by two other major developments.
First, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed an emergency declaration to expedite the delivery of more than $4 billion in military aid to Israel.
A State Department statement made it clear: this move reverses the Biden administration’s partial arms embargo. Since taking office, the Trump administration has already approved nearly $14b. in major arms sales to Israel.
The latest decision is part of a broader shift in US policy – one that is no longer about applying pressure on Israel but rather about enabling it to fight Hamas on its own terms.
The timing of the military aid announcement was no coincidence. By unveiling it alongside the new framework, a pointed message was sent to Hamas: either extend the ceasefire and agree to the terms, or Israel will resume fighting – with full US support and no restrictions on its military campaign.
Hamas predictable rejection
Hamas, predictably, rejected the Witkoff Framework outright.
Israel’s response was immediate. The Prime Minister’s Office announced that, effective this morning, all goods and supplies entering Gaza would be halted.
This, too, appears to have been coordinated with Washington – Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was in the US last week, and Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is “fully coordinating with President Trump and his people.”
Under former president Joe Biden, the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza was a constant source of friction between Israel and the US. The Biden administration repeatedly pushed for Israel to provide Gaza with food, electricity, and fuel, even as it waged war against Gaza’s rulers.
In retrospect, this approach likely prolonged the war. The first hostage release in November 2023 came only after Hamas faced dwindling supplies, raising the question: what might have happened had there been no external pressure on Israel to maintain aid deliveries?
The Trump administration is making no such demands. In a notable shift, it recently lifted sanctions on Tzav 9, a group that protested the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Now, it appears that the policy that the group advocated – cutting off supplies until Hamas released the hostages – has traction at the highest levels.
At this stage, stopping aid trucks from entering Gaza does not include halting the supply of water and electricity, though Netanyahu seemed to leave that possibility open. Before Sunday’s cabinet meeting, he warned that if Hamas persists in rejecting the Witkoff Framework, there would be “additional consequences.”
Hamas reportedly has enough food and supplies to sustain Gaza’s population for another four or five months, but cutting off water and electricity could have more of an immediate impact.
If all of that wasn’t a loud enough message, the cabinet on Sunday extended legislation allowing for the call-up of 400,000 reservists until the end of May. In addition, the IDF struck suspected terrorist targets in northern Gaza, with the Palestinians reporting that four people were killed.
The accumulated message: There is a new framework on the table. If Hamas refuses, Israel will resume the war with its arsenal of weapons well-stocked and without the constraints of having to supply its enemy with food and supplies.
INTERNATIONAL PROTESTS against the halting of aid will follow, particularly in the Arab world, where they have already started, Europe, and the UN. But with Washington firmly in Israel’s corner, those arguments will be easier to rebuff, and there will be much less danger of Israel being the target of any significant international sanctions.
All of this points to an apparent willingness of Israel to return to war. But why should fighting this time succeed in fully achieving the war’s aims where 15 months of fighting – though it significantly degraded Hamas’ capabilities – fell short?
First, it might not. There are no guarantees. But the battlefield has shifted in key ways.
Hamas is more isolated than ever. No one is militarily coming to its rescue – neither Hezbollah nor Iran. The Houthis may resume firing their missiles, but that is not a game-changer.
Diplomatically, as well, they are losing support. Qatar and Turkey, its principal backers on the world stage, have to be careful not to antagonize Trump, and the Trump administration may also be able to convince Russia to take a more constructive role in this arena in return for the dramatic US about-face regarding Ukraine.
Secondly, if fighting is renewed, it will be done with Trump in the White House, who will not constrain Israel in the way Biden did.
Hamas reaction
So, how will Hamas react?
Its immediate response was to reject the framework. The next phase of its strategy will likely involve psychological warfare – more staged videos aimed at getting the Israeli public to pressure the government to end the war and bring all the hostages home.
There have been reports that Hamas has recruited new fighters and rebuilt its forces. But such claims should be taken with caution. It’s one thing to put masks and green headbands on volunteers and parade them around brandishing Kalashnikovs in white pick-up trucks at staged events where hostages, or the bodies of hostages, are released. It’s quite another to rebuild an organized fighting force capable of repelling a massive IDF air, land, and sea operation in Gaza.
Yes, Hamas still has terrorists able to engage in guerrilla warfare. But the type of capabilities to fend off a full IDF offensive? Hardly.
And while much has been made of how Hamas has used this pause to regroup, so has Israel – likely with at least as much, if not more, success than Hamas.
ISRAEL/SYRIAN DRUZE
Netanyahu, Katz: ‘IDF to defend Druze village in Syria from terrorist regime’
The Druze village that is currently under attack is the town of Jaramana, which is on the outskirts of Damascus.
Druze people from Israel, the Golan Heights and Syria use speakers and microphones to communicate across the Syrian-Golan Heights border, after children and teens were killed at a soccer pitch by a rocket Israel says was fired from Lebanon, near Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Golan Heights(photo credit: RICARDO MORAES/REUTERS)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF on Saturday evening to prepare to defend a Druze village in Syria which is currently under attack by Syrian forces.
The village that is currently under attack is the town of Jaramana, which is on the outskirts of Damascus, and has been targeted by Syrian rebel forces.
“We will not allow the terrorist regime of radical Islam in Syria to harm the Druze,” they said in a statement. “If the regime harms the Druze, it will be harmed by us.”
“We are committed to our Druze brothers in Israel to do everything to prevent harm to their Druze brothers in Syria, and we will take all necessary steps to maintain their security.”
Israeli soldiers seen in the buffer zone which separates the Golan Heights and Syria, February 27, 2025 (credit: JALAA MAREY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
Israel and Syrian Druze
As a way to help the Syrian Druze community, the IDF reportedly offered for them to work in Israel earlier in the week.
Sources from southern Syria in the al-Quneitra province spoke with the Saudi news network Al-Arabiya, claiming that the IDF made “tempting offers” to the province’s residents.
According to the report, sources in the al-Quneitra area claimed that the IDF offered the residents the opportunity to work within Israel during the day and return home in the evening, the same way that the Gazans were allowed to work in Israel before October 7.
“The IDF expressed to those who were offered work that it wanted to issue entry permits that would enable them to enter Israel and work there, just as it did with Palestinians who work in Israel,” one southern Syrian resident said.
END
OPINION
Back to the future in Gaza: Time to end the experiment of expelling Jews for peace – opinion
Once the Palestinians are resettled elsewhere, Gaza should be annexed to Israel, to which it rightfully belongs.
OPPONENTS OF Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan face IDF troops as they secure the fence of Kfar Maimon in July 2005 after police blocked them from marching to the Gush Katif communities to protest against their demolition.(photo credit: GIL COHEN MAGEN/REUTERS)
It was precisely two decades ago this month, on February 20, 2005, that the cabinet, under then-prime minister Ariel Sharon, voted 17-5 to uproot thousands of Jews from their homes in Gaza in what the media euphemistically referred to as the “Disengagement Plan.”
Six months later, defying strategic logic, Jewish history, and basic morality, as well as common sense, Israel pulled out of Gaza and turned it over to our enemies, setting the stage for the eventual Hamas takeover and all the horrors that followed.
A total of 21 Jewish communities were destroyed, and their 10,000 residents were forced to leave the lives, businesses, and homes they had struggled so heroically to build.
On the eve of the withdrawal, Sharon declared, “It is out of strength and not weakness that we are taking this step,” sounding as though he was trying to convince himself as much as the public that the folly of retreat was somehow noble and necessary.
Israeli security forces drag a protester opposing Israel’s disengagement plan from Gaza, in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom in the southern Gaza Strip, August 18, 2005 (credit: REUTERS)
The experiment of expelling Jews to bring about peace proved to be an utter disaster, just as opponents of the idea had predicted. It did not satiate the Palestinian appetite for land, nor did it moderate the bloodlust and hate of those seeking Israel’s destruction.
Instead, it had the opposite effect, reinforcing the belief among our foes that if you fire enough rockets or send sufficient suicide bombers, the Jews will eventually tire and depart.
When the time comes to investigate the failures that brought about the Oct. 7 calamity, it is essential not to overlook the original sin of the 2005 Gaza withdrawal.
Had Israel not pulled out, Hamas would never have been able to seize power and turn Gaza into a launching pad for the worst pogrom since the Holocaust.
Knowing now what we do, if we could employ a time machine like Marty McFly and Doc Brown in Back to the Future and return to 2005, nearly all Israelis would surely seek to alter the events of that fateful year.
Unsurprisingly, Hamas utilized the past 20 years to further radicalize the Palestinians, educating an entire generation to hate Israel with even more diabolical and theological passion.
Photos on social media of young Palestinian kids in Gaza holding rifles larger than themselves as their parents look on proudly tell you all you need to know about the extent of indoctrination that has taken place.
Indeed, even if Hamas is completely defeated, disarmed, and disbanded, it would not solve the larger problem of having a hostile population drenched in Jew-hatred adjacent to southern Israel.
How Donald Trump has flipped the script
And therein lies the boldness and genius of US President Donald Trump’s plan, announced on February 7, to encourage Gazans to migrate elsewhere and start anew in a move that would be good for them and for Israel.
Conceptually speaking, Trump has flipped the script in the Middle East.
In 2005, Gaza Jewry was forced to leave, but the move failed miserably to ease tensions, in no small part because they were not the aggressors.
The Jews of Gush Katif built communities and hothouses, not terrorist training camps and car bombs.Now, in 2025, the US president has forced the world to confront the hard truth that the only way for Gaza to cease being a source of violence and terror is to encourage Palestinians to leave.
One cannot help but think, as Israeli singer Shmulik Kraus’s 1982 hit put it, “Oh, how the wheel turns.”Implicit in Trump’s vision is an unvarnished recognition that the responsibility for the ongoing conflict lies with Palestinian rejectionism, which is the argument many of us have been making for years.
Sure, there are those who have been quick to denounce Trump’s plan to resettle Palestinians, hurling epithets such as “ethnic cleansing.”
But these very same self-appointed paragons of virtue were busy clinking their champagne glasses back in 2005 when Jews were expelled from Gaza. So let them huff and puff all they wish because their hypocrisy is apparent for all to see.
Personally, while I welcome the president’s initiative to voluntarily resettle Gaza’s Palestinians elsewhere, I oppose the idea of America taking over the territory.
Gaza is part and parcel of the Land of Israel, and it belongs to the Jewish people. Our forefathers sojourned in Gaza, Jews lived there down through the centuries, and despite being expelled seven times over the past two millennia, they always returned.
If anything, once the Palestinians are resettled elsewhere, Gaza should be annexed to Israel, to which it rightfully belongs.
But in the meantime, we should all be grateful to the Trump administration for turning the tables on decades of failed groupthink and reminding the world of an elementary truth. The absence of peace is not due to the Israelis who seek it but rather to the Palestinians who have always opposed it.
The writer served as deputy communications director under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
end
ISRAEL/LEBANON/HEZBOLLAH
US Gives Israel Green Light To Stay In Lebanon ‘Indefinitely’
Israel’s decision to continue to occupy territory in southern Lebanon beyond the prior February 18 deadline came without a lot of official comment from the US. According to recent comments of Israeli DM Israel Katz, however, the US gave them a “green light” to remain militarily in Lebanon indefinitely.
Israeli media was reporting around the deadline that the US was backing the continued occupation of five surveillance posts inside southern Lebanon. The US never directly confirmed that, however, and that Israel remains in Lebanon just came and went without official US comment.
The ceasefire ending the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was meant to provide a 60-day window for Israeli withdrawal, which would’ve ended January 26. The US guaranteed that Israel would be out by then, but then later endorsed extending the deadline to February 18. They similarly talked about February 18 being a firm deadline that would not be extended, but then stopped talking about it at all beyond that.
Israel started building the hilltop surveillance posts before the February 18 deadline, and Israeli FM Gideon Sa’ar said that the “strategic high points” would be necessary to retain temporarily, until the Lebanese Army has sufficient control of the south.
The temporary nature of those posts seems to be at considerable doubt from Katz’s comments. He no longer presented this as anything to do with Lebanese Army control of the area, and just maintains that it is “not time-dependent.” It appears Israel will be staying as long as it wants, and the US is comfortable with that idea.
Lebanon is not so keen on the continued occupation, as it’s condemned Israel staying in the area and urged the US and France, the initial guarantors of the ceasefire, to do something about it. France proposed sending its own troops to replace the Israelis, but Israel rejected that.
Adding to the Lebanese disquiet about Israel’s surveillance-focused occupation, the Lebanese Army announced that it had found a number of hidden surveillance devices in southern Lebanon since Israeli troops left the populated areas. Sensors and cameras were reportedly found hidden in trees and among rocks around the area.
In practice, the tree-cameras are probably less of a problem than the actual Israeli ground troops still in Lebanese territory for surveillance purposes. Yet even those cameras reflect a reality where getting Israel militarily out of Lebanon is only the first step toward ending the surveillance operation.
RUSSIA VS UKRAINE
‘A proper slap down’: Russian, world leaders respond to Trump, Zelensky’s tense exchange
France’s Macron, after Trump-Zelensky clash, says “we must respect those who have been fighting since the beginning”
Russian officials reveled in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s public spat with US President Donald Trump and US Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office on Friday, with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev referring to the exchange as a “proper slap down.” The explosive meeting ended with the Ukrainian President leaving the White House early. “The insolent pig finally got a proper slap down in the Oval Office,” Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s security council, wrote on X/Twitter. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova suggested that Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, who was also involved in the heated confrontation, showed restraint by not “punching this scumbag.
“How Trump and Vance restrained themselves and didn’t punch this scumbag is a miracle of endurance,” Zakharova wrote on Telegram. “I think Zelensky’s biggest lie of all his lies is the White House statement that the Kyiv regime was left alone in 2022, without support.”
This encounter will, in turn, speed up Washington’s efforts to investigate any waste, fraud, and abuse involving US aid to Ukraine, a senior US official said.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency had already begun probing potential problems with large sums of US economic and security assistance provided to Ukraine, but those efforts would now be sped up.
“They’re already finding problems,” the official said, without providing additional details.
White House officials felt “disrespected”, asked him to leave the premises, and told him he was not welcome back NBC reported.
A spokesperson for the US State Department said on Friday that Zelensky could turn things around after a contentious meeting with Trump ended with a minerals deal not being signed as had been expected.
“President Zelensky, I think maybe he’s having some second thoughts, but he has a chance to turn this around,” State Department Tammy Bruce said during an interview with Fox Business.
Ukrainian reactions
Zelensky expressed gratitude to the American people after he clashed with Trump and Vance earlier on Friday.
“Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he said on X.
From his home country, Ukraine’s prime minister and parliament speaker expressed support for President Volodymyr Zelensky after he clashed with Trump in Washington, DC.
“President @ZelenskyyUa is right. Peace without guarantees is not possible,” PM Denys Shmyhal said on X.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker, added: “NO ONE has the right to forget that in this war Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim of aggression.”
“Armed Forces – with Ukraine, with the people, with the Supreme Commander. Our strength is in unity,” Ukraine’s top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Facebook.
US lawmakers respond
“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again,” Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters. “He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Democratic US Representative Hakeem Jeffrees was supportive of Zelensky, in contrast, and said Trump and Vance continue to “embarrass America on the world stage.”
Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator. The United States must not reward Russian aggression and continue to appease Putin,” Jeffrees continued.
“For three years, President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have stood on the side of democracy, freedom, and truth. Their success is in the national security interests of the United States. We should stand with Ukraine until victory is won,” he concluded.
Lessons to learn
French President Emmanuel Macron, in comments following a shouting match between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, said that Russia is the aggressor and Ukrainians are the aggressed people.
“We must … respect those who have been fighting since the beginning,” Macron told reporters in Portugal.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted a message on X on Friday saying that Spain stands with Ukraine after the two clashed in their meeting.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement to TV2 that Norway is standing with Ukraine.”What we saw from the White House today is serious and disheartening. Ukraine still needs the US’s support, and Ukraine’s security and future are also important to the US and to Europe. President Volodymyr Zelensky has strong support in Ukraine, broad support in Europe, and he has led his people through a very demanding and brutal time, under attack from Russia,” he said.”That Trump accuses Zelensky of gambling with World War III is deeply unreasonable and a statement I distance myself from. Norway stands with Ukraine in their struggle for freedom. We hope that the Trump administration also understands the importance of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on X, “The only obstacle to peace is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s decision to continue his war of aggression. If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine. Estonia’s support to Ukraine remains unwavering. Time for Europe to step up.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen voiced support for Zelensky, saying on X, “Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa. We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban said that Trump was pursuing peace during the meeting with Zelensky, according to Russian outlet TASS.
“Strong men make peace, weak men make war. Today President @realDonaldTrump stood bravely for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest. Thank you, Mr. President!”
German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz said that Kyiv could rely on Berlin for support, without offering a follow up.
“No one wants peace more than the citizens of Ukraine! That is why we are jointly seeking the path to a lasting and just peace. Ukraine can rely on Germany – and on Europe.”
“The truth is simple. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine defends its freedom—and ours. We stand with Ukraine,” Moldovan President Maia Sandau.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof emphasized the Netherlands’ support of Ukraine in a Friday statement on X/Twitter.
“The Netherlands continues to support Ukraine. Especially now. We want lasting peace and an end to the war of aggression that Russia has started. For Ukraine, for all its inhabitants and for Europe.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
END
Ukraine Lost More Villages On The Battlefield During The Zelensky-Trump Showdown In The Oval
Saturday, Mar 01, 2025 – 01:25 PM
Many geopolitical pundits who are of the realism camp said from the start of the Ukraine war that it would be settled on the battlefield. Russia’s military superiority has been evident to all – especially in the last two years of the conflict – which is of course why Kiev has remained totally reliant on military arms and aid from US-NATO countries.
This week as international press was focused on a flurry of diplomatic activity, which saw President Trump host France’s Macron, the UK’s Starmer, and Ukraine’s Zelensky – all in quick succession, there hasn’t been enough attention paid to developments on the battlefield in Ukraine’s east.
While Zelensky was readying to make his last stand and ‘confront’ Trump at the White House – which of course did not go well at all – Ukrainian forces were steadily losing ground on the eastern frontline. Indeed Kiev forces were being beaten back at the very moment Zelensky and VP Vance were arguing in the Oval.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said at the moment all eyes were on Trump-Zelensky meeting that its forces were busy seizing two more villages along the eastern frontlines.
“Moscow on Saturday said it had seized two more villages in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv officials said Russian strikes had killed one person and wounded 19,” AFP reports.
“The Russian defense ministry said its forces had captured Skudne and Burlatske in the south of the eastern Donetsk region,” the report continues. This is just outside the town of Velyka Novossilka, which Russia captured at the end of January.
The Ukrainians have been steadily losing ground for months in Donetsk, but have continued efforts to strike Russian oil and gas facilities inside Russian territory, which hasn’t made any level of a strategic difference in the war. Russia too has been sending drones on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, with at least 150 launched overnight. Ukraine said it was able to down at least 100 of these inbound UAVs.
The Russian military and security services are also reportedly taking back ground in southern Kursk region, which has been occupied by Ukrainian forces since last August.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that four villages have been taken back in the Kursk region over the last week, with the village of Novaya Sorochina being the latest to be liberated.
And days ago the military announced it had recaptured the nearby villages of Pogrebki and Gorlovka, near Novaya Sorochina, and also the village of Nikolsky, toward the Sudzha direction.
This steady Russian progress has been well understood by the Trump White House, which is why during the Friday meeting Trump kept telling Zelensky that he has no more cards to play.
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
Zelensky again repeated the lie that Putin violated the Minsk Agreement.
The Minsk Agreement demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk and Luhansk regions (Donbass). Ukraine did not withdraw and continued attacking civilians from 2014 until 2022.
In essence, everyone but Zelensky (and some European leaders, apparently), understands that there’s no military solution to the conflict, and that greater Western military intervention seems a sure path to WW3. The ‘solution’ at this point is for Ukraine to negotiate and cede territory, or face total military defeat. Trump is now making crystal clear to all allies that any kind of US-NATO military intervention simply will never happen.
end
UKRAINE/USA
(Max Walker/Newswize
(special thanks to Robert H for sending this to us))
State Department drops funding for Ukraine energy grid restoration
Max WalkerFebruary 28, 20250 Comments
The U.S. State Department has officially ended a major initiative through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that had funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into Ukraine to help restore the country’s energy grid.
Two USAID officials working on the Ukraine mission confirmed the decision to NBC News this week. One official warned that the move could significantly weaken the administration’s ability to negotiate a ceasefire and send a troubling message to Russia.
“It significantly undercuts this administration’s abilities to negotiate on the ceasefire, and it’d signal to Russia that we don’t care about Ukraine or our past investments,” the official stated.
According to USAID personnel, Russia is waging a dual war against Ukraine—one military and one economic. The official emphasized that targeting Ukraine’s economy is a key strategy for Russia, and U.S. aid has played a critical role in keeping Ukraine’s financial system afloat.
“Russia is fighting a two-pronged war in Ukraine: a military one but also an economic one,” the official explained. “They’re trying to crush the economy, but USAID has played a central role in helping it be resilient, including shoring up the energy grid. We’ve provided vast amounts of support to the Ukrainian government to avoid a macroeconomic crisis.”
By halting this initiative, critics argue the U.S. may be weakening Ukraine’s ability to withstand further Russian economic pressure. The decision could also have broader implications for international confidence in ongoing U.S. commitments to supporting Ukraine.
In addition to cutting energy aid, the U.S. is also dramatically reducing its USAID personnel in Ukraine. The number of American government employees and contractors working in the country will drop from 64 to just eight.
This drastic downsizing suggests a significant shift in U.S. involvement on the ground and raises questions about the long-term strategy for aiding Ukraine’s reconstruction and economic stability.
With this decision, the future of U.S. support for Ukraine remains uncertain. Whether additional aid measures will be introduced in other forms is yet to be seen.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
USA reportedly halts offensive cyber against Russia and Trump trying to cool things down!
(zerohedge)
US Reportedly Halts Offensive Cyber Ops Against Russia As Trump Pulls World Back From Brink
Monday, Mar 03, 2025 – 09:30 AM
In the latest indication that we’re entering a new, less adversarial era of US-Russia relations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a suspension of offensive cyber operations against Russia.
The length of the pause is uncertain but the purpose seems clear: To demonstrate good will as the Trump administration earnestly seeks a negotiated end to the three-year-old war in Ukraine, which has been costly not only to the two warring countries, but to the United States and Western European countries that first precipitated that conflict, and then perpetuated it. The pause will continue as long as negotiations move forward, according to the Washington Post‘s sources.
US officials tell various media outlets that the stand-down order was issued to US Cyber Command in late February. Headquartered at Ft Meade, Maryland and commanded by Air Force Gen. Tim Haugh, the mission of Cyber Command’s two to three thousand employees is to “plan and execute global cyber operations, activities, and missions to defend and advance national interests in collaboration with domestic and international partners across the full spectrum of competition and conflict.”
“I have seen many times when we are in some type of negotiation with another nation, especially if it’s one that is considered an adversary, that we stop operations, exercises, we even cancel speeches sometimes,” retired Cyber Command deputy commander Lt. Gen. Charlie Moore told the Post.
The pause in offensive cyber-operations was first reported by The Record.
The precise nature of the adjustment in activity is unclear, but the outlet’s sources say it does not apply to the National Security Agency and its signals intelligence-gathering.
Right on cue, hawks squawked over the deescalation move. “Russia continues to be among the top cyberthreats to the United States,” James A. Lewis, a Clinton administration diplomat and former U.N. cyber negotiator told the Washington Post.
“Turning off cyber operations to avoid blowing up the talks may be a prudent tactical step. But if we take our foot off the gas pedal and they take advantage of it, we could put national security at risk.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of giving Russian President Vladimir Putin “a free pass…to launch cyberoperations and ransomware attacks against critical American infrastructure.”
Appearing on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on leftist hysterics about Trump’s eagerness to reach a negotiated ceasefire and lasting peace in Ukraine — consistent with his campaign pledges:
“If this was a Democrat that was doing this, everyone would be saying, well, he’s on his way to the Nobel Peace Prize. This is absurd. We are trying to end a war. You cannot end a war unless both sides come to the table, starting with the Russians, and that is the point the president has made. And we have to do whatever we can to try to bring them to the table to see if it’s even possible.”
In another recent sign of easing tensions between the world’s two nuclear superpowers, the United States approved Russia’s selection of a new ambassador to Washington. Aside from the Ukraine peace overtures, current bilateral US-Russia dialogue has been focused on fully restoring relations and putting back in place all embassy staff in Washington and Moscow, respectively. As relations deteriorated during the Biden era, there had been several rounds of hostile, mutual booting of diplomats. Meanwhile, a summit between Trump and Putin is in the works.
Time for the Union of Concerned Scientists to dial back its Doomsday Clock?
end
UKRAINE/EUROPE/TUCKER CARLSON
Tucker Carlson Issues Withering Response to Zelensky’s Oval Office Meeting — Warns Ukraine’s ‘Serious Crimes’ Will Soon Come to Light
BEN KEW
Tucker Carlson Show / Screenshot
Tucker Carlson has issued a withering response to the disastrous Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
The conservative commentator, who is known for his skepticism towards America’s support for Ukraine in their war in Russia, pointed to the fact that the notorious war hawk Lindsey Graham criticized Zelensky’s conduct in the wake of the meeting.
“Most Americans witnessing what they saw today would not want Zelensky to be their business partner, including me, and I’ve been to Ukraine nine times since the war started,” Graham said following the meeting.
Carlson responded by arguing that Ukraine has committed numerous crimes over the past few years, including selling American weapons on the international black market, mismanging pathogens in American biolabs and murdering people in political assassinations.
His statement read:
One of the most striking things about yesterday’s Zelensky press conference was Lindsey Graham’s reaction to it. The two are old friends, but Graham disavowed him within the hour.
This was more than just transactional disloyalty. It was scapegoating. Lindsey Graham knows what’s coming.
Over the past three years, with the tacit support of its western patrons, the Ukrainian government has committed a remarkable number of serious crimes.
The Ukrainians sold huge quantities of American weapons on the international black market at twenty cents on the dollar.
These weapons are now in the hands of armed groups around the world, including Hamas, the Mexican drug cartels and the forces now controlling Syria.
God knows what the Ukrainians have done with the pathogens in American biolabs in their country. Even US intel agencies aren’t sure.
The Ukrainians have also murdered a number of people in various countries in political assassinations, and tried to murder others, including American journalists and a European head of state.
This is all true, and it’s all going to come out at some point. Better to start blaming it on Zelensky now.
Over the past year, Carlson has interviewed both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
During their interview, Putin justified his invasion of Ukraine by framing it as a response to Western provocation and NATO expansion.
He argued that the U.S. and its allies ignored Russia’s security concerns, particularly regarding Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, and accused them of supporting an anti-Russian government in Kyiv.
He also claimed that Ukraine’s treatment of Russian-speaking populations in the Donbas justified military intervention, portraying the invasion as a necessary step to protect Russian interests and national security.
Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine Use Soared During COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Says
Nearly 3 million prescriptions for the two drugs were written even though the FDA had said that neither drug is approved to treat COVID-19.
Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine Use Soared During COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Says
Nearly 3 million prescriptions for the two drugs were written even though the FDA had said that neither drug is approved to treat COVID-19.
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Pill bottles on a pharmacy shelf. Carl DMaster/Epoch Times
But after the COVID-19-specific medications, such as Pfizer’s Paxlovid, became more widely available, prescriptions for both hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin dropped some 93 percent. That drop took place between March 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, they noted.
“Ivermectin use in particular was higher among people living in the most socially vulnerable neighborhoods and markedly higher in the southern United States,” they stated.
However, the “limited availability of COVID-19 medications does not appear to explain” what they described as a “wide geographic variation in ivermectin prescribing” such as in the South.
John Mafi, a senior study author with UCLA, said their findings “underscore the urgent need for policy reforms to combat misinformation and mistrust in scientific institutions,” asserting that “eliminating undue industry influence in government, enhancing transparency around scientific uncertainty, and earmarking public funding for clinical trials of new drugs are good places to start.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it has not authorized ivermectin for use against COVID-19 and that it has received multiple reports of people using ivermectin that was designed for animals. The agency said that it has received no evidence to suggest that ivermectin, which is approved as an anti-parasitic medication, is effective against COVID-19.
However, some studies have shown that ivermectin has led to positive outcomes for some people who took the drug for COVID-19, including one study that showed it led to “large reductions” in deaths from the virus.
The FDA in 2020 warned against using hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, to treat COVID-19 outside of hospitals or clinical trials and said it revoked its emergency use authorization to use the medication as well as chloroquine to treat COVID-19 in some hospitalized individuals.
At least one study, published in mid-2020, had shown that the drug had lowered the U.S. death rate, while one early survey touted its effectiveness.
In the UCLA paper, researchers evaluated 8.1 million insured patients from across the United States to evaluate spending and usage of the two drugs in the first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on their analysis, they wrote that “an estimated 3,037,751 COVID-19-associated prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin totaling an estimated $271,559,207 in spending were provided in US outpatient settings throughout the public health emergency,” according to the study, which was funded by the Commonwealth Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
The findings was published just days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as the U.S. health secretary.
Among other criticisms directed at the FDA, Kennedy last year wrote that the agency is “biased against many low-cost” or generic drugs such as ivermectin and said that large pharmaceutical companies are involved in the FDA’s decision-making processes.
end
Lack of immunity because of the vaccines is the cause of this;
RFK Jr. Says Vaccinations Available As Texas Measles Outbreak Expands
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in an opinion article published on March 2 that vaccination is a personal decision. He also advocated for immunizations amid a measles outbreak in several communities in West Texas in recent weeks that included one confirmed death.
“All parents should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy wrote in his article published on Fox News on Sunday evening, reacting to the measles outbreak.
“The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” the secretary continued.
“Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”
He added that health care providers and local community leaders have a responsibility to “protect public health” and that includes making sure that there is “accurate information about vaccine safety and efficacy.”
“We must engage with communities to understand their concerns, provide culturally competent education, and make vaccines readily accessible for all those who want them,” Kennedy said.
State health officials in Texas confirmed 146 measles cases this past week, including the death of a child who was not vaccinated for measles. The vaccination status of the confirmed cases includes 79 who were not vaccinated, 62 who are unknown, and five who were immunized with at least a single dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The child who died on Feb. 25 is the first U.S. death with the virus since 2015, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. The child was treated at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, though the facility said the patient didn’t live in Lubbock County.
The virus has largely spread among rural, oil rig-dotted towns in West Texas, with cases concentrated in a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community, state health department spokesperson Lara Anton said last week.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said this past week that the governor regularly confers with the state health department and epidemiologists and that vaccination teams are in the “affected area.”
“The state will deploy all necessary resources to ensure the safety and health of Texans,” said spokesman Andrew Mahaleris, calling the child’s death a tragedy.
This past week, Kennedy wrote on social media platform X that the outbreak in Texas is one of the top priorities for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and that the agency is sending Texas 2,000 doses of MMR vaccine through its immunization program.
He added that HHS will provide “lab support to better track the virus causing the outbreak,” will communicate “with public health officials every day in all affected areas to support their response and ensure they have the resources they need,” and provide communications to local communities in Low German—the language used by Mennonites.
“We will continue to fund Texas’ immunization program. Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team at HHS,” Kennedy continued.
NV state sen. Dina Neal has emergency heart surgery; goalie Tony Meola has heart attack; Chilean footballer Raúl Ormeño has Parkinson’s; Trinidadian singer Susan Maicoo has “life-threatening ailment”
Billie Eilish fans raise concerns as singer announces she’s sick during Brisbane show… after she was sporting a face mask when flying into Melbourne
February 18, 2025
Fans have sparked concern for Billie Eilish after she announced she is sick during her show in Brisbane on Tuesday night. The US pop star, 23, kicked off the Australian leg of her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. After performing a live recording of When the Party’s Over, Billie told fans she has sinusitis – a swelling of the sinuses. ‘I was sick for literally four months straight,’ she admitted. ‘My voice sounds horrible, and I’m embarrassed. I’ve been feeling insecure. I’m sorry if I sound like sh*t.’ In November last year, Billie admitted she was sick while performing at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. In September 2023, the singer suffered a similar experience ahead of her Ireland performance.
77-year-old Mississippi Lt. Gov Delbert Hosemann collapses while presiding over the state Senate chamber
February 20, 2025
Mississippi Lt. Gov Delbert Hosemann collapses while presiding over the state Senate chamber. He was reportedly conscious while being tended to by medical staff, according to local reports. “Lieutenant Governor Hosemann is doing well and in good spirits. He appreciates all of the medical staff and is eager to return to work,” his office said. Hosemann is 77 years old.
Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar [78] has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the former lawmaker revealed Monday. In a statement, the former governor said he and his wife, Brenda, are “facing a new, significant challenge.” “Doctors at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have determined I have pancreatic cancer that has spread,” he said, in part. “They and physicians at Mayo Clinic are coordinating on a treatment regimen that I am following initially in Arizona, where we spend the winter, and later in Springfield when we return. We do not underestimate this challenge, but we have confidence in the medical team helping us address it…”
Santa Fe mayor suffers ‘minor heart attack,’ returns to City Hall
February 21, 2025
Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber suffered a heart attack, the city of Santa Fe said Friday — four days after the medical episode reportedly occurred. Regina Ruiz, a city spokeswoman, said late Tuesday “after working a full day at City Hall” Webber experienced “what turned out to be a minor heart attack.” The 76-year-old went back to work all day Wednesday before checking into Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center for an evaluation and testing, she said in a release. Ruiz said Webber underwent “a standard procedure” Thursday afternoon and was released Friday morning and worked from home through the afternoon. “His case was described by the hospital’s medical staff as ‘the best kind of heart attack you can have,'” she said. “The mayor is scheduled for physical therapy as part of the next phase of ongoing prevention and treatment.”
Nevada State Sen. Dina Neal undergoes emergency medical procedure in Reno
February 20, 2025
LAS VEGAS, NV — A Nevada state senator from the Las Vegas area had to undergo emergency heart surgery in Reno this week while taking part in the legislative session, according to a spokesperson. Sen. Dina Neal [53] underwent an “emergency medical procedure for her heart” on Tuesday at Renown Hospital, the Nevada Democratic Senate Caucus said in a statement.
Former USMNT goalie Tony Meola suffers heart attack one day before 56th birthday
February 23, 2025
Tony Meola, a former World Cup goalkeeper for the U.S. national soccer team, suffered a heart attack on Thursday, one day ahead of his 56th birthday. Meola told The Athletic on Saturday that he “will be OK,” and he also was quoted on the soccer website FrontRowSoccer as saying, “if I get one of you to go to the doctor and get a checkup, this was all worth it for me. I’m going to be fine in a week, but I should have been smarter.”
Former CFL LB Glenn Love launches GoFundMe after ALS diagnosis
January 29, 2025
Former CFL linebacker Glenn Love has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the cost of clinical treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The native of Champaign, Ill., was diagnosed with the disease on July 12, 2024 at the age of 35, one day after his daughter turned one. “It’s a cruel, unrelenting disease that turns your own body against you, attacking your ability to move, speak, eat, and eventually breathe. Doctors say there’s no cure, no definitive cause, and, for most, no hope. But for anyone who knows me, you know giving up has never been an option,” wrote Love. “Since my diagnosis, I’ve surrounded myself with a team of specialists at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and an ALS Clinic in New Mexico. Together, we’re exploring every possible avenue — clinical trials, alternative therapies, regenerative treatments, and supplements. There’s no roadmap for beating ALS, but I’m determined to carve my own path.”
LaVar Ball [57] — the father of basketball stars Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball — had his foot amputated after suffering a serious medical issue, TMZ Sports has learned. We’re told the Ball family patriarch underwent a recent procedure to have his right foot removed … but despite it all, he is in great spirits and doing well. LaVar made a name for himself with his grandiose plans for his sons — he created the Big Baller Brand, which developed signature shoes for all three hoopers.
Parang Association rallies behind ailing singer Susan Maicoo
February 16, 2025
There has been overwhelming support for parang singer Susan Maicoo, 62, who remains warded at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) with a condition yet to be diagnosed. Among those sending prayers and best wishes for her speedy recovery is Joanne Briggs, PRO of the National Parang Association. In a February 16 interview, Briggs said she was saddened to learn the beloved parang singer is fighting what is believed to be a life-threatening ailment affecting some of her vital organs. Newsday first reported Maicoo’s condition and her husband’s appeal to pray for the Fyzabad-born singer on February 14. Rawle told Newsday his wife started showing flu-like symptoms believed to have been contracted from relatives who had returned from a Christmas vacation in England. Coming to the end of January, he said, she started feeling unwell and her condition worsened. She experienced excruciating backaches and abdominal pain, so intense that she was taken for a CT scan. He said the scan showed her lungs, gallbladder, liver, intestines and kidneys were severely affected, a sign that she had sepsis – a life-threatening infection that affects the immune system and could lead to death. She was taken to a private hospital where further tests were done, but referred to the SFGH for urgent admission to its intensive care unit. Maicoo was later moved to the high dependency unit and subsequently a medical ward. On February 13, she went into a coma. Rawle said she is coming along very slowly and expressed appreciation to those who have supported the family.
DOGE Doubles Down on ‘What Did You Do Last Week’ Emails — With a New RequirementElon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has sent out a second mass e-mail to executive branch employees requiring them to list their weekly accomplishments by midnight Monday — but with a new requirement excepting classified information.The new missive hit email boxes Saturday night via the Office of Personnel Management, and bore the subject line “What did you do last week? …READ THE FULL REPORT
WATCH: Scott Jennings explains exactly what Zelenskyy was supposed to do and why he made a serious mistakeScott Jennings managed last night to say something that even his ‘normal sparring partner’ agreed with in regard to the Zelenskyy debacle yesterday in the Oval Office yesterday. Jennings explained exactly what Zelenskyy needed to do yesterday and how he made a serious mistake when he confronted by the President and Vice President: Pinpoint accuracy from Jennings. All Zelenskyy had …READ THE FULL REPORT
Investigation Launched Into Stacey AbramsThe Georgia state Senate has launched an investigation into former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and the New Georgia Project, a voting rights organization she founded, following the group’s admission of multiple campaign finance violations.The probe, steered by a Republican-led Senate panel, will examine the organization’s financial dealings and potential links between Abrams and the nonprofit.The investigation comes after the New …READ THE FULL REPORT
Kash Patel Finally Reveals Truth About the Honeypot Operation – Integrity Is BackIt was a great conspiracy story, featuring sex, surveillance, duplicity and what MAGA devotees have long decried as the despiciable devious tactics of the James Comey-era FBI.But on Friday, the tale received a dousing of cold water from FBI director Kash Patel, who said accounts of “honeypot” operations involving the first presidential campaign of President Donald Trump were simply not …READ THE FULL REPORT
Democrat Andrew Cuomo Announces Return to PoliticsFormer New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched his bid for New York City mayor with a video posted on his X account Saturday, a development that followed . months of speculation that he would launch a comeback after leaving office in August 2021.In the announcement, Cuomo, who also previously served as the U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development, acknowledged …READ THE FULL REPORT
Alexander News Network (ANN): Trump’s War 2.0 for America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
‘A top White House official has threatened to redraw the Canadian border amid Donald Trump’s ambition to turn the country in America’s “51st state”.
Peter Navarro, one of Donald Trump’s closest advisers, is pushing US negotiators to discuss reworking the border with their Canadian counterparts, The Telegraph can reveal.’
“Navarro recommended revising the Canada-US border, which is just crazy and dangerous,” a source close to negotiations told The Telegraph.
Canada has now instructed its delegates to withdraw from negotiations with the US until Jameson Greer and Howard Lutnick, two incoming members of Mr Trump’s cabinet, are confirmed by the senate. Mr Greer and Mr Lutnick are viewed by Ontario as being less extreme.
“The Canadians have told their people to hold off negotiating with the US Government until Jameson Greer and Howard Lutnick are confirmed by the Senate and in post,” the source said.’
‘Proposals also put forward by Mr Navarro include expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, the most important intelligence-sharing network in the world.’
allow each other to take what they want, just do not interfere with ‘my’ exploits so that US, Russia & China have decided that China will take Taiwan & US or Russia will not pipe up, Russia will take
Ukraine & any other nations to re-establish former Soviet Union and China and US will not pipe up, and US will take Canada, Greenland and Mexico, and China and Russia stand by idly. India will take Nepal. A decided upon quid pro quo? As each of them will benefit for they all will get the land and resources of the nations they ‘take’. Unopposed.
Could it be?
Cui bono?
Could it be? The US now has shown a proclivity to want to redraw the world and take things. Seems so but my dream may be just a dream.
Alexander News Network (ANN): Trump’s War 2.0 for America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
What say you? That Trump was serious when he said what he did about Canada etc. Was he serious. What would the world do if the US moved militarily on Canada because of Canada’s pure waters, lakes, rich resources, massive land (2nd largest in the world), tremendous hard-working peoples etc.? What? Would Russia or China or India or anyone, UK, France etc., stand by? Should Canada seek to get its own nuclear weapons and strong military now to guard against that? Any threat by any nation against it? I would want US to respond brutally and militarily if any nation decides to re-draw its borders or moves to invade it. I will stand and fight for US is any nation ever tries that. On US.
Would Canadians fight for their land if US tried that on Canada? Can this ever really happen? I think impossible but could it be? Cui bono?
I think US must exit NATO. US should not depend on NATO. No more US tax-dollars. Let Europe handle its own business. (And exit from UN completely!).
So, do you now understand why Europe IMO must unify (I am no fan of Europe) and develop its own army and proliferate nuclear weapons? Many enemies share their continent. Do you understand why Canada must strengthen its own military, stand on its own, and get nuclear weapons too? I see it as a must.
Today.
I see we are now entering period of nuclear proliferation and maybe a good thing. To balance the powers. It is currently disbalanced. A new ‘COLD’ War if you will.
For in a mere 6 weeks, the world has gone insane. IMO. Money and power.
Where you can say you will take what you want. With no regard to history or the people who live there. Or their wishes.
Can you debate me on this and show me how I am misguided? That my dream, was just that…simply a dream.
Because just take a look, we had a fraud fake PCR-created false-positive pandemic imposed on us and in the Trump administration, a program called Operation Warp Speed (OWS) with included lockdowns and school closures and business closures that functioned to kill us, not help us, but harm us, was brought and implemented. Moreover, we had a deadly mRNA gene based LNP transfection injection brought by Trump and imposed by Biden that killed us. In addition, we had a subsequent Biden government continuing the madness rolling out the injection and mandating it, and we still have the initial POTUS Trump telling us today it was safe and effective and the vaccine is beautiful and saved millions of lives when we know as of today, the OWS lockdowns nor Malone Bancel Bourla et al. mRNA vaccine saved not one life…that is a fact. The evidence is clear. We have that, so do not tell me that the unreal or impossible (as I laid out the moves above based on my dream) CANNOT happen…for we live it still today post Trump’s deadly OWS and mRNA vaccines that Biden continued and rolled out. We live a nightmare today, something so fake, and UNREAL, yet made REAL by Trump and Biden. So, my dream of the re-carving of the world, as per Yalta in Crimea, is very REAL. Where on 4th February 1945 they initially carved up the world post WW II. Now they want they want to do it again. Fronting on Musk fake make believe money, threats with it.
Things that seemingly were impossible, because real, once IMO wicked evil people want it to. A dark evil unseen malevolent hand forced Trump’s in 2020. I never will believe then he had a hand in the fraud COVID etc. He was misled day one, but lets remove our heads from out of our asses, he quickly grew to understand the fraud.
‘”What is different about this unleashed and empowered President Trump is he is clearly threatening our sovereignty and we need to respond,” she said. “The US is turning predator, and so what Canada needs to do is work closely with our democratic allies, our military allies.”
Drawing on her experience as a top diplomat, Freeland expressed confidence in her ability to rally support from these parties.
“I would start with our Nordic partners, specifically Denmark which is also being threatened, and our European NATO allies,” she said, referencing Trump’s controversial offer to Copenhagen to purchase Greenland.’
LATEST NEWSMicrosoft to shut down Skype in two months, company says switch to TeamsMicrosoft has officially announced that it will be shutting down Skype permanently on May 5, 2024, bringing an end to the video calling service after 21 years. The decision comes as the company shifts its focus toward Microsoft Teams, a platform that has gained significant traction in recent years, especially in the business and enterprise sectors. Since its launch in …READ MOREState Department drops funding for Ukraine energy grid restorationThe U.S. State Department has officially ended a major initiative through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that had funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into Ukraine to help restore the country’s energy grid. Two USAID officials working on the Ukraine mission confirmed the decision to NBC News this week. One official warned that the move could significantly weaken …READ MORETrump kicks Zelensky from White House, says he ‘disrespected’ US, can come back when ready for peace after heated meetingFollowing a tense meeting in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump told Zelensky he could “come back when he is ready for peace” before having him escorted from the White House. According to White House officials who spoke with Fox News, Ukrainian representatives were “begging to reset” after the meeting took a turn. …READ MORE
hilling 911 Call Reporting Gene Hackman’s ‘Suspicious’ Death Is RevealedA chilling 911 call reporting the death of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his longtime wife has been made public, revealing a chaotic scene as a discoverer screamed and pleaded with authorities to send help.The call was made by a “community caretaker” who discovered the “mummified” remains of Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, his wife of 24 years. …READ THE FULL REPORT
WaPo Staffers Quit, Rebel Against Jeff Bezos’ New Mission for Opinion SectionAfter Jeff Bezos announced a “significant” editorial shift that will see the opinion section of the Washington Post focus on pro-American policies, such as free markets and personal liberties, current and former employees at the paper have launched an open rebellion against the billionaire Amazon founder who purchased the paper for $250 million in 2013.Bezos announced the change on Wednesday, …READ THE FULL REPORT
Zelenskyy just released a conciliatory statement…President Zelenskyy just released a somewhat conciliatory statement saying that he really does want a just and lasting peace. He thanked America and for the visit, thanking President Trump directly: Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are …READ THE FULL REPORT
LATEST NEWSJD Vance and family rushed to undisclosed location in Vermont after leftists interrupt ski tripVice President JD Vance and his family were forced to evacuate to an undisclosed location while on a ski trip at Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont, after a large group of protesters gathered near their vacation rental. The demonstrators, waving Ukrainian flags and transgender pride flags, were angered by Vance’s stance on U.S. support for Ukraine and his tense Oval …READ MORESen Lisa Murkowski says Zelensky Oval Office row made her ‘sick to her stomach’Senator Lisa Murkowski has voiced strong criticism of the heated exchange that took place in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Alaska senator said the confrontation made her “sick to my stomach.” The tense meeting, which was broadcasted to the world, sparked reactions from across the political spectrum. While …READ MOREAndrew Cuomo has entered NYC mayor raceFormer New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has entered NYC mayor race, making his announcement on Saturday. His candidacy comes at a time when current Mayor Eric Adams is facing mounting controversy due to an ongoing investigation into alleged bribery, creating an opening for a strong challenger. Cuomo, once a dominant figure in New York politics, is positioning himself as a …READ MOREZelensky agrees to sign mineral deal after getting kicked out of White House meetingUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine is ready to sign the minerals agreement negotiated by the Trump administration, just one day after his contentious meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office. Zelensky took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm Ukraine’s willingness to proceed with the deal, calling it a “first step” but …READ MORE
LATEST REPORTS FOR NEWS JUNKIES
Video: Teen Squeals, Nearly Faints as He Faces Courtroom Justice Over Murder of 16-Year-OldA 16-year-old charged with murdering another teenager squealed in a North Carolina court when the judge denied him bail.On the night of Jan. 26, Sean Simpson was allegedly involved in the shooting of 16-year-old Zaquavious “Tank” Dawkins and the attempted shooting of one other boy in Gastonia, North Carolina.The latter boy told police that he and Dawkins were walking when …READ THE FULL REPORT
South Carolina Governor Declares State of Emergency as Raging Wildfires Prompt Mass EvacuationsA mass of wildfires burning across South Carolina prompted Gov. Henry McMaster to declare a state of emergency Sunday, as firefighters battled a series of blazes that have already consumed approximately 1,200 acres and impacted another 3,000.Video circulating on social media showed an orange sky as one blaze burned in the neighborhood of Carolina Forest in the Myrtle Beach area. …READ THE FULL REPORT
Fury as Zelensky Appears to Call JD Vance a ‘B**** F***’Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has sparked suggestions he branded US Vice-President JD Vance a ‘b****’ during their explosive White House row.Viewers of the televised 45-minute dispute – with US President Donald Trump at the centre – believe he muttered the insult under his breath.Mr Zelensky is said to have uttered ‘Suka, blyat’ in response to Mr Vance criticising him for …READ THE FULL REPORT
Pentagon Sends Combat Forces to US-Mexico BorderAn additional 2,500 to 3,000 active-duty US troops have been ordered to the US-Mexico border, including soldiers from a motorized brigade equipped with armored Stryker combat vehicles.Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth approved the deployment on Friday, according to a report by The Washington Post.The soldiers, primarily from the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, will be …READ THE FULL REPORT
MICHAEL EVERY/PHIL MAREY/OR OTHER EXECS //RABOBANK
While we have seen numerous examples of ‘strawman’ headline leaks from OPEC meetings in the past to test the market’s reaction to various scenarios, it appears this one is real as OPEC just issued a statement confirming the outout hikes:
“This gradual increase may be paused or reversed subject to market conditions,” according to the statement.
“This flexibility will allow the group to continue to support oil market stability.”
The group’s choice may be yet another illustration of the sway of Trump, who last month called on OPEC to “cut the price of oil.”
Additionally, Trump’s renewed “maximum pressure” on Iranian exports could create a gap for other OPEC+ nations to fill.
OPEC’s decision implies “that the alliance is feeling the pressure of underproduction and concessions of market share to the highest cost producer: the US,” said Joe DeLaura, a former trader and global energy strategist with Rabobank.
As a reminder, global oil markets face a supply surplus of 450,000 barrels a day this year even if OPEC+ keeps output flat, as rival supplies – from the US, Brazil, Canada and Guyana – overwhelms growth in consumption, according to the IEA in Paris.
* * *
Bloomberg is reporting, according to a ‘delegate’ that OPEC+ will proceed with plans to revive halted oil production after repeated delays, amid pressure from President Donald Trump to lower oil prices.
The surprise move – which immediately sent crude prices reeling – means the group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia will go ahead with the increase of 138,000 barrels a day in April (again, according to the delegate).
Bloomberg notes that crude traders had widely expected that OPEC+ would once again delay the restart, which it had postponed three times since first announcing a supply roadmap last June.
“The optics around any reinstatement of supply, even if incremental and small, will be seen as price-negative,” Harry Tchilinguirian, head of oil research at Onyx Commodities Ltd., told Bloomberg before the decision.
Crude prices immediately plunged back below $70 (WTI) on the headline…
..taking out 2025 lows…
It wouldn’t be the first time that a headline was run ahead of an OPEC+ meeting to run stops, and we wonder what’s the over/under on the timing of an official OPEC+ denial.
8. EMERGING MARKETS//AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND ISSUES//
MEXICO/USA
YOUR EARLY CURRENCY/GOLD AND SILVER PRICING/ASIAN CLOSING MARKETS AND EUROPEAN BOURSE OPENING AND CLOSING/ INTEREST RATE SETTINGS MONDAY MORNING 6;30AM//OPENING AND CLOSING
EURO VS USA DOLLAR: 1.0459 UP 92 BASIS PTS
USA/ YEN 151.19 UP .749 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 1.2668 UP 0.0120 OR 120 PTS
USA/CAN DOLLAR: 1.4430 DOWN 0.0003(CDN DOLLAR UP 3 BASIS PTS)
Last night Shanghai COMPOSITE CLOSED DOWN 3.97 PTS OR 0.12%
Hang Seng CLOSED UP 64.95 PTS OR 0.28%
AUSTRALIA CLOSED UP 0.89%
// EUROPEAN BOURSE: ALL GREEN
Trading from Europe and ASIA
I) EUROPEAN BOURSES: ALL GREEN
2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang SENG CLOSED UP 64.95 PTS OR 0.28%
/SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 3.97 PTS OR 0.12%
AUSTRALIA BOURSE CLOSED UP 0.89%
(Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED UP 627.97 PTS OR 1.70%
INDIA’S SENSEX IN THE RED
Gold very early morning trading: 2873.95
silver:$31.51
USA dollar index early MONDAY morning: 106.90 DOWN 65 BASIS POINTS FROM FRIDAY’s CLOSE.
The USA/Yuan, CNY ON SHORE CLOSED DOWN AT 7.2899ON SHORE)..CHINA MUST DEVALUE TO GOLD
THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE: (YUAN CLOSED (DOWN)…. (7.2954)
TURKISH LIRA: 36.49EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LEVEL/DEATH WATCH/HYPERINFLATION TO BEGIN.//
the 10 yr Japanese bond yield at +1.400
Your closing 10 yr US bond yield UP 2 in basis points from THURSDAY at 4.245% //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%)
USA 30 yr bond yield 4.530 UP 0 in basis points /11:00 AM
USA 2 YR BOND YIELD: 4.034 UP 0 BASIS PTS.
GOLD AT 11;00 AM 2881.00
SILVER AT 11;00: 31.81
Your 11:00 AM bourses for Europe and the Dow along with the USA dollar index closing and interest rates: MONDAY CLOSING TIME 11:00 AM//
London: CLOSED UP 61.57 pts or 0.70%
German Dax : UP 595.59pts or 2.64%
Paris CAC CLOSED UP 88.08 or 1.09%
Spain IBEX CLOSED UP 25.80 PTS OR 0.19%
Italian MIB: CLOSED UP 414.31PTS OR 1.07%
WTI Oil price 69.23 11 EST/
Brent Oil: 72.13 1:00 EST
USA /RUSSIAN ROUBLE /// AT: 89.58 ROUBLE DOWN 1 AND 06/ 100
GERMAN 10 YR BOND YIELD; +2.5115 UP 11 BASIS PTS.
UK 10 YR YIELD: 4.6455 UP 12 BASIS POINTS
CDN 10 YEAR RATE: 2.971 UP 6 BASIS PTS.
CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 2.663 DOWN 2 BASIS PTS
CLOSING NUMBERS: 4 PM
Euro vs USA 1.0476 UP 0.01080 OR 108 BASIS POINTS//HEADING TO PARITY WITH THE DOLLAR
British Pound: 1.2689 UP .01420OR 142 basis pts/HEADING FOR PARITY /USA
BRITISH 10 YR GILT BOND YIELD: 4.5595 UP 5 BASIS PTS//
JAPAN 10 YR YIELD: 1.4000
USA dollar vs Japanese Yen: 149.37 DOWN 1.088 BASIS PTS// HEADING FOR 160 TO THE DOLLAR
USA dollar vs Canadian dollar: 1.4526UP 0.0091 BASIS PTS CDN DOLLAR DOWN 91 BASIS PTS
West Texas intermediate oil: 68.18
Brent OIL: 71.36
USA 10 yr bond yield DOWN 7 BASIS pts to 4.155
USA 30 yr bond yield DOWN 7 BASIS PTS to 4.444%
USA 2 YR BOND: DOWN 5 PTS AT 3.948
CDN 10 YR RATE 2.838 DOWN 9 BASIS PTS
CDN 5 YEAR RATE: 2.5210 DOWN 10 BASIS PTS
USA dollar index: 106,59 DOWN 97 BASIS POINTS
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 36.44 GETTING QUITE CLOSE TO BLOWING UP/
USA DOLLAR VS RUSSIA//// ROUBLE: 89.70 DOWN 0 AND 50/100 roubles
GOLD 2989.85 (3:30 PM)
SILVER: 31.58 (3:30 PM)
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE: DOWN 643.67TS OR 1.48%
NASDAQ 100 DOWN 458.82 PTS OR 2.20%
VOLATILITY INDEX: 23.53 UP 3.90 PTS OR 19.87%
GLD: $ 266.74OR UP 3.47 PTS OR 1.32%
SLV/ $28.75 PTS OR UP 0.44 OR 1.55%
TORONTO STOCK INDEX// TSX INDEX: CLOSED DOWN 433.73OR 1.71%
end
TRADING today ZEROHEDGE/
“S&P Tumbles Back Below Key CTA Sell Trigger, Activating $24BN In Sell Orders This Week
Crypto, Crude, & Mega-Caps Crushed As ‘Stagflation’ Reignites Momo Meltdown
ZEROHEDGE/HEADLINE CLOSING MARKETS
USA DATA
this is telling! Atlanta Fed slashes GDP forecasts on two consecutive days?
from positive 2.33 % to minus 2.825%
(zerohedge/Atlanta Fed)
Atlanta Fed Slashes GDP Forecast (Again) After Small Dip In ISM Manufacturing Survey
Monday, Mar 03, 2025 – 11:47 AM
In the peace of two business days, The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNOW forecast for Q1 2025 has collapsed from +2.33% to -2.825% – a stunning 510bps plunge in growth expectations.
Today’s drop to a 2.825% contraction is the worst forecast for GDP since the COVID lockdowns in 2020…
The January Goods Trade Deficit fell to a record -$153 billion versus expectations of -$116 billion.
Moreover, as we share below, courtesy of MacroBond, the monthly decline of $31 billion is more than double any other instance since 1955. Imports rose by 12% while exports increased by 2%. The steep decline in the trade deficit is primarily due to US companies front-running tariffs. Approximately $22 billion of the $31 billion, or about two-thirds of the decline, came from industrial supplies. Consumer goods ($4 billion), food and beverages ($2 billion), and other goods ($2.3 billion) account for the bulk of the rest of the change. A similar large trade deficit will likely be reported for February.
The steep decline, mainly due to tariffs, will likely normalize over the coming months. The import demand will be less than typical as inventories for specific products are now bloated for those frontrunning the tariffs.
However, as we detailed here, most of the widening in the trade deficit in January was driven by a surge in gold imports.
It is likely to do with an ongoing squeeze in the physical metal in vaults in London and Switzerland driven by several years of EM central-bank hoarding – so nothing to do with cyclical economic growth in the US.
Today’s plunged from -1.5% to -2.8% was blamed on this morning’s blip lower in ISM Manufacturing survey:
After this morning’s releases from the US Census Bureau and the Institute for Supply Management, the nowcast of first-quarter real personal consumption expenditures growth and real private fixed investment growth fell from 1.3 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively, to 0.0 percent and 0.1 percent.
So, to clarify – a 0.6ppt decline in the noisy-as-fuck ISM Manufacturing (which remains in expansion) was enough to drive The Atlanta Fed’s forecast for economic growth to its most recessionary since the COVID lockdowns?
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow model projection for real GDP growth in the first quarter of 2025 (Q1 2025) is now showing a slump to -1.5%. This marks a significant downward revision from the previous estimate of 2.3% on February 19, 2025.
Such an enormous decline is strange. How did we go from +2.3% to -1.5% in less than a month? That kind of collapse in an economy as large as the United States is exceedingly rare. [ZH: It’s even worse now, as we detailed earlier.]
The immediate reaction from the media is to call this the beginning of a “Trump recession” and blame it on President Trump’s policies. Interestingly, on June 1, 2022, the Atlanta Fed GDPNow estimated the second quarter of 2022 growth at +1.3%. By July 1, 2022, it had dropped to -2.1%, a shift of 3.4 percentage points in 30 days. What did the media call it? “Growth scare”. A similar thing happened in the third quarter of 2021. The estimate fell from 6.1% (July 30) to 2.3% (October 1), a 3.8-point drop over two months.
In 2022, real GDP declined for two consecutive quarters under Biden’s administration. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the first quarter saw a decrease of -1.6% in the annualised rate, followed by a 0.6% drop in the second quarter. Hundreds of analysts, commentators, and economists, along with the NBER, swiftly declared that this was not a recession. Thus, it is hilarious to read the hundreds of comments arguing that the Atlanta Fed NowCast means that the new administration’s policies are causing a recession.
As I wrote a few months ago, the United States has been in a private sector recession for months. However, an abnormal increase in government spending during a period of growth and a risky borrowing policy led to a bloated Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The United States had a $7.59 trillion nominal GDP increase between 2021 and 2024 compared to a rise of $8.47 trillion in government debt. This marks the worst GDP growth adjusted for government debt accumulation since the 1930s.
Many analysts are warning that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts will cause a recession if government spending is aggressively reduced. However, cutting spending may “reduce” GDP but does not harm productive economic growth; it will likely strengthen it.
We must remember that US government spending financed by increasing federal debt accounted for about 22% to 25% of the total US GDP growth over 2021–2024. This extraordinary increase in government spending in the middle of a recovery led to record-high government debt and was the leading cause of money supply growth and, with it, the inflation burst that Americans are suffering today.
A research study from MIT Sloan published on July 17, 2024, by Mark Kritzman et al., titled “The Determinants of Inflation,” concluded that federal spending was the overwhelming driver of the inflation spike in 2022, estimating it was two to three times more significant than any other factors.
Government spending was out of control, leading money supply growth to soar, and the cumulative inflation suffered by Americans in the past four years is over 20.9%, with groceries and gas prices rising by more than 40%.
Excessive government spending was not only the cause of the rise in money supply growth and the burst of inflation but also led to an $8.47 trillion increase in debt and an unsustainable path to financial ruin if policies remained the same. According to the Congressional Budget Office, with no policy changes, the United States would have accumulated deficits of $12.6 trillion between 2025 and 2030. Net interest outlays were expected to grow from $881 billion in 2024 to $1.2 trillion by 2030, even assuming no recessions or unemployment increases.
Cutting government spending is essential to reduce prices, bring inflation under control and stop the looming public finance disaster. By 2024, it became evident that revenue measures would not reduce the United States federal deficit. Deficits are always a spending problem.
We must remember that 2024’s 2.8% GDP growth reflected almost $2 trillion in borrowing, a roughly one-to-one spending-to-growth ratio and a dangerous path to a debt crisis.
Private GDP should measure the economy, as government spending and debt do not drive productive growth. Stripping government spending can give us a more accurate picture of the reality of the productive sector in America. The latest Atlanta Fed estimates show a massive decline in net exports (-3.7%) due to a large increase in imports, a small decline in consumption of goods (-0.09%) but strong services (+0.62%) and rises in government expenditure (+0.34%) and a healthy increase in investment (+0.62%). Thus, the surprising factor is an abnormal slump in exports and a rise in imports that may be revised, because the trade deficit in December 2024 rose to a record $98.4 billion and GDP did not reflect such a massive slump in net exports. The concerning thing is that government spending continues to be excessive, and the United States is running an annualised $2.5 trillion deficit.
The United States will not enter a recession due to the change of administration, but because of the excess spending policies of the Biden years. Reducing federal spending, deficit, and debt accumulation is essential to recover the health of the economy.
Bloating GDP with public spending and debt is not growing; it is the recipe for disaster.
China warns that U.S. proposal to levy port fees on Chinese ships could backfire – Xinhua China’s commerce ministry on Thursday said that charging fees on Chinese ships entering U.S. ports would disrupt global supply chains and backfire on the U.S. economy and employment… https://english.news.cn/20250227/2ba8c57f84304607a765d9dc5a3aaec4/c.html
As the adage goes, ‘when someone has received privileged treatment for a spell, they perceive normal treatment as oppression or a slight.’
US G4 GDP was the expected 2.3% q/q. Consumption of 4.2% was 0.1 higher than expected. However, the GDP Index and Core PCE were ‘hot.’
GDP Price Index 2.4.%, 2.2% consensus and prior; Core PCE 2.7% q/q, 2.5% expected and prior. Good thing ‘inflation expectations remain well anchored!”
Contributions to percentage change in real GDP – Table 2: Gov’t .49, Motors vehicles & parts .44, Healthcare .43, Non profits .34, Gross private domestic investment -1.03, Private inventories -.81
January Durable Goods Orders jumped 3.1% m/m, 2.0% expected; prior to -1.8% from -2.2%. However, Ex-Transportation, Durable Orders are unchanged, 0.3% consensus. Nondef Ex-Air Orders are 0.8%, 0.3% expected. Shipments DECLINED 0.3%; +0.3% was consensus.
Initial Jobless Claims jumped to 242k from 220k. Somehow Street experts ignored federal government jobs cuts and forecast 221k Initial Claims. That is why they make the big money!
Continuing Claims fell to 1.862m from 1.867m; 1.871m consensus.
Pending home sales drop to the lowest level on record in January Pending sales dropped 4.6% from December to the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors began tracking this metric in 2001…sales rose month-to-month in the Northeast…(-5.2% y/y) Home prices have been easing over the last few months in certain areas, with more sellers cutting prices, but nationally they are still higher than they were a year ago… (despite lower sales!) https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/27/january-pending-home-sales-lowest-level-on-record.html
Nvidia stock dips as earnings beat has investors ‘yawning’ Nvidia stock fell 2% in early trading ThursdayNvidia guided for a gross margin of roughly 71% for the first quarter, lower than its 73% gross margin in the fourth quarter… https://t.co/ZZX4ANbFu7
Nvidia warns of growing competition from China’s Huawei, despite U.S. sanctionshttps://t.co/7s8mpGI5qa
Nvidia now has three clients that make up 10% or more of its revenue Nvidia doesn’t name them — they are simply Direct Customer A, Direct Customer B and Direct Customer C, accounting for 12% of revenue, 11% of revenue and also 11% of revenue, respectively… Singapore represented 18% of total revenue based on billing location, but shipments to the city-state were less than 2% of revenue…. If Singapore is excluded, Nvidia’s top three regions by sales are the U.S. (47% of the total), Taiwan (16%) and China (13%), with no other region listed… https://t.co/xum2BR0w9d
@DowdEdward: NVDA One of the largest market cap companies beat on top and bottom line after close. Gross Margins peaked at 79% in April last year. Decelerating ever since. 73.5% this quarter guided to 71% next quarter. Don’t worry though they will go back up! Management says so! Big Tell in quarter was AR DSOs (Days sales outstanding) were 53 versus range of 35-40 last 4 quarters. Momentum is rolling and they are extending credit terms to make sales. Prediction: They will miss next quarter or the one after that is my guess… @JG_Nuke: Revenue growth of $4.2B QoQ with accounts receivable growing $5.4B QoQ. Literally all of their growth is in receivables even as their customers are taking longer to pay. They better hope that TD Cowen note on MSFT was wrong. (MSFT closing US data centers)
Despite the release of US economic data that increased recession angst on Thursday, the early market action was a reverse of Wednesday’s action. The DJIA and DJTA reversed their Wednesday declines with moderate rallies. Fangs, which soared on Wednesday in anticipation of NVDA nirvana, declined.
USHs declined moderately; oil and gasoline rallied sharply.
The market perceives that US tariffs will help US industrial companies but hurt US tech firms.
China expected to cut inflation outlook to two-decade low, lay out stimulus plans at ‘Two Sessions’ meet – The country’s annual parliamentary gathering, known as the “Two Sessions,” starts on Tuesday. Beijing is also expected to release its plans for spending on defense and technological development in the year ahead, along with details on private sector support… https://t.co/dJRgxcA0RW
ESHs traded modestly positive but sideways from the Nikkie opening until they broke higher during the final 30 minutes of Nikkei trading. ESHs then steadily rallied until a daily high of 6014.50 appeared at 7:39 ET. ESHs then commenced a decline that accelerated after the 8:30 ET release of economic data.
After hitting 5977.50 at 8:52 ET, conditioned buying for the NYSE opening boosted ESHs to 6007.25 at 9:34 ET. The dump then commenced; ESHs tumbled to a daily low of 5931.50 at 8:59 ET. Buy the early dip conditioned behavior propelled ESHs to 5991.75 at 10:23 ET. Sellers returned; ESHs sank to 5940.00 at 12:19 ET. A delayed Noon Balloon became an A-B-C rally that lifted ESHs to 5978.00 at 13:25 ET.
ESHs then tanked and hit a daily low of 5885.00 at 15:47 ET. A late manipulation quickly failed; ESHs sank to a new daily low of 5873.00 at 16:00 ET. NVDA traded -8.54% and closed -8.48%.
Positive aspects of previous session The DJIA and DJTA rallied moderately in the morning; but sank in the afternoon. Precious metals declined sharply.
Negative aspects of previous session Fangs got hammered; the Nvidia declined 8.48%. USHs declined as much 27/32 and were -16/32 at the NYSE close. Gasoline and oil rallied sharply. US stocks suffered even more technical damage. The Bitcoin/crypto bubble has burst! The Nvidia bubble is the process of bursting.
Ambiguous aspects of previous session Have US major equity indices peaked?
First Hour/Last Hour Action [S&P 500 Index]: 1st Hour from NYSE Open: Down; Last Hour: Down
Pivot Point for S&P 500 Index [above/below indicates daily trend to traders]: 5904.68 Previous session S&P 500 Index High/Low: 5993.69; 5858.78
US Supreme Court’s Roberts pauses judge’s order on Trump administration foreign aid funding U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a federal judge’s order requiring President Donald Trump’s administration to pay foreign aid funds to contractors and grant recipients…. Roberts asked for a response from the plaintiffs – organizations that contract with or receive grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department – by noon on Friday… https://t.co/gLR8wwuosM
RFK Jr. paused a $200m Biden-era contract to develop a new Covid vax due to safety concerns.
@elonmusk: There is a shortage of top-notch air traffic controllers. If you have retired, but are open to returning to work, please consider doing so. To be clear here, the Verizon communication system to air traffic control is breaking down very rapidly.The FAA assessment is single digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air traveler safety at serious risk. The Starlink terminals are being sent at NO COST to the taxpayer on an emergency basis to restore air traffic control connectivity. The situation is extremely dire.
Today – Conditioned traders will play for the Friday Rally. Beaucoup traders and investors desperately need February performance gaming. On the other side of the ledger: major equity indices have suffered severe technical damage.
We have warned in missives this week that major US equity indices were in a perilous technical state and were staving off Downside Big Mo by holding near 100-day moving averages.
On Wednesday, the DJIA closed sixty-three handles below that metric. Yesterday the DJIA closed 228 handles below it. The S&P 500 Index closed 88.46, or 1.5%, below its 100 DMA. Nasdaq closed 87 handles below its 150 DMA, its biggest 150 DMA breech since August 5, 2024. The DTJA closed 50 handles below its 200 DMA. NVDA closed 6.41points, or 5%, below its 200 DMA.
A week or so ago, we warned that most major indices have been trading sideways since early January, some since early-December. Now, equity indices are breaking down from what could be massive tops.
The really ugly possibility: Long-time readers know that we regularly note that ugly Thursday-Friday sequences can provoke really ugly Mondays. Stocks are in a perilous state! Be prepared!
@bespokeinvest: The Nasdaq 100 just had its fastest 5%+ decline from an all-time high (6 trading days) since September 2020.
Early on Thursday night, ESHs hit +13.75 and NQHs were +82.25 on Feb performance gaming; USHs were +21/32. At 19:10 ET, ESHs are +4.00; NQHs are + 35.00; and USHs are +19/32.
Expected economic data: Jan PCE 0.3% m/m & 2.5% y/y, Core PCE 0.3% m/m & 2.6% y/y; Jan Advance Goods Trade Balance -$116.7B; Jan Personal Income 0.4%, Spending 0.2%; Jan Wholesale Inventories 0.1% m/m; Feb Chicago PMI 40.8
S&P Index 50-day MA: 6001; 100-day MA: 5950; 150-day MA: 5814; 200-day MA: 5716 DJIA 50-day MA: 43,655; 100-day MA: 43,507; 150-day MA: 42,628; 200-day MA: 41,813 (Green is positive slope; Red is negative slope)
S&P 500 Index (5861.57 close) – BBG trading model Trender and MACD for key time frames Monthly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 5382.09 triggers a sell signal Weekly: Trender is positive; MACD is negative – a close below 5807.26 triggers a sell signal Daily: Trender and MACD are negative – a close above 6097.12 triggers a buy signal Hourly: Trender and MACD are negative – a close above 5970.72 triggers a buy signal
@MarioNawfal: EPSTEIN—FBI INFORMANT CONFIRMED – Newly released Epstein Files reveal that Jeffrey Epstein wasn’t just connected to intelligence—he was an FBI informant. Documents show he provided information to the bureau while under prosecution in Florida. https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1895251272741298486
New Jeffrey Epstein contact list includes Alec Baldwin, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger and RFK Jr.’s mom… notable entries including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mick Jagger, Prince Andrew, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, actor Alec Baldwin, singer Jimmy Buffet, industrialist David Koch and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger…https://trib.al/R4VRmge
@Timcast: The FBI NY appears to have gone rogue – AG Letter says FBI NY Is WITHHOLDING Critical Epstein Documents. This after reports that the FBI was secretly destroying Epstein documents https://x.com/Timcast/status/1895196506497654913
@CollinRugg: Attorney General Pam Bondi is launching an investigation after the FBI field office in New York allegedly withheld thousands of Epstein documents. Bondi says a source has come forward claiming the field office has thousands of pages of docs. (The NY FBI embarrassed its boss, the AG!) “I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents.” “Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein.” “Despite my repeated requests, the FBI never disclosed the existence of these files. When you and I spoke yesterday, you were just as surprised as I was to learn this new information.” https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1895198595709837436
Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks may have had accomplice, data shows, as investigators say FBI suppressing info – A veteran private investigator from Erie, Penn., who was hired shortly after the fateful July 13 event at Butler Farm to look into Crooks by a private client, told The Post he believes a “criminal network” was operating with him at the time of the assassination attempt, is still in existence and still wants to kill President Trump… https://nypost.com/2025/02/27/us-news/would-be-trump-assassin-thomas-matthew-crooks-may-have-had-accomplice-data-shows/
The FBI is staging an insurrection that is far worse than what occurred on January 6!
@kylenabecker: Maureen Comey, James Comey’s daughter, was the lead prosecutor at SDNY during the Epstein trials. She is currently a US Attorney prosecuting the Diddy trial.
Conspiracy Theories that are now facts: The FBI, CIA, and NSA are corrupted; there is serious fraud and waste in federal spending; there is massive vote fraud in the USA; and there is a criminal Deep State.
FBI Director, Kash Patel: “The FBI is entering a new era—one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice. There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned — and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued and brought to justice. If there are gaps in the Epstein investigation, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them.
We will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be. The oath we take is to the law and the Constitution, and under my leadership, that promise will be upheld without compromise.”
@libsoftiktok: REPORTER: You’re targeting people! TRUMP: “I was the target of corrupt politicians for four years and then four years after that. So don’t talk to me about targeting.” https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1894516090488660418
Whistleblower: There’s a Trans Cult Inside the NSA Trans activists have entrenched themselves in positions of power, pressured employees to undergo reeducation trainings, and compromised national security in the name of ideology. This is a sadly familiar story in many American institutions. But with the NSA, the stakes are higher… https://www.city-journal.org/article/nsa-whistleblower-trans-gender-ideology-dei
@kylenabecker: Government worker compares getting a real job to “living in North Korea.” This is why bureaucrats love government jobs: – Delusion of more importance than taxpayers – Pretend to “save the world” – No accountability to customers – Don’t need to answer to bosses – Nobody cares about saving taxpayer money – Nobody else will hire liberal arts/humanities majors – High pay and great benefits for cushy jobs That just about cover it? Well, welcome to the real world. https://x.com/kylenabecker/status/1894980272023629854
@paulsperry_: Meet couple running Indivisible’s anti-DOGE agitation op targeting GOP townhalls & flooding Hill phonelines: Leah Greenberg+Ezra Levin who have $11.7m war chest thx to $7.26m from Soros. Greenberg’s parents worked for Obama. 501(c)4 Indivisible pays a “DEI director” $155,163. https://t.co/19yQUICPrM
@DefiantWorld: Dem Rep. AOC: “Elon Musk is not a scientist, he is not an engineer. He is a billionaire con man with a lot of money. (Can’t make up this level of stupid!) “https://t.co/MOmBdqWEbG
Dems and their media allies have gotten away with abject lying and saying egregiously stupid Schiff for so long they keep escalating the magnitude of their lies and stupid utterances. Does their venomous rhetoric induce unstable people to commit acts of violence against Dem and media enemies?
Troll arrested for threatening to ‘gut’ Elon Musk and ‘parade his corpse through the streets’https://trib.al/C3TKZo2
If you think Dems are unhinged now over DOGE and Musk, just wait until they due a vote roll audit!
@CherylWroteIt: Outgoing Israeli Ambassador to the US Mike Herzog: “Former US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken decided to impose sanctions on Unit 504, one of the IDF’s most secret and important units, and we managed to prevent him from bringing down the axe at the last minute. The US State Department has an office dedicated solely to monitoring Israel’s use of American ammunition – such an office does not exist for any other country in the world. There are a great many anti-Israelis in the State Department who have put sticks in the wheels.”
Herzog made these remarks to Israel Hayom. Photo: Flash90 Pro-Palestine demonstrators take over New York’s Barnard College – The group demanded that the university reverses the expulsions, gives amnesty to all students disciplined for anti-Israel protests, sets a meeting with Barnard leadership, and abolishes the college’s disciplinary system… https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/pro-palestine-demonstrators-take-over-columbias-barnard-college
@elonmusk: If all people see is the legacy media, they are living in a fake reality…
King News weekend
The King Report June 25, 2018 Issue 5784
Independent View of the News
On Friday, the Nikkei tanked 1100.67 points or 2.88%. The Hang Seng cratered 3.28%; the CSI 300 declined 1.97%; the Shanghai Composite sank 1.98%; and the Shenzhen Composite tumbled 3.17%.
On Friday, US recession angst turned into recession fright.
@AtlantaFed: On February 28, the GDPNow model nowcast of real GDP growth in Q1 2025 is –1.5%.https://t.co/T7FoDdgYos
Commodities got hammered on concern about the US economy; bonds rallied modestly. Equities opened lower but rallied smartly on: Street shills forecasting Fed rates cuts and desperately needed manipulation to game February performance. US equity types dismissively ignored the Asian equity carnage.
ESHs traded moderately higher when the Nikkei opened on Friday. They quickly declined because of the Asian equity carnage. After hitting 5858.50 at 22:47 ET, ESHs jumped 5883.00 at 23:46 ET. They then traded sideways until the rally for the European opening began at 2:40 ET. ESHs plodded to 5899.00 at 6:39 ET and then rolled over. They sank to 5857.00 at 9:34 ET on the Atlanta Fed’s Q1 GDP report.
The usual suspects then aggressively bought stuff for the expected Friday Rally and February performance gaming. ESHs soared to a daily high of 5914.25 at 11:00 ET. But then, “Up jumped the devil!” Motivated sellers appeared; ESHs tumbled to a daily low 5848.00 at 13:21 ET.
An elongated A-B-C rally, with the ‘C’ wave being manipulation to game Feb performance, took ESHs to a new daily high of 5916.75 at 15:08 ET. After falling to 5900.25 at 15:22 ET, the final, and illegal, manipulation took ESHs to a daily high of 5971.00 at 15:59 ET (71 handles in 37 minutes).
ESHs on Friday, Central Time – Blatant and illegal manipulation to game Feb Performance
@dnystedt: Singapore has come under fire for becoming the 2nd biggest buyer of Nvidia AI chips in the world, after the US, with reports hinting the chips go straight to China… Singapore is special… for its data center boom, along with nearby Johor, Malaysia and Batam Island, Indonesia. Johor (JB) is a 45-minute drive from downtown Singapore. Batam Island is about a 45-minute ferry ride away. Many China AI firms set up offices in Singapore after US export rules were announced. The 3-nation setup for data centers is meant to keep the US busy, as export controls normally aim at specific locations. Hit one, another one is nearby… US data center management companies operate in those areas. US officials could get all the information needed from them. Another big reason for the Singapore data center boom is from the move out of Hong Kong, which China took over in blatant violation of The Basic Law.
@kakashiii111: Out of all NVIDIA subsidiaries as of January 26, 2025, NVIDIA considers three of them significant: 1. Mellanox – Networking Department 2. NVIDIA International, Inc. – NVIDIA as a whole, specifically U.S. operations 3. NVIDIA Singapore Pte Ltd – The King of Billing Location? Can we understand why Singapore is listed as significant? I’m not aware of any special R&D or operations in the Singapore office, and NVIDIA has never previously mentioned its Singapore subsidiary in such claims. Why is it listed as a significant subsidiary?https://x.com/kakashiii111/status/1895026841087275341
Hot take: GPT 4.5 is a nothing burger — Pure scaling in shambles Grok 3 didn’t fundamentally change things, and GPT 4.5 – which was probably supposed to be GPT 5 – didn’t either. On some measures, it’s barely better than the last version of Claude… Half a trillion dollars later, there is still no viable business model, profits are modest at best for everyone except Nvidia and some consulting forms, there’s still basically no moat, and still no GPT-5… https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/hot-take-gpt-45-is-a-nothing-burger
@RealEJAntoni: After huge downward revisions, the savings rate at the end of the Biden admin was almost 40% below pre-pandemic levels; the reason you shouldn’t compare the end of Biden’s term to when he took office is b/c savings were artificially inflated at that time, yielding a 76% loss: https://t.co/TgsR8sr64Z
On Friday, when asked about recession odds increasing, Treasury Sec. Bessent said, “We’re seeing the hangover from the excess spending in the Biden 4 years… In 6 to 12 months, it becomes Trump’s economy.”https://x.com/FinanceLancelot/status/1895580546212020509
Bessent’s rhetoric strongly implies that he and Trump see short term pain for the US economy. He later states that Trump’s deregulation and tax cuts will refurbish the economy and lower inflation.
Positive aspects of previous session US equities rallied on Feb performance gaming despite Asian carnage and US recession probability USHs were +28/32 at the NYSE close on manipulation to game Feb performance A highly illegal late ESH manipulation boosted equities to game Feb performance. Commodities declined sharply.
Negative aspects of previous session US recession concerns are rightly escalating.
Ambiguous aspects of previous session Have US major equity indices peaked?
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]: 5917.19 Previous session S&P 500 Index High/Low: 5959.40; 5837.66
The US judiciary is the most unrestrained, authoritarian branch of government, and needs reform ASAP.
Mississippi Judge Orders Newspaper to Remove Editorial Criticizing City Council The role of the government in bringing a libel action is particularly controversial and chilling. In New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court observed that “for good reason, ‘no court of last resort in this country has ever held, or even suggested, that prosecutions for libel on government have any place in the American system of jurisprudence.’”… https://www.zerohedge.com/political/mississippi-judge-orders-newspaper-remove-editorial-criticizing-city-council
@NickTimiraos: Fed research models the impact of a 20 pp increase in trade costs for all Chinese imports. Inflation rises by 0.5 pp over the first year. The increase in final goods prices is largely unwound after a year, but inflation remains persistently higher after that (by 0.1 pp) because higher costs of intermediate goods. “Our analysis finds that disruptions affecting trade in intermediate goods—a key component of global trade flows—are likely to have particularly persistent effects on inflation, as these disruptions lead to a decline in production efficiency and a sustained increase in marginal costs.” https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/how-do-trade-disruptions-affect-inflation-20250228.html
@DonMiami3: FY 2024 net Strip casino income dropped 40.4% y/y, Vegas is a hollowed out dump. Real revenue for Nevada casinos has never even gotten close to recovering the 2007 peak. 1/2007 nominal casino rev revenue was $1,235,480,000 versus 1/2025 of $1,468,000,000 In 2007 dollars, that’s just $952,933,000, or a 34.7% decline in real terms.
Former NIH director Francis Collins announces resignation from agency after perjury accusation Top FDA official becomes high-ranking Pfizer official, a typical exit for public health regulators, weeks after leaving to avoid Trump… Collins could be prosecuted for lying to Congress through his bad-faith summary of a systematic review of mask research in 2023 and omission of the anticlimactic conclusion of a 15-month internal review, which reaffirmed the paper’s original conclusion that masks “probably make little to no difference” against COVID or influenza, Thacker alleges… https://t.co/YV01TDxv6I
DJT threw a lifeline to investors he induced to buy cryptos: “A U.S. Crypto Reserve will elevate this critical industry after years of corrupt attacks by the Biden Administration… my Executive Order on Digital Assets directed the Presidential Working Group to move forward on a Crypto Strategic Reserve that includes XRP, SOL, and ADA… I will make sure the U.S. is the Crypto Capital of the World…BTC and ETH, as other valuable Cryptocurrencies, will be at the heart of the Reserve… (Bitcoin -1.6% at 20:15 ET) https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/02/trump-announces-strategic-crypto-reserve-including-bitcoin-solana-xrp-and-more.html
UK PM Starmer on Sunday: “The UK is prepared to back [peace deal] with boots on the ground and planes in the air together with others. Europe must do the heavy lifting.” https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1896259943184900188
Today – The blatant and egregiously illegal ESH manipulation on Friday put stocks at artificial levels. The usual suspects will play for the Monday Rally and start-of-March buying, notable at or near the NYSE close. But equities have broken down technically from what could be massive tops, and the odds of a US recession have increased substantially. After the upward season bias that ends today, look out!
ESHs traded to 5984.50 (+21.25) at 18:14 ET on the usual Sunday night buying. They sank to 5947.00 at 19:40 ET, probably on this: Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China will be imposed tomorrow.
Expected economic data: Feb S&P Global US Mfg. PMI 51.6; Feb ISM 50.5, Prices Paid 56.3, New Orders 54.6, Employment 50.1; Feb Wards Vehicle Sales 16.08m; Jan Construction Spending -0.1% m/.m; St. Louis Fed Pres Musalem 12:35 ET
S&P Index 50-day MA: 5999; 100-day MA: 5953; 150-day MA: 5817; 200-day MA: 5720 DJIA 50-day MA: 43,655; 100-day MA: 43,526; 150-day MA: 42,655; 200-day MA: 41,835 (Green is positive slope; Red is negative slope)
S&P 500 Index (5954.50 close) – BBG trading model Trender and MACD for key time frames Monthly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 5447.29 triggers a sell signal Weekly: Trender is positive; MACD is negative – a close below 5807.26 triggers a sell signal Daily: Trender and MACD are negative – a close above 6079.18 triggers a buy signal Hourly: Trender and MACD are positive – a close below 5830.17 triggers a sell signal
(On Sunday) Zelensky tells BBC Ukraine ‘ready to sign’ minerals deal with US… following his heated confrontation with Donald Trump on Friday… https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn5220x56pqt?s=02
EXCLUSIVE: Senior White House Officials Detail How Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Meeting Went Off the Rails – “This was set up to be like every other state visit…. [there’d be] the cordial handshake and take a couple questions and then go on to lunch,” … Administration officials… fully expected to reach a deal with Zelenskyy and to sign the long-awaited minerals deal during his visit on Friday… Forty minutes after sitting in the Oval, exchanging pleasantries, and taking questions from the press, an argument ensued. The Ukrainian president openly criticized the U.S. for not stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin. Vance shot back. Trump started to raise his voice. Zelenskyy repeatedly interrupted his hosts… After eight minutes of arguing, Trump decided that he had enough, signaling for the press to be moved out of the room… An administration official noted to the Caller that Zelenskyy was carrying himself in a “disrespectful manner” and had rolled his eyes and interrupted the president and his vice president multiple times. “There was a braggadocious hubris about him,” a senior White House aide told the Caller… Zelenskyy was “talking about security guarantees” and “getting ahead of what today was for, which was the economic deal.”… https://dailycaller.com/2025/02/28/white-house-officials-trump-zelenskyy-oval-office-meeting/?s=02
@amuse: Sec Rubio just got rug pulled. Zelensky assured him the mineral deal was locked in, and Rubio confidently told the president it was a done deal, with Zelensky visiting the White House to sign. Instead, Zelensky shifted the goalposts—demanding US ground troops, knowing Trump wouldn’t agree. Zelensky isn’t an honest broker. Obama’s team including Anthony Blinken, Victoria Nuland, Susan Rice, and Alexander Vindman advised Zelensky to reject Trump’s deal in violation of the Logan Act. (Huge if true!) U.S. Attorney (foe DC) Ed Martin @USAEdMartin: Concerning. No one is above the law.
@nedryun: If it’s true that Blinken, Rice, Nuland, and Vindman conference called with Zelenskyy on the flight to DC advising him to “stand strong” and “be tough” and “don’t let Trump bully you” it seems to have backfired. Perhaps FBI Director Patel should meet with those clowns for a debriefing after talking with a foreign head of state. Just a thought. (Investigation is necessary)
What was supposed to be a ceremonial signing of a mineral right deal turned into diplomatic disaster after Zelensky challenged and badgered Trump over US support for Ukraine and implied Putin appeasement. Apparently Zelensky thought he could play the moral authority card, which Dems, Permanent War Republicans, and the media granted him, and shame DJT in front of Americans to procure more aid.
VANCE: I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. You guys are forcing conscripts to the frontlines because you have manpower problems. You should be THANKING the president… ZELENSKY: Have you ever been to Ukraine? VANCE: … You bring people on a propaganda tour. Do you think it’s respectful to come to the U.S. Oval Office and attack the administration that’s trying to prevent the destruction of your country? ZELENSKY: Everybody has problems, even you, but you have a nice ocean and don’t feel it now – but you will feel it in the future. TRUMP: Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re gonna feel. You’re right now, not in a very good position. I gave you the Javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets… You got to be more thankful because let me tell you. You don’t have the cards right now – with us, you start having cards… You’re gambling with WWIII. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that’s backed you… https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1895535520836681851
@ClownWorld_: Zelensky calls VP JD Vance a сука (bitch) on a hot mic. This is the ‘leader’ who dares to insult our Vice President.https://t.co/OcUhGJkDAI
@shellenberger: Zelensky says he wants peace but he just rudely dismissed the Trump administration’s diplomacy as pointless. That angered Trump and @JDVance… Trump to Zelenskyy: “ I’ve empowered you to be a tough guy. And I don’t think you’d be a tough guy without the United States. And your people are very brave. But you’re either gonna make a deal, or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty, but you’ll fight it out. But you don’t have the cards. But once we sign that deal, you’re in a much better position. But you’re not acting at all thankful, and that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest, that’s not a nice thing. Alright, uh, I think we’ve seen enough.” The behavior of Zelenskyy is typical of Europe as a whole. Entitled. In denial of reality. Narcissistic. Unconcerned with our need to deal with many massive internal problems…
JD Vance to Zelensky: “Have you said thank you once? You went to Pennsylvania to campaign for the opposition.”
@MarioNawfal: Trump: We’re committed to NATO; but they need to step up. The Europeans have to step up more than they have…they’re in for far less than we’re in, and they should be at least equal.” https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1895523630223933853
On social media Trump posted, “… I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage. I want Peace. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.” https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114082877976878390
The scheduled DJT-Zelensky presser was then cancelled. The US-Ukraine minerals deal was not signed. Fox News reported that DJT asked Zelensky to leave the White House after their exchange and Zelensky, and Ukrainian officials, ‘begged’ Trump to try to work things out.
@DavidAsmanfox: Treasury Sec Bessent says Zelensky turned down 2 earlier opportunities to sign the minerals deal…once with him in Kiev, and once in Munich with Sec Rubio. This was his 3rd opportunity!
Babylon Bee: Zelensky Tries Bold New Strategy of Insulting the People He’s Begging for Money from https://buff.ly/4hUXNBG
Did US Senators’ relentlessly rump-kissing and appeasement of Zelensky create a delusional megalomania and a sense of brash entitlement in the Ukraine leader?
GOP Sen. @BasedMikeLee: Congress and President Biden contributed to this by sending the signal that Zelenskyy was somehow invincible, having devoted hundreds of billions of dollars to Zelenskyy’s efforts over the last three years.
@elonmusk: Zelensky destroyed himself in the eyes of the American people
Zelensky brushes off chance to apologize to Trump, says Ukraine’s freedom ‘not for sale’https://trib.al/YpuTiz7
The NY Post’s @mirandadevine: I feel sorry for the Ukrainian people that they’ve been led by this comedian creation of the psychopath oligarch Igor Kolomoiski, a CIA tool.
WaPo’s @John_Hudson: The Trump administration is considering ending all ongoing shipments of military aid to Ukraine in response to Zelensky’s remarks in the Oval Office on Friday and his perceived intransigence in the peace process, per senior administration official.
Fox’s @TreyYingst: This Oval Office exchange between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will be a reference point for months and years to come. Incredibly consequential.
GOP Rep. @realannapaulina: No funding to Ukraine. This gross disrespect will not stand. Time for everyone in Congress to drop their Ukraine pins.
@CollinRugg: Senator Lindsey Graham says… “I have never been more proud of the president. I was very proud of JD Vance standing up for our country.” “The way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the president was just over the top.” “What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful. And I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again.” (Graham was a huge Zelensky supporter)
Pro-Ukraine Sen. Lindsey Graham: Zelensky needs to ‘resign’ or ‘change’ after Oval Office clash with Trumphttps://trib.al/rajwmUM
@TuckerCarlson: One of the most striking things about yesterday’s Zelensky press conference was Lindsey Graham’s reaction to it. The two are old friends, but Graham disavowed him within the hour. This was more than just transactional disloyalty. It was scapegoating. Lindsey Graham knows what’s coming. Over the past three years, with the tacit support of its western patrons, the Ukrainian government has committed a remarkable number of serious crimes. The Ukrainians sold huge quantities of American weapons on the international black market at twenty cents on the dollar. These weapons are now in the hands of armed groups around the world, including Hamas, the Mexican drug cartels and the forces now controlling Syria. God knows what the Ukrainians have done with the pathogens in American biolabs in their country. Even US intel agencies aren’t sure. The Ukrainians have also murdered a number of people in various countries in political assassinations, and tried to murder others, including American journalists and a European head of state. This is all true, and it’s all going to come out at some point. Better to start blaming it on Zelensky now.
@EricLDaugh: Senator Lindsey Graham just fired back at Ukrainian President Zelensky. Zelensky said if Graham wants him to resign, he can move to Ukraine for his voice to have “weight.” GRAHAM: “Until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine.”
@lsferguson: Edward Lawrence of Fox Business was with Treasury Secretary Bessent in Kiev. He shared that Bessent got into a heated row with Zelensky as well (Feb 12). Zelensky is a grifter that was used to dealing with marks like Biden and Yellen.
Dems and the EU media slammed DJT for castigating Zelensky. EU leaders offered support to Ukraine.
GOP Sen. @Eric_Schmitt: Pay attention today to who defends Zelenskyy and who defends America.
@AlexMarlow: The establishment media and the Democrat party are openly rooting for a foreign government over our own. Let that sink in. (All Dems have is Trump hate. It’s their core belief!)
ZH: Following Ukrainian President Zelensky’s absolute car crash of a visit to President Trump and JD Vance at the White House,European globalists all creepily posted the same robotic message to X in support of Zelensky… “Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa. We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.” https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/hive-mind-globalists-all-post-same-x-message-after-zelenskys-oval-office-humiliation
@WallStreetMav: Someone ordered the top leaders in the EU to all send the exact same post with identical wording. 1) are they so stupid they thought nobody would find it odd that they were all using the EXACT same wording? 2) who ordered them all to do this, and why did they obey?https://t.co/SqiUTVVmGE
Lux PM @LucFrieden: Luxembourg stands with Ukraine. You are fighting for your freedom and a rules based international order. @ezralevant: Luxembourg has a grand total of 939 people in its army.
Belgium PM @Bart_DeWever: We stand behind Ukraine & the Ukrainian people in their fight to defend themselves against an unprovoked Russian aggression. Their fight is our fight. United we are strong. Ex-DNI @RichardGrenell: You spent 1.3% of your GDP on defense last year. Your country committed to spend 2% back in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea. 11 years later and you still aren’t paying your fair share.
@elonmusk: Leaders and diplomats enjoy Michelin-starred meals, while soldiers die in trenches
@nicksortor: Trump just SLAMMED Zelensky as he boarded Marine One heading to Mar-a-Lago “He overplayed his hand. We want PEACE. We don’t want to play [Zelensky’s] games. He’s looking for something I’m not looking for. I don’t want a 10 year war! I want PEACE! This is man who wants to keep us fighting. We’re not doing that.” https://x.com/nicksortor/status/1895605204529397934
CBS’s @JenniferJJacobs: US senators warned Zelenskyy as recently as this morning not to try to litigate with Trump. Teams were already working ahead to get to a more detailed level of agreement for Ukraine after today’s minerals deal, but the damage done in Oval Office was serious, sources told me.
@VDHanson: Ten bad takeaways from the Zelenskyy blow-up 1. Zelenskyy does not grasp—or deliberately ignores—the bitter truth: those with whom he feels most affinity (Western globalists, the American Left, the Europeans) have little power in 2025 to help him. And those with whom he obviously does not like or seeks to embarrass… alone have the power to save him. For his own sake, I hope he is not being “briefed” by the Obama-Clinton-Biden gang to confront Trump, given their interests are not really Ukraine’s as they feign. 2. Zelenskyy acts as if his agendas and ours are identical. So, he keeps insisting that he is fighting for us despite our two-ocean-distance that he mocks. We do have many shared interests with Ukraine, but not all by any means: Trump wants to “reset” with Russia and triangulate it against China… 3. The Europeans (and Canada) are now talking loudly of a new muscular antithesis, independent of the U.S. Promises, promises—given that would require Europeans to prune back their social welfare state, frack, use nuclear, stop the green obsessions, and spend 3-5 percent of their GDP on defense… 4. Zelenskyy must know that all of the once deal-stopping issues to peace have been de facto settled:Ukraine is now better armed than most NATO nations, but will not be in NATO; and no president has or will ever supply Ukraine with the armed wherewithal to take back the Donbass and Crimea. So, the only two issues are a) how far will Putin be willing to withdraw to his 2022 borders and b) how will he be deterred? The first is answered by a commercial sector/tripwire, joint Ukrainian-US-Europe resource development corridor in Eastern Ukraine, coupled with a Korea-like DMZ; the second by the fact that Putin unlike his 2008 and 2014 invasions has now lost a million dead and wounded to a Ukraine that will remain thusly armed. 5. What are Zelenskyy’s alternatives without much U.S. help—wait for a return of the Democrats to the White House in four years? Hope for a rearmed Europe? Pray for a Democratic House and a 3rd Vindman-like engineered Trump impeachment? Or swallow his pride, return to the White House, sign the rare-earth minerals deal, invite in the Euros (are they seriously willing to patrol a DMZ?), and hope Trump can warn Putin, as he did successfully between 2017-21, not to dare try it again? 6. If there is a cease fire, a commercial deal, a Euro ground presence, and influx of Western companies into Ukraine, would there be elections? And if so, would Zelenskyy and his party win? And if not, would there be a successor transparent government that would reveal exactly where all the Western financial aid money went? 7. Zelenskyy might see a model in Netanyahu. The Biden Administration was far harder on him than Trump is on Ukraine… Netanyahu certainly would never before the global media have interrupted, and berated a host and patron president in the White House. 8. If Ukraine has alienated the U.S. what then is its strategic victory plan? Wait around for more Euros? Hold off an increasingly invigorated Russian military? Cede more territory? What, then, exactly are Zelenskyy’s cards he seems to think are a winning hand? 9. If one views carefully all the 50-minute tape, most of it was going quite well—until Zelenskyy started correcting Vance firstly, and Trump secondly. By Ukraine-splaining to his hosts, and by his gestures, tone, and interruptions, he made it clear that he assumed that Trump was just more of the same compliant, clueless moneybags Biden waxen effigy… 10. March 2025 is not March 2022, after the heroic saving of Kyiv—but three years and 1.5 million dead and wounded later. Zelenskyy is no longer the international heartthrob with the glamorous entourage. He has postponed elections, outlawed opposition media and parties, suspended habeas corpus and walked out of negotiations when he had an even hand in Spring 2022 and apparently even now when he does not in Spring 2025.
@ricwe123: In 2013, John McCain stood in Kyiv, openly telling CNN that the US delegation was there to “orchestrate” a regime change in Ukraine. He even expressed his deep satisfaction that Victoria Nuland was right there beside him, helping to pull the strings on this joyful operation… https://x.com/ricwe123/status/1895870698125689025
@MyLordBebo: EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas wants to break up Russian into small states and introduce change! What she says is actually good for the EU, it became the monster it was fighting. https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1896201275815174237
@visegrad24: Von der Leyen speaks after the London emergency summit on Ukraine. She says there were 2 main topics discussed: 1. Comprehensive security guarantees for , incl. making it possible for Ukraine to become “a steel porcupine indigestible for aggressors” 2. Rearming Europe
@seanmdav: Remember the videos of pranksters going to the homes of people who openly supported illegal immigration and asking them to house an illegal? And the people freaked out? Somebody needs to do that with Ukraine flag houses and Ukraine foreign legion enlistment forms.
FBI Finally Returns Trump’s Belongings Confiscated During 2022 Mar-a-Lago Raidhttps://t.co/Wg8AIJ8kVd
Biden insider breaks cover to blow the lid on huge cover up in the White House A former Biden administration official accused his former colleagues of ‘gaslighting’ journalists and voters by denying the truth about the president’s advancing age and frailty. Jill Biden’s former press secretary Michael LaRosa has lifted the lid on how he saw it go down. He said much of the blame should be leveled at officials who attacked anyone asking questions about Biden’s age… ‘And I will use the term gaslighting because that’s what they were doing…’ https://t.co/6ILPJIOYjg
Babylon Bee: Trump Assures PM Starmer England Still His Favorite Muslim Countryhttps://buff.ly/3QEwjnV
@kylenabecker: Musk really has George Soros figured out. “George Soros is a systems hacker. He is a genius arbitrager. He figured out that you could leverage a small amount of money to create a non-profit then lobby politicians to send a ton of money to that non profit so you can take what might be a $10M donation and leverage it into a $1B NGO.” “Then the government continues to fund it every year, and it will have a nice sounding name like ‘The Institute for Peace,’ but really it’s a grafting machine.” https://x.com/kylenabecker/status/1895574530229240205
@AutismCapital: ELON MUSK: “I’m at the top of a list for a lot of homicidal maniacs. They’re doing the same thing to me that they did to Trump. They’re making it seem like if you kill me you’ll be a hero.What they’re doing is evil. (Dems and MSM induce hatred plus and are never held accountable for it!) ROGAN: “They’re also distorting who you are and people are going along with it. The same was they have TDS they now have EDS.” ELON: “I’m the same person I was a year ago, nothing has changed. I didn’t suddenly become a different human. But if you read the legacy mainstream media their propaganda stream is that I’m a completely different human. Two years ago, I’m a hero of the left. So how can I go from hero to villain at age 53.”…https://x.com/AutismCapital/status/1895668750395101648
@MilaLovesJoe: Actor George Lopez offers to assassinate President Trump. Until a celebrity is LOCKED UP for threats this will continue to happen. https://t.co/r4PwdCMnII
@DefiantLs: That’s unbelievable. Watch Boston officials give condolences to a knife-wielding attacker who was fatally shot by a Boston off-duty cop. The man chased and tried to stab people before the off-duty officer shot him. https://x.com/DefiantLs/status/1896175516211941610
Only an arrogant politician with NO private sector experience, like Chuckles, would have the gall to criticize and mock one of the greatest entrepreneurs and businessmen in history. What does Chuckles know about business approaches and practices?
@JerryDunleavy: Bill Murray on @JoeRogan podcast: “So when I read ‘Wired’ by whatshisname, Bob Woodward, about John Belushi, I read like five pages of ‘Wired’ & I went, ‘Oh my God, they framed Nixon.’ …If he did this to Belushi, what he did to Nixon is probably soiled for me too.” Interesting! https://x.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1895935122907808069
SWAMP STORIES
Bessent “Shocked” By Scale Of Fraud Already Uncovered By DOGE, Mocks MSM’s Biden “Vibecession” Narrative
Monday, Mar 03, 2025 – 08:10 AM
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did the mainstream media press tour this weekend, clarifying two critical bullshit talking points to the propagandists: first, DOGE is doing a good job; and second, the US economy faces some significant headwinds as a hangover from ‘Bidenomics’ spendfest.
Speaking in a Feb. 28 interview on Bloomberg Podcasts, Bessent was asked whether DOGE’s cost-cutting measures would have a “material” impact on deficit reduction.
“I think we can make a pretty big hit here,” he replied, explaining that if DOGE identifies $300 billion in savings – which he suggested is possible – it could reduce the annual deficit by approximately 1 percentage point as a share of gross domestic product (GDP).
Even if the savings total only $150 billion, he said, this is still “moving us back toward the target, and we’re determined to get this down.”
As The Epoch Times’ Tom Ozimek reports, Bessent emphasized that DOGE, which was tasked by President Donald Trump with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending, has already uncovered substantial inefficiencies—and a surprising amount of outright fraud.
When in comes to “waste, fraud, and abuse, I think most of us think in terms of waste and abuse,” Bessent said.
“I’ve got to tell you that I’m slightly shocked at some of the fraud we’re finding, and you’re going to be hearing about more of that over the next couple of weeks.”
As for the ultimate savings that DOGE will deliver, Bessent said:
“We’ll see.”
DOGE, led by Elon Musk in a special government role, has an 18-month mandate to slash $2 trillion in federal spending before its scheduled dissolution on Independence Day 2026. Musk has acknowledged the ambitious nature of this goal, saying that even cutting half that amount would be a major step toward reducing inefficiency and lowering deficits.
Over the past month, Musk and DOGE staffers have moved aggressively to pursue reforms across federal agencies, reporting $65 billion in savings through canceled grants, asset sales, workforce reductions, and terminated contracts and leases.
Trump recently urged Musk to push even harder to root out waste and fraud. He also signed an executive order directing federal agencies to work with DOGE to eliminate costly or duplicative regulations, further accelerating its deficit-cutting mission.
“We either solve the deficit, or all we’ll be doing is paying debt,” Musk said in a recent interview with Fox News. “It’s not optional. America will go bankrupt if this is not done.”
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the federal deficit is projected to average $1.9 trillion per year between 2025 and 2034, or approximately 5.4 percent of GDP over that period. If DOGE’s projected $300 billion in savings materializes—a figure Bessent said was not out of the question—it would lower the deficit to $1.6 trillion and reduce the deficit-to-GDP ratio by nearly 1 percentage point, improving fiscal sustainability.
The CBO has warned that persistently high debt could slow economic growth, increase interest payments to foreign creditors, heighten the risk of a fiscal crisis, and limit policymakers’ ability to respond to future downturns. It has stressed that lawmakers must pursue comprehensive fiscal reforms, including spending cuts, revenue increases, or a combination of both, to put the budget on a sustainable long-term path.
Meanwhile, DOGE’s aggressive efforts have drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress, who accuse the agency of overstepping its authority and operating without sufficient oversight or transparency. The agency also faces multiple lawsuits, some challenging its access to federal data and others questioning its constitutional legitimacy.
Despite the legal and political battles, DOGE appears to have significant public support. A recent poll of Epoch Times readers found overwhelming backing for DOGE and the Trump administration’s push to curb waste, fraud, and abuse. At the same time, respondents called for greater visibility into DOGE’s findings, with some demanding greater accountability—including the prosecution of individuals found to have engaged in fraud.
Bessent’s remarks suggest that such accountability may be on the horizon.
The second part of Bessent’s anti-propaganda tour focused on the current ‘growth scare’-driven-by-DOGE-narrative (as we saw Atlanta Fed’s GDPNOW indicator plunge into recession on Friday):
What is lost on most was the reason for this precipitous decline was a surge in imports (relative to exports), which can simply be blamed on US firms front-running Trump’s tariff threats and bringing in goods before costs rise.
The January Goods Trade Deficit fell to a record -$153 billion versus expectations of -$116 billion. Moreover, as we share below, courtesy of MacroBond, the monthly decline of $31 billion is more than double any other instance since 1955. Imports rose by 12% while exports increased by 2%. The steep decline in the trade deficit is primarily due to US companies front-running tariffs. Approximately $22 billion of the $31 billion, or about two-thirds of the decline, came from industrial supplies. Consumer goods ($4 billion), food and beverages ($2 billion), and other goods ($2.3 billion) account for the bulk of the rest of the change. A similar large trade deficit will likely be reported for February.
The steep decline, mainly due to tariffs, will likely normalize over the coming months. The import demand will be less than typical as inventories for specific products are now bloated for those frontrunning the tariffs.
The all-too-convenient narrative is, of course, that this is all Trump (and Musk’s) fault.
Bessent explained to ‘Face The Nation’ in his stoic and unflappable manner, that this is all bullshit (our word, not his):
“What I find interesting is, for the past year & a half, & during the campaign, most of the media said, ‘Oh, the economy is great. It’s just a vibecession.’ Now that President Trump’s in office, there’s an ‘economic problem.'”
“It took 4 years to get us here. President Trump’s been in office 5 weeks & I can tell you we’re working everyday…”
SEC. BESSENT: "What I find interesting is, for the past year & a half, & during the campaign, most of the media said, 'Oh, the economy is great. It's just a vibecession.' Now that President Trump's in office, there's an 'economic problem.'"
Legendary financial and geopolitical cycle analyst Martin Armstrong is back with a new warning about war coming to Europe. You may have seen the heated exchange between President Trump and President Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday. If not, you should. Some of the Trump highlights are: “President Zelensky is not ready for peace. . . (Zelensky is) gambling with WWIII, and You either make a deal or we are out.” It looks like Zelensky intentionally started a fight with Trump in the White House. It also looks like every country in Europe is backing more war in Ukraine. And now, there is renewed talk of an EU army. Armstrong says, “Why? Because they all are facing the collapse of the European Union. The debt is just unbelievable. They never consolidated. Between Covid, Climate Change and sanctions on Russia, the German economy has shrunk . . . 3% to 5%. The economic growth (of the EU) is appalling. Europe is falling, and this is why they need war. So, they are backing Zelensky.”
In a new report released yesterday, Armstrong lays out the case why war in Europe is coming and coming soon. Armstrong points out, “In this report, I gathered a bunch of headlines: London Financial Times, what’s the headline? ‘America is Now the Enemy of the West.’ This is why Trump is saying ‘We are out.’ Zelensky has admitted that 58% of the $350 billion the US gave him is missing. You cut the funding, and you are going to find out the truth. Trump should cut every single penny. Bring it all out. Zelensky is counting on Europe to replace the United States. This is why he’s so arrogant. . . . Trump should get the hell out of NATO–ASAP.”
So, why are all these reports coming out in the last few months about gold coming to America from Europe? Armstrong says, “Last week, I was on the phone, and I can’t tell you how much, but when you are about to go into war, capital moves. . . . Right now, I am concerned from about May 15th on. . . . Our computer (Socrates) says Europe is going into war, and I put it into this report, Europe will lose. . . . This is why the gold is coming to America.”
Armstrong also contends you can forget about predictions of the US dollar collapsing anytime soon—it won’t. Armstrong says, “The Euro will become extinct.”
Armstrong also predicts, “I published what the computer “Socrates” put out on Ukraine. It’s a flatline, and I have never seen that on any other country. It’s a flatline. It’s going dead. That’s it.”
Did the election of President Trump stop a thermonuclear exchange with Russia? Armstrong says, “Absolutely! You had Dick Cheney endorsing Kamala. . . . Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger were on the J6 Committee. Both of them are Neocons. Adam Kinzinger said ‘We could defeat Russia in three days.’ They put out nothing but propaganda all the time.”
There is much more in the 70-minute in-depth interview.
Max WalkerFebruary 28, 20250 Comments
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