Not only should we blame China for this virus (second time around with them, which shows criminal negligence), but we should BREAK with China, a communist country with concentration camps.
Question
What do you really know and how do you know it?
Bale Out Nation
The negative side to all the various bale outs by the Federal Reserve and the government: more crony capitalism where weak companies that should fail and just disappear are kept alive. Why there has been such poor growth in the last 10 years — all these zombie companies that are unproductive. Bale out nation — that’s how you undermine capitalism. Assets are spent on unproductive companies.
Federal Reserve Takes Action
Pretty blatant market control by the Federal Reserve. Will be interesting to see if their market manipulation works and prevents a collapse. Their 2.3 trillion this morning reversed the futures from negative to strong positive. 2787 is a 50% retracement from the lows. If it gets as far as 2850, the bullish case takes over. Otherwise, it’s a bear trap. If it starts to fall again, the next leg down is going to be truly terrible, as this rally is all based on funny money from the Federal Reserve — it worked in 2008/9, will it work again? Earnings start on Tuesday with JPM. Not surprising the Fed sprang another 2.3 trillion this morning as unemployment went up another 6.6 million people in just a week. It’s really no long about coronavirus, as the plateaus are in for the virus — it’s about the economic devastation that it will bring now and for the next 5 months minimum. The unemployment rate may get to 20%. That’s what the Fed is reacting to.
Economic Recovery?
Will the Federal Reserve and the Treasury just paper over this financial crisis with tons of dollars like they did in 2008 so there is no collapse or will the collapse happen anyway? That’s the question.
A Retiree and the Virus
Trying to limit my trips to the supermarket to one trip per week to reduce exposure. As a retiree, it’s my only contact with people, so it’s my one serious risk. When the pandemic gets much worse, I may not go at all.
I’ve ordered masks online but after I ordered them found out they are made in China. Dang. China not known for quality control, to say the least. Would be pretty ironic to catch the virus from one of these masks from China. Not sure if I’m going to use them or not. I may just let them sit for a week or so to make sure they aren’t contaminated.
Strange virus if you think about it. So many who are infected are asymptomatic but then the virus is also a killer — go figure. The obvious question is why are some people asymptomatic? Must have something to do with the strength of their immune system, I would guess. But what exactly? Is anyone asking that question?
Penalty for Coronavirus?
A senator suggested that China nullify its 1.1 trillion in treasury holdings as repayment for the cost of their virus to the US. We should just stop payment of their interest. You could forgive the first time this happened with SARS, but a second time means willful negligence on their part imo.
Stock Market Bulls
All time high in the stock market, 3386, occurred on Feb. 19 — about a full month AFTER the US discovered there had been a terrible outbreak of the coronavirus in China. For that whole month, the market kept going higher despite the obvious threat this posed. Anyone with any kind of insight into that threat should have been selling, not buying. Hindsight is 20/20; foresight is 0/20.
How Coronavirus Kills
From what I’ve been able to piece together, the virus invades the lungs and ultimately leads to pneumonia. Pneumonia kills by causing a severe inflammation in the alveoli, and this inflammation fills the alveoli with so much liquid that oxygen can no longer traverse the alveoli and enter the blood vessels, so the person in effect suffocates.
What I’ve come across that’s interesting here is that vitamin D has a protective effect against upper respiratory infections. Don’t know how this happens or why, but I wonder whether getting adequate amounts of vitamin D might mitigate a coronavirus infection in the lungs to the point where the person does not have a pneumonia phase. Just a thought.
Would be interesting to know just how vitamin D fights against and mitigates upper respiratory illnesses.
What’s Up?
Doing nothing is doing something.
Henry's Views 