We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
What might the next pandemic be?
The next one might be like the last one: it could originate in the banking sector. Earlier this month, I detailed how the COVID 19 pandemic coincided with a gathering collapse in the banking sector.
ECB’s Christine Lagarde soils self
On Tuesday last week (two days before the baroness’s inquiry report was published), the ECB issued a warning that Euro zone banks must prepare for unprecedented shocks causing severe disruptions with far-reaching consequences for financial systems. This is very unusual: banks, especially central ones, usually go out of their way to reassure us that the system is sound, there’s nothing to worry about and we can safely disperse: nothing to see here.
Now they appear to have soiled themselves for some reason (liquidity drying up + a shortage of high quality collateral since the selfish Russians won’t let us have their natural resources). This is probably where that “next pandemic” is brewing up and why it may be necessary to go hard and fast with lockdowns 2.0
We’ve been in a health emergency for 10 weeks now!
The looming banking virus may also be the reason why back in September, European Commission President, the crooked and dishonourable Ursula von der Leyen thought it appropriate to announce in her State of the Union speech before the EU parliament that “We are on the brink, if not even at the start of another global health crisis.” If that was true (of course it was, Ms. von der Leyen wouldn’t lie to us about such serious things!), we’ve been in a new global health crisis for over 10 weeks now. It would be interesting to learn why they’ve done exactly nothing about this global health crisis yet.
It may be that the contagion from the ECB, BOE, BOJ and the Fed could begin to spread rapidly, necessitating urgent and “stringent” measures. The consequences could be similar as in the early 2020, including major dislocations in global financial and commodities markets. Studying the price charts of gold, silver, copper, crude oil, currency pairs, treasury bonds, and equity markets could provide valid guidance for the next “pandemic.”
However, the more radical measures this time could include even the closure of markets and banks that could last days, weeks or months (as in the UK after the breakout of World War I). The troubling part is that this will probably have to be a complete ambush: they won’t be able to preannounce their measures in advance, implying that we have to prepare before the proverbial excrement hits the fan, with adequate amounts of cash on hand, non-perishable foods and fuel for heating and transport. It is entirely possible that the Internet might go down to prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation too. I suspect that Ukraine’s capitulation and an armistice favorable to Russia could exacerbate the public health crisis Ms. von der Leyen already foreshadowed. https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/are-new-and-improved-lockdowns-coming
Ukrainian forces have begun training and testing exoskeletons for battlefield use. Soldiers from the 147th Separate Artillery Brigade are using them in the Pokrovsk sector for both logistics and frontline operations. The goal is to reduce physical strain, especially when loading heavy artillery shells into howitzers without automatic loaders. Artillery crews can handle up to 1200 kg of ammunition per day, and early tests show that exoskeletons help them work faster and with less fatigue Above all, by improving the conditions for those soldiers on the front lines who handle such heavy loads, plus the stress of work. Seeking to reduce overall fatigue in the troops
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🇮🇷🇮🇱 - 14 wounded in Iranian missile strike in central Israel, according to Israeli media.
🇬🇧🇮🇶 - A drone struck British Castrol oil warehouses in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, causing extensive damage.
🇮🇷🇮🇱 - Iran launched 9 missiles towards Israel this morning alone, with at least 3 of them being cluster missiles.
🇱🇧🇮🇱 - Over the past 12 hours, Hezbollah launched counterattacks in Khiam and Qantara, in the Nabatieh direction, southeast Lebanon. Hezbollah recaptured northern Khiam, with fighting ongoing for the south of the town. Hezbollah units also re-entered Qantara; frontline sources reported clashes in the center of the town last night.
🇱🇧🇮🇱 - 48 IDF soldiers have been wounded in clashes with Hezbollah over the last 24 hours in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli Army.
🇱🇧🇮🇱 - "The Israeli army is barely catching its breath in southern Lebanon, and its resources are less than in the previous round of fighting," - Haaretz....
🇺🇸 Blue Owl Capital just disclosed that investors tried to pull 40.7% of one fund and 21.9% of another in a single quarter, and both funds gave the same answer, you can only have 5% back, and everyone else waits in line.
This is a bank run, not a normal withdrawal.
Wall Street spent the last decade selling millions of investors on something called semi-liquid private credit, higher yields, steady income and the promise you could get your money back every quarter if you needed it. What they buried in the fine print was what happens when too many people try to leave at the same time.
Analysts who have covered private credit for decades say nothing on this scale has ever been reported before at any major private credit manager.
These funds do not hold stocks you can sell on a Tuesday afternoon, they hold private loans to mid sized companies that cannot be liquidated quickly without destroying the price for every investor still trapped inside.
This product was originally designed for ...
🇺🇸 President Trump wants to switch to war economy in 2027 with massive increase in military spending and massive cuts to healthcare and other domestic agencies
Once a deficit hawk — he said in 2016 that he thought he could balance the budget in five years — Trump ended his first term with $7.8 trillion in added debt. His 2027 proposal is expected to give an update on 10-year deficit projections currently estimated at around $16 trillion.
The GOP's message for the Midterms will be focused on the "need" for a massive defense build up while the Democrats' message will be focused on affordability.
The fiscal 2027 budget will be the first time Trump puts his second-term governing agenda into one comprehensive document — with the numbers to back it up. The budget he released last year lacked detailed line-by-line spending targets and the economic assumptions necessary to project the long-term cost of his proposals.
Investors in US Treasuries will be looking to see if the debt and ...
