Happy Chinese New Year ... The Year of the Tiger
Is it Racist to call it Chinese New Year? .. Should I call it Lunar New Year? .... If Trump called it Chinese New Year would CNN do 100 hours about how that is leading to more Asian attacks in San Francisco?? .. and..
The year of the Tiger? Ya think that means Tiger Woods returns? No way at Augusta.. its too hilly.. But, the Open Championship is at St. Andrews. Flat as a pancake. ..Hmmmmm
Freedom Convoy
I guess I should have been covering the "Canadian Convoy for Freedom" story.
Apparently, a group of "anti-COVID Mandates" Canadian truckers organized a convoy from Vancouver to Ottawa. They started on Jan 23rd and arrived in Ottawa this weekend. .. and Oh My .. I had NO idea how Left Wing Woke their PM Trudeau is..
Trudeau said ALL KINDS of things that were just plain wrong. As in ..Not true. Didn't happen.. "Canadians were shocked and disgusted" .. umm.. No they weren't. Some TV people and politicians were.. "We won't cave to those that engage in vandalism and dishonor the memory of our veterans". AHAHAH.. WHAT? A few Canadians were having a beer standing at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier protesting for FREEDOM. .. The so-called "vandalism" like putting "No Mandates" hats on statues was cleaned up by the protestors before they left..
Hey Trudeau .. WAY more damage happened at BLM protests that YOU ATTENDED and/or condoned .. Not to say that BLM protests were all violent.. They weren't .. but.. if you compare the amount of damage.. There was more on June 5 2020 in Ottawa than this weekend.. (ALSO. You should all know. In order to check that.. I had to exit Google and Chrome.. Open Firefox and use Duck Duck Go as a search engine. Google came up empty with "BLM Ottawa June 5 Trudeau vandalism" .. IMAGINE THAT !!!!) .. ..
Trudeau made the protest into some kind of attack. He called the truckers, "an insult to the truth" .. he called them a "fringe group".. but judging by the number of trucks and the enormous crowds of other "covid restriction demonstrators" that showed up in Ottawa to meet them.. I think its PM Trudeau and Mayor of Ottawa that are the "fringe group" ..
The woke idiots in Canadian Parliament and their version of the Loser Media (CBC and The Toronto star) pushed a narrative that the protestors were Nazis and white supremacists. (There was ONE dude with a Confederate flag so they took a picture and ran the story.. then later video emerged showing the guy was a plant .. and the crowd protesting the lockdown told him to get lost.) ..
The CBC even suggested RUSSIA was behind the protest. (Because Canada is supporting Ukraine).. and for the record you dopes, The drawing of the Swastika on the Canadian Flag was an assertion that TRUDEAU was acting like a Nazi.. not SUPPORT for the Nazis.. MORONS ..and..
Hey CBC and Trudeau and other idiots in Canada.. The protestors are TIRED of STUPID and UNNECESSARY mandates and lockdowns. You can get vaccinated .. and then you're OK .. You're likely go get Omicron at some point but it won't kill you and is unlikely to even send you to the hospital if you're vaccinated... Lockdowns should be over... and if people elect not to get vaccinated, that is on. THEM. Those that disagree with this paragraph are either ignorant lemmings that ignore overwhelming data and listen to the Panic Patrol .. or Power grabbing despotic tyrants who can't help themselves because they need to LORD over people and be in charge.
Trudeau is a disgrace to treat these Canadian citizens like criminals. He went to "safe house" in an undisclosed location for "security purposes" ..Turned out to be "Not so Safe" ..Trudeau now has COVID. HAHAHAHA ..AHAHAHAHA...AHAHHAH.. How's that for Ironic !!??!?!?!
Maybe when he gets better after having a cough for two days he'll get less "woke", stop ignoring the data .. and ease some regulations? .. Don't bet on it..
100,000 .. That is the number of diabetes deaths in the USA in 2021. Now, I dunno.. is that died WITH diabetes or FROM diabetes.. its hard to get good data!!
Its February.. which means.. Here come the Olympics .. Russia has be banned by the IOC for breaking the rules too many times... doping.. etc.. BUT.. The IOC is letting all the Russian ATHLETES participate.. just under the "Russian Olympic Committee" not the "Russian Flag" .. In what WORLD is that ok? It's all the same people.. the same coaches.. the same cheaters.. .. Hey IOC .. You're weak, pathetic losers .. your ban is not a ban at all ..
Tuesday RIPs:
A Sad Goodbye to Charlie Brown .. the original voice actor for Charlie Brown, Peter Robbins, dead at 65. Committed suicide... In another sad suicide.. Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, 30 died when she jumped from her 60 story apartment building in NYC. Her last post was about it being "tough getting older" .. RIP to Kathy Kates, 73 actress in Seinfeld and Orange is the new black.. RIP to actor Morgan Stevens, 70 from Melrose Place and "Fame" .. RIP to Mets Pitcher Jeff Innis, 59 of cancer.. and a Goodbye to Dr. Johnny Fever of WKRP in Cincinnati. Actor Howard Hesseman, 81. ..and..
A special RIP to fun internet word game "Wordle" .. No, it's not dead yet.. but the pathetic ny times just bought it.. so.. it will be dead or ruined VERY soon..
SPORTS:
GOLF: PGA TOUR: Its the Crosby .. or the Clambake .. and now the AT&T Pro-Am from Pebble Beach. Bill Murray will be there golfing and entertaining.. Also, QB Josh Allen .. and "Check his handicap" Larry Fitzgerald.. Macklemore.. and Mia Hamm !! ..and
The Euros are in the United Arab Emirates for the Ras al Khaimah Championship..
Going through the Process .. That's what Tom Brady said about rumors of his retirement. He came on a podcast and announced he had nothing to announce. He was a little angry his "quiet week after the season" was disrupted.. Like I said .. he'll make his "decision" after his $15 million check clears..
CELEBRIDIOTS:
49er Running back Kyle Juszczyk just wanted some McDonald's chicken nuggets and fries as "Comfort food" after their loss Sunday. Only the drive-thru was open and their bus couldn't fit.. so they walked through the drive thru and ordered.. The guy at McDonald's responded, "Jimmy just wanted a ring.. now he's not gonna get it" (Meaning 49er QB Jimmy Garafallo). .. HAHAHAH.. The McDonald's Drive-thru guy was obviously a Rams Fan !!! .. so..
Why am I telling you this and why is this not in the Sports Section? Kyle Juszczyk's wife Kristin Juszczyk, of course. ..HERE..HERE .. Why?...did you think I gave a crap about a 49er at McDonalds?
Hey Barstool sports.. I'm a BIG fan.. But I gotta say.. You're getting a little Bossy... Saying that Tarsha Whitmore NEEDS to be on my Radar? NEEDS? How about "SHOULD"??.. I'm not taking ORDERS from you!!.. HERE.. HERE.. is Tarsha .. and.. umm.. OK fine.. You're right.. she needed to be on my Radar.. but I don't like your tone..
From SeekingAlpha.com
Many are still trying to size up the Fed's monetary policy for 2022 as the market heads into February. What we know so far is the central bank will begin hiking rates in March, assuming that the "conditions are appropriate for doing so," but it's anyone's guess how aggressive the FOMC will be after that as it tries to snuff out the strongest pace of inflation in decades. There is also debate over when the Fed will start reducing its balance sheet (May, June or July), though it made clear at its last meeting that pandemic-era bond-buying will come to an end next month. How many hikes in 2022? Estimates on Wall Street now range from three rate increases all the way to seven, with the federal funds rate projected to end the year in a range of 1.25%-2.00% (the current effective floor is 0.00%–0.25%). Check out some of the forecasts below: Barclays (3): "With reserves balances over $4T and nearly $1.5T in the [Fed's reverse repo facility,] we expect it will be difficult for short-term interest rates to trade much above the interest rate floor." Morgan Stanley (4): "If they need to hike fast, they will. The Fed is showing urgency and being flexible." Goldman Sachs (5): "We see a risk that the FOMC will want to take some tightening action at every meeting until the inflation picture changes." BNP Paribas (6): "We read Fed Chair Powell's comment that this cycle is different from the previous one as an indication that the Fed's bias is for a steeper tightening than the markets and we had envisaged." Bank of America (7): "The Fed has all but admitted that it is seriously behind the curve. With that said, the markets are doing the Fed's job of tightening financial conditions without an actual hike."
The gaming frenzy is not showing any signs of slowing down as Sony (SONY) announced a $3.6B acquisition for privately held video game developer Bungie. The latter is the beloved maker of multiplayer shooter games like Destiny and Halo, and was bought by Microsoft in 2000 (to develop games for its Xbox console) before splitting off in 2007. The company will continue to operate independently after the deal closes, and will be run by its board and the current management team. SONY +2% premarket. Bigger picture: Sony's purchase of Bungie is the third significant videogame acquisition in as many weeks. Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) scooped up mobile game leader Zynga (ZNGA) for $12.7B, while Microsoft (MSFT) bought Activision Blizzard (ATVI) for $69B in the largest-ever takeover in the tech industry. The deal also gave Microsoft the popular Call of Duty series, and Sony may have felt the need to score its own first-person shooter game franchise to stay competitive. "Sony and Microsoft have been in a multiyear arms race of sorts for talent and developers," noted Jefferies analyst Andrew Uerkwitz. "Being at a critical juncture in the console cycle and on the cusp of bigger subscription services, first-party titles have never been more important." Gamifying: The Bungie deal wasn't the only one to make headlines, with the New York Times (NYSE:NYT) buying viral sensation Wordle. While the online word-guessing game was only released in October, it has already attracted millions of people who play the puzzle daily. The NYT will add the title to its burgeoning "games" segment - which it currently charges $5 a month for access - though Wordle will be free to play (at least initially) for new and existing players.
Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are close to approving an economic and financial package known as the "mother of all sanctions" as Russia continues to boost troop numbers near the border with Ukraine. Among the penalties under consideration are cutting Russia off from international payments network SWIFT, targeting its largest financial institutions, and depriving the country of key technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors. Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs are also in the line of fire, as well as the nation's crowned energy sector and even the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. Quote: "We cannot have a Munich moment again," declared U.S. Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez, referring to the 1938 pact that sought to avert war by giving up parts of Czechoslovakia to Hitler (who announced the Sudetenland was his last territorial claim in Europe). "Putin will not stop if he believes the West will not respond. We saw what he did in 2008 in Georgia, we saw what he did in 2014 in pursuit of Crimea. He will not stop." The sanctions would only go into effect if Russia invades Ukraine, but there is still discussion on what the triggers would be and how far Moscow would have to advance to see the damaging consequences of the package. The West imposed some sanctions on the Russian economy after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, but those would pale in comparison to the restrictions currently under discussion. A meeting at the United Nations Security Council also didn't do much yesterday, with both sides accusing each other of being "provocative." Thought bubble: The U.S. has to make sure the sanctions don't end up backfiring, especially if they freeze sales of sovereign bonds, slam the domestic stock market or devalue Russia's currency. Talk of Western sanctions has already led the ruble to plunge more than 10% against the greenback since October. Washington is also discussing energy reserves in case Moscow freezes exports, while the National Security Council has been in touch with Wall Street's biggest banks about the stability of the global financial system in the wake of the potential sanctions.
Pfizer (PFE) and partner BioNTech (BNTX) are expected to file a request with the FDA as early as today for emergency-use authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old. The data is based on an approach called "immunobridging," which is used to show that vaccines work and are safe among other age groups, and typically takes far less time than efficacy trials. An approval, which would be the first vaccine available for the demographic, could happen by the end of February. Snapshot: The trial was designed to measure if immune responses were comparable to what was reported to be protective in teens and young adults. While the two-shot regimen did create a protective immune response in children 6 months to 2 years old, it was not the case in 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds. The vaccine was still found to be safe among the cohort, but the drugmakers added a third shot to the trial to try to improve the immune response (that data will only be available in late March). "The idea is, let's go ahead and start the review of two doses," per the report in the Washington Post. "If the data holds up in the submission, you could start kids on their primary baseline months earlier than if you don't do anything until the third-dose data comes in." Vaccine eligibility: In the trial of children between 6 months and 5 years old, recipients were inoculated with two doses of 3-microgram shots, three weeks apart. A child-sized version of Pfizer's vaccine (10 micrograms) is currently available for 5- to 11-year-olds, at a third of the dose given to everyone else 12 and older (30 micrograms). As of mid-January, around 28% of children aged 5 to 11 are at least partially vaccinated, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Today's Markets
In Asia, Japan +0.3%. Hong Kong closed. China closed. India +1.5%. In Europe, at midday, London +1%. Paris +1%. Frankfurt +1.1%. Futures at 6:20, Dow -0.2%. S&P -0.3%. Nasdaq -0.2%. Crude -0.2% $87.95. Gold +0.6% at $1808.10. Bitcoin +2.7% to $38,268. Ten-year Treasury Yield -2 bps to 1.76%
Today's Economic Calendar
8:55 Redbook Chain Store Sales 9:45 PMI Manufacturing Index 10:00 ISM Manufacturing Index 10:00 Construction Spending 10:00 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Companies reporting earnings today »
What else is happening...
Q4 earnings... Will Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) see digital ad trend benefits? Exxon (NYSE:XOM) announces sweeping restructuring of its global operations. Preliminary survey shows OPEC compliance increasing, up 132% in January. Peloton (NASDAQ:PTON) slashes sales projections for apparel business. FTC to handle review of Microsoft-Activision Blizzard (MSFT, ATVI) deal. Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) finally files for U.S. authorization of COVID vaccine. Bitcoin, Ether close out rough month amid Fed pivot; cryptos nosedive. Boeing (NYSE:BA) clinches deal with Qatar for 50 new freighter jets. J.P. Morgan's Kolanovic says we're in a bear market, so buy the dip.
Regards,
Roger “Raj” Searing rajsearing@gmail.com "Raj Searing™”, "Read this First™", "@rajsearing™", "TheRantRoom™" and “TheRantroom.com™” are Trademarks of RRRAJ, LLC. All Rights Reserved-2003, 2008.
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