Puppet MastersS


Oil Well

New reality? What's going on with stocks and oil?

Stock exchange
© Reuters/Lucas Jackson
As the new week begins, you might be surprised to see all the major stock markets down and oil recording its worst losses in nearly two decades. Here is what happened overnight.

What happened to the markets?

Oil prices crashed as much as 30 percent as trading began in Asia on Monday morning, with futures for benchmark Brent suffering the biggest drop since the Gulf War in 1991. As of 06:34 GMT, Brent was as low as $33.31 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading at $29.72, with both down nearly 50 percent year-to-date.

A nosedive in crude prices triggered a panic sell-off in major stock markets, which were already shaken by the coronavirus outbreak. All key Asian indices lost between 2.5 percent and more than five percent, with the Nikkei suffering the biggest drop. In India, the Mumbai Sensex slipped over 1,500 points or more nearly 4.2 percent, while the broader NSE Nifty was down 3.9 percent.

European investor sentiment was also skittish, adding to last week's losses, with futures on the UK FTSE 100 sliding more than seven percent and other main equity indices set to open down.

After a rollercoaster week, US stock futures also tumbled, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average set to plummet around 1,000 points when trading starts on Monday. The S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures are also expected to suffer significant losses.

Comment: Market panic reasons and a look at past mistakes
The country that pulled the final trigger to send oil prices into a freefall, Saudi Arabia, may suffer most from the oil market turmoil, analyst Kamel Wazne says, noting that Riyadh has already made such an error before.

Saudi Arabia decided to restrain itself from cutting production and offer a discount for its crude exporters. However, the move, already labeled as the start of an oil price war, could be a simple miscalculation on the Saudi side, Lebanon-based analyst Kamel Wazne believes.

"[They] have not learnt from the mistake they made way back may be five-six years [ago], when they gambled on increasing production and it harmed their economy," he told RT. "Today they're probably making the same mistake."

The bearish trend for oil could actually be fatal for US shale producers, the analyst added. The companies need to make some profit, otherwise investment in this sector will be halted, according to Wazne.

Trump claims crashing markets are good for consumers
US President Donald Trump hedged his bets on Twitter, suggesting it's "Good for the consumer" but bad for markets because gas prices would go down.


The president's indecisiveness was met with derision by the tweeting masses, who pointed out that he'd essentially pegged his presidency's success to the stock market by constant harping on the rising Dow.





Who are the winners and losers in the oil price war?
Monday's steep fall came amid already-softening demand for oil from China. So when Russia did not support new cuts agreed by the members of OPEC, this only added fuel to the fire, triggering retaliation from Saudi Arabia. Thus it is Moscow that started this crude price war, Sergey Kopylov, a junior partner at consulting company BSC, has told RT.

"Saudi Arabia, unlike Russia, cannot withstand low oil prices for a long period of time. They have much more narrow safety margin in their budget system."

Moscow says that it has enough reserves to support the national economy for several years even if the situation deteriorates. Russia did not turn its back on the Saudi-led OPEC for no reason. Oil has historically faced oversupply amid a lack of demand and vice versa, but while the signatories of the oil deal were trying to boost the demand, the gap was immediately filled by US firms, mainly by shale oil producers. And they are the ones who will be most severely hit.

"Small producers that are focused only on expensive shale oil... are doomed, and consequently all the money that was invested into them will be buried," Kopylov said.

While American energy majors like Exxon Mobil and Chevron would still be able to subsidize their shale oil fields, the closures of those small businesses that are focused exclusively on shale would partly eliminate the supply glut and could finally bring more long-awaited stability to the markets. This 'shock therapy' will take up to two years to yield results, and when the situation changes, Kopylov believes, Russia and OPEC may finally to return to the negotiating table.
US shale is on its last legs. See also:


Windsock

Kamala Harris endorses Joe Biden after bashing him for 'segregationist' busing views

Biden/Harris
© Reuters/Mike BlakeDemocratic candidate for President former VP Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris is the latest former presidential candidate to endorse Joe Biden despite major clashes on the campaign trail, with some calling the move hypocritical and others seeing it as a preemptive bid for the future VP slot.

Harris now claims there is "no one better prepared than Joe [Biden] to steer our nation through these turbulent times, and restore truth, honor, and decency to the Oval Office."

Comment: The self-depleted Democratic candidate competition moves on to the Black vote:
Shortly after Joe Biden received an endorsement from Senator Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders' campaign announced support from civil rights activist Jesse Jackson. Jackson said in a public statement announcing his support for Sanders:
"A people far behind cannot catch up choosing the most moderate path. The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Senator Bernie Sanders represents the most progressive path. That's why I choose to endorse him today."
Jackson spoke at a campaign event for Sanders in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sunday. "Thank God for Bernie Sanders," Jackson told the gathered crowd of supporters.

On Super Tuesday, Biden outperformed Sanders among black voters by 40 points or more in states like Texas and North Carolina. Biden also achieved his first primary victory in South Carolina before that, which has a large black voter base among Democrats.

Sanders, however, is the one in need of more support among black voters in upcoming primary races, something he is no doubt hoping Jackson helps with.



Arrow Up

Tulsi Gabbard asks Sanders, Biden to demand the DNC allow her on the AZ debate stage

Gabbard
© Getty Images/Win McNameeDemocratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) asked fellow presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Friday to help her get on the Arizona debate stage. Gabbard's request comes after the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) updated qualifications barred her from participating in the upcoming event in Phoenix, according to The Hill:
"To keep me off the stage, the DNC again arbitrarily changed the debate qualifications," Gabbard wrote in a subsequent tweet.
"Previously they changed the qualifications in the OPPOSITE direction so Bloomberg could debate. I ask that you stand w/ me against the DNC's transparent effort to exclude me from the debates."

Comment: The DNC is making it completely clear it is not only meddling in the election process with sudden rule changes, it is obstructing the presidential race by candidate negation - be it forced or 'volunteered'. It's a stinking sham.

See also:
'White, male & 70+ years old'? DNC scorched for shifting debate rules AGAIN, after Tulsi Gabbard meets previous threshold


Brick Wall

Erdogan tells Greece: 'Open your gates' to 'fix' migrant standoff

Greek clash
© AFP/Angelos TzortzinisGreeks riot police clash with migrants along the Greece-Turkey border in the village of Kastanies on March 6, 2020.
Greece should follow Turkey's suit and simply "open the gates" for migrants amassed at the Turkish-Greek border, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, insisting that thousands of people would simply go to other EU countries.

Erdogan shared his wisdom on how to free Athens from the refugee "burden" while speaking in Istanbul on Sunday. "Hey Greece! I appeal to you... open the gates as well and be free of this burden. Let them go to other European countries."

Turkey's president also confirmed he will travel to Brussels on Monday to discuss the migrant situation with the head honchos of the EU, expressing hopes he will return from the meeting "with different outcomes."

Erdogan's insights on how to fix the migrant standoff - that he has created himself - might not actually come in handy for Greece, as it vowed to keep the border closed while suspending the reception of asylum applications for a month altogether.


Migrants protested actions of the Greek authorities at the Pazarkule border crossing, insisting that they want to get into the EU seeking "freedom."

Comment: Greece is the current 'movable object' in Erdogan's quest to rid Turkey of its migrant burden. Leaders eye the spoils of war and neglect examining the costs.
Tear gas was deployed at the Kastanies border crossing on Sunday morning, March 8. Footage shows migrants moving away from the gas as they walked on the Turkish side of the border, separated from Greece by a fence. Large numbers of migrants have been heading towards Turkey's European borders since last week after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that authorities would no longer stop migrants from trying to enter the EU.

Turkey's border will remain open for migrants seeking to reach the EU, Erdogan says.

See also:


Footprints

Pentagon troops fortify California/Mexico border amid fears of border rush

border crossing
© AFPSan Ysidro border crossing
The government is sending 160 soldiers to help border agents block the migrant surge that is expected if the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down the Migrant Protection Protocols.

The MPP program has sent roughly 60,000 migrants back into Mexico, prior to their eventual asylum hearings in the United States. The return policy deters migration by preventing migrants from getting the U.S. jobs they need to repay their smuggling loans — unless they eventually win their backlogged courtroom claims.

Some of the 30,000 migrants waiting in Mexico rushed for the border February 28 when the court declared the MPP program to be illegal. The court then quickly put a stay on its decision to block the MPP until March 12, pending any Supreme Court intervention.

The California-based court also decided to allow the MPP program to operate in Texas.

Officials at the Department of Justice have asked the Supreme Court to extend the delay.

Administration officials are sending the troops to the border out of fear the migrants will try to overwhelm the border defenses on March 12. Officials also said the extra troops could help prevent the migration of people with diseases, such as the Covid-19 disease from China.

Star of David

A nation of psychopaths: IDF snipers talk about their 'hits' at the Gaza fence

gaza amputees IDF kneecaps
© Mohammed AsadSoccer players in Gaza in December 2018 show results of Israeli sniper fire.
Two days ago (Friday) a piece came out in Haaretz by Ido Glazer, featuring stories from five anonymous snipers who told how they gunned down unarmed protesters at the March of Return near the Gaza perimeter fence.

These accounts are a jaw-dropper, constituting some of the most enraging as well as depressing readings I can recall. The language of the perpetrators of these massacres is testimony to the moral depravity of these young soldiers, who still seem to believe they are fulfilling a sacred duty to defend their country, as well as a damning account of the state and society that supports them and their crimes.

These are not shamed confessions: the snipers appear to be boasting about their "hits", in competition over the number of knees they can claim to have shot to pieces. And Israeli officials often say that their army is the "most moral army in the world."

Let's start with the knees.

Comment:


Bad Guys

Daily Beast at it again: Atlantic Council contributor says RT spreads 'conspiracy theories' about Biden, fails to mention any

JOe Biden
© Reuters / Brendan McDermidJoe Biden speaks during a campaign stop at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi, on March 8, 2020.
The Atlantic Council's Julia Davis has accused RT of promoting conspiracy theories about Democrat frontrunner Joe Biden. If only she could mention at least one...

Davis, a "Russian media monitor" for the Atlantic Council, has been giving Daily Beast readers weekly updates about what Russians think about the American election. (In short, Russians like Trump, and like Bernie because Bernie can't beat Trump, and hate Biden because Trump can't possibly beat Biden.)

Her pieces are mostly about what Russian TV tells Russians, but the latest installment had a few words reserved for RT, which, "actively promotes conspiracy theories targeting Biden," in Davis' opinion. But apparently there was a shortage of print space on the website, because none were actually mentioned.

Comment: :
Sleepy Creepy Joe has been on the downhill slide for some time now, but it seems to have accelerated in the last six months:


and this





Airplane

Dutch prosecutors reveal five witness-tampering methods to fabricate MH17 case

helmer
Bribes; early release from prison; threats to kill; covert operations inside Russia, including rendition; and intimidation of relatives.

These have been five of the methods planned for obtaining witness testimony for the trial of the criminal destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 on July 17, 2014. The trial opens on Monday, March 9, in The Netherlands. The Dutch prosecution alleges that three Russians and one Ukrainian intended to murder the 298 passengers and crew on board the aircraft by firing a BUK missile.

Details of the witness tampering plan have been released to reporters in The Hague by Bonanza Media this weekend. In their secret conference police officers and prosecutors from The Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and the Ukraine acknowledged they knew what they were planning was a violation of the law of the states they represented. This was acceptable to the Australian police representative so long, he said, as it was a "covert operation". The Ukrainian prosecutor said he "sees no problem if this is done by The Netherlands. It's like a regular intelligence operation."

The group meeting was a regular part of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) created after the downing of MH17. Malaysia, the fifth state member of the JIT, was not invited or included at the session. The Malaysian Government is the only JIT member refusing to endorse the allegations of Russian culpability in the shoot-down.
helmer
Attending the two-day session at a Dutch criminal police office at Driebergen on January 25 and 26, 2018, were eight officials, plus an interpreter for the Ukrainian and a Dutch minute recorder. The names of those discussing the witness tampering scheme are listed at the top of the official minute.

Info

The rollercoaster ride has begun

Rollercoaster
© Corbett Report
Last week in this column, as you might recall, I noted that the coronavirus panic had already produced "the worst week in the markets since the financial crisis, including the worst two-day point drop in Dow Jones history." And I also warned that "the economic effects of this event are going to be very real and very profound."

Well, here we are all of one week later. And what a week it has been. Let's review the week in market headlines, shall we?

March 2 - Dow surge is the biggest-ever point gain

March 3 - Dow drops nearly 800 points after the Fed's surprising news about the economy

March 4 - The Biden Bounce: Dow Futures Up 666 As Traders Forget About Panicking Fed

March 5 - Global Markets Follow U.S. Stocks Higher

Uh oh! I've got egg on my face, haven't I? Here I was thinking a massive disruption of the global just-in-time supply chain was going to expose the Everything Is Awesome! phony baloney fiat economy for the Ponzi scheme that it so obviously is. But, as MarketWatch tells us, "[a]fter the worst week since 2008, the Dow is now on pace for its best week since 2011." I guess Trump was right after all: Everything is under control and this is a great buying opportunity!

So, are you feeling optimistic about the global economy now? Yeah, neither am I. Here's why: Record-breaking point drops followed by record-breaking point gains followed by yet more dramatic downswings are not the sign of a healthy and happy market. This is not conjecture; this is age-old accepted market wisdom.

Market volatility is of such interest to market watchers that it has its own index, the CBOE Volatility Index (better known as the VIX). In fact, market volatility is such a key early warning sign of market panic that the VIX has a nickname: the fear index. As any trader worth his salt will tell you, big up and down swings in stocks are a clear sign that the market is about to take a major turn. Now, true, that "major turn" could be a turn to the upside or a major turn to the downside, but I think we can all agree that if stocks are going any direction as a result of this massive global economic disruption, it will be to the downside.

So take a look at the VIX right now. If you extend the chart to its "MAX" setting, you'll note that in the past week the VIX has reached levels (54.18, to be precise) that have only been seen once before in the entire 30-year history of the index. Want to guess when that was? That's right, in October of 2008, when the VIX topped out at 59.89.

Translation: The fear index has never been more certain that we're about to have a major market disruption since the Lehman collapse threatened to wipe out the global economy.

Bad Guys

Operation 'Inherent Resolve': Two US soldiers killed by militants in Iraq

us military iraq
© AFP 2020 / Safin Hamed
At least two US soldiers were killed in Iraq during an operation against Daesh*, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) said in a statement on Monday.

"Two US service members were killed by enemy forces while advising and accompanying Iraqi Security Forces during a mission to eliminate an ISIS terrorist stronghold in a mountainous area of north-central Iraq, March 8," the coalition said. The coalition did not provide further details about the incident or the enemy forces involved.

Comment: Iraq has repeatedly asked the US to leave its soil. They have done infinite damage over the last two decades and brought no real good.