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Don’t Believe The Hype!
Don’t Believe The Hype!
New optimistic coronavirus research seriously flawed.
Have you read the recent studies claiming that many more people have or have recovered from the coronavirus than are counted officially?
So have we.
It’s great news, right? It suggests that the fatality rate is MUCH lower than currently calculated and we’re making progress towards national herd immunity, right?
Not so fast, warns Chris.
He pulls up the actual research studies behind the headlines and show how shaky both its methodology and conclusions are. They’re so bad that other scientists within the research community are calling for an apology.
As much as we wish the hype were true, now is a critical time to ensure we’re dealing with accurate data. Bad data = bad decisions. Bad decisions = bad outcomes.
Meanwhile, Chris also notes the absolute carnage going on in the oil markets, with near-term oil contracts now trading at negative prices. This is historic and will have MASSIVE implications for the economy and the financial markets going forward.
You’ll be hearing more from us on that soon. So stay tuned.
And in the meanwhile, keep working on starting/expanding your garden.
The Next Crisis: Food
The Next Crisis: Food
There’s a reason we’ve been urging folks to plant a garden
“Oh crap! Bermuda grass? In my garden space? The kind with underground runners that’s nearly impossible to eliminate except by digging up every single root and rhizome?”
For reasons I cannot fully explain I became absolutely inspired to “find a place” starting last September.
Today, my partner Evie and I are settling in to our new home. We closed on it on January 28th and it took a solid month to move things over from our former residence.
First things first, we set about correcting a decade’s worth of deferred maintenance. The furnace relay switch was quite dodgy, the gravel on the driveway was way past due for replenishment, the gutters leaked, and the apple trees were in desperate need of pruning.
Now that it’s April, I find myself every day — after my research and writing is done of course — out in the old garden space, digging new beds and turning over every square inch of the soil. Not because I want to, but because some misguided former owner thought planting Bermuda grass in the garden was a good idea.
This is the sort of grass that spreads to new horizons with meaty underground rhizomes that can spread ridiculously far from the parent plant. Arggh!
Oh, and the new chicken house, predator-proofed with hardware cloth on every possible entry point, had to be set up, too.
The list of needed improvements seem to stretch as far as the eye can see. An insurmountable pile of tasks that will be required to raise it to our high standards of creating a place of lasting beauty and abundance.
Right now? It’s a barely-dented tapestry of a thousand projects. You might be unimpressed if you took stock of all that we haven’t tackled yet.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The UNFAIRNESS Economy
The UNFAIRNESS Economy
Bailouts for the rich. Barely anything for you.
Award-winning investigative journalist Matt Taibbi penned perhaps the most iconic condemnation of the bankers who created (and subsequently got bailed out during) the Great Financial Crisis:
The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it’s everywhere. The world’s most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.
Tens years later, we find ourselves facing another crisis which, while triggered by the coronavirus instead of housing loans, has similar roots in a financial system made vulnerable by the unfair plunder of big banks and hedge funds — who are now being bailed out at vastly higher expense than in 2008.
Sadly, it seems we’ve learned very little over the past decade.
And as $trillions and $trillions in “rescue” stimulus are starting to be deployed by Congress and the Federal Reserve, it’s once again the financial power elite and corporate boardroom bigwigs who are receiving immediate and complete relief from the consequences of their actions.
But what will regular folks like you and me get? Crumbs, if anything.
And as taxpayers, we’re ultimately footing the bill (once again).
Given his intensive knowledge of the inner workings of Wall Street and its entanglement with the DC political machine, Taibbi explains how the inequity, abuse and fraud in today’s “Unfairness Economy” has become standard operating procedure — and will remain so until a serious enough social uprising takes place.
First, watch this 2-minute trailer:
And then click here to enjoy Peak Prosperity’s full interview with Matt Taibbi:
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
What Comes Next?
What Comes Next?
Predicting life after coronavirus
If covid-19 is indeed hastening the permanent disruption of the status quo, what will life in a post-coronavirus world look like?
In a prognosticating session building on last week’s Economic Shockwaves roundtable, John Rubino, Charles Hugh Smith and I — also joined by Chris Martenson this time — discuss the myriad ways in the future may be permanently altered by the disruptions happening right now.
How will the economy, fiat currencies, jobs & the nature of work, as well as our general lifestyle, be forced to evolve? What new solutions will be required and what shape with they take?
All this and more is addressed in this video (1-hour runtime):
These roundtables are always a good time as John, Charles, Chris and I not only enjoy each other’s company, but we find helpful value in tapping each other’s thinking. The process always creates even more questions that we want to ask one another.
After shooting this video, the group agreed that fertile future territory includes the housing market, retirement/pensions, which big cartels are most vulnerable to today’s disruption (e.g., education, health care, pharma, finance) and what benefits would emerge from breaking their industry strangleholds.
So, if you’d like to see this brain trust convene again to push deeper into this material, let us know in the Comments section below, along with any other specific topics you’d like for us to kick around.
Oh, and if you’d like to inspire your own discussions on resilience with those in your community, pick up your own RESILIENCE shirt here and join Chris and me in wearing it proudly 🙂
Coronavirus: The Solution Is Becoming Clear
Coronavirus: The Solution Is Becoming Clear
We are starting to win the war for data on covid-19
The world has been fighting covid-19 long enough that we are beginning to arrive at some constructive conclusions:
Part of the intense infectiousness of this virus is due to its long asymptomatic phase, where hosts feel fine but are shedding contagious particles. Increased testing is now showing that the majority of folks testing positive don’t realize they’re sick.
Research is showing that the recommended social distance of two meters (6.8 feet) is inadequate to protect against airborne particles. Four times that amount is more likely — reinforcing the effectiveness of both social isolating tactics (like sheltering at home) and wearing masks.
Peak Prosperity has been loudly banging the #Masks4ALL drum of late, and every day more studies emerge showing it’s one of the cheapest and most effective social responses to slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
In addition, while standard surgical/homemade (non-N95) masks do not filter out all virus particles, they do dramatically limit their spread, both in the air and on surfaces.
This is important because this reduces the viral load someone is exposed to. Data is showing that if you receive a lower viral load, if you get sick with the virus, your case is likely to be more mild and short-lived.
We are starting to win the war for data on covid-19 and this is leading to smarter practices that will flatten the curve, reduce deaths and get folks back to work.
Finally, some encouraging news.
And for the many of us remaining under lockdown, here are some helpful recent resources we’ve released. Review them when you can:
Coronavirus: Listening To (And Rebutting) The Critics
Coronavirus: Listening To (And Rebutting) The Critics
There a new campaign to convince us covid-19 “isn’t as bad” as we’re expecting
All through February and into early March, the media was awash with headlines that scoffed “Don’t worry — it’s just the flu”.
While most of those news outlets have pivoted and are now more likely to print sensationally fearful articles (the same who accused our data driven approach as “fear mongering” just weeks ago), we’re seeing a new campaign now of opinion pieces by credentialed ‘experts’ claiming the virus may not be as bad as initially expected.
In today’s video, Chris goes through a number of these recent articles and addresses them point by point:
As empirically-driven thinkers, at PeakProsperity.com we don’t shy away from a challenge to our conclusions. We’re of the mind that the best facts should win, and if the data changes, our analysis will change with it.
But Chris doesn’t find much in these recent ‘expert’ opinions besides false hope. And poor logic.
Which just goes to underscore why we need to continue thinking for ourselves here. So many of our “leaders” and “experts” failed to warn and prepare us for this pandemic, for reasons ranging from politics to incompetence.
So keep educating yourself. And we’ll keep producing our daily updates and analysis to aid your understanding.
If you haven’t read it already, read our Coronavirus Home Lockdown Survival Guide.
We’ve written it to be a comprehensive collection of the resources you need to stay safe, sane and solvent through the covid-19 crisis.
It’s a great tool for getting everyone in your household on the same page — print it out and have them read it:
VIDEO: The Coronavirus Is The Pin Popping The ‘Everything Bubble’
VIDEO: The Coronavirus Is The Pin Popping The ‘Everything Bubble’
This will be an extinction-level event for many players
For years, Peak Prosperity has been raising a loud warning of the ‘Everything Bubble’ that the world’s central banks have blown in global asset prices.
Over that time, we’ve debated with hundreds of economic experts on what will be the trigger to “pop” this mania.
Well, now we’re finding out.
The economic damage being wrought worldwide by the coronavirus is the black swan the system never saw coming. Trade is being strangled, and the necessary productivity needed to support that massive increase in global debt that has been taken on over the past decade is just not there.
Bankruptcies are set to ripple across industries like wildfire. Mass layoffs will return with a vengeance. For certain industries — like travel, hospitality, and the shale oil drillers — this will be an extinction-level event for many players.
As ugly as the swift -19% drop in markets from from February’s highs has been, this is just the start of the reckoning, folks.
To give you a clear understanding what to expect during the bursting of the largest asset bubble in world history, Chris rushed to record this interview with John Rubino, author of The Money Bubble:
For those wondering what practical steps to take with their money as the Everything Bubble bursts: while Chris and John were recording, I was busy interviewing the lead partners from New Harbor Financial, Peak Prosperity’s endorsed financial advisor.
In the short video below, they offer their seasoned take on the current market action, what they see as most likely to happen from here, and what they recommend investors consider now:
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
How To Avoid Getting Infected By The Coronavirus
How To Avoid Getting Infected By The Coronavirus
This is the question on everyone’s mind as worldwide covid-19 cases blast past 100,000
As worldwide coronavirus cases blow past 100,000 sickened, the question on everyone’s mind is: “How do I avoid getting infected?”
Chris goes through the best steps for self-protection in this video (jump to the 35m:10s mark for his summary):
Crazy infectious with a serious complication rate near 15% and a case fatality rate of over 3%, many of us are likely to catch this virus, and most of us will probably know at least one person who dies from it.
And with that many sick people, the health care systems around the world are going to be overwhelmed. Even if you don’t have the virus, you still may not be able to get critical care for other health emergencies (sickness, injury, baby delivery, etc)
Chris shares some of the dozens of stories we’re receiving from health practitioners all over the world who feel shocked and betrayed by how poorly their hospitals are prepared for what’s coming.
So take steps now to increase your odds of being one of those who avoids covid-19 altogether.
Reading the coronavirus preparation megathreads available for free on PeakProsperity.com is a great way to get started:
- Coronavirus: Sanitation, PPE and Self Quarantine Megathread
- Coronavirus: Medicinals, Herbals and Supplements Megathread
- Coronavirus: Home Prep, Deep Pantry & Gardening Megathread
If you’re one of the many new readers here on Peak Prosperity, be sure you’re up-to-date on developments with the coronavirus. All of our latest covid-19 video updates, podcasts and articles can be accessed here for free.
And here’s a brief list of the more recent material that Chris and I have published for our premium subscribers, to give you a sense of what’s behind the paywall (free executive summary, enrollment required for full access)
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Coronavirus Containment Has Failed
Coronavirus Containment Has Failed
Within and without China, the coronavirus continues to rage on
Within and without China, the coronavirus continues to rage on.
A leaked report claims that actual covid-19 cases within China are 52x higher than the 78K reported by authorities.
Whether true or not, that estimate comports with the massive heavy-handed response the government has been pursuing there.
Outside of China, more cases in more countries are being reported, especially in the EU. Since yesterday, new cases have been reported in Sweden, Greece, France, Spain, Germany, and, of course, Italy.
The virus appears as virulent as ever. Remember those photos of sick people collapsing on the street in China? Well, we’re now seeing the same thing in South Korea and Iran.
Infections continue to grow at a non-linear (i.e., exponential) rate. New cases & death are *doubling* worldwide every 4-5 days(!).
Containment has failed. The coronavirus is spreading worldwide and it’s prudent to assume it’s headed near where you live at some point. Use the time you still have now to prepare.
Being well-stocked, well-trained and in a position to help others is your best defense at this point.
Special note: In today’s video, Chris expresses his and my gratitude at the kind words and offers of donations that we’re receiving about our daily coverage of covid-19. He also explains that we couldn’t be focused full-time on this if not for the support of our premium subscribers. Their funding of this website make what we do possible.
In lieu of any donations, we simply ask those who can afford so to become a premium subscriber. There’s a lot of very valuable insight you’ll receive in return, but more importantly, you’re helping this website deliver its free content to as many people as we can across the world.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Coronavirus Infections Outside Of China Are Growing Exponentially
Coronavirus Infections Outside Of China Are Growing Exponentially
And that’s the official data. If it’s underreported, then things are worse…
In yesterday’s video, we warned that the coming two weeks will be crucial in determining how bad the pandemic will be.
The early results are not encouraging. New cases continue to climb in the rest of Asia — Japan, Korea and Singapore are being hit hardest.
And now we have the first two cases (and two deaths!) reported in Iran.
That’s on top of last week’s confirmed case in Africa. So now the virus is on every continent save Antarctica.
Also, new research provides the explanation for why those infected a second time by covid-19 are at much higher risk.
Chris breaks down the science in layman’s terms to explain the nature of the danger, but the key takeaway is: while you for sure don’t want to contract covid-19, you DEFINITELY don’t want to get it a second time…
Be sure to stay up-to-date on Peak Prosperity’s ongoing full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak by visiting here.
Why Covid-19 Demands Our Full Attention
Why Covid-19 Demands Our Full Attention
This is an unprecedented moment for our hyper-connected planet
There’s a reason we’ve re-directed so much of our attention towards reporting on and trying to understand the novel coronavirus (covid-19) that originated in Wuhan, China in December.
The heart of our approach is to be “systems thinkers.”
“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else”
~ Leonardo Davinci
We don’t see the economy as a closed ecosystem to be analyzed and understood all on its own. It’s connected to energy flows, especially oil. So we investigate those, too, with an eye towards working out how fossil fuels’ eventual dwindling will impact an economic system that is utterly dependent on perpetual growth.
Without a healthy planet, without intact and functioning ecological systems, nothing matters in either the economy or the energy markets. Both impact the ecological world And vice versa. So we analyze and report on the environment, too.
Which is why we’re confident in claiming that humanity is now facing its greatest threat. Our current path of depleting our essential resources at an accelerating rate in the pursuit of “more growth” is both unsustainable and self-destructive.
So here we are, with a global economy that’s very cost-efficient but not resilient. It’s wonderful that Walmart has worked out how to order a new tube of toothpaste from China the second one is pulled off a shelf in Topeka, KS. But that means there is no deep storage to draw upon in times of disruption to the status quo. No warehouses stocked with 12 months of future goods. Just a brilliantly-complicated supply chain thousands of miles long that has to work perfectly for things to keep running.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Is The Coronavirus (Covid-19) Now Unstoppable?
Is The Coronavirus (Covid-19) Now Unstoppable?
New data suggests so
Oh, boy…the scientific research on covid-19 (the new name of the Wuhan coronavirus) continues to reveal what a huge challenge containing this virus is.
A new report from Los Alamos Labs calculates its R0 at between 4.7 to 6.6. That is massively contagious!
It’s little wonder then why we’re seeing more and more reports of doctors and health workers falling sick, despite using proper PPE and contamination protocol.
China, which bumped up the number of total infected within the country by 33% last night, is clearly facing a public health nightmare of epic proportion.
As we keep saying, we think the true reality on the ground there is even much worse than the official numbers we’re being given.
That said, China’s totalitarian approach of mandatory home quarantine for hundred of millions of people is likely the best way to fight a virus this contagious.
Will other countries, like the US, be able to enforce such controls on their populations if required to combat covid-19? Could they, even if they tried?
A full-blown pandemic looks increasingly unstoppable at this point.
Coronavirus: Up To 24 Days Before Symptoms Start Showing?
Coronavirus: Up To 24 Days Before Symptoms Start Showing?
That would mean MANY more “infected & contagious yet unaware” cases exist
A new report finds that the incubation period for the coronavirus may be as long as 24 days, 10 days longer than previous expected.
That means that the potential size of “infected & contagious yet unaware” masses walking around (outside of China’s quarantine borders) could be substantially larger than feared.
On top of that, additional data from China’s hospitals in Wuhan show that once a patient is hospitalized, meaning their condition has become severe, the death rate is very high (~20%). More reinforcement that you want to avoid this virus if at all possible.
And yet, the stock market remains unconcerned to the pandemic threat. Another up day, despite a warning from the Council on Foreign on the fragility of the US economy’s dependence on Chinese supply chains.
Scary stat: 97% of all US antibiotics come from China.
Meanwhile, many regions in China are extending their ‘return to work’ deadlines as efforts to fight the outbreak continue. As we’ve been saying daily now, at some point, the markets are going to have to acknowledge the large and growing lack of economic production that is not occurring.
Coronavirus: What We Can Say Publicly & What We Can’t
Coronavirus: What We Can Say Publicly & What We Can’t
Why the line between the two is so important to us
An Important Note of Gratitude:
Before we dive in, we’d like to extend a huge ‘thank you!’ to everyone who has supported us through the years. It’s chaotic times like now when Adam and I do what we do best: surfing breaking developments and distilling the key information down into easily-understandable, actionable insights.
But we wouldn’t be able to be here without your ongoing economic support. Even more important has been your words of personal support and encouragement.
So thank you everyone, both our dedicated long-time followers, and the many new premium subscribers who have joined over the past two weeks.
It’s Time…
If you’ve been watching our Youtube video series on the Wuhan Coronavirus (2019nCoV) pandemic, you know that it’s time to prepare.
Yes, we can always hope that the latest unconfirmed potential treatment marks an actual turning point (i.e. treating patients with HIV protease inhibitor drugs) . But it’s much better to be safe than sorry.
You’re probably reading this because you tend to think critically, and you trust your own judgment. Weirdly, that sets you apart from the masses.
And so here you are. Not because you’re weird, but because it’s weird that common sense and prudent caution are so uncommon.
For a whole host of reasons that extend well beyond this emerging pandemic, we think being prepared is a selfless and prudent thing to do. Everyone should seek to be as resilient as possible. Our book Prosper!covers this in much greater detail. It encourages readers to build capital.
Yes, build up your financial capital. But don’t ignore social, knowledge, time, material, living, cultural and emotional capital. If you have depth in each of these, you will be truly wealthy, happy and fulfilled — no matter what the universe throws your way.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
‘Calm Before The Storm’ – How Will The Coronavirus Really Impact The Markets?
‘Calm Before The Storm’ – How Will The Coronavirus Really Impact The Markets?
PeakProsperity’s Adam Taggart that, officials, the media, and globalist-driven organisations are downplaying Wuhan coronavirus risk, even as models suggest infections will soon soar.
The sudden slowdown in new information coming out of China has Chris Martenson spooked.
He walks us through the math here, showing how if the coronavirus follows its current geometric growth, over 100 million people could be infected by the end of February:
Don’t take the recent lack of ‘news’ as meaning the threat from this virus is dying down. This could very likely just be the calm before the storm.
In fact, as Martenson explains, it’s a true Black Swan event that stocks haven’t yet priced in.
The 2019-nCoV “coronavirus” outbreak remains serious and fluid.
Over the past several days, we’ve been publishing a steady stream of videos, reports and podcasts to keep you as up-to-date and informed as possible on the science behind this fast-developing situation. You can follow our full coverage of the coronavirus here.
But the TL;DR version is this:
The first order of business is stopping the spread of the disease, which means prevention. Your immediate and top concern should be readying yourself and your household and loved ones for the arrival of 2019-nCoV. We cover the most useful practices in this report.
Second, help your co-workers and students, passengers, or other such dependents become aware and prepared by practicing good hygiene and educating them about how the virus spreads.
IMPORTANT: Anyone who is sick, whether with nCoV or a standard flu/cold, needs to be isolated for the duration of the disease, which means 24 hours after their last fever. They should always, always, always wear a surgical mask to block virus particles before they are expelled into the air. Masks can be worn by everyone, but do the most good when worn by those who are ill.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
