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Seven Uranium Investments to Buy for Profiting from Putin’s Perplexing Policies

Seven uranium investments to buy for profiting from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s perplexing policies feature a combination of stocks and funds…

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Seven uranium investments to buy for profiting from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s perplexing policies feature a combination of stocks and funds that should do well despite his invasion of Ukraine and attacks on its hospitals, schools, residential areas and nuclear power plants.

The seven uranium investments to buy for profiting from Putin’s perplexing policies that have led to the deaths of thousands of his soldiers, along with thousands of Ukrainian men, women and children, have triggered economic sanctions from other nations to pressure Russia’s leader to call his troops home. Putin’s self-made predicament includes bans by countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Australia, as well as the European Union, on selected Russian products and natural resources such as oil, natural gas and uranium.

Staunch resistance from Ukrainian defenders protecting their homeland, families and communities has been juxtaposed with news reports that 31 senior Russian military officers, ranging from colonels to generals, have been killed in action since Putin sent them to attack neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24. The battlefield deaths of Russian military leaders and highly trained soldiers have the risk of undermining the morale of their forces, while logistical problems and reports of substandard medical support for the wounded are further hurting Russia’s war-making campaign.

Seven Uranium Investments to Buy for Profiting Include Global X ETF

“The Russian conflict is going to bolster the case for continuing nuclear energy output at current levels with existing facilities,” said Jim Woods, who heads the Successful Investing and Intelligence Report investment newsletters, as well as the Bullseye Stock Trader and High Velocity Options trading services.

“There is also a good chance that several nations take additional steps to enhance their energy security using this established method,” Woods continued. “Those factors enhance the appeal of global stocks engaged in the discovery and production of nuclear components.”

Paul Dykewicz meets with Jim Woods, who leads the Successful Investing and Intelligence Report investment newsletters.

Woods’ preferred vehicle to participate in this sector is via the Global X Uranium ETF (NYSEARCA: URA). The goal of this diversified ETF is to provide investors access to a broad range of companies involved in uranium mining and the production of nuclear components, including those in extraction, refining, exploration, or manufacturing of equipment for the uranium and nuclear industries, he added.

URA retreated 3.66% in the past week after surging 5.85% in the previous month, 10.32% for the past three months, 11.83% so far in 2022 and 42.69% in the past year.

Chart courtesy of www.stockcharts.com

Canada’s Cameco Is the Second of Seven Uranium Investments to Buy

As a result, the fund offers a basket of 50 global companies engaged in the uranium industry with its largest position, Canada’s Cameco Corporation (NYSE: CCJ), jumping 7% on Monday, March 21. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based company, the world’s largest publicly traded uranium stock, benefitted from a $5 gain per lb. in the price of uranium, equaling 10%, to reach $55 per lb. a week ago. Since then, price of uranium rose 6.9% to $58.80 per lb., as of March 29.

The multinational nuclear conglomerate accounts for nearly one-quarter of the ETF’s assets and has an “outsized influence” on the fund’s total performance, Woods said. He liked Cameco well enough to recommend it recently in the Fast Money Alert trading service that he leads with his co-editor, Mark Skousen. 

Nuclear energy is the “best alternative energy source” currently available, Fast Money Alert wrote to its subscribers. Putin’s threats to use the “nuclear option” in his war against Ukraine has contributed to the rising price of the commodity and the stocks and funds tied to uranium. 

But CCJ dipped 4.07% during the past week after jumping 14.24% in the last month, 26.49% for the last three months, 28.75% thus far in 2022 and 69.02% in the past year. 

Chart courtesy of www.stockcharts.com

Skousen Predicts Uranium Will Sustain Its Rise

Uranium and other commodities traditionally are safe havens during times of war, Skousen wrote in the April 2022 edition of his Forecasts & Strategies investment newsletter. Skousen, who also leads the Home Run Trader, TNT Trader and Five Star Trader services, said traditional inflation hedges have consisted of oil, gold, silver, copper, uranium and other commodities.

Mark Skousen, editor of Forecasts & Strategies and a descendant of Benjamin Franklin, meets with Paul Dykewicz.

PICK offers the Third of Seven Uranium Investments to Buy

Bob Carlson, a pension fund chairman who also leads the Retirement Watch investment newsletter, said he prefers to invest in uranium through iShares MSCI Global Metals and Mining Producers (PICK). Carlson began recommending the exchange-traded fund (ETF) last fall and has watched it jump by double-digit percentages.

PICK has climbed 6.64% in the past month, 21.32% for the last three months, 20.07% so far this year and 26.69% in the past 12 months. The ETF tracks an index of global mining companies that excludes gold miners but does include silver miners.

Chart courtesy of www.stockcharts.com

The index consists of 216 stocks, but its capitalization weighting means 50% of the fund is in its 10 largest positions. Top holdings recently consisted of BHP Group Ltd. (NYSE: BHP), Rio Tinto Limited (OTCMKTS: RTNTF), Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE), Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) and AngloAmerican plc (OTCMKTS: NGLOY).

Chart generated using Stock Rover. Activate your 2-week free trial now.

“I was attracted to this ETF even before the invasion of Ukraine,” Carlson commented. “The mining companies had gone through a long bear market. They worked to reduce debt and otherwise clean up their balance sheets. Their more efficient operations mean most of them can profit at relatively low prices for their commodities and will earn strong profits as prices rise. The strong global demand, combined with the recent supply shocks, make them more attractive.”

Bob Carlson, head of Retirement Watch, speaks with columnist Paul Dykewicz.

Roughly 23% of the fund is in North American-based companies. Other leading regions in the fund are the United Kingdom, 13%; Developed Europe, 9%; Emerging Europe, 4.9%; and Africa/Middle East, 4.9%.

President of Portia Capital Management Prefers PICK to Gain Mining Diversification

Michelle Connell, a former portfolio manager who now is the president and owner of Dallas-based Portia Capital Management, said she also likes PICK to diversify beyond a pure play mining stock through a single investment.

Michelle Connell, CEO, Portia Capital Management

“There are several reasons for my rationale,” Connell told me.

One, PICK holds a “plethora of companies” that have very strong fundamentals, Connell continued. Second, PICK’s dividend yield is a compelling 5%, she added.

“Obviously, PICK is not a uranium pure play, but it provides some uranium exposure with more of an investment objective,” Connell counseled.

Uranium Energy Corp. Is the Fourth of Seven Uranium Investments to Buy

Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSE: UEC), a non-dividend-paying uranium mining and exploration company in Corpus Christi, Texas, describes itself as America’s fastest-growing uranium miner. UEC offers investors a pure play uranium stock that is advancing the next generation of low-cost, environmentally friendly in situ recovery (ISR) mining uranium projects. 

ISR is one of two key extraction methods currently used to obtain underground uranium. That method recovers uranium from low-grade ores where other mining and milling techniques may be too expensive or environmentally disruptive.

UEC has two production-ready ISR hub-and-spoke platforms in South Texas and Wyoming that are anchored by fully licensed and operational processing capacity at its Hobson and Irigaray Processing Plants. The company also has seven U.S. ISR uranium projects that have major permits in place.

UEC Holds Diversified Collection of Uranium Assets

Plus, UEC has other diversified holdings of uranium assets. They include one of the largest physical uranium portfolios of U.S. warehoused U3O8; a major equity stake in the only royalty company in the sector, Uranium Royalty Corp (NASDAQ: UROY); and a pipeline of resource-stage uranium projects in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Paraguay.  

“With the way Russia has operated in Ukraine, they have forfeited their right to operate in Western markets,” said Scott Melbye, executive vice president at Uranium Energy Corporation (NYSE: UEC). 

UEC’s stock price fell 10.45% in the past week after soaring 13.78% in the last month, 27.89% in the past three months, 35.5% so far in 2022 and 55.48% in the past year.

Chart courtesy of www.stockcharts.com

Uranium Royalty Corp. Is the Fifth of Seven Uranium Investments to Buy

Canada’s Uranium Royalty Corp., of Vancouver, is a non-dividend-paying a royalty company that acquires revenue streams of uranium projects. The uranium price had been improving on a fundamental supply and demand imbalance before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said Melbye, who also is the chief executive officer of Uranium Royalty Corp.

The opportunity to develop uranium mining operations in America is genuine, said Melbye, who added that Western companies cannot do business in Russia from an “ethical and moral” standpoint.

“Everybody is basically pulling out of Russia,” Melbye concluded.

Chart courtesy of www.stockcharts.com

UROY has been pulling back in the past month after roaring ahead 61.25% in the past 12 months. The stock is down 14.57% in the past week and 6.07% for the past month, while up 5.45% for the past three months and 6.04% for the year to date.

Toronto’s Denison Mines Is the Sixth of Seven Uranium Investments to Buy

Toronto’s Denison Mines Corp. (NYSEAmerican: DNN) is a uranium exploration and development company that has interests in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan in Canada. The company also has a 95% interest in its flagship Wheeler River Uranium Project, the largest undeveloped uranium site in the “infrastructure-rich” eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region in northern Saskatchewan, company officials said.

Denison’s interests in Saskatchewan further include a 22.5% ownership interest in the McClean Lake joint venture, including several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill, contracted to process the ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement.

In addition, Denison Mines holds a 25.17% interest in the Midwest Main and Midwest A deposits, and a 66.90% interest in the the Heldeth Túé and Huskie deposits on the Waterbury Lake property in that province. 

The stock fell 4.62% in the past week but has leaped 10.74% in the past month, 17,86% in the last three months, 20.44% so far this year and 51.38% for the last 12 months.

Chart courtesy of www.stockcharts.com

Sprott Physical Uranium Trust: Seventh of Seven Uranium Investments to Buy

Sprott, of Toronto, launched a new uranium product on July 19, 2021, called Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (TSX: U.U). The trust invests and holds substantially all its assets in uranium in the form of U3O8.

Sprott has bought more than 50 million pounds of uranium on the open market to speculate on the price of uranium for its investors. The company ranks as the world’s largest physical uranium fund, according to Morningstar.

“I have a pretty big personal stake in [the trust],” Melbye told me. Melbye’s holdings may not be much when compared to all the total shares outstanding, but he has proverbial “skin in the game” with his stake.

Since last July when the trust came into existence, the price of uranium has surged from $30-$40 per lb. last year to almost $60 per lb.

“Nuclear is carbon-free energy,” Melbye said. “Now, Democrats and Republicans both agree they like nuclear energy.”

The trust’s stock price fell 0.27% in the past week but zoomed 20.11% in the last month, 35.94% in the past three months and 33.97% so far in 2022. 

Seven Uranium Investments to Buy Fueled by U.S. Government Policies

The seven uranium investments to buy should be helped by the U.S. government’s previously announced goal to cut up to 52% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. At the same time, global demand for nuclear power is rising, as more countries commit to net-zero carbon goals, Melbye said.

The U.S. government further has taken action to ban imports of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal, but four Republican U.S. senators introduced legislation asking for uranium to be added to the list. Both Wyoming Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis joined with Sens. Kevin Cramer, of North Dakota, and Roger Marshall, of Kansas, Thursday, March 17, to submit a bill to ban Russian uranium imports.

In the U.S. House, Congressmen Pete Stauber (R-MN), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) introduced legislation on Friday, March 25, to ban imports of uranium from Russia. The United States purchased more than 34 million pounds of uranium from 2016-2020, the Energy Information Administration estimated.

“It’s more important now than ever for the United States to achieve mineral dominance to secure our energy supply chain needs,” Rep. Stauber said. “By banning uranium imports from Russia, we can stop funding for Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine, create jobs for American workers and secure our national defense.”

As Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine, the United States must curb its reliance on Russia for resources and critical minerals, Rep. Smith said. America has the capacity to safely produce uranium domestically, rather than buy it from Russia and fund its war on Ukraine, he added.

FDA Approves Second COVID-19 Booster Vaccine; U.S. Cases Top 80 Million

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on March 29 the expansion of its emergency use authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to be received as a second booster shot by adults who are 50 and older. That second booster shot could come as soon as four months after the initial booster dose.

The move provides an additional safeguard to protect against the virus that could boost business activity and the economy further in the months ahead. The second booster would enhance protection for healthy older adults. 

COVID-19 also has led to a new, highly contagious subvariant of Omicron, BA.2, that has spread a new wave of infections in Europe. China is enduring its worst outbreak since the virus initially surfaced in Wuhan. COVID cases also are on the climb in European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

COVID-19 deaths worldwide exceeded 6 million to total 6,113,459 on March 30, according to Johns Hopkins University. Cases across the globe have soared to 485,213,252.

U.S. COVID-19 cases, as of March 30, hit 80,019,128, with deaths rising to 978,691. America has the unenviable status as the nation with the most COVID-19 cases and deaths.

As of March 29, 255,362,450 people, or 76.9% of the U.S. population, have obtained at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC reported. Fully vaccinated people total 217,498,967, or 65.5%, of the U.S. population, according to the CDC. In addition, 97.4 million people have received a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine, up about 300,000 in the past week.

The seven uranium investments to buy offer stocks and funds that provide exposure to the rising value of an increasingly precious commodity that has supportive U.S. government policy and legislation. Despite Putin’s perplexing actions that are killing thousands of Russia’s own soldiers and Ukrainian men, women and children, Russian claims of progress in peace talks still do not seem near an agreement to end hostilities.

Paul Dykewicz, www.pauldykewicz.com, is an accomplished, award-winning journalist who has written for Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, the Journal of Commerce, Seeking Alpha, GuruFocus and other publications and websites. Paul, who can be followed on Twitter @PaulDykewicz, is the editor of StockInvestor.com and DividendInvestor.com, a writer for both websites and a columnist. He further is editorial director of Eagle Financial Publications in Washington, D.C., where he edits monthly investment newsletters, time-sensitive trading alerts, free e-letters and other investment reports. Paul previously served as business editor of Baltimore’s Daily Record newspaper. Paul also is the author of an inspirational book, “Holy Smokes! Golden Guidance from Notre Dame’s Championship Chaplain,” with a foreword by former national championship-winning football coach Lou Holtz. The book is great as a gift and is endorsed by Joe Montana, Joe Theismann, Ara Parseghian, “Rocket” Ismail, Reggie Brooks, Dick Vitale and many others. Call 202-677-4457 for multiple-book pricing.

The post Seven Uranium Investments to Buy for Profiting from Putin’s Perplexing Policies appeared first on Stock Investor.

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Analyst reviews Apple stock price target amid challenges

Here’s what could happen to Apple shares next.

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They said it was bound to happen.

It was Jan. 11, 2024 when software giant Microsoft  (MSFT)  briefly passed Apple  (AAPL)  as the most valuable company in the world.

Microsoft's stock closed 0.5% higher, giving it a market valuation of $2.859 trillion. 

It rose as much as 2% during the session and the company was briefly worth $2.903 trillion. Apple closed 0.3% lower, giving the company a market capitalization of $2.886 trillion. 

"It was inevitable that Microsoft would overtake Apple since Microsoft is growing faster and has more to benefit from the generative AI revolution," D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria said at the time, according to Reuters.

The two tech titans have jostled for top spot over the years and Microsoft was ahead at last check, with a market cap of $3.085 trillion, compared with Apple's value of $2.684 trillion.

Analysts noted that Apple had been dealing with weakening demand, including for the iPhone, the company’s main source of revenue. 

Demand in China, a major market, has slumped as the country's economy makes a slow recovery from the pandemic and competition from Huawei.

Sales in China of Apple's iPhone fell by 24% in the first six weeks of 2024 compared with a year earlier, according to research firm Counterpoint, as the company contended with stiff competition from a resurgent Huawei "while getting squeezed in the middle on aggressive pricing from the likes of OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi," said senior Analyst Mengmeng Zhang.

“Although the iPhone 15 is a great device, it has no significant upgrades from the previous version, so consumers feel fine holding on to the older-generation iPhones for now," he said.

A man scrolling through Netflix on an Apple iPad Pro. Photo by Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images.

Future Publishing/Getty Images

Big plans for China

Counterpoint said that the first six weeks of 2023 saw abnormally high numbers with significant unit sales being deferred from December 2022 due to production issues.

Apple is planning to open its eighth store in Shanghai – and its 47th across China – on March 21.

Related: Tech News Now: OpenAI says Musk contract 'never existed', Xiaomi's EV, and more

The company also plans to expand its research centre in Shanghai to support all of its product lines and open a new lab in southern tech hub Shenzhen later this year, according to the South China Morning Post.

Meanwhile, over in Europe, Apple announced changes to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which went into effect last week, Reuters reported on March 12.

Beginning this spring, software developers operating in Europe will be able to distribute apps to EU customers directly from their own websites instead of through the App Store.

"To reflect the DMA’s changes, users in the EU can install apps from alternative app marketplaces in iOS 17.4 and later," Apple said on its website, referring to the software platform that runs iPhones and iPads. 

"Users will be able to download an alternative marketplace app from the marketplace developer’s website," the company said.

Apple has also said it will appeal a $2 billion EU antitrust fine for thwarting competition from Spotify  (SPOT)  and other music streaming rivals via restrictions on the App Store.

The company's shares have suffered amid all this upheaval, but some analysts still see good things in Apple's future.

Bank of America Securities confirmed its positive stance on Apple, maintaining a buy rating with a steady price target of $225, according to Investing.com

The firm's analysis highlighted Apple's pricing strategy evolution since the introduction of the first iPhone in 2007, with initial prices set at $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8GB model.

BofA said that Apple has consistently launched new iPhone models, including the Pro/Pro Max versions, to target the premium market. 

Analyst says Apple selloff 'overdone'

Concurrently, prices for previous models are typically reduced by about $100 with each new release. 

This strategy, coupled with installment plans from Apple and carriers, has contributed to the iPhone's installed base reaching a record 1.2 billion in 2023, the firm said.

More Tech Stocks:

Apple has effectively shifted its sales mix toward higher-value units despite experiencing slower unit sales, BofA said.

This trend is expected to persist and could help mitigate potential unit sales weaknesses, particularly in China. 

BofA also noted Apple's dominance in the high-end market, maintaining a market share of over 90% in the $1,000 and above price band for the past three years.

The firm also cited the anticipation of a multi-year iPhone cycle propelled by next-generation AI technology, robust services growth, and the potential for margin expansion.

On Monday, Evercore ISI analysts said they believed that the sell-off in the iPhone maker’s shares may be “overdone.”

The firm said that investors' growing preference for AI-focused stocks like Nvidia  (NVDA)  has led to a reallocation of funds away from Apple. 

In addition, Evercore said concerns over weakening demand in China, where Apple may be losing market share in the smartphone segment, have affected investor sentiment.

And then ongoing regulatory issues continue to have an impact on investor confidence in the world's second-biggest company.

“We think the sell-off is rather overdone, while we suspect there is strong valuation support at current levels to down 10%, there are three distinct drivers that could unlock upside on the stock from here – a) Cap allocation, b) AI inferencing, and c) Risk-off/defensive shift," the firm said in a research note.

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024

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Major typhoid fever surveillance study in sub-Saharan Africa indicates need for the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines in endemic countries

There is a high burden of typhoid fever in sub-Saharan African countries, according to a new study published today in The Lancet Global Health. This high…

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There is a high burden of typhoid fever in sub-Saharan African countries, according to a new study published today in The Lancet Global Health. This high burden combined with the threat of typhoid strains resistant to antibiotic treatment calls for stronger prevention strategies, including the use and implementation of typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) in endemic settings along with improvements in access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Credit: IVI

There is a high burden of typhoid fever in sub-Saharan African countries, according to a new study published today in The Lancet Global Health. This high burden combined with the threat of typhoid strains resistant to antibiotic treatment calls for stronger prevention strategies, including the use and implementation of typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) in endemic settings along with improvements in access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.

 

The findings from this 4-year study, the Severe Typhoid in Africa (SETA) program, offers new typhoid fever burden estimates from six countries: Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, and Nigeria, with four countries recording more than 100 cases for every 100,000 person-years of observation, which is considered a high burden. The highest incidence of typhoid was found in DRC with 315 cases per 100,000 people while children between 2-14 years of age were shown to be at highest risk across all 25 study sites.

 

There are an estimated 12.5 to 16.3 million cases of typhoid every year with 140,000 deaths. However, with generic symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and abdominal pain, and the need for blood culture sampling to make a definitive diagnosis, it is difficult for governments to capture the true burden of typhoid in their countries.

 

“Our goal through SETA was to address these gaps in typhoid disease burden data,” said lead author Dr. Florian Marks, Deputy Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). “Our estimates indicate that introduction of TCV in endemic settings would go to lengths in protecting communities, especially school-aged children, against this potentially deadly—but preventable—disease.”

 

In addition to disease incidence, this study also showed that the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Salmonella Typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever, has led to more reliance beyond the traditional first line of antibiotic treatment. If left untreated, severe cases of the disease can lead to intestinal perforation and even death. This suggests that prevention through vaccination may play a critical role in not only protecting against typhoid fever but reducing the spread of drug-resistant strains of the bacteria.

 

There are two TCVs prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and available through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In February 2024, IVI and SK bioscience announced that a third TCV, SKYTyphoid™, also achieved WHO PQ, paving the way for public procurement and increasing the global supply.

 

Alongside the SETA disease burden study, IVI has been working with colleagues in three African countries to show the real-world impact of TCV vaccination. These studies include a cluster-randomized trial in Agogo, Ghana and two effectiveness studies following mass vaccination in Kisantu, DRC and Imerintsiatosika, Madagascar.

 

Dr. Birkneh Tilahun Tadesse, Associate Director General at IVI and Head of the Real-World Evidence Department, explains, “Through these vaccine effectiveness studies, we aim to show the full public health value of TCV in settings that are directly impacted by a high burden of typhoid fever.” He adds, “Our final objective of course is to eliminate typhoid or to at least reduce the burden to low incidence levels, and that’s what we are attempting in Fiji with an island-wide vaccination campaign.”

 

As more countries in typhoid endemic countries, namely in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, consider TCV in national immunization programs, these data will help inform evidence-based policy decisions around typhoid prevention and control.

 

###

 

About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and developed a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that is recently pre-qualified by WHO.

IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, a Country Office in Austria, and Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 39 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.

 

CONTACT

Aerie Em, Global Communications & Advocacy Manager
+82 2 881 1386 | aerie.em@ivi.int


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US Spent More Than Double What It Collected In February, As 2024 Deficit Is Second Highest Ever… And Debt Explodes

US Spent More Than Double What It Collected In February, As 2024 Deficit Is Second Highest Ever… And Debt Explodes

Earlier today, CNBC’s…

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US Spent More Than Double What It Collected In February, As 2024 Deficit Is Second Highest Ever... And Debt Explodes

Earlier today, CNBC's Brian Sullivan took a horse dose of Red Pills when, about six months after our readers, he learned that the US is issuing $1 trillion in debt every 100 days, which prompted him to rage tweet, (or rageX, not sure what the proper term is here) the following:

We’ve added 60% to national debt since 2018. Germany - a country with major economic woes - added ‘just’ 32%.   

Maybe it will never matter.   Maybe MMT is real.   Maybe we just cancel or inflate it out. Maybe career real estate borrowers or career politicians aren’t the answer.

I have no idea.  Only time will tell.   But it’s going to be fascinating to watch it play out.

He is right: it will be fascinating, and the latest budget deficit data simply confirmed that the day of reckoning will come very soon, certainly sooner than the two years that One River's Eric Peters predicted this weekend for the coming "US debt sustainability crisis."

According to the US Treasury, in February, the US collected $271 billion in various tax receipts, and spent $567 billion, more than double what it collected.

The two charts below show the divergence in US tax receipts which have flatlined (on a trailing 6M basis) since the covid pandemic in 2020 (with occasional stimmy-driven surges)...

... and spending which is about 50% higher compared to where it was in 2020.

The end result is that in February, the budget deficit rose to $296.3 billion, up 12.9% from a year prior, and the second highest February deficit on record.

And the punchline: on a cumulative basis, the budget deficit in fiscal 2024 which began on October 1, 2023 is now $828 billion, the second largest cumulative deficit through February on record, surpassed only by the peak covid year of 2021.

But wait there's more: because in a world where the US is spending more than twice what it is collecting, the endgame is clear: debt collapse, and while it won't be tomorrow, or the week after, it is coming... and it's also why the US is now selling $1 trillion in debt every 100 days just to keep operating (and absorbing all those millions of illegal immigrants who will keep voting democrat to preserve the socialist system of the US, so beloved by the Soros clan).

And it gets even worse, because we are now in the ponzi finance stage of the Minsky cycle, with total interest on the debt annualizing well above $1 trillion, and rising every day

... having already surpassed total US defense spending and soon to surpass total health spending and, finally all social security spending, the largest spending category of all, which means that US debt will now rise exponentially higher until the inevitable moment when the US dollar loses its reserve status and it all comes crashing down.

We conclude with another observation by CNBC's Brian Sullivan, who quotes an email by a DC strategist...

.. which lays out the proposed Biden budget as follows:

The budget deficit will growth another $16 TRILLION over next 10 years. Thats *with* the proposed massive tax hikes.

Without them the deficit will grow $19 trillion.

That's why you will hear the "deficit is being reduced by $3 trillion" over the decade.

No family budget or business could exist with this kind of math.

Of course, in the long run, neither can the US... and since neither party will ever cut the spending which everyone by now is so addicted to, the best anyone can do is start planning for the endgame.

Tyler Durden Tue, 03/12/2024 - 18:40

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