On "Black Friday", November 26 2021, the U.S. stock indices took a major hit. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
fell 900 points. Similarly, the S&P 500 plunged, and on
balance, the end of the last week was the worst performing "Black Friday" in
over a half a century.
The stated reason for this precipitous drop, according to those "in the know"? The new
Omicron" COVID variant.
Hmm, a new variant. Uh oh.
Wait; I didn't do that right. I failed to instill the requisite fear and anxiety in readers of this thread.
OH MY GOD! ANOTHER COVID VARIANT!! WHAT EVER WILL WE DO??
Pardon my initial underwhelming reaction, but you see, we have seen this script before. Emergence of the Delta variant of 2021 was leveraged by the
global health organizations and their media allies as an urgent justification for the continuation of draconian lockdown posture among many nations
around the globe, and it was also used as a stark warning for the world to continue to vaccinate. Fear-instilling media headlines, just like the ones
we see related to Omicron, were pumped out by MSM.
However, in their haste to raise the alarm and promote fear around the spread of the then new Delta variant, many media outlets and even medical
authorities failed to provide context to the rise of the Delta variant:
it was not as lethal
as prior strains:
Yes, the Delta variant is more transmissible. But it is not that deadly. In the U.K. they have 90% delta cases, yet their hospitals are not
overwhelmed. Their hospitalization rates continue to remain very low.[6]
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, yadda yadda.
So now, at the end of 2021, "enter Omicron" (do your best to imagine the foreboding sound of Metallica's "Enter Sandmand" at this point).
Mixed in among the fear p0rn and calls for concern, generally relegated to the "fine print" of news articles and omitted from headlines, is the
opinion of those health professionals on the front line that
the
symptoms of Omicron appear to be, initially, somewhat 'mild'
A doctor in South Africa, one of the first persons to suspect the emergence of a different virus strain, assured that the symptoms of Omicron are
"mild," amid rising concerns over the new Covid variant.
Hmm, ok. So then what gives? Why this conflicting sentiment and mixed information? What possible benefit could there be to instilling panic in the
public over a variant that appears, so far, to be not very malignant? Leaving aside the obvious continued rationalization these variants give for
extension of government restrictions and the no-brainer impetus for the general public to keep getting their boosters, let's "circle back" to the
opening theme in the thread: the global capital markets:
Note the highlighted sections of the picture, paying particular attention to the bottom box.
Ta-Da!
"Futures Rise, Bonds Dip as Omicron Turmoil Eases"
Look ma! All better!
What this means, for those initiated in the capital markets, is that early, pre-market trading (i.e. futures) in U.S. stocks is signalling that the
market is rebounding, equity prices are rising, fand that it turns out the fear, uncertainty and doubt in the markets from Friday, **might** have been
a bit hasty.
This, as evidenced in a very short 3+ day cycle, is an example of how F.U.D. (fear uncertainty doubt), either precipitated from global conflict,
political instability, social issues or of late, the pandemic, is utilized as a tool by the MSM and MIC to bring about an intended result. That result
could be anything from making you continue re-upping for booster shots (but hmmmm, is the booster circulating now equipped to combat "Omicron"??),
or in this instance, resetting the markets, getting the limp and impotent money out so others can pop in and scoop up equity at a discount. Me, I
bought and added to my long stock positions on Friday, and I added also to my crypto positions.
Morale of the story, pay attention to the fine print, and don't let F.U.D. be used as a tool to control your behavior.