It is amazing how difficult it has become to operate on the internet, over security fears and risks to hosts from dissatisfied users. The news that Google went down yesterday in many parts of the world is not surprising. The technicians are not in control of their own programs.

A tumultuous week looks like ending in a draw but it is too early to predict the close. Oil is down fractionally, both WTI and Brent, which further nipped the prices of oil stocks. Oil demand rose in July.

Pinduoduo (PDD) fell sharply after its orders did and Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) rose on hopes they would be able to start producing a coronavirus drug starting as early as next month. In my view, there will be lots of winners over COV-19 because so much science is being brought to bear.

Surprise, surprise, as lefty Mexican Pres. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador encourages investigation into corruption by his predecessors presidents, his own brother Pio Lopez Obrador was filmed loading up with huge amounts cash in 2015 when his brother was running for office.

Canada banksters

*A day after our Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) was heavily fined for finagling the price of gold futures, TD Bank, another Canadian, was found by the US Consumer Protection Bureau to have charged and enrolled borrowers for overdraft protection without asking for their permission. TD Bank is a separate entity but is linked to my new brokerage, TD Ameritrade. Contrary to myth, Canadians are not nice.

*Again Banco Santander (SAN) is being hit with selling although it has not been accured of any misdeeds. SAN, the Spanish bank is a bigger player cross border than the Canadians but better managed. SAN fell another 2.3%. It may be because of the rebound of Covid-19 in Spain.

*Hang Seng Bank (HSNGY) in Hong Kong is up 7.3% possibly because it published its replacement interim report due late this month but I cannot get it.

Mining and Oil

*Canada's Cameco (CCJ) resumed work on the Bruce Power uranium lutetium 177 isotope production system after a shut-in because of lower demand and Covid-19. CCJ's original contract is worth $2 bn.

*Antofagasta which suffered from low copper prices early this year may gain as prices rise. In the inverbal it cut its dividend from 7 to 6.2 cents. ANFGF H1 profit was $135.2 mn this year vs $304.4 mn in H1 2019. Copper prices are closely linked to economic growth, why it is Dr Copper.

*Canadian Computer Modelling (CMDXF) which models reservoirs for oil drilling is on a roll after good Q1 numbers last week, back over C$4. It opened 2020 at $6 and pays 5 loony cents quarterly.

Farming and food

*Deere beat in sales and profit today. That proves the value of farming, a Devonshire dialect word for what tractors are used for. This bodes well for Orbia Advance (MXCHF) which is up 11%

*Strikes in Belarus mean Nutrien's fertilizers are in greater demand and more profitable. NTR is oversold.

*Irish Greencore (GNCGY) managed to shift its sandwich production to another site after the one in Northumberland (not Yorkshire) saw workers infected with coronavirus. Barclays rated it buy today boosting it 17.5%

Tech

*Tesla puzzled Barron's Daily by rising 24% this week after announcing a stock split. It is up a ridiculous 378% YTD. We own a more reasonable electric vehicle play, Nio, recommended by Max Deml of Oeko-Invest in Vienna. NIO is up 4% after its move to cut the price of its SUV's by leasing the batteries. He also tipped Tesla, but we don't do US shares. He runs the Natural stock list which has hugely outperformed and now plans to produce a newsletter in English in the ESG space. Anyone interested? I may help out with translation.

*Africa ad and cellphone seller, Multichoice (MCHOY), was a rare gainer today up 1.53%. It is still part owned by Naspers and Prosus which are both up today, of Jo-burg and Rotterdam are not just owners of Tencent (TCEHY). NPSNY is up 5.73% and PROSY up 4.8%. They are competing with Facebook with classified ads and building out their Brazil food sales.

*The latter move has taken down Mercado Libre by 1%.

*Veolia Environnement (VEOEY), is among the winners today.

*Also Tower Semiconductor (TSEM).

*Japanese gamemaker Nintendo, tipped by Abhimanyu Sisodia, gained 2% today in a meh market.

*As Norway wrestles with conflicts of interest in its huge post-oil fund, Tomra Systems (TMRAY), maker of sorting systems and reverse vending machines, is riding high.

Drugs

*BioNTech and Pfizer expect to get approvals for their coronavirus drug as soon as Oct.

*Dr Reddy's (RDY) is up today in down markets, found by Abhimanyu Sisodia.

*Teva (TEVA) won tentative approval for its generica pirfenidone to treat pulmonary fibrosis whose cause is unknown (idiopathic), pending patent settlement. The share fell another half percent.

*Novartis (NVS) got US FDA okay for its relapsing multiple sclerosis drug Kesumpta (ofatumab) and expects European approvals later. It was discovered by Genmab, licensed in 2006 to Glaxo and bought by Swiss NVO in late 2015.

*GSK is said to be in breach of its accord with Anaptys Bio over Keytruda, Glaxo is being sued in Delaware (famous for contracts as well as Joe Biden) and will pay milestones and royalties while the case goes on.

Funds

*Lazard Global Fund (LGI) will report on Aug. 24 at 8 a.m. It is the closed-end fund we bought most recently.

*Swedish Investor A/B sold its EQT fund 11 months ago which is as well as it fell. IVSBF which we use as a proxy for a non-existent Scandinavia fund, fell in sympathy, but wrongly. The result was a boost for Sampo Oyj in Finland, which gained ~1%. (SAXPY).

*Buffett copycats are wrestling with gold skeptics about the value of SPDR Gold, GLD, which is very volatile.

*Now that I have met my first Malaysian I learn that the country is suffering a stock-buying frenzy because it makes things needed in a pandemic like rubber globes. Ken was more into Bitcoins. There is a Malaysia ETF but no closed-end fund.