Adam, thanks for your comment. I think the market likes huge stimulus and zero interest rates (Regardless of the party in power) into the forseable future much better than it Will have ever liked Mr. Trump.

Andrew, it is easy to be pessimistic in the media overload we get each day. Most of this is negative because it gets your attention. I think you need to step back and realize that 85% of people that get coronavirus do not go to the emergency room and they don’t die. The vast majority of fatalities a cure in the population above 80 years old and with prior Health issues.

So far there have been 3,138,000 test confirmed cases and 218,000 deaths. Which would give you about a 6% fatality rate. However there could be millions of cases That have been undiagnosed that could drop this fatality rate considerably. And this issue of undiagnosed cases is beginning to get more and more press. Importantly, you need to consider all the completely outrageously wrong predictions that were made over the past two months.

So far our current pandemic does not hold a candle to that of the Spanish influenza. Please take a look at this link. www.cdc.gov/.../1918-pandemic-history.htm

This too will pass. Coming out the other side we will be dealing with a huge amount of stimulus both monetary and fiscal. My sense is it’s going to have a very positive affect on the market.

Thanks for stopping by.

bk

Not really. In our democracy it is up to all of us to be critical Thinkers. Buyer beware!The sad thing is that the commander in chief is wired into the Fox echo chamber. The echo chamber always agrees with the commander in chief.That’s why we are in the position we find ourselves at today. Critical thinkers have no place at this table.

Andrew they have never ever been our friend.Thank you Roger Ailes wherever you are.

There was a point in time when the Chinese were having trouble getting tests, just like the United States, to test everyone. To compensate, anybody scanned with pneumonia like images were immediately classified as coronavirus cases and placed in the number. I presume subsequently they were tested.

As to the real number of coronavirus cases in China or anyplace else, the symptoms in many people especially the young are so minor, they won’t be tested. I am assuming if everybody actually had the virus we’re counted, The death rate would be much lower. So far in the United States at least as of last night most of the people who have passed away were residents of the same nursing facility.

I would agree with you that the numbers in the United States and anyplace else the viruses surfaced are probably much higher but the symptoms are much weaker in the young. Anyway, I think it is time to step back and reassess the panic. People in the most at risk group Should not go into crowds, should not take cruises, should not travel abroad. The rest of us should be washing our hands more often and start thinking about resuming normal activities. This is not the Spanish influenza.

Gary, Don’t forget. WASH YOUR HANDS!

Yes Danielle that is correct. It is very fatal in the older and infirmed population and almost no threat to children. The only thing I might point out is that we are operating with a small sample that currently only holds about 114,000 people. I believe there have been somewhere in the area of 26 deaths (668 cases) in the United States, 14 of which occurred in the same nursing home.So again in the small US sample the death rate is running about 3.8% because of the outbreak in the nursing home. The 26 may also include additional people from the nursing home. I’m not certain if the media is helpful in breaking this out.

Thank you for your comment.

Bk

CDC website. www.cdc.gov/.../...iminary-in-season-estimates.htm

JAMES, thank you for the perspective. I concur. Regarding the coronavirus, the media is both a blessing and a curse. On the plus side it’s getting people to take protective action. On the minus side, because bad news sells it is scaring the hell out of people.

In the last pandemic, the Spanish influenza, we did not have the kind of communications available today. I think about a third of the US population caught that influenza and 2%+ died. As it pertains to that particular influenza, as the virus began to wind down in 1919, The Dow Jones industrial average hit a new high of 118.

Thanks for checking in.

bk

Thanks for your comment Kevin. I just responded to your concern in my response to Ayelet Wolf above. I would say unlike China, our population is well aware that the disease has come to our shores. Mini are taking significant steps to lessen their chances of getting the disease. Health professionals are very vigilant for new people presenting with symptoms and, in the final analysis, we are dealing with a crisis of confidence in the administration’s ability to Deal with this problem. Then of course you have to look at the OPEC price war and its affect on energy stocks. For as long as it lasts, it will be a significant stimulus because it will put money in the pockets of consumers that have been shipping it elsewhere. Also, they use the rate on the 10 year government to establish mortgage rates. This should help a lot of people refinancing. As Mr. Roosevelt said, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Thanks for stopping by.

bk