tyb
SAM288 USAF C-32A departed Copenhagen Int'l Airport
Apologies for the error previously as I missed this departing yesterday
This is the Sec. of State departing for Keflavik AB Iceland after an overnight at Copenhagen
https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1394282790645080066
and dem running around tryin to say the BV/BO situ is just fine.
don't know and don't really care
just funny watchin' them scrambling around day after day with the drama creation.
>>54179 lb
SAM375 USAF C-40B on ground at MacDill AFB from JBA depart
Bets Against Treasuries Build in Defiance of Uncooperative Data
A robust short base has formed in the Treasury market, expecting an economic recovery, and it’s willing to overlook data points that contradict its preferred narrative. “Investors seem to take the view that what matters is that the U.S. economy is recovering, rather than worry too much about the precise strength of the recovery at any particular moment in time,” Bank of America strategist Ralf Preusser said in a note. Positioning has become a “sea of uncertainty,” he said.
Response to the weak U.S. employment report for April, released May 7, was a case in point. Bank of America’s FX and Rates Sentiment Survey for May which polls 70-80 institutional investors who combined manage more than $1 trillion found that duration underweights increased over the month. Similarly, in JPMorgan’s Treasury client survey, short positioning is most stretched since 2017. Consistent with that, the Bank of America survey also detected a rising pain threshold for Treasury yields, with 51% saying the economy can tolerate a 10-year yield up to 2.25%, up from 47% in the April survey. A bearish stance on U.S. rates which Bank of America advocates also was reflected in the survey’s findings on when the Federal Reserve is likely to signal a reduction in the pace of its asset purchases. More than half expect it will happen by the central bank’s September policy meeting.
A similar mindset has been on display in the eurodollar options market, where last week’s stand-out trades included a large new position in Jul21 mid-curve puts targeting an increase in Fed hike premium priced into 2023 futures. The position was expanded during Monday’s session. Earlier this month, another large eurodollar position appeared to anticipate a significant policy shift occurring at the annual Jackson Hole conference in August.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/bets-against-treasuries-build-in-defiance-of-uncooperative-data-1.1604850
SAM393 USAF G5 on ground at Scott AFB, IL from JBA depart
Myanmar coup latest: US sanctions junta itself in latest move with allies
Tuesday, May 18
12:20 a.m. More on the 16 officials targeted in a new round of U.S. sanctions: Besides four members of the State Administrative Council the junta government the list includes key figures in carrying out Myanmar's economic and monetary policy.
One of them is Than Nyein, who was installed by the junta as central bank governor after the Feb. 1. Minister of Commerce Pwint San and Minister for Planning, Finance and Industry Win Shein have also been sanctioned, according to a Treasury Department statement. The list also includes two adult children of State Administrative Council member Gen. Maung Maung Kyaw and one of Adm. Tin Aung San. These two junta figures were themselves blacklisted in February.
Monday, May 17
10:30 p.m. The Biden administration has added Myanmar's State Administrative Council the body created by the junta to replace the ousted government to a list of U.S. sanctions targets.
"Today, the United States is announcing new sanctions against Burma's military regime in response to its continued violence and repression against the people of Burma, most recently in Mindat, Chin State, and its failure to take any steps to restore Burma's democratic transition," Secretary of State Antony Blinken says in a statement.
Sixteen officials have also been added to the U.S. list. Thy include technocrats and civilians in charge of economic ministries and the central bank, according to a Treasury Department statement. All property and interests in property of the persons named in the United States, or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked.
A U.S. analyst says it is "highly unusual to sanction the council as an entity but leave some names out including foreign minister."
The U.S. move is part of coordinated new sanctions actions with the U.K. and Canada. The U.K. announces sanctions on Myanmar Gems Enterprise, a state-owned firm now under the junta's control. Canada sanctioned 16 individuals and 10 entities.
9:30 p.m. The U.K. announces sanctions on Myanmar Gems Enterprise, a distributor of jade and other precious stones that has already been blacklisted by the U.S.
The military junta in #Myanmar continues to crush democracy & attack its own people with a brutal ferocity. The UK is working with our allies to impose sanctions that hit the Myanmar military’s access to finance. @SecBlinken @MarcGarneau https://t.co/ndie6X4HWQ
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) May 17, 2021
6:00 p.m. The 2020 Myanmar general election reflected "the true will of the electorate," according to a final comprehensive report by The Asian Network for Free Elections, an international monitoring group, which counters the junta's allegation of electoral fraud. ANFREL says it hopes Myanmar will "soon return on the rightful path to an elected civilian government." The report, titled "The 2020 Myanmar General Elections: Democracy Under Attack," is available in English and in Burmese.
3:30 p.m. The Mindat People's Administration announces on Facebook that fighting between the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) a newly formed ethnic militia and the military is ongoing in the western state of Chin, bordering India. The administration is acting as the CDF's political unit. It added in its post that seven locals had been killed during the recent fighting. The State Administration Council, as the junta is formally known, declared martial law in the northwestern town of Mindat on Thursday.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Myanmar-Coup/Myanmar-coup-latest-US-sanctions-junta-itself-in-latest-move-with-allies
U.S. oil futures end at highest in more than 2 years
Oil futures climbed Monday, with optimism that an economic recovery in the U.S. and Europe will lead to higher energy demand sending U.S. prices to their highest settlement in more than two years. Prices got a boost on "hopes that large parts of Europe will soon be able to follow the U.K. on easing restrictions further, thus driving up demand over the next few weeks," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. June West Texas Intermediate crude CLM21, 1.30% rose 90 cents, or 1.4%, to settle at $66.27 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That was the highest front-month contract finish since April 23, 2019, when prices settled at $66.30, FactSet data show.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-oil-futures-end-at-highest-in-more-than-2-years-2021-05-17
https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/future/CLM21
France to lend Sudan $1.5 billion to pay off IMF debt, Germany offers assistance
According to Sudanese PM Abdalla Hamdok, the East African country's total debts amount to some $60 billion. France is hosting a conference of several African leaders offering to assist Sudan's transitional government.
France offered crisis-stricken Sudan a bridging loan worth $1.5 billion (€1.25 billion) on Monday to help pay its arrears to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while Germany is also keen to participate in Sudan's debt relief.
The announcement was formally made by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting a summit of several African leaders in Paris, seeking support for Sudan's fledgling transitional government. "Despite the difficulties, considerable progress has been made since the fall of the old regime," Macron said in his opening address. Hailing its transition as "an inspiration" and a "precedent," he said that the international community had a "collective responsibility" to help Sudan realize its goals. Alongside Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said: "This contribution demonstrates the strength of our partnership and the trust we have in Sudan."
Le Maire said the summit was an opportunity to bring the East African country back into the fold after being largely isolated for over 30 years. Sudan was ruled by former President Omar al-Bashir for three decades until he was overthrown after a popular uprising and military coup in 2019. The authoritarian leader was subsequently incarcerated, tried and convicted on multiple corruption charges. Civilians and the military have since formed a transitional government that has been widely welcomed. According to Hamdok, Sudan has outstanding debts of around $60 billion and its economic crisis has only been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this year, Sudan settled its debts with the World Bank thanks to a bridging loan from the United States. By clearing its debts with the World Bank and the IMF, Sudan is paving the way to receiving poverty-reduction grants, as well as a wider debt relief package from the global community. President Macron has called for a "New Deal" for African countries and therefore initiated two summits. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was also present in Paris for talks over Sudan debt relief, as it was confirmed Berlin pledged $110 million worth of Sudanese IMF liabilities. Germany is also offering 390 million euros worth of bilateral debt relief.
Before departing for the French capital, Maas recalled the Berlin conference on Sudan last June, at which participants had pledged a total of $1.8 billion in aid. "Great hopes rest on the success of the peaceful revolution in Sudan," Maas said in a statement. "The political and economic reform process that has begun is arduous, but it offers a historic opportunity for more peace, economic prospects and freedom for the people of Sudan. Germany has stood shoulder to shoulder from the very beginning." Maas said Germany was prepared to "participate comprehensively" in the country's debt relief.
Last August, the government in Khartoum reached a peace agreement with rebel groups after a seventeen-year conflict. According to UN figures, some 300,000 people had been killed in the conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur since 2003, and around 2.7 million forced from their homes.
https://www.dw.com/en/france-to-lend-sudan-15-billion-to-pay-off-imf-debt-germany-offers-assistance/a-57558058
SAM288 USAF C-32A on descent for Keflavik AB, Iceland from Copenhagen Int'l depart and overnight.
Sec. of State arriving at Reykjavik
US Secretary of State Blinken Arrives in Iceland Tonight
Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, is scheduled to arrive in Iceland shortly after 7.00pm tonight, RÚV reports. Though Blinken will be meeting with Icelandic officials during his stay, he will also meet with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who arrives in the country on Wednesday. It is the first meeting of senior Russian and US officials since Joe Biden took office as the 46th President of the United States in January.
https://www.icelandreview.com/politics/us-secretary-of-state-blinken-arrives-in-iceland-tonight/
>>54129 pb
Had this one as Sec. of State earlier
that is above
SAM364 USAF C-32A on final at Brussels Int'l from JBA depart this morning
>>54146 pb
BOXER43 USAF C-40C on descent for JBA from it's San Francisco Int'l depart.
Buffett's Berkshire discloses stake in Aon, sheds nearly all of Wells Fargo
Berkshire Hathaway Inc said on Monday it has taken a $943 million stake in the insurance company Aon Plc and nearly dissolved a more than three-decade-old investment in Wells Fargo & Co. The changes were disclosed in a regulatory filing detailing Berkshire’s U.S.-listed holdings in its $282.1 billion equity portfolio as of March 31. Berkshire said it owned just $26.4 million of Wells Fargo stock. It once owned around $32 billion worth of shares in the fourth-largest U.S. bank.
https://www.reuters.com/article/investment-funds-berkshire/buffetts-berkshire-discloses-stake-in-aon-sheds-nearly-all-of-wells-fargo-idUSL1N2N12OE