Feb 19, 2020, updated periodically...Unfortunately there’s not just one link you can use to get an estimate of the real numbers of infected, or of the seriousness of this outbreak, and you will have to do some digging of your own. But here are a few points to consider and research for yourself:

The basics

• Name. The names 2019-nCoV, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, and novel coronavirus all basically refer to the same thing, either the new virus or the disease it causes. (The WHO calls the virus SARS-COV-2, and the illness COVID-19.)
• Family. It is a type of SARS but is much worse than SARs; experts have also called it "worse than Ebola" in terms of how fast it is spreading.
• Re-infection. Getting sick with it more than once is a possibility; "recovered" patients may even be contagious or test positive for the virus after so-called "recovery." Link
• Spreading without symptoms. People are able to be asymptomatic or presymptomatic, but still contagious, for weeks. Studies have shown that an infected person may be shedding virus for weeks after "recovery."
• Ineffective quarantines. Quarantines are being done for 14 days in many countries, even though it has been documented that 38 days would be more effective. The word quarantine comes from the Italian quarantina giorni, a space of 40 days. We need to get smarter about how long people are quarantined.
• When Did It Start? By Nov 2019, officials had briefed the US White House on a virus that was sweeping through Wuhan, China. Link
• Fast-spreading. Between 2/19/20 and 5/1/20, cases grew from 1000 to over 3 million. Many countries do not have the capability to adequately test people. For instance it could become very widespread in parts of Africa without ever making the news.
• Symptoms and Treatment. There is no cure; treatment focuses on the symptoms like the cough and fever. The symptom list is long and varies from patient to patient but the majority of them have cough and fever and the serious cases develop pneumonia, which is what kills them. Secondary infections are also common, and those patients get antibiotics, but, antibiotics don't do anything against a virus; they are used solely to treat additional complications. The symptom list seems to be ever-changing: a March 7 report showed that 22% of patients had diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal discomfort before respiratory symptoms (another report said it was about 50%). One first-person account said that a rash was her only symptom. CNN aired an interview with US nurses on the frontline who said that in some cases the only symptom prior to death was that the tissue around the eyes turned red (not the eyes, but the face area around the eyes).
• No vaccine. Labs around the world are racing to develop a vaccine but that is, at best, months away; some say a vaccine may be impossible due to how the virus tricks the body into making more virus. And keep in mind there was a SARS outbreak nearly 20 years ago and we still don't have a vaccine for that.
• Lives on surfaces. Many redditors have asked about whether it is safe to accept packages from China. Studies have shown that the virus can survive on surfaces for at least 9 days under certain conditions, and up to 27 days in other conditions.
• "Do I have it?" Many redditors have posted questions saying they feel ill and want to know if they have it. If you think you have it, call a doctor or hospital; reddit is not the place for a diagnosis. The hospital will want you to wear a mask when you come in, and will want you to call ahead so they can isolate you from other patients.
• "How do I avoid it?" Many redditors have asked what they can do to avoid catching or spreading the virus. Standard virus protocol applies: avoid close contact with people who are sick; stay home when you are sick; cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue then throw the tissue in the trash; frequently wash your hands (especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing) using soap and water as hot as you can stand it for at least 30 seconds (the scrubbing under running water is important; a 5-second fingertip wash is inadequate); carry hand sanitizer gel with you for times when you can't wash your hands; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth especially in public; disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a household cleaning spray; etc. The US has recommended against all travel to China [update: against all international travel]. Some redditors started avoiding air travel, public transportation, and large crowds and gatherings at the end of January 2020.
• Fatality rate. There are a dozen or more sources, reposted thousands of times, that will try to tell you the fatality rate (death rate) is only about 2%. Here's the Lancet estimating 20% in Wuhan and 15% outside of China through March 1, 2020. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30195-X/fulltext

Other reasons why we don't believe the official numbers

• Information Warfare. In the earliest days of the revelations about the virus, a deliberate disinformation campaign was started, to get people to believe two major falsehoods: 1) “It’s not as bad as the flu,” and 2) “Everything is under control and will be back to normal soon.” You will see this repeated thousands of times around reddit, other social media, and in mainstream media in the US and elsewhere. Even US doctors are repeating this propaganda, almost verbatim, to any news reporter who asks. Read more about China's 10 million influence agents at Link
• Naysayers. Historically unprecedented efforts have been made to downplay the virus - often by focusing on the supposedly low fatality rate, or the supposed recovery rate. It's far too early to know what "recovery" actually means. For instance, scientists from Nanjing Medical University and Suzhou Hospital have said males who "recover" may be infertile. There is also well-founded concern about permanent lung damage, and possible chronic joint/muscle pain which could be debilitating and lifelong.
• Pre-determined case rate. In early Feb 2020, someone demonstrated that the rise in cases was very predictable from day to day; the data curve was "beautiful" in that it was flawless and perfect, unlike the real world. He was able to predict, a day in advance, with astonishing accuracy, how many new cases would be announced by China the following day. The implication was that the data only moved like that because it was pre-determined before it happened; in other words the real numbers were released in a slow trickle in order to manage the public's reaction.
• Under-reporting. There are indications, including first-hand reports from doctors, that the "official" numbers of confirmed dead are grossly under-reported. Link
• Estimates. In Jan. 2020, some people were thinking the infected number was over 150,000 (back when China was saying it was under 10,000). It's hard to get a reliable number, but there are clues pointing to a worrisome amount of cases. Researcher models have shown estimates of a multiplier for a realistic number that range from x4 to x35. In other words if China is announcing 75,000 cases today, some people are concerned that the real number (including those who are undiagnosed) is 528,000 up to an almost inconceivable 4.6 million. [Update: Less than 2 months later, the "official" number worldwide exceeds 3 million; if x35 holds true...I don't like that answer...]
• Suspected vs. Confirmed. China also has a data set for "suspected cases," which may include people who have presented to the hospital (or to several hospitals, seeking care) with the symptoms but who were unable to get diagnosed because the hospitals were overwhelmed. Some observers consider "suspected" cases should be considered "confirmed" until there has been a negative diagnosis.
• Crematorium Info. Investigative journalism in China has led to recordings of phone conversations with crematorium workers, who are desperately asking for help because they are going 24/7 and are still backed up in Hubei from the amount of dead to incinerate (imagine California and half of Texas not being able to keep up with the bodies). The employee states the number of bodies has been 4 to 5 times the usual, starting ever since Dec. 29.
• Portable Crematoriums? Lu Media reported that 40 units officially described as "cabins for the disposal of garbage and animal carcasses" have aided Wuhan in the epidemic area; their capacity is 5 tons per day. Professor Ming Ju of National Taiwan University believes that these cabins are "mobile incinerators" used to process human corpses. (To expand on that: 5 tons is 10,000 pounds or 4,536 kilos. Using a rough average weight of 62 kg per adult, that's 73 adults per day, per machine, so 40 machines are capable of handling 2,920 adults per day. That's in addition to the numerous regular crematoriums which can process a dozen or more people simultaneously.) That is all speculation; it is also likely that a city on lockdown would have an enormous problem getting rid of household refuse and medical waste, in which case those mobile incinerators would come in handy for that, too.
• Cell phone Subscriber Decreases. Jennifer Zeng reported a combined net loss of 15 million subscribers to three of the large cell phone companies in China, in Jan and Feb 2020 alone. Link
• "Not as bad as the flu" nonsense. From Jan to March 2020, mainstream media (MSM) and social media were chock full of people conducting information warfare; their goal was to perpetuate the “official” myth that coronavirus is not as serious as the flu, and that everything will be back to normal soon. There are several other virus-related subs on reddit which are moderated by people who do not allow any dissenting views, and who only permit people to post things that have already been announced by a government. In March 2020, the US CDC Tweeted that the fatality rate of this virus is at least three times that of the flu.
• CNY. Chinese New Year is a major travel holiday when people go home to spend time with their families; it is often the only time of year when migrant workers get to see their loved ones. Millions and millions of Chinese people were on the move when this outbreak began.
• Ineffective City Quarantines. China announced each city lockdown up to a day or two in advance, which gave infected people plenty of time to try to flee. After Wuhan was locked down, it was announced that some 5 million people had left before it started. Many of the people trapped in Wuhan were just caught there during their New Year's travels.
• Constant number manipulation. China has changed how they count cases, and has advised that if a person has tested positive for the virus but is asymptomatic (has no symptoms) then they should not be added to the list of confirmed cases.
• Practically no testing in the US. In the US, the vast majority of citizens (99.99999+%) can't get tested. The CDC policy has changed several times but even now, unless you have symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization or have had close contact with a CDC-confirmed case, testing is not available for most Americans. [Update: As of 5/1/20, the US has tested approximately 2% of its population, and has over 1 million cases.]
• "Self-quarantines." The US relies on self-quarantines. On 2/19/20, WSJ reported "Public health officials in the U.S. are striving to keep tabs on thousands of Americans who have quarantined themselves at home after returning from mainland China..."
• States hiding data. Some states, notably Florida, were initially claiming that they couldn't legally disclose how many people have been tested. "According to the Tampa Bay Times, “state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said the Florida Department of Health is not authorized to publish the number of people in the state being tested for the virus out of privacy concerns.” US health privacy laws contain an obvious and necessary exemption for cases that involve public health crises.
• Hacked Accounts Spread Reassuring Deception. Redditors are posting that they have been getting bizarre texts from close friends and family members in China saying "situation is under control" and "we're all fine" etc. Others posted screenshots of messages from several business contacts in China who all repeated an official message practically verbatim: "Impact limited to Wuhan...Everything is under control...will be back to normal soon...thank you for your concern."
• Body bags. Rumors are circulating that China has ordered 1 million body bags, and shifted factories to body bag production; someone also posted an online industrial buyer order in which someone was looking to purchase 45 million virus masks.
• Monitoring. China announced a few days ago that they are "monitoring" close to half a million people who have had "close contact" with infected people. Monitoring efforts involve self-reporting plus tracking of movements based on cell phone geolocation, A.I., facial recognition technology, and mandatory checkpoints.

What leaked videos and social media posts have shown us has happened in China

A 4-minute quick intro: /CoronavirusFOS/comments/fgk1b9/covid19_deus_ex_coronavirus_clip_compilation/

• Dropping Dead. There are a handful of videos that show people seeming to suddenly collapse, notably a police officer walking down the street, in social media posts circulating on Feb 19, 2020. Videos show people dead and dying in hospital waiting rooms. Other videos show dead bodies laying on the sidewalk; a young woman collapsed in a vegetable market, etc. These spread in China in Jan.; in Feb. we saw similar vids from Iran. On 2/20/20, Harry Chen PhD posted a man laying face-down in a Hong Kong mall, the implication being that he collapsed from the virus or virus-related complications.
• Unprecedented Censorship Efforts. Videos get deleted almost as fast as they get posted. One leaked video shows uniformed internet police pounding on someone's door, demanding that they delete their social media post, and also that they immediately must post a retraction to apologize for spreading "rumors" or otherwise they will face legal consequences for harming social order.
• Voices from Inside Hospitals. Voicemails and texts from Chinese nurses and medical workers urging their loved ones, "Do not go outside" and saying that they are totally overwhelmed with infected patients. Numerous nurses collapsing into hysterics, unable to cope with the requirement to work 22 hours a day, and the inability to leave the hospital; some have been threatened with having their medical license revoked if they walk away.
• Dirty masks. Used surgical masks being resold: an old man on the sidewalk selling used surgical masks of various colors from an open box. Another video recorded surreptitiously shows a team of people inside a shop with a big pile of used surgical masks, which are being sorted, flattened, and folded. The video ended with a view of a big stack of boxes; the implication was that used masks were being repackaged for sale as new. The brand name was not legible but it featured a woman's face on the cover, and Chinese writing on the box.
• Quarantine Evasions. City quarantines don't work. Videos show people climbing over head-height barricades and fences built across roads and bridges, family members handing their children across the fence, and arguments in the street when someone is discovered to have Hubei province license plates or to be speaking with a Wuhan accent.
• Doors welded shut. People are being welded into their apartments in Wuhan. Some apartment buildings have had their entrances sealed, once multiple people inside are believed to have the disease. Videos showed a middle-aged, non-athletic woman attempting to scale the outside of the building by going from balcony to balcony, and she fell to her death. A small town road labeled as the "Road to Lihua" which shows a street full of residential buildings, and every single building is barricaded from the outside, thus trapping the uninfected inside with the infected and the dead.
• Mobs. So-called "recovered" patients being attacked and beat up for returning to their village after being released from quarantine.
• Sprayers. Numerous videos show fleets of trucks rolling through streets in China, spraying what we suppose to be some sort of disinfectant, as though there was a need to clean the sidewalks or even the air itself. China has used water sprayers for at least five years to combat pollution, but speculation is that these trucks contain some sort of chemical rather than water.
• Birds. A highway shot shows hundreds of crows perched on a concrete barrier; the subtitles claim that thousands of crows have been attracted to Wuhan by the stench of death.
• Checkpoints. Villages and small towns enforcing quarantines with weapons, punches, slaps, etc. A car stops at a checkpoint, hesitates, then seems to intentionally plow into a medical tent.
• Arrests. Patrols of white hazmat suit workers looking for people who went outside without a mask; they get arrested and carried away.
• Packed hospitals. Hospital hallways jam-packed with people standing around waiting to get tested; shoulder-to-shoulder crowding conditions, which surely served to spread the virus faster.
• Pets Killed. Village patrols beating dogs to death with a stick supposedly in order to "prevent the spread of the virus," and household pets thrown down from tall apartment buildings for the same reason.
• Bodies. Multiple body bags in hospital ambulances, on the floors of hospitals, and in the hallway. (Similar videos surfaced from Iran and Brazil in March 2020.)
• Transportation issues. That there were enough dead at a given time that no one could respond promptly to carry away the bodies.
• Paid by the body. A citizen journalist secretly records an impromptu job interview at a local crematorium, where he is told he will not be paid unless he brings in bodies to cremate. They offer 500 RMB for one body, and 200 RMB for each additional body, up to 1100 RMB a load if he can bring in 4 bodies at a time.
• Failures at life-saving efforts. A man's voicemail (identified by name as a doctor, if the accompanying image is to be believed) stating that for patients who are intubated (receiving oxygen via a tube shoved down their throats), extubation (removing the tube) is rarely successful - the patients die when taken off oxygen.
• Panic buying. Fights over groceries, and rice flying off the cart before the grocery store can even put it on the shelves.
• Refugees. Social media video posted Feb 19, 2020 claims to show hundreds of people with suitcases and baggage fleeing over the Chinese border from Guangxi province into Vietnam. Like most other videos claiming to be about this situation, there are many responses claiming this one is fake.
• Fights. A child stabbing an elderly person and another child, during a fight over a small bottle of antiseptic.
• Intentional Spreading. There are videos showing various suspects who are going around intentionally spitting on things, in an apparent effort to spread the virus. Tissue boxes are provided on elevators so that a person can use the tissue to press the button, and keep their fingers clean. Videos show a family riding the elevator, and a male takes a tissue and spits on it repeatedly, then smears all of the buttons with his spit. Another video shows an older woman alone in a different elevator; she repeatedly hacks and spits intentionally all over the buttons and the inner doors of the elevator, and then after a younger woman gets on and presses an elevator button, the older woman cackles to herself. Another video shows a young woman going down the street spitting on the door handles of cars. Another video shows a young woman sneaking around an apartment complex at night, spitting on doorknobs. Many Western viewers are unable to make sense of these videos, or conceive of a thought process that would make a person want to do this.
• Attacks on medical workers. Patients in hospitals pulling down their virus masks and intentionally spitting into the faces of medical workers and receptionists - multiple incidents in multiple locations.
• Arson? I have yet to actually see one of the alleged "arson" videos because they get deleted (for "inappropriate content") shortly after they are shared, but there are rumors of one or more videos showing buildings being intentionally set on fire in China, with people still alive inside the buildings. People are working hard to call these fakes, saying it emerged in early January and there is no proof that it is linked to the virus; however, since the videos immediately get flagged and deleted, discussion and debunking it for yourself is nearly impossible. On that note, if you see a video and believe it will be deleted, there are ways you can archive it (to a different website) so that others can see it later.
• Failed donation efforts. Food trucks sent to Wuhan are not allowed past the city's barricades, and the food goes to waste.
• Resistance. In Xiaogan, Hubei, the villagers did not want to be sealed up inside their homes, and they fought back. The police fired shots.

What else is happening in China

• Pop-up Hospitals. In response to the outbreak, a pop-up hospital was built in China in about 10 days. It leaks.
• Non-Hospitals. China has also opened “quarantine shelters” which do not provide medical care; observers are calling these deathatoriums, where people are supposed to just go and wait to die. However, if someone lives with a big family and has nowhere else to go, this may be a humane way to help the person have shelter without risking infecting their loved ones. Once a person goes in, they are not allowed to leave.
• H2H and A2H. Human-to-animal-to-human transmission appears possible: It was reported by a UK tabloid on Feb 21, 2020 that hundreds of pets have dropped dead in China; although that source is questionable, the 2002 SARs outbreak led to research that household pets such as cats and ferrets could be infected by SARS-CoV which they caught from a human, and then could spread the disease to other humans (back in 2002).
• Historic Firsts. Wartime policies are in place. China has locked down three entire provinces (Hubei, Liaoning, Jiangxi), all four centrally-administered municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing) and more than 80 other major cities. Some estimate that nearly 800 million Chinese (9.8% of the population of the entire planet) are under some type of quarantine, lockdown, and/or movement restrictions. A bit of logic often repeated on reddit is "You don't do that for the flu."
• Cages. People are being dragged kicking and screaming off the street into truck cages, because a spot-check of their forehead temperature revealed they had a fever.
• Press Censorship. Reporters are going silent and China revoked the press credentials of 3 WSJ reporters.
• Robots. In Wuhan robots (think "gonk droid" not "C3PO") and drones are being used to enforce the quarantine, ordering people not to leave their homes, even for food.
• Information Control. Chinese whistleblowers are reportedly disappearing or suddenly being diagnosed as infected, hours after posting revealing information.
• Claims of People Being Burned Alive. Taiwan News - and no other sources as far as I can find - is reporting alleged first-hand accounts of people who claim they saw people being burned alive in Wuhan, the alive bound up with corpses and dragged off together.
• Doctors Sickened. Chinese medical professionals (around 1800) are getting infected despite safety procedures, and some are dying from the infection (notably the director of a hospital in Wuhan). Usually doctors and nurses aren’t too worried about getting ill from their patients due to their safety measures, which indicates that covid-19 is much more infectious than the usual flu strains.
• Irony. A high-level government health official emphatically stressed to reporters that the virus is preventable and controllable, a few days before he himself was diagnosed with the virus.
• 24/7 Lockdowns. People in Wuhan no longer being let out of their homes once every 7 days, and are on 24/7 lockdown.
• Propaganda Videos. In the early days there were quite a few propaganda videos showing happy, smiling shoppers in grocery stores that were fully stocked. There were very light crowds - lighter than usual even - and no shortages of food in these videos, despite the leaked videos showing empty vegetable bins, huge meat bins with only one pack of meat left, and violent fights between shoppers trying to get their hands on a sack of rice.
• Positivity Efforts. There have also been propaganda vids showing infected patients dancing and doing exercise; this is all part of the order from on high to keep the message "positive" and ensure that nothing but pure "positivity" covers all virus news.
• "Moving Deeds" Efforts. Propaganda efforts have been directed toward promoting the effects of control measures and the “moving deeds” of volunteers, community workers, and the police. They have also posted some 400,000 comments online to counter negative public opinions.
• Barring Investigators. China wouldn't let any WHO Americans into the country until recently, but they are still being prevented from going to Hubei and Beijing.
• Movement Restrictions. Drones carry QR codes at the entrances to cities; drivers must use their cell phone to scan the QR code, and then the system will analyze the phone's recent movements, then decide whether to allow the person into the city.
• Medical situation propaganda. While leaked videos show overwhelmed, crying medical staff in packed hospitals, there are also some propaganda videos showing empty hospital corridors and calm, smiling, laughing, relaxed doctors; one claim being circulated is that some of those were filmed with actors hired to portray doctors.
• New medical crime laws. On Feb 8, 2020 China’s National Health Commission announced seven types of "medical-related" crimes, stating that prosecution will be swift and they will not rule out the death penalty for these crimes, which, in plain English, are basically: 1) Don't injure medical workers, 2) Let medical workers go wherever they say they need to go, 3) Don't pull down your mask and spit in the face of medical workers, 4) Cooperate with mandatory health checks and quarantines and don't disrupt anyone trying to burn bodies, 5) Don't stay in a hospital if you've been told to leave, and funerals are banned, 6) Don't carry weapons into a hospital, and 7) Anything else they decide is illegal is also illegal.
• Swift cremations. Funerals in Hubei are banned; the deceased are immediately cremated and the family is notified afterwards. If the deceased did not have a coronavirus diagnosis before death, the body will never be tested and the case will never be added to the official numbers.

The Unknowns

• Longterm Health Implications. The US government has just announced that "recovered" COVID-19 survivors are permanently disqualified from military service. This speaks volumes about what the government knows about what this virus is and what it does. Link
• Death Rate. The fatality rate is still an unknown; many people blindly repeat “2%” although we have not had enough cases outside of China, for long enough, to know the real number. Professor Neil Ferguson of the Imperial College of London has published a paper estimating Hubei province will see an 18% fatality rate. That’s one of five people out of 11 million; which means this professor is projecting roughly 2 million deaths in Hubei province alone. The same professor says that it is not absurd to anticipate we’ll have 400,000 infected in the UK. Early numbers from Italy are over 30% but of course it's still way early to know.
• False Negatives. We don't know how many people have it and were tested negative, because there have been experiments where current test kits have failed to detect the virus until the 5th or 6th time tested.
• Airborne? Reports from inside China have repeatedly referred to the virus as "airborne." This gets shouted down on social media as soon as it is repeated, with anonymous "experts" trying to convince you and everyone else reading that you simply don't know what "airborne" means, and trying to switch the focus to droplet contamination by sneezes and coughs. People in China, and certain parts of South Korea, Vietnam, and Italy have been warned specifically not to go outside.
• Source of virus. The "official" source, which somehow was known and announced since the very early days, was a so-called "wet market" or "seafood market." In reality these markets are infamous for butchering and selling the meat of snakes, bats, rats, cats, dogs, badgers, civets, raccoon dogs, and other exotic mammals for human consumption. CNN reports from years ago documented dogs and cats in cages, waiting for butchering. The propaganda description is that the markets just sell seafood and birds. Sanitary practices in such markets consist of rinsing off surfaces with plain water periodically, and using the same knife to cut multiple species of animals, and the same knife to cut meat and then intestines and then meat again. The possibilities for illness and infection from such meat sources is obvious, and the official story is that this virus somehow jumped from bats (or some say from pangolins) to humans.
• Virus Lab. The original source of the virus has been the subject of great debate. It has been reported as starting in Wuhan, which happens to have Asia's only Level 4 Biosafety Laboratory. Some Chinese researchers were indicted for taking virus samples from Canada to China, and, the head of a Canadian virus lab was also indicted for being on the payroll of China and accepting $50,000 a month payment from them. Draw your own conclusions.
• HIV Proteins. Some research indicates that the virus shares four proteins with HIV, and bears certain genetic markers only found on genetically modified organisms. Those scientists were quickly silenced with criticism; most seem to believe the criticism. Regardless, numerous articles have claimed it somehow acts like HIV.

What's happening outside of China

• Lockdowns. The entire countries of Italy, Spain, and India's entire 1.3 billion people are locked down. The US and UK are on some sort of half-ass "voluntary" thing, told to "stay home if you can" while many people ignore it.
• Cruise Ship. The Diamond Princess cruise ship (quarantined near Japan) which some observers on reddit said would be a good test case for a real world model outside of China, has shown an alarming increase in the numbers of infected.
• Suppression of Info. Google is believed to be suppressing virus news. Try the search engine that doesn't track you, https://duckduckgo.com
• Macau. Macau closed its casinos. This would be like Las Vegas deciding to hang up a "Sorry, we're closed" sign for a few weeks.
• Ukraine. Ukraine - civil unrest, riots, road blockades to protest quarantining and transportation of patients into the area.
• South Korea. South Korea reported a surge of new cases on Feb 19, 2020, linked to an infected person attending a church service; 31 new cases were diagnosed. The growth in South Korea, in a matter of days, has been mind-blowing (In 13 days, the case count in South Korea has grown from 82 to over 5,300 cases). South Korea may have been a good predictor for what growth in the US will look like, except so far, South Korea is testing 2,000 out of every million of its citizens, while the US is only testing 1 out of a million.
• Self-isolation. South Korea, Vietnam, and Iran are asking millions of people to stay at home, to contain the spread. In one city in South Korea the mayor has asked people to wear their viral masks even indoors at home.
• Iran. While Iran is officially reporting 3 deaths as of Feb 21, 2020, a social media post says it's 20; that the virus can live on surfaces for 2 weeks, can transfer from animals, can reinfect after initial infection, and testing is 30%-50% accurate, with many false negatives and asymptomatic transmission, plus mutations of the virus. Other "leak" sources say there are 300 positive diagnoses in Iran. Just like we saw happen in China, a government official who urged the public not to overact about coronavirus has now tested positive for the illness himself. Within a couple of weeks of Iran's first case, multiple senior politicians had died (Mar 3, 2020). On Mar 12, satellite imagery revealed mass burial pits in Iran.
• Dirty masks. Leaked video shows several women in head coverings who are sitting on the floor sorting through what appears to be thousands of used surgical masks - the implication being that these will be resold; the narration does not sound Chinese; the videographer holds up an example mask very close to the phone, to show that it is definitely used and soiled.
• Travel to/from China. The US had up to 200,000 citizens in China at the time of the outbreak. As of mid-March, the US unbelievably still has daily flights from China. Canada still has unrestricted air transportation with China. Meanwhile, other countries have closed their borders to Chinese citizens and to anyone who has been to China recently.
• Evacuations. The US has arranged multiple evacuation flights to bring Americans home from China. Some on reddit are concerned that this will only spread the infection faster, and would have preferred that anyone in China be left there. The US has spread these evacuees around at least three states, and enforces a “voluntary” quarantine of 14 days.
• Quarantine Stations. For years the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has had 19 quarantine stations on military bases ready for just such an outbreak. American evacuees are currently being held at some of those.
• Emergency Declarations. The US city of San Diego, California declared a "public health emergency" on Feb 14, 2020. As of March 7 these states have also declared a state of emergency: NY, FL, KY, PN, MD, UT, IN, CA, & WA. On Mar 14, Pres. Trump declared a national emergency and public schools in 12 states announced closures ranging from a few days up to 30 days.
• Weak control measures in the US. In the US, hundreds of people are being "monitored" (sent home and told to call if they get a fever or cough) but are not being tested. These people may be contagious. Link
• National Guard Mobilization in Tallahassee, Florida, US? A social media post claims to show a small fleet of what appears to be military vehicles, police officers, and ordinary trucks hauling large white trailers; the captions claim the vehicles are Chemical, Biological, and Radiological response units. Two large earth-moving/digging vehicles are in the fleet.
• Spitting. US social media indicates Seattle patients are spitting on the clinic walls and floor.
• People dropping dead. Social media posts from Iran (Feb 25, 2020) are showing us the same things we saw on social media in Hong Kong and on the leaked videos from China: various, random people just suddenly collapsed / dropped dead in the street. One theory being circulated is that the virus may cause heart failure, particularly during the patient's re-infection (or second time with the virus).

Supply Chain and Economic Impacts

• Mask shortages. Chinese buyers are scouring the world to locate companies that can sell them viral masks in bulk. Many redditors have posted that they ordered masks online, but then got notified that their order was canceled or on back-order. In the US, as of mid-February most cities still have masks on the shelves at local stores; though many stores have imposed quantity restrictions such as 10 per customer. In states where the CDC has announced confirmed cases, people are having trouble finding masks anywhere.
• Panic buying. Singapore has imposed limits on how much groceries and supplies a person can buy. Hong Kong has had panic-buying of household goods and groceries, with many rumors that ordinary things (such as toilet paper, which Hong Kong gets from mainland China) could go out of stock and stay out of stock for an unknown period of time. In the US we get our toilet paper from US companies; there is no reason to hoard toilet paper in the US! As of Feb 29 and Mar 1, panic buying appears to be happening in Hawaii, Oregon, California, and multiple locations in the US. As of Mar 13, panic buying has spread to many areas of the US. At this point if you failed to prepare, you should consider looking carefully at your own pantry and fridge, rather than going out and risking being in a panic buying crowd.
• Global Crash. Economic damage in China and around the world is difficult to contemplate. Billions have already been lost. China produces about 17% of global GDP.
• Cars and car parts. Some car makers have shut down plants temporarily and some may have to find alternative sources for components (such as plastics and wires etc.) before they can resume operations, unless this virus magically disappears by the end of February.
• International Shipping. Some cargo ships are leaving Asia at 5% capacity (95% empty) and will not be able to continue to operate like that.
• "Made in China." Experts are projecting shortages and disruptions in the global supply chain in general, affecting countless products either "made in China" or made with ingredients or parts sourced in China, including but certainly not limited to computers, electronics, auto parts, chemicals, medical equipment, machinery, telecom hardware, apparel and footwear, home goods, batteries, smartphones, and notably, pharmaceuticals (over-the-counter and prescription drugs), just to name a few examples. Even if a product is advertised as being made in your country, there's a good chance it contains Chinese components or ingredients or is at the very least being sold in a plastic container that was made in China. Industries are looking at options for finding other countries to become suppliers, so we can diversify the supply chain and avoid keeping all our eggs in one basket, though such measures could prove to be too little, much too late at this point.

There’s much more that can be posted here, but that's enough topics to get you started on your own research. I really doubt this is going to be disappearing in a month or two. If any readers have a source or video link etc., or additional points they you'd like me to add, just reply to this message, or send me a private message if you prefer. Thanks for reading!

I remember China and Vietnam went on with their "socialist idealism" and "revolutionary communist" things until both countries became among the world's poorest. In 1979 even Afghanistan was 50% richer than China and in 1986 the African state of Congo was twice as richer than Vietnam.
It was then Deng Xiaoping and Nguyễn Văn Linh said this gotta stop, we need to reform and try a more pragmatic economic approach. This led to the opening up of China in 1979 and Đổi Mới of Vietnam in 1986, paving way for rapid industrialization. Today China is the fastest growing economy in East Asia and Vietnam fastest-growing in Southeast Asia.
Even Lee Kuan Yew, when Stanley Ho, the Macau's "King of casino", proposed setting up a casino in Singapore back in 1970, Lee said, "not over my dead body". In 1994, with Singaporeans visiting Genting Highlands en masses, Lee still insisted no casino. But in 2005 he changed his mind and allowed casinos. He was there when Resorts World Sentosa was launched. He was there when Marina Bay Sands was launched.
Singapore becomes the third largest gambling hub in the world after Macau and Las Vegas. Casino now contributed to 1% of GDP. It does its parts in stemming Singaporeans bringing out money abroad (such as to Genting) for entertainment.
When asked, Lee said Singapore needs to take pragmatic approach: "Once upon a time, there was no Genting nor casinos in Batam. When I said 'no', Genting flourished, Batam flourished. Now, Singaporeans flock to casinos across the globe.
"Ask ourselves, everyone of us, if you are in charge, if you are responsible for Singapore's future, for its well-being, for its vibrancy, for the kind of life Singapore can provide its people in 10, 20 years, can you say no? That is the question you have to answer. The price (of having a casino) is high, but the price of not having one is now even higher."
We have Brunei insisting about its MIB ideologies, its Negara Zikir vision, even when Miri / KK flourish, even when the restrictions contribute to economic stagnation, even when it is lagging behind regionally, even with unemployment now highest in ASEAN. But Brunei persists. The question is, how long will it last? The USSR clinged on its ideology until it was too late. Venezuela's government still clinging on its ideology up till today. How long will Brunei continue before turning to pragmatism, which is something unavoidable eventually.

News roundup for the previous week.
In International news

1. Ice cream gift from Vladimir Putin to Xi Jinping warms ties between Russia, China at G20 summit
   
2. French stage anti-racism protest after Chinese man's death
   
3. China’s Advance in Latin America: Geostrategic Implications for Europe, the US, and the Region Itself
   
4. G20 ‘staircase snub’ for Obama was United States’ decision, reveals Chinese official
   
5. Asia's Most Innovative Universities (China has 22 among top 75, the most of any country, India has only 2.)
   
6. Yao's pivot from China to U.S. became center's biggest move: Eight-time All-Star became a gracious global ambassador of game
   
7. To become a global leader, China must first be ready to do some heavy lifting
   
8. Thousands rally in Paris to protest crime targeting Chinese | At least 13,000 people attended a rally in Paris on Sunday to protest against what they say is a crime wave targeting the Chinese community in France, police said, after a Chinese textile designer died after being mugged last month
   
9. Russia Supports China’s Stance on South China Sea
   
10. Chinese Tourists Targeted by Upcoming Las Vegas Casinos: “The Chinese do quite enjoy a very Chinese experience,” Fitch Ratings gambling analyst Alex Bumazhny stated. “They do gravitate toward Asian amenities.”
    
11. Made in China G20 and its geoeconomic significance
    
12. China’s Sports Diplomacy in Africa: Who Gets What?
    
13. Chinese Red Star scores 6 goals to win in first KHL home game: The KHL’s first Chinese team is formed by a mix of Russian, European and North American skaters, and only includes five Chinese players at the moment. The team was set up as a vehicle to promote and popularize ice-hockey
    
14. Canada joins Alibaba's new online hub in bid to access Chinese market: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alibaba founder Jack Ma announced the launch of a Canadian "pavilion" on the Tmall platform
    
15. China, Turkey pledge to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation
    
16. Russia, China Building Yuan-Based Alliance Against Dollar: According to Andrei Ivanov, head of the trade financing department at Sberbank CIB, shifting to national currencies should be considered in the perspective of Silk Road integration plans
    
17. Saudi Arabia ‘ready’ to meet China energy demand: “The Kingdom is ready to fulfil the rising energy demand in China in the coming decades,” the SPA quoted Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih as stating
    
18. Turkey, China sign energy, nuclear security agreements at G20
    
19. Giant panda no longer endangered - WWF: The giant panda's population grew by 17 percent in the decade leading up to 2014, announced the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
    
20. Kyrgyzstan says Uighur militant groups behind attack on China's embassy
    
21. China's metro tech takes Iran onto faster track - Business
    
22. Australia’s growing fear of Chinese business is drenched in hypocrisy
    
23. PH, China eye intensified trade, financial ties: Specifically, the Philippine and Chinese governments would like to “revitalize” cooperation in five key areas: agricultural trade; bilateral financial cooperation through currency swap; customs; project financing; and tourism
    
24. UAE, China trade to hit $80b in two years: The UAE is one of China's top trading markets in the Middle East and is a strategically important trading hub in terms of imports, exports and re-exports. UAE's open visa policy for China has indeed been a huge boost to the business and trade
    
25. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insists Australia's friction with China is modest, despite being given "disproporionate attention". Mr Turnbull insists Australia has an independent foreign policy and does not have to choose between China and the US, amid growing tensions between the two super powers
    
26. The broad relationship between Singapore and China is in "working shape", with bilateral cooperation progressing on many fronts including a new government-led project in Chongqing, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
    
27. Taiwan Tourism Companies plan massive protest on 9/12 (mainland tourism to Taiwan declined 55% overall, "Free"/No-Guide tourists from mainland declined 16%)
    
28. Jack Ma: I'm not worried about anti-China sentiment on US campaign trail, people will come to their senses after the election. (lol)
    
29. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that Britain and China were enjoying a 'golden era' and the strategic partnership would not be derailed by her decision on whether to back a part-Chinese funded power station at Hinkley Point
    
30. India, China plan military drill on terror
    
31. Yao Ming, the 'emperor' of Houston and Chinese basketball
    
32. Obama's Pivot to Asia Fails to Deter China
    
33. Russia and China Taunt NATO with Show of Friendship in the South China Sea
    
34. Indonesia leans toward China: China, Indonesia’s top trading partner, is seen as a friendly counterpart with strong innovation in its digital economy, especially in e-commerce and financial technology, said Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice chairwoman for international relations
    
35. China claimed seven gold medals to top the standings after the first day of competition at the Rio Paralympics
    
36. Careless Consumption: Developed Countries Responsible for Worsening Pollution in East Asia ''Although global pollution is largely generated in developing countries, it is foreign demand that drives much of the goods production and associated pollution.''
    
37. China’s military arrive in Syria to help Russia!
    
38. China has bought back to the country one-third of those on its top 100 list of most-wanted corruption suspects who have fled overseas. Over the past 2 years, since setting up a team to chase graft suspects across the globe, returned 1,915 people from more than 70 countries along with $1.12 billion
    
39. China, the US, and Europe have pledged their support for a new deal to cut down carbon dioxide emissions by airlines, which is due to be finalized at a meeting of the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organisation in September and slated to go into effect from 2021
    

In Domestic news

1. China wary after record voter turnout for crucial Hong Kong election
   
2. Hong Kong election: Youth protest leaders win LegCo seats - BBC News
   
3. 60 per cent of Chinese women control family finances: Report
   
4. China blames "dark shadow of the Stars and Stripes" for Hong Kong independence push
   
5. China warns Hong Kong democracy activists after election - BBC News
   
6. China Opens First Space Travel Theme Park, Hopes to Take Tourists to Near Outer Space
   
7. Liu Yang, 38, hailed as the first Chinese woman in space, became one of the three new part-time vice-presidents of the All-China Women's Federation. Liu credited its efforts in promoting women's development as a major reason why the country began to enroll female astronauts
   
8. China is making "big stride" in quality education: UNESCO chief
   
9. Luxury clubs closed in China amid graft crackdown
   
10. China Pushes Ahead with Independent Committees to Select Top Court Officials
    
11. How one man is saving China's endangered bees
    
12. Should Genetically Modified Foods Be Legalized? A crop of genetically modified corn found in western China has brought the controversial topic of genetically modified foods back into the national conversation
    

In SciTech news

1. Science-led economies: China is focusing on collaborative centres that tap into the success of it's basic research labs and spin out their findings into practical technologies (S8)
   
2. Nvidia partners with Baidu to build a self-driving car AI
   
3. China Pushes Coding for Kids in Effort to Tackle Innovation Gap
   
4. Is China the world's new scientific superpower? - Technology & Science
   
5. Revival of Aging Ukrainian Aircraft AN-225 May Serve Chinese Space Program: AN-225 is currently the biggest aircraft in the world, with a takeoff mass amounting to 640 tons and a working load of 250 tons
   
6. China: High-tech transformation. Chinese researchers are benefiting as the government looks to science to lead the economic transition to become a world-leader in the production of high-value technology
   
7. Chinese scientists convert sand into soil with new method
   
8. Huawei talks up cloud ambition, rides IoT elevators with Schindler: Chinese networking equipment vendor outlines future cloud deployments it says are necessary to facilitate enterprise transformation and inks new partnership to build "smart" elevators
   
9. Terminator-like liquid metal machine now can 'jump' and 'run': new discoveries on liquid metal made by a joint team of scientists from CAS and Tsinghua University that were published in global academic journals this year
   
10. JD's first-ever self-driving delivery vehicle to hit roads soon: The company formed a partnership with robot maker Siasun earlier this year to automate its logistic network and to develop delivery drones and driverless vehicles
    
11. Lowering the cost and environmental footprint of white LEDs: Kuang-Lieh Lu, Yang-Fang Chen and colleagues developed more cost-effective and environmentally friendly white LEDs using graphene and a strontium-based, metal-organic framework (MOF) that does not include rare-earth elements
    
12. China's homegrown AI sector takes off: China looks to build a native artificial intelligence industry reaching 100 billion yuan ($14.9 billion) by 2018, with over 100 such firms materializing so far
    
13. China's Quantum Science Satellite is operating well in orbit after testing and will begin its experiments this month, according to the project's lead scientist Pan Jianwei
    
14. The Chinese Academy of Sciences unveiled 60 new science and technology projects to accomplish in the next 5 years. The areas cover organ repair and reconstruction, water pollution control, research on Moon samples, a low-frequency radio telescope and a ground application system for the Mars mission
    
15. China successfully develops quantum radar system
    
16. First gravitational waves form after 10 million years: Technology Islamabad, the University of Heidelberg and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has now calculated this for the first time using an extensive simulation
    
17. Nobel Winner Says China Should Not Build Particle Collider: ChenNing Yang called costs a bottomless pit, comparing to US project that cost $3b then scrapped. Wang Yifang believes collider will attract overseas talent, cultivate young scientists at home, and be a leap for China in high-energy science
    
18. Nano-lipid particles from edible ginger could improve drug delivery for colon cancer: according to a study by researchers at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University...and Southwest University in China
    
19. Chinese scientists are developing a family of high altitude airships that can help with Earth observation, maritime monitoring and communication signal relays
    
20. China betting on advanced robots. According to the International Federation of Robotics, Chinese are creating an “industrial internet” which gathers information and uses it across manufacturing networks. Their robots are connected systems with advanced sensors, sophisticated software and actuators
    
21. China Plans To Build A Deep-Sea ‘Space Station’ In South China Sea: If the plans go ahead, the station would be located 3000 metres below the surface, inhabited by humans, and would be used to hunt for minerals. There are also concerns that it would be used for military purposes
    
22. The new breed of cutting-edge catalysts Advances in catalyst research could create a superhighway to clean energy sources and more-sustainable chemical industry. Chinese Academy of Sciences Can Li has used platinum and cobalt oxide nanoparticles to create a catalyst for splitting water with sunlight
    
23. Sugar transforms a traditional Chinese medicine into a cruise missile: tests of triptolide in human cells and mice are vastly improved by the chemical attachment of glucose to the triptolide molecule. Preferentially seeks out cancer cells
    
24. More Chinese contestants active in robot competition- China.org.cn
    
25. China Accomplishes Five Petawatt Laser Pulse Output
    

In Economic news

1. China Holds Three High Cards In Hand To Gain Bigger Say In Global Economy At G20 Summit: "Beijing is betting on its key role in a new multilateral bank and in an alternative currency, as well as its pull with the rest of the developing world"
   
2. Four Considerations on the Chinese Economy
   
3. China Box Office: Growth Returns in August After Prolonged Downturn
   
4. Microsoft to sell off MSN China
   
5. China Is About to Get Serious With Bad Debt
   
6. China's banks had provided a total of 7.26 trillion yuan ($1.09 trillion) in "green credit" by the end of June this year, part of its efforts to steer its economy onto a more environmentally friendly course
   
7. Taiwanese travel firms feel the pinch with fewer Chinese tourists
   
8. China's Export Machine Is Grabbing More of the Global Market - China’s global export share climbed to 14.6, the highest proportion of exports ever in IMF data going back to 1980, "All the talk we have heard over the last few years about China losing its global competitive advantage is nonsense"
   
9. Russian, Chinese Investment Funds Set Up Joint Fund Worth $500Mln: the joint fund will invest in agriculture, transport, retail and tourism projects
   
10. Jim Rogers on Oil, Gold and Why China Is a Buy
    
11. Behind China’s E-Commerce Success Story: Economists agree that consumption is the most stable component in GDP composition as compared to investments and exports. More significant is the sheer size of the retail market, with e-commerce in China estimated to reach USD 899.09 billion in 2016
    
12. ‘Created’ in China: Shenzhen is making hardware like Silicon Valley makes apps
    
13. Charting China’s rise to trading superpower
    
14. Fast Food Giants Unload Their China Units Amid Increased Competition
    
15. The Man Who Incubated Drone Giant DJI Wants China To Fly High On Tech: Prof. Li Zexiang of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has funded a number of student-led projects, including electric boat engine maker ePropulsion and robotics start-up Quotient Kinematics Machine
    
16. China's Reform of SOEs May Look a Little Odd to the West: Goldman
    
17. China's evolving trade picture, in charts: China now accounts for more than 12 percent of world exports, more than any other single country in the world, according to the IMF. Domestic value added has grown sharply, and especially so in "knowledge intensive" production
    
18. In North Korea, China's Xiaomi gets the people's pulses racing
    
19. Cashing In On Low Prices, China's Oil Imports Surge: reports indicate that reserves may now be reaching full capacity
    

In Military news

1. War with China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable (August 2016 RAND Study on War between China and United States)
   
2. PLA Navy eyes China’s deep-sea underwater glider after successful test shows it rivals US vessel: Chinese military’s interest piqued after Haiyi-7000 makes it 5,751 metres down world’s deepest ocean trench
   
3. China's Air Force Apparently Receives First L-15 Jet Trainer
   
4. China Holds Military Drill with "Local Fishermen": A joint operations system involving the navy, coastguard, and local fishermen has been fine-tuned in recent years through joint drills,” a PLA Navy media outlet said
   
5. China says developing new type of long-range bomber
   
6. China’s Surface-to-Air Defense Missiles Get Major Upgrade
   
7. China: Military deployment along Indian border non-aggressive
   
8. Picture: PLZ-05 below firing the ERFB-BBBRA. Rocket Assisted Norinco 155mm projectile has a range of 53KM. It can be GPS guided and with a maximum rate of fire of up to eight rounds a minute
   
9. The People's Liberation Army has equipped all of its ground force aviation units with advanced WZ-10 combat helicopters
   
10. The US, China, and Anti-Satellite Weapons: Skewed Perceptions, pre-emptive attack on satellites as asymmetric warfare China could use. China’s military dependence on satellites may be greater than US. Perhaps why some US officials argue the US should refuse limits on use of anti-satellite weapons
    

Other Notables

1. Obama urges Beijing to avoid flexing its muscles in South China Sea (lmao @ the comments. "oh but it's RT", same thing on CNN actually)
   
2. How Modern Cleanses Are an Ancient Taoist Tradition: ‘Bigu,’ a method where people purge their bodies of harmful toxins through fasting, has been practiced by the Chinese for over 2,000 years
   
3. Meanwhile in China: Over 100 excavators dismantle overpass bridge
   
4. Is rural China safe for living?
   
5. The Heat— China Peacekeeping 09/01/2016
   
6. Sinophobia, the last acceptable racism
   
7. A young construction worker has shot to fame on the internet after videos of him performing death-defying acrobatics on construction site equipment wowed Chinese netizens
   
8. G20 in China: Performance and fireworks on 1st day of summit
   
9. English-language books on China's Rise?
   
10. Italy-China movie cooperation dominates talks in Venice: Current status and future chances of filmmaking collaboration between the two countries were widely addressed at special event "Focus on China" promoted by Italy's National Association of Cinematographic Audiovisual Multimedia Industries
    
11. Chinese soldier is hailed as the 'prettiest bodyguard' after being spotted at G20 summit
    
12. British Pub Claims Its Ghost Was Stolen, Demands Chinese Artist Return It. Lu Pingyuan said the ghost agreed to be captured for an art exhibition (lol)
    
13. Answer on Quora Regarding Chinese Technologies
    
14. Exhibition on "ever victorious" Chinese general opens in U.S.: Sun Li-jen, known as Jungle Fox or Rommel of the East during World War II
    
15. Shariah With Chinese Characteristics: A Scholar Looks at the Muslim Hui
    
16. A 24-year-old graduate from a rural village in central China's Henan Province posted her calligraphy works online recently in an attempt to raise money for her badly-injured mother who is recovering from a traffic accident
    
17. A Chinese dad who runs a factory used his resources and nearly $70,000 to build a 13-foot-tall working mecha robot suit for his son
    
18. Higher Brothers - Black Cab (Official Music Video) | China
    
19. unified moral code of China
    
20. How did the Ottoman Empire successfully fight against Western powers when the Qing Empire failed, despite both having inferior technology?
    
21. Treasures of the Tang trail - The influence of ancient China on Kyoto and Nara is now attracting more Chinese visitors keen to glimpse their own past
    
22. 100 more state-of-the-art 4D cinemas coming to China: 4D cinemas provide audiences with a 360-degree immersive viewing experiences and seats that can simulate scents, rumbles, wind, water and other sensory phenomenon, as well as having full motion capabilities
    
23. The History of China (Youtube series)
    
24. WWE Signs Seven Chinese Recruits Ahead of Shanghai Live Event
    

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News roundup for the previous week.
In International news

1. Venezuelan official says Chinese riot-control gear averts casualties
   
2. China says, will support Nepal's efforts in safeguarding sovereignty: #Nepal supports the 'Belt and Road' Initiative and will take an active part in building the China-proposed initiative - Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi
   
3. China may finance #Russia natural gas pipeline, Gazprom’s Nord Stream 2, to Europe: Russian officials have already contacted Chinese banks, sources have told the media
   
4. China, #Canada agree to deepen cooperation in security, rule of law: to continue consultations on issues such as rule of law, extradition and the transfer of convicted offenders
   
5. China's desert greening inspires world: UNEP
   
6. Xi to visit Russia, Germany, attend G20 summit
   
7. 'Grass is greener naivity': Chinese students were 2-4x more likely to have had a more positive opinion of China afer studying in the US, rather than a more negative one
   
8. State Department just this morning labeled China as one of the worst human trafficking nations in the world. Guess Donald Trump's got to start saving face after looking like a paper tiger on North Korea, whatever good that'll do him.
   
9. China slams irresponsible US human trafficking report. Chinese govt succeeding in campaign.
   
10. US, EU Urge China to Limit Food Import Control: Food exporters including the United States and European Union are stepping up pressure on China to scale back plans for intensive inspections of imports that they say would hamper access to its fast-growing market
    
11. China willing to open its pockets, but not borders, to Middle East refugees: China will step up economic aid to help countries deal with the Syrian refugee crisis, but Beijing has no plan to provide shelter for refugees from the war-torn region, diplomatic observers said
    
12. Report Ranks Shanghai As The Second Happiest Place to Travel in the World
    
13. Chinese paper says Australia spying on embassy, monitoring citizens
    
14. #UN adopts China-led human rights resolution: The resolution, which is China's proposal for the global governance of human rights, enables developing countries to have a bigger say and play a greater role in setting the agenda in the area of human rights
    
15. Macron stumbles at #EU summit over Chinese investments: EU leaders poured cold water on a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to hand Brussels more powers to control Chinese investments in strategic European industries
    
16. U.S. plans to sell Taiwan about $1.42 billion in arms
    
17. China, U.S. agree on aim of 'complete, irreversible' Korean denuclearization
    
18. Russia, US & China able to join forces in tackling global challenges – Lavrov
    
19. How China’s first lady fashions diplomacy with signature looks
    
20. China condemns US sanctions over 'North Korea funding'
    
21. Chinese student's disappearance: Man arrested
    
22. Xi's Russia visit to inject new impetus into bilateral ties, Eurasian integration: Chinese ambassador
    
23. Tracking how China is turning Asia red: A Beijing-led order emerges as US influence in the region recedes. One Southeast Asian diplomat frankly said, "Unfortunately, regarding the struggle between the U.S. and China in the South China Sea, the game is over
    
24. China tears up promises to UK and shows the world who is in charge
    
25. African students prefer Chinese universities to American.
    

In Domestic news

1. China bans online loans to college students: Financial institutions not registered or authorized by regulators are banned from offering loans on campus, said a recent notice by China’s Banking Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
   
2. Interesting article on the resurgence of Buddhism in China.
   
3. China's new bullet trains launched on Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail
   
4. Chinese province runs on 100% renewables for 7 days
   
5. China breaks ground on first “Forest City” that fights air pollution | a community where all buildings are entirely covered in nearly a million plants of over 100 species, as well as 40,000 trees
   
6. China's Message to Asia's Casinos: Place Your Bets Elsewhere
   
7. Something western media will never report about: Muslims publicly pray in Shanghai during 1st Day of Eid al-Fitr
   
8. Chinese netizens scowl at DPRK
   
9. China unveils first domestically-built bullet train
   
10. HONG KONG HANDOVER 20TH ANNIVERSARY
    
11. Mysterious 3,000-year-old ‘sun altar’ discovered in northwest China: Sun temples were built by the nomadic tribes that once roamed the vast Eurasian steppe, however, no such temple has previously been discovered this far east
    
12. China's Liu Xiaobo cared for well in prison, video suggests
    
13. Cantonese v Mandarin: When Hong Kong languages get political - BBC News
    
14. Beijing's new international airport takes shape, eyeing 2019 launch
    
15. Future Energy: China leads world in solar power production - BBC News
    
16. China’s top ten achievements made in the first half of 2017
    
17. Chinese City Starts Tracking Underperforming Officials With GPS
    
18. President Xi attends gala show for HK's 20th return anniversary
    
19. Annual July 1 pro-democracy march in Hong Kong draws lowest turnout since 2003: police Organiser blames aggression and rain for turnout of just 66,000, but police put figure at a 14-year low of 14,500
    
20. Chinese Regulator Calls Homosexuality 'Abnormal' and Bans Gay Content From the Internet
    

In SciTech news

1. Supercomputing Top500: A Cray system in Switzerland is now the world's third most powerful supercomputer, behind two Chinese systems. The slip by the US in the rankings follows report that warned US leadership in high-performance computing was under immediate threat
   
2. Want an insanely fast ride with zero emissions? Startup NIO has the car: An electric two-seater with muscular European lines and a top speed of 195 miles per hour (313 kilometers per hour). Beijing's backing has helped to make China the biggest electric vehicle market
   
3. China’s computers in the super fast lane: developing third prototype #exascale computing machine and plans to launch it by June next year
   
4. China is betting on AI - and here’s why it’ll pay off
   
5. New form of carbon discovered that is harder than diamond but flexible as rubber: developed by researchers in China and the US. Might be a good fit for several sorts of applications, from bulletproof vests to new kinds of electronic devices
   
6. #Astronomy: Chinese telescope illustrates that country’s science investment. This new telescope is yet another indication that China is catching up to, and in some ways, exceeding the science programs in the United States and Europe
   
7. China Tech: Interesting Bits and Pieces
   

In Economic news

1. #Korean cars aren’t being purchased in China because of their lack of competitive edge, not because of ongoing political tension, a Korean research institute said
   
2. China shares get #MSCI nod in landmark moment for Beijing: China's stocks took a major step toward global acceptance, winning a long campaign for inclusion in a leading emerging markets benchmark, in what was seen as a milestone for global investing
   
3. Japanese airbag maker Takata files for bankruptcy, agrees to be acquired by Chinese owned company, Key Safety Systems, which is owned by Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp
   
4. China-led #AIIB Signs $160 Million Loan Pact for India’s “Power for All” Project: The Beijing-based $100 billion AIIB started operations just last year and it expects to provide loan to infrastructure projects worth $6-7 billion in the next five years
   
5. Will China Save the American Economy? Story of a Chinese company opening up manufacturing in US
   
6. AI will boost global GDP by nearly $16 trillion by 2030—with much of the gains in China
   
7. China Has Nine Times More Millionaires than a Decade Ago: Survey Most respondents said their top priorities were "wealth preservation" and "wealth inheritance", in contrast to 2009 when nearly half of HNWIs surveyed said "wealth creation" or "quality of life" were their main goals
   
8. How Li Ruigang, China’s ‘Rupert Murdoch’, is building a global media empire
   
9. China’s Central Bank Has Begun Cautiously Testing a #DigitalCurrency: A digital fiat currency—one backed by the central bank and with the same legal status as a banknote—would lower the cost of financial transactions, thereby helping to make financial services more widely available
   
10. #Tesla looks to begin car manufacturing in China: Chinese laws also require that new car manufacturers enter into a venture with a local company, with the foreign company — Tesla, in this case — having no more than 50% ownership
    
11. #Singapore is falling behind Hong Kong, just do the math: 40 years ago, before Singapore sold so much of itself to foreigners, personal consumption expenditure was about the same in both Hong Kong and Singapore as a percentage of GDP
    
12. Don't Blame China for the Fall of American Steel
    
13. In China, A Cashless Trend Is Taking Hold With Mobile Payments
    
14. Chinese Man Has Made $4.4 Million Harvesting Pearls, But For a Surprising Reason
    
15. Former Tech Copycat China Turns Tables on Innovation - Bloomberg
    
16. How foreign brands don't get the average Chinese consumer – Terra News
    
17. China’s Tencent scores with world’s top-earning mobile game
    

In Military news

1. China Donates Military Equipment to #Serbian Army: around 900,000 euros (1 million US dollars). Djordjevic said it was not the first time that China had donated to the Serbian army as “they were here during floods, and always when our people needed it”
   
2. #NATO to closely follow Russia, China, Belarus drills near Baltic borders: Russia and China have taken turns hosting the Joint Sea drills since 2012, but some observers note that this year's exercise in the Baltic Sea will take place just before US President Donald Trump's visit to Poland
   
3. #Raytheon Invests in Technology to Meet Hypersonic Threats: Tom Bussing says the relatively sudden rise of hypersonic strike capability in China and Russia “is a remarkable thing that has occurred, and it has fundamentally changed the nature of warfare.”
   
4. #Pentagon report highlights Chinese submarine buildup: Many of the newer subs will be outfitted with China’s supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, the YJ-18, regarded by the Pentagon as one of the most lethal anti-ship weapons
   
5. 20th anniversary of HK return to be celebrated with Aircraft Carrier visit
   
6. Chinese Navy has officially launched Type 055 Destroyer
   
7. Chinese Sub-Hunting Aircraft, Drones Now Patrolling South China Sea
   
8. Major breakthrough in magnetic detection technology brings unprecedented accuracy in finding metallic objects hidden deep underground and in the water. Chinese research teams have also completed 8 other types of magnetic detectors, some are small and sensitive enough to be used on satellites
   
9. In the largest display of military might since Hong Kong was handed to China 20 years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the Hong Kong garrison of the People's Liberation Army
   
10. China’s PLA warns India: ‘Learn lessons from 1962 defeat, stop clamouring for war’
    

Other Notables

1. China should show international leadership while keeping an eye on internal affairs
   
2. [Traditional Instrument Music] 烟雨江南 The Misty Rain of Jiangnan in China
   
3. Former Taiwan independence supporter Chang Wei-shan ostracized for change of heart: She said she was taught to be hostile to the mainland and worship Japan. She and her team started to make videos. Their account on Youtube was blocked after a video about the Feb 28 Incident, an uprising in Taiwan
   
4. Discoveries From China’s Bronze Age
   
5. Korean vs Chinese
   
6. Liu Xiaobo
   
7. Western hypocrisy put on display for all to see.
   
8. [Traditional Instrument Music] Imperial Dynasty
   
9. When did China get its name? Hezun (zun is wine vessel), which dates back more than 3,000 years, bears the first written form of "China". Among the characters are the words "zhai zi zhong guo", which means "live in the central area of the world"
   
10. Timothy Fok: HK didn't die, it prospered
    
11. Pro-Xi Jin Ping & China Facebook Page
    
12. "Organ theft" lies debunked once and for all with Vatican's data
    
13. Mr. Bean - "Kung Fu Training" (Snickers Advertisement)
    
14. Akala - Death of American Empire Return of China (woke)
    
15. Higher Brothers ft. Keith Ape - WeChat (Official Video)
    
16. Receiving refugees on large scale unrealistic for China
    
17. Avirtualvoyage - Blog dedicated to recent Chinese drama & entertainment updates + Run by an actual Chinese person
    
18. summer Davos meeting will be held in Dalian.
    
19. Chinese Man Captures French Woman’s Heart With Epic Martial Arts Skills
    
20. 6 Most Anticipated Chinese Historical Dramas of 2017
    
21. Tiananmen at night, Beijing [5184x3456] cred u/MrF33n3y
    
22. [Traditional Instrument Music] Spring River Flower Moon Night
    
23. Zhengzhou Henan province
    
24. Sino-Korean Calligraphy by Korean Patriot and Pan-Asianist An Jung Geun: "In order to save East Asia, we must first change our political tactics. If we miss this opportunity, there is no use regretting afterwards" (欲保東洋先改政略 時過失機追悔何及)
    
25. Is Shanghai's Film Industry in Terminal Decline?
    
26. Are People Rude in Hong Kong? Speaking Mandarin Chinese vs. English
    
27. Higher Brothers x J Mag - WORKIN (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
    
28. No. 1 Waterfall in Wenzhou, China](https://np.reddit.com/Sino/comments/6k9kwm/no_1_waterfall_in_wenzhou_china/)
    
29. Mixed martial arts: why China could be huge for #MMA thanks to deep talent pool, sport’s heritage and support trainee fighters get
    
30. Meet the Higher Brothers, the Hottest Rappers in China
    
31. [Traditional Instrument Music] 綠野仙蹤
    
32. China's seniors enjoying second youth: Demographic shifts see retirees with time and money to kick back
    
33. It's only fair when we do it - Patriotism in Hollywood
    
34. Hong Kong's handover: How the UK returned it to China
    
35. Chinese reporter Ye Qinglin 叶青林 talks about how BBC hired him to smear China and how western media brainwashes people
    
36. Eternal love- One of the highest rated & most popular Chinese dramas ever
    
37. Chinese student discusses Sinophobic sentiments overseas with the particular example of the Maryland speech
    
38. How Two Chinese Towns Became the ‘Pearls of the Orient’
    
39. How Shanghai Can Become a Moviemaking Powerhouse Once Again
    
40. Report: Traditional Chinese Wedding Ceremony Back in Fashion. 3 in 10 respondents tended to choose such a style. The survey also showed that men preferred to spend more money on "wedding stuff" and were regarded as "target customers" in some high-end markets
    
41. Tempted by a rapidly changing mainland China, more #Hongkongers are going north to study or get married. Official statistics show that more Hong Kong women are marrying mainland men. The number has increased 13 times from 366 in 1997 to 5,001 last year
    
42. The Man who Saved More Jews than Schindler: Ho Feng-Shan. He risked his own life and career to save thousands of Jews in WWII as a Chinese diplomat in Vienna.
    
43. How an American girl’s love for China made her stay
    
44. The Hanfu movement
    
45. Chinese philosopher Wang Yangming
    

Warning, rampant speculation ahead:
By 2030, there are places that have collapsed. Syria, Libya and Iraq no longer exist, but are now ruled by regional strongmen and stuck in low intensity tribal conflicts that don't come to an end. The problem these countries have is that they are synthetic states, formerly kept together only through force. The European Union as we know it today exists only in name still. To deal with refugee streams from Africa and the Middle East, internal border controls have been reinstated. Italy, Greece and Spain are forced to deal with the mess, the UK has further isolated itself from the European mainland. Large parts of France are no-go areas for non-muslims.
Other places that have undergone balkanization? The United States. Shale oil production peaked somewhere between 2015 and 2020, after which oil production rapidly plunged, leading to mass unemployment and a very rapid decline in GDP. State governments no longer enforce many federal laws. It started with cannabis and gay marriage laws, it eventually moved over to other aspects as well. With every democrat elected as president, red states began to defy the federal government more. There is still a president, but he functions a lot like the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, officially ruling over a patchwork of nations he has no genuine control over. What remains of the poorly maintained infrastructure has by now been turned into a number of toll roads in many places. For outsiders, costs of travelling through the toll boots is very high. Internally, many people have started migrating to Alaska, as it still has potential for economic development.
In Africa, climate change has taken its toll. Large parts of the continent suffer from drastic soil erosion. The population of many African nations saw a peak before 2030 as a result of large civil wars and massacres, often between Christians and Muslims, in other places because of conflicts between pastoral people and agriculturalists. Harvests fail because of fungal plant pathogens that ruin the crop, a problem that was poorly anticipated. In the developed world, this problem is solved by spraying large amounts of pesticide, leading to a rise in prices and health problems. People believe themselves to be "allergic" to a wide variety of food products, in the same way many Americans think they're "gluten sensitive" because they happen to face health issues from the glyphosate in their food.
No mainstream policymakers and politicians ever acknowledge that peak oil was a problem. Instead it is thought that oil demand simply peaked because of some other factor, such as people choosing to work more from home or car ownership becoming less popular. Most regular people blame government incompetence, racism or greedy bankers for the poverty they face. Renewable energy is seen as a buzz from the past. Governments can't afford to maintain the large subsidies for electric cars and other fancy inventions they implemented. Tax revenue is too low for governments to be able to make the infrastructure investments they need to make to increase renewable energy production.
After many years of increasingly dubious statistics, a number of European countries elected new parties, only for the newly formed government coalitions to announce that the people's gut sentiment was right and the economy continued to shrink during the previous administration. Outside of the mainstream media, people stopped paying attention to official statistics and instead started using a variety of alternative metrics, like the number of cars sold in the previous month. Some governments have moved away from the goal of "full employment" towards the goal of providing everyone with "basic necessities". Some have moved away from economic growth towards "controlled degrowth".
What does controlled degrowth look like? Libertarian types have moved to calling it "techno-totalitarianism". They can't be blamed, as it does look dystopian. If your cell phone detects that you're out of the house, it automatically turns off your TV and your computer. You can turn these options off, but it's not easy for the typical consumer. You pay flexible energy prices, which means that young people living by themselves typically can't afford to use a lot of electricity in the evening.
Your employer receives a subsidy for the fact that you work from home and don't have to be on the road. Not working from home, but actually having to go somewhere for your white collar job is now considered somewhat prestigious. Many people secretly have multiple jobs, others make a living combining their welfare with consumer surveys on the internet, often filled in with the help of smart bots. Most colleges don't expect people to actually show up for any activities other than doing exams and most young people don't bother attending classes.
Of course not everyone likes "controlled degrowth". A number of industry lobby groups push their own perspective, which they label "alternative growth". They argue that new technologies will allow us to focus on economic growth by selling "experiences", that don't take a lot of additional energy. Examples they suggest are 200 dollar celebrity fragrances and designer clothing. In libertarian/conservative circles, alternative growth is popular, because it's thought that it will "create jobs" and "put America back on track".
These same lobby groups were engaged in other activities too. The car industry, as it saw sales drop every year, decided to start a media campaign that tried to turn the car into a sex symbol. Pop artists were paid to sing about a particular car brand and how their boyfriend is sexy because she can drive around town with him in said particular type of car. None of this worked, because the car industry refused to face the obvious fact that young people were unable to afford a car, instead of being merely disinterested in one. Because the car turned into a symbol of wealth, it turned into a cash crop for governments faced with tax evasion by the middle class and tax avoidance by the rich.
There is a lot of poverty of the type people formerly knew only from third world countries. Many families are homeless and live on the streets. They tend to do "microwork" through their smartphones, which earns them cryptocurrency. They may report pirated DVD's or videogames found on the internet, they fill in captcha's for spammers, or perhaps get paid to promote an online casino on their social media account. Offically hardly anyone dies of the swollen-bellies type of poverty we know from Ethiopia, instead, people die the way they did after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They commit suicide, die of a drug overdose, die in an accident while drunk. Some die of cold in winter in their tent.
Being rich has become genuinely dangerous and not very enjoyable. Many of the rich have moved to places where they believe themselves to be safe: Luxemburg, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Singapore and some island groups. It's increasingly common for people to be kidnapped, with demands made to transfer cryptocurrency to a particular address. Historically, most hostage schemes failed because people are personally identified when they receive the payment. Cryptocurrency has solved this problem, the result being a rise in crime. The hostage taker himself is typically caught and thrown in jail or commits suicide, but the cryptocurrency has already been received by then at an anonymous address, that's used by friends, family members and/or gang members. Most people own not one type of cryptocurrency, but multiple types. Many are unaware of what types of cryptocurrency they own, as the total amount is automatically translated into dollars for them. New cryptocurrencies are typically created by popular websites and gradually decentralized.
Mixed in with the bad, some good things have happened too. Most people now grow food in their garden. Even rooftops and community parks are used to grow food. Neighbors secretly grow food in gardens in the abandoned homes next to them as well, homes that are owned by banks after the people were unable to pay their mortgage and evicted. The other side of the coin of distrust and animosity is that students move back home to their families. People generally try to know their neighbors again and share food and electrical appliances. As food has become expensive, animal based protein has turned into a luxury good. Chicken hatcheries are continously faced with infectious germs that spread and the process of producing protein by feeding animals edible grains and soybeans is seen as wasteful. Wild overpopulated animals like geese are killed, their meat is typically sold or given to the poor.
The singularity types like Ray Kurzweil are by now seen as a naieve subculture, in the same way Cyberpunk or the Y2K bug hysteria is seen today. There exists such a thing as virtual reality, it's a merger of our TV, music and video games. People put a device on their head and immerse themselves in their digital hallucinations. In contrast to what we feared, even virtual reality in practice ends up boring people. Back in the 80's and 90's we had 3D glasses, digital pistols you could shoot at your screen with, gas pedals and steering wheels for your racing games etcetera, but this was fun for a few months. Virtual reality similarly, is typically fun for a few months. People don't spend their days playing computer games because of their addictive potential, they play these games to hide away from the real world. If the best virtual reality we had was a book, they'd spend their time reading their book.
There are still climate skeptics, but their rhetoric has moved more towards the political mainstream and they now also hold significant influence over politicians. They argue that "the worst is behind us" when it comes to warming. With the poverty people face, concern over warming in the distant future is seen as a decadent worry that most regular people can't be bothered with. Concern over global warming dropped, because somewhere between 2015 and 2030, yearly global CO2 emissions peaked. Methane emissions dropped too, because people could no longer afford to eat large amounts of meat, as did emissions of a number of other greenhouse gasses and climate forcing agents.
Climate change has drastically affected the world, but generally through different mechanisms than we anticipated today. For example, higher CO2 concentrations have had a catastrophic impact upon agriculture, by favoring the spread of fungal plant pathogens. In addition to the positive feedback loops we're familiar with, there also existed a number of negative feedbacks that are rarely heard today. Molecular chlorine released from melting sea ice removes ozone from the troposphere as well as methane, moreso than hydroxyl radicals do.
Do we stay beneath two degrees? I can't claim to know, but I do know that many of the doom scenarios we read today cancel each other out. If oil production is about to peak, we can't raise temperatures by five degree celsius by 2100. If sea levels rise rapidly, the methane clathrates should be stabilized due to the higher pressure. If the ozone layer is depleted in a nuclear war, more ultraviolet radiation enters the troposphere, which means that more hydroxyl radicals are generated, which break down methane and hydroxyl radicals, which are gasses that would otherwise deplete the ozone in the ozone layer.
The result is that the ozone layer, like all of nature, is a self-stabilizing phenomenon. Like a swing, we can exert great energy to push it away from its stable point in the center. Eventually however, our stomach will be empty, we'll go home and the swing will return to its center, as gravity continues to pull. As the late great Lynn Margulis noted, Gaia is a tough bitch. If we start shoving her around, she'll start pushing back, and she has some mean techniques.
I like McPherson's title, "Nature bats last", but as the serotonin concentration in his brain dropped further, it seems his image of Gaia evolved from a tough matriarch who grabs you by the testicles into a fragile maiden whose last act of revenge is inflicting humanity with HIV as she is sodomized to death by a pencil-shaped phallus normally inserted into an anime sexbot. Gaia doesn't die a tragic death, she grabs you by your Google glass, drags you outside of the bar, drowns your cities in tsunamis, turns your crops into a wasteland then laughs as you stumble home and blame "anti-science Facebook moms" who refused to eat your GMO crops or have a Thorium reactor in their backyard for the fact that you got your ass kicked.

Morgan Stanley president Kelleher says China 'is just fine'
China is "just fine" and the recent worries about its economy was just an excuse to sell the market off after a good run, Morgan Stanley (MS.N) President Colm Kelleher said on Wednesday. "I think there's no new news here, emerging markets will not grow, we know that. Developed markets are carrying the growth, particularly in the U.S. and we are of the view that China is just fine, 6.9 percent growth is okay and we believe those numbers broadly," Kelleher told a conference in Dublin.

Source

Whatever does cause the next global recession, it likely won’t be China.
That’s according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, who gathered its top experts on the nation to mull the "34 questions about China that you were afraid to ask." They concluded the world’s second-largest economy will steer clear of a hard landing and the government will contain the risks arising from its financial market turbulence. While its slowdown will weigh investor confidence, it won’t cause major negative spillovers to the global economy based on an analysis of trade, portfolio and commodity channels.

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Lagarde: We have faith in China, despite volatility
The head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday that she's not concerned about volatility in China's markets, which have suffered wild swings in recent weeks. Lagarde remains confident that Chinese authorities will be able to guide the country during its transformation from an economy based on investment and exports, to one driven by consumption.

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Why China doesn’t mind being left out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Beijing already has free trade agreements with more than half of the TPP countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam, and it can exploit those arrangements to minimize or avoid import duties that would normally apply to made-in-China products. Felipe Caro and Christopher Tang of UCLA's Anderson School of Management explained in Fortune magazine this week how that could work. “To satisfy certain country­-of-­origin conditions stipulated in TPP, China can manage the supply chain operations of cotton shirts by importing cotton from Pakistan (via its existing free trade agreement with China) and conduct 'upstream' operations, such as fabric design, knitting and dyeing at home. "Then China can ship the fabric to Vietnam (via an existing free trade agreement with China). At the same time, Japan can ship the buttons to Vietnam (via the TPP). Vietnam can perform 'downstream' operations (sewing) and then ship the finished shirts via TPP agreement to Australia, Japan and the United States, cutting off the 5%, 10.9% and 16.5% import duties that would have applied if China had dealt directly with these countries.” And China clearly doesn’t require the TPP to enhance its already sizeable influence in the world.

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Source

Credit Suisse CEO Says He Remains Positive on China, Echoing UBS
Credit Suisse Group AG Chief Executive Officer Tidjane Thiam said he remains positive on China, echoing comments by his counterpart at UBS Group AG, following an equity selloff and a deepening economic slowdown.

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ADB head optimistic China's economy to grow 6.7 percent
MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank president is optimistic China's economy will post a healthy 6.7 percent growth this year despite jitters over the yuan's depreciation and a plunge in Chinese stocks. Nakao says he does not see a serious adjustment in the Chinese economy because there is much room to expand services and fiscal reforms are being undertaken.

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China on right economic path: World Bank economist
China is following the right path and is making progress in its bid to rebalance the nation's economy, according to a World Bank economist. Franziska Ohnsorge, a lead economist at the World Bank, said Chinese officials had outlined an economic plan at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in 2013 and were implementing the reforms to enact that plan. "They are steadily implementing these reforms and these are exactly the reforms that China needs, but they will yield benefits over the long term," she said.

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The `Hard-Landing School' Has It Wrong on China, Says Roach
The Yale University senior fellow said the economy is in a transition and employment data showing strong urban job growth paint a more positive picture. “You can’t look at top-line GDP and conclude about whether China is going hard or soft,” Roach told Tom Keene on Bloomberg Television. “You have to look at the pieces, the mix, and the mix is far more constructive than the China bears would lead you to believe.”

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German, French central bankers warn of overreaction to China
Speaking at a meeting of French and German central bank governors and finance ministers in Paris, Bundesbank Governor Jens Weidmann warned against painting everything black and said he did not expect a sharp deterioration in the Chinese economy. “I agree with Jens Weidmann that financial volatility is somewhat excessive. I think we need to look through the short-term (market) swings,” Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau told reporters.

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Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said here Tuesday that IMF "does not believe that the world's second largest economy will face a hard landing" and that China's decision to transform "from quantity to quality" is the right way.

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China hard landing unlikely but debt levels a concern: Fitch
"China's financial system is dominated by banks and funded overwhelmingly by retail deposits. Both the banks and borrowers are either state-owned or heavily state-influenced. These factors combine to suggest that the kind of collapse of confidence among creditors that might precipitate a financial crisis is unlikely in China," Fitch said.

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Why China's Housing Market Refuses To Crash: Control of interest rates, financing, who can be a buyer, how many houses someone can buy, where people invest their money, the urban markets home buyers are pushed into
One of the ways that China’s government influences the direction of the housing market is with interest rates. When they want to cool things down a little, the government charges higher interest rates on loans to developers and home buyers, when they want to heat the market up give more favorable rates.
One of the saving graces of China’s housing market, no matter how heated it has appeared, was that home buyers have always been extremely under-leveraged. At 90%, China has one of the world’s highest home ownership rates, but only 18% of the country’s households have mortgages.
In large part, this lack of leverage is due to the fact that lending for home purchases are tightly controlled by China’s central and municipal level governments. Who qualifies for mortgages and how much financing they can receive is based on formal calculations which vary from city to city and are continuously adapted to suit current economic conditions.
In China’s cities, among other classifications, people are divided up between potential home buyers and what’s known as non-buyers. There are set rules which outline how a non-buyer can become a buyer, which generally consists of living in the city and paying income tax there for a specified number of years.
Another way that China’s government quells speculation in the housing market is by simply restricting the quantity of houses that people can buy. For an extended period of time, big cities like Shanghai have had home purchasing restrictions (HPRs) which have limited its residents to only being able to buy one additional house.
As I’ve covered earlier, viable investment options for people in China are extremely limited. Interest on bank deposits are less than inflation, the stock market is about as secure as a casino, WMPs have had their attractiveness regulated out of them, and channels to invest overseas are being plugged up. This leaves housing. Basically, Chinese investors are funneled into the housing market, and, in a country with one of the highest savings rates on the planet, this means a huge amount of ready-to-invest capital continuously pouring in.
Growing very distinct in 2015 and lasting into this year is a sheer disparity in China’s housing market between big and vibrant tier-one and some tier-two cities — where everybody wants to live — and the rest of the country. While China’s real estate market has usually vacillated in almost uniform waves across the country, we’re now seeing a situation where prices in some cities are exploding while others are posting all time lows. To help rectify this situation, China’s government seems to be engineering a climate in the big, booming cities that’s intended to push buyers into other nearby markets.
When looking at China’s housing market one key point to remember is that this isn’t really a free market and can’t be expected to behave like one. Behind the scenes are governmental ventriloquists pulling at proverbial strings, controlling supply and engineering just the right amount of demand.

Source

Bank of Canada still bullish on China despite economic slowdown
The Chinese economy has the potential to grow at 6 per cent a year for another 15 years, more than doubling its economy and sustaining its appetite for Canadian goods, senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins said Tuesday. “China’s demand for commodities should remain high and grow from a higher base, even if the country’s economic growth is slower and less reliant on natural resources,” Ms. Wilkins said in remarks prepared for a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade. She argued that China’s slowdown to a more sustainable pace is “not only inevitable, it’s desirable.”

Source

HSBC’s Gulliver upbeat on China economy, reforms
Gulliver said China’s growth target of 6.5 to 7 percent is still robust, while the central bank has room for further cuts in interest rates and lenders’ reserve requirement ratio, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reported. The country’s ability to pursue reforms has been underestimated while its currency valuation moves should be seen as progress rather than regression, he said. He said China is capable of boosting domestic consumption to offset any gap in growth targets given its enormous fiscal reserves.

Source

China debt a risk but authorities are handling it: Moody's
"Not only do the authorities know what the situation is, but they have the tools and the intention , the willingness to address the issue (of) high leverages," Moody's managing director Atsi Sheth told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. "China's growth and its growth outlook is still quite robust. This is a low-income economy playing the catch-up model….A lot of China's debt is still domestically generated; there are domestic savings that led to this debt creation as opposed to foreign borrowing …. That gives it some stability and support," added Sheth

Source

China debt fears cloud the real picture, says AXA
Fear about the build-up of debt in China ignores the fact that most of it is internal and much of it will be converted into long-term financial assets, says a senior manager at one of Europe's biggest funds group. The main distinction with other developing economies, he says, is that most of the debt load is domestic, meaning little foreign currency exposure. The other is that an important chunk of it comprises short-term bank loans to special-purpose vehicles set up to fund local government infrastructure. These will ultimately be repackaged as long-term bonds and sold, via banks, to institutional investors such as pension funds and insurance companies, including outside China, says Tinker.
Oxford Economics is less alarmist, agreeing with Tinker that much of the debt has been sunk into capital stock that will pay for itself. The problem, it says, are in sectors such as heavy industry and manufacturing where returns on investment have been declining.

Source

China's economic reforms have received a vote of confidence from heads of key international economic organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank
In a joint statement with China, they said fundamentals of the Chinese economy remain positive in the long term, thanks to its efforts in developing new growth drivers. The statement noted that China's economic structure has "improved" and that consumption and the services sector have become the major driving forces of the economy.

Source
above cites

• Morgan Stanley president Kelleher
  
• Bank of America Merrill Lynch
  
• head of the International Monetary Fund Lagarde
  
• Felipe Caro and Christopher Tang of UCLA's Anderson School of Management
  
• Credit Suisse Group AG Chief Executive Officer Tidjane Thiam
  
• Asian Development Bank president Nakao
  
• Franziska Ohnsorge, a lead economist at the World Bank
  
• Yale University senior fellow Roach
  
• German, French central bankers Bundesbank Governor Jens Weidmann and Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau
  
• Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund
  
• Fitch Ratings
  
• Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins
  
• HSBC’s chief executive Stuart Gulliver
  
• Moodys
  
• one of Europe's biggest funds group AXA, Oxford Economics
  
• World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank
  

reddit copy/paste http://pastebin.com/dqPE05N4

Why save & invest?
Saving and investing are important. I have said this before, and I will say it again. There are two classes in society, labour and capital. Unless you are a creditor or owner of a company, you are in the labour class. Means your wealth depends solely on the result of your time invested at work.
Saving and investing in bonds (creditor) and equity (shareholder), puts you in the capital class. This transition between labour class to capital class is probably more important to us, now than ever, since the gap between both classes are widening at a quick pace, (read: Thomas Piketty) and its expected to worsen. ** Basics of Buying ETFs**
Its painfully simple. Exchange traded funds should be in your saving portfolio, because it’s easy to manage, provides instant diversification, and is difficult to screw up.
What are ETFs?
ETF is a big shopping bag of financial stuffs. The stuff in question can be stocks/bonds/derivatives/other ETFs. Anything with a cash flow and is actively traded in the financial markets can be put in this shopping bag. ETFs usually follow some pre-defined rules in terms of what to put in that bag. It could be stocks only from Russia (RSX), or only gold mining firms (GDX), or only bonds (MINT) etc. The funky letters in the parenthesis tells you the identifying ticker name for these ETFs, in case you are interested in doing some homework before investing. Google the tickers + etf. ETFdb is an ok website to use.
Investment motive
The first thing I would do is to examine my motives for investing. Are you investing because you want to finance a home in 10 years, or build a retirement nest egg? Maybe even just to try it out and find out why everyone is talking about it. Or perhaps you want to have the thrill of making money speculatively, in pyjamas on a Wednesday afternoon, scratching your balls in your chair? Whatever your motive could be, I shall show you in this article how ETFs can help you achieve your goals and not burn half your money, unlike your divorce.
Financing big purchases
First, I would set a target date, for when the expected withdrawal needs to happen. Then I would go make myself a cup of tea, because we are in this for the long game. Might as well take a chill pill. Usually, depending on the target date in mind, its good to start off aggressive and slowly tone it down as we get closer to the target date.
Retirement income
Well, you need a target date again, which will be your target retirement date. As you draw closer to the target date, keep to less volatile holdings and go into capital preservation mode. Its OK to lose half your money when you are 27, not so cool to lose half your money when you’re 72.
You know that jumpy financial advisor in that ugly glazed double-breasted gray suit, calling you every other week to recommend you some top-of-the-line investment product when you are in your golden years. Ignore him. He does not have your well-being at heart, he only cares about the commission he will earn from you. Don’t make any exotic, opaque, risky investments in your silver and golden years. If necessary, take the money out from a trading account, and in to a savings or fixed deposit account.
Trying it out
ETFs are the best for beginners. It’s really hard to lose all your money with ETFs. If you follow the rules below, you’d be fine.
Speculation
ETFs are not for you. Stop reading and go to the casino.
Risk appetite
Asking for your risk appetite is a polite way for those pesky financial advisors to ask you, “how much money can you lose before you shit your pants?”. The problem is, those guys asking you the questions don’t manage your money, and those guys managing your money have no clue who you are. The slimy guys at your banks probably direct your money to one of the low cost ETFs, and pocket the difference in commission anyway. Some banks charge a lot for fees, to do something so simple! Investing through your bank increases the risks too, since usually there are two counterparties instead of one. Investing is not rocket science, you can do it yourself. If you want to pay someone to do it, get an actively managed ETF then.
If you hate taking risks, that’s fine. Me too. Nothing wrong. All the better. Start constructing a portfolio with a conservative philosophy. If you are a risk taker, that’s fine too. It’s entirely up to you if you choose not to rubber up, when things get hot and heavy with the person you just met at the swingers’ club. Same for how you build a portfolio. At the end of the day, build a portfolio that doesn’t keep you up at night. Remember, we are in for the long game, ain’t nobody gonna be checking the portfolio every 5 minutes. The whole point of investing is to put the money to work, while you work too. Its counter-productive if you have to manage your portfolio and a job. That’s why we define a time-frame, philosophy, strategy and stick to it.
Rules
There are some rules that are good to follow, since we’re talking about your hard-earned money.
Expense ratios and sales charges
Keep these as low as you can. Expense ratio is the cost to YOU for owning the ETF. There is strong correlation between low gross expense charges and good long term performance. Most big ETFs from Vanguard & Blackrock have an expense ratio below 0.3%. That means you get charged $30 for every $10,000 invested. Pretty reasonable. Anything more than 0.99% is too much, in my opinion.
Some good looking sales bro will call you ever so often and tout that his firm has unlocked the secret to long lasting excess alpha returns, through smart beta, and adhering to some modified, multifactorial index, yada yada yada. The first question you have to ask him is how did he get your phone number. The second is can you take me off your phone list. And lastly, what’s the expense ratio? These are 3 questions which he will try his best to avoid answering.
Volume
Buy ETFs that are traded. Volume should be 6 digits. Anything less, you’re asking for liquidity troubles. Imagine when the shit hits the fan and you can’t sell your stuff or when you are making sick bucks and you can’t sell your stuff. A good indicator is to glance at the trading volume column. Be sure to check it during trading hours. Another less reliable method is to check the assets under management (AUM). Anything with more than $1 billion is usually traded frequently.
Diversify, diversify, diversify
This is so important, it has to be said thrice. Your risk appetite will define the way you diversify. You ought to diversify over the following: asset type, geography, size, equity type.
Asset type
There are ETF for bonds, equities, commodities, derivatives, other ETFs. If you are conservative, put 60–70% of your money in bond ETFs, and the rest in anything that catches your eye; as long as you follow the rules. If you are aggressive, put 60–70% of your money in equities ETFs, and the rest preferably in some bonds ETF; rules apply too. Any allocation in between conservative and aggressive are acceptable too. If you’re interested, go google Asset Allocation
Bonds
Buying bonds makes you a lender. The borrower is up to you to choose from, it could be a government, a municipality or corporates. Its healthy to have a good mix between the different entities you lend to. You can only lose what you put in.
Bonds are safer than equities simply because there is less uncertainty in cash flows. The bonds dictate how much has to be paid out, and the borrowers usually repay it.
Especially for governments, since governments usually prefer to print money to repay the bonds than to default and be blocked off the capital markets (Argentine-style!). Do take note that interest rates and exchange rates will affect the valuation of your bonds and cash flow. However, if you cast your net wide enough, and have a long enough investment horizon, there is nothing much to worry about.
I recommend governmental bonds and corporate grade bonds. Municipal bonds are tricky. Town councils like to default. Municipal governments can’t print money too. I avoid them.
There are different classes of government bonds. Usually they are split between developed economies (AGG, BND) and developing economies (EMB). BND for example, holds 17,301 different bonds in 1 basket. That is more than enough diversification. EMB top 10 holdings includes lending money to Russia, Argentina, Hungary, Poland, Peru, Uruguay. Since holding emerging economies bonds are more dicey than developed markets, they pay more to you for interest. Another cool thing about owning bonds is that you can go to their citizens and say, your country owes me money. Absolutely true!
Bonds Duration
Bonds are separated through the duration. As usual, when in doubt, diversify through the distinctions. Google “Bond duration” if interested.
Equities
Means you are a part owner of the company. You can earn money in 2 ways, the value of your stock goes up, or they send money to you in the mail (dividends). Again, you can only lose what you put in. Taxes apply.
Geography
You want to spread out your purchases across continents and nations. This insulates you from country-specific events. A good rule of thumb is not to have more than 40% of your portfolio based in one continent. North America is an exception.
Remember to diversify based on your needs. For example, if your primary residence is in the US, your job pays in USD, and your job is based in USA, then you have more than enough exposure to the United States of America. It would be very pointless in the view of diversification, to invest your savings in Singapore. I act on this. My portfolio has no positions in my employing company, nor in the country where my livelihood is based on. If you are aggressive, go for emerging markets (VWO, EEM, IEMG) and frontier markets (FRN) ETF. These usually experience more volatility. Meaning that the value of your portfolio jumps around a lot, and there is a stronger chance for higher returns. If conservative, go for the developed markets like North America (VTI, SCHB) and Developed Europe (VGK).
The mentioned VTI and SCHB have 3723 and 2054 holdings respectively. Meaning to say that by buying VTI, you are purchasing 3723 companies in 1 go. This is recommended because you have instant diversification. Assuming equal weights, if 30 companies go bankrupt, you would have lost less than 1% of your money invested in VTI. Its much better than buying individual stocks. Take note that VTI and SCHB both have very low expense ratios too. You pay $3 for every $10,000 invested, and you gain from such diversification.
Size
Equities come in more or less three sizes. Large cap, mid cap, small cap. Cap is capitalization, not the thing that cool kids buy to hide their freckled, stunted foreheads. Conservative investors should stick to large cap. Large companies usually have everything in order, have strong market share, good cash flow, and make money in general. There are less surprises with these boys. The more aggressive you are, the more you should include mid and small cap in your portfolio. Note that in a recession, smaller cap companies suffer a lot. Smaller cap companies also experience great jumps and drops in prices.
Equity type
Other than by size, equities are also split by type: Value, Core, Growth. It’s good to diversify across the 3 types as well, and I feel it’s OK to have a preference if one wishes.
Value are stocks that are comparably cheap, considering their earnings. This can be due to their industry, which has little growth prospects, or perhaps the company is domiciled in a country with short-term turmoil, hence a lower price due to the uncertainty.
Core stocks are the backbones of the economy, whose stocks are a best representation of the domestic economy. These are usually well known companies and have a strong brand value. IVV which represents the core of the US economy, includes Apple, Microsoft, Exxon, J&J, GE, Berkshire Hathaway, Facebook, Amazon etc. It’s usually good to have some global core in your portfolio.
Growth are stocks that are usually comparatively expensive, considering their earnings. This is due to their growth prospect, and the promise of better returns in the future. Typical industries that have growth classification is Tech and Healthcare. In my opinion, the most bubbly valuations can be found here, as it’s hard to quantify future earnings accurately. Personally, I don’t hold too many growth ETFs if I can help it.
I understand that managing by geography, size and type can be too troublesome for the retail investors. There are tools like Morningstar X-ray out there, where you can key in your holdings and this pops out.
http://imgur.com/4bS59l6 My ETF holdings some time ago (Produced with Morningstar)
As you can see, my holdings are mostly in large caps, because I am pretty conservative when it comes to investing. I try to stay away from small cap because those guys are too volatile for me. I have strong preference for value stocks too, which I will explain later why. For now just try to keep the stock style matrix well spread out or top heavy and you will be OK.
Sectors Different sectors behave differently, and you will have to diversify likewise accordingly. http://imgur.com/SoJlbLa My ETF holdings some time ago, split by sector (Produced by Morningstar)
If you are more conservative, go for utilities, telcos, consumer staples and consumer discretionary. Materials and Industrials somewhat applies too. If you are more aggressive, then hold healthcare, energy and IT stocks. Try not to have more than 20% of your portfolio in one sector, as sector valuations commonly move together.
Fund houses
Vanguard, Blackrock, Guggenheim, Credit Suisse etc. These are fund houses. You should try to diversify your holdings across fund houses because funds from the same house can have a selection bias. The selection bias may lead to a concentration in your holdings. We want diversification, not concentration.
Leveraged ETFs
Avoid them. The roll costs are usually too painful. Owning leveraged ETFs is like owning a pet crocodile. It’s all fun and dandy at the start, but if you keep them for too long, it will return to bite you in the ass. Time horizon for keeping leveraged ETFs should be max. a few months.
Inverse ETFs
Avoid them. Roll costs again. Betting against the market long term, correlates with negative returns.
Investment Strategies
Here, we shall discuss some of the investment strategies prevalent in today’s markets. Buy and hold
Personally, I like to buy and hold. Less transaction charges, which correlates strongly with better long term performance. Set aside some money from your income every month, and put them in pre-defined ETFs. Then just hold them all the way till you need the money or you are convinced your holdings are too overvalued. (For valuation, google either: PE, Shiller PE/CAPE, PB)
I believe the market is cyclical. Like the oft quoted phrase, the stock markets short term is a voting machine, and long term a weighing machine. What I do is when I am drinking coffee in the morning and reading the news, I keep an eye out for turmoil. Usually everyone is selling & dumping when turmoil hits, so you just wait and watch the discount grow while the fear mounts. After some time, I invest in that country or sector. Then I forget about it. Since my investment horizon is a few decades, I have time to spare till that sector or country picks up again.
Case: At time of writing,

1. Russia is placed under sanctions and experiencing weak oil prices.
   
2. Brazil has political turmoil through a corruption scandal of Rousseff
   
3. Malaysia political class is facing corruption allegations, suffering oil prices
   
4. Energy sector getting destroyed through low oil prices
   
5. Financial sector battered through low interest rates
   

These are stuff you see on the news all the time. For point 1,2 & 3, you can purchase Russian (RSX), Brazilian (EWZ) or Malaysian (EWM) stocks or their bonds (ELD, EMSH), or both. Usually they are at a discount when crisis hits.
For point 3 & 4, you can purchase sector specific ETFs. Energy (VDE, XLE) and financial (VFH, FNCL, XLF)sectors are relatively cheap compared to before.
You can make proxy bets too. Ask yourself. If oil is cheap, which countries or sectors would benefit the most? Countries like India (INDA, EPI) and Philippines (EPHE) import a lot of oil as a percentage of GDP. Airlines (JETS, ITA) and transportation (IYT) companies spend the majority of costs on fuel. Cheap oil bodes well for all of them, so you can expect their business outlooks to improve and that they will provide good returns.
My strategy is basically bargain hunting. I wait outside the supermarket till something goes on discount, then I saunter in and pick it up. Buy low, sell high, remember? Unfortunately, this strategy is not for everyone. You need to have patience to ride out the market turmoil and cycles. You also have to keep your hands away from the trading platform, which is harder than expected. No matter what, remember to keep your investments diversified.
I shall include the other strategies here for discussion sake. I do not necessarily think these are good ideas.
Smart Beta
Smart beta is the new game in town. Personally I think it’s stupid. Even sad to a point. The idea is so dumb, they put the word Smart in front of it. Its like naming your son Smart, hoping that it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Smart beta is the desperate way asset managers try to remain relevant today. The sorry sad fact is, most asset managers suck sweaty balls. When they outperform, they can’t repeat the fluke. You are better off just indexing. Asset managers realized that, and try to reduce a winning strategy to beat the index, by making an index with simple rules, then following it blindly.
The rules are anomalies identified from academic literature. They back-test (also known as lying to themselves) it, then fiddle around to find a formula to deliver the best result they were looking at. The problem is, once an anomaly is discovered in the market, it cannot continue. People will arbitrage the profits away. Well, at least most of these funds are kind of diversified.
Momentum These ETFs seek out stocks or sectors that are gaining momentum. They are usually an ETF of ETFs, which results in higher expense ratios. Momentum ETF usually have different geographical focuses. Expect the global ones to incur more expense charges. The high fees are why I avoid them.
The most held momentum ETF is First Trust Dorsey Wright Focus 5 ETF (FV), which as of the time of writing includes:
First Trust Utilities (FXU)
First Trust Consumer discretion (FXD)
First Trust Internet (FDN)
First Trust Consumer Staples (FXG)
First Trust Energy (FXN)
This ETF holds 5 different ETFs of the 5 sectors that have the most momentum in trading. Sly mofos double-charging their expense ratios too. One thing to take note is that because the ETF changes its holdings drastically, it could create unexpected concentration risk in your holdings.
Long Short
Long short can have long and short positions in different assets. Long means you own the stock. Short means you sell a stock you do not currently own, in the hopes that the price drops and so you can conduct the cancelling trade and profit. There may be an underlying objective, where the ETF claims it will be 130/30 for example. This means its 130% long and 30% short. I avoid long shorts because their expense ratio is high, averaging near 1%.
Volatility Hedged
These ETFs invest in equities and volatilities derivatives. In English, it means that they buy insurance against wild swings in prices. The good thing is the downside is supposedly hedged. The bad thing is that you have to pay for this protection, meaning that the hedge hinders performance. I have not tried their services, and hence can’t recommend them.
Merger arbitrage This one is cool. I am not sure though if this strategy provides long term returns. When a company buys another company, the buyer usually has to pay more for the target. Merger arbitrage funds (MNA) will check out the M&A scene and hold positions in the target companies, to earn this premium. Problem is, an ETF like this typically holds only a few stock. Since mergers and acquisitions typically happen in only a few industries where scale pays off, your holdings in a fund like this would be concentrated too. Thirdly, you are not protected against a market sell-off. Worse still, in the event that there is a sell off, the merger would probably not take place and you would not have earned the premium.
Momentum, Long-short, Volatility Hedged, Merger arbitrage ETFs are usually actively managed. Means more fees to pay.
Conclusion ETFs are really simple to get started, and to put your investments in your hands. Through ETFs, its easy to gain diversification. Decide if you are a risk-taker or risk-averse, define an investment philosophy and hone a strategy, then cast a wide net across geographical, asset types, asset sizes, sectors and fund houses, forget about your investments, until the day you need money to cure the cancer you got from midnight binge on dank memes. Good luck.
All views expressed are personal opinions and not of that of the employer. Nothing written here should be construed as advice. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date, but I do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author as of the date of publication and are subject to change.