Hello Fun-seekers,
It’s time to get back to life! But remember what they say. It’s darkest right before pitch-black😊 Okay, it’s dark. The sun always comes up and shines on us again. And this current unpleasantness will pass. Hopefully, we will be better for it.
We would benefit I think if we quit listening to the nightly news, I mean nightly spin. Where oh Lord are Huntley and Brinkley when we need them? It was 24 minutes of all the news in the world with no commentary. Then off to the back yard to sit down in the shade and drink a Pabst with friends or family.
The Markets: Again, I am not sure what all the drivers that have made stocks come back so strong at this point, but we are all glad they have. There are positive signs in daily life. The restaurants are mostly full, at least in Scottsdale. People are driving a lot more. And leases are being renewed. Home sales are amazingly strong. There are also still a lot of bargains out there the way I see it.
Covid 19: We have “Covid fatigue,” or are starting to get it. New cases are down, but slowly. Much of that is because testing is growing fast. People who test positive for antibodies who have never gotten sick and will not get sick are counted as new cases.
Monday, Massachusetts reported 4,000 new cases. They had been around 800. When you read the fine print, the high number was due to how they counted. So, they went back to March 1, and counted all the people they “should” have counted and came up with a useless number. States like Georgia and Florida who have opened quite liberally are doing fine. In the west, states like Idaho, Oregon and Montana have very little illness, with dozens of counties having no illness. Let’s go to those!
We know the Government is paying hospitals extra for reported cases and deaths. How that is playing out is being debated. TIhttps://www.factcheck.org/2020/04/hospital-payments-and-the-covid-19-death-count/
I was out at lunch last week and asked the waitress when all the booths could be used. She said she had no idea, and I think sensing we were like minded said, “you know we don’t put a gun to people’s heads and make them come in here.” To me that is the main missed point in this. Personal choice.
Also, the number of suicides, abuse, alcoholism, and drug addiction will come out eventually. Anecdotally, Doctors at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek say they have seen more deaths by suicide during this quarantine period than deaths from the Covid 19. The lock-down may prove to be more fatal than the disease. https://abc7news.com/suicide-covid-19-coronavirus-rates-during-pandemic-death-by/6201962/
On that happy thought, I am wishing you all to stay grateful and to enjoy this weird time by reflecting on blessings we would never reflect on. Next time I am only talking about a very important topic: Fishing.
I look forward to seeing some of you when in Boise this summer. I will be there at least from July 8 to August 8th and hopefully another visit.
See you soon,
Craig
Note: This blog is the personal opinions and thoughts of Craig Verdi. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions and thoughts of Verdi Wealth Management. Nor do other blogs and opinions on craigverdi.com.