Dr. Anthony Fauci hopes that Americans have learned some permanent lessons from the COVID-19 outbreak. “One of them is absolute compulsive hand-washing,” said Fauci, the most famous member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. He made the comments last Wednesday during a Wall Street Journal podcast. “The other,” he added, “is you don’t ever shake anybody’s hands. I don’t think we should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you.”
“Not only would [ending handshakes] be good to prevent coronavirus disease, it probably would decrease instances of influenza dramatically in this country,” Fauci said.
President Trump is fine with eliminating handshakes as part of American society. “I happen to be a clean-hands freak,” Trump said at the time. “I feel much better after I thoroughly wash my hands, which I do as often as possible”, he told Wolf Blitzer during an interview in 1999.
Dr. Fauci also discussed the origin of handshakes, which according to History.com goes back to Ancient Greece around 5 B.C. It was a symbol of peace, in that it demonstrated neither person was carrying a weapon. Other people claim it started in medieval Europe as a slick move by Knights, who would shake people’s hands in an attempt expose hidden weapons.
Based on that, it doesn’t seem necessary at all anymore, unless society falls deeper into despair than it already has. Have you seen gun sales lately?
The second class citizen of precious metals looks ready to shine
Colin Hamilton, head of commodities research at BMO Capital Markets, sees a new role for silver in the decade to come.
Like many markets, Gold and Silver are at historic price levels but the 2 most popular precious metals are not at historic highs or lows. It is in their relationship to each other that makes this historic. The Gold/Silver ratio, which is the amount of silver in ounces, that it would take to buy one ounce of gold hit what some say is a 5000 year high!
Now I don’t know if that can be verified, but it got to 129 which is the highest level at least since 1915. That means, Silver is undervalued relative to gold. Now it can stay undervalued for quite some time, but there’s a solid chance that it moves back toward the norm at some point which is around 60-70.
There are fundamental reasons to like silver as well. Hamilton wrote in a report on Tuesday, “While gold naturally gets most of the attention in a macro environment of aggressive monetary support, we feel there is an opportunity emerging in silver. As governments seek to further bolster economic recovery, we anticipate silver-intensive areas such as 5G and solar technology could well benefit from any fiscal impulse, making silver increasingly the ‘infrastructure’ precious metal.”
As governments help the economy recover, the price of silver could recover as well.
A Non-COVID-19 Drug Drives Cipla Higher
Cipla Ltd (NSE: CIPLA) shares surged 16% to hit its 52-week high on Thursday after the pharma major announced that it has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its for asthma medication – Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Aerosol 90mcg actuation.
The drug is used for the treatment of acute episodes of bronchospasm (trouble breathing) or prevention of asthmatic symptoms, it added.
“We are pleased to receive the final approval for generic Albuterol MDI from the USFDA. This further strengthens our presence in the US market,” said Umang Vohra, MD and Global CEO of Cipla.
“This development reiterates our commitment to strengthening our respiratory franchise and will further solidify our position as a lung leader globally. We will continue to build on our portfolio of drug-device combinations in the respiratory space to serve the unmet needs of our patients across markets,” Vohra added.
Cipla is based in India, so it’s difficult to invest in. But it does show that other pharma names, meaning companies not involved in the coronavirus pandemic, can be good investments.
The stock jumped 16% to its 52-week high of Rs 595 per share on BSE.
400 Miles of Range in a Tesla
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) production in the US may have gone quiet, but in China, the carmaker’s plant in Shanghai is running and pumping out cars. Better still, Tesla might have a longer-range Model 3 coming out for the Chinese market. Well, better for them.
Bloomberg is reporting that Tesla is ready to launch a Model 3 with 404 miles of range! They are quoting “sources familiar with the matter”’ which is shady, but it’s still exciting. In the US, the least expensive Model 3 returns an estimated 280 miles of range, and the higher priced versions return an estimated 322 miles. China and the US do not use identical systems to rate the range of an electric car though, so we don’t really know the car’s range.
Still, it’d be a huge improvement versus the current Model 3 on sale in China, which goes 280 miles on a single charge. Tesla started building cars in China this past January. The starting price is about $45,000 for the current version and according to the story, the longer-range model would start around $50,000, but that could change as the company finalizes details.
Maybe the most important thing, the longer-range model would still qualify for government subsidies to help Chinese buyers take the car home. The company will certainly need to pull out all the stops as the country begins to slowly ease restrictions following mass lockdowns and quarantines during the coronavirus pandemic.
Snitches get stitches
Ever heard of ‘snitches get stitches’? According to sources, this couple decided to hold their wedding as planned, despite the ban on public gatherings. The bride and groom, all 50 of their guests and even the minister was arrested for breaking the lockdown orders. If I were the bride or groom of this wedding, I’d be looking for the tattletale who ratted me out.
The newlyweds spent their first night as husband and wife in separate cells at the police station. Understandably so, this virus is no joke. And rules are rules. But it’s their darn wedding! Of course, we don’t want to encourage the spread of the Covid-19 virus but, people do need to learn how to mind their own business.
The couple and all of their guests knew what was happening and they decided to risk their own health. There was no ill will, just a couple who wanted to enjoy the day they had been looking forward to for months… way to kill the mood.