Some maps showing why the Dow, S&P and every other stock indices crashed last week.....

[paleotn]

The world's factory is just about shut down. Sat photos show huge drop in pollutants across China.

Air Pollution Vanishes Across China’s Industrial Heartland

China’s lockdown measures to minimize further coronavirus infections have created one unexpected benefit -- a dramatic improvement to the nation’s air quality.

Satellites operated by NASA and the European Space Agency have detected significant drops of major airborne pollutants above vast swathes of the country.

Before-and-after images show how nitrogen dioxide levels plummeted in February compared to pre-lockdown January of this year. Nitrogen dioxide is a noxious gas emitted by factories, motor vehicles and fossil fuel-powered electricity generation stations.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-01/air-pollution-vanishes-across-china-s-industrial-heartland?srnd=premium

Not only will there be supply disruptions of plastic doo dads at Wally World, manufacturers world wide will be starved of critical components. A former employer of mine sourced lots of electrical components from China, some of which weren't available in the US anymore and the only other suppliers were in Germany at double the cost in some cases.

Supply chains disrupted enough to trigger feedbacks and a recession just in time for the Nov. election? I don't know. But it's going to hurt earnings this year for a wide range of companies.....thus the plummet in equity markets.

[tblue37]

1. Wow! K&R. nt

[demigoddess]

2. we will survive. Like the cleaner air. Maybe they will get a hint.

[paleotn]

4. Indeed...

Here's hoping the powers that be in China think...gee! The air sure is clean. Maybe we should keep it that way. Their stuff costs more, but fewer Chinese keeling over from pollution related diseases. I figure it's more than worth it. Hope they do too.

[Igel]

6. Think of it as outsourcing pollution.

We have clean skies because we pay other people to cheaply pollute their air. Sometimes they could find less polluting means of production, but that would increase costs and then they'd outsource *their* pollution to yet someplace else.

[JudyM]

5. Definitely.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. We have a local Auto Dealership

bitching because he can not get new Cars from South Korea. I say tough.

[Igel]

7. Wait until it's the router for your bit of the Internet.

Or the heparin that's needed in a hospital. Between COVID and the African swine plague, I assume heparin supplies have been affected.

Or the replacement batteries for hearing aids.

[Wellstone ruled]

8. Just the start.

As far as the Car Dealer,hunch says he wanted free Publicity. That particular Brand has thousands of new Cars parked within their dealer network.

Component Parts and Sub Assemblies are already seeing a major disruption. And Critical Electronic parts,if not in the transportation pipe line will the real loser.