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One of Bitcoin's Big Funds is Selling Ahead of the ETF Decision CoinDesk-Mar 7, 2017 How Pres. Trump helped bitcoin become more valuable than gold Fox17-Mar 6, 2017 === At least one major hedge fund is selling off into the rally. In an email sent today to its mailing list, Global Advisors Bitcoin Investment Fund (GABI), a Jersey-based investment vehicle that buys and sells bitcoin on behalf of investors, said it believes the market is now signaling a potential approval too strongly for its taste. Ultimately, GABI said it believes "it does not seem likely" that investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss will receive approval for the vehicle, which they first filed in 2013. GABI wrote in an email today: "Without the ETF launch, should that be the case after that deadline, and with the aforementioned issues in China, we believe the market will be short of a catalyst and will have trapped some overly optimistic long positions. We will continue to reduce our exposure into the decision date." ADVERTISEMENT GABI goes on to write that it projects a 25% chance of approval on the decision. Either way, sources tell CoinDesk a decision is likely to happen this week. "If it turns out we are wrong, and the ETF does launch, we will certainly miss a spike and will extend this month's underperformance into next," the statement continues. However, even if the ETF does not launch, GABI is optimistic bitcoin's price will head higher – even with continued scrutiny on the market from China's central bank. "We think the ‘bull’ case for bitcoin will be considerably strengthened, and as such, we would expect a very protracted rally in which we will quickly seek to participate," the email reads. Elsewhere, the firm discussed the results of trading decisions earlier in the year, highlighting how its performance has been affected by developments in China, and how it has shifted its strategy in response. Launched in 2014, GABI received regulatory approval for its offering from the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC). Principles for the fund include Jean-Marie Mognetti, Daniel Masters and Russell Newton.

Selling - BTC price fell from near $1300 to below $1250 - that's over 10%.... Then bounced The twins and the bitcoin boom Deutsche Welle-19 hours ago The internet currency bitcoin has recently reached record heights. This is also partly due to the American twins who are famous for their ... / Approving bitcoin ETFs will lead investors to slaughter The Hill (blog)-Mar 7, 2017 === === The internet currency bitcoin has recently reached record heights. This is also partly due to the American twins who are famous for their quarrels with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Do you know the Winklevoss twins, sometimes jokingly referred to as Winklevii? Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss became known to a wider audience with the "The Social Network," a 2010 Hollywood film about Facebook. In the film and in real life, the twins accused Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of stealing their idea. They sued him in 2004, and eventually received a payment of 65 million dollars. The Winklevoss brothers have mainly invested their money in activities related to bitcoin, the digital currency. "Coin," one of their projects, is currently seen as the main reason behind bitcoin's recent surge. For the first time, the bitcoin surpassed a fine ounce of gold in value, reaching close to $1,300 (1,230 euros) last week. "Coin" is an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) which tracks the price of bitcoin. The fund is seeking approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the US financial markets regulator. A decision is due by March 11. Milestone for bitcoin The Winklevoss fund is not the only bitcoin ETF waiting for approval by the SEC. By the end of March, a decision is due on a fund called SolidX. A third investment vehicle, the Bitcoin Investment Trust (BIT), has already been opened to a select group of wealthy investors, while waiting for general approval. For the internet currency, SEC approval for bitcoin ETF would be a milestone. At the moment, investors willing to bet their money on bitcoin face several drawbacks: they need to open a digital storage "wallet," acquire bitcoins at one of several specialized trading platforms, pay half a percent or so in fees - and then hope their platform of choice is safe. The fate of Mt.Gox serves as a reminder of the risks involved. In 2014, the world's biggest bitcoin trading platform went bancrupt, and 650,000 bitcoins disappeared without a trace. Their market value today: 800 million dollars. In Germany and Sweden, tradeable papers based on bitcoins exist already, but in the form of Exchange Traded Notes (ETN). If the issuer goes bust, investors lose their money, which is not the case with funds. 300 million dollars in a week? A bitcoin fund with approval from the SEC could make it easier and safer to invest in the currency, thus attracting institutional investors. Some $300 million could pour into a bitcoin ETF in its first week, Spencer Bogart, head of research at Blockchain Capital, toldBloomberg news agency. "I'd be very surprised if it did anything but double from whatever levels it is at beforehand,” Bogart said. . . . © Getty Images The SEC is expected to act soon to approve or reject bitcoin-based Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). Such ETFs would buy and hold bitcoins and provide an opportunity for U.S. investors to speculate in bitcoin. They are not in the public interest, and the SEC should reject them. Approving bitcoin ETFs would support a payment mechanism that has only one viable application — break the law. Approval by the SEC would constitute an endorsement of bitcoin that would further its use in money laundering, ransomware, tax evasion and other criminal activities. In general, I believe issuers should be allowed to issue any type of security as long as they properly communicate the risks to investors. I am not in favor of merit regulation in which regulators only approve investments that the regulators think are good investments. Informed investors should be allowed to make their own investment decisions without interference from a nanny-state government. Furthermore, I am a big proponent of blockchain, the underlying technological breakthrough behind bitcoin. Blockchain has many legitimate applications, but Bitcoin 1.0 is not one of them. Further, I see nothing wrong with digital currencies, and have called upon the Federal Reserve to issue U.S. dollars in blockchain form. Bitcoin was started in 2008 by someone or some group using the name “Satoshi Nakomoto.” No one knows for sure who Satoshi Nakomoto is. There are people who are suspected of being Satoshi Nakomoto who deny it and others who claim to be Satoshi Nakomoto but cannot prove it. This murky background alone should give regulators pause. Bitcoin is an electronic payment medium that allows anyone to transfer bitcoins securely from one bitcoin address to another. Transactions are verified by a group of so-called “miners” on the internet who verify each transaction. When the miners verify that a bitcoin associated with one address has not already been spent, they add the new transaction to the public record known as the blockchain. Miners are paid for their activity through the issuance of newly-minted bitcoins derived from a mathematical formula that purportedly limits the total number of bitcoins that can ever be created. This is all secured through cryptography. Bitcoin transactions are essentially anonymous. While the bitcoin blockchain records what bitcoins were sent by one address to another, it does not contain any information on the identity of those addresses. Unless someone does something to disclose their address, it is nearly impossible to figure out the identity behind an address. Most of the trading in bitcoin occurs in China, and most of the mining activity is controlled by Chinese firms. This also raises serious questions about the ability of U.S. regulatory authorities to investigate and prosecute market manipulation of the bitcoin price. As the proposed ETFs are just plays on the underlying price of bitcoin, this inability to even investigate manipulation of bitcoin prices means that the SEC will lack the fundamental ability to protect U.S. investors from abuses in this market. Approving bitcoin ETFs will lead U.S. investors to slaughter. Bitcoin is a payment system ideally suited to the black market. The anonymity of bitcoin transactions makes it ideal for drug-running, terrorist funding and human trafficking. Bitcoin is the “coin of the realm” in the dark web. When I give a talk about bitcoin, I usually query the audience about who has actually used bitcoin. The last time I did this, exactly one hand went up. A business owner said her business was hacked, and she had to pay the ransomware in bitcoin. Alas, the prospect uses for the bitcoin ETFs do not clearly communicate that criminal activities are the primary use of Bitcoin 1.0. Indeed, they do not even mention ransomware, narcotics or pornography. For this reason alone the SEC should reject them based on inadequate disclosure. Yes, bitcoin proponents do claim that there are legitimate applications for bitcoin. However, these proposed applications are mostly theoretical and fall apart upon closer examination. These potential applications include: Retail sales. The notion that merchants will flock to bitcoin because there are no chargebacks and lower fees has not materialized. While a few merchants now accept bitcoin, this has mostly been a novelty. Consumers have intelligently shied away from Bitcoin 1.0 because of the complete lack of consumer protection built into Bitcoin 1.0. Bitcoin’s “just like cash” feature makes it as dangerous as cash with the added vulnerability of a hacked wallet with no recourse. Furthermore, as it takes around 10 minutes or more to verify a block and about an hour to reach true finality, there is substantial risk to merchants that bitcoins can be double spent by fraudsters acting in concert. . . .

POTATOES CAN GROW ON MARS! The International Potato Center (CIP) launched a series of experiments to discover if potatoes can grow under Mars atmospheric conditions and thereby prove they are also able to grow in extreme climates on Earth. This Phase Two effort of CIP's proof of concept experiment to grow potatoes in simulated Martian conditions began on February 14, 2016 when a tuber was planted in a specially constructed CubeSat contained environment built by engineers from University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Lima based upon designs and advice provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Ames Research Center (NASA ARC), California. Preliminary results are positive. The Potatoes on Mars project was conceived by CIP to both understand how potatoes might grow in Mars conditions and also see how they survive in the extreme conditions similar to what parts of the world already suffering from climate change and weather shocks are already experiencing. "Growing crops under Mars-like conditions is an important phase of this experiment," says Julio Valdivia-Silva, a research associate with the SETI Institute who has worked at NASA's Ames Research Center (NASA ARC) and now works at UTEC in Lima. "If the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions that we are exposing them to in our CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars. We will do several rounds of experiments to find out which potato varieties do best. "We want to know what the minimum conditions are that a potato needs to survive," he said. The CubeSat houses a container holding soil and the tuber. Inside this hermetically sealed environment the CubeSat delivers nutrient rich water, controls the temperature for Mars day and night conditions and mimics Mars air pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Sensors constantly monitor these conditions and live streaming cameras record the soil in anticipation of the potato sprouting. According to CIP potato breeder Walter Amoros, one advantage potato great genetic capacity for adaptation to extreme environments. CIP has tapped into that capacity by breeding potato clones that tolerate conditions such as soil salinity and drought, in order to help smallholder farmers grow food in marginal areas that could grow harsher under climate change. Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-03-indicators-potatoes-mars.html#jCp

Major revelations - The good guys are winning ! Fits in beautifully with Steve P's comments -- adds essential detail: Jerome Corsi: Wikileaks Vault 7 Proves CIA Gone Completely Rogue Published on Mar 8, 2017

WARNING! - This is serious, Trump is in real danger Monica Crowley: What happened to me was a political hit job Americans need to show they stand with Trump, if they are are to save their country from a takeover by Globalists, and their puppet media

A DASH of Excitement The Story Behind The Rise Of Dashby Steven Gleiser | Mar 3, 2017 | Dash prices have been rising steadily since the end of last year, but February and the first few days of March 2017, saw Dash prices sky-rocket. As a result the cryptocurrency is now the third biggest in terms of market cap, although prices seem to have found a more stable footing over the last 48 hours. As with any meteoric rise in cryptocurrency markets, some have raised suspicions about a pump and dump scheme. There is no doubt that pump and dumps are always a possibility, but Dash doesn’t seem to fit the typical pattern of a pump and dump scheme. The story behind the rise of Dash has many more nuances that should be considered. Controversy Surrounding Dash To understand whether or not recent price increases are indeed part of a pump and dump scheme, the first thing analysts need to focus on is the history of the cryptocurrency. In the case of Dash, there are some red flags. Dash critics will point towards the mining issues that the cryptocurrency went through back when it was called Darkcoin. Evan Duffield, the founder of Dash, was able to mine a significant quantity of the cryptocurrency within the first 48 hours of its creation. Some believe that this was due to a glitch in the code that Duffield proceeded to fix. Others think Duffield did this deliberately to enrich himself. This one year price chart, shows the rise of Dash in cryptocurrency markets. Prices started picking up at fast rates in February. Chart courtesy of coinmarketcap.com. Ancient History More than 3 years have passed since that “glitch” made Duffield the richest man in the Dash economy. The cryptocurrency went through a long period of price stagnation, even at a time when bitcoin was seen as vulnerable and Dash presented an alternative. Duffield and other fellow Dash developers cultivated a healthy community around the cryptocurrency. They rebranded the coin and took care of making it as useful as possible, connecting it to existing crypto products and services. It seems their efforts and the characteristics underpinning Dash have finally taken off. The markets seem to be rewarding Dash holders. Criticism of Dash Nevertheless that whole “glitch” at the beginning still casts a shadow over the coin. Accusations of “whales” pouring funds into it and generating hype abound and seem to be feeding pump and dump allegations. This coupled with criticism over the centralization of decision making within the Dash network, remain. Nevertheless, this cryptocurrency seems to work. It looks like it is based on sound principles, and its critics might be over-stretching their arguments. The whole issue with the mining “glitch” is a perfect example. Taking bitcoin as a model – which Dash did, even offering some solutions to privacy, fungibility and transaction speed issues – it would be fair to judge Satoshi Nakamoto the same way that Duffield is judged. After all, Nakamoto mined bitcoin aggressively at the beginning, accumulating as many as 1 million coins. That is worth well over $1 billion USD at the moment. If Duffield did the same, critics should afford him the same treatment they afforded Nakamoto. Dash Pump and Dump? Apart from this credibility issue, the whole “whale” argument also seems to be over-stretched. Pump and dump proponents seem to think that Dash is vulnerable to huge investors buying significant amounts of the cryptocurrency to pump its price, generate hype, and then sell all their Dash assets at once. Theoretically, an asset-class with a $300 million USD market cap – give or take – is susceptible to such schemes. Then again, so are other cryptocurrencies like Litecoin for example. Any “whale” can buy 10% or 15% of all Litecoin as easily as they could buy 30% of all Dash available before the surge and then dump it. Yet somehow it is inconceivable for someone to do that on such a mature network like Litecoin. Dash is also a mature cryptocurrency by now, having been in the markets for over 3 years. It would be much easier and much more profitable and cheaper to design a pump and dump scheme for any other new cryptocurrency than to pump and dump Litecoin or Dash for that matter. == > more: http://bitcoinchaser.com/dash-prices-rise

Over a week ago, I said: "Bitcoins Price may take another run at the Gold price - Now $1230" BTC - 10d : 32-months ================== About two weeks ago, I said: "Bitcoins Price may take another run at the Gold price - Now $1230" Bitcoins was just above $1100 when I wrote that - it touched $1230 near the Gold price, and later traded as high as $1300. I hedged my Bitcoin position at an average price of about $1350, by selling Short a BTX swap, which earns me a "roll premium" payable in BTC every 8 hours. (so far there has been a Funding premium paid to me on every roll, but one, and the roll premiums have averaged about 0.25-0.30% per day : 0.25% x 365 = 91% per annum. I am not expecting to see the Funding rates stay so high.)

Sunrise or Sunset for Bitcoin? Published on Mar 7, 2017 Trade Bitcoin Here - http://etoro.tw/2lzynBL

Lockheed in Antarctica (from a News search): / 1 / Daring medical rescue under way in Antarctica New York Post-21 Jun 2016 An airplane left a British base in Antarctica on Tuesday for the ... worker is an employee of Lockheed Martin, which provides logistical support. / 2 / Lockheed rolls out first LM-100J Aerospace Journal (press release)-13 Feb 2017 Lockheed Martin today rolled out the first commercial version of the C-130J, ... missions around the world, as well as operations to Antarctica. / 3 / Leidos (LDOS) Takes Over NSF Antarctic Program Work From Former ... GovConWire-24 Aug 2016 Contract TYSONS CORNER, VA, Aug. 24, 2016 — Leidos (NYSE: LDOS) will assume responsibility for the work previously held by Lockheed ..

"94% of those in Washington supported Hillary" "The Richest City in America... because America spends more on government than it ever has" Tucker Carlson GOES OFF on Politicians, Says They Hate Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzXRdNwj-LE "Why wouldn't the rest of the country look on this, and say, THIS IS DISGUSTING!" "It was never about Trump, it was about what he was saying"

Philadelphia MAPS, Transport & Visitor Links ... and some stocks with importance to the local Philly economy SEPTA : Larger : sj : SEPTA Routes : Trolley Lines Regional Rail Transport map : Larger MAP : larger version BUS TOUR : Map Philly Visitors Guide - visitphilly.com‎ Adwww.visitphilly.com/guide‎ Top events, exhibits and more from Philly's Official Visitor web site. Attractions: Independence National Historical Park, The Liberty Bell Center… Rentals | West Philadelphia Real Estate www.wpre.com/rentals Thank you for your interest in renting from West Philadelphia Real Estate. Below are a few simple steps you should follow to make the rental process as easy ... More Links ========= Hidden City Tours & Events : http://hcp.memberlodge.com/events?refreshed University City area realtors : http://www.universitycity.org/real-estate-information IRS Office, is 600 Arch St.--- : appt. phone no.: 1-844-545-5640 (more coming)

HOW MUCH HOUSING (in Sq Ft) can $1 Million buy you - in various cities? Philadelphia still looks like an interesting "low cost" option... PB. But some wild / creative ideas are being considered, which misconstrue a Poverty problem as a Housing problem, As the image above shows, there is plenty of cheap housing in Philly Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke unveiled a new plan this week to address what he calls a housing affordability “crisis.” Related Stories Will Philly Be a Model for the Future of Equitable Housing? 3 Ways Communities Can Take Control of Gentrification How Philly Could Fight Gentrification With Rowhouse Fix-Ups Affordable Housing’s Forever Solution Creatively titled “The 1,500 Affordable Housing Units Initiative,” the proposal calls for the construction of 1,000 affordable rental units and 500 purchasable homes, with the goal of reducing the backlog of 110,000 people on the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s waiting list. The 500 homes would come from transferring city-owned vacant properties to non-profit and private developers for low fees with a restrictive deed covenant attached, requiring that they be sold to households who earn between 80 to 120 percent of the Area Median Income. Philly’s AMI is officially $78,800 for a family of four, though PlanPhilly’s Jared Brey notes the actual median income in Philadelphia County is $37,016. The 1,000 rental units would be financed with a $100 million bond issue and some complicated public finance alchemy leveraging an underused 4 percent federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit. While it’s always good to see well-meaning city leaders engaging with housing affordability and cost of living issues, the big problem with Clarke’s plan is that the housing affordability “crisis” he’s worrying about doesn’t actually exist. The impetus for the plan rests on a misreading of the policy implications of a recent Urban Institute report, cited in Clarke’s press release: In 2012, for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in Philadelphia there were only 37 available affordable rentals units, according to the nonpartisan Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. In total, there were 43,700 affordable and available rental units for 117,578 extremely low-income renter households in Philadelphia. Clearly this is a huge problem. But it isn’t really a housing problem — it’s an income problem. The housing itself is quite cheap here compared to most of Philadelphia’s peer cities. The real issue is the 28.4 percent poverty rate, one of the highest in the nation. Cheap as the housing is in absolute terms, a sizable segment of the population still doesn’t earn enough money to afford it. == > more: https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/philly-has-an-income-problem-not-a-housing-affordability-problem So many poor people are living in the city of Philadelphia precisely because it IS CHEAP. Presumably, the creation of many decent jobs would be the very best cure for this problem

DATA, US House Prices : Philadelphia, NYC & Other Cities Philadelphia price breakout continues... Making new highs. As we predicted in early 2016. > see original thread : US House Price Data : Philadelphia, NYC & Other Cities Northeast Corridor Home Prices, .......................... PH = Highest Yields ! City --------- : Value (1) : Rent(1): Yield(1): Value (2): Rent(2): Yield(2): V: YoY: Value+%: R: YoY : Rent+% : ===========: Dec. 2012 : ------------------------ : Jun.2017 : ---------==------------ : NewYork City : $469,000 : $1,881 : : 4.81% : $685,000 : $2,400 : : 4.20% : +13.2% : +46.1% : +2.13% : +27.6% : Washington - : $385,000 : $2,403 : : 7.49% : $551,300 : $2,650 : : 5.77% : +6.78% : +43.2% : +2.12% : +10.3% : Boston --------- : $365,000 : $2,309 : : 7.59% : $558,300 : $2,550 : : 5.48% : +13.2% : +53.0% : - 1.16% : +10.4% : Philadelphia : $104,000 : $1,081: 12.47% : $138,800: $1,204 : 10.41%: +9.90% : +33.5% : - 0.66% : +11.4% : ========================================== Philly prices can go a long way before they will be 1/4 of NYC house prices (over $680k) June 2017: $685,000 vs. $138,800 for Philly ($685.0/ $138.8 = 4.94x) Vs. RENTS : $2,350/mo vs $1,204/mo., Philly ($2,350/ $1,204 = 1.95x) May'17: Philly = 137.3: NYC Condo: 189.89 /1.50 = 126.6 : 20 Cities: 198.38 /1.45 = 136.8 : Philly Jun'17: 138.8 Philly is above its old peak, but 20 Cities & the NY City, Case-Shiller index is not (yet.) Philadelphia Property prices, 1980-2014... Before prices took off again. Inflation-adj, back to 1890: > source : http://www.multpl.com/case-shiller-home-price-index-inflation-adjusted/table 2017 Tax Rate: + To $9,325 : = x10% = $9325-37950 = x15% = 37950-91900 = x25% = ======== > C-S wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case–Shiller_index > 20Cities: https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/SPCS20RSA : (monthly data back to 2000) DataGrid : http://data.okfn.org/data/core/house-prices-us Fels Chrt : http://www.biaofphiladelphia.com/ufiles/fels_phpi_2013q2.pdf > RShiller: ======== mo Ph-Zhv : YoYr : Nyc_Zhc : YoYr : 20cityIdx : YoYr : condo: C-NYC : C-NyNs: C-Wash C-Bost. '15 116,000: ---------- : 532,000 : ---------- : 175.38 : 4.40% : 244.50: 176.57 : 174.76 : 205.24 : 175.73 F : 117,000: ---------- : 534,000 : ---------- : 177.09 : 4.84% : 245.82: 177.57 : 174.82 : 205.70 : 175.35 M : 116,800: ---------- : 536,400 : ---------- : 178.91 : 4.87% : 247.12: 178.39 : 174.37 : 206.88 : 176.12 A : 116,000: ---------- : 538,000 : ---------- : 179.43 : 4.86% : 249.01: 179.00 : 175.68 : 209.63 : 176.52 M : 116,000: ---------- : 543,000 : ---------- : 178.53 : 4.81% : 250.41: 178.82 : 177.27 : 210.98 : 179.26 J. : 117,000: ---------- : 548,000 : ---------- : 178.48 : 4.82% : 253.08: 178.36 : 179.52 : 212.51 : 181.87 jl. : 119,000: ---------- : 553,000 : ---------- : 178.48 : 4.95% : 253.87: 177.92 : 180.81 : 213.01 : 183.85 A : 121,000: ---------- : 558,000 : ---------- : 178.77 : 5.06% : 254.86: 177.80 : 181.66 : 212.88 : 184.56 S : 122,000: ---------- : 564,000 : ---------- : 179.61 : 5.28% : 255.56: 177.98 : 181.66 : 211.88 : 184.42 O : 123,000: ---------- : 569,000 : ---------- : 180.87 : 5.38% : 255.78: 178.70 : 181.40 : 210.77 : 184.14 N : 122,000: ---------- : 574,000 : ---------- : 182.49 : 5.28% : 256.45: 180.02 : 180.96 : 210.52 : 183.24 D : 121,000: ---------- : 565,000 : ---------- : 183.81 : 5.38% : 257.71: 180.71 : 180.48 : 210.27 : 182.82 : '16 121,000: 4.31% : 569,000 : 6.95% : 185.31 : 5.66% : 259.40: 179.51 : 179.51 : 208.94 : 182.11 : F. : 122,000: 4.27% : 572,000 : 7.12% : 186.66 : 5.40% : 261.18: 179.12 : 179.12 : 208.22 : 181.88 : M : 123,500: 5.74% : 576,000 : 7.46% : 188.56 : 5.39% : 262.90: 179.61 : 179.61 : 209.59 : 184.07 : A : 124,500: 7.33% : 580,000 : 7.81% : 188.04 : 4.80% : 258.96: 180.45 : 180.52 : 212.88 : 186.73 : M : 125,400: 8.10% : 585,000 : 7.73% : 187.91 : 5.25% : 260.36: 181.43 : 181.25 : 214.99 : 189.33 : J. : 126,300: 7.95% : 590,000 : 7.66% : 187.75 : 5.19% : 262.23: 181.72 : 182.73 : 216.36 : 190.35 : Jl : 129.000: 8.40% : 596,000 : 7.78% : 187.78 : 5.21% : 264.17: 181.00 : 183.68 : 216.98 : 191.49 : A : 130,000: 7.44% : 602,000 : 7.89% : 188.23 : 5.29% : 266.94: 181.06 : 184.75 : 217.77 : 192.09 : S : 131,000: 7.38% : 608,000 : 7.80% : 189.03 : 5.24% : 266.40: 181.51 : 184.75 : 217.59 : 192.30 : O : 132,000: 7.32% : 615,000 : 8.08% : 190.48 : 5.31% : 263.26: 182.27 : 184.14 : 215.36 : 192.32 : N : 132,000: 8.20% : 622,000 : 8.19% : 192.18 : 5.31% : 264.59: 184.31 : 184.61 : 215.23 : 193.19 : D : 132,600: 9.59% : 627,000 : 10.1% : 193.97 : 5.53% : 265.89: 186.07 : 185.26 : 215.75 : 194.16 : '17 133,700: 10.5% : 630,600 : 10.8% : 195.47 : 5.48% : 267.66: 186.75 : 185.16 : 215.87 : 194.93 : F. : 134,100: 9.92% : 631,300 : 10.4% : 196.80 : 5.43% : 269.43: 187.86 : 185.44 : 216.39 : 195.60 : M : 136,100: 10.2% : 650,000 : 12.8% : 198.52 : 5.28% : 273.20: 189.88 : 186.85 : 218.11 : 198.26 : A : 136,500: 9.64% : 657,900 : 13.4% : 198.18 : 5.39% : 271.98: 191.01 : 188.37 : 220.26 : 199.25 : M: 137,300: 9.49% : 672,400 : 14.9% : 198.38 : 5.57% : 272.08: 189.89 : 188.65 : 222.48 : 200.82 : J : 138,800: 9.90% : 685,000 : 16.1% : 198.62 : 5.79% : 273.52: 189.44 : 190.38 : 222.52 : 202.16 : Jl : 138,900: 7.67% : 686,400 : 15.2% : 199.37 : 6.47% : 272.48: 189.42 : 191.87 : 223.20 : 204.44 : A : 139,900: 6.80% : 695,600 : 15.5% : 200.39 : 6.46% : 271.85: 190.45 : 193.76 : 223.21 : 205.19 : S : 140,300: 7.10% : 693,900 : 14.1% : 201.60 : 6.65% : 269.50: 192.09 : 194.59 : 221.63 : 205.98 : O : 140,200: 6.21% : 696,300 : 13.2% : 202.96 : 6.55% : 270.93: 193.68 : 195.30 : 221.61 : 205.43 : N : 139,000: 5.30% : 000,000 : 00.0% : 204.49 : 6.41% : 272.45: 195.27 : 195.50 : 221.89 : 205.16 : D : 141,000: 6.33% : 000,000 : 00.0% : 205.86 : 6.13% : 274.04: 196.43 : 195.70 : 221.42 : 204.77 : '18 142,000: 6.20% : 000,000 : 00.0% : 207.41 : 6.11% : 275.26: 197.08 : 195.78 : 220.45 : 205.20 : F : 144,000: 7.38% : 000,000 : 00.0% : M : 145,300: 6.68% : 655,109 : 00.0% : mo Ph-Zhv : YoYr : Nyc_Zhc : YoYr : 20cityIdx : YoYr : condo: C-NYC : C-NyNs: C-Wash C-Bost. Zillow: Philly : ------> : NYC-Z : -------> : 20-city: 20cNsa: condo: NY-rsa: /(NSA): NYC: Wash : Bost : === This is a back-up thread, for : US House Price Data : Philadelphia, NYC & Other Cities

Death of Suburbia: US Millennials go to (small) extremes to live in the cities. 27 photos show the extreme lengths millennials will go to live in cities instead of suburbs - Business Insider Fellow transplants Heather Stewart and Luke Iseman were spending $2,200 a month on rent in San Francisco when they decided to join the tiny house movement. Melia Robinson The couple bought a shipping container online for $2,300, had it delivered to a vacant parking lot in the East Bay that they leased, and converted it into a tiny house. Melia Robinson/Tech Insider Today, they makes a living as the pseudo-landlords of Boxouse, a maker space where amateur builders and hobbyists can construct the tiny homes of their dreams. Melia Robinson/Tech Insider Take a look inside Boxouse »

"The video below talks about the "fringes", and Pasig/Mandaluyong are the fringes of BGC (north), so that's where the appreciation appears to be taking place. Not in Makati. Makati is history" BGC is a very nice place - IF YOU CAN GET THERE. Last time I went, it took me over 1 hour to get there, and over 1 1/2 hours to get back to Makati (it was raining!) With so many offices and condos still under construction, the bad traffic is only going to get worse. It is good to like what you invest in, and be excited by the long term potential. But do not close your eyes to the risks, I suggest. Makati is still fetching the highest prices, for its Top end condos and offices. One of my Filipino-American friends gives me two reasons he prefers to live in Makati: + There are both high-end and middle tier places to shop - not just high-end, like Makati + "My friends can find me" more easily in Makati. Many visitors find it too difficult getting in and out of BGC The sales agents will not tell you this. They will just show you pretty picture, and tell you you have to Move Fast before prices go higher.

Clif High: "The same kind of (old) dirty risks are not working anymore" Clif High-Chaos Starts Middle of March

An Important week just ahead - "They will try to put the Wiretaps Story to bed as quickly as possible" Why Trump Tweeted about Obamagate Interesting Analysis. "The gloves are off. Trump may fire Priebus. Or stay in Florida, to protect his safety." "It is a dangerous game that Trump is playing. As Schumer says, there are a lot of ways the Deep State can get to Trump. The JFK 'solution' is one of them. There's dirt on everyone. Trump yesterday revealed one of the big ones. A big battle is coming."

This development May speed the gentrification of West Philly, along trolley lines, especially Baltimore Avenue BTW, Trump went to Wharton, and must know the University West area well. He has also spoken about his desire to improve jobs and urban life - I reckon that Philly, and especially West Philly, may be a big beneficiary of his creativity and desire to rebuild and improve the working and living environment. The district has also contracted with a developer, Ken Weinstein, for the cafe building. He is paying for the structure and has hired Group G to design it. Appropriately enough, Weinstein plans to open there a branch of his Mount Airy Trolley Car Diner. The University City District developed the Porch in phases. As it became a popular spot for commuters and people just passing through, the managers stepped up the amenities, adding food trucks and midday concerts, as well as swings and more planters. The Trolley Portal Gardens will be a full-fledged park and will be constructed all at once. . . . By making these stations more attractive and welcoming, the hope is that more people will use transit. That, in turn, could boost SEPTA's case for more money and new service, if the Trump administration’s promise of new infrastructure funding ever becomes a reality. == > http://www.philly.com/philly/home/west-philadelphia-transit-portal-40th-Street-saffron-park.html

I'm liking those Transport Links! Property near MFL and Broad St.Line stations - could get a Big Boost Old article: February 7, 2014 Transit-oriented development opportunity at 59th and Market Less than 200 feet from the 60th Street station on the Market-Frankford line is a vacant parcel filled with cars and a fenced-off former service station, but soon enough it could… Less than 200 feet from the 60th Street station on the Market-Frankford line is a vacant parcel filled with cars and a fenced-off former service station, but soon enough it could be a multi-story mixed-use development. As PlanPhilly’s Kellie Patrick Gates reported last January, the Planning Commission released a study of West Market Street that encourages concentrating mixed-use development near the five El stops that were redone between 1999-2009. During that decade of construction, this stretch of Market Street was hit hard by disruptions to pedestrian and car traffic, businesses suffered, and vacancy climbed. Now it’s time to fill in the gaps and help bolster what remains. Among the first action items to emerge from that plan is the "New West Transit-Oriented Development" (New West TOD) at 59th and Market streets. This week the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA) released a Request for Proposals for the 1.5-acre property at 59th and Market owned by the City and SEPTA. The RFP describes the vision for the site as a “mid-rise, mixed use development concept with commercial space affording both office and retail uses. Multiple stories of workforce housing should be considered, as well as the provision of shared open spaces for building residents and workers.” Developers may consider a public plaza along Market Street and are encouraged to include sustainable design features. Curiously on-site parking may also be considered by developers, but the RFP warns that parking "should be limited given the transit-oriented advantages of the parcel." On-site parking is objectionable to transit-oriented development purists, given that it undermines this key advantage. > http://planphilly.com/eyesonthestreet/2014/02/07/transit-oriented-development-opportunity-at-59th-and-market

Plans for new West Philadelphia transit 'garden' offer lessons in the Age of Trump February 9, 2017 Three weeks into the new administration, there is still a cone of silence around President Trump’s infrastructure plan. Will he reward the rural states that supported his candidacy by funneling money to heartland highways? Or will he modernize big-city transit systems, bridges, and airports in the densest part of the country, home base of the reviled coastal elites? Plans for new West Philadelphia transit 'garden' offer lessons in the Age of Trump Build near transit stops?. The area around the 40th Street Trolley Portal is being improved with a landscaped seating area and a two-story Trolley Car Diner café designed by Group G for developer Ken Weinstein A recently leaked list of 50 priority projects suggests, somewhat hopefully, that the answer is a little of both. Though there is no way to know whether the list is fake news, it is encouraging to see several important rail projects ranked high. At the top is the desperately needed Gateway Program, which would add a third Hudson River rail tunnel and increase capacity on Amtrak’s dangerously overstretched Northeast Corridor. Sadly, no Philadelphia rail projects rate a mention -- neither the Navy Yard nor King of Prussia extensions -- but at least the city’s I-95 bridge repairs come in at No. 6. Whatever projects his administration chooses, Trump still faces the tricky matter of paying for the promised trillion-dollar plan. He has repeatedly said half the money will come from private investors. But transportation experts are doubtful investors will want to get involved, because only select infrastructure projects, like operating toll roads or bridges, generate revenue. Most projects described as infrastructure improvements are really deferred maintenance, with little potential to turn a profit. Where does that leave SEPTA, which struggles just to keep its existing fleet in operation, and is now in Year Two of a slow-motion fare-card rollout? At this point, the city’s best hope for transit improvements may be in thinking small and local. Next month, the University City District will break ground on a project that harnesses local funds for maximum impact: It will transform SEPTA’s 40th Street Trolley Portal from a concrete Sahara into a verdant parklike oasis. Funding for the $4 million overhaul, fancifully renamed Trolley Portal Gardens, was cobbled together from a mix of state, private, and foundation sources. No federal money is being used. And it costs SEPTA nothing. The University City District, which created the Porch at 30th Street Station in 2011, came up with the idea and is handling all the planning. Improving a single station isn’t as transformative as adding a new rail or bus line, but the changes should still be dramatic for the Spruce Hill and Woodland Terrace neighborhoods, which remain residential bastions in an area thick with student housing. Those neighborhoods of elegant Victorian homes grew up around the trolleys, and are even known as streetcar suburbs. But the trolley portal at 40th and Baltimore is oddly divorced from the tree-lined streets that surround it. Little more than a paved expanse with bare-bones waiting areas, it is called the portal because that is where the street-level trolleys go underground, sliding in and out of the tunnel that runs between West Philadelphia and Center City. All but two of SEPTA’s trolley lines serving West Philadelphia converge there, making it one of the biggest stations in the transit agency’s network. Yet, despite the large number of people who pass through the station, there are no amenities, and no reason to linger. == > More: http://www.philly.com/philly/home/west-philadelphia-transit-portal-40th-Street-saffron-park.html

Philly Council members propose plan to boost development near transit stops Updated: February 23, 2017 City Council members have proposed legislation aimed at encouraging development along Philadelphia's public-transportation corridors by giving developers breaks on height limits and parking requirements when they build near transit stops. The TOD Overlay in the code proved unpopular in the extreme. In fact, it’s never once been used, although there are seven currently called for in completed district plans. That’s why councilmembers Blondell Reynolds Brown and William Greenlee introduced a bill this week to reform the TOD Overlay, aiming to simplify the code and offer stronger incentives. The bill is not meant to earmark any specific stations for the TOD overlay, but will provide an easy-to-use framework that district council people can utilize. > more: http://planphilly.com/articles/2017/02/24/council-proposes-zoning-changes-to-drive-transit-oriented-development The measure, introduced by Blondell Reynolds Brown and William Greenlee during Thursday's City Council session, aims to boost population numbers along transit lines in an effort to fight vehicle congestion and aid the environment by increasing ridership, the members said. "Development around transit hubs makes sense," Reynolds Brown said after the bill's introduction. "It's a win-win." The legislation would simplify and streamline an existing ordinance aimed at encouraging so-called transit-oriented development that Reynolds Brown characterized as "not user-friendly," pointing out that it has not been taken advantage of for five years. The new proposal allows for the establishment of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Districts within 500 feet of selected transit stations, within which developers would be permitted to build higher structures with less parking than is otherwise permitted by area zoning. Philadelphia already offers such extra height allowances, known as "density bonuses," to developers who include features such as mixed-income housing, public space, and environmentally friendly designs in their plans. The new measure also would prohibit paid parking lots inside TOD Overlay Districts, and in some cases would require new buildings there to have active ground-floor uses, such as retail, among other provisions. Adie Tomer, a fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, said Philadelphia is following in the footsteps of cities such as Denver and San Francisco that also have relaxed height limits and parking minimums in what have been successful campaigns to encourage building around transit stops. "Philly is not reinventing the wheel here," he said. "It's following the playbook we see in other markets, and that's a good thing. " Philadelphia's proposed ordinance does not identify which stations would be surrounded by TOD Districts, so that they can be designated in consultation with the Council members in whose districts they would be located, said Reynolds Brown, an at-large councilwoman not tied to any district. The most natural locations for such zones would be around stations along the Broad Street Line and underground portions of the Market-Frankford Line, which offer the most ground-level space to develop, said Erick Guerra, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, who focuses on transportation and land-use issues. But he said the prescribed size of the districts would limit the scale of anything built there. "Five hundred feet isn't very far, so it's a pretty targeted program," Guerra said. == > http://www.philly.com/philly/business/real_estate/commercial/Philly-Council-members-propose-plan-to-boost-development-near-transit-stops.html

CROSSCURRENTS in Philadelphia There is good news and bad news: + the Good / The Demand still strong for "starter homes", as Rents rise As starter homes disappear, a townhouse and condo boom in the 'burbs within the millennial population, Pilot has discovered a startling change in today’s housing market: The quintessential first-time “starter home” seems to be disappearing. Philadelphia rents still going up, says Zumper (March 2017) Yikes, renters. According to the latest data from real estate firm Zumper, one-bedroom apartment rental prices are up more than 14 percent since February 2016. Philadelphia was the 17th-most-expensive city to rent in this month. The increase has been gradual (up just about 0.7 percent from last month), and if there’s good news to be had it’s that two-bedroom unit prices remained flat. One-bedroom units are up to a median price of $1,370 monthly while two-bedrooms remained about $1,500. The same report shows the fastest growing rents are in “South Philadelphia West” (sounds like realtors are keen to shed the Southwest Philly moniker) and East Parkside, where rents are up more than 10 percent in the last quarter. But the most expensive neighborhoods in the city remain west of Broad (from Logan Square south through Rittenhouse Square and west through University City) and in Northern Liberties. Rents in University City and Logan Square are the priciest, at $1,800 monthly. An artist’s rendering of the eastern portion of the Hanover North Broad project at Broad and Callowhill Streets. + the Bad / Possible excess supply of New (& expensive?) Condos Surge of new apartments could tip central Philly into surplus, study finds A total of 3,127 new units are scheduled for delivery this year in an area largely bounded by Girard Avenue to the north and Tasker Street to the south, between the Schuylkill and the Delaware River, the report’s authors said. That’s a 71 percent increase over 2016 levels and nearly three times the average annual increase in new apartment units tracked by the Center City District (CCD) between 2010 and 2016, the report said. Though central Philadelphia’s career opportunities, cultural offerings, and other assets have been drawing ever more new residents, that part of the city faces headwinds that could keep population growth from keeping pace with new apartment supply, the authors wrote. Since 2000, the group said, 20,705 units of all kinds of housing have been added to the area it calls Greater Center City, corresponding to a 19 percent increase in population to almost 190,000, the group said. In 2016, a record 2,506 new residential units were completed, surpassing the previous high of 2,168 units in 2013, the CCD said. + also Bad: It’s a buyers’ market in Philly, Zillow says Philly is 3rd on the List of Buyer's markets, after Baltimore and Miami. For Philly, 13% of properties had price cuts, and properties were on the market 101 days, on average. This was a little better than Baltimore, also at 13% average price cut, and 104 days.

Hmm. An upwards tick, is not the same as "an upwards climb" he claims. IMO He uses : " the Philippine House Price Index" I wonder where the data comes from? As I have noted elsewhere. Colliers seems to have rigged their data, by including new "premium" Condo prices in with existing flats. So quarter to quarter comparisons are not truly like-to-like. Maybe this index has the same problem EXCERPT: - from the David Grimes Blog / http://systemisbroken.blogspot.hk/ Friday, February 24, 2017 Philippine House Prices Have Resumed Their Relentless Upward Climb In the last quarter of 2016, the Philippine House Price Index climbed by 2.33% to 218.47 from a low of 213.50 in the third quarter of 2016. Overall, house prices are still 0.94% below their peak of 220.99 posted in the first quarter of 2016.

WHY This? WHY This? "On Wednesday, the conservative media watchdog Media Research Center (MRC) released its findings which showed that 88 percent of news coverage during the president’s honeymoon phase was “hostile.” Because he threatens the Game - as it is being played now. The Lie Stream Media wants to remove Trump, and the threat to their methods of control. For We-the-people, the threat is NOT TRUMP, it is the existing control structure

Bitcoins made a record High and touched $1300 - exceeding Gold prices by as much as $70 BTC .. 12mos Bitcoin has risen more than 25% this year to trade on Thursday at an all-time high north of $1,250. By JosephAdinolfi Markets reporter One unit of so-called digital gold is now worth more than an ounce of the real thing. The price of a single bitcoin US:BTCUSD rose to an all-time high of $1,251.32 on Thursday, surpassing the price of a single ounce of gold, according to CoinDesk’s bitcoin price index. Bitcoin traded on certain Chinese exchanges briefly overtook gold in early February. But this is the first time in the digital currency’s eight-year history that it has done so according to most widely used bitcoin-price benchmarks. Many bitcoin watchers, including Charles Hayter, chief executive officer and founder of CryptoCompare, a company that provides data and analytics about digital currencies, have pointed out that bitcoin has a positive correlation with gold. They argue that investors are becoming more comfortable with the digital currency, making them more willing to buy it when more conventional markets like stocks are under duress. Unlike gold, investors who wish to gain exposure to bitcoin, but are reluctant to buy coins directly, have few available options. The Securities and Exchange Commission is weighing whether to approve the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust, one of three proposed bitcoin ETFs under consideration. A decision is expected by March 11. Until recently, only accredited investors could buy into the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust GBTC, +7.13% but shares often trade at a premium to bitcoin’s net-asset value. Read: Has bitcoin matched gold’s status? One expert weighs in Read: Bitcoin could soar if the Winklevoss ETF is approved Read: Should you invest in a bitcoin ETF? Spencer Bogart, a researcher at Blockchain Capital and former analyst at Needham & Co., believes the chances of approval are low. But if it does happen, he says bitcoin’s valuation could experience an even larger increase in valuation than gold did after the 2004 launch of the iShares SPDR Gold Trust, the first gold ETF GLD, -0.53% The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has classified bitcoin as a commodity, like gold. However, there is at least one important difference between the two: With a total market capitalization around $20 billion, the bitcoin market is much, much smaller, and far more volatile, than the market for the yellow metal. And many gold enthusiasts remain skeptical. In an interview with CNBC earlier this week, Peter Schiff, the chief executive of Euro Pacific Capital and longtime goldbug, compared bitcoin with the Beanie Babies craze that captivated Americans during the mid-to-late 1990s. “It’s digital fools gold,” he said. Gold GCJ7, -0.30% has risen nearly 8% this year, with one ounce trading at $1,242 on Thursday. By comparison, bitcoin has risen more than 25%. == > http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bitcoin-is-now-worth-more-than-an-ounce-of-gold-for-the-first-time-ever-2017-03-02