Locusts

     While the world is busy fighting COVID-19, East Africa is also battling another century-old scourge -- the plague of locusts. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) locust monitoring officer, Keith Cressman, said that in a single day, the locusts now eat as much food as the entire population of Kenya, or the populations of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. "This is what happens if we don't act," he said. Up to 13 million people in East Africa have been affected by the locusts and are facing severe food insecurity.

    The U.S. stock index DJI.GI closed at 29398.08 after hitting a record high of 29568.57 on December 12. ICIX.GI continued to close at a new high of 9746.36, driven by gains in heavyweight stocks such as AAPL, AMZN, MSFT, GOOG-C and FB. Icix.gi has been on a one-sided uptrend since October 2019. As of February 13, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States stood at 15, which is still under control. It is difficult to judge the impact of the epidemic on the economy. However, we can see that some companies' stock prices have risen far beyond their own performance growth, and there are demands for adjustment in the market.