[pinkfoot]

Nonsense.

Here [1] is a fine article of an all-American company in Texas that is too nervous to get back into the business of making masks since they lost a ton of money and had to lay off over 100 staff when demand vanished after the last SARS panic.

They still have the equipment and know-how. They just don't trust the market.

Not a single Chinese government official involved in this sad saga.

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/02/15/coronavir...

[viklove]

Just like with oil, any industry can be gamed if a single player accumulates a massive stockpile of a commodity, then floods the market to drive prices down and make production unprofitable for competitors.