Showing posts with label infrastructure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label infrastructure. Show all posts

Monday, September 25, 2017

Stocks Drop, Gold, Silver Soar, NFL Ratings Tank

Less than a week after the Fed committed to selling off their hoard of toxic and subprime bond "assets," stocks are down, gold and silver are up and the NFL is imploding.

None of this is coincidence. The market rally has run its course, as phony as it always was. US dominance in global currency markets - as the reserve currency - is waning. Gold and silver and hard assets will become more and more valued as economies adjust to the new realities of a bi-polar (East vs. West) global economic paradigm.

There is no stopping the forces that have been at work for a long time. The United States has squandered its treasure, the US government is ineffective, emasculated, and impotent. The rest of the world has tired of US domination, just like sports fans have tired of boring games complete with bold-faced, meaningless protests by millionaires on the sidelines and on the field.

A great reset is coming because working Americans are not happy. They toil and cannot save. They work only to see their paychecks taxed and exploited by government programs - from horrible attempts at education to crumbling infrastructure - and they are told to shut up and pay up, so now they are fed up.

If you're one of the millions of Americans who have had their pay stagnate, their credit cards and social security numbers left unprotected and hacked, and who have seen their money pay for social welfare programs that are designed only to enrich the status quo and keep the recipients on the dole, then you know the score.

It's why Donald J. Trump won the presidency. It's why Hillary Clinton is a whiner and sore loser. It's why the left is fighting so hard to continue their wasteful policies, but there's no going back. Change is in the wind.

Get used to days like this one in the stock market. This is only the beginning.

At the close, Monday, September 25, 2017:
Dow: 22,296.09, -53.50 (-0.24%)
NASDAQ: 6,370.59, -56.33 (-0.88%)
S&P 500: 2,496.66, -5.56 (-0.22%)
NYSE Composite: 12,141.60, -10.23 (-0.08%)

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Weekend Recap: Wild Wall Street Ride Continues Push Higher

Amid the swirling winds of Washington's political circus, the nation's financial sector continued to take all the body blows, low blows, and talking head shots dished out by the deep state in perfect stride, carrying the averages to new highs on Wednesday following President Trump's speech before a joint assembly of congress.

With one eye on the political process and the other on the Federal Reserve, stocks continued to dance forward into March, with two key dates upcoming: Friday, March 10, when the February non-farm payroll report is released, and, Wednesday, March 15, the conclusion of a two-day FOMC meeting largely expected to result in an increase in the federal funds rate, from 0.50-0.75 to 0.75 to 1.00.

The jobs report will be crucial in terms of setting the agenda for the Fed governors. If expectations are met and job growth continues to be robust, the Fed will almost certainly announce a rate hike. Falling short of expectations could lead to another month of inaction on interest rates.

In any case, stocks were pumped after the presidential address in which Mr. Trump reiterated promises to build a wall on the border between Mexico and the United States, repeal and replace Obamacare, and set forth an overall economic agenda that will include budget cuts to various agencies, a trillion dollar infrastructure plan and a rejiggering of the tax code.

Should the President succeed even marginally on his lofty economic goals, stock pickers may well find themselves in a condition to ignore any moves by the Fed, freeing speculators from the tired monologue that has led the market for the past eight years running and continue the now third-longest expansion in stock market history.

Shrugging off such ancient notions as fundamental valuations and price-earnings ratios, investors have taken the stock markets literally to uncharted territories. The US dollar remains the currency of choice in most of the world and with that oil and most commodity prices have slumped and/or stabilized. Bonds continue to vacillate, though short term rates are beginning to show signs of stress, especially in consideration of upcoming budget and debt ceiling debates. Also on the minds of many in the investing community are elections in the Netherlands (in two weeks) and France (April 23) where populist candidates in the Donald Trump style are engaged in hotly contested races.

The populist surge sweeping the globe is unlikely to be quelled soon, either by technocrats in the European Union or entrenched politicians across a wide swath of nations, from Malaysia to Japan to Italy and Germany. The middle class in developed nations, having been squeezed financially by globalization, is in nearly full revolt. All the while, giant corporations appear confident that they will weather the ongoing stormy crises.

At the Close, 3.3.17:
Dow: 21,005.71, +2.74 (0.01%)
NASDAQ: 5,870.75, +9.53 (0.16%)
S&P 500: 2,383.12, +1.20 (0.05%)
NYSE Composite: 11,598.37, +22.46 (0.19%)

Since the election in early November, the NYSE Comp. and S&P 500 have closed higher 12 of 17 weeks, the Dow and NASDAQ, 13 of 17.

For the week ending 3.3.17:
Dow: +183.95 (0.88%)
NASDAQ: +25.45 (0.44%)
S&P 500: +15.78 (0.67%)
NYSE Composite: +57.08 (0.49%)

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Trump Effect: Stocks Roar To New All-Time Highs Following Presidential Address

How important President Donald Trump's speech before a joint assembly on congress Tuesday night was is not easy to gauge, but, from a Wall Street perspective, he must have hit the high notes perfectly because all major averages were straight up at the opening bell and continued to add to gains throughout Wednesday's session.

The Dow, which blew away the 20,000 Rubicon less than a month ago, added nearly 1.5%, or 303 points, its largest one-day gain since early December. With Industrials leading the way, the other three major averages broke out as well, with the S&P pretty much reaching highs that analysts had been predicting as end-of-year results, yet we're barely two months into the new year.

How this kind of euphoria will eventually manifest itself is still a mystery, especially with stocks tacking higher despite consistent warnings of a valuation trap being set. While stocks continue to ramp on a daily basis, corporate reports are not following the same tune. Additionally, analysts from various houses also revised first quarter GDP estimates lower, with Goldman Sachs and the Atlanta Fed looking for 1.8% growth. JP Morgan and Bank of America are even more pessimistic, at 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively.

In the main, what companies behind the stocks are counting on is a relaxed regulatory environment under President Trump's administration. The President has already issued a variety of pro-business executive orders and his commitment to repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is also being viewed as a positive on two fronts. First, it will free up consumer funds from an expensive mandated coverage nightmare; second, companies will probably get breaks as well in group coverage.

Adding to the speculative high spirits are items currently under the radar such as the President's budget, which includes massive cost-cutting across agencies, a one trillion dollar infrastruture plan that Mr. Trump touched on it in his speech, and trade negotiations with countries outside the framework of international treaties such as NAFTA, TPP and the World Bank.

All told, President Trump's first six weeks in office have been nothing short of miraculous for stocks, though it will take some time to see how it all plays out. Either stock pickers have been set up for a major catastrophe or the enthusiasm and honesty of the new president will indeed guide America and American business interests to new heights.

Lurking in the shadows behind the presidential bluster is the Federal Reserve, which meets in two weeks to decide whether to raise federal funds rates or keep them at current levels. Money is on them keeping the rates at the current 0.50-0.75, though even an increase of 25 basis points would seem to be inadequate to quiet Wall Street's enthusiasm.

At the Close, 3.1.17:
Dow: 21,115.55 +303.31 (1.46%)
NASDAQ: 5,904.03 +78.59 (1.35%)
S&P 500: 2,395.96, +32.32 (1.37%)
NYSE Composite: 11,661.22, +148.83 (1.29%)