Preparing For the Next Crash

One would have assumed that if 1st quarter GDP had come in worse than expected this morning - expectations were around -5%, the actual figure was -6.1% - that stocks would sell off.

One would have been wrong - very wrong - as the market merely shrugged off another indication that the recession was worsening and headed off to new heights. This makes trading stocks on fundamentals, or even economic conditions, not only difficult, but impossible. Every day there are new signs that the economy is mired in a negative-growth trench, yet stocks continue to rally, seemingly without end.

Today's activity was probably the most remarkable event of the past two months, noting the considerable obstacles to economic growth standing in the way, huge unemployment numbers, continued weakness in residential housing and now commercial real estate and the continuing saga of the spreading Swine Flu.

It was remarkable in that while stocks were poised to jump start at the open even before the 8:30 am release of 1st quarter GDP figures, but even more remarkable in that stock futures didn't even blink when it was revealed that actual GDP was falling at a faster rate than anticipated. One can only assume that insiders already knew the figures or had already decided the day's direction for stocks and would not be dissuaded regardless of reality. Had the actual NY stock exchange been blown to bits, traders would still have pushed stocks higher, such was the plan for the day.

It's a scam, a complete and total rigging by the controllers of the market and the country. In the end they will bankrupt all of us, but for now, they are in the business of pushing stock prices higher. It will not last. It cannot last. The fundamentals of the economy are entirely too weak to sustain stock valuations bordering on the absurd.

Making matters even more ridiculous, the Fed announced no change in interest rate policy - widely expected - but hinted that there were signs of "recovery" in the US economy. Though the press release announcing that the Federal Funds rate would remain between 0 and 0.25% (read: free money) was among the shortest on record, the following passage provided more insight than any other verbiage in the text:

"In light of increasing economic slack here and abroad, the Committee expects that inflation will remain subdued. Moreover, the Committee sees some risk that inflation could persist for a time below rates that best foster economic growth and price stability in the longer term."

Reading that sentence carefully, the Committee (FOMC: Federal Open Market Committee) is trying to avoid using the word "deflation," which is occurring across a wide swath of the economic landscape. They are also trying to rectify "inflation" and "price stability." In other words, the Fed isn't really promoting "price stability" as they are so chartered. They are hell-bent on inducing inflation, the very same inflation that has wrecked our economy for so many years, for as long as the Federal Reserve has operated as the nation's central bank there has been unstoppable, rampant inflation which has destroyed the value of the dollar and kept wages at poverty levels for a majority of the working population.

They simply cannot have inflation and price stability at the same time. The two are not polar opposites - inflation and deflation are - but price stability means equilibrium, a condition which spells death for the US economy, built on debt and tied inexorably to inflation and wealth destruction.

So, it is time to prepare for the next crash, which, in light of current economic policies of the Fed, is inevitable. The market's aberrant behavior is sending the strongest sell signal I've ever seen, violating all manner of resistance in charts and basic fundamental trading regimens.

It is time to unload all stocks, at once, because the retracement back to the March lows will commence shortly.

I wrote the above line at 3:03 pm EDT, after the Dow peaked at 8250 and was beginning to retreat. By the end of the day, the sell-off was in full bloom, just before last-minute buying punched stocks ahead right at the close (painting the tape).

Dow 8,185.73, +168.78 (2.11%)
NASDAQ 1,711.94, +38.13 (2.28%)
S&P 500 873.64, +18.48 (2.16%)
NYSE Composite 5,516.14, +146.29 (2.72%)

Just to illuminate my position that the recent advances in stock prices are unsustainable, below are some of the headlines for today, with links to the underlying articles:

CNN Money: Economy falls much more than expected
Associated Press: Jobless rates rise in all US metro areas in March
Reuters: U.S. to pay off mortgage investors

Do any of those headlines encourage you enough to go out and buy stocks? No? I didn't think so. The economy is sinking into a black hole, the United States is becoming even more of a welfare state than it already was and hope for lasting, robust recovery is nothing more than a fantasy. If you don't think so, I encourage you to read this exceptional article: Economic Obsolescence, by Andrew McKillop. Be forewarned. It is quite deep and lengthy, but filled with insights and observations you won't find on CNBC or any other fraudulent financial reporting service.

My message is simple. Wall Street, stocks, retirement plans, 401k plans and the like are a scam. You're better off investing in your own home, planting a garden, cutting your expenses and going back to a simpler lifestyle. However, depending upon where you live, you may need high walls and security devices to keep out intruders, because many of the people in the USA are going to face horrific economic conditions over the next 6-12 years. Six years of pain and no growth are in the cards at a minimum. Higher taxes, higher crime rates, rioting, corruption in government and an overwhelming debt burden on families and the government are inevitable. Bank failures have thus far been avoided only due to manipulation and intervention by the Fed and general obfuscation and outright lying by both the Treasury and the banksters (bank gangsters).

The longer we hand out money to the undeserving - be they banks or welfare recipients - the longer it will take and the harder it will be to restore any semblance of a functioning economy. Right now, the economy is on extended life support, but the patient, for all intents and purposes, is a vegetable, incapable of ever returning to a functional lifestyle. The government bailouts and stimulus plans, plus the heavy debt imposed by the upcoming federal budget, is tantamount to throwing money into a blazing bonfire. It will all go for naught, not for investment, and therefore will result in DEFLATION, not inflation, a point sorely missed by the ignorant morons at the Fed and at the top positions of government. Their actions are making the road to recovery longer and actually exacerbating the depth of the depression.

There is good news. The country formerly known as the land of the free and the home of the brave is now full of people living on government hand-outs, with steady incomes and no clue as to value. And don't believe that just welfare recipients - those with the plasma TVs, all the cable channels and usually a late-model car in the driveway - are alone in their status of money-takers. Add to it anybody on any government payroll anywhere: cops, teachers, mayors, social service workers; and retirees on military pensions, social security, what have you. There has never been a better time to screw people out of their money. The nation is full of dupes, dopes, pigeons and rubes, standing in line to be taken directly to the cleaners. That is the end result of the welfare state, where money is disrespected because it was not earned.

So, if you have an idea and some motivation, crooked or honest, you should do well. People just can't stop spending and the government is actually encouraging waste on a gigantic scale. The money is out there. You just need to go get it.

On the day, internals were mixed, though advancing issues outnumbered declining ones by a wide margin, 5233-1265. New highs came close to overtaking new lows, but failed with 93 new 52-week lows being reported to 55 new highs. Both numbers are elevated from previous readings but have not diverged significantly. They will - one way or the other - soon. A breakout or breakdown is overdue.

NYSE Volume 8,913,934,000
NASDAQ Volume 2,361,983,750

Commodities were mostly higher. Oil gained $1.05, to $50.80. Gold was up $6.90, to $900.50. Silver gained 35 cents, to $12.78. Pork bellies sold off, down $1.93, to $75.88 per pound, though live hog prices stabilized and were actually moderately higher.

Make no doubt about it. Today's late-day sell-off was just the opening salvo. Volume spiked incredibly after 2:30, when the Dow lost more than 100 points into the close. The selling will accelerate soon, maybe tomorrow, maybe Friday, maybe not even until next week, but it will come and it will be swift and severe. Count on it.

Keep an eye on the equally-bogus "swine flu pandemic" which will be blamed for the coming market downturn. More deaths will be caused by trying to prevent the disease - watch how Tamiflu and other medicines will be promoted - and the sure-to-come vaccine, than the disease itself, though the media will not report that fact.