Being Wrong for so Long Might Be Right

Just as the financial sentiment seemed to be turning, the Fed POMO'd another $8.8 billion today (who's counting, anyway?) to launch the markets off into the stratosphere.

There will be no correction for the time being, as I've been calling for, as this is not a rational market. Nor is this a free market, or a trusted market; it is a Ponzi market, underwritten by taxpayer dollars via the Federal Reserve, which buys bonds from the Treasury.

I've been out of stocks since July of 2007. I missed the collapse and am now missing the huge comeback, but I'm not concerned. There are other, safer places to hide/invest than in semi-worthless pieces of paper.

For those not yet convinced, today was a bright one. Equities were up smartly at the open and continued to pile on gains throughout the day. All the big money was putting down markers, via options, for the next ramp up, due before February 18. Then they will stage a sell-off, rinse and repeat. It's how things work when a few insiders control 90% of the 70% of trades done by machines and the Fed keeps handing them monopoly money to facilitate more trading.

So be it. Or not (my Murphy's Law sense tells me that the moment I relent, the collapse will occur).

Dow 11,980.52 108.68 (0.92%)
NASDAQ 2,717.55 28.01 (1.04%)
S&P 500 1,290.84 7.49 (0.58%)
NYSE Compos 8,157.42 51.67 (0.64%)

Advancers decimated decliners, 4454-2089. On the NASDAQ, there were 81 new highs and 18 new lows. On the NYSE, 130 new highs and 17 new lows. Despite the apparent panic buying of equities, volume was again mysteriously missing, as were avid day-traders (the approach now being pushed by none other than nationally-syndicated political talk-show host and self-appointed "Great American," Bill Cunningham. I rest my case.

NASDAQ Volume 1,926,345,875
NYSE Volume 4,484,331,500

Amazingly, crude oil didn't pop off another couple of bucks along with the market. Instead, crude futures were sold off by $1.24, to finish at $87.87, the lowest price since early December. Gold also had no luck catching much of a bid, as stories of a gold bubble are rampant within the mainstream media. Gold did finish marginally higher, up $3.50, to $1,344.50, though there's a feeling that the selling isn't over with just yet.

On a brighter note for gold-bugs, there is growing concern that there's far too much "paper" gold in vehicles like the GLD and other derivatives, which far outstrip the actual metal on hand and deliveries are being delayed or bought out at premium. The same, to a lesser extent, applies to silver, which fell another 11 cents, to $27.32, though it was much lower midday.

That's all for now.