Stocks Close (mostly) Lower, But Metals Reverse Early Declines

Stocks were up, then down, then up, then down, never deviating far from the UNCH line, finally ending down, with the exception of the COMP, which was up marginally.

These moves were so minuscule and the volume so light that most of the traders could have taken the day off and nobody would have noticed.

What was noticeable were the moves in gold and silver, both of which were hammered lower in light Asian trading, before reversing course to finish with fairly impressive gains. In particular, gold, which had traded lower for seven consecutive sessions, ended nearly 1.5% higher and tacked on another $12 after the NYMEX close. Silver was also ramping higher in electronic trading, up another 40 cents from the open outcry finish.

If there ever was a key reversal day for the precious metals, today was it. The criminal central banking elites have been banging the metals lower for the better part of the past month, but Andrew McGuire, whistle-blower and expert metals trader, called this one over the weekend, saying the bullion banks were about to punish the shorts with a buying spree to replenish supplies depleted during the recent downward manipulation.

So far, that looks like a prescient call.

Stocks were unaffected by the moves in gold and silver, more attuned to the differing tones comeing from various Fed officials, most of whom are hinting that QEternity could be winding down (tapering) in short order. All the talk is nothing more than "jawboning" a tactic by which the Fed talks one way but actually has no intention of doing anything except continue current policy.

Such talk is needed to cool overheated markets, such as in US stocks, and, while its efforts have been mostly for naught - the indices keep rising - a problem the Fed does have to consider is that it is running out of things to buy, particularly MBS. At $40 billion a month, the Fed is effectively sucking up about 60% of all issuance, choking the market, which, after all, it the intent of the policy.

However, with rates so consistently low (and rising a bit of late), refinancing activity is expected to slow, which would push the Fed's buying up to 90% or more of issuance, and that would not only choke the market, but strangle it and kill it.

The same condition exists in Treasuries, but not to such a degree, though the government is on track to issue less in short-term notes than the Fed has scheduled to buy. This is a situation the Fed obviously did not consider when it embarked upon its gigantic bond-buying program, but, if taken out until the end of 2013, the folly of the Fed will be shown for all to see, i.e., the emperor having no clothes.

Should such a condition prevail, interest rates would rocket higher, stocks would tank and the federal deficit would then be reduced to spending much more - in percentage terms - to service its debts, prompting further borrowing, forcing the Fed to buy up even more debt.

An endless, non-virtuous circle, just as un-planned.

Dow 15,335.28, -19.12 (0.12%)
NASDAQ 3,496.43, -2.53 (0.07%)
S&P 500 1,666.29, -1.18 (0.07%)
NYSE Composite 9,587.51, +11.09 (0.12%)
NASDAQ Volume 1,687,899,125
NYSE Volume 3,556,500,250
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 3699-2778
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 768-36
WTI crude oil: 96.71, +0.69
Gold: 1,384.10, +19.40
Silver: 22.58, +0.23