There shouldn't be too much in the way of analysis seeking a rationale for Tuesday's smash-crash in global equity markets.
With treasury's 10-year-note rocking beyond 2.70%, bonds are coming back into favor as investments with little risk, as opposed to over-inflated stocks buoyed by buybacks.
Profit-taking being mostly a participant sport, sellers piled into the pits, sending previously-favored issues down for a second straight session. After the markets closed for the day, life returned to some semblance of normalcy, awaiting disruption, caused primarily by President Trump's stirring State of the Union speech (and the pouting Democrats lack of response).
Trump delivered for his base, as usual, leaving a feeble Joe Kennedy III drooling out the Democrat response, a vain, ineffective attempt to continue undermining the administration's attempts to bring America back to a place of dominance, reverence, and prosperity.
The shock-selling on Monday and Tuesday should likely fade as business continues gearing up, though the path will be made more difficult for the Fortune 500 types as interest rates ascend.
Perhaps investing will return from an overcrowded type of algo-chasing, bid-stuffing, front-running mosh pit to a semi-science based on math skills, management, and fundamental analysis.
Perhaps it will not, but, by all outward appearances, President Trump, at least has the right kind of ideas to move the country - and industry - forward.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 30, 2018:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 26,076.89, -362.59 (-1.37%)
NASDAQ: 7,402.48, -64.02 (-0.86%)
S&P 500: 2,822.43, -31.10 (-1.09%)
NYSE Composite: 13,375.51, -149.14 (-1.10%)
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Wall Street's Monday Blood-Letting Leads to Global Calamity in Equities
US equity markets were roiled Monday as the dollar jumped and bonds sold off, pushing yields higher, especially on the short end of the curve.
The two-year treasury finished the day at 2.09%, the five at 2.47%, and the benchmark ten-year note briefly touched 2.70% before dipping back to 2.68%. For perspective, consider that the five-year treasury was yielding 2.19% and the ten-year, 2.39, just a month ago. Those are significant moves and, apparently, the stock market has now taken notice as fixed investments begin offering yields competitive with stock dividends, at least.
For more perspective, the S&P and Dow averages suffered their worst one-day drops since early September. The percentage was just two-thirds of a percent on both indices. That shows just how decisive the rally since the election of Donald J. Trump as president has been. There has not been on single-day one percent decline on either in well over a year.
If a sea change in sentiment is occurring, Tuesday's trade could be a determinant day. Futures are pointing well lower and the VIX is cresting over 14 in the US, while global markets are a sea of red.
Japan's NIKKEI was down nearly 1.5%. The Hang Song was off over one percent. European bourses are uniformly lower at their midday.
As the nation prepares for President Trump's first State of the Union speech Tuesday night, more focus could be on internal DC politics, especially the readying for release of the troubling, explosive memo penned by the House Intelligence committee.
On Monday, the Intel committee voted along party lines to declassify the four-page missive. The president has five days to release the memo or keep it classified. Opinion and timing see Thursday as the likely eventual release.
With the FOMC set to keep rates unchanged on Wednesday (the meeting opens Tuesday), that may be the only thing that doesn't change this week.
At the Close, Monday, January 29, 2018:
Dow: 26,439.48, -177.23 (-0.67%)
NASDAQ: 7,466.51, -39.27 (-0.52%)
S&P 500: 2,853.53, -19.34 (-0.67%)
NYSE Composite: 13,524.65, -112.37 (-0.82%)
The two-year treasury finished the day at 2.09%, the five at 2.47%, and the benchmark ten-year note briefly touched 2.70% before dipping back to 2.68%. For perspective, consider that the five-year treasury was yielding 2.19% and the ten-year, 2.39, just a month ago. Those are significant moves and, apparently, the stock market has now taken notice as fixed investments begin offering yields competitive with stock dividends, at least.
For more perspective, the S&P and Dow averages suffered their worst one-day drops since early September. The percentage was just two-thirds of a percent on both indices. That shows just how decisive the rally since the election of Donald J. Trump as president has been. There has not been on single-day one percent decline on either in well over a year.
If a sea change in sentiment is occurring, Tuesday's trade could be a determinant day. Futures are pointing well lower and the VIX is cresting over 14 in the US, while global markets are a sea of red.
Japan's NIKKEI was down nearly 1.5%. The Hang Song was off over one percent. European bourses are uniformly lower at their midday.
As the nation prepares for President Trump's first State of the Union speech Tuesday night, more focus could be on internal DC politics, especially the readying for release of the troubling, explosive memo penned by the House Intelligence committee.
On Monday, the Intel committee voted along party lines to declassify the four-page missive. The president has five days to release the memo or keep it classified. Opinion and timing see Thursday as the likely eventual release.
With the FOMC set to keep rates unchanged on Wednesday (the meeting opens Tuesday), that may be the only thing that doesn't change this week.
At the Close, Monday, January 29, 2018:
Dow: 26,439.48, -177.23 (-0.67%)
NASDAQ: 7,466.51, -39.27 (-0.52%)
S&P 500: 2,853.53, -19.34 (-0.67%)
NYSE Composite: 13,524.65, -112.37 (-0.82%)
Monday, January 29, 2018
Stocks Soar Through January; Big Week Upcoming
Stocks staged their best cumulative effort of the new year, as January equity returns continued to explode through the final full week of trading in the United States.
Making the gains all the more impressive is the fact that the month has seen only 18 out of a possible 20 trading days, due to the New Year and MLK holidays falling on Mondays. Three more sessions to start the new week will conclude January trading.
Stocks have been the major story of the year thus far, along with the continued decline of the US dollar against other major currencies, especially the Yen, Euro and British Pound.
President Donald J. Trump returned from Davos over the weekend, preparing for his first State of the Unions address to congress on Tuesday night.
Also of note this week is the FOMC policy rate meeting of the Federal Reserve. While the Fed is not expected to raise key interest rates at this meeting, there's general impetus for a planned rate hike at the March meeting. The FOMC meets on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 30 and 31. The March meeting is March 20-21.
The week concludes with the January Non-farm Payroll release by the BLS on Friday, Feb. 2. The data release includes publication changes related to the annual sample review and the conversion to NAICS 2017.. Expectations will be high, given the explosive nature of the stock market and recent touting of strong economic growth by President Trump.
At the Close, Friday, January 26, 2018:
Dow: 26,616.71, +223.92 (+0.85%)
NASDAQ: 7,505.77, +94.61 (+1.28%)
S&P 500: 2,872.87, +33.62 (+1.18%)
NYSE Composite: 13,637.02, +124.36 (+0.92%)
For the Week:
Dow: +544.99 (+2.09%)
NASDAQ: +169.39 (+2.31%)
S&P 500: +62.57 (+2.23%)
NYSE Composite: +252.56 (+1.89%)
Making the gains all the more impressive is the fact that the month has seen only 18 out of a possible 20 trading days, due to the New Year and MLK holidays falling on Mondays. Three more sessions to start the new week will conclude January trading.
Stocks have been the major story of the year thus far, along with the continued decline of the US dollar against other major currencies, especially the Yen, Euro and British Pound.
President Donald J. Trump returned from Davos over the weekend, preparing for his first State of the Unions address to congress on Tuesday night.
Also of note this week is the FOMC policy rate meeting of the Federal Reserve. While the Fed is not expected to raise key interest rates at this meeting, there's general impetus for a planned rate hike at the March meeting. The FOMC meets on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 30 and 31. The March meeting is March 20-21.
The week concludes with the January Non-farm Payroll release by the BLS on Friday, Feb. 2. The data release includes publication changes related to the annual sample review and the conversion to NAICS 2017.. Expectations will be high, given the explosive nature of the stock market and recent touting of strong economic growth by President Trump.
At the Close, Friday, January 26, 2018:
Dow: 26,616.71, +223.92 (+0.85%)
NASDAQ: 7,505.77, +94.61 (+1.28%)
S&P 500: 2,872.87, +33.62 (+1.18%)
NYSE Composite: 13,637.02, +124.36 (+0.92%)
For the Week:
Dow: +544.99 (+2.09%)
NASDAQ: +169.39 (+2.31%)
S&P 500: +62.57 (+2.23%)
NYSE Composite: +252.56 (+1.89%)
Friday, January 26, 2018
Dow Soars
Really?
At the Close, Thursday, January 25, 2018:
Dow: 26,392.79, +140.67 (+0.54%)
NASDAQ: 7,411.16, -3.89 (-0.05%)
S&P 500: 2,839.25, +1.71 (+0.06%)
NYSE Composite: 13,512.66, +5.00 (+0.04%)
At the Close, Thursday, January 25, 2018:
Dow: 26,392.79, +140.67 (+0.54%)
NASDAQ: 7,411.16, -3.89 (-0.05%)
S&P 500: 2,839.25, +1.71 (+0.06%)
NYSE Composite: 13,512.66, +5.00 (+0.04%)
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Stocks a Little Shaky As Dollar Plummets, Silver, Gold Soar
Chalk this up to various theories of unintended consequences.
Even the brilliant thinkers at the Federal Reserve are unable to explain the strange divergence of bonds and the dollar over the past number of weeks because that's not the way it's supposed to go.
With the Fed becoming more hawkish as they attempt to unwind literally trillions of dollars worth of bonds on their vast balance sheet, interest rates have risen, but the value of the dollar in relation to other major currencies has taken a noticeable hit, not just in the past few weeks, but for the better part of the past year.
The mighty US dollar was beaten like a trailer park hooker, down nearly one percent on the day per the dollar index, which, in the forex universe, is a pretty severe move.
Other currencies were the beneficiaries of the dollar demise, with the British pound up 2.4%, Japan's yen up nearly one percent, and the Aussie dollar gaining 0.90%.
Fueled by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that a weaker dollar was good for US trade, currency pairs were traded with one thing in mind: dollar dumping.
Bonds, however, failed to play along, with the 10-year benchmark unchanged at 2.65% and both long and short-dated maturities moving less than a basis point.
Besides the currencies of nations not the United States, commodities were bid large, with WTI oil futures making another in a series of three-year highs and precious metals continuing a rally that began in December but had recently stalled.
Not so today, as silver led the way with a gain of over three percent, topping out at 17.70, the highest since breaking briefly over $18 per ounce in early September of 2017. From a technical perspective, silver has ripped through a long, declining resistance line dating back to its peak in 2011. A clear breakout holding above $17.50 would be a significant development for the world's most unappreciated asset.
Gold was also well-taken, finishing in New York up $16.80 (1.50%), at $1358.70 the ounce.
Stocks meandered along the unchanged line, ending split, with the Dow higher while the NASDAQ and S&P fell.
With many pension funds chartered to rebalance by month's end, the rapid rise of equities in the early days of the new year may be coming to a quick conclusion. Estimates range from $12 to $120 billion of stocks which must be sold and converted to bonds in the next week. If that's the case, it will take a concerted effort from the central bank cartel (who also may be selling into the weakness) to keep the stock bubble adequately inflated.
If there's a downside other than stocks taking a much-needed shave, it's that any decline in the stock market will be blamed on President Trump and his administration's tough currency and trade policies.
The President is set to address the assemblage at Davos on Friday, concluding this year's fete of economic manipulators and would-be statist social constructionists.
The President is expected to deliver remarks touting America's re-emergence as the world's greatest economic force.
At the Close, Wednesday, January 24, 2018:
Dow: 26,252.12, +41.31 (0.16%)
S&P 500: 2,837.54, -1.59 (-0.06%)
NASDAQ: 7,415.06, -45.23 (-0.61%)
Even the brilliant thinkers at the Federal Reserve are unable to explain the strange divergence of bonds and the dollar over the past number of weeks because that's not the way it's supposed to go.
With the Fed becoming more hawkish as they attempt to unwind literally trillions of dollars worth of bonds on their vast balance sheet, interest rates have risen, but the value of the dollar in relation to other major currencies has taken a noticeable hit, not just in the past few weeks, but for the better part of the past year.
The mighty US dollar was beaten like a trailer park hooker, down nearly one percent on the day per the dollar index, which, in the forex universe, is a pretty severe move.
Other currencies were the beneficiaries of the dollar demise, with the British pound up 2.4%, Japan's yen up nearly one percent, and the Aussie dollar gaining 0.90%.
Fueled by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that a weaker dollar was good for US trade, currency pairs were traded with one thing in mind: dollar dumping.
Bonds, however, failed to play along, with the 10-year benchmark unchanged at 2.65% and both long and short-dated maturities moving less than a basis point.
Besides the currencies of nations not the United States, commodities were bid large, with WTI oil futures making another in a series of three-year highs and precious metals continuing a rally that began in December but had recently stalled.
Not so today, as silver led the way with a gain of over three percent, topping out at 17.70, the highest since breaking briefly over $18 per ounce in early September of 2017. From a technical perspective, silver has ripped through a long, declining resistance line dating back to its peak in 2011. A clear breakout holding above $17.50 would be a significant development for the world's most unappreciated asset.
Gold was also well-taken, finishing in New York up $16.80 (1.50%), at $1358.70 the ounce.
Stocks meandered along the unchanged line, ending split, with the Dow higher while the NASDAQ and S&P fell.
With many pension funds chartered to rebalance by month's end, the rapid rise of equities in the early days of the new year may be coming to a quick conclusion. Estimates range from $12 to $120 billion of stocks which must be sold and converted to bonds in the next week. If that's the case, it will take a concerted effort from the central bank cartel (who also may be selling into the weakness) to keep the stock bubble adequately inflated.
If there's a downside other than stocks taking a much-needed shave, it's that any decline in the stock market will be blamed on President Trump and his administration's tough currency and trade policies.
The President is set to address the assemblage at Davos on Friday, concluding this year's fete of economic manipulators and would-be statist social constructionists.
The President is expected to deliver remarks touting America's re-emergence as the world's greatest economic force.
At the Close, Wednesday, January 24, 2018:
Dow: 26,252.12, +41.31 (0.16%)
S&P 500: 2,837.54, -1.59 (-0.06%)
NASDAQ: 7,415.06, -45.23 (-0.61%)
Revenge of the Gold (and Silver) Bugs As Dollar Crashes
Stocks may be hurtling towards infinity and beyond, but the long-suffering holders of gold and silver are about to be rewarded for their patience and prescience.
Overnight, the dollar index breached the 90 level to the downside extending the trend which saw the dollar lose the most value in 14 years in 2017.
As the dollar falls, gold and silver can do nothing but appreciate in dollar terms, and with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaking out in favor of a weaker dollar, the trend seems set to accelerate.
Meanwhile, the US Postal Service continues to cater to the Amazons of the world by hiking postage rates (particularly to retail and the lowest tier of commercial rates, Commercial Base) and punish small business.
Likewise, cell carrier Verizon continues to throttle the speeds of users of its "unlimited" bandwidth service in spite of regulations and court rulings which forbid the practice.
The corrupt news media continues to taunt the public with stories that President Trump is about to be grilled by special prosecutor Robert Mueller in the "Russiagate" probe, while all along the true traitors are still employed by the FBI and Department of Justice.
It seems that the tree of liberty is ready to be to be quenched again.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 23, 2018:
Dow: 26,210.81, -3.79 (-0.01%)
NASDAQ: 7,460.29, +52.2568 (+0.7054%)
S&P 500: 2,839.13, +6.16 (+0.22%)
NYSE Composite: 13,474.11, +3.74 (+0.03%)
Overnight, the dollar index breached the 90 level to the downside extending the trend which saw the dollar lose the most value in 14 years in 2017.
As the dollar falls, gold and silver can do nothing but appreciate in dollar terms, and with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaking out in favor of a weaker dollar, the trend seems set to accelerate.
Meanwhile, the US Postal Service continues to cater to the Amazons of the world by hiking postage rates (particularly to retail and the lowest tier of commercial rates, Commercial Base) and punish small business.
Likewise, cell carrier Verizon continues to throttle the speeds of users of its "unlimited" bandwidth service in spite of regulations and court rulings which forbid the practice.
The corrupt news media continues to taunt the public with stories that President Trump is about to be grilled by special prosecutor Robert Mueller in the "Russiagate" probe, while all along the true traitors are still employed by the FBI and Department of Justice.
It seems that the tree of liberty is ready to be to be quenched again.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 23, 2018:
Dow: 26,210.81, -3.79 (-0.01%)
NASDAQ: 7,460.29, +52.2568 (+0.7054%)
S&P 500: 2,839.13, +6.16 (+0.22%)
NYSE Composite: 13,474.11, +3.74 (+0.03%)
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Trump and Republicans Carry the Day (and Water) for Wall Street
Just to be certain that the big government shutdown over the weekend was a big puff of smoke that left nothing other than a fog and stench, here is a comment made by a presumably knowledgeable person on how big business perceives the machinations and meanderings of the politicians in Washington, DC.
Here's the link to the comment (from a site on which the Money Daily staff has been banned twice for speaking truth to power).
Thus, stocks gained on the eve of the shutdown and also on the end of the shutdown. The shutdown was bad theater engineered by obstructionist Democrats who have nothing left in their quiver of attack arrows outside of assiduously assaulting the sitting president.
...and, apparently, it wasn't even close to being enough, as their gambit blew up in their collectivist faces, and especially so on the visage of one NY Senator Chuck Schumer, a sell-out to his constituents and to his party.
At the Close, Monday, January 22, 2018:
Dow: 26,214.60, +142.88 (+0.55%)
NASDAQ: 7,408.03, +71.65 (+0.98%)
S&P 500: 2,832.97, +22.67 (+0.81%)
NYSE Composite: 13,470.37, +85.91 (+0.64%)
So far Wall Street is the dog that didn't bark in the night time. Indeed, all of Big Business is.
I work coordinating business meetings, mostly for Fortune 500 companies; the companies that spend enough on meetings to bother hiring professionals to handle them. I'm usually pretty busy during these meetings, but I keep an ear open for interesting tidbits when I can, and sometimes I have nothing to do but listen to every word.
Usually these companies do discuss politics, and how they plan to position themselves vis-a-vis the political climate. Not lately, they haven't been. Almost nary a peep. And that includes pharmaceutical companies, which usually are about as attuned politically as anyone.
The companies I work for, and you've heard of them, are ignoring:
- Attempts to change ACA (they know the entire healthcare finance system is already broken anyway, and they have to buy their employees health insurance no matter what happens so they don't care);
- Efforts to raise the US minimum wage to $15/hr. (they're already planning to raise pay because they can't hire people at the prevailing suppressed wages);
- The tax bill (they already pay corporate taxes at an effective rate so much lower than the headline rates it doesn't matter, and their top executives already mask most of their income from the tax system so effectively no legislation conceivable in the current political climate matters at all to them);
- Immigration (they simply don't care because they have no liability or consequences no matter what);
- Carbon-based fuels (they're all getting out of them anyway because they're too expensive and inefficient; if Trump wants to subsidize them while they're doing it they're fine with that);
- Government regulations (they pay their way out of them anyway, one way or the other, and write off the costs);
- Global trade agreements (all the methods they use to evade existing duties, tariffs and sanctions supersede such things anyway); etc.
- War and rumors of war (None of the wars involve or will involve anything they have an interest in. They have deep enough contacts to know there isn't going to be a nuclear war, and no other wars on the table pose more risk than profit opportunities to corporate interests);
- Ethics investigations, "RussiaGate," Uranium 1, PizzaGate, FISA-gate, or any of the popcorn nonsense dominating the partisan media (who invented ad campaigns in the first place?).
Indeed, most of the issues we concern ourselves with don't even interest the executives of the biggest corporations in America.
This is reflected in Wall Street. Where it matters, they know they've got the system dicked. It simply doesn't matter to them one way or the other, which faction of the Oligarchy has the upper hand today or tomorrow.
Here's the link to the comment (from a site on which the Money Daily staff has been banned twice for speaking truth to power).
Thus, stocks gained on the eve of the shutdown and also on the end of the shutdown. The shutdown was bad theater engineered by obstructionist Democrats who have nothing left in their quiver of attack arrows outside of assiduously assaulting the sitting president.
...and, apparently, it wasn't even close to being enough, as their gambit blew up in their collectivist faces, and especially so on the visage of one NY Senator Chuck Schumer, a sell-out to his constituents and to his party.
At the Close, Monday, January 22, 2018:
Dow: 26,214.60, +142.88 (+0.55%)
NASDAQ: 7,408.03, +71.65 (+0.98%)
S&P 500: 2,832.97, +22.67 (+0.81%)
NYSE Composite: 13,470.37, +85.91 (+0.64%)
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Conceptually, Wall Street is Irrational and Stocks Are Poor (at best) Long-Term Investments
Follow the logic:
US federal government shuts down, stocks go up.
US Dollar collapse: stocks go higher (but inflation kills your purchasing power).
Nuclear war: stocks go ballistic (parabolic path, but the world is mostly ash).
TEOTWAWKI: Stocks take off towards infinity (no way to cash out, i.e, can't take it with you, though).
Ergo, bad news is good news, again.
And you thought investing was easy...
At the Close, Friday, January 19, 2018:
Dow: 26,071.72, +53.91 (+0.21%)
NASDAQ: 7,336.38, +40.33 (+0.55%)
S&P 500: 2,810.30, +12.27 (+0.44%)
NYSE Composite: 13,384.13, +68.55 (+0.51%)
For the Week:
Dow: +268.53 (+1.04%)
NASDAQ: +40.33 (+0.55%)
S&P 500: +24.06 (+0.86%)
NYSE Composite: +90.12 (+0.68%)
US federal government shuts down, stocks go up.
US Dollar collapse: stocks go higher (but inflation kills your purchasing power).
Nuclear war: stocks go ballistic (parabolic path, but the world is mostly ash).
TEOTWAWKI: Stocks take off towards infinity (no way to cash out, i.e, can't take it with you, though).
Ergo, bad news is good news, again.
And you thought investing was easy...
At the Close, Friday, January 19, 2018:
Dow: 26,071.72, +53.91 (+0.21%)
NASDAQ: 7,336.38, +40.33 (+0.55%)
S&P 500: 2,810.30, +12.27 (+0.44%)
NYSE Composite: 13,384.13, +68.55 (+0.51%)
For the Week:
Dow: +268.53 (+1.04%)
NASDAQ: +40.33 (+0.55%)
S&P 500: +24.06 (+0.86%)
NYSE Composite: +90.12 (+0.68%)
Friday, January 19, 2018
Does Wall Street Take a Government Shutdown Seriously?
Late Thursday afternoon, US stock indices took a decided turn to the downside as legislators in Washington DC failed to agree upon a plan to meep the US government operating past Friday night.
A favorite parlor game for the noise-makers in the nation's capitol, threatening to shut down the government because there's no budget or continuing resolution may have become passe´ to the general population, but Wall Street may take the issue a bit more seriously.
A partial shutdown of the federal government - because it doesn't really shut down critical operations or necessary functions - isn't taken seriously, though it could become a real issue, if it were, in fact, an absolute reality.
Considering the amounts of money the federal government handles on a regular basis, a complete shut-down would be devastating to the nation's economy. Imagine welfare, social security, and disability recipients not receiving their regular checks or direct deposits.
Imagine the nation's largest workforce going without paychecks for an extended period. Imagine the US Postal Service shut down, the entire military on leave, contractors idled, and an assortment of other regular activities closed, ceased, ended. The US treasury would cease operations, causing all US treasury bonds to become worthless.
Least of all, the bickering by members of congress would least be missed, since they are the supposedly responsible people.
An actual shutdown is a scary thought. Trying to scare the populace with a fake shutdown, caused solely by inter-party disagreements and politics, may be nothing now, but it could be seen as a conditioning effort for a true federal failure.
In such a case, the president would likely declare martial law, a necessary action to ensure civility, especially in cities. That's unlikely to happen at this juncture, but, the more the politicians play politics instead of enacting laws that do good for the American people, the closer the nations comes to a severe and lasting crisis.
Passing a two, three, or four-week resolution merely kicks the can down the road a little, making the government appear no better than that of a third-world banana republic.
If that's what's happening, all investors should take appropriate actions to safeguard not only their liquid assets invested in stocks and bonds, but also move to protect their friends and families.
The United States is headed for disaster if the congress and the news media continues on the destructive path of irresolution, political posturing, fear-mongering, and division.
Let's hope it doesn't begin to unravel further over the weekend.
At the Close, Thursday, January 18, 2018:
Dow: 26,017.81, -97.84 (-0.37%)
NASDAQ: 7,296.05, -2.23 (-0.03%)
S&P 500: 2,798.03, -4.53 (-0.16%)
NYSE Composite: 13,315.91, -36.48 (-0.27%)
A favorite parlor game for the noise-makers in the nation's capitol, threatening to shut down the government because there's no budget or continuing resolution may have become passe´ to the general population, but Wall Street may take the issue a bit more seriously.
A partial shutdown of the federal government - because it doesn't really shut down critical operations or necessary functions - isn't taken seriously, though it could become a real issue, if it were, in fact, an absolute reality.
Considering the amounts of money the federal government handles on a regular basis, a complete shut-down would be devastating to the nation's economy. Imagine welfare, social security, and disability recipients not receiving their regular checks or direct deposits.
Imagine the nation's largest workforce going without paychecks for an extended period. Imagine the US Postal Service shut down, the entire military on leave, contractors idled, and an assortment of other regular activities closed, ceased, ended. The US treasury would cease operations, causing all US treasury bonds to become worthless.
Least of all, the bickering by members of congress would least be missed, since they are the supposedly responsible people.
An actual shutdown is a scary thought. Trying to scare the populace with a fake shutdown, caused solely by inter-party disagreements and politics, may be nothing now, but it could be seen as a conditioning effort for a true federal failure.
In such a case, the president would likely declare martial law, a necessary action to ensure civility, especially in cities. That's unlikely to happen at this juncture, but, the more the politicians play politics instead of enacting laws that do good for the American people, the closer the nations comes to a severe and lasting crisis.
Passing a two, three, or four-week resolution merely kicks the can down the road a little, making the government appear no better than that of a third-world banana republic.
If that's what's happening, all investors should take appropriate actions to safeguard not only their liquid assets invested in stocks and bonds, but also move to protect their friends and families.
The United States is headed for disaster if the congress and the news media continues on the destructive path of irresolution, political posturing, fear-mongering, and division.
Let's hope it doesn't begin to unravel further over the weekend.
At the Close, Thursday, January 18, 2018:
Dow: 26,017.81, -97.84 (-0.37%)
NASDAQ: 7,296.05, -2.23 (-0.03%)
S&P 500: 2,798.03, -4.53 (-0.16%)
NYSE Composite: 13,315.91, -36.48 (-0.27%)
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Tail Wags Dog: Fed 'Beige Book' Provides Rationale for Dollar Buying
Wall Street professionals wiped off all the poop from yesterday's 300+ price collapse on the DJIA and set about to bidding up risky assets to even riskier levels, sending the Dow and other averages soaring to new all-time closing highs.
Making matters even more preposterous, sinister, or outlandish was the reading of the Fed's Beige Book at 2:00 pm ET, which sent the US Dollar index off three-year lows to near the highs of the day at 4:00 pm ET, the closing bell on Wall Street.
If there's a soul left on the planet that hasn't bowed to the power of the Federal Reserve and its host of central bank and commercial cronies, then that person is simply out-of-touch.
Silver and gold have wallowed near multi-year bottoms for four long years while stocks have gone absolutely ballistic. Paper promises are worth much, much more than solid gold or silver in today's phony funny money world.
It's almost enough to make one give up writing on the subject (pondered here nearly every damn day).
Today's gains on the Dow Industrials were the largest since the election of November 8, 2016.
At the Close, Wednesday, January 17, 2018:
Dow: 26,115.65, +322.79 (+1.25%)
NASDAQ: 7,298.28, +74.59 (+1.03%)
S&P 500: 2,802.56, +26.14 (+0.94%)
NYSE Composite: 13,352.39, +105.53 (+0.80%)
Making matters even more preposterous, sinister, or outlandish was the reading of the Fed's Beige Book at 2:00 pm ET, which sent the US Dollar index off three-year lows to near the highs of the day at 4:00 pm ET, the closing bell on Wall Street.
If there's a soul left on the planet that hasn't bowed to the power of the Federal Reserve and its host of central bank and commercial cronies, then that person is simply out-of-touch.
Silver and gold have wallowed near multi-year bottoms for four long years while stocks have gone absolutely ballistic. Paper promises are worth much, much more than solid gold or silver in today's phony funny money world.
It's almost enough to make one give up writing on the subject (pondered here nearly every damn day).
Today's gains on the Dow Industrials were the largest since the election of November 8, 2016.
At the Close, Wednesday, January 17, 2018:
Dow: 26,115.65, +322.79 (+1.25%)
NASDAQ: 7,298.28, +74.59 (+1.03%)
S&P 500: 2,802.56, +26.14 (+0.94%)
NYSE Composite: 13,352.39, +105.53 (+0.80%)
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Turnaround Tuesday: Stocks Sink Into S---Hole
After soaring over 26,000 in the early going, the Dow Jones Industrial Average - and the rest of the main US indices - took an ugly turn to the negative, an elongated move which comprised nearly the entirety of the trading session.
The Dow, once as high as 26,086.12 fell to an intra-day low of 25,702.99, a 383-point decline. The blue chips gathered some momentum at the close, likely the work of short-covering, as sellers dominated the day's activity.
While the Dow finished with just a blemish, the NASDAQ was more badly injured, dropping nearly half a percentage point, though it too was soaring earlier in the session, as were the S&P and Composite.
There was little news upon which to hang the selling spree and it came as quite a surprise in the opening session following the MLK holiday. The energy and basic materials sectors took most of the downside, falling by 1.16% and 1.43%, respectively. Crude oil lost three-quarters of a percent, with WTI crude ending the day at 63.82 per barrel. The abrupt turnaround in the oil price could be the canary in the coal mine, but perhaps the biggest story of the day was the almighty US dollar, which fell to a three-year low, bottoming out at 90.28, the worst intra-day price since December, 2014.
Having the dollar and oil fall in unison is not the usual course of business. Such activity is the stuff that keeps the stomachs churning on Wall Street. No doubt, copious amounts of bismuth subsalicylate were consumed by belly-aching analysts.
If not apparent enough already, Tuesday's action prompted more than a few to reconsider portfolio allocations and question whether or not the Fed really does have the market's back.
Fear of sliding into some kind of hell hole or other equally unattractive place became paramount throughout the day.
Congress has three days in which to craft some kind of compromise budget, risking yet another blow to its already badly-damaged reputation.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 16,2018:
Dow: 25,792.86, -10.33 (-0.04%)
NASDAQ: 7,223.69, -37.38 (-0.51%)
S&P 500: 2,776.42, -9.82 (-0.35%)
NYSE Composite: 13,247.85, -46.49 (-0.35%)
The Dow, once as high as 26,086.12 fell to an intra-day low of 25,702.99, a 383-point decline. The blue chips gathered some momentum at the close, likely the work of short-covering, as sellers dominated the day's activity.
While the Dow finished with just a blemish, the NASDAQ was more badly injured, dropping nearly half a percentage point, though it too was soaring earlier in the session, as were the S&P and Composite.
There was little news upon which to hang the selling spree and it came as quite a surprise in the opening session following the MLK holiday. The energy and basic materials sectors took most of the downside, falling by 1.16% and 1.43%, respectively. Crude oil lost three-quarters of a percent, with WTI crude ending the day at 63.82 per barrel. The abrupt turnaround in the oil price could be the canary in the coal mine, but perhaps the biggest story of the day was the almighty US dollar, which fell to a three-year low, bottoming out at 90.28, the worst intra-day price since December, 2014.
Having the dollar and oil fall in unison is not the usual course of business. Such activity is the stuff that keeps the stomachs churning on Wall Street. No doubt, copious amounts of bismuth subsalicylate were consumed by belly-aching analysts.
If not apparent enough already, Tuesday's action prompted more than a few to reconsider portfolio allocations and question whether or not the Fed really does have the market's back.
Fear of sliding into some kind of hell hole or other equally unattractive place became paramount throughout the day.
Congress has three days in which to craft some kind of compromise budget, risking yet another blow to its already badly-damaged reputation.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 16,2018:
Dow: 25,792.86, -10.33 (-0.04%)
NASDAQ: 7,223.69, -37.38 (-0.51%)
S&P 500: 2,776.42, -9.82 (-0.35%)
NYSE Composite: 13,247.85, -46.49 (-0.35%)
Monday, January 15, 2018
Goldilocks Stock Market Is Becoming Idyllic Unicorn Utopia
Party hats and noise-makers for everyone!
The major US indices closed the second Friday in January at record levels. Huzzah, huzzah, huzzah!
The most recent stock market maneuverings are enough to make people consider quitting their jobs, as their money invested is making more.
How much more? Well, anybody with $100,000 invested in, say, a Dow index fund, on the last day of trading in 2017 (December 29), is ahead by $4386 as of the close Friday, January 12. That's like making over $2000 a week, or more than $100,000 a year.
Back in the 2006, the heyday of the sub-prime mortgage mania, people in places like San Diego were literally quitting their jobs, simply because their homes had risen in value by so much, sometimes as much as 150-200%. People in tony neighborhoods with $250,000 homes were being offered $500,000, $600,000 and more.
Well, we all know how that turned out, but the point of making money, either in real estate, or stocks, or anything else for that matter, relies largely upon one's entry and exit points.
To say that sometime in January would be a good time to at least trim some of one's stock holdings would not be considered bad advice. However, who would want to give up on a stock market that appears to be heading to the moon, orbiting it and then taking off toward outer space. After the great returns of 2017 - and the eight years prior to that - it's become apparent that "buy and hold" is the preferred strategy.
That makes sense, since the ongoing bull market is the second longest in market history and nudging along toward the longest ever, having begun in 2009, when the Dow bottomed out at 7,278.38 on March 20th. Having already tripled in value, another solid year could push the Dow (and the other averages) to quadrupling levels.
In other words, if you had $100,000 invested in March of 2009, you'd have over $350,000 today, on your way to $400,000. If you had $500,000 back then, you'd be close to $2 million, and if you haven't cashed out and retired already, you're a fool. (Seriously, anybody who can't make $2 million last 30 years is an idiot. It's $66,666 a year, or $1282 a week. That should be more than enough, even if you aren't keeping some of it in bonds at two percent).
So, stocks continue to ramp higher and probably aren't coming down any time soon. Plenty of people are what they call baby boomers and they're retiring in droves, many of them pulling money out of retirement funds. No matter how much these people remove from the market, it won't matter. There will be new buyers lining up to take their places, bid stocks higher, reap profits.
It's really amazing. Next, unicorns and money trees will be abundant.
At the Close, Friday, January 12, 2018:
Dow: 25,803.19, +228.46 (+0.89%)
NASDAQ: 7,261.06, +49.28 (+0.68%)
S&P 500: 2,786.24, +18.68 (+0.67%)
NYSE Composite: 13,294.34, +83.57 (+0.63%)
For the Week:
Dow: +507.32 (+2.01%)
NASDAQ: +124.50 (+1.74%)
S&P 500: +43.09 (1.57%)
NYSE Composite: +191.11 (+1.46%)
The major US indices closed the second Friday in January at record levels. Huzzah, huzzah, huzzah!
The most recent stock market maneuverings are enough to make people consider quitting their jobs, as their money invested is making more.
How much more? Well, anybody with $100,000 invested in, say, a Dow index fund, on the last day of trading in 2017 (December 29), is ahead by $4386 as of the close Friday, January 12. That's like making over $2000 a week, or more than $100,000 a year.
Back in the 2006, the heyday of the sub-prime mortgage mania, people in places like San Diego were literally quitting their jobs, simply because their homes had risen in value by so much, sometimes as much as 150-200%. People in tony neighborhoods with $250,000 homes were being offered $500,000, $600,000 and more.
Well, we all know how that turned out, but the point of making money, either in real estate, or stocks, or anything else for that matter, relies largely upon one's entry and exit points.
To say that sometime in January would be a good time to at least trim some of one's stock holdings would not be considered bad advice. However, who would want to give up on a stock market that appears to be heading to the moon, orbiting it and then taking off toward outer space. After the great returns of 2017 - and the eight years prior to that - it's become apparent that "buy and hold" is the preferred strategy.
That makes sense, since the ongoing bull market is the second longest in market history and nudging along toward the longest ever, having begun in 2009, when the Dow bottomed out at 7,278.38 on March 20th. Having already tripled in value, another solid year could push the Dow (and the other averages) to quadrupling levels.
In other words, if you had $100,000 invested in March of 2009, you'd have over $350,000 today, on your way to $400,000. If you had $500,000 back then, you'd be close to $2 million, and if you haven't cashed out and retired already, you're a fool. (Seriously, anybody who can't make $2 million last 30 years is an idiot. It's $66,666 a year, or $1282 a week. That should be more than enough, even if you aren't keeping some of it in bonds at two percent).
So, stocks continue to ramp higher and probably aren't coming down any time soon. Plenty of people are what they call baby boomers and they're retiring in droves, many of them pulling money out of retirement funds. No matter how much these people remove from the market, it won't matter. There will be new buyers lining up to take their places, bid stocks higher, reap profits.
It's really amazing. Next, unicorns and money trees will be abundant.
At the Close, Friday, January 12, 2018:
Dow: 25,803.19, +228.46 (+0.89%)
NASDAQ: 7,261.06, +49.28 (+0.68%)
S&P 500: 2,786.24, +18.68 (+0.67%)
NYSE Composite: 13,294.34, +83.57 (+0.63%)
For the Week:
Dow: +507.32 (+2.01%)
NASDAQ: +124.50 (+1.74%)
S&P 500: +43.09 (1.57%)
NYSE Composite: +191.11 (+1.46%)
Friday, January 12, 2018
Central Banks Have Complete Control Over Global Economies, Governments
US stock indices had their best showing of the new year on Thursday, with all the averages reaching new all-time highs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is higher by 875 points in just the first eight sessions of 2018. That is extraordinary. It is so extraordinary that, at that pace - of a little more than 100 points per day - the Dow average would nearly double in value this year.
The gain would be over 20,000 points, putting the Dow Jones average somewhere in the range of 45,000 by year's end. In percentage terms, it would be up 80%. Anybody who has over 100,000 invested in stocks and is making less than $80,000 this year might as well take the year off. Why work when your money is doing so much of the heavy lifting?
Of course, that's a speculation. The Dow won't gain 80% this year, or will it?
Is the economy that good? Are US companies making that much money, that they are severely undervalued today?
Or, are central banks intervening in stock markets with money created out of thin air?
For answers, or, at least, hints, to the answers, see yesterday's post, or, any of the posts from the past eight or nine years which have tags or labels "central banks", "central bankers", or, "Federal Reserve."
At the Close, Thursday, January 11, 2018:
Dow: 25,574.73, +205.60 (+0.81%)
NASDAQ: 7,211.78, +58.21 (+0.81%)
S&P 500: 2,767.56, +19.33 (+0.70%)
NYSE Composite: 13,210.77, +104.17 (+0.79%)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is higher by 875 points in just the first eight sessions of 2018. That is extraordinary. It is so extraordinary that, at that pace - of a little more than 100 points per day - the Dow average would nearly double in value this year.
The gain would be over 20,000 points, putting the Dow Jones average somewhere in the range of 45,000 by year's end. In percentage terms, it would be up 80%. Anybody who has over 100,000 invested in stocks and is making less than $80,000 this year might as well take the year off. Why work when your money is doing so much of the heavy lifting?
Of course, that's a speculation. The Dow won't gain 80% this year, or will it?
Is the economy that good? Are US companies making that much money, that they are severely undervalued today?
Or, are central banks intervening in stock markets with money created out of thin air?
For answers, or, at least, hints, to the answers, see yesterday's post, or, any of the posts from the past eight or nine years which have tags or labels "central banks", "central bankers", or, "Federal Reserve."
At the Close, Thursday, January 11, 2018:
Dow: 25,574.73, +205.60 (+0.81%)
NASDAQ: 7,211.78, +58.21 (+0.81%)
S&P 500: 2,767.56, +19.33 (+0.70%)
NYSE Composite: 13,210.77, +104.17 (+0.79%)
Thursday, January 11, 2018
First Red Day of 2018 is Laughable
Major US indices had their first negative day of the year on Wednesday, but the losses amounted to nothing more than rounding errors.
Stocks were off early in the day after reports that Japan and China were reducing their purchases of US treasury bonds, but the notion was simply shrugged off by the equity captains as buyers emerged to limit the losses.
Stocks have gain six of the first seven trading days of 2018, a trend that is likely to continue until central banks cease buying stocks outright. This story is getting rather stale, even though most Americans fail to realize that their pensions and 401k profits are being fueled by cash injections from the Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Swiss National Bank, Bank of England, People's Bank of China, and, the US Federal Reserve.
To believe that the Fed, being the world's most influential central bank, is not engaged in the purchase of stocks - either outright through their trading desk at the NY Fed or through member banks such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and others - is to suspend reality.
Global markets have neither seen nor experienced anything like this unprecedented and outrageous activity by financial sources which create money at will, the ramifications of which are likely to result in a massive, destructive inflationary hyper-spiral.
Here in the US and across the pond in Europe, central bankers openly wring their hands and express concern that inflation is too low, when in fact the worldwide money supply - the lone reliable barometer of excess liquidity - has been increased by trillions of dollars during the post-crisis era which began in March of 2009.
Nearly nine years have passed since the great financial crisis and the excesses have only grown, reaching monstrous proportions. For what other reason would gold and silver be suppressed so virulently other than to eliminate their standing as real money? Why are governments so intent on clamping down on cryptocurrencies? Central banks do not want competition in currencies.
It is clear that the central banks of the world have pulled the global economy into a fully fiat regime, printing money backed by nothing at an unprecedented pace.
Future historians and economists - if there is indeed a future at the end of this madness - will look upon this era as one of rampant money creation by policy-makers whose only aim is to keep the failed economies of developed nations in endless debt.
The idea that the Federal Reserve wishes to "normalize" interest rates is a laughable concept. Doing so would only facilitate the ballooning of debt everywhere, to utterly unplayable levels.
Enjoy the ride.
At the Close, Wednesday, January 10, 2018:
Dow: 25,369.13, -16.67 (-0.07%)
NASDAQ: 7,153.57, -10.01 (-0.14%)
S&P 500: 2,748.23, -3.06 (-0.11%)
NYSE Composite: 13,106.60, -14.24 (-0.11%)
Stocks were off early in the day after reports that Japan and China were reducing their purchases of US treasury bonds, but the notion was simply shrugged off by the equity captains as buyers emerged to limit the losses.
Stocks have gain six of the first seven trading days of 2018, a trend that is likely to continue until central banks cease buying stocks outright. This story is getting rather stale, even though most Americans fail to realize that their pensions and 401k profits are being fueled by cash injections from the Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Swiss National Bank, Bank of England, People's Bank of China, and, the US Federal Reserve.
To believe that the Fed, being the world's most influential central bank, is not engaged in the purchase of stocks - either outright through their trading desk at the NY Fed or through member banks such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and others - is to suspend reality.
Global markets have neither seen nor experienced anything like this unprecedented and outrageous activity by financial sources which create money at will, the ramifications of which are likely to result in a massive, destructive inflationary hyper-spiral.
Here in the US and across the pond in Europe, central bankers openly wring their hands and express concern that inflation is too low, when in fact the worldwide money supply - the lone reliable barometer of excess liquidity - has been increased by trillions of dollars during the post-crisis era which began in March of 2009.
Nearly nine years have passed since the great financial crisis and the excesses have only grown, reaching monstrous proportions. For what other reason would gold and silver be suppressed so virulently other than to eliminate their standing as real money? Why are governments so intent on clamping down on cryptocurrencies? Central banks do not want competition in currencies.
It is clear that the central banks of the world have pulled the global economy into a fully fiat regime, printing money backed by nothing at an unprecedented pace.
Future historians and economists - if there is indeed a future at the end of this madness - will look upon this era as one of rampant money creation by policy-makers whose only aim is to keep the failed economies of developed nations in endless debt.
The idea that the Federal Reserve wishes to "normalize" interest rates is a laughable concept. Doing so would only facilitate the ballooning of debt everywhere, to utterly unplayable levels.
Enjoy the ride.
At the Close, Wednesday, January 10, 2018:
Dow: 25,369.13, -16.67 (-0.07%)
NASDAQ: 7,153.57, -10.01 (-0.14%)
S&P 500: 2,748.23, -3.06 (-0.11%)
NYSE Composite: 13,106.60, -14.24 (-0.11%)
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Central Bank Resolve To Be Tested If China, Japan Break Ranks
In yesterday's post, reference was made to the backstopping of stock markets by the global cartel of central banks and how the aforementioned banks would not allow even the slightest decline on the main US indices.
True to form, Tuesday's trading was a textbook example of the central banking gambit, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 making new all-time records, the NASDAQ and NYSE Composite tagging along.
About to be tested is central bank resolve and unity. Overnight, Japan has apparently decided to cut back on the purchase of long-dated treasury securities, and China has - according to unnamed sources (the preference of manipulators, provocateurs, and liars) - likewise decided to cut purchases of US treasuries by as much as five percent.
Being that Japan and China are he largest holders of US treasuries and at the same time partners in the global central bank ponzi scheme to keep fiat currency floating and stock brokers gloating, these developments - if found out to be the truth - could be inflammatory and possibly devastating to the value of stocks.
With the US markets set to open, futures are forecasting a negative open, though that alone will not ensure anything other than alerting the main buyers of equities - central banks - to be at the bid early and often.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 9, 2018:
Dow: 25,385.80, +102.80 (+0.41%)
NASDAQ: 7,163.58, +6.19 (+0.09%)
S&P 500: 2,751.29, +3.58 (+0.13%)
NYSE Composite: 13,120.84, +6.49 (+0.05%)
True to form, Tuesday's trading was a textbook example of the central banking gambit, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 making new all-time records, the NASDAQ and NYSE Composite tagging along.
About to be tested is central bank resolve and unity. Overnight, Japan has apparently decided to cut back on the purchase of long-dated treasury securities, and China has - according to unnamed sources (the preference of manipulators, provocateurs, and liars) - likewise decided to cut purchases of US treasuries by as much as five percent.
Being that Japan and China are he largest holders of US treasuries and at the same time partners in the global central bank ponzi scheme to keep fiat currency floating and stock brokers gloating, these developments - if found out to be the truth - could be inflammatory and possibly devastating to the value of stocks.
With the US markets set to open, futures are forecasting a negative open, though that alone will not ensure anything other than alerting the main buyers of equities - central banks - to be at the bid early and often.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 9, 2018:
Dow: 25,385.80, +102.80 (+0.41%)
NASDAQ: 7,163.58, +6.19 (+0.09%)
S&P 500: 2,751.29, +3.58 (+0.13%)
NYSE Composite: 13,120.84, +6.49 (+0.05%)
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
If 2017 Was Good, 2018 Should Be Better
Anybody who owns stocks or has a portfolio in a retirement fund, 401k or other equity-style investments is well aware of just how good 2017 was.
All indications are that 2018 will be just as good, and probably better.
There's a number of reasons for this prognosis.
First, it's more than apparent that global stock markets are now completely under the purview of the global elite central banks, and that this central banks are actively buying stocks, boosting the underlying asset prices in the process.
Second, after that, nothing really matters, since central banks can create money out of the ether, at will, any time, for any purpose. Economics has been flipped upon its head. Price discovery has been delegated to a function of the central banks, i.e, they set the prices. No fundamental analysis is needed, nor will it be valid.
Since the goal of central banks is to keep their money ponzi schemes intact via their various currencies - pound, dollar, euro, yen, yuan - and the stock markets are primary vehicles, there exists almost zero chance of stocks losing value over even the short term. A longer-term decline would be unthinkable as it would destroy the fiat money that central banks employ in their quest to continue their global finance monopoly.
Knowing all of that, there's no reason anybody should invest in anything other than stocks, or, for added assurance, an index fund which tracks the Dow, S&P, NASDAQ, or all three, weighted, or otherwise.
Stocks will never go down again, at least not for any extended period of time.
Just Buy The Dips.
At the Close, Monday, January 8, 2018:
Dow: 25,283.00, -12.87 (-0.05%)
NASDAQ: 7,157.39, +20.83 (+0.29%)
S&P 500: 2,747.71, +4.56 (+0.17%)
NYSE Composite: 13,114.35, +11.12 (+0.08%)
All indications are that 2018 will be just as good, and probably better.
There's a number of reasons for this prognosis.
First, it's more than apparent that global stock markets are now completely under the purview of the global elite central banks, and that this central banks are actively buying stocks, boosting the underlying asset prices in the process.
Second, after that, nothing really matters, since central banks can create money out of the ether, at will, any time, for any purpose. Economics has been flipped upon its head. Price discovery has been delegated to a function of the central banks, i.e, they set the prices. No fundamental analysis is needed, nor will it be valid.
Since the goal of central banks is to keep their money ponzi schemes intact via their various currencies - pound, dollar, euro, yen, yuan - and the stock markets are primary vehicles, there exists almost zero chance of stocks losing value over even the short term. A longer-term decline would be unthinkable as it would destroy the fiat money that central banks employ in their quest to continue their global finance monopoly.
Knowing all of that, there's no reason anybody should invest in anything other than stocks, or, for added assurance, an index fund which tracks the Dow, S&P, NASDAQ, or all three, weighted, or otherwise.
Stocks will never go down again, at least not for any extended period of time.
Just Buy The Dips.
At the Close, Monday, January 8, 2018:
Dow: 25,283.00, -12.87 (-0.05%)
NASDAQ: 7,157.39, +20.83 (+0.29%)
S&P 500: 2,747.71, +4.56 (+0.17%)
NYSE Composite: 13,114.35, +11.12 (+0.08%)
Friday, January 5, 2018
Huge Miss on December Non-Farm Payrolls Won't Trigger Sell the News Event
Stocks ripped higher on Thursday on pure hope and fumes, in anticipation of Friday's BLS release of December non-farm payroll data.
As mentioned in yesterday's post, the market has set itself up for a "sell the news" event, having already bought the rumor in the form of an incredible 250,000 December private jobs gain from ADP.
Being a case of which numbers should be trusted, investors will probably accept the BLS, being that it is the "official" number, despite the wild swings, methodology and revisions for which the data set is so famous.
On Friday morning, the BLS announced a gain of a mere 148,000 net new jobs in December, on expectations of 190,000, the lowest print since July 2017. [full release here]
The unemployment rate remained moored at 4.1%, a rather humorous figure, given that the BLS counts part-time jobs and working more than one day a week as a "job."
As of this writing, roughly 15 minutes prior to the market open, stock futures are higher, but well off the levels seen earlier this morning.
The expectation for stocks to sell off throughout the session, given that valuations have been stretched to unsustainable levels, will likely not materialize since prognosis is as much the stuff of smoke and mirrors as the algo-driven market itself.
At the Close, Thursday, January 4, 2018:
Dow: 25,075.13, +152.45 (+0.61%)
NASDAQ: 7,077.91, +12.38 (+0.18%)
S&P 500: 2,723.99, +10.93 (+0.40%)
NYSE Composite: 13,028.46, +71.18 (+0.55%)
As mentioned in yesterday's post, the market has set itself up for a "sell the news" event, having already bought the rumor in the form of an incredible 250,000 December private jobs gain from ADP.
Being a case of which numbers should be trusted, investors will probably accept the BLS, being that it is the "official" number, despite the wild swings, methodology and revisions for which the data set is so famous.
On Friday morning, the BLS announced a gain of a mere 148,000 net new jobs in December, on expectations of 190,000, the lowest print since July 2017. [full release here]
The unemployment rate remained moored at 4.1%, a rather humorous figure, given that the BLS counts part-time jobs and working more than one day a week as a "job."
As of this writing, roughly 15 minutes prior to the market open, stock futures are higher, but well off the levels seen earlier this morning.
The expectation for stocks to sell off throughout the session, given that valuations have been stretched to unsustainable levels, will likely not materialize since prognosis is as much the stuff of smoke and mirrors as the algo-driven market itself.
At the Close, Thursday, January 4, 2018:
Dow: 25,075.13, +152.45 (+0.61%)
NASDAQ: 7,077.91, +12.38 (+0.18%)
S&P 500: 2,723.99, +10.93 (+0.40%)
NYSE Composite: 13,028.46, +71.18 (+0.55%)
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Caution Thrown To (Bitter Cold) Wind, As Investors Ignore Tech and Weather Threats
Across the board gains were the order de jour on the second day of trading in the new year.
As on Tuesday, the NASDAQ outpaced the other major averages, continuing its meteoric rise beyond the 7,000 mark with tech stocks leading the way despite an admission from Intel (INTC) that their chips have a serious flaw, affecting nearly all chips made by the company over the past ten years.
The world's largest chipmaker was not immediately taken to the woodshed and whipped, though shares of the company were down more than three percent and are off another one-and-a-half percent in pre-market trading on Thursday.
Rival chipmaker, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), was the main beneficiary of the Intel news, its stock advancing more than five percent on the day, though it appeared that AMD chips are also vulnerable, though not to the same extent nor by the same exploits as Intel chips.
While the immediate impact may be slim, the long-term repercussions of this revelation may be significant. The world's major chip manufacturers may be facing a black swan event once hackers devise attacks that could legitimately effect computers and servers worldwide, for years.
Traders were not on the defensive, however, as the lure of early gains overwhelmed any concerns for troubles ahead, such as the massive snowstorm and bitter cold that is expected to affect most of the Northeast in days ahead. The storm - being called a Bomb Cyclone - is primarily focused off the Eastern coast of mainland North America, though New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts were making preparations for a major winter weather event which has already bettered Southern cities such as Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA.
The apparent complacency of equity speculators is somewhat confounding, given the potential for severe disruptions from weather and technology in coming days.
On the other end of the asset spectrum, precious metals responded to a slight rise in the dollar index, blunting a strong run for gold and silver over the past three weeks, though the selling seemed to be transitory, with the metals recovering early on Thursday morning as the dollar fell to fresh lows (91.933).
On Thursday morning, prior to the opening bell on Wall Street, ADP private payroll data for December showed a massive 250,000 job gain for the final month of 2017. While the AMD numbers are preliminary and subject to revision, they are sending a strong signal in advance of Friday's BLS non-farm payroll dataset for December.
With caution being thrown largely to the (bitterly cold) wind, Friday and/or Monday could be a day of "selling the news," or, as has been the case for the past nine years, the stock market rally will not be impeded by facts nor insinuations of negativity.
At the Close, Wednesday, January 3, 2018:
Dow: 24,922.68, +98.67 (+0.40%)
NASDAQ: 7,065.53, +58.63 (+0.84%)
S&P 500: 2,713.06, +17.25 (+0.64%)
NYSE Composite: 12,957.28, +54.55 (+0.42%)
As on Tuesday, the NASDAQ outpaced the other major averages, continuing its meteoric rise beyond the 7,000 mark with tech stocks leading the way despite an admission from Intel (INTC) that their chips have a serious flaw, affecting nearly all chips made by the company over the past ten years.
The world's largest chipmaker was not immediately taken to the woodshed and whipped, though shares of the company were down more than three percent and are off another one-and-a-half percent in pre-market trading on Thursday.
Rival chipmaker, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), was the main beneficiary of the Intel news, its stock advancing more than five percent on the day, though it appeared that AMD chips are also vulnerable, though not to the same extent nor by the same exploits as Intel chips.
While the immediate impact may be slim, the long-term repercussions of this revelation may be significant. The world's major chip manufacturers may be facing a black swan event once hackers devise attacks that could legitimately effect computers and servers worldwide, for years.
Traders were not on the defensive, however, as the lure of early gains overwhelmed any concerns for troubles ahead, such as the massive snowstorm and bitter cold that is expected to affect most of the Northeast in days ahead. The storm - being called a Bomb Cyclone - is primarily focused off the Eastern coast of mainland North America, though New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts were making preparations for a major winter weather event which has already bettered Southern cities such as Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA.
The apparent complacency of equity speculators is somewhat confounding, given the potential for severe disruptions from weather and technology in coming days.
On the other end of the asset spectrum, precious metals responded to a slight rise in the dollar index, blunting a strong run for gold and silver over the past three weeks, though the selling seemed to be transitory, with the metals recovering early on Thursday morning as the dollar fell to fresh lows (91.933).
On Thursday morning, prior to the opening bell on Wall Street, ADP private payroll data for December showed a massive 250,000 job gain for the final month of 2017. While the AMD numbers are preliminary and subject to revision, they are sending a strong signal in advance of Friday's BLS non-farm payroll dataset for December.
With caution being thrown largely to the (bitterly cold) wind, Friday and/or Monday could be a day of "selling the news," or, as has been the case for the past nine years, the stock market rally will not be impeded by facts nor insinuations of negativity.
At the Close, Wednesday, January 3, 2018:
Dow: 24,922.68, +98.67 (+0.40%)
NASDAQ: 7,065.53, +58.63 (+0.84%)
S&P 500: 2,713.06, +17.25 (+0.64%)
NYSE Composite: 12,957.28, +54.55 (+0.42%)
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Stocks Advance to Start 2018; Gold, Silver Rallies Continue
Stocks ramped higher at the opening of the first trading session of 2018, continuing a trend that carried equity investments to major gains in 2017.
At the same time, gold and silver continued their impressive three-week-old rally. Silver has been the out-performer of the pair, rising from a low of 15.67 per ounce on December 13 to 17.15 as of the close of trading in New York on Tuesday. Gold crested above the sticky $1300 level, finishing the day at 1317.10. It also bottomed out on December 13, dropping below 1240.90 on that date.
While there's certainly nothing unusual about stock gains, the rally in precious metals is raising some eyebrows and prompting talk of future Fed rate hikes and incipient inflation, which has been a false flag for eight years running.
On Wednesday, investors may get some indication of the Fed's intentions. Minutes from the December meeting - at which the Fed raised the federal funds rate for the third time in 2017 - are to be released during the session. Of particular interest is the discussion over rate increases and any dissenting opinion.
The Fed has made it clear that they intend to continue raising rates this year, with four increases of 25 basis points the proposed path. At the same time, the Fed will continue to unwind its bloated balance sheet, shedding billions of dollars worth of treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and increasing the rate of disposal as the year commences. By October, the Fed is supposed to be dumping as many as $60 billion worth of notes, bills and bonds.
The combination of a general tax cut for consumers, a large tax cut for corporations, rising rates, bond dumping, and an improving economy suggests a formula for inflation, which is generally understood to be good for gold and silver, though the rise in precious metal prices may have more to do with currency debasement than a knee-jerk response to the economic climate.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 2, 2018:
Dow: 24,824.01, +104.79 (+0.42%)
NASDAQ: 7,006.90, +103.51 (+1.50%)
S&P 500 2,695.81, +22.20 (+0.83%)
NYSE Composite: 12,902.72, +93.88 (+0.7329%)
At the same time, gold and silver continued their impressive three-week-old rally. Silver has been the out-performer of the pair, rising from a low of 15.67 per ounce on December 13 to 17.15 as of the close of trading in New York on Tuesday. Gold crested above the sticky $1300 level, finishing the day at 1317.10. It also bottomed out on December 13, dropping below 1240.90 on that date.
While there's certainly nothing unusual about stock gains, the rally in precious metals is raising some eyebrows and prompting talk of future Fed rate hikes and incipient inflation, which has been a false flag for eight years running.
On Wednesday, investors may get some indication of the Fed's intentions. Minutes from the December meeting - at which the Fed raised the federal funds rate for the third time in 2017 - are to be released during the session. Of particular interest is the discussion over rate increases and any dissenting opinion.
The Fed has made it clear that they intend to continue raising rates this year, with four increases of 25 basis points the proposed path. At the same time, the Fed will continue to unwind its bloated balance sheet, shedding billions of dollars worth of treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and increasing the rate of disposal as the year commences. By October, the Fed is supposed to be dumping as many as $60 billion worth of notes, bills and bonds.
The combination of a general tax cut for consumers, a large tax cut for corporations, rising rates, bond dumping, and an improving economy suggests a formula for inflation, which is generally understood to be good for gold and silver, though the rise in precious metal prices may have more to do with currency debasement than a knee-jerk response to the economic climate.
At the Close, Tuesday, January 2, 2018:
Dow: 24,824.01, +104.79 (+0.42%)
NASDAQ: 7,006.90, +103.51 (+1.50%)
S&P 500 2,695.81, +22.20 (+0.83%)
NYSE Composite: 12,902.72, +93.88 (+0.7329%)
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