Weekend Wrap: Stocks Rebound in Face of Coming Currency Crisis

Other than the idea that Chinese and US officials were "talking" about trade and tariffs, nothing much changed in the world of high finance during the week, though investors thought they heard the "all clear" whistle.

Major indices broke off a four-week losing streak, bounding higher by 2.5 to three precent over the course of the week, heading into the Labor Day holiday.

The end of August marks the unofficial end of summer, back to school activity, and a return from the idyllic Hamptons or other leisure locales of the Wall Street hard-liners, the big boys with big money who guide trades, firms and financial fates.

Over the holiday weekend, the US slapped on the promised tariffs on September 1, with China responding with some of their own on US imports. That ran in stark contrast to the trading sentiment from the week past and suggests that the gains may be fleeting.

As the opening approaches for the first trading day of September, US futures are sliding. Anticipation of easing tensions in the trade wars are fading fast, though the narrative that the trade and tariff foibles of Trump and Xi are the sole motivator for moving equities is likely a contrived one.

What really worries Wall Street and should concern anybody with a pension tied to a 401k or other stock market vehicle is the shaky state of global commerce. The World Bank, IMF, and pundits far and wide have been predicting a recession for well over a year. Though the timing of such a downturn is far from settled science, evidence continues to build. More than just recession concerns are deeper fears that central banks have run out of ammunition with which to save the world again.

Interest rates, long regarded as the primary tool of central banks to stave off natural downturns in the business cycle are already low and many negative, prompting unbelievers to portend the end of central bank monetary hegemony. While such calls for an impending end to the global financial scheme are almost always present, this time appears to hold some truth.

Fractional reserve lending of debt has impoverished the lower and middle classes, expanded wealth inequality, and may now be acting as a brake on the system as money movement is nearing stall speed. It's been nearly 50 years since President Nixon closed the gold window and set the world on a path of unbacked, floating currencies. The result has been a revolving bubble, boom-bust scenario, punctuated by massive counterfeiting by coordinated central banking interests, each successive round more severe than the last.

Considering the depth of the last crisis in 2007-2009, central banks are desperate to keep the financial plates spinning for as long as possible, because the next crisis may well be their last.

These prospects are not pretty for central banks, or, for that matter, anybody. However, change is always in the wind, and the wind is blowing with a hot breath.

2001 was a malinvestment correction. 2008 was a liquidity affair. 202---? will be a currency crisis that will shake the foundations of monetary policy.

At the Close, Friday, August 30, 2019:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 26,403.28, +41.08 (+0.16%)
NASDAQ: 7,962.88, -10.51 (-0.13%)
S&P 500: 2,926.46, +1.88 (+0.06%)
NYSE Composite: 12,736.88, +32.88 (+0.26%)

For the Week:
Dow: +774.38 (+3.02%)
NASDAQ: +211.12 (+2.72%)
S&P 500: +79.35 (+2.79%)
NYSE Composite: +320.43 (+2.58%)

Stocks Give Back On Tuesday After Explosive Market Monday

Following Monday's ramp-alooza based on absolutely nothing other than consumer spending hitting its target, stocks lost ground on Tuesday heading into the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Since this is absolutely the slowest week of the year for everybody except maybe vacation rentals, don't look for any kind of major move in either direction prior to next Tuesday.

A week of nothing, otherwise known as the pain trade. There should be some profit-taking and squaring down on risky positions, but, again, nothing overtly dramatic.

Everything has absolutely flattened out, except possibly the $/Yen pair, back up to 103 on the day.

Tuesday's Trauma:
Dow Jones Industrial Average
18,454.30, -48.69 (-0.26%)

NASDAQ
5,222.99, -9.34 (-0.18%)

S&P 500
2,176.12, -4.26 (-0.20%)

NYSE Composite
10,797.10, -14.24 (-0.13%)

Stocks Stuck Until Labor Day

Editor's Note: Very rough schedule this and next week, so there may not be the usual market banter. For now, stocks seem stuck until after Labor Day. Of course, any big news will be reported upon. Enjoy the summer weather!

Nothing to write home about today, as stocks ramped early in the session and sold off the rest of the day. Sluggish is an appropriate way to call it.

Tuesday's Travails:
Dow Jones Industrial Average
18,547.30, +17.88 (0.10%)

S&P 500
2,186.90, +4.26 (0.20%)

NASDAQ
5,260.08, +15.47 (0.30%)

NYSE Composite
10,847.49, +31.57 (0.29%)