Apologies are in order for the excitement generated by Monday's selloff. We have been fooled again.
By .02 cents, the S&P set a record high close; the NASDAQ is at 13 1/2 year highs and the Dow is closing in on all-time highs, again, something it did no fewer than 50 times in 2013.
The markets will not relent in their ever-higher pursuit until the Fed substantially reduces its QE regimen.
That's all one needs to know, for now, and until it's too late. Investors will likely be afforded plenty of time to "get out of Dodge" when the trend reverses. Until then, buy the dips, buy the all-time highs, buy, buy, buy stocks and look for Treasuries to head lower, with support for the 10-year note in the 2.63% area. Give it a few weeks time, like after the non-event which will be the raising of the US debt ceiling to close to $20 trillion in early February.
JC Penny (JCP) announced after the bell that it will close 33 stores and eliminate 2000 jobs as part of their strategic initiative. Good strategy, downsizing. Five of the stores are located in Wisconsin and three are in Pennsylvania. There should be some pretty good sales soon at these store closing locations, but, consumers are advised to pay cash, a la Target. What's not to like?
DOW 16,481.94, +108.08 (+0.66%)
NASDAQ 4,214.88, +31.87 (+0.76%)
S&P 1,848.38, +9.50 (+0.52%)
10-Yr Note 98.74, +0.44 (+0.45%) Yield: 2.90%
NASDAQ Volume 1.96 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.71 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 3687-1953
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 490-31
WTI crude oil: 94.17, +1.58
Gold: 1,238.30, -7.10
Silver: 20.13, -0.148
Corn: 425.75, -5.75
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Why the Hyper-Inflationists Have Been Wrong, Are Still Wrong and Will Continue to be Wrong
The hyperinflation argument is completely worn out. The proponents of such nonsense have been pitching it for five years now and the Fed continues to print, print, print.
Why?
The deflation which began in earnest in 2008 is still staring them in the face.
Look at it this way: When the Fed prints, it creates debt. That's their job and they're working overtime. On the other side of the equation are the countless numbers of homes (millions of them) that went into foreclosure or are on their way to forclosure and all the mortgages that are still being paid down. That last bunch constitutes the bulk, and that is destroying debt.
The Fed is promoting bubbles in stocks and college loans, car loans and any other loans they can find because many, many consumers and businesses are paying down debt and not incurring any more.
If the Fed keeps its foot to the pedal at $75B or $100B or more per month, it's because there's at least that much debt being eradicated at the same time, so they're trying to keep up.
Remember, in our fiat debt-based system, if there is no debt, there is no money and that's why the Fed keeps printing. And if interest rates rise too much, that's game over because then nobody could afford debt and most debtors would, facing higher rates they cannot pay, default.
The Fed has itself backed nicely into a corner. They need to keep the US dollar strong, but at the same time, they'd like inflation at 2-3%, and GDP growth at 3-4%, which they consider equilibrium.
They've managed to keep the dollar stable, even higher lately, but that plays against their inflation and growth desires.
They can't have it all and deflation is winning and will keep winning as long as people have choices and there's no wage increases. If a loaf of bread doubles in price, people will eat half a loaf. Yep, some will starve, which lowers consumption, and thus, lowers again, the price of a loaf of bread.
The Fed is totally screwed with ZIRP and QE, which, the evidence is beginning to prove out, cannot exist at the same time, lest you get a result of zero growth (which is probably what we've really had the past five years in sum when you take out all of the BS hedonics and other magnificent calculations).
They're completely screwed. If I could borrow at 0.25%, like the banks, I'd do it all day long and pay it back just as quickly. So, what does the Fed gain from that? They created cheap money, and just as fast as it was borrowed, it was repaid.
Businesses are also self-funding, with stock buybacks and their own debt issuance, which, if you've read the Creature from Jekyll Island, the bankers hate, because corporate stock and debt is like having your own currency, and the banks make nothing off that.
The deflation will continue as long as interest rates remain low, like a 10-year under 3.5%, which is likely to remain that way for at least another year or two or three.
So, enjoy the deflation. Buy land, ammo, guns, vehicles, any reliable alternative energy source (wind, solar, deep cycle batteries, etc.), non-GMO seeds and opt out of the debt system. As long as the deflationary regime remains intact, you'll be fine. When it ends, you'll be prepared to survive without money.
TODAY'S MARKETS
Stocks did a serious about-face on Tuesday, based upon... hmmm, maybe the bogus retail sales data for December, which showed modest increases only by revising November sales down.
That's how it works in the present regime of making it up as the economy rolls along. While most retailers reported dismal holiday sales, we're supposed to believe the government's claim that everything was rosy in December. When the store, and later, entire malls, begin closing down, then what will they say? Go ahead, guess. They'll probably blame the weathre or threat of terrorist attacks or some other nonsense.
Also boosting stocks was, maybe, fourth quarter results from JP Morgan (JPM) and Wells-Fargo (WFC), two of the nation's mega-banks, which are supposedly flush with cash and making money hand over fist, even though their filings are so opaque and farcical, nobody really believes them at all, except those brokers and traders who make money by selling stocks to retail investors.
The banks aren't as unhealthy as they were in 2008, but, by no means are they the cash-cows we're led to believe.
Deflation, over-supply and an aging demographic will continue to erode the economy. And that ACA (Obamacare) isn't helping, either.
DOW 16,373.86, +115.92 (+0.71%)
NASDAQ 4,183.02, +69.71 (+1.69%)
S&P 1,838.88, +19.68 (+1.08%)
10-Yr Note 98.95, -0.15 (-0.15%) Yield: 2.87%
NASDAQ Volume 1.88 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.33 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 4132-1568
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 255-35
WTI crude oil: 92.59, +0.79
Gold: 1,245.40, -5.70
Silver: 20.28, 0.103
Corn: 431.50, -3.00
Why?
The deflation which began in earnest in 2008 is still staring them in the face.
Look at it this way: When the Fed prints, it creates debt. That's their job and they're working overtime. On the other side of the equation are the countless numbers of homes (millions of them) that went into foreclosure or are on their way to forclosure and all the mortgages that are still being paid down. That last bunch constitutes the bulk, and that is destroying debt.
The Fed is promoting bubbles in stocks and college loans, car loans and any other loans they can find because many, many consumers and businesses are paying down debt and not incurring any more.
If the Fed keeps its foot to the pedal at $75B or $100B or more per month, it's because there's at least that much debt being eradicated at the same time, so they're trying to keep up.
Remember, in our fiat debt-based system, if there is no debt, there is no money and that's why the Fed keeps printing. And if interest rates rise too much, that's game over because then nobody could afford debt and most debtors would, facing higher rates they cannot pay, default.
The Fed has itself backed nicely into a corner. They need to keep the US dollar strong, but at the same time, they'd like inflation at 2-3%, and GDP growth at 3-4%, which they consider equilibrium.
They've managed to keep the dollar stable, even higher lately, but that plays against their inflation and growth desires.
They can't have it all and deflation is winning and will keep winning as long as people have choices and there's no wage increases. If a loaf of bread doubles in price, people will eat half a loaf. Yep, some will starve, which lowers consumption, and thus, lowers again, the price of a loaf of bread.
The Fed is totally screwed with ZIRP and QE, which, the evidence is beginning to prove out, cannot exist at the same time, lest you get a result of zero growth (which is probably what we've really had the past five years in sum when you take out all of the BS hedonics and other magnificent calculations).
They're completely screwed. If I could borrow at 0.25%, like the banks, I'd do it all day long and pay it back just as quickly. So, what does the Fed gain from that? They created cheap money, and just as fast as it was borrowed, it was repaid.
Businesses are also self-funding, with stock buybacks and their own debt issuance, which, if you've read the Creature from Jekyll Island, the bankers hate, because corporate stock and debt is like having your own currency, and the banks make nothing off that.
The deflation will continue as long as interest rates remain low, like a 10-year under 3.5%, which is likely to remain that way for at least another year or two or three.
So, enjoy the deflation. Buy land, ammo, guns, vehicles, any reliable alternative energy source (wind, solar, deep cycle batteries, etc.), non-GMO seeds and opt out of the debt system. As long as the deflationary regime remains intact, you'll be fine. When it ends, you'll be prepared to survive without money.
TODAY'S MARKETS
Stocks did a serious about-face on Tuesday, based upon... hmmm, maybe the bogus retail sales data for December, which showed modest increases only by revising November sales down.
That's how it works in the present regime of making it up as the economy rolls along. While most retailers reported dismal holiday sales, we're supposed to believe the government's claim that everything was rosy in December. When the store, and later, entire malls, begin closing down, then what will they say? Go ahead, guess. They'll probably blame the weathre or threat of terrorist attacks or some other nonsense.
Also boosting stocks was, maybe, fourth quarter results from JP Morgan (JPM) and Wells-Fargo (WFC), two of the nation's mega-banks, which are supposedly flush with cash and making money hand over fist, even though their filings are so opaque and farcical, nobody really believes them at all, except those brokers and traders who make money by selling stocks to retail investors.
The banks aren't as unhealthy as they were in 2008, but, by no means are they the cash-cows we're led to believe.
Deflation, over-supply and an aging demographic will continue to erode the economy. And that ACA (Obamacare) isn't helping, either.
DOW 16,373.86, +115.92 (+0.71%)
NASDAQ 4,183.02, +69.71 (+1.69%)
S&P 1,838.88, +19.68 (+1.08%)
10-Yr Note 98.95, -0.15 (-0.15%) Yield: 2.87%
NASDAQ Volume 1.88 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.33 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 4132-1568
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 255-35
WTI crude oil: 92.59, +0.79
Gold: 1,245.40, -5.70
Silver: 20.28, 0.103
Corn: 431.50, -3.00
Monday, January 13, 2014
Markets Respond Suddenly to Structural Deficiencies in Global Economy
In case anybody was not noticing, stocks haven't exactly been on fire through the first few sessions of 2014 (eight of them, including today), but, apparently, a solid number of investors have been taking note and today decided to take action.
Friday's non-farm payrolls report may have been the initial impetus to really kick off today's selling spree, which accelerated throughout the session with stocks ending near the lows of the day on the major indices, sending all of the major exchanges into the red for the year.
Beyond the horrifying labor situation outlined by the aforementioned December payroll report, retail holiday sales figures have been coming in at well below anybody's best guesses and many retailers are now forecasting less-than-optimistic projections for January and beyond.
A few of today's highlights from the retail field (in addition to the meltdowns already underway via Sears and JC Penny) are Express (EXPR 18.15, -0.87(4.57%)) and Lululemon (LULU 49.70, -9.90(16.61%)), bot of which lowered their guidance on Monday. Others on the retail decliners' hit list include Coach (COH 54.30, -1.78(3.17%)), Gap (GPS 38.25, -1.59(3.99%)), and Michael Kors (KORS 76.67, -3.13(3.92%)).
Multi-faceted are the reasons for poor performances in stocks, from a stalled-out labor market to continued de-leveraging by consumers to the Obamacare fiasco to rising college tuition costs, these are just a few of the market-roiling scenarios playing out in the US and global economy.
There's more to today's selling than meets the eye, however, because there are serious cracks in the facade that is the US government, the status of the dollar as the world's reserve currency and the generally-frayed fabric of the Federal Reserve. Those in the know realize that time may be running short on fiat currency, of which all of the world's currencies are concurrently backed by nothing more than people's blind willingness to accept paper money in exchange for real goods and services.
That's at the root of the world's worries, but it is gaining prominence because individuals and businesses continue to shed debt, while the Fed, the Bank of Japan and the Eu monetary masters continue in their vain attempts to create more debt, which is, after all, their lifeblood. The only entities continuing to create debt are governments, making theirs and the days of their central bankers, numbered and in decline.
Losing faith completely in a particular government, national currency or system of exchange takes time, and when it comes to global currencies, such as the US dollar, even more time, but, as the events of 2007-2009 showed with sensational alarm, when faith becomes frayed in the minds of investors and speculators, events can spiral out of control, and, while that may not be precisely what's happening at present, it sure has the allure and feel of a full-blown currency/competency/confidence crisis in the making, one which actually started five to seven years ago, depending on which aspect one assigns as the starting point.
Demographically, the planet's population is aging and retiring; the current crop of up-and-coming youths don't inspire much in terms of leadership skills and a world dependent on handouts from government programs when the government itself is the main culprit and cause of the deterioration of global society is not a model upon which any sentient, thinking being would wager to last very long.
Gloom and doom scenarios such as this have roots in reality, though the psychological paradigms of cognitive dissonance and normalcy bias keep the general population in a state of suspended stupidity, though even the dullest among us can see the writing on the wall. Acceptance of such a harsh reality is not ready-made. It takes time, fear, and eventually, lots and lots of pain.
The time is growing short, the pain increasing (Have your wages gone up lately, while your costs continue higher and government regulations gain in stupidity, complexity and lack of enforceability?) and the fear, finally making a grand appearance at Wall Street, is beginning to spread.
Best to be prepared, and keep one's head while all about are panicking, because the panic is about to go mainstream.
As for the Fed, and how they create debt-money out of thin air, this brief, four-second clip should sufficiently explain:
DOW 16,257.94, -179.11 (-1.09%)
NASDAQ 4,113.30, -61.36 (-1.47%)
S&P 1,819.20, -23.17 (-1.26%)
10-Yr Note 99.20, +1.15 (+1.17%) Yield: 2.83%
NASDAQ Volume 2.17 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.58 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 1526-4234
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 325-42
WTI crude oil: 91.80, -0.92
Gold: 1,251.10, +4.20
Silver: 20.38, +0.162
Corn: 434.50, +1.75
Friday's non-farm payrolls report may have been the initial impetus to really kick off today's selling spree, which accelerated throughout the session with stocks ending near the lows of the day on the major indices, sending all of the major exchanges into the red for the year.
Beyond the horrifying labor situation outlined by the aforementioned December payroll report, retail holiday sales figures have been coming in at well below anybody's best guesses and many retailers are now forecasting less-than-optimistic projections for January and beyond.
A few of today's highlights from the retail field (in addition to the meltdowns already underway via Sears and JC Penny) are Express (EXPR 18.15, -0.87(4.57%)) and Lululemon (LULU 49.70, -9.90(16.61%)), bot of which lowered their guidance on Monday. Others on the retail decliners' hit list include Coach (COH 54.30, -1.78(3.17%)), Gap (GPS 38.25, -1.59(3.99%)), and Michael Kors (KORS 76.67, -3.13(3.92%)).
Multi-faceted are the reasons for poor performances in stocks, from a stalled-out labor market to continued de-leveraging by consumers to the Obamacare fiasco to rising college tuition costs, these are just a few of the market-roiling scenarios playing out in the US and global economy.
There's more to today's selling than meets the eye, however, because there are serious cracks in the facade that is the US government, the status of the dollar as the world's reserve currency and the generally-frayed fabric of the Federal Reserve. Those in the know realize that time may be running short on fiat currency, of which all of the world's currencies are concurrently backed by nothing more than people's blind willingness to accept paper money in exchange for real goods and services.
That's at the root of the world's worries, but it is gaining prominence because individuals and businesses continue to shed debt, while the Fed, the Bank of Japan and the Eu monetary masters continue in their vain attempts to create more debt, which is, after all, their lifeblood. The only entities continuing to create debt are governments, making theirs and the days of their central bankers, numbered and in decline.
Losing faith completely in a particular government, national currency or system of exchange takes time, and when it comes to global currencies, such as the US dollar, even more time, but, as the events of 2007-2009 showed with sensational alarm, when faith becomes frayed in the minds of investors and speculators, events can spiral out of control, and, while that may not be precisely what's happening at present, it sure has the allure and feel of a full-blown currency/competency/confidence crisis in the making, one which actually started five to seven years ago, depending on which aspect one assigns as the starting point.
Demographically, the planet's population is aging and retiring; the current crop of up-and-coming youths don't inspire much in terms of leadership skills and a world dependent on handouts from government programs when the government itself is the main culprit and cause of the deterioration of global society is not a model upon which any sentient, thinking being would wager to last very long.
Gloom and doom scenarios such as this have roots in reality, though the psychological paradigms of cognitive dissonance and normalcy bias keep the general population in a state of suspended stupidity, though even the dullest among us can see the writing on the wall. Acceptance of such a harsh reality is not ready-made. It takes time, fear, and eventually, lots and lots of pain.
The time is growing short, the pain increasing (Have your wages gone up lately, while your costs continue higher and government regulations gain in stupidity, complexity and lack of enforceability?) and the fear, finally making a grand appearance at Wall Street, is beginning to spread.
Best to be prepared, and keep one's head while all about are panicking, because the panic is about to go mainstream.
As for the Fed, and how they create debt-money out of thin air, this brief, four-second clip should sufficiently explain:
DOW 16,257.94, -179.11 (-1.09%)
NASDAQ 4,113.30, -61.36 (-1.47%)
S&P 1,819.20, -23.17 (-1.26%)
10-Yr Note 99.20, +1.15 (+1.17%) Yield: 2.83%
NASDAQ Volume 2.17 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.58 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 1526-4234
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 325-42
WTI crude oil: 91.80, -0.92
Gold: 1,251.10, +4.20
Silver: 20.38, +0.162
Corn: 434.50, +1.75
Friday, January 10, 2014
Recovery? BLS Reports Just 74,000 New Jobs in December
It's tough to wrap one's head around numbers like the BLS released prior to the opening bell Friday morning, but they reported a paltry 74,000 jobs created in December of last year, the lowest print in nearly three years and magnitudes lower than consensus estimates of 200,000.
The number was fabulously rejected by Moody's economist Mark Zandi, who, live on CNBC, said the number should be "thrown out." Oddly enough, Zandi helps create the monthly private payroll report by ADP, which reported 238,000 December jobs on Wednesday.
The markets didn't take Zandi's advice, especially the bond market, as the 10-year note ripped higher, the yield dropping to 2.88%, the lowest since mid-December. Stocks spent most of the week's final session in the red, before rallying slightly into the close. The NASDAQ and S&P finished with gains on the day, though the Dow was down once again, though only slightly.
For the week, the Dow lost 32.94 points, the S&P gained 11.00 points and the NASDAQ was ahead by 42.76 points, so, depending on one's perspective, the lack of new job creation in the US just doesn't seem important to the valuation of equities, a judgement nuanced by the fact that the labor force participation rate fell to its lowest level in 35 years, at 62.8%.
Because so many people dropped out of the work force, the unemployment rate magically dropped to 6.7%, the lowest since the onset of the recession, in October, 2008.
The numbers belie what's really happening in the real world. Jobs are just not being created with any kind of rapidity, at least not at the rate one would associate with a falling unemployment rate.
But, as the saying goes, it's "good enough for government work," which is always shabby and usually falls apart before long.
The facade promoted over the past five years by the government and the media, that we're in the midst of a recovery, just met a reality that competes with the accepted propagandized narrative.
Just a note: the huge jump in corn prices (up $20.75) was due to the January crop report, which showed corn stocks at just a shade under 14 million bushels. The rise in price was largely due to short covering. Prices are expected to stabilize near 415-435 cents per bushel over the near term.
DOW 16,437.05, -7.71 (-0.05%)
NASDAQ 4,174.66, +18.47 (+0.44%)
S&P 1,842.37, +4.24 (+0.23%)
10-Yr Note 98.86, +0.81 (+0.83%) Yield: 2.88%
NASDAQ Volume 2.01 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.31 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 3708-1994
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 390-23
WTI crude oil: 92.72, +1.06
Gold: 1,246.90, +17.50
Silver: 20.22, 0.54
Corn: 432.75, +20.75
The number was fabulously rejected by Moody's economist Mark Zandi, who, live on CNBC, said the number should be "thrown out." Oddly enough, Zandi helps create the monthly private payroll report by ADP, which reported 238,000 December jobs on Wednesday.
The markets didn't take Zandi's advice, especially the bond market, as the 10-year note ripped higher, the yield dropping to 2.88%, the lowest since mid-December. Stocks spent most of the week's final session in the red, before rallying slightly into the close. The NASDAQ and S&P finished with gains on the day, though the Dow was down once again, though only slightly.
For the week, the Dow lost 32.94 points, the S&P gained 11.00 points and the NASDAQ was ahead by 42.76 points, so, depending on one's perspective, the lack of new job creation in the US just doesn't seem important to the valuation of equities, a judgement nuanced by the fact that the labor force participation rate fell to its lowest level in 35 years, at 62.8%.
Because so many people dropped out of the work force, the unemployment rate magically dropped to 6.7%, the lowest since the onset of the recession, in October, 2008.
The numbers belie what's really happening in the real world. Jobs are just not being created with any kind of rapidity, at least not at the rate one would associate with a falling unemployment rate.
But, as the saying goes, it's "good enough for government work," which is always shabby and usually falls apart before long.
The facade promoted over the past five years by the government and the media, that we're in the midst of a recovery, just met a reality that competes with the accepted propagandized narrative.
Just a note: the huge jump in corn prices (up $20.75) was due to the January crop report, which showed corn stocks at just a shade under 14 million bushels. The rise in price was largely due to short covering. Prices are expected to stabilize near 415-435 cents per bushel over the near term.
DOW 16,437.05, -7.71 (-0.05%)
NASDAQ 4,174.66, +18.47 (+0.44%)
S&P 1,842.37, +4.24 (+0.23%)
10-Yr Note 98.86, +0.81 (+0.83%) Yield: 2.88%
NASDAQ Volume 2.01 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.31 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 3708-1994
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 390-23
WTI crude oil: 92.72, +1.06
Gold: 1,246.90, +17.50
Silver: 20.22, 0.54
Corn: 432.75, +20.75
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Stocks Finish Flat to Lower; Alcoa, Sears Roil Markets After-Hours
2014 is not starting out the way 2013 ended. Stocks spent most of the day in the red, with only the S&P finishing with a fractional gain of 0.64 points.
Focus was on initial unemployment claims prior to the opening bell, as those seeking unemployment benefits fell 15,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 330,000, but the numbers failed to ignite any fire under stocks. Investors are still largely on the sidelines, awaiting Friday's non-farm payroll report for December from the BLS.
Stocks languished throughout the sluggish session, though after the close a number of important earnings reports generated a good deal of fear.
Alcoa (AA), traditionally the first company to report, said per share earnings for the fourth quarter were below estimates of .06 per share, coming in at .04 after extraordinary items, including $384 million to settle allegations that one of its units bribed members of Bahrain’s royal family and officials at a state-owned company to win business in 2004. The company, outside of arcane and often absurd bookkeeping rules, experienced a massive loss.
Shares of the world's largest aluminum manufacturer were down nearly four percent in after-hours trading.
Sears Holdings (SHLD), operators of Sears and K-Mart stores, was equally disappointing, maybe moreso, when it reported same-store sales declines of 7.4% during the quarter ended January 6. Amid the depressing holiday season miss, the company projected losses of between $2.35 and $3.39 for the quarter ending Feb. 1.
Shares of Sears Holdings were down more then 14% after-hours.
If those economic stories weren't enough to turn one's stomach, New Jersey governor and leading 2016 Republican presidential candidate, Chris Chistie, proved today that he is not only an overbearing, obnoxious, obese bully, but a terrible liar and scapegoater, capable of throwing even his highest-ranking administrators under any fast-approaching bus, as well.
DOW 16,444.76, -17.98 (-0.11%)
NASDAQ 4,156.19, -9.42 (-0.23%)
S&P 1,838.13, +0.64 (+0.03%)
10-Yr Note 97.87, +0.57 (+0.59%) Yield: 2.96%
NASDAQ Volume 2.10 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.56 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 2878-2807
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 415-42
WTI crude oil: 92.00. -0.33
Gold: 1,229.40, +3.90
Silver: 19.68, +0.144
Corn: 412.00, -5.00
Focus was on initial unemployment claims prior to the opening bell, as those seeking unemployment benefits fell 15,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 330,000, but the numbers failed to ignite any fire under stocks. Investors are still largely on the sidelines, awaiting Friday's non-farm payroll report for December from the BLS.
Stocks languished throughout the sluggish session, though after the close a number of important earnings reports generated a good deal of fear.
Alcoa (AA), traditionally the first company to report, said per share earnings for the fourth quarter were below estimates of .06 per share, coming in at .04 after extraordinary items, including $384 million to settle allegations that one of its units bribed members of Bahrain’s royal family and officials at a state-owned company to win business in 2004. The company, outside of arcane and often absurd bookkeeping rules, experienced a massive loss.
The net loss was $2.34 billion, or $2.19 a share, compared with net income of $242 million, or 21 cents, a year earlier, New York-based Alcoa said today in a statement. Profit excluding a settlement in a bribery case and other one-time items was 4 cents a share, trailing the 6-cent average of 16 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales declined to $5.59 billion from $5.9 billion.
Shares of the world's largest aluminum manufacturer were down nearly four percent in after-hours trading.
Sears Holdings (SHLD), operators of Sears and K-Mart stores, was equally disappointing, maybe moreso, when it reported same-store sales declines of 7.4% during the quarter ended January 6. Amid the depressing holiday season miss, the company projected losses of between $2.35 and $3.39 for the quarter ending Feb. 1.
Shares of Sears Holdings were down more then 14% after-hours.
If those economic stories weren't enough to turn one's stomach, New Jersey governor and leading 2016 Republican presidential candidate, Chris Chistie, proved today that he is not only an overbearing, obnoxious, obese bully, but a terrible liar and scapegoater, capable of throwing even his highest-ranking administrators under any fast-approaching bus, as well.
DOW 16,444.76, -17.98 (-0.11%)
NASDAQ 4,156.19, -9.42 (-0.23%)
S&P 1,838.13, +0.64 (+0.03%)
10-Yr Note 97.87, +0.57 (+0.59%) Yield: 2.96%
NASDAQ Volume 2.10 Bil
NYSE Volume 3.56 Bil
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 2878-2807
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 415-42
WTI crude oil: 92.00. -0.33
Gold: 1,229.40, +3.90
Silver: 19.68, +0.144
Corn: 412.00, -5.00
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