Archive - May 27, 2011

You won't believe how many billions public pensions are pouring into hedge funds. Is this positive or sowing the seeds of the next crisis?

Commerce is the lifeblood of a nation. Without the free flow of trade, without financial adaptability, without intuitive markets driven by the natural currents of supply, demand, and innovation, cultures stagnate, countries whither, and one generation after the next finds itself deeper in the somber doldrums of economic disintegration. In an environment of transparency, honesty, and the absence of monopoly (government or corporate), on the rare occasions in history that these conditions are actually present in one place at one time, we often see an explosion of prosperity and true wealth creation. When local, decentralized markets are given precedence over subversive elitist leviathans like mercantilism or globalism, a wellspring of abundance bursts forward. Free people, building true free markets that serve the specific needs of individual communities and insulating the overall economy from systemic collapse; this has always been the wave of the future. Not “integration”, “harmonization”, or some fantastical nonsensical “global village” administrated by a faceless unaccountable transnational entity like the IMF, infested with sociopathic maid raping euro-trolls. Unfortunately, average Americans today have grown far too accustomed to having their commerce, and thus their livelihoods, micromanaged for them. The bottom line is, if the daily fiscal life of the average American were to deviate from today’s norm even slightly, the results would be devastating. There is no flexibility in our current system. All is rigid and fragile. There is no backup plan.

In a glowering example of humanist magnanimity, the tax expert, who also on occasion pens missives describing in detail the destruction that would ensue should dealers be hindered from perpetuating the US Treasury ponzy, known as Tim Geithner, just advised China that its low exchange rate impairs China's ability to curb inflation. This, coming from the man under whose watch the dollar has gotten pounded eight ways to Sunday. The announcement came as part of the semi-annual report issued to congress, which was due originally back in April, yet which as everyone knew was delayed for no other reason that more theatrics. And just to confirm how utterly toothless US game theory bluffs have become, Geithner, contrary to much bristling rhetoric to the contrary, decided not to name China a currency manipulator, a move that is sure to require the CME to promptly issued five margin hikes of Chuck Schumer's blood pressure. But lest someone accuse Tiny Tim of being not only a tax fraud, and a liar, but also a coward, he did add that the Yuan is "substantially undervalued." And so the USDCNY revaluation debate has been pushed back for at least one more year. And to those who experience a feeling of deja vu upon reading this, worry not: Geithner had exactly the same conclusion 3 months ago. Bottom line: China 2; US 0.

The most recent CFTC data is out and the results are in: momentum chasing FX speculators continue to retrench to exit positions, as the Euro long orgy, which as recently as May 3 hit a multi year record at 99.5k net long non-commercial contracts. Fast forward 4 weeks, and the recent plunge in the EURUSD has brought the exposure to just 19.1K contracts, the lowest since January 18, and a level prevalent in October and November of 2010. The 4 week drop is the biggest one month drop, as the momentum to the downside accelerates. Although it may still have a ways to go: the recent "support" is around -50k contracts. At this rate it will be hit in about 3 weeks. In the other camp we have the USD which saw short covering bring it to net non-spec exposure climb from -1,270 to 2,485, the first net positive exposure since January 2011. That said, with the EURUSD on the verge of breaching of 1.43, it seems that the great unwind is now over. A complete historical chart of non-commercial specs, and several other products, can be seen below.

RANsquawk Market Wrap Up - Stocks, Bonds, FX etc. – 27/05/11

Earlier today SocGen came out with a report that is a must read for everyone who has an even passing fancy in global monetary policy, as the currently rampant inflation in China, and the approaches ushered to deal with it, threatens to derail the global "recovery" (although not sure in what: printing of credit money - yes; economy - no) which according to Morgan Stanley is "too young to fail." To be sure, SocGen discusses the first of three dominoes that will or already have, fallen, as part of the increasingly popular domino theory of Chinese inflation. SocGen explains: "Quite simply, the domino theory of 2011 is that when China comes under the influence of inflation, the surrounding countries, those with the most immediate trade ties, would also fall to inflation. It will only be a matter of time till those economies with the greatest trade ties; indeed the entire world has succumbed to the great inflation cascade emanating from China." And the first domino, which SocGen claims to already  have fallen is the following: "The first domino is China creating  autonomous structural inflation: China’s domestic inflation accelerated at an unprecedented pace at the end of 2010 and policy makers remain well behind the curve. As China engineers its economy to a more domestically focused one, its demand curve is shifting outwards and the global supply curve has been inelastic in response. That domino has already fallen and is the focus of this paper." And while we respect SocGen's opinion on China, most recently referenced to debunk a BCG report on imminent US-Chinese worker wage parity, in this case we wonder if SocGen has simply gotten on the boat of conventional wisdom a little too fast. What we mean is that "structural" inflation may not be all that "structural"especially if one considers a flip to a traditional Stalin saying: "no man - no problem".... in this case "no electricity - no inflation." Bernstein's Michael Parker explains...

2 Young 2 Die and other important matters on yet another Friday afternoon before the shit could hit the fan three day weekend...

For nearly 30 years we have had two Global Strategies working in a symbiotic fashion that has created a virtuous economic growth spiral. Unfortunately, the economic underpinnings were flawed and as a consequence, the virtuous cycle has ended. It is now in the process of reversing and becoming a vicious downward economic spiral. One of the strategies is the Asian Mercantile Strategy. The other is the US Dollar Reserve Currency Strategy. These two strategies have worked in harmony because they fed off each other, each reinforcing the other. However, today the realities of debt saturation have brought the virtuous spiral to an end. One of the two global strategies enabled the Asian Tigers to emerge and grow to the extent that they are now the manufacturing and potentially future economic engine of the world. The other allowed the US to live far beyond its means with massive fiscal deficits, chronic trade imbalances and more recently, current account imbalances. The US during this period has gone from being the richest country on the face of the globe to the biggest debtor nation in the world... So what could possible stop this ideal symbiotic relationship from continuing to feed on itself? A number of factors, all of which are now coming together to end this Virtuous Cycle.

Credit markets are sending some worrying signals for risk appetites. Systemically rising spreads in HY, among other charts we highlight, suggest fixed income players are getting the post QE2 joke ahead of stocks.

Asked about the fate of the economic "recovery", which incidentally is nothing more than a $2 trillion dollar dilution-funded blip on the depressionary downtrend commenced in December 2007, Greg Peters, the head of fixed income research, at Morgan Stanley, the firm whose other fixed income strategist Jim Caron will now have been proven wrong three years in a row following his annual broadly bullish call for a jump in rates (not based on bearish considerations such as those postulated by Bill Gross... bullish), tells Tom Keene that the recovery is "Too Young To Die." Yep. That's the justification. Alas there was no mention that the 98 year old ponzi scheme perpetrated by the Fed since 1913 is now "Too Obvious To All." And when that fails, many of the same people who get paid huge sums of recycled taxpayer money to come up with catchy four word slogans while spouting flawed economic projections will suddenly find themselves "Too Pitchforked To Fly Away (To Non Extradition Countries)"

The only thing that could prevent another oil shock from happening before the end of 2012 would be another major economic contraction. The emerging oil data continues to tell a tale of ever-tightening supplies that will soon be exceeded by rising global demand. This time, we will not be able to blame speculators for the steep prices we experience; instead, we will have nothing to blame but geology... With Brent crude oil having lofted over $100/bbl at the beginning of February and remained above that big, round number for four months now, we are already in the middle of a price shock. It may not be a perfect repeat of the circumstances of the 2008 oil shock, but it's close enough that the risk of an economic contraction, at least for the weaker economies, is not unthinkable here. Japan, now in recession and 100% dependent on oil imports, comes to mind. Looking at the new data and reading even minimally between the lines of recent International Energy Agency (IEA) statements, I am now ready to move my ‘Peak Oil is a statistically unavoidable fact’ event to sometime in 2012, which tightens my prediction from the prior range of 2012-2013. Upon this recognition, the next shock will drive oil to new heights that are currently unimaginable for most. First, $200/bbl will be breached, then $300, and then more.

Looking at these pictures from Barcelona one would think this is Tunisia, Cairo, or at best, Athens. Instead, it is from the once incomparably wealthy capital of Catalunia (although they did have Olympics there: an event guaranteed to result in at least one municipal bankruptcy at some point in the future), and before the Barcelona-Man United game. One can only imagine what happens if Barcelona wins (or is that loses).

A snapshot of the US Afternoon Briefing covering Stocks, Bonds, FX, etc.

Market Recaps to help improve your Trading and Global knowledge

Bank of America, which services mortgage loans on behalf of investors, may be acting for its own benefit, Knights of Columbus said in a lawsuit filed today in New York State Supreme Court.

What's the hole that is swallowing up the economy? The failure to follow the rule of law. The rule of law is what provides trust in our economy, which is essential for a stable economy. The rule of law is the basis for our social contract. Indeed, it is the basis for our submission to the power of the state.
We are supposed to be a nation of laws, not of men. That's what humanity has fought for ever since we forced the king to sign the Magna Carta.
Indeed, lawlessness - the failure to enforce the rule of law - is dragging the world economy down into the abyss.