Archive - Mar 2012

The Ministry of Propaganda and its media minions are announcing that "job growth is on a tear" and the "best growth since 2006." How about we look under the hood of the employment euphoria? Here is an example of the Ministry's work: Best U.S. employment growth in 12 years Almost all the data agree — labor market’s on a tear.

Over the past six months, the number of people who are employed has risen by 2.3 million — an average of 385,000 per month. That’s the best growth since early 2000, when the dot-com bubble was in full flower. Since August, the unemployment rate has fallen by 0.8 of a percentage points, to 8.3%. For adults over 25, the jobless rate has fallen to 7%.

In other words, people who generally work full time so they don't have to share a bunk in a flop house or live in their parents' basement are almost fully employed, as 'full employment" typically generates an unemployment rate of 5% just due to churn. Would we as a nation be better off dealing with the truth rather than believing fantasies that prop up the Status Quo and the Fed's dearly beloved measure of the economy, the stock market? How often does accepting illusion help us navigate real life? Short answer: never.

The fearless ECB-plant leading the Greek people on an unelected basis has spoken. Here are the key points and counterpoints

And for today's piece of non-fiction uber-humor we have....

• U.S. COUNTER-SUES BUFFET'S NETJETS OVER UNPAID TAX LIABILITIES

Perhaps the GOP can offer to match Buffett $2 for every $1 in tax that NetJets is found to have not paid. One wonders: did NetJets pay less tax than Buffett's secretary?

Given various talking-heads' comments on today's PSI deal (which as noted actually increased Greece's gross debt load), we thought a 'map' of the current ratings across the European Union was worth resetting some perspective.

Yes, Obama Claims Power to Kill Americans on U.S. Soil

The somewhat amusing part of this entire transaction is that the debt of Greece has been INCREASED. Greece and the EU handed private holders $138Bn in write-offs but with the addition of the new loan, $171Bn, the gross debt for Greece increased by $33Bn and this is if all of the legal challenges favor Greece. The total debt of Greece (sovereign, municipal, corporate and bank) has just increased from $1.20 Trillion to $1.233 Trillion and all accomplished by this brilliant plan that did nothing except to tag investors and ramp up the debt load for the country. Take this and add in the austerity measures and perhaps demands for more coming later today as the EU has its summit and an economy that is quickly sinking into the sea and unemployment that is surging and then you can visualize that the absurd has become the impossible and quickly conclude that more Greek loans will have to be forthcoming; or not with some form of Greek exit. The much bandied about notion that all of this will reduce the Greek debt to GDP is little more than a joke. For the past two years there has not been one, one, accurate projection for Greece concocted by the IMF/EU/ECB and I see no end to this now. Some quick math on my part indicates, in 2020, a debt to GDP ratio exceeding 170% and that is being kind and using optimistic assumptions. Just this morning the new numbers released for Greece showed a 7.50% deficit increase as opposed to the projected -5.50% number. This is one more case of quite inaccurate projections and a worsening economy for the country.

Looks like it's time to start looking for somewhere else to peddle those Treasuries -- but then, when hasn't it been?

While everyone is focused on AAPL, or tech names, or energy sector growth, or multiple expansion as the driver of the next leg up in stocks, we take a slightly different tack. US equities are back above the highs of last year while US investment grade credit markets are still well below their best levels of last year. Until credit markets come along for the exuberant ride, and buy into the recovery/growth/no-tail-risk story we will not see a sustained rally (no matter how much fiat currency devaluation is undertaken) and as BARCAP notes today, there are 18 names that account for more than 50% of the discrepancy between equity's ebullience and credit curmudgeon-ness. Of these 18 names, 13 are financials (unsurprisingly) and indeed these are among the most liquid credits traded. So if you are bullish on a sustainable recovery, buying these credits seems the best high beta 'value' trade while bears should continue to watch the lack of confirmation of USD/fiat-numeraired equity market enthusiasm by risk-based credit markets.

Greece defaults & if it works, what makes anyone with a thirdof a synapse think that Portugal/Ireland will NOT jump in line to stiff creditors? This is more the end of the beginning than the beginning of the end of the crisis.

Once again European credit and equity markets flip-flopped intraday from a gap up open (yay, the PSI deal is done) to a modest financial-led selloff on weak data, to a non-financial-led small rally (with equity beating credit post US NFP) to a slide weaker into the European close. Financials (most notably senior unsecured) were the worst performers on the day as stocks managed small gains and credit bigger losses. European sovereign spreads also leaked wider all day after some initial excitement with Italian 10Y spreads 15-20bps off their best levels of the week into the close (and Portugal also leaking wider). US Treasuries continued to selloff as US equities limped higher but EURUSD is pushing back to the week's lows near 1.31 as JPY is also deteriorating (which is modestly stable for carry FX and implicitly risk). Commodities surged (seemingly on Goldman's GDP cut implying great er hopes of QE?) with Gold up over $1710 and almost unch for the week as WTI nears $108 again. As Europe closes, there is a modest derisking across all asset classes (with US and European financials the most obvious rollers). The Precious metals rip and Treasury weakness makes us wonder how much is QE-driven (especially given the sterilized propositions) and how much is simply a rotation to a different kind of safety or quality collateral? The LTRO Stigma is around 8bps (or 10%) higher on the week while Senior-Sub spreads are stable for now.

According to the doctrine of pre-emptive war, Iran can be attacked based on its alleged desire to develop nuclear weapons, just as Iraq was attacked in 2003. In fact, Congress is currently debating whether a nuclear capability alone (which Brazil, Japan, and other countries enjoy) could justify the 'preventive' attack. I believe it is time to negate this doctrine by postulating that Iran in fact has a right, as a sovereign nation, to a nuclear capability. Having traveled to Iran recently, I can attest to the Joint Chiefs' General Dempsey's reference to Iran as a 'rational' actor. The Iranians have no interest in destroying America, or Israel, at the expense of one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world, dating back about 2600 years. Iran is currently surrounded by over 40 U.S. military installations, not counting Israel's still-unaccounted nuclear arsenal. To assert that Iran would jeopardize its culture for a one-shot nuclear attack is a complete miscalculation of the Iranian spirit; that spirit gave rise to a revolution in 1979 against what they perceived as Anglo-American imperialism in the form of the Shah, much as our own revolution opposed British imperialism.

The Fed can get more market gains from Charles Evans than $600 billion in QE. Hey Bernanke, here’s an idea: just stop bothering with monetary policy at all give Charles Evans his own TV show. Heck, we'd get the same effect with less Dollar devaluation. 

Minutes ago, the Greek cabinet formally announced that it has approved CAC use on Greek debt, which was the final milestone that ISDA was waiting for before making its determination. Most overjoyed by this appears to be gold, which has moved by nearly $40 from this morning's post-NFP (no "inflationary" QE3?) lows and was testing $1715 moments ago. Oh, and silver too. In other news, Zero Hedge is happy to sell CDS insurance on every bar of gold purchased by anyone, anywhere. Under UK, Greek or whatever alien law that will be needed in 2-3 years to bail out the world.

Following continued strength in earnings (and analyst upgrades), Smith & Wesson is up 23% this morning (near three year highs). It seems all those freshly printed temporary workers are spending their hard-earned minimum wage on 'defense' instead of iPads.

*SMITH & WESSON BOOSTS REV. FORECAST                    :SWHC US

*SMITH & WESSON 3Q EPS CONT OPS 8C, EST. 4C                :SWHC