Archive - Apr 1, 2013

November through April is the best period to own stocks - it's almost over. 

According to some economist PhDs, the end of the gold standard era marked by the arrival of the Federal Reserve one century ago ushered in the era of stability, prosperity and virtually unlimited growth (just ignore the two world wars and millions of casualties immediately following). While that is an amusing way of describing a financial system that is now daily on the brink of a financial apocalypse courtesy of a few good central banks propping up a $1 quadrillion house of derivatives cards, whose collapse would mean an immediate "game over", and where (rapidly evaporating) confidence in a failing status quo, must be preserved at all costs, the question of post-Fed induced stability is an interesting one, especially when measured in terms of intangible value (in this case the most basic of indicators - the Dow Jones), compared to thousands of years of a real tangible, store of wealth: gold. In the chart below, courtesy of Cambridge House, we ask readers: in which period was there a more stable relationship between tangible and intangible values, and a less exuberant irrationality vis-a-vis that which is purely based on confidence, if not so much reality.

The past 10 days have seen the Japanese Yen strengthen 3% against the USD - its largest such move in two years - with today's rally prompting a rather painful 'crash' in the Nikkei 225 at the open and envoking the anger of Abe:

• *ABE SAYS CURRENCY CORRECTION HELPING EXPORTERS COMPETITIVENESS (except that there is no evidence of this in any macro data at all)
• *ABE SAYS IT'S POSSIBLE BOJ WILL FAIL TO REACH INFLATION TARGET (like for the last two decades)
• *ABE SAYS ECONOMY SUBJECT TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES (unpossible)
• *ABE SAYS BOJ MUST EXPLAIN IF IT FAILS TO REACH INFLATION TARGET (not my fault!)

It seems that perhaps the wise investing public is waking up to the fact that words do not speak louder than actions, that macro fundamentals are bad and getting worse, and that 36,000 target for the Nikkei may be a stretch goal here.

What is the meaning of the markets hitting new all-time highs.  The general consensus of the analysts and economists is that the rise in capital markets, given weak current economic data and a resurgence of the Eurozone crisis, is clearly a sign of economic strength; and, combined with rising corporate profitability, makes stocks the only investment worth having. There is, however, a more pragmatic perspective. Suppressed wage growth, layoffs, cost-cutting, productivity increases, accounting gimmickry and stock buybacks have been the primary factors in surging profitability.  However, these actions are finite in nature and inevitably it will come down to topline revenue growth.  However, since consumer incomes have been cannibalized by suppressed wages and interest rates - there is nowhere left to generate further sales gains from in excess of population growth. The reality is that all the stimulus and financial support available from the Fed, and the government, can't put a broken financial transmission system back together again.  Eventually, the current disconnect between the economy and the markets will merge.  Our bet is that such a convergence is not likely to be a pleasant one.

Companies have been guiding the Street lower and managing expectations for earnings. The ratio of negative-to-positive guidance is now at all-time highs. For every one instance of positive guidance we have seen more than three instances of negative guidance versus consensus. From a slow-and-steady top-line growth trajectory that entirely ignores a global slowdown and the possibility of declining revenue to the sharp contraction in Q1 2013 expectations (and implicitly even more hockey-stick-like recovery in the second half), these six charts should provide some compelling evidence of the miracle-like consensus 'hope' priced into these markets (unless of course we rely on every asset-gatherers fall-back - multiple expansion - as we noted earlier).

"Soon, whether via Bitcoin or whatever comes next, it will be possible to strip banking away from bankers, and money away from governments." From a recent article in the Spectator titled “How Bitcoin Could Destroy the State”. Support for Bitcoin amongst Austrian economists is growing by they day and in this interview, the highly admired and respected Tom Woods, discusses Bitcoin with Erik Voorhees of Bitinstant (a popular, rapid way of converting fiat into BTC).  This interview very poignantly addresses many of the layperson’s concerns about it that I have heard over the past several months.  Remember, despite the price rise, Ben Bernanke is still creating the equivalent of 75 Bitcoin markets every month with his money printing.

Goldman Sachs, pillar of ethical honesty in the lead up to the last market top and crisis, appears to be so bullish on leveraged loan and high-yield debt that it prefers to create an entirely separate holding company (that requires less transparency and avoids the Volcker Rule), raise external equity capital, lever up, and use a management team with "no experience managing a business development company (BDC)."  As the WSJ reports, Goldman plans to offer shares in a new unit, Goldman Sachs Liberty Harbor Capital LLC "as soon as is practicable," in a BDC that means it is exempt from the so-called Volcker Rule. The entity also enables Goldman to report less transparently since it qualifies as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act. Given the richness of credit, and the 'frothiness' in high-yield, is this an implicit option on credit (if credit rallies, profits go up to parent entity; if credit tanks, entity implodes and eats 'remotely' the new equity capital without affecting the bank itself)? Or maybe we are being too negative?

Last week saw a full court press in defense of the current money printing exercise. As we have frequently pointed out, modern-day economic policy is evidently in the hands of utter quacks. It matters little to them that their prescriptions have failed time and again for hundreds of years – they do the same thing over and over again, as though they were escapees from an insane asylum.

We are unsure whether this is the best produced April Fool's Day joke or a real 'new normal' business-plan sprouting from the entrepreneurial ashes of trust-forlorn Europe. No matter which (Monday Humor or sad reflection on the inevitability of a fractional-reserve-banking model gone rogue) - this 120 seconds is worth the price of admission.

If the suffering, yet docile, Cypriot serfs thought deposit confiscation would be the end of their problems under the European feudal system, they are about to be shocked. Because as part of their banking sector bailout, the country is set to get a "loan" from the Troika, a loan which comes with a Memorandum of Understanding, aka a "blueprint for austerity", with dictates terms for government revenue increases and spending cuts (of the variety that nearly caused America's leader to blow a gasket when he was describing the untold devastation that would result if the rate of acceleration in US budget spending dared to be slowed down even by a tiny bit). Today, a draft of the revised Cypriot MOU being prepared by the head of the IMF mission to the island nation, Delia Velculescu, leaked and can be found in its 24 page entirety here. However, for the benefit of our Cypriot readers, here is the important part: the listing of the anticipated austerity tsunami coming, not to mention healthcare system, "pension reform" changes and other proposals the ECB and the IMF are imposing on Cyprus as part of their generosity to keep the recently insolvent country as a well-behaving serf in the Eurozone.

It would appear that between the historical revisions of over-optimistic initial prints in macro data in the last few months and the reality of the weakness in Europe; the global economy is in Slowdown. Goldman's Swirlogram has now seen its Global Leading Indicator in the 'slowdown' phase for two months as momentum fades rapidly and seven of the ten major factors in the index declining with Global (Aggregate) PMI, and Global New Orders-less-Inventories worsening. Quite comically, the three factors providing some positivity are the Baltic Dry Index (which we are told is irrelevant when it drops), Japanese Inventory/Sales (which improved but remains at depression-era levels), and US initial jobless claims (which have become a farce statistically from what we can tell). Of course, none of this macro reality matters for now - until it does that is.

Buy-and-hold is alive and well and living (ubiquitously) in the Vanguard funds, courtesy of Jack Bogle. Invest for the long-term, stay the course, stocks beat bonds over the long-term; he trotted them all out in a recent CNBC clip but then left the permabull host speechless when he noted:

*JACK BOGLE SEES 2 DECLINES UP TO 50% OVER NEXT DECADE

Of course, investors should not wait for these dips to buy (he suggests), as no one can time the markets. Better to hold your nose, feel lucky, and drip-feed your money-on-the-sidelines into something that he suggests will drop by half twice in a decade. It seems someone went a little off script.

For the start of a quarter, volume was very weak today (but to be somewhat expected given the holiday) and despite two valiant algo-driven attempts to save the day, the S&P and Nasdaq ended back below its pre-Cyprus levels. The 'magical' Dow ended only a smidge lower on the day as the 'real' markets were all weak. Builders led the drop today but financials (especially the majors) continue to be monkey-hammered (Citi and MS now down 8% post-Cyprus). AAPL also stood out with its biggest drop in 10 weeks as the 50DMA breakout appears to have foxed many fast-money types. The USD faded on the day but provided no juice for stocks as the JPY strength hurt FX carry. VIX made higher highs on the day - hitting 14% as Treasury yields in general slipped 1-2bps. Gold ended unch, Silver down1.6% and Oil's afternoon strength supported some algos under the S&P. Today's equity weakness appears as much a catch-down from last week's disconnects as a possible reflection of the fact that US macro data has seen its worst 3-day run in 9 months.

Presented with little comment, but for all those calling for multiple expansion to save us from dismal earnings - take a look at this...

A mere nine months after we first discussed the inevitability of Stockton, CA.'s bankruptcy, a judge has ordered today that the city will now become the most populous in the US to be declared bankrupt.

• *STOCKTON CREDITORS DIDN'T NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH, JUDGE SAYS

Creditors are pushing to get the city out of bankruptcy but the judge states that "by any measure" the city was insolvent. So, in summary, yeah, it was broke years ago, it still is broke - despite the best efforts by the Central Planning Reserve to reflate the same housing bubble that was the primary reason for the city's insolvency in the first place. Only this time, it's official!