Archive - Mar 27, 2014

In our previous article we explained why buying a house is often a very silly financial decision, especially for people who are young, or those that have a low net worth. In this article we're going to explain why we think people are so infatuated with the idea of buying and owning a house, even though, if you look a the facts, it goes against many of the investment principles they believe in and hold dear.

Britain's former chairman of the  Financial Services Authority (FSA), Lord Adair Turner, warned that the UK could be repeating the 2008 financial crisis by fueling the property market ... When money is debased by monetary authorities on an industrial scale, the results can be catastrophic ...

The economic growth expectations for the world in 2014 just plunged to fresh lows at a mere 2.78% - that is 15% "less" growth than was expected a year ago. The world's equity markets are up 25% "more" than at the start of 2013. Thus, our dysfunctional dystopian world where 'less' economic growth is 'more' wealth-creating. Long live the central bank utopia...

The major US equity indices all pushed into negative YTD territory today in yet another pump-dump-and-small-ramp deja vu day. Early strength gave way quicker today as Biotechs bounced off an early dump (but closed back below their 100DMA for 2nd day - first time in 18 months), momo names were crushed (down 10-14% post-FOMC), Citi was banged over 5% (on extremely heavy volume post CCAR), and the NASDAQ tested down (and bounced off) its 100DMA. Treasuries were mixed once again with bear-flattening the dominant theme. The USD ended the day unch on the week with EUR weakness offset by CAD and GBP strength. AUDJPY was in chgarge of stocks most of the day-session. Copper and oil improved as gold and silver slipped more (though bounced at the close). Late-day JPY pump, VIX dump rescued the S&P back to +0.03% return for 2014.

Shortly after suspending Russia’s membership in the exclusive coalition of industrialized nations, the United States and the six other wealthy nations that compose the newly renamed Group of Seven reportedly found themselves unable to get their deposit back on a set of “2014 G8 Summer Getaway” T-shirts they had ordered for the body’s scheduled summit in June...

The New Cold War: "We cannot take our freedoms for granted."

While we are sure the governments and their IMF handlers will find a way around such annoyances as the rule of law, the Greek Supreme Court just ruled that the seizure of bank deposits due to debts to the state without previous notice was against the Constitution. We humbly suggest the Ukrainian courts be rapidly brought to a decision on the same ruling, before IMF hands start dipping into pockets.

Well that didn't take long.. the "nationalists" who freed the country from Yanukovych's apparent corrupt government in favor of a well-chosen US leadership, are now turning on the replacements:

• *UKRAINE NATIONALIST PRAVYI SEKTOR PROTESTS AT PARLIAMENT: TV5
• *UKRAINIAN PROTESTERS DEMAND INTERIOR MINISTER'S RESIGNATION
• *UKRAINE LAWMAKERS EVACUATED FROM PARLIAMENT BUILDING: TV5

Of course, this is a day after the party's leader was allegedly killed by Police, and following lawmakers demands that citizens return any illegally held guns. It seems reveolution is addictive...

As the cost of living increases around the globe, wage protests and strikes have become commonplace, particularly in the emerging market space:

If the current pace of reductions continues it is reasonable to assume that the Fed will terminate the current QE program by the October meeting. If we assume the current correlation remains intact, it projects an advance of the S&P 500 to roughly 2000 by the end of the year. But... the question is, can the US economy can stand on its own when QE completely winds down, not to mention when the Fed actually hikes rates? Amid such weak levels of economic growth does not leave much wiggle room to absorb an exogenous event, or even just a normal downturn, in an economic cycle. If the Fed is indeed caught in a liquidity trap, then the current withdrawal of support will quickly show the cracks in the economy pushing the Fed back into action. It is at the point of "monetary impotence" where the word "risk" takes on a whole new meaning.

#Selfies!

We GET the Joke … It’s Just Not Very Funny

"Either way you look at it, it's time for the Fed to stop inflating housing assets, and stop buying mortgages" is how Alex Pollock introduces the following live streamed event by AEI. With speakers such as Chris Whalen we suspect, as the moderator explains, they will explain why "financial markets never seem to grow smarter when it comes to real estate."

The short-end of the Treasury curve continues to reprice higher in yield (3Y +2bps) as the term structure bear-flattens with 30Y yields rallying further after the aggressive 7Y auction. 30Y yields just broke below 3.5% (-4.5bps) - the lowest level intraday since early July 2013. 2s10s are now at 2.21% - near 10-month lows - and 5s30s has plunged to 1.80% - its flattest since September 2009.

Bear markets are punishment for over-exuberance and greed, notes ConvergEx's Nick Colas, teaching investors to be more careful next time around. That’s a pretty popular narrative in capital markets, and with two tough bear markets over the past 15 years, Colas suggests you’d think that there’s no way investors would be guilty of blowing bubbles again.  Right?  Well, as Nick explains, if the evidence from actual crime and punishment is any guide, this moral narrative is actually quite wrong.