Archive - Apr 8, 2014

Update: as expected the denial of the propaganda didn't take long: PROTESTERS IN LUHANSK, UKRAINE, DENY HAVING EXPLOSIVES AND  HOLDING HOSTAGES IN STATE SECURITY BUILDING

While the source of the most recent developments in the Ukraine is the country's state security services and should thus be taken with the usual mine of salt, Reuters is reporting that pro-Russian separatists have placed explosives in a building they seized in the eastern city of Luhansk and are using weapons to hold around 60 people against their will.

While we are sure the men of the world are applauding quietly from the background, President Obama's plan for equal pay is likely to appeal to the females in his audience - especially those who might vote... it is perhaps ironic that the President brings this up once again - and for good reason is the gender pay inequality gap is indeed worsening - when it is the women of America that have regained all their jobs (and then some) since the recession while men have not...

We believe ourselves to be credible and intelligent, even though nearly all our working capital, our knowledge, is corrupt and seriously tainted.

Presented with no comment...

As we noted previously, the US remains convinced that "there is strong evidence suggesting some of [the pro-Russian] demonstrators were paid," and Russia, in the same vein, responded that they "are particularly concerned that the operation involves some 150 American mercenaries from a private company Greystone Ltd., dressed in the uniform of the [Ukrainian] special task police unit Sokol." So, this morning's 'claims', substantiated, we presume, by YouTube clips and CIA promises, that John Kerry blasted to his Twitter followers is remarkable: "it is clear that Russia special forces and agents have been the catalysts behind the chaos of the last 24 hours in Ukraine." Clear... proof?

Despite Russia's veiled threat that any ongoing action against pro-Russian demonstrators had the potential to instigate civil war and bring action by the Russian forces, Ukraine's interior minister Arsen Avakov has announced, Reuters reports, that Ukraine has launched an "anti-terrorist" operation in the eastern city of Kharkiv and about 70 "separatists" have been arrested for seizing the regional administration building. Is this the red-line that Putin laid down last night?

Presented with little comment aside to ask if 4th time is the charm for the 'hoped for' earnings recovery in Europe...

Hey, remember me?

Another quarter, and another attempt at predicting the future by the people whose predictions have become the biggest butt of all economics jokes, even more so than Paul Krugman columns. We are talking, of course, about the IMF's World Economic Outlook update.

Overnight weakness on the back of disappointment in the BoJ and PBOC was ignored entirely in the few minutes into and past the US open this morning. Perhaps it was the IMF's outlook? Perhaps it was just algos desperate to get back to VWAP to enable institutional sellers out? Whatever it was, the insta-vert-ramp in stocks at the open - entirely disconnecting from bonds, FX carry, and credit - has now reversed. Biotech's early 0.6% gain, gone. S&P's early 5 point rally, gone... and JPY crosses are no help at all as USDJPY tests 102 lows...

If the Fed is so powerful, why is it so cowardly and fearful that it has to cloak its theft of our money and its transfer of the wealth to the banks? What's it so afraid of? That we might wake up to the fact that we're being Fed to the sharks, every day, one morsel at a time?

Some out there were waiting on the International Monetary Fund’s new World Economic Outlook report to be issued today. Some were waiting. Most didn’t care, since it was going to contain a tissue of inter-woven statements that probably say what we have already been thinking (at least we could have hoped that they might be that honest) about the dire straits of the world economy.

Having hit their most hopeful levels in seven years in January, small business hiring plans have collapsed at the fastest rate since Lehman in the ensuring 2 months. Despite the headlines proclaiming the modest rise and beat in the headline NFIB data, capex spending plans dropped and hiring expectations dropped to lows seen 11 months ago. We can only assume the small businesses are expecting more winter storms through the spring...

Are you saying it took the highbrow economist cadre five years to figure out and agree with what we first said in 2009, and for which we received endless ridicule, abuse and accusations of fringe insanity? Yes. We are saying that.

Update: As CNBC just reported moments ago, tech fund Coatue is returning $2 billion of $7 billion to investors, citing "difficult market conditions." Just wait until the "difficult market" drops more than just 3% from all time highs...

As a reminder, for those with Bloomberg (and the proper permissions) the easiest way to track the performance of the most popular hedge fund names is using the BBG ticker GSTHHVIP, and especially its performance against the S&P. But for those who don't have access, or are too lazy or depressed to type anything into their terminal today, here it is, straight from Goldman's sales and trading mouth, summarizing yesterday's market poundage:

Our HF VIP basket underperforms the SPX by over 100bps, 3 standard dev move and the worst since June 2012.

Oops.