Archive - Jul 10, 2014

• PORTUGAL'S BANKS MORE CAPITALIZED, MORE TRANSPARENT NOW: COSTA
• PORTUGAL TO OUTPERFORM ITALIAN BONDS ON MACRO OUTLOOK, MS SAYS
• BARROSO SAYS FOREIGN INVESTOR CONFIDENCE IN PORTUGAL INCREASING
• PORTUGAL OUTLOOK REVISED TO STABLE AT S&P

Broad European stocks are down over 4% in the last few days but that hides the carnage among the most exuberantly excited names on the way up.  Portugal, Spain, and Italy have been battered in the last few days (despite everyone explaining how Portugal is so small, contained etc..). Portuguese bond spreads spiked 25bps today as the central-bank-inspired coupling of sovereign-health and banking-system stability drag each other down (Spain and Italy jumped 9bps higher in risk). European bank stocks have cratered and are now negative year-to-date.

Behind the veneer of “all is well” being promoted by both world Governments and the Mainstream Media, the political elite have begun implementing legislation that will permit them to freeze accounts and use your savings to prop up insolvent banks.

On the heels of Wal-Mart's dismissal of the "great" jobs report, The Container Store CEO yesterday explained how Q1 weakness was "not just the weather" but an overall 'funk' in consumer spending. Last night we had a second firm - the much more integrated into the housing recovery, Lumber Liquidators - come out with some heresy about Q2 bounce backs and the weather..."demand strengthened for 30 days beginning in mid-March. But in May demand slowed and further weakened in June. We were somewhat surprised by the magnitude of the continued weakness in the stores designated as impacted by weather in the first quarter." There goes Q2 GDP...

Just when we thought US foreign policy couldn't sink to new lows, it does just that.  Recall yesterday's less than veiled threat by China president Xi Jinping Xi called for greater military communication with the U.S., adding that "A conflict between China and United States will definitely be a disaster for the two countries and the world. As long as we uphold mutual respect, maintain strategic patience and remain unperturbed by individual incidents and comments, we’ll be able to keep relations on a firm footing despite ups and downs that may come our way.” So what does the US do? Nothing short of taking a machete and poking the Dragon in the mouth.

Another day, another uncomfortable fact about Q2 not being the epic bounce back that so many had promised. Wholesale Inventories rose only 0.5% in May - following April's +1.1%. This is the slowest growth in 2014 and biggest miss of expectations since Dec 2013. Wholesale sales also fel back, missing expectations at +0.7%, to the slowest since Feb as April hopes fade. Cue, Q2 GDP downgrades in 3...2...1...

The PSI20 - Portugal's "Dow" - is down 22% from its exuberant early-year highs (when Europe was fixed). Who could have guessed that under the surface, nothing was fixed? We are sure the next few days will be full of reassurances from asset-gatherers and TV anchors proclaiming that "Portugal is a small country", "BES is contained", "Draghi's put will protect from any contagion." Now where have we heard that before.. and remember as Juncker told us, "when it gets serious, you have to lie."

But, but, but everyone said growth was back...

You know things are not going your way when a long-time ally and peer in the world's power structure 'shuns' you. On the heels of the exposure of a 2nd "spy case", Germany has had enough...

*GERMANY EXPELS U.S. DIPLOMAT OVER ESPIONAGE AFFAIR
*GERMAN GOVT TAKING ISSUE 'VERY SERIOUSLY,' CHANCELLERY SAYS
*EXPULSION LINKED TO INVESTIGATION OF ALLEGED U.S. SPYING

It appears the US surveillance efforts was crossing Merkel's red line and the 'diplomat' appears to the CIA station chief. Of course, we are sure President Obama knew nothing about this spying...

"Following the release yesterday afternoon of the latest minutes from the FOMC which make it very clear that the Fed’s propensity to tighten monetary policy in the near future is near zero. We may have thought that the market was over-bought and due for a correction, but we are going back to being “pleasantly” long rather than market neutral for the Fed’s wind is at our back." - Dennis Gartman

But... but... the VIX said everything is ok, and European rates were the lowest they have been in centuries... How can something possibly go wrong?

It just did.

Remember when everyone ignored this story about Espirito Santo in May: "Portugal's Largest Bank "In Serious Financial Condition" Auditor Warns." Good times. Alas, one can only kick the can of Europe's banking sector insolvency so far before everything blows up in everyone''s face all over again and Draghi has to come out of his crypt and spook everyone that he will do "whatever it takes" to ignore reality and just pretend stuff is fixed which carries Europe over for a few more months before the whole charade has to be repeated.

Europe is collapsing, contagion is spreading, US firms are admitting "it's not the weather"... but initial jobless claims news is great so BFTD? After 5 weeks of misses, initial claims beat and fell to 304k - just shy of the record low for the cycle. Continuing claims rose though, missing expectations for the 2nd week in a row - this is the first 2-weeks-in-a-row rise since Feb.

The Fed spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on increasing Lending with the idea that loan growth increases economic activity. Is it possible that it is Interest Income derived from Savings that is more important to economic growth?

• Espirito Santo Financial Suspends Shares, Bonds on ESI Exposure (BBG)
• Europe Stocks Drop for Fifth Day as Espirito Santo Sinks (BBG)
• Espirito Santo Creditors Doubt Containment on Missed Payment (BBG)
• French Stocks Seen Extending Losses on Economy Concern (BBG)
• Stocks Slide With Portugal Bonds as Yen Gains; Oil Drops (BBG)
• U.S. Probes Hacking of Government Computers at Personnel Agency (WSJ)... finds terabytes of porn 
• It's Congress' fault: Obama rejects criticism over border crisis (Reuters)
• Israel Mobilizes 20,000 Troops for Possible Gaza Invasion (BBG)
• Chinese hackers pursue key data on U.S. workers (NYT)
• Donetsk Primed for Siege as Ukraine Army Hems In Rebels (BBG)