Archive - 2014

This morning we showed several charts that "Market Bulls Should Consider", as the mainstream media, analysts and economists continue to become more ebullient as we enter the new year.  This weekend's "Things To Ponder" follows along with this contrarian thought process particularly as it appears that virtually all "bears" have now been forced into hibernation.

Treasury yields collapsed 10-12bps today with the largest decline since 9/18/11. Treasury yields in general slipped back to the lowest level in 3 weeks. The USD was slammed lower (except against CAD which pushed lower - down 2.5% on the week!). JPY strength was offset by AUD and the cross provided the ammo to lift equities back to day-session highs in the last hour (104 USDJPY was defended aggressively). Stocks broadly bounced immediately after the knnjerk selling off the NFP print, then leaked lower until 3pmET when a decidedly low volume meltup took NASDAQ and Russell back to almost unchanged on the year. Trannies outperformed, Dow underperformed (TRAN +0.65%, DOW -1% YTD). Silver and gold surged back into the green for the week with the latter closing above its 50DMA for the first time since October and its highest in a month. VIX tumbled to 12.2% as hedges were lifted and recoupled with the S&P.

Somehow, like it or not, the world turns. Today's hegemon becomes tomorrow's also-ran. Today's reserve currency becomes tomorrow's wallpaper. Today's cock o' the walk becomes tomorrow's dinner. Hey, we didn't create this system. We don't even especially like it. But that's just the way it is. Whether you already have made a fortune, or are trying to build one, you need to be very careful about what currency... or currencies...  your wealth in denominated in. From an economic point of view, the system (established by Richard Nixon in 1971) is loopy. The Chinese pretend they have good customers. Americans pretend they have good credit. And everyone pretends to get richer … based on promises to settle up sometime in the future. Instead of edging toward a reckoning, all major governments seem to want to make the situation worse.

The media is lying about the economy. They have been for years. Even the BLS now admits that its methodologies are either inefficient (read: DON’T work) or outright wrong.

The economy is Boom(er)-ing...

With the Fed once again in the late stages of an easing cycle (affectionately dubbed QE3), we find the 2s/5s curve steepening yet again, hitting its widest level in 30 months at more than 135 basis points on January 1. Given this curve’s uncanny track record, one can’t help but wonder if it will ring the 160 bell yet again when the Fed completes its final purchase operation of QE3. With tapering now upon us, and the end of QE3 almost in sight, one might even be tempted to sell a few 5s against twos in the hopes of catching that final 25 basis points of steepening. A closer examination of that trade, however, reveals that one might be better off doing just the opposite.

Blind faith in your leaders, or in anything, will get you killed.--Bruce Springsteen

Even if you don’t buy that QE and ZIRP will lead to a dollar collapse, you do have to admit that these Fed policies have severely brainwashed investors. The Federal Reserve is the boiler room operation that has pumped up the equities market by way of QE and ZIRP. You are investing in a pump-and-dump scam. And like in all such scams, you will lose. Clear enough for ya?

While BofAML's Macneil Curry remains a longer-term Treasury bear, in the near-term (and potentially medium-term) the evidence for a pause and corrective yield pull-back is too much to ignore. Given the momentum conditions, he notes, these levels are not going to give way without a fight - Treasur bears beware. He also fears a correction lower in EURUSD and USDJPY (JPY strength) but worries that gold has further to fall.

Proving once again that if you want something done wrong, and preferably at massive cost overruns, then just leave it to the government, moments ago news broke that the main IT contractor behind the embarrassment that is healthcare.gov - CGI Federal - has been fired. Who could possibly foresee this? Well, anyone who had actually done some diligence on the clusterfuck that is CGI Federal, and which as WaPo profiled some time ago, "is filled with executives from a company that mishandled at least 20 other government IT projects, including a flawed effort to automate retirement benefits for millions of federal workers, documents and interviews show." Make that 21. "A year before CGI Group acquired AMS in 2004, AMS settled a lawsuit brought by the head of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, which had hired the company to upgrade the agency’s computer system. AMS had gone $60 million over budget and virtually all of the computer code it wrote turned out to be useless, according to a report by a U.S. Senate committee." Sounds like the perfect people to hire in order to make a complete disaster out of the Obamacare portal - almost as if by design. But the best news? Obama's little tryst with CGI Federal cost US taxpayers only $292 million. As Vanity Fair revealed recently, "According to congressional testimony, CGI stands to be paid $292 million for its work on healthcare.gov."

While this morning's dismal jobs data is being blamed on the weather (despite no other recent indicator reflecting the same effect), it seems New Yorkers are not afraid of the cold. In fact, as FoxNY reports, it seems there is a new 'must-have' for the New Year - a Union Job. 1,500 people have been on line since 1pm on Tuesday for a 'coveted' union job that pays $17.20 per hour (for painting and decorating apprenticeships) and could lead to a full-time union position. Forget the iPhone5S, union jobs is where it's at...

The Empire will protect itself from itself, from its own greed, corruption, malfeasance, incompetence and especially from its oppressed and enslaved citizens.

While excess risk-taking and broken markets likely dominate their thinking, the 'real economic recovery' meme the Fed is using to enable them to 'taper' their excesses. However, investors remain assured that if things get worse once again then the Fed will crank the presses and save the assets. It seems they have found their new excuse - no matter what...

*LACKER EXPECTS 'A LOT OF TURMOIL' IN HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY
*LACKER SAYS FED WILL BE WATCHING HEALTHCARE CLOSELY IN NEXT FEW YEARS

So, despite admitting asset-bubbles, fears over stock-multiples and excessively easy lending; the Fed will launch QE5 when Obamacare drags the US economy into trouble...

With the FBI joining investigations into the New Jersey Governor's Bridge-Gate scandal (and David Wildstein 'pleading da fif'), it would appear Chris Christie is calling in some favors. Bloomberg TV's Stephanie Ruhle reports this moring that the billionaire money manager Stan Druckenmiller proclaimed, "Governor Christie's actions yesterday reinforces my admiration for him," as he (rightly) pointed out that "the country thirsts for a great leader. A leader's actions in crisis are revealing." Druckenmiller went on to explain in his statement that he "believes Chris Christie is a once-in-a-generation leader... and he is showing essential executive skills as a manager: ensuring accountability and taking responsibility."