Archive - Apr 30, 2015

Just three questions here about Sarah Dahlgren's "resignation":

1. Why is she resigning now: is there a crackdown on just how corrupt the Goldman Sachs branch office at Liberty 33 truly is?
2. What will her salary at Goldman Sachs be once she joins the 200 West firm?
3. Which Goldman partner will replace her.

According to the latest SNB financial release, 18%, or CHF 95 ($102 billion) of the assets held on the SNB's balance sheet are, drumroll, foreign stocks!  In other words, the SNB holds 15% of Switzerland's GDP in equities!

"The Q1 US GDP data was a major disappointment to the market as business investment declined due to the intensifying US profits recession. Only the biggest inventory build in history stopped the economy subsiding into a recessionary quagmire. The US economy is struggling and the Fed will ultimately re-engage the QE spigot. Talk is growing that China will soon be doing the same as local authorities struggle to issue debt. But this week we want to focus on Japan, having just made my fist visit to that fine nation for over a decade! Japan, the third largest economy in the world, is also in trouble (see chart below) and will soon be increasing its off-the-scale QE programme to an out-of-this-world QE programme." - Albert Edwards

Suddenly, and with no catalyst whatsoever, "someone" decided to sell JPY, buy EUR and USD and aggressively bid for US equities and European peripheral bonds... just as they headed for an ugly day... Paging GPIF?

The world oil market is undergoing a fundamental structural change in response to expensive oil. Producers are trying to survive by limiting expenditures. While analysts have been focused on rig counts, deferred completions have emerged as the initial path to lower U.S. oil production. This unanticipated outcome suggests that others may follow. While everyone is waiting for higher oil prices and for things to return to normal, what we may be witnessing is the end of normal.

So… we have stocks bubbling right as they enter a seasonably weak period as the economy is rolling over. None of these things bodes well for the market. We believe stocks are actually putting in a TOP right now, to be followed by a 20%+ correction in the coming weeks.

The current equities bull run seems unstoppable. No amount of geopolitical concerns, Greek default fears, rate hikes, US dollar strength, crude oil price volatility, Russian sanctions or whatever else you can think of can put a dent on it. Perhaps we should take a step back and try to understand what is driving this strength. OK, we know that central banks continue to spike the punchbowl, but what is the actual transmission mechanism that directs all this liquidity into equities – as opposed to commodities for instance, which continue to struggle?

George Soros may owe some $6.7 billion in taxes Bloomberg says, noting that despite the billionaire's call to increase taxes on the wealthy, his fund has employed a loophole that allowed for the deferral of taxes on management fees the reinvestment of which has generated billions in returns. 

"I felt a great disturbance in the Farce, as if millions of fast-money voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

Following ISM Milwaukee's major miss this morning (and income and spending data weakness), and 2 months of significant misses, Chicago PMI printed 52.3 (handily beating expectations of a bounce to 50.0). Employment rose at a faster pace in April but Prices Paid tumbled at a faster pace.

The results of the latest FOMC meeting confirm that most of the media and investor communities don't get the joke on Fed policy since the crisis.  No change in '15

Well that escalated quickly...

We are silver bulls! Yes, that’s true. But before we make some money we will most probably lose some. $12 silver is a real possibility! Hedge Funds Wrong Again. Same as with Oil

Because what really matters is not spending or incomes for the average American (which both missed dismally), the market appears convinced that the 2nd lowest jobless claims print in history is what matters and the "rate hike is coming" trade is on. Bond yields are higher, dollar is jumping, and gold (and silver) and dumping...