Archive - Jul 24, 2015

Total US rig count increased a somewhat stunning 19 last week to 876 - the highest since May. This is the biggest rise in rig count since August 2014. The oil rig count surged 21 to 659 - this is the biggest weekly rise since April 2014. Louisiana (up 7) and Texas (up 8) saw the biggest increases.

About three quarters of Republican early-state insiders say they believe Donald Trump has peaked, but Politico reports, many acknowledge that may also be wishful thinking. Among New Hampshire Republican insiders, 73% say Trump has 'peaked', while, as Politico details, 81% of Hawkeye State Republicans said the same."I hope and pray that he has peaked," added another Granite State Republican,with a Democrat noting "if peaking is poll numbers, maybe, but this guy is far from done"

"Hillary Clinton will propose a revamp of capital-gains taxes that would hit some short-term investors with higher rates, part of a package of measures designed to prod companies to put more emphasis on long-term growth," WSJ reports. Interested to know who might be pulling the strings behind the scenes? Read on...

The crude collapse continues... and HY energy credit risk spikes above 950bps...

With all eyes currently transfixed on Iran’s nuclear future, there is seemingly little attention being paid to another landmark Middle Eastern nuclear trend, spearheaded by Russia.

As commodities carnage and credit cracks, talking heads remain intentionally ignorant in there sheep-like mantra to buy and hold stocks no matter what. Ever hopeful that 'growth' and the 'future' will fix any and all over-valuations, even with the current record low number of stocks trading 'cheap', they continues to ignore the facts. As Professor Bruce Greenwald recently told Goldman Sachs, "if a cyclical is trading expensively, it doesn't really matter how fast it is growing because historically growth hasn’t created value for cyclicals. Absent growth, value cyclicals don’t look like good investments."

Nowhere is this new "glamour" bubble more visible than in the divergence between these "sexy" names built up on nothing but hype, or as David Einhorn would call them "story" stocks, and good old "resource" companies: those engaging in such "old economy" activities as energy and materials.

We are seeing a kind of flight forward by investors – promises of future returns that may or may not eventuate continue to be highly rewarded – no price seems too high. This is actually a fairly typical bubble phenomenon. It is impossible to say for how long it will continue and how far it will go, but it is possible to say how it will end: in tears, especially for Johnny-come-lately investors.

Well that escalated quickly...

Despite exuberant existing home sales, new home sales crosses back below the 500k Maginot Line to 482k SAAR - the lowest since Nov 2014. Previous data was revised notably lower as June data missed expectations by the most in a year. The West region saw new home sales collapse 17%. Perhaps the slide in single-family home starts means something after all?

Despite a very marginal improvement (from 53.6 to 53.8), Markit US Manufacturing PMI remains stubbornly stuck at 19-month lows, unable to bounce from the weathewr-strewn, port-strike-ridden weakness of Q1. As Markit notes, "a modest upturn in the headline manufacturing PMI belies some more worrying undercurrents which point to potential weakness in coming months," and the slump in unemployment index suggests things are not well at all...

While Amazon is up 17%, the Nasdaq party is being spoiled by the 17% collapse in Biogen following its aggressive guidance cut. As we noted previously, Biogen is the 4th most profitable biotech company and this 'scare' is weighing heavy on Janet Yellen's favorite short industry as the entire Biotech index is sliding.

"The letter has been sent." Greece formally invites the troika back to Athens sparking anger, resentment among a conquered people.

Despite the glad-handing over Amazon's results, the rest of the world appears less than impressed with the state of the status quo. Bond yields continue to plummet with 30Y yields at 2.95% - its lowest since the start of June. Gold saw a double-flash-crash overnight but is bouncing back for now - back above the key $1080 level. The Dow and S&P have given up gains and are back in the red and even Nasdaq is fading fast as Biogen and Amazon battle it out to affect the index...