Archive - Aug 2015

What is going on here: is it just more seller than buyers, who are frontrunning an epic curve flattening or even inversion as may well happen once the Fed launches its rate hiking cycle? Or is something else happening behind the scenes. We ask because in addition to the normal selloff in cash and derivative products, something far more dramatic took place in the repo market where the repo rate on the 2Y just suddenly plunged out of nowhere.

Earlier this year, Germany’s attorney-general Harald Range has suspended the investigation into the NSA phone tapping affair. Due to Edward Snowden’s revelations, it had emerged that the NSA had wire-tapped even chancellor Merkel’s mobile phone. The reason for suspending the investigation? “We can’t prove it, and the Americans won’t tell us anything”. Of course documented proof does exist, and US officials have even admitted to tapping Ms. Merkel’s phone. It couldn't be any clearer that Germany is essentially a US vassal state. Since then, a plethora of NSA and BND-related scandals has emerged. But now, the president of Germany’s “Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution” (another spook agency) brought criminal charges against journalists working for the online publication “Netzpolitik”. Allegedly, the journalists are guilty of treason. Their offense? They reported on the spook bureaucracy’s plans to vastly expand internet surveillance of Germany’s citizens.

"The ayatollah constantly believed that we are untrustworthy, that you can’t negotiate with us, that we will screw them. This will be the ultimate screwing. We cut a deal, we stand up, it’s announced, five other countries believe in it—six other countries, because Iran signs off, and we’re the seventh—but you know, China, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, all sign off."

Well that escalated quickly...

What many have tacitly known for a long time was finally confirmed overnight when an analysis of Federal Election Commission data by Vocativ and The Daily Beast found that of the 60 or so ultra-rich Americans - aka the mega-donors - who have contributed to both Jeb Bush’s and Hillary Clinton’s federal campaigns, seventeen of those contributors have gone one step further and opened their wallets to fund both Bush’s and Clinton’s 2016 ambitions.

The US and Turkey are set to launch a "comprehensive fight against ISIS" with Turkey's Incirlik airbase as the hub, Ankara says. Other countries "interested in joining" the coalition include Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. For its part, Syria has a subtle reminder for everyone involved: "we support any effort to combat Daesh in coordination and consultation with the Syrian government, otherwise it will be a breach of Syrian sovereignty." 

Despite CNBC's focus on 'lows are in' after a bigger than expected inventory draw, the realization that production continues to surge has cratered WTI crude which is now trading with a $44 handle!! This is the lowest in 5 months.

At 1000-to-1, Kim Kardashian is an outsider in the race to be the next US President but perhaps most notable in the odds that bookies are willing to offer is the 7th place that Donald Trump ranks (at 18-to-1 or just a 5% probability of winning), below GOP rivals such as Jeb Bush (23% probabiity) and Marco Rubio (11% probability). Trump even ranks below Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden according to where the money is being bet! Of course, Hillary remains the odds-on favorite at 10/11 (or 52% probability).

As technology generally continues to advance, one thing you can be sure of is the criminal justice system’s use of innovative new “tools” will grow exponentially. This can be a good thing, but it can also be a very dangerous thing. Pennsylvania’s new law that permits the use of data showing whether people are “deemed likely to commit additional crimes” in criminal sentencing, is a perfect example of how an over reliance on technology can be a threat to liberty and due process.

Following API's drawdown last night, DOE reported a significant 4.41mm barrel draw (dwarfing the 1.63mm barrel draw expectation). Thisis the 11th of last 14 drawdown in inventory. Crude spiked on the news, seemingly ignoring the 0.6% surge in production - its biggest jump since late May... but has given all the spike back now, hitting a $45 handle.

"Ilias Zagoraios, the chief prosecutor of the Athens First Instance Court, has asked Greece’s cyber crime unit to investigate whether the public revenues service was hacked as part of an effort to create a parallel payment system under ex-Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis," Kathimerini reports.

ISM Services soared to its highest sicne 2005 - printing 60.2, beating expectations by the most on record - with the biggest MoM jump in employment in history. Does that sound in any way realistic? Markit Services PMI printed above its preliminary level at 55.7 for a small bounce after 3 straight months lower. However, more problematic is the plunge in 'hope' as busines outlook tumbles to its lowest since June 2012. As Markeit notes, while the headline may be encouraging, "dig a little deeper and there are causes for concern which could worry policymakers into deferring any tightening of policy."

Yesterday we showed a chart demonstrating that while the top 10 "Unicorn" startups have a private valuation of $156 billion on just $4 billion in revenue, what caught readers' attention is that the average employee among these 10 companies is worth a whopping $8 million.  But what about the "value" of employees at public companies, and especially at the blue chips, names such as MSFT, XOM, JPM, MCD and, the more recent trailblazers, AAPL and FB? The answer is shown below.

Seriously...VIX is trading with an 11 handle once again, at the lowest levels of 2015...