Archive - Jul 26, 2013 - Story

Is Vladimir Putin, tired with Edward Snowden recasting himself as Tom Hanks in the Moscow transit terminal, about to send the NSA whistleblower packing, bound and gagged, and gift wrapped back to Obama? It increasingly appears so. Reuters reports that, in a sudden and abrupt shift to the previously defiant tone out of Putin, Russia's FSB federal security agency and its U.S. counterpart, the FBI, are in talks over the fate Edward Snowden, who is stuck at a Moscow airport, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on Friday. Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin was not involved in talks over the 30-year-old American, who is wanted by the United States on espionage charges.

Today, to much fanfare, the FT and other media blast that "Japan posts highest inflation rate since 2008" using this as evidence that Abenomics is once again working (i.e., that the Nikkei 225 has resumed its upward nominal path). Unfortunately, as usually happens, there is a problem here: this is simply not true.

• The Citadel-SAC connection (BBG) - just wait until the Citadel-FRBNY connection emerges
• Letter backs Yellen for Federal Reserve role (FT) - or said otherwise, the Democrats would like the Fed to rule (and monetize deficits) for ever
• Obama, Republicans gear up for bruising U.S. budget fight (Reuters)
• Up for Debate at Fed: A Sharper Easy-Money Message (WSJ)
• UBS to Pay $885 Million to Settle U.S. Mortgage Suit (BBG), Banks shiver as UBS swallows $885 million U.S. fine (Reuters)
• Japan finmin Aso: CPI shows gradual shift to inflation from deflation (Reuters)
• Japan's PM calls for high-level talks with China (Reuters)
• Holder Targets Texas in New Voting-Rights Push (WSJ)
• Another Nightmareliner incident: Probe opened as Air India Boeing Dreamliner oven overheats midair (Reuters)
• Samsung Boosts Capital Spending as High-End Phone Demand Slows (BBG)

For the second consecutive day futures have drifted lower following a drubbing in the Nikkei which was down nearly 3% to just above 14K (time to start talking about the failure of Abenomics again despite National CPI posting the first positive print of 0.2% in forever and rising at the fastest pace in 5 years) and the Shanghai Composite which dropped to just above 2000 once again, after PBOC governor Zhou saying that China has big economic downward pressure and further reiterated prudent monetary policy will be pursued. This is despite Hilsenrath's latest puff piece which pushed the market into the green in yesterday's last hour of trading and despite initial optimism which saw stocks open higher following forecast-beating EU earnings gradually easing and heading into the North American open stocks are now little changed. It may be up to the WSJ mouhtpiece to provide today's 3pm catalyst to BTFATH, or else it will be up to the circular and HFT-early released UMichigan confidence index to surge/plunge in order to push stocks on any red flashing news is good news.