Archive - May 23, 2014 - Story

Last month's dramatic miss of expectations for a modest post-weather pop in new home sales (having dropped 14.5% month-over-month) so it was inevitable that there would be a bounce. Modestly beating expectations, 433k annualized new home sales in April was only a 6.4% gain MoM thanks to the upward revision of the big miss in March. This 'recovery' remains well below the peak see in January - right in the middle of the worst weather impacted time in US history if one is to believe what the media is spewing. Before the 'housing recovery is back on track' meme gets going though, there is the fact that homes sold in the Northeast fell to the lowest since June 2012... as the average home price fell to $320,100 - the lowest since August 2013.

Remember the legend of the great rotation? Neither do we. But we do know that a Treasury fund inflow of $3.06 billion, the largest since at least 2010 according to Bank of America, coupled with an equity fund outflow of $7.1 billion, means just one thing: the great unrotation is raging. It does beg one question, however, with equity funds dumping in the past week, just who is actually left BTFATH? (Don't worry, that's rhetorical - we all have Kevin Henry and the HFT crew to thank for the ongoing endless manipulation of the rigged market).

Curious how and why commercial bank traders manipulate the price of gold? The following detailed narrative from the FCA should answer most lingering questions.

Yesterday we highlighted the European people's growing 'revulsion' against Europe and overnight we got yet another confirmation that the status quo - despite record low bond yields and record high stock and real estate prices - are losing their grip on control. Having taken the lead in the polls last week, UKIP's Nigel Farage has scored a major victory in local elections in England with early results pointing to considerable gains for the euro-skeptic party:

UKIP GAINS 20 SEATS IN EARLY ENGLISH LOCAL-ELECTION RESULTS
U.K. TORIES LOSE 20 SEATS IN EARLY LOCAL-ELECTION RESULTS

As Reuters reports, one MP noted "I think Nigel Farage for quite a lot of those people is just a big sort of two fingers stuck up at what they feel is a sort of hectoring, out-of-touch elite."

Just like stocks go up on Tuesdays in the US (and Wednesdays in Japan).. and volatility always falls... so shortly after 8am ET this morning 'someone' decided it was the optimal time to unleash $450 million notional of gold futures. Just as we saw earlier in the week, this sizable dump only achieved a $5 depreciation in price as it seems the inexorable efforts of status quo stabilizers to ensure the only real indicator of empire collapse is not flashing red remain in full effect. Given that Barclays is now out ofthe business of rigging gold prices, the question remains: who is?

• The Fed can't print trade? World Trade Flows Fall in First Quarter (WSJ)
• PBOC’s Zhou Says China May Have Housing Bubble in ‘Some Cities’ (BBG)
• ECB's Weidmann - Reviving ABS market not task for central bank (Reuters)
• LOL: Fitch upgrades Greece by a notch to 'B'; outlook stable (Reuters)
• LOL x2: Spain Sovereign Debt Rating Upgraded by S&P (BBG)
• China Will Vet Tech Firms After Threatening U.S. Retaliation (BBG)
• US to claim victory over China in WTO car dispute (BBG)
• Obama urges Democrats to vote in midterms, attacks Republicans (Reuters)
• U.S. Military Pushes for More Disclosure on Drone Strikes (WSJ)

Following the only major overnight econ event, which was the May German IFO Business Climate Index which dropped from 111.2 to 110.4 missing expectations of 110.9, the USDJPY has been on a soaring rampage higher hoping to push equities along with it (because now that gold manipulation is a proven fact, it is only a matter of time before the link between manipulating the USDJPY on thin volume with massive leverage and rigging the equity market is uncovered too), and at last check was just shy of 102.000. For now equity futures have failed to be dragged along although with the S&P all time high just around the horizon, the psychological level of 1900 staring the rigged market in the face, and the weekend just around the corner, it is virtually assured that the S&P will close at an all time high today - after all the people need to be confident when they go shopping at malls with money they don't have (but delighted by paper profits they haven't booked) so they boost the US non-GAAP GDP (at least before like Italy, the BEA too changes the definition of GDP to include cocaine and hookers). Finally, assuring a (record?) low-volume levitation today is the early closure of the bond pit ahead of Memorial Day holiday which also means only a skeleton crew of algos will be frontrunning each other to push the S&P over 1,900.