Archive - Mar 18, 2015 - Story

Talk of raising interest rates introduces a new Fed conundrum. Over the last few months, Federal Reserve Board members have maintained a less dovish tone which implies the eventuality of rate hikes despite economic data which has been slowing rapidly.... A case can be made that, excluding 2008, the economy is weaker now than prior to the announcement of the previous QE actions and Operation Twist. Further confounding the Fed stance is inflation, which as measured by CPI is running lower than at any time since 2009. Additionally the strong dollar and global deflationary trends point to lower inflation and possibly deflation in the coming months.

"The debt borne by the oil and gas sector has increased two and a half times over, from roughly $1 trillion in 2006 to around $2.5 trillion in 2014. As the price of oil is a proxy for the value of the underlying assets that underpin that debt, its recent decline may have caused significant financial strains and induced retrenchment by the sector as a whole. If the adjustment takes the form of increased current or future sales of oil, it may amplify the fall in the oil price.

Borrowing in USD was risk-on; buying USD is risk-off. As the real global economy slips into recession, risk-on trades in USD-denominated debt are blowing up and those seeking risk-off liquidity and safe yields are scrambling for USD-denominated assets. Add all this up and we have to conclude that, in terms of demand for USD--you ain't seen nuthin' yet.

There have been countless previews of the FOMC statement at 2pm today, all of them largely worthless and regurgitating the same exact stuff. The only one that matters, as it is the only one with the explicit blessing of the Fed (see "On The New York Fed's Editorial Influence Over The WSJ") in its attempt to manage expectations: that "drafted" by Jon Hilsenrath. And if what the WSJ economist writes in "Fed to Markets: No More Promises" is accurate, then fasten your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen, because we are about to enter some turbulence. "The Federal Reserve is about to inject uncertainty back into financial markets after spending years trying to calm investors’ nerves with explicit assurances that interest rates would remain low."

We thought private tech company valuations looked ridiculous, but as the VC world will patiently explain to you, things like cash flow and operating costs actually don't matter, and "valuation" doesn't mean what you thought it meant. 

Following last night's massive 10.5mm barrel build (according to API), this morning's DOE inventories data was highly anticipated (with an expectation of just over 5 million barrels). It did not disappoint... printing at 9.622 million barrel inventory build, this is now the fastest inventory build on record... with record total inventory and record Supplies at Cushing. Storage concerns are growing. But, despite the collapse in rig counts, high-grading and cash-flow deparation remains as crude production also hit a new record high.

WTI is now down over $2 from the massive API inventory build last nihgt and is testing down to a $41 handle. The latest leg is not halped by Saudi officials' comments that it "will not interfere with the oil market," and that "the oil market will fix itself," as they continue the line taken at the last OPEC meeting and pressure US Shale even further.

We suspect any second now, one (or all) of the exchanges will break as VIX just flash-crashed from 16 to 13.69...

Draghi, we have a problem. Despite the omnipotent buying power of the all-knowing ECB, peripheral European bond spreads are blowing out again (and stocks dropping) as Grexit fears start to spread contagiously across the continent. As Greece's cash crunch looms ever closer (with capital controls looming) and bulls "throw in the towel" on the "nuts" Greeks, the IMF has come out and rubbed Mediterranean salt into that wound by telling the Eurogroup that Greece is the most unhelpful country the organization has dealt with in its 70-year history. As Bloomberg reports, in a short and bad-tempered conference call on Tuesday, officials from the 'Troika' complained that Greek officials aren’t adhering to a bailout extension deal leaving Dijsselbloem hinting at Cypriot templates for Greece.

Less than three weeks ago, when the PBOC proceeded with its latest "surprise" rate cut, we showed a chart that should scare everyone who is hoping that China will avoid a hard-landing would prefer would never have been revealed: the annual collapse in Chinese home prices is now so sharp and so widespread, that it has surpassed the housing collapse in the aftermath of the Lehman collapse." Overnight things went from bad to worse, when China's National Bureau of Statistics reported that contrary to hopes for a modest rebound, China's average new home prices fell at the fastest pace on record in February from a year earlier.

Ahead of The Fed's 'impatience' today, and amid a tumbling EUR, the oldest central bank in the world has decided it is time to go further into the illustrious ranks of NIRP/QE'ers:

*RIKSBANK CUTS KEY RATE TO -0.25%, TO BUY GOVT BONDS FOR SK30 BLN

So as opposed to Denamrk's roundabout QE, Sweden just jumps in and monetizes that debt direct by expanding their QE program and shifts from small NIRP to bigger NIRP. All this while suggesting the labor market is strengthening and inflation has bottomed out. The reaction - SEK is plunging and OMX surges.

No US data today but we thought this worth sharing from 'up north'. As BoC comes to grips with non-economic tar sands, Canada's Wholesale Trade Sales collapsed 3.1% MoM in January - the biggest drop since January 2009 (and second biggest in a decade).  Low oil prices are unequivocally good though remember...

Well that escalated quickly. What gains were achieved yesterday in equity markets (or v-shaped recoveries) have been dismissed this morning as stocks test Tuesday's lows tumbling as Europe got into swing and Greek fears surged (along with peripheral bond spreads).  Treasury yields are pushing on lower past 5Y maturity (10Y approaching 2% again) but 2Y higher, as the dollar limps lower. WTI Crude remains in the low $42s after last night's API inventory build. All in all, it appears markets are starting to be resigned to the impatient Fed's actions today.

It's not just Greece which is protesting the utter lack of reforms enabled by the ECB known as "austerity" - as of today so is Germany itself with the so-called #Blockupy movement. According to local media reports, the start of anti-austerity rallies in Frankfurt coincided with the European Central Bank opening its new headquarters, whose occupants are now besieged by tens of thousands of protesters, so perhaps #OccupyQ€ would have been more appropriate. Police said they expect around 10,000 anti-capitalist protesters, marching under the banner of leftist alliance Blockupy, to attend the rally, with a march through the city planned for later in the evening. The result is what according to a police spokesman "is one of the biggest deployments ever in the city."

• Hilsenrath: Fed to Markets: No More Promises (WSJ)
• Fed set to ditch 'patient' rate vow as it eyes U.S., world growth (Reuters)
• Fannie, Freddie could need another bailout (Reuters)
• Alibaba Stock-Sale Lockup Is Ending (WSJ)
• Netanyahu Sweeps Aside Herzog’s Challenge to Win Israel Vote (BBG)
• Oil Bonds Lose Investors $7 Billion in 10 Days (BBG)
• There’s a mysterious $1.1 trillion in spending cuts in the House GOP’s budget (WaPo)
• ECB's Celebration of Its New $1.4 Billion Tower Is Spoiled by Protesters (BBG)