Archive - Jul 2015 - Story

Because, why not...

Just two years after Toy'R'Us attempted (and failed) to IPO, Bloomberg reports that insurance companies are cutting back on their coverage of the firm's suppliers. Without this 'insurance', which protects suppliers in case a retailer fails to pay them for merchandise - as in the event of a bankruptcy - the risks of shipping to the retail chain soar. Toys'R'Us bonds have collapsed to lows as investors recognize that credit insurers sometimes cancel existing policies if a company’s performance declines precipitously enough to place its ability to keep operating in doubt. That occurred in the months before bankruptcy filings at RadioShack, Borders, and Circuit City.

After today's Bill auction which once again saw rising yields at multi-month highs, supposedly due to Fed rate hike concerns, many were watching today's 2 Year auction carefully to see if rising rate pressures will put a dent in short-end maturities. The answer was a resounding no, when moments ago the Treasury sold $26 billion in 2 Year paper at a yield of just 0.69% (as a reminder the Fed's leaked staff projection forecast a FF rate of 1.26% at the end of 2016 or inside the maturity of this bond), pricing 0.8bps through the 0.698% When Issued, and suggesting there may have been another short squeeze into the auction.

As Greece prepares to weather still more austerity in exchange for a third EU bailout program, the economy has fallen into a veritable tailspin, as retail sales collapse, doctors flee, and credit is nowhere to be found. 

Bubblevision’s Scott Wapner nearly split a neck vessel today denouncing the US stock market sell-off. It was completely unwarranted, he thundered, because China don’t have nothin’ to do with anything. The collapse of red capitalism in China is exporting gale force deflation to the global economy, meaning that the already evident rollover of world trade is just beginning its descent. So S&P profits are not immune, not by a longshot. One of these days, perhaps soon, even Scott Wapner will get the memo.

Malicious VIX buyers have been arrested... because 2% losses in China is the new freaking awesome!!

After two years and a massive 167,000 signatures, FirstLook reports that The White House has officially denied a hugely popular whitehouse.gov petition calling for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to be “immediately issued a full, free, and absolute pardon,” saying thanks for signing, but no, stating that "Mr. Snowden’s dangerous decision to steal and disclose classified information had severe consequences for the security of our country and the people who work day in and day out to protect it." While acknowledging that "this is an issue that many Americans feel strongly about," Lisa Monaco, President Obama’s advisor on homeland security and terrorism, said in a statement, "we live in a dangerous world."

In case you were wondering WTF... it's oil, as the algos pin to WTI after JPY failed to follow through on overnight intervention...

Earlier today, the US Census released its latest homeownership data, which confirmed that for what is left of America's middle class, owning a home has become virtually impossible, with the homeownership rate plunging from the lowest level since 1986, or 63.7%, to just 63.4% the lowest reading since the first quarter of 1967.  And the punchline, which should come as no surprise to anyone: with housing no longer affordable to most, the median monthly asking rent just rose to a record $803 across the US.

"Look at the data, and you’ll realize that our present concerns are not hyperbole or exaggeration. We simply have not observed the market conditions we observe today except in a handful of instances in market history, and they have typically ended quite badly..."

"Now, let me be honest with you," Obama said. "I am in my second term. It has been an extraordinary privilege for me to serve as the President of the United States. I cannot imagine a greater honor or a more interesting job. I love my work. But under our Constitution, I cannot run again." He then added: "I actually think I’m a pretty good president. I think if I ran, I could win. But I can’t. So there’s a lot that I’d like to do to keep America moving, but the law is the law."

The Conference Board just reported that US Consumer Confidence, having bounced in June, has collapsed in July (and saw the bounce revised drastically lower). At 90.9, this is the lowest since September 2014 and is below the lowest economist estimate. More worrying is the crash in "hope" - as consumer expectations plunge from 92.8 to 79.9 (lowest since Feb 2014). This should not be a surprise since Gallup has been indicating fading confidence in its weekly survey for a while. 57% of Americans believe the US economy is "getting worse," which has left Gallup's Economic Confidence Index tumbling to its lowest in 10 months.

It all looked so awesome in the pre-open... thanks to the overnight PPT. But as soon as US equity markets opened, the selling began as Biotechs were hammered lower sending Small Caps plunging and Nasdaq into the red...

Just six weeks after one Chinese farmer invested his life savings in the Chinese market, proclaiming "it's a lot easier making money from stocks than farm work," another has lost it all... and more.  "I don't know what to do... I trusted the government too much..." he exclaims, adding "I won't touch stocks again, I have ruined everyone in my family."