Archive - Sep 2015 - Story

Two weeks ago, when no one was talking about the possibility of a government shutdown, we warned it was coming. Today, as Politico reports, with very little time left to reach a deal, budget experts project a 75% chance of a shutdown. No matter how immaterial in terms of their economic impacts, government shutdowns create uncertainty and thus influence Fed decisions and as SocGen notes, with the odds of an October liftoff low, a government shutdown could lower them further. Although funding issues should be resolved by the December FOMC meeting, there is a small chance that the fiscal standoff extends into the end of the year (i.e. due to a temporary continuing resolution), creating another deterrent for the Fed.

It's no secret that Brazil was long expected to be the epicenter of any future EM crisis just as it was, in many ways, the picture of EM success during better times. That said, even we’ve been surprised with the pace at which the situation has deteriorated and in the wake of the S&P downgrade the market is now left to ponder just how much worse things can get. According to Goldman the list of obstacles is laughably long.

The Federal Reserve system was created in December 1913 with the stroke of the pen by then President Woodrow Wilson. Since that time, consumer purchasing power has fallen from $1,000 in December 1913 to … $40 today.

The technical pattern for S&P 500 and many other US and global equity market indices is sell rallies, according to BofAML's Stephen Suttmeier, who notes that the market is as overbought now as it was in July. Current price action suggests “dislocation” rather than “capitulation” and we continue to see the risk of retest / undercut of the August 2015/October 2014 lows of 1867-1820.

"When central bankers start talking like FX strategists, it can signal something important"...

So who is the most powerful woman in the world now?

Below we show the latest monthly data from CAT which is once again in negative territory across the board, but more importantly, the global headline retail drop (down another 11% in August) has been contracting for 33 consecutive months! This is not a recession; in fact the nearly 3 year constant contraction - the longest negative stretch in company history - is beyond what most economists would deem a depression.

Last week was the watershed for central banking and for the illusion that the current disposition of things has a future. 

For a brief shining moment this morning, the lack of a total bloodbath in Asia, some desperate spin about how China is not collapsing, and a hawkish Bullard provided just what the market wanted - higher USDJPY and thus soaring stocks. Once Europe closed, the mysterious bid for the dollar (EUR offered) disappeared... and so did Nasdaq gains...

When bailout-darling GM 'fessed up to an intentional ignition-switch defect, tied to at least 174 deaths, The Justice Department fined them $900 million (and no employees faced criminal charges). So, in this consequence-less world in which we live, when Volkswagen admits to literally cheating emissions-standards tests, it faces up to $18 billion in fines from The EPA, one has to wonder whether "we" have our priorities right?

If you were trying to put together a global all-star team of the most authoritarian, human rights abusing nations on earth, not only would Saudi Arabia be at the top of the list, it would be captain of the squad. In a move as embarrassing, laughable and tragic as Barack Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize just as he was about to embark upon several overseas wars and drone countless civilians to death without due process, the United Nations has, remarkably, named Saudi Arabia head of it’s human rights panel.

When The Fed's own cheerleader-in-chief (see October 2014) slams you for cheerleading, you know it's gone too far. In a stunning 30 second clip on CNBC this morning, St.Louis Fed head Jim Bullard sent a message to "your friend Cramer", saying "The Fed cannot permanently raise stock prices," adding, rather astonishingly to the anchors, "to have [Cramer] cheerleading for lower rates 24 hours a day is unsavory."

It appears Jim Bullard's words (since his deeds are of no use as he is not a voter) were just enough to reassure the world that Yellen was "just kidding" about the whole global growth worries and market turmoil and is quiote ready to raise rates as soon as possible (even if FF futures say "nein"). EURUSD is now down over 250 pips since Friday highs, battered back near a 1.1100 handle...

Update: Rumor confirmed- *PANDORA WINS PRELIMINARY CRB DECISION, SUSQUEHANNA’S CLAPS SAYS (market disappointed)

Pandora is now up 11% on the day after twice being halted (on absolutely no news)...