It is now clear the US economy has broken down in a BIG way. Indeed, no less than Ben “green shoots” Bernanke has stated that the recovery is “close to faltering.” This, coming from a cherrleader like Bernanke is essentially an admission from the powers that be that the US economy is a disaster.

Do not be fooled. This move is short-covering and a snapback and nothing else. We’ve seen several of these in the last two months alone. Every time the market rolled over quickly and collapsed. So let the traders play their games. Based on retracement levels this move could go to 1,182 or 1,200 on the S&P 500. But this rally should be used to get even more defensive than before.

These charts tell us in no uncertain terms that the US financial system is once again under extreme stress. They tell us that the market is going down, down, DOWN over the coming months.  We're going to be seeing major banks go under, market crashes, food shortages, government shutdowns, and SYSTEMIC FAILURE.

The fact that leverage levels prior to this round of the Crisis were even higher than those from the Tech Bubble… combined with the $600+ TRILLION in derivatives floating around in the financial system… should give you a sense of how serious the market declines can and will be as this whole thing breaks apart.

I suggested to get defensive weeks ago. I urge you to be even more defensive now. Use rallies to lower exposure to stocks to the longside and to establish some shorts. I would also be heavily exposed to cash as the US Dollar rally I forecast last month looks ready to go into hyperdrive:

The Fed’s decision to buy $400 billion of longer-term US Treasuries in this environment is essentially the Fed announcing that it will be covering a significant portion of new debt issuance going forward as a means of putting off the inevitable US debt default. At most the Fed has bought 2-3 months of time for the US. I fully believe that before the end of this year, the bond market will shift its sights away from Europe to the US. At that time, the US debt bubble will burst resulting in systemic failure.

My primary point with all of this is that the bailout/ intervention gravy train has come to an end. Indeed, while the lemmings pile into stocks believing in this nonsense, smart investors are already preparing for the next leg down in the markets. The reason is simple: last week’s sell off is JUST the beginning of what's coming.

Because of the intertwined nature of the derivatives market, a Greek default could result in systemic risk for the simple fact that if one of the banks that goes down with Greece has extensive exposure to Spain as well, then things could get ugly very, VERY fast.

A mere two weeks ago FIVE central banks intervened to help the European banking system. The benefits of that intervention last one week. Things are now so bad in Europe that corporations are now pulling their money from private banks and depositing directly with the ECB:

The reality is that Europe in its current form is over. No German backstop means no success for the EFSF no matter who big it becomes. Germany IS the backstop for the EU. Take it out of the equation and the EU in its current form is finished.

Yes, the GREAT COLLAPSE has begun. The markets will be going to new lows (below the March 2009 lows) in the coming months. We're also going to be seeing major banks go under, market crashes, food shortages, government shutdowns, and SYSTEMIC FAILURE.

The Fed is trying to lower long-term interest rates… at a time when Treasuries are trading at all time highs. This is akin to buying Tech stocks in late 2000 or buying Housing stocks in late 2007. The US debt market is officially in a bubble… and the Fed wants to spend $400 billion trying to make it bigger. With leverage of over 50-to-1 the Fed is finished.

I fully believe that the Great Collapse, the time when the Fed completely loses control of the markets, has arrived. We're going to be seeing Market Crashes, Bank holidays, riots, food shortages, and more in the coming months.

While most commentators proclaim that QE is a completely new phenomenon, we have in fact seen a version of it in the form of the Fed’s and Asia’s (especially China’s) purchases of US Treasuries/ currency pegs over the last decade or so.

Folks, if a coordinated intervention on the part of FIVE central banks can’t even give us one week of gains in the European banks… nor lower the cost of Dollar swaps… then we’re in the absolute END GAME for central bank intervention.