Market Share

Apple's second largest value driver decline was called with precision, detail and accuracy - as was the very similar call on the iPhone, Apple's primary value driver (also in decline). Where is the buy point?

• Ackman Says Pershing Square Takes 9.8% Stake in Air Products (BBG) - So is APD Carl Icahn's biggest ever short yet
• Latest Hilsenplant: Summers Hedges His Doubts on Fed's Bond Buying (WSJ)
• China Stocks World’s Worst Losing $748 Billion on Slump (BBG)
• U.S. Spy Program Lifts Veil in Court (WSJ)
• Abenomics on the rock again: Japan July manufacturing PMI shows growth at 4-month low (Reuters)
• EADS to be renamed Airbus in shake-up (FT)
• Goldman's GSAM has significantly increased its exposure to European equities (FT) - there is a reason why this is Goldman's worst division
• Japanese Megabanks Post Mega Profit Gains (WSJ) - when one excludes MTM impact from rate surge of course
• Ex-workers sue Apple, seek overtime for daily bag searches (Reuters)
• Hong Kong Yuan Deposits Snap Eight-Month Increase on Cash Crunch (BBG)
• Downtown NYC Landlords Remake Offices in Shift From Banks (BBG)

Following OAO Uralkali's decision to break up a 'marketing venture' that controlled around 43% of global potash exports, the world's largest producer is breaking the cartel that many US fertilizer companies have enjoyed. This move signals prices will weaken as the Russian company tries to grab market share shifting sales to its own unit. As Goldman notes, such behavior by Belaruskali in a structurally oversupplied potash industry should push for stricter competition for end customers and result in a significant swift decline in pricing to a level of marginal cost production. This slashing of margins has crushed the fertilizer stocks with POT, MOS, and AGU all down significantly in the pre-market."Uralkali’s announcement completely turns the global potash market upside down," noted one analyst. "If previously global potash producers were acting like an oligopoly, working with the rule that benefited higher potash prices over shipped volumes, now the market will be fully competitive." Shock, horror!

Kate and William had a boy. Our bet on a name is George, but only because that appears to be the odds-on favorite among the London bookies.  Still, all that money flowing around must at least be a little “Smart”, right?  But as ConvergEx's Nick Colas notes, the same dynamic applies, albeit on a larger and hopefully more informed scale, when it comes to how capital markets price securities.  We have our baselines – the price-earnings ratio of the market, the interest rate on Treasuries, the average price per square foot for real estate, and so forth – and then we tweak everything else up or down from there.  That method has the benefit of simplicity, but comes with problems as well.  More than anything, Colas warns, it pushes investors to “Anchor” their notions of valuation to benchmarks which may move when the wind shifts.

This was easy to see coming. The big question is, What's next?

The Innovator’s Dilemma strikes again, this time with the news that the city of Detroit has filed for bankruptcy protection.  As a business term, ConvergEx's Nick Colas reminds us that the “Dilemma” describes how successful companies fall from grace because they ignore new competition with disruptive technologies at the low end of their markets.  In a world that increasingly revolves around intellectual capital (a.k.a. people), government at all levels needs to think about how they do not fall prey to the same error.  As for Detroit, any lasting solution likely needs far more government intervention than is currently possible. And so to where Detroit goes from here, we’ll borrow from another business paradigm that parses all solutions to troubled operations into three buckets: "Fix, Close or Sell." In summary, Detroit’s failures are certainly of its own making. The way forward will need leadership that is unavailable locally.

"For years, the City has spent more than it takes in and has borrowed and deferred paying certain obligations to make ends meet. The City is insolvent" - Kevin Orr

Real, meaty analysis and ideas!

• Bernanke Seeks to Divorce QE Tapering From Interest Rates (BBG)
• China launches crackdown on pharmaceutical sector (Reuters)
• Barclays, Traders Fined $487.9 Million by U.S. Regulator (BBG) - or a few days profit
• Barclays to fight $453 million power fine in U.S. court (Reuters)
• When an IPO fails, raise money privately: Ally Said to Weigh Raising $1 Billion to Pass Fed Stress Tests (BBG)
• Bank of England signals retreat from quantitative easing (FT) ... Let's refresh on this headline in 6 months, shall we.
• Russia's Putin puts U.S. ties above Snowden (Reuters)
• Smartphone Upgrades Slow as 'Wow' Factor Fades (WSJ)
• Snowden could leave Moscow airport in next few days (FT)
• New Egypt government may promote welfare, not economic reform (Reuters)

What goes up appears to come down faster. Thanks, apparently, to a well-timed Goldman Sachs suggestion that the heavily-shorted (28.4% of float) electric-car maker is over-priced (whocouldanode at 303% YTD gains), the shares are down 14.5% today on massive volume (-18% from yesterday's highs) but still notably above Patrick Archambault's $84 target.

The internet is on the verge of transforming manufacturing and China's dominance in this industry will soon be under serious threat.

On the even of Bastille Weekend and the 100th anniversary of the Tour de France, you know it must be bad when the French-company-owned ratings agency Fitch is forced to remove its AAA rating from France. Key drivers include Debt-to-GDP projections rising and substantially weaker economic output and forecasts. Full statement below...

• Bernanke Supports Continuing Stimulus Amid Debate Over QE (BBG)
• Portugal president wants 'salvation' deal, including opposition (Reuters)
• Egypt has less than two months imported wheat left - ex-minister (Reuters)
• A rise in long-term interest rates is creating challenges and opportunities for the largest U.S. banks. (WSJ)
• BoJ says Japanese economy is ‘recovering’ (FT)
• More Chinese cities likely to curb auto sales (Reuters)
• PC Shipments Fall for 5th Quarter (BBG)
• Property Crushes Hedge Funds in Alternative Markets (BBG)
• New aid gives Greece summer respite before showdown (Reuters)
• Rajoy Punishes Exporters Sustaining Spain’s Economy (BBG)

Surging shale oil production has exposed the lag in the U.S. infrastructure to transport the new domestic energy source in a safe and the most cost-efficient timely manner to the end users. 

• Egypt on the edge after Mursi rebuffs army ultimatum (Reuters)
• Inside China's Bank-Rate Missteps (WSJ)
• Obama Urges Morsi to Respond to Protesters' Concerns (WSJ)
• How Fed’s 7% Jobless Avoids Deterring Bondholders Is Mystery (BBG)
• Obama Joins With Political Foe Bush at End of Africa Trip (BBG)
• China may introduce deposit insurance by year-end (China Daily)
• China’s Slowdown Could Slam Hong Kong (BBG)
• Government 'to ask Rothschild to advise on RBS split' (Telegraph)
• Martin Feldstein: The Fed Should Start to 'Taper' Now (WSJ)