Credit Suisse

• Germans write off Greece, says poll (FT) - Only a quarter of Germans think Greece should stay in the eurozone
• As predicted here two months ago: ECB chief and Spanish PM on collision course (FT)
• Gold Wagers Jump To 5-Month High As Fed Spurs Rally (Bloomberg)
• Euro zone factories faltering as core crumbles (Reuters)
• Those who expected more China easing, beware: PBOC Has No Short Term Intention for Loose Money Policy (Financial Market News)
• French jobless tops three million, minister says (AFP)
• Spain Leads Europe’s $25 Billion Gamble Before ECB (Bloomberg)
• US investor is Ireland’s biggest creditor (FT)
• Draghi May See Silver Lining In Disappointing Investors (Bloomberg)
• China's steel traders expose banks' bad debts (Reuters)
• NY probes private equity tax strategy  (FT)

With Bernanke leaving the door open, but not pre-committing, in a check-raise to Draghi next week, market focus remains almost exclusively on the bond-buying program to support Spain. Credit Suisse expects markets to be mildly disappointed by Draghi's words and deeds as they question how far he can go, and in terms of near-term market moves, how much is said at next week's meeting versus said at later occasions or indicated through actions (e.g. once Spain asks for help). Draghi has already started to manage expectations with his Die Zeit comments (pitched at the German populous) but in order to get a handle on what the various scenarios are - and what the implications could be - here is Credit Suisse's matrix of compromise.

This Tuesday, we gave the podium to Credit Suisse's rates group with "How To Make $500,000 With Credit Suisse Betting On A Big Jackson Hole Disappointment" who in turn suggested that one of the best risk return opportunities heading into J-Hole, was to go short the 10 Year betting on disappointment by Bernanke (as a reminder earlier today we showed that virtually 100% of QE was already priced in). Well, Bernanke came and went, and although our personal take on the speech was broadly negative, which highlighted the adverse side effects of what would happen if there is another big QE round, and substantially toning the exuberant language from the latest FOMC minutes, which had previously made it seem that the majority of Fed presidents thought more easing should be imminent resulting in another centrally-planned market rip, the stock market did not agree with our take. At least not initially. As for Credit Suisse, it said to "put on a $50K DV01 short at 1.64% and expect a steep selloff when the Fed disappoints, with a 1.75% target. If all works out according to plan, everyone involved should be $500,000 richer at market close on Friday with Bollingers all around." Turns out nothing worked out quite as expected. In fact, as a result of the J-Hole remarks, we have had another stock buying spree of anything that is not nailed down, with gold popping the most, the DJIA soaring as much as 150 (although rapidly taking on water), and the 10 year... well, let's just say anyone who was on the other side of the CS prop traders, sometimes called "flow" for Volcker Rule purposes, is now down -$400,000 on a trade that was supposed to be a +$500,000 meatpacking extravaganza.

A week ago everyone was convinced that in three days, Bernanke would reveal the second coming or whatever the equivalent biblical event is these days that would send the Dow to 36,000 in a heartbeat. We laughed at such naive suggestions. Then over the past five days the market has seen a profound transformation with what was initially a seed of doubt that the Chairman may in fact disappoint his stock buying disciples, having sprouted into a full blown weed of outright denial, fear and loathing. Which makes sense: in a world in which everything is jawboning, everyone's hope is always on the event just over the event horizon, but never on the one that is imminent: that way when the inevitable disappointment happens one can just say it was all premeditated and is coming "next time." However, in case the market has finally had enough of being led by the nose, lied to, and does throw a temper tantrum, there are way to take advantage of this. One bank that suggests just a way to do this without trading in that insane asset class known as stocks, where up is down, down is purple, and the triangle-square-square-circle killer combo sequence now works in reverse, is Credit Suisse, which suggests to put on a short bond position in anticipation of a major selloff which should inevitably accompany a disappointment from the Fed. Their suggestion: put on a $50K DV01 short at 1.64% and expect a steep selloff when the Fed disappoints, with a 1.75% target. If all works out according to plan, everyone involved should be $500,000 richer at market close on Friday with Bollingers all around.

Moments ago the US Treasury auctioned off the latest monthly batch of 2 Year bonds, this time $35 billion, or toward the higher end of the issuance range, which was a bit of a dud. Pricing at 0.273%, this was a brisk move from July's record low 0.22%, a weakness which was substantiated by the expected pricing of 0.266% even though the When Issued traded at 0.275% coming into the auction, so technically there was no tail. That said, a very modest 9.01% was allotted at the high yield, implying the bulk of the action in the Dutch Auction was below the closing yield. Beneath the headline, the internals were not pretty either, with just 22.3% of the total bond taken down by Indirect bidders, well below the 32.78% TTM average, demanding an increase in both the Direct and Primary take downs, the former taking down 16.08% while the Dealers having to push 54.66% of the entire auction promptly into the tri-party repo market in exchange for cash to be used for much wiser purposes, such as buying Las Vegas REO real estate and converting it into rentals. Was the weakness of the auction a harbinger of disappointment from Jackson Hole - stay tuned for an opinion from Credit Suisse which says precisely this. And while the auction itself may have been unspectacular, there is a very historic aspect to this particular $35 billion bond issue, which we will reveal after market close.

It doesn't get any better than this - or at least in the last 30 years we have not seen a post-panic rally in risk appetite extend beyond the current length of this move. Credit Suisse's Global Risk Appetite index, which is notably tracking lower with ISM New Orders data, has not extended beyond this time-frame from any of its previous 'deep-panic' peaks. While equity markets contonue to diverge higher, risk appetite is notably lagging and one has to wonder if that historical 'animal-spirits' trough-to-peak period (which is set to coincide with Jackson Hole, FOMC, and ECB meetings) will hold once again as hope fades and reality rears its ugly head.

It seems everyone and their pet Goldfish has been brainwashed into the belief that because it's an election year, we have to buy stocks. There is plenty of noise in that empirical study with some large outliers. However, Credit Suisse's Harley Bassman notes there is another cycle in election years - that of implied volatility - and he adds "the clearly defined economic nature of this election should increase implied volatility on most financial assets." As the chart below shows, volatilities tend to trough in August and peak in October into a November election - only to fall once again from two-weeks before to one week after the election. The pattern is clear.

When first the speculation and subsequently the confirmation that in addition to suffering massive losses on its IG-9 position, JPM had engaged in massive, reckless and criminal CDS mismarking with the intent to defraud and to boost the appearance of profit for selfish reasons, we promptly concluded that "Jamie Dimon's "tempest in a teapot" just became a fully-formed, perfect storm which suddenly threatens his very position, and could potentially lead to billions more in losses for his firm." So far, the regulators which are currently on page two of "CDS for Absolutely Corrupt Criminal Morons", are only slowly catching up. And while the stench will eventually lead to Jamie, as what happened in the over the counter, unregulated CDS market has most certainly happened at the tens of trillions in other OTC products traded by JPM, most of which are IR swaps, tying it all back nicely to the Libor scandal of which JPM is also a part, the first person who will certainly experience some major pain as the JPM scapegoating plays out, is none other than the London Whale himself Bruno Iksil, who was loved by all at JPM when he was making money, and is now being hung out to dry, once the bank is in the prosecution's cross hairs.

When China started tightening policy to fight inflation, almost no one thought that it would slow the economy to what China is in right now. When China started imposing ever more aggressive real estate prices curb, some people believed that that it would not make home prices drop (because there are many people in China, and urbanisation, etc), and even less believed that it would slow the economy to what China is in right now. When China started to slow down more than most thought, almost no one thought that it could be a big problem, while some thought that the slowdown was “engineered” to fight inflation.  Because it was an intentional slowdown, not many people believed that it could get much worse. Digging deeper, we have not found much good reasoning behind those who insist on the uber-optimistic case, and most bullish arguments can be boiled down: "This is China.  China is different.  Don’t ask, just buy."

• JPMorgan provided rescue financing to Knight (WSJ)
• HSBC hands U.S. more staff names in tax evasion probe (Reuters), HSBC, Credit Suisse Sacrifice Employees to U.S., Lawyers Say (BBG)
• Hong Kong shares slide to two-week closing low, China weak (Reuters)
• Israel Would Strike Iran to Gain a Delay, Oren Says (Businessweek)
• Britain 'threatened to storm Ecuador's London embassy' to arrest Julian Assange (AP)
• You have now entered the collateral-free zone: Spain Said to Speed EU Bank Bailout on Collateral Limits (BBG)
• China Can Meet Growth Target on Positive Signs, Wen Says (BBG)
• Risk Builds as Junk Bonds Boom (NYT)
• Berlin maintains firm line on Greece (FT)
• Brazil unveils $66bn stimulus plan (FT)

There's noting like a good rant with a fact or two thrown if for good measure. Damn, I luv this job:-)

Today we learned courtesy of Goldman's 10-Q, that the US justice department will not press criminal charges against Goldman Sachs. This, despite Senator Carl "Shitty Deal" Levin, in one of the most bombastic kangaroo court spectacles on live TV ever, asking for a criminal investigation after the subcommittee he led spent years looking into Goldman, and in which he said Goldman misled Congress and investors (and according to which billions in fraudulent RMBS misrepresentations are all still only Fabrice Tourre's fault, at that time under 30 years old). And so we pose the same answer, and provide the same anwer, as yesterday, only flipped around: "Confused Why Goldman Will Face No Criminal Charges? Here's Why."

The company which has lately is best known as Amazon's physical showroom, aka Best Buy, is in play once again, this time on yet another highly dubious speculation of a takeover by the company's founder, Richard Schulze, who has offered to take the company private at $24-26/share. So far so good. The problem: a highly confident letter by Credit Suisse meaning zero fixed financing is in place. Frankly, it is surprising Jefferies did not engage here, because as those who have observed the kinds of "weak" MBO offers as this one will certainly be, "highly confident" financings almost never work out, especially those which assume to refi $1.7 billion in debt for a distressed company. It gets better: Schulze has not even done due diligence for which he is asking the board's permission. Expect the initial pop on the headline to fizzle very quickly the realization that the probability of this deal actually happening is negligible (see every other "highly confident" take over by Trian's Nelson Peltz virtually all of which have fizzled in the past 3 years).

• What's wrong with this headline: Obama authorizes secret support for Syrian rebels (Reuters)
• Hilsenrath promptly dusts off ashes of sheer propaganda failure, tries again: Fed Gives Stronger Signals of Action (WSJ)
• Fed Hints at Fresh Action on Economy (FT)
• Fed Poised to Step Up Stimulus Unless Economy Strengthens (Bloomberg)
• IMF Chief Lagarde Praises Greece, Spain for Efforts (Bloomberg) - efforts to beg as loud as possible?
• US sanctions against bank 'target' China (China Daily)
• Trimming China's Financial Hedges (WSJ)
• ganda central bank cuts key lending rate to 17 pct (Reuters)
• Greece Agrees €11.5bn Spending Cuts (FT) - Agrees? Or does what a good debt slave is told to do
• Germany Retains Stable AAA Outlook at S&P After Moody’s Cut (Bloomberg)
• Spain’s Bond Auction Beats Target as Borrowing Costs Rise (Bloomberg)

Just when you thought it was safe to hope that saved-or-created jobs were at least not plunging anymore, the truth is out with online job postings. As opposed to de minimus surveys, or BLShit small pool analysis, the 'fact-based' number of 'New Help Wanted' Online Ads plunged in July by its most since January 2009! The total number of Online Help Wanted Ads also fell by its most in a year and as Credit Suisse points out, in 7 of the last 8 times when we see an outlier of this magnitude it is followed by outright declines in non-farm payrolls and private payrolls.