Renaissance

Over the past 5 months, the only reason the US market, and this economy has outperformed the world (or "decoupled" in the case of so-called US fundamentals) is because the trillions in incremental liquidity from generous central planners have homed in on US equities like a heat seeker, in the process boosting confidence, and in a reflexive fashion, making consumers believe that things are getting better (for producers of printer cartridge maybe, everyone else just keeps getting worse off in real, not nominal, terms). Paradoxically, the trillion plus injected into the system from the ECB, ended up helping not Europe, but the US. However, as every action ultimately has an equal an opposite reaction, the recent US "renaissance" has also sown the seeds of its own destruction, because one of the side effects of a massive liquidity reflation is what has happened in the energy markets where the crude complex trades at all or near all time highs. However, as the following chart from UBS shows, it is the US which has the most exposure to that other side effect of soaring liquidity: surging prices. While the number is fluid (economist humor), every $10 increase in crude prices, cuts US GDP by 1%, and less than that in Europe and the ROW. As noted yesterday and today, "strategists" have already started trimming their GDP forecasts. How long before we end up seeing already weak growth turn negative as a result of the most recent central planning reliquification experiment? Because it will - central intervention always leads to adverse consequences in due course. Only this time, corporate profits will not allow the economy (read the markets) to pull itself up by the bootstrap, as they have topped and are now sliding lower.

Just like the housing market in the US, following the modest blip higher in December Greek bank deposits, immediately the great unwashed took to calling an end of the Greek deposit outflow and seeing a glorious renaissance for the country's bank industry. Well look again. According to just released data from the Bank of Greece, January saw Greeks doing what they do best (in addition to striking of course): pulling their money from local banks, after a near record €5.3 billion, or the third highest on record, was withdrawn from the local banking system. As a result, total bank cash has now dropped to just €169 billion, down from €174 billion in December, and the lowest since 2006. This is an 18% decline from a year ago, or €37 billion less than the €206 billion last January, and is a whopping 30% lower than the all time deposit highs from 2007, as nearly €70 billion in cash has quietly either left the country or been parked deep in the local mattress bank.

• Eurozone dismisses Greek budget deal (FT)
• Germany Says Greece Missing Debt Targets in Aid Rebuff (Bloomberg)
• Germans concerned over Draghi liquidity offer (FT)
• Azumi Says Japan Won’t Be Shy About Unilateral Intervention (Bloomberg)
• Schaeuble Signals Germany Is Flexible on Revising Terms of Portuguese Aid (Bloomberg) - food euphemism for "next on the bailout wagon"
• Venizelos Tells Greek Lawmakers to Back Budget Cuts or Risk Exiting Euro (Bloomberg)
• Putin May Dissolve Ruling Party After Vote (Bloomberg)
• HK Bubble pops? Hong Kong Sells Tuen Mun Site to Kerry for HK$2.7 Billion, Government Says (Bloomberg)
• Gross Buys Treasuries as Buffett Says Bonds Are ‘Dangerous’ (Bloomberg)

In the past, when discussing the goalseeking C-grade excel jockeys at the Congressional Budget Office (or CBO), we have not been technically full of reverence. After all when one uses a phrase such as this one: "What do the NAR, Consumer Confidence and CBO forecasts have in common? If you said, "they are all completely worthless" you are absolutely correct", it may be too late to worry about burned bridges. We do have our reasons: as we pointed out last year, following the whole US downgrade fiasco when the Treasury highlighted the CBO's sterling work in presenting a US future so bright, Timmy "TurboTax" G had to wear shades, we said "according to the same CBO back in 2001, net US indebtedness in 2011 would be negative $2.436 trillion, the ratio of debt held by the public to GDP would be 4.8%, total budget surplus would be $889 billion, and GDP would be $16.9 trillion." As we know now they were off only by a modest $17.5 trillion on that debt forecast. Yet we never attributed to malice and bias and outright corruption, what simple stupidity and gross incompetence could easily explain. Until today that is, when following a WSJ article, we are left wondering just how deep does the CBO stench truly go and whether its employees are far more corrupt than merely stupid?

A brief and comprehensive summary of the main events in the past week, both good and bad.

• Here we go again: IMF Said to Seek $1 Trillion Resource-Boost Amid Euro Crisis (Bloomberg)
• China said to Tell banks to Restrict Lending as Local Officials Seek Funds (Bloomberg)
• EU to Take Legal Action Against Hungary (FT)
• Portugal Yields Fall in Auction of Short-Term Debt (Reuters)
• US Natural Gas Prices at 10-Year Low as Warm Weather Weakens Demand (Reuters)
• German Yield Falls in Auction of 2-Year Bonds (Reuters)
• World Bank Slashes Global GDP Forecasts, Outlook Grim (Reuters)
• Why the Super-Marios Need Help (Martin Wolf) (FT)
• Chinese Vice Premier Stresses Government Role in Improving People's Livelihoods (Xinhua)

The modern world depends on economic growth to function properly. And throughout the living memory of every human on earth today, technology has continually developed to extract more and more raw material from the environment to power that growth. This has produced a faithful belief among the public that has helped to blur the lines between human innovation and limited natural resources. Technology does not create resources, though it does embody our ability to access resources. When the two are operating smoothly in tandem, society mistakes one for the other. This has created a new and very modern problem -- a misplaced trust in technology to consistently fulfill our economic needs. What happens once key resources become so dilute that technology, by itself, can no longer meet our growth needs?  We may be about to find out.

A gold standard, abandoned mostly due to a shortfall in the amount of the metal required to back the monetary system? A common bloc designed to simplify trade and commerce? Macro-economic reform of the union from the centre? Voluntary adoption by England who was not part of the union? Ah, well almost. Anyway, my point is this: In the mid-700s it probably seemed inconceivable that Europe would be united under a common ruler, much less a common currency and, by the mid-800s, it probably seemed equally inconceivable that such a union could split asunder - but  such is the nature of unions (and currency blocs for that matter). As the individual members undergo the individual stresses associated with running individual and idiosyncratic economies under a common banner, it is inevitable that there will be periods when maintaining the status quo becomes impossible. It was true of Europe in 800 - it holds true today.

Back on December 1, 2010 Goldman announced it was "fundamentally" shifting its "bearish" outlook on the economy, when Jan Hatzius said "This outlook represents a fundamental shift in the thinking that has governed our forecast for at least the last five years" we accused the Goldman economics team, which we had previously respected, of "jumping the shark" and in describing the piece of fluff said it was nothing but "Hopium", concluding that "Jan Hatzius used to have credibility." Ten minutes ago, Hatzius just threw in the towel and apologized for this horrendous call. "Six months ago, we adopted the view that the economy was
transitioning to a more self-sustaining recovery and predicted
sequential real GDP growth of 3½%-4% (annualized) in 2011-2012. There
were three reasons for our shift: a) a pickup in “organic” growth—GDP
excluding the estimated impact of fiscal policy and inventories—to more
than 4% in late 2010; b) visible signs of progress in private sector
deleveraging, and c) another round of fiscal and monetary stimulus....It hasn’t happened." Needless to say, this apology has made us regain some confidence in Hatzius. Of course, we fully expect that he and his entire team will relinquish their 2011 bonus (and possibly a 2010 bonus clawback) following this massively wrong call, which only Zero Hedge had the guts to call out. Anyway, we can now move on... to QE3. Just as we predicted in January (but were late by a month, expecting this preliminary discussion would occur in May at the latest), Hatzius has just launched the first shot across Bill Dudley's bow. "So what is the hurdle for QE3?" Hatzius asks... And a very dovish Bill "You can't eat iPads" Dudley will answer very shortly. Next up: QE 3.

If nothing else, last month's 62,000 minimum wage, part time-job expansion program by McDonalds generated lots of commentary on whether it should or should not be counted in the April NFP number. While paying a bunch of janitors (sub) minimum wage will have precisely 0.00% impact on GDP, the possibility that America could convert even more full-time into part-time jobs, generating a few more press opportunities for the teleprompter was certainly bullish, sure generated a lot of contradictory blog posts. Alas, even paying minimum wage appears to be too much of a chore for the world's largest burger chain. Enter computers. From Fox Biz: "McDonald's is jumping on the technology bandwagon with a new system that will soon change the way European customers order food -- picture computers instead of humans asking whether customers prefer fries and supersizes. The fast-food restaurant, known for its golden arches, Big Mac burgers and Happy Meals, will replace cashiers with touch-screen terminals and swipe cards at its 7,000 chain restaurants in Europe, according to the Financial Times. That would mean, in part, the end of cash payments." Also picture no more millions of job applicants for something, anything at the Golden Arches. And like that another several million of America's lower class are about to become outsourced to robots.

Today's must see TV comes from the following interview of Pimm Fox on the consumer and the economy with retail expert Howard Davidowitz, who in 10 minutes provides more quality content and logical thought than we have seen from CNBC guests in probably all of 2010 (except of course for that one time when Erin Burnett kicked out Mike Pento, but that's a different story). Where does one start? Probably at the end: "I am not surprised by the strength of retail sales, because i knew that 30% of consumers are responsible for retail sales, and these 30% did much better because of the performance of capital markets. I don't think it is indicative of anything going forward. I don't think the economy is going to get any better. If you look at our fiscal and monetary policy, we went two trillion in the hole last year. Two trillion... to produce this... and unemployment went up to 9.8%! We've spent two trillion we're printing money we're going bananas. Our balance sheet, we've got $2.6 trillion on there, and what;s on there government securities, and MBS." And here is the kicker for the world's biggest hedge fund, which at least one person besides Zero Hedge appears to get: "If interest rates go up a point Bernanke's bankrupt. Everything he's bought is underwater. All the MBS are underwater, the whole country is underwater." Does anyone see the issue now with why rising interest rates, aside from predicting a "recovery", may also, courtesy of its now $2 billion DV01, "predict" the insolvency of the Federal Reserve?

Before I get into it, I want people to understand that the use of Prozac in the title should not be taken literally. There are many people out there that really do have serious mental issues and medication is useful in helping their condition. As I hope is clear, “Prozac” is a metaphor for all of the brainless endeavors that have become such an integral part of many Americans’ lives. Such activities destroy the soul of humankind and play directly into the hands of the ruling elite that wish for you to be dumb, ignorant animals easily manipulated, corralled and sheared. There is a reason that plantation owners used to forbid slaves to learn how to read and write. They understood that an ignorant person is much less likely to resist their enslavement. The same is true in America today, where an unthinking and DEPENDENT person is unlikely to resist.

Is the retail revolution over? Best Buy, which was seen by many as the best indicator of retail hunger for all sorts of irrelevant Made in China Gizmos is plunging in pre-market trading, now down over 10%, after the company announces a massive top line miss of $11.89 billion in Q3 revenue on expectations of $12.45 billion. We can't remember when a retailer had a nearly 5% miss in top line, and is certainly a major cause of concern for not only the retail renaissance but for... Apple, for whom the store is the second biggest seller. Some other horrendous data points: Q3 comp sales down 3.3%; domestic Q3 comp sales down 5.0%, the company sees year EPS USD 3.20-3.40, saw USD 3.55-3.70, vs. Exp. USD 3.59, and notes domestic sales were softer than expected (as if it wasn't obvious). Broader market futures are also moving lower on the news that the market has managed to extract as much as it could out of a consumer base that is no longer paying its mortgages. Incidentally, how this could be a surprise is stunning: on October 31 we wrote that "TV pricing bloodbath threatens already razor-thin retailer margins" - of course, what is obvious to some, is completely opaque to the robots who only focus on positive headlines news. Perhaps a number for RenTec to tweak that algo a little?

Just released - apology #3 from Jan Hatzius on his ill-timed "golden age" call. We expect many more. We almost feel sorry for the German strategist and the replacement of FRBNY's Bill Dudley. "Nice timing on our GDP forecast upgrade! The November employment report was a disappointment, and there weren’t a lot of redeeming features buried underneath the headlines. Private sector payroll growth fell back to +50k, the slowest pace since January 2010. The household survey was also weak, with a rise in the unemployment rate to 9.82% and a drop in the employment/population ratio to 58.18%, just a hair above the cycle low seen in December 2009. The jobs report followed higher initial jobless claims on Thursday and a soft manufacturing ISM survey on Wednesday."

What are Gold Wars? Gold Wars are between governments and gold. This ultimately restricts the constitutional rights of the people. Gold is the vital barometer of the health of a nation’s currency. The suppression of gold by government allows them to mask the mismanagement of their currency. - Hinde Capital