Baltic Dry

With REO-to-Rent now yesterday's trade, the Baltic Dry Index stumbling along near its lows (along with a glut of containers), and a 'recovery' in US housing, what better than to leverage all of these themes; to wit, as ABC News reports, the first U.S. multi-family condo built of used shipping containers is slated to break ground in Detroit early next year. So forget Trailer Parks, now the increasingly mothballed ports of America will be wonderful waterfront property courtesy of your very own (slightly used) cargo container. One proponent of this 'cargotecture' warns that although containers can be bought for as little as $2,500, they should not be thought of as a low-cost housing solution. Tempted? We are sure; below are several current developments.

Moments ago the Non-manufacturing ISM came out, and in keeping with the theme of Baffle with BS, started last night when the China HSBC services PMI dropped even as the Manufacturing PMI from last week signaled the start of a "new recovery" or something (just don't look at the Baltic Dry, and definitely don't look at the endless barrage of reverse repos proving the PBOC will not engage in wholesale easing), it printed the first miss and decline in three month, coming at 54.2 on expectations of a 54.5 print and down from 55.1 previously. What is troubling is that while otherwise an economic miss such as this one would have been sufficient to ramp the bizarro marke, today it has merely sent ES to fresh intraday lows. Perhaps the reason is that unlike last week's Manufacturing ISM, whose headline was good but internals were not, this time it is the other way around with New Orders down but Employment rising from 51.1 to 54.9, the highest since March. Does this meant the Fed will prematurely end QEternity? Of course not, but the market appears to be shooting first, as usual, and asking questions later.

Eerily quiet after yesterday’s post-ECOFIN cacophony…

No real take-away today: sometimes you need a breather and everyone agrees.

Key take-aways from today were: The IMF is gloomy, so is Draghi. Banking Union is months away. ESM and OMT ready to go, but no one wants that first dance. Spain is analyzing.

Oh, and an iPhone is just that. A phone.

Nothing new, nowhere.

Didn't get fooled again yesterday, but still facing denial today...

Some correction of Friday’s Bull trap: European Risk Off, EGB credit torsion and weaker equities.

Doubtful whether any fireworks will come out of the ECOFIN meeting.

Seems to be more about maintaining the relative market quietness and status-quo.

What can be said? Rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.

Everyone basking into the market truce provided by Super Mario. And taking some easy time off… 

Friday afternoon Periphery squeeze barn stomp

On ECB Q&A: Yawn! Can’t always be a rainmaker and light fireworks every month. 

Quiero un iPhone para salvar el Mundo! Looks like Spain actually enjoys the sovereign-regions-banks negative loop with no wish to cut the Gordian knot.

No European data tomorrow: Mario D, the floor is all yours, after Mariano D’s bond sales.

Wow! Good equity swings in Europe: Down about 1% to the morning lows, up nearly 2% to noon highs and tanking back over 1.25% into the close.

 Core & Soft EGBs rather muted in volatility, closing by and large unchanged, with Periphery bonds running a separate path.

Again that decorrelation.

Jump, Jive & Wail…

Getting caught in end of day divergence between recovering Bunds / UST and equities readying up a pre-close squeeze out.Note a rather muted, in line, Credit performance.

No real data anywhere tomorrow, so either the good spirits of recovery keep up their heads up – or not…

Bizarrely, and even after slapping my screens several times to make sure things were working, real opening levels in EGBs very quite simply FLAT. All flat! Haven’t seen that in ages!

Had to slap my screens again tonight, given the tons of “unchanged” data in EGBs. Have decorrelated from equities, as has the USD (closing about unchanged).

In absence of really negative news, outside the heavier macro / sentiment data, the lukewarm Italian auction and US data, markets remained on a slight tentative rebound.

Will need to await further details and overnight analysis of the Spanish budget. Lots of reforms...

Hmm, and in how much time can all that be passed - if at all???

Yes, it did feel kinda rainy already yesterday with “Purple Rain”.

Total Risk Off close today.

Bad Rain. Bad, Bad Rain...

Another fairly uninspiring day.

In absence of hard data, subject to rumours and sentiment, as well as sudden “squeezes” or “sell-offs”, albeit in very tight ranges.

Mood maybe less rainy then yesterday, but, call me a bear, it doesn’t feel very convincing out there.

Uninspiring day. Light ROff, but nothing major.

In absence of hard data, subject to rumours and sentiment. 

Rainy.