The Fed’s policy has painted itself into a proverbial corner. A ZEROHEDGE piece shows that in the age group of 16-55 there has been a loss of 2.7 million jobs during the previous few years, while in the 55-69 age group there has been a gain of 4 million jobs. This has been a recurrent theme of Notes From Underground during the last two years. The FED‘s policy of financial repression has resulted in an outcome that its beloved models failed to predict. The baby boomers haven’t been able to retire because their saving plans have been undermined by the zero interest rate policy. Zerohedge shows that debt-ladened college graduates are unable to find jobs and thus are struggling to repay education loans. Recent college grads are forced to live at home and are not creating new households.
Posts Tagged ‘FOMC minutes’
Notes From Underground: The Fed’s Dilemma
January 7, 2013Notes From Underground: A Genuine Disgust With the Analysis of the FOMC MINUTES
August 22, 2012OKAY, so the FOMC minutes were released and all the pundits who never trade were kibbitzing about the THIRD coming of QE. Upon several reviews of the MINUTES, I AM OF A FAR DIFFERENT OPINION. AND, UNLIKE THE PUNDITS OF THE GREAT WASTELAND, MY MONEY TALKS WHILE THEIR BULLSHIT WALKS. Yes, it is indeed frustrating to hear opinions morph into facts. As I reread the FOMC MINUTES I fail to see the certainty of a FED ACTION AT THE NEXT FOMC MEETING AND I OPINE THAT BERNANKE WILL NOT OFFER ANY GREAT INSIGHTS AT THE JACKSON HOLE SYMPOSIUM. AGAIN, ANY FED ACTION WOULD BE A REWARD TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DERELICTS WHO CONTINUALLY FAIL TO DO THEIR DUTY AND CONSTRUCT A RATIONAL FISCAL POLICY.
Notes From Underground: Will the Weak Retail Sales Force Bernanke to Reveal the New Power Tools?
July 16, 2012Today’s RETAIL SALES report was far weaker than anticipated. With Bernanke testifying to CONGRESS (Senate on Tuesday, House Wednesday), will the FED Chairman reveal anything to the “FOOLS ON THE HILL” as the knives will be out as politicians need to be seen as pressuring the FED for the voters back home. As previously reported, the June’s FOMC MINUTES revealed, “Several participants commented that it would be desirable to explore the possibility of developing new tools to promote more accommodative financial conditions and thereby support a stronger economic recovery.”
Notes From Underground: FOOD FOR THOUGHT–GRAIN EXPORTS FORCE MAJEURE
July 11, 2012Notes From Underground: All My Words Come Back to Me in Shades of Mediocrity (Homeward Bound)
April 9, 2012Friday’s weaker than expected JOBS REPORT caused AGITA in the BOND and EQUITY MARKETS. Early in the week, the markets had punished the BONDS and EQUITIES as the FOMC MINUTES caused the purveyors of QE3 as a SURE THING to stop, look and listen. The sounds that they had listened to were from the previous speech by Chairman Bernanke as he voiced his deep concerns about the persistent drag of unemployment on GDP. The rush of FED governors and District presidents to any microphone to undermine the chairman’s views caused the market to pause and reconsider its stance on possible FED normalizing rates quicker than the “extended period” language presumed. Stocks were under pressure and U.S. Treasuries were offered as hints of FED buying grabbed traders attention.
Notes From Underground: The Fed Steps Into the Light???
January 3, 2012The release of the FOMC minutes today revealed that the FED plans to be more transparent as it will “publish forecasts of its own interest rates for years into the future.” Previous FED forecasts have proved to be very poor at predicting the path of the economy over the near term or yet for any longer period of time. On first read, this attempt at transparency ought to be labeled the VOLUME ENHANCEMENT FOR THE CME EURODOLLAR CURVE. FED prognostications will move the 3-5 year part of the curve all over the place and be very productive at increasing futures and options volume.
Notes From Underground: The Chines raise interest rates and the GOLD makes all-time highs climbing a GREAT WALL OF WORRY
April 5, 2011The FED released the minutes of the last FOMC meeting and there was very little that hadn’t already been revealed and digested by the market. In tonight’s reading, some in the media are trying to raise an issue that there is a rift between voting members. Readers of the NOTES will know the answer: There is no rift. Yes, between meetings there is a plethora of dissenting speeches but as the FOMC MINUTES are clear to record, the vote to stay the present course was unanimous. The thing that seems the most transitory to the FED is the lack of dissension when gathered at the same table. To paraphrase PUDD’NHEAD WILSON, WHEN ALL THE EGGHEADS ARE IN ONE ROOM, WATCH THE ROOM CLOSELY.
Notes From Underground: The Bernanke testimony was no surprise … so why did the market respond so negatively??
July 21, 2010Yes, we know that Bernanke was right out of central casting with the FOMC minutes being the mainstay of the prepared text. The market was supposedly surprised by the chairman’s words about the FED preparing ways to remove all the previous stimulus. We don’t know why Bernanke paid homage to that as it was in direct contradiction to the everything else he said. (He believes that the FED will have to leave interest rates at these low levels for an “extended period.”) Again, we stress that there was nothing new in the testimony, but as always we respect the market’s wisdom and its ability to inflict pain. We have long thought that as the long end of the DEBT markets rallied, the FED ought to be selling some of the MBS debt that it has bought as they would need to relieve their balance sheet to make room for future possible purchases. As long rates have fallen due to demand for BONDS and other debt instruments, we wonder who is buying all that paper now that the FED has stopped? If it is pension funds, shouldn’t the FED be selling it them so as to insure that they don’t bid the market to ridiculous levels?
