The FOMC issued a very bland statement on Wednesday after its two-day meeting. Why did they bother convening for two days to deliver a policy statement that they phoned in last month. In my opinion, Jerome Powell missed a perfect opportunity to flex the FED‘s independent muscles by NOT RAISING RATES. The recent GDP data, inflation measures and robust jobs market provided ample evidence that the market is in need of another interest rate hike.
Notes From Underground: Central Bank Palooza
July 30, 2018Coming on the heels of my first Kenny Chesney concert I am viewing the synchronicity of central banks as a reflection of the rhythms of global financial repression. Last Thursday, the ECB issued its last statement before the summer recess, while this week we have the Bank of Japan tonight, the FED on Wednesday and the Bank of England on Thursday.
Notes From Underground: Areas of Global Macro Concern
July 24, 2018President Donald Trump’s continuous tweeting creates volatility in the markets but the impact lessens as participants become hardened to the vagaries of the tweets. An area that does concern me, though, is the amount of insider trading I suspect is taking place.
Notes From Underground: The Sins of Wages
July 17, 2018Tuesday was the first round of the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s semi-annual testimony to Congress. The Senate Banking Committee questioned Powell about recent Fed decisions and looked for some guidance as to how the FOMC viewed the current state of the domestic and global economy. There were many questions about the impact on the economy from the Trump tariffs, which the Fed chairman adroitly evaded and put the onus on Congress, where it rightly belongs.
Notes From Underground:
July 16, 2018On July 11, I discussed many of the current issues confronting the financial markets with FRA’s Richard Bonugli and Peter Boockvar of the Bleakley Group. These podcasts are an important way for me to communicate with some of the brightest minds in the global financial world. It allows me to express ideas and have true discourse to help clarify ideas for the readership of NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND. Pour your favorite libation and drink deep from the efforts of some of the best minds in the financial industry.
Notes From Underground: The Summer Doldrums
July 10, 2018There are storms brewing but for the moment markets are stuck in the Doldrums waiting for the winds to increase in velocity. The issues confronting the market are all too familiar as NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND has been categorizing for the previous months.
Notes From Underground: The Tweets Controlling the Market Gyrations
July 1, 2018Now that the first six months of the year have come and gone, the markets have a cacophony of events to look forward to as algos react to price, and fundamental macro analysts are trapped between WHAT OUGHT TO BE. The current concerns over tariffs, trade wars, strife between friends/allies, political uncertainty in Europe, Middle East conflagrations, the Russia/Saudi alliance on energy, Chinese growth concerns, RISING U.S. INTEREST RATES AND INCREASED QUANTITATIVE TIGHTENING (along with elevated TREASURY FUNDING NEEDS), decrease in capital inflows into emerging market economies leading to potential dollar funding concerns and U.S. Congressional elections. Yet, the markets remain are not pricing in the relevance of such concerns. Wise traders and investors do not fight markets but profit from the opportunities presented. To do otherwise is mere commentary. So to paraphrase John Maynard Keynes: When the facts change so do I, what do you do madam?
Notes From Underground: Are We Reliving 1930?
June 25, 2018Upon taking some time to reflect on the current state of the global macro world it seems that the most relevant are the years between 1928 and 1933. This was when the U.S. Congress was debating the famed Smoot-Hawley tariffs while the Treasury was reining in spending, and the FED was tightening liquidity and credit. While we don’t have a restricted Treasury (quite the opposite, actually), the Fed seems intent on raising rates to curtail the impact from an ill-advised fiscal stimulus at a time of 3.8% unemployment.
Notes From Underground: Headlines Drive the Algos and the Circle Remains Unbroken
June 12, 2018I’m going to be off for a few days, even if this Fed meeting proves to be the most market-moving week in many years.
The news from North Korea proves to be a non-event (as suspected). On Wednesday, we get the FOMC statement, which OUGHT to meet market expectations with a 25 basis point increase and some sense of the interest on excess reserve (IOER) rate in reference to fed funds. There is much discussion about the FED reaching “normal” interest rates, meaning neither too weak nor too strong to reach its dual mandate.
Notes From Underground: A Conversation With Bonugli and Ronni Stoeferle
June 10, 2018On June 6, I had a discussion with the Financial Repression Authority host Richard Bonugli and the highly respected Ronni Stoeferle. We covered myriad of global financial and political concerns as we tried to provide the foundation for profitable opportunities via in-depth analysis of these fragilities.
