We are heading into the last trading week of the year and it’s setting up to be volatile, to say the least. The FED is in motion. Equity investors are harvesting profits from a long-run bull market. Bond markets are uncertain as how to react to the end of QE since the central banks are now beginning to shrink global reserves (at least the Fed is). Commodity prices are struggling due to the fear of a global economic slowdown. And the political backdrop adds great uncertainty as the Trump administration never misses an opportunity to open its mouth and detract from any policy success it may experience. China, Russia, Turkey, Iran and even Saudi Arabia are watching the Western Democracies to see how they respond to Trump’s efforts to disrupt the current trading system and, more importantly, the rollback of PAX AMERICANA.
Posts Tagged ‘bonds’
Notes From Underground: And To All a Good Year
December 23, 2018Notes From Underground: A Fresh Glance at Markets
October 21, 2018Exactly two weeks ago we at Notes From Underground published, “Powell Seeks To Reestablish The Authority of Markets…Maybe?” While I was off enjoying my daughter’s wedding, the December S&P futures had closed at 2895 on Oct. 5 (unemployment Friday). I warned that the market was misjudging Chairman Jerome Powell as he seemed impervious to equity and bond market corrections. The algos are built on the FOMC being quick to defend the elevated levels of the bond and equity markets.
Notes From Underground: In An Algo-Driven World Headlines Matter
December 3, 2017Friday: Dateline. INACCURATE NEWS.
There is GOLD to be found in the digital world where headlines can move financial markets faster than your eyes can blink or your brain can separate fact from fiction. ABC investigative journalist Brian Ross published a report that said President Trump asked Michael Flynn to reach out to Russia during the campaign. The network was forced to correct the story, clarifying that the request was carried out during the transition period, and suspended Ross. President Trump tweeted that investors harmed by ABC’s action should sue for damages. Trump may actually have a legitimate opinion but I believe the President’s Tweets carry the same litmus test.
Notes From Underground: Missiles Over Hokkaido
August 29, 2017First of all, no matter what analysis we do it always pales in light of the human suffering that natural disasters bring upon people around the world. I am fortunate to be in a dry room, with warm clothes, food and, of course, an internet connection. It is often said that water is far worse than wind when it comes to the impact of hurricanes and typhoons. The human misery that deals with 40 inches of rain in a three-day period makes our prayers go out to all those affected by the devastation. Stop and take an inventory of the blessings we have on a daily basis. Houston, we can hear you.
Notes From Underground: First Friday Of The New Month, You Must Be ‘Jobbing’ Me
January 5, 2017I’m still nursing a New Year’s hangover. It takes a long time for the mind to rid itself of all the news the mainstream media deems fit to read. But as the third rock keeps spinning, markets will keep moving and we will strive to untangle the ball of confusion. After today’s tepid ADP data the market has settled into a consensus for 175,000 nonfarm payrolls. Again, I would love to see a number greater than 250,000 just to test the recent market action. BONDS rallied, currencies rallied against the DOLLAR, precious metals are showing early year strength and commodities have held support levels in the age of TRUMFLATIONARY EXPANSIONARY EXPECTATIONS.
Notes From Underground: For What It’s Worth
November 21, 2016Everybody has opinions on the recent election outcome but as usual most of the opinions are from the echo chamber and not factual in any way. This blog is dedicated to seeking profitable investment and trading opportunities as I sort through the noise of the financial media. As with Brexit, the punditry found itself trapped in its own rhetoric and every prediction but the weakness of the pound proved to be WRONG, at least in the short to medium-term. British Gilts (10-year notes) rallied substantially in the post-Brexit confusion and most importantly the Footise stock index rallied 15% off its election night bottom. The POUND did weaken substantially against the U.S. dollar and the euro currency but I have argued for a few years that the British current account made the relative strength of the POUND to its key trading partners unsustainable.
Notes From Underground: “Do You Presume To Criticize The Great Oz?!?!” (Or Stanley Fischer)
August 28, 2016When Janet Yellen delivered her speech on Friday morning the markets reacted to the dovish overtones via buying of SPOOS, GOLD, BONDS and selling the U.S. dollar. The initial action was less muted as the algo headline readers first though Chairwoman’s words mildly HAWKISH, but as key words were measured in context the sense was Yellen was being dovish in not leaning toward a September rate increase. Yellen did give us a significant barometer of data measurement. It seems that 190,000 increase over a three-month moving average is the FED‘s BOGEY. This Friday’s estimate is 180,000, which now puts more pressure on its importance because of September’s FOMC meeting. As usual, Yellen said,”… the economic outlook is uncertain, and so MONETARY POLICY IS NOT ON A PRESET COURSE,” (emphasis mine).
Notes From Underground: Yet Again, It’s a Ball Of Confusion
August 2, 2016Was today risk on or risk off? The U.S. dollar continued its recent weakness as the world’s major currencies all rallied against the “safe haven” greenback. The Reserve Bank of Australia cut its interest rate last night but even the Aussie dollar gained against its sister fiat currency. Global equity markets were down as the Japanese Nikkei was weak as the inverse correlated Yen was higher by one-and-a-half percent. Yes, equity markets failed to send the U.S. currency higher.
Notes From Underground: Looking Backwards … Again
February 8, 2016It is hard to believe that NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND is approaching its 1,000 blog post. Many of the themes touched in my analysis have had an echo effect. Certain themes have continued to provide trading opportunities over and over. 1. The European financial crisis; 2. The Fed’s destruction of the bond market; 3. The ECB‘s destruction of European sovereign debt markets in an effort to preserve the Maastricht strait jacket. 4. Russian geo-political moves on a timely basis to affect Putin’s desire for an increased role for Moscow on the world stage; 5. Japanese desires to fabricate an inflationary backdrop to ease the burden of debt overhang; 6. Too much or too little growth in the emerging market economies; 7. China’s desire too have an enlarged impact on the global financial system in fact and fiction; and oh so many more.