41.2 Copper Prices Signal Inflation (or something else?)

[Emil’s Summary] Mary Toft had delivered a litter of rabbits – that was the news that reached the court of King George I in 1726. Obstetrician John Howard arrived at Toft’s bedside in September where he was presented with several animal parts, ostensibly from the supernatural womb. In October, she delivered nine dead baby rabbits, prompting Howard to write a letter to England’s greatest doctors and scientists, as well as the King’s secretary. Nathaniel St. André, the King’s Swiss surgeon-anatomist, was sent to investigate. Toft greeted his arrival in November by delivering her 15th dead rabbit in his presence. St. André bought the story and “took some of the rabbit specimens back to London to show the King.”

Despite a chorus of doubt from other physicians and indisputable physical evidence from dissection of the rabbits, both Howard and St. André continued to support Toft’s story. It seems Howard, taken in by the scam at first, was doubling-down as the stakes were raised hoping his bluff would be saved by a real miracle. St. André on the other hand seems to have made his stand on, “‘maternal impression’, an idea popular at the time. The theory proposed that an emotional stimulus experienced by a pregnant woman” – Toft had dreamt of rabbits – “could influence the development of the foetus.”

Howard and St. André damaged the reputation of physicians. But there have been worse, Dr. Pepper for example – disgusting. Plenty of good docs of course, and not necessarily physicians: Dr. Manhattan, the smurfy-blue god; Dr. Disrespect, the gaming personality; “The Dock of the Bay”, by Otis Redding. So, where on the spectrum lies copper with its doctorate of philosophy in economics?

In part 2 of Episode 41, Jeff Snider weighs the calm supply-and-demand fundamentals, versus the Howard and St. André-like narrative that the good ship #Copper-Pop – fueled by Fed #QE-finity inflation – has achieved escape velocity, entered the #Tesla-osphere, and is on its way to the #Bitcoin-star! But first, the late-1990s Japanese government bond rout and its lessons for today.

———SPONSOR———

But first, this from Eurodollar Enterprises! Friends, are you confused by the financial press? Are the pretty people on Bloomberg speaking in paradox? Are the esteemed pages of The Economist written in contradiction? Then The New Eurodollar Enterprises Dictionary of Echo-Nomics is for you! Yes, from AbeMoronics to ZIRP (Zero Interesting, Reasonable Policies) confidently leaf through your folio to define Yellenism, Powellution and Greenspam. “Money”, a noun, is defined as “a blessing that is of no advantage to us excepting when we part with it.” What is a synonym for “Wealth”? Impunity. What is the compound word for making economics erotic? “Bernanke-panky”. The New Eurodollar Enterprises Dictionary of Echo-Nomics! New! From Eurodollar Enterprises.

———WHY———

Is the nine-month copper price blastoff due to monetary reasons (central bank printing, government budget deficits) or fundamental reasons (supply and demand)? Jeff Snider explains the fundamental backdrop (along with speculative fever) but dismisses monetary motives.  

———WHO———

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_AIP
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilKalinowski
Art: https://davidparkins.com/

Jeff Snider, Head of Global Investment Research for Alhambra Investments with Emil Kalinowski, a metal man. Artwork by the Asimov of copper robots, David Parkins. Podcast intro/outro is “Occurrence” by Martin Gauffin at Epidemic Sound. 

———WHERE———

AlhambraTube: https://bit.ly/2Xp3roy

Vurbl: https://bit.ly/3rq4dPn
Apple: https://apple.co/3czMcWN
Deezer: https://bit.ly/3ndoVPE
iHeart: https://ihr.fm/31jq7cI
TuneIn: http://tun.in/pjT2Z
Castro: https://bit.ly/30DMYza
Google: https://bit.ly/3e2Z48M
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3arP8mY
Pandora: https://pdora.co/2GQL3Qg
Breaker: https://bit.ly/2CpHAFO
Castbox: https://bit.ly/3fJR5xQ
Podbean: https://bit.ly/2QpaDgh
Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2C1M1GB
Overcast: https://bit.ly/2YyDsLa
PlayerFM: https://bit.ly/3piLtjV
Podchaser: https://bit.ly/3oFCrwN
PocketCast: https://pca.st/encarkdt
SoundCloud: https://bit.ly/3l0yFfK
ListenNotes: https://bit.ly/38xY7pb
AmazonMusic: https://amzn.to/2UpEk2P
PodcastAddict: https://bit.ly/2V39Xjr

———WHEN———

00:05 Why do we care about the copper price above all other metals (with the exception of gold)?
02:01 How strong has the copper rally been? Why did it start – was it fundamental or monetary?
06:21 Copper mine supply is expected to fall in 2020 by 2.4%, or thereabouts.
09:19 China’s State Reserve Bureau is believed to be stockpiling material amounts of copper
12:07 What does data out of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest about the copper rally?

———WHAT———

The Doctor Is In?: https://alhambrapartners.com/2020/12/30/the-doctor-is-in/
Alhambra Investments Blog: https://bit.ly/2VIC2wW
RealClear Markets Essays: https://bit.ly/38tL5a7