There is a great danger to negative interest rates, one that is denied by economists and central bankers because they deny the essence of wholesale finance. Stuck in the 1950’s, their solutions were arguable even then but hold little if nothing of value now. Markets are being reacquainted once more with the possibility (finally). As discussed last week, the Bank [...]
Throughout October, the S&P 500 Index (IVV) rebounded remarkably from the lows made in late August, breaking above both moving averages and getting close to new all-time highs. After a volatile but stagnant final two months of the year, in which the market straddled the moving averages with no clear direction, the index once again broke down in early January, before stabilizing [...]
The Bank of Japan did something Friday that took the market by surprise, something the bank’s own governor had repeatedly rejected as a potential course of action. Yes, the BOJ joined the ECB and put a minus sign in front of its main policy rate, cutting interest rates into negative territory. Markets reacted as we’ve come to expect when central [...]
Fourth quarter GDP was estimate at just +0.68906% Q/Q in its advance statement. There is no more “residual seasonality” left with which to obfuscate the deficiency in 2015; the year ended as it had begun, under great suspicion. Unlike most economic context given as commentary, that actually makes sense as both markets and other more fruitful economic measures have been [...]
It wasn’t in any way magnanimous for the FOMC to state clearly what everyone already knew without any need for aid of GDP calculations. The policy statement for its January 2016 meeting included language that mitigated, if not fully than significantly, the continued reliance on labor indications alone. The Fed says the labor market continues to point in the right [...]
At what point do we accede back to logic and rational thought? The Bank of Japan is “forced”, not my word, to unleash negative nominal interest rates and that is taken as a positive for everyone everywhere. Such a move is, without question, an open admission that QQE failed and failed spectacularly (since it was even expanded not really that [...]
Rumors persisted about Iran, Russia or OPEC close to declaring productions cuts, so that has to factor at least into sentiment about oil trading. However, with rumors being denied, the physical universe of crude oil especially in the US has been fundamentally more negative again. Yet, oil prices have reached back to almost $34 (front month futures) again today just [...]
Durable goods orders and shipments declined much worse in December than November, ending any hope that November’s variation was anything other than simply that. Across-the-board, capital goods as well as durable goods, the numbers year-over-year were nearly flat for November, thus suggesting just how bad 2015 was overall when slightly negative seems like a huge improvement. So where capital goods [...]
Federal Reserve monetary policy is, as it has been, irrelevant. That dire message is taking on more significance in a way not seen since 2009; the last time that point was so proven and emphasized. More here (subscription required).
It makes for quite the juxtaposition, though perhaps not so jarring given that global banks are still enormous and disparate operations. On the one hand, Citigroup’s CEO was eminently confident from within the confines of Davos and the status quo: The market is "adjusting" to a series of headwinds that can be overcome, Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat said Thursday, a [...]
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