Fed Transparency = Market Volatility
Markets have tanked since the worse-than-expected CPI reading, and the latest Fed hawkishness means no Powell “pivot,” no Fed “Put,” and no soft-landing. The table shows the market peak for the four major indexes, the level and percentage changes at the market’s trough at June’s end, the levels and percentage changes from the top of […]
Why Bonds Now Belong
Jim Cramer of CNBC has a saying: “There’s always a bull market somewhere. My job is to help you find it!” Rule #5 of Bob Farrell’s famous 10 Rules for Investing states: “The Public Buys the Most at the Top and the Least at the Bottom.” His Rule #9 says: “When All the Experts Agree, […]
Why Interest Rates Are Falling
#*!? CRASH BAM @#$ Suddenly, markets (well, at least the bond market) now see falling interest rates in the short and intermediate term. The 10-Year U.S. T-Note fell from 1.47% on June 30 to close at 1.29% on Thursday July 7 (a big move in just four market sessions). Some of the rapid fall was due to […]
The Rate Spike Will Damage the Recovery
Fed Intervention Needed There was quite a spike in interest rates the last week of February with the 10-Year T-Note spiking from a 1.36% level as of the close on Wednesday to as high as 1.60% intraday with a close of 1.55% on Thursday. Friday’s close was 1.45%. But, a lot of damage was done. […]
Bubble Markets Display Bizarre Behavior
Right Before They Tumble Like the Dot.Com bubble of the late ‘90s, the typical signs of an approaching bubble bust were on full display in the equity markets last week (week ending January 29th). GameStop (GME) and other failing or troubled companies (AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, Bed Bath) have become the darlings of the WallStreetBets (WSB) […]
In A Changing World, The Old Economics May No Longer Apply
One must be careful in interpreting data. The world has changed, and it impacts how people behave and ultimately the resulting data. The recent Retail Sales data is a case in point. It cannot be interpreted with a pre-virus backdrop. It’s rise in September 2020 doesn’t mean the same as a similar rise would have meant in September 2019. […]