Fischer Spills the Beans?

Stanley Fischer was being interviewed. When asked if he thought that the Fed would raise rates later this year, or even twice this year, he answered, "yes to both your questions". The stocks started selling at those words. The stock indexes have some soul searching to do with the prospect of a raise in interest rates. There have been two or three "tantrums" at the prospect of this over the last few years.
Earnings for some retailers have been surprisingly weak. Notably Dollar General yesterday.
The Fed may get the timing wrong. That is the risk.

Hence:
Free Falling


Time for another tantrum?

gh


 

Weak Retail?

Dollar General down sharply today.
How can retail sales be weak if wages are rising?

From DJ news:

General Hit by Weakest Sales in a Decade -- Market Talk

14:26 ET - Frankly, Dollar General's (DG) F2Q results weren't THAT bad. But this is an expectations game, and after seeing shares jump 28% in 2016 they will notch their biggest decline since late 2009's return to the stock market. In fact, DG hasn't had a double-digit decline before today; it's at session lows with a 17% decline to $76.17. It hasn't been the most-volatile stock, notching just 3 double-digit stock gains. But when you log the slowest same-store-sales growth since a decline at the end of 2005, investors are bound to sit up and take notice. Dollar Tree (DLTR), which posted its own soft sales this morning, is down 9.1% in what would be the biggest drop since February 2009. (kevin.kingsbury@wsj.com; @kevinkingsbury)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 25, 2016 14:26 ET (18:26 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 02 26 PM EDT 08-25-16


"Slowest same store sales growth"

AND WE HAVE JANET YELLEN SET TO SPEAK TOMORROW IN JACKSON HOLE. AND THE TALKING HEADS HAVE BEEN SCREAMING FOR A RATE RISE FOR MONTHS, IF NOT YEARS.
WILL THE FED MAKE AN HISTORIC BLUNDER?

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

CONTROL RISK,

GH

Watch FCX

Freeport McMoran has had a huge run up this year, as have many of the miners. Looking at a long term chart I see that FCX could have a long way to go.

I am a fairly short term trader, often holding for only for 2-3 months, but I keep an eye on long term charts because many large funds hold for much longer time frames and invest for those lengths of time.

A cup and handle is a powerful chart pattern simply because it forms a 'triple top' and gives anyone who wants to sell at "the top" plenty of opportunities to do so.  When evaluating chart patterns I pay attention to what volume does during a move up, or down. A strong bullish signal is given when there is strong volume on the upswing and declining volume on the downswing or sideways 'consolidation'.

FCX shows all of these and is a good stock to watch for an indication of what may happen in the mining sector as a whole, and the world economy for that matter.
A weak U.S. dollar and the effect of that currency on materials prices is a major factor.

A breakout above recent one year highs could be the start of a major trend change in the miners.

A small position here is warranted, with additions as the stock moves up. IF IT MOVES UP.
IT MAY NOT MOVE UP.

But I think they all will eventually, probably after they fake out all of us chart readers. LOL

Control your risk,
gh

Squeeze the Bonds

Short of ideas for a title I settle on the aforementioned.

It is my belief that way too much money is parked in the bond market. In order to get that money to come back into circulation the governments of the world will have to let inflation get going good before any raising of short term interest rates. They need to flush some of the money OUT of the long bond markets. Any rising of short rates risks an inversion of the yield curve.

Squeezing long bonds would mean a squeezing of yield shorts. The reach for yield may be coming to an end as the economies of the world start to improve. Todays Robust Jobs Report is evidence that the U.S. economy continues strong. I think it is only a matter of time before the rest of the world follows. Emerging markets (EEM) continue to look strong in the face of strong U.S. data.


I am making bond shorts a core long term position. TBT is the vehicle of choice.


Will be controlling risk however......

gh

On Fiscal Stimulus

If you look at politics the world over it is hard to miss the populist sentiments.

As I pointed out HERE several weeks ago the outcome of coming elections will be fiscal stimulus in the form of infrastructure type projects.

Japan is working on this now.....

If we ask, "why the populist sentiments?" we can come up with an answer that includes the amount of debt that has accumulated over recent decades and the effect that debt has on growth and consumption around the world. Lack of growth, combined with the accumulation of wealth at the top has left people angry. (the accumulation of money looking for rent is why interest rates are so low and why their are no 'bond vigilantes')
If we can accept these facts of life, then we can conclude that aggressive fiscal stimulus, ie, putting money into the bottom of the wealth pyramid, is the same as debt forgiveness. Fiscal stimulus will finally spur inflation and inflation wreaks havoc on the bond market. The bond market is where all the wealth  is parked.

Debt forgiveness is a redistribution of wealth by resorting to inflation.

Unfortunately it is the only option left short of raising taxes on the rich and providing a broader social safety net.
You makes your choices....

Invest accordingly,

gh