Morning Update/ Market Thread 11/16

Good Morning,

Equity futures are tumbling this morning, with the dollar roughly flat to rising, the Euro slightly higher, the long bond pushing rates significantly higher again, oil continuing to fall, and gold slightly higher.

There was a very small change in the McClellan Oscillator yesterday, that means odds are very high there will be a large directional price change today or tomorrow.

Note in the daily charts below that the dollar (left) and Euro (right) are about to reach the boundary of their respective channels. There may be a turn as that occurs, it will be very important to see how these currencies react as they near those borders:



Let’s recap the situation in Ireland… the country, encouraged by the big banks to borrow more than they could possibly hope to repay, falls under attack by those same banks and hedge funds thus spiking their bond borrowing costs. Yet Ireland claims it has enough money to operate through the end of their next fiscal year, what’s the hurry?

In comes the IMF and European banks – the very same banksters as above – DEMANDING that they BORROW MORE MONEY in order to “RESCUE” them! Yesterday the threat became real when Ireland was, “warned it has 24 hours to make decision as EU emergency talks loom amid fears Irish banks' contagion may spread to other eurozone countries.”

And here is the very same threat used by bankers time and time again throughout history!!! DO THIS OR ELSE WE CRASH THE MARKETS AND THE ECONOMY!

And that’s what you get and what you deserve for GIVING THE POWER OF MONEY CREATION to the banks in the first place! This is exactly why what’s MOST IMPORTANT IS WHO CONTROLS THAT POWER.

And yet it is being reported that Ireland is in talks again this morning:
Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Ireland is in talks with European and International Monetary Fund officials about a bailout that would shore up the state’s finances as well as enable it to inject capital into the country’s banks, said a European official with direct knowledge of the talks.

The two-part funding package would mean Ireland wouldn’t have to tap the bond market for an extended period as it tries to cut the budget deficit, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It would also give the government capital to help banks if necessary. Ireland says it’s fully funded into mid-2011.

I can only hope that they resist this “two part funding package.” But that doesn’t sound so bad does it? LOL, their “funding package” is just a euphemism for DEBT. While it’s true that Ireland represents just 1% of the EU economy, it is requiring 15% of the bailout proceeds. But this is just like the subprime borrower – WHO is most responsible, those who borrowed more than can be repaid, or the debt pusher who knew when he was lending money from nothing, then selling it across the globe despite the fact that they KNEW it could never be repaid?! I say the bankers get what they deserve – bring the system down and start over! Change the equation of WHO is in control!

There is only one true escape for the people of Ireland, that is to tell the bankers to pound sand! They, and all countries should exit the Euro and be producing their own currency (with quantity controls of course)! They should DEFAULT on current debts and let the holders of their debts go broke as they deserve.

Rumors are flying that Portugal is threatening to leave the Euro, again, there is strength in numbers and they should do so.

Meanwhile, back in the states we learn its pump and dump as usual, the headline says that Uncle Warren Buffett (hopefully soon to be called prisoner #669) dumped all his shares in Home Depot. Gee, I just happened to catch the shills on CNBC advising people to buy HD. The people are being robbed, it is blatant.

And the biggest robbery of them all is now UNDERWAY IN THE BOND MARKET. Nearly two years ago I was warning that eventually even muni bonds would be hit, and now they are in spades. You had a tech bubble, turned into a housing bubble, turned into another stock bubble, that turned into yet another stock bubble, and all the while the mother of all bubbles in bonds was growing and growing. Of all those bubbles, the bond bubble is the biggest and it just now may be starting to unwind.

This will massively harm most retirement accounts – IF YOU HAVE BOND FUNDS UNDER YOUR CONTROL, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. The people have been herded like cattle from one bubble to the next, only to have the bubble pulled out from under them. House prices never go down, and bonds are the most safe investment there is. Okay, take a look at these “safe investments,” one year charts:







Make no mistake, this means that the cost of funding debt for municipalities just got more expensive, and that is not a good thing for the economy, nor is it a good thing for your retirement plan.

PCK… that is the PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund. All the gains of the past year, GONE in about 3 days. How many real people in the herd do you figure made an exit before this occurred to their accounts? Not many I’m willing to wager… the majority will figure it out and sell just as the carnage is concluding – bankers will be long gone, far away from the crap they generated.

And those inflation expectations that QE2 is going to “save us” all and produce massive hyperinflation? Well, not exactly yet.

The PPI just came in flat month to month at .4% which is half of expectations that were looking for a .8% rise. And, excluding food and energy, the PPI FELL .6% which is opposite the direction of expectations. Gee, could that mean that what we need is QE3??? LOL, here’s Econoday:
Highlights
Inflation at the producer was more moderate than expected in September with the core tugged down by discounts in motor vehicle prices. The overall PPI inflation rate held steady at 0.4 percent in October, coming in significantly below the consensus forecast for a 0.8 percent increase. At the core level, the PPI surprisingly fell 0.1 percent, down from a 0.1 percent gain in September and coming in lower than the median forecast for a 0.1 percent uptick. The core was led down by a 3.0 percent drop in passenger car prices and a 4.3 percent decrease in light truck prices

For the latest month, food slipped 0.1 percent after jumping 1.2 percent in September. The energy component spiked 3.7 percent, following a 0.5 percent increase in September. Gasoline surged a monthly 9.8 percent in October, following a 1.8 percent dip the prior month. For the food component, a majority of this decrease is due to an 8.1 percent drop for fresh and dry vegetables.

For the overall PPI, the year-on-year rate increased to 4.3 percent from 4.0 percent in September (seasonally adjusted). The core rate softened to 1.4 percent from 1.5 the previous month. On a not seasonally adjusted basis for October, the year-ago the headline PPI was up 4.3 percent while the core was up 1.5 percent.

However, producer price inflation is strengthening in earlier stages of production. Intermediate goods prices rose 1.2 percent in October following a 0.5 percent increase in September. Crude goods surged 4.3 percent, following a 0.5 percent decline the month before. On a year-ago basis, intermediate is up 6.4 percent (not seasonally adjusted) while crude is up 17.0 percent.

So, what do you figure this reading would be had the hot money not run up the cost of energy so severely? The sad fact is that the people are being sold a bill of banker goods. Inflation is NOT good for the vast majority of people, in fact DEFLATION is exactly what is necessary and good for most people! Houses, cars, food, tuition, medical care, etc. should all cost less! In fact, if you really want future prosperity without having the guts to throw the bankers out on their asses, then deflation is what you want.

Of course I say throw the bankers out on their asses! Prison for the ones at the very top – start yesterday. In the mean time, enjoy the ride, it’s getting real interesting.

Morning Update/ Market Thread 11/15

Good Morning,

Equity futures are naturally higher this Monday POMO morning, surprisingly with the dollar higher. Bonds are significantly lower in price, oil is higher, while gold is lower.

The Empire State Manufacturing Index just produced a major league miss, crashing from its prior level of 15.73 all the way down to -11.1 when the consensus was +15! My oh my, the disconnect between reality and fantasy has never been larger. That’s the first negative print in that index in well over a year. Here’s Econoday:
Highlights
Empire State data for November are surprisingly weak showing a major month-to-month decline in new orders, at minus 24.38, together with an equally major decline for unfilled orders, at minus 24.68. Contraction in unfilled orders has been ongoing since April, keeping a lid on production needs. Shipments a very steep 25 points to minus 6.13 in the month, the workweek fell to minus 12.99 with delivery times, at minus 9.09, improving for a fifth month in a row.

The employment index continues to show strength, at plus 9.09, as do readings on the six-month outlook. But as an indication for November's manufacturing data on the national level, this report points to trouble. Watch for trouble in Thursday's Philadelphia Fed report, a report that has been trending significantly lower than Empire State.
Those are some hugely negative moves. So new orders are way down yet employment is up over the same time period? What does that tell you about margins? Yet more evidence of businesses who were led astray, and whose margins are getting crushed with QE2 rescue. Good luck.

Speaking of fantasy, the Retail Sales Report came out at positive 1.2% growth month over month, and at .4% year over year. This report is riddled with error and I can guarantee you that the real year over year figure is substantially negative. This is due to substitution bias as this report fails to account for stores that close, and also due to the falling purchasing power of the dollar as sales are measured in dollars. Still, the consensus for this drivel was .7%, here’s Econoday:
Highlights
The consumer sector continued to strengthen in October with sales topping expectations. Overall retail sales in October jumped 1.2 percent after gaining 0.7 percent in September. The latest number sharply topped analysts' projection for a 0.7 percent increase. Excluding autos, sales posted a more moderate but still healthy 0.4 percent increase, following a 0.5 percent advance in September and coming in a little higher than the median market forecast for a 0.4 percent boost. Sales excluding autos and gasoline increased 0.4 percent, matching the increase in September.

The good news is that the consumer sector is continuing to prop up the recovery-maybe even given it a modest strengthening. October gains were mixed but notably more on the positive side. Motor vehicles & parts led the way, jumping 5.0 percent. And apparently, even though housing is sluggish, households are fixing up homes as building materials & garden equipment posted a 1.9 percent boost. Gains were also seen in food & beverage, gasoline stations, clothing, sporting goods & hobby, general merchandise, nonstore retailers, and food services & drinking places.

Furniture dipped but after several strong gains. Declines were also seen in electronics (likely price cutting), health & personal care stores, and in miscellaneous store retailers.

Equity futures eased slightly but on a much weaker than expected Empire State manufacturing number released at the same time.

Business Inventories are released at 10 Eastern. This week is fairly busy for economic reports, but nothing that’s so important that it will freeze the markets. Friday is options expiration and there are no reports that day.

I have to report on the following bizarre incident in Kansas City where police shot at a passing by van that backfired thinking they were being fired upon (ht Ron):
Backfires from broken-down van draw bullets from KC police

Phillip Ransom thought he had trouble Thursday night when his old van broke down on the side of the road, booming out backfires.

But that was when his troubles really began.

Two Kansas City police officers, mistaking the van’s backfires for gunshots, began firing at it.
It was a terrifying moment for the Kansas City man, who was unarmed and said he did not own a gun.
“I’m just an ordinary guy,” he said. “I go to work every day.”

Fortunately he was not hit. At least three bullets hit the van. Ransom said he did not know how many shots were fired.

“I wasn’t counting,” he said. “But it sounded like a lot.”

A department spokesman confirmed that Ransom was unarmed and said the officers have been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

The incident occurred just before 6 p.m. Thursday on Gregory Boulevard near Interstate 435. Ransom, who owns a janitorial service, said he was on his way home from work.

Besides the damage to Ransom’s van, windows of the patrol car were also shot out — apparently by the officers as they got out of the patrol car.

Police and media reports initially described the incident as the police car being hit by a bullet fired from a suspect in the van.

Why do I think this idiocy is important? I think it shows just how jumpy the population is, there is tension in the air. That tension was also very evident in the reaction to the “missile” contrail last week. Who else has an itchy trigger finger? My point here is that the spring seems to be wound tight, a triggering event could occur at any time, and the equity markets are grossly overvalued.

And the bad math of debt has certainly produced massive tension around the globe. I could cite article after article as evidence of that, but there’s so much of it, I can’t possibly discuss it all. In flying circles when talking about safety we talk about the Swiss cheese analogy. If your slices of Swiss cheese have a lot of holes, then sooner or later as you stack the layers of cheese those holes will eventually align and cause an accident. If, however, you are operating in the center of the envelope and trapping errors, then you lessen the number of holes and thus decrease the odds of the holes aligning into an accident. It would seem to me to be impossible to keep an economic and market accident at bay as the number of holes I see is staggering.

There are reports out that the Obama Administration may be working with the banksters to cover up the foreclosuregate FRAUD by retroactively sanctioning the fraudulent activity of MERS (Are Obama and Congress Set To Screw American Counties, Homeowners and Give Wall Street Mortgage Banksters a Retroactive Immunity Bailout?). This, in my opinion, would make the Administration accessories to the crime and frankly traitors to their own country. They better not. And the people need to get active NOW to prevent this from being the biggest cover-up in history.

The jump in the ten year Treasury rates this morning is very large, about .15%! Rate moves like that in one day may scare people out of debt instruments. That can have very distortive effects in other asset classes as money moves around the globe, and higher interest rates will not be a positive for the Fed who is trying to force rates down, nor for the economy that is saturated in debt. Housing recovery? Don’t bet your life on it.

The Yen is finally moving back down. That correlation is generally good for the Japanese, but it has not been so good for the equity markets as it forces our dollar up. The Euro is weak, and as far as I can see, it’s simply a race to see which countries implode first as every country who comprises the dollar basket is nothing but a basket case full of debt that can never possibly be serviced. The pretend part can and will only go so long.

Turning to the markets, as I look at the longer term weekly chart of the SPX, it is apparent that we may have produced a double-top. This comes right on the 61.8% retrace of the entire market. If it is a double-top, then the coming decline is likely to be very significant. Despite the higher high in the market, check out the negative RSI divergence that has produced a lower high, that is quite rare on this timeframe:



The divergences on the longer timeframe indicate that the decline may be significant in terms of both price and time. I note that the Hindenburg Omens are still in effect and that the McClellan Oscillator is now very negative with a -165.29 reading on the close this past Friday. If, however, we turn to Elliott Wave, this current decline would appear to be a wave 4 movement of the larger wave B, and that would mean that a 5th wave higher is in the wings. As McHugh says, that 5th wave may possibly be a Christmas rally. I am not personally sure, nor confident in the count, and thus I am simply watching support and resistance levels watching the battle between deflationary forces and ridiculous self-destructive POMO.

That potential double-top looks ominous to me, especially if the markets fail to mount a rally here. Unfortunately, we won’t know what the count is unless we descend all the way beneath SPX 1128. That’s because a wave 4 can’t invade the space of wave 1 and that’s where wave 1 topped. So, if our current descent turns higher before then, then it’s likely a wave 4 and 5 is coming. If 1128 falls, then all bullish bets are off and something else is happening, but that’s quite a ways down from here, and downward movement has to battle never ending Fed intervention. It’s all lunacy to me, everyone’s been blinded by the light and the market’s no place for long term “investments,” that’s for sure.

Uncle Jay Explains the News...

Well, boys & girls... Your Uncle Jay has been away on a loooonnnng Journey in search of his sense of humor. It appears he's found it...

Where the Power Lies…

Politicians are now talking austerity for America – adios home mortgage deduction! What is that going to do to the home market and to prices? What will that mean for what’s left of America’s middle class?

Is it necessary? Absolutely not! The national debt does not even need to exist in any form whatsoever, we have been controlled to believe that we owe banks for the use of our own money system! It’s a brainwashing and in this short video David Icke spells it out as to where the power really lies.

The power rests with us!

David Icke - We Have The Power to Bring Down The Pyramid!

Currency Wars are a Sideshow! It’s the Bankers WHO are Waging War Against the People of the Planet...

The central banks first fool you into believing they are a branch of the government, when in fact they are privately owned and have subverted the power of money creation from Congress.

They have saturated the entire population of the United States with debt. They have saturated businesses with debt and allowed those with the greatest leverage to consolidate into unruly and totally controlling behemoths.

They have saturated all levels of government including towns, cities, counties, states, and the real Federal Government.

Once saturated with debt and left with an economy that’s failing, they seek more in the way of bailouts and money devaluation from the same populace who is already saturated many times over – the same people are responsible for all those debts!

They have also saturated many of the world’s mature economies in the same exact manner – same few sick narcissists. Only they do so under a different name – that of the IMF, BIS, or “World Bank.” These institutions are in fact NOT legal entities, they have not been authorized by Congress or by the People of the United States (or any other country), yet we allow our tax dollars to be given to these bankers who lever up the entire globe, conduct their business in secret, perform secret currency and gold swaps, produce money from nothing but require repayment in gold (how the IMF became the world’s third largest holder of gold), and then dictate the terms and behavior of nations and people’s by using the CONTROL created with their DEBT!

As other nation’s economies fail, they “come to the rescue” (LOL times a trillion) by providing LOANS! Ha, ha! You couldn’t make that up if you tried! Rescue people who are saturated in debt with more debt!?

Do we look stupid? Don’t answer that, we already know the answer – we are stupid! As in there is not a collective brain cell among us or we would have thrown them all in prison years ago!

Here’s the latest victim of “rescue,” Ireland:

Ireland Urged to Take Aid by European Officials

Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Ireland is being urged by European policy makers to take emergency aid to contain a debt crisis rattling their markets, according to a person briefed on the discussions.

In a conference call of European Central Bank officials around noon Frankfurt time yesterday, Ireland was pressed to seek outside help within days, the person said on condition of anonymity. Separately, a European Union official said a request for assistance was likely even as Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan told RTE Radio that such a call “makes no sense” as the government is fully funded to mid-2011.

Irish bonds rose from a record low yesterday, gaining for the first time in 14 days as traders bet a bailout was near. Prime Minister Brian Cowen said for the first time that he is working with fellow EU leaders as “there are issues affecting the wider euro area” and that they are trying to “ensure that the bond markets respond positively to the euro.” He reiterated that his debt-strapped country has not sought cash.

“It seems difficult for Ireland to avoid tapping the fund unless they have new rabbits to pull out their hat,” said Julian Callow, chief European economist at Barclays Capital in London.

An ECB spokeswoman declined to comment and the Finance Ministry in Dublin said no talks on emergency funds were under way. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet, speaking today in Tutzing, Germany, declined to comment on Ireland.

Possible Aid
Ireland could draw on the 60 billion euro ($82 billion) segment of the broader 750-billion-euro fund set up by the EU and International Monetary Fund in May, Irish state broadcaster RTE said, without saying where it obtained the information. The smaller pool is funded directly by the European Commission, the EU’s Brussels-based executive branch.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs the panel of euro-area finance ministers, said yesterday there was “no immediate reason” to think Ireland will request cash and that officials would not meet before regular monthly talks in Brussels next week.

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said he was prepared to help. “If at one point in time, tomorrow, in two months or two years, the Irish want support from the IMF, we will be ready,” he told reporters today in Yokohama, Japan.

Oh yeah, I’ll bet they’ll be ready… to create digital money from nothing that enslaves an entire nation and robs future generations of their productivity!

Strauss-Kahn Says IMF Can Help Ireland’s ‘Difficult’ Situation

Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The International Monetary Fund stands ready to help Ireland if needed, its managing director said, as market concern about the country’s debt crisis continues.

“Everybody knows that the situation with Ireland, it’s a difficult situation,” IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss- Kahn told reporters today in Yokohama, Japan. “So far I haven’t received any kind of request. I think they can manage well. If at one point in time, tomorrow, in two months or two years, the Irish want support from the IMF, we will be ready.”

In a conference call of European Central Bank officials around noon Frankfurt time yesterday, Ireland was pressed to seek outside help within days, said a person briefed on the discussion who spoke on condition of anonymity.

What’s really happening here?

The “Fed” is a group of private banks. Banks the world over have lent more debt than can possibly be serviced. Then those same banks use artificially created “QE” hot money to place bets AGAINST the debts of nations like Ireland, thus spiking the cost of further borrowing. This sends them over the edge to the point of needing “RESCUE.”

What a game. They push people and countries over the edge and then claim to “rescue” them with more of their poison. It is sick, and they have unfortunately fooled the majority of people.

The people of Iceland fought against such bailouts, wisely so. They are fighting a tough battle because the criminal bankers control much of the globe and thus have managed to isolate Icelanders. But, as more people fight back against this insanity, we will eventually win the war that is being waged against us by the bankers! Ireland is trying to fight back, THEY NEED THE PEOPLE TO RISE UP, RIGHT NOW!

Government campaigns to avoid EU financial bailout

THE GOVERNMENT is campaigning to avert the threat of being forced to seek emergency fiscal aid from the EU authorities as it battles a drastic loss in investor confidence.

Market pressure eased slightly yesterday in response to an attempt by five EU finance ministers to boost the confidence of euro zone investors, but Irish and European officials remain very apprehensive about a record spike in the Government’s borrowing costs.

Uncertainty about Ireland’s frail position will come to the fore again on Tuesday when euro finance ministers gather in Brussels for their monthly meeting. Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan will be asked to provide an update on the bank rescue and on preparations for the 2011 budget and the four-year plan.

Three sources familiar with ongoing European scrutiny of Ireland’s plans said there is concern to ensure the Government manages to pass the budget and demonstrate to the markets it is executing the promised measures. They also acknowledged worries that the €45 billion bank bailout bill might rise.

Amid extensive efforts to shore up the Government’s position, there was contact between Dublin yesterday and the offices of European Commission chief José Manuel Barroso, European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet and German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen and the European Commission last night dismissed a report by Reuters news agency that Ireland was already in talks about a drawdown of funds from the EU’s emergency fund.

“We have made no application whatever for funding. As the Minister for Finance has outlined, we have funding up to mid-year because of the pre-funding arrangements done by the National Treasury Management Agency,’’ Mr Cowen said as he canvassed ahead of the Donegal South West byelection. “So the sovereign, if you like, has that funding arrangement in place. We don’t have to borrow any money in respect of the sovereign issues that affect the Government . . .’’

Two well-placed sources told The Irish Times , however, that Irish officials have been involved in ‘‘technical’’ discussions about the procedures to be followed in the event of any aid application being made to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF). Such discussions have come amid informal contact between Brussels, Berlin and other capitals to assess their readiness to activate the €750 billion rescue fund.

Asked about Irish involvement in such talks, Mr Lenihan’s spokesman said “there are no talks on an application for emergency funding from the EU”. On RTÉ Radio yesterday, Mr Lenihan said the Government was taking a “step-by-step” approach to build up credibility in the markets and said there was no need to go to the EFSF. “First of all, the State is well-funded into June of next year, to fund the budget, I think that’s important, we have substantial reserves,” he said.

“So why apply in those circumstances? It doesn’t seem to me to make any sense. It would send a signal to the markets that we’re not in a position to manage our affairs ourselves.”

Irish bond yields sparked fear of euro zone contagion on Thursday when they climbed above 9 per cent for 10-year money. They declined yesterday to 8.14 per cent after Germany, France, Spain, Britain and Italy said the holders of existing euro zone debt would not be compelled to take a writedown in a sovereign crisis.


What is happening is clear. The people of the world are under attack in the real global war. “Currency wars” are a symptom of the larger problem that is illustrated here.

Banks saturate countries with debt, then use printed money to bet against that very debt, thus pushing them over the edge by jacking up their borrowing costs, just like Ireland's:



...Then comes the "rescue!"

WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT IS WHO CONTROLS THE PRODUCTION OF MONEY! Banks do not own this power, the PEOPLE do – It’s time to take that power back!