Saturday, December 22, 2018

Markets Reject the Fed? / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2018

By: The_Gold_Report

On Wednesday, the Fed raised the Fed Funds rate by a quarter point as expected. The FOMC statement was suitably "dovish" by reducing the consensus forward guidance on future rate hikes from three to two. The Fed also signalled that its Quantitative Tightening program would continue on "autopilot" as planned. The response was not what the Fed expected. Stocks fell hard and bonds soared.

Financial markets are about to revisit some important questions.

First, does QE actually work? Does it boost the real economy or does it simply drive up valuations by encouraging speculation? We think the weakest economic recovery in two generations provides the answer.

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Forget the Noise, Follow the US Dollar / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: The_Gold_Report

Sector expert Michael Ballanger examines the effects of the Federal Reserve Bank interest rate increase and plans for 2019.

"Gold is the money of kings. Silver is the money of gentlemen. Barter is the money of peasants. And debt is the money of slaves."

Here are a couple of facts one needs to remember when attempting to decipher yesterday's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announcement and press conference by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell:

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Fed Gooses Gold, Miners / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: Zeal_LLC

The dovish Federal Reserve lit a fire under gold and its miners’ stocks this week.  As universally expected the FOMC hiked rates for the 9th time in this cycle.  But it also lowered its 2019 rate-hike outlook bowing to the stock-market selloff.  Traders dumped gold initially thinking that wasn’t dovish enough.  But market reactions to the FOMC form over a couple days, and gold surged overnight.  Its post-Fed rally has great potential.

Gold-futures speculators dominate gold’s short-term trading action.  They punch way above their weight in capital terms thanks to the extreme leverage inherent in gold futures.  This week, the minimum margin for trading each 100-ounce contract controlling $125,000 worth of gold at $1250 was just $3400!  These traders can run crazy maximum leverage as high as 36.8x, compared to the stock markets’ legal limit of 2x.

Friday, December 21, 2018

You Will Probably Live Longer Than You Thought—But Can You Afford To? / Personal_Finance / Pensions & Retirement

By: John_Mauldin

I have long warned that demographic changes have made Social Security unsustainable.

In 1940, the Social Security system had 159.4 workers per beneficiary. Then it went off the rails quickly. By 1945 the ratio was down to 41.9 and a decade later was in single digits.

We usually think this is a result of the Baby Boom generation turning 65, and that’s a big part of it. But rising life expectancy is equally and maybe more important.

Friday, December 21, 2018

If You are Interested in Blockchain and Crypto; Here Are 4 Developing Trends to Watch in 2019 / Currencies / BlockChain

By: Boris_Dzhingarov

Friday, December 21, 2018

FOMC Update - Jerome ‘Dead Eye’ Powell / Interest-Rates / US Federal Reserve Bank

By: Gary_Tanashian

One of the most disturbing scenes in the series Breaking Bad was when Todd shoots and kills a boy on a dirt bike after he witnessed Heisenberg, Jesse and Todd heist 900 gallons of methylamine. Jesse: “Todd, that Opie Dead Eyed piece of shit…”

That is similar to the feeling I got after the Fed hiked the funds rate as expected, but then declined to offer the stock market much relief for its ongoing temper tantrum.

What’s this? The Fed is not doing as the vast majority of market participants expect it to do? The Fed is not taking active measures to boost asset prices?

Friday, December 21, 2018

Will Miners Save Gold? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: Arkadiusz_Sieron

The price of gold cannot decline and stay below the gold production costs. Myth or fact? We invite you to read our today’s article about the mining costs and find out whether they provide a floor for gold prices.

So if the central bank demand for gold is not able to boost the price, then maybe mines will help? We refer here to the popular narrative that the price of the yellow metal cannot decline below its cost of production. But do gold production costs really set a floor for bullion prices?

Friday, December 21, 2018

Extreme Bearish Stock Market Sentiment. What this Means for Stocks / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018

By: Troy_Bombardia

Bearish sentiment in the stock market is at an extreme right now. For example, the Put/Call Ratio is at its highest level ever. During such times, the stock market can go down more in the short term (when panic sets in, it’s hard to know the exact bottom). That’s why it’s always better to focus on risk:reward and remain unemotional.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Top Tips for Flying EasyJet Budget Airlines, Cabin Bags Check Rules... / Personal_Finance / Travel & Holidays

By: HGR

Gatwick airport drone chaos aside, here are our top tips for making your flights with the budget airline EasyJet an easier and less stressful experience, covering baggage allowances, bag drop, hold luggage, and how likely are easyjet to enforce their baggage rules. Whether to book seats in advance or not, and if booked which area of the planes to sit in. What to do to board your plane with your cabin bags as they will likely get rough treatment if thrown into the hold.

Friday, December 21, 2018

UUP Update…The Dollar Channel / Currencies / US Dollar

By: Rambus_Chartology

Yesterday I posted this daily chart for the UUP suggesting that it could very well be building out a new uptrend channel with the current price action trading at the top rail where it has been chopping out the small blue rising wedge. Today we are getting some follow through to the downside.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Trump-Defying Fed Enters Danger Zone for Economy and Markets / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2018

By: MoneyMetals

The Fed blinked – but didn’t flinch away from another rate hike. On Wednesday, Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policymakers rejected President Donald Trump’s call for a pause. They raised their benchmark rate by a quarter point to a range up to 2.5%.

The only concession Fed chairman Jerome Powell offered to Trump and nervous stock market investors was a revised, less hawkish outlook for 2019. Powell and company now indicate they intend to hike just twice next year.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Four Key Things You Need to Know About Student Finance / Personal_Finance / Student Finances

By: Submissions

When trying to get access to student finance, there are a few things that you need to know. Student finance has a habit of being somewhat difficult to try and get access to a loan, which is why it is essential for you to understand just a few key things. We're going to cover them here and now, to help you glean a new comprehension of how the system works.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

What does 2019 have in store for the UK gambling market? / Companies / Gambling

By: Submissions

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Will Gold Rally in January after the Fed Hike? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018

By: Arkadiusz_Sieron

December as usual. Another Fed hike is behind us. Will we now see a rally in gold in January?

Fed Hiked But It Will Monitor Risks

Yesterday, the FOMC published the monetary policy statement from its latest meeting that took place on December 18th-19th. In line with the expectations, the US central bank raised the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to the target range of 2.25 to 2.50 percent (it was the ninth lift since 2015):

Thursday, December 20, 2018

FT Shows How British Establishment Will Ensure REMAIN Wins a Second EU Referendum / Politics / BrExit

By: Nadeem_Walayat

Calls for a so called "Peoples Vote" are reaching a crescendo in the mainstream press, as grid locked chaos in the Westminister counts down to the BrExit deadline of 29th March 2019, that is resulting cabinet ministers downwards claiming that a Second EU Referendum is necessary so that the people can decide on the terms of exiting from the European Union, a deal or no deal exit, or even for the UK to REMAIN within the European Union.

Unfortunately, the whole "Peoples Vote" exercise is a means by which the Britain's establishment will ensure that REMAIN would WIN a second EU referendum by the way the referendum questions would be worded as illustrated by the Financial Times (FT) latest video titled "BrExit: how to hold a second referendum" :

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Are Cryptocurrencies The Future of Online Casinos? / Currencies / Bitcoin

By: Submissions

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Gambling Related Stocks: to Invest or Not to Invest? / Companies / Gambling

By: Submissions

Thursday, December 20, 2018

The S&P 500 is Now Wown -15%. What’s Next for Stocks / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018

By: Troy_Bombardia

The S&P 500 is now down approximately -15%

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Stock Market Collapse? Buckle Up, It’s About to Get NASTY / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018

By: Graham_Summers

The Fed is expected to hike rates today. However, the bulls are hoping that the Fed will ALSO state that it now expects to hike rates FEWER times in 2019.

Let that sink in for a moment.

The ONLY reason the Fed would hike rates fewer times in 2019 is if the financial system is in serious trouble. So… the best we can hope for is that the Fed gets dovish because things are getting horrific?

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Stock Market Alert: The Dikembe Mutombo Continues to Hold! / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018

By: Barry_M_Ferguson

A lot of people voice opposition to walls. Funny. There is a wall on the Dow Jones Industrial’s chart.

Yeah, I know. Readers of my blog are shocked that Dow 24k cannot be breached. Again, as former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo used to block shots near the basket, the Federal Reserve certainly does the same in stocks. Specifically, they are currently defending the Dow 24k line with great force and determination. Check my previous blog posts for the DML (Dikembe Mutombo Line) origination.