Monday, April 09, 2018
Average Two-year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate at 19 Month High / Interest-Rates / Mortgages
Moneyfacts UK Mortgage Trends Treasury Report data (not yet published) reveals that the average two-year fixed rate mortgage has increased for the second month in a row, to reach the highest point seen since September 2016.
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Monday, April 09, 2018
Donald Trump's False Bravado Trade War, Implications for Gold Market / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018
Precious metals expert Michael Ballanger discusses Donald Trump's trade war with China and the implications for the gold market. When I played pro hockey in Richmond, Virgina, it was during the era of "Slapshot!" and the Broad Street Bullies when gooning (fighting) was fashionable and an integral part of the sport. Stocking your team with two-or three enforcers meant that the finesse players could sail around the ice doing pirouettes and triple axles and dipsy-doodles without the fear of some 250-lb lumberjack from northern Quebec impaling them. I learned quickly from our coach, the legendary Forbes Kennedy (one of the toughest NHL players ever) that the way to avoid getting into a donnybrook with someone you really did not wish to engage was "Don't fookin' look at 'em!" because if they caught your eye and were staring you down, you then were forced to drop the gloves. I made a habit of staring into the eyes of all the finesse players and upon the skates of the goons. Of course, there was the odd occasion I forgot and wound up holding on for dear life when one of the Neanderthals tricked me up and forced me to drop 'em but for the most part, old "Forbie" was absolutely spot on and you could stay safe if you avoided the glaring, maniacal eyes of the Gilles Bilodeaus and Billy Goldthorpes of the world but ONLY if you just "didn't fookin' look at 'em."
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Monday, April 09, 2018
US Stock Market - Donald Loves Me, Donald Loves Me Not / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018
As everyone seems glued to their twitter accounts or their news feeds, the market has been both rallying and fading despite all the negative news of these trade wars that are supposedly going to tank our equity market.
I mean, its not like we began this correction well before trade wars began in earnest. Right? In fact, does any of this surprise you in any way, especially since the President certainly told us that these are some of the actions he will take even before he became POTUS. And, if you suggest otherwise, then you are simply not being honest with yourself.
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Monday, April 09, 2018
Stock Market Retest of the Low? / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018
Current Position of the Market
SPX: Long-term trend – The bull market is continuing with a top expected in the low 3000s.
Intermediate trend – The intermediate correction from 2873 should now continue until May.
Analysis of the short-term trend is done on a daily basis with the help of hourly charts. It is an important adjunct to the analysis of daily and weekly charts which discusses the course of longer market trends.
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Monday, April 09, 2018
A Handy Guide to Congressional Budget Office CBO Report / Interest-Rates / US Debt
Tomorrow we’ll get the Congressional Budget Office’s first look at the budgetary consequences of Donald Trump.
That is, the CBO will release its 10-year budget outlook, which was delayed by a few months to allow enough time to assess recent legislation.
Expect the media to respond in a variety of ways, including matter-of-fact reporting and editorials slamming Trump and the GOP for fiscal profligacy. But whatever the perspective, most responses will have one thing in common—they’ll accept the CBO’s figures as being accurate and authoritative.
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Sunday, April 08, 2018
The Bayer-Monsanto Merger Is Bad News for the Planet / Companies / Food Crisis
Two new studies from Europe show that the number of birds in agricultural areas of France has crashed by a third in just 15 years, with some species being almost eradicated. The collapse in the bird population mirrors the discovery last October that more than three quarters of all flying insects in Germany have vanished in just three decades. Insects are the staple food source of birds, the pollinators of fruits and the aerators of the soil.
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Sunday, April 08, 2018
Political Posturing Distracts – Trade The Stock Market Wall Of Worry / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018
Recent news about the US and China posturing for Trade Deals and the continued increase in rhetoric has weighed heavily on the markets these past few weeks. Yes, trade issues are a concern for nations and fair trade is essential to support both economies. Yet, the news seems to be exaggerated in scale and scope when one considers the totality of it all. Our research team at Technical Traders Ltd. has recently completed a detailed analysis of the Chinese economy including a study of the expected pressures that are mounting throughout most of China/Asia. A property market cycle, extended debt issues, foreign capital projects, military tensions and now “trade tariffs” are adding up to quite a bit of headwind for the Chinese.
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Sunday, April 08, 2018
Legoland, Alton Towers Theme Parks ... Grown Ups and Mates Go FREE 2018 on Kellogg's, Crunchy Nut... / Personal_Finance / Theme Parks
We still have another week to go for the easter school holidays 2018 and with the summer holidays just around the corner parents are seeking ways to keep their kids entertained during holiday season that will likely include several trips to the major UK theme parks. We'll here is some great news for you all as many breakfast serial and chocolate snack bar producers such as Kellogg's are running promotions that allow entry into the UK's top theme parks for ther whole of 2018 for FREE! So plenty of time to use the vouchers to gain entry into 14 UK theme parks that include Alton Towers, Legoland, Chessington, the Dungeon, Sea Life, Shreks Adventure and Madame Tussaud's etc...
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Sunday, April 08, 2018
Stock Market’s High Uncertainty is Medium Term Bullish for Stocks / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2018
The stock market’s volatility has been crazy recently. It’s clear that the majority of investors and traders are undecided. It soars a few percent over 2 days, then tanks a few percent over 2 days, then soars, then tanks…
We can see this uncertainty in the market’s breadth as well. The NYSE’s Up Volume indicates the number of stocks that went up today.
8 out of the past 11 trading days have seen Up Volume either above 80% (i.e. most stocks surging) or below 20% (i.e. most stocks going down). This is a rare medium term bullish sign for the stock market.
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Sunday, April 08, 2018
US Dollar Index Analysis / Currencies / US Dollar
Pattern – price looks to be in a consolidating the downtrend. Once this consolidation is over, which I believe is imminent, the downtrend should resume and see price crack to new lows.Bollinger Bands – these bands clearly show the sideways action in play currently. Price looks like it has just turned down failing to reach the upper band. The lower band has already been hit three times during this consolidation phase and the fourth attempt is usually successful at breaking through.
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Sunday, April 08, 2018
America 2.0 / Politics / US Politics
It’s Dr. D again. Told you he’s on a roll. He remains convinced America can re-invent itself. If only because it must.
Dr. D: Herbert Stein’s Law states “What Can’t Go On Forever, Doesn’t.” This is a neat summary of the present trade and currency imbalance. China makes real goods and the U.S. consumes them by typing digits on a keyboard. This is the very definition of what cannot go on forever.
• How long do you expect a nation can make nothing and consume everything?
• How long do you expect a nation without manufacturing, without a workforce, and now without a viable military to remain pre-eminent?
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Saturday, April 07, 2018
The Biggest Weakness Facing US Real Estate / Housing-Market / US Housing
Right now, Millennials are the largest cohort of homebuyers in America.And even though they’re waiting longer to get married, start a family, and buy a home… and they’re more likely to skip buying a starter home and opt for a larger property…
They have almost ZERO interest in the massive McMansions the Baby Boomers built. Those behemoths cost a fortune to maintain, they typically lack the desirable open floor plans and high-end amenities Millennials want, and they’re usually located in hellish suburbia, far away from the hip neighborhoods and fun activities.
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Saturday, April 07, 2018
Looking at My US Housing Market “Doomsday” Map / Housing-Market / US Housing
Jeff was a small business owner in New Hampshire. One Tuesday afternoon, his neighbor called…“You need to get home NOW! There’s a dumpster in your yard, a padlock on your door, and a bunch of guys are ransacking your house!”
Completely panicked, Jeff dropped everything and raced home. When he got there, he found most of his family’s possessions either in a heap in the front yard or tossed inside the dumpster.
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Saturday, April 07, 2018
Why is US Healthcare So Costly? / Politics / Healthcare Sector
One of the Baby Boomers biggest concerns about retirement is the cost of healthcare.It’s a big problem.
I have a concierge doctor, who I pay a fixed annual fee. This gets me free visits and discounts on blood tests and other things I need. On top of that, I have a high–deductible insurance policy that only covers unexpected costs over $6,000, like if I have a heart attack or something.
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Saturday, April 07, 2018
Jarvis Cocker Addresses the Crowd at Sheffield City Hall Anti Tree Felling Protest / Local / Sheffield
Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker addresses an estimated crowd of 4000 Sheffield anti street tree fellings campaigners at the "Get Off My Tree!" protest at Sheffield City Hall after the campaigners had marched around the city centre on the 7th April 2018.
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Saturday, April 07, 2018
Looking at Real Estate Prices in Major World Cities / Housing-Market / US Housing
£593,369 – the average price of a house in London in January! (That’s about $829,000.)$1 million plus – what 400 square foot condos go for in Vancouver!
$1.5 million – the cost of a median house in San Francisco!
$20 million – for a 2,000-square foot penthouse condo with a view of Central Park!
Who the hell can afford prices like these?
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Saturday, April 07, 2018
U.S. Dollar: Why It Pays to Use the Elliott Wave Model / Currencies / US Dollar
See the signs that could’ve helped you nail two junctures in the greenback's trend
The legendary football coach Vince Lombardi believed that a winning team is built on mastering the game's basics -- so much so that at the start of the season he would "remind" veteran players, "Gentlemen, this is a football."
Lombardi would even take them out to the field, discuss the boundaries and remind the players that the goal is to get the football into the end zone.
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Saturday, April 07, 2018
As the Gold, Stocks, and Bond Markets Macro Turns… / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2018
We began months ago, noting the 3 Amigos destined for their goals. Here’s a post from November 2017 explaining the macro fundamentals involved:
Updating the 3 Amigos of the Macro
- Amigo #1 (SPX vs. Gold): Either reach major theoretical resistance (it’s a ratio, after all) or abort mission by establishing a downtrend.
- Amigo #2 (10yr yield to 2.9% and 30yr yield to 3.3%): Destinations reached!
- Amigo #3 (also known as the slower, dumber Amigo, the 10yr-2yr Yield Curve): Still on his journey, flattening. The trouble would be indicated by steepening.
Saturday, April 07, 2018
New Silver Bull Market Coming / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018
Silver has been dead money over the past year or so, relentlessly grinding sideways to lower. That weak price action has naturally left this classic alternative investment deeply out of favor. Silver is extremely undervalued relative to gold, while speculators’ silver-futures positions are extraordinarily bearish. All this has created the perfect breeding ground to birth a major new silver bull market, which could erupt anytime.
Silver’s price behavior is unusual, making it a challenging investment psychologically. Most of the time silver is maddeningly boring, drifting listlessly for months or sometimes years on end. So the vast majority of investors abandon it and move on, which is exactly what’s happened since late 2016. There’s so little interest in silver these days that even traditional primary silver miners are actively diversifying into gold!
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Saturday, April 07, 2018
21 Trillion Reasons to Own Gold / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2018
Do you know how much a trillion is (we refer here to the short scale)? A billion is hard enough to imagine, much less a trillion. But let’s try. We can write it as 1,000,000,000,000 – that’s a 1 with twelve zeroes. In other words it’s million million, or ten to the twelfth (1012). One trillion of dollars in $100 dollar bills would stack up to about 631 miles high. Given that the average annual income in the U.S. is around $50,000, Joe Schmo would have to save 20 million of years (and not consuming at all) to stockpile a trillion dollars. Sounds enormous, right? So now multiply it by 21 and you will obtain the new level of the U.S. federal debt (here you can watch a movie visualizing the U.S. debt of $20 trillion).
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