Category: Financial Markets 2013
The analysis published under this category are as follows.Saturday, January 04, 2014
The Most Popular Financial Markets Analysis of 2013 - Stocks Stealth Bull Market Raged On! / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
The stock market surged higher into the end of 2013 to close well above Dow 16,000 at 16,576, a whopping gain of 26.5% for the year! This for a year that contained widespread repeated calls of not only why the stock market could NOT rise during 2013 but also that a stock market crash was always imminent, just as had been for virtually the whole of 2012. But don't worry, there will be plenty more cliff-hanger events during 2014 to illicit even more intense perma bear mantra such as the return of the U.S. debt ceiling crisis.
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Saturday, December 21, 2013
Financial Market Storm Signals & Investor Opportunities / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
“Volatile oil and gasoline prices continued to dominate the monthly and annual swings in consumer inflation. Going forward, risks generally favor higher energy inflation driving the headline consumer inflation indices higher. Energy prices generally have an inverse relationship to U.S. dollar strength. For example, a weak U.S. dollar against other currencies tends to put upside pressure on oil and gasoline prices. Post-2008 bouts of dollar weakness generally have been triggered by the ongoing quantitative-easing (also known as dollar-debasement) policies of the Federal Reserve. …
“The U.S. dollar recently has seen some minimal selling pressure. That pressure likely will intensify sharply in the near future, with “tapering” (if any) by the Fed not likely to be of substance. Underlying systemic-liquidity and economic circumstances actually favor intensified quantitative easing. Combine that with the lack of a meaningful effort by the federal government to address fiscal imbalances and the long-term sovereign solvency issues of the United States; with shifting sentiments on the deteriorating political environment in Washington; and with a still-weakening economy; and circumstances are set for a rapidly intensifying sell-off of the U.S. dollar. Again, as the U.S. dollar comes under heavy selling pressure, the weakening U.S. currency rapidly should be translated into rising oil-price-related inflation. …”
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Thursday, December 19, 2013
Turn off the Tube, Tune out the Media, and Drop out of December Madness / Personal_Finance / Financial Markets 2013
Overconsumption of mass media during the month of December can cause emotional whiplash. Navigating images of smiling shoppers and candy-cane merriment while reading about a derailed train in the Bronx or Syrian refugees has left me pining for the days of yore—when Christmas was still vaguely related to a guy who wore sandals and annoyed his local government, and the only bad news you heard about was the drought or oxcart accident in your own village. Sure, folks still capitalized on religion and lots of bad stuff happened, but there was no 24-hour news/commercial cycle feeding us the play-by-play.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Mon(k)ey Puzzle / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
By Grant Williams
Protruding from the sand a short distance to the south of the Pilot Pier, on the golden sands of Hartlepool in England's North East, is a vertical wooden mast.
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Monday, December 09, 2013
U.S. Fed Creating More Financial Market Uncertainty / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
Although the U.S. stock market continues to hit new nominal highs on a nearly daily basis, the U.S. economy bumps along at a lackluster pace. This disconnect has been achieved by a massive Fed experiment in monetary stimulation. Through the combination of seemingly endless maintenance of zero interest rates and the injection of some $1trillion a year of synthetic money into fixed-income markets, the Fed is hoping that the boom it is creating on Wall Street will lead to a boom on Main Street. In reality, this a very dangerous economic gamble of enormously high stakes. As we have seen in the recent past, financial bubbles can leave catastrophe in their wake.
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Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Stocks & Bonds Party - The Madness of Crowds and Looking Like An Idiot / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
IF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; - opening stanza to Rudyard Kipling's, "If"
So, let's say you're a prudent person who has concerns that our economy isn't 'recovering' as robustly as you'd like.
Perhaps you still remember the speed and depth of the 2008 credit crisis' arrival, and its toxic impact on asset prices, jobs, and overall trust in the financial system. Maybe you took notes during the preceding tech and housing bubbles and their aftermath. If so, you likely swore that "Never again!" would you put your wealth at risk during such obvious times of public mania.
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Saturday, November 30, 2013
How My Time in Jail Helped Me Understand The Global Economy / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
Dear reader, I must apologize for the dearth of my commentaries that are my attempt to help us interpret the complex global economic issues that bedevil our return to a normal, stable sustainable, sensible, state of global economic tranquility. My recent incarceration [more on that later] has made access to a computer somewhat problematic.
I was overwhelmed by the absurdity
Truthfully I have tried many times in recent months to apply my limited intelligence and nascent journalistic skills to analyze the current state of affairs. Each time I sat at my computer and prepared to put finger to keyboard, I was overwhelmed by the absurdity of our situation.
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Saturday, November 23, 2013
Two Great Market Bubble Threats, One Great Investor Opportunity / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
“I am very cautious on equities today, This market could easily have a big drop. Very simplistically put, a lot of the earnings are a mirage. They are not coming because the companies are well run but because of low interest rates.” 11/18/13 - Carl Icahn
Very smart Investor Carl Icahn is right to call “a lot of” corporate earnings a “mirage” because by reducing borrowing costs via ongoing QE, The Fed has artificially elevated earnings.
Thus Corporate Earnings are yet another Dangerous Fed-created Asset Bubble.
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Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Why the Volcker Rule Is Now 3x Longer / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
Shah Gilani writes: Let’s talk about the so-called Volcker Rule.
When the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law in 2010 – the bank-busting, save the system, “we’ll never again have a financial meltdown that could destroy the world” legislation – it was more of an outline.
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Saturday, November 16, 2013
Investors Profit and Protect from The Great Race to Debase / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
"’I would like to see the truth come out of these confirmation hearings to discuss how completely clueless Janet Yellen was during the housing bubble,’ Schiff suggests by way of warming to the topic. Not only did Yellen fail to see the crash coming, but she was dismissive of the dangers related to our over-leveraged housing economy even as Schiff himself was doing his best to alert the public. ‘She was wrong about everything in the past and I think she will continue to be wrong once she's chairwoman.’
“Schiff says it is Yellen's faith in the fed's ability to cure what ails the economy that will prove to be America's undoing. Having learned nothing from the crisis Yellen will continue to print money until the long-anticipated currency crisis arrives and ‘brings an end to the madness,’ he argues.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Bankrupting America When Leverage Fails - The Policies of Insolvency / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
Rarely, if ever, have I seen this level of INSANITY UNFOLDING in over 30 years watching and analyzing GLOBAL macroeconomics, politics and markets. To say it is frightening is to understate the combustible nature of the world economy and its ability to generate future growth and prosperity.
It can't and won't grow without massive reform of governments and their policies, which contrary to public opinion are deepening this MAN-MADE disaster. Conversely, times of great danger and risk offer the most outstanding investment opportunities if you can SEE IT and prepare yourself properly.
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Saturday, November 09, 2013
A Critical Key to EndGame Investing / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
“FRANKFURT, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank cut interest rates to a record low on Thursday and said it could take them lower still to prevent the euro zone's recovery from stalling as inflation tumbles.
“The move took financial markets by surprise - the euro fell sharply in response while European shares rose.
“Underlining its support for the euro zone economy, the ECB also said it would prime banks with as much liquidity as required until mid-2015….
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Thursday, November 07, 2013
ECB Interest Rate Cut Surprises Financial Markets / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
Good Morning!
The ECB cut rates in a surprise move that sent the Euro plunging lower.
ZeroHedge commented on this surprise move in an article entitled, In a Stunning Move, ECB cut rates by 23 bps, Euro Plunges.
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Friday, November 01, 2013
Fiat Monkees and Golden Beatles / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
By Grant Williams
Madness!! Auditions. Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running Parts for 4 insane boys, age 17-21. Want spirited Ben Frank's types. Have courage to work. Must come down for interview.
On September 8-10, 1965, this ad appeared in the Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety, as two aspiring filmmakers, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, inspired by what was to become one of the best and most influential musical films of all time, set about trying to cast the leads in a television show about four crazy kids living the rock 'n' roll lifestyle that the protagonists in the aforementioned film had made so appealing to the masses.
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Friday, November 01, 2013
Essential Investor Strategy for Profit & Protection / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
“Facebook creates less business value than any other digital marketing opportunity ... [so] ... Don’t dedicate a paid ad budget for Facebook…
“We asked 395 executives from the US, the UK, and Canada how satisfied they were with the business value they get from 13 different online marketing sites and tactics. You’d expect a site boasting the largest audience and the biggest collection of data to fare well. But we found that Facebook offered less value than anything else on our list .... The least valuable tactic within Facebook? Those paid ads onto which Facebook has shifted focus.”
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Friday, November 01, 2013
QE Causing Bubbles in Financial Markets / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
Sasha Cekerevac writes: As most readers know, I have been calling for a reduction in the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing (QE) program for some time. My worry has been that the current level of quantitative easing is not doing much to help Main Street, and it is building potentially dangerous risks to our economy over the long term.
I’m worried about the future of this country, and yes, even my investments. I don’t want my hard-earned wealth to disappear due to mistakes made by the Federal Reserve in continuing to pump quantitative easing.
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Thursday, October 31, 2013
Who Needs God, When We Have Money Printing Bankers / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
The snooze button; what a great invention. When you have awakened from a deep sleep, and know you can get ready in less time, just hit the snooze button. You know it will still awaken you for your test or to get ready for your 8:00 flight, but in the meantime, you can enjoy a few more moments of precious sleep.
However, if you keep hitting snooze and fail to look at the time, you can also awaken to find that the extra sleep has now placed you in a position where you missed the final exam or your flight. The rewards for a few extra moments of sleep have suddenly become very costly.
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Thursday, October 31, 2013
Inflation Stealth Taxes Consume Stock Market Gains and Retirement Plans / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
What if bottom line investment results for a nation as a whole were very different than the great majority of investors understood? What if most long term investment plans were based on what could be quite easily shown to be "bad information"?
These questions may seem a little difficult to accept, because clearly, with the continuous stream of news, commentary and analysis about investment markets that are available 24/7 in newspapers, magazines, blogs and cable business news – such a discrepancy couldn't exist.
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Thursday, October 31, 2013
The Abnormal New Normal / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
The US dodged a bullet and the Vancouver Subscriber Investment Summit had a great turn out on the same day. Coincidence? I think not.
Seriously; thanks from Keith, Lawrence and I for the great turnout. I'd like to thank the companies that presented as they make these days possible. Last but definitely not least I congratulate Nichola Vermiere and Katy Severs for organizing a great event and doing all the hard work to make sure it was well attended and went off without a hitch. People thanked me for a great show but It's Nichola and Katy that do the heavy lifting. I just show up and try not to trip over the microphone wire.
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Monday, October 28, 2013
Nobel Prize Winner Says Bubbles Don’t Exist / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2013
By Doug French: No wonder investors don't take economists seriously. Or if they do, they shouldn't. Since Richard Nixon interrupted Hoss and Little Joe on a Sunday night in August 1971, it's been one boom and bust after another. But don't tell that to the latest Nobel Prize co-winner, Eugene Fama, the founder of the efficient-market hypothesis.
The efficient-market hypothesis asserts that financial markets are "informationally efficient," claiming one cannot consistently achieve returns in excess of average market returns on a risk-adjusted basis.