Saturday, April 01, 2017
SPX at Important Short /Medium Term Juncture / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
The market started the week at SPX 2344. After a gap down opening on Monday to SPX 2322 the market moved higher for the rest of the week. On Tuesday the SPX hit 2364, pulled back to 2353 on Wednesday, then hit 2370 on Thursday. On Friday it ended the week at SPX 2363. For the week the SPX/DOW gained 0.55%, and the NDX/NAZ gained 1.40%. Economic reports were mostly positive. On the downtick: consumer sentiment, the WLEI and the Q1 GDP estimate. On the uptick: Case-Shiller, consumer confidence, pending home sales, Q4 GDP, personal income/spending, the PCE and the Chicago PMI. Nest week’s reports will be highlighted by the monthly payrolls report and the ISMs.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, April 01, 2017
The EU Is One Big Fatal Flaw / Politics / European Union
The true face of the EU is presently on display in Greece, not in Germany or Holland or France. Brussels must first fix what’s going wrong in Athens and the Aegean, and there’s a lot going wrong, before it can move on towards the future, indeed towards any future at all. It has a very tough job in Italy as well, which it’s trying hard to ignore.|
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, April 01, 2017
The BrExit War - Britain Intelligence Super Power Covert War With the EU / Politics / BrExit
Britain may have stopped being a military super power shortly after winning World War 2, a war that virtually bankrupted the British Empire leading to its dissolution. However the cold war, another war that Britain played a pivotal role in winning, where despite Britain having one of the world’s most effective intelligence apparatus that apart from the bond movies has done a good job of mostly remaining secret, instead letting the CIA and NSA take the public limelight, however did abysmally fail to avert BrExit from becoming manifest, that virtually all saw as an impossible outcome as the following video of Brexit night illustrates.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
Gold in Fed Interest Rate Hike Cycles / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
Gold suffered heavy selling in early March leading into the Fed’s latest rate hike. Speculators frantically dumped gold futures ahead of the Fed’s meeting as implied rate-hike odds soared. This is nothing new. This key group of traders has long feared Fed-rate-hike cycles, convinced they are the mortal nemesis of zero-yielding gold. But this view is highly irrational, as history proves gold actually thrives in rate-hike cycles!
The Federal Reserve’s primary and dominant tool for setting monetary policy is its target for the federal-funds rate. Commercial banks are required to maintain reserve balances at the Fed, with necessary levels fluctuating daily based on each bank’s underlying business activity. So banks with surplus reserves can lend them on an overnight basis to other banks running deficits through the federal-funds market.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
The Brexit Has Begun: Now What? / Politics / BrExit
Until now, the Brexit had mostly been a succession of public statements, declarations of intent, veiled threats and wishful thinking. But today, the British government made the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union manifest by officially invoking Article 50 of the EU treaty and delivering formal notification of its departure from the Continental bloc, the first member ever to do so. This started the clock on negotiations over the terms of the divorce and their future relationship, which will leave both the United Kingdom and the European Union considerably changed.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
3 Maps That Explain Why South America Is Politically Isolated / Politics / Emerging Markets
BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN : What makes South America stand out is that it looks like a large island. Oceans split it from others by great lengths.
Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean make a divide between South America and the US. Plus, it is split by the Amazon rainforest and Andes Mountains to form two “islands.”
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
3 Maps That Explain China’s Real Goal In The South China Sea / Politics / China US Conflict
There’s been a lot of media hype over China’s ongoing military buildup in the South China Sea. But as always, the truth lies beyond the headlines.
Chinese action has so far been largely contained to two island groups: the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
SPX Futures are Weak but no Sell Signal, Yet / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
Good Morning!
SPX futures challenged mid-Cycle support at 2362.84 in the overnight session, but have bounced back above it as I write. We await the breakdown beneath that level followed by the Lip of the Cup with Handle at 2356.00 and the Broadening Wedge trendline at 2350.00.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
‘Three Wise Men’ Warn Next Crash Coming, Own Gold / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
‘Three wise men’ are warning that the next financial crash is coming and that one of the ways to protect and grow wealth in the coming crash will be to own gold.
The men who have recently warned are Jim Rogers (video below), Martin Armstrong (blog below) and Tony Robbins (video below). Each come from somewhat different backgrounds and are respected experts in their respective fields.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
How will Brexit Affect UK Businesses? / Companies / SME
It’s fair to say that the EU referendum, and subsequently Brexit, is already having a major effect on UK businesses; and it will continue to do so throughout the whole process.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
See the Top Forex Markets that are Poised to Move -- Right Now / Currencies / Forex Trading
Dear Trader,
You saw big moves in forex last year -- and 2017 should be no different.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
Precious Metals Are in Alignment for a Major Ascent / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
Precious metals expert Michael Ballanger discusses silver's recent price performance and why he believes precious metals are in alignment for a major ascent.
"Every stock market bull out there whether in New York or London or Mumbai or Beijing is in a drunken myopia of elevated expectations and deviated denial scrambling and scratching and pleading for assurances that 'it is truly different this time.'"
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
There Is No Such Thing As Peak Oil Demand / Commodities / Crude Oil
Notwithstanding that oil demand has increased for over 150 years, it will eventually stop increasing. If oil demand were to reach an actual peak, then the top might be easier to predict. As it stands, the forecast models of demand are likely predicting peak demand far later than it will be.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
The Case for Socialized Medicine / Politics / Healthcare Sector
Last week the American political establishment was shaken to its foundation when the Republican Party leadership withdrew the American Health Care Act (AHCA) just before the vote was to be taken on the floor of the House of Representatives. Besides being a most unusual procedure, it exposed a fundamental split in the country,reflected not merely in Congress but within the Republican Party. GOP purists, represented by the House Freedom Caucus, demanded more significant roll backs in socialized medicine that were contained in the Ryan plan. Their refusal to back the plan, after years of promising complete repeal, doomed the bill.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 31, 2017
Our Economies Run On Housing Bubbles / Housing-Market / US Housing
We are witnessing the demise of the world’s two largest economic power blocks, the US and EU. Given deteriorating economic conditions on both sides of the Atlantic, which have been playing out for many years but were so far largely kept hidden from view by unprecedented issuance of debt, the demise should come as no surprise.
The debt levels are not just unprecedented, they would until recently have been unimaginable. When the conditions for today’s debt orgasm were first created in the second half of the 20th century, people had yet to wrap their minds around the opportunities and possibilities that were coming on offer. Once they did, they ran with it like so many lemmings.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Brexit Gold Buying – UK Demand for Gold Bars Surges 39% / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
– UK investors buy gold bars as demand surges 39% in 2016
– Brexit Day sees Article 50 triggered and pound weakens
– “Brexit nerves” see “Brits hoard gold” reports WSJ
– End of 44 year relationship with closest economic partner
– May sets Brexit clock ticking in letter to Tusk
Thursday, March 30, 2017
What are the Biggest Gambling Markets in the World? / Personal_Finance / Gambling
...
Thursday, March 30, 2017
USD May Stay Soft in Near Term / Currencies / US Dollar
Although the Fed is in the rate hike cycle, USD rally started to lose momentum early this year when market started to realize that monetary policy divergence started to narrow. ECB has started to talk about rate hikes, while China started to tighten monetary policy by raising money market rates early last month. The Fed also sounded less hawkish in their last rate hike as they forecasted only three rate hikes this year and no Fed members agreed to hike rate four times.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Stock Market Mixed Expectations As Technology Stocks Reach New Record Highs / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
Briefly: In our opinion, speculative short positions are favored (with stop-loss at 2,410, and profit target at 2,200, S&P 500 index).
Our intraday outlook is bearish, and our short-term outlook is bearish. Our medium-term outlook remains neutral, following S&P 500 index breakout above last year's all-time high:
Intraday outlook (next 24 hours): bearish
Short-term outlook (next 1-2 weeks): bearish
Medium-term outlook (next 1-3 months): neutral
Long-term outlook (next year): neutral
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Elliott Wave Analysis of APPLE (AAPL) / Companies / Elliott Wave Theory
With a 5 wave looking advance from 138.57, there are now enough gyrations to suggest that wave [v] could be completed, a strong reversal back below 142.00 is needed to support further downside, although if a peak is in place for wave [v], we need to see a strong break back under 138.57 to confirm wave [v] is completed, as a 3 wave pullback that stays above 140.00, likely favors further upside for wave [v], but I am counting the idea as a completed move for wave [v], so a strong reversal under 142.00, then 140.00 is the preferred route.
Read full article... Read full article...