Well-Behaved Inflation – And Outlook – Key To Fed’s Ultra Accommodative Monetary Policy

posted in: Credit, Economy | 0

June’s CPI was reported yesterday.  Inflation behaves well.  This makes the Fed’s job easier to continue to pour liquidity into the system.  All hell breaks loose once inflation refuses to cooperate – whenever that is. After three successive months of … Continued

SPY Rallies To Just Under 260 – Sideways At Best, Downward At Worst Likely Path N/T

Since the intraday low on Boxing Day, SPY is up nearly 11 percent.  Too far, too fast?  Possibly, as the ETF is just a hair breadth away from support-turned-resistance at 260, which it lost mid-December. The Fed has a dual … Continued

SPY Once Again Rejected At Channel Resistance – More Downside Likely Ahead

SPY last week was rejected at channel resistance, coming up $0.63 short of surpassing the all-time high of $286.63 reached January 26.  The path of least resistance is down.  A covered put might help. There are interesting dynamics at play … Continued

CoT: Peek Into Future Through Futures, How Hedge Funds Are Positioned

Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of May 1, 2018. 10-year note: Currently net short 445.7k, down 16.5k. US inflation of late has firmed up.  Core PCE – the Fed’s favorite measure of consumer inflation – jumped 1.88 percent … Continued

On FOMC Decision Day, Inflation Front And Center – Crude Oil Worth Watching

posted in: Commodities, Economy, Technicals | 0

Recent inflation readings have firmed up, although remain subdued historically.  As have inflation expectations.  What happens with crude oil, which rallied big the past couple of years, is worth watching. Later today, the FOMC concludes its two-day meeting – the … Continued

CoT: Peek Into Future Through Futures, How Hedge Funds Are Positioned

Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of April 10, 2018. 10-year note: Currently net short 330.6k, down 44.7k. Annual core CPI rose stronger-than-expected 2.12 percent in March.  This was the first year-over-year reading with a two handle in a … Continued

Gold Attacks Crucial Resistance, Which Likely Cracks – If Not Right Away, Later

posted in: Commodities, Derivatives, Technicals | 0

Gold is hammering on crucial resistance.  This has been going on for a while now.  A breakout will happen – sooner or later. Kudos to the gold bugs, they are at it again. Once again, they are hammering on resistance … Continued

Markets’ Focus Shifts To Rising Inflation And Inflation Expectations – Would Fed’s?

posted in: Credit, Economy | 0

How times have changed?  It did not take long for markets’ attention to do a 360 from fears of deflation to that of inflation. January’s consumer price index was reported Wednesday.  It was stronger than expected.  In the 12 months … Continued

Ongoing Inventory Digestion, And Possible Accumulation — Again

posted in: Economy | 0

Thanks to faster growth in the second half last year, inventory is getting wrung out of the system.  It is probably only a matter of time accumulation occurs again. In 3Q17, U.S. real GDP grew at an annual rate of … Continued

XLF Bulls Manage Another Crack At 2007 Resistance, Meet With Failure Again

posted in: Credit, Economy, Equities, Technicals | 0

Once again, XLF (SPDR financial ETF) has been denied at resistance that goes back a decade. In December 2015, for the first time since July 2006, the Fed raised the fed funds rate.  It was a 25-basis-point increase to a … Continued