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April Cheers Could Bring May Tears, Have a Look…

April Cheers Could Bring May Tears, Have a Look…

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Raw Price to Monthly Volume:

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And the capital outflows….

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Now I heard Rick Santelli yesterday discuss whether the market can continue its run to new all time highs.  And with the obvious caveat of completely accepting that the fundamentals no longer have any correlation or relevance whatsoever to the market then yes, Santelli believes the market can reach all new highs.  On what, one may reasonably ask?  Well “kinetic energy”, he says, otherwise known as ‘Animal Spirits’ on Wall Street.

But it’s not so much kinetic energy that is levitating this market devoid of any supportive fundamentals, it is the fact that volumes are thin enough and technology has progressed enough that it has become entirely viable for existing policy champions (NY Fed/Citadel algos) to halt even drastic downward momentum runs and then for corporate treasury departments to grind the markets higher through record buybacks.  What we have left is a market of price insensitive participants i.e. corporate treasury departments and the Fed’s cronies (who incidentally make a fortune enacting the manipulation on behalf of the Fed).

Now I know that the last few remaining true believers, because I’ve talked to several, will suggest this explanation is just fancy talk.  But I ask you to look at the above charts and explain to me how else a market runs higher for 7 years in the face of the capital and volume exodus that has taken place?

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

A Blended Fundamental and Technical Perspective on Where We Go From Here

A Blended Fundamental and Technical Perspective on Where We Go From Here

Now I mention this because after 15 years in banking, teaching financial modeling has forced me to reacquaint myself with some of the basic tenets of markets and valuation.  Such things tend to get lost in the midst of “getting the deal done” and chasing paper profits.  This reacquaintance process has been quite illuminating for me and I thought perhaps for others too.

A reminder of what the market actually represents is a good place to start.  The stock market is simply an asset with some intrinsic value based on an expectation of future free cash flows to equity holders.  Those cash flows are generated from revenues less costs of the underlying companies that make up the market.  Let’s use the Wilshire 5000 Full Price Cap Index as the proxy market for this discussion as it is the broadest measure of total market cap for US corporations.  It’s level actually represents market capital in billions.

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So the market has put a valuation on those expected future cash flows to equity holders (as of today) at around $19.7T (a 55% increase from Jan of 2012) down from around $22.5T (a 77% increase from Jan of 2012) at the market peak last summer.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Who’s Profited Most from 7 Years of Fed Policy…. Well the Fed of Course!

Who’s Profited Most from 7 Years of Fed Policy…. Well the Fed of Course!

I started this blog about 18 months ago and I have chosen to provide my research with no income attached to it.  It means I have no axe but the truth.  I spent 13 years in major international banks and have been on both sides of the double edged sword that makes the financial services sector a place to reap riches and also to be thrown to the wolves.  That is, I am intimately familiar with the system.  That said, what I’ve discovered is that really very little effort is required to see the world for what it is.

The closest analogy is probably best left to Orwell with Animal Farm.  Humans around the world have been molded to believe they are part of a system to enable them to get ahead.  While some do manage to find a path that has substantial monetary rewards the vast majority (and growing) have, whether they realise it or not, succumb to a role of Boxer, the cart-horse.

That is, our lives revolve around putting in 8 to 10 hours of labour each day for which we receive enough to feed ourselves and our families, have a warm place to sleep and some of us are able to obtain some credit from which we can enjoy things like new cars every few years (while rarely actually owning them).

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Fed’s Fatal Flaw: A Predictable End

The Fed’s Fatal Flaw: A Predictable End

So last week a very savvy investor asked me my view (h/t Simon Popple) on – When and what will break the chains on gold by those seemingly omnipotent forces that so assuredly keep its price in check? In essence, the belief is (and I expect for most honest and impartial analysts this is true) that because there is potentially significant downside risk to a global monetary system built upon a currency to which gold represents the proverbial kryptonite (we’ll discuss why), there are checks in place within the system, to ensure that kryptonite doesn’t become too potent. The architects of the existing system would have been foolish not to implement checks on gold.

And due to traditional physical gold transactions being cumbersome in a world of click, point and trade, checks on gold come surprisingly simple (paper market). However, there now exists a broadening network of architects (think China’s Silk Road Fund, gold ATM’s in Dubai and electronic exchanges like Allocated Bullion Exchange) creating a modernized electronic infrastructure where physical gold transacts as efficiently as all other financial markets but while maintaining the inherent intrinsic and enduring value. Modern logistics for a monetary system with 5000 years of staying power will make it incredibly difficult to rebuild checks on gold subsequent to the death of the Fed.

Below I will provide the Hypothesis, Groundwork, Empirical Evidence and Conclusion that will speak to the title of this essay.   With that, grab a coffee and enjoy!

 

Hypothesis

The monetary system enacted in 1913 (and all fiat monetary systems), issuing currency backed by interest bearing indenture, was fatally flawed due to a requirement for its very survival to create an ever-increasing stock of money, without also providing the means for perfect investment, resulting in a system where debt ultimately consumes all profits and labour over time.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

 

Olduvai IV: Courage
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Olduvai II: Exodus
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