Saturday, August 14, 2021
U.S. Housing Market: Not "a Bubble This Time Around"? / Housing-Market / US Housing
By: EWI
Here's what usually coincides with a big decline in real estate pricesYou probably know that the U.S. housing market has been red hot.
A certified financial planner wrote a July 20 article for Kiplinger, mentioning the record price levels in many areas of the country, and then added a personal observation:
I witnessed the price rise first-hand. I recently returned from a family vacation in the North Carolina mountains, where many homes now sell for double or triple the price compared to just a couple of years ago.
Stories abound of buyers signing contracts on homes without even doing a walk through. Some real estate agents are advising buyers to forgo inspections, saying they will just slow the process.
Friday, August 13, 2021
Gold Miners: Celebration Time / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2021
By: P_Radomski_CFA
Another day, another decline in junior miners – and another increase in profits from short positions in them. Shouldn’t we expect a rebound though?
Well, no. The rebound already happened in late July and early August, and what we see now is the trend being resumed. Consequently, even if it wasn’t for all the long-term analogies to the 2012-2013 declines in gold and gold stocks (HUI Index), one should expect the current short-term decline to be significantly bigger than the counter-trend upswing which ended earlier this month. At this time, the move lower is just somewhat bigger than the preceding rally. Thus, it’s not excessive and can easily continue.
However, let’s keep in mind that periods of very high volatility usually need to be followed by periods of relatively low volatility. That’s when investors verify if the “new reality” – the price levels after the decline – are justified or not. If the market votes “no”, we get huge rebounds and breakdowns’ invalidations. So far this week, the markets have been voting “yes”.
Friday, August 13, 2021
Budgies Outdoor Wet Grass Natural Bath Time Fun Play - VR 180 3D / Personal_Finance / Animals & Pets
By: N_Walayat
Here;s another unique budgie video from the Walayat Family budgie / parakeet care experts. In this video our budgies have bath time fun outdoors in wet grass! Shot in VR 3D 180, a completely unique VR experience, probably a world first! And even if you don't have an headset then any 180 capable browser such as fire fox will allow you to pan around the garden as the budgies enjoy their bath fun time.
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Friday, August 13, 2021
Precious Metals “Mini Flash Crash” Surprises Markets / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2021
By: Chris_Vermeulen
Overnight, on Sunday and early Monday, Precious Metals and Oil started a fairly big collapse which quickly bottomed and recovered – at least in the Precious Metals markets. Crude Oil is still moving lower in early trading on Monday, August 9, 2021. Can we learn anything from the pre-COVID market trends and extrapolate any real-world analysis from this?
Precious Metals “Mini Flash Crash” Surprises Markets This Week
One thing that struck me related to this move is this is a similar type of move that took place at the start of COVID in February 2021. Crude Oil started to move lower in early January 2020 while the US stock market continued to move higher before the COVID virus event hit. Gold also moved higher from January 2020 to a peak in February 2020 – just before COVID. Yet, all of them, Precious Metals, Oil, and the US major markets, moved dramatically lower as soon as the reality of a COVID type economic event setup and traders realized the scope of the issues before all of us.
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Friday, August 13, 2021
Gold Bullion Investors Hang Tight! / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2021
By: MoneyMetals
The precious metals futures markets launched shortly after Richard Nixon closed the gold window and removed the last vestige of gold backing from the Federal Reserve Note. Officials introduced paper gold and silver contracts specifically to increase price volatility and discourage physical ownership of metals.
After nearly 50 years, it is safe to say their strategy was a success.
It is often excruciating to own metal when the short run price action is completely disconnected from fundamentals.
The price smash in the last couple trading days is a case in point.
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
Why Premium Bonds Are Garbage and I am Selling ALL to Buy Shares in Google (Alphabet) / Personal_Finance / Saving Bonds
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Premium Bonds - What a load of garbage! Absolute garbage! Might as well stuff cash under your mattress then invest in these piles of poop. Find out why in my latest video as I look back over the year to see how much I have won on a £32.5k investment, THIRTY TWO THOUSAND POUNDS parked in this garbage that has lost at least 4% in value and probably nearer to 10% given the true rate of inflation!
ABSOLUTE GARBAGE! Find out why I am going to sell all and just stuff the cash in the Google Shares (Alphabet)! Don't make the same mistake as me and invest in premium bonds!
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
Bitcoin BTC Trend Analysis / Currencies / Bitcoin
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Bitcoins price action during the first half of 2021 was a classic distribution pattern that had the smart money (you and me) SELLING out of Bitcoin and other crypto positions.
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
Gold and Silver Massacre to Continue? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2021
By: Monica_Kingsley
Again, today’s report will be way shorter than usual, and focus only on select charts so as to drive position details of all the five publications.
Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).
Thursday, August 12, 2021
Strengthening Support for the US Dollar Adds to Precious Metal Weakness / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2021
By: Donald_W_Dony
The US economy added over 900,000 jobs in July, the most in 11 months and well above the market expectations. Part of the reason is the rapid pace of the COVID-19 vaccinations allowing the country to continue to re-open and promote businesses to hire more workers. This action has driven down the US Unemployment Rate to 5.40%, the lowest level since March 2020.
In response to the bullish employment news, the US dollar index (DXY) extended its upward momentum and reverse its pull back in late July to jump to almost $0.928 in the 1st week of August. A stronger-than-expected number could make the case for faster US policy tightening. Earlier this week, Fed chair Richard Clarida suggested conditions for hiking interest rates might come as early as late 2022.
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
Could a Collapse of Cryptocurrencies Force a Reform of the Global Monetary System? / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2021
By: Steve_H_Hanke
For thousands of years, there has been a dominant international currency. Until August 15, 1971, when President Nixon closed the gold window and revoked the right of foreign governments to redeem their dollar assets for gold, all the dominant currencies had either been gold or silver coins, or paper notes or accounts that were redeemable for gold or silver.
Historically, these dominant currencies would come and go, with their demise typically being the result of wars and war finance. The United States dollar supplanted the British pound, which had been the world’s dominant currency in the 19th century, at the onset of the First World War.
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Why the Fed is Wrong About 'transitory' Inflation / Economics / Inflation
By: Richard_Mills
If rising food prices are ruining your appetite, you’re not alone.
Costs of a number of grocery staples have been rising all year, including some that haven’t gone up in decades, such as peanut butter. Meats are seeing large increases, with the price of chicken climbing 8%, and pork and beef increasing about 5%.
According to Statistics Canada, via CTV News, two breakfast ‘staples,’ coffee and peanut butter have gone up significantly since January, a respective 17% and 6%. Canada’s Food Price Report predicts that prices will increase 5% this year, adding almost $700 to the average Canadian family’s grocery bill.
In the United States, US consumer prices hit their highest level in 13 years in May, jumping 5% from May 2020. The US Department of Labor says rising costs of meat products and baked goods led the surge in food prices.
“We’re in a period of unprecedented commodity inflation,” Unilever CEO Alan Jope told investors in early June.
According to Business Insider, US food prices are rising in tandem with broader inflation, with the CPI hitting 5.4% in June. Prices are climbing due to key commodities becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, shipping delays, labor shortages (for example in meat packing plants, hit hard by covid-19) and severe droughts in a number of countries (more on that below).
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
GDXJ Junior Gold Miners Setup A Double Bottom – Looking For A Rally Off These Unique Low / Commodities / Gold and Silver Stocks 2021
By: Chris_Vermeulen
The Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ), fell to lows near $43.06 recently, which matched the low from the end of March 2021, near $43.24. Although these lows are not exactly the same, the span of time between these unique lows and the very close nature of them makes them a Double Bottom setup.
It is very likely that this support level will prompt a new upside price rally in Junior Miners targeting $50 to $52 or higher if the support level near $43 continues to hold.
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
The Tapering Clock Is Ticking: Fed Gives Gold Some Time / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2021
By: Arkadiusz_Sieron
The Fed acknowledged the economy’s progress, but it’s still not “substantial progress.” In short, Powell merely slowed the hand of the tapering clock.Last week (July 28, 2021), the FOMC published its newest statement on monetary policy. The publication was barely altered. The Fed noted that the US economy has continued to strengthen, although the sectors most heavily hit by the pandemic haven’t fully recovered yet. According to the FOMC members, the economy continues to depend on the course of the coronavirus, but not “significantly” anymore. So, the Fed acknowledged that the American economy has strengthened (even with the recent worries about delta variant) and that we are returning to post-epidemic normalcy. Theoretically, it’s bad news for gold, but this is something we all know, so the practical impact should be minimal.
A much more interesting change in July’s FOMC statement is the part about the Fed’s asset purchases:
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
The Tiny House I Grew up Just Sold for $430k / Housing-Market / US Housing
By: Stephen_McBride
“$430,000 for THAT?”My colleague nearly spat coffee on his laptop when I showed him the house my mom just sold.
It’s the white door on the right:
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Nasdaq Rallied To New All-Time Highs – Are We Starting Another Bullish Rally Phase? / Stock-Markets / Tech Stocks
By: Chris_Vermeulen
After the Fed’s comments in support of the US economy and the transitory nature of the recent inflation, the NASDAQ rallied to new all-time highs and closed at $15,167.75 on August 5, 2021. If the markets fall back into the “melt-higher” mode as we move away from Q2:2021 earnings, we may be setting up for a moderately big rally phase targeting $15,400 or higher in the NQ.
Global Traders Continue To Bank On A Rally In US Equities
Global traders have poured billions into the US markets over the past 4+ years as the US Federal Reserve has continued to act as the global banker of last resort. Because of this, global traders continue to invest in US equities as the strength of the US Dollar and the incredible post-Covid rally in the markets has blown past everyone’s expectations.
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Price Of Silver – 100 Years In The Making / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2021
By: Kelsey_Williams
Sometimes fantasy becomes reality. At other times, a dose of reality will temper fantasies of outsized and unjustified proportion.
Some silver investors and analysts could use a dose of reality. Below is a chart of silver prices dating back to 1915…
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Part of Green New Deal, Jacks Up Debt / Politics / Infrastructure
By: MoneyMetals
As the U.S. Senate moves closer to passing a trillion-dollar spending bill that includes some infrastructure priorities, critics are warning that the public is being taken for a ride.
President Joe Biden and his allies in Congress have actually claimed that the new spending won’t add to the national debt or increase pressures on inflation. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pitched the package as an investment in the economy.
It’s certainly true that much of the nation’s infrastructure is badly in need of upgrades. Roads, bridges, pipes, and airports across the country are in poor shape.
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Tuesday, August 10, 2021
AI Stocks Portfolio Buying and Selling Levels Ahead of a Market CRASH / Correction 2021 / Companies / Tech Stocks
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The US stock market has been content to rally to new highs with many stocks going to the Moon including most of our AI tech giants, a rally that I have been distributing into to the extent that I have now sold 80% of my holdings in the Top 6 AI stocks in my portfolio some of which I have been accumulating for over a decade (Microsoft). The primary objective of this analysis is the determine where we stand in terms of THE TOP, after all, all bull markets eventually do top either ending with a CRASH (1987) or a bear market (2000 and 2007). So what to hold and what to sell is the question I am asking myself, with a view to riding out a potential bear market / crash, where this analysis deploys a new automated metric of individual stock SELLING LEVELs so that one better knows where one stands in terms of ones portfolio, all in just one table. After all the risk we all fear is that of a 2000 style collapse that sends stocks lower for the next 20 years! Remember that bear market bottomed with a 85% collapse for tech stocks! Yes, one could say the likes of Amazon, Microsoft, Apple had become dirt cheap, but that would have been a very painful and prolonged discounting event. So a case of balancing the risks of letting some stocks ride whilst cashing in those that will pay a heavy price for their over exuberance all whilst being aware of the AI mega-trend trundling along in the background.
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Tuesday, August 10, 2021
EIP1559 Impact on GPU Ethereum Mining Earnings with Nice Hash, Ravencoin Price Doubles! / Currencies / Crypto Mining
By: HGR
EIP 1559 has arrived! And here is the real world impact on miners, where I should exactly how much of an impact EIP1559 is making on mining Ethereum with Nicehash. as well as the impact on other alt coins such as ravencoin that are benefiting hugely from extra miner attention sending Ravencoin price soaring, doubling within days!
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Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Debenhams CLOSED Down After 200 Years, Shopping Trip Down Memory Lane at Meadowhall Sheffield / Companies / Retail Sector
By: Eliza_Walayat
Debenhams Britains former biggest high street department store chain is now no more, the it's last stores closed a few weeks ago after over 200 years of retail trading, tracing it's roots back to 1778 when William Clark opened the first shop in London's East End, then some 30 years later William Debenhams' investment was coupled with a name change to Clark & Debenhams.
Here's a shopping trip down memory lane at the Meadowhall Sheffield Debenhams Store where whilst doubts had always remained for many years on the Town Centre stores chances of survival, few took seriously that the Meadowhall store would ever close, but the coronavirus pandemic was the final nail in Debenhams coffin.
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