Analysis Topic: Stock & Financial Markets
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Stock Market Warning - Time is Short - Credit Crunch Crisis Does Not Abate / Stock-Markets / Credit Crunch
I put out an alert to subscribers as to the following. Included are some additional comments.
After the Fed cut the discount rate Friday, and after the initial exuberance Friday and Monday in Asian and EU markets, the dust settles a bit. Then people look if they can see anything through the fog.
I am not surprised the US markets are flat, and certainly, this is not a confirmation of returning confidence, particularly after the Asian markets rallied 2 - 3% Monday (Sunday night here). They are rallying again Tuesday 2%. This is not convincing to me.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Semiconductor Chip Stocks Quiet, but Looking Higher / Stock-Markets / Tech Stocks
The SMH (Semiconductor ETF) is acting a bit sluggish so far today, but, that not withstanding, the near-term pattern continues to point higher, and the price structure should accelerate once near-term resistance is hurdled between 37.15 and 37.25. My next optimal target is 38. Only a break of 36.80 will begin to compromise the timing of the expected upside breakout.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Fingers of Financial Markets Instability Continues - Part Two / Stock-Markets / Credit Crunch
In This Issue – 3 Fingers
1. Water, Water Everywhere, But Not a Drop To Drink!
2. Keys to the House
3. Redemption Day
1. Water, Water Everywhere, But Not a Drop To Drink!
Do not think that because the credit markets are seizing up that there is no money in the financial system, there is. Bank and Corporate balance sheets are strong. Money market funds are in excess of 2.6 trillion dollars. There is plenty money looking for places to find short term yield, they just want to know they will “get it back”. The money can't move as the ability to trust the collateral of the counterparties is in question. The Federal Reserve began to blink Friday morning by lowering the discount rate 50 basis points from 6.25% to 5.75%. It was a clever move and shows that the Federal Reserve under Bernanke is a wily group that is going to fully try and tackle the problems inherent in the Greenspan put. It's going to be Good cop versus bad cop in the open market committee, as Bill Poole scares the devil out of us and the rest of them make sure the baby IS NOT thrown out with the bathwater.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Major Change for China's Individual Stock Market Investors / Stock-Markets / Chinese Stock Market
Tony Sagami writes: The not-so-invisible hand of government intervention has been very active lately. For example, the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank flooded the system with tens of billions of dollars, and announced a surprise, mid-meeting cut of its discount window rate by half a percentage point.
There is a lot of debate over whether those moves will solve the credit crunch and save the sagging stock and real estate markets. And the uncertainty is what's causing U.S. markets to go haywire. Yesterday was another day of wild swings, in both U.S. stocks and bonds.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Further Stock Market Weakness Expected - Leading Market Indicators: Part 1 / Stock-Markets / US Stock Markets
This report is the first of a two-part series reviewing several key leading indicators on the equity markets. With recent volatility due to the subprime mortgage exposure and drops of 10% or more to major indexes, the timing and direction of the markets is vital now for many investors.
The Dow Jones Utilities Average has a 40 year history of leading the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Utilities as a sector, are the most sensitive to interest rate movements and are normally the first group of stocks to reverse their trend ahead of the DJIA.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
US Financial Markets Rocked — What Is Really Happening / Stock-Markets / Money Supply
Last week I alerted readers to the possibility of a cut in the Fed funds rate. As sure as God made little apples, a cut is exactly what we got — except that it was the discount rate that was cut. For those of you who gave a sigh of relief at the Fed's “timely intervention”: take a deep breath because at some time in the future we will get a rerun of this financial fiasco and the Fed won't be able to stop it without igniting a severe inflation. Assuming for a moment that the Fed took this risk, the result in all likelihood would be a run on the dollar followed by an immediate increase in the funds rate on the heels of which would emerge an unavoidable recession.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Bullish on US Treasuries and Financial Stocks / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets
Purely from a technical pattern, the XLF Financial Select SPDR, a sector that everybody is watching, appears to have completed a pullback in the aftermath of last week's powerful advance from 31.50 to 36.50.
Today's low at 33.58, followed by the upside pivot and rally to 34.15/30 has the right look of the start of a near-term advance that should revisit 35.50 at a minimum and more than likely 36.50 in the upcoming hours.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Glossary of Credit Crunch Gloom / Stock-Markets / Credit Crunch
In the last several weeks, the questions about Wall Street and the stock markets have become much more declarative. No longer are they phrased as if those who ask want answers yet, when spoken, the statements often implore the listener to offer something, some comfort, sympathy, empathy, anything.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, August 20, 2007
NOLTE NOTES - Stock Market to Revisit Lows during September / Stock-Markets / Credit Crunch
Good time to take a vacation and clear the mind and body of all things Wall Street. However, upon return the markets are acting as though the financial world is ending. While we have been concerned about the markets for much of this year (our beginning year prediction was for a flat return at best), the near seizing up of portions of the credit markets was alleviated by the Fed cutting the discount rate by a half of one percent on Friday before the market open. The Fed has been involved in providing liquidity to the markets over the past few weeks, however the cut was a more formal statement that they stand at the ready to provide the “grease” to keep the economic wheels moving.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, August 20, 2007
Nasdaq (Qs) Poised to Continue Larger Recovery Upleg / Stock-Markets / Tech Stocks
Although the major equity market ETFs feel like they are moving around quite a bit, actually in relation to the intense volatility during the prior two weeks, this is a pretty calm day! The pattern the Q's (Nasdaq: QQQQ) have carved out since Friday's spike high at 46.99 appears to me to be taking the form of a coil (lower highs and higher lows). As long as 45.59 contains any forthcoming weakness, the integrity of the lower side of the coil will remain intact. Conversely, I think that today's high at 46.64 is a second data point near the top side of the coil.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, August 20, 2007
Massive Credit Crunch Striking Now! / Stock-Markets / Credit Crunch
Martin Weiss writes: A massive credit crunch is striking, and you sit at a critical juncture like none other in history.
Never before have you seen so much wealth at stake. Never before have you seen such massive threats to that wealth. And, fortunately, never before have investors had such powerful tools to protect themselves from these threats!
In just the last few days, the U.S. Federal Reserve has desperately tried to rescue the nation's gigantic $10 trillion mortgage market …
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Sunday, August 19, 2007
How Far Will the Stock Market Crash Go and What Do we Do Now? / Stock-Markets / Financial Crash
The “Crash of 2007-08” is underway
The immediate triggers are being described quite well: the collapse of the U.S. subprime mortgage market; the vulnerability of the rest of the economy to the subprime undertow, due to the “efficiency” of the markets in spreading risk; the worldwide overextension of cheap credit; the failure of large institutional investors and Wall Street brokerages to behave responsibly; and the long-term effects of the U.S. trade and fiscal deficits which are now coming home to roost.
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Saturday, August 18, 2007
Stock Market Technical Analysis : Trimming the Hedgies / Stock-Markets / US Stock Markets
With so many bombs hitting the tape, and with massive short-covering rallies apparently never far behind, it was suggested last week that less experienced traders stay flat, or at least stay flat more often, as the market structure becomes more and more distorted by outside forces. Still, there were some fantastic setups this week we were able to take advantage of, and from here it looks like there's at least one more big move yet in store.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Stock Market Technical Analysis Report 18th August 07 / Stock-Markets / US Stock Markets
The good news is: The Federal Reserve Bank cut its discount rate 0.5% to 5.75% on Friday.
What is going on?
Technical analysis is the study of trading patterns as technicians we look for repeating patterns.
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Saturday, August 18, 2007
Panic at the Fed! Collapse in the US Dollar! / Stock-Markets / Financial Crash
The Federal Reserve is so desperate to stop the spreading panic in the credit markets that …
It has just slashed its discount rate by a HALF point!
It has blown away its own rules on how long the banks can borrow! And …
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Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Financial Markets Panic of 2007 / Stock-Markets / Financial Crash
In this issue:
Muddle Through or End of the World?
An Alphabet Soup of Credit
Turning Nuclear Waste Into Gold (and Back Again!)
Mrs. Watanabe and the Hedge Fund Connection
The Rating Agency Blame Game
Where Do We Go From Here?
Hedge Funds to the Rescue!
Warren Buffett Needs to Take Over Moody's
Will a Fed Rate Cut Make a Difference?
Vacation, Europe, and Reading
End of the World or Muddle Through? This week I try to explain in simple terms the very complicated story of how we went from some bad mortgage loan practices in the US to the point of world credit markets freezing up. There is a connection between the retirement plans of Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe in Japan and the subprime problems of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in California. We find the relationship between European banks and problematic hedge funds. And finally, we try and see how we get out of this mess. Oddly, I think it is hedge funds (and maybe Warren Buffett) to the rescue, but not in the way you would think. It is a lot to cover, so let's jump right in. (And there are a lot of charts, so while this will print out long, it is only a little longer than the usual in word length.)
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Saturday, August 18, 2007
Refueling Psychotic-Optimism As Fed Saves Stock and Financial Markets From Near-Meltdown / Stock-Markets / Financial Crash
In light of the Feds clandestine shattering of the discount window in the wee-hours of Friday morning, we really do not have much to add to last weeks rant about Ponzi-Regimes coming to the rescue of grossly mismanaged markets.
Down how much? – And already requiring immediate emergency rescue measures?
Last Thursday, stock markets were off their historic highs by around 10%, and most major metropolitan housing-markets are down anywhere from 5% - 10% at best. Certain regions like Manhattan , have experience little if any downward adjustment to their mega-bloated values - some 200% - 300% above their former 1998 values.
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Saturday, August 18, 2007
Expect More Stock and Financial Markets Tension, But Don't Panic! / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets
LONDON : “Economists said yesterday that turmoil on global stock markets was likely to persist but ruled out a catastrophic crash in share prices that would hit consumers and their pension funds.” This missive came from London by way of Saudi Arabia .
The Asian Times headline reads, “ Panic Attack: Asian markets take a tumble .” Who do you believe? The “don't panic” people or the “panic attack” crowd? Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrials dropped 340 points by mid-day, then rallied to close down only 15 points. Not a bad rescue, eh? Even with the final hour rescue, the Dow is still down nearly 3% this week.
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Friday, August 17, 2007
Lenders take the Jab, Borrowers take the Knockout / Stock-Markets / Credit Crunch
The current weakness in domestic markets has recently been magnified overseas as panic spread to foreign investors with exposure to U.S. asset backed debt. Some commentators point to this reaction in an attempt to disprove the belief that foreign assets offer protection from falling U.S. stocks. I believe such conclusions are premature. Global stock markets will soon decouple from ours, and strong returns overseas will occur even as U.S. stocks slump.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, August 17, 2007
Importance of Long Stock Market Earnings Valuation Waves / Stock-Markets / Stock Market Valuations
Just one month after the US stock markets achieved new all-time highs, today's fear-stricken equity landscape looks radically different. Investors and speculators alike are frantically dumping everything with reckless abandon, regardless of fundamental merit. The resulting carnage is impressive to behold.
Such episodes of wanton fear, though painful, are very healthy for the markets. They are necessary from time to time. In fundamentally-weak sectors, they force leveraged speculators to rein in their leverage and reduce their risk. In fundamentally-strong sectors, they shake out the weak hands who lack the courage to ignore their emotions and lack the faith to ride secular bulls through turbulent spells.
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