Tuesday, February 21, 2017
3 Ways to Quantify Risk in Today’s Murky Markets / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2017
Credit Indicators
One way to calculate market risk is through bond yields. As risk and return are directly correlated when a bond’s yield rises, it implies the risk of owning it has increased.
The main vehicle for measuring risk through yield is the US 10-year Treasury. The 10-year is the bellwether for global bonds as it’s considered a “risk-free” instrument. Since hitting all-time lows in July 2016, its yield has shot up 50%.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
The Nexus Between Politics and Economics / Politics / US Economy
President trump made the following crucial statement on February 9th: "We're going to be announcing something I would say over the next 2 or 3 weeks that will be phenomenal in terms of tax." To be sure, the nucleus of the President’s economic plan is the simplification of the tax code. To get this accomplished means everything for the stock market. Without a reduction in tax rates the air compressor that has been blowing up equity prices to near record and unsustainable valuations will explode.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Russia Gold Buying Is Back – Buys One Million Ounces In January / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
Russia gold buying returned in January with the Russian central bank buying a very large 1 million ounces or 37 metric tonnes of gold bullion.
The increase in the gold reserves came after Russia did not buy a single ounce in December – a move seen as potentially a signal or an olive branch to the U.S. and the incoming Trump administration.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
UK First-time Home Buyer Market is Robust and Ready for Spring / Housing-Market / UK Housing
In just a couple of weeks’ time, Spring will arrive, which is typically the time of year when house hunters start searching for their ideal home as many more houses become listed for sale. Once first-time buyers have built up a big enough deposit to get themselves onto the property ladder, the next port of call is to find the right property and to pick the best mortgage.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Gold and Silver Weekly Update / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
Technical analyst Jack Chan charts the latest moves in the precious metals sector.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Buy Zones in an Crude Oil Bull Market / Commodities / Crude Oil
Technical analyst Jack Chan charts the latest moves in energy market, noting a major buy signal.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
US Dollar and Gold Battle of the Cycles / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
Nothing has changed from my last post on this pair. I mentioned we should expect some backtesting and that is what I am seeing on the charts. This should be expected, IMO as both are at a key inflection point in their longer Intermediate Cycles and the battle is on.
https://surfcity.co/2017/02/15/usd-and-gold-update/
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
NSA and CIA is the Enemy of the People / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
Astute students of history understand that government agencies often further their own interests and not the administration they are designated to serve. Seldom is the genuine national security advanced when bureaucrats pledge their loyalty to their respective fiefdoms of projecting influence and power. Absent in this supremacy struggle equation is the abstract notion that state legitimacy is founded upon the will and consent of the people. Such a quaint concept does not reflect a chapter in the training manual that breeds the spooks who operate as above the law and unaccountable super spies.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Is Trump's ISIS Plan Another US Military Invasion? / Politics / War on Terror
Just over a week into the Trump Administration, the President issued an Executive Order giving Defense Secretary James Mattis 30 days to come up with a plan to defeat ISIS. According to the Order, the plan should make recommendations on military actions, diplomatic actions, partners, strategies, and how to pay for the operation.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Big Moves in the World Stock Markets - Big Bases / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
Before we look at some of the 2009 bull market uptrend channels there are a couple of more big consolidation patterns I would like to show you on some of the stock market indexes. The $DAX, German stock market, broke out of its 13 year triangle consolidation pattern back in 2012. Late last year it broke out of the blue bull flag with a nice clean backtest to the top rail. The big triangle consolidation pattern also had a smaller triangle as part of its internal structure.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Stock Market Uptrend Continues / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
Current Position of the Market
SPX Long-term trend: Uptrend continues
SPX Intermediate trend: Minor reversal at 2300, followed by resumption of uptrend.
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Monday, February 20, 2017
Stock Market Lindsay’s 107-day Interval / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2017
George Lindsay wrote of a 107-day interval which he used as a confirming tool for finding highs in the Dow. Like all of Lindsay’s models, this one was not to be used in isolation – a common mistake made by those familiar with his most popular model – Three Peaks and a Domed House.
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Monday, February 20, 2017
Brent Crude Oil Price Technical Update: Low Volatility Leads to High Volatility / Commodities / Crude Oil
Since our last update on oil two months ago (Dec. 22, 2016) Brent Crude has not gone far, rising approximately 2.4% from 54.82 to 56.16 today. During this time it has traded within a relatively tight range (low volatility), from around a low of 53.61 to a high of 58.35.
The chart pattern that has formed in the past two months is either a bullish symmetrical triangle trend continuation pattern or a bearish head and shoulders top. Whichever way the breakout goes should confirm the next direction, either a continuation higher of the 13-month uptrend, or a deeper retracement off the 58.35 high.
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Monday, February 20, 2017
Trump’s Tax System Could Spark The Wave Of Self-Employment / Politics / Taxes
Government is necessary.
That means we have to pay for the things government does. Hence, we have taxes.
The goal of tax policy should be simple: raise the required revenue to pay for whatever government actually—minimally—needs to do. And government should do those things as fairly and neutrally as possible.
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Monday, February 20, 2017
Here’s How to Stay Ahead of Machines and AI / Politics / AI
BY PATRICK WATSON : The Great American Jobs Apocalypse continues to tear our social fabric, and no one really knows what to do about it. If you’re not unemployed or underemployed now, then you know someone who is… and you could always be next.
I keep coming back to this theme in Connecting the Dots (subscribe here for free). That’s because it’s a monumental, paradigm-changing problem, and it affects all of us.
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Monday, February 20, 2017
Warning Signs Of Instability In Russia / Politics / Russia
BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN AND JACOB L. SHAPIRO : Geopolitical Futures forecasted that 2017 will be “an inflection point in the long-term destabilization of Russia.” After just six weeks, there are clear signs that this forecast is right on track. You can read more about GPF's outlook for Russia in This Week in Geopolitics (subscribe here for free).
Russia has four areas of instability: the distribution and prevalence of wage arrears, pressure on its banking system, low-level social and economic unrest, and government purges.
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Monday, February 20, 2017
Warning: This Energy Investment Could Wreak Havoc On Your Portfolio / Commodities / Energy Resources
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Monday, February 20, 2017
The Smiggle Pencil Case Children's Craze - Addicted! / Personal_Finance / Reviews
Most of us will remember pencil cases as being inconsequential small cloth bags to hold a few pens and pencils. Not anymore! Anika like an increasing number of children is fully immersed in a new craze, one of EXPENSIVE pencil cases! Not 1, not 2 but approaching half a dozen! And Smiggles is feeding this craze with its range of highly innovative pencil crazes that press all the right buttons that has kids in classrooms (especially girls) competing with one another of who has the best and new case. With the added dimension of swapping contents, the cases soon fill up with enough contents for a whole classroom to last a year!
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Monday, February 20, 2017
The Eurozone isn't Working ... Warns Greenspan, Buy Gold / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2017
“The eurozone isn’t working …” warns Greenspan
“I view gold as the primary global currency” said Greenspan
“Significant increases in inflation will ultimately increase the price of gold”
“Investment in gold now is insurance…”
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Monday, February 20, 2017
UK Long-term Fixed Savings Bond Interest Rates Rise / Personal_Finance / Saving Bonds
Moneyfacts UK Savings Trends Treasury Report data, yet to be published, highlights that the average long-term fixed bond rate has increased by 0.05% to 1.30%, the first time Moneyfacts has seen a significant rate rise of 0.05% or more since October 2015.
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