Saturday, July 18, 2015

Why Pensions Are A (Big) Black Swan / Stock-Markets / Pensions & Retirement

By: John_Rubino

When talk turns to what might derail today’s debt-driven “recovery,” the big names and easy stories get most of the attention: China with its soaring debt, volatile equities and heavy-handed intervention; Japan with its stratospheric debt and science fictiony demographics; Greece, which needs no explanation; the developing countries with their weak currencies and mountain of dollar-denominated debt. And of course America’s triple bubble of stocks, bonds and derivatives.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Gold and Silver Record Shorting / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015

By: Zeal_LLC

The miserable summer for precious metals grinds on, with both gold and silver limping along near major lows.  Such dismal price action has exacerbated the extreme bearishness long plaguing this sector, sparking even more capitulation.  But this incredible weakness will be short-lived, as it was driven by American futures speculators’ record short selling.  That will soon reverse into guaranteed, proportional buying.

In all markets including precious metals, price is rightfully considered the most-important fundamental signal.  Prevailing price levels are set by free-market buying and selling until supply and demand meet.  And gold and silver prices are exceptionally weak, with these despised precious metals slumping down to challenge major new 5.2-year and 5.4-year lows this week.  So their fundamentals must be bearish, right?

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Are Institutional Stock Market Investors Starting to Worry? / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015

By: Marty_Chenard

There is an old adage about when the VIX is too low. During the past 5 days, it dropped almost 40% and it is now at a historically low level.

Since the VIX (Volatility Index) moves opposite to the stock market, it is saying: don't worry, everything is wonderful.

Friday, July 17, 2015

TransTech Digest: Move Over, Skynet - Brainet’s in Town / Companies / Technology

By: John_Mauldin

About once a week, I get a call from someone with a strong East Asian accent named Martha or Ralph or something else traditionally American. They tell me that they are calling from the “Microsoft Service Center” or “your computer service contract provider” because my computer is generating error messages, which they would like to help me fix.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Greek People Victims Of Political Games / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis

By: SecularInvestor

Last Sunday, we arrived in Greece. We have interviewed since then more than 25 people across the country. We have selected ordinary people, with different jobs, from all ages, both in cities and rural areas. So our research is representative for the whole population. What people told us is staggering, and it becomes worse we compare this with the acts of the government. This is a live report about the government debt crisis.

In general, people describe the current economic situation as hopeless; there is no outlook for growth whatsoever. Everyone agrees that this crisis will go on for many years before the country can see any economic improvement.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Gold and Silver Extremes Become More Extreme Weekly / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015

By: Alasdair_Macleod

Gold and silver continued to drift lower over the course of the week, with gold trading at $1,145 and silver at $15.02 in early European trade this morning. This is close to the lowest prices we have seen since 2010. At the same time equities have rallied strongly and the S&P 500 Index is within a whisker of its all-time high.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Compelling Reasons Why the Next Move Down in Global Markets is Just Around the Corner / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2015

By: Rajveer_Rawlin

There are some compelling reasons to believe that the next move down in risk assets across the globe is about to begin:

First and foremost the Euro a good proxy for global risk appetite has completely broken down despite the perceived resolution to the crisis in Greece. The strong dollar could eventually cause the liquidation of carry trades (Source marketwatch.com):

Friday, July 17, 2015

Stock Market Investors Take the Low Risk Road / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015

By: DeviantInvestor

The S&P 500 Index has hit numerous new highs in the past three years.  Note the log-scale graph below and the broken support lines from 2000 and 2007.  The current support line, depending on where it is drawn, is on the verge of breaking.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Global Precious Metal Roundtable - Greece, China, Manipulation, Interest Rates and Outlook / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015

By: GoldCore

- Recent events in Greece have undermined trust  in the EU
- Sentiment towards gold cannot get much worse
- Increase in interest and demand for gold recently
- Elephant in room is manipulated gold and silver market
- Will sharp slowdown in China see fall or rise in gold demand?
- Gold served its function as safe haven in recent months
- History shows that gold prices rise with interest rates
- Gold has performed well in most currencies this year

Friday, July 17, 2015

Disruptive Technologies - The Sharing Economy Could be Sued Out of Existence / Companies / Tech Stocks

By: ...

MoneyMorning.com Shah Gilani writes: Uber, the ride-sharing service valued at $50 billion, is at the forefront of disrupting the taxi industry.

Consider this small but very telling fact…

A New York taxi medallion, the license that allows you to drive a cab in the city, cost $1.3 million in 2013. But today, you can pick one up for a (relative) song at $840,000.

Friday, July 17, 2015

China May be Preparing for War to Rally the Country in Case of Recession / Politics / China US Conflict

By: Atlantic_Perspective

As the living standards improved in China for hundreds of millions of people. Instead of a grateful nation, the Chinese Communist Party got more demanding people. The more the Chinese people get, the more the Party is asked to deliver.

There is an unwritten agreement in China: the people will tolerate the Communist Party as long as there is strong economic growth. But what happens if the economy stalls, or worse still, contracts? War could be the answer.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Where is Support for Precious Metals Markets? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015

By: Jordan_Roy_Byrne

The gold miners have broken below their 2008 to 2014 support while Silver is essentially trading at a six year low. Gold looks set to make a new monthly low and weekly low but has yet to break its daily low at $1140/oz. Barring a sudden short squeeze Gold could be hours or days away from cracking in the way Silver and the miners have in recent weeks. The trend for the sector is obviously down and sentiment is following. However, the more important issue for long term bulls is where is the strong support for these markets.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Beware of Stocks vs Crude Oil Price / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015

By: Ashraf_Laidi

How high can stocks go following the dissipation of Grexit, reiterated ECB calls to stick with its asset purchases and the stabilisation in Chinese stocks? Can equity bulls ignore the relationship between oil and stocks?

The 22% decline in oil from the May high raises the old question from early Q1: Will cutbacks from oil companies weigh on overall spending? Remember how in January, economists raised the red flag over oil prices' tumble below $50s, owing to the implications of severe cuts in capital expenditure by big oil/gas companies could, falling by as 20%, as low revenues no longer justify project finance.

Friday, July 17, 2015

GOLD and SP500 Intraday - Elliott Wave Analysis / Stock-Markets / Elliott Wave Theory

By: Gregor_Horvat

S&P futures did not go far in the last 24 hours, so our view did not change; looking for a reversal down into a three wave retracement for wave B) soon. Notice that we can count five waves up from 2037 while current price is already outside of upward channel so momentum is decreasing, signaling for a turn.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Retail Silver Premiums - The Candle Blowing in the Wind / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015

By: Dr_Jeff_Lewis

Despite the continued technical, paper induced bias to the downside, recent news that the US Mint has stopped silver eagle production is once again is being singled as the likely cause for the premium surges now being observed across all physical silver retail products.

Is this true physical demand bleeding through the paper charade?

Friday, July 17, 2015

Greek Vote: The Three Energy Aftershocks You Need to Know Now / Commodities / Energy Resources

By: ...

MoneyMorning.com Dr. Kent Moors writes: In the small hours of the morning, Athens time, the Greek parliament passed a tough set of reforms as the price for another European bailout. The aftershocks of this will be felt throughout the energy sector.

However, even this tough pill is not likely to be enough. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported on Monday that Greece may not pull through without an absolute reduction in the debt owed. Germany has already bristled over the prospect of a creditor “haircut” and the prospects of another round of negotiations has everybody fit to be tied on both sides of the conversation.

Friday, July 17, 2015

8 Unprecedented Extremes Indicate a Stock Market Bubble in Trouble / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015

By: EWI

This article was adapted from Robert Prechter's June 2015 Elliott Wave Theorist. For more charts and detailed commentary, analysis and forecasts from Prechter's latest issues, click here for the extended subscriber version of this report -- it's free.

It is amazing to read assertions from the Fed and others that the stock market is nowhere near being in a bubble. Several aspects of the financial environment are actually so extreme as to be unprecedented. Some indicate a bubble, and others a bubble in trouble.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Bonds and Currencies Brace for BoE and Fed Interest Rate Hikes / Interest-Rates / Central Banks

By: Gary_Dorsch

It's approaching that time of year when traders and central bankers alike depart for long holidays. But this summer is shaping up to be anything but quiet for markets, with betting on a "Greek Exit" from the Euro roiling markets, and Red-chip stocks in China nose diving and requiring unprecedented "Plunge Protection Team" intervention in order to halt the onslaught. After a few weeks of turmoil, the Greek debt crisis has been kicked down the road for another few years, with another EU bailout, and after the Shanghai red-chip index, staged a +10% rebound from its panic bottom lows hit on July 7th, traders now regard these sideshows as "fixed" and under the control of their central planners. With these worries can be put on the back burner for now, it's back to business as usual, - that is to say, back to investing in heavily manipulated markets, in which extreme emergency policies, such as NIRP, ZIRP, and QE have distorted the pricing of virtually all assets, and where your local central bank has your back.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Stock Market Fed Follies and Assorted Shenanigans / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2015

By: Jesse

Stocks managed to hold their own today in honor of Janet Yellen's testimony before the House. And it was painful to watch.

The Greek situation continues to remain highly unstable, but the rinse cycle is not quite due yet. but the markets are ignoring these things because of 'technical conditions.'

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Gold and Hit Again - Pervasive Nonsense / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2015

By: Jesse

Gold and silver we hit again today, but silver managed to hang on to its 15 handle, and gold bounced back to 1050.

I suspect that this was the usual sort of antics we see whenever some Fed head appears before the Congress for some 'confidence building.'

Gold and silver are now both short term oversold, and at some key support areas.