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Friday, August 31

31st Aug - US Close: Bernanke's Apology


We got nothing out of the Jackson Hole - except more promised that they are worried and are really carefully watching the situation and so on. Long US weekend coming, with Monday being a holiday. Take the time to relax, check these quick comments on the Fed and come back for my weekend posts.

31st Aug - Weekender: Best of The Week



Here are the best links from my ending week’s blog posts.

31st Aug - US Open



31st Aug - EU Open


My views remain unchanged: check the Best of August for them. Both EURUSD and SPX have plenty of downside left, even within a largely bullish scenario - and September's main events are getting close... Yesterday's regular posts had plenty of good stuff on Europe, if you missed, do yourself a favor! I'm posting the usual Best of the Week later today in addition to the regular posts.

Best of August



Thursday, August 30

30th Aug - US Close

Source: Reuters by Flasseur & Donovan
Perfect chart to show how the markets in Europe have become 'renationalized'.

30th Aug - US Open


Plenty of good ones on Europe today...

30th Aug - EU Open


Very nice short notes from the big banks in this post - also see yesterday's US Close for plenty of European thoughts.

Wednesday, August 29

29th Aug - US Close


Some charts from the past two days to kick off the evening post:

29th Aug - US Open


29th Aug - EU Open


Still missing some, but posting early anyway and will update later. Some very nice articles in Finnish at the bottom.

Tuesday, August 28

28th Aug - US Close: Damn, BB

Nothing much going on, so I am just collecting interesting articles as usual... the stupid Bloomberg stopped showing CDS prices on sovereigns on the web for free - so be careful if you look at my Charts-page. As we are waiting for the dreaded September days and before that, the Jackson Hole, I thought this video of Europe's Final Countdown should be ok for comic relief.

To make matters worse, my less handsome partner has as of yesterday started to follow the Big Brother's local edition on television. Now she is constantly bugging me to open up the laptop, turn off the screen saver and so on. Oh, the humanity! Damn you, BB!

28th Aug - US Open


28th Aug - EU Open


EURUSD continues drifting slowly lower after hitting the channel top around 1.26, with room left below. SPX seems to be settling into a horizontal range (my Sunday views and Monday's notes)

Monday, August 27

27th Aug - US Close


Most interesting development of the otherwise dull day: comments noticing that the fall in European crisis countries' bond yields has stopped - and actually slightly reversed, and CDS prices are moving up (see my chart page). The ECB's game changer is thus almost priced in, and the statement mill is bound to disappoint. Some of you have been following the "renationalization" of monetary policy within the eurozone. You might find bruegel's dataset interesting, as it shows who actually holds the bonds - and when the trends in ownership data have reversed.

27th Aug - US Open


Another Monday, another US open.

27th Aug - Credit Guest: Banker's Algorithm


A credit guest post from Macronomics, enjoy!

27th Aug - EU Open


Good morning and good luck. With the lack of calendar events (data or otherwise) ahead of the Jackson Hole symposium, followed by the all-important European mid-September events, this week could be range-driven and even minor commentary could be interpreted by the markets as a hint of policy. Thus, I think we might see some nervous but quiet trading and oversized reactions to minor comments - throwing away the news feeds and just looking at the charts is advised.

Sunday, August 26

26th Aug - Weekender: Views & Finnish


My views on couple of charts, up next the EU Open briefer. Also, some Finnish article links.

26th Aug - Weekender: Trading & Markets


Very nice material: good section on quants, Buffet’s alpha analyzed, book reviews. I will post yet another Weekender-post, with Finnish article links and my views later today.

26th Aug - Weekender: EU, US, Asia


Europe, USA and China article links. ECB’s delay and troubles in practically all the member nations seem to be the most pressing issues in Europe, while in US the Fed’s wait-and-see and the fiscal cliff are the main items.

26th Aug - Weekender: Off-Topics (Armstrong Special)

This week's off-topic readings pay tribute to Neil Armstrong. May he rest in peace. 

Saturday, August 25

25th Aug - Weekender: Weekly Support


Here is the ending week in review and the next one previewed. I will update this post as new stuff comes online.

Friday, August 24

24th Aug - US Close


24th Aug - US Open

Quiet Friday on the blogs...better start writing the Weekender posts, then..

24th Aug - Weekender: Best of The Week

Picks from the ending week’s posts.

24th Aug - EU Open


I included my updated views in last night's post - take a look, click the charts for larger versions and comments appreciated, as always...

Thursday, August 23

23rd Aug - US Close: Turning Point


 Plenty of charts today:

23rd Aug - US Open


Plenty on the ECB's "double secret" plan + the latest Finnish headlines - again talking about complete side issues. I am getting nervous about the SPX - I guess the recent epic low-vol bull trend channel will be broken soon to the downside. It would be illogical to be bearish on Spanish bonds and bullish on SPX - so I guess there will be a correction soon. EURUSD target still arond the 1.26 level, but any deterioration in Spanish bonds would quickly turn the currency pair down as well.

23rd Aug - EU Open


The European PMI and GDP figures are today's main event. Probably the PMI's will not paint a rosy picture: Chinese PMI came out earlier today and it was simply terrible - just confirms what Japan's earlier trade figures showed - Europe is going down.

Wednesday, August 22

22nd Aug - US Close


Fed minutes came out - and the message seems to be mixed and open for interpretations. 

22nd Aug - US Open


Perhaps there is room for one leg up in SPX, but that's it - if I am bullish on Spanish bond yields, implying weeks of European aversion to risk, there is very little room for more bullishness in the stock markets.

22nd Aug - EU Open


SPX lower this morning, but at support levels. Fed minutes ahead - hopes for QE have diminished as inflation and inflation expectations are on the rise, recent economic numbers have been ok and risk markets are at relatively high levels. Paralysis and "profit-taking"  in the coming weeks, ahead of the mid-September Eurobonanza?

22nd Aug - Credit Guest: Desperado

Our trusted source Macronomics is back with another great guest post.

Tuesday, August 21

21st Aug - US Close


Interesting day - the AAPL train finally stopped, and the SPX felt it immediately. Currently sitting at good short-term buying levels. EURUSD broke above the resistance area around 1.24, and looks like the next stop will be around 1.26. Do check my updated Calendar page.

21st Aug - US Open


21st Aug - EU Open

I repeat my earlier view: now is a good time to go short the Spanish bonds across maturities. The Spanish yields (10y, 2y). Please check my yesterday’s posts, as the linked material was of exceptional quality.

Monday, August 20

20th Aug - US Close: Time for Guru

A special gift to my Finnish audience: check the VATT's 170-page giant on the Finland's depression of the early nineties. Given the amount of BS the dentally well-endowed people are pushing, it is a high time you as voters actually understood something about previous policy mistakes - and how we are again in a very similar situation. Every time they state there is no other option, they actually mean that there is no option for them. It is always about what's in it for them. I believe it is high time to start thinking about you and your future.

20th Aug - US Open: Ze Germans again...

Today's latest ECB rumor shot down by ze Germans. This is probably a very good time to start shorting the Spanish bonds across the curve - not much room for improvement left anymore. In my previous post I outlined the technical ranges for some markets: in SPX a probable good buying level is around 1408.

20th Aug - (late) Weekender: Views & Off-Topics

Some market views and Off-Topic articles - sorry, usually I post this during the weekend.

20th Aug - EU Open (Finnish special)

The morning briefings and plenty of Finnish links.

Sunday, August 19

19th Aug - The Economist on the euro break-up

The Economist on the controlled break-up of the Euro:

Saturday, August 18

18th Aug - Weekender: Trading & Markets

Ridiculous: no criminal charges over MF Global and Corzine actually thinks about starting a hedge fund (would you invest?), drug money laundering continues, Swiss banks sacrifice their employees so that the banks would avoid any quilt. Finance is fair...game.

Enjoy the two attached videos: one is a lecture on momentum strategies, while the other one is Palantir's example of building a value/momentum trading system.

Friday, August 17

17th Aug - Weekender: Weekly Support

Here is the ending week in review and the next one previewed. Happy weekends and do take the time to see the classic lecture on the exponential growth – if you lose your will to live because of that, don’t blame me – it’s the math, stupid :=). 

I will update this post as new stuff comes online, and the usual Weekender-posts are coming, so check back during the weekend. And do scroll down for some interesting articles (in Finnish) on Finland's recent fumbling.

17th Aug - US Close


17th Aug - US Open

17th Aug - Weekender: Best of The Week

...picked from my ending week's post. Come back later for my usual Weekender-posts.

17th Aug - EU Open


Thursday, August 16

16th Aug - US Close: Gimme all you've got!


Gimme all you've got, yells Al. The stock markets rallied, again on nothing but a bullish interpretation. The markets are bullish until they are not. There are no signs of an impending doom, no reason to be short - but not that many to be long, either. Next weekend's posts are going to be huge. I try to post them already on Saturday, so at least someone would have time to go through them before another week of sameness.

Sincerely,
MoreLiver

16th Aug - US Open

16th Aug - EU Open


Good morning! 

Wednesday, August 15

15th Aug - US Close: Still Waiting...


Articles on Europe are getting nastier. September deadlines and showdown is approaching. Will we see another muddle-through attempt in this Mexican stand-off?

Follow ‘MoreLiver’ on Twitter or Facebook 
 
Previously on MoreLiver's:
Wed: US Open
Wed: EU Open (morning briefings)
Tue: US Close (plenty of articles+pics)
 

15th Aug - US Open


15th Aug - EU Open

Just the morning regulars, for article hunger check last night's post: plenty of high-quality articles with pictures, too!

Tuesday, August 14

14th Aug - US Close


14th Aug - US Open: Bored

Posting a bit early, will update the missing ones as they come online. Boooring…. Getworkdonemusic for some EDM. MoreLiver's department of linguistics announces a new word for a boring asshole: borehole.

14th Aug - EU Open


Monday, August 13

13th Aug - US Close


An American liberal is good at getting sex but bad at earning money. An American libertarian is is good at earning money but bad at getting sex. A conservative is not really good at anything and therefore wants a society where everyone must stay with their first contact of the opposite sex – J.R.

13th Aug - US Open

Still very sleepy holiday markets.

13th Aug - EU Open: Nein-Time?

Good morning, the negative comments from Germany have not exactly crashed the markets yet, but a slight negative tone in both the EUR and S&P is evident.

Sunday, August 12

12th Aug - Weekender: Views & Off-Topics

To round up the week, couple of thoughts on the markets and some relaxing bedtime reading.

12th Aug - Weekender: Trading & Markets

In this week's edition, plenty on the stock market as the earnings season comes to a close. Also, the financial crisis is now five years old. Why do repos exist? Why should we care about higher corn prices? Can ratios like P/B or P/E be used to invest successfully?  Find all the answers here.

12th Aug - Weekender: HFT = Knightian Uncertainty

In economics, Knightian uncertainty is risk that is immeasurable, not possible to calculate. Knightian uncertainty is named after University of Chicago economist Frank Knight (1885–1972), who distinguished risk and uncertainty in his work Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit – wikipedia and MIT

12th Aug - Weekender: Euro Crisis


Selection of recent opinions on Europe, plus articles in Finnish.

Saturday, August 11

11th Aug - Credit Guest: The Unbearable Lightness of Credit

Again a massive panopticon of the credit markets by Macronomics

11th Aug - Weekender: Weekly Support

Here is the ending week in review and the next one previewed. Happy weekend and check back on Sunday for another post. I will update this post as new stuff comes online.

Friday, August 10

10th Aug - US Close

SPX minor spike up right around the close, talk is algo-driven trading in a low-volume environment. All the other markets almost dead.

10th Aug - US Open: Bad China, Better US


So this week ends with worse than expected numbers from China, about as bad as expected from Europe and somewhat better than expected from US. After the previous lessons, no-one is yelling decoupling this time.

10th Aug - Weekender: Best of The Week

Here are the best links from my ending week’s posts. Next up the US Open post, come back later for the usual weekend specials.

10th Aug - EU Open: Lower?

The current “dislocation” in the markets (EURUSD down, PIIGS yields up = risk-off but SPX up = risk.on) is again haunting the markets. Either the stock market is just slow to agree, like many times in the past. Or alternatively the stock market is really strong, as it brushes aside bad news and bad price developments in other assets. 

But…the divergences between the stock indices (S&P 500 up at top of range, Russel horizontal, Nasdaq above its recent range and transports weak) suggest to me that the market is overbought. 
After the strong performance since June, but directionless week, I expect a sell-off in the stock markets today.

Previously on MoreLiver’s:

Thursday, August 9

9th Aug - US Close

Another dull day - EURUSD was weak, but SPX failed to follow. God I wish we were already in the end game of the euro crisis. My guess is September will be decisive  no more muddling through.

9th Aug - US Open: Verbose ECB

EURUSD continues grinding down towards the next support levels, while SPX is reluctant to follow. ECB's monthly bulletin was published and the section on renationalization of monetary policy and banking in Europe is worthy of your time. In other developments, more soft-print-SMP-speak from ECB, a classic verbal intervention. Given the rise in Spanish bond yields during the past couple of days, an understandable timing.

9th Aug - EU Open

Not much to report. I hope to punch in a post during the weekend outlining the coming "Great September of Europe".

Wednesday, August 8

8th Aug: US Close: Dull

Source: Zero Hedge
EURUSD acting weak, Spanish bond yields ticking up as the moods on the ECB's plan are now on the negative side. But SPX holding up still. Kind of dull, but luckily I've found some quality articles - and tons of sell-side research notes. I didn't remember how quiet the markets can get in August. Good that September is already looking like a month to remember. 

8th Aug - US Open: Correcting

Check their website
Spanish yields still moving up, stock markets and EURUSD have reached the first support levels. This correction ain't over yet. 

Previously on MoreLiver’s:

Follow ‘MoreLiver’ on Twitter or Facebook 

8th Aug - EU Open: Softer?

A bit softer, as I have been expecting (see previous post). Supports in S&P around 1385 and 1370 and in EURUSD around 1.2320 and 1.2230. DAX looks similar to S&P.

Tuesday, August 7

7th Aug - US Close: Banging Lines

Another strong day in the markets. My original idea for the week was to have minor strength first, followed by a sell-off. I am not changing my view from that, so if not short, at least try to get long at lower prices. If you look carefully enough, the EURUSD and S&P seem to "occasionally correlate" - and the EURUSD is also sitting below resistance levels. Meanwhile, Spanish 10y bond is back to recent highs, so all the risk markets are basically up against major resistances. Rest of the week negative, is my guess.


Couple of interesting articles: I didn't know that Bundesbank did QE in 1975. Makes its opposition today even weirder. Or actually it proves my hunch, that the Germans are really not interested in sound monetary policy for Europe - they are interested in sound monetary policy for Germany. And that's why this "thing of ours" will fail.

7th Aug - US Open: Turncoating

Not much happening - everyone is waiting for the central bankers to make their move - and in Europe, the national politicians. The picture is again looking somewhat negative. I wrote elsewhere today that

-after Draghi's speech, everyone got bullish
-when the ECB meeting produced nothing, everyone got bearish
-after thinking for couple of days, many believed the ECB plan makes perfect sense
-now we are hearing that the plan is currently not workable


7th Aug - EU Open: Italy's Offensive

The verbal war between Italy and Germany is in full swing. Spain and Italy do not want to apply for official bailouts, as they hate the idea of loss of sovereignty, but would still want to have the mun-uh. The attack on creditor countries is not limited to Germany. Also Finland is getting its fair (?) share. You really think Monti visited Finland for its beautiful nature and Prime Minister Katainen's fascinating personality? And met the heads of the most important parliamentary committees out of courtesy? As in many other countries, any legislative change is prepared by the committees before parliament votes on them. Something is again prepared in the background, and most likely it is unlimited firepower from ECB via ESM, without seniority or guarantees. Read: stealth bailout, stealth fiscal union, stealth confiscation.

Monday, August 6

6th Aug - US Close

What are we waiting for, Christmas? At least the Spanish yield curve is taking Draghi very seriously indeed (or was it SMP?), see the 10year and 2 year bond yields - the short end has had an amazing move.

6th Aug - US Open

Here we go! Another post-traumatic week is here!

Exit Special

 Someone requested a collection of research reports on the (eventual?) breakup of the eurozone. Here you go. Spread the word and honor MoreLiver's Daily.

6th Aug - EU Open: Curiosity

Market risk factors, source: Lighthouse IM
Good morning everyone and congratulations on the successful landing of the latest Mars rover. As someone said, let's hope they don't find any new bailout targets there. I will update the missing articles when they are published - several really good ones on Europe. See the Special: ECB WATCH for more.
 

Sunday, August 5

5th Aug - Weekender


Not much material, so only one Weekender-post. Views: Euro crisis to drag on, risk markets bullish for the early part of the week, but I am expecting a reversal around mid-week: stock markets are still in a modestly rising but wildly sawing channel, and we’re near the upside again. If I had to trade, cautious longs on Monday, flat after a day or two, and prepare to get long during the possible correction. See the Special: ECB WATCH for more.

Saturday, August 4

4th Aug - Credit Guest: The European fight of the Century

This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Someone who actually understands something – and is prepared to tell his view – legendary Macronomics – is back with a guest post.

4th Aug - Weekender: Weekly Support

Here are the week in review and next week previewed-links, I will update this later. Come back later for my longer Weekender-posts.

Friday, August 3

3rd Aug - Weekender: Best of The Week

Surprisingly strong Friday, even though there was general disappointment over the inaction of the central banks. Anyway, here are the best picks from the ending week’s posts. Notice that the central bank articles can be found in dedicated posts Special: ECB WATCH and Special: FED WATCH. The ECB is more important to understand right now.

3rd Aug - US Open: Payrolls ahead

Quick post for the US Open – payrolls day ahead to top the uncertainty. For full coverage of the ECB’s latest meeting, see my continuously updated ECB WATCH.

3rd Aug - EU Open: A Quest for the Request

EURUSD not crashing
Markets are not behaving as risk-averse as many thought after ECB's Draghi "failed to deliver". Either the ECB's impasse was already priced in, or the plan is there, but early commentators just failed to see it. Bailouts and securities purchase yes - but only after an official request for help and succumbing to a Troika program? Spanish yields moving up this morning (10y, 2y)

Thursday, August 2

2nd Aug - US Close: Yo soy un hombre sincero


Spanish 10y yield, intraday
ECB came and went. I guess no-one was expecting unconditional “going nuclear” from Draghi – but after his speech expectations were very high. Strategy seems pretty clear and even makes some sense to me. ECB shall perform some SMP in shorter maturities while the ESM and EFSF shall purchase the longer maturities – but only after an official request for help has been sent. This is something Italy and Spain do not want to do. There are two explanations:

2nd Aug - US Open



2nd Aug - EU Open: Draghi's Turn

Time for this week’s main event: the dreaded ECB meeting. For full coverage, see my continuously updated specials ECB WATCH and FED WATCH.

Wednesday, August 1

1st Aug - US Close: Fed failed

FED did nothing, and while expectations were lowered before the event, EURUSD dropped moderately ahead of tomorrow's ECB meeting. For full coverage, see my continuously updated specials ECB WATCH and FED WATCH.

1st Aug - US Open

Waiting for the FED. Then it’s Europe’s turn. For full coverage, see my continuously updated specials ECB WATCH and FED WATCH.

On this day in 1981, MTV made its cable-television debut. The first music video aired on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star“ by the Buggles.MarketBeat / WSJ

1st Aug - Best of July


1st Aug - EU Open

Still nothing new to say. See my continuously updated specials ECB WATCH and FED WATCH.