US consumer borrowing dove in April as households concernes about the disruptions caused by the C-19 coronavirus chaos prudently cut back on their spending and use of credit. Cnonumer spending accounts for about 72% of the nation’s GDP The Federal Reserve reported Friday that total borrowing fell by $68.8-B, or 19.6%. That was the biggest 1-month decliner […]
It is bad enough to lose a job and not have another job in the wings. It is also bad enough that the rent or mortgage is due and those car payment notices keep coming in the mail. The credit card bills keep coming too. Millions of Americans are dealing with the C-19 coronavirus chaos […]
The US economy was on a strong footing before the virus health crisis and Fed officials are working to help the economy rebound quickly once businesses that were shuttered because of the coronavirus lockdown begin to reopen Economic numbers may get ugly near term because of the halt to activity, but policymakers are doing what […]
$DIA $SPY $QQQ $RUTX $VXX $MS $EV Commentators from Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) to Eaton Vance (NYSE:EV) are encouraged by a combination of unprecedented government and central bank stimulus efforts, declining volatility and the Key: Signs that the coronavirus pandemic is peaking in parts of Europe. “There is light at the end of the tunnel but it’s still […]
$VXX $USD $GBP $EUR $XAU $GLD Keeping tabs on the overall market correlation across assets on the risk or safe haven side was my focus at the weekend. Even though things eased last week with over $5-T in sidelined cash coming back in just 4 days, circumstances might see it snap back into the Bear’s […]
Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he approved the creation of a new primary dealer credit facility to ease credit market disruptions caused by the coronavirus epidemic, resurrecting the 2nd Y 2008 financial crisis-era backstop in less than a day. The facility, managed by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, will offer loans up […]
$DIA $SPY $QQQ $RUTX $VXX Last September something happened in the “repo” short-term financing market. Liquidity dried up, interest rates spiked, and the Fed stepped in to save the day. On 12 December a New York Fed statement said its trading desk would increase its repo operations around year end “to ensure that the supply of reserves remains […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX There are powerful new players watching what you buy so it can tailor product offerings for you, they are the banks behind your credit or debit card. The banks want to turn data they already have on your spending habits into extra revenue by identifying likely customers for retailers. Banks […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) investment management unit oversees about $1.7-T. and while it is still waiting for better entry levels to buy the dip, it continues to favor equities and credit over government bonds in a rejection of growing fears of an imminent recession. Goldie expects the Fed to lower rates […]
US consumer debt increased by the most in 5 months in April and topped estimates, suggesting more upbeat sentiment among Americans is supporting borrowing and spending. Total credit expanded $17.5-B from the prior month following an upwardly revised $11-B gain in March, Federal Reserve figures showed Friday. Revolving debt outstanding increased the most since November while non-revolving […]
$DIA, $SPY, $SOX, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX US household wealth marked a record in Q-1 as the stock market rallied, supporting consumers after Fed interest-rate hikes and trade dispute shocked investors late last year. Net worth for households and non-profit groups increased by $4.69-T, or 4.5%, to $108.6-T after a 3.7% drop in the prior frame, Federal […]
$SPY, $QQQ, $DIA US consumer spending surged 0.9% in March, the biggest gainer in about 10 years, as inflation pressures remain non-existent. The March gain was the biggest monthly increase since August 2009, the Commerce Department reported Monday. That is a big improvement after 3 months of lackluster readings in this Key segment of the economy. Consumer […]
$BTCUSD By Mark Hiraide On April 2, 2019, the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a no-action letter to TurnKey Jet, Inc. in connection with a proposed sale of tokens in the United States. It was the first no-action letter relating to cryptocurrencies and was widely heralded as a watershed event […]
$TSLA Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) had a rough day Thursday, the Bearish pressure came on the heels of much weaker delivery numbers on its EVs in Q-1 There continue to be concerns about how strong the demand is for the company’s M-3 sedan that has been on the market for less than 2 years. Tesla delivered just […]
$USD, $SPY FLASH: The Fed’s decisive statement this week that interest rates are unlikely to rise this year sends a signal to US households: keep buying things. The Fed tries to guide the US economy by controlling the interest rate banks charge one another for overnight loans. Moving this rate up lifts other rates in […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Small businesses see bright future ahead Most S&P 500 sectors finish with gains Softening Consumer Price Index for February reinforced notion Fed will be patient US Treasury yields even lower Optimism among small companies in the US improved in February, snapping a 5-month losing streak that was the longest […]
US consumers expect prices to rise more slowly, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a decline in inflation expectations in February that likely reinforces policymakers’ reluctance to hike rates. It showed 1 and 3 year ahead inflation expectations were down 0.2 percentage points to 2.8% last month, with sharp declines in expected […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: This Bull Market is about to have its 10th Birthday! US household wealth fell 3.5% into the close of Y 2018 on the back of a Fed engineered stock market correction in Q-4 that threatened to weaken a near 10 year recovery. In its Quarterly Flow of Funds report, the […]
$BAC, $C, $JPM, $WFC,$FITB, $BKX, $SPY We do expect US bank shares to continue to outperform after better-than-expected Q-4 earnings and outlooks and their cheap stock prices finally broke a losing streak, thus leading the next leg of this historic Bull Market. The gains will be driven by management teams reiterating their ability to drive […]
American home-ownership has been on the decline, and Fed researchers point to the high cost of college as 1 of the Key reasons. Just 36% of household heads between 24 and 32 years old owned homes in Y 2014, down from 45% in Y 2005. At the same time, average student debt per capita rose […]
For Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Winter is Trouble $TSLA For Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) there is chance to end the year on a high note, but Winter is coming and in much of the US pre-Winter is here. 1-H of Y 2018 was disappointing for Tesla given the many M-3 delays, the company did deliver a profit in Q-3, […]
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Weeks Away from Hitting 7,000-M-3s/week Production Goal $TSLA Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is pushing his factory workers in his Fremont, CA plant to consistently produce 7,000 M-3 EV sedans per week by the end of November, according to an internal e-Mail. Mr. Musk said he planned to walk the entire M-3 production line […]
The Cost of Bank Consumer Loans is Falling $JPM, $C, $WFC, $BAC, $V, $MA. $GS Readers are asking the Big Q: Why when interest rates tick up are consumer loan cost ticking down? The Big A: When interest rates tick higher, consumers carrying too much debt start to default, that is the assumption, but Americans […]
Robust Economy All Because of President Trump, Not Mr. Obama It was recently reported that in Q-2 of this year, the economy grew at more than a 4% rate. And it appears the growth rate is accelerating this Quarter as well. At the end of October, the Commerce Department will likely report that the economy […]
US Economic Boom the “single most important political story” President Trump fully deserves the credit, he said, for lowering tax rates, rolling back trade regulations and enforcing trade reform. The United States’ economic boom is the “single most important political story” that has happened this year, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow. “This is going to […]
Student Loan Borrowers Defaults Increase New research shows more than 1-M student loan borrowers each year go into default and nearly 40% of borrowers are expected to default on their student loans by Y 2023. Outstanding education debt in the US has 3X’d over the last decade and now exceeds $1.5-T, posing a greater burden […]
Bitcoin: The Why, The Why Nots! $BTCUSD, $CBOE, $CME Bitcoin has been in the news for the past year, and a clear understanding about how the cryptocurrency actually works and its volatility has kept many professional investors and traders from considering it worthy. There surely is plenty of money to be made, but investors must […]
American Consumers are Borrowing More Americans increased their borrowing by $11.6-B in March as a big increase in the category that covers auto and student loans offset the largest monthly drop in credit card borrowing in more than five years. The Federal Reserve says the March increase in total debt was below the $13.6-B increase in February […]
Moody’s Rates US Credit “Top Notch” at Aaa $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX This week Moody’s said that it has maintained the United States’ top-notch “Aaa” credit rating, saying the country’s “exceptional” economic strength would counterbalance lower fiscal strength. The ratings agency also kept its stable outlook on the United States and said it expects Washington to resolve […]
IRS Taps Bitcoin Traders’ Exchange Data Pool $BTCUSD Coinbase Inc., an online exchanges for digital currencies, has warned thousands of its customers that it will be reporting their financial data to the US tax officials. The request was part of a probe by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) into alleged tax evasion and advoidence. The […]
Bitcoin ‘Hammered’ Banks Ban Purchases $BTCUSD Mr. Bear Breathes on Cryptocurrencies Bitcoin Hits $7,500 as UK’s Biggest Bank Bans Cryptocurrency Purchases on Credit Currently, Bitcoin is trading at: 7,659.085, -284.92, or -3.59%, as of 1:22p GMT, the market is open. Bitcoin prices tested 3-month lows Monday after Lloyds Banking Group, Britain’s biggest bank, said it would ban […]
President Trump Right to Take Credit for Booming US Stock Market $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX US stocks climbed to new records for the 3rd session running Tuesday, as investors took in the latest batch of Q-4 earnings and celebrated the reopening of the federal government. Tuesday, Blackstone (NYSE:BX) CEO Steve Schwarzman says President Donald Trump […]
People are Buying Bitcoin with Debit and Credit Cards $BTCUSD Some people afraid of missing out on the Bitcoin Bull Run has underfunded investors placing bets on credit. The data suggests that about 18% of Bitcoin investors used a credit card to fund purchases of the cryptocurrency, according to a survey of 672 active investors […]
China’s $38-T Off-Balance Sheet Items Poses Little Risk $CNY, $UBS, $MCO The Chinese finance sector’s RMB 253-T ($38-T) of off-balance sheet items pose little risk because more than two-thirds of them are relatively harmless components such as custodial funds and untapped credit-card limits, said UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS). Despite the size of the number, a […]
China to Open Up Financial Markets with Tougher Regulations China’s central bank (PBOC) Governor Zhou Xiaochuan, 69 anni, says that the country’s financial system is becoming significantly more vulnerable due to high leverage. Zhou who has made some stern warnings recently about debt levels in the world’s 2nd-largest, soon to be the world largest economy. […]
Visa Inc (NYSE:V) HEFFX Highlights Visa Inc. V, +0.25% and PayPal Holdings Inc. PYPL, -1.03% said Tuesday they are extending their U.S. and Asia partnership to Europe. PayPal will use its banking license in Europe to join the Visa network of financial institutions and offer Visa accounts in Europe for consumers to use wherever Visa […]
Protect Yourself in the Age of Digital Banking $USB, $TGT In January of this year my laptop was hacked, on it was all of my banking information, my super bank caught it immediately and its safeguards protected me, my personal banker was invaluable then and is now, I am very grateful. Nevertheless, it was a […]
US-China Trade Deal Reveals Key Corporate Winners $V, $MA, $AXP, $LNG, $JPM, $MS, $TSN Beef companies, credit card firms and LNG (liquefied natural gas) exporters emerged as potential corporate winners Friday in the wake of trade agreements reached between the United States and China. Initial reaction on the US stock market was subdued after the announcement […]
Investors are Betting The Trump Presidency, Shunning Hedges $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX Bet the Presidency, is the mantra of investors crowding into the US The Trump Rally with only modest downside protection despite potential headwinds, from elevated corporate leverage, Fed rate hikes, and potential US policy risks. Data from Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) show investors have discarded […]
US Student Loan Debt Reaches $1.31-T Student loan debt in the United States stands at $1.31-T, far more than Americans’ total outstanding credit card balance of $779-B. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York calculated the numbers and released a report that includes debt data through the end of 2016. Other Key figures in the […]
IRS Tax Refund Delay to Weigh on Consumer Spending Legislation aimed at preventing fraud is delaying US federal tax refunds and is likely to hurt consumer spending by as much as $21-B this month. The provision in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act passed by Congress near the end of Y 2015 will postpone funds […]
US Consumers Spending Less, Much Less $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX American consumer credit rose much less than forecast in December, for the smallest annual increase in household borrowing since Y 2013. The $14.2-B advance last month followed a revised $25.2-B jump in the prior month, the Fed numbers showed Tuesday. For all of Y 2016, […]
The Key Reasons Banks Turn Down Small Business Loans Over the last several years, large banks have been reducing the amount of loans that they issue to small businesses. The WS-J reports that it may be because of, “Weak demand, tighter lending standards and high costs have put a lid on small business borrowing” following […]
November, a Pivotal Month in the History of Financial Markets $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX, $GS, $JPM November marked a Key shifts for global financial markets, with a number of asset classes from financial stocks, emerging-market bonds to hard commodities staging sharp price swings in the space of just 3 weeks. Investors believe that the election […]
Donald Trump Will “Trash” Obama’s No-Growth Orders $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX The Trump Rally extends, US stocks finished higher Tuesday, with the DJIA hitting a record high close for the 4th session running as tech stocks rebounded from a post-election hammering and energy stocks were boosted by a sharp rise in Crude Oil prices. Tuesday, […]
US ‘Flirting’ with Recession in 2017 $UBS A team of economic strategists have warned that the US is flirting on the brink of a Recession. UBS Global Macro estimates a nearly 31% chance of a Recession in Y 2017. The UBS’ credit model, designed to find the likelihood of a recession over the next few Quarters, […]
Gold & Silver’s Run Forecasts a Coming Bust in Stock, Bonds, Credit Markets $GLS, $SLV, $UGLD, $GDX, $CEF, $PHYS In the coming years as investors are forced to seek safe-havens expect Gold to rise to record highs as asset bubbles burst in everything from stocks, bonds and credit. The precious Yellow metal is at the beginning […]
Entrepreneurship in America “Died” Under Obama $BAC The Y 2008 financial crisis buried US entrepreneurship, and it’s having a hard time coming alive again. A US economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (NYSE:BAC), recently said that the formation of new corporate firms and individual establishments has plunged since the financial crisis and remained low […]
US Demand for Autos Fall in July $GM, $F, $HMC, $TM, $VLKAY US auto sales drop in July as hot weather and softening demand kept buyers at home. Major automakers have reported July sales that fell short of expectations, which has reinforced worries that the market may have peaked with last year’s record numbers. Kelley Blue […]
The Policy Maker’s Peculiar Institution $DIA, $GLD, $SLV Two weeks ago the Dow Jones made seven consecutive new all-time highs. Since then the market has been digesting these new BEV Zeros, with the Dow closing never more than 1.00% from its last all-time high. Are there more BEV Zeros to come? Could be, but I […]
US Home Ownership at 50Yr Lows The US home ownership rate fell to the lowest in more than 50 years as rising prices put buying out of reach for many renters. The share of Americans who own their homes was 62.9% in Q-2, the lowest since Y 1965, according to a Census Bureau report Thursday. […]
Chinese Topped International Home Buyers In US The Chinese were the largest group of foreign buyers of US homes in the year ended 31 March. A National Association of Realtors (NAR) survey for the 2nd year running showed that Chinese nationals topped international home buyers in the US, with purchases of 29,195 homes totaling about […]
Vast Majority of Small Business Loan’s are Rejected by Banks No one likes to be rejected. Whether it’s a “No” from a job you interviewed for, the person you’re in love with or the bank, it hurts. And if you’re a startup or small business owner, you may be very familiar with the sting of “no” from […]
China Debt Burden Crisis Unlikely Amid warnings that China may face a financial crisis induced by its debt burden, an economic expert said this week that a number of factors make this scenario unlikely. “Economists have often used such adjectives as ‘neck breaking’ and ‘breath-taking’ to describe the very fast economic growth of China in […]
China’s Banks Not Vulnerable to Financial Crisis China’s banks are in pretty good shape and not vulnerable to a potential financial crisis despite a rapid rise of corporate debt in the country, a US expert said Wednesday. “While lending more to corporates unable to pay interest and principal on previous loans means financial risks are […]
China’s Economy Seeing Stable Growth in 2016 Recent figures have shown that the Chinese economy has generally seen stable growth with deepening supply-side structural reforms, an official from the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday. Meanwhile, measures have been taken to expand total demand in the 1st 4 months of this year, contributing to economic […]
Elon Musk Buys His Company’s Stocks & Bonds on Credit, Pledges His Shares $TSLA, $SCTY, $GS, $MS Elon Musk is Risky Business SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ:SATY) has tried in vain since October 2014 to lure individual (retail) investors to the solar-power business by pitching $214-M of what he dubs “solar bonds” through the company’s website. The […]
UAE Business Loan Demand Grows, Lenders Reluctant Central bank report finds improving demand in Q-1, as conditions tighten UAE businesses are demanding more loans but lenders appear less willing to supply them, according to a report from the country’s central bank. In its Q-1 report, the bank said the appetite for business credit improved from […]