$DIA, $SPY, $SOX, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: This economic expansion is set to become longest in US history, according to the latest leading-indicators data. The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the US increased 0.2% in April to 112.1, following a 0.3% increase in March, and a 0.2% increase in February. “The US LEI rose […]
FLASH: President Trump is bringing the Fed into the US-China trade war. Tuesday, President Trump called on the Fed to “match” what he said China will do to offset economic hardship being caused by tariffs. “China will be pumping money into their system and reducing interest rates, as always, in order to make up for […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: US-China Trade News is now Old News, and No Deal makes No Difference, the Fed is the Key to stock action, buy the dips. Watching the Fed, and without a trade deal the fear of a slowdown will keep the Fed patience mode. The President and the Wall Street […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX Wall Street declines for 4th day running, finished near session highs President Trump firm on tariffs, driving concerns about the trade dispute with China The S&P 500 held its 50-Day MA at 2860 on the close The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), Wall Street’s ‘fear factor’ closed well off session highs […]
By Jim Collins The Big Q: Will they or won’t they? The “they” in the Q is the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee FOMC), led by Chairman Jerome Powell. The action is obviously a cut in the fed funds target rate. Chairman Powell, much like his predecessors Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke, is fond […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Global equities declined Wednesday, capping a 3-day winning streak after the Fed held rates steady as expected, but comments from Fed Chairman Powell cast doubt on whether the central bank’s next move would be a rate cut, as expected. The Fed left its Key interest rate unchanged Wednesday and […]
$USD, $SPY, $QQQ, $DIA FLASH: Slowing inflation may lead the Fed to cut interest rates, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said in a TV interview Monday. “The Fed is independent, but they have been themselves talking about coming and lowering their inflation target, which might mean a lower interest rate adjustment on their own […]
$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 […]
FLASH: Faced with continuing economic growth and below-target inflation, the Fed should keep policy on hold at its May FOMC meeting. The Fed is expected to hold interest rates steady at its policy meeting this week as policymakers balance recent stronger-than-expected US economic growth Vs weak inflation. Officials have given no signal in recent weeks […]
$SPY, $QQQ, $DIA, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: The S&P 500 and NAS Comp marked new closing, and intra-day records Monday on a modest advance. Leadership came from the S&P 500 financials and communication services sectors in front of busy news and earnings week Analysts now expect earnings of S&P 500 companies to have fallen just 0.2% […]
President Trump’s economic adviser said the White House still backs Stephen Moore for a seat on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, despite Democratic lawmakers’ concerns about his competence and questions over his past remarks. Sunday, Federal Board candidate Stephen Moore derided criticism of him as “character assassination” and a blatant “smear campaign.” In a […]
FLASH: White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow says the Fed should still cut interest rates despite strong economic growth in Q-1. The government said GDP, expanded by 3.2% in Q-1 of this year, which the veteran financial guru and former Ronald Reagan adviser called “a blow out number.” “The inflation rate continues to slip lower […]
$GLD, $XAU, $USD Forbes.com recently published 3 reasons why savvy investors need to always own gold in their portfolios. Essentially, you can never play it too safe when it comes to investing. “Holding an overweight position of an unlevered asset with limited supply such as gold will offer one of the few safe havens for […]
Reports of the demise of the US economy have proved unfounded as Q-1 activity showed strength. The US economy expanded at a 3.2% annual pace in the first three months of 2019, the government said Friday. The gain was well above forecasts. Economists polled had forecast a 2.3% increase in GDP. The economy grew at a […]
The Fed is done raising interest rates until at least the end of next year, see at least one rate cut by then. The latest results come just days after Wall Street stocks touched record highs in a bounce back from a low at the end of last year, thanks in large part to expectations […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Larry Kudlow said Thursday on TV: “I think the Fed is moving toward rate cuts. That is my view. It is true in the open market, the funds rate has traded a bit high, but I think they are moving toward rate cuts.” Note: Slowing global growth has not […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: US inflation is falling again, and this time Fed officials may feel compelled to respond. After a gauge of price pressures central bankers watch closely finally rose above their 2% target last Summer marking the 1st time North of it since 2012 it moderated to 1.8% in January, and […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: S&P 500 and NAS Comp marked all-time closing highs The S&P 500 index closed at a record high, surpassing the highs it set last September and recouping all the ground it lost in the Fed engineered attempt to push it into a Bear market late last year. The NAS […]
$BAC An inverted Treasury yield curve is no longer a reliable signal of recession, and what matters more is the level of the curve, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) economists said in a note Friday. The Fed is flirting with inversion probably because policy makers recognize its waning predictive power in a low-yield global environment, the […]
US manufacturing output was flat to unchanged in March after 2 straight monthly decliners. The Federal Reserve said Tuesday manufacturing production last month was restrained by weak motor vehicle and wood products output. Data for February was revised up to show output at factories falling 0.3% instead of declining 0.4% as previously reported. Economists polled by […]
Sentiment among US home-builders climbed to a 6-month high in April, another indication that the housing market is gathering momentum during the Key Spring season. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose 1 point to 63, matching the median estimate in Bloomberg’s survey of economists, on improvements in present sales and buyer traffic, […]
Monday, it was reported that 105 economists and prominent conservative activists have signed a letter endorsing President Trump’s possible nomination to the Federal Reserve Board. “We, the undersigned, support Steve Moore’s nomination to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve,” the signatories wrote in a single-sentence statement. Economist Arthur Laffer, Forbes Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes, former Fed Vice […]
$DIA Sunday, President Trump said that actions by the Fed have hobbled economic growth and stock market gains by perhaps 30%, and that it should begin pumping money into the economy as it did during the Y’s 2007-2009 recession. President Trump’s latest hammering Twitter attack Vs the Fed came as European Central Bank head Mario […]
$XAU, $GLD, $USD President Trump’s plans to nominate Stephen Moore and Herman Cain to the Fed board, and that move points back to The Gold Standard, a policy option once advocated by both men and President Trump himself. The Big Q: What is the case for returning to The Gold Standard? The Big A: Is […]
$GLD, $XAU, $USD FLASH: Gold could 2X overnight, especially if President Trump uses it as a weapon in his battle Vs the Fed. The Fed controls the Buck, the Buck is the world’s trading currency, and so the Fed controls the world. A stronger USD hurts the world’s growth prospects. It also hurts President Trump’s […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RURX, $VXX FLASH: Wall Street finished flat to little changed in front of earnings season The stock market finished little changed Thursday in a tight-ranged trading session. The S&P 500 finished fractionally higher, as RSI from financial and industrial stocks helped mitigate losses from shares of healthcare companies in front of earnings […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: The majority of Fed officials last month believed that economic conditions would likely warrant keeping its Dovish monetary policy unchanged for the rest of this year. Several officials said their view could shift in either direction based on incoming data, according to minutes of the meeting released Wednesday. Weaker growth […]
$GLD, $XAU FLASH: China’s PBoC is on a Gold buying spree as Asia’s Top economy expanded its Gold reserves for a 4th month running, adding to investors’ optimism that central banks from around the world will press on with a drive to build up holdings. June Gold settled today’s session rose $6.00 (+0.5%) to $1301.55/oz […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: S&P 500 extended is winning streak to 8 days running The odds of a recession hitting the US economy are “all at about Zero,” Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett said Monday. “You saw it in the jobs numbers, but income growth is really taking off,” Mr. Hassett […]
$BAC, $C, $JPM, $MS, $WFC, $USD, $GBP, $JPY The Fed As the US yield curve is deciding whether to invert/not Invert, investors seek reassurance that we are in a era of non-inflationary growth, and focus on monthly price gauges this week. Wednesday, the US Labor Department is expected to report that its March Consumer Price […]
FLASH: Top White House officials Sunday defended President Trump’s plan to name 2 political loyalists to the Fed’s board of governors, brushing aside controversies over their personal lives and qualifications to help run the world’s most powerful central bank. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney used […]
$GLD, $XAU, $USD By Jared Dillan There is a lot of strong feelings about gold. Some people think it has no utility. Other people have pretty reasoned arguments about how gold maintains purchasing power across the centuries. It was in a bubble 8 years ago that sucked a lot of people in. There were some sketch-ball […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: The S&P 500 gained 0.5% Friday in a broad-based advance that was supported by a Goldilocks Employment Situation Report for March. The benchmark index advanced for the 7th session running, increasits its weekly gainer to 2.1%, and closed within 10 points of the 2900 level. The US labor market […]
US home prices rose 4% in February compared with the same month a year ago, according to data from CoreLogic released Tuesday in the research firm’s Home Price Insights monthly report. The data include sales of distressed properties. Home prices rose 0.7% M-M in February. On a Y-Y basis, the index has increased every month […]
$C, $JPM, $MS, $BAC, $WFC, $XLF, $KBW US big banks are set to kick off the corporate earnings season next week, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) is advising investors to use Call options to position for a rally in financial stocks into May. Goldman derivatives strategists underscored the “extreme under-performance” in the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund, […]
$SPY FLASH: Earnings season just 2 weeks away US stocks ended the final trading day of Q-1 on a strong note Friday and the S&P 500 posted its best quarterly gainer since Y 2009, boosted by optimism over the latest round of trade talks between the US and China. A Chinese delegation led by Vice […]
$DIA, $SPY,$QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: S&P 500 marks its Best Quarter since 2009 Friday the US stock market liked what it heard: The US and China held “constructive” trade talks in Beijing this week, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the White House. Trade talks will continue next week in Washington with China’s Vice […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX The just released data of the US Bureau of Economic Analysis and the US Census Bureau show that the US monthly international trade deficit decreased in January 2019 from $59.9% in December (revised) to $51.1-B as expected, as imports decreased and exports increased. The goods deficit decreased $8.2-B in January […]
Club for Growth founder and former-Trump campaign adviser Stephen Moore says his harsh criticism of the Fed for raising interest rates was ‘spot-on’. In an in interview Monday with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Moore, President Trump’s pick for a Federal Reserve Board seat, said the central banks’ recent policy pivot proves he was right. Mr. Moore had […]
$DIA, $QQQ, $SPY, RUTX, $VXX FLASH: The Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields fell to their lowest levels since December 2017 Monday as investors evaluated last week’s Dovish pivot by the Fed. Last Wednesday the FOMC stunned investors by abandoning projections for any interest rate hikes this year and saying it would halt the steady decline of […]
The Fed’s Key reversal on rate increases along with weak economic data has left a part of the US Treasury yield curve close to levels at which the FOMC has in the past been prompted to cut rates. The Fed last Wednesday brought its 3-year drive to tighten monetary policy to an abrupt end, abandoning […]
$GLD, $USD, $EUR, $GBP, $CNY What we have been seeing over the past few years is that confidence in government is fading and the price of Gold is rising. Some current examples The UK House of Commons voted 413-202 last week to delay Britain’s exit from the EU. Despite resounding defeats, Prime Minister Theresa May […]
FLASH: The world’s economy is slowing, but the United States’ is not despite Federal Reserve policies that have hindered growth, President Trump says. “If we did not have somebody that would raise interest rates and do quantitative tightening, we would have been at over 4% instead of at 3.1,” Trump said in a TV interview. […]
$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 […]
FLASH: No matter what the Fed Fund’s rate is they cannon make people borrow. The Big Q: What happened with Wednesday’s Fed announcement? The Big A: The Fed followed the market again. The chart below: the red line is the Federal Funds rate, the yellow line is the rate on the 3-month US T-Bill and […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: The latest fund manager survey from Bank of America showed the allocation to equities is at its lowest since September 2016 indicating that managed money missed the 2019 rally and will have to play catch up soon. The S&P 500 advanced 0.7% Tuesday, on Dovish expectations ahead of the […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Cyclical sectors outperformed, follow-through buying interest came in on no new catalysts. Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) extend losses on familiar story lines Patience is the FOMC’s focus now, signaling that it went too far last year with its 4 rate hikes, so no interest rate hikes likely soon. […]
$USD White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow rejects criticism that the US economy is only growing because of a “sugar high” from The Trump Administration’s tax reform. He predicted that President Trump’s “pro-growth policies on taxes and regulation” will continue to stoke growth far into the future. Some economists contended that the economy is losing […]
The growing mystery of where China’s rapid slowdown is headed may become the biggest risk on the horizon. The world economy. Recession Watch: The global economy’s in its weakest shape since the financial crisis 10 years ago. China got more affirming evidence of its Big slowdown, with industrial output and retail sales softening and a […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: S&P 500 Breaks Above 2800, and President Trump Grounds Boeing’s 737 Max 8 Aircraft S&P 500 broke above the 2800 mark, and all 11 sectors finished in the Green Weakening USD was an area of support for the broader market and the earnings prospects for multinational companies President Trump […]
The global economy’s softened throughout Y 2018 has left the pace of expansion the weakest since the global financial crisis a decade ago. A new GDP tracker puts world growth at 2.1% on a Q-Q annualized basis, down from about 4% in the middle of last year. While there is a chance that the economy […]
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: Our works shows that this Bull market is still intact Over the past 10 years long haul investors have been handsomely. The Big Q: Is there more? The S&P 500, the U.S. market’s benchmark index, has gained about 310% since bottoming out at 676.53 points in 9 March 2009 […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Fed stifling The Trump Economy The anti-Trump media is pointing to the economic slowdown, but economist Stephen Moore puts the blame on the Fed’s economist policy during our blockbuster Trump economy. “I’m a little worried about the economy slowing down a little bit, but we still have a blockbuster […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ FLASH: 10 years Friday the US stock market hit the bottom of the Great Recession. Today, 10 years later, the US stock market is acting as if the economic expansion, now in its 117th month, is going to continue and likely accelerate. The S&P 500 is up 10% YTD The benchmark index […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Job creation and wage growth are still important things to watch for in the monthly NFP report for February that will be released Friday. The other partial indicators already suggest that the labor market will remain solid. The focus now will be on the labor-force participation rate because the […]
$USD The Fed’s Beige Book was released Wednesday showing the US economy continues to be performing strongly. Manufacturing was stronger, employment remains strong across the economy, but bad weather and bad politics have taken their toll. On the latter, 50% of the reporting areas said that the government partial shutdown had been hurting local growth. […]
$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 […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Next Fed rate hike several FMOC meetings ahead With inflation muted, but other risks to the US economy on the rise, the Fed’s patience on policy is nowhere close to running out, with 1 previously Kawkish central banker Tuesday signaling he could wait until at least June before touching […]
FLASH: The EU’s economy is cooling more than many investors believe, the slowdown poses the biggest risk to the market. The European Central Bank (ECB) has limited tools at its disposal to respond to economic weakness while European governments are not prepared to respond with spending warns Mohamed El-Erian. “People are underestimating how quickly Europe […]
$USD FLASH: President Trump, “I want a strong dollar, but I want a dollar that’s great for our country not a dollar that is so strong that it is prohibitive for us to be dealing with other nations.” Saturday, President Trump renewed criticism of the Fed and said its tight monetary policy contributes to a […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Sidelined investors join this Bull market rally, as retail stocks outperform following earnings reports from Lowe’s ($LOW), Best Buy ($BBY), and TJX ($TJX) Investors came back into US stock funds during the week ended 20 February. It has been the best start to a year for the S&P 500 since Y 1987, breaking a 5-week […]
$GS, $USD, $USO, $OIL FLASH: On the global markets, some green shoots are emerging. The global economy may have already bottomed out, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Chief Economist in a note Tuesday. While growth remains soft, Goldman’s current activity indicator in February is slightly above the downwardly-revised December and January numbers. Some green […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: US stock markets pause on Powell’s testimony to Congress Markets opened lower and were cautious as Fed Chairman Jerome Powell testified before the Congress Tuesday. The Fed’s U-turn that took expectations for rate hikes this year to Zero has led to a drop in real borrowing costs and a […]
The US economy will grow at a solid though slower pace in Y 2019 and the Fed will remain “patient” in deciding whether to further raise interest rates, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday. Chairman Powell reaffirmed the policy shift made by the Fed last month, telling a Senate Banking Committee hearing that “crosscurrents and […]
$GLD, $SLV, $USD FLASH: The Dem’s Green New Deal is silly and not worth our attention. But it implies we can have anything we want if the Fed extends credit. FACT: The 2 biggest US stock market rallies happened when the budget deficit was disappearing or had disappeared. Calvin Coolidge led the US through most […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX As February 2018 comes to a close, the S&P 500 has marked a big win and is set up for a winning year, if history is out guide. With a 3.7% gainer on this month, the benchmark for American stocks is on track for back-to-back gains at the start of […]
FLASH: US Growth Estimates Raised US wholesale inventories increased by the most in more than 5 years in December. The surge in wholesale stocks reported by the Commerce Department on Monday, however, implied inventories were less of a drag on economic growth in Q-4 than previously thought. As result, economists boosted their Q-4 GDP growth estimates by […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $GLD, $SLV, $USO, $SOY FLASH: It is absolutely the time to buy risk. Saturday, positive developments in trade talks between the world’s 2 largest economies should boost riskier assets, as extended US-China negotiations are ‘positive’ for risk assets. They will lead to a weaker USD, supporting Crude Oil prices and Gold […]
When the Fed’s FOMC policymakers met last month and put it 3-year rate-hike campaign on hold and backed ending a yearlong push to shrink their $4-T balance sheet, that was draining the liquidity out of the system and shrinking the wealth of American house holds by the trillions of dollars, they cited increased risks to […]
By Mark J. Lundeen $GLD, $SLV, $USD The Dow Jones in its BEV chart below is charging up the hill with eyes fixed on making new all-time highs. In the past week it has advanced 2.9% BEV points, leaving only 3.52% BEV points to go before it once again makes stock market history. Another couple […]
Friday, the Fed said, that The Trump Administration will fall “a little under” its target of 3% annual GDP for Y 2018, the report offers an economic scorecard of sorts for the 1st full year of President Trump’s term. Growth for the year was “solid,” the Fed report said, as GDP “rose a little bit under 3% for the […]
$GLD, $SLV, $GDX, $USD Gold prices climb as those savvy investors uncertain about global growth outlook hedge their portfolios. Gold prices have surged 14% since September, when in this column I signaled a buy signal for the precious Yellow metal, just as the major US stock market indexes were making record Tops. Gold-focused ETFs saw […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: FOMC Mins as expected; Fed will maintain patience in rate hikes and stop reducing assets on its balance sheet later this year. The Takeaway The FOMC Minutes said the central bank is going to be patient in raising rates and is likely to stop reducing the assets on its […]
FLASH: This a Special Report, looking ahead at this leg of the longest Bull run in market history The US Stock Market: The Bulls Vs The Bears Russell 2000 +16.4% YTD NAS Comp +12.6% YTD DJIA +11.0% YTD S&P 500 +10.7% YTD US stocks rallied late last week into options expiration, even as some analysts felt like they should […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Trump Policy Traction, FOMC Minutes Due Wednesday Tuesday, New York Fed President John Williams said he is comfortable with the level US interest rates are at now, and sees no need to raise them again unless growth or inflation shift to an unexpectedly higher gear. In an interview with […]
US consumers expect to spend more money in Y 2019 than they did a year ago, data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York revealed in a report Tuesday. Households expect larger increases in spending than they forecast the year prior on items including clothing, housing and transportation, data from the Survey of Consumer […]
$USD, $EUR FLASH: The Fed has pivoted to a Dovish policy, yet that does not appear to have stopped USD. The US Dollar (.DXY) Index, which measures the value of the Buck Vs a basket of 6 peer currencies, just hit a 2month-high, which also happens to be close to a 2-year high. The strength […]
Last month when the Fed adopted a new “patient” approach to monetary policy, it gave no specific guidance about how long its policy pause would last, or how many more interest-rate increases were ahead. Last week disappointing US retail sales and industrial production data raised the prospect that the US economy is slowing faster than […]
FLASH: The Fed has the stock market’s back White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow applauded President Trump’s public pressure on the Fed on the pace of the central bank’s interest-rate hikes. “I’m very glad the Federal Reserve is putting their rates on hold,” he said on TV Thursday, “I think the president’s warning on that […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Fed officials are getting their stories aligned on the US economy. Cleveland’s Loretta Mester says it’s in a “very good spot.” Or a “pretty good place,” as Kansas City’s Esther George has it, faithfully echoing Chairman Jerome Powell’s “the economy is good.” Their remarks, made Tuesday and Wednesday, aim […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Fed Chairman Jay Powell describes US economy as “good”, saying he does not see an elevated probability of a recession, stocks finish on their highs lead by the Financials Investors are prepare for the return of the divergence trade, with the US set to lead the rest of the […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: Progress of President Trump’s Policies Bringing On Continued Stock Buying Interest US futures point to a higher start this morning with sentiment boosted by US lawmakers reaching an agreement in principle to possibly avert another government shutdown later this week. The S&P 500 futures trade 18 pts, or 0.7%, […]
The Fed’s interest rate increase in December tipped monetary policy into a restrictive setting that may be pushing the economy farther from one of the Fed’s Key goals, James Bullard, President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, said last week. Mr. Bullard, in remarks to reporters after an appearance at St. Cloud State University […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said Friday afternoon that the central bank is debating whether QE (quantitative easing) should be reserved for emergencies or used more readily. Market turned; S&P 500 NAS Comp and RUTX finished in the Green, DJIA off a bit. The S&P 500 utilities sector […]
The Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said again Wednesday the US economy remains in a “good place” and has proved resilient so far to shocks like the British decision to leave the European Union. “The US economy is now in a good place,” with low unemployment and inflation near the Fed’s 2% target, Chairman Powell […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX President Trump will enjoy the backdrop of a solid economy as he delivers his 2nd State of the Union address Tuesday evening. The President will point to the latest signs of US economic strength: Friday’s jobs report showed that employers added the most jobs in January in nearly a year. […]
$GLD,$SLV,$USD,$USO,$OIL,$SOY,$CORN,$WEAT Gold UpUSD FirmCrude Oil UpStocks Higher In Asia Note: China closed all week for the Lunar New Year The Cboe Volatility (VIX) Index, Wall Street’s so-called “fear gauge,” dropped to 15.60, its lowest level in 4 months, Monday. $VXX Gold: Gold rose Tuesday in thin trading as investors made purchases after prices touched 1-week lows Monday, but improved […]
Monday, President Trump summoned Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to the White House for dinner to discuss recent economic developments and the overall outlook. The Fed is being tight lipped about the ongoing monetary policy discussions with President Trump. Chairman Powell’s comments were “consistent with his remarks at his press conference of last week,” the Fed […]
Demand for loans softened among US businesses and households in Q-4 of Y 2018, while banks tightened lending standards for commercial real estate, according to a survey of bank officers that gave worrisome signs for the economic outlook. The Fed Monday released its Quarterly survey of senior loan officers. The survey also showed banks had […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX Monday, new money came in and Wall Street gained with all 3 major indexes closing near session highs. Continuing optimism abounds on the prospects for US-China trade relations propelled technology shares. The S&P 500 index and the NAS Comp both closed above their 100-Day MA’s for the 1st time since […]
$GLD,$SLV,$USD,$USO,$OIL,$SOY,$CORN,$WEAT Gold OffUSD FirmCrude Oil UpStocks Steady In Asia Note: China closed all week for the Lunar New Year Gold: Gold prices slipped Monday as risk aversion waned amid some signs of progress in US-China trade talks, while a firm USD kept bullion under pressure. Spot gold was down 0.4% at $1,313.01 oz by 0552 GMT US […]
The Fed’s decision to stop raising interest rates puts a “fundamentally healthy” US economy on track to further growth, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari indicated Sunday. “I think we still have room to run in the US economy,” Mr. Kashkari said at a town hall at a church in Long Lake, Minnesota. “The […]
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ President James Bullard applauded the shift away from its policy of raising interest rates, saying that should help to ensure a solid US economy for the next 2 years. “I think it set us up for a very good couple of years here,” Mr. Bullard said in a TV […]
$GLD,$SLV,$USD,$USO,$OIL,$SOY,$CORN,$WEAT Gold OffUSD EasedCrude Oil SteadyStocks Up In Asia Gold: Gold fell Friday as investors sought riskier assets on optimism the United States and China ill reach a trade deal, although a pause in US interest rate hikes kept bullion on track for a 2nd weekly increase. Spot gold fell 0.3% to $1,316.95 oz at 0719 GMT. Prices […]
$GLD,$SLV,$USD,$USO,$OIL,$SOY,$CORN,$WEAT Gold SteadyUSD EasedCrude Oil UpStocks Up In Asia Notes: The Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) held its policy-setting meeting and stood pat with a very dovish tone. Officials from Washington and Beijing have launch a new round of trade talks aimed at resolving their disputes. Gold: A surge in gold purchases by central banks to the highest […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s 1st post-meeting press conference of Y 2019 left market expectations for a rate hike this year an Big Q, and raised the chances of a cut in Y 2020. The Fed’s tone Wednesday cast doubt on the prospects of interest rates heading higher at […]
$GLD,$SLV,$USD,$USO,$OIL,$SOY,$CORN,$WEAT Gold HigherUSD EasedCrude Oil Off a BitStocks Flat to Little Change In Asia Notes: The Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) will hold its next policy-setting press conference on 30 January no hike expected. Officials from Washington and Beijing are set to launch a new round of trade talks on Wednesday aimed at resolving their disputes amid […]
$GLD,$SLV,$USD,$USO,$OIL,$SOY,$CORN,$WEAT Gold SteadyUSD FlatCrude Oil SteadyStocks Higher In Asia Notes: The Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) will hold it next policy-setting meeting on 29-30 January. Gold: Gold price broke psyche resistance at 1300 oz Gold futures are hanging near 7-month highs at $1,302.2 oz. Spot gold was last at 1,304.19 after breaking above a the Key psych […]
$GLD,$SLV,$USD,$USO,$OIL,$SOY,$CORN,$WEAT Gold SteadyUSD FlatCrude Oil downStocks Higher In Asia Notes: The Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) will hold it next policy-setting meeting on 29-30 January. Gold: Gold prices held steady Monday, near a 7-month peak scaled in previous session, on hopes the Fed will keep interest rates unchanged during its 2-day policy meeting this week. Spot gold […]