Money For Nothing

Why We’re Not Sneering at the Averages

"As we can see with modern equity markets, common sense is taking a back seat to pump-priming. There is indeed a Wall Street Party going on, as we've pointed out, and the IPO market, in fact, is a large part of it. When markets are stuffed with money, volatility certainly becomes a concern. We recall the 1987 Crash was brutal, yet markets gradually climbed afterwards, culminating in the tech boom of the late 1990s. Loose money is generally a powerful support for higher averages and stronger numbers. And yes, this could continue for a while because the REAL economy has not yet felt the full impact of what's going on in the stock market." Continue reading →

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Monetary Madness

"In the Forked Tongue category, wannabe Fed chief Janet Yellen has now eclipsed Fed Chairman Bernanke for the first prize. In her testimony before Congress this week, she says little or nothing about the 2008 debt crisis, federal deficits, European debacles, fiscal cliffs or any others which were among her predecessor’s favorite excuses for the unprecedented money printing she vows to pursue. Nor does she talk much about a weak economy. Instead, her new rationale is that, although the economy has improved, it hasn’t quite improved 'enough.'" Continue reading →

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The strangest bull market ever

"This bull market is really odd. The Dow and S&P 500 are near all-time highs. The Nasdaq is inching closer to 4,000 for the first time since the tech bubble did its best weasel impersonation and popped in 2000. Twitter (TWTR) surged on its first day of trading, despite the fact that it is not yet profitable. Snapchat has reportedly turned down offers to sell out to Facebook (FB) for $3 billion. This is a company that is not even generating sales yet. How are all those hot 'pre-revenue' Internet companies from 15 years ago doing? Are they still monetizing eyeballs? It looks like bears remain in hibernation and the bulls are ... wait for the Rage Against the Machine reference ... still on parade." Continue reading →

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What Janet Yellen Will Host and Why

"During her confirmation process, Yellen will give a spirited defense not only of money printing but of her own moral probity and will be clear that she views her life as one sanctified by public service. Whether she has devoted her life to a ruinous enterprise will not be discussed. Certainly the larger game will not be revealed. But hidden behind the policy discussions and concern over employment is the surety that Yellen will start her term by continuing to print vast gouts of money. This money will find its way into the stock market just as intended, continuing to create mountainous stock market averages and then eventually an equity mania." Continue reading →

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Yellen Signals Continued QE Undeterred by Bubble Risk

"'I don’t see evidence at this point, in major sectors of asset prices, misalignments,' she said during her confirmation hearing to be the next Fed chairman. 'Although there is limited evidence of reach for yield, we don’t see a broad buildup in leverage, where the development of risks that I think at this stage poses a risk to financial stability.' Yellen signaled her determination to use bond buying to strengthen the economy and drive down the nation’s 7.3% unemployment rate. As benchmark U.S. stock indexes rose to records, she sought to dispel concerns from senators that the central bank’s policy is pumping up the values of equities and housing to an extent that jeopardizes market stability." Continue reading →

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The UK Recovery that Isn’t … the Market Recovery that Is

"What central bankers do is print money – digitally these days – and then transfer those digits to financial firms. Now the money finds its way into the financial economy, including, most importantly, the bond and stock markets. Once the money has swelled the financial markets, the 'real' economy should benefit. And then once companies are feeling better about a 'recovery' they will finally start to hire. This convoluted chain of events is simply illogical. It would be much simpler just to GIVE people money if central bankers really wanted stimulate job growth and create prosperity. But that's not what is happening because the object of central banking is to create money and maintain control of it." Continue reading →

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Andrew Huszar: Confessions of a Quantitative Easer

"I can only say: I'm sorry, America. As a former Federal Reserve official, I was responsible for executing the centerpiece program of the Fed's first plunge into the bond-buying experiment known as quantitative easing. The central bank continues to spin QE as a tool for helping Main Street. But I've come to recognize the program for what it really is: the greatest backdoor Wall Street bailout of all time." Continue reading →

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Jeffrey Tucker: Has the Fed Met Its Match?

"'It is hard to imagine a world,' says the unimaginative study, 'where the main currency is based on an extremely complex code understood only by a few and controlled by even fewer, without accountability, arbitration, or recourse.' Blink, blink. This is the Fed talking here. Talk about complex. When the Fed governor speaks in Congress, he (soon she) speaks in such a blithering array of econ-babble that no one dare respond, for fear of seeming ignorant. It’s like the first day of an Intro to Physics class. The professor asks if there are questions, and everyone sits in terror. In a half-century of this nonsense, only Ron Paul ever really dared to ask serious questions of the Fed." Continue reading →

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EU Easing to Infinity and Beyond?

"Money printing will continue and financial instruments will therefore continue to inflate, both in Europe and the US. There will be much hand-wringing about deflation and a lack of jobs, but this is not serious. The system cannot function any other way. As we have pointed out before, we are in the reflationary leg of a bear-market cycle. There will doubtless be significant volatility but the power elite controlling the financial system seems determined to create yet another blow-off. You may not have a job but if you have assets you will be able to participate in it and possibly reap significant rewards if you are careful and pay attention to the timing of additional money flows. Good luck." Continue reading →

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Don’t laugh – Bitcoin is making a serious point

"On one side of the Bitcoin argument, this internet-based currency has some fervent backers – many of them tech-savvy youngsters. On the other side stand almost all reputable economists, together with a fierce range of vested interests – including the banks, credit card companies and other conventional players in the extremely lucrative money-transferring business. To them, Bitcoin is a cross between a dangerous irritant and a bad joke. To mention it in conversation is tasteless. To take it seriously is deeply suspect. Yet several events happened last week that made me suspect that Bitcoin – and the idea of 'stateless' currencies more generally – will soon catch the zeitgeist." Continue reading →

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