Confounded Interest – Anthony B. Sanders
Financial Markets And Real Estate
It has been over three years since the disastrous Covid economic shutdowns of 2020. And here we are again!
US investment-grade bond yields have just had the biggest two-day drop since April 2020.
And the US Treasury 10Y-2Y curve remains steeply inverted.
The Empire (State) Strikes Out! Contraction (or economic slowdown) is hitting New York State!
The drop takes the measure from ‘expansion’ at 7-month-highs to ‘contraction’ at 4-month-lows…
The new orders fell six points to -11.3, pointing to a decline in orders for a third consecutive month, and the shipments index fell sixteen points to -6.4, indicating that shipments fell.
The unfilled orders index held steady at -24.0, a sign that unfilled orders continued to fall significantly.
After rising into positive territory last month, the inventories index retreated fourteen points to -5.2, suggesting that inventories moved lower.
The delivery times index dropped ten points to -15.6, its lowest reading in several years, a sign that delivery times shortened.
The index for number of employees fell four points to -8.4, its lowest level in several months, pointing to a modest decline in employment levels.
On the bright side, the prices paid index moved down six points to 16.7, suggesting an ongoing moderation in input price increases, while the prices received index held steady at 11.5, a sign that selling price increases remained modest.
Is this the start of ‘soft’ data’s reversion to ‘hard’ reality?
The Fed – with its six rate-cuts – better hope so.
In this corner, we have Fed Chair Powell, Treasury Secretary Yellen, President Biden and Cheerleader Brainard all cheering and singing “Everything Is Beautiful!”. In the other corner, we have … investors who are are betting that The Fed will be cutting the target rate from 5.50% to 4% by December 2024, a cut of almost 150 basis points in one year.
Why? First, the US economy is softening. Second, The Fed will want Biden (or whoever Democrats prop up in his place) re-elected as President.
… it was the dot plot, where the median 2024 dot plot now forecasts 3 rate cuts up from 2, that shocked traders: in a very rare admission by the Fed, the central bank confirmed that the pre-meeting market pricing of multiple cuts in 2024 were correct in interpreting the Fed’s intentions. It also confirmed – yet again – that the market was right and every single FOMC member was wrong. In retrospect, none of this should have been a shock.
Commenting on the dot plot, TS Lombard’s Steven Blitz said that “for a group that prizes the pricing of its policy intentions in the forward markets as being more important to shifting market conditions than the spot rate, they h d to know that moving the median forecast for Fed funds at the end of 2024 back to June levels would be a bullish signal.“
Or maybe concerns about the market’s reaction were of secondary importance to a Fed which had gotten the tap on the shoulder by the Biden admin and its Democratic cronies on the Hill, terrified about their re-election chances now that the snake of Identity Politics is finally eating its poisonous tail. Indeed, almost as if having seen the collapse in the recent approval polls, Biden’s handlers made some very persuasive phone calls to the Fed. After all, only something as ridiculous – and serious – as steady political pressure can explain the unprecedented U-Turn by the Fed chair, one which even shocked Powell’s own mouthpiece, Nikileaks, who commented on the “Powell pivot” saying “what a difference two weeks can make.”
But markets are behaving as if The Fed will begin cutting rates. Look at the US 2-year Treasury yield on Wednesday AFTER the Fed minutes were released.
Bear in mind that mortgage rates are up 149% under Biden. And mortgage payments up 88%. Yikes!
Everything is NOT beautiful, according to investors.
Welcome to the REAL Snake Hole Lounge: The Federal Reserve. And their famous “Snake Juice!” Now forecast to be under 4% by 2025!!
Well, November inflation numbers are out and we see core inflation increased along with shelter.
In November, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.1 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3 percent in November (SA); up 4.0 percent over the year (NSA).
Yes, core inflation (CPI less food and energy commodities) is up 0.3% in November MoM and up 4% YoY. Shelter is up 0.4% MoM an up 6.5% YoY.
Energy declined considerably but Used Car prices rose.
President Gerald For (R-MI) might be best known for his silly attempt at “whip inflation NOW” by having “Music Man” Meredith Wilson write a song: “Whip Inflation Now!” But the second line has been forgotten: “Eat crow instead of cow.” That second line is appropriate for Bidenomics which has left America’s middle class eating crow in the housing market.
The Wall Street Journal had an interesting piece showing the rise of 30-year fixed rate mortgage payments under Biden where the average monthly new mortgage payment is now $3,222, up from $1,787, up 86%!
The 86% rise in mortgage payments is two fold. First, home prices are up 33.2% under Biden and the 30-year mortgage rate is up 181%.
Yes, Americans are eating crow under the utter failure known as Bidenomics: top down government mandates for massive green energy and other nonsense.
Let’s how inflation looks today at 8:30am EST.
We are on a Highway To Hell! Massive Federal Budget deficits and staggering payments to Treasury from The Fed (losses on balance sheet) and $212 TRILLION in unfunded promises to the non-elites.
Under Modern Monetary Theory (or print money without consequences), we are seeing trillion dollars budget deficits with no end in sight. Nothing has been the same since the financial crisis of 2008 with The Fed’s massive intervention.
Then we have The Fed paying an ever growing amount to US Treasury for losses on their huge balance sheet.
And debt is growing to 200% of GDP!
I would love to get US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in testimony and ask her “How are we ever going to afford $212 TRILLION in unfunded promises? Her response will likely be “We will just keep running larger and larger deficits.” Sigh.
Meanwhile, Fed Chair Powell is hunting that wascally inflation.
The song “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne comes to mind when analyzing the state of American banking, especially regional banks.
Yesterday we found out that inflows to money-market funds continue to be huge ($290BN in six weeks), and more importantly, regional banks’ usage of The Fed’s BTFP bailout facility surged to a new record high (even as regional banks surged…
And so, with that shitshow in mind, we await the glorious manipulation of The Fed’s bank deposits data to reinforce that equity confidence.
On a seasonally-adjusted basis, banks saw a $53.7BN deposit outflow…
However, on a non-seasonally-adjusted basis, deposits rose by $27BN…
And even with the outflows (SA), the divergence between soaring money-market funds and bank deposits continues to widen…
Excluding foreign bank deposits, domestic banks saw the third week of the last four of deposit outflows (-$40.6BN SA) with Large banks -$35BN (SA) and Small banks losing $5.7BN (SA). On an NSA basis, domestic banks saw inflows of $36.5BN last week with Large banks adding $32BN and Small banks adding $4BN…
That adds up to $88BN (SA) of deposit outflows in the last four weeks (bank to its lowest total since May…
And on the other side of the ledger, despite deposits declining SA, loan volumes increased (SA) for the third week in a row with Small banks adding $2.1BN and Large banks adding $3.8BN…
Finally, the key warning sign continues to trend ominously lower (Small Banks’ reserve constraint), supported above the critical level by The Fed’s emergency funds (for now)…
As the red line shows, without The Fed’s help, the crisis is back (and large bank cash needs a home – green line – like picking up a small bank from the FDIC).
Mortgage rates, despite coming down recently, are still up 151% under Biden. And home prices are up 33.2%. So much for affordable housing for those renting.
So, “Running on Empty” applies to middle class and their ability to afford housing.
We are in the house latitudes. Despite declining mortgage rates, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index Buying Conditions for Housing fell to 44.
Why are buying conditions for houses so low? Well, mortgage rates, despite coming down recently, are still up 151% under Clueless Joe. And home prices are up 33.2% under Biden. So much for affordable housing for those renting.
Like the great Shoeles Joe Jackson on ChiSox and Cleveland Indian fame, Clueless Joe Biden cheated too. Except that Shoeless Joe was accused of accepting $5,000 to throw the World Series in 1919. Clueless Joe Biden and family are accused of accepting over $24 million from China, Ukraine, etc.
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Clueless Joe Biden.
Several talking heads are salivating about the strong or solid jobs report in October. As if The Federal Reserve can’t read the jobs report. I call the report “Government gone wild!” since 51k government jobs were added in October.
U-3 unemployment rate declined to 3.7%.
Job gains occurred in health care, government, and social assistance. Employment declined in manufacturing due to strike actvity.
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 150,000 in October, below the average monthly gain of 258,000 over the prior 12 months. In October, job gains occurred in health care, government, and social assistance. Employment in manufacturing declined due to strike activity. (See table B-1.) Health care added 58,000 jobs in October, in line with the average monthly gain of 53,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, employment continued to trend up in ambulatory health care services (+32,000), hospitals (+18,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+8,000). Employment in government increased by 51,000 in October and has returned to its pre-pandemic February 2020 level. Monthly job growth in government had averaged 50,000 in the prior 12 months. In October, employment continued to trend up in local government (+38,000). Social assistance added 19,000 jobs in October, compared with the average monthly gain of 23,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, employment continued to trend up in individual and family services (+14,000). In October, construction employment continued to trend up (+23,000), about in line with the average monthly gain of 18,000 over the prior 12 months. Employment continued to trend up over the month in specialty trade contractors (+14,000) and construction of buildings (+6,000). Employment in manufacturing decreased by 35,000 in October, reflecting a decline of 33,000 in motor vehicles and parts that was largely due to strike activity. In October, employment in leisure and hospitality changed little (+19,000). The industry had added an average of 52,000 jobs per month over the prior 12 months. Employment in professional and business services was little changed in October (+15,000) and has shown little net change since May.
So, if you focus solely on U-3 unemployment rate of 3.7%, The Fed will be happy since it gives The Fed cover for doing nothing. But 51k government jobs added compared to 150k total jobs added? Its as if the Japanese monster Godzilla emerged out of the Chesapeake Bay.
Govzilla? King of the Monsters!
Speaking of Govzilla, my favorite quote showing the stupidity of BIG government is … Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry. “We’ve got to cut down on farming due to ‘Climate Change’…or people are going to starve…”
Biden is hoping for one more term as President. And declining oil prices might help him get re-elected.
But we have a battle brewing! The United Nations and World Economic Forum (and their proxies John Kerry, Greta Thunberg and Green Joe Biden) against …. everyone else. Despite Biden’s lame attempts (through climate envoy John Kerry) at getting China to go to green energy and rid themselves of fossil fuels, China claims a new discovery of roughly 1.78 billion barrels of oil. Kristalina Georgieva, a Bulgarian economist who serves as the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said Monday that the IMF wants to see countries implement punishing new carbon taxes to “fight climate change.” Kristalnacht won’t like China’s oil discovery either.
Then we have oil production surging (think of WEF’s Klaus Schwab’s scowling face) and crude oil prices sinking to 6 month lows.
Oil prices are dropping along with the Citi Economic Surprise Index.
In financial markets, we have the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) jumped to a record high.
And Treasuries purchased by The Federal Reserve (repos) skyrocketed this week.
On the gold side, we see a Golden Cross (not William Jennings Bryan’s Cross of Silver).
WEF’s Klaus Schwab won’t like China finding so much cheap energy.
Confounded Interest - Anthony B. Sanders 
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