Сайт «Рациональный капиталист-спекулянт» (звучит забавно, не правда ли?) публикует еженедельно обозрение Быки/Медведи, которое содержит обзор событий, происшедших за прошлую неделю.

Полезный перечень ключевых событий прошлой недели имеет один существенный недостаток: в нем не упомянут один фактор, который, возможно, является важнейшим: POMO. Приток ликвидности продолжается.

Ничего не сказано о позитивном для рынков завершении ФОМС: все ястребы попрятались.

Ничего не сказано о слабости доллара – она фатальна для рынков.

Тем не менее много интересной информации.

Bull/Bear Weekly Recap: Apr 25-29 2011

Быки

+ Earnings and revenues for various bell-weathers portray improvement in corporate performance. Revenue-beat rates are the highest since the bull market began (there’s your top line growth bears). A steady trend of share buybacks and increased dividends will keep the bull market trend in place since March 2009 intact as companies return profits to investors.

+ The Bull Market rolls on as the Dow Theory is confirmed with both DJ Transportation & Industrials averages breaking through their prior bull market highs. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have finally confirmed as well by breaking their previous bull market highs set in Feb. Even better, there’s a good bit of skepticism out there in regards to this latest breakout, the wall of worry remains.

+The Chicago Fed National Activity Index points to above-trend economic growth and refutes claims that economic activity has fallen. Manufacturing continues to lead the way and the report points to strong contributions from the Job market. Small businesses are slowing recovering and hiring is increasing in breadth.

+ Durable Good Orders rise a healthy 2.5%, while core-capital goods rise a strong 3.7%. Orders have now risen for 3 straight months. Shipments climb for the 5th straight month as well. Meanwhile, Chicago’s Midwest Manufacturing Output index increases 1.9% led by strong auto-related production. Finally, ATA truck tonnage levels and recent railroad data point to continued expansion in the manufacturing sector.

+ Consumers continue to spend as evidenced by recently released weekly sales metrics and the Restaurant Index. Easter demand has been solid thus far. Consumers have become accustomed to higher gas prices and continued improvement in the job market will ensure that spending growth continues.

+ The Conference Board reports that consumer confidence for April continued to stabilize as the “current conditions” component rose for a 7th straight month. The recovery continues. Plans to buy a house, an auto, or an appliance rose in renewed confidence that incomes will improve in the months ahead. This confirms recent improvement from the University of Michigan sentiment survey.

+ Despite all the bearish chatter, manufacturing orders continue to pile up for the Eurozone and confirms that the recovery continues in that region. Strong demand from Asia confirms that the global restructuring is taking place.

Вкратце: есть много признаков восстановления: прибыли компаний, заказы на товары длительного пользования, индексы доверия и т.д.

Индексы S&P500 и Nasdaq прорвались к новым максимумам.

Медведи

- Jobless claims disappoint again surging to 429K, marking the highest level since January while last weeks’ claims were revised....guess. Job growth has effectively stalled as more companies find it better to seek cheap labor outside of the US and heightens the risk for protectionist sentiment coming from Washington in the months ahead if things don’t improve.

- The housing double-dip is knocking at the door as Case-Schiller Home-Price Index reports the 7th straight month of lower prices. What led us into the Great Recession has just recommenced its second dip. The banks are sweating as well. They have clearly failed to participate in the latest run up in equity prices (XLF, BKX). Bank balance sheets are not prepared for a double-dip in home prices.

- Manufacturing around the nation is showing signs of a considerable slowdown in growth as Dallas, Richmond, and Kansas manufacturing surveys come in way below expectations. Manufacturers in Richmond signal that Inflationary pressures will be hitting the consumer very soon and bodes ill for an already fragile consumer confidence...

- ...and speaking of consumer confidence, we got more bad news on that front as well as the Gallup Poll reports yet more deterioration. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort survey has followed suit as well. Meanwhile, UK consumer confidence is probing the 2009 depths of despair (austerity is a sharp double-edged sword).

- The Eurozone continues to simmer. Portugal, for the second time now, revises its deficit upwards from 8.6% to 9.1%. Same deal with Greece (restructuring seems inevitable here). Next victim for the bond vigilantes? Spain would be a too big to bail out economy if it came under stress and it has been lately.

- Signs continue to come from China that things are getting pretty hairy over there. While the S&P 500 broke through to bull market highs, the Shanghai Composite just broke below its 50-day moving average. Inflation is getting worse in China as officials haven’t done enough to quell sticky wage-fueled inflation. Growth is slowing as well. All these signs point to a stagflationary scenario in the upcoming quarters.

- Q1 GDP comes in a mediocre 1.75% (less than expectations), with the all important Real Final Sales metric (=end-demand) registering a pitiful 0.8%, the lowest since Q3 ‘09 and much lower than the 6.7% rate in Q4. Cuts at the state and local gov’t level are being felt as well. While Consumption did rise higher than expectations, let’s not forget that oil prices averaged under $100 a barrel.

Вкратце: обращения за пособиями по безработице наибольшие с января.

Двойное дно по недвижимости стучится в дверь: Case-Schiller индекс цен на дома падает седьмой месяц подряд.

Ситуация в еврозоне ухудшается.

В Китае плохо. В то время как S&P500 прорывается к максимумам, Shaghai Composite ушел ниже 50-дневной средней скользящей, инфляция растет. События в Китае указывают на стагфляционный сценарий.

ВВП за 1 квартал удручающий.

Добавлю еще от себя, что очень интересная тенденция в американских казначейских облигациях: идут покупки ( инициируемые монетарными властями и искусственные на мой взгляд).

Битва между PIMCO и праймдилерами (за которыми стоит Казначейство США) относительно облигаций перешла в новую фазу: официальные органы США предпринимают действия, которые могут нанести финансовый ущерб крупнейшему облигационному фонду.

Казначейство и Гросс: последнее предупреждение о нормализации – предупреждение Казначейства об открытии огня.

Еще интересная и должно быть очень важная новость для рынков:Комиссия ЕС начинает всестороннюю проверку рынка CDS на сговор.

Antitrust: Commission probes Credit Default Swaps market

Под подозрением 16 инвестиционных банков и ведущий провайдер финансовой информации на рынке CDS. Остановлюсь на этом вопросе позднее более подробно.

Сайт «Рациональный капиталистиcт-спекулянт» (звучит забавно, не правда ли?) публикует еженедельно обозрение Быки/Медведи, которое содержит обзор событий, происшедших за прошлую неделю. Оно изобилует ссылками на другие источники информации, и этим представляет особую ценность.

Bull/Bear Weekly Recap: Apr 18-22, 2011

Быки

+ The Conference Board’s Index of Leading Indicators showed a larger than expected increase of +0.4%. Last month’s reading was also revised higher from 0.8% to 1.0%. The results point to strengthening economic activity and a sustained growth trajectory throughout the year.

+The Job market continues its recovery as the JOLT Survey shows increased job openings. Meanwhile, the Gallup Poll is signaling a decreasing unemployment rate. Its “Job Creation” survey notched its highest reading of the recovery this past week. Job gains will add cash to the economy and keep consumption growth sustainable.

+ Weekly consumption metrics show that US consumers have taken another leg up with regards to their spending habits. Higher oil prices haven’t affected the great American consumer to this point.

+ Improving confidence shows that US consumers are more comfortable in dealing with higher oil prices. Falling home values won’t have much of an effect anymore given that the bulk of the shock has already been taken. Consumer’s have come to expect that home values will remain low for sometime to come.

+ Eurozone economic numbers show that the region is recovering despite recent headwinds such as the Japanese earthquakes and higher oil prices. Continued steady growth will offset recent austerity measures on the periphery.

+ Intel results shine (a triple play!) and confirm continued growth in the global economy as businesses expand and require new equipment. Intel is a global bell weather so a positive report from the company is a harbinger of continued business spending. Guess who else tripled? IBM. (I don’t own any Intel or IBM nor am I shorting them).

+ If you look objectively, you can see signs that the manufacturing recovery is for real. A manufacturing renaissance is occurring in America fed by large emerging market demand. Jobs will be created and the virtuous cycle of jobs feeding consumption will help the recovery gain strength in the months ahead. (I don’t own nor am I shorting United Tech, or Eaton)

Медведи

- So the job market is getting better eh? Not from the looks of Jobless Claims reports. We have our second consecutive reading above 400,000. This hasn’t happened in over 2, close to 3 months. Job growth has effectively stalled and a major thesis point for the bulls is under increased scrutiny. Last week’s report was revised...(guess: up or down?).

-US “AAA” outlook is downgraded from stable to negative as per S&P. Politicians still haven’t put together a credible debt-reduction plan. It’s only a matter of time before investors seriously question the payment ability of the US. While the US is the monopoly issuer of its currency and will definitely pay back its obligations, rising commodity and precious metals prices signal that investors question whether they’ll be paid back with worthy dollars or just pieces of paper that can be burned for heat Weimar style.

- You’d figure the large plunge in the April reading of the Philly Fed Manufacturing Index was due to the disruptions in Japan, yet 80% of respondents said that recent developments in Japan had no affect on them or their customers, 10% said that there were “Possible Future Effects”, and 10% said there were “Some Current Effects”.

- The higher the markets go, the “stronger the recovery gets”, the tighter the noose of higher oil prices becomes. Eventually, the headwind will be too much for the US consumer to bear. Consumer Confidence according to the Gallup Poll continues its downward trend, not confirming the Bloomberg survey. It’s only a matter of when, not if.

- Things are apparently getting icky in China with increasing protests regarding inflation. Chinese officials are in a very tight spot and the situation closely resembles what I though would eventually happen when I wrote

- The Finnish elections along with further rumblings of a Greek restructuring have sparked another scare for the Eurozone (saw that one coming as soon as the election results were being disseminated). While the news regarding Greece was bad, it was even worse for Spain as yield spreads are under upward pressure again after a substandard debt issue.

- While some housing reports may have come in better than expected recently, looking at the forest instead of the trees shows us that the housing market still flat out stinks. We officially have an “L-shaped recovery” in this sector. Sales remain depressed and there are no “move-up buyers”, only cash-deals by investors. Home Prices (the commoner’s largest asset) keeps on falling.