Stocks battered by headwinds from Asia

Falling demand from China and rising inflation in Japan are both having an impact on stocks and Treasury markets. Precious metals have also suffered from the sell-off, while crude and industrial metals warn of a global contraction.

Stocks

The top 7 technology stocks all fell, led by a steep plunge in Tesla (TSLA) and Nvidia (NVDA), two stocks with considerable exposure to China.

Top 7 Technology Stocks

The Nasdaq plunged 3.7%, its second 3.0% draw-down in July confirms selling pressure signaled by declining Trend Index peaks. Lawrence MacDonald:

The NDX went 17 months without a 3.0% drawdown. To us this means a lot. Looking back 20 years, these events come in patterns and clusters, NOT isolated events. This speaks to high volatility ahead.

Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQ)

The S&P 500 recorded its first 2.0% draw-down in 357 trading days. Declining Trend Index peaks reflect selling pressure. Breach of support at 5400 is likely and would offer a target of 5200.

S&P 500

The S&P 500 Equal-Weighted Index ($IQX) broke support at 6800, offering a target of 6600.

S&P 500 Equal-Weighted Index

Declines were across the board, with both the Russell 1000 Large Cap ETF [blue] and Russell 2000 Small Cap ETF [pink] falling sharply.

Russell 1000 Large Cap ETF (IWB) & Russell 2000 Small Cap ETF (IWM)

Treasury Market

Two-year Treasury yields are falling in anticipation of an early rate cut by the Fed.

2-Year Treasury Yield

But 10-Year yields respected support at 4.20%, signaling a test of 4.5%.

10-Year Treasury Yield

Liquidity in financial markets is strong but rising long-term yields could come from Japanese selling in support of the Yen.

Japanese Yen

Jim Grant on the prospects for US and Japanese interest rates:

How the turntables have turned: as the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan each prepare to render their respective rate decisions next week, recent events suggest a shift in the zeitgeist. Thus, former New York Fed president William Dudley took to the Bloomberg Opinion page Wednesday to lobby his former colleagues for a July cut, citing a weakening labor market along with ebbing inflationary pressures and moderating wage growth.

“I’ve long been in the ‘higher for longer’ camp. . . [but] the facts have changed, so I’ve changed my mind,” Dudley writes…..

Monetary crosswinds are swirling in the Far East. Futures assess the likelihood of a July BoJ hike from the current 0% to 0.1% range at 72%, up from 51% three weeks ago. Similarly, more than 90% of economists surveyed by Bloomberg “see the risk” that the BoJ will opt to pull the trigger, turning the page on its longstanding negative, now, zero-rates policy in the face of mounting price pressures.

To that end, core CPI grew a 2.6% annual clip in June, remaining north of the bank’s self-assigned 2% goal for the 27th consecutive month. On Friday, Tokyo’s Cabinet Office bumped its forecasted inflation rate over the fiscal year ending March 2025 to 2.8% from 2.5%.

“We expect underlying inflation to remain around 2% until early 2025, which we think will prompt the BoJ to hike rates both this month and in October,” writes Marcel Thielant, head of Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics, adding that pronounced currency weakness is placing upward pressure on the price level, as evidenced by a recent pickup in the “other industrial products” CPI component.

The prospect of simultaneous Fed and BoJ policy pivots duly resonates in the currency market, as the yen has snapped higher by 5% over the past three weeks to 154 per dollar after marking a near 40-year low against the buck. Hefty outlays from the Ministry of Finance in service of propping up the yen – estimated by Reuters at $38 billion in July alone – have added oomph to the present course correction.

“This week has seen more pronounced unwinding of carry trades, underscoring the concentration of short JPY positioning that is now facing intense pressure from Ministry of Finance intervention to support the [yen],” Richard Franulovich, head of FX strategy at Westpac Banking Corp, commented to Bloomberg this morning. “Local politicians have become more vocal about the economic dangers from unfettered JPY weakness,” he added.

Financial Markets

Monetary easing continues, with the Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index declining to -0.58% on July 19, signaling rising liquidity in financial markets.

Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index

Dollar & Gold

The Dollar Index continues to test support at 104, despite strengthening long-term Treasury yields.Dollar Index

Gold fell to $2,375 per ounce, signaling a test of long-term support at $2,300. Respect of $2,300 remains likely and would be a long-term bull signal for gold.

Spot Gold

Silver fell to $28 per ounce, signaling a bear market driven by falling industrial demand. Expect a test of support at $26.

Silver
Industrial demand for silver is falling as Chinese solar manufacturers face severe overcapacity:

China should push struggling solar manufacturers to exit the market as soon as possible to reduce severe overcapacity in a sector that’s vital to the energy transition, according to a major industry group. Central and local government, financial institutions, and companies should coordinate to speed up industry consolidation, Wang Bohua, head of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, said at a solar conference in Zhejiang province on Thursday. ~ Bloomberg

Crude Oil

Nymex WTI crude ticked up slightly but is unlikely to reverse its steep down-trend, headed for a test of support between $72 and $73 per barrel.

Nymex WTI Crude

Low crude prices are likely to lead to falling inflation, increasing pressure on the Fed to cut interest rates.

Industrial Metals

Copper and aluminum continue in a strong down-trend as Chinese demand falls.

Copper & Aluminum

Iron ore has so far respected support at $106 per tonne. The steel industry faces similar overcapacity to other industrial metals and has only survived so far by exporting steel, driving down prices in international markets.

Iron Ore

But resistance is growing. Iron ore is likely to plunge if international markets, like India below, erect barriers to Chinese dumping.

Indian Steelmakers Suffer from Chinese Steel Exports

Conclusion

Financial market liquidity is strengthening but stocks and Treasury markets are being battered by headwinds from Asia.

The Bank of Japan is expected to hike interest rates at its next meeting in response to rising inflation caused by the weakening Japanese Yen. The result is likely to be bearish for US Treasuries, driving up long-term yields.

Falling demand from China is likely to impact on revenues from Western multinationals with large exposure, leading to a correction in stocks as growth prospects fade.

The probability of a rate cut at the next Fed meeting grows increasingly likely. Inflationary pressures are declining — as crude oil plunges in response to weak global demand — and economic headwinds are rising.

Gold and silver are likely to diverge. Silver is likely to enter a bear market as industrial demand from China fades, while gold is likely to benefit from safe-haven demand as the global economy contracts.

Industrial metals are already in a bear market which is likely to worsen as international resistance to China exporting its overcapacity grows.

Acknowledgements

Stocks and precious metals headed for a correction

Stocks are retreating across the board after climbing to dizzy heights in recent weeks. They continue to enjoy support, however, from falling Treasury yields and robust financial market liquidity. Support from crude oil is less certain, with a potential up-trend that could delay interest rate cuts.

Gold and silver are also retreating after strong gains in recent weeks. The correction appears to be a secondary movement. Base metals copper and aluminum are also weakening but the sell-off appears far stronger.

Stocks

Three out of seven mega-caps in the S&P 500 (Nvidia, Tesla, and Meta Platforms) show gains on Thursday, while four declined.

Top 7 Technology Stocks

The S&P 500 as a whole declined steeply, headed for a test of support at 5500.

S&P 500

The equal-weighted index ($IQX) took a similar pounding, breaking support at 6900. Retracement that respects the new resistance level would confirm a target of 6600.

S&P 500 Equal-Weighted Index

The retreat is across the board, with the Russell 2000 Small Cap ETF (IWM) [pink] falling faster than Russell 1000 Large Caps ETF (IWB) [blue] after spectacular gains earlier in the week.

Russell 1000 Large Cap ETF (IWB) & Russell 2000 Small Cap ETF (IWM),

Treasuries

Ten-year Treasury yields are retracing to test resistance at 4.2%. Respect is likely and would confirm our short-term target of 4.0%. Declining Trend Index peaks below zero continue to warn of downward pressure on yields. The low inflation outlook is bullish for bonds.

10-Year Treasury Yield

Financial Markets

Commercial bank reserves at the Fed finished largely unchanged for the week ended Wednesday, July 17, suggesting stable liquidity levels.

Commercial Bank Reserves at the Fed

Bitcoin is retracing to test support at $60K; respect would signal rising liquidity in financial markets.

Bitcoin

Labor Market

Initial claims climbed to 243K for the week ended July 13. This still well below levels normally seen leading up to a recession.

Initial Claims

Continued unemployment below 2.0m indicate a tight labor market.

Continued Claims

The Conference Board Leading Economic Indicator shows signs of a recovery after initially warning of a recession with a fall below -5.0%.

Conference Board Leading Economic Indicator

Dollar & Gold

The Dollar index reversed its sharp fall from Wednesday. Penetration of the descending trendline would warn of another test of 105 but we think this is unlikely considering the fall in Treasury yields.

Dollar Index

Gold retreated below support at $2,450 per ounce, indicating another test of $2,400. Respect of $2,400 would signal another attempt at $2,500, while breach would warn of a correction to $2,300.

Spot Gold

Silver followed through below $30, headed for a test of primary support at $29.

Spot Silver

Declining Trend Index peaks warn of medium-term selling pressure. But respect of support at $29 per ounce would suggest a target of $35 per ounce.

Spot Silver

Crude Oil

Nymex WTI crude steadied at close to $83 per barrel. Respect of resistance at $84 would be a strong bear signal.

Nymex WTI Crude

Brent crude is similarly testing resistance at $86 per barrel. Breach of support at $84 would be a strong bear signal.

Brent Crude

Base Metals

Copper broke support at $9,400 per metric ton. Expect retracement to test the new resistance level but respect is likely and would confirm the long-term target of $8,000.

Copper

Copper and aluminum track each other closely. The down-trend below has a likely target of $2,200 and is bearish for copper.

Aluminum

Conclusion

Stocks and precious metals appear headed for a much-needed correction after climbing to dizzy heights in recent weeks.

Of the three pillars, falling Treasury yields and robust financial market liquidity continue to support stocks. But crude oil is less certain, with a potential up-trend that would threaten higher inflation and could delay interest rate cuts.

Gold and silver are also retreating, after strong gains in recent weeks, in what appears to be a secondary correction. Support would provide a base for further gains.

But weakness in copper and aluminum is more concerning, signaling slowing demand from China which could easily trigger a global recession.

Acknowledgements

Australian job growth surprise

Australian jobs grew by a surprising 50.2K, compared to consensus estimates of 20K, with total employment reaching 14.4 million.

Australian Jobs

But employment per capita remains steady at 64% because of the huge swell in immigration.

Australian Jobs per capita

The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%, while trend remained steady at 4.0%, as the participation rate grew.

Unemployment Rate

Total hours worked increased to 1.97 billion, a 1.3% increase in the trend since June 2023.

Total Hours Worked

Average hours worked (trend) declined to 136.6 hours in June, from 138.6 hours 12 months ago, reflecting slowing demand growth.

Total Hours Worked

Conclusion

Westpac believe that the strong June labor report points to a soft landing ahead. We are more skeptical. Soft landings are often promised and seldom materialize.

China has reported deflation for the fifth quarter in a row. When your biggest trading partner suffers from deflation, it generally is bad news for you as well.

China Deflation

Acknowledgements

Small caps signal Risk On

Falling Treasury yields and a surge in liquidity in financial markets is bullish for stocks, bonds and precious metals. The rotation from growth to value has slowed, while increased interest in small caps signals risk on for stocks.

Crude and base metals are weakening as demand from China slows. Uranium prices are also testing support, despite long-term growth prospects.

Financial Markets

Bitcoin rebounded from $56K to $64K, confirming a resurgence of liquidity in financial markets. Retracement that respects support at $60K would strengthen the bull signal.

Bitcoin

Treasuries

Ten-year Treasury yields are testing support at 4.2%, reflecting optimism over an early rate cut. Breach of support is likely and would offer a target of 4.0%.

S&P 500

Stocks

The sector rotation between growth and value has slowed, with both the Russell 1000 Growth ETF (green) and Value (blue) advancing at a similar rate.

Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) & Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD)

The S&P 500 made a small gain but the weak close and declining Trend Index warn of selling pressure.

S&P 500

The equal-weighted index ($IQX) shows a similar weak close, retracing to test support at 6800.

S&P 500 Equal-Weighted Index ($IQX)

But the rotation into small caps continues, with the Russell 2000 Small Caps ETF (Pink) closing the gap with the large cap Russell 1000 ETF (blue).

Russell 1000 Large Cap ETF (IWB) & Russell 2000 Small Cap ETF (IWM)

Precious Metals

Gold respected support at $2,400 per ounce, signaling another test of $2,450. Rising Trend Index troughs continue to signal buying pressure.

Spot Gold

Silver remains below resistance at $31 per ounce, with a lower Trend Index peak warning of secondary selling pressure. Another test of $30 is likely.

Spot Silver

Crude Oil

Nymex WTI crude continues to test support at $82 per barrel. Breach of $80 would be a strong bear signal.

Nymex WTI Crude

Brent crude retreated below support at $86 per barrel. Breach of $84 would offer a similar strong bear signal.

Brent Crude

Falling crude prices would ease the prospect of resurgent inflation and increase the likelihood of an early Fed rate cut.

Base Metals

Aluminum broke support at $2,420 per metric ton, warning of another decline. Retracement that respects the new resistance level would strengthen the bear signal.
Aluminum

Copper and aluminum tend to track each other closely, so the breach is bearish for copper as well.

Copper

Uranium

The Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (SRUUF) respected resistance at $20.50, signaling another test of support at $18.50. Breach of $18.50 would signal a down-trend for uranium prices.

Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (SRUUF)

Several uranium stocks, apart from Canadian miner Cameco (red), are testing support levels. Uranium Stocks

Conclusion

Treasury yields are declining as prospects for an early rate cut grow. Stock prices are also supported by rising liquidity in financial markets.

The rotation from growth to value sectors has slowed but the move to small caps is accelerating, signaling a more aggressive risk on stance from investors.

Weak crude prices are also bullish for stocks and bonds. The prospect of lower inflation is likely to result in lower Treasury yields.

Gold respected support at $2,400 per ounce, indicating another test of $2,450, boosted by the prospect of falling Treasury yields and a weaker Dollar. Silver lags behind, encountering stronger selling pressure and less domestic demand from China.

Aluminum broke support, signaling a down-trend. This is a bear signal for copper which tends to track closely.

Uranium is also looking bearish, with several stocks testing support levels.

Acknowledgements

The Fed, Treasury and liquidity

A reader asked me to please explain why liquidity is rising despite the Fed hiking rates and shrinking its balance sheet (QT) by more than $1.7 trillion.

We will try to avoid the technical jargon and stick to the basics. But it’s not always an easy concept to explain or grasp.

What is liquidity?

Liquidity is not the same as money. It is more closely related to other side of the balance sheet and is best described as the “ease of financing” or availability of credit in financial markets. It includes access to credit from the domestic banking system and bond markets, as well as international financial markets.

In Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Jesse Livermore describes the operation of the Money Post on the floor of the exchange, where brokers borrowed money overnight to finance their stock operations. We have included an excerpt where he describes the impact of tight liquidity leading up to the crash of 1907. It is worth reading: The Money Tree | Jesse Livermore

How do we measure liquidity?

We use several indicators to measure liquidity in financial markets. These include:

Commercial Bank Reserves at the Fed

Commercial bank reserves spiked up in March 2023 after the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) debacle, when the Fed introduced the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP). Reserves continued to climb steeply until February 2024, when inflation reared its head, before falling sharply in March and April during the tax payment season.

Commercial Bank Reserves at the Fed

Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index

The Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index is an excellent measure of financial market liquidity, though data is normally a week behind that of bank reserves.

Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index

Moody’s Baa Corporate Bond Spread

Moody’s Baa corporate bond spreads are a good indicator of credit availability in bond markets. The spread measures the premium that low investment grade corporate borrowers have to pay over the risk-free Treasury rate.

Moody's Baa Corporate Bond Spreads

Bitcoin

We even use Bitcoin as the “canary in the coal mine”. Cryptocurrencies are the most liquidity-sensitive assets in financial markets and normally the first to show signs of stress.

Bitcoin climbed steeply from November ’23 until early March ’24 before stalling in March-April. Its rise in May heralded a recovery in financial market liquidity.

Bitcoin

How the Fed and Treasury influence liquidity

The most obvious way that the Fed influences liquidity is by purchasing or selling Treasury and Agency securities in financial markets.

In April 2020, the Fed purchased almost $3 trillion in securities, expanding its balance sheet (blue below). We can also see that Treasury took advantage of these Fed purchases, issuing $1.4 trillion more in securities than it needed to fund current expenditure. The surplus shows in the TGA account at the Fed (red below) and had the effect of partially offsetting the Fed’s injection of liquidity.

Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index

In 2021, Treasury slowed their issuance of securities, as they neared the debt ceiling, and started to draw down on their TGA account at the Fed (red above). This amplified Fed QE (blue) as it also injected liquidity into financial markets. The Fed did their best to offset this by borrowing in financial markets through overnight reverse repo operations (green above) mainly from money market funds which normally invest in T-Bills and other short-dated securities.

In late 2022, the Fed announced it was going to gradually reduce its balance sheet as securities matured. The blue area below zero is referred to as quantitative tightening, or “QT”. Since then, total assets at the Fed have shrunk by roughly $1.7 trillion. Treasury also increased net issuance and started to rebuild their TGA account balance (red) above. But the Fed was again able to offset this by lowering rates offered on reverse repo and running its RRP liabilities (green) down from almost $2.4 trillion to just $371 billion at present.

The net impact of the combined operations is shown by the blue line below. The massive combined monetary easing lasted until early 2022, when tightening commenced. But tightening ended after the March ’23 banking (SVB) crisis, with the Fed injecting liquidity to prop up financial markets until March ’24. By March, inflation was starting to rebound and the Fed may have realized that they had over-egged the pudding.

Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index

The abrupt fall in liquidity in March-April was evident not only in bank reserves but in Bitcoin and in the stock market.

Conclusion

Liquidity is again rising — as shown by the the rise in Bitcoin and the fall in Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index. Stocks and bonds are likely to rise as a result.

Notes

There are further factors that affect financial market liquidity in the US. This can include monetary easing by foreign central banks. The PBOC may inject liquidity into financial markets in Beijing or Hong Kong but the net result may ease financial conditions in New York if US T-Bills offer higher rates of return than the equivalent security in China.

We have also seen Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen change the mix of Treasury issuance in order to reduce the impact on financial market liquidity. Reducing the amount of longer maturity Treasury notes and bonds and increasing issuance of shorter-term T-Bills also helped to boost liquidity. T-Bills are the most liquid asset on the planet, with almost infinite demand. Holding a 3-month T-Bill is like holding Dollars — they have no default or rate risk — but you get a 5.0% return on top. So issuing more T-Bills has limited impact on short-term rates, while issuing less 10-year Notes , for example, will lower long-term yields when demand exceeds supply.

Acknowledgements

The Money Post | Jesse Livermore

Jesse Livermore

Jesse Livermore made several million Dollars by shorting stocks ahead of the crash of October 1907. In Reminiscences of a Stock Operator he describes the impact on financial markets when liquidity dries up:

From the latter part of September on, the money market was megaphoning warnings to the entire world. But a belief in miracles kept people from selling what remained of their speculative holdings. Why a broker told me a story the first week of October that made me feel almost ashamed of my moderation.

You remember that money loans used to be made on the floor of the Exchange around the Money Post. Those brokers who had received notice from their banks to pay call loans knew in a general way how much money they would have to borrow afresh. And of course the banks knew their position so far as loanable funds were concerned, and those which had money to loan would send it to the Exchange. This bank money was handled by a few brokers whose principal business was time loans. At about noon the renewal rate for the day was posted. Usually this represented a fair average of the loans made up to that time. Business was as a rule transacted openly by bids and offers, so that everyone knew what was going on. Between noon and about two o’clock there was ordinarily not much business done in money, but after delivery time—namely, 2:15 p.m.—brokers would know exactly what their cash position for the day would be, and they were able either to go to the Money Post and lend the balances that they had over or to borrow what they required. This business also was done openly.

Well, sometime early in October the broker I was telling you about came to me and told me that brokers were getting so they didn’t go to the Money Post when they had money to loan. The reason was that members of a couple of well known commission houses were on watch there, ready to snap up any offerings of money. Of course no lender who offered money publicly could refuse to lend to these firms. They were solvent and the collateral was good enough. But the trouble was that once these firms borrowed money on call there was no prospect of the lender getting that money back. They simply said they couldn’t pay it back and the lender would willy-nilly have to renew the loan. So any Stock Exchange house that had money to loan to its fellows used to send its men about the floor instead of to the Post, and they would whisper to good friends, “Want a hundred?” meaning, “Do you wish to borrow a hundred thousand dollars?” The money brokers who acted for the banks presently adopted the same plan, and it was a dismal sight to watch the Money Post. Think of it!

Why, he also told me that it was a matter of Stock Exchange etiquette in those October days for the borrower to make his own rate of interest. You see, it fluctuated between 100 and 150 per cent per annum. I suppose by letting the borrower fix the rate the lender in some strange way didn’t feel so much like a usurer. But you bet he got as much as the rest. The lender naturally did not dream of not paying a high rate. He played fair and paid whatever the others did. What he needed was the money and was glad to get it.

Things got worse and worse. Finally there came the awful day of reckoning for the bulls and the optimists and the wishful thinkers and those vast hordes that, dreading the pain of a small loss at the beginning, were now about to suffer total amputation—without anaesthetic. A day I shall never forget, October 24, 1907.

Reports from the money crowd early indicated that borrowers would have to pay whatever the lenders saw fit to ask. There wouldn’t be enough to go around. That day the money crowd was much larger than usual. When delivery time came that afternoon there must have been a hundred brokers around the Money Post, each hoping to borrow the money that his firm urgently needed. Without money they must sell what stocks they were carrying on margin—sell at any price they could get in a market where buyers were as scarce as money—and just then there was not a dollar in sight.

My friend’s partner was as bearish as I was. The firm therefore did not have to borrow, but my friend, the broker I told you about, fresh from seeing the haggard faces around the Money Post, came to me. He knew I was heavily short of the entire market.

He said, “My God, Larry! I don’t know what’s going to happen. I never saw anything like it. It can’t go on. Something has got to give. It looks to me as if everybody is busted right now. You can’t sell stocks, and there is absolutely no money in there.”

“How do you mean?” I asked.

But what he answered was, “Did you ever hear of the classroom experiment of the mouse in a glass-bell when they begin to pump the air out of the bell? You can see the poor mouse breathe faster and faster, its sides heaving like overworked bellows, trying to get enough oxygen out of the decreasing supply in the bell. You watch it suffocate till its eyes almost pop out of their sockets, gasping, dying. Well, that is what I think of when I see the crowd at the Money Post! No money anywhere, and you can’t liquidate stocks because there is nobody to buy them. The whole Street is broke at this very moment, if you ask me!”

It made me think. I had seen a smash coming, but not, I admit, the worst panic in our history. It might not be profitable to anybody—if it went much further.

Finally it became plain that there was no use in waiting at the Post for money. There wasn’t going to be any. Then hell broke loose.

The president of the Stock Exchange, Mr. R. H. Thomas, so I heard later in the day, knowing that every house in the Street was headed for disaster, went out in search of succour. He called on James Stillman, president of the National City Bank, the richest bank in the United States. Its boast was that it never loaned money at a higher rate than 6 per cent.

Stillman heard what the president of the New York Stock Exchange had to say. Then he said, “Mr. Thomas, we’ll have to go and see Mr. Morgan about this.”

The two men, hoping to stave off the most disastrous panic in our financial history, went together to the office of J. P. Morgan & Co. and saw Mr. Morgan. Mr. Thomas laid the case before him. The moment he got through speaking Mr. Morgan said, “Go back to the Exchange and tell them that there will be money for them.”

“Where?”

“At the banks!”

So strong was the faith of all men in Mr. Morgan in those critical times that Thomas didn’t wait for further details but rushed back to the floor of the Exchange to announce the reprieve to his death-sentenced fellow members.

Then, before half past two in the afternoon, J. P. Morgan sent John T. Atterbury, of Van Emburgh & Atterbury, who was known to have close relations with J. P. Morgan & Co., into the money crowd. My friend said that the old broker walked quickly to the Money Post. He raised his hand like an exhorter at a revival meeting. The crowd, that at first had been calmed down somewhat by President Thomas’ announcement, was beginning to fear that the relief plans had miscarried and the worst was still to come. But when they looked at Mr. Atterbury’s face and saw him raise his hand they promptly petrified themselves.

In the dead silence that followed, Mr. Atterbury said, “I am authorized to lend ten million dollars. Take it easy! There will be enough for everybody!”

Then he began. Instead of giving to each borrower the name of the lender he simply jotted down the name of the borrower and the amount of the loan and told the borrower, “You will be told where your money is.” He meant the name of the bank from which the borrower would get the money later.

I heard a day or two later that Mr. Morgan simply sent word to the frightened bankers of New York that they must provide the money the Stock Exchange needed.

“But we haven’t got any. We’re loaned up to the hilt,” the banks protested.

“You’ve got your reserves,” snapped J.P.

“But we’re already below the legal limit,” they howled.

“Use them! That’s what reserves are for!” And the banks obeyed and invaded the reserves to the extent of about twenty million dollars. It saved the stock market. The bank panic didn’t come until the following week. He was a man, J. P. Morgan was. They don’t come much bigger.

Acknowledgement

Archive.com: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, Edwin Lefevre

Australian Outlook | Chris Joye

Central banks are too much under the sway of government and not doing enough to contain inflation. None worse than the RBA which is holding rates lower than they should be. The last time that we had inflation at 4.0% in 2008, the cash rate was 7.25%. Now the cash rate is only 4.35%.

RBNZ is far more independent and hiked their official cash rate to 5.5%. The NZ economy is in recession but they still face the threat of stagflation, with low growth and high inflation.

In Australia we have a negative output gap, where demand exceeds production capacity, far worse than in most other major economies. The only solution is to raise unemployment to lower demand. But RBA governor Michelle Bullock has publicly stated that the RBA is not looking to reduce employment.

The latest Australian government budget is highly stimulatory and likely to fuel further inflation.

The outcome is likely to be long-term inflation and higher long-term interest rates.

Conclusion

We expect strong inflationary pressures in the next decade as governments run large fiscal deficits. Additional government spending is needed to:

  1. Address the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables and nuclear;
  2. On-shore critical supply chains; and
  3. Increase defense spending in response to geopolitical tensions.

Long-term interest rates are expected to rise over the next decade, fueled by higher inflation.

Central banks may attempt to suppress interest rates by further expanding their balance sheets to buy long-term fiscal debt but that is short-sighted. Inflation would accelerate even higher.

Apart from the hardship to wage-earners, and the subsequent political chaos, high inflation would threaten bond market stability. Bond market investors would be reluctant to fund deficits when interest earned is below the inflation rate. Unless there are no alternatives.

That is why the long-term outlook for gold and silver is so bullish.

S&P 500 retreats, along with crude and precious metals

Treasury yields are trending upwards, as inflation proves persistent, but also driven by the scarcity of foreign buyers in the UST market. Rising Japanese long-term yields, the result of a weak Yen and higher inflation, make Treasuries less attractive to Japanese institutional investors. Geopolitical tensions have also motivated the BRICS, led by China, and the Saudis, to reduce exposure to the Dollar and increase their gold reserves.

10-Year Treasury yields are retracing to test support at 4.5%. Rising Trend Index troughs indicate upward pressure and respect of support would confirm another test of 4.7%.

10-Year Treasury Yield

Liquidity in financial markets is improving, however, with commercial bank reserves restoring almost half of the amount lost during the April tax payment season.

Commercial Bank Reserves at the Fed

Stocks

The S&P 500 is undergoing a retracement, likely to test support at 5200. Declining Trend Index peaks warn of secondary selling pressure, with the strong primary up-trend unlikely to be threatened.

S&P 500

The equal-weighted S&P 500 fared slightly better, finding short-term support at 6600. But a steeper Trend Index decline warns of stronger selling pressure. Breach of 6600 would warn of a test of primary support at 6450.

S&P 500 Equal-Weighted Index

Gold and the Dollar

The Dollar index twice respected resistance at 105 and another test of the key 104 level is likely. Breach of 104 and the rising trendline would warn of a reversal to test the band of primary support (red) between 100 and 101.

Dollar Index

Gold made a weak recovery above support at $2330 per ounce. The Trend Index warns of significant selling pressure and another test of primary support at $2280 is likely. Domestic Chinese demand remains strong, however, with the Shanghai Gold Exchange Au99.99 contract trading at an equivalent of $2373 per ounce.

Spot Gold

Silver also shows selling pressure, with a lower peak on the Trend Index. Another test of support at $30 per ounce is likely.

Spot Silver

Crude Oil

Nymex light crude is again testing support at $78 per barrel after a strong inventory build reported by the EIA. Follow-through below $77 would signal another decline, with a likely test of primary support at $68.

Nymex Light Crude

Crude oil and petroleum inventories are rebuilding after a decline in early 2024.

Crude Oil & Refined Petroleum Products Inventory

The managed money short position in Brent Crude futures is at its highest level since 2020, suggesting a bearish outlook for crude oil. But beware of a surprise OPEC+ production cut in the lead-up to the November US elections.

Crude Oil Short Positions

Conclusion

The key variable in our short-term outlook is financial market liquidity. That is improving and should support stock prices.

In the long-term, lower crude oil prices are expected to ease inflationary pressures and allow the Fed to maintain easy monetary policies. But the Treasury market is susceptible to selling by foreign investors — which should maintain upward pressure on long-term yields.

Lower inflation and higher long-term yields are bearish for precious metals. But these are outweighed by increased central bank buying due to geopolitical tensions and collapse of the Chinese real estate market. This has left domestic investors shifting to Gold as an alternative store of value.

We remain short-term bullish on stocks. Long-term, we prefer critical materials needed for the energy transition — especially lithium, copper and uranium; heavy electrical industry; and defensive sectors with strong dividends.

Acknowledgements

In Gold we Trust

Rising demand for gold and silver reflect the failure of central banks to maintain price stability and efficient functioning of credit markets. Private investor mistrust of fiat currencies was historically an emerging market problem, with countries like India and China holding large private savings in the form of precious metals or real estate.  But now growing US fiscal problems have caused mistrust to spread to the global reserve currency as central banks reduce exposure to the Dollar and increase purchases of gold bullion.

Stocks & Treasuries

The S&P 500 respected support at 5250, the short harami candle indicating uncertainty. Breakout above Thursday’s high would confirm our target of 5500.

S&P 500

Ten-year Treasury yields are testing resistance at 4.5% but the short candle and weak close look tentative and respect is likely.

10-Year Treasury Yield

Gold & Silver

Gold is likely to test support at $2,300 per ounce. Respect is likely and would confirm that the up-trend is intact.

Spot Gold

Silver is similarly poised to test support between $29 and $30 per ounce. Respect of support is again likely to confirm the up-trend.

Spot Silver

Gold Demand from the East

Ronnie Stoeferle — managing director of Liechtenstein-based asset manager Incrementum AG and author of the annual In Gold We Trust report — says that 70% of gold demand is now from the East. Mainly China and India but supported by buying in Vietnam, Thailand and lately Japan.

De-Dollarization

Jeff Currie — chief energy strategist at the Carlyle Group and former Global Head of Commodities Research at Goldman Sachs — says that central banks are now recycling commodity surpluses into Gold, not Dollars. When prices are high, crude oil producers generate trade surpluses which they historically have invested in Dollar-based assets — mainly US Treasuries — but are now investing in gold.

The Saudis and Russia are increasingly selling crude oil and gas in Yuan and Rupees which they then use to import goods from China and India. Any remaining surplus is then used to purchase gold as they do not want to hold the currencies in their official reserves. Physical gold is flowing from West to East, to meet increased demand, and driving up prices.

The change has caused a dramatic divergence between gold (brown below) and real long-term interest rates, represented by the TIPS yield (blue) below.

Gold & TIPS Yield

Source: Gainesville Coins

The scale of increased demand and its impact on gold prices is not hard to imagine when one considers that global crude oil production is more than 13 times the Dollar value of total gold output.

USD Value of Gold & Crude Oil Production

Source: FFTT

Central Bank Purchases

China and India are ranked among the top 10 countries in terms of official gold holdings.

Official Gold Reserves by Country - Top 10 Holdings

Source: Gold.org

But many purchases are not made through official channels and go unreported. Jan Nieuwenhuijs estimates that the PBOC actually held close to 5,550 metric tons1 at the end of Q1 2024.

Quarterly Central Bank Gold Buying

Source: Gainesville Coins

Private Purchases

Private gold holdings in China and India dwarf official reserves.

China’s private sector holds approximately 25,700 metric tons2 at the end of Q1 2024, according to Nieuwenhuijs.

India’s gold market is similar in size, with private investors holding between 24,000 and 27,000 metric tons of gold jewellery and bullion according to Blue Hill Research.

Conclusion

Gold demand is driven by a lack of faith in fiat currencies — whether it be US Dollars, Chinese Yuan or Indian Rupees — to maintain their value. Private investors are buying gold as a store of value while central banks are recycling trade surpluses into gold, rather than holding fiat currencies.

Silver and Copper are becoming the “poor man’s gold”, with price-sensitive buyers switching from gold into silver and copper as they grow relatively cheaper.

Countries with high private gold investment are likely to experience low rates of growth. Keyne’s Paradox of Thrift illustrates how savings parked in assets like gold and silver crowd out investment in productive assets, leading to lower growth in output.

Savings invested in debt and equity markets, by comparison, are largely channeled into investment in productive assets3 that contribute to GDP growth.

Efficient credit markets are the lifeblood of the economy, ensuring the transfer of savings into productive investment. Demand for speculative assets — such as precious metals and much real estate — reflect the failure of central banks to maintain price stability. Inflation increases investment risk in debt markets, leading to higher interest rates and increased demand for speculative assets, lowering economic growth. Inflation also accentuates the boom-bust cycle as central banks flip-flop between restrictive and stimulative monetary policy in an attempt to undo the consequences of their failed monetary policies.

The world is edging back towards a “gold standard” of sorts, where trade surpluses are converted to gold — or some other commodity like silver, copper or crude oil — rather than held as currency reserves. While not a perfect system, this would impose greater fiscal discipline on sovereigns, including the US, and contribute to increased price stability. It would also reduce the role of the US Dollar as global reserve currency and help to stem the damage done to the US economy over the past forty years by this “exorbitant privilege”.

Notes

  1. Estimated total PBOC gold holdings are 5,358 metric tons at the end of 2023 plus 189 tons in Q1 of 2024.
  2. Estimated total private gold holdings in China are 23,745 metric tons at the end of 2022 plus 1,411 tons in 2023 and 543 tons in Q1 of 2024.
  3. Debt that finances investment in speculative assets — producing low returns, like many real estate investments — does not contribute much to economic growth.

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S&P 500 storm in a teacup

Markets were spooked by “hawkish” comments in the latest FOMC minutes, where some participants indicated a willingness to tighten policy should such action become appropriate:

Participants discussed maintaining the current restrictive policy stance for longer should inflation not show signs of moving sustainably toward 2 percent or reducing policy restraint in the event of an unexpected weakening in labor market conditions. Various participants mentioned a willingness to tighten policy further should risks to inflation materialize in a way that such an action became appropriate. ~ Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee: April 30–May 1, 2024

This is nothing new: all FOMC members should be prepared to hike rates if inflation spikes to the point where tighter policy is appropriate. What seems to have spooked markets is the fact that it was considered appropriate to discuss this out in the open.

10-year Treasury yields rallied to test 4.5%, ending the series of declining Trend Index peaks. Breakout above 4.5% would signal another test of 4.7% but breach of support remains likely and would signal a decline to test support between 4.0% and 4.1%.

10-year Treasury Yield

The large engulfing candle on the S&P 500 is a bearish sign. Expect a test of support at 5200 but respect is likely and would confirm our target of 5500.

S&P 500

The S&P 500 Equal-Weighted Index ($IQX) retreated sharply and is likely to test support at 6600.

S&P 500 Equal-Weighted Index ($IQX)

Financial Markets

Commercial bank reserves at the Fed climbed to $3.39 trillion on May 22, continuing the recovery of financial market liquidity after the sharp fall during April tax payment season.

Commercial Bank Reserves at the Fed

The inverted Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index (black below) continues to climb, indicating easier monetary policy. The S&P 500 (blue) is expected to follow the FCI upwards.

S&P 500 Index & Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index (inverted scale)

Wicksell Analysis

The chart below is based on the theory of interest and money published by Swedish economist Knut Wicksell in 1898. Monetary policy is restrictive when long-term interest rates are higher than nominal GDP growth (the marginal return on new investment) and stimulatory when LT rates are below nominal GDP growth.

We plot nominal GDP (silver) against 10-year Treasury yields (purple) below. Stimulatory monetary policy is evident in the 1960s and ’70s — with GDP growth (silver) above long-term rates (purple) — boosting growth and inflation. This followed by restrictive policies in the 1980s and ’90s before long-term rates were again suppressed to stimulate the economy in the last two decades.

10-year Treasury Yield & Nominal GDP Growth

Nominal GDP grew at an annualized rate of 5.5% in Q1 of 2024, while the 10-year yield is below 4.5%, indicating that monetary policy remains stimulatory. Further growth and inflation are likely.

Crude Oil

The counter-argument to the monetarist view is that crude oil prices are falling and likely to ease inflationary pressures in the economy.

Nymex light crude broke support at $78 per barrel, indicating a decline to test long-term support (red) at $68.

Nymex WTI Light Crude

Energy prices were the primary cause of the spike in CPI in 2021 and its subsequent fall in 2022-23.

Conclusion

Crude prices are likely to fall, easing inflationary pressures and leading to lower long-term interest rates.

We expect the Fed and US Treasury to maintain easy monetary conditions until after the November elections.

The current bull market in stocks is likely to continue until end of the year.

Ceteris paribus

The Latin phrase ceteris paribus means “all else being equal.”

If Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping attempt to influence US elections by disrupting the global economy — through cyberattacks, damage to undersea communication cables, infrastructure, or transport bottlenecks — then all bets are off and we could be in for a wild ride.

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