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The ASX 200 has also penetrated its descending trendline, suggesting the correction is over. Breakout above 4850 would signal a test of 5250. Bullish divergence on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow indicates buying pressure. Target for a break above 5000 would be 5850* to 6000. Respect of 4850/4900 is unlikely but would warn of another test of support at 4650.
* Target calculation: 5250 + ( 5250 – 4650 ) = 5850
The VIX retreated below 15, signaling that market risk is falling.
The S&P 500 is testing its declining trendline after a brief consolidation above 1600. Penetration would suggest that the correction is over; confirmed if resistance at 1650 is broken. 21-Day Twiggs Money Flow is leveling out and a trough above the line would signal a healthy primary up-trend. Target for an advance would be 1800*.
* Target calculation: 1680 + ( 1680 – 1560 ) = 1800
The TSX Composite index penetrated its declining trendline, suggesting that the correction is over. Follow-through above 12250 would strengthen the signal, while a rise above 12400 would confirm. Recovery of 21-day Twiggs Money Flow above zero would indicate buying pressure. Target for an advance would be 12900/13000. Reversal below 11900 is now unlikely, but would signal a primary down-trend.
Robert Douglas summarizes the argument against inequality presented by Andrew Leigh, economist and (Labour) parliamentarian, in his book Battlers and Billionaires:
Leigh sees inequality as a socially corrosive force undermining the egalitarian spirit that has been one of the positive defining characteristics of Australian society. He argues that unequal wealth demands attention from our political system and that there are a variety of ways in which it can be addressed.
There has been much hand-wringing from the left about rising inequality, but I believe this is an attempt to frame the political debate along class lines — the rich against the rest — as Barack Obama succeeded in doing, with the able assistance of Mitt Romney, in 2012. Framing the debate in relative terms is shrewd politics. An attempt to distract voters from the real issues:
Poverty is a subjective concept, as Thomas Sowell points out:
Most Americans with incomes below the official poverty level have air-conditioning, television, own a motor vehicle and, far from being hungry, are more likely than other Americans to be overweight.
Life expectancy, however, is difficult to fudge.
Inequality, as I said earlier, is relative: we can have declining poverty and rising life expectancy while inequality is growing. In fact when the economy is booming and employment rising, inequality is also likely to be growing. Do we really want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs? Raising taxes to discourage new entrepreneurs? That is what targeting inequality can succeed in doing: harming the welfare of all rather than improving the welfare of the poor at the expense of the rich.
Instead we should focus on job creation and health improvements. And if that means creating incentives to encourage entrepreneurs, so be it, provided we all benefit.
The fact that inequality rose after the GFC is an anomaly that is unlikely to persist in the long term. The wealth of the masses are predominantly represented by real estate, while the rich hold a far higher percentage of their wealth in financial assets: stocks and bonds. Housing was hardest hit by the GFC and has taken longest to recover, causing a surge in inequality readings. That is not the fault of the rich — apart from a few investment bankers — and in fact we should learn from their experience. Real estate investment may have served us well in the past, but that is likely to change with the end of the credit super-cycle. We will need to concentrate a far higher percentage of our investment in stocks and bonds.
Read more at Inequality, health and well-being: time for a national debate.
New [BOE] governor Mark Carney has already made changes. In a statement accompanying the widely-expected decision to leave both rates and asset purchases unchanged, the BoE said that rising market rates had shifted expectations for the Bank Rate above levels that were justified by the economic situation.
The fact that there was a statement at all indicated a change in policy. The old BOE just announced its decision and left interpretation to the markets.
This was a clear attempt to talk the markets down and it worked.
Read more at Recap: Surprise as BOE, ECB Give Forward Guidance – MoneyBeat – WSJ.
The euro is testing support at $1.30, representing a two-thirds retracement of the previous advance. Follow-through below $1.2950 would signal another test of primary support at $1.28 — and a ranging market — while respect of $1.30 would suggest a primary advance to $1.36*. Recovery of 63-day Twiggs Momentum above zero would be a bullish sign.
* Target calculation: 1.30 + ( 1.34 – 1.28 ) = 1.36
Pound Sterling is ranging between €1.16 and €1.19 against the euro. Upward breakout — and penetration of the descending trendline — would signal a primary advance to €1.22*. But breach of support at €1.16 would indicate another test of primary support at €1.14, while a 13-week Twiggs Momentum peak below zero would suggest continuation of the primary down-trend.
The greenback retraced to test the new support level at ¥100 against the Yen. Respect, indicated by follow-through above ¥101, would re-test resistance at ¥103 to ¥104. But reversal below ¥99 seems as likely, and would re-test primary support at ¥94.
* Target calculation: 104 + ( 104 – 94 ) = 114
Canada’s Loonie is testing support at $0.95 against the greenback. Follow-through below $0.9450 is likely and would signal another decline, with a target of $0.9350*. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum oscillating below zero indicates a strong primary down-trend.
* Target calculation: 0.96 – ( 0.9850 – 0.96 ) = 0.9350
The Aussie Dollar continues to fall, with an immediate target of $0.90* and a long-term target of $0.80* against the greenback. The RBA is cheering this on as they need a softer dollar to cushion the impact of a down-turn in commodity prices.
* Target calculation: 0.92 – ( 0.94 – 0.92 ) = 0.90; 0.95 – ( 1.10 – 0.95 ) = 0.80
Margot Patrick at WSJ reports that the Bank of England is enforcing a new “leverage ratio” rule:
Top U.K. banks regulator Andrew Bailey told lawmakers that the requirement for banks to hold at least 3% equity against total assets “is a sensible minimum,” and that those who fall short must act quickly, but without cutting their lending to households and businesses.
The Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority on June 20 said Barclays and mutual lender Nationwide Building Society don’t meet the standard and gave them 10 days to submit plans for achieving it.
I hope that their Australian counterpart APRA are following developments closely. Both UK and Australian banks are particularly vulnerable because of their over-priced housing markets. And while the big four Australian banks’ capital ratios appear comfortably above 10 percent, these rely on risk-weightings of 15% to 20% for residential mortgages.
Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked. ~ Warren Buffett
Read more at BOE: Barclays, Nationwide Must Boost Capital – WSJ.com.
“Australia is a leveraged time bomb waiting to blow,” Albert Edwards, Société Générale’s London-based global strategist, said. “It is not just a CDO, but a CDO squared. All we have in Australia is, at its simplest, a credit bubble built upon a commodity boom dependent for its sustenance on an even greater credit bubble in China.”
From William Pesek at Rudd? Gillard? Australians have bigger problems – Columnists | IOL Business | IOL.co.za.
The FTSE 100 respected its rising trendline and long-term support at 6000, indicating another test of 6750. Bearish divergence on 13-week Twiggs Money Flow, however, continues to warn of selling pressure. Retreat below 6000 would signal a primary reversal.
Germany’s DAX also signals strong selling pressure, but recovery above 8000 would suggest another primary advance. Continued respect of the long-term rising trendline reflects a healthy up-trend.
Italy’s MIB Index respected primary support at 15000. Follow-through above 15500 would indicate another test of 17500. Respect of the zero line by 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicates healthy buying pressure.
Spain’s Madrid General Index is edging lower, while 13-week Twiggs Money Flow falling below zero warns of strong selling pressure. Recovery above 800 would suggest another weak rally, while failure of support at 750/760 would offer a long-term target of the 2012 low at 600*.
* Target calculation: 750 – ( 900 – 750 ) = 600
Japan’s Nikkei 225 broke resistance at 13500, indicating the correction is over. Expect a re-test of the May high at 16000. Reversal below 13500, however, would mean another test of 12500. A trough above the zero line on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow would indicate a healthy primary up-trend.
Dow Jones Shanghai Index respected support at 250, the long tail on both the $DJSH and Shanghai Composite indicating strong buying pressure. Expect a rally to test resistance at 275 (2150 on the Shanghai Composite), but the primary trend remains downward and resistance at 275 (2150) is likely to hold.
India’s Sensex rallied off its rising trendline, suggesting that the primary up-trend will continue. Follow-through above 19500 would indicate a test of resistance at 20000/20200. Bearish divergence on 13-week Twiggs Money Flow continues to warn of a reversal and would only be refuted by a breakout above 20200 (or a rise above the May peak on TMF).
The ASX 200 respected its descending trendline at 4800 and is headed for another test of support at 4650. A peak below zero on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow would indicate a healthy down-trend. Breach of 4650 would test the key long-term support level of 4400, while respect would mean another test of 4900. In the longer term, respect of 4400 would be bullish, but failure of support would be a strong bear signal.
The ASX Small Ordinaries, by contrast, exhibits a stronger bullish divergence on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow, indicating buying support. Breakout above 1960 would indicate the latest primary decline is over, while reversal below 1880 would offer a target of 1800. Small Caps have been badly mauled over the last two years and at some point will present an opportunity to value investors. Unfortunately that end is not yet in sight.
The S&P 500 rally appears to be faltering. Reversal below 1600 would suggest another decline, with a target of 1500*. Breach of support at 1560 would confirm, while reversal of 21-day Twiggs Money Flow below zero would strengthen the signal.
The June quarter ended with the S&P 500 above its new support level at 1550. Respect of the zero line by 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicates a healthy up-trend, but the tall shadow (or wick as some call it) on the latest candle suggests otherwise. Reversal below 1500 would warn of a correction to the rising trendline, around 1400.
Breakout of VIX above 25 would signal increased market risk.
A false break below primary support on the TSX Composite index was followed by a rally above 12000. Follow-through above the descending trendline would suggest that the correction is over, but a 21-day Twiggs Money Flow peak below zero would warn of selling pressure — and reversal below 11900 would confirm the primary down-trend.
