Category: Banks & Interest Rates

Posted on

Guest Post: Credit Spreads In The New Normal | ZeroHedge

A banking crisis implies easy money, ZIRP, various types of balance sheet expansion, and lower credit quality on central bank balance sheets. This acts to suppress credit risk, compressing spreads. This creates “artificiality” in credit market insofar as a central bank is not a natural buyer of higher risk securities. There will come a time when risk is moved off central books, and markets will have to learn how to re-price risk with no government support.

via Guest Post: Credit Spreads In The New Normal | ZeroHedge.

Posted on

Bernanke Defends Fed Focus on Unemployment

In an appearance before the Joint Economic Committee, Bernanke blamed slow-growing consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of economic activity, on persistently high unemployment and the gnawing fear among a growing number of Americans that their jobs may be at risk. After noting that the decline in home values and financial assets also contributed to decreasing confidence, he said “probably the most significant factor depressing consumer confidence, however, has been the poor performance of the job market.”

via Bernanke Defends Fed Focus on Unemployment.

Posted on

Dollar surges as Fed nixes QE3

The US Dollar Index surged after the latest FOMC statement avoided any mention of additional purchases of Treasuries or mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Though they did leave the door ajar with their concluding paragraph:

………The Committee discussed the range of policy tools available to promote a stronger economic recovery in a context of price stability. It will continue to assess the economic outlook in light of incoming information and is prepared to employ its tools as appropriate.

The index respected the new support level at 76.00, confirming a primary advance to 79* — the start of a primary up-trend. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum crossed to above zero, further strengthening the primary trend signal; a large trough that respects the zero line would provide final confirmation.

US Dollar Index $DXY

* Target calculation: 76 + ( 76 – 73 ) = 79

Posted on

QE Can’t Save the Day… We’ve Done a Version of It For Over 10 Years | ZeroHedge

While most commentators proclaim that QE is a completely new phenomenon, we have in fact seen a version of it in the form of the Fed’s and Asia’s (especially China’s) purchases of US Treasuries/ currency pegs over the last decade or so.

Indeed, today, the Fed, China, and Japan collectively hold 61% of the $10 trillion of US debt held by “the public.” When you add in the additional $4.6 trillion in US debt held by “intragovernmental holdings” (basically the Federal Government buying Treasuries by raiding Social Security and other pension funds) you find that Asia and the Feds have monetized $10.7 trillion of the US’s total $14.6 debt (roughly 73%) over the last 20 years.

via QE Can’t Save the Day… We’ve Done a Version of It For Over 10 Years | ZeroHedge.

Posted on

Disappointment With The Fed | ZeroHedge

Ben just disappointed the market for the first time. Whether he knew it or not he failed to beat expectations. He has been so good at managing expectations and using that as a policy tool he lost sight of how far ahead of itself the market had gotten.

……He downgraded the economy but didn’t use that as an excuse to do more. There was no new, ingenious idea. If anything they tried to clarify the commitment to hold rates low til 2013 is dependent on economic conditions remaining weak. Yet there were still 3 dissenters.

…..By disappointing some people I expect his ability to keep the market up by talking will be reduced as Investors will need to see action rather than being told vaguely that there could be action. That will take time to play out and even I have to admit he gave us something today, just not enough.

via Disappointment With The Fed | ZeroHedge.

Posted on

The Next Selling Wave Is About to Begin | Toby Connor | Safehaven.com

As the stock market moves down into the next daily cycle low and the selling pressure intensifies, this should drive the dollar index much higher. It remains to be seen if gold can reverse this pattern of weakness in the face of dollar strength, especially since the dollar will almost certainly be rallying violently during the intense selling pressure that is coming in the stock market.

via The Next Selling Wave Is About to Begin | Toby Connor | Safehaven.com.

 

When the dollar strengthens, gold normally falls. Except in times of high uncertainty (like the present), when demand for gold as a safe haven overcomes downward pressure from a stronger dollar. Buying gold at current prices is a bet that either Greece will default — a pretty safe bet — or that the Fed is again forced to use its printing press (not quite as certain).

Posted on

FRB: Press Release–Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement–September 21, 2011

The Committee continues to expect some pickup in the pace of recovery over coming quarters but anticipates that the unemployment rate will decline only gradually toward levels that the Committee judges to be consistent with its dual mandate. Moreover, there are significant downside risks to the economic outlook, including strains in global financial markets.

………The Committee discussed the range of policy tools available to promote a stronger economic recovery in a context of price stability. It will continue to assess the economic outlook in light of incoming information and is prepared to employ its tools as appropriate.

via FRB: Press Release–Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement–September 21, 2011.

Posted on

Fed Shifts Bond Portfolio – WSJ.com

The Fed is trying to ease financial conditions without taking the more controversial step of increasing the amount of money that it’s pumping into the financial system, since it will be using money already generated from other programs. A bond buying program the Fed completed in June was widely criticized internally and externally because it pumped $600 billion of newly printed money into the financial system, sparking fears of inflation……..

The more potent step of launching a new round of bond purchases that would further expand the Fed’s $2.867 trillion balance sheet remains a possibility, but inflation likely would need to slow much further to spur Fed officials to take that step……..

Economists aren’t so sure that the Fed’s latest gambit will do much to spur growth.

“The odds are ‘Operation Twist’ won’t work,” Anthony Sanders, a real-estate finance professor at George Mason University, said before the Fed action. The housing market has shown no reaction to interest rates that are already at record-low levels, he said. Freddie Mac’s latest survey finds the average rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages at 4.09%, the lowest level in more than 50 years.

via Fed Shifts Bond Portfolio – WSJ.com.

Posted on

Of course it’s right to ringfence rogue universals – Martin Wolf

Thank you, UBS. As a member of the UK’s Independent Commission on Banking, under Sir John Vickers, I could not have asked for a better illustration of the unregulatable risks to which investment banks are exposed than Thursday’s announcement of a loss of $2bn in “unauthorised trading”. No sane country can allow taxpayers to stand behind such risks.

That is the kernel of the case for ringfencing of retail banking from investment banking, recommended in the ICB’s final report.

via Of course it’s right to ringfence rogue universals – FT.com.

Powered by WordPress / WordPress Maintenance Service By Website Helper