As company with 80k customer base, Microchip’s Friday 3Q14 warning caught majority by surprise Commentary from other tech outfits suggest things slowed down in September Too soon to say it is trend in making, but deserves close watch Did things … Continued
Fed has openly discussed benefits of wealth effect; now adds another tool – talking down dollar Six years into recovery post-crisis, U.S. economy yet to witness escape velocity Dovish FOMC message fails to ignite sustained rally in US equities These … Continued
In 12 years ended September 2011, gold surged nearly eight times Momentum reversed and was never recouped even though QE3 was launched late ‘12 Sitting on crucial support; lot depends on if U.S. $ takes break from 12-wk, eight-percent-plus rally … Continued
Debtors prefer inflation; the more the better Fed, ECB and BoJ yearning for higher inflation, but latter is no-show Low inflation gives Fed more flexibility when to hike rates, which has investment implications There is no shortage of issues that … Continued
Expectations of higher US interest rates and stronger economy acting as tailwind behind resurgent $ Sentiment too bullish, reflected in non-commercials’ near-record net longs in US $ futures Safe bet probably is to wait to take the other side of … Continued
FXI is caught between weak macro backdrop, the Chinese government’s unwillingness to open up stimulus wallet, and deteriorating technical conditions. There is probably more to go on the downside. It has been a month and a half since we last … Continued
The sun always rises in the east and sets in the west. But in life, things are not always this straightforward. Besides black and white, there is this thing called gray. And in the gray territory, things can get confusing. … Continued
US housing starts were a real downer in August, down 14 percent month-over-month, to 956k. Multi-family really took it on the chin, down 32 percent (304k), even as single-family relatively fared better, down two percent (643k). Monthly data tend to … Continued
As we await the FOMC statement this afternoon, the adjacent chart is apropos. In it, US federal debt has been plotted against interest payments (seasonally adjusted annual rates) of the federal government. The latter is calculated as a share of … Continued
Another year, another record issuance! Probably. US corporate bond issuance is on course for another record year. August-to-date, as per the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, corporations have issued $939.2bn, of which investment-grade is $738.2bn and high-yield $201.1bn. In … Continued