U.S. banks’ commercial and industrial loans continue to decelerate. March, out last Friday, came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.08 trillion, down $14.7 billion month-over-month. This was the second consecutive m/m decline – and fourth in last … Continued
Last Wednesday, speaking to the Wall Street Journal President Trump said that the dollar was getting too strong and that it would eventually hurt the U.S. economy. In the past, he, as well as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, have made … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of April 11, 2017. 10-year note: Currently net short 64.5k, up 8.8k. Ten-year Treasury yields (2.23 percent) are breaking down. Shortly after post-election backup in yields last November, the 10-year began to so … Continued
Last week, bond bulls wasted a big opportunity. Sort of. Intraday Friday, 10-year Treasury yields broke down, but only to recover big by close. On December 15 last year, yields hit 2.62 percent before retreating. This resistance goes back to … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of April 4, 2017. 10-year note: Currently net short 55.8k, down 13.9k. Post-FOMC minutes Wednesday, the S&P 500 large cap index reversed hard, shedding 1.1 percent between 2 pm and 3:30 pm. This … Continued
Several asset classes are at crucial juncture. Wednesday, West Texas Intermediate crude rallied to $51.88 before closing at $51.15, up 0.2 percent (Chart 1). The session produced a long-legged doji, took out now-slightly-declining 50-day moving average intraday but closed the … Continued
Earnings season is upon us. Operating earnings for S&P 500 companies are expected to rise from $23.97 in 1Q16 to $29.14 in 1Q17 – an increase of 21.6 percent. This followed a 21-percent year-over-year rise in 4Q16 – from $23.06 … Continued
Down 5.6 percent from intraday peak to trough in 19 sessions, and then up 4.1 percent from low to high in five. The Russell 2000 small cap index continues to play ping pong between range support and resistance. Last Friday, … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of March 28, 2017. 10-year note: Currently net short 69.4k, down 30.9k. Fed officials are beginning to jawbone – again. Tuesday, Stanley Fischer, Fed vice-chair, said he forecasts two more hikes this year. … Continued
After having left the fed funds rate near zero for seven long years, the Fed seemingly has shifted to a tightening bias. In agreement, non-commercials in eurodollar futures are aggressively betting that rates are headed higher. Are they right? Since … Continued