Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Stimulus Impact on the Economy - CBO


Change Attributable to ARRA, GDP change (percent)
 Low EstimateHigh Estimate
2009Q10.10.1
2009Q20.91.5
2009Q31.32.7
2009Q41.53.5
2010Q11.74.2
2010Q21.74.6
2010Q31.44.2
2010Q41.13.6

Double the Pleasure, Double Dip??

AE Pritchard- Daily Telegraph

You cant make this stuff up!!

Summer calls for more Stimulus

Broad based consumer rolling over...

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Mortgage Delinquency vs. U6 rate...

U-6 State Unemployment vs Mortgage delinquency RateClick on graph for larger image 

Mortgage Problems

MBA Delinquency by PeriodClick on graph for larger image 

Friday, May 21, 2010

Four Bad Bears

Stock Market Crashes

Hayes

Calling this a major bottom, but not necessarily THE bottom before November.

Iran

US may send up to 4 carrier groups to region by late July, according to Debka.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

More Stuff


Germany Blinks (again)

Merkel, May 5:  "it's the politicians vs. the markets, and the politicians will prevail"..

Germany's move, in force at midnight tonight, smacks of desperation, and sends a wrong signal to the markets.  There is nothing wrong with banning naked CDSs per se, but giving only 6 hours notice?

Personal Consumption Strong

Personal Consumption ExpendituresThe quarterly change in PCE is based on the change from the average in one quarter, 

Fed Balance Sheet

Debt/GDP

Debt Growth Dropped

Money Supply in Freefall


Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Eclectica Asset Mgt (Hugh Hendry) on China..ignore at peril

Business Week, China Crash Coming?

The Pundits out in force!! A recap

When it rains, it pours:


• Long time Dow Theorist Richard Russell set out this dire warning:
“Do your friends a favor. Tell them to “batten down the hatches” because there’s a HARD RAIN coming. Tell them to get out of debt and sell anything they can sell (and don’t need) in order to get liquid. Tell them that Richard Russell says that by the end of this year they won’t recognize the country. They’ll retort, “How the dickens does Russell know — who told him?” Tell them the stock market told him.”
• Reuters reported that well regarded hedge fund manager Seth Klarman “sees few bargains in the current environment and predicted on Tuesday that the stock market could suffer another lost decade without any gains.” Klarman is concerned that we could see “another 10 years of zero returns.” He has 30 percent of assets at his $22 billion Baupost Group in cash, he said. (His firm started in 1982 with $27 million and has averaged 20 percent annual gains ever since).
• Raoul Pal of Global Macro Investor got even more specific warning in his newsletter: Crash Is Coming In Two Days-To-Two Weeks. He sees as an “archetypal crash pattern — a sharp decline followed by a failed rally followed by a collapse.”

Foreclosures still rising...Watch for Option Arm resets next year.

MBA Prime Delinquency and Foreclosure RateClick on graph for larger image 

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Germany Blinks (again)

Merkel, May 5:  "it's the politicians vs. the markets, and the politicians will prevail"..


Germany's move, in force at midnight tonight, smacks of desperation, and sends a wrong signal to the markets.  There is nothing wrong with banning naked CDSs per se, but giving only 6 hours notice?

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

More on China


China’s Bubble Risk Adds Pressure to Tighten Policy : Bloomberg

And Now a Word from our Sponsor


US More Bankrupt Than Ever - $83 Billion April Deficit Is Record For The Month, $30 Billion Worse Than Expected As Tax Receipts Plunge

Well, if nothing else, we now know officially just how great those tax receipts were, and yes. We were right. April's tax deficit of $83 billion was the highest April deficit on record. America is now more bankrupt than ever. Income was $245.3 billion, 8% below the total recorded last April. Spending was $328.0 billion, up 14% year-over-year. A year ago in April the deficit was $20.9 billion. And here is the data: tax receipts down 7.9% YoY, Individual Income Tax down 21.5% YoY, and more importantly, spending: Total spending up 14.2%, National defense up 17%, Medicare up 39.4%, Social Security up 4.2% and General Government up 5.6%. At least interest payments were down 9.5%.
And now back to your regularly scheduled bankrupt country market melt up.

Housing starts vs rail carloads

Rail Traffic Lumber

China Moving Closer to Official Tightening

Li Daokui, a monetary policy committee adviser of the People's Bank of China, was quoted by the China Business news as saying conditions necessitated a start to policy tightening. Should the PBoC decide to  officially enter a tightening mode, watch oil and copper...

Small Biz a little better

The National Federation of Independent Business Index of Small Business Optimism gained 3.8 points in April, rising to 90.6 and ending seven straight quarters of under 90 readings. The persistence of Index readings below 90 is unprecedented in survey history. Nine of the 10 Index components rose, particularly the outlook for general business conditions and sales, and one was unchanged. Still, job measures barely moved and capital expenditure plans were flat

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Money Supply in Freefall, Part Deux

M3 growth is now -5% y/y, the lowest since records began in 1960. The magnitude of that fall is huge and probably the real reason for the dollar strength; it is no wonder the dollar swap lines are having to be issued. In Europe, Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel was adamant that the ECB would not increase money supply to buy state bonds as part of the emergency package to stabilise pressures within the euro. “Additional money supply will not be created to buy government bonds, rather money supply will be kept within limits existing today”.  European M3 growth was last reported in March down 0.2% y/y. Chinese M2 money supply growth was reported up 21.5% y/y. Whilst this is clearly a strong figure, it is the lowest level for a year. Looking at a simple average of the 3 combined, money supply growth has slowed from about 12% last September to just 5% now; the hoped for private sector loan growth has not yet materialised.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Don't look now, but you (the taxpayer) just bought another home!!!

The combined REO (Real Estate Owned) inventory for Fannie, Freddie and the FHA increased by 22% in Q1 2010 from Q4 2009. The REO inventory (foreclosed homes) increased 59% compared to Q1 2009 (year-over-year comparison).

Fannie Freddie FHA REO InventoryClick on graph for larger image in 

Why the Fed is still Loose.

Percent Job Losses During RecessionsClick on graphs for a larger image.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

ISM non-mfg still expanding

April ISM Non-Manufacturing index 55.4%, unchanged from March.
This shows further growth in the service sector, although employment contracted for the 28th consecutive month.

Tracking the Oil Spill

MBA Purchase Index

Treasury Yields Crashing

Now at 3.49% for the 10 yr.

Consumer Metrics' Indicators Rolling Over


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Personal BKs rocket

non-business bankruptcy filingsClick on graph for larger image in new window.

This graph shows the non-business bankruptcy filings by quarter using monthly data from the ABI and previous quarterly data fromUSCourts.gov.

The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) is forecasting over 1.5 million filings in 2010. This is an increase from the just over 1.4 million filings in 2004. 

Monday, May 3, 2010

Personal Consumption Strong

Personal Consumption ExpendituresThe quarterly change in PCE is based on the change from the average in one quarter, compared to the average of the preceding quarter.

The colored rectangles show the quarters, and the blue bars are the real monthly PCE.

The increase in PCE in March was strong and PCE increased 3.6% SAAR in Q1 2010. This increase in spending was driven by less saving and transfer payments.

Personal Saving on a Slippery Slope?

Personal Saving rateClick on graph for large image.