We remain in preservation mode, of which Gold is a part of the plan. However Gold continues its parabolic move upward so we’re seeing modest growth despite market weakness. My estimation is that Gold and now Silver are rising in anticipation of Bernanke’s speech in Wyoming at the end of the week. I zero expectations that Bernanke will present anything other than the next form of Quantitative Easing which will likely fail again.
If you’re an investor who’s stymied to make a decision against all the noise I’ll try to boil it down in a simple to understand process:
1. If the economy does not erode much further and if the European banks do not suffer a major failure then the chances are good that we’ve seen the market low. Selling at this point could be pointless as we could grind higher to the end of the year.
2. If the economy in the US continues to erode and lead us into another recession then don’t wait for the analysts to inform you that the recession is here, do some selling into rallies. Bear markets act quite differently then Bull markets. Bears tend to have very sharp up moves which fail quickly so you must be alert and when you see a high volatility day on the upside, pare back your equity funds. In general, recessions cost S&P earnings on average of 22%. Based on the most recent peak this could put the recession earnings estimate at $75. Apply a 10x to 12x P/E to $75 and you have a downside target in the range of 750 to 900 on the S&P 500. That could mean another 35% to the downside.
3. A major European bank fails. Sell first, sell anything. Europe has their Lehman moment and the risk to US markets is the ripple effect of the need to access capital. Gold will likely take a short term hit in this scenario. Downside risk to equities, see 2.
As the wise man once said: “This too shall pass”. Its not the end of the world but you must keep your eyes open and be aggressive in preservation of capital.
1:33 pm mst Credit Suisse lowers 2012 eps estimate to $85. First major bank to do so.
Long GLD, SLV
After a major market pullback the natural reaction might be to just hang in their for the follow up rally, but not so fast. Market bottoms are a process not a point in time. What I mean is that we may have made a bottom in equities on Monday but the odds are very high that we’re going to have a period of at least a few months to finally exhaust all the sellers. Markets will likely be whipped around like a puppy’s chew toy and I’d rather keep volatility to a minimum.
In the meantime scenes we’re likely to see:
Failure of a major European bank – Its not like they’re going to give a heads up notice. When you start banning short selling you know you’re in a losing battle.
2012 US earnings estimates: They haven’t budged at all. They stand now at $111 for 2012. Despite a plethora of weak economic stats the numbers haven’t moved down at all. They must come down to reality before they can be trusted. The downward revision process will likely be painful if you’re heavily invested in equities.
Commencement of QE3: So far the QE process has been a complete bust. But thats about the only arrow the Fed has in its quiver to aid the economy and its a loser……unless you own precious metals and then its manna from heaven.
While risk at the moment may not be very large, the prospects for Intermediate term gains in equities isn’t rosy either. This is not the time to be excessively bullish or bearish for equities. In the meantime we have lots of cash on hand and in many accounts the long equities are balanced by Gold, Silver, Swiss Franc’s and the SDS.
Gold and Swiss Franc’s still too hot for new money and needs to cool off. Silver is frustrating but could rally.
Happy Friday
Long SDS, GLD, SLV, FXF
Not since 2009 have I purchased an Inverse Exchange Traded fund but with this absurd volatility I see the opportunity for a trade in the SDS at $24.71.
We may have been up 500 points in the afternoon but nothing is resolved and the Presidents press conference was as politically biased as ever, not what we need. I still think this is part of the bottoming process assuming a bottom is in place which is in doubt.
Long SDS
Brad
Stocks are trading down heavily this morning with the Dow currently down 330. Despite this we’re not having a bad day as our hedges remain in parabolic mode with rumors of a potential European bank failure.
GLD a new all time high of $174 corresponding to $1800 Gold. Laggard hedge SLV trading higher up $1.65 to $38 and the Swiss Franc ETF FXF trading dow $1.21 to $135 after hitting $140 yesterday.
We remain steadfast in holding a great deal of cash as I used yesterday’s bounce to trim more equity holdings. I have yet to deploy cash in any meaningful way towards equities, the timing just isn’t right yet.
If we had seen a strong opening in the US I likely would have added Inverse Exchanged Traded Funds “SDS”, but the weak opening does not make that a smart trade. Hence a better opportunity to play the downside will present itself eventually.
Market bottoms tend to be a process, not a specific point in time. Stocks will fall to a meaningful low then stage a significant bounce that could recapture 30% or 40% of the decline before selling off once more to retest the previous low. This process can repeat itself several times, in successful bottoming action each selloff has less and less intensity.
Buying the retest is a much better option than trying to be the hero and pick the bottom. Early rallies fail almost every time and its devastating to the psyche to think you may have bought the low only to find that a month or two later you’re right back where you started. In 2008 the climactic low was in November but the best investable low came months later in March 2009.
Brad
Long GLD, SLV and FXF
In my opinion, the downgrade was both well deserved and telegraphed far enough in advance that the actual downgrade can hardly be a shock. It took a great deal of cajones from S&P to pull the trigger on the rating but they had the courage where other ratings services were blind or cowards.
Is there a silver lining, that this could finally be the wake up call to Congress to disregard politics and do whats best for the country? I would hope so but I’m not that optimistic. In my opinion, for across the aisle cooperation to occur the Tea Party would have to dilute their flawed dogmatic view on tax income which would allow Boehner greater flexibility in negotiations.
In the meantime: Equity markets are extremely stretched on the downside. According to Sentiment Trader.com the only two similar examples are the market crash of 1987 and the German invasion of France in 1940. 30 days later the S&P 500 was up 8.4% and 9.1%.
Our Gold, Silver and Swiss Franc hedges: They have worked remarkably well and while I still believe they’ll continue to work well longer term, the market for these commodities is too hot to handle right now. But I’m not a seller. The Swiss government has been stating their currency is wildly overvalued, but in turn it likely represents the most solid balance sheet currency. Considering the plight of the Dollar and Euro I don’t see any reason to reduce our SF holding.
This morning JP Morgan estimated gold could reach $2500 by year end, we’re at roughly $1700. This bulletin has the air of a buying panic which may indicate an intermediate term top. Should the S&P rally as previously stretched markets are capable of, our hedges will be a source of funds and likely decline. Keep in mind they have been in bull mode for several years and are likely to remain so, hence any pullback is an opportunity to add to holdings.
This is not the end of the world, this is not even 2008. Very soon we will likely make a volatile market bottom that will market the low water mark for equities. I don’t intend to increase equity exposure at this point, regardless of the selloff and the potential for a rebound. I believe the low water market will represent a market bottom that will be retested at least one more time, possibly more. Hence, the rebound which will likely be dramatic will be viewed as a chance to reposition our equity holdings into strong growth companies from cyclical stocks and add further hedges.
Brad Pappas
Long GLD, SLV, FXF
There have been times in the past where I’ve disagreed with Bill Gross, especially when he talks his own book. However, his latest is not merely an honest assessment of our situation but he’s essentially suggesting to avoid many of the mutual funds he manages, forthright indeed.
Aside from the unthinkable outright default, there are numerous ways that a government – especially a AAA rated one – can employ to reduce its future liabilities. Highlighted below are the prominent tools that can significantly affect investor pocketbooks:
- Balance the budget and/or grow out of it
- Unexpected inflation
- Currency depreciation
- Financial repression via low/negative real interest rates
Let me address each of them in brief:
- Balance the budget/growth – The current Congressional compromise is but one small step for fiscal solvency. There is no giant leap for mankind anywhere on the horizon. Trillions of further spending cuts, and yes trillions of tax hikes, are necessary to stabilize our “official” debt/GDP ratio of 90% or so. One important detail to keep in mind: projected deficits in 2012 and 2013 of 7-8% of GDP rely on OMB growth estimates of 3%+ in the next few years. Recent trends give pause to these estimates as does PIMCO’s New Normal, which believes 2% not 3% is closer to reality. If so, deficits move right back up to near-double-digit percentages of GDP. Likewise, should interest rates ever rise from current 2% average levels, a 100 basis point increase raises the deficit by 1% and erases any hoped for gains. Sisyphus would be familiar with this seemingly unsolvable dilemma.
- Unexpected inflation – While markets are global these days, figures sometimes lie and policymakers often figure. Focusing investors’ attention on statistics emphasizing “core” or “chain-linked” methodologies can entice investors to stay home, or in the case of foreign nations, to “invest American.” Central bankers, not just in the U.S., but the U.K., have long been arguing for a reversion of headline 3% CPI numbers to the 2% or lower “core” standard expectation. “Patience,” they argue, but “prudence” might be the better watchword. If so, then the expected “unexpected” inflation would mimic the old Roman custom of coin shaving or its substitution with base metals instead of silver or gold. Inflation is the result no matter how you coin it, which puts more money in government coffers to pay their bills and less money in your pocket to pay yours.
- Currency depreciation – High deficits, both fiscal and trade, combined with low interest rates for extended periods of time produce declining currency valuations against more prosperous, and more policy conservative competitor nations. Few Americans are aware that the dollar’s recent 12-month depreciation of over 15% is an explicit tax on their standard of living. Uncle Sam, the government overseer, benefits enormously: one rather clever way for the U.S. to pay its bills to foreign creditors is to pay them in depreciated dollars. The Chinese and other offshore holders wind up getting not only .05% interest on their Treasury Bills, but 12 months later – voila! – their Bills are worth only 85 cents on the dollar in global purchasing power. The Chinese should be reading Shakespeare, not Confucius – especially the second half of “neither a borrower nor a lender be,” when it comes to U.S. dollars.
- Financial Repression via low/negative real interest rates – I have commented on this Carmen Reinhart, commonsensical technique in prior Outlooks. If the Treasury is borrowing money from you or PIMCO at .05% for the next six months and CPI inflation is averaging 3%, then lenders/savers are being shortchanged beyond even rather egregious historical examples. The burden of “sixteen tons” of debt á la Tennessee Ernie Ford is considerably reduced at 5 basis points of annual interest. “Loading” coal or debt in this case at near 0% yields doesn’t make the borrower another day older, nor deeper in debt. Actually it’s a shot of Botox for the borrower, but a shot of lead for the lender. Duck!
By using these four life rafts available to U.S. and other AAA sovereign borrowers, one can almost imagine a half century from now, that they remain solvent – although chastened perhaps with a lower credit rating. Based on historical example at Moody’s and Standard & Poors, it just might take 50 years for them to downgrade U.S. credit, but be that as it may, you and PIMCO as savers and savings intermediaries can take precautionary or even retaliatory measures to preserve purchasing power. Favor countries with cleaner “dirty shirts” and higher real interest rates: Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Germany come to mind. Shade equity and fixed income investments away from dollar based indexes towards those of developing nations with stronger growth prospects. Purchase commodity based real assets before reserve surplus nations do. And above all, don’t be lulled to sleep by Congressional law makers that promise a change in Washington. The last change I believed in was on Election Day 2008, and that turned out to be more fiction than reality. Davy Crockett, where are you? You may have been drinkin’ whiskey in those Congressional Chambers and those “bars” may have been half fiction, but you were a coonskin hero of a forgotten age, a hero the likes of which we have yet to see in 21st century Washington. We’re stuck with the new Kings and Queens of a wilder frontier.
William H. Gross
Managing Director”
