Death By 1000 Rate Hikes

As we rapidly approach the end of the third quarter it would appear as though the Fed's strategy is to let out these "trial balloons," saying that interest rates will be raised later this year.

The latest Fed spokesman to float another trial balloon was the New York Federal Reserve president, William Dudley. Mr. Dudley is a voting member of the Fed's policy setting committee. Mr. Dudley stated that the Fed will likely raise rates later this year. How many times do they have to tell us that?

I have said this before and I believe the Fed has no idea how to get out of this pickle that it has got the country in. This addiction to low cost money is not healthy and I was happy to see this morning that Carl Icahn has the same mindset. Mr. Icahn thought the Fed should have raised interest rates six months ago, I would've said at least 12 months ago, but all that is a moot point right now.

With only three trading days left till end of the third quarter, all the major markets I track are lower for the month and the quarter. I view this as a significant market clue indicating that the markets have not yet finished on the downside.

Here is were the markets closed last month. All of these major indices are lower for both the month and the quarter. Continue reading "Death By 1000 Rate Hikes"

"Interest Rates Drive Stocks"? See 4 Charts That Tell You the Truth

By: Elliott Wave International

Robert Prechter's monthly Elliott Wave Theorist once published a ten-part study explaining why traditional financial models failed to foresee the 2007-2009 financial crisis -- and, more importantly, why they are doomed to fail again (and again).

On Thursday (Sept. 17), the Fed decided to keep interest rates unchanged. On Friday, stocks opened down big. But before you join those who blame it on the Fed, please read this excerpt from Prechter's eye-opening study.

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Economic theory holds that bonds compete with stocks for investment funds. The higher the income that investors can get from safe bonds, the less attractive is a set rate of dividend payout from stocks; conversely, the less income that investors can get from safe bonds, the more attractive is a set rate of dividend payout from stocks. A statement of this construction appears to be sensible.

And it would be, if it were made in the field of economics. For example, "Rising prices for beef make chicken a more attractive purchase." This statement is simple and true. But in the field of finance such statements fly directly in the face of the evidence.

Figure 3 shows a history of the four biggest stock market declines of the past hundred years. They display routs of 54% to 89%. Continue reading ""Interest Rates Drive Stocks"? See 4 Charts That Tell You the Truth"

Is It Just Me Or Is Janet Yellen Incompetent

In all the years I've been tracking the Fed and the previous chairmanships, Janet Yellen is coming across as being totally out of her league and just plain incompetent. Now before anyone says that's a sexist remark, I would say the same thing about her predecessor "Helicopter Ben." Whose big idea was to do everything the opposite way of what they did in the "Great Depression" and that is, to print money, print money and print even more money. The bottom line is the Fed has no idea how to get out of this quandary that they created themselves and for the country.

What's going to happen no one knows for sure, but one thing is certain, the markets will tell us where they want to go eventually. The other thing that's certain is that the Trade Triangles will get it right. I'm 100% confident in saying that.

Let's just take it and look at where the markets closed last Friday. Continue reading "Is It Just Me Or Is Janet Yellen Incompetent"

3 Stocks That Are Headed South

Wednesday is often referred to as hump day, meaning that it is the middle of the week and just a few days to the weekend. Today could also be referred to as "dump day" as early indications are that investors are dumping stocks across the board.

Today I have three stocks that I think could move significantly lower from where they're currently trading.

The first one is Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) which gave a weekly sell signal yesterday and looks to be in trouble to the downside.

The next stock is the fashion house/label of Michael Kors Holdings LTD. (NYSE:KORS). This stock also flashed a weekly sell signal yesterday and looks to be headed to the downside. I will be looking at where you should sell this stock, were you should put your stop and how far down I think the stock can go. Continue reading "3 Stocks That Are Headed South"

Conspiracy Facts Show Metal Prices Have to Rise

Even in a frozen metals price market, it only takes one event to shake off the paper manipulation keeping prices below what supply and demand fundamentals of a free market would dictate. And when that correction comes, it could happen quickly. In this interview with The Gold Report, The Morgan Report Publisher David Morgan shares his favorite ways to own leverage to metal prices upside while protecting against junior mining risk.

Gold and Silver Bars

The Gold Report: You and David Smith recently wrote a piece titled "Gold and Silver: Heading for a Blue Screen of Death Event." You compared the gut-wrenching panic of suddenly facing a computer that stops working with a precious metals market that seems frozen, in the case of gold, in sub-$1,200/ounce ($1,200/oz) limbo. But then you suggested that, like a Windows operating system, the metal could be rebooted on its way to once again hitting $1,900/oz. What would it take for something like that to occur? How do you hit Control-Alt-Delete on a commodity? Continue reading "Conspiracy Facts Show Metal Prices Have to Rise"