The long-awaited pivot is here. The Federal Reserve is going to cut the fed funds rate this week. Asset gatherers celebrate the opportunity to blow up another asset bubble. The rest of the country should prepare for more misery-causing inflation. Russia talks about limiting exports of uranium during a multi-year supply shortage. Multiple people pinged … Read more
This week, Jerome Powell spoke to Congress and was more dovish than he’s been in years. He’s gone from channeling former Fed Chairman, Volker, who crushed inflation with interest rates approaching 20% to sounding like Volker’s predecessor, Arthur Burns, who reduced interest rates before getting inflation under control. We saw weaker than expected job reports, … Read more
At the beginning of the week, we heard the hyperbolic prediction that the Nvidia ($NVDA) earnings report was the most important of all time. That’s ridiculous, and given the reaction of stock markets worldwide, may actually be true. The Fed disappoints investors again and despite Powell saying “higher for longer” for almost two years, somehow … Read more
Like last week, we’re seeing more inconsistent data. The retail sales number indicates a strong economy and a “higher for longer” Federal Reserve. The new manufacturing data indicates a weakening economy and a “pivot now” Fed. The most likely result is the Fed doing nothing for now. Taiwan Semiconductor ($TSM) guidance moves the market. And … Read more
GDP was revised down, but is still at a high level due largely to massive Congressional overspending. FedEx provides a warning about future demand which is then confirmed by November’s PCE data. The Philly Fed shows a massive decline in new orders. Even retail powerhouse, Nike ($NKE) had a bad quarter and gave disappointing forward … Read more
