What Crude Margin Hike? 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 11:19 -0400

And crude jumps to pre-margin hike levels. But please don't be too hard on the CME Herr President (in keeping with the whole "Weimar" theme). After all, it took them 5 consecutive tries to kill silver. We expect at least the same number before we get crude back to a price where China can wave it all in for pennies on the dollar. 

 

 

 

 

 

So Does The Spike In Chinese Exports Mean A Comparable, And GDP-Reducing, Surge In US Imports? 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 11:33 -0400

In a normal world, last night's surge in China's trade surplus would mean that, in a "normal" world, someone should be importing more (normal vs centrally planned - the two are not very comparable, just ask the USSR). So, assuming someone among the centrally planned proletariat actually took math 101! (the factorial sign is there due to fractional reserve mathematics, so according to a Keynesian this is really 9.3326215444×10157), does this mean that tomorrow US import data will surge, which by implication, will result in another steep cut to Q2 GDP? Well, logic would say yes, although the headline scanners on TV and in NYSE collocation boxes would beg to differ. Oddly enough, Citi also says yes. Below is Stephen Englander's note explaining why "US trade is at risk of an import surge."

 

 

SLV Silver Holdings Jump 3% From 2011 Lows 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 07:56 -0400

One of the most pronounced self-reinforcing features of the silver drop from the last two days, was the outright drop in silver holdings in the SLV ETF, which in the span of 5 days, from May 2 to May 6, lost 760 tonnes of silver. The sheer momentum of this move, as some claim, was the biggest factor facilitating the record rout in silver. Well, as of yesterday this trend has reversed itself, and as of close yesterday SLV has disclosed that it added 311 tonnes of silver, or nearly half the underlying amount lost in the selloff. Nonetheless, the overreaction within the SLV complex was massive, as while silver spot remained well above 2011 lows, the SLV ETF holdings actually plunged to a 2011 low level which had last been seen in November 2010. And with silver rising fast again this morning, printing at $38.50 as we type, look for the downward momentum, which so many eagerly pointed to to indicate the relentless nature of the rout, to reverse itself. Add to this the fact that non-commercial specs are at multi year lows, and very soon the only possible argument for the bubble claimants will be that all silver has merely rotated out of very weak hands into truly strong ones.

 

 

Euro Gold Targets Record EUR1,072/oz On Risk Of Forced Greek Default And Eurozone Debt Contagion 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 07:08 -0400

Gold and silver continue to rebound from their sell offs as Euro zone periphery worries intensify with real risks of defaults and possible contagion. Gold has risen from €1,010/oz to over €1,057/oz since Friday. The long period of correction and consolidation may soon see a break out above resistance at record nominal highs of €1,072/oz - less than 1.5% below the current price. The recent strength of the euro looks set to end as sovereign debt risks come to the fore again. This will likely see the euro fall versus most currencies and especially against gold. There has been the usual misinformed and non evidence based assertions that the gold and silver markets were ‘bubbles’ and that they have burst. The same simplistic assertions were made after the sharp price corrections seen in 2008 and were proven badly wrong. 

 

 

 

 

Total Confusion Rages Over Greece Which [May|May Not] Get A New Bailout Package, [And|Or] [Kept|Kicked Out] Of Eurozone 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 07:27 -0400

This morning the news wires are filled with the now usual contradictory, and full of lies propaganda about a Greece imminent [restructuring|golden age]. Since very likely all are wrong, we will focus on what appear to be the most credible ones: we will start with the Dow Jones story which has been official refuted by Greece, thus giving its extra validity. As Reuters reports: "News agency Dow Jones, citing a senior Greek government official, reported that Athens expects to receive a new aid package totalling nearly 60 billion euros . Greece denied it was discussing a new package..."It's certainly positive for peripheral sentiment and is assisting in the unwinding of some yesterday's safe-haven flows into Bunds," said Rabobank rate strategist Richard McGuire. Senior euro zone policymakers acknowledged on Monday that Athens will need a second bailout package soon to avert a disorderly overhaul of its debt obligations but rating agencies said more drastic measures may be necessary." Of course, this news comes out strategically and just in time for Greece to auction off a fresh 26-week T-Bill for €1.625 BN at a new record yield of 4.88% (compared to 4.80%) before an an even lower bid to cover of 3.58 vs. 3.81 previously. One can only imagine what a flop the auction would have been without the latest rumor (and even China appears to have given up on Greece: "Foreign take up in Greek 6-month T-Bill sale 34.2% vs. Prev. 41%, according to debt agency chief.") Bottom line as some trader summarized it: "It's very difficult to trade as there are so many conflicting headlines about a restructuring being the only way forward or not. Something will have to give." Exactly - here is a hint: a restructuring, in the city square, with a Molotov Cocktail... and damn soon. 

 

 

 

 

Today's Economic Data Docket - Imp/Ex Prices And Wholesale Inventories, Ceiling Busting $32 Billion Auction 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 07:55 -0400

Import prices, wholesale inventories and a few speeches from Fed officials. Ceiling busting $32 billion 3 year auction in tow, and second to last POMO in current schedule also on deck. 

 

 

 

 

12 Month Gain In Imported Food Costs Biggest On Record And Other "Transitory" Observations 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 09:06 -0400

And once again inflation refuses to accept it is transitory. April Import Price Index was reported up 2.2%, following a revised 2.6% increase in March (previously +2.7%). Notably, the core of the action was in petroleum and food prices. From the release: "Foods, feeds, and beverages prices advanced 1.8 percent in April after a 4.2 percent rise in March. The April increase was driven by a 22.8 percent jump in coffee prices....The price index for nonfuel industrial supplies and materials rose 1.7 percent in April following a 2.0 percent rise the previous month. Both increases were led by higher chemical and unfinished metals prices, which increased 2.4 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively, in April. The rise in chemical prices was driven by a 6.6 percent advance in plastics prices, and the largest contributors to the rise in unfinished metals prices were prices for gold and other precious metals." In a nutshell, the 12-month advance in April was the largest year-over-year increase since an 11.2 percent gain between April 2009 and April 2010. 

 

 

 

 

On The Dislocation Between The EUR And PIIGS Insolvency Risk 

SocGen provides a very informative chart on the dramatic dislocation between the EURUSD and PIIGS risk levels, as demonstrated by Greek CDS prices. Whereas in the past the two correlated very strongly, since early 2011, the pair has diverged dramatically, leading many to speculate that just like in the case of Japan, the G-7 did another coordinate intervention to push the EUR higher in 2011 at the expense of the USD and other currencies. Is it time for a "correlated" snapback? SocGen muses: "After reaching a 17-month historical high of 1.4940 last Wednesday, the EUR/USD fell towards 1.4250. The risk of a further drop cannot be excluded short term given today’s climate, even though the 1.4250 support zone appears solid (50-day moving average) and breaking through this level would open the door to a rate of 1.4000." 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post: $6.5 Trillion Lost, One House At A Time 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 09:57 -0400

The $6.5 trillion lost in the bursting of the housing bubble is not a "paper loss," it is tragically real. Is anyone surprised that housing continues to slide? According to this report, Home Market Takes a Tumble: Turnaround More Distant After 3% Drop, Steepest Quarterly Decline Since 2008, housing has declined in value for 57 straight months, almost 5 years. Since the housing bubble topped in most areas in 2006, and it's now 2011, that makes sense: 2006 + 5 = 2011. American homeowners have lost $6.5 trillion in equity in those 57 months. 

 

 

 

 

Next On The Downgrade Docket: Belgium 

With so much of the attention once again focused on Europe's periphery (which somehow the efficient market could not be bothered with for about 4 months, even though it was all there, staring people in the face all along), it may be time to recall the Europe's core is just as troubled as everything else. Some may recall that back on December 14, S&P came out with a bit of a stunner (which in retrospect looks rather tame following the now forgotten warning on the US Debt): "And so European contagion is back as S&P, now clearly with a mandate to remind that Europe is in a heap of trouble every month or so, puts Belgium on Outlook negative, saying that it is basically just a matter of time before the country loses its AA+ rating. The bogey: 6 months, which likely means that around May of next year, just like a year prior, we will see the same fireworks out of Europe, only this time not from Greece, but from the very heart of what is left of a solvent continent. "If Belgium fails to form a government soon, a downgrade could occur, potentially within six months.  Should a government be formed but is, in our opinion, ineffective in its fiscal stance or devolution, we are likely to consider rating action within two years." Well, it is now 6 months later, and Belgium still has no government. Time to pull the switch?

Another Margin Hike, This Time In Portuguese Bonds

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2011 11:15 -0400

Last week it was Ireland, where bond margins rose to over half, or 55%. Now it is Portugal's turn, where following the glowing success of silver speculative destruction (and crude, not so much), LCH.Clearnet has now hiked bond margins from 35% to 45%. Soon everything in the world will trade cash only... except for stocks of course. Stock margin debt is close to an all time high. But nobody is bothered by that particular speculative element. Ever.