Overnight SHIBOR Goes Whoosh 

Just four words for global liquidity watchers: Overnight and 1-Week SHIBOR.

The Japanese Plunge Protection Team Exposed: The BOJ's "1% Rule", Or The "Shirakawa Put" In Practice 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/20/2011 00:58 -0400
One of the most conspiratorial topics in all of fringe finance has been the existence of the plunge protection team, which while widely known to exist and intervene during major drops in the US capital markets, has never been actually seen in action (thank you Citadel trade ticket shredders). And while the US PPT has increasing grown irrelevant now that the Fed's open market intervention is no longer the source of folklore courtesy of Bernanke's self-professed third mandate vis-a-vis the Russell 2000, it does provide the tinfoil crowd with immense satisfaction to know that virtually always it ends up being proven in the long run not only when it comes to the big picture, but the nuances as well. Enter Nikkei's report (subscription required) on the BOJ's 1% Rule which is "propping up the Nikkei." More: "Japan's stock investment community is buzzing with rumors about the Bank of Japan's "1% rule." These rumors suggest that the BOJ has been following a single guideline in its purchases of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) under a new, unorthodox program it launched last Dec. 15. The rule is that whenever the Topix index of all issues on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange ends a morning session 1% or lower than the previous day's close, the central bank will try to prop up the stock market by purchasing ETFs in the afternoon session. The BOJ official in charge of such matters has refused to comment on the criteria the bank uses for its ETF purchases. But the numbers appear to confirm the chatter emerging from the rumor mill. Since Dec. 15, the BOJ has purchased ETFs through trust banks on all of the 18 days when the Topix index fell by 1% or more in the morning session." And since Vincent Reinhart has certainly noted in some of the recently unembargoed Fed minutes over the past decade precisely this simplistic (and last ditch) plan for market manipulation, we can't wait when the Fed, shortly after the failure of QE 7, announces publicly this time, that it will proceed to buy the SPY whenever the S&P drops more than 1%.

 

 

CNBC video: Choose physical gold because "a lot of the ETFs are not properly audited"

 

 

To Quote Harvey Organ...

"The two ETF's that I follow are the GLD and SLV. You must be very careful in trading these vehicles as these funds do not have any beneficial gold or silver behind them. They probably have only paper claims and when the dust settles, on a collapse, there will be countless class action lawsuits trying to recover your lost investment.

There is now evidence that the GLD and SLV are paper settling on the comex.

Thus a default at either of the LBMA, or Comex will trigger a catastrophic event."

Got Physical? Your Going To Need It...

 

 

Another Broker Halts Trading In Gold And Silver Products 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/19/2011 23:35 -0400

CMC Markets, a broker out of Australia which offers Contracts For Difference (CFDs), has just formally joined the increasingly larger group headed by Forex.com (discussed on Saturday) which is now advising customers that gold and silver trading will be prohibited in a month. Specifically, CMC has said that beginning July 29, it will no longer offer nor roll any of its existing gold and silver CFDs. What is curious is that unlike Forex.com, which advised clients it is halting comparable trading on July 25 as pertains to spot OTC products (XAU and XAG), CMC's halt is impacting gold and silver futures. While we still are not confident we understand precisely what span of products is prohibited by Dodd-Frank, it appears that ever more brokers are interpreting the law loosely enough to where practically all gold and silver products will soon be removed from retail participation. Readers, however, can rest assured that the CFTC, which is urgently delaying any of the Frankendodd provisions that impair Wall Street bottom lines, will not move a finger to address or resolve this issue which will suddenly affect millions of retail investors in the US, and around the world.

Japan Posts Second Biggest Trade Deficit In History 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/19/2011 23:16 -0400

For those who may not have noticed it, the headline says "deficit" and pertains to Japan: once upon a time a booming export economy. The reason: the ongoing collapse in export trade, after May exports dropped by 10.3% from a year ago, and just better than April severe economic contraction of 12.4%. Consensus was for an 8.4% decline. The net result was a monthly deficit of 853.7 billion yen, or $10.7 billion, the second biggest inverse surplus ever. And just like in Europe, where things are going to go from insolvent to perfectly solvent any minute now... just not yet... so in Japan the economic renaissance which will cause the economy to surge (unclear how: no new monetary stimulus, and the recently announced fiscal stimulus of Y500 billion in new loans will do precisely nothing to boost anything except for some corrupt bureaucrats Swiss bank accounts) is coming any minute.... just not yet. Bloomberg says: "Shortages of power and parts have disrupted production and slowed overseas sales, prompting Japanese companies including Honda Motor Co. to forecast weaker earnings. Higher unemployment in the U.S. and weakening demand in Asia indicate Japan won’t be able to rely on global demand to pull itself out of a slump caused by the quake." And the understatement of the weekend comes from BNP economist Azusa Kato: "The state of the global economy is a little worrying. Both the U.S. and Europe aren’t doing that great and emerging economies are also tightening at an incredible pace, increasing uncertainty." Surely this enough is enough to explain why futures are up, since the Fed has no option but to do QE3. Alas, as the dumber by the minute algos continue to not realize, the market has to plunge from here (just like what crude has been doing for the past 2 weeks), before the Fed gets the greenlight to engage in Operation Twist 2.

Guest Post: The Only Way Forward Is To Accept Reality: Default Is Not The End Of The World 

Unwelcome crises are part of life. What's unnatural isn't crisis, it's pretending that life should be nothing but a smooth, uninterrupted rise in consumption. Yes, I'm talking about Greece and the EU. The situation is somewhat analogous to finding out your total cholesterol is over 300. Gee, I thought I was eating well, and was in pretty good shape... alas, that was all wishful thinking; normal is 180. At 300, you're at serious risk of long-term health problems So the European Central Bank injects 120 billion euros of "medicine" to cure you, and a year later your cholesterol readings are 395. Hmm. The "medicine" didn't work; instead, it actively prolonged and deepened the crisis. Humans need time to accept new realities, and to make necessary adjustments. People lose their wealth, they adjust. They lose their successful careers, they adjust. They face health crises, they adjust. This kind of wrenching adjustment is not abnormal, it is utterly normal.

Next Week's Key Events: Political Developments In Greece, FOMC and Industrial Surveys In Euroland 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/19/2011 22:16 -0400

Goldman Sachs summarizes the key events in what promises to be a most exciting week: "The Eurogroup Finance Ministers are meeting Sunday night and Monday (June 19-20), while a G7 conference call on Greece is scheduled for Sunday night as well. Germany has already softened its position regarding private sector participation in a second Greek support package. More headlines with respect to the Greece rescue can be expected in the coming days. The upcoming week will also be marked by the EU summit of Heads of State towards the end of the week. Beyond Greece the two key events are the FOMC meeting and press conference, which will be interesting, given the Fed currently faces a challenging deterioration in the growth-inflation trade-off. Finally, cyclical data disappointed last week, further adding evidence of a "soft patch" with the Philly Fed and the U of Michigan consumer confidence reports printing below consensus. Next week, we will find out whether European survey data and US durable goods orders confirm this trend of cyclical deceleration or whether they point to cyclical divergence across the Atlantic."

Official Statement By An Insolvent Europe On An Insolvent Greece 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/19/2011 21:40 -0400

Blah Blah Blah. We are broke. Blah Blah Blah

Tonight's Headlines: Bloomberg - Europe Fails to Agree on Greek Aid Payout; Reuters - Euro Zone Agrees To Pursue Greek Debt Rollover Plan 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/19/2011 21:31 -0400

Good thing the media is in agreement...

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