The Case For Gold

Admin at Marc Faber Blog - 1 hour ago

“Well I think investors are gradually realizing that it’s unusual, with all of the problems in Europe that the euro is actually relatively strong against the U.S. dollar. They are realizing U.S. holders don’t want to hold euros because they don’t trust the euro and the Europeans don’t want to hold dollars because they don’t trust the dollar.” - *in BeaconEquity* *Related: SPDR Gold ETF (GLD), IShares Silver ETF (SLV)* *Marc Faber is an international investor known for his uncanny predictions of the stock market and futures markets around the world.*

 

 

Presenting America's "Fresh Start" Currency

Obviously after its default, America will need to issue a "fresh start" currency to go with its "fresh start" balance sheet and "non-fresh start" group of thugs robbing this country's middle class blind de novo. Below we present the running contender for such "new currency" courtesy of William Banzai.

 

 

Blast From The Past: "Is There A Risk The US Could Lose Its AAA Rating?" Tim Geithner: "No Risk"

Peter Barnes “Is there a risk that the United States could lose its AAA credit rating? Yes or no?”
Geithner’s response: “No risk of that.”
“No risk?” Barnes asked.
“No risk,” Geithner said.

 

 

 

DC Soap Opera Update: 17 Republicans To Vote Against Doomed Boehner Plan In The House

Below is the latest soap opera update per Bloomberg.

Dagong Says Will Cut US Rating As Early As Monday

And while our rating agencies still get their marching orders from Bill Gross and from Obama, in that order, China is not waiting. In a just posted Reuters interview, Dagong said on Thursday it plans a further downgrade as early as next week, even as politicians race against the clock to avert a ruinous debt default. Guan Jianzhong, Chairman of the Beijing-based Dagong Global Credit Rating Co, said he still believed U.S. lawmakers will clinch a last-minute deal on the U.S. debt ceiling, but the damage has been done. "We will react soon, probably next Monday or Tuesday. We need to look at whether they reach a compromise and the scope of the compromise, then we decide how deep the rating cut will be," Guan told Reuters in an interview in his spacious office. Naturally, this move will be aped by our own mockeries of a "rating" agency, leading to a very curious paradox: after all is it not the sock puppet at the top of it all - our very own distinguished tax evading eminence Tim Geithner himself who had the following exchange with Fox' Peter Barnes as recently as April: "Is there a risk that the United States could lose its AAA credit rating? Yes or no?” Geithner’s response: “No risk of that.”  “No risk?” Barnes asked. “No risk,” Geithner said." So... when the US is downgraded in a week or so.... does that mean it is time to fire Geithner?

ISDA Issues Q&A On What Happens To US CDS In Case Of A Default

ISDA is getting nervous, or rather the same contingent of clueless "asset managers" who listen to ISDA as religiously as they listen to the rating agencies, is getting nervous. The boilerplate: "The following are responses to the most frequently-asked questions that ISDA has received in connection with a potential CDS Credit Event on US sovereign debt. The following does not constitute legal advice, and is subject in all respects to any determination that the ISDA Americas Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee may make in relation to CDS referencing the United States.  ISDA makes no comment on the likelihood of the events described in this Q&A." True - for the likelihood of any event happening, your best bet is to ask Turbo Tax Tim, and then multiply the answer by -1.

Initial Claims Print Sub 400, At 398K, To Be Revised Above 400K Next Week, As NSA Claims Plunge By 104K In The Past Week

As expected last week's 418K in initial claims  was revised higher to 422K, but the big surprise was this week's drop in claims to 398K on expectations of 415k. The market appears to relish the fact that the streak of 16 weeks of 400K+ prints is broken, although that is quite amusing as next week's upward revision will mean the 400k+ streak will continue. Although one should let the market have its pyrrhic victory for the day. What was truly amazing is that Non Seasonally Adjusted claims plunged from 470K to 366K, a 104K move in one week! Once again the BLS lets everyone have a chuckle on their behalf. The main reason for the drop in claims was New York and Minnesota, which saw a decline in claims of 17,377 and 10,352 due to i) Fewer layoffs in the education related services, transportation, and other service industries and ii) Fewer furloughs in state government. There was also some good news in MI and OH, which saw 7K and 5K drops in layoffs due to "Fewer layoffs in the automobile industry." Offsetting the weekly improvement in these states was the surge in California claims by 20,813 due to a "Return to a five day work week" and a spike in Georgia claims by 6,567 due to "layoffs in the manufacturing, trade, service, and construction industries." Those on extended claims reversed their decline and increased by 62K in the week ended July 9. Lastly, continuing claims came worse than expected at 3,703K on expectations of 3,700K, an increase from the unrevised 3698K but a drop from the naturally upwardly revised 3720K.

S&P Strikes Back: Pulls Rating On $1.5 Billion CMBS Deal, Forces Goldman And Citi To Scrap Sale

In possibly the most important underreported news of the day, Goldman and Citi were forced to scrap a $1.5 billion CMBS deal after S&P shocking refused to rate the notes. This unprecedented development left GS and C scrambling. Per BusinessWeek: "The deal won’t close today as planned because S&P is reviewing its criteria for commercial mortgage-backed securities and can’t provide a rating, the banks said in a joint statement through Business Wire. “Ratings are a condition precedent to closing and settlement,” Goldman Sachs and Citigroup said in the statement. “Standard & Poor’s had previously informed Goldman and Citi that they were prepared to rate” the transaction, they said." End result: $1.5 billion CMBS deal scrapped as it doesn't have the blessing of a rating agency.

All That Matters: Today's DC Agenda

Since all macro and micro news has now become redundant, with politics, specifically headlines, the sole driving force behind each and every market move, especially today when Boehner's plan is expected to pass Congress only to be deadended in the Senate, here is a complete list of what is on the docket in DC today. Keep in mind that this list is most likely to change on a moment's notice as DC comes up with "new and worse" plans virtually by the minute.

Daily US Opening News And Market Re-Cap: July 28

Markets witnessed a risk-averse sentiment in early European trade following lack-lustre European corporate earning releases from the likes of Credit Suisse, Telefonica, Siemens, France Telecom, among many others, together with concerns surrounding a lack of progress in the US debt negotiations. Renewed market talk that the Italian finance minister, Tremonti, is set to resign further dented sentiment, although the rumour was later denied by the Italian government. The negative news flow resulted in European equities to trade lower, whereas Bunds and Gilts traded higher, with particular widening seen in the Italian/German 10-year government bond yield spread. Bunds did come under some pressure following market talk of the ECB buying in Eurozone peripheral debt, however that failed to provide any sustainable appetite for risk. Elsewhere, strength was observed in safe-haven currencies including USD, CHF and JPY, whereas the EUR traded under pressure for a vast majority of the European session. Moving into the North American open, markets look ahead to key economic data from the US in the form of jobless claims, and pending home sales reports. In fixed income, USD 29bln 7-year Note auction is also scheduled for later in the session. Markets will also keep a close eye on US corporate earnings from the likes of ExxonMobil.

Frontrunning: July 28

• Fed under Fire over Default Talks (FT)
• Debt-Crisis Vote Goes Down to Wire in House (WSJ)
• U.S. Rating Rests On S&P’s View of Washington (Bloomberg)
• Why the Debt Crisis Is Even Worse Than You Think (BusinessWeek)
• Japan's Industry Set for Rebound (WSJ)
• Warren Buffett Is Wrong On Taxes (WSJ)
• After the debt-ceiling standoff is resolved (blogger extraordinarie Maddy El-Erian)
• Banks Bracing for Downgrade See Little Panic (Bloomberg)
• China Regulator Targets Nonbank Entities (WSJ)
• How to Cut Taxes, Boost Revenue (RCM)

Gold Near Record USD And EUR High – Eurozone Debt And U.S. Default Risks Global Financial Contagion

Gold is marginally higher against most currencies today and is trading at USD 1,614.40, EUR 1,130.50, GBP 990.08 and CHF 1,294.50 per ounce. Gold is flat against the dollar but remains just less than 1% from the record nominal high reached yesterday ($1,628.05/oz).  The euro is under pressure again today and gold is 0.7% higher against the euro and is just less than 1.5% away from the record euro high of EUR 1,144.80/oz reached last Monday. Investors were made nervous by comments from chemicals major BASF, which said it saw global economic growth slowing as it posted weaker-than-expected earnings, sending its stock down 4.9%. Siemens AG, Europe's largest engineering conglomerate, warned that global economic risks were increasing and posted below forecast results. Its shares fell 1.3%. The Dow to Gold Ratio has again turned down suggesting gold may continue to outperform U.S. stocks and the DJIA, in particular, in the coming weeks. The long term target of below 2:1 remains viable.

Another European Market Implosion On Weak Italy Auctions, Tremonti Resignation Rumors, Deteriorating Economic Data And Earnings Misses

On the one week anniversary of Europe's second bailout one may be tempted to ask "what bailout" looking at the across the board deterioration in European market metrics: Spanish 10 Year bonds over 6.00% again, Italy CDS surging to 330 bps, Italy Bunds spreads at 331 just inches away from all time wides of 353 bps, EURUSD plunging by over 100 pips overnight, CAC, DAX, OMX all falling by more than 1 standard deviation as VW, chemical maker BASF, and Credit Suisse all missed earnings estimates, and, of course, numerous Italian banks (don't disappoint us UniCredit) once again on the verge of being halted after plunging by a solid 5-6%. Several reasons for the weakness: i) Italy auctioned off €8 billion in 3,4,7,10 and year fixed and floating rate notes generating weaker than expected results with the 10 year bond gross yield rising to 5.77%, the highest since 2000, and just under the all time record of 5.81%, and the 3 year gross yield of 4.80 pushing to the highest since 2008, ii) more rumors of Tremonti resigning, iii) European retail sales declining for a third month according to Markit, and iv) a decline in Euro-area economic confidence more than estimated, dropping from 105.4 to 103.2, below the consensus of 104.0. German bunds are once again well bid with September futures rising 0.2% to 129.63. But not before rumors of ECB buying peripheral bonds via the SMP spooked bunds lower, with the resulting rise being only a result of the flight from Italy. And putting a cherry on top of it all was ECB's Mersch who once again resumed the old party line, saying that fears of a "premature end to euro are unfounded." And to think that just a week earlier the ECB told us we would never have to worry about the end of the euro.

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