Silver Ready To Breakout - Technicals And Fundamentals Suggest $50/oz In Early Autumn

Three key metrics which strongly suggest that silver remains far from a bubble if not undervalued. The first is silver’s real price today adjusted for the inflation of the last 31 years. Silver’s real high in 1980 was $130 per ounce – more than double the price today (see chart above). The second is the gold silver ratio which has averaged 15 to 1 throughout history due to geology and the fact that there are 15 parts of silver to every 1 part of gold in the earth’s crust. The third metric is comparing silver’s current bull market to that of the 1970’s. Silver has risen by a factor of 10 in the last 9 years – from near $4 in 2001 to over $41 today. In its bull market from 1971 to 1980, silver rose by over 3,199% or by a factor of more than 32 in just 9 years culminating in the blow off top in 1979. Today, the physical supply of silver bullion is much less than in the 1970’s. Also there is the ‘Asian factor’ and 3 billion people with growing incomes, many of whom see silver as a store of value against currency depreciation. Demand for silver in Asia has been increasing and in China alone silver demand is increasing from a near zero base. The demand was not present in the 1970’s.

Chicago PMI 56.5 Lowest Since November 2009, But Beats Expectations

That the August Chicago PMI dropped to 56.6, down from 58.8 in Julye, and the lowest since November 2009 is irrelevant. What is relevant is that this number beat expectations of 53.3, so the ripfest is on: after all, stocks move higher on worse than expected data, which should they not surge on a consensus beat. Remember: the QE3/career risk rally is on. Nothing else matters. Among the index components, Prices paid dropped from 71.7 to 68.6, Production declined from 64.3 to 57.8, same for New Orders, Backlogs, and Inventtories. The two components that did go up were Supplied Deliveries from 55.9 to 60.5 and Employment, up from 51.5 to 52.1. And now everyone looks to tomorrow's ISM, for which the PMI is traditionally a good proxy, with hope that the number will print above 50 despite every single regional Fed indicating a mid-40's print.

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Selective Interpretation Of European Newsflow Demonstrates Ongoing QE3 Promise-Driven Risk On Confirmation Bias

In yet another confirmation that absent some dramatic headlines which likely will not transpire due to all of Europe being on vacation, we will likely see another day of low volume levitation, is the over night split in action between stock futures and FX, which in turn demonstrates the selective interpretation of macro stories to validate any given cognitive bias. After dropping to overnight lows just above 1200, the futures are now preparing to print largely in the green following an overnight meltup driven, purportedly, by one single theme, namely that there is increasing German support of the EFSF after it was announced that that Germany's opposition Greens will approve new powers for the euro zone's bailout fund in a vote later in September, the party's parliamentary floor leader Juergen Trittin said on Wednesday. Per Reuters, Trittin was speaking after Chancellor Angela Merkel informed parliamentary floor leaders of the changes to the fund, which also supposedly would have bank recapitalization abilities, refuting all the rumors to the contrary from before. In other words, Europe has once again resorted to the old playbook where it floats one rumor then immediately turns around and refutes it to gauge market impact, as it did all though June and early July during the foreplay for the Second Greek Bailout. Yet ironically, while futures benefited from this, the EUR, which should be the biggest beneficiary of European stiblility actually fell substantially against Europe's safe haven currency, the CHF, on a 180 degree read of the just the same news flow. As Bloomberg explains, the CHF outperformed overnight in otherwise muted price action on concern regarding Germany’s willingness to expand EFSF commitment- bunds fall further after German cabinet backed measures to expand EFSF, allaying fears of further deterioration in Greece and Europe’s sovereign debt crisis and implying increased debt burden on Germany. On the other hand, Finnish reluctance to budge on the collateral issue then weighed down on the euro, negating all core risk transfer benefits.

Berlusconi Risks The Bond Vigilantes' Wrath, By Reneging On All Austerity Promises Ahead Of Refi-Heavy September

As previously reported, Italy is stealthily undoing its entire €45.5 billion austerity plan proposed two short weeks ago, first cutting the provision for tax hikes for high earners, and now also scrapping the proposed pension changes as Ansa reports - the pension proposal, would have excluded time at university, mandatory military service, from calculations of the retirement age and pension level. That is now gone due to a vocal opposition against every single austerity line item. Unfortunately for Italy, which has been hoping nobody would notice: Bloomberg, which has released an analysis titled "Berlusconi’s Backpedaling May Push Italy Back Toward The Brink of Disaster." It is rather self-explanatory: as a reminder the ECB is only buying Italy bonds as part of its SMP monetization expansion due to promises that Italy would slash its deficit and implement austerity. Now that this is obviously not happening, the SNB is expected to balk at future purchases of Italian debt due to Germany complaining loudly that it is supposed to carry the burden of Italy's consistent lying. Already Italian bonds have resumed their climb wider, and explains the weaker than expected BTP auction of 3 and 10 year bonds conducted yesterday.

Daily US Opening News And Market Re-Cap: August 31

• A German government spokesman said that the German cabinet has approved framework for a draft law on expanding the Eurozone rescue mechanism
• A French government spokeswoman said that France wants full application of a Eurozone agreement on Greece and no bilateral deals
• A German government draft mentioned that the EFSF will be allowed to recapitalise banks but only via national governments, which negated an earlier press report suggesting that the fund can lend to banks directly
• According to an Italian government source, the government is set to drop pension changes from its austerity package
• Strength was observed in CHF across the board as no comments emerged on curbing the currency's strength following the Swiss government's regular meeting

August ADP Private Payrolls At 91K On Expectations Of 100K, Down From Revised 109K

The perpetually wrong ADP report for August has come, printing at 91K, on expectations of 100K, and down from a downward revised 109K (previously 114K). How much of a leading indicator to Friday's NFP this is is anyone's guess: historically the ADP's error factor has been between -100% and +100%. Also as a reminder, the report does not account for the Verizon employee strike which impacted initial claims last week and which according to Goldman will likely be an addition downward wildcard in Friday's NFP.

Frontrunning: August 31

• Canada GDP prints at -0.4% on expectations of 0.0%, first contraction since Q2, 2009
• Italy Living on Borrowed Time (WSJ)
• Choice for EU: Bail Out Greece or Bail Your Banks (WSJ)
• Economy Deeply Divides Fed (Fed Mouthpiece)
• SEC Lawyer Blew Whistle Before (WSJ)
• Noda promises action on surging yen (FT) ... again... always
• White House could unveil mortgage plan next week (Reuters)
• Greek Bailout Talks Face Hurdles (WSJ)
• Panama Canal upgrade sparks US ports battle (FT)
• Japan Finds Radiation Spread Over a Wide Area (WSJ)

Canadian Economy Shrinks For First Time Since 2009; Recession Next?

Don't look know but Canada just confirmed the first signal of a recession, after its GDP printed negative (on expectations of an unchanged number) for the first time since Q2 2009, due to a drop in exports and oil output, most of it blamed naturally on "transitory" factors. Odd how the US used the transitory line for months until it all turned out to be permanentory. What, however, is truly hilarious is the continued denial to look facts in the face as confirmed by the following three Canadian sellside analysts, who seem positively giddy that the number was major miss to expectations: their take home, just like as in the case of Canadian banks having some of the lowest TCE ratios in the world: "ignore it." Perhaps when next quarter Canadian GDP prints negative again, and the economy is officially in a recession, then the delightful comedy crew of what passes for "analysts" up north will have some words of caution finally. As for whether a recession confirmation in 3 months will be negative for the same banks which are downplaying both the GDP and its risk to their near world record leverage, we leave to the far more erudite, and far less shoot-from-the-hip Globe and Mail.





Dear Ben, Please Print us More Money

Posted by: testosteronepit

Post date: 08/30/2011 - 22:30

We want you to prop up the stock markets. Everybody knows it's a Ponzi scheme that will collapse without your support. You don't want us to end up like Bernie Madoff's clients. No, Ben, we love Ponzi... 

News That Matters

Posted by : thetrader

Post date: 08/31/2011 - 05:09

All you need to read.