Anticipation Of Osborne’s Budget Weighs On Sterling
If UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne wants to position himself to be the next Prime Minister, the budget to be unveiled tomorrow may not be particularly helpful. There is little room to relax fiscal policy, given the self-imposed constraints. The deficit for the current fiscal year was projected to be GBP73.5 bln, but […]
US Housing Starts: February 2016 Preview
Housing starts are expected to total 1.126 million units (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in tomorrow’s February update, according to The Capital Spectator’s average point forecast of several econometric estimates. The projection represents a moderate increase over the previous month’s level of residential construction activity. The Capital Spectator’s average forecast for February is below three estimates […]
E The Daily Shot And Data – March 15, 2016
Let’s start with emerging markets where we want to cover a number of developments. 1. Egypt, running low on dollars, devalued its currency sending the Egyptian pound down some 14% (chart shows the number of pounds one dollar buys). Source: Investing.com 2. India’s CPI seems to have stabilized (below consensus). Given the weakness in the nation’s […]
March 2016 Empire State Manufacturing Index Climbs Into Expansion
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey improved and is now showing its first positive reading since July of last year. Expectations were for a reading between -15.00 to -7.00 (consensus -11.25) versus the 0.6 reported. Any value above zero shows expansion for the New York area manufacturers. New orders subindex of the Empire State Manufacturing Survey […]
Gold – Dangerous Reversal Pattern At Channel Resistance Last Week
Gold has rallied over the past couple of months, taking it to the mid-range of a 5-year falling channel at (1) above. This chart is a weekly chart and last week while hitting resistance, Gold might have created a potential “Doji Star” reversal pattern, at (1) above. This pattern took place, with momentum at levels […]
4 Top-Rated Small-Cap Blend Mutual Funds To Invest In
Investors looking to invest in a portfolio that provides significant exposure to both value and growth stocks, and wanting to diversify their investments across a wide range of sectors and companies, may consider small-cap blend mutual funds. Blend funds or “hybrid funds” owe their origin to a graphical representation of a fund’s equity style box […]
When Ackman Gets A Valeant Margin Call Today, This Is What He Will Be Selling
With Valeant in free-fall this morning, collapsing well over 20% after surprising Wall Street with the magnitude of its guidance cut and its simply atrocious results now that the rollup strategy has well and truly blown up, we thought it worth revisiting just what else Bill Ackman will have left to liquidate to meet margin calls […]
US Retail Spending Dips In Feb As Annual Growth Inches Higher
Retail sales eased 0.1% in February and a previously reported gain for January was revised down to a 0.4% loss, according to this morning’s update from the Census Bureau. Is the slide a sign of trouble for the consumer sector? Maybe, although looking through the short-term noise via the year-over-year trend still looks encouraging. Retail spending actually […]
E Oil Prices Hitting Their Stride? Maybe Not
Crude oil prices seemed to have been faring well over the last month, with Brent Crude rising from around $32 a barrel to more than $40 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate going from $29 a barrel to $38.50 a barrel. On Monday, however, U.S. oil prices slid 3% as the old uncertainty over the […]
