Realized Vol Tumbles To 9 Year Low: “Hallmark Qualities Of A Healthy Market”
A few weeks after VIX, aka market implied vol, soared from the mid teens to 30 following the Treasury flash crash and the subsequent near correction in the market before the much publicized James Bullard stick save of the “wealth effect”, VIX has since tumbled and at last check was once again trading in the […]
Morning Call For Nov. 18, 2014
OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS December E-mini S&Ps (ESZ14 -0.04%) this morning are down -0.07%, although European stocks are up +0.89% after German investor confidence rose more than expected to a 4-month high. Asian stocks closed mixed: Japan +2.18%, Hong Kong -1.13%, China -1.00%, Taiwan -0.28%, Australia-0.24%, Singapore +0.76%, South Korea +0.95%, India -0.05%. Japanese stocks closed higher after Prime Minister Abe […]
Dollar Broadly Mixed As Corrective Forces Try To Take Hold
The overall theme today appears to be one of consolidation, encouraged by European data, which included a slightly higher than expected UK CPI and a considerably better German ZEW survey. Japan’s Prime Minister Abe has not disappointed the market; delaying the sales tax hike and calling for elections next month. Still, the major currencies are […]
Gold & Future – Looking Brighter
The emails now favor those who are reformed gold “investors” with still some diehard believers in fiat, manipulations, and paper gold. Futures have existed since Babylonian times and have had the exact opposite impact as claimed – they expand liquidity and thus make that market more suitable for trading be it stocks, bonds, or commodities. […]
Japan Slips Into Recession
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has made restoring the Japanese economy to significant growth and the ending of a 20 year run of deflation the priorities of his administration. In order to do this, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has adopted even more accommodative monetary policies including an aggressive asset purchase scheme and there has been […]
Wrinkles Of The Swiss Gold Referendum
How Relevant is the Swiss Referendum to the Gold Price? Regular readers will already know the answer to this question, while readers not familiar with our previous discussions of this particular topic should take a look at a recent post by Mish that does an excellent job of explaining the issue in the context of the gold […]
October 2014 Sea Container Counts Showing Exports Falling Of The Proverbial Cliff
Export container counts continue to weaken, which is a warning that the global economy is slowing. Export three month rolling averages continue to decelerate – being in negative territory year-over-year. This is a headwind for 4Q2014 GDP. Container counts are a good metric to gauge the economy. Consider that imports final sales are added to GDP […]
On Obama And The Nature Of Failed Presidencies
We do not normally comment on domestic political affairs unless they affect international affairs. However, it is necessary to consider American political affairs because they are likely to have a particular effect on international relations. We have now entered the final phase of Barack Obama’s presidency, and like those of several other presidents since World War II, […]
TapImmune Shares Gain 28% On Pending Catalysts And Published Comments By CEO
Shares of TapImmune, Inc. (OTCBB:TPIV) rose nearly 30% on Monday after the firm was mentioned positively by analysts reacting to recently published comments by Chairman & CEO Glynn Wilson, PH.D. Wilson, in an exclusive interview with Life Sciences Intellectual Property Review estimates the Seattle-based company will be worth more than a $1 billion in just five years. The U.K. Based Life Sciences […]
One Reason Why Sickcare Is Outrageously Expensive: Needless Scans/Tests
Add easy profits from needless tests to defensive medicine and no cost controls or real competition, and we have the perfect formula for waste, fraud, profiteering, bad medicine and dysfunctional, unaffordable healthcare. Why is sickcare (a.k.a. “healthcare”) absurdly unaffordable in America? There are many structural reasons which I have covered in depth for years, but one […]
