Stocks Rebound and Bernanke Named It So It Is Coming, The Big Question Is When
3-8-2012
Stocks rebounded yesterday on lighter total volume. Up Volume was a healthy 82% on the NYSE and 80% on the NASDAQ. This is why I stated in yesterday’s newsletter not to throw in the towel just yet.
US stock futures are up in overnight trading on Wednesday 10:37 p.m. CST. The DOW futures are up 18 points, the S&P futures are up 2 points, and the NASDAQ futures are up 3 points.
The Asian equity markets are in the green and many countries are up 1 1/2%. Gold, silver, and oil are also all in positive territory.
This makes sense as Bernanke just announced he is contemplating another round of bond purchases. He stated that if the economy falters, he stands ready for another round of stimulus. This one has been fondly dubbed “Sterilized Quantitative Easing.” He named and announced it, so it is coming, the only question is when.
The reason for the modified version is because he is trying to placate the naysayers who are concerned to much printing will cause inflation.
What he intends to do is to is simply print more money to buy treasuries and mortgage bonds. But then he intends to “restrict” the money so the banks cannot lend it out for circulation in the economy.
One idea is for reversed repo agreements where the FED borrows the money back from the banks for a short period, and in exchange would pay the banks interest. The treasuries would be the collateral.
Now call me crazy, but if you artificially keep interest rates low, you will get hedge funds and other institutional investors borrowing at these low rates to purchase stocks, commodities, precious metals, and higher coupon bonds (junk bonds). Essentially, it will drive up asset prices which is what Ben wants.
Isn’t this inflation? You are driving up prices artificially by printing more money, even if you are “restricting” the money. And how do you unwind the trade? This is a dangerous game and the FED has even admitted this is new and theoretical, but should work. Wow!
This will drive asset prices higher, especially stock and commodity prices. If you are short treasuries, be careful. Once it is announced, you will see treasuries go up in price and yields come down.
This is why economics, even bad economics, affect asset prices. The only wildcard today would be if the Greece debt swap failed. Then you would see a selloff in stocks and commodities, and it would simply move up Bernanke’s time table.
Today the major economic report is Initial Jobless Claims. Other than that, all eyes will be on Greece, again. It should be an interesting day.
Stocks rebounded yesterday on lighter total volume. Up Volume was a healthy 82% on the NYSE and 80% on the NASDAQ. This is why I stated in yesterday’s newsletter not to throw in the towel just yet.
US stock futures are up in overnight trading on Wednesday 10:37 p.m. CST. The DOW futures are up 18 points, the S&P futures are up 2 points, and the NASDAQ futures are up 3 points.
The Asian equity markets are in the green and many countries are up 1 1/2%. Gold, silver, and oil are also all in positive territory.
This makes sense as Bernanke just announced he is contemplating another round of bond purchases. He stated that if the economy falters, he stands ready for another round of stimulus. This one has been fondly dubbed “Sterilized Quantitative Easing.” He named and announced it, so it is coming, the only question is when.
The reason for the modified version is because he is trying to placate the naysayers who are concerned to much printing will cause inflation.
What he intends to do is to is simply print more money to buy treasuries and mortgage bonds. But then he intends to “restrict” the money so the banks cannot lend it out for circulation in the economy.
One idea is for reversed repo agreements where the FED borrows the money back from the banks for a short period, and in exchange would pay the banks interest. The treasuries would be the collateral.
Now call me crazy, but if you artificially keep interest rates low, you will get hedge funds and other institutional investors borrowing at these low rates to purchase stocks, commodities, precious metals, and higher coupon bonds (junk bonds). Essentially, it will drive up asset prices which is what Ben wants.
Isn’t this inflation? You are driving up prices artificially by printing more money, even if you are “restricting” the money. And how do you unwind the trade? This is a dangerous game and the FED has even admitted this is new and theoretical, but should work. Wow!
This will drive asset prices higher, especially stock and commodity prices. If you are short treasuries, be careful. Once it is announced, you will see treasuries go up in price and yields come down.
This is why economics, even bad economics, affect asset prices. The only wildcard today would be if the Greece debt swap failed. Then you would see a selloff in stocks and commodities, and it would simply move up Bernanke’s time table.
Today the major economic report is Initial Jobless Claims. Other than that, all eyes will be on Greece, again. It should be an interesting day.
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