Saturday, July 9, 2011

Keystone's Key Events and Market Movers Week of 7-11-11

Keystone presents the following underlying market currents, sometimes subtle sometimes turbulent, that move global markets in real time.  The key dates and times below typically correspond to market pivot points.

The last expected China rate hike occurred last week so that should place them on hold for the coming weeks and months.  News out of euro will continue to dominate.  Italy is on the front burner now along with Portugal and Spain. Euro woes are giving gold a boost. The debt ceiling talks are heating up with only three weeks remaining in front of the 8/2/11 deadline and only 12 days in front of the President’s deadline of 7/22/11.

Earnings season kicks off with AA as usual after Monday’s close. This will help set the tone for the week. FOMC minutes will be important on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday all eyes are focused on oil inventories, then the 10-year auction, both can be market pivot points. YUM earnings are crucial.  Keystone uses YUM as a key bellwether to gauge China’s economy.

Thursday morning traders will be up early as the data hits before the open. This is the first meaty earnings day that will provide insight into commodities, tech, trucking/shipping, financials and pharma. Friday will be a hectic day in the markets with expiration and the European stress test results at noon-ish will keep traders on edge. Early morning data will be important as well thru the consumer sentiment number at 10 AM. C earnings are Friday which will further effect the financial sector along with JPM results from Thursday. If JPM and C lift the mood in financials then more upside in the indexes is coming.

Keystone’s ‘Short Term’ Key Dates and Market Movers Week of 7/11/11 and on:

·         Monday, 7/11/11: . 3 and 6-month bill auctions 11:30 AM Earnings: AA kicks off the earnings season after the bell providing insight into commodities, metals and the global economy.
·         Tuesday, 7/12/11: NFIB Small Business Optimism Survey-this was already partially leaked the news looks status quo bumping along.  International Trade 8:30 AM.  4-week bill auction 11:30 AM. 3-year note auction 1:00 PM. FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM.  JOLT (Job Openings) Report. Earnings: FAST (mfg). For Opex week, markets are typically a buy on Tuesday to sell on Wednesday.
·         Wednesday, 7/13/11: Fed heads speak; Rosengren 9:10 AM; Bernanke 10:00 AM; Fisher 1:20 PM. Oil Inventories 10:30 AM.  10-year note auction 1:00 PM. Treasury Budget 2:00 PM. Earnings: MAR (hotel), YUM (food-proxy for China).
·         Thursday, 7/14/11: PPI, Retail Sales and Jobless Claims 8:30 AM.  Business Inventories 10:00 AM.  Bernanke 10:00 AM. Natty Inventories 10:30 AM. 30-year bond auction 1:00 PM . Fed Balance Sheet and Money Supply 4:30 PM. Earnings; CHNR (commodities), COR (data storage centers), CBST (pharma), FCS (semi’s), GOOG (tech), JBHT (trucking), JPM (bankster), PPHM (pharma).
·         Friday, 7/15/11: European stress test results at noon EST.  CPI, Empire State Mfg Survey 8:30 AM.  Industrial Production 9:15 AM. Consumer Sentiment 9:55 AM. OPEX Friday. Markets will tend to open on Monday the opposite way they close today. Eclipse sell off technique targets the next couple weeks as a potential large market selloff area. Earnings: C (bankster), MAT (toys-consumer).

·         Mid-July:  Moody’s considering a review of U.S. for downgrade unless Congress shows progress with raising the debt ceiling.
·         7/22/11: President’s deadline for debt ceiling agreement.
·         7/22/11 thru 8/7/11:  Major Bradley Turn window.  Stay on guard for major market trend change. The Bradley turn window and Eclipse selloff window are in sync now.
·         8/2/11: Geithner deadline date for debt ceiling agreement.
·         8/9/11:  Fed FOMC Rate Decision and Policy. No rate change expected.
·         9/20/11: Fed FOMC Rate Decision and Policy. No rate change expected. Potential QE 3 announcement.

Keystone’s Short Term to ‘Intermediate Term’ Key Dates and Market Movers July and on:

·         Earnings:  AA kicks the earnings season off on Monday after the bell.  Some companies have preannounced lowering their estimates, thus lowering the bar they have to step over, like F, but for the most part, the earnings season should match or exceed expectations as typically is the case. Earnings meet or beat will provide the bulls with market buoyancy.
·         QE3:  Quantitative easing, QE2, ended 6/30/11.  Chairman Bernanke took away the punch bowl that elevated equities markets like clockwork between 10:00 and 11:30 AM each session. Once the equities markets fall again, like July-August 2010, the Fed will step in with QE3.  For now, a QE light is in place with the release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).  Watch for additional moves from the SPR. Tentative projection for QE3 is September 2011. Watch as the dollar index moves up in the weeks ahead, this will be an initial signal that Bernanke will come back into the markets with more quantitative easing.
·         FOMC Meetings and Rate Decisions:  8/9/11; 9/20/11; 11/1-2/11; 12/13/11. Fed should keep the Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP) in place for the foreseeable future. Of interest is the 9/20/11 meeting which is a potential target date for a QE3 announcement.
·         Congress to Raise Debt Ceiling: Geithner said 5/16/11 first, then 7/8/11, but now he really, really means it, with a drop dead date of August 2nd. Geithner’s moving of the goal line has some believing that there is no big deal to miss the deadline making this situation very dangerous.  Congress never makes a decision until the deadline looms so look for this to heat up the back half of July.  Congress clowns now only have three short weeks to raise the debt ceiling, tick, tock, tick… A nearer term deadline is now since Moody’s is considering a review of U.S. for downgrade unless Congress shows progress now. President set 7/22/11 deadline which means he is worried about the downgrade threat. The bill needs time to be written as well, so the crunch time is now.
·         Congress In or Out of Session:  Market bullish when not in session, market bearish when in session. Congress is in session due to debt ceiling deadline, so market bearish.
·         Europe Debt Crisis Continues:  Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain (PIIGS).  Italy’s bad paper may become exposed due to Libyan War.  Greece paper probably worth 30 cents on the dollar, Ireland 50 cents, Portugal 85 cents but no one knows for sure. Greece, Ireland and Portugal are currently in stabilization programs. Spain’s high unemployment is an issue. The can was kicked down the road for Greece.  Italy is looking ugly now. Portugal and Spain woes are in play again.  Weaker euro=stronger dollar=weaker commodities=weaker U.S. equities.
·         ECB Rate Hikes:  Trichet announces next rate decisions 8/4/11, 9/8/11, 10/6/11, 11/3/11, 12/8/11, 1/12/12.  Past decisions are a 25 bip hike 7/7/11. No change occurred 6/9/11 or 5/5/11. 25 bip hike on 4/7/11. When Trichet says ‘strong vigilance’ that means a rate hike and the euro will be stronger.  Trichet may have unwittingly called another top in the commodities markets just like he mistakenly did by raising rates at the wrong time in July 2008, time will tell.  Trend has been euro up=dollar down=commodities up=equities up.  Euro is propped up by Trichet’s hawkishness.  If this should reverse, erro down=dollar up=commodities down=equities down. As a side note, the Chinese are now supporting the euro helping maintain equity buoyancy.
·         Ongoing Wars: Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan. Libya is not a big oil producer; Saudi’s can easily step up production to handle any Libyan oil loss.  Any positive resolution to the Colonel Qaddafi situation will cause oil to fall.  Rational price of oil is low to mid 80’s and with the SPR release, an 8 handle was touched but oil then recovered higher again.  Wars and M.E. problems continue=bullish for commodities, gold, silver and oil, or, visa versa.
·         Continuing Geopolitical Events other than Ongoing Wars: Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, N. Korea:  Dollar bullish and equity bearish.  Gold, silver and oil bullish.  Bahrain is the big worry since, unlike Libya, further unrest will impact oil supply.  Emergency rule now lifted in Bahrain and it appears that things have settled down.  Yemen is important since it is a southern Saudi border. News wires impact commodities in real time.  Any bad news=higher gold, silver and oil prices, or, visa versa.
·         State and Muni Crisis; Union Busting:  Muni’s should experience pain first.  Muni’s rely on State funds.  Many State fiscal budgets turn over NOW.  State funding of local municipality projects will be impacted.  Muni and State layoffs increasing. Colleges relied on State funds and tuition increases are already hitting cash-strapped students. Lingering unemployment lessens government tax inflows. U.S. will probably see an increase in the cash society since folks will find ways to avoid higher taxes, hurting government coffers rather than helping.  Multiple U.S. cities now experiencing budget fights and protests.  Governments trying to reduce burden of high union costs.  Watch to see if California financial decisions spook the country. State and Muni problems are an H2-2011 and 2012 story. Prices on MUB chart appear to be topping and ready to roll over again now like Fall 2010, thus, Meredith Whitney should be vindicated in the months ahead.
·         College Debt Bubble: Students continue to take on mountains of debt and cannot get a job after education. One poll cited 80% of college graduates moving back home to live with parents.  No effect near term but in the months forward the loan defaults will develop into a big problem. Now that State funding is being lost to colleges, tuition hikes are occurring, students now have to pay more for an education that no longer leads to a well-paying job.
·         China Property Bubble and China Contagion:  When it pops, anytime now, it will be extremely negative on global markets causing contagion in Asia and elsewhere. China has built uninhabited cities to fuel their explosive growth during this century. Some evidence of Chinese now using hoarded copper supplies as collateral to continue the building.  Additionally, China is now targeting margin regulations to slow down the commodities and PM bubbles. This is going to end very badly. Keystone agrees with Jim Chanos’ view on China. China bubble pops=global markets down.
·         PBOC; China Rate Hikes:  First hike 25 bps on 10/19/10; second hike 25 bps Christmas 12/25/10; third hike 25 bps China New Years on 2/8/11; fourth hike 25 bps on 4/5/11; fifth hike 25 bips 7/7/11.  China said in 2010 that it will project about five hikes into June 2011.  Hikes have occurred October, December, February, April and now July, so China should hold steady for the weeks and months ahead. Bank reserve requirements are now ratcheting up continuously to slow down inflation but these appear to have less of an effect now.  Rate hikes cause commodities, gold, silver, PM’s and copper to sell off.   Typically, rising rates reflect a countries currency, economic and market strength, but, China growth is slowing now, not increasing, which creates an odd rate raising environment. Gold was unaffected by China’s latest hike and actually increased in price; this is due to the Euro news dominating the China rate hike.
·         China New Premier:  Chosen in 2012, will it be a smooth transition?
·         India, Brazil, Taiwan, South Korea and other Emerging Market Rate Hikes:  Same effects as China rate hikes; commodities will sell off.  China, India and Brazil hikes are most important to global markets. Some emerging countries now choosing to stay on hold reinforcing the belief that inflation is transitory in nature. Chairman Bernanke’s hot easy QE2 money pumped up emerging markets and commodities for the last ten months creating new asset bubbles.
·         Japan Disaster; Yen Currency Intervention:  The global markets are treating the quake/tsunami/nuclear disaster as a Japan problem with limited global impact.  Supply and parts concerns are occurring now and have affected Toyota and Honda negatively. The negative affects to the auto industry and technology will subside moving forward.  Additionally, Japan is performing policy manipulation and coordinated currency intervention to target the 85-86 dollar/yen area.  This could not be maintained so far, or 83, or 81, now at the 80 level.  Expect further coordinated intervention now. Dollar/yen up=dollar up=euro down=commodities down=equities down.
·         Oil; OPEC; Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR); Hurricane Season:  SPR adding some supply each month due to renovations.  OPEC meeting 6/8/11 ended in mass confusion with lack of unified agreement on production, the producers will do whatever they want as they always have.  Hurricane season now so that may keep oil price buoyant. Higher oil supply=lower oil price. Hurricane=lower oil supply=higher oil price=good for construction material companies. Rational oil price is 80-85 but oil price will probably move across the low to mid 90’s as the year progresses, or lower.
·         GSE (Government-Secured Enterprises): A decision will need to be made on extending the GSE limit of 730K; is it time to end this or will the limit be extended over and over again?  This should hurt the market since the GSE’s back 9 of every 10 mortgages. Now folks will have to go elsewhere to seek financing where the down payments are 25 to 30% down.  In essence, the demand will be reduced, thus, the market will tighten and house prices will continue lower moving forward.
·         Wiki Leaks:  Embarrassing government information and bank information on ongoing basis, rumored to affect BAC most of all.  Weak financials places a cap on broad market upside. Also, financials and technology go hand in hand, thus, weak financials weakens technology further limiting upside potential for the broad market indexes. Watch Keystone’s 2-10 Spread Indicator, now well above the crucial 255 lower at 270-ish.  The financials are showing signs of life; watch the spread, 10-year auction and JPM and C earnings this week. 

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