<Click on chart for larger image> Calculated Risk (Blog) – Lawler: Census 2010: Homeownership Rates by Selected Age Groups While Census has not released “Summary File 1” for the US as a whole, it has released such data for all 50 states plus DC. As such, aggregate US data from these files, including homeownership rates… Continue reading Homeownership Rates
Comment In the video above CNBC was allowed a rare look at HSBC’s vault in London that houses the bullion for the GLD fund. We detailed some of our thoughts on the GLD fund in a June 16, 2010 Newsclips post. For those looking for an interesting conspiracy theory on GLD, the story below is… Continue reading The Gold In The Gold ETF
<Click on chart for larger image> Zero Hedge (Blog) – Stock Mutual Fund Cash Levels Drop To New All Time Record Low As John Hussman correctly highlighted many moons ago, there is just one problem with the whole “cash on the sidelines” statement – it is completely and utterly wrong. Yet while we agree with… Continue reading Stock Funds’ Liquid Assets
MarketBeat (WSJ Blog) – Total-Return-a-Palooza!: Sorry Stock Jockeys, August Was all Bonds Bond geeks were kicking sand in the face of stock jockeys in August, as total returns on bonds thumped the capital gains and dividend return of the S&P 500. The broad stock market index lost of about 5.9% during the month, according to… Continue reading Some Quick Total Return Notes For August
The Wall Street Journal – Banks, State Reach a Deal The mortgage industry will take a step toward cleaning up some of its most controversial practices under a deal between a New York regulator and three financial firms, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Under the agreement with the state’s financial-services superintendent, Benjamin M. Lawsky, the… Continue reading Cleaning Up The Mortgage Industry
The Financial Times – Euro crisis requires market solution Many commentators have been suggesting a eurobond as the answer to Europe’s problems. However, given that Germany has so far rejected this option, the alternative needs to be a simple programme that rewards prudent debt levels, while providing a space for errant sovereign states to reorganise… Continue reading More Proposals For Fixing Europe’s Problems
MarketBeat (WSJ Blog) – Oil Speculation Debate: Public Citizen Demands Disclosure Commodities traders, unlike big buyers and sellers of stocks, have never had to disclose their holdings publicly. But that hidebound system is coming under attack. Tyson Slocum, a member of a Commodities Futures Trading Commission advisory committee and director of the energy group at… Continue reading Those Evil Oil Speculators Are Under Attack Once Again
The Financial Times – Short sellers pile on bearish US bets Short-selling interest in S&P 500 stocks has reached its highest since November last year as investors piled on bearish bets in the past month, underlining the scale of the sharp switch in market sentiment… Until last month, shorting interest had fallen to its lowest… Continue reading Short Sellers On The Rise
Comment Yesterday Jim Bianco was on CNBC discussing the FOMC minutes (first video). Monday he was on Yahoo Finance talking about the same thing (second video). To view either interview, click on the image above. To view any of our recent interviews click here. Since the early August FOMC statement, we have been arguing that… Continue reading The FOMC Cannot Agree
MarketWatch – Contrarians are bullish The sentiment stars are aligned nicely in favor of the stock market’s rally continuing at least a while longer. That’s because, despite an impressive rally over the last two weeks, the average adviser remains profoundly skeptical that the advance will continue. That’s a bullish sign, according to contrarian analysis. Consider… Continue reading Contrarian Indicators
The Wall Street Journal – Treasurys’ Curve Ball: Yield Spread Hints at Growth Optimism Treasury yields are near historic lows, in no small part because of a flight to safety amid economic uncertainty. But a look at one market indicator—the so-called yield curve—suggests market participants haven’t completely given up on the U.S. recovery. Analysts often… Continue reading Is The Yield Curve Signaling Growth?