Guest Article Written By: Robert Blake

When the US Federal Reserve raises interest rates it always affects the US dollar. In this case, the hike would normally reduce the inflationary pressure, and as a result appreciates the dollar. The latest decision to raise the target for the fed-funds rate to a range between 1.75%-2%, in June of this year, was due to a stronger economy and a healthy US jobs market.

We mentioned previously on Crush the Market how interest rates have been steadily rising since 2015.
With three to four increases forecasted for 2018, the graph of the Fed “dot plot” below illustrates how eight policy makers expect four or more quarter-point increases for the year.

Traditionally, interest rates in the United States averaged about 5.72% from 1971 to 2018, with Money Cafe reporting a high of 20% in March 1980 and a record low of 0.25% in December 2008.

Higher interest rates generally mean a lower economic growth, but also slower inflation. In the past, the best way to achieve full employment and stable prices was to set the inflation rate of the dollar at 2%, which would grow the economy at a healthy pace. The Fed hiked this year, in response to a growing economy and fear of rising inflation, increased interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, remarked that the “economy is doing very well,” following the rate hike announcement. The graph below shows the historical Fed rates over a period of 47 years.

Historically, even with low interest rates the US dollar enjoyed favorable exchanges rates in relation to major currencies like the Euro or the Pound. Investopedia reveals that this is in part due to the US dollar being the reserve currency for much of the world. As a result of higher interest rates and a strengthening dollar, more Forex traders will be hedging on the US dollar.
FXCM outlines that the Forex market trades an average volume exceeding $5 trillion daily, and the current Fed interest rate plays a factor in determining the value of the US dollar. 

However, it is mainly its perception as a safe haven in uncertain economic times, which has been the main reason for its high value in relation to other currencies. However, it is mainly its perception as a safe haven in uncertain economic times, which has been the main reason for its high value in relation to other currencies.

Bloomberg reported how the dollar spot index, which tracks a number of global currencies against the US dollar, rose temporarily immediately following the Fed announcement.

As was expected, however, the trend that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is following seems to indicate that it’s stepping up the pace of rate hikes, stating that economic growth should continue regardless. While the course of the increases will remain gradual, the perceived aggressive pace demonstrates how the FOMC is looking to tighten policy amid falling unemployment levels (which fell to their lowest of 3.8% in May) and national growth.

The following chart illustrates the historical date of the price-adjusted US dollar index published by the FOMC.

For now, the economic forecast indicates that core inflation will reach the Fed's target of 2% by the year’s end with an overall economic growth of 2.8% for 2018. As such, with a fourth and final hike projected for this year, the Fed indicated that it will expect more rate hikes in 2019. Despite the recent hikes, as part of their long term forecast, the committee indicated that they still see the rate increasing to 2.9% and peaking at 3.4% by 2020, with an estimated GDP increase of 2.4% in 2019 and 2% in 2020. In addition to upwards estimates for GDP and inflation, the committee also estimated a cut to their original unemployment projection, from 3.8% to 3.6% for the full year. Despite the current political turmoil in the US, the economy continues to look positive.

Author Bio: Robert Blake is a freelance financial adviser and consultant. Since gradating from university he has started writing finance articles online to help give readers a clearer understanding of the US and global economy. In his spare time he can be found visiting financial seminars.

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US Interest rates have been steadily rising since the lows in July last year, as the market reacts to both inflation pressures, FED commentary and 2 rate rises in 15 months. As a consequence interest rates have risen around 1.2% for US 10 year Government bonds since July 2016. Rising rates has created a major headwind for the US economy, as the weight of the massive debt levels for consumers and companies are starting to have a weakening effect on demand dragging the US economy towards slower growth. In spite of slowing growth economy the US stock markets are or near all time record highs as bullishness over the Trump presidency have overridden a weakening macro environment as stock investors look to the future with optimism.

Market Pricing 100% For FED Rate Rise For March

Over the last few weeks the probability of FED rate rise in March has been climbing, as a series of press releases and comments from various FED officials, including FED chairperson Janet Yellen have shown their eagerness to raise rates this month. Due to FED officials comments the market has priced in a 100% probability of rate rise when the FED holds their Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting and release their statement on the 15th March US time. 

US  Government 10 year Bond Yields Set To Break Out Towards 3.00%

With the recent talk regarding interest rate rises by the FED this week and the market now pricing a 100% certainty of FED funds rate rising by 0.25%, Government bond yields have once again started to climb higher for two straight weeks reaching previous resistance of 2.62% last Friday. (See chart below)

The important factor to note for the 10 year bond yields is if the 2.62% level is broken and closes above the resistance level indicated for the week, we will see interest rates move progressively higher towards 3.00% which is the next level of resistance.

Higher Rates To Hit Corporate & Consumer Credit Debt At Record Highs

If US Government bond yields move towards 3.00% over the coming months, a situation which is likely if the FED raises rates this week. This is going to have a major effect on slowing the US economy even further. The extremely high debt levels in the US, that were built up during a low interest rate environment created by the FED is now beginning to cause some serious problems for the economy and eventually stocks as well with small increases in rates having a larger impact on considerably higher debt levels.

The reason rising US Government 10 year bond yields is such an important factor in determining the health of the US economy, is because the majority of debt products for consumers and companies are priced from Government 10 year bond yields. In other words everyone will experience a rate rise and be negatively effected because the US is drowning in debt, with consumer credit and companies debt levels excluding financials are at record highs. (See charts below)

Crush The Market addressed the negative effects that a significant rise in rates would do towards the US economy back in November as rates began to spike higher in November with the election of Donald Trump. To view this article click the link below:

Surging Bond Yields Signalling Pain Not Growth Ahead For US Economy

Since November's article the rise in yields has played out as predicted with a slowing in a number of key macro economic data announcements, as the economy continues to slow in a rising interest rate environment causing pain for consumers, companies and the economy overall.

Consumer Credit  Debt Led By Student & Auto Loans

The picture is no different for the average consumer who is struggling under record levels of debt, with debt levels rising by approximately 1 trillion since the previous peak reached before the global financial crisis in 2008 & 2009.

The majority of the gains in debt levels have come across from an exponential increase in student debt as tuition fees for college are far outpacing CPI increases. The other main contributor for such a significant rise in consumer credit has been the boom in auto loans to the average consumer. Auto sales had previously been booming from increasing in credit for a number of years. Now as consumers are tapped out with much more debt since 2009, delinquencies are rising in the auto loans market as higher interest rates are biting hard on consumers disposable income.

The rapid increase in debt since 2009 together with increasing rates since July last year, has already been felt within the economy as various parts of the economy are now showing further continued weakness.

Higher Rates Slowing Lending Growth For Consumers

The rise of around 1.2% in US Government 10 year bond yields since July has already started to impact demand for more debt by consumers over the last year. Since the start of 2016 loan creation growth has slowed dramatically from between 9 - 10% per year to a current growth level of between 4% - 4.6% pa. Although the growth rate are in the positive the accelerating of debt growth levels is impacting retail sales within the economy. For example auto sales from the Big 4 auto manufactures have fallen by up to 11% in January 2017 from a year ago. To view auto sales data shown in my recent US economy article Click here.

Atlanta FED Slashes Q1 GDP Forecast to 1.2%

In the beginning of February this year the Atlanta FED forecasting team had set Q1 GDP as high 3.4%. Since February economic data has been released showing further deterioration and slowing in the economy with economic data missing expectations. As a result of this the Atlanta FED has had to  continually reduce their forecasts all the way to 1.2% as of March 8th. Depending on pending new economic data releases in the coming weeks we could see Q1 forecast fall below 1%.

US Gasoline Sales Begin To Fall Again

US Gasoline sales have been in structural decline for several years now, as the chart has shown below falling by over 50% since 2005.  After reaching the lows in 2014 gasoline sales began to start rising again as the economy began to gather pace as jobs and debt accumulation began to accelerate. However recent data has shown Gasoline retail sales have once again resumed their downward trend and starting falling as weakness in the economy  from higher rates is started to effect consumer demand.

Federal Government Receipts Now Negative Y/Y - First Time Since Last Recession

Similar to Gasoline sales US Federal Government receipts were growing strongly up to 2014 reaching a growth rate close to 14% y/y. Since 2014 recent high Federal Government receipts have been falling dramatically over the last 2 years, having just recently turned negative falling -1.1% Y/Y for the first time since the last recession in 2008 /9. (See chart below)

Having a closer look at the chart on the right hand side, you will notice that the majority of the decline in growth rates occurred over a relatively short time frame in 2016. This coincides with the similar time frames when interest rates stopped falling and began to rise rapidly in the second half of 2016.

US Restaurant Operators Same Store Sales Falling

The most recent data available for restaurant same store sales has been released, showing that December 2016 same store restaurant sales are the weakest they have been for in 3 years. In addition Q4 comparable sales and traffic is also down from a year ago, indicating that the restaurant industry is reeling as consumers cut back spending out for food.

 Does A Rising Interest Rate Environment Matter To Stocks?

According to history a rising rate environment has serious implications to the future performance of the market. Since the 1970's 7 out of 8 occurrences where interest rates cycles began to tighten resulted in some large corrections in the stock market. With the last tightening cycle resulting in a 56% fall in the markets in 2009.

The tightening cycle has been running for close to 9 months now as has already had a major impact to the grow rates of the economy slowing dramatically over the same period. With the potential for another rate rise occurring this week, its quite possible we could see 3% US 10 year Government bond yields in the coming months playing further havoc on the economy. Based on the last 45 years of data a tightening cycle in the US has not be very kind to stocks either as the economy reacts to higher rates.

Warning! - The Insiders Are Rushing For The Exits

Company executives are selling around 10 to 1 relative to buying trades of company stocks despite record prices for stocks. The buyer / seller ratio is also on a downtrend since peaking in late 2015  and the beginning of 2016 (See chart below)

When executives are selling in such large amounts it usually means they are seeing the writing on the wall for future earnings and prospects for the companies they run. Perhaps since interest rates are rising and the economy is slowing its starting to place pressure on future earnings targets. The next quarter earnings may provide further insights, especially since companies are conducting record amounts of buybacks that are financed from previously low rates of  debt.

The recent strong performance of stocks in late 2016 and early 2017 has masked a serious deterioration in the US economy that started as early as 2014 - 2015. With interest rates about to break out higher on the way towards 3% we could see the last legs of the economy knocked out bringing stocks down with them as earnings will start to fall again with weaker consumer demand filtering through to lower sales results.

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Stocks Bullishness At Record Highs While The US Economy Is Approaching Recession

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Russell 2000 Bullish Run Looks Tired As Momentum Falls

Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only, and all the information contained within this post is not to be considered as advice or a recommendation of any kind. If you require advice or assistance please seek a licensed professional who can provide these services.

US Stocks Bullish Run Fueled By Optimism Over Real Data

Since the election results in November US soft data (survey / optimism data) has deviated from hard data (actual US economic data). More importantly since December hard data has been falling as the economic news has deteriorated. Whilst soft data has continued to shoot higher along with a very bullish stock market. 

The Russell 2000 Index (Small Cap's) review shown below will show a very strong bullish uptrend. This pattern is quite similar to the 3 main stock indices DOW, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. This highlights that the recent market surge in US stocks is more a function of market euphoria and optimism rather than actual improving economic activity and growth within the US economy.

Russell 2000 - RUT (Small Cap's) Chart Review

Monthly Chart

The Russell 2000 (RUT) has been in an uptrend for several years now as seen in the chart below. After a 3 year consolidation pattern of mostly sideways action between December 2013 - October 2016. The RUT index broke out of resistance of 1252 in November last year after the US election result win of Donald Trump, as all indices moved higher.

Currently the RUT has established a new uptrend within its larger long term uptrend shown with the blue line on the chart below. This uptrend started after the index gave a false signal when it closed below support of 1100 back in January 2016. After hitting the lows one month later the index has been steadily climbing.

Momentum Stalling - Consolidation Or Pullback Ahead

Since the RUT has had a strong 13 month rally in prices, the momentum indicators shown in the monthly chart are indicating exhaustion of the current rally.

I have circled both the momentum and Stochastic indicator to show that both are indicating a reversal of the strength in the market. Momentum indicator is still high however has pulled back to 2.80. The stochastic currently is sitting at a bearish cross as the blue line has crossed below the red. The last time the Stochastic had a bearish cross in July 2015 (circled on chart price action) the RUT index experienced a correction in prices for the next few months.

Since its only early March, it would be appropriate to wait for confirmation at the end of the month. If the momentum indicator is confirmed we could see the price action retrace back to the current uptrend shown in the chart at around 1315 - 1320 price range.

Since the bullish rally is quite strong its unlikely we will see a retracement back to support of 1252 - 53 level. Keep this target in mind though if we experience volatility in prices in March. Especially since the FED is likely to raise interest rates by 0.25% this month.

Weekly Chart

The weekly chart is showing a similar pattern to the monthly chart with the strong rally in prices since late November. Currently the price action is at or near the upper band of the uptrend channel shown in the chart below.

RUT experienced a strong burst in price around 5 -6 weeks ago as it made a new record high above 1400. Since then the price has been consolidating as it has struggled twice to climb back above the 1400 resistance level, with 2 weekly rejection patterns shown on chart as the price failed to stay above 1400.

Weekly momentum indicator is showing more weakness compared to the monthly momentum as it has made lower lows as it now sitting at 0.06 after reaching a high of 1.88 a number of weeks ago. This indicates the strength in the market that was present as the price made new record highs has disappeared. This explains the hesitation of the index to move higher.

The weekly stochastic indicator is also indicating exhaustion of the current rally and a consolidation or minor retracement in price is likely in the coming weeks.

The weekly chart pattern is confirming the monthly price action as the recent bullish run is running out of steam at least in the short term for now. Most likely the price action will move towards the lower uptrend channel band around 1300 - 1305 level. Based on the current bullish optimism its unlikely the price action will move towards support of 1282 - 84 level.

For confirmation of the retracement in price on the weekly chart, look for a weekly close below the 10 week moving average line which is currently at 1377 level.

Daily Chart

The daily chart price action as of last Friday's close on the 3rd of March is sitting just above its support level at 1,394. After breaking out approximately 2 weeks above the 1388 level the price action has been moving sideways and above its previous resistance level which is a bullish indication.

Contradicting the price action above the 1,388 level is that both Momentum indicators are showing a loss of strength in the market. Momentum has recently moved negative to -0.02 and the stochastic has also had a bearish cross a number of trading days ago. This means in the short term its likely we will see the RUT index close back below the 1,388 level.

If the index does close below 1,388 level, pay attention that the index stays within the previous sideways range between 1345 - 1,388. If the RUT index falls below 1,345 support level over the next 1 - 3 weeks the next target of support is 1,313.

Wildcard Event

Based on the strong bullish run of the RUT index and the major US stock indices, its unlikely we will see a retracement / fall in prices greater than 10% over the short to medium term time frame. However the FED will be meeting on the 14th & 15th of March to decide whether interest rates are rising in March. The decision will be made on the 15th. Based on prior announcements of a rate rise the market may experience with 1 - 3 days of the announcement a lot more volatility. If this was to occur we could see a mini panic of selling as the market digests the news. Therefore the wildcard this month is the FED announcement in the middle of the month that you should be weary of.

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Stocks Bullishness At Record Highs While The US Economy Is Approaching Recession

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Telstra Disappoints On Earnings Sending The Stock Below $5

Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only, and all the information contained within this post is not to be considered as advice or a recommendation of any kind. If you require advice or assistance please seek a licensed professional who can provide these services.

US stocks are at or near all time record highs across all major indices, with the markets bursting out after the election win of Donald Trump back in November 2016. Since then investor bullishness has also spiked to 10 year high levels. While this bullish euphoria is occurring something else is taking place far more important. The US economy has been trending down for some time now and the slowdown momentum is gathering pace as it moves closer to a recession possibly as soon as this year.

Market Euphoria Clouds Judgement

The markets have a history of becoming totally blind to whats actually occurring in the real economy, instead focusing on the direction of the market to give them an indication of whats taking place. In the chart below you can also see that the composite bullish index (red line) back in mid 2007 was very high around 130 just before the markets began their 50% decline.

Currently the market greed / fear index (see chart below) is close to at the maximum level of extreme greed side, while the actual economy is rapidly declining with a similar dynamic playing out presently with a potential twist to the market outcome.

How Can The Market Be At Record Highs While The Economy Is Heading Towards Recession?

In a nutshell the answer is Central Banks, if you take a look at the chart below you can see how the Central Banks have massively increased their balance sheet since 2008 / 2009. This has been achieved by printing money and buying up assets to provide additional liquidity into the system. This extra liquidity has flowed its way into stocks all over the world, regardless of which Central Bank has been been providing the additional liquidity.

Recently though most Central Banks have once again picked up the pace in growing their balance sheet . So even though the US has effectively kept their balance sheet flat to slightly down over the last 2 years, the other Central Banks have effectively been adding to the pool of global liquidity pushing up prices of stocks, real estate and other assets. Clearly this practice is totally artificial and is giving false bullish signals to investors as the markets are not functioning on their own.

The S&P 500 Index No Longer Tracks Earnings

Further evidence that the Central Banks actions are providing false signals to the markets is shown in the chart below. S&P 500 earnings per share (EPS) are totally out of sync with the rise of the market and now represent a large divergence in their trends.


Earnings are now slowly tracking higher after falling for several years, however this is more a case of financial engineering of companies artificially raising their EPS by buying back their stock usually with debt. Since 2012 corporate profits are down so even companies themselves are misleading investors to the true financial health of their investments.

How Lower Corporate Profits Tie In With The Economy - Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Since 2016 global employment in S&P 500 companies has been slowing down (see chart below) and late 2016 turned negative as the slowdown accelerated with employment growth. The last time this occurred the US economy went into a recession shortly after.

If you look at US non-farm payrolls you will notice that its also trending down but a slower pace.

The interesting point about the non-farm payrolls data is that the data each month is provided based on the combination of a Government surveys (small sample) as well Government generated predictions of jobs, Ie Birth death model of estimated new businesses commenced to produce the monthly result. Several months later up to a 1 year later the actual data collected from companies are imputed and adjustments are made on prior months. Usually the number of jobs actually created is readjusted lower. So the true effect of a slowdown with companies in the S&P 500 will not show in the non-farm payroll data for several months.

Every Time The FED's Own Signal Falls Below Zero Y/Y A Recession Occurs

Scroll video to 12min 52sec.

This video indicates that an indicator that the FED actually monitors has fallen -0.3 in December and has fallen 5.8% y/y, which is the largest since 2010. Each of the last 8 occurrences of this indicator falling below zero y/y has resulted in a recession in the US.

Consumer Credit Grow Demand Drops 43% Month on Month

In December consumer credit grew by $14.2 billion  a 43% drop compared to November's $25.2 billion. Since consumer spending makes up over 70% of the GDP data and the savings rates is falling in the US, a large drop in the amount of new credit card debt also points to a slowdown in retail sales.

The credit data below is actual data collected from the banks rather than from surveys, so it shows a very accurate picture of demand for credit card debt. Given the big collapse in S&P500 employments levels the trend in credit demand will likely continue to move lower and lower the GDP result.

FED Senior Loan Officer Survey Demand Falls Over

The overall trend for credit demand going forward is not looking good with the latest results from the FED senior loan officer survey. Indications for demand for debt for Construction, credit cards and auto loans are all down at multi year lows.

This is important as credit demand overall has been tied to overall demand within the economy and especially with consumers. If the intentions from the survey follow through, the slowdown in the economy will begin to gather pace with the higher probability of the US starting a recession in 2017.

Auto sales have performed very strongly since hitting the lows in 2009, with demand for auto loans driving a large proportion of retail sales demand. Auto sales have recovered strongly also because interest rates for auto loans have fallen substantially over the last 7 years from the FED dropping interest rates and pushing down bond yields via QE purchases. This has allowed buying a new car more accessible for consumers and allowed consumers to own more expensive models that previously they have not been able to afford on higher interest rates.

Auto sales Decline Y/Y First Time Since 2009

The strong performance of auto sales bubble appears to be over as December and January figures have been very weak. Making things worse y/y auto sales have recorded its first decline since 2009 the same year the US experienced a recession.

The data below shows the big 4 car companies in terms of autos units sold all experienced declines in y/y figures. Since the FED senior officer survey results for demand for auto credit is also falling, US car sales declines will  most likely continue in 2017.

With Record Amounts Of Stimulus Why Is The US Economy Weak?

Each month the Government releases the wages growth figures and overall they are usually positive rising slowly over time. The data that the financial media show is the data in the chart below (red line) which is nominal growth in wages. Since 2000 nominal growth has risen 40.2%, however when you take into account inflation real wages have declined 1.1% over the same period.

When the Government calculates inflation, the data they release is usually under reporting the true state of inflation due to various statistical measures like hedonics applied to the data to bring the level of actual inflation down. Therefore the average workers real wages have probably fallen by more than 1.1% since 2000.

Since the average worker has to spend more of their wages to buy the same amount of goods and services, this impacts on their spending power and ability to borrow. Lower spending and borrowing capability translates to weaker GDP growth since consumer spending makes such a large proportion of the calculation.

Weaker Economy = Higher Bankruptcies

The 2009 US recession caused bankruptcies to rise for several years and after peaking in 2011 the overall trend in bankruptcies continued to decline for the next 5 years as the economy recovered from record stimulus implemented by the FED and the Federal Government.

The declining trend has shifted when bankruptcies began to surge in November 2015 and continued to move higher in 2016. This has resulted in bankruptcies recording their first y/y rise since 2010 after rising 26% from the prior year.

Given bankruptcies is a lagging indicator due to the time required to process and complete bankruptcies, the deterioration of the economy has been occurring for an extended period of time now. Since other economic data  is showing further weakness, bankruptcies will continue to rise further in 2017 and into 2018.

Stimulus High No Longer Effective

Despite continuous stimulus of some form or another from Central banks and the US Federal Government growing their debt levels at record pace, the 2016 GDP growth came in at only 1.6% matching the 2011 low read after hitting 2.6% growth in 2015.

Based on the actual data from the US Government, the economy is slowing and no longer receiving a boost from the various stimulus options in place currently to support the economy, consumers and businesses.

Whilst the economy was slowing in 2016 another setback for the economy occurred in November last year, when the US 10 year Government bond yields soared over 0.60% within short period after the US election results.

Given the majority of consumer and business debt products interest rates in the US are priced from the 10 year Government bond yield rate, consumers and businesses effectively experienced two 0.30 rate rises over a 2 month period in late 2016. To view the article written back in November outlining the impact of higher Government bond yields on the US economy click the link below:

Surging Bond Yields Signalling Pain Not Growth Ahead For US Economy

A Rising Stock Market During A Recession Is A Possibility

After viewing this article you might come to the conclusion that despite the stock market sitting at record highs in the US, stocks are set to fall if an imminent recession is arriving in 2017. Well not exactly, since we are not in normal times and the actions of Central banks and the US Government are unprecedented.

When you take into consideration several of the previous FED QE programs occurred after US stocks began to correct by around 10%. In addition the odd market behavior in stocks over the last 6 - 12 months where we have not experienced a fall of greater than 5%. Its a reasonable possibility that stocks may stay elevated or even rise higher even if the US has an official recession. If this occurs this will be another new record in US history.

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Whos Winning In The Aus Large Cap Healthcare Sector CSL vs Ramsay

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China Braces For More Pain Ahead As Economy Slowdown Accelerates

Disclaimer: This post was for educational purposes only, and all the information contained within this post is not to be considered as advice or a recommendation of any kind. If you require advice or assistance please seek a licensed professional who can provide these services.

Thank You For Your Support

I would like to personally thank all the viewers of Crush The Market.

Crush The Market has been running for only a couple of months now and already I have received so much support, with followers sharing/liking posts.

Without you the viewers, there would be no Crush The Market, so thanks for providing the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas to you in 2016.

I would like to also wish everyone Happy Holidays and a safe and relaxing time off over this period.

Holiday Reading / Entertainment

For any one who may of missed a previous macro article or wants to refresh on some of Crush The Market 2016 macro posts you can view them below:

The Perfect Storm Set To Pop Aussie Apartment Bubble Bringing The Economy Down With It

Surging Bond Yields Signalling Pain Not Growth Ahead For US Economy

US Economy Continues To Weaken As Warning Signs Flash Recession Ahead

How We Lost Control Of The Real Economy By Trying To Control Everything

Global Real Estate Bubble Begins To Pop Like Dominoes

Macro Views On the US and Global Economy - Peter Schiff

One of my favourite places I visit weekly for macro views on the US and Global Economy is the Peter Schiff Channel.

If your not familar with Peter Schiff and would like to check it out click below:

www.youtube.com/user/SchiffReport

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Suncorp Group (SUN) Chart Review - Monthly Chart
NB: Charts prepared before the close of 19/12/16.

Suncorp Group shareholders have something to cheer about this Christmas in 2016, after several years of slow declining prices Suncorp Group looks set to finally close above its 2year downtrend.

For this chart review I have pulled the data over a much longer period than usual (Hence chart appearing condensed) to give you a good overview of the performance of this stock since 2007, together with some longer term resistance levels.

The first initial thoughts are that you will notice that the stock has still not recovered from its 2007 highs around the $19 a share range. On the positive side after collapsing in 2008 and 2009 to a low of around $4 a share, the stock like the overall Australian stock market has made a strong recovery albeit not at new all-time highs at $13.47.

Supporting Long Term Trend

Suncorp is showing a strong and healthy uptrend since making the lows in 2009. You can see there were a few unsuccessful attempts to close below the uptrend only to recover during the month.

After a few years of a consolidation within the bigger 9 year uptrend, Suncorp appears to be making a breakout higher with its first close above its 2 year downtrend. (See circled area on chart)

The first level of resistance for Suncorp now after breaking past $13 level this month is $14.60 resistance. With the strong momentum this month and usual bullish tendency of December trading month there is a good chance Suncorp may reach the $14.60 area with only a few weeks left in the month.

Since its the 19th of December with a little under 2 weeks to go, there is a potential possibility that Suncorp retreats and falls back within the downtrend line. Given the bullishness of both the US and Australian markets this month this scenario is only a remote possibility.

Lastly having shown a longer period for this monthly chart you can see that there are still several levels of resistance for Suncorp to clear before reaching its previous all time highs. After the near term resistance of $14.60 there is $16.00 a share as well $19 a share to reach before it can begin to attempt new all-time highs. 

Weekly Chart

The Drought Has Ended

Three weeks ago Suncorp was able to finally break its long term down trend on the weekly chart with a confirmed close above its downtrend. (See circled area below)

Prior to the break out Suncorp had been experiencing a long term downtrend since late 2014, as the stock failed to make higher highs. After reaching the lows of the year at $10.11 in February the stock has been able to make a staged recovery.

With momentum rising for several weeks, the move higher over the last 6 or so weeks has been well supported by strong momentum indicating strength behind the rally higher.

Suncorp is now fast approaching its next level of resistance at $13.70 with around 20c to go before reaching the level. The stock make initially struggle at this level as the previous two attempts failing to move higher. Therefore the $13.70 level is a critical price point for Suncorp over the last few weeks of the year. A failure to close above the next resistance level could see the stock fall back to $12.85 level of support.

Daily Chart

Trump Effect

Since the day of the US election when the news of Trump winning shocked the markets into freefall temporarily, Suncorp has been able to enjoy a spectacular move higher for a alrge cap stock. After closing at $11.47 on the 9th of November the stock has rallied $2 a share or over 17% in a 6 week period.

Due to the fact that the rally has been so strong the daily chart uptrend is quite steep. (See chart below) The reason why I'm mentioning the steepness of the trend is because the steeper the move of a trend the shorter the trend normally lasts. This is because buyers quickly disappear with such a large move forcing the price to fall violently on most occasions.

Warning:

I suggest to wait for a retracement / pullback in price before considering this stock due to the very strong run up over a short period. I have drawn in the uptrend line to carefully watch for a reversal to occur.

Given that volume has also been above average which is a very bullish sign, Suncorp most likely will reach the $13.80 resistance level first before experiencing a pullback in price.

Overall Suncorp looks very bullish on all 3 time horizon charts following the big banks higher in the month of December. I have indicated the resistance and support levels to watch out for over the next couple of weeks.

Lastly be mindful of any sharp increases in volatility over the holiday period we are entering into now with low volume over the holidays the markets can move erratically.

Back in the last week of December last year and the first week of January 2016 the markets had the worse start of the year, after the FED raised interest rates in December 2015, just like they have in 2016.

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Ford Outperforms Tesla

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Ford Motor (F) Chart Review - Monthly Chart

Ford like many of the auto manufacturers in the US was able to take advantage of the surge in demand for new cars in the US. Looking at the longer term chart below you can see the strong run up from 2012 as it climbed from the low $9 price, all the way to the mid $17's a share in just over a year.

Since reaching the $17.40 - 17.50 level on 2 different occasions, the stock struggled to move higher and started to move down for the next 2+ years to form a new downtrend.

Potential Breakout

December 2016 appears to kind to Ford this year as the stock is performing strongly as it follows the overall strong performance of both the DOW (Ford is a Dow component) and the S&P 500.

We are approaching the mid-point of the month and if Ford stays at the current level or higher for the rest of the month Ford will have reversed its long term downtrend with a breakout to the upside.

Since it's still early in the month we can't review volume to see if the rally is supported, however momentum has been rising for several months making higher lows and higher highs supporting the move higher.

The $11.75 support level has held up well over the last 2 years as the stock respected the level and bounced higher.

Looking at the moving averages the 50 month moving average is comfortably above the 100 month moving average. This indicates support for the longer term trend. In addition the current price is sitting above the 100 month moving average.

Caution:

Ford has on a few occasions over the last few years made an attempt to reverse its downtrend on the month chart, only to fail and reverse and fall back within trend. It's ideal to wait for at or close to the end of the month for confirmation of the reversal of the down trend.

A close above the declining trend line and the current resistance of $13.85 would a very bullish sign for the stock going forward. This is a likely possibility given the bullish indicators present on the monthly chart and several weeks to go to the end of the month.

Ford - Weekly Chart

The medium term outlook with the weekly chart for Ford shows a less bullish picture overall, with the share price still conforming within the downtrend line on the weekly chart.

I have noted on the chart at least 2 prior attempts to close above the down trend line which quickly failed. With the chart showing the closing price from last week, the stock is currently sitting on the trend line, with the current week trading key for the direction of the stock.

The key bullish signs for the stock is that momentum is rising and is now positive at 1.06 on the weekly chart. I have not included in this chart but Volume has been above average supporting the strong rally of Ford over the last 3 weeks.

Similar to the monthly chart review, the weekly chart needs to close above the $13.85 resistance this week to confirm the reversal of the downtrend. Failure to close above this level could lead to the stock falling back down to support at $11.30, with this scenario unlikely to happen.

Tesla Motors (TSLA) Chart Review - Monthly Chart

The long term shareholders of Tesla have done extremely well, especially if you purchased the stock prior to 2012. At the end of 2012 year Tesla was trading around $34 a share and with the current price at $192.18 a share, shareholders have experienced a 460+% return over that period.

Loyal long term shareholders have been well rewarded, however the last 2 years have been more frustrating as the stock has been stuck in a sideways consolidation period.

The US stock index's over the last few weeks have experienced a strong rally since the election in late November, however Tesla has not really participated in the bullish euphoria compared to the general market. Hence with Ford strong performance this month, Ford has been able to outperform Tesla recently which had been a rare occurrence.

The positive for Tesla is that for now the support level of $188 - $189 is well respected with every attempt to fall below that level quickly reversing.

The current price has for now continued to respect the 50 month moving average, with the current price beginning to bounce of this level. (See chart).

For Tesla to begin to recommence its longer term uptrend the stock would need to close above its resistance level of $270 level, to confirm the trend has reversed. 

Potential Break Of Key Support

Since Tesla has failed to join the overall market rally, with the momentum on the monthly chart  extremely weak as it makes lower lows and lower highs. There is a strong probability that Tesla will break its support level of $188 and make its way to the $127 level.

All it would take would be a negative company announcement from Tesla or a brief correction with the overall market to break its support level. For investors and traders interested in this stock make sure you watch the key support level.

Tesla Weekly Chart

The weekly chart offers no more hope for Tesla than the monthly chart did. Although Tesla finished last week up for the week, the stock looks vulnerable to breaking support at $185 and moving to the $141 level.

Since Mid August Tesla has failed to retest the $279 resistance level as it continues to generate lower highs to form the current downtrend on the chart. The stock may be able to move towards the downtrend line (see blue line) with the current market bullishness.

The longer term prospects though are bearish for the stock. Momentum is currently at -13.22 confirming the bearish outlook for the stock as momentum has been making lower highs and lows indicating no strength in the stock to move higher.

Watch The Support Levels

Similar to the monthly review the key support level to watch on the weekly chart is $185 a share, which is slightly lower than the monthly support of $189. Depending on your time frame that you utilize for stocks will determine which chart time frame is the most important for you to follow going forward.

Wildcard - FED Meeting

This week is the last FED meeting for 2016 and also the last time for the FED to decide whether it will raise rates. Currently the market is pricing in a 90%+ chance of a rate rise this week at the meeting. The last time rates rose in Dec 2015, it was followed by heavy volatility only a few weeks later. With US market highly elevated the FED's meeting could provide the catalyst for the market to experience a minor correction.

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Gold has been on a wild ride since the US election results last Wednesday, climbing to a high on the day of the election of $1,336 before slumping lower at the end of the trading closing at $1,277.

Since last Wednesday investors have continued to dump the precious metal as the selling accelerated. On Monday morning the selling resumed as the world and investors continued to digest the shock victory of Trump and what this means for the US and the World.

During Monday's trading day Gold slowly recovered some of its losses to find support as investors bid Gold higher into Tuesday's trading, where it currently sits at $1,227.

Gold Chart Review

To gain a better understanding of the where Gold is most likely heading over the coming weeks, its always ideal to take a look at a longer term chart to see where its been in the past. 

If we take a look at the weekly chart of Gold below, you will notice that bullish uptrend that began in late December last year ended in September as it was unable to stay above its trend line. (See circle over price chart)

Since September Gold has been on a steady decline lower even though it made an attempt to climb higher towards its new down trend line (now at 1,300 level), before reversing and heading back down again to the current price of around $1,227.

Presently its only 15 dollars off its support line at $1,212 which previously was a strong support level during its uptrend cycle back through February to May this year.

Failure to hold the $1,212 level on a weekly basis, Gold's next support level is around the $1,176 level. If it was to reach the lower support level that would be another $36 lower from the $1,212 support level.

Given the big selloff last week, its quite possible that we may see a temporary rally higher potentially back to the $1,295 -$1,300 level before once again reversing and falling below the $1,212 support level towards $1,176 support as indicated in the chart. (See black lines on chart)

Lastly I have included the momentum indicator on the weekly chart, which is currently sitting at -93 to show that Gold is in a strong bearish position and firmly stuck in a new down trend.

Now that the market has decided that the big risk factor of the US election is over, the market has chosen the direction for Gold. Given the current technicals its unlikely the overall long term down trend direction will change for some time.

 With the daily chart below you can see that the selling as stopped for the time being as the $1,212 support level held after consecutive days of selling.

Similar to review of the weekly chart, its likely that Gold will stage a rally higher off the support level over the coming week or two. The most likely targets are the first resistance level at $1,254, followed by the new down trend resistance level. The downtrend resistance is indicated with the arrows within the chart with the first resistance around the $1,285-90 level followed by the original downtrend resistance at $1,330.

Once the short term rally has exhausted itself over the next 1-2 weeks, we could see Gold reverse as it heads back down to $1,212 support. Given its downtrend trajectory and the technicals showing bearish signals, we would most likely see Gold fall below the $1,212 support to the next support level of $1,168 - 70 support level over the medium term.

December Wild Card For Gold

Keep in mind the wild card that is coming up in December is the FED committee meeting, where the market is currently pricing in an over 80% chance of an interest rate rise in December. If this occurs in December its possible that Gold could react similar to last December FED decision. If you recall nearly a year ago Gold spiked  significantly higher reversing the downtrend and beginning a new uptrend.

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The US election results are in and the US stock market is enjoying a sharp rally over the shock news of Donald Trump winning the election and becoming the new President elect.

On the back of the big rally in US stocks there has also been another big shift occurring in another very important asset class, US Government bonds.

US Government Bond Yields Surging

Since the news of the results of the US election were released US Government bonds have experienced a huge sell off in prices causing the yields to surge on Government bonds ranging from the 2 year bond all the way to the long end with 30 year Government bonds. (Note: Bond yields move inversely to bond prices.)

Specifically the US 10 yr Govt bond has seen the yield jump from around 1.80% before the election results to the current price of around 2.13%. (See chart below)

In the chart below you can see the magnitude of the rise in US 10 yr bond yield reaching the same level of the S&P 500 dividend yield.

Traditionally bond yields help to price the relative value of stocks. If bond yields rise the dividend yield on stocks would also have to rise. Usually stock dividend yields are above bond yields to entice investors to own riskier stocks over more conservative bonds. For the yield to rise on stocks either  dividends would need to rise and or stocks would have to fall in price to lift the dividend yields.

So the fact that the 10 year bond yield has reached the same level of the S&P 500 dividend yield means that a bond investor can receive the same yield as stocks without the perceived risk.

Normally when Government bond yields rises considerably it indicates that either inflation is also rising and / or the economy is accelerating it's growth prospects. When the economy start to accelerate its growth prospects investors traditionally buy stocks in anticipation of higher profits and dividends from a stronger economy and sell bonds which are considered defensive assets.

Many analysts and financial commenters have already come out and suggested that growth is now back on the agenda for the US economy since the electing of Trump as the new president. Because of the Trump factor these commentators have suggested this is the reason why bond yields are rising and suggest it's a positive.  

Why Surging Bond Yields Signals Pain Ahead

However we are not in normal times and there is a very big reason why the FED has spend the majority its balance sheet trying to keep US Government bond yields low, by buying them through the various QE programs and artificially forcing the bond prices higher lowering the yield.

It's also the same reason why the FED has only increased the interest rates once back in December 2015 and has been terrified to rise them further since then. The reason is because the US has a major debt problem from a Government , corporate America and consumer level.

So if the FED has tried all this time to keep rates lows, how is it all of a sudden a good thing for the Government, corporate America, the consumer and the economy that interest rates are now rising. Especially when the debt levels in the US are higher now than before the 2008 GFC event that shook the US and Global economy.

Increased Government Spending

Back in August this year Trump gave a short interview  with CNBC, discussing some of the problems in the US and how he was going to fix them.

In the video below he specifically discusses increasing spending on the military as well contributing over $500 billion to the ailing infrastructure in the US.

How Will It Be Paid For?

When asked by the CNBC host how will he pay for all the new additional spending he planned for the US economy. Trump said that he was willing to increase Government debt to fund it as one of the possible strategies. He further added that since interest rates are so low it would be wise to take advantage of the current low rate environment and borrow.

Bond Yields Reacting To Trump Plan

Now Trump will be the new US president I believe Government bond yields are surging not because growth will skyrocket in the US, but because they know that US debt under Trump will rise even faster than under Obama.

If Trump does plan to massively increase Government debt to pay for military and infrastructure spending, he is going to find out quickly that interest rates will not stay low for long.

Bond yields will continue to rise simply because bond investors will reprice US Government debt and the subsequent yield they will demand, to reflect the anticipated surge in debt coming over the next few years. The repricing of US Government bonds will occur to reflect the higher perceived risk of a potential default from considerably higher debt levels.

China Reacts To Trump Presidency

The Chinese Yuan / US dollar pair has been depreciating for while now, however the depreciation against the US dollar has accelerated recently. The currency pair is following closely with the US 10yr Govt bond yield since news of Trump's win was released to the world. (See chart below).

Since China is a large trading partner with the US and China holds a large portion of US Government bonds this is important, as the devaluation of the Yuan and its correlation to the 10 yr yield could indicate that China has accelerated its dumping of US Government bonds in reaction to Trump become President and the potential shift in Trump's trade policies effecting China.

China A Seller Of US Government Bonds

The chart below shows that China has been slowly selling US bonds since August 2015 reducing its holding from over $3 trillion to just below $2.8 trillion with the latest data.

If China decides to dump their holdings of US bonds rather than a gradual selling as has been the case, you could see US bond yields surging significantly higher due to the large amount China currently holds.

Once again given the high debt levels in the US this would create a lot of pain for the US, as US Government bond yields are used to price consumer, corporate, auto and housing loans. If the bond yields continue to rise it will squeeze the cash flow of debtors in the US and the economy will quickly feel the impact as the economy will buckle with higher interest rates. 

US Debt Obligations Impossible To Repay

A number that has been raised a few times recently during the lead up to the election results was the total US Government debt of around $20 trillion. However what vary rarely gets mentioned is all of the total obligations or promises that the US Government has made. These include the pension obligations, medicare, social security to name a few.

Ray Dalio from Bridgewater has put together a brilliant chart that encompasses all the Government IOU's as well private debt. (See chart below)

What you will notice is that on the right hand side of the chart that total US debt to GDP stands at over 1000% to GDP. This means that debt is over 10 times to the yearly GDP of the US economy and is too high for the economy to be able to effectively grow out of it. This explains why the US recovery has been so sluggish despite zero interest rates.

With such a high proportion of IOU's relative to the size of the US economy, you can clearly understand why higher bond yields will cause a lot of pain in the future for the US.

The previous chart above on the US IOU's is actually a global trend with many countries having a similar looking chart with Government and Private debt rising rapidly over the years.

When you take a look at the chart below on the left, you can understand why Central Banks around the world have struggled to lift rates over the last 5 years. The reason they have not been able to normalize is that debt levels globally are too high to sustain in any interest rate rise.

In fact over the last 18 months or so many Central Banks have cuts rates to further spur economic growth without much success.

Central Banks Stuck In Interest Rate Limbo

In previous economic cycles after Central Banks cut interest rates to stimulate the economy they were able to lift them higher as the economies expanded. However in 2016 the debt levels have grown so high relative to GDP just like the US, the global economy is no longer able to handle higher rates without crashing the Global economy.

As an example on the global debt problem, I recently wrote an article about the huge ballooning debt in China  and how its negatively effect the economy. See: Chinas debt bubble threatens global growth.

The only solution to the debt problem for the Central Banks (CB's) is QE liquidity injections to keep the status quo going. The chart below on the right shows the global equities market addiction to CB's liquidity, with a strong correlation to movements in liquidity.  What this shows is that stock markets follow CB's liquidity above the actual strength or weakness of economies.

We Have Reached Our Debt Limits

In September Ray Dalio outlined very simply that we have reached the Debt limits globally, and low rates and lower interest payments no longer work because the debt is too high to have any additional stimulus effect on growth. (See video below)

If you have not seen this short video before take a look to hear Ray explain the current problem the world is facing.

Higher Bond Yields To Cause Economic Pain

Therefore on the flip side if the debt is too high that low rates no longer cause an stimulus boost or economic impact, higher rates will negatively impact the US economy. This is because as higher rates ultimately reduce demand as higher interest payments take a higher share of disposable income and reduce overall spending power.

If overall spending demand is reduced in the economy this will lead into another recession or deeper economic crisis.

Considering the US economy is already weakening as recent economic indicators is signalling a slowing economy or even recession see: US economy continues to weaken.

Higher bond yields will therefore only tip the US economy faster into economic contraction.


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Election uncertainty and fears of a rate rise by the FED in December rattle the US markets as the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Index breaks key support lines.

It seems a shift in sentiment towards Trump over Clinton in the US election, due to the reopening of the Clinton email scandal investigation by the FBI has spooked the markets. To make things worse it seems the market is also convinced that a rate rise in December is going to ahead as the market is pricing a 75% probability. 

Too Much Uncertainty Breaks S&P 500.

Overnight the S&P 500 finally broke a key support line of 2125 (see chart) on increased  volume. Mild panic has begun to take hold as the market attempts to digest all the recent news with regards to the election. The break of support also confirms the recent reversal of the long term uptrend for the index  which occurred a few weeks ago (Circled on chart).

The S&P 500 closed at 2,111 yesterday with a 70 - 75 point  or 3.5% gap between the current price and the next support level on the daily chart. With rate rise odds rising and the US election still 4 trading days away, we could see the index under more pressure over the week.

Normally when stocks are under pressure and there is uncertainty in the markets, investors take refuge in bonds bidding the price up which brings rates down. Currently this is not the case as bond yields continue to rise in conjunction with the market probability of a rate rise in December moving higher (see chart below).

Will The FED Save The Market Again?

With the increased volatility in the markets it's very possible that Janet Yellen (FED chairperson) could deliver dovish comments in today's FED's committee meeting to try and soothe the market fears about a rate rise and spark a rally in the markets.

The Dow Jones index is showing a similar pattern to the S&P 500 index. You will notice before yesterday's price action to the downside the Dow Jones has been stuck within a tight sideways channel unsure which direction to go.

Considering that Dow Jones has made another attempt at breaking support on heavy volume after recently breaking it's long term uptrend (see boxed area in chart), could be the final confirmation of lower prices ahead for the index.

If break of support is to hold especially after today's FED committee meeting, expect the Dow's next support level to be around 17,130. Since the Dow Jones closed at 18,037 yesterday this is big gap to fill as there is 907 points gap between support levels. To be fair though there is a minor support level around 17,600 to first clear. However this is not a major support level for the index which is why I have not highlighted it within the chart.

The chart below show's simply what is probably causing the biggest grief for the US markets right now. The outcome of the election is now in jeopardy as the markets had previously priced in that Clinton was to win the election convincingly. Now the market isn't quite sure about the outcome.

The first of the red dotted lines was on last Friday when news was released to the market that James Comey the director of the FBI had reopened the investigation of Hillary Clinton and her emails scandal as fresh evidence was found compelling the FBI to take further action.

The news of the investigation caused panic in the markets on Friday (see chart), with further selling continued as new polls were released that Clinton was falling in the polls. While Trump has quickly jumped higher because of the latest scandal. Than more news was announced that additional evidence was found causing even more selling initially before recovering slightly.

The Nasdaq index below shows more resilience compared to the S&P 500 and the Dow with regards to its reaction to the uncertainty.

You can see that the Nasdaq is still holding support of 5125, after touching the support level during yesterday's trade, however recovered to close at 5153. If support is unable to be held over the next few days the next level of support is between 4965 - 4970.

The other interesting thing compared to the other index's reviewed is the fact that the Nasdaq is still within it's uptrend as the FANG (Facebook, Apple, Netflix, Google) stocks strong performance have kept the market strong relative to the other US indexes.

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