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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Exxon and Goldman: Taking the Market Lower

“If there is a single episode in this entire 18 months that has made me more angry, I can’t think of one other than AIG,” -Federal Reserve Chairman: Benjamin Shalom Bernanke

Exxon, Goldman: They Will Take the Market Down: Yup. As expected. They did. The S&P 500 (SPX) is sniffing around below 700 now...

XOM broke down. Clearly. But is rapidly approaching support. Keep those trailing stops tight and cover on the first sign of strength.

GS, notched a lower high and is hanging around support around $80... The rumor is that Goldman Sachs is on the other (winning) side of some of AIG's trades in the CDS (Credit Default Swap) world. (The clowns at AIG were borderline retarded. Some might even end up going to jail.. Eventually.) While this is nothing new, the concern now is that Goldman might not be able to collect on everything because Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is has now publicly expressed his outrage...

Goldilocks is going down... keep a loose stop on these rat bastards... you want to be there for the final reckoning.

Bernanke Says Insurer AIG Operated Like a Hedge Fund (Update3): "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said American International Group Inc. operated like a hedge fund and having to rescue the insurer made him “more angry” than any other episode during the financial crisis.

“If there is a single episode in this entire 18 months that has made me more angry, I can’t think of one other than AIG,” Bernanke told lawmakers today. “AIG exploited a huge gap in the regulatory system, there was no oversight of the financial- products division, this was a hedge fund basically that was attached to a large and stable insurance company.”

Bernanke’s comments foreshadow tougher oversight of systemically important financial firms, and come as President Barack Obama seeks legislative proposals within weeks for a regulatory overhaul. The U.S. government has had to deepen its commitment to prevent AIG’s collapse three times since September as the company accumulated the worst losses of any U.S. company.



The company “made huge numbers of irresponsible bets, took huge losses, there was no regulatory oversight because there was a gap in the system,” Bernanke said. At the same time, officials “had no choice but to try and stabilize the system” by aiding the firm.

AIG is getting as much as $30 billion in new government capital and relaxed terms on its bailout announced yesterday.

In another sign of tighter regulation to come, Bernanke said supervisors should have authority to bar new financial products that may be destabilizing to markets.

Bernanke made the AIG comments in response to a question from Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, at a Senate Budget Committee hearing today in Washington."

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Short Gold and Silver: It Will Only Get More Interesting

The Short Gold and Silver trade has this ninja almost giddy with excitement.

Gold (GLD), THE SAFE HAVEN, is actually declining significantly even as the broader equity markets unceremoniously knock out new low after new low. The Gold Bugs are clearly all in and exhausted. When the S&P 500 (SPX) cracked 700 near the close on Monday, GLD was able to manage a amazing 15 minutes of strength (three consecutive white candles on the 5 minute intraday chart).

Silver (SLV) doesn't have quite the same appeal as a save haven, and in percentage terms it has faired significantly worse.

Now if Gold and Silver cannot catch a bid as the broader markets grind slowly into the abyss... what do you suppose will happen when equities finally put in that counter trend bounce? Can you say BEAR RAID?

Short: Gold and Silver, Just Getting Started. Fun times...

Oh and I can't wait for the full consequences of deflation to reveal themselves for all the world to see... and the bid just disappears out from under Gold and Silver.

Deflation first. Inflation second... much much later. It's all part of The Master Plan.

Commercial Real Estate: Broke Down


Commercial Real Estate: Could Break Down Here. It did.

Now there is nothing left to do but wait for the capitulation rinse...

No Panic Yet, No Capitulation Yet

Equities, despite being Extremely Oversold continue to grind lower. The decline has been orderly so far, and although the VIX has started to sneak higher, panic isn't yet palpable.

To get to that tradable bottom, there must be panic. There must be capitulation...

Monday, March 2, 2009

Switzerland First, Britain Not Far Behind: Niall Ferguson

"Switzerland is first in line… and Britain is not far behind." -Niall Ferguson

Niall Ferguson, respected economic historian, warns of other European countries facing an Iceland style bankruptcy.

Read the full article: Bankrupt Britain.

Related Posts:
Switzerland: Another Iceland?
UK Similar to Iceland: Has Ambrose Evans Pritchard Seriously Alarmed
UK: Banks Were Just Three Hours From Collapse
UK and Iceland: Not So Different
Iceland: What Happens After Imploding?
Iceland Melts, 77% Single Day Drop