Global Market Comments
November 14, 2013
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(LOADING UP ON THE FINANCIALS),
(C), (BAC), (JPM), (MS), (XLF)
(THE BULL MARKET IN AMERICAN COLLEGE DEGREES)
Citigroup, Inc. (C)
Bank of America Corporation (BAC)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)
Morgan Stanley (MS)
Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF)
After ignoring the financial sector for most of the year, I am more than happy to jump into it here. The sector has been a serious laggard for the past three months, trailing the front-runners I picked in technology, industrials, health care, and consumer cyclicals. After chasing these favorites, traders are now looking for new fresh meat to devour.
No one would touch financials with a bargepole while interest rates were falling. This is because banks are most profitable when short-term interest rates, where they borrow, are low, while longer-term rates that they lend at, are rising. Falling interest rates make financials a no go area. They have done so with a vengeance after the September Federal Reserve decision not to taper its quantitative easing program.
Two weeks ago interest rates bottomed and began a rapid upswing, which I believe could last many months. We could even see ten-year Treasury bonds rebound from the recent 2.47% low back up to 3.0% by year-end, and 4.0% by the end of 2014.
That?s why I called the top of the bond market two weeks ago and showered you with a machine gun succession of Trade Alerts to go short Treasuries, all of which became immediately profitable. Those who followed my advice soon found money raining down upon them.
By buying bank shares here you are playing the second derivative of the short bond trade. Banks are about to go from being less profitable to more profitable during a falling bond price, rising interest rate environment. I have published three books on this topic, so believe me, I know. Every trader on the street understands this, hence the sudden renaissance of the financials.
I picked Citibank (C) because I know the former CEO, Vikram Pandit, well having worked with him for a decade at Morgan Stanley (MS). That relationship gave me unequaled access to the inner workings of this financial institution.
Citibank is not the target of multiple government civil and criminal prosecutions, as JP Morgan (JPM) has become, thanks to the London whale incident. They also do not suffer from the legacy problems bedeviling Bank of America (BAC), which they stepped into with their multiple acquisitions during the financial crisis.
Citibank also sponsors that really cool bike sharing program in Manhattan, called, what else, Citibike.
There is another method to my ?Madness? here. Take a look at the six-month chart for (C) shares. It shows absolute rock solid support at the $47.40 floor. That makes the Citicorp December $45-$47 bull call spread a complete no-brainer.
If you don?t like Citibank you can caste a wider net and buy the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF). You can click here to find the precise index makeup and the fund details. Berkshire Hathaway is the largest holding, with an 8.18% weighting, while Citibank is the fifth largest holding with a 6% weighting.
But Will It Take Me to a Great Trading Year?While the Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader focuses on investment over a one week to six-month time frame, Mad Day Trader, provided by Jim Parker, will exploit money-making opportunities over a brief ten minute to three day window. It is ideally suited for day traders, but can also be used by long-term investors to improve market timing for entry and exit points.
As a potentially profitable opportunity presents itself, John will send you an alert with specific trade information as to what should be bought, when to buy it, and at what price. Read more
As a potentially profitable opportunity presents itself, John will send you an alert with specific trade information as to what should be bought, when to buy it, and at what price. This is your chance to ?look over? John Thomas? shoulder as he gives you unparalleled insight on major world financial trends BEFORE they happen. Read more
While the Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader focuses on investment over a one week to six-month time frame, Mad Day Trader, provided by Jim Parker, will exploit money-making opportunities over a brief ten minute to three day window. It is ideally suited for day traders, but can also be used by long-term investors to improve market timing for entry and exit points.
While the Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader focuses on investment over a one week to six-month time frame, Mad Day Trader, provided by Jim Parker, will exploit money-making opportunities over a brief ten minute to three day window. It is ideally suited for day traders, but can also be used by long-term investors to improve market timing for entry and exit points.
Global Market Comments
November 13, 2013
Fiat Lux
Featured Trade:
(DOUBLING UP ON MY YEN SHORTS),
(FXY), (YCS), (DXJ), (UUP),
(SAN FRANCISCO?S SUFFERING RENTERS TAKE ANOTHER HIT),
(WHERE THE ECONOMIST ?BIG MAC? INDEX FINDS CURRENCY VALUE),
(MCD), (FXE), (YCS), (FXF), (CYB)
(TESTIMONIAL)
CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust (FXY)
ProShares UltraShort Yen (YCS)
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity (DXJ)
PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish (UUP)
McDonald's Corp. (MCD)
CurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE)
CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust (FXF)
WisdomTree Chinese Yuan (CYB)
My bet that the Japanese yen (FXY) would weaken against the dollar has paid off handsomely. I am now so confident that we are finally breaking out of a six month trading range to the downside that I am more than happy to double my short position in the yen.
I am therefore taking on the Currency Shares Japanese Yen Trust (FXY) December, 2013 $101-$104 in-the-money bear put spread, moving $1 down in the strikes, but keeping an ever shortening December 20 expiration. The other nice thing about this position is that we will benefit greatly from time decay going into the volatility sapping Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
The official reason for the weakness is that the shockingly strong October nonfarm payroll released on Friday will prompt the Federal Reserve to taper its quantitative easing program sooner than later, possibly as early as the December meeting. That would raise interest rates for the greenback while yen interest rates will remain nailed to zero for years to come. This is important, as interest rate differentials are the primary driver in the foreign exchange markets.
The real reason is that traders expect the Bank of Japan to become more aggressive in its campaign to weak the yen and further stimulate economic growth. Japanese companies are now reporting blockbuster earnings, thanks to a falling yen, and the central bank would like to see more of the same.
With the Japanese government actively seeking to cut the knees out from under their own currency, while the Fed will soon take moves to strengthen theirs, a short yen/long dollar trade here a no brainer.
The Tokyo stock market is certainly a believer. Last night, the Nikkei average soared by 2.2%, the biggest move in three months. That?s why I have also been recommending the Wisdom Tree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ) for longer-term investors, a long stock/short yen ETF.
For more probing and illuminating depth on why the Japanese yen is about to crater, please read ?The Party is Just Getting Started With the Japanese Yen?.
It?s All Over for the Yen
?It always sounds smarter to be bearish than bullish,? said Ron Baron, CEO of Baron Capital Group.
