Monthly Archives: May 2018

Putting Out The Fire, With Gasoline

“See these eyes so red Red like jungle burning bright Those who feel me near Pull the blinds and change their minds” David Bowie I woke up last Friday, with this song in my head. I cannot help but think about this third (and maybe last) attempt for the market to gain legs on the back of Granddad…

GBP: A Bargain Or A Bear Trap?

Talking Points: Jobs and wages data may give clues on UK domestic inflation. Sterling likely to be kept in check by a strong USD complex. Continued EUR weakness one option for Sterling bulls Fundamental forecast for GBP: Neutral A roller-coaster ride for GBP over the last month ended on Thursday when the Bank of England kept all policy measures unchanged…

French Manufacturing Slumps 1.8%: Worst Quarterly Drop Since 2012

French manufacturing fell 1.8% in the first quarter. Industrial Production fell 1.2%, the worst start in 6 years. First Germany, Now France The eurozone recovery is faltering, first with Germany, now with France. French Factories Suffer Worst Quarterly Output Drop Since 2012. Germany In February, German Industrial Output fell by 1.6 percent after rising by a revised…

Can Retail Stocks Maintain Their Momentum?

The earnings focus shifts to the Retail sector this week as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers come out with quarterly results. Stocks of most of these traditional operators have done better than the broader markets this year, except for Wal-Mart (WMT) which reports before the market’s open on Thursday and whose stock has been a notable laggard since the…

Markets Break Out But Risks Remain

    Early Wednesday morning I penned a “Quick Take” discussing the breakout of the two-month long consolidation process. To wit: “The bulls are ‘attempting a jailbreak’ of the ‘compression’ that has pressured markets over the last two months.  This breakout will provide a reasonable short-term trading opportunity for portfolios as I still think the most probable paths for the…