Second ECB TLTRO Also Flops, Bank Take-Up Far Less Than Expected

Back in September, when the results of the first much-trumpeted TLTRO were announced, everyone said it was a clear disappointment, when European banks expressed just €82.6 billion in ECB credit demand, far below the €100-€300 billion range expected… … and well below the €400 billion across the two 2014 TLTROs hinted by Mario Draghi. Today, we…

EC Have Your C

Beware when the geniuses show up in finance. “I can make your money work harder!” some may say, and the simple-minded say, “Make the money sweat, man!  We have retirements to fund, and precious little time to do it!” Those who have read me for a while will know that I am an advocate for…

2007 Stock Market Again?

For all of you that believe that the music will not stop, the last couple days might be a wake up call. This is an old bull market which is one of the longest and one of the most profitable. Do not forget not to keep your guard on. That is why you need a…

2007 Stock Market Again?

For all of you that believe that the music will not stop, the last couple days might be a wake up call. This is an old bull market which is one of the longest and one of the most profitable. Do not forget not to keep your guard on. That is why you need a…

EUR/USD Forex Signal For December 11, 2014

EUR/USD Signal Update Yesterday’s signals expired without being triggered, as although the price did hit the bearish trend line shown in yesterday’s chart and form a bearish pin bar, it never broke to the down side, so there was no short entry to be taken. Today’s EUR/USD Signals Risk 0.75% Trades must be made before 5pm…

EC MLP ETFs Fi

The deleveraging in the energy space continues in earnest and one area that is going down with the ship is master limited partnerships (MLPs). These high yield energy-related securities fell heavily during the October sell off and are once again finding themselves in trouble over the glut of energy stock piles and plunging crude oil…

Big Moves, But Markets Trying To Stabilize

The markets have been subject to large moves in recent days. Some, including the dollar, were counter-trend moves. Some, like oil, were accelerations of the existing trends. There have been a number of surprise developments today, including the less dovish Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the 25 bp cut from Norway’s central bank. The markets…

Are Oil Stock Dividends Safe?

I pride myself on maintaining emotional detachment when I invest. Markets are emotional and tend to overreact, and when they do, the levelheaded among us use it as an opportunity. As Warren Buffett famously said, the secret to his success is being greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy. With all of that said,…

Central Banks’ 2% Plan To Impoverish You

The 2% target is low enough that the household frogs in the kettle of hot water never realize they’re being boiled alive because the increase is so gradual. A comment by correspondent David C. suggested the importance of demonstrating the impoverishing consequences of central banks reaching their 2% inflation target. David observed: “That central bankers aren’t all…

Are Junk Bonds Worth The Higher Yield?

Higher yield usually means greater risk. Frequently, investors are mesmerized by high-yield bonds and ignore the reason for the high yield. Higher yield bonds mean that there is a greater chance the bond might default. Investing in a bond fund or an exchange-traded fund diversifies away some of the risk, but won’t completely protect you…