Passing with a bi-partisan majority of 74-26 in the Senate, the debt ceiling increase and associated debt reduction elements became law today as the President signed the bill this afternoon.
The bill, laden with policies and procedures for further debt reductions from an all-star panel of twelve senators and house members - not yet announced - has been panned by economists as well as by the same politicians who voted for or against the measure, saying the proposed cuts are too small and don't begin to take effect until 2013.
Once again, as congress heads off for a month-long vacation, the deficit and debt issues, along with Medicare, Medicade and Social Security reforms, have been kicked clear down the road until Thanksgiving, when the select panel will present its recommendations.
Wall Street, meanwhile, has other concerns, namely the continuing deterioration of the the US and global economies. Stocks were especially hard-hit at the end of the day, with losses cascading into the closing lows of the day, a more calamitous condition than has been seen in markets in nearly three years.
One would have thought that with the passage of the debt ceiling increase, stocks would rally, but the opposite turns out to be the case as economic data suggests the US is heading into another recession.
The S&P lost ground for the seventh straight session; the Dow made it eight down days in a row. Eash of those situations has not occurred since the disastrous month of October, 2008.
At the other end of the spectrum, gold and silver holders had a field day, with precious metals up sharply in response to a debt reduction bill that more or less satisfies the status quo, while doing little to address the structural issues presented.
Dow 11,866.62, -265.87 (2.19%)
NASDAQ 2,669.24, -75.37 (2.75%)
S&P 500 1,254.05, -32.89 (2.56%)
NYSE Composite 7,831.98, -208.95 (2.60%)
Declining issues buried advancers, 5276-1367. On the NASDAQ, 31 new highs were overwhelmed by 140 new lows. On the NYSE, only 20 stocks made new highs, while 160 reached new 52-week lows. The combined total of 51 new highs and 300 new lows puts further emphasis on the importance of the high-low indicator, which has been presaging a deep pull-back for weeks and is now sending out the strongest sell signal of all, with expanding numbers of stocks making new lows.
Volume was quite strong, yet another indicator that the trouble for equity investors is only beginning.
NASDAQ Volume 2,411,239,500
NYSE Volume 5,976,464,500
Crude oil finished to the downside as well, losing $1.10, to $93.79, the lowest price in over a month. As mentioned above, gold was a stellar performer, picking up $22.80, to a new record high of $1,644.50. Silver was also favored, gaining 78 cents, to $40.09 and higher in the after-hours.
An advance look at Friday's non-farm payroll for July will be made available Wednesday morning at 8:15 am, when ADP releases its monthly Employment Change report.
Showing posts with label Social Security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Security. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Monday, November 29, 2010
Day-Traders Paradise
Forget fundamentals.
There is no reason to even bother examining a stock's recent performance, p/e ratio, cash flow, balance sheet or any other metric which might have some impact on earnings or performance because the stock market in the USA is now run by computers, and computers don't care about stocks, they only care about momentum, price and volume.
Add to that the fact that these computers are programmed by PhD's who don't know squat about markets, and even less about individual stocks. After that, add in near-infinite liquidity (free money) courtesy of the Federal Reserve's QE2 program and you have the makings for one very dysfunctional investment landscape.
Therefore, mere humans, especially those trading from the comforts of home, are at a distinct disadvantage. Only the major brokerages and banks are allowed to reap huge profits, not mere mortals who suffer from emotion and are terribly slow compared to the market-busting super-computers employed by the big firms and the HFTs.
Today was a perfect example of the dysfunction prevalent throughout the securities complex. In the morning, amid fears of growing problems in Europe on the back of the Ireland bank-bailout, stocks suffered enormous losses, with the Dow dipping by as many as 162 points shortly after 10:00 am. Of course, that was before the Fed floated some $9 billion to their pals on Wall Street to stage a comeback.
The day-trading slobs, like Lloyd Blanfien, CEO of Goldman Sachs, surely made a killing, as they do every day, manipulating the markets to their own delight and profit, all the while hammering the small investor and mutual fund managers at the margins.
Dow 11,052.49, -39.51 (0.36%)
NASDAQ 2,525.22, -9.34 (0.37%)
S&P 500 1,187.76, -1.64 (0.14%)
NYSE Composite 7,483.34, -17.20 (0.23%)
By the final bell, things were still in the red, though only slightly. Losers beat winners by a margin of 3645-2787; 155 issues made new highs, 85 recorded new lows. Volume was as usual: pathetic, but that's what you get when only computers are playing. Someday - and we can only hope it is soon - the computers will be forced to prey upon each other.
NASDAQ Volume 1,693,482,250
NYSE Volume 4,207,444,500
Oil priced itself another $1.87 higher, to $85.73 a barrel. Gold bounded all over the place, last showing a gain of $3.20, at $1367.40. Silver added 43 cents, to $27.13.
Just for those who think they've got it rough, here's a touching story about a family who blew $14 million in ten years. A great read, if you dislike people with money who are simply morons.
And, in the latest pandering PR move from the White House, President Obama called for a two-year wage freeze for civilian federal employees. The timing of this is particularly amusing, since federal wages reached an all-time high in 2010. The proposal needs congressional approval, so we'll see if the Tea Partiers recently elected to congress have any bite. It should be noted that some of them ran on platforms that called for cutting federal pay by 7-10%.
Good luck with that.
The final piece of sobering news is how governments will readily use public trust money to ensure than wealthy bondholders don't suffer any losses. The case in point is Ireland's 85 billion Euro aid package, which will be funded in part from government pension reserves, to the tune of 17.5 billion Euros.
That's how it's going to play out here in America, too, folks. All you people thinking you're going to get a nice pension check every month better start learning the new math. Cut that check in half by 2015, if you're lucky. As for Social Security, the Ponzi scheme of the past century, one would be well-advised to not count on that at all.
There is no reason to even bother examining a stock's recent performance, p/e ratio, cash flow, balance sheet or any other metric which might have some impact on earnings or performance because the stock market in the USA is now run by computers, and computers don't care about stocks, they only care about momentum, price and volume.
Add to that the fact that these computers are programmed by PhD's who don't know squat about markets, and even less about individual stocks. After that, add in near-infinite liquidity (free money) courtesy of the Federal Reserve's QE2 program and you have the makings for one very dysfunctional investment landscape.
Therefore, mere humans, especially those trading from the comforts of home, are at a distinct disadvantage. Only the major brokerages and banks are allowed to reap huge profits, not mere mortals who suffer from emotion and are terribly slow compared to the market-busting super-computers employed by the big firms and the HFTs.
Today was a perfect example of the dysfunction prevalent throughout the securities complex. In the morning, amid fears of growing problems in Europe on the back of the Ireland bank-bailout, stocks suffered enormous losses, with the Dow dipping by as many as 162 points shortly after 10:00 am. Of course, that was before the Fed floated some $9 billion to their pals on Wall Street to stage a comeback.
The day-trading slobs, like Lloyd Blanfien, CEO of Goldman Sachs, surely made a killing, as they do every day, manipulating the markets to their own delight and profit, all the while hammering the small investor and mutual fund managers at the margins.
Dow 11,052.49, -39.51 (0.36%)
NASDAQ 2,525.22, -9.34 (0.37%)
S&P 500 1,187.76, -1.64 (0.14%)
NYSE Composite 7,483.34, -17.20 (0.23%)
By the final bell, things were still in the red, though only slightly. Losers beat winners by a margin of 3645-2787; 155 issues made new highs, 85 recorded new lows. Volume was as usual: pathetic, but that's what you get when only computers are playing. Someday - and we can only hope it is soon - the computers will be forced to prey upon each other.
NASDAQ Volume 1,693,482,250
NYSE Volume 4,207,444,500
Oil priced itself another $1.87 higher, to $85.73 a barrel. Gold bounded all over the place, last showing a gain of $3.20, at $1367.40. Silver added 43 cents, to $27.13.
Just for those who think they've got it rough, here's a touching story about a family who blew $14 million in ten years. A great read, if you dislike people with money who are simply morons.
And, in the latest pandering PR move from the White House, President Obama called for a two-year wage freeze for civilian federal employees. The timing of this is particularly amusing, since federal wages reached an all-time high in 2010. The proposal needs congressional approval, so we'll see if the Tea Partiers recently elected to congress have any bite. It should be noted that some of them ran on platforms that called for cutting federal pay by 7-10%.
Good luck with that.
The final piece of sobering news is how governments will readily use public trust money to ensure than wealthy bondholders don't suffer any losses. The case in point is Ireland's 85 billion Euro aid package, which will be funded in part from government pension reserves, to the tune of 17.5 billion Euros.
That's how it's going to play out here in America, too, folks. All you people thinking you're going to get a nice pension check every month better start learning the new math. Cut that check in half by 2015, if you're lucky. As for Social Security, the Ponzi scheme of the past century, one would be well-advised to not count on that at all.
Label:
Ireland,
pensions,
President Obama,
Social Security
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
More Stumbling Along for Stocks as US Economy Slowly Crumbles
Anyone under the age of 60 as of this date (you'd have to be born on or after August 24, 1950) who believes that they'll be getting all of their promised Social Security benefits when they reach the age of 65... what's that? President Clinton and the Republican-led congress raised the retirement age to 67? Oh, that's right, I completely forgot that the government changes the rules as they go along...
So, where was I? Right. If you are under the age of 60 and actually believe that Social Security (already paying out more than it takes in) will pay you, beginning at age 67, what they say you're actually due, you need a reality check, not a government check. The federal government is technically insolvent, has been for years and the situation continues to worsen every day politicians dance around the issues of unfunded liabilities such as Social Security and Medicare. The future obligations of those two entitlements alone amount to something in the range of $53 to $85 trillion, completely dwarfing the more-readily recognized national debt, which itself is an abomination at over $12 trillion.
These debts and obligations are a large part of the problem causing individuals, businesses and investors to stop cold in their tracks when attempting to make buying decisions. The overburden of these debts, brought about by a congress - and a public that allowed it - which binged on debt and the former surpluses in the programs (at least in the case of Social Security) are just one issue facing the US economy. There are many others, but these are the big ones, and they will absolutely kill the US economy, the only question being when.
I don't purport to have an answer to that, though it would be prudent to not rely on any future income promised by the US government, and to a lesser degree, any state or municipality simply because the money just isn't there. Baby Boomers are heading directly into the Social Security pool and the burden on current earners will be unbearable unless remedies are found, and soon.
Unfortunately, nobody in Washington is willing to touch the issue until, at the very earliest, January of next year, when a new congress will be installed. Don't count on any meaningful reforms any time soon, however, as the candidates for federal offices - congressmen and senators - are not even as well-qualified as the ones currently holding office, and this bunch isn't very good at anything.
So, America continues to stumble through the worst recession since the 1930s a ship without a rudder, or a sail. We are just drifting along, nobody knowing exactly which direction we're going, when we'll arrive or what awaits us when we get there.
Consensus opinion is leaning toward believing that wherever we're going, the destination will be a bleak and desolate place, especially when we get economic data like that released by the NAR today, showing existing home sales falling to their lowest levels since the National Association of Realtors began tracking the numbers in 1999.
This kind of bleak economic picture is not welcome to investors of any stripe. People are scared, bordering on desperation from a housing and employment collapse which are symptoms of even bigger ills, debt and dwindling resources.
Dow 10,040.45, -133.96 (1.32%)
NASDAQ 2,123.76, -35.87 (1.66%)
S&P 500 1,051.87, -15.49 (1.45%)
NYSE Composite 6,681.03, -103.94 (1.53%)
Declining issues finished the session well ahead of advancers, 4439-1402. New lows shot past new highs, 416-190, marking a complete turnover in that indicator. Volume was a bit higher than previous slow sessions, though, on a down day, that has to be viewed as a negative.
NASDAQ Volume 1,885,569,250
NYSE Volume 4,631,528,500
Oil continued its relentless slide, which, during the month of August, is alarming. Crude usually improves price-wise during the summer, though this year has remained largely range-bound. Crude fell another $1.47, to $71.63 on the day.
Precious metals were the only safe haven. Gold gained 4.80, to $1,231.80, while silver ramped ahead by more than 2%, up 39 cents, to $18.37.
The litany of sour economic news continues apace, and though it would be welcome for a bit of good news on the economy, none seems forthcoming. The US and global economies are stumbling badly with no apparent end in sight.
So, where was I? Right. If you are under the age of 60 and actually believe that Social Security (already paying out more than it takes in) will pay you, beginning at age 67, what they say you're actually due, you need a reality check, not a government check. The federal government is technically insolvent, has been for years and the situation continues to worsen every day politicians dance around the issues of unfunded liabilities such as Social Security and Medicare. The future obligations of those two entitlements alone amount to something in the range of $53 to $85 trillion, completely dwarfing the more-readily recognized national debt, which itself is an abomination at over $12 trillion.
These debts and obligations are a large part of the problem causing individuals, businesses and investors to stop cold in their tracks when attempting to make buying decisions. The overburden of these debts, brought about by a congress - and a public that allowed it - which binged on debt and the former surpluses in the programs (at least in the case of Social Security) are just one issue facing the US economy. There are many others, but these are the big ones, and they will absolutely kill the US economy, the only question being when.
I don't purport to have an answer to that, though it would be prudent to not rely on any future income promised by the US government, and to a lesser degree, any state or municipality simply because the money just isn't there. Baby Boomers are heading directly into the Social Security pool and the burden on current earners will be unbearable unless remedies are found, and soon.
Unfortunately, nobody in Washington is willing to touch the issue until, at the very earliest, January of next year, when a new congress will be installed. Don't count on any meaningful reforms any time soon, however, as the candidates for federal offices - congressmen and senators - are not even as well-qualified as the ones currently holding office, and this bunch isn't very good at anything.
So, America continues to stumble through the worst recession since the 1930s a ship without a rudder, or a sail. We are just drifting along, nobody knowing exactly which direction we're going, when we'll arrive or what awaits us when we get there.
Consensus opinion is leaning toward believing that wherever we're going, the destination will be a bleak and desolate place, especially when we get economic data like that released by the NAR today, showing existing home sales falling to their lowest levels since the National Association of Realtors began tracking the numbers in 1999.
This kind of bleak economic picture is not welcome to investors of any stripe. People are scared, bordering on desperation from a housing and employment collapse which are symptoms of even bigger ills, debt and dwindling resources.
Dow 10,040.45, -133.96 (1.32%)
NASDAQ 2,123.76, -35.87 (1.66%)
S&P 500 1,051.87, -15.49 (1.45%)
NYSE Composite 6,681.03, -103.94 (1.53%)
Declining issues finished the session well ahead of advancers, 4439-1402. New lows shot past new highs, 416-190, marking a complete turnover in that indicator. Volume was a bit higher than previous slow sessions, though, on a down day, that has to be viewed as a negative.
NASDAQ Volume 1,885,569,250
NYSE Volume 4,631,528,500
Oil continued its relentless slide, which, during the month of August, is alarming. Crude usually improves price-wise during the summer, though this year has remained largely range-bound. Crude fell another $1.47, to $71.63 on the day.
Precious metals were the only safe haven. Gold gained 4.80, to $1,231.80, while silver ramped ahead by more than 2%, up 39 cents, to $18.37.
The litany of sour economic news continues apace, and though it would be welcome for a bit of good news on the economy, none seems forthcoming. The US and global economies are stumbling badly with no apparent end in sight.
Label:
debt,
existing home sales,
Social Security,
Volume
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