Stocks are irrationally exuberant again this morning after soaring in the overnight session as tensions at the Capitol subside, and Biden is (finally) declared the victor of the election. Is anyone surprised to see another gap up this morning? I'm certainly not, but I do suspect that as we approach the top of the white channel around 378, which is an arms length away from the ATH, we'll see some heavy selling from smart money, who have not participated in the market rally since November. Don't forget that much of the rally coincided with a stark rise in M1, which rolled over into December's price action. Now that the very last few dollars of American's savings have been invested/spent, the only buyers left are corporations and the central banks.
I'm not sure if you guys follow the global bond market, but approx. $13 Trillion is about to mature, which could lead to a cascade of defaults across bond markets. We're already seeing a spike in the risk free rate above 1% for the first time since March, which is only going to exacerbate the issue as CTA's begin to sell, and they may even potentially go short if yields continue to rise. According to a recent report by Morgan Stanley, if the 10Y yield rises another 1%, (from 1% to 2%), this could have a direct impact on market valuations (up to a 22% drop in multiples {PE} on the Nasdaq in particular). In other words, the 10Y yield could be signaling to investors, that an imminent market crash is coming. Having said that, we all have to be prepared for the fact that the FED might step in, like they always do, and change the rules of the game.
In the jobs market, we saw another 790k American's file for unemployment benefits for the first time last week, while continuing claims remain above 5MM. The moral of this story will be that misallocated capital does not fuel productivity in the real economy. It debases the currency, and hence the purchasing power of the working class, while only the asset owning class benefits from the induced inflation-like consequences. Interestingly, the velocity of money is little affected by the current monetary debasement regime. If we were to focus on debt levels, for example, we'll immediately free up productive capital, and increase the velocity of money, leading to (actual) inflation, by the FED's metrics. But hey, what do I know, I'm just a trader.
Thanks for your time today guys. If you enjoyed the analysis, please hit the Like button and subscribe to our profile. The information and analysis shared in this post is not financial advice. Always conduct your own analysis and research. Cheers, Michael.