What We're Reading

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the world has seen its population and the need for natural resources boom.

As more people and wealth translate into the demand for global goods, the prices of commodities—such as energy, agriculture, livestock, and metals—have often followed in sync.

This cycle, which tends to coincide with extended periods of industrialization and modernization, helps in telling a story of human development.

Why are Commodity Prices Cyclical?

Commodity prices go through extended periods during which prices are well above or below their long-term price trend. There are two types of swings in commodity prices: upswings and downswings.

Many economists believe that the upswing phase in super cycles results from a lag between unexpected, persistent, and positive trends to support commodity demand with slow-moving supply, such as the building of a new mine or planting a new crop. Eventually, as adequate supply becomes available and demand growth slows, the

The latest market selloff can be blamed on any number of things.  China slowdown or a possible hard landing in China, basic profit taking after a six-year run, declining earnings, no further QE in the US, a uptick in rates in the US, weak US economy, commodity (including crude oil) collapse, weakening of 'risk' currencies due to the commodity selloff, disappearance of buybacks, dividends being lowered, strong US dollar pressuring balance sheets, bear markets in pc sales, rail fees,.........the list goes on and on.  Bottom line: we need something solid to rally on and I fear any earnings pops will be given back.  Netflix will be a good example tomorrow after the close.  We simply cannot justify going higher without a catalyst.

The Wall Street Journal reminds us that this is not 2008 redux but just 'where' we bottom is open to speculation.  So I'll just sit back with my hedges and wait it out.  Here I'll note a few things I haven't seen plastered across the internet. 

Although the mont

Investors may wade into unknown territory next month as the Federal Reserve readies the first rate hike in nearly a decade amid a corporate earnings recession.

S&P 500 earnings are on track to close their first reporting season of negative growth since the Great Recession and estimates call for sub-zero growth in the current quarter as well.

Even if the trend reverses next year, as expected, a Fed rate hike in December could mark an unprecedented conflict between a tightening cycle starting at the same time as earnings fall into recession.

"We can't think of any instances when the Fed was hiking during an (earnings) recession," said Joseph Zidle, portfolio strategist at Richard Bernstein Advisors in New York.

"In the last six months one can point at a lot of different things. But if you think about fundamentals, falling corporate profits and the threat of rising rates" are behind the market stalling, Zidle said.

With more than 90 percent of S&P 500 components having reported, S&P 500 e

I'm continually saving charts and data points which I find interesting but generally don't post enough to share the data.  That being said, I thought "wth" and decided to share some of my most recent.  Perhaps you can find a few of interest or maybe you can translate one into a trade.  It certainly can't hurt.  Your comments would be of interest and will be answered.  Happy trading.

Online shoppers by income group.  It certainly seems Amazon benefits by middle income buyers.  Possibly they just don't have the 'time' to shop in a store, working 60+ hours a week and balancing soccer games, football, cheerleading practice, dinner, laundry, etc.

Jet[dot]com is now selling some items at a loss to gain marketshare from Amazon

We've had numerous talks in Chat over coal usage (is clean coal an oxymoron or what?) and this certainly backs up the belief that natural gas continues to be embraced.

Then we have a look at Bear markets of 20% or more.The average # of months caught my eye. 

The chart above is the Bloomberg Commodity Index. It consists of baskets of common commodities, including energy, metals, foodstuffs, softs and precious metals.

After a fairly flat period in the 1990s, the index leapt upward beginning in the early 2000s. The context explains the jump: High inflation, weak dollar and low interest rates. From 2001 to 2007, the dollar lost 41 percent of its value, and all commodities priced in dollars skyrocketed. At the same time, China began a huge expansion of its infrastructure, transportation, housing and manufacturing sectors. The BCOM index moved from around 90 to almost 240.

You know the rest of the story: Inflation is nowhere to be found, and the Federal Open Market Committee is concerned about deflation. The dollar is at multiyear highs against just about any other currency. Commodity prices have suffered as a result.

Oil prices have been cut almost in half compared with a year ago, to $45 from $87. They are down more than 60 percent from the pe

According to Ashraf Laidi:  The following sobering analysis on the S&P500 reinforces our expectations that recent record highs in US equity indices will not be revisited before at least six weeks.

A decline of at least 10% is expected to follow.

-        Last week’s 3.6% decline in the S&P500 single-handedly erased all of the prior seven weeks’ consecutive gains.

The last time the S&P500 erased at least three weeks’ of consecutive gains was the week after the October 2007 record. Stocks fell more than 50% thereafter and took six years to regain that high.

-        And for an unprecedented finding, last week’s S&P5 500 decline took place after SEVEN weekly consecutive gains, which had NEVER been seen before in the index.

Seven consecutive weekly gains have occurred in the past (Aug-Jul 1989, Aug-Sep 1993, Apr-May 1997, Feb-Mar 1998, Dec 2003-Jan 2004, Apr-May 2007, Mar-Apr 2009, Dec 2010-Jan 2011, Jan-Feb 2013), but never in any of those cases has the streak-breaking week fallen by more

You'll hear "reverting to the mean" or "mean reversion" bandied about occasionally however not on a daily basis......unless you're watching gold's long sell off since it's explosion to the upside.  According to Investopedia, mean reversion is:

A theory suggesting that prices and returns eventually move back towards the mean or average. This mean or average can be the historical average of the price or return or another relevant average such as the growth in the economy or the average return of an industry.

Case in point is my theory that commodities are/have been doing just that.  Click on this long term chart of the CRB Index for a better view.

After decades trading in a wide range, commodities took off as the dotcom bubble broke in 2000.  Money had to go somewhere, didn't it?

But with a weak economy worldwide and no shortage of supply in grains or crude oil, just how low commodities will go is anyone's call at this juncture.

Oil production in North America is booming, crude oil today hitting new 4-year lows, and it is now beginning to have a huge impact on global hydrocarbon markets. In fact, some believe that the U.S. will eventually overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world’s biggest producer of the key commodity, with some calling for the surge to happen by the end of the decade and OPEC is left if in a precarious situation.  If they cut production, prices may rise but they also risk losing customers to another provider (the U.S. or Russia).  If they do not cut production, prices will likely continue to fall due to excess capacity worldwide. 

This push towards energy self-sufficiency is largely thanks to the combination of fracking and oil shale, as previously unobtainable supplies are now being unlocked with relative ease. The amounts are so impressive that the International Energy Agency last year declared the production surge as a ‘supply shock’ that is causing ‘ripple effects through all aspect

Ah, 1978 and U.S. airline deregulation.  What a thing of beauty.  Suddenly there seemed to be a new airline popping up each year, all vying for a piece of the pie in the sky.  Then how to drum up business.  Remember the days of airfare wars?   A new start-up would lower prices to attract business and the big  boys , no longer with the luxury of their monopoly, had no choice but to follow suit as their passenger counts fell in step. 

The consumer was obviously elated!  Even those who previously couldn't afford to visit Grandma in Boca, were suddenly able to take to the skies; kiddies and all.   

Those were the clear benefits of deregulation and the consumer loved it - but corporate profits did not.

Then came the rise of jet fuel.  Did the government intervene to stop it?  If they did, it was too little too late.  (click chart to enlarge)  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to imagine what that did to profits and prices.

Oddly enough with dramatically less demand, fuel prices haven't

Just too much good research to let it disappear. Get a cup of coffee, take the phone off the receiver and snuggle up. Reprinted from one of my favs SlopeofHope

SEPTEMBER UPDATE

Overall, we are seeing divergent data coming through as usual, so we'll have to wait and see where we fall. In general, I tend to believe the longer term theme that I've laid out that our economic situation for consumers is slowly grinding to a halt while big business is taking full advantage of the globalization of the world economy and managing to keep busy. I think this is why some of this data remains stubbornly positive despite what the average guy is feeling here in the US. The fact that large multi-nationals are diverse enough to show gains abroad is great and is really beneficial to the US economy, if we didn't have that, I think we'd be in a much worse position.

TOTAL RAIL TRAFFIC - http://railfax.transmatch.com/

Rail traffic can reversed its season decline and all carriers have resumed their forward