fleeing omega

Bounce, Crackle and Pop: Seven U.S. Metro Housing Markets Fall Below March Lows

agreed, those are some ghastly looking charts.
when i was in las vegas last december, the papers were happily calling the bottom in the housing market. looking at the chart for vegas there is NO evidence that there was even a hint of a shelf at the end of 2008. shows you how full of gas such pronouncements typically are.

meanwhile, option arms are coming on board and anyone that can read vacancy signs can see that commercial real estate is falling apart in a big way.

oh baby

Market Destruction: Mass Media Finally Catching On?

Karl,
Great article, I loved reading it. You really know how to hit the nail on the head. Keep 'em coming!

The Fed's 'Extended Period' - How Long Is Long?

@Matt,
I agree that Treasury sales are a weak link in the ZIRP game plan but don't you think the Fed has a plan for soaking up more bonds to increase overall demand rather than bumping prime rate, for the reasons stated?
Look at Japan, they played the ZIRP game before us and seem to really be stuck. Raise interest rates and the can balloons so much even the gov't can't kick it...

Who Is the Mystery Buyer?

All I know is that in so doing they convinced me not to put my money on their table.

Divining the Next Crisis: All Eyes on the Dollar

strutzma

I was thinking along those lines, ie, why would the Fed stop sucking up Treasury bonds if they know the non-Fed demand just isn't going to be there? They aren't going to pull the plug on these bonds when they are one of the largest holders!
Possible answer: because they need to prop up demand while being seen as "not" buying anymore.
Maybe they have in place a substitute "source" of demand to basically launder the bonds that they are buying?

The Fed: Backed into a Corner?

"Hence they have to give a "wink wink nudge nudge" to all the big players. Which they can't - that wouldn't be ethical and would hurt those not in the know."

umm, ...can't? What have we been witnessing the past year or more? e.g.:
"the problem is contained to subprime.."
"the banks have all passed the stress test"
"we stand behind the dollar"

Fed Kicks the Can Down the Road

Yep, and they will keep kicking it as long as the can still budges, you can bet on that.

But like the author says, at some point in the future something will spiral out of control and serve to set off a confligration. The higher the market and commodities go, the more pressure on the ill-fated dollar, on bonds, on foreign creditors and on gas at the pump.

FOMC Statement: English Translation

Should read:

We are doing everything in our power to debase the dollar, re-inflate the housing bubble, erode the status of our nation and give our buddies on Wall St carte blanche to gang rape the taxpayers (at taxpayers’ expense, of course).

Dollar Could Surprise in 2010

US "recovery" is not so much helped by the weak dollar is it IS the weak dollar, the whole thing provided by new gov't debt, the printing presses, and lot of pigs with lipstick grunting "hooray!".

So in my view, any tendency toward recovery will be strongly correlated with a falling dollar, whereas any dollar rally (a very real possibility) will result from renewed instability and systemic deflation (indicating that it is still early to go long the inflation trade).

Traders Intuition: Market Euphoria About to Come Crashing Down

Very entertaining read!
As for timing the drop, it is hard since the factors underlying the post March rally are not as quite as transparent as some would prefer to represent. As mentioned above, this included a huge load of money that went from bailouts straight into speculation on Wall St. Those same murky forces will likely have at least some say on when the momentum does a 180 for real. Of course there is the case of the one GS mouthpiece who months ago declared SnP at 1100 by years end and we did just clip that rung, so maybe that's why the markets are a bit skittish and fund managers have their finger on the sell trigger?
I think this is a tough call and pulled out a while back and am biding my time.

Check Out the Kitco Gold Index

Helpful chart to keep things in perspective. Gold is strong but dollar weakness is giving us the turbo effect this time around.

If market finally starts to correct it could (temporarily) boost the dollar and provide better entry point for PMs.

Why the Dollar Will Likely Rally in the Next Crash

If today's (Tuesday AM) retrograde price action is any indication, the reciprocal relationship of US market and USD is still in effect.

Biding My Time While Fundamentals Catch Up

Thanks for the info, I found the rolling rate of return chart both illuminating and reassuring since I am one of those bears who is keeping their powder dry..

Global Markets in Review: Risky Assets Disconnect from Fundamentals

govt is trashing the greenback as the major strategy for debt reduction but there are always unintended consequences.

falling dollar = rising oil = renewed demand destruction = down we go AGAIN

alternatively,
bump interest rates to save bucky = blow up real estate "recovery" = banks fail and govt dept soars = down we go AGAIN

The Three Types of Gold Buyers

I agree that VAT is a hideous disease. I lived in UK for a while and did work in Denmark. VAT drives up the price of everything and will really put a damp blanket on any economy.