Mystified by the fact that futures ramped higher overnight even though VIX is up over 6%? 
It’s all in a day’s work for the algos, especially on the eve of a critical Fed decision in an OPEX week at the end of the year when the S&P 500 is facing a bearish 10/20 cross.
The point, of course, is to prevent that 10/20 cross which (as the futures demonstrate) is child’s play.
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Futures are again backtesting the 200-day moving average as we approach the open.
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Powell’s speech will take on added importance following the release of this morning’s hotter than expected Q3 GDP print on the heels of a big ADP miss.
Futures are flat after completing the backtest of the trend line from October we had been expecting.
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Futures are flat following yesterday’s sharp selloff credited to the economic slowdown in China and hawkish Fedspeak. SPX closed below its 10-day moving average for the first time in 3 weeks, but is clinging to an important Fib level.
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Japan’s inflation hit a 40-year high in October, driven by a policy of placing stock market gains above all else.
When Japan first adopted negative interest rates, the argument was that it would help end the country’s deflationary spiral and return inflation to a 2% goal. Now that inflation is nearly twice as high as the goal, one might expect rates to move at least a little higher.
Although the BoJ has allowed the 10Y to rise to 0.24%…
…they have held short-term rates at -0.1% since 2016.
The BoJ’s utter lack of candor is nothing new. Forget about FTX. Japan’s markets are the biggest Ponzi scheme on Earth. Since the Fukushima disaster in 2011, Japan’s stock market has been driven principally by the yen carry trade which relies on an ever-cheaper yen to attract capital into the stock market.
The obvious limit to this scheme is that as the yen depreciates, imports become more expensive. And, since Japan imports all of its oil and most of its food, it was simply a matter of time before inflation bit Japan in the お尻.
Luckily for Japan, they have no bond market per se. The entirety of Japan’s borrowings are purchased by the BoJ. This monetization of debt has gone on for years without repercussions – until now.
The Nikkei was locked in a falling price channel between Feb 2021 and Mar 2022, when the decline finally reached -20.7%. At that point, it was less than 1% away from its pre-pandemic highs of 24,140.
It was no coincidence, then, that USDJPY picked that specific moment to break above both the midline of a channel and a trend line at least 50 years old.
Subsequent rises in the USDJPY (declines in the yen) have acted to lift NKD above its SMA200 and out of its falling channel. Everything’s going great – unless you consider rising taxes and plunging consumer confidence problematic.
Come to think of it, the US faces similar problems.
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In other news, VIX has sent the all-clear to algos to rally at least a little further – this being OPEX and all.
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Economic data came in as expected except for Philly Fed – a huge miss at -19.4 versus -5.0 consensus and -8.7 prior. But, it was the former dove turned chief hawk Jim Bullard who decided enough is enough, suggesting rates could reach as high as 7% before inflation is tamed. Futures were not amused.
It’s almost inconceivable that ES/SPX won’t tag their SMA200 or channel tops this time. But, even though OPEX is tomorrow, it’s looking that way at the moment.
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The market is essentially unchanged from yesterday, with VIX in a position to make or break this rally unless the FOMC delivers a significant surprise.
We’ve seen this movie before: a sharp rally into a Fed meeting or CPI report that wipes out the put buyers and positions the market for a drop from a higher price level once the disappointing news is delivered.
There is widespread expectation of a 75 bps hike, but less agreement about whether the FOMC will be as dovish as the market’s latest rally would suggest.
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In yet another reminder of their sway over the markets, the algos have brought stocks to the brink of a breakout by putting VIX at the brink of another breakdown.
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The thinking goes like this: a strong jobs report is bearish for stocks because it might delay the Fed’s eventual pivot; while, a weak report would be bullish because it might accelerate the Fed’s pivot.
The futures are on the fence, but not for long.
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If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, is the friend of my enemy my enemy? The relationship between the US and the Saudis has been through plenty of ups and downs, but it’s been years since it was as fraught as it is now.
The West is trying to put the screws to Russia, which in turn is trying to put the screws to the eurozone by enlisting the help of the Saudis, who are arguably US allies… Around and around it goes, with a decision due out later today that might spell a 2MM bpd (about 2%) cut in production.
Will it be enough to revive the correlation between oil/gas prices and interest rates? ES is positioned to at least backtest its SMA10.
Stay tuned.
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