Federal Reserve

Will The Last Bear Please Turn Out The Lights

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Will The Last Bear Please Turn Out The Lights

When BlackRock CEO Larry Fink grumbled about “way too much optimism” in the markets, he wasn’t kidding. An entire mindset is benchmarking today’s record metrics against the splendor of 2000 and 2007: not to warn, but to prove that this time it won’t end in tears.

What Caused The Glorious Jump In Household Wealth (In One Insanely Good Chart) And Who Will Blow It Up Again?

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on What Caused The Glorious Jump In Household Wealth (In One Insanely Good Chart) And Who Will Blow It Up Again?

The stock market has soared for five years, risks have ballooned, home prices have jumped. Gains built on the quicksand of endless liquidity and a lackluster economy. “Irrational exuberance” is back in the Fed’s vocabulary. As the Fed’s Fisher said, it may end “in tears.”

NASDAQ 10,000 – Or Something

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on NASDAQ 10,000 – Or Something

“Paranormal liquidity stimulus” leads to “paranormal activity” to deliver that “parabolic overshoot” in asset prices. And there is no bubble in sight, not even in the Nasdaq Biotech index, which is up a cool 375%. Money is once again growing on trees.

Small Investors Exuberant, Margin Debt And Risk Of Crash Soar

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Small Investors Exuberant, Margin Debt And Risk Of Crash Soar

Small investors are having fun in the stock market again, after years of sitting out the most phenomenal rally. They’re leveraging up their portfolios. Margin debt is spiking beautifully. Alas, spiking margin debt has a nasty habit of ending in a crash. In one painful chart.

The Relentless, Systematic Tear-Down Of The Dollar Hegemony

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on The Relentless, Systematic Tear-Down Of The Dollar Hegemony

How long before the dollar surrenders its status as world reserve currency and number-one payment currency to the Chinese yuan and to that other currency everyone loathes?

California Housing Bubble: Now Even Teachers Can No Longer Afford To Buy A Home

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on California Housing Bubble: Now Even Teachers Can No Longer Afford To Buy A Home

Teachers are a symbol of the middle class. In California, they earn on average $69,300 annually, fifth highest in the country. Not exactly a pittance. But it is a ludicrous pittance if they’re trying to buy a home.

Without Them, The Housing ‘Recovery’ Remains A Sham

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Without Them, The Housing ‘Recovery’ Remains A Sham

First-time buyers, a powerful economic energy, create real demand and make the housing market grow. We’ve been praying for their arrival like we’ve been praying for rain in parched California. But the more we pray, the fewer there are.

Housing Bubble II: What’s Ruining Home Sales? Not The Weather!

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Housing Bubble II: What’s Ruining Home Sales? Not The Weather!

OK, I get it. Life-threatening cold temperatures, polar vortices, and snow mayhem can put a damper on home construction, mortgage applications, first-time buyers, and home-builder confidence. But they also plunged on the West Coast where the weather was gorgeous.

Fed Lying About QE, Media Not Paying Attention

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Fed Lying About QE, Media Not Paying Attention

Since the introduction of QE 3, honest-looking Fed chairman Bernanke told the Wall-Street media circus after each FOMC meeting that the money-printing binge in the coming month would expand the Fed’s balance sheet by $85 billion. A fact cited worldwide. And a big lie.

Stinking Corporate Revenues, Desperately Doctored Earnings-Per-Share

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Stinking Corporate Revenues, Desperately Doctored Earnings-Per-Share

Last quarter was tough on large US corporations – those in the S&P 500 index. Unperturbed, the index soared all year. But its 343 companies that have reported so far have exposed the ugly underbelly of the worldwide economy: revenue “growth.”