Thursday, October 14, 2010

Market comments for Oct. 14th, 2010

Data released this morning shows that Initial Jobless Claims were higher at 462,000. Expectations were of 450,000. Last week the numbers reported were only 450,000, so this spike is in the wrong direction. However, as usual, they adjusted the prior week's data up from 445,000 to 449,000. Continuing Claims came in at 4.399 Million vs 4.511 Million the prior week. But the 4 week moving average is up to 459,000. When you really think about it, Americans are losing jobs to the tune of greater than 450,000 a week and have been doing so for a very long time! How sad for American workers and their families. This is not a good report for President Obama going into the elections in a few weeks.

On another note, the PPI came in at +0.4%. This was the same data as reported for August. The Core PPI, year over year increase, is up only 1.6%. The Trade deficit came in at -$46 Billion versus -$43 Billion last month. Expectations were for improvement to being down to -$40 Billion, so this too was in the wrong direction. With China's currency resisting world pressure to appreciate because they have an unfair advantage I believe they will continue to defy the world and will keep their currency as low as they can. Why not, they are in the drivers seat and they know it. Even if the whole world dropped their currencies they couldn't get it low enough to match where China's currency is because their population works for under a $1 a day. We just can't compete with them nor can anyone else.

Foreclosures reached a record 100,000 last month, and the background story, which emerged a week ago, was that an investigation of Banks and their foreclosure process is being conducted. Bank of America had stopped all foreclosure processes in 50 States pending an investigation by them.

Futures are close to unchanged or slightly lower after the release of the data.

It is now clear that with the sizable debt this country has, that the way we are dealing with it is to devalue our currency so that the value is half of what it was so we can pay the debt off in cheaper dollars to China, who holds our debt, as does Japan. That is why Japan is trying to lower its currency as well so they get paid eventually relatively equivalent dollars and why China will not inflate its currency. The major world powers are in a Currency war right now. This game is going to end very badly as wealth is being transfered out of the United States.

But we are all happy now because the stock market appears to be rising, right?! How naive the American public is. That is the price we all pay for a poor education of our kids who someday grow up and are fooled by the talking heads in Washington and vote against one's own personal interest.. Education is the one answer to get this country back on track and we haven't even begun to get serious about improving education yet. That is why we get the Government we deserve.

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2 Comments:

Blogger Vic Cebollero said...

Are you on Facebook? ... Thanks Vic

4:34 AM  
Blogger Charles Amico said...

Yes Vic, I am. But I don't post that here. I do post on Facebook occasionally when I have a post I want more to read. You canuse my email address to invite me and I will add you as a friend.

6:49 AM  

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