Saturday, June 20, 2020

Dear Junkies Addicted to Fed Smack: The Monkey on Your Back Is Now a Gorilla

You thought that monkey on your back was light as a feather, but now it transmogrified overnight into a crushing gorilla.
Dear junkies addicted to the Federal Reserve's free-money smack: like all addicts, you firmly believe you're not addicted. Never mind those tracks, you can stop any time. Yeah, sure, but we all know you're going to buy the dip and max out your margin account because the craving cannot be denied.
Speaking of denial: you don't realize you're the dealers' chumps, the bagholders who bought at the top who the dealers are counting on to cling on to the bitter end because those Fed speedballs have inspired a euphoric faith in your god-like trading powers.
Here's how it ends, figuratively speaking: you'll wake up inside your Mercedes in a god-forsaken patch of urban wreckage, all the doors will be locked and you won't remember even leaving the party, much less how you got here.
You'll compulsively check your account and find that your margin call exceeds the value of your entire portfolio because the bottom dropped out while you were in a Fed-smack-induced haze, dreaming of prancing unicorns and angels dancing in the head of a pin.
Only now will you understand you were not a trading genius who would get out at the top, no problem, but a bagholder, played perfectly by the big dealers who sold to you. Now you're wiped out because you don't have enough cash to cover the margin call that's left after your portfolio was liquidated.
You thought that monkey on your back was light as a feather, but now it transmogrified overnight into a crushing gorilla. The dealers who you thought were your pals at the party made sure you wouldn't be around to cause a scene when you found you could no longer count on the Fed's baggies of the good stuff.
While you gird yourself for the agonies of cold turkey, consider Exhibit 1, the Fed'a balance sheet in February 2020:
2/5/20 $4.166 Trillion
2/12/20 $4.182 Trillion
2/19/20 $4.171 Trillion
Notice anything about the Fed's supply of free-money smack? It dried up. But all the junkies didn't notice because they were so sure that the Fed's supply of junk was infinite.
A funny thing happened on February 19--the market topped out and crashed the following week. Now look at this month's supply of Fed smack:
6/3/20 $7.165 Trillion
6/10/20 $7.168 Trillion
6/17/20 $7.094 Trillion
Umm, notice any similarity?
Fed junkies know one thing: the only thing that matters is the Fed's junk. Real economy: doesn't matter. Corporate sales: doesn't matter. Corporate profits: doesn't matter. Tax receipts: doesn't matter. Household income: doesn't matter.
The only thing that matters is the Fed is supplying baggies of the good stuff. Spoken like a true junkie, my friend, but once the high wears off consider what the Fed can't do:
1. It can't reverse the unprecedented wealth inequality its policies have pushed to the point of social disintegration and breakdown.
2. It can't make people take on the risks and heartaches of starting new businesses.
3. It can't force employers to hire more employees.
4. It can't make unprofitable businesses profitable.
5. It can't force people to buy assets at prices that no longer make financial sense.
6. It can't make insolvent businesses and local governments solvent.
7. It can't force people who now realize their priority is to save money to spend their cash, even if the Fed forces negative interest rates.
8. It can't lower the unaffordable cost structure of the entire economy.
9. It can't de-link all the financial dependencies in the financial system that make it so vulnerable to the first domino falling.
10. It can't stop people from selling their assets.
In summary, The Fed can't stop the unwinding of an unsustainable bubble of epic proportions. We are entering The Greatest Depression because Fed smack has zero effect on the real world; its only effect is to increase the delusion that asset bubbles are all that matters.
Also recall that the Deep State is not going to allow Jay Powell to re-elect Donald Trump with a stock market rally. From the point of view of the inner circle of the Deep State, the market collapse in March was simply a test to confirm what happens when the free-money smack is withdrawn. The test was a success and now the real crash can begin. Only this time it won't last three weeks. It will last all the way through October because, well, you know why: Deep State to Powell: Stop Goosing Stocks Higher Or You'll Re-Elect Trump (June 9, 2020)
Recent Podcasts:
My COVID-19 Pandemic Posts


My recent books:
Money and Work Unchained $6.95 (Kindle), $15 (print) Read the first section for free (PDF).


If you found value in this content, please join me in seeking solutions by becoming a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com.

NOTE: Contributions/subscriptions are acknowledged in the order received. Your name and email remain confidential and will not be given to any other individual, company or agency.
Thank you, Rolf V. ($50), for your terrifically generous contribution to this site -- I am greatly honored by your support and readership.
Thank you, Jayne I. ($50), for your magnificently generous contribution to this site -- I am greatly honored by your support and readership.

Terms of Service

All content on this blog is provided by Trewe LLC for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.


Our Privacy Policy:


Correspondents' email is strictly confidential. This site does not collect digital data from visitors or distribute cookies. Advertisements served by a third-party advertising network (Investing Channel) may use cookies or collect information from visitors for the purpose of Interest-Based Advertising; if you wish to opt out of Interest-Based Advertising, please go to Opt out of interest-based advertising (The Network Advertising Initiative). If you have other privacy concerns relating to advertisements, please contact advertisers directly. Websites and blog links on the site's blog roll are posted at my discretion.


PRIVACY NOTICE FOR EEA INDIVIDUALS


This section covers disclosures on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users residing within EEA only. GDPR replaces the existing Directive 95/46/ec, and aims at harmonizing data protection laws in the EU that are fit for purpose in the digital age. The primary objective of the GDPR is to give citizens back control of their personal data. Please follow the link below to access InvestingChannel’s General Data Protection Notice. https://stg.media.investingchannel.com/gdpr-notice/


Notice of Compliance with The California Consumer Protection Act
This site does not collect digital data from visitors or distribute cookies. Advertisements served by a third-party advertising network (Investing Channel) may use cookies or collect information from visitors for the purpose of Interest-Based Advertising. If you do not want any personal information that may be collected by third-party advertising to be sold, please follow the instructions on this page: Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information.


Regarding Cookies:


This site does not collect digital data from visitors or distribute cookies. Advertisements served by third-party advertising networks such as Investing Channel may use cookies or collect information from visitors for the purpose of Interest-Based Advertising; if you wish to opt out of Interest-Based Advertising, please go to Opt out of interest-based advertising (The Network Advertising Initiative) If you have other privacy concerns relating to advertisements, please contact advertisers directly.


Our Commission Policy:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn a commission on purchases of precious metals via BullionVault. I receive no fees or compensation for any other non-advertising links or content posted on my site.

  © Blogger templates Newspaper III by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP