The media’s trade war hype continues to stretch the limits of hysteria. And since it’s headlines (not numbers) that drive Wall Streets machine trading, markets react negatively, just like the headlines tell them to.
Few if any of the Ireland’s homeless citizens receive the cleaning services, free clothes laundry facilities, and ironing boards given to foreign asylum seekers.
Recent news reports from the Emerald Isle predict that the small County Clare village of Lisdoonvarna – population 300 - could soon be overwhelmed by a government-forced resettlement of 115 “asylum seekers” from various countries in Africa.
The stock market carnage extended to nearly all stocks on the major exchanges, as traders and investors indulged in an absolute Trade War Freakout.
Euro jumps, U.S. stock futures soar as traders and investors breathe a preliminary sigh of relief. But trading in stocks and bonds will likely be volatile for the next two weeks.
Wednesday’s massive stock market rally continued Thursday, as Trump-centric industries went on a tear. But today, Veterans Day, stocks seem to be taking a break.
WASHINGTON, July 17, 2015 – For once, the Maven has little to say today. After a pretty decent rally week, Friday’s stock trading action is sloppy and listless. One gets the sense that both investors and traders are ready to take an early weekend today after last weekend’s battering over Grexit fears and this week’s ...
WASHINGTON, July 13, 2015 – The Maven has just returned from a fun weekend in scenic Shepherdstown, West Virginia. There, in that quaint colonial university town, he and his alter-ego (along with Mrs. Maven) traveled Friday evening to review the kickoff weekend of the 25th annual Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) of new American plays. ...
WASHINGTON, July 7, 2015 – We’re facing a real harmonic convergence of bad stuff on Wall Street this morning, as traders and institutions continue to bail out of or short stocks against a rising tide of bad and/or uncertain news. Let us count the ways. Or better yet, let’s take a quick look at the ...
WASHINGTON, July 6, 2015 – Late Sunday morning, news hit the wires that controversial Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis had resigned from the Communist government of Alexis Tsipras. Wall Street stock futures, which had been down over 200 points, rebounded a bit at the news, although the Dow Jones Industrials futures remain off 150 points ...
WASHINGTON, July 5, 2015 – By an apparent 20 percent margin, Greek citizens voted “no,” in support of their Communist-led government’s intransigent position against the Eurozone’s current bailout deal, virtually guaranteeing that some kind of Greek exit from the Eurozone will take place. Sadly, the only thing Greek voters had to choose today was the ...
WASHINGTON, June 29, 2015 – The chaos caused by the intransigence of Greece’s Communist-led government boiled over this weekend after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced a snap July 5 referendum in his country on Sunday to determine whether Greek voters would support or turn down the latest iteration of bailout and austerity measures offered ...
WASHINGTON, June 27, 2015 – In “shocking” news that is no shock to the Maven, “talks fell apart between the Greek government and its creditors, and European officials said Athens’ bailout program will expire on Tuesday,” according to news just posted on CNBC. The cause of this latest bit of Greek-Euro mayhem was obvious: Greek ...
WASHINGTON, June 21, 2015—It’s time for one of the Maven’s summer getaways this week, as he heads down to Virginia’s Colonial Williamsburg to carouse with some longtime friends down in the Commonwealth’s Tidewater area. Weather looks to be steamy hot and a little stormy. Which potentially could also describe what this week’s market action, as ...
WASHINGTON, June 19, 2015 – Instead of seriously negotiating 24/7 with the EuroChiefs Friday, Greece’s Communist PM Alexis Tsipras is away from Athens, having hitched a ride north where he’s cavorting with fellow traveler Vladimir Putin in Moscow to talk about… what? Is the crappy, sputtering Soviet Russian economic engine about to bail out Greece’s ...
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2015 – Today, at least so far, is a terrible way to end this trading week. Stocks in all sectors are jumping off the cliff like lemmings, big time. Averages are down some 1 percent, and we could be witnessing the early start of this year’s “Sell in May” party. The Eurozone ...
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2015 – Relatively short, relatively pithy comments today, on a Monday that appears to be experiencing a modified, limited hangout version of irrational exuberance. As we learned last week, interest rates aren’t going up until they do. The dollar is going up against the euro until it isn’t. Oil prices are going ...
Yellen’s Q&A this morning may give us further insight into the Fed’s intent.
WASHINGTON, January 15, 2015 – As of noon EST Thursday, U.S. stock markets—already staggering from two days of wildly negative action—were smacked again right out of the blue, courtesy of the Swiss central bank. After spending considerable time and attention to defending the Swiss franc (Sfr) and Swiss business against turmoil in the Eurozone by ...
WASHINGTON, October 9, 2014 – After Mr. Market rallied big time Wednesday afternoon, making the Maven’s previous, depressing column look almost foolish, the bears seem to be out in force Thursday, having taken back about half of yesterday’s surprising gains as of 11:00 a.m. EDT. (UPDATE: As of 11:45 a.m. EDT markets have taken back ...