Bulls Corner

'All Clear!' ??

Since the conclusion to the abysmal 2022, during which the Fed again demonstrated (in our view) that their 'markets' can rise only when rates are cheap and new money is being printed (devaluing your existing dollars), markets have rebounded nicely. 

Songs of the 'pivot' were pushed non-stop in Q1, oversold stocks were boosted hand over fist, Fed-heads chortled about 'soft landings' and no recession at all, and the big cap indices reached YTD highs in July (albeit on the backs of primarily only 7 stocks while the other 493 in the S&P 500 index returned net 0%).   Following, and nonetheless, find some articles that made and are still making just that Bull Market case!:

September Retail Sales Surprisingly Strong - CNBC

Two More Bullish Signals! - Carson Group's Ryan Detrick

New Home Sales Surge in April on Slashed Prices - ZeroHedge

Data Suggests Economy Just Fine - Carson Group

Bullishness Remains Missing - A Good Thing -  Real Investment Advice

Relief Rally? - Lance Roberts

Fed 'Dove' Brainhard to Chief Economist - ZeroHedge

Gasoline Demand on Rise Again - Oilprice.com

Consumer Spending Increases -  Bank of America

Bear's Corner

'Not Out of the Woods Yet'

The list of headwinds is too large to cover in depth:  BRICs threatening the USD, WW3 percolating in Ukraine and now Israel, Inflation Crushing the Middle Class, 8% Mortgages, Jobs Cuts, and a push towards Central Bank Digitial Currency  ... to just name a few. 

The Fed's theater plays with rate-hikes and 'quantitative tightening', while former Fed-head (now Treasury Secretary) pumps money into markets in yet another clandestine backdoor bank bailout ... all to offset the destruction of bank balance sheets caused by the Fed's policy itself. Under the guise of protecting Americans from a collapse of the banking system, and a Debt-Ceiling default, the lid has been removed from what was left of monetary constraint.  

Consumer spending rose in Q2, yes, but credit card balances (at shocking interest rates) have soared while savings have been pounded.   

LOTS of concerns exist if you look away from Wall Street TV ...

Writing On Wall for China Crash - Epoch Times

Auto Loan Panic Begins - Zerohedge

Crisis Playing Out Under Radar - Schiff Gold


Strategists Sound Alarm on Weaker Profit Outlook - Zerohedge

Geopolitical Risks May Kick Off Credit Crisis - Daniel Lacalle

Signs of Shipping Recession - Zerohedge

New York Federal Reserve Reports Surge in Credit Application Rejections - Epoch Times

World's Largest Chipmaker Slashes Guidance As AI Boom Fails To Deliver
- ZeroHedge

How Corruption Makes You Poorer #BananaRepublic - Economic Prism

Loss of Faith in Institutions? Election Rigging #BananaRepublic - Zerohedge.com

Fed Mess of Its Own Making -  mises.org

Fed-Trained Investors Beg for Bail-Out (Again) - Cnbc.com