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Macroliquidity™ – Buybacks- A Really Futile and Stupid Gesture

Treasury supply has surged to $400 billion in new debt in a single month, and the Treasury has announced it will AT LEAST DOUBLE its coupon buyback operations as Treasury yields threaten to break out while bond prices would concurrently crash. The buyback scheme is a panic signal that fails to account for the fact that it xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx beyond the insane xxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx must already bear.  

Gold Takes Constructive Breather, Intermediate Outlook Stays Bullis

Cycle and momentum indicators are in bullish configurations. The problem is that in bear markets such patterns typically fail. That requires patience and proof before action. Price patterns need to resolve upwards from bases, which in this case would be a daily close above xxxx. Conversely, a breakdown would target support around xxxx. Weeks of sideways churning are more likely to be a consolidation leading to a xxxxxxxxx.  

Rally Weakens, But Signs of Higher Highs Hold

The rally slowed last week after the market punched through major resistance to make new highs. The structure of the rally is intact, despite the slowing, but under the surface there are signs from the cycle screens that the advance is deteriorating. Meanwhile cycle projections still point higher across the board. They are consummations devoutly to be wished by some, and dreaded by others. For us, they are maximum potential indications. Indicator signals, and breaks of the key support or resistance will be the signs to tell us whether to stay in, bail out, or go short.

Their Expense is Your Income

Ten days ago, I was stunned when the stock market did exactly the opposite of what I had forecast for July and August. Based on monstrous Treasury supply pressure that we knew was coming, I had expected a gathering crunch, not just for Treasuries, but also for contagion into other assets.

Not only did that not happen, stocks broke out, and even gold and precious metals started to recover. The Macroliquidity™ model, which I have tweaked and adjusted through the 26 years I have been publishing these reports, failed to foreshadow the stock market breakout. It correctly identified that the bond market would increasingly tighten. That part has played out, although so far somewhat more mildly than I thought. But the stock market breakout to new highs was a shock to the model.

I agonized over it. What did I miss! And then I had a flash of recognition.

The Buy Signals Weren’t Fake

Cycle and momentum indicators are in bullish configurations. The problem is that in bear markets such patterns typically fail. That requires patience and proof before action. Price patterns need to resolve upwards from bases, which in this case would be a daily close above xxxx. Conversely, a breakdown would target support around xxxx. Weeks of sideways churning are more likely to be a consolidation leading to a xxxxxxxxx.  

Beware of Fake Buy Signals in Gold and Miners

Cycle and momentum indicators are in bullish configurations. The problem is that in bear markets such patterns typically fail. That requires patience and proof before action. Price patterns need to resolve upwards from bases, which in this case would be a daily close above xxxx. Conversely, a breakdown would target support around xxxx. Weeks of sideways churning are more likely to be a consolidation leading to a xxxxxxxxx.  

Primary Dealers Show Signs of Dreaded Deleveraging

Primary Dealer fixed income holdings have fallen since March, and most of the decline appears to be mark-to-market losses. The Treasury keeps adding supply, of which the Fed absorbs only a fraction, leaving dealers to take their share, required by their special status, as bond prices erode and the 10 year yield pushes toward 5%. The result is a deleveraging cycle in dealer balance sheets that raises the risk of forced, disorderly liquidation across markets.

This report shows where the cracks are in the Primary Dealer holdings, financing, and hedging statistics through mid-July. It also includes a look at hedge fund positions in the bond market, which are another canary in the coal mine of deteriorating liquidity conditions across asset classes.