Liquidity Trader

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It’s that time of the month and that time of the quarter when all should be well for the markets. Except it’s not.

“That time of the month” is the Fed’s regular once a month MBS settlement week at mid month. This month it runs January 13-20, with total settlements of $90 billion. That’s still a big number, but it isn’t doing much good. And it will shrivel over the next several months as the Fed cuts new MBS purchases and replacement purchase shrivel due to rising mortgage rates. Therefore, right now is as good as it gets for the bond market, and secondarily for stocks.

It’s also the week for quarterly estimated Federal income taxes to come in from individual filers and corporations. That shrinks the monthly deficit in January. In normal times it would result in a surplus for the month. Typically the Treasury would then pay off some maturing T-bills, and the holders of those bills would be stuck with excess cash. Some of them roll that out to longer dated paper and a few even buy stocks. So it’s typically a short term bullish seasonal influence around the third week of January.

This year, not so much. The Treasury still is trying to refill its cash account and has $160 billion to go to reach its stated goal of holding $650 billion in cash. So the “January effect,” which is really just bullish seasonality resulting from the regular January T-bill paydowns, looks like a non starter this year. The performance of the stock and bond markets so far in January are a testament to that.

If the market doesn’t perk up over the next few days, then here’s what we have to look forward to.

February will be worse. xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx (subscriber version). February always runs the largest cash deficit of the year as tax receipts dwindle and cash outlays mushroom due to the February tax refund bulge. The Treasury often draws from its cash account to pay for that, rather than issue new debt. But this year, the Treasury is trying to raise more cash. There’s going to be a ton of new Treasury supply in February and that will pressure not only the xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx, but should have a secondary impact on xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx. This report describes those impacts, and their timing.

My mantra is the same. I’m xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx (subscriber version) bonds. I’m looking for stocks to short over the next few weeks for what should be a bearish month in February. I’ll post those in Technical Trader updates as they come up.

With the Fed cutting QE to zero, or so it says, the rest of the year could be xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx(subscriber version). The Fed is worried about inflation. Rightfully so. A little too late, but what else is new.  Might it now be willing to pull a “Volcker,” allowing rates to soar, and allowing the chips to fall where they may? If they dare try it, the market’s retribution will be xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx.

I’ll keep you updated on the developments and outlook. Get the full story in the subscriber version.

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We have some consequential new data in the past few days since I posted the QE/Treasury supply update on January 3. Treasury yields are breaking out. The RRP slush fund has reversed, and T-bill issuance is continuing at a breakneck pace. An initial jobs report shows tremendous growth, as foretold by the daily withholding tax data.

The ADP private payrolls data was released yesterday, and it accurately reflected what the withholding tax data for December already told us— that jobs growth is still going strong, or even accelerating. Whether the BLS Nonfarm Payrolls farce release on Friday shows this or not is anyone’s guess. You know the truth.

The US economy is going gangbusters, but the Fed has created and is imminently facing the greatest crisis in its history.

Here’s the latest in this ongoing financial soap opera for the ages.

Get the full story in the subscriber version.

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FREE REPORT – Proof of How QE Works – Fed to Primary Dealers, to Markets, To Money

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The debt limit has been raised. The Treasury has flooded the market with supply, and will continue to do so for another month or two. But there’s been no disaster in the market. The Fed’s RRP slush fund, designed to absorb the flood of supply, has even grown, thanks to year end window dressing.

Even after that window is undressed this week, there will still be around $1.6 trillion in that fund to start. That is overnight liquid money that holders will use to buy new Treasury issuance. The RRPs will gradually be drawn down. But there’s enough there to absorb the ongoing supply bulge that the government needs to issue to rebuild its cash and repay the internal accounts it raided while the debt limit was in place.

We don’t know exactly how much more the government needs to get its internal accounts back to normal, but it could achieve that purpose very quickly given the availability of the RRP fund. It holds more than enough cash to fund that issuance.

That RRP fund, with it’s baseline starting point of approximately $1.6 trillion also gives the Fed cover to wind down QE to zero in March. The Fed will cut QE, and everything will look hunky dory. Wall Street will conclude that “tapering” QE was no big deal. Market complacency will be thick. Get out your carving knives.

Once the Fed has cut QE to zero, and RRP holders decide that they will spend no more to support the market, is that when the crisis begins?  No, not immediately.

First, there will be the annual tax windfall that occurs in March and April, when corporate and individual income taxes for the preceding year come in. The Treasury always uses that cash to temporarily pay down outstanding debt. The holders of that debt get money back. They use that cash to buy longer term paper, and in some cases to buy stocks. So we get a seasonal rally every year in March and April.

But in late May, the Treasury starts net borrowing again. Then we watch. We watch to see how that RRP fund is doing. Once it turns flat, and there’s no more QE, and the seasonal tax windfall cash has been spent, that’s when the trouble starts in the market.

Sell in May and go away? This report tells you why that might be a good idea. The report shows what to expect for both stocks and bonds, along with the why’s and wherefores, likely timing, to give you a clear grasp on on a strategy and tactics that might make sense for you.  Get the full story in the subscriber version.

Subscribers, click here to download the report.

Subscription Plans

KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW, before the Street does, read Lee Adler’s Liquidity Trader risk free for 90 days!

Act on real-time reality!

FREE REPORT – Proof of How QE Works – Fed to Primary Dealers, to Markets, To Money