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Futures Halt Slide As Oil Extends Rally

Futures Halt Slide As Oil Extends Rally

After the worst start start to the year in almost two decades – it was just the third time in history…

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Futures Halt Slide As Oil Extends Rally

After the worst start start to the year in almost two decades - it was just the third time in history that the Nasdaq started the year with back to back 1%+ declines (the other two years were 1980 and 2005) - markets took a breather on Thursday, with US equity futures posting small gains even as they remained toward the bottom of Wednesday session range. As of 7:50am, S&P futures gained 0.1% after swinging between modest gains and losses and supported by the Dec 20 0DTE flash crash lows, while Nasdaq futures were down 0.1%; Treasury yields resumed their ascent, edging closer to 4%, and last trading at 3.95% as part of a bear steepening, potentially a delayed reaction to the higher-for-long message from the Fed. The dollar is higher and the USDJPY is surging to the highest since mid-December, rising above 144, just as everyone was convinced the pair would tumble to 130 next. Commodities are also stronger led by Energy. Today’s macro data focus is on ADP, Jobless Claims, and Job Cuts all ahead of tomorrow's Nonfarm payrolls which should help shape the macro narrative as we are about to enter Q1 earnings season.

In premarket trading, we are seeing a bit of a relief rally in MegaCap Tech names which are all higher ex-AAPL (-77bps) which is set to extend losses for a fourth session as Piper Sandler cuts rating to neutral from overweight. The broker says its concerned about iPhone inventory levels as growth rates for unit sales have peaked. Tesla climbed as Cathie Wood started buying the company’s shares after selling them for most of last year. Oil extended a rally on supply disruptions in Libya and conflict in the Middle East. European stocks rose, helped by gains in energy shares. Here are some other movers:

  • AbbVie shares decline as much as 1.8% after CVS Health dropped the pharmaceuticals developer’s anti-inflammatory drug Humira from most of its plans, replacing it with cheaper biosimilars.
  • Home Depot rises 1.4% and Dollar General (DG) gains 1.8% as both companies are upgraded to overweight from equal-weight at Barclays, which is shifting from a defensive view to a more balanced view on broadlines, hardlines and food retail into 2024.
  • Illumina slips 2% after Cowen downgraded the gene-sequencing company to market perform from outperform, citing recent outperformance.
  • Mattel falls 2.6% after Roth MKM cuts its recommendation on the toymaker to neutral from buy on the expectation that results in the first half of the year will be pressured as the company ended 2023 with excess inventory on retail shelves.
  • Merck & Co rises 1% after Cowen upgraded the drugmaker to outperform from market perform citing visible growth and a compelling valuation.
  • Walgreens climbed as much as 4.7% after the pharmacy chain reported adjusted earnings per share for the first quarter that beat the average analyst estimate. The company also almost halved its quarterly dividend, reducing it to 25 cents per share.

The goalseeking consensus across markets is that a pullback was long overdue after stocks soared at the end of last year. The Nasdaq 100 Index slid almost 3% in two days of the month and swaps traders have been reining in their bets on rate cuts. “There was some sort of a ‘dry January’ syndrome across markets these two last sessions,” said Vincent Juvyns, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.

European inflation data and the monthly US jobs report tomorrow will provide more information about whether central banks have room to start lowering interest rates. Minutes on Wednesday from the Fed’s December meeting suggested rates could remain at restrictive levels “for some time.”

“This confirms that things won’t move as quickly as some would like,” said Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter Investors. “It needs to be accepted that the Fed is still very data driven around inflation and the economic data.”

European stocks were set to rise for the first time this year; the Stoxx 600 is up 0.4%, with energy leading gains as crude prices climb; oil majors including TotalEnergies SE and BP Plc led the rally after crude jumped more than 4% in two sessions. Among equity movers, Next Plc rallied as the British home and clothing retailer raised its profit forecast for the fifth time since June following a successful Christmas shopping season. JD Sports Fashion Plc tumbled 20% in early trading after the British sportswear retailer slashed its profit forecast, blaming unseasonable weather and cautious consumer spending for weak sales in the run-up to Christmas. Here are some other notable European movers:

  • Maersk rises as much as 3.7% after Bank of America upgraded its recommendation on the stock and doubled 2024 earnings estimates, predicting spot freight rates to stay elevated
  • Siltronic rises as much as 6.7% after Oddo BHF upgrades the wafer maker to outperform, seeing the company benefiting from a recovery in the market for memory and logic chips
  • JD Sports slumps as much as 24%, the biggest intraday drop since 2020, after the sports apparel retailer cut its full-year headline profit pretax guidance, also pulling Adidas and Puma lower
  • Evotec slumps as much as 22%, the most since 2014, after the German pharmaceuticals company said Werner Lanthaler has decided to step down as CEO for personal reasons
  • BE Semiconductor shares fall as much as 6.1% after UBS downgrades the chip equipment firm to neutral. Peer Aixtron slides as much as 7.1% after UBS initiates coverage with a sell rating
  • ING Groep drops as much as 4%, in its fifth day of declines, as BofA downgrades to neutral from buy in note, saying the lender “needs more than one string to its bow”
  • Wacker Chemie fluctuates between gains and losses after the chemicals company was downgraded to hold by Stifel, which said it believes there are better opportunities elsewhere

Asian stocks fell for a third-straight day, headed for their longest losing streak in a month, as risk appetite soured further following Federal Reserve meeting minutes that leaned toward keeping interest rates higher for longer. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined as much as 0.4%. Japanese large-cap tech stocks were among the biggest drags as trading resumed following holidays, tracking US peers lower after the Fed minutes gave no indication that easing will begin in March. A powerful earthquake in the country on New Year’s Day also weighed on sentiment. Benchmarks in China and Hong Kong extended declines to a third day as investors looked past a beat in a private survey of services activities in December. South Korean stocks also fell, with lenders dropping amid jitters about the domestic credit market after builder Taeyoung Engineering last week announced plans to reschedule debt.

  • Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were both lower but the former saw shallower losses due to gains in oil majors, whilst the latter failed to benefit from the improvement in Chinese Caixin Services PMI, although the release suggested domestic and foreign demand remain insufficient.
  • Nikkei 225 returned from its long break and caught up with the losses in the region seen yesterday, although the downside was limited amid the recent weakening in the JPY.
  • ASX 200 was the relative outperformer, with losses cushioned by the energy sector following the rise in crude prices

In FX, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index falls 0.1% ahead of ADP and jobless claims later on Thursday and payrolls on Friday. The yen was the worst performer among the G-10 currencies, falling 0.6% versus the greenback, and headed for a third day of losses as traders speculated the Bank of Japan may delay a move to tighten monetary policy following the recent earthquake.

“The January move seems even more impossible,” said Mari Iwashita, chief market economist at Daiwa Securities Co., referring to the BOJ. The earthquake is likely to depress production activity while the government may have to set up a supplementary budget, she said, adding that she now expects the central bank to scrap its negative-rate policy in April.

In rates, treasuries are lower with the curve steeper, following bigger losses seen across core European rates. US yields are cheaper by up to 5bp across long-end of the curve with 2s10s, 5s30s spreads steeper by 3bp and 1bp on the day; 10-year yields on session highs leading into early US session, cheaper by 4.5bp to 3.952%, with bunds underperforming by an additional 2bp in the sector. Bunds were pressured lower after German PMI numbers for December were revised higher, and the latest state inflation numbers are higher than the earlier NRW release. The US session’s focus includes labor market data and services PMI. Rate cut expectations declined, with implied probabilities falling 6ppts – 10ppts across the Jan, March, and May meetings.

In commodities, brent crude traded near $79 a barrel after supply disruptions in Libya, and as Iran said attacks that killed almost 100 people in the country were carried out to punish its stance against Israel. WTI rose 1% to trade near $73.50. Spot gold adds 0.3%.

Looking to the day ahead now, US data releases includes December challenger job cuts (7:30am), ADP employment change (8:15am), initial jobless claims (8:30am) and December S&P services PMI (9:45am). In Europe, there’ll also be the French and German CPI readings for December (German CPI came in at 3.7%, below the 3.8% expected but up from 3.2%), along with UK mortgage approvals for November. Otherwise, we’ll get the final December services and composite PMIs from around the world.

Market Snapshot

  • S&P 500 futures up 0.1% to 4,753.00
  • STOXX Europe 600 up 0.4% to 476.31
  • MXAP up 0.2% to 166.22
  • MXAPJ up 0.1% to 518.24
  • Nikkei down 0.5% to 33,288.29
  • Topix up 0.5% to 2,378.79
  • Hang Seng Index little changed at 16,645.98
  • Shanghai Composite down 0.4% to 2,954.35
  • Sensex up 0.7% to 71,826.28
  • Australia S&P/ASX 200 down 0.4% to 7,494.10
  • Kospi down 0.8% to 2,587.02
  • German 10Y yield little changed at 2.04%
  • Euro up 0.3% to $1.0959
  • Brent Futures up 1.1% to $79.11/bbl
  • Gold spot up 0.4% to $2,049.09
  • U.S. Dollar Index down 0.26% to 102.23

Top Overnight News from Bloomberg

  • China’s government spending will rise this year, the nation’s Minister of Finance said, as authorities look for ways to bolster domestic demand and help the world’s second-largest economy regain momentum. “We will make sure the overall size of fiscal spending increases to play a better role stimulating domestic demand,” Finance Minister Lan Fo’an said. BBG
  • China’s Caixin services PMI for Dec spikes ahead of expectations, coming in at 52.9 (up from 51.5 in Nov and above the consensus forecast of 51.6). RTRS
  • Wall Street banks are ringfencing their China operations to minimize risk in response to growing political tensions and tough national security rules. Citi, JPMorgan, BofA and Morgan Stanley have collectively reduced their exposure by about a fourth since 2020. BBG
  • Inflation is expected to have jumped back up across much of Europe, casting doubt over investors’ hopes that the European Central Bank will start cutting interest rates as early as March. FT
  • France’s CPI for Dec reaccelerates to +4.1% Y/Y, up from +3.9% in Nov (the +4.1% was consistent w/expectations); German regional CPIs reaccelerate in Dec: Baden Wuerttemberg +3.8% (up from +3.4% in Nov); Bavaria +3.4% Y/Y (up from +2.8% in Nov); Brandenburg +4.5% Y/Y (up from +4.1% in Nov); Hesse +3.5% Y/Y (up from +2.9% in Nov); and Saxony +4.3% Y/Y (up from +3.9% in Nov). BBG
  • Crypto rolled over ~6% yesterday on an analyst report suggesting a BTC ETF will not get approval (low quality source, and some other conflicting headlines). Note this morning “Reportedly SEC could begin notifying issuers of approval of spot Bitcoin ETF on Fri, Jan 5th with trading may be beginning as early as next week; The final decision on approval has not been made”- Fox News
  • Google is going forward with sweeping changes to how companies track users online—moves that have been years in the making. Advertisers still aren’t ready. Starting Thursday, Google will start a limited test that will restrict cookies for 1% of the people who use its Chrome browser, which is by far the world’s most popular. By year’s end, Google plans to eliminate cookies for all Chrome users. WSJ
  • Mark Zuckerberg sold nearly half a billion dollars of META shares in the final two months of 2023 after a two-year hiatus in which the company’s stock price hit its lowest in seven years. The Meta chief executive sold shares on every trading day between Nov. 1 and the end of the year, unloading nearly 1.28 million shares for about $428 million, according to a Tuesday regulatory filing. BBG
  • Microsoft is adding a button to the Windows keyboard to activate its AI Copilot service, with the first devices to sport the new key available this month. The Copilot key, which will sit to the right of the space bar, is the first change to the Windows keyboard layout since Microsoft added the Windows/Start key in 1994, underscoring the company’s commitment to artificial intelligence. BBG

A more detailed look at global markets courtesy of Newsquawk

Asia-Pacific stocks traded lower across the board as the risk aversion continued to seep from Wall Street despite the lack of a clear catalyst. ASX 200 was the relative outperformer, with losses cushioned by the energy sector following the rise in crude prices. Nikkei 225 returned from its long break and caught up with the losses in the region seen yesterday, although the downside was limited amid the recent weakening in the JPY. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were both lower but the former saw shallower losses due to gains in oil majors, whilst the latter failed to benefit from the improvement in Chinese Caixin Services PMI, although the release suggested domestic and foreign demand remain insufficient.

Top Asian News

  • Fitch downgraded four Chinese National asset management companies by one notch; three on rating watch Negative - "reflecting reduced government support expectations."
  • PBoC injected CNY 15bln through 7-day reverse repos at a maintained rate of 1.80% for a net drain of CNY 585bln.
  • Japanese PM Kishida said he plans to carry out cabinet approval on January 9th to use reserve funds to cover damages caused by the earthquake, according to Reuters.
  • BoJ Governor Ueda said he hopes for Japan's economy to achieve balanced rises in wages and inflation; he added if wages and inflation rise in a balanced manner, it can encourage firms to invest in equipment, research, and development, according to Reuters.
  • South Korean Finance Ministry sees 2024 growth at 2.2% (vs prev. 2.4%) and 2024 inflation at 2.6% (vs prev. 2.3%), according to Reuters.

European bourses, Eurostoxx50 (+0.3%), are modestly firmer with clear outperformance in the IBEX (+0.7%) benefitting from several broker upgrades; Grifols (+2.3%), Endesa (+2.2%). European sectors have a positive tilt; Energy is propped up by higher Crude prices, whilst Retail lags, hampered by losses in JD Sports (-21.2%). US Equity Futures are marginally firmer ES (+0.1%), though the Russell (+0.6%), outperforms seemingly attempting to pare back some of Wednesday's hefty losses.

Top European News

  • BoE Monthly Decision Maker Panel data - December 2023: One-year ahead CPI inflation expectations 4.0% vs. prev. 4.4%. Three-year ahead CPI inflation expectations 3.1% vs. 3.2%. Expected year-ahead wage growth increased marginally to 5.2% on a three-month moving average basis.
  • Grifols Gains as Barclays Upgrades on Shanghai RAAS Stake Sale
  • Turkish Monetary Policy to Remain Tight for a While: Simsek
  • Eurozone Dec. HCOB Composite PMI 47.6 vs Flash Reading 47

FX

  • DXY is softer amid a slight reversal of recent risk moves and as attention turns to US ADP/IJC later today; index at the low-end of a 102.14-52 range.
  • EUR attempts to claw back recent losses against the Dollar with upward PMI revisions providing support allowing the Single-Currency to climb above yesterday's high of 1.0968.
  • The Yen continues its losing streak against the Dollar making a high just above 144.00; Large clips due to roll off at 143.80-85 and 144.00.
  • The Pound is the best performing G10 currency and back on a 1.27 handle, a breach driven post final-PMI revisions.
  • Morgan Stanley has turned neutral on USD after previously being bullish; pivots short EUR/USD trade recommendation to short EUR/JPY. "We turn neutral on the USD as our conviction about USD strength has waned meaningfully. Investors appear to be adopting an 'early cycle' mentality where peak Fed hawkishness is sufficient to 'paper over' other risks". "JPY should continue to gain as long as US rates are falling, regardless of the risk outlook".
  • PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.0997 vs exp. 7.1504 (prev. 7.1002)

Fixed Income

  • USTs modestly bear steepen and hold around a 112.07 trough, largely taking cues from EBGs; attention turns to US IJC, ADP and Final PMIs.
  • Bunds initially caught a bid on NRW CPI though gradually pared the move as more states released figures which by in-large chimed mainland expectations for an increase in inflation; currently residing around the 136.58 low.
  • Gilts were initially firmer though succumbed to selling pressure, in-fitting with peers; the benchmark extended losses to a 101.05 trough before lifting from lows following a strong auction.
  • Spain sells EUR 6.3bln vs exp. EUR 5.5-6.5bln 2.50% 2027, 3.50% 2029, 1.90% 2052 Bono and EUR 0.599bln vs. Exp. EUR 0.25-0.75bln 0.65% 2027 I/L.
  • France sells EUR 11.975bln vs exp. EUR 10.5-12.0bln 3.50% 2033, 1.25% 2038, 3.00% 2054 OAT.
  • UK sells GBP 3bln 3.75% 2038 Gilt: b/c 3.36x (prev. 2.97x), average yield 4.067% (prev. 4.871%) & tail 0.2bps (prev. 0.4bps).

Commodities

  • Crude benchmarks are firmer on the session with WTI extending gains to an incremental fresh WTD high of USD 74.00; action occurring without fresh fundamental driver and seemingly taking impetus from the general European tone and USD downside.
  • Spot Gold has continued to edge higher throughout the APAC and European session as the Dollar continues to weaken; Base metals are modestly firmer having traded cautiously overnight.
  • Morgan Stanley says growth in world oil demand is set to slow as post-COVID recovery tailwinds abate. See 2024 oil demand growth of 1.2mln BPD (vs. 2.2mln BPD in 2023)

Geopolitics

  • Members of Biden's national security team convened a White House meeting on Wednesday to review possible options against the Houthis, including strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, according to officials cited by NBC. "The meeting on Wednesday afternoon was aimed at fleshing out details of various options that are more robust than those the White House has previously considered and that could include responding alongside other nations, the officials said". "White House has not approved any of the options for strikes on the Yemen-based rebels that have been prepared by the US military, current and former officials said."

US Event Calendar

  • 07:30: Dec. Challenger Job Cuts YoY, prior -40.8%
  • 08:15: Dec. ADP Employment Change, est. 125,000, prior 103,000
  • 08:30: Dec. Initial Jobless Claims, est. 216,000, prior 218,000
  • 08:30: Dec. Continuing Claims, est. 1.88m, prior 1.88m
  • 09:45: Dec. S&P Global US Composite PMI, prior 51.0
  • 09:45: Dec. S&P Global US Services PMI, est. 51.3, prior 51.3

DB's Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap

A belated Happy NY from me after Henry was in the hot seat yesterday. After having burger and chips most days on or around the slopes for 2 weeks I was most gratified this morning as I stepped on the scales to find I've not put on any weight over the hols. Maybe it's my current fad of skipping breakfast that's helping. Also no fresh knee injuries although I can tell that I'm on my last skiing legs given their post holiday swelling. I'm also going to start the year by saying something I've never said before or may never say again in the future of writing the EMR. Namely that I'm a bit tired this morning on my return to earlies because I stayed up late to watch the World Darts Final last night! To be fair this was with many others in the UK after a remarkable 16yr old reached (but lost) the final. It made me feel very old.

On that theme, while the last two months of 2023 were full of bullseyes for markets, the first couple of days of 2024 has seen a few darts bounce back off the board. Yesterday's drivers were softer data, growing geopolitical concerns, and ongoing scepticism about the chance of a Q1 rate cut. Indeed, the S&P 500 was down another -0.80% by the close, which marks the first time since 2015 that the index has begun the year with back-to-back declines. The Russell 2000 remarkably had its worst day since last March's banking crisis (-2.66%). The mood was also negative for other risk assets, as US HY spreads widened by a further +18bps to 351bps. On the other hand, bonds rallied back after a difficult first half of the session with the yield on 10yr Treasuries eventually down -1.3bps to 3.92% (4.01% at the day’s highs) .

The most interesting part of the day were the minutes of the December Fed meeting towards the end of the session. These did not offer any pointers to imminent Fed easing, with little in the way of a discussion of rate cuts that Powell had alluded to in the press conference. There was also some pushback on the recent easing of financial conditions as “many participants remarked that an easing in financial conditions beyond what is appropriate could make it more difficult for the Committee to reach its inflation goal”. However, there were some dovish-leaning elements within the economic discussion. Notably, “a number of participants highlighted the uncertainty associated with how long a restrictive monetary policy stance would need to be maintained, and pointed to the downside risks to the economy that would be associated with an overly restrictive stance”. Away from rates, there was some discussion of the Fed’s QT path, as several participants suggested that it would be appropriate “to begin to discuss the technical factors that would guide a decision to slow the pace of [balance sheet] runoff well before such a decision was reached”.

Earlier in the day, we heard from Richmond Fed President Barkin, who described the March decision as a “long way away” and said that “I try not to prejudge meetings”. Clearly the narrative could shift again tomorrow with the December jobs report, but for now at least it looks like the Fed are still trying to keep their options open and don’t want to pre-commit to when any easing might take place, even if there are some signs they are becoming more wary of overtightening risks.

The release of the Fed minutes came as investors continued to dial back the chances of imminent rate cuts. For instance, the probability of a rate cut by March was down to 76% yesterday, having been at 87% the previous day, and 96% the day before that. In the bond market, 2yr Treasuries sold off by c. 3bps immediately after the minutes, but rallied thereafter to close up +1.0bps at 4.33%, after having traded as high as 4.38% earlier in the day. Meanwhile, the 10yr yield was down -1.3bps to 3.92% by the close. As noted at the top, 10yr yields had traded nearly 10bps higher than this after the day’s US data (at 3pm GMT) but started reversing sharply around half an hour after. However, with US rates underperforming Europe, the dollar continued to benefit, with the dollar index (+0.29%) strengthening for a 4th day running. In Asia 10yr US yields are back up around +1.5bps with 2yr yields flat.

The prospect of near-term rate cuts was also dampened thanks to a fresh rebound in commodity prices, which left Brent Crude up +3.11% at $78.25/bbl. That followed the news that Libya’s Sharara oil field (the largest in the country) had stopped production following protests, along with a separate statement from OPEC that they were committed to “unity, full cohesion and market stability .” Crude is up another half a percent this morning.

Elsewhere, the main news came on the data side yesterday, where a couple of US releases pointed to a subdued performance at the end of 2023. First, we had the ISM manufacturing index for December, which remained in contractionary territory for a 14th consecutive month, coming in at 47.4 (albeit slightly above the 47.1 expected). Moreover, the new orders component fell back to 47.1, marking a 16th consecutive month in contractionary territory.

Alongside that, we also had the US JOLTS report for November, which showed job openings were down to 8.790m (vs. 8.821m expected), and the lowest since March 2021. More concerningly, the hires rate fell back to 3.5%, which is the lowest since 2014 apart from the pandemic months of March and April 2020. Then on similar lines, we also saw the quits rate of those voluntarily leaving their jobs fall 0.2pp to 2.2%, which is beneath its pre-pandemic level and suggests that workers are less confident about leaving their current roles. So this all added up to concerns that the labour market was softening. The same data a month or two ago may have been seen as soft landing, rate cutting friendly but with the market starting the year a lot higher and a bit more nervously there was a bit more caution about that view. ADP and jobless claims today will be the next employment signpost ahead of tomorrow’s main payroll event.

Against that backdrop, risk assets struggled on both sides of the Atlantic, with the S&P 500 (-0.80%) and Europe’s STOXX 600 (-0.86%) losing ground once again. And in turn, that pushed up the VIX index of volatility to 14.0pts, which is its highest level since mid-November. As mentioned at the top, small caps led the US equity sell-off, but tech stocks were also among the underperformers. The NASDAQ was down -1.18% while the Magnificent 7 (-1.04%) fell back for a 4th consecutive day. Within tech, losses were led by Tesla (-4.01%) as well as a -2.03% decline for the Philadelphia semiconductor index. Within the S&P 500, the more cyclical sectors including industrials (-1.51%) and materials (-1.11%) again underperformed, while energy stocks (+1.52%) gained on the aforementioned oil price rise.

One relative outperformer yesterday were European sovereign bonds, which followed a different path to US Treasuries. That comes ahead of today’s flash CPI releases from Germany and France, before we get the Euro Area-wide figure tomorrow. And there was a bit of optimism before those releases, since data from the German state of Saarland showed consumer prices were only up +0.1% month-on-month. Although Saarland is one of the smallest German states, that monthly change was slightly beneath the +0.2% reading that the consensus expects for the German print today, so it added to the optimism on inflation, and helped yields on 10yr bunds to come down -4.2bps on the day .

This morning in Asia equity markets are extending their new year retreat but US equity futures are around a tenth of a percent higher so it's more catch down rather than a fresh wave of underperformance. As I check my screens, Chinese stocks are under pressure with the CSI (-1.40%) and the Shanghai Composite (-0.87%) opening on a lower note as uncertainties about a recovery in the world's second-biggest economy continues to keep investors nervous even if the services PMI this morning was at 52.9 against 51.6 expected and 51.5 in November. Meanwhile, the Nikkei is also down -0.94% on its first trading day of the year after an extended New Year’s holiday. Elsewhere, the Hang Seng (-0.49%) and the KOSPI (-0.90%) are also lower with the S&P/ASX 200 (-0.35%) extending its slide after hitting a record high earlier this week.

Elsewhere Chinese 10yr government bond yields (2.54%) edged to their lowest level since April 2020 on expectations of further monetary policy easing by the PBOC. In FX, the J apanese yen (-0.24%) is trading lower against the US dollar for the third straight day, languishing at a two-week low of 143.63 versus the dollar as the recent devastating earthquake makes it harder for the BOJ to imminently exit negative interest rates.

To the day ahead now, and US data releases include the weekly initial jobless claims and the ADP’s report of private payrolls for December. In Europe, there’ll also be the French and German CPI readings for December, along with UK mortgage approvals for November. Otherwise, we’ll get the final December services and composite PMIs from around the world.

Tyler Durden Thu, 01/04/2024 - 08:13

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Bitcoin on Wheels: The Story of Bitcoinetas

Meet the Bitcoinetas, a fleet of transformative vehicles on a mission to spread the bitcoin message everywhere they go. From Argentina to South Africa,…

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You may have seen that picture of Michael Saylor in a bitcoin-branded van, with a cheerful guy right next to the car door. This one:

Ariel Aguilar and La Bitcoineta European Edition at BTC Prague.

That car is the Bitcoineta European Edition, and the cheerful guy is Ariel Aguilar. Ariel is part of the European Bitcoineta team, and has previously driven another similar car in Argentina. In fact, there are currently five cars around the world that carry the name Bitcoineta (in some cases preceded with the Spanish definite article “La”).

Argentina: the original La Bitcoineta

The story of Bitcoinetas begins with the birth of 'La Bitcoineta' in Argentina, back in 2017. Inspired by the vibrancy of the South American Bitcoin community, the original Bitcoineta was conceived after an annual Latin American Conference (Labitconf), where the visionaries behind it recognized a unique opportunity to promote Bitcoin education in remote areas. Armed with a bright orange Bitcoin-themed exterior and a mission to bridge the gap in financial literacy, La Bitcoineta embarked on a journey to bring awareness of Bitcoin's potential benefits to villages and towns that often remained untouched by mainstream financial education initiatives. Operated by a team of dedicated volunteers, it was more than just a car; it was a symbol of hope and empowerment for those living on the fringes of financial inclusion.

The concept drawing for La Bitcoineta from December 2017.

Ariel was part of that initial Argentinian Bitcoineta team, and spent weeks on the road when the car became a reality. The original dream to bring bitcoin education even to remote areas within Argentina and other South American countries came true, and the La Bitcoineta team took part in dozens of local bitcoin meetups in the subsequent years.

The original La Bitcoineta from Argentina.

One major hiccup came in late 2018, when the car was crashed into while parked in Puerto Madryn. The car was pretty much destroyed, but since the team was possessed by a honey badger spirit, nothing could stop them from keeping true to their mission. It is a testament to the determination and resilience of the Argentinian team that the car was quickly restored and returned on its orange-pilling quest soon after.

Argentinian Bitcoineta after a major accident (no-one got hurt); the car was restored shortly after.

Over the more than 5 years that the Argentinian Bitcoineta has been running, it has traveled more than 80,000 kilometers - and as we’ll see further, it inspired multiple similar initiatives around the world.

Follow La Bitcoineta’s journey:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/labitcoineta

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoineta/

El Salvador: Bitcoin Beach

In early 2021, the president of El Salvador passed the Bitcoin Law, making bitcoin legal tender in the country. The Labitconf team decided to celebrate this major step forward in bitcoin adoption by hosting the annual conference in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador. And correspondingly, the Argentinian Bitcoineta team made plans for a bold 7000-kilometer road trip to visit the Bitcoin country with the iconic Bitcoin car.

However, it proved to be impossible to cross so many borders separating Argentina and Salvador, since many governments were still imposing travel restrictions due to a Covid pandemic. So two weeks before the November event, the Labitconf team decided to fund a second Bitcoineta directly in El Salvador, as part of the Bitcoin Beach circular economy. Thus the second Bitcoineta was born.

Salvadoran’s Bitcoineta operates in the El Zonte region, where the Bitcoin Beach circular economy is located.

The eye-catching Volkswagen minibus has been donated to the Bitcoin Beach team, which uses the car for the needs of its circular economy based in El Zonte.

Follow Bitcoin Beach:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bitcoinbeach

South Africa: Bitcoin Ekasi

Late 2021 saw one other major development in terms of grassroots bitcoin adoption. On the other side of the planet, in South Africa, Hermann Vivier initiated the Bitcoin Ekasi project. “Ekasi” is a colloquial term for a township, and a township in the South African context is an underdeveloped urban area with a predominantly black population, a remnant of the segregationist apartheid regime. Bitcoin Ekasi emerged as an attempt to introduce bitcoin into the economy of the JCC Camp township located in Mossel Bay, and has gained a lot of success on that front.

Bitcoin Ekasi was in large part inspired by the success of the Bitcoin Beach circular economy back in El Salvador, and the respect was mutual. The Bitcoin Beach team thus decided to pass on the favor they received from the Argentinian Bitcoineta team, and provided funds to Bitcoin Ekasi for them to build a Bitcoineta of their own.

Bitcoin Ekasi’s Bitcoineta as seen at the Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town conference.
Bitcoin Ekasi’s Bitcoineta as seen at the Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town conference. Hermann Vivier is seen in the background.
South African Bitcoineta serves the needs of Bitcoin Ekasi, a local bitcoin circular economy in the JCC Camp township.

Bitcoin Ekasi emerged as a sister organization of Surfer Kids, a non-profit organization with a mission to empower marginalized youths through surfing. The Ekasi Bitcoineta thus partially serves as a means to get the kids to visit various surfer competitions in South Africa. A major highlight in this regard was when the kids got to meet Jordy Smith, one of the most successful South African surfers worldwide.

Coincidentally, South African surfers present an intriguing demographic for understanding Bitcoin due to their unique circumstances and needs. To make it as a professional surfer, the athletes need to attend competitions abroad; but since South Africa has tight currency controls in place, it is often a headache to send money abroad for travel and competition expenses. The borderless nature of Bitcoin offers a solution to these constraints, providing surfers with an alternative means of moving funds across borders without any obstacles.

Photo taken at the South African Junior Surfing Championships 2023. Back row, left to right:

Mbasa, Chuma, Jordy Smith, Sandiso. Front, left to right: Owethu, Sibulele.

To find out more about Bitcoineta South Africa and the non-profit endeavors it serves, watch Lekker Feeling, a documentary by Aubrey Strobel:

Follow Bitcoin Ekasi:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitcoinEkasi

Fundraiser: https://support.bitcoinekasi.com/

Europe: Bitcoineta Europa

The European Bitcoineta started its journey in early 2023, with Ariel Aguilar being one of the main catalysts behind the idea. Unlike its predecessors in El Salvador and South Africa, the European Bitcoineta was not funded by a previous team but instead secured support from individual donors, reflecting a grassroots approach to spreading financial literacy.

European Bitcoineta sports a hard-to-overlook bitcoin logo along with the message “Bitcoin is Work. Bitcoin is Time. Bitcoin is Hope.”

The European Bitcoineta is a Mercedes box van adorned with a prominent Bitcoin logo and inspiring messages, and serves as a mobile hub for education and discussion at numerous European Bitcoin conferences and local meetups. Inside its spacious interior, both notable bitcoiners and bitcoin plebs share their insights on the walls, fostering a sense of camaraderie and collaboration.

Inside the European Bitcoineta, one can find the wall of fame, where visitors can read messages from prominent bitcoiners such as Michael Saylor, Uncle Rockstar, Javier Bastardo, Hodlonaut, and many others.
On the “pleb wall”, any bitcoiner can share their message (as long as space permits).

Follow Bitcoineta Europa’s journey:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitcoinetaEU

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinetaeu/

Ghana: Bitcoineta West Africa

Embed: https://youtu.be/8oWgIU17aIY?si=hrsKmMIA7lI6jX4k

Introduced in December 2023 at the Africa Bitcoin Conference in Ghana, the fifth Bitcoineta was donated to the Ghanaian Bitcoin Cowries educational initiative as part of the Trezor Academy program.

Bitcoineta West Africa was launched in December 2023 at the Africa Bitcoin Conference. Among its elements, it bears the motto of the Trezor Academy initiative: Bitcoin. Education. Freedom.

Bitcoineta West Africa was funded by the proceeds from the bitcoin-only limited edition Trezor device, which was sold out within one day of its launch at the Bitcoin Amsterdam conference.

With plans for an extensive tour spanning Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and potentially other countries within the ECOWAS political and economic union, Bitcoineta West Africa embodies the spirit of collaboration and solidarity in driving Bitcoin adoption and financial inclusion throughout the Global South.

Bitcoineta West Africa surrounded by a group of enthusiastic bitcoiners at the Black Star Square, Accra, Ghana.

Follow Bitcoineta West Africa’s journey:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitcoinetaWA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitcoinetawa/

All the Bitcoineta cars around the world share one overarching mission: to empower their local communities through bitcoin education, and thus improve the lives of common people that might have a strong need for bitcoin without being currently aware of such need. As they continue to traverse borders and break down barriers, Bitcoinetas serve as a reminder of the power of grassroots initiatives and the importance of financial education in shaping a more inclusive future. The tradition of Bitcoinetas will continue to flourish, and in the years to come we will hopefully encounter a brazenly decorated bitcoin car everywhere we go.

If the inspiring stories of Bitcoinetas have ignited a passion within you to make a difference in your community, we encourage you to take action! Reach out to one of the existing Bitcoineta teams for guidance, support, and inspiration on how to start your own initiative. Whether you're interested in spreading Bitcoin education, promoting financial literacy, or fostering empowerment in underserved areas, the Bitcoineta community is here to help you every step of the way. Together, we will orange pill the world!

This is a guest post by Josef Tetek. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.

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Digital Currency And Gold As Speculative Warnings

Over the last few years, digital currencies and gold have become decent barometers of speculative investor appetite. Such isn’t surprising given the evolution…

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Over the last few years, digital currencies and gold have become decent barometers of speculative investor appetite. Such isn’t surprising given the evolution of the market into a “casino” following the pandemic, where retail traders have increased their speculative appetites.

“Such is unsurprising, given that retail investors often fall victim to the psychological behavior of the “fear of missing out.” The chart below shows the “dumb money index” versus the S&P 500. Once again, retail investors are very long equities relative to the institutional players ascribed to being the “smart money.””

“The difference between “smart” and “dumb money” investors shows that, more often than not, the “dumb money” invests near market tops and sells near market bottoms.”

Net Smart Dumb Money vs Market

That enthusiasm has increased sharply since last November as stocks surged in hopes that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates. As noted by Sentiment Trader:

“Over the past 18 weeks, the straight-up rally has moved us to an interesting juncture in the Sentiment Cycle. For the past few weeks, the S&P 500 has demonstrated a high positive correlation to the ‘Enthusiasm’ part of the cycle and a highly negative correlation to the ‘Panic’ phase.”

Investor Enthusiasm

That frenzy to chase the markets, driven by the psychological bias of the “fear of missing out,” has permeated the entirety of the market. As noted in This Is Nuts:”

“Since then, the entire market has surged higher following last week’s earnings report from Nvidia (NVDA). The reason I say “this is nuts” is the assumption that all companies were going to grow earnings and revenue at Nvidia’s rate. There is little doubt about Nvidia’s earnings and revenue growth rates. However, to maintain that growth pace indefinitely, particularly at 32x price-to-sales, means others like AMD and Intel must lose market share.”

Nvidia Price To Sales

Of course, it is not just a speculative frenzy in the markets for stocks, specifically anything related to “artificial intelligence,” but that exuberance has spilled over into gold and cryptocurrencies.

Birds Of A Feather

There are a couple of ways to measure exuberance in the assets. While sentiment measures examine the broad market, technical indicators can reflect exuberance on individual asset levels. However, before we get to our charts, we need a brief explanation of statistics, specifically, standard deviation.

As I discussed in “Revisiting Bob Farrell’s 10 Investing Rules”:

“Like a rubber band that has been stretched too far – it must be relaxed in order to be stretched again. This is exactly the same for stock prices that are anchored to their moving averages. Trends that get overextended in one direction, or another, always return to their long-term average. Even during a strong uptrend or strong downtrend, prices often move back (revert) to a long-term moving average.”

The idea of “stretching the rubber band” can be measured in several ways, but I will limit our discussion this week to Standard Deviation and measuring deviation with “Bollinger Bands.”

“Standard Deviation” is defined as:

“A measure of the dispersion of a set of data from its mean. The more spread apart the data, the higher the deviation. Standard deviation is calculated as the square root of the variance.”

In plain English, this means that the further away from the average that an event occurs, the more unlikely it becomes. As shown below, out of 1000 occurrences, only three will fall outside the area of 3 standard deviations. 95.4% of the time, events will occur within two standard deviations.

Standard Deviation Chart

A second measure of “exuberance” is “relative strength.”

“In technical analysis, the relative strength index (RSI) is a momentum indicator that measures the magnitude of recent price changes to evaluate overbought or oversold conditions in the price of a stock or other asset. The RSI is displayed as an oscillator (a line graph that moves between two extremes) and can read from 0 to 100.

Traditional interpretation and usage of the RSI are that values of 70 or above indicate that a security is becoming overbought or overvalued and may be primed for a trend reversal or corrective pullback in price. An RSI reading of 30 or below indicates an oversold or undervalued condition.” – Investopedia

With those two measures, let’s look at Nvidia (NVDA), the poster child of speculative momentum trading in the markets. Nvidia trades more than 3 standard deviations above its moving average, and its RSI is 81. The last time this occurred was in July of 2023 when Nvidia consolidated and corrected prices through November.

NVDA chart vs Bollinger Bands

Interestingly, gold also trades well into 3 standard deviation territory with an RSI reading of 75. Given that gold is supposed to be a “safe haven” or “risk off” asset, it is instead getting swept up in the current market exuberance.

Gold vs Bollinger Bands

The same is seen with digital currencies. Given the recent approval of spot, Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the panic bid to buy Bitcoin has pushed the price well into 3 standard deviation territory with an RSI of 73.

Bitcoin vs Bollinger Bands

In other words, the stock market frenzy to “buy anything that is going up” has spread from just a handful of stocks related to artificial intelligence to gold and digital currencies.

It’s All Relative

We can see the correlation between stock market exuberance and gold and digital currency, which has risen since 2015 but accelerated following the post-pandemic, stimulus-fueled market frenzy. Since the market, gold and cryptocurrencies, or Bitcoin for our purposes, have disparate prices, we have rebased the performance to 100 in 2015.

Gold was supposed to be an inflation hedge. Yet, in 2022, gold prices fell as the market declined and inflation surged to 9%. However, as inflation has fallen and the stock market surged, so has gold. Notably, since 2015, gold and the market have moved in a more correlated pattern, which has reduced the hedging effect of gold in portfolios. In other words, during the subsequent market decline, gold will likely track stocks lower, failing to provide its “wealth preservation” status for investors.

SP500 vs Gold

The same goes for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is substantially more volatile than gold and tends to ebb and flow with the overall market. As sentiment surges in the S&P 500, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies follow suit as speculative appetites increase. Unfortunately, for individuals once again piling into Bitcoin to chase rising prices, if, or when, the market corrects, the decline in cryptocurrencies will likely substantially outpace the decline in market-based equities. This is particularly the case as Wall Street can now short the spot-Bitcoin ETFs, creating additional selling pressure on Bitcoin.

SP500 vs Bitcoin

Just for added measure, here is Bitcoin versus gold.

Gold vs Bitcoin

Not A Recommendation

There are many narratives surrounding the markets, digital currency, and gold. However, in today’s market, more than in previous years, all assets are getting swept up into the investor-feeding frenzy.

Sure, this time could be different. I am only making an observation and not an investment recommendation.

However, from a portfolio management perspective, it will likely pay to remain attentive to the correlated risk between asset classes. If some event causes a reversal in bullish exuberance, cash and bonds may be the only place to hide.

The post Digital Currency And Gold As Speculative Warnings appeared first on RIA.

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Aging at AACR Annual Meeting 2024

BUFFALO, NY- March 11, 2024 – Impact Journals publishes scholarly journals in the biomedical sciences with a focus on all areas of cancer and aging…

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BUFFALO, NY- March 11, 2024 – Impact Journals publishes scholarly journals in the biomedical sciences with a focus on all areas of cancer and aging research. Aging is one of the most prominent journals published by Impact Journals

Credit: Impact Journals

BUFFALO, NY- March 11, 2024 – Impact Journals publishes scholarly journals in the biomedical sciences with a focus on all areas of cancer and aging research. Aging is one of the most prominent journals published by Impact Journals

Impact Journals will be participating as an exhibitor at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 from April 5-10 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. This year, the AACR meeting theme is “Inspiring Science • Fueling Progress • Revolutionizing Care.”

Visit booth #4159 at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024 to connect with members of the Aging team.

About Aging-US:

Aging publishes research papers in all fields of aging research including but not limited, aging from yeast to mammals, cellular senescence, age-related diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s diseases and their prevention and treatment, anti-aging strategies and drug development and especially the role of signal transduction pathways such as mTOR in aging and potential approaches to modulate these signaling pathways to extend lifespan. The journal aims to promote treatment of age-related diseases by slowing down aging, validation of anti-aging drugs by treating age-related diseases, prevention of cancer by inhibiting aging. Cancer and COVID-19 are age-related diseases.

Aging is indexed and archived by PubMed/Medline (abbreviated as “Aging (Albany NY)”), PubMed CentralWeb of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded (abbreviated as “Aging‐US” and listed in the Cell Biology and Geriatrics & Gerontology categories), Scopus (abbreviated as “Aging” and listed in the Cell Biology and Aging categories), Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Previews, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).

Please visit our website at www.Aging-US.com​​ and connect with us:

  • Aging X
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Click here to subscribe to Aging publication updates.

For media inquiries, please contact media@impactjournals.com.


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