Global Macro Perspectives
*** The Big Picture: ECRI Leading Indicators: Slowing Growth ***
*** The Big Picture: Felix Zulauf: Storm clouds over markets ***
*** The Big Picture: Oh, No, Not the End of the World (Again) ***
*** The New York Times: When a Nobel Prize Isn’t Enough ***
*** JESSE’S CAFÉ AMÉRICAIN: Comex Silver Inventories Reach New Lows As a Forced Resolution Approaches ***
Baltic dry index rose 1.5% last week; Capesize Index was up 8.1%; Panamax Index fell 4.1%; Supramax Index was down 1.0%; Handysize Index fell 1.9%.
Thermal coal stockpiles ticked up but are still at extremely low levels; Steel stockpiles fell but stocks are high; Iron ore stockpiles recorder a massive rise reaching new record high. Prices still strong.
Iron ore inventory rise could be a early warning sign of stronger than expected China slowdown.
Baltic Dirty Tanker Index fell 4.1%; Baltic Clean Tanker Index fell 6.0%.
Holidays in the U.S. and in Europe slowed the demand and brought lower rates.
I’m taking a brake from blogging because additional obligations I’m having are consuming too much of my time. Will be back on June 6, 2011.
B.
*** The Big Picture: Greece’s last stand ***
*** FT Alphaville: Rejoining Club Med ***
*** FT Alphaville: Beware the ‘Splash Crash’ ***
*** FT Alphaville: Terry Smith doesn’t like ETFs ***
*** FT Alphaville: Goldman warns of significant China slowdown ***
*** The Atlantic: Chart of the Day: How Much Is the U.S. National Debt in Gold? ***
*** The Big Picture: Richards: “Gold is Not an Investment” ***
*** The Big Picture: Federal Reserve Posters (1920′s) ***
*** The Big Picture: Washington Post: “Five Disciplines To Be A Great Investor” ***
U.S. new home sales rose 7.3% to 323.000 SAAR; Consensus was at 300.000 SAAR, prior reading (revised upward 1.000) was at 301.000 SAAR.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index for April was reported at -0.45 vs. revised March reading of 0.32. Chicago Fed National Activity Index 3-month moving average is at -0.12.
CFNAI is pointing to mild economic growth.
*** Macro Man: Dam Breach! ***
*** The Big Picture: Puru Saxena on Why QE3 is Inevitable ***
*** The Big Picture: A Losing Bet: The End of the World ***
*** FT Alphaville: Meanwhile, in the Spanish periphery… ***
*** FT Alphaville: Iceland’s second volcano e-raptures ***
Baltic Dirty Tanker Index rose 0.5%; Baltic Clean Tanker Index fell 6.9%.
Baltic dry index rose 3.3% last week; Capesize Index was up 11.2%; Panamax Index fell 3.1%; Supramax Index was down 1.4%; Handysize Index fell 1.0%.
Thermal coal stockpiles are unchanged at extremely low levels; Steel stockpiles also unchanged but stocks high; Iron ore stockpiles near record high. Prices strong.
*** FT Alphaville: Competition time! LinkedIn valuation edition ***
*** FT Alphaville: Silver and short covering – a theory ***
*** FT Alphaville: Japan’s ‘temporary’ recession? ***
*** FT BeyondBRICs: China sets new standard in gold ***
*** The Big Picture: First Day IPO Pops ***
*** The Big Picture: Understandings Earnings Estimates ***
*** Gawker: Jon Stewart Takes Down Ben Stein’s Defense of Dominique Strauss-Kahn ***
Working gas in storage rose 92 Bcf from previous week. The consensus was at 90 Bcf.
Storage level is 170 Bcf lower than same time year ago and bellow 5-year average.
U.S. railroads originated 294,271 carloads, up 1.4% compared with the same week in 2010 and down 1.7% compared with 5-year average. Week over week change was 4.4%.
No changes from last week. Weak demand, low distillates stocks, high crude stocks. Driving season ahead.
Initial jobless claims in the U.S. were reported at 409.000 vs. 420.000 consensus and last week revised (up 4.000) reading of 438.000.