Keith Schneider | Nov 14, 2021 04:18AM ET
Are you ready for rising food prices and Thanksgiving? Ready for even more exorbitant building supplies and a higher cost of building and maintaining a house? Ready for even more increased costs of travel and entertainment? Ready for even slower service at your local restaurant as they grapple with fewer people working? Ready to wait even longer for that new or used car you are trying to lease or purchase? Ready for much higher gasoline prices and out of sight heating bills?
Are you seeing that stocks are trading at nosebleed valuations bringing back memories of 1999-2000 while the Fed continues to pump?
Unfortunately, these are all the inevitable outcomes of a post-COVID world and less people in the job force, a shortage of semiconductors for cars and a stock market that keeps going up no matter what the inflation numbers are clearly showing.
My business associate Donn had some work done at his home in Ohio this past month. When he received the invoice, the labor cost was 1/3 the material cost for replacing some siding on his house. This reality has not occurred since the late 70's.
Here in Santa Fe, we are hosting our Thanksgiving gathering with many of our nearest and dearest coming to our house to enjoy the holiday. We were informed this past week that the cost of the turkey will be around 16% higher than last year at this time (which looks cheap compared to stuffing and cornbread whose main ingredients are corn and wheat).
We at MarketGauge continue to believe (as Mish repeatedly says on TV) that given the speed of rising prices in commodities, goods and services, and corporations' ability to pass on their higher costs to consumers, the Fed should be countering this inflation by raising interest rates.
Higher interest rates would dampen price increases and potentially slow down the economy. However, the Fed is fearful of it negatively affecting the job market and tanking the stock market. They mentioned that they will begin to taper $15 billion a month, in bond purchases.
Is this enough? Probably not!
Jim Grant, publisher of the Interest Rate Observer, in a recent interview, said it best:
"The Fed reminds me of a speculator who is on the wrong side of the market.”
The fact that the Federal Reserve is now beginning to taper its bond purchases makes little difference in Grant’s view. Grant admitted that his timing has been off in his predictions of a reckoning for several years. He also admitted that his timing of the stock market has been off as he’s been predicting a reckoning for several years,
Our message is to take advantage of the rally in stocks, but be prepared to exit on a moments notice. The traditional 60/40 portfolio might still hold if you replace bonds with the other B …. Bitcoin.
h2 The Week's Market Highlights/h2Risk On/ Bullish
Risk Off /Bearish
Neutral Metrics Or Just Noteworthy Developments
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.