As Thanksgiving Day approaches and many prepare for holiday gatherings and festive feedings with family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues, several less-noticed marketplace courses deserve attention from marketplace travelers. United States Treasury International Capital (“TIC”) data reveal that gaping American federal fiscal deficits probably will find it difficult to lure sufficient foreign funds. Recent TIC evidence may warn of stock marketplace trend changes. Also, do foreign visitors find direct ownership (“investment”) in America highly appealing these days? What do New York Stock Exchange margin data unveil about major equity moves? Commodity Futures Trading Commission information on agricultural Index Traders not only offers a window on commodity price patterns in general. Perhaps surprisingly, that Index Trader information can illuminate and confirm marketplace voyages by stock benchmarks such as the S+P 500.

Since its 2009 depth, the high for agricultural Index Trader net long open interest occurred in 2010, at about 1.63 million contracts on 8/10/10. However, this quantity is not much above the more recent high net long position of 1.53mm on 4/26/11, which was close in time to the S+P 500 and broad GSCI elevations. By 10/4/11, the date of lows in the S+P 500 and the broad GSCI, the net IT long open interest had fallen to around 1.30mm. This equals about a 14.9pc dip from the 4/ 26/11 height. On 11/15/11, net IT was about 1.33mm contracts.

The recent percentage decline in IT length of nearly fifteen percent is fairly close to the initial fall of 16.7pc during 2008 (from 5/13/08 to 9/16/08). What would a sharp and sustained decline in the net IT long position under its 10/4/11 level indicate? It probably will coincide with declines in commodities in general and stocks, thus confirming a worsening of the worldwide economic crisis.

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Thanksgiving Marketplaces – Several Servings (11-22-11)