“Isn’t it a pity…the wrong people always have money.” From “The Big Clock”, a 1948 American film noir (John Farrow, director)

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CONCLUSION AND OVERVIEW

Ongoing yield repression by the Federal Reserve Bank, the European Central Bank, and their allies plays a crucial role in keeping the US Treasury 10 year note well beneath 6/11/15’s 2.50 percent interim yield top, as well as later and lower heights of 2.38pc (11/9/15) and 2.00pc (3/16/16). For the next few months, running up at least through America’s 2016 election period, it will be difficult for the UST 10 year to break above the resistance range of 2.00/2.50pc or much under its 7/6/16 low at 1.32pc.

The Fed leadership promotes caution regarding Fed Funds rate boosts. The NY Fed President recently argued “at the moment, for caution in raising U.S. short-term interest rates” (“The U.S. Economic Outlook and the Implications for Monetary Policy”; 7/31/16). A Fed Governor is “not in a hurry to lift rates”; he argues “for a ‘very gradual’ path for any rises” (Interview with Financial Times, 8/8/16, p2).

Economic growth in America, Europe, and Japan generally remains subdued. China, though it retains a comparatively strong real GDP rate, has slowed down. Despite massive money printing (quantitative easing) by assorted leading central banks at various times over the past seven to eight years, inflation yardsticks generally remain beneath the two percent target beloved by the Fed and its loyal allies. Ongoing government deficit spending, though less than during the global economic disaster era and the following few years, in recent times likewise has not sparked sustained substantial growth or sufficient inflation.

The broad real trade-weighted US dollar (“TWD”, monthly average; Fed H.10 statistics), though still lofty relative to its July 2011 major bottom around 80.5, remains beneath first quarter 2016’s 101.2 pinnacle. Central banks and finance ministers have been determined to keep the TWD beneath (or at least not much over) its January 2016 summit. For the next few months, they probably will continue to succeed in accomplishing this goal. The TWD also for the near term probably will not plummet more than 10 percent from its first quarter 2016 pinnacle.

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Establishment icons such as the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, and Bank of Japan probably will retain their highly accommodative policies for the next several months (at least). They will persist in their path not merely because of failure to achieve inflation goals, relatively sluggish growth, fears about global economic troubles (such as the United Kingdom’s Brexit Leave vote fallout) or worries about assorted “headwinds”/”volatility”. So why else?

The economic and political “establishment” (elites) in America and overseas fervently battles to subdue both left-wing and right-wing “populist” advances. See “‘Populism’ and Central Banks” (7/12/16). These guiding lights do not want populist leaders, whether America’s Donald Trump or European (or other) left or right wing firebrands, to achieve power.

The S+P 500 and other global stock marketplace benchmarks have rallied sharply from their 1Q16 depths. The S+P 500 has edged above its 5/20/15 peak at 2135. But a sharp downturn in worldwide equities probably would help populist advocates of “Change” to claim that “the establishment” had inadequate or failing economic (and political and social) policies. So the US establishment and its overseas comrades do not want the S+P 500 and related equity marketplaces to collapse, especially during the countdown up to US Election Day (11/8/16). Keeping US government (and other) yields low and avoiding big moves in the US dollar intertwine with central bank (and other establishment) stock marketplace support and anti-populist strategies.

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Ticking Clocks- US Financial Marketplaces (8-8-16)