Pricing in Yellen

You’re not going to enjoy today’s trade and you will certainly lament the opening trade in Asian on sunday night. Thankfully, you have the super bowl to serve as a distraction. In many ways, this is a very traditional decline, with stocks whooshing lower, unannounced, while treasuries and gold trade higher. Commodity driven currencies are smashed into the earth and the dollar and yen are safe havens.

The silver lining of it all is the reduction of rates and drop in gasoline prices.

However, let’s not get disillusioned. During all previous market calamities, these same characteristics were present. The tone of this market is very bad and I have to believe it means something, considering it coincides with the retirement of a certain Benjamin Shalom Bernanke.

Ben’s blunt smoking chairmanship has been a boon for investors. He’s been the single best catalyst to own stocks since 2009 and now he’s leaving. By the way, how does Greenspan get 18 years and Ben only 8? Some people believe Janet Yellen is going to tone down the Fed’s influence on markets, disassociating itself from the cocaine parties and such. What is that worth, percentage wise? 5, 10, 15%?

How does one begin to quantify?

This is what I know: today’s drop comes as a big surprise to all “normal” people. I was tricked into allocating funds to the market yesterday and regret it today, like many of you. I will not be fooled again and will reserve the 12% cash that I have left for “code red” prices.