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A Fistful of Awesome!

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Yep, I went and did it again today.   I didn’t like the pin action in the price of gold, not to mention the dollar, and so hedged most of my major positions, including SLW, ANV, EGO and RGLD, with short calls, just slightly in the money, one month out (Novembers). 

I also trimmed my AGQ once again, selling another 400 shares at $104+.  I now have only a measly 400 shares left from my original 3,000.   We are retardedly over the 200 day moving average in silver, which just refuses to stand down, but AGQ will be a hard break when it does finally succumb to gravity, I’d contend.  

The good I see ahead is in the precious metals, big surprise, no?   That’s why I’m only shorting calls, rather than selling big chunks, though I did sell 30% of EXK yesterday, instead of selling the calls.   At prices below $5, however, and really even below $10, I see there being little difference in the price of a call, and the price of a stock, so I just sell the underlying to a point where I’m comfortable holding through the storm, and then I just hang on.

The bad I saw today, was in the bank stocks.  I thought at first that this mortgage gig was a smokescreen, readied by The Powers That Are  to scare some valuations down for coming bank M&A’s.   That thesis may still be correuct, but I was given pause by the action of the bank index ($BKX) today.   Observe:

 After all this hooplah since early September, you’d think the financials would have something better to show us than the above, no?   And yet, it’s looking bad for now.   I shall revisit my “possible takeover” thesis later in the year, as I still believe there’s a strong percentage still in betting on a flurry of acquisitions coming off at the end of this year.

In the meantime, I dumped the last of my BBT, FITB and even JPM.   I may buy back one of those after this storm has passed here, but for now, cash is better than banks.

The ugly is none other than the mighty U.S. dollar, which seemed to get it’s bounce today, off the $76.40 low area and is now almost 30 cent higher at $76.70.   

This bounce should give you an opportunity to consolidate some positions, and perhaps enter others.  I have my eye on more GSS, which is one of the few gold and silver plays that is not yet overbought.  But be ready to pounce with all alacrity on the whole universe, as this pullback may be short lived.

Or, not lived at all. 

My best to you.

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Jimmy Page, eat your heart out!
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You may be familiar with my call that gold and silver are overbought and should be pulling back here. Well, I still stand by that call, and as proof, today I sold approximately 25 to 40% of my EXK, BAA, AGQ, CDE, respectively .

Note I touched not any of my ANV or SLW, or IAG or RGLD, EGO or PAAS or any of my “core group.”    The reason is the Stairway to Heaven I’ve seen appearing in the charts, particularly the silver commodity’s chart.  First the weekly:

Yes, that’s our eighth week of “steady Eddy” up move we’re witnessing there.   And yet, look at how boringly stair step it seems… almost as if it is some kind of controlled move.  

It looks almost as boring — and maybe alarming — on the daily charts.   Behold:

Not a whole heckuva a lot of pullback in that stairway, eh?  That’s what’s kind of freaking me out from two angles.  First, this is not a “parabolic move” but rather a slow stair-step.  It’s highly unusual for such a volatile metal.  And before you start getting crazy about silver’s tiny market (true), the recent gold commodity charts look exactly like this as well.

It’s almost like someone gave a signal in August that it was time to swap shit dollars — ever so quietly and surreptitiously, like a cafeteria thief replacing roast turkey slices with wedges of liverwurst on all the whole grain wheat sandwich bread — for beautiful ingots of silver and gold.

This action gives me pause, even though I took some mighty profits today in the more volatile PM’s  (I also sold half my shitty BBT position, and trimmed or got rid of some outliers like JAH, KFN and a little VECO). 

This could be traders slowly covering short positions, I guess, in which case, we should ready for a strong pullback, as I’ve noted.   However, this could also be the precursor, the yeast in the bread dough, so to speak, of the parabolic move that I do expect later on this year or in the Spring. 

So we will wait and see, with bated breath, whether Christmas comes early this year… or right… on…. time!

Best to you all.

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It Burns! It Burns!

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Let me first apologize for my inability to post last night. It’s a long story, but let’s just say it involved egregious, home-wrecking (figuratively and literally) home repair arcana which prevented me– via “boy in the bubble” -style plastic sheathing– from reaching my home laptop without risking catastrophic ruin to both home and marriage.

Luckily, I’ve ingeniously derived a path to said electronic tools, and even  — bonus! — unto my very wine cellar.   Alas and alack, all my wine glasses are also encased, Young John Travolta-style, behind aforesaid egregious plastic bubble.  They mock me, even now, in light-hearted crystalline tones.   Resulting situation?  I may go “Mayberry Otis” on a bottle of 2005 Mondavi right here, right now.  

Tell no one.

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Where was I?  Oh yes, the banks.   Boy didn’t it seem like last week was the begining of the sequel to late 2008’s monster hit– Bear Stearns/Lehman II, Electric Bugaloo?   But let’s get serious — when was the last time quantitive easing was bad for banks?  Well, it’s certainly not bad for banks that have crapola bonds on their balance sheets when the ECB and Fed are acting like willing buyers in the market place.   Get on the QE II Cruise Liner, people.

For stabilisation (sic) purposes only, please. 

No folks, they are not going to let those banks die again.  “They” are stupid, and “they” are short sighted, but they are not going to make the same mistake twice.   Not in a … what? (Cups hand to ear)… Go ahead, say it with me… Not in a whaaat?

NOT IN A FREAKING ELECTION YEAR, Baby!

Come, come– I know you are desperate for some serious chart action.  You cry out for confirmation of my biases, and I will not disappoint.   Slake thy thirst on this weekly of the $BKX (the Philadelphia Bank Index):

Four out of five weeks down, sure, but where has our price found purchase, and even (dare I say it?) a phat DOJI?  That’s right, at the same 34-week EMA that’s served as mother’s comfort lo these last eleven months. 

And those were “recovery months,” which I don’t think will be fully completed until we test that 200 week EMA up there (in red) which, by golly, sure looks like it wants to at least decrease its slope, if not stop descending altogether.  Ain’t that a thing? 

Now lookee see, here, I’ve got another juicy and nutritious daily chart for you, and yes, it’s the $BKX again. 

No, it’s not pretty but in this case, it’s the 200–day EMA that’s serving as support as well as that significant support line (we’ve used it before) at just over $49.00.   I think the printing presses are winning this one, son, and they are not going to let those banks go down without a much more serious fight than we saw last week with the Greco-Spaniard panic attack. 

So prepare ye for more clack-clack-clacking that will lead to much ack-ack-ACKing.   

This market may very well be setting up for a great fall (perhaps, in the Fall?), but I think the powers that “try to be” will continue to stuff those banks so full of banque notes and letters of exchequer that you won’t be able to address the tellers for the interchange of proper monies. 

They fight the last war, that’s what they do well.   Look not ye, then, unto the burning FAZ -mobile!  And whilst ye may not wish to grab polar opposite FAS, I continue to think BBT and FITB are decent holds in this environment.

And lest we forget,  continue to look to the PM sector as your hedge to this egregiousity, as always.   

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Cuter  than Bing, no?

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I’ll have you know, the direct translation of “too ra loo ra loo rah” is “Get drunk, you Irish monkey, and buy stocks.”

Here’s hoping my good friend M. Le Docteur de la Fly, who is resoundingly French on all days save this one, will comply.

Why?

Well, it seems the tell-tale market indicator, the BKX, has broke the shilelegh (sic) out, and wants to take the rest of the market with it.   Everyone with an ounce of Galway joostice (sic) in him knows that means the market wants to rip.  

Want proof?   Here’s a shot of Jamison’s and a chart for ye to consider in your bear suit:

Will we have a pullback?  Sure, most likely.   And I will likely lighten a bit more tomorrow, as I did today, with my Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) [[SLW]] calls, [[GDX]] calls and [[AGQ]] sell off, all at a tidy profit, mind you.   But I haven’t sold a drop of BB&T Corporation [[BBT]] or even Pacific Capital Bancorp [[PCBC]] as I think the banks are for real here.

You see, the dollar has begun it’s move back down to the $78.50 or so level, and that’s going to be tough love for those of bearish persuasion going forward, even after our expected pullback.  

As a matter of fact, you might even think of adding to your [[TBT]] because Ben as much said he’s all for inflation today, that crazy bearded leprechaun of questionable heritage.  

I’m hoping all my fellow Irishman will lay down their “dukes” (sic) and join me in a pint of Guinness (and some Diageo plc (ADR) [[DEO]] ? ) this glorious day.  Celebrate our heritage, get a little drunk, get a little long.

It’s easy.

Erin go Bragh!

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[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfINBYmGD1A 450 300]

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I don’t often talk about the University of Kentucky on this site, being a “mostly” Louisville Cardinals fan (and they don’t like it much around here when you’re “both.”  You might as like to try to “borry” from a man’s still instead).   However, UK freshman, SEC “Player of the Year,” “Newcomer of the Year,” and quite possibly #1 NBA draft pick John Wall makes for a nice metaphor for today’s dollar discussion.

Wall, while deified in the Blue Grass for his eye-popping offensive talents, is going to be the number one (or #2, his teammate DeMarcus Cousins may go #1) draft pick because of his defensive capabilities, which are sometimes similarly eye-popping.   It’s arguable, for instance, that he beat Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt all by himself with a last second shot block on a dead-eye three-point shooter, followed by a clean pick of the ball right from said startled shooter’s hands.  

What’s that?  Of course Youtube has the clip!

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZzXhhd6CRA 450 300]

Pretty spiffy, no?   You don’t see that kind of instinctive defensive thinking in a lot of freshman.

And that kind of defensive, er… “wall” brings to mind our old weekly dollar chart and the “fib wall” we’d identified as going to be a tough area to breach.   It turns out, the 200-week exponential moving average (“EMA”) served as a barrier as well.   Look at the slow topping we’ve seen here, keeping in mind this is a weekly chart:

I think this bodes well, at least in the near term, for our commodities “risk trade,” and especially the precious metals, which are perking up quite nicely this morning as the dollar (DXY) drops below $80.00.    [[AGQ]] is taking all it’s friends out for a champagne party, and purchasing them Norma Kamali handbags.   Fellow silvers [[EXK]] , [[CDE]] and even rag-tag Hecla Mining Company [[HL]] are also again off to the races.  As always, the best name in silver is Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) [[SLW]] .  On the gold side, you know my favourites (sic) but NovaGold Resources Inc. (USA) [[NG]] is really picking up steam as it matures here.

Keep an eye as well on our dollar proxy [[UUP]] , which we’d like to see stay below $23.60 for our shiny metal dominance to continue.

On top of our usual metal trades, it seems that the regional banks [[KRE]] are also back on thier horses.  You know I love BB&T Corporation BB&T Corporation [[BBT]] as a long term hold, but don’t be afraid to grab a little Fifth Third Bancorp [[FITB]] and Huntington Bancshares Incorporated [[HBAN]] here as these “Ohio chancres” will someday soon be able to cover up their cold sores and sashay out into the bank M&A saloons once again, all a-flooze.

Last, don’t forget about Elite Eight  pick Cree, Inc. [[CREE]] which is still getting its wind back (thankfully, so is SanDisk Corporation [[SNDK]] ) and it’s sister Veeco Instruments Inc. [[VECO]] , which has really been gaining some nice ground recently.   I like both as hedges against future “Inflato-rama Drama.”

My best to you all.

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“When a Mere Ass-hat Just Won’t Do”

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Before I talk about this Disco Ball Market, I want to take a second to explain why I love this country and I love going to work every day, despite the imminent Tsar Bomba of Damocles hanging over this economy thanks to the near-brain dead or simply evil (your pick) statist government with which we’ve been collectively saddled.

You see my line of work brings me into contact with blindingly smart people every day.   And not just smart people, like your average egghead dufus at State U., but smart ambitious fellows not unlike Le Monsieur Le Docteur de Le Fly.   People who want to actually do and create things in a clever and efficient fashion that no one has considered before.

It gives me such hope, you see.   (Aside: Can I use that word, or has it been wholly discredited like the otherwise once-honorable “liberal?”)  

Anyway, it gives me hope for this benighted land, that we might still have the IP to make it “on to the next,” as Jay-Zee would say.   These are the people that are continuing to create value every day, even in the worst of market circumstances.    And here I am,  just lucky enough to stumble into them every now and then, and maybe lend them a hand along the way.

Without getting  too deep into specifics, let me proffer this example of  the young man I met  this morning…

   This guy used to be in plain vanilla big project software consulting.   Serendipitously, or unluckily depending upon your tolerance for such things, many of his clients were large state governments.   You know the drill if you’ve been exposed — this is a client base characterized by horrendously long sales cycles, diffident bureaucracy, inefficient and/or politically-driven decision making — you know the drill.   The biggest net positive to that kind of customer base is that it’s magnificently sticky, if perhaps only by dint of inertial motion (thanks Newton).  

You’re probably saying “so what? — there’s a myriad of private sector gov’t suppliers out there, and they all sell for about 5.0x cash flow and maybe 0.75 to 1.0x sales.”   Big whoop, right?

   Well, that’s where the innovation I so love comes into the picture.    This young man came to realize, via quiet hard analysis and slow revelation, that the value he could extract from his customer is so valuable to the outside world, that he can afford to pay them and himself, and still make four to five times the margins he was originally making in his original model.

Think of that for a second.   He can afford to  pay his clients to allow him to do what he does, which also happend to be a value added, money-saving service to them.   You think that’s going to drive some demand for his products, maybe?

I love my job.  God Bless America, and screw Damocles while You’re at it.

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This Disco Ball Market is turning and turning and sparkling and sparkling, and it’s even worse on my poor M. Le Fly’s brain than the chemical laser-krunk, electro-youtube sonic Ecstacy-Assist “the kids” are replacing Gloria Gaynor with these days.

Sometimes I feel like one of those “lucky ones” of the generation X+ who were too young for Viet Nam, but too old for the Gulf Wars,  but replacing those armed conflicts with the twin piers of “Disco” and “Electronica.”   Much like the tenets of war, the universal deficiencies of bad club music remain eternal.

One is driven to speculate as to whether the Spartans and Etruscans had to winnow their young from the atonal lull of the thumping lyre.  Better than warring with the Athenians, I guess…

Watch the dollar.   If it breaks down, we will continue up.   However, today’s action in gold and silver seem to be signalling, if weakly, that we’ll have a pullback here.   I may lighten on some of my calls, at least temporarily.  

In the mean time, the banks BB&T Corporation BB&T Corporation BB&T Corporation BB&T Corporation [[BBT]] , Citigroup Inc. [[C]] , KeyCorp [[KEY]] , and Pacific Capital Bancorp [[PCBC]] and my favourite (sic) L.E.D.  techs, Cree, Inc. [[CREE]] and especially Veeco Instruments Inc. [[VECO]] look very strong, telling me this is not an “about to plunge” market, no matter the sweaty-palmed Denninger-types’ trepidations. 

Please also remember to take any spare change lying around in the cushions and apply them to a short of ArvinMeritor, Inc. [[ARM]] , so I may defeat mine righteous enemee (sic), CA, and proceed to the Elite Eight.  

Thanks in advance.

Update:  The real thang, yo’ —

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I 450 300]

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