Submitted by Rakesh Upadhyay via OilPrice.com,
The actions and intentions of Saudi Arabia and Russia - the two largest oil-producing nations attending the Doha meeting on 17 April - have dashed all hopes of any fruitful outcome. The most important meeting of the last three decades, which has promised to forge new friendships and a new cartel, is turning out to be the biggest farce, even before the curtain is raised.
With speculation of helicopter money in Europe spreading like wildfire, here is a simple summary of how the ECB may have no choice but to go with the "final solution" and engage the "chopper" for one simple reason: by pushing bond yields lower, the ECB is now actively impairing the functioning of Europe's banks, and it's getting to the point where European bank stocks are now back to crisis lows, leading to questions about their viability. Here is the explanation courtesy of DB's Jim Reid.
When we last looked at order of heavy, or Class 8, truck one quarter ago - that all-important, forward looking barometer of domestic trade - we said that even with 2015 in the history books, and as we start 2016 where the base effect was supposed to make the annual comps far more palatable, the latest, January data, as abysmal: "the drop continues to be one of Great Recession proportions, manifesting in yet another massive 48% collapse in truck orders in the first month of the year as demand appears to have gone in a state of deep hibernation."
As the growth mirage fades (and short-squeeze ammo runs out), so crude and copper carnage is reappearing. Amid its biggest plunge since early Jan, Copper is now down 10 of the last 12 days and crude is plunging back towards it 50-day moving average. Amid this bloodbathery, precious metals are bid as Saxo Bank sees Gold "heading back to its highs and beyond."
Copper & Crude carnage continues as PMs are bid...
The biggest plunge in copper since September 2015...
It appears the search for a safe-haven has left Biotechs and FANGs as investors' flight to quality sparks a bid under bonds & bullion. US Treasury yields are tumbling with 10Y and 30Y near the low close from mid-February's "flash-crash" lows.
7Y yields are outperforming for now and 2Y underperforming
And with aggregate speculative positioning still notably short...
We suspect there is a lot more pain to come as The Fed folds to China's pressure.