Business

Launching Q3 earnings season, moments ago JPM reported third quarter Net Income of $6.7 billion and EPS of $1.76, beating expectations $1.67 and 18 cents, or 7% higher than a year ago, on "managed" revenue of $26.2 BN, beating consensus expectations of $25.7 BN, up 3% from the $25.5BN in Q3 2016 revenue .

JPM reported average core loans up 7% Y/Y and 2% Q/Q, with net interest income up $1.2Bn Y/Y to $12.5bn, “primarily driven by the net impact of rising rates and loan growth" even as average NIM missed.

In a trend observed every day this week, S&P futures are slightly in the red ahead of a post-open ramp with the VIX rising to 9.91, as Asian shares climb, European stocks are little changed. WTI crude pares recent gains, slipping below $51 after API showed an unexpected crude build. Earnings season launches with bank earnings reports from JPMorgan and Citigroup, while Economic data include PPI figures, jobless claims.

Just over a decade ago, as the S&P was hitting all time highs and there was a line around the block of 30-some year old hedge fund managers, desperate to put other people's money in various ultra risky investments just so they could pick a few excess bps of yield over Treasurys - a situation painfully familiar to what is going on now - Goldman had an epiphany: create new synthetic products that have huge convexity, i.e., provide little upside (such as a few basis points pick up in yield) versus unlimited downside, link them to the shittiest assets possible and sell them to gullible, yie

The Fed's Williams warns that they "don't want there to be excesses in financial markets... "

Two quick things...

The market has almost never been this expensive...

As Peter Boockvar warns: "Almost there. S&P 500 price to sales ratio is just 4% from March 2000 peak."

And investors have never been more concerned about 'black swans'...

There is a seemingly unlimited number of disconnects in financial markets these days, not the least of which is the shocking divergence in recent years between the ever plunging unemployment rate in the United States and stubbornly rising delinquencies on consumer debt. In fact, according to a note published earlier today by UBS strategist Matthew Mish, that divergence continues to soar to all time highs with each passing month...but why?