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Author: Lee Adler

I’ve been publishing The Wall Street Examiner and its predecessor since October 2000. I also publish LiquidityTrader.com, and was lead analyst for Sure Money Investor, of blessed memory. I developed David Stockman’s Contra Corner for Mr. Stockman. I’ve had a wide variety of finance related jobs since 1972, including a stint on Wall Street in both sales, analytical, and trading capacities. Prior to starting the Wall Street Examiner I was a commercial real estate appraiser in Florida for 15 years. I was considered an expert in the analysis of failed properties that ended up in the hands of bank REO divisions, the FDIC, and the RTC. Remember those guys? I also worked in the residential mortgage and real estate businesses in parts of the 1970s and 80s. I have been charting stocks and markets and doing analytical work since I was a teenager. I’m not some Ivory Tower academic, Wall Street guy. My perspective comes from having my boots on the ground and in the trenches, as a real estate broker, mortgage broker, trader, account rep, and analyst. I’ve watched most of the games these Wall Street wiseguys play from right up close. I know the drill from my 55 years of paying attention. And I’m happy to share that experience with you, right here.

The Fed Flattens The Curve – Stocks Follow

Today’s the day. The Fed announces its next plan. You may have already seen it by the time you read this.

But really. What difference does it make? The Fed has trashed its plan without notice 3 times in the past year and a half.

In the past 2 months, it has had no plan at all. It just responds willy-nilly to whatever happens in the news. My god! The Fed bailed out Carnival Cruise Lines. You know we’re in trouble when the Fed bails out Carnival. The blatant cronyism of the plutocrat class is breathtaking. And the sheep just yawn, placated by a few crumbs thrown their way.

So Jerry and the JayJays will sing yet a new song today. Maybe they’ll stick with the new tune for a few weeks or months. Maybe they won’t. We just have to keep tracking what they do and watching the market response.

Here’s what you need to know.

Fed QE QE

These Charts Show The Fed Is the Market Ventilinflator

Ever resolute, the Fed kept pumping the cash into Primary Dealer accounts. It kept at it until, as I calculated elsewhere, it had pumped in about $800 billion more than the dealers, and indeed the entire world, needed to absorb the flood of Treasury supply that was hammering it. That happened by the middle of April.

It was enough for the dealers to get back to their fun business of acquiring inventories of stocks, marking them up, triggering short squeezes, and convincing their herds of institutional sheep customers to follow the shorts and dive back into the market with whatever cash they had raised on the way down.

It worked, as we all know. Stocks have recovered around 55% of what they lost in the crash.

But the Fed has started to do the tighten up. Here’s what you need to know.

S&P 500 ES Futures Chart

Stock Market Ready For Daily Disinfectant Injection

The market is on easy street today. It’s getting its usually daily injection from the Fed, while the Treasury is sidelined, not doing any borrowing today. So all that cash gets to sit around for a whole 4 days until a new wad of Treasury supply hits.

Meanwhile, at the Dear Leader’s suggestion, Trump supporters inject themselves with bleach or isopropyl alcohol to stave off infection with the virus. That’s a good thing. Let’s hope it’s the start of a trend that flattens the curve so we can all get back to normal lives.   

Fed QE

Fed Daily Manna – Batten Down, Ladies – April 24, 2020

The Fed gives Primary Dealers money every day now. The dealers use that money to buy Treasury paper from Uncle Sam. Whatever the dealers don’t need for that purpose, they use to create mischief in the financial markets. You really need to know how much money they’re getting, how much they need, and how much mischief is coming as a result, every day. I’m happy to help you get that information.