Gary Tanashian

What is it about gold that makes people view it differently than any other asset class, creating an almost religious fixation* on the metal?  As long-term monetary insurance, you would think that it would be among the more boring items; sort like insurance annuities.  But that is not the case.   Gold is routinely propped up … Continue reading

The ISM has once again expanded.  Policy is working, so please Dear Mr. Bernanke, begin to withdraw not only a token amount of Treasury bond asset buying in October; make a real statement for the ‘organic’ economy.  Pull all T bond purchases and stop buying some MBS to boot.  You’ll not only help the Fed’s … Continue reading

Last week the Fed treated us to a whipsaw as market perceptions apparently were not in line with the FOMC policy statement, which was basically a punt.  Then the very next day the Fed’s James Bullard  jawboned the media about a possible October Federal Reserve tapering.  Hence, a letter writer was left with images of … Continue reading

In the current policy and media stoked market environment, anything is possible.  It’s  the wonderful, magical world of hands-on policy making.  5 years after the financial crisis, but still not enjoying a ramping economy like the good old (and long gone) days of the last great secular bull market (RIP 2000)?  Just sit back, relax … Continue reading

The media love to get a hold of buzz words and then give them a spin and a life all their own.  Recent examples were the mainstream media’s presentation of ‘Operation Twist’ – which was simply an official yield curve manipulation designed to sanitize and dampen inflationary signals – as an inflationary operation, and the … Continue reading

In light of today’s positive economic data out of China, I thought I would reproduce a segment from NFTRH 255 (9.8.13) that speculated upon the possibility of a new up cycle in inflation expectations based in large part on China and its credit growth cycle (on which central planners have announced a planned clampdown).  China … Continue reading

US manufacturing expanded again last month as July’s strong pace was maintained in August at 55%+.  New orders increased at a healthy rate of nearly 5%, but right along with this prices also increased by 5%. This is the threat to the Goldilocks backdrop that has supported policy makers’ ability to continue the inflation because … Continue reading

The destruction culminating in late June in the gold price brought out the usual suspects to school us ever since about why gold is all done as a worthy investment in an era of economic revival, compliments of heroic policy making by Ben Bernanke and Associates.  Perceptions are now fully cemented toward policy maker control … Continue reading

The commodity complex is famous for a sort of ‘Whack-a-Mole’ quality to it.  Do you remember back in the go-go days when it was NatGas (2005)?  Uranium (2007)?  Crude Oil (2008) and then a cluster of Copper (2011), Grains (2011) and Silver (2011)? Well today none of them are doing much.  Oil went up but … Continue reading

We have used the ‘continuum’ (monthly chart of the 30 year yield) for years now to define tops in inflation expectations (red arrows at or around the EMA 100) and tops in deflationary fears (green arrows). 30 yr yield & 30 yr – 2 yr spread With the help of a MACD cross over (not … Continue reading