Martin Hennecke: Protecting Your Wealth in Volatile Markets

"Hennecke stressed that investors should go for physical forms of gold and other
precious metals rather than "paper gold investment scheme where there isn't full
backing, where the metal might be leased out or used for derivatives. That's
crucial because there is 80 times more paper gold in the market than actual
physical metal in existence in the planet."

For the most part alternative currency trades remain 'highly specialized' investments, not often seen in the 401k, IRA, or the average brokerage account.

If gold and silver go mainstream, which they often will do in times of crisis of confidence, the rally may be rather impressive on short covering alone. Expect the exchanges to invoke special rules to allow for settlement of delivery obligation in cash or kind rather than bullion, and at artificially low, albeit significantly higher, prices.

But this may not help those who are holding gold in 'custodial accounts' where the same gold has been lent out to the market and sold, or is loosely mingled with multiples of uncertain ownership.

Can't happen? Who would have thought that one of the largest retail commodity brokerages, Refco, could roll over? Counter party risk is always an issue when you are 'off-exchange.'

“The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Go for Gold and Silver: Strategist
By CNBC
Wednesday, 2 Sep 2009 2:44 AM ET

China's key stock index recovered its poise on Tuesday, rising nearly 0.5 percent after diving 6.7 percent the day amid liquidity concerns and worries that lending growth may slow in the country. In August alone, the Shanghai Composite lost nearly 22 percent, snapping a seven-month winning streak.

If those stock gyrations are hard to stomach, there are other investment options to help ride out the wild swings in China, according to Martin Hennecke, associate director at Tyche.

For one, Hennecke liked convertible bonds in China, saying he is bullish on the Chinese economy given its fundamental strength, compared to Europe and the U.S. (No thank you for now, its a bubble and a bit less than free market environment, even given its bawdy good time with capitalism over the past ten years. - Jesse)

"Valuation is not as cheap anymore compared to the beginning of the year. Hong Kong-listed China companies are slightly cheaper than (those in) Shanghai," Hennecke said on CNBC Asia's "Protect Your Wealth". " One who plays more cautiously -- convertible bonds in China are an option."

Gold and silver ranked among Hennecke's top recommendations, as China, the world's largest gold buyer this year, is likely to buy more of the yellow metal going forward.

"Whether we see a further crisis or a recovery globally, with inflation coming back up again...gold should do quite well and it hasn't risen much this year yet," said Hennecke.

Hennecke stressed that investors should go for physical forms of gold and other precious metals rather than "paper gold investment scheme where there isn't full backing, where the metal might be leased out or used for derivatives. That's crucial because there is 80 times more paper gold in the market than actual physical metal in existence in the planet."

Hennecke also preferred exposure to direct agricultural commodities, as opposed to investing in commodities through equities, where markets have already rallied sharply.

"Agricultural commodity prices are similar to precious metals. (Prices) across board are mostly dropping, apart from sugar and a few items. So direct commodities are quite undervalued and quite cheap now," he explained. "Agricultural prices are likely to rise quite substantially."

Hennecke expected the investment environment to be volatile, as the U.S. will be saddled with a massive debt load over the next ten years.

"It's tricky to see where stock markets are heading, it depends on how fast inflation feeds through as a result of the debt problems." (Precisely correct, except for those who prefer to see what they have already decided *should* happen. They are often wrong, but rarely uncertain. - Jesse)

Russian Professor Panarin Sees US Following the Russian Collapse Model

Forecasts based on social outcomes are an 'iffy' thing because of the enormous amount of exogenous variables.

This particular forecast made some time ago is important, not because this professor may be more right or wrong than any other 'soft forecaster,' but because a signficant portion of America's major creditors, those outside the US, hear this and find it to be credible.

Professor Igor Panarin, whose book The Crash of America is just out, now claims that by November the book will be yesterdays news because the events described in it will have alrady come to pass.

We are not so gloomy or certain in our own outlook, and tend to discount the statements made by authors on book tours. But we do find ourselves drawn to the example of the financial decline of the Soviet Union as more probable for the US than other possible outcomes, such as the lingering malaise of Japan. It would be ironic and instructive if both Cold War behemoths eventually foundered after their many years of epic effort and wasted spending on their military complexes and regional wars.

It has never been more apparent that Obama must show leadership, or like his predecessor Mr. Bush, must find a galvanizing event to bring a badly needed focus to his presidency. One can see his Administration reaching for that one issue to distract from the awful financial problems: health care reform, swine flu preparations, whatever might bring some focus on action to a majority party in disarray with a rookie at the helm.

They had their opportunity with the financial crisis, but were hopelessly put off track by hidden scandal, conflicts of interest, a corrupt campaign contributions process, and of course, too many chiefs of inadequate stature who tended to pull down and smother the seasoned leaders able to have a vision and implement it such as Paul Volcker.

Robert Reich presented a nice apologia for the Democrats on Health Care Reform the other day, and it was credible. He is one of the few members of the Clinton Administration for whom we have enduring respect for his intelligence and integrity. Why he has no position in the current Administration is puzzling indeed.

The problem is that such internal diffusion absolutely cries out for a leader like a Franklin Roosevelt to bring some energy and action to the diversity of ideas.

A scary thought perhaps, given the weighting of alumni of the Clintons and Wall Street in this Administration, absolutely marked by a lack of 'outsiders.'

Obama is approaching his administration like a community organizer, trying to build consensus and look for 'local' leaders to take up the challenge when he leaves. But this is not how a leader functions in moments of crisis.

"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way."
John C. Maxwell

Perhaps when the autumn television shows begin their debuts, the chief American idol may find his task a little less onerous as distraction and forgetfulness sets in once again at the United States of Amnesia. Wall Street is counting on it, and as only Benmosche has dared to articulate, yearns to tell the Congress, the regulators, and the public to 'shove it.' After all, its a well-established principle on the Street that you get to 'eat what you kill,' and the would be oligarchs are hungry.

Rumour du Jour - a Large US Bank Is In Trouble

As they say on the financial infomercial channels, "US equities appear to be out of favor today."

There are rumours swirling the trading desks that a large US bank is in trouble, and will need some help getting itself re-organized.

The name Wells Fargo has been mentioned, and there is an associated six percent drop in the stock, with a groundswell of put option activity. It does seem like a 'setup' to us. There are also rumours that Cerberus is in trouble (and there is plenty of smoke on that one.)

There is a contrary view that this is a 'setup' to suck in the shorts and help to trigger a massive rally when the Jobs numbers are reported on Friday.

There is a flight to safety into the dollar and treasuries, but interestingly enough also gold and silver, as 'investors' exit US stocks.

So far we are holding a key support level around 995 on the SP futures, and we tend to discount most rumours that make it to bubblevision rather heavily. If there is any real news it should come out in the evening.

Let's see what happens. We're hedged to the short side which is where we have been coming into the day, anticipating a pullback to key support. We're there now.

There was 'good news' today, and the market ignored it and went sharply lower. That may be significant but it is too soon to tell for sure. A breakdown in equities from here would be more significant to our minds.

In sum, this is a highly manipulated market, full of speculation and hot money. The Obama Administration is failing badly to reform the US financial system, and so here we are, trading on hot money and rumours.

Hedge Funds Betting on a Deflationary Market Collapse

The observations herein regarding the nature of this stock market rally are quite in parallel with our own.

Buying the dollar to play the debt deflation trade may also be a good one in the short run, especially if leveraged foreign punters have to quickly raise cash to cover bad bets made in the US markets.

However we would have to add that this scenario assumes no black swans with regards to the heavy overhang of US dollars being held by overseas central banks.

If we were in such a position, we would be selling the rallies, given the huge amount dollars on the books.

Bloomberg
Goldman Sachs Wrong on Economic Recovery, Macro Hedge Funds Say
By Cristina Alesci

Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Paul Tudor Jones, the billionaire hedge-fund manager who outperformed peers last year, is wagering that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley got it wrong in declaring the start of an economic recovery.

Jones’s Tudor Investment Corp., Clarium Capital Management LLC and Horseman Capital Management Ltd. are taking a bearish stand as U.S. stock and bond prices rise, saying that record government spending may be forestalling another slowdown and market selloff. The firms oversee a combined $15 billion in so- called macro funds, which seek to profit from economic trends by trading stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities.

“If we have a recovery at all, it isn’t sustainable,” Kevin Harrington, managing director at Clarium, said in an interview at the firm’s New York offices. “This is more likely a ski-jump recession, with short-term stimulus creating a bump that will ultimately lead to a more precipitous decline later.”

Equity and credit markets have rallied on hopes that government intervention is pulling the U.S. out of the deepest economic slump since the Great Depression. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index jumped 51 percent from its 12-year low in March through yesterday.

The economy will expand at an annualized rate of 2 percent or more in four straight quarters through June 2010, the first such streak in more than four years, according to the median estimate of at least 53 forecasters in a Bloomberg survey.

Tudor, the Greenwich, Connecticut-based firm started by Jones in the early 1980s, told clients in an Aug. 3 letter that the stock market’s climb was a “bear-market rally.” Weak growth in household income was among the reasons to be dubious about the rebound’s chances of survival, Tudor said.... (aka the growth in the median wage that we have been harping about - Jesse)


A focus on misleading indicators is driving markets, macro managers say. (Are there any other kind coming out of Washigton or Wall Street these days? - Jesse)

Clarium watches the unemployment rate that accounts for discouraged job applicants and those working part-time because they can’t find full-time positions, Harrington said. July joblessness with those adjustments was 16 percent, according to the Department of Labor, rather than the more widely reported 9.4 percent.

The housing data isn’t as rosy as some see it, Harrington said. As existing U.S. home sales rose 7.2 percent in July from the previous month, distressed deals including foreclosures accounted for 31 percent of transactions, according to the National Association of Realtors, a Chicago-based trade group.

A report by the Mortgage Bankers Association, based in Washington, showed the share of home loans with one or more payments overdue rose to a seasonally adjusted 9.24 percent in the second quarter, an all-time high.

Clarium, which oversees about $2 billion, is positioned for an equity bear market through investments in the U.S. dollar, Harrington said. Falling stock prices will strengthen the currency by forcing leveraged investors to sell equities to pay down the dollar-denominated debt they used to finance those trades, he said.... (That's one way to play it, conventionally, if the swans stay white - Jesse)

The Financial Accounting Standards Board voted in April to relax fair-value accounting rules. The change to mark-to-market accounting allowed companies to use “significant” judgment in gauging prices of some investments on their books, including mortgage-backed securities that plunged with the housing market.

Banks are reporting better earnings because they haven’t been forced to account for their losses yet, Clarium’s Harrington said.

“We haven’t fixed the problem,” he said. “We’ve just slowed down the official recognition of it...”

“Despite every effort by government in North America and Europe to avoid deflation,” Horseman wrote, “the current numbers suggest they are losing the battle.”