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Bond’s send out a distress signal

All is not well-

The constant fall in Bond yields is sending out a signal that all is not well in the world. The tail end of last week may have seen some excellent earnings from facebook, apple, amazon and alphabet and that started a fresh equity rally early Friday. However, the fall of Bond yields is saying, ‘look out! There may be trouble ahead. For the uninitiated bond traders tend to take a more long tern macro view. So, when equities rise, but bond yields are falling that is a signal something is wrong.

If you can recall at the start of the year one of the big questions was which market is right? Falling and yields or rising equities? The answer has been, ‘the falling bond yield market’. So, the general rule of thumb is go with the bond yield market. Now, of course this doesn’t mean that a funny divergence can last for weeks and months. However, at the very least it is a warning sign. That warning sign is showing again.

All is not well- 

Yields are dropping

The 10Y Gilt yield (UK bond) hit a record low last week. The 10Y Bund (German bond) closed at its lowest level since mid-May on Thursday last week, while the 10 y UST (US bond) was down towards its lowest ever close last week too.

Bonds

SP500

Why are they dropping?

The proverbial tea leaves are being read and a second wave of COVID-19 is being seen ahead. This will mean more monetary and fiscal policy help to get through the pandemic.So, yes the equity market has been rallying on the central bank support. However, the bond market is saying that the next stage of the global economy is fraught with dangers and a ‘V’ shaped recovery is more hope than reality.

The importance of emotion in trading.

Anxious:  Am I prepared?  Can I afford to lose what I am risking?  Am I breaking my rules?  Did I drink too much caffeine?

Anger:  Have I not moved from the last trade?  Am I tired?  Is there conflict in my personal life?

Happiness:  Are psychological gains more important than monetary gain?  Am I overconfident?

Indifference:  Do I care?  Is something more important?

It is natural to feel emotion but in an appropriate and proportional way.

Anxious:

To this day, the first trade always produces a little anxiety.  That little tingle in your stomach and shallow breathing.  The same is true when I a trade I have been waiting for sets up.  Above that, I know there is something wrong.

Anger and Happiness:

I am angry after a negative outcome and happy after a positive outcome but in order to adapt more quickly I have to remove emotion from the outcome as soon as possible.  It is more important to focus on what happened and less how I feel about it. Prolonged feelings of anger or happiness causes risk blindness and impedes my learning.  Misjudging risk will prevent me from taking a trade or taking too much risk. (more…)

How George Soros Knows What He Knows

georgesoros

I wonder if George Soros can really attribute his financial success to his theoretical framework that he calls the “Theory of Refexivity.” Or perhaps he just simply listens to the clues that his bodily instincts provide him with before making important trading decisions. Hmmm . . . Here’s what his son Robert has to say:
“My father will sit down and give you theories to explain why he does this or that. But I remember seeing it as a kid and thinking, Jesus Christ, at least half of this is bullshit. I mean, you know the reason he changes his position on the market or whatever is because his back starts killing him. It has nothing to do with reason. He literally goes into a spasm, and it’s this early warning sign.”

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