Morning in Arizona

Morning in Arizona
Rainbows over Canyonlands - Dave Stoker

The Headline Animator

Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Take 63

Financial Review

Take 63


DOW + 39 = 20,689
SPX + 1 = 2360
NAS + 3 = 5898
RUT – 1 = 1368
10 Y + .01 = 2.36%
OIL + .94 = 51.18
GOLD + 2.70 = 1256.70

The U.S. trade deficit fell in February as exports increased to a two-year high and slowing domestic demand weighed on imports. The Commerce Department reports the trade deficit declined 9.6 percent to $43.6 billion. Some of the decline in imports in February likely reflects slower consumer spending.

Trade will probably be either neutral or impose a small drag on gross domestic product in the first quarter after subtracting 1.8 percentage points from fourth-quarter growth. In addition to trade, weak consumer spending also likely constrained the economy in the first three months of the year. The Atlanta Federal Reserve is forecasting GDP rising at a 1.2 percent rate in the first quarter, a deceleration from the 2.1 percent pace logged in the fourth quarter.

In a separate report, Factory orders rose 1% in February for the seventh increase in eight months, a sign of the rebounding fortunes of the manufacturing industry.

The U.S.-China trade deficit dropped 26.6 percent to $23.0 billion in February. The decline in the U.S.-China trade deficit comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit later this week. President Trump has declared China the “grand champions” of currency manipulation. Trade relations with China are further complicated by growing tensions with North Korea.

The outcome of their talks could have longstanding ramifications for two of the world’s most important currencies. The valuation of a given currency can make stocks and bonds denominated in that currency attractive to foreign investors. Cheaper currencies can help to boost stocks by making companies’ goods more competitive on the global market.

President Trump vowed  today to cut red tape to speed up approval of infrastructure projects and said his overhaul could top $1 trillion on roads, tunnels and bridges, one of his 2016 election campaign promises. Trump did not provide further details on the amount or where the money would come from when he spoke to a White House meeting of 50 chief executives and other business leaders.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said at the forum that the administration plans to release a legislative package in May. The administration wants to improve the electrical grid and water systems, rebuild airports, bridges, roads and potentially hospitals for military veterans and broadband. National Economic Council director Gary Cohn told executives that privatizing air traffic control, which the administration proposed in its budget outline in March, “is probably the single most exciting thing we can do.”

The Washington Post reported this morning that the White House is looking at the possibilities of creating a carbon tax and a value-added tax as part of tax reform. The Post’s report cites administration officials and “one other person briefed on the process.” Administration officials told the Post that no final decisions have been made about whether a value-added tax or a carbon tax would be included in a tax-reform plan.

Trump will need to come up with ways to raise revenue if he wants to lower tax rates without adding to the deficit. House Republicans have proposed raising revenue through a tax on imports known as border adjustment, but that proposal is opposed by several GOP senators.

Value-added taxes are a type of consumption tax, while carbon taxes would be imposed on the manufacturing of some types of fuel. Later in the day, the White House issued a statement saying, “As of now, neither a carbon tax nor a VAT are under consideration.” One thing is certain though, tax reform will not be easy.

Take 63. There is a new plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Vice President Mike Pence and two top White House officials made an offer in a closed-door meeting with members of the House Freedom Caucus.

The proposal under discussion  would allow states to opt out of two key Affordable Care Act provisions: essential health benefits, which require insurers to cover certain services, and community rating, which bars carriers from charging consumers based on their medical history or gender. Eliminating these federal requirements could wipe out the safeguards requiring insurance companies to offer insurance to people with pre-existing conditions – one of the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield fell Tuesday to as low as 2.31 percent, within a basis point of its 2017 low. The level to watch now is the Feb. 24th low at 2.308%. Anything below this pivot, even on an intraday basis, signals that a meaningful top was put in at the March high. And if support falters, the next support is 2.13%.

For all the talk of consumer confidence, it isn’t translating to sales at brick and mortar stores. Retail is the worst performing sector so far, this year. Today, Ralph Lauren said it was shutting its flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York and cutting jobs; Urban Outfitters announced a decline in same store sales; Citigroup downgraded L Brands; First Data Corp., the payments processor, said point-of-sales data for department stores slumped 10.9 percent in March.

Payless ShoeSource is the latest retailer to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Payless will close nearly 400 stores as it attempts to boost its balance sheet and restructure its debt load. Payless has 4,400 stores in 30 countries and employs nearly 22,000 people. It was bought in 2012 by private equity firms Golden Gate Capital and Blum Capital partners.

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Jeffrey Lacker said he’s resigning immediately and he regrets his role in disclosing confidential information related to the U.S. central bank’s deliberations in 2012 in an interview with an analyst from Medley. That info, dealing with the Fed’s planned purchase of mortgage securities, was published by the analyst; followed by various investigations over the years, leading to today’s resignation. In a statement emailed by his lawyer, Lacker wrote: “In 2012, my conduct was inconsistent with those important confidentiality policies.”

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is out with his annual letter to shareholders, in which he discusses not only the bank’s business outlook but also various current economic and political issues. Dimon said he has high hopes for the U.S. but believes there is “something wrong” with the country as well, writing: “Our problems are significant, and they are not the singular purview of either political party. We need coherent, consistent, comprehensive and coordinated policies that help fix these problems.”

Dimon added: “The solutions are not binary — they are not either/or, and they are not about Democrats or Republicans. They are about facts, analysis, ideas and best practices (including what we can learn from others around the world).”

Dimon noted that the U.S. is “an exceptional country,” but there are numerous areas where the country needs to improve. Among them are low wage growth, high health-care costs and overcrowded prisons. Businesses are overburdened with regulations, the nation’s infrastructure needs help, and the education system “is leaving too many behind,” he added.

Among the other ills: Taxes are making U.S. companies less competitive globally, income disparity is widening, and social mobility is decreasing. “The lack of economic growth and opportunity has led to deep and understandable frustration among so many Americans,” Dimon said. “It is understandable why so many are angry at the leaders of America’s institutions, including businesses, schools and governments — they are right to expect us to do a better job.”

Dimon listed 11self-inflicted problems for the economy: excessive regulation, high spending on wars, student loan growth, high health care costs, high-skilled immigrants leaving the US, felony convictions leaving millions with criminal records, a tight mortgage market, the labor force participation rate is too low, education leaves too many behind, the need to invest in infrastructure, and a flawed corporate tax system.

On other issues; Dimon said he’s concerned the U.K.’s departure from the European Union might trigger political unrest throughout the region that could split the currency union, resulting in “devastating economic and political effects.” Dimon devoted more than a third of his letter to deregulation.

Dimon asserted that the Dodd-Frank Act effectively ended the possibility of government bailouts for “too big to fail” banks. He also called for modifying the Financial Stability Oversight Council — the panel of regulators created by the Dodd-Frank Act, however he did not call for repeal of Dodd-Frank.

Separately, JPMorgan said in its annual report that it expects $49 billion of net interest income this year, up from about $46 billion in 2016, assuming additional loan growth and no changes in interest rates. Average core loan growth will be about 10 percent, and loan write-offs will remain close to historically low levels.

In what appears to be a reference to Warren Buffett, Dimon talked about the “secret sauce” that powers the American economy: trust. In the past, Buffett has also talked about the “secret sauce”. Dimon wrote: “A strong and vibrant private sector (including big companies) is good for the average American. Entrepreneurship and free enterprise, with strong ethics and high standards, are worth rooting for, not attacking.”

Dimon is right, trust is important, but it can’t be cajoled or demanded. It must be earned.

Wells Fargo has been ordered to reinstate a former bank manager who was fired after reporting suspected illegal behavior to his superiors and a company hotline. The manager, who wasn’t identified, was dismissed in 2010 after reporting on incidents of suspected bank, mail and wire fraud by two bankers in the Los Angeles area.

Wells Fargo was also ordered to give the whistle-blower about $5.4 million in back pay, compensatory damages and legal fees after OSHA determined his warnings were at least a contributing factor in the termination.

Wells Fargo said they would immediately issue a check along with thanks to the whistle-blower for alerting them to the problems. No, just kidding about that last part – Wells Fargo said they would appeal the order.

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