While #Quad1#Goldilocks may be good for risk assets, it’s decidedly poor for the $USD, which continued ↘️ and took out the 50% retracement level of 102.12
Chart: $USD -1.64% (w) -9.94% 3M = T = Trend
3a/11
With a -0.76 correlation to the $USD over (T) duration, $GOLD +2.78% continued to 🚀 and is now +18.7% off the October lows and VERY OVERBOUGHT
Chart: $GOLD +5.23% YTD
3b/11
Dr. $COPPER turned decidedly ♉️ the week ending 11/11/22 and has been🚦bullish Trend ever since, front running China re-opening announcement by over a month.
Chart: $COPPER +7.8% (w) +23.9% (T)
4/11
Declines in energy costs in December nearly offset the rise in shelter costs in the #CPI report. The commensurate real wages ↗️ put pressure on hydrocarbons this week = sowing the seeds #Goldilocks early demise
Chart: $GASO +13.39% (w) -3.67% (T)
4a/11
📌 Importantly, I want to note that oil 🌊 has fallen to multi-month lows as speculators have been shaken from the market.
Time to get long energy 🛢 folks.
Chart: $OVX 38.19 at the lowest level in a year.
5/11
While the "the food index increased +10.4% over the last year” in the December #CPI report, grains have been decidedly subdued since peak inflation in June.
Chart: $DBA -0.15% (w) -2.64% (T) could be the next to join the ♉️ party
6/11
With event risk behind us, the $VIX 🔻 to 18.35, a 1-year low and supporting equity prices as both realized and implied vol fall.
Chart: $VIX 18.35 has some calling for long zee puts, but I’m not so sure
6a/11
Small caps led 🇺🇸 equity indices ↗️
Chart: $IWM +5.33%
6b/11
High beta ♣️ low beta by a wide margin
Chart: $SPHB +5.96% (w) compared to $SPLV -0.43% (w)
6c/11
Growth had a slight edge over value
Chart: $SPYG +2.78% (w) compared to $SPYV +2.7% (w)
6d/11
With real wages rising, consumers ostensibly have more 💰 in their pockets to spend.
Accordingly, consumer discretionary led US Sectors ↗️ while Staples -1.37% on the week.
Chart: $XLY +5.78% (w) +3.27% (T)
7/11
A weak $USD has also catalyzed ♉️ moves in international indices over the past 3 months with both Europe and the Pac Rim showing outsized 💪
Chart: $DAX +3.26% (w) and +22.7% off the October lows
8a/11
In bond land, the yield curve remains deeply inverted as the short-end has been 📌 by the Fed and bonds have rallied on slowing inflation and the prospect of #recession in the year ahead
Chart: 10Y3M to -118 bps
8b/11
Corporate bonds led bond ETFs ↗️
Chart: $LQD +1.72% (w) +10.05% (T)
9/11
Supporting all of this ♉️ 🚀, 374B has come out of reverse repo (money markets) and into risk assets since the end of December 🔥
It only takes 50-100B to move markets each day
Chart: Overnight reverse repo
10a/11
The big question for investors is how long can this #Quad1#Goldilocks ♉️ last - especially as it runs into a 🦅 #FOMC on 02/01/23, one day after the Employment Cost Index (ECI) for Q422 is released.
Remember, this Fed is focused on wages aka "services ex-shelter"
10b/11
I’m inclined to agree with @BobEUnlimited that this #Goldilocks is transitory and that it will sow its own seeds of destruction as moribund commodities spring to life and as real wage gains spur a resilient consumer, pushing #inflation ↗️
Despite extremely overbought conditions in equities, expect positive vanna and charm 🌊 into #OPEX 🥐 as well as more #TGA spend as Janet front runs Congress & reverse repo 💦 as chasers chase the 200-day #FOMO
Note $SPX resistance at 4075-4100 and have a super 💰 week!
• • •
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• AI Productivity Boom
• Inflation🔻 U3 🔺 and FOMC
• OB3 = running it hot ♨️
• IEEPA Tariff Decision
• Midterms and the Affordability Crisis
• Energy Policy
• 4th Turning Dynamics
• Bubbling Generational Conflicts
• Quantum Computing
Let’s dig into each theme
2/12
AI Productivity Boom 💥
2026 is the year when AI will begin to make a noticeable impact on productivity and corporate profits. Firms will begin to deploy agentic AI at scale, realizing significant productivity improvement - at the expense of employment and demanding a full range of energy sources.
Expect unemployment (U3) to tick higher to 4.8% by 2Q 26 along with energy commodities $NATGAS, $WTIC, and companies $XLE
Utilities will seek price increases to offset the demand, but rising costs are likely to squeeze margins. $XLU is to be avoided.
We should also expect $NVDA and hyperscalers, particularly $GOOG, to continue to perform well.
Demand for industrial metals should also remain big $DBB $CPER $SLV
3/12
Inflation🔻 U3 🔺and FOMC
As we close 2025, inflation has started to trend lower with accelerating disinflation in housing and OER.
AI productivity and innovation driven by the lack of skilled labor is likely to keep a lid on employment costs and hiring.
As a result, inflation is likely to decline and U3 is likely to rise (see above)
With stable prices and rising employment, the FOMC will continue to cut rates to what it regards as “neutral,” so it is realistic to expect another -75 bps in cuts in 2026.
This will be supportive to equities (long beta $SPY with bumps along the way) and negative for the $USD, relative to major FX pairs.