The Daily Shot Brief – February 16th, 2021

Greetings,   Energy: Frigid weather in parts of the US has been straining the nation’s energy infrastructure. Electricity prices in Texas spiked amid natural gas shortages and windmill problems.   Equities: S&P 500 earnings are already above the pre-pandemic high, and Goldman expects significant growth this year.   Eurozone: The euro-area trade surplus hit a …

The Daily Shot Brief – February 15th, 2021

Greetings,   United Kingdom: This chart shows the divergence between EU and UK in-store clothing retail activity.   The public mostly approves of the government’s vaccine rollout.   Europe: Here are European importers and exporters of electricity.   Japan: The Nikkei breached 30k for the first time in decades.   Commodities: Platinum is soaring.   …

The Daily Shot Brief – February 11th, 2021

Greetings,   United States: The January CPI report was a bit weaker than the markets were expecting. • Headline CPI: Treasury yields pulled back.   China: The renminbi keeps grinding higher (the offshore yuan shown below).   Energy: Technicals point to downside risk for WTI crude.   Equities: Goldman’s non-profitable tech index is approaching 250% year-over-year …

The Daily Shot Brief – February 9th, 2021

Greetings,   United States: Economists are concerned that the additional $1.9 trillion fiscal stimulus will overheat the nation’s economy.   China: Total debt levels continue to climb.   Bitcoin: Tesla’s Bitcoin purchase sent the cryptocurrency to a new record. Will we see $50k shortly?   Miami’s mayor wants to have Bitcoin on the city’s balance sheet.   …

The Daily Shot Brief – February 4th, 2021

Greetings,   United States: The strength in mortgage applications has been impressive.   United Kingdom: The BoE is expected to keep policy on hold (no new stimulus). The central bank financed 122% of the annual budget deficit last year. The gilt curve has steepened.   China: According to Pantheon Macroeconomics, China’s budget deficit widened substantially …