Salient to Investors: Mortgage lenders are warning that the drop in demand for refinancing may be steeper than expected as surging interest rates crimp demand and cast doubt on how much the housing market will improve. Guy Cecala at Inside Mortgage Finance said yesterday’s Wells Fargo comments and Bank of
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Hedge funds et al are making the biggest bet on a gold rally since January 22 amid mounting signs that the U.S. will lead a military strike against Syria drove prices to a three-month high. Net-bullish holdings across 18 US-traded commodities climbed to the highest since February.
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Steve Hanke at Johns Hopkins University said inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, but hyperinflation is always and everywhere a political phenomenon. payday short term loan Ricardo Hausmann at Harvard says the Fed’s planned tapering is not the only reason why emerging-market stocks and bonds
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Charles Beddington said Caravaggio is a particularly difficult artist as the quality of his execution is variable, and so he’s easy to copy. Beddington said the big auction houses are keen to avoid bad publicity and are extremely careful about consulting the relevant academics. Samson Spanier said several recent high-profile cases
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Private-equity firms, hedge funds and REITs have bought more than 100,000 US homes, becoming dominant single-family landlords in markets hardest-hit by the housing crash such as Atlanta. Christopher Thornberg at Beacon Economics said investors that are building home-rental companies may not want to take on the red tape, stigma of
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: The decline at Bridgewater Associates’ All Weather fund and similar funds shows allocating assets between stocks and bonds can leave investors overexposed to rising interest rates. Ramin Nakisa at UBS Investment Bank said June’s sell-off in Treasuries and inflation-linked bonds was just a dress rehearsal for the volatility awaiting
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Private-equity managers from Fortress Investment to Blackstone say now is the time to exit investments as stocks rally and interest rates start to rise. Wesley Edens at Fortress said he is preparing holdings for public offerings while struggling to find attractive new deals. Pete Briger at Fortress said the environment extends
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Hedge funds et al increased their net-long position in gold futures and options for the 4th consecutive week and the longest streak since October, while more than doubling bets on lower corn prices to a record net-short holding. Jeffrey Currie et al at Goldman Sachs said gold will decline
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Value of sliver found is $36 million versus the cost of exploration and salvage of $21 million at a depth 3 miles, versus 2.5 miles for Titanic. There are 3 million estimated wrecks in the ocean. Watch the video at http://www.bloomberg.com/video/61-tons-of-silver-scenes-of-3-mile-treasure-haul-Y_iIM_YoQ2KA1foiCLR1Rw.html Click here to receive free and immediate
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Foreign investors are adding Treasuries at the slowest pace since 2006 amid the worst rout in 4 years, and own less than 50 percent of Treasuries outstanding for the first time since March 2012. However, China boosted its stake in 2013 to the most on record – adding US bonds in 7
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