US Equities In A Virtual Meltdown, Bonds & Dollar Higher, Gold Dramatically Lower
At its low today the Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading off by 642 points, and as of this writing at 3:15 PM Eastern standard time the Dow is off by a little over 550 points which is a net decline of 2.11% on the day.
In fact, all of the major US indices are trading dramatically lower with the Standard & Poor's 500 currently down 57 points (- 2.08%) at 2770, and the NASDAQ composite at 7252 trading off 133 points, a 1.81 % decline.
This morning's jobs report came in stronger than expected which drove up the US dollar and treasury yields. Whereas a stronger US dollar put dynamic pressure on the precious metals markets, investor concern about bonds and a more aggressive stance by the Federal Reserve was cited as a catalyst driving US equities dramatically lower.
According to Bloomberg markets "Strong jobs data that increased the likelihood the Federal Reserve will lift rates next month sent bond bulls scurrying and rattled equity investors who haven't seen a week this bad in two years. The selling accelerated after Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan suggested more than three hikes may be necessary this year. The 10-year Treasury yield popped above 2.85 percent for the first time since January 2014."
"Equities haven't been this volatile since the day Donald Trump was elected president of the U.S."
Nine Parts Selling and Seven Parts Dollar
Today's jobs report numbers effectively supported the US dollar which has gained approximately a half a percent on the day, and is partially responsible for the dynamic selloff in gold today.
Spot gold is currently trading off by $16.90 and is currently fixed at 1331.40.
According to the Kitco Gold Index (KGX) today's $17 price decline is partially due to a strengthening US dollar which accounted for $7.40 of today's selloff, with the remaining decline of $9.50 directly attributable to sellers bidding down the precious yellow metal.
One byproduct of mass liquidation in U.S. equities is a flight to cash and the liquidation of other hard assets to cover potential losses. This is most likely the scenario that is currently playing out, inasmuch as today's lower gold prices have a larger selling component (percentagewise) then the decline created from a strong U.S. dollar.
Although most analysts and investors were cognizant of the fact that a major equities meltdown could occur at any moment, and that that occurrence is long overdue, today's equity meltdown still took many participants by surprise.
Although U.S. equities as well as gold and silver are trading off of their intraday lows, the damage is done, and we could very well be at the beginning of a correction in U.S. equities.
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Wishing you as always, good trading,
By Gary WagnerContributing to kitco.com
Follow @garyswagnergary@thegoldforecast.comwww.thegoldforecast.com Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
