Now, let’s look at how the credit crisis is contributing to the problem. Let’s say you are a small oil producer or grain company. You go to the futures market and hedge your oil production or the grain in your silos; and if the price goes up, you don’t care, because you are going to deliver the grain at a cost you already know. But there is the matter of that margin call, and you need to borrow from your local bank to meet that call.

You are hedged. Your profits are locked in at some point in the future. But the margin clerk is calling today. And your bank is having a small problem with its capital base. What is the cover story in the Wall Street Journal today? “Real Estate Woes of Banks Mount.” Banks, mostly smaller ones, may have to write off as much as $165 billion in bad real estate loans made to developers and commercial builders. Regulators are “encouraging” banks to raise capital and increase their lending standards.

So banks have less capital to lend. Your banker looks at you when you ask for more money to meet those margin calls, and says, “There are two types of problems. Mine, and not mine. Yours is of the latter variety.” And you have to cover your hedges. Enter the margin clerk (the person who calls you and tells you to come up with more money or they will sell out your position at whatever the market price is.)

When Bubbles Collide

So, what happens? Bernanke talks the dollar up and commodities and oil go down. Two days later a French president of the ECB gets inflation religion and the markets react swiftly. Commodity prices rise and more money comes into the market. Traders start covering their shorts as quickly as possible.

Then this morning, the margin clerks of the world go to work and oil spikes as the pits smell blood. Morgan Stanley issues a call for $150 oil in July. The euro rises to $1.5778! Interest rates drop. The stock market falls large at the open.

And rumors of an attack on Iran? An Israeli politician says that Israel would need to bomb Iran to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, just as it becomes clear Obama might be the next president and would not act to prevent such a problem?

Who can aggressively short in this environment? In a conversation with Dennis Gartman this afternoon, he commented that it felt like the NASDAQ. But is it 1999 or 2000? The oil market will continue to go up until it doesn’t, and no one knows when that is. It will continue to rise until all the shorts that are not strong hands have been covered. The margin clerks are in control, and they will have their way. Was it all over today? I rather doubt it.

I wonder if some of the majors aren’t tempted to sell some of their production at $138? I mean, really. If you don’t think that is a reasonable price, and they tell us they don’t, then why doesn’t Exxon just go in and start taking all the bids they can? They and the other majors would be the ultimate strong hand. But then, what do I know?

Central banks, short covering, a respected analyst issuing a near-term call for a $20 rise in oil, conspiracy theories and Iran, long-only funds buying, everyone scared to short, margin calls, and a credit crisis all give us the perfect storm.

Add to that the ugly employment numbers, and the Dow drops almost 400 points. The S&P 500 violates all sorts of technical signals to the downside. The market sold off big at the close. Monday should be interesting.

Three quick points. I think oil is lower at the end of the year. Inflation in Asia and rising subsidies are going to force more and more Asian countries to allow the price of oil to rise and send the proper signals to consumers to use less oil. Over the next decade, oil will be much higher, but I think the pressure over the next year will be to the downside. But don’t ask me how high it can go in the short term. Ask the margin clerks.

America on a Diet

Second, corn is going to go higher. Bad weather has meant that not enough got planted, and that will probably hurt yields in the fall. This is going to mean even higher meat prices and ethanol prices. Corn ethanol is such a bad idea. This is what happens when government decides to mess with the market.

Anecdotal inflation note: I eat two chicken fajita pitas without cheese from Jack-in-the Box for lunch about three times a week (after the gym!). I throw away the pita bread and just eat the chicken at my desk. The last three days the price has been the same, but the amount of chicken is noticeably smaller, perhaps 25% smaller. Where’s the hedonic price adjustment in the BLS statistics for that? A friend of mine notes that the filet from his favorite steak house is now seven ounces instead of eight. But the steak is still the same price. Maybe portion control will finally get America to go on a diet.

Finally: George Friedman told me that the Saudis are taking in something like $10 billion a week! The entire gulf is awash in dollars. He thinks it may have nowhere else to go but to the stock markets of the world. We’ll see. Unintended consequences.

Montreal, A New Book, and a Wedding

Next week Tiffani and I go to Montreal to speak at a conference for Canaccord, and we will get to have dinner with Martin Barnes and Pierre Casgrain. And it looks like Dennis and Margaret Gartman may be able to join us. Now that will be a fun dinner. I should get some fodder for next week’s letter.

Tiffani (my daughter, who in fact runs the business and lets me research, travel, speak and write – what a deal!) and I are going to take the train from Toronto to Montreal so we can work on a new project. Basically, she has an idea for a new book that we can write together, and we are going to use the time to think about how we go about it. But we are going to need your help. I will let you know in a week or so, but it is going to be great fun for all of us.

And speaking of Tiffani, she is getting married to Ryan on August 8 (08-08-08). Plans are coming together, as well as expenses. This is going to be a most different wedding, as those of you who know Tiffani might suspect. Not traditional at all. One of the best photographers in Dallas has been working with them. Because they are willing to try different things, he is getting them to do things he has always wanted to do but never had a couple adventurous or “fun enough” to do. The following photo is just a sample. This is a groom that is definitely in for a challenge. If you want to see more pictures (the underwater photos are fun, the “Hillbilly Tiffani and Ryan” is a hoot) you can go to www.fatedlove888.com and click on the picture. Dad is only a little proud.

There are 20 college-age kids from my daughter Amanda’s cheerleading instruction team at the office watching the baseball game, and three of my other kids. (You can watch the game from my office balcony.) Of course, the Rangers are losing. I am literally writing with foam ear plugs, trying to concentrate, so I think I will just hit the send button and enjoy my kids.

Your doing my best to stimulate the economy with wedding expenses analyst,

John Mauldin

Source: When Bubbles Collide

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Pages: 1 2 3 4