As the dollar is replaced in international transactions American fiscal and monetary policies will have less and less of an impact on other countries' actions. The number of dollar shorts has been steadily rising to the point that sentiment is almost 100% anti-dollar. The expected bounce from 3/25 through the first week of April in the dollar should be violent, but this rally will merely relieve technical and sentiment tension. The real rally in the dollar will occur in the global crunch time, from June through November, when U.S. stimulus wears off.
Precious metals, commodities, and the stock market all have appreciated due to QE2. Indeed, gold and silver are markets that are becoming convinced that they will never go down because the Fed will never cease creating excessive aggregate growth. It is becoming mantra. Will the Fed increase it's balance sheet beyond 3trillion? No, and as they reduce their assets the aggregates will slow down. I sold my gold at $1220 and silver at $22.50 at a triple because the natural forces were tipping into deflation, only to see QE2 be implemented, so this bubble is living on borrowed time. The following chart is the long view of the only aggregate that the Fed can directly control, the monetary base. This can be controlled via interest rate policy or QE. This is a smoothed view of a y/y change.
As can be seen the latest data point (February) shows an acceleration beyond anything in the prior history of the Fed and that this is occuring in an environment with emerging worldwide inflation and a tentative recovery in U.S. economic series (production, business sentiment, employment, and others). QE2 will undoubtably force another ROC increase in the March number as the quantity of Fed assets approaches and exceeds 3 trillion. Helicopters are not employed in this environment and is the basis of my opinion that the markets that can only go up (gold and silver) will fall sharply. Two charts back up this view, first the PM1 sentiment gauge which calls for a peak at the end of April.
Next is a silver sentiment gauge that I use as part of the PM1. This issues signals with 100% track records since 1971, their inception. For sell signals any trough < -2.25.
Finally, the FOMC statement from the 15th clearly indicates that Ben is caving to the hawks, not only at the Fed but in Congress. A synopsis by the Wall Street Journal lays out the resistance to further easing surrounding Ben and the announcement signals their intent.
The economy is on a "firmer footing," while the labor market is "improving gradually" and household spending and business investment are expanding, the policy-making Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement following its one-day meeting. Cautionary words about the economy from previous statements were pared back. Meanwhile, energy-price increases have put upward pressure on inflation, the FOMC said. It expects this to be transitory but "will pay close attention," it said.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues are moving toward important decisions in the months ahead. The central bank's $600 billion Treasury bond purchase program is scheduled to be completed in June. The program will be an important subject of discussion at the next FOMC meeting in April. Officials will decide whether to let the program run out as planned, as many seem inclined to do. A debate about when and how to exit from their easy-money policies by raising interest rates seems to be taking shape for the second half of the year.
The comparison between the March statement and the prior statement regarding inflation is telling:
March statement:
Commodity prices have risen significantly since the summer, and concerns about global supplies of crude oil have contributed to a sharp run-up in oil prices in recent weeks. Nonetheless, longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable, and measures of underlying inflation have been subdued.
January statement:
Although commodity prices have risen, longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable, and measures of underlying inflation have been trending downward.
