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Sell the Rally, Tesla falls 10%, King Dollar, Oil Falls, Nat Gas Squeeze, Gold Breaks $1800, Bitcoin Declines

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Gold - Investors King

By Edward Moya, Senior Market Analyst, UK & EMEA, OANDA

Market volatility is not going away anytime soon as the ‘buy the dip’ crowd has a new motto, ‘sell the rally’.  Today’s stock market rally did not last as corporate America reminded us that supply chain troubles persist, and profit forecasts are not providing any reasons to be optimistic.  Many traders are still processing what happened yesterday with the Fed and the reality is that they missed an opportunity. 

It is hard to aggressively maintain a bullish stance with equities when you know the Fed missed an opportunity going full hawk, which would lead to one last major surge in Treasury yields that would not yield a complete collapse in economic growth prospects as the Fed would be viewed as finally catching up in battling inflation.  Yesterday, the Fed should have ended their bond buying and clearly sent a strong signal for a March liftoff.

Tesla

Tesla shares tumbled after the electric car maker said they won’t be rolling out any new model vehicles in 2022.  Investors were excited that Elon Musk was participating on the earnings call, which many saw as a sign a big announcement was happening.  Musk is focusing on self-driving and on the Tesla-robot to work in factories.  Tesla is clearly running out of momentum and the lack of a launch of a low-budget car in the mid-$20,000 range really dampens the growth outlook as the competition tries to catch up. Tesla is still the EV king and given the chip and commodity shortage problems globally, this might be the right call for the company, but most analysts will hate it.

FX

The curve is flattening as front-end rates rise on expectations that the Fed may have to deliver more tightening.  Over the past eight Fed hiking cycles, the dollar weakened 75% of the time in the six months following the beginning of rate hikes. This time is much different than the recoveries seen in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and entering an unbalanced global economic recovery, with several geopolitical risks, the dollar could have some support from several opportunities that stem from some safe-haven purchases of Treasuries. The dollar outlook could appreciate further here as investors begin to price in four or five Fed rate hikes this year, but the growth potential abroad should limit that upside.

Oil

WTI crude prices reversed earlier gains as the dollar surged following better-than-expected economic data that supported the idea that the economy can handle rapid Fed rate hikes.  No one is questioning how tight the oil market remains, but there is some exhaustion after making fresh seven-year highs and that has led to some profit-taking.  The developments in Ukraine have been constructive as diplomacy continues and while progress has not been made, a period of calm could perhaps have energy traders refrain from resorting to their buy every oil dip strategy.

The focus for many in the oil space will shift to the OPEC+ policy meeting next week which should be an easy meeting that delivers another modest production increase. The political pressure is growing for OPEC+ to deliver more barrels of crude, but they will likely stick to the expected increase of 400,000 bpd for March. With some OPEC+ members struggling to reach their quotas, any oil weakness should be limited.

Nat Gas

US natural gas prices surged over 70% for February delivery as short sellers may have gotten squeezed out ahead of February expiration.  Many hedge funds were betting natural gas would go up as frigid weather sent demand soaring, but money managers were short.

Gold

Gold’s pain gets worse as investors grow pessimistic over how non-interest bearing assets may perform this year now that the Fed seems poised to deliver four or five rate hikes this year. Another round of economic data supported the tightening arguments as the US economy had the strongest year in decades, while omicron likely had a short-term impact on durable goods and pending home sales.

Gold is vulnerable to further technical selling now that the $1800 level has been breached, with $1760 providing key support.  Risk aversion will eventually lead to some flows back into bullion, but that won’t happen until this selloff is over.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin’s rollercoaster ride is not over yet as risky assets take a hit on growing expectations that the Fed could be more aggressive tightening policy this year.  The Fed got inflation wrong and the scramble to deliver interest rate hikes this year is sending the best performing assets during the pandemic tumbling. The Fed’s aggressive fight against inflation will ease once financial conditions are threatened and that is far away.  The next couple of months will remain very choppy for crypto markets but the fundamentals still support a broadening formation for the top performing cryptos.

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Energy

How Nigeria’s National Power Grid Collapsed Ten Times Within 9 Months 

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The national power grid has again collapsed, leaving many Nigerians in total darkness.

Investors King can authoritatively report that this is the tenth time the power grid will be disrupted this year alone.

For this recent collapse, the grid, reportedly lost power generation around 1:39 pm on Tuesday.

Information revealed that power generation was 2,711 megawatts as of 1:00 pm, having previously peaked at 3,631 MW.

Earlier, power generation peaked at 3,934.77 MW around six o’clock in the morning.

However, between 2 pm and 3 pm, hourly generation dropped to 0.00 MW.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria confirmed that the national grid experienced a partial disturbance at about 1:52 pm on Tuesday, 5th November 2024.

TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah mentioned that the recent collapse was due to a series of line and generator trippings that caused instability in the grid and, consequently, the partial disturbance of the system.

Mbah pointed out that data from the National Control Centre revealed that a part of the grid was not affected by the bulk power disruption.

TCN however indicated that work work is in progress to restore power.

She explained that engineers are already working to quickly restore bulk power supply to the states affected by the “partial disturbance.”

Mbah noted that presently, bulk power supply has been restored to Abuja at 2:49 pm, maintaining that “we are gradually restoring it to other parts of the country.”

She apologized to Nigerians for whatever inconvenience the collapse might have caused.

Findings by Investors King revealed that the grid had collapsed at ten different times between March and November, this year.

Times the grid collapsed included February 4, March 28, April 15, July 16, two times in August 5, October 14, October 15, twice in October 19 and now today, November 5.

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Energy

Darkness Falls Again: TCN Explains Latest National Grid Collapse

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The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has provided an explanation for the latest National Grid collapse, which occurred on Tuesday, November 5.

Tuesday’s collapse, marking the 10th in 2024 alone, left Nigerians in total darkness.

Recall that the National Grid collapsed twice in October, sparking concerns among Nigerians.

Reacting to the latest collapse via a statement on Tuesday, the General Manager of TCN Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed that the collapse happened at 1:52 pm.

The GM revealed that the grid collapse was caused by line and generator trippings.

Mrs. Mbah said, “TCN states that the national grid experienced a partial disturbance at about 1:52 pm today, 5th November 2024.

“This followed a series of line and generator trippings that caused instability in the grid and, consequently, the partial disturbance of the system.

Data from the National Control Centre (NCC) revealed that a part of the grid was not affected by the bulk power disruption.

Mbah disclosed that operators are working to restore power in affected states, adding that power was restored in Abuja.

She explained, “TCN engineers are already working to quickly restore bulk power supply to the states affected by the partial disturbance. Presently, bulk power supply has been restored to Abuja at 2:49 pm, and we are gradually restoring power to other parts of the country.”

Apologizing to Nigerians, TCN said, “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our electricity customers.”

Investors King, in an earlier report, revealed that in an attempt to address the persistent collapse of the national grid, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced that discussions were underway with Independent Operators to take over the management of the grid.

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Energy

Nigeria Partners with ECOWAS and Morocco to Launch $26B African Gas Pipeline

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Gas-Pipeline

The Nigerian government, in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Morocco, and Mauritania, has announced plans to advance the $26 billion African Atlantic Gas Pipeline project to drive economic growth across Africa.

This development was revealed on Monday, November 5, by Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), at the ECOWAS Inter-Ministerial Meeting on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.

Speaking at the meeting, which was attended by ECOWAS Ministers of Hydrocarbons and Energy as well as representatives from Morocco and Mauritania, Kyari stated that, once completed, the project will connect 13 African countries.

Represented by Olalekan Ogunleye, NNPC’s Executive Vice President for Gas Power & New Energy, Kyari said this will be Africa’s largest pipeline project.

Ogunleye confirmed that progress has been made with the front-end engineering design completed, the phase two study finalized, and work ongoing for environmental and social impact assessments as well as land acquisition and resettlement.

He emphasized NNPC’s readiness to execute the project: “Today, we come together to make significant progress in the African Atlantic gas pipeline project, which is a transformative initiative connecting at least 13 African nations in shared prosperity and development. These achievements underscore our capability to deliver this landmark project, supported by strong regional collaboration.”

Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), described the project as a game-changer for the regional economy, stating, “We stand at a critical juncture where these agreements can reshape our energy landscape, strengthen our economies, and uplift our people.”

He also highlighted that the project will increase Africa’s presence in the global gas market, noting that “the agreements demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing hydrocarbon and energy trade across ECOWAS, enhancing access to natural gas in West Africa, and expanding Africa’s global footprint in the gas market.”

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