Of Amazon, Walmart and Millennials?

Summary

Discussion, critique and analysis of the potential impacts on equity, bond, commodity, capital and asset markets regarding the following:

• Last Time Out; Vulture Culture; The Portfolio
• Real Amazon; Whole Foods; Millennial Markets 
• Vice; Millennial Valuations; End of The Road; Disruption

Last Time Out

In 2014, $15B monthly came off the table, this time the MONTHLY ante is Q1 $10B, Q2 $20B, Q3 $30B, Q4 $40B, Q5 $50B.  Again, we suspect the final piece of critical information is coming July 5th in the release of the FOMC minutes. viz. temporal proximity as in WHEN.

YTD WTI oil has plunged -22%, and since November, coffee futures are in a 38% nosedive. Despite the Fed and MSM happy daze mantra, the not so cheerful economic correlations are manifesting in commodities, and have been amply reflected in Eurodollar futures and the bond yield curve for quite some time. 

Now that's what the Nattering One calls, Ro-BUST-a enough economic momentum to justify further central bank rate hikes and tightening. Proving the oxymoron, truth in marketing? - Coffee, Crude Tea Or Me?

Are these and other signs pointing to a future of stark economic reality? 

Vulture Culture?

Alan Parsons produced Abbey Road, Let It Be, Ambrosia and Dark Side of The Moon. The duo of Parsons and Eric Woolfson were the core of the Alan Parsons Project, whose 8th studio album was released in December 1984 (which can be statistically inferred as the peak of our civilization here, here, here and here). 

The album title is a twist on the expression used to describe unworldly people steeped in the arts (Culture Vulture) and reflects the ever increasing ruthlessness of mankind in a world of stark economic reality.

On holiday, lead vocalist Eric Woolfson met some people who lived in Las Vegas and who talked enthusiastically about the opportunities there for taking advantage of those who had fallen on hard times. It was apparently common that people with financial problems would be forced to sell their homes virtually overnight at ridiculously low prices, and these people would acquire such houses, redecorate them and sell them on for much higher prices.

Bearing in mind the well known phrase ‘Culture Vulture’ used to describe a person well versed in the arts, Eric described these activities as part of a ‘Vulture Culture’ and this concept of man’s inhumanity to man was the underlying theme of this album. - Alan Parsons Memories

In tonight's journey with The Traveller (Days Are Numbers - Track 3), much like speculative (non-GDP) investment, days are numbers.  Along the way, we shall touch upon some economically relevant data with apropos musical selections.  Moving West...

The Portfolio?

An investor who constantly curses investments gone astray, much to ours and others amusement, utilizing an apropos naming convention for the portfolio of late...

Jabo – "new low for /CL and JO again today. New low for M soon? Man, the FU portfolio is getting clobbered this week (M, F, GNC, FTR, XOM, TGT, TEVA, LB, TSLA, AMZN) dangit!"

Whats covered? Oil (Energy); Coffee (Discretionary or Staple? Depends on the Traveller in you); Macy's (M) – Luxury Retail; Ford (F) – Automotive, Manufacturing, Financial; (GNC) – Discretionary Retail; Frontier Communication (FTR) – Telecom; Exxon/Mobil (XOM) – Energy, Exploration; Target (TGT) – Retail, Grocer, Transport;  (Teva) – Pharma; L Brands (LB) – Discretionary Retail.  

Online Retail (AMZN) and Electric Cars (TSLA), necessary stuff that a real Traveller cannot live without?  So what's not covered?  Excepting the latter tulip crazed stocks, since late last year said portfolio is on the same trajectory as oil and coffee, as in down and out. Travellers can take intelligent nibbles and nips on the dips, but where's your sign? 

Does this not tell the Traveller in you, perhaps something might be slightly farkakte and meshuggeneh? Many Travellers have commented as much, and have been diligently beating the drum of reality…

This missive was published as an exclusive to Seeking Alpha.  To access the ENTIRE text for FREE on Seeking Alpha, please click here.  The Nattering One does not receive remuneration if you register, only satisfaction.

There is no cost involved and it has been our experience that if you exert control (by unchecking a box of two) over your communications settings in your Seeking Alpha profile, your email inbox will not be polluted with one bit of Spam (not even the cured pork shoulder variety. Tasty even.)

As we are now a "contributor" at Seeking Alpha, our published articles, instablog and comments can be found here.  Please continue to follow The Nattering Naybob here and at Seeking Alpha. We thank you for your support.