Yesterday, Chris told you about how the Greek Parliament had approved the latest round of budget cuts, which should have put the next bailout payment on the greased tracks. Chris also explained how this was causing a reversal of the short positions in the euro, which really had turned the “risk on” campers. Well, that euphoria in the currencies and metals was short-lived, because just as soon as the currencies were ready to tell the “shorts” to move over, the ratings agencies came swooping in to rain on the risk assets parade.
[Read more...]Currencies Hold Ground Ahead of Jobs Jamboree
This morning, the currencies look pretty much like they did yesterday when I left the office… There’s still the Sword of Damocles hanging over the euro (EUR), in the form of Greek negotiations to obtain help from private lenders. This has dragged on now for over two weeks, and I’ve given up on it happening… You only have to disappoint me twice before I get the message!
[Read more...]Greece Disappoints Again!
Here we are… The last couple of days of January… So the first month of 2012 is just about over, and already, we’ve heard the Fed push their rate forecast for near zero rates out further, and the Fed laying the groundwork for another round of QE… But… When we began the month/year, everyone was pounding their chests, and talking about what a great year 2012 would be (economic-wise)… Talk about deflating the balloon in the first month of the year!
[Read more...]Big Ben Discusses Another Round of Quantitative Easing
Good day… And a Tub Thumpin’ Thursday to you! I wonder what I’ll talk about today…. Hmmmm… Could it be…. The Fed meeting? Oh, you are so smart! In case you missed this yesterday, because I’m sure the major media outlets couldn’t muster up enough intestinal fortitude to do it, but the Fed threw a cat among the pigeons yesterday… There are a lot of things I’m thinking about, this morning, so, this should be entertaining… For me at least!
[Read more...]Gold Temporarily Loses its Uncertainty Hedge
Good day! And a wonderful Wednesday to you! A very confusing day for yours truly yesterday. I have my beliefs, and they have been proven to be true for a long time now. But now there’s something gnawing at those beliefs now… and then a wrench gets thrown into the works. I’m telling you now, so you can listen to me later: Confusion reigns…
[Read more...]Continue to Buy Gold on Dips
Well… There I was, in a room full of CFAs — people with minds that don’t work like mine, or should I say mine doesn’t work like theirs! And at the podium was James Bullard, President of the St. Louis Fed… And it hurts me to talk, and I would not have been able to talk loud enough for him to hear my question… Oh, the things that happen to me!
[Read more...]Will The CFTC Have Teeth?
The currency rally late last week and Sunday night is over… I think the two comments I told you about yesterday from a German official and then from the German Finance Minister (about the prospects of a “solution for the Eurozone debt crisis” being put to bed by next Monday) have really scared the markets into believing they went too far last week and Sunday night…
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Eurozone Economy Contracts
The big news this morning is that the People’s Bank of China Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan said, “China will help resolve Europe’s debt crisis.” Remember that a couple of weeks ago, the news was that the Chinese “may” help once they figure out to participate in the EFSF… So the markets are correct this morning to key on the word change from “may” to “will”. And the euro (EUR) rallied on the news, pushing the rest of the currencies onto the rally tracks to join the euro.
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