Good day. Strangeness all around, folks. The U.S. government continues in their effort to make us all feel better, so we go out and spend, spend, spend. We have that to talk about today, along with the regular risk-on/risk-off discussion. The sun finally came out yesterday, which always makes me feel more alive.
[Read more...]Eurozone Economy Slows Down
May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Good day. Strangeness all around, folks. The U.S. government continues in their effort to make us all feel better, so we go out and spend, spend, spend. We have that to talk about today, along with the regular risk-on/risk-off discussion. The sun finally came out yesterday, which always makes me feel more alive.
[Read more...]RBA Cuts Deep
May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
That darn Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) really threw a cat among the pigeons last night, by not only cutting their interest rate, which was expected, but by cutting it by 50 basis points (one-half a percent)! While I had heard calls for such a deep cut, I really didn’t think the RBA would be so dramatic. The economy was not that slow, jobs were still being added and while China’s economy has moderated, it hasn’t fallen off a cliff!
[Read more...]RBA Cuts Deep
May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
That darn Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) really threw a cat among the pigeons last night, by not only cutting their interest rate, which was expected, but by cutting it by 50 basis points (one-half a percent)! While I had heard calls for such a deep cut, I really didn’t think the RBA would be so dramatic. The economy was not that slow, jobs were still being added and while China’s economy has moderated, it hasn’t fallen off a cliff!
[Read more...]US Retail Sales Send Risk Assets Higher
April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Good day. In keeping with the tradition I set many years ago on Tax Day:
“If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat.
If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet…
Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman…”
China Widens Trading Band
April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Well… Friday quickly turned around regarding the currencies and metals rally, and sent them to the woodshed… Stocks also retreated, thus making it a triumvirate of risk assets getting sold… That makes it a Risk Off day… Apparently, the slower-than-expected (but still 8.1%) GDP in China really scared the bejeebers out of the stock jockeys, and once the selling began there it carried over to the currencies and metals.
[Read more...]Bernanke Jawbones the Equity Markets Higher
March 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Good day. The dollar fell against many of the higher-yielding currencies yesterday following a speech by Fed Chairman Bernanke, which the markets interpreted as signaling Fed policies will remain accommodative for some time. Investors have been linking the more-positive U.S. data, including a steadily improving labor market, with concern that the Fed’s policymakers would have to retract their January statement that U.S. monetary policy would remain “exceptionally accommodative.”
[Read more...]Housing Data Show an Uncertain Recovery Here in the US
March 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Good day. What a weekend here in St. Louis. I spent a majority of it outside, and we even ate dinner last night out on our deck, something that is not normal during the month of March. I enjoyed the scent of my wife’s lilac bushes as I was sitting outside last night, reading up on the currency markets. The research pointed to poor housing data Friday morning as the reason for the drop in the US dollar on Friday.
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Central Banks Get Weaker Currencies
The currencies are still in rut versus the dollar this morning. They haven’t lost more ground, just stuck in a rut. The euro (EUR) should have gained on the news that Spain was able to auction bonds this morning and meet their target, while France sold bonds and saw their yields drop. These two auction results should have eased the minds of those fearing the eurozone countries will struggle to finance their borrowings — at least for now.
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