The US Treasury’s latest “Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States” report no longer considers China a currency manipulator. The underlying message is that the Trump administration will continue to use an ad hoc “carrot and stick” approach to improve US access to the domestic markets of its major trading partners. This suggests there will still be many minor trade skirmishes this year. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The latest...
Read More »Will a Credit Crisis Threaten Boris’s 2020 Brexit Plans?
Boris and the Conservatives won the General Election with a very good majority. In truth, opposition parties stood little chance of success against the Tory strategists, who controlled the narrative despite a hostile media. At the centre of their slick operation was Dominic Cummings, who masterminded the Brexit leave vote, winning the referendum against all the betting in 2016. It was Cummings who arranged for the Tory Remainers to fall on their swords, which by...
Read More »Interview with Marc Chandler, chief market strategist
Kevin Mather speaks with Marc about the Global Outlook 2020 event on 27 January 2020 at the Mexican Consulate Sacramento
Read More »Interview with Marc Chandler, chief market strategist
Kevin Mather speaks with Marc about the Global Outlook 2020 event on 27 January 2020 at the Mexican Consulate Sacramento
Read More »Prepare Now For Global Financial Crisis II – Jim Willie Interviews Mark O’Byrne
Prepare Now For Global Financial Crisis II - Jim Willie Interviews Mark O'Byrne Prepare Now For Global Financial Crisis II - Jim Willie Interviews Mark O'Byrne https://youtu.be/gHRkpjns52I
Read More »FX Daily, January 14: China was a Currency Manipulator for a Few Months
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.37% to 1.0767 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, January 14(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The leaked US decision to lift the currency manipulator designation on China was the latest fodder fueling the new record highs in the S&P 500. The risk-taking appetite helped extend the rally in the MSCI Asia Pacific Index for the fourth consecutive session. Europe’s Dow Jones...
Read More »Swiss researchers identify means to reduce risk of man-made earthquakes
Injection of pressurised water underground creates a lot of pressure in the spaces between the rocks and is believed to be responsible for minor tremors. (Keystone / George Frey / Raser Technologies) Identifying the kind of fault or tectonic forces in an underground reservoir can reduce the risk of tremors caused by geothermal energy or carbon storage. The injection of cold pressurised water into hot impermeable rocks several kilometres underground is how underground...
Read More »US Treasury adds Swiss Franc back to its currency watch list – Bloomberg
The US Treasury on Monday added Swiss Franc (CHF) back to its currency watch list and urged Switzerland to adjust its macroeconomic policies to more forcefully support domestic economic activity, according to Bloomberg. The Treasury report released Monday said: Despite borrowing costs for the Swiss government being among the lowest in the world, fiscal policy remains underutilized, even within the constraints of Switzerland’s existing fiscal rules. The Swiss Franc is...
Read More »Just a Friendly Heads-Up, Bulls: The Fed Just Slashed its Balance Sheet
Perhaps even PhD economists notice that manic-mania bubbles always burst–always. Just a friendly heads-up to all the Bulls bowing and murmuring prayers to the Golden Idol of the Federal Reserve: the Fed just slashed its balance sheet–yes, reduced its assets. After panic-printing $410 billion in a few months, a $24 billion decline isn’t much, but it does suggest the Fed might finally be worrying about the reckless, insane bubble it inflated: August 28, 2019: $3.760...
Read More »Not Abating, Not By A Longshot
Since I advertised the release last week, here’s Mexico’s update to Industrial Production in November 2019. The level of production was estimated to have fallen by 1.8% from November 2018. It was up marginally on a seasonally-adjusted basis from its low in October. That doesn’t sound like much, -1.8%, but apart from recent months this would’ve been the third worst result since 2009. Mexico has rarely experienced that kind of seemingly mild contraction. It signals...
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