The US-China tensions remain the dominant driver of investor risk appetites. President Trump has repeatedly accused China of manipulating its currency on twitter, and finally Treasury Secretary Mnuchiin acquiesced after China failed to prevent the dollar from rising above CNY7.0. China set the reference rate for the dollar lower than models based on the basket the PBOC uses implied for the past three sessions, and this...
Read More »USD/CHF technical analysis: Greenback stable near 0.9755 as US stocks recover
The demand for the Swiss franc decreases as Wall Street indices are gaining strength. The level to beat for bulls are at 0.9790 and 0.9815 level. USD/CHF daily chart USD/CHF is trading off 2-month lows below the main daily simple moving averages (DSMAs). Equity markets are recovering from the recent selloff easing the demand for safe-haven currencies such as CHF and JPY. USD/CHF daily chart - Click to enlarge...
Read More »USD/CHF technical analysis: Traders await Swiss unemployment rate to break descending triangle
A four-day long descending triangle formation limits USD/CHF moves ahead of Swiss Unemployment Rate. 100-hour EMA offers an additional barrier to the upside. In addition to its choppy 11-pip trading range since morning, a four-day long descending triangle formation also limits USD/CHF pair moves as it trades near 0.9740 heading into Friday’s European market open. Investors will seek clues from Switzerland’s July month...
Read More »FX Daily, August 8: PBOC Helps Stabilize CNY, while US Equity Recovery Lifts Sentiment
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.27% to 1.0948 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, August 08(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The challenges for investors have not gone away, but a combination of factors has helped stabilize the capital markets. The PBOC set the dollar’s reference rate above CNY7.0, but not as high as anticipated, and this has seen the yuan...
Read More »Yes, the Dollar is Above CNY7.0, but No, the Sky is Not Falling
The world’s two great powers are at loggerheads. Chinese nationalism meet your sister, US nationalism. Import substitution strategy of Made in China 2025 meet your cousin Make America Great Again. Paradoxically, or dialectically, the similarities are producing divergent interests that extend well beyond economics and trade policy. Consider that the intermediate-range nuclear missile treaty between the US and Russia did...
Read More »FX Daily, August 7: Three Asian Central Banks Surprise Investors
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.14% to 1.0918 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, August 07(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: While investors keep a watchful eye on the dollar fix in China (a little firmer than projected) and tensions with the US, two other developments compete for attention. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the central banks of India and...
Read More »FX Daily, August 6: Markets Stabilize with Help of CNY Fix in Muted Turnaround Tuesday
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.23% to 1.0928 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, August 06(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The escalation of the economic conflict between the world’s two largest economies is dominating the capital markets. The US cited China as a currency manipulator after the North American markets closed, ensuring the troubled start to...
Read More »Cool Video: The implication of CNY7.0+
President Trump’s tweets last week announcing the end of the tariff truce signaled a new phase in the US-Chinese tensions. China responded as did investors. I was fortunate to have been invited to the Bloomberg set to discuss the issues of the day. In this two-minute clip, I suggest there will be far-reaching implications for investors. World growth is getting marked down as deflationary forces strengthen. The...
Read More »FX Daily, August 5: China Strikes Back
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.13% to 1.0893 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, August 05(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Chinese officials took the US tariff hike quietly last week but struck back today. The PBOC fixed the dollar higher (CNY6.90), which it has not done, and will halt imports of US agriculture. The dollar shot through CNY7.0 to finish the...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: The Dog Days of August are Upon Us
The die is cast. To defend the uneven expansion and ward off disinflationary forces, monetary authorities will provide more accommodation. The Federal Reserve delivered its first rate cut in more than a decade and stopped unwinding its balance sheet two months earlier than it previously indicated (worth $100 bln of additional buying of Treasuries and Agencies). Following the end of the tariff truce, and after the July...
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