The triumphalism that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall nearly three decades ago has evaporated. The Great Financial Crisis and inexorable widening of income and wealth inequalities within countries undermined claims of moral and economic superiority. Liberal democracies are fighting a rearguard action and the rise of illiberal regimes. The president of the country with the strongest military might and largest...
Read More »FX Daily, July 06: Dollar Slips After Tariffs and Before Jobs Data
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.19% to 1.1629 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, July 06(see more posts on EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The first set of US tariffs aims specifically at China were implemented, and the retaliatory actions were also launched. The tariffs cover hundreds of goods, though the initial amount of trade covered is relatively small at $34 bln....
Read More »FX Daily, July 05: Dollar is Mixed on Eve of US Jobs and Tariffs
Swss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.38% to 1.161 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, July 05(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge The US dollar is softer against most of the major currencies and mixed against the emerging market currencies. European currencies firmer, with the continued recovery of the Swedish krona on the back of a more hawkish central bank, and the euro poking...
Read More »FX Daily, July 03: Markets Trying to Stabilize
Swss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.03% to 1.1565 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, July 03(see more posts on EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The global capital markets are trying to stabilize. US equities recovered from early losses yesterday but this was not enough to stop Asian equities from extending recent losses. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.2% for the sixth...
Read More »FX Daily, July 02: Third Quarter Begins With a Thump
The window dressing ahead of the end of Q2 failed to signal a turn in sentiment. Equity markets have taken back those gains and more. The US dollar is broadly firmer, though it was coming off its best levels near midday in Europe, and the three-basis-point slippage puts the US 10-year yield at 2.83%, its lowest in more than a month. Investors are wrestling with the implications of escalating trade tensions. The US...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: Trade and Data Driving Markets
US President Trump is intent on disrupting the post-WWII arrangement that prioritized and ideological conflict over economic rivalries. Last week, it was reported that Trump told his counterparts at the G7 summit that NATO was as bad as NAFTA. NATO’s annual meeting is July 12. Trump seeks a realignment of alliances and appears to prefer the illiberal forces that arisen in recent years. The US Ambassador to Germany was...
Read More »FX Daily, June 28: US Dollar Remains Firm, Sends Yuan, Rupee, Sterling and Kiwi to New 2018 Lows
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.24% to 1.1545 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, June 28(see more posts on EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar is consolidating its gains against most of the major currencies, but the underlying strength remains evident. Several major and emerging market currencies are at new lows for the year, including sterling and the New Zealand...
Read More »FX Daily, June 27: Renminbi Slide Continues and Oil Extends Surge
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.07% to 1.1542 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, June 27(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar is mostly firmer today, though has slipped back below the JPY110 level, as lower yields and equities support the Japanese yen. The main story in the foreign exchange market today is the continued slide in the Chinese renminbi....
Read More »FX Daily, June 26: Trade Tensions and Approaching Quarter-End Cast Pall Over Markets
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.08% to 1.1539 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, June 26(see more posts on EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The global capital markets have stabilized today after yesterday’s rout in equities, softer yields, and US dollar. The implementation of US tariffs on China and China’s retaliatory tariffs on the US is still ten days off. The immediate...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: Trade Tensions and EU Summit Highlight Q2’s Last Week
We argue there are three major disruptive forces that are shaping the investment climate: the US policy mix in relative and absolute terms, the escalation of trade tensions, and immigration. In the week ahead, trade issues may eclipse the US policy mix, and immigration will compete with the economic and financial agenda at the European heads of state summit at the end of the week. China The People’s Bank of China made...
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