Tag Archives: 5) Global Macro

As the exodus gathers momentum, all the reasons people clung so rabidly to urban meccas decay. If there is any trend that’s viewed as permanent, it’s the enduring attraction of coastal urban meccas: despite the insane rents and housing costs, that’s where the jobs, the opportunities and the desirable urban culture are. Nice, but like many other things the status quo considers permanent, this could reverse very quickly, and all those pricey urban meccas could become...

We continue to think that the US economy is in better shape than most appreciate, and that underpins our strong dollar call Tensions are likely to remain high after reports emerged last week that the US will look into limiting capital flows into China US September jobs data Friday will be the data highlight of the week; there is a heavy slate of Fed speakers this week UK, eurozone, and Japan are expected to report weak data this week RBA meets Tuesday and is expected...

Uncle Sam hat and money. American hat. Hat independence day - Click to enlarge Political uncertainty is likely to persist in the US; the big unknown is whether this will impact the US economy US core PCE reading will be of particular interest and is expected to rise 1.8% y/y; Quarles (voter) and Harker (non-voter) speak Dovish BOE comments are weighing on sterling; France reported weak CPI and consumer spending data Tokyo September CPI was lower than expected; FTSE...

Like so many other things that were once affordable, owning pets is increasingly pricey. One of the few joys still available to the average household is a pet. At least this is what I thought until I read 5 money-saving tips people hate, which included the lifetime costs of caring for a pet. It turns out Poochie and Kittie are as unaffordable as college, housing and healthcare (and pretty much everything else). Over the course of 15 years, small-dog Poochie will set...

Focused On Strategy - Click to enlarge The dollar continues to benefit despite US political uncertainty President Trump claimed to be getting “closer and closer” to a trade deal with China; we are very skeptical There is a lot of US data to be reported and a heavy slate of Fed speakers today ECB board member Lautenschlaeger has resigned; sterling continues to soften as Brexit optimism fades Netanyahu has been tasked with forming the next Israeli government;...

This is how they silence us: your content has been secretly flagged as being “unsafe,” i.e. “guilty of anti-Soviet thoughts;” poof, you’re gone. Big Tech claims it isn’t silencing skeptics, dissenters and critics of the status quo, but it is silencing us. Here’s how it’s done. Let’s start with Twitter. Twitter claims it doesn’t shadow ban (Setting the record straight on shadow banning), which it defines as deliberately making someone’s content undiscoverable to...

Markets have moved into risk-off mode from a confluence of events emanating from the US Speaker of the House Pelosi formally launched a formal impeachment inquiry; DOJ inserted itself into Trump’s fight with New York state Trump’s speech to the UN General Assembly yesterday was noteworthy for its belligerence RBNZ and BOT kept rates steady, as expected; Czech is expected to follow suit The dollar is broadly firmer against the majors as risk-off impulses return to...

The price of this “solution”–the undermining of the financial system–will eventually be paid in full. The financial storm clouds are gathering, and no, I’m not talking about impeachment or the Fed and repo troubles–I’m talking about much more serious structural issues, issues that cannot possibly be fixed within the existing financial system. Yes, I’m talking about the cost structure of our society: earned income has stagnated while costs have soared, and households...

Engaged in one of those protectionist trade spats people have been talking about, the flow of goods between South Korea and Japan has been choked off. The specific national reasons for the dispute are immaterial. As trade falls off everywhere, countries are increasingly looking to protect their own. Nothing new, this is a feature of when prolonged stagnation turns to outright contraction. While the dispute with Japan hasn’t helped, it isn’t responsible for the level...

Mario Draghi can thank Jay Powell at his retirement party. The latter being so inept as to allow federal funds, of all things, to take hold of global financial attention, everyone quickly shifted and forgot what a mess the ECB’s QE restart had been. But it’s not really one or the other, is it? Once it actually finishes, the takeaway from all of September should be the world’s two most important central banks each botching their “accommodations.” It’s only a little...