Overview: The recent equity rally is stalling. Asia Pacific equities were mixed, with Japan, South Korea, and Australia, among the major bourses posting gains. Europe’s Dow Jones Stoxx 500 is slipping lower for the second consecutive session, ending a four-day bounce. US equity futures are little changed. The US 10-year yield is edging higher at 2.86%, while European yields are slightly lower. The greenback is firm against most of the major currencies. The Australian...
Read More »Short Covering in the US Treasury Market Extends the Yield Pullback
Overview: What appears to be a powerful short-covering rally in the US debt market has helped steady equities and weighed on the dollar. Singapore and South Korea joined New Zealand and Canada in tightening monetary policy. Attention turns to the ECB now on the eve of a long-holiday weekend for many members. The tech-sector led the US equity recovery yesterday, snapping a three-day decline. Most of the major markets in Asia Pacific advanced but Taiwan and India. ...
Read More »European Currencies Continue to Bear the Brunt
Overview: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the global response is a game-changer, as Fed Chair Powell told Congress yesterday. The UK-based research group NISER estimated that world output will be cut by 1% next year or $1 trillion, and global inflation will be boosted by three percentage points this year and two next. The recovery in US stocks yesterday may have helped lift Asia Pacific shares today (China and India are notable exceptions). However,...
Read More »FX Daily, January 26: Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada Meet as Risk Appetites Stabilize
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.04% to 1.0378 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, January 26(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: After a slow and mixed start in Asia, where Australia and India are on holiday, equity markets have turned higher. Europe’s Stoxx 600 is up around 1.9% near midday in Europe, which if sustained would be the biggest gain of the year. US futures are snapping backing too, with the...
Read More »FX Daily, January 17: PBOC Eases, but the Yuan Firms
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.05% to 1.0424 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, January 17(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: Russia is thought to be behind the cyber-attack on Ukraine at the end of last week, but a military attack over the weekend may be underpinning risk appetites today. The dollar’s pre-weekend gains are being pared slightly. Led by the Canadian dollar and Norwegian krone, the greenback...
Read More »“CBDC: Considerations, Projects, Outlook,” CEPR/VoxEU, 2021
CEPR eBook, November 24, 2021. HTML. VoxEU, November 24, 2021. HTML. Retail central bank digital currency has morphed from an obscure fascination of technophiles and monetary theorists into a major preoccupation of central bankers. Pilot projects abound and research on the topic has exploded as private sector initiatives such as Libra/Diem have focused policymakers’ minds and taken the status quo option off the table. In this eBook, academics and policymakers review what we know...
Read More »Big Week Begins Slowly
Overview: The global capital markets give little indication of the important economic and earnings data that lie ahead this week. There is an eerie calm. Equities in Asia were mixed. Japan and Hong Kong, and most small bourses were lower. Last week, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained almost 0.9%. Europe's Stoxx 600 is little changed after rising about 0.5% last week. US futures are firm. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials reached record-highs before the...
Read More »The Greenback Continues to Claw Back Recent Losses
Overview: The US dollar continues to pare its recent losses and is firm against most major currencies in what has the feel of a risk-off day. The other funding currencies, yen and Swiss franc, are steady, while the euro is heavy but holding up better than the Scandis and dollar-bloc currencies. Emerging market currencies are also lower, and the JP Morgan EM FX index is off for the third consecutive session. The Chinese yuan’s insignificant gain of less than...
Read More »FX Daily, July 14: RBNZ Moves Ahead of the Queue, Will the Bank of Canada Maintain its Place?
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.18% to 1.0833 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, July 14(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand jumped to the front of the queue of central banks adjusting monetary policy by announcing the end of its long-term asset purchases. New Zealand’s s 10-year benchmark yield jumped seven basis points, and the Kiwi is up almost 1%, to lead the move against...
Read More »FX Daily, July 12: Markets Adrift ahead of Key Events
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.04% to 1.0849 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, July 12(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The new week has begun quietly. The dollar is drifting a little higher against most major currencies, with the Scandis and dollar-bloc currencies the heaviest. The yen and Swiss franc’s resilience seen last week is carrying over. Most liquid and freely accessible emerging market...
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