There is little doubt after the Federal Reserve Chairman Powell’s testimony last week and the FOMC minutes that a rate cut will be delivered at the end of the month. Similarly, after comments by several ECB officials and the record of their recent meetin.g confirms it too is prepared to adjust policy. The timing of the ECB’s move is more debatable, an adjustment at the July 25 meeting appears to have increased. While a...
Read More »As Chinese Factory Deflation Sets In, A ‘Dovish’ Powell Leans on ‘Uncertainty’
It’s a clever bit of misdirection. In one of the last interviews he gave before passing away, Milton Friedman talked about the true strength of central banks. It wasn’t money and monetary policy, instead he admitted that what they’re really good at is PR. Maybe that’s why you really can’t tell the difference Greenspan to Bernanke to Yellen to Powell no matter what happens. Testifying before Congress today, in prepared...
Read More »FX Daily, July 12: Greenback Limps into the Weekend
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.48% at 1.1086 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: Higher than expected US CPI and the second tepid reception to a US bond auction this week pushed US yields higher and helped stall the equity momentum. Asia Pacific yields, especially in Australia and New Zealand jumped 8-10 bp in...
Read More »Hong Kong unrest
The extradition bill is ‘dead’ but political turmoil is not over yet. Since early June, a series of large-scale demonstrations took place in Hong Kong in protest of proposed legislation that would allow extradition of criminal suspects to certain jurisdictions, including mainland China. The proposed bill was triggered by the case of a Hong Kong man who allegedly murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan but could not be sent...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: In Bizzaro Beauty Contest, the US is Still the Least Ugly
Our hypothesis that the market had reached peak dovishness toward the Fed remains intact after the employment data. Job growth was the strongest since January. The participation rate and the unemployment rate ticked up. Average hourly earnings edged 0.2% higher, and, with revisions, maintained a 3.1% year-over-year pace, which is a bit disappointing. United States The jobs report trumps the PMI/ISM data and suggests...
Read More »FX Daily, July 05: Dollar is Bid Ahead of Jobs Report
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.10% at 1.1126 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, July 05(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The dovish response to news that Lagarde was nominated to replace Draghi was extended by the dismal German factory order report that has pushed the euro to new two-week lows and kept bond yields near record lows. The focus ahead of the...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: Macro Update: Melodrama Subsides but Capriciousness Remains
Since President Trump declared the end of the tariff truce with China in early May, an important focus for investors was the G20 meeting. It was only as it drew near was a meeting between the two heads of state confirmed. What was billed as an extraordinary meeting reportedly lasted less than 90 minutes, and the results were broadly as expected. The press quotes US officials confirming that the talks are “back on track”...
Read More »Gold is the secret knowledge of the financial universe
Interview with Chris Powell Every seasoned gold investor and every student of monetary history has likely stumbled upon various theories about institutional manipulation of the gold market. While it is true that rarely is there smoke without fire, it is still important to approach this matter rationally and form opinions based on sound evidence and solid research. This is why I have personally been following the work of...
Read More »Gold is the secret knowledge of the financial universe
Interview with Chris Powell Every seasoned gold investor and every student of monetary history has likely stumbled upon various theories about institutional manipulation of the gold market. While it is true that rarely is there smoke without fire, it is still important to approach this matter rationally and form opinions based on sound evidence and solid research. This is why I have personally been following the work of the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee Inc (GATA) for quite some time....
Read More »FX Daily, June 26: Biggest Drop in the S&P 500 in June Weighs on Global Equities
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.06% at 1.109 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 Overview: The S&P 500 fell nearly one percent yesterday, its steepest fall this month and this was a weight on Asia Pacific and European activity. Most markets have eased, though not as much as the US did. Hong Kong, India, and Singapore were...
Read More »