The internecine pitch battle between ECB President Draghi and the man who may very well be his successor, Bundesbank President Weidmann opened a new front this week. It is over the future of the 500 euro note. Practically, every initiative by Draghi has been resisted by the Bundesbank. Sometimes it puts the Bundesbank at odds with Berlin, like over the Outright Market Transactions (OMT), which has not been operationalized. Still, after unsuccessfully blocking the program, Weidmann...
Read More »Liberty and the 500 Euro Note
The internecine pitch battle between ECB President Draghi and the man who may very well be his successor, Bundesbank President Weidmann opened a new front this week. It is over the future of the 500 euro note. Practically, every initiative by Draghi has been resisted by the Bundesbank. Sometimes it puts the Bundesbank at odds with Berlin, like over the Outright Market Transactions (OMT), which has not been operationalized. Still, after unsuccessfully blocking the program, Weidmann...
Read More »Global Markets Trying to End Week on Upbeat
The US S&P 500 closed above 1950 for the first time since January 6. Global equity markets are broadly higher in response. At the same time, ahead of the G20 meeting, the world's second and third-largest economies have signaled additional stimulus will be forthcoming. In Japan, the Abe government is reportedly considering a front-loaded supplemental budget for the start of the new fiscal year. The disappointing CPI figures reported earlier today, with headline and core measure...
Read More »Global Markets Trying to End Week on Upbeat
The US S&P 500 closed above 1950 for the first time since January 6. Global equity markets are broadly higher in response. At the same time, ahead of the G20 meeting, the world's second and third-largest economies have signaled additional stimulus will be forthcoming. In Japan, the Abe government is reportedly considering a front-loaded supplemental budget for the start of the new fiscal year. The disappointing CPI figures reported earlier today, with headline and core measure...
Read More »G20 Meeting is no Jedi Council
The G20 finance ministers and central bankers will meet in Shanghai starting tomorrow. From some quarters, there is a sense of urgency. The IMF, for example, is likely to cut its world GDP forecast of 3.4% this year. That forecast is not even two months old. The tightening of global financial conditions, exemplified by the sharp drop in share prices over the last six weeks is heightening anxiety among policymakers and investors alike. The IMF has called for a strong national and...
Read More »G20 Meeting is no Jedi Council
The G20 finance ministers and central bankers will meet in Shanghai starting tomorrow. From some quarters, there is a sense of urgency. The IMF, for example, is likely to cut its world GDP forecast of 3.4% this year. That forecast is not even two months old. The tightening of global financial conditions, exemplified by the sharp drop in share prices over the last six weeks is heightening anxiety among policymakers and investors alike. The IMF has called for a strong national and...
Read More »Market Anxiety Heightened, Oil and Stocks Head Lower, Sterling Can’t Catch a Bid
A confluence of factors are raising anxiety levels among investors, and it is being expressed in heightened volatility. The S&P 500 was turned back yesterday from the key 1945 level, and global equities are falling today. The over-production of oil is set to continue to Saudi Arabia denies intentions to cut output, and the Iranians scoffed at suggestions of freezing output. API reported another large rise in US crude stocks, which points to upside risks on the consensus estimate...
Read More »Market Anxiety Heightened, Oil and Stocks Head Lower, Sterling Can’t Catch a Bid
A confluence of factors are raising anxiety levels among investors, and it is being expressed in heightened volatility. The S&P 500 was turned back yesterday from the key 1945 level, and global equities are falling today. The over-production of oil is set to continue to Saudi Arabia denies intentions to cut output, and the Iranians scoffed at suggestions of freezing output. API reported another large rise in US crude stocks, which points to upside risks on the consensus estimate...
Read More »Dollar is Little Changed, US Leadership Awaited
The foreign exchange market is unusually calm. The US dollar is little changed against currencies. While the selling pressure that took sterling below $1.39 and the euro below $1.10 has subsided, neither has been able sustain upticks. The euro rose to $1.1040 before sellers re-emerged. Sterling was capped near $1.3965. The dollar had slipped to almost JPY111.00 yesterday, coming within five ticks of the February 11 low, before rebounding with the recovery in US stocks and advance in...
Read More »Dollar is Little Changed, US Leadership Awaited
The foreign exchange market is unusually calm. The US dollar is little changed against currencies. While the selling pressure that took sterling below $1.39 and the euro below $1.10 has subsided, neither has been able sustain upticks. The euro rose to $1.1040 before sellers re-emerged. Sterling was capped near $1.3965. The dollar had slipped to almost JPY111.00 yesterday, coming within five ticks of the February 11 low, before rebounding with the recovery in US stocks and advance in...
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