Summary: Abe’s political gamble appears likely to pay off. The third arrow of structural reforms continues. The FSA is continuing to push for shareholder value. Foreign investors have gone on a three-week buying spree that appears to be the largest in years, and the Nikkei is leading G7 bourses higher this month. Japan’s Abe’s gamble to call snap elections shortly after the stunning defeat in the Tokyo...
Read More »FX Daily, October 20:Tax Prospects Lift Rates and Dollar Ahead of Weekend
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.19% to 1.1589 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 20(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US Senate approved a budget resolution that is a necessary step toward using a parliamentary maneuver that prevents the Democrats to block tax reform by filibuster. This has helped spur dollar gains against all the major currencies...
Read More »FX Daily, October 19: Kiwi Drop and Sterling Losses Punctuate Subdued FX Market
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.25% to 1.1539 CHF. EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 19(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates The 30th anniversary of the 1987 equity market crash the major US benchmarks at record highs. The drop in the market was at least partly a function of the lack of capacity, sufficient instruments, and regulatory regime. Each of these...
Read More »Great Graphic: The Euro’s Complicated Top
Summary Euro looks like it is carving out a top. The importance also lies in identifying levels that the bearish view may be wrong. Widening rate differentials, a likely later peak in divergence than previously anticipated, and one-sided market positioning lend support to the bearish view. This Great Graphic depicts the top the euro is carving. We suggest that several fundamental developments lie behind the...
Read More »Central Bank Chiefs and Currencies
Summary: Market opinion on the next Fed chief is very fluid. BOE Governor Carney sticks to view, but short-sterling curve flattens. New Bank of Italy Governor sought. A second term for Kuroda may be more likely after this weekend election. The market is fickle. It has jumped from one candidate to another as the most likely Fed Chair. Until his belated and mild criticism of the President dealing with race issues,...
Read More »NAFTA Worries Take Toll, Yellen’s Best Guess Supports Greenback
Summary: Risk that NAFTA collapses weighs on CAD and MXN. Yen is slightly firmer despite US yields edging higher and weekend polls suggesting LDP could nearly secure a 2/3 majority of its own. The sterling is consolidating after sharp moves at the end of last week. (Greetings from San Francisco, where I will be speaking at a CFA seminar on currencies tomorrow. The rebuilding from destruction of the of...
Read More »Weekly Technical Analysis: 16/10/2017 – USDJPY, EURUSD, GBPUSD, EURJPY
USD/CHF EUR/CHF EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 16(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge USD/JPY [embedded content] USD/JPY with Technical Indicators, October 16(see more posts on USD/JPY, ) - Click to enlarge EUR/USD [embedded content] EUR/USD with Technical Indicators, October 16(see more posts on EUR/USD, ) - Click to enlarge GBP/USD [embedded content]...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: The Markets and the Long Shadow of Politics
Summary: Rise in paper asset prices, including so-called cyber currencies, reflects the abundance of capital. Have we forgotten what Minski taught again? Political considerations may dominate ahead of the ECB meeting later this month. Why should we think there is anything amiss by looking at the global capital markets? The S&P 500 and the German Dax are at record levels. The Japanese market is at 20-year...
Read More »Political Focus Shifting in Europe
There was a huge sigh of relief among investors when it became clear that the populist-nationalist wave that ostensibly led to Brexit and Trump’s election was not going to sweep through Europe. The euro gapped higher on April 24, and it has not looked back. We have suggested that with the outcome of the German election, European politics shift from tailwind to headwind. Spain’s most serious constitutional crisis in 40...
Read More »Brief Thoughts on the Euro
Summary: Euro peaked a month ago. The reversal before the weekend marks the end of the leg lower. ECB meeting is next big focus. ECB may focus on gross rather than net purchases. The euro peaked a month ago near $1.2090. It recorded a low near $1.1670 after the weather-skewed US jobs data seen at the end of last week. The euro recovered from the weekend and set new session highs late US dealings. That...
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