The US Dollar Index has been trending higher since early May. This Great Graphic, created on Bloomberg shows, that it has been successfully tested several times. It appears set to be re-tested in the coming days. It comes in near 94.80 today and rises a little more than two ticks a day to finish the week near 94.90. Technical indicators, like the RSI, MACDs, and Slow Stochastics suggest there is reasonably good...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: Politics to Overshadow Economics in the Week Ahead
The major central banks have placed down their markers and have moved to stage left. There are the late-month high frequency data, which pose some headline risks in the week ahead. The main focus for most investors will be on several political developments. The first US Presidential debate is wild card, in the sense that the outcome is unknown. In recent weeks, the polls have drawn close. In early August, Nate Silver’s...
Read More »FX Daily, September 23: It is Friday and the Dollar is Firmer Again
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF, September 23, 2016Click to enlarge. FX Rates As Nassim Taleb instructed, we should not be fooled by randomness. If you see six red results in a row at a roulette table, do not conclude the game is rigged. If you flip a coin, and it is tails six consecutive times, the contest is not necessarily rigged. Today has the making of the sixth consecutive Friday that the dollar gains against the euro...
Read More »FX Daily, September 22: Swiss Franc Strongest Currency Again
Swiss Franc Once again the Swiss Franc was the strongest. The EUR/CHF depreciated to 1.0875. As said yesterday, the reasons: the Fed and the strong Swiss trade balance. Click to enlarge. FX Rates The US dollar has lost another 0.5% against most of the major currencies today, as Asia and Europe respond to the Fed’s decision. There are few exceptions to this generalization. The Norwegian krone has gained nearly...
Read More »FX Daily, September 21: BOJ Can’t Weaken Yen, Fed keeps Rates Unchanged, CHF Stronger
Swiss Franc The EUR/CHF accelerated its decline since yesterday’s strong Swiss trade balance data. The second reason was certainly the Fed decided to keep rates unchanged. We know that the Swiss Franc has similar “counter-dollar” status as gold. Click to enlarge. Japan Much of what the Bank of Japan announced today had been largely leaked. While there was a sizeable response in the asset markets, the dollar’s...
Read More »FX Daily, September 20: The Swiss Franc Continues To Rise.
Swiss Franc For us the developments in the trade balance express if a currency is overvalued or not (more details here). The Swiss trade surplus is constant or rather rising, hence the Swiss Franc is correctly valued or rather undervalued.And – as we see below – the franc appreciated. Switzerland Trade Balance(see more posts on Switzerland Trade Balance, )Switzerland Trade Balance – click to enlarge. FX Rates...
Read More »FX Daily, September 19: Dollar Begins Important Week on Softer Note
[unable to retrieve full-text content]The US dollar, which finished last week on a firm note, is under pressure to start the new week that features Bank of Japan and Federal Reserve meetings. The slighter stronger August CPI reading helped lift the greenback ahead of the weekend, but investors continue to see a low probability of a Fed hike this week.
Read More »Great Graphic: Median U.S. Income per Presidents
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Median household income was higher in 2015 than in 2008, but still below 1999 peak in real terms. The bottom fifth of households by income have just recouped what was lost. Income growth did best under (Bill) Clinton and Reagan, including for top 5%. Origin of strong dollar policy means it will not be used as a trade weapon and it hasn't since Bentsen.
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: Punctuated Equilibrium and the Forces of Movement
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Shifting intermarket relationships pose challenge for investors. The market is convinced the Fed will not raise rates. Greater uncertainty surrounds the BOJ; there seems less willingness to shock and awe.
Read More »FX Weekly Review, September 12 – September 16: Bad week of CHF Index against Dollar Index
This week we focus on the charts, we omit the technical explanations, given that Marc Chandler is currently on a two-weeks trip. The dollar was surprisingly strong this week. This despite a more hawkish ECB, bad U.S. economic data in the ISM surveys. Swiss Franc Currency Index The Swiss Franc index had a bad week with a bad Friday. The dollar index rose at the end. Swiss Franc Index Trade-weighted index Swiss...
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