There are times you try to connect the dots. There are others where those connections warrant adorning your trusted tin-foiled cap of choice; for you just can’t get there unless you do. This I believe is one of those times. And if correct? What at first might appear apocryphal, may in fact, be down right apocalyptic. And besides, what good is a tin-foil capped conspiracy theory anyhow if it doesn’t have the potential for doom, correct? So, with that in mind, let’s venture down some roads...
Read More »Are Central Banks Setting Each Other Up?
Authored by Mark St.Cyr, There are times you try to connect the dots. There are others where those connections warrant adorning your trusted tin-foiled cap of choice; for you just can’t get there unless you do. This I believe is one of those times. And if correct? What at first might appear apocryphal, may in fact, be down right apocalyptic. And besides, what good is a tin-foil capped conspiracy theory anyhow if it doesn’t have the potential for doom, correct? So, with that in mind, let’s...
Read More »The Chinese Yuan Countdown Is On
Submitted by SaxoBank's Dembik Christopher via TradingFloor.com, Currency stability is a prerequisite for China's economic transition Defending the yuan is prohibitively expensive – China cannot beat the market Progressive devaluation managed by PBoC is the most probable scenario for 2016 Remember that the country is on the capitalism learning curve Exchange rates will inevitably be a key discussion point at Shanghai G20 China has moved from being a net importer to a net exporter of...
Read More »The Chinese Yuan Countdown Is On
Submitted by SaxoBank's Dembik Christopher via TradingFloor.com, Currency stability is a prerequisite for China's economic transition Defending the yuan is prohibitively expensive – China cannot beat the market Progressive devaluation managed by PBoC is the most probable scenario for 2016 Remember that the country is on the capitalism learning curve Exchange rates will inevitably be a key discussion point at Shanghai G20 China has moved from being a net importer to a net exporter of...
Read More »2016 off to a turbulent start
Published: 12th February 2016 Download issue: A turbulent start to a volatile year Global markets had a very difficult start to 2016, with equity markets experiencing one of the largest January falls in history, currency markets also seeing major disruption, and a sharp widening of spreads on high yield corporate bonds. By the end of the month, though, there were signs that a rebound was underway. Although the magnitude of the sell-off was clearly a concern, these developments are not out...
Read More »“Time To Panic”? Nigeria Begs World Bank For Massive Loan As Dollar Reserves Dry Up
Having urged "don't panic" just 4 short months ago, it appears Nigeria just did just that as the global dollar short squeeze forces the eight-month-old government of President Muhammadu Buhari to beg The World Bank and African Development Bank for $3.5bn in emergency loans to help fund a $15bn deficit in a budget heavy on public spending amid collapsing oil revenues. Just as we warned in December, the dollar shortage has arrived, perhaps now is time to panic after all. In September,...
Read More »Japan: Kuroda surprises by introducing a negative interest rate
Under a three-tier system, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) introduces a negative interest rate (-0.1%). Haruhiko Kuroda did it again. After having continuously denied the idea of using a negative interest rate, the governor of the Bank of Japan (BoJ) has now decided to introduce one. More specifically, the BoJ will adopt a three-tier system in which the outstanding balance of each financial institution’s current account at the Bank will be divided into three tiers, to each of which a positive...
Read More »BoJ Adopts Negative Interest Rates, Fails To Increase QE
Well that did not last long. After initial exuberance over The BoJ's wishy-washy decision to adopt a 3-tiered rate policy including NIRP, markets have realized that without further asset purchases (which were maintained at the current pace), there is no ammo to lift stocks. An almost 200 point surge in Dow futures has been erased and Nikkei 225 has dropped 1000 points from its post BOJ highs... Dow futures have plunged... What a mess... And Nikkei has crashed over 1000 points... And...
Read More »Tightening in March? The Odds Are Dwindling
As soon as the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates in December 2015, market participants wanted to know how soon they’d do it again. After January served up negative economic surprises and volatility in global financial markets, the Fed held its fire at its January 27 meeting. While a March hike seemed plausible just a month ago, Credit Suisse economists say the odds of a first-quarter rate increase have fallen south of 50 percent. June is now the most likely date for the next hike. ...
Read More »European monetary policy: new ECB easing package now likely to be announced in March
ECB policy rates will remain “at present or lower levels for an extended period of time”. Another deposit rate cut, to -0.40% or even lower, looks likely to be part of the ECB’s toolkit, especially if the Fed turns more cautious in the meantime. The ECB left all policy settings unchanged at today’s meeting, as widely expected. At the same time, the overall tone of the press conference reflected yet another significant dovish shift in the ECB’s communication – one that the Governing...
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