Tag Archives: PPP

Overview: US dollar and rates are firmer today. All the G10 currencies are lower, led by the Japanese yen. The UK reported firmer than expected CPI and this may have deflected some of the selling pressure away from sterling, which is off less than 0.2% to put it atop the pack ahead of the US open. Nearly all the emerging market currencies are lower led by central European currencies, the Mexican peso, and South African rand. As anticipated, China's prime lending...

As September winds down, three sets of economic reports will draw the most attention. We will review them and then offer a snapshot of the emerging market central bank meetings. As we have seen in the UK and Norway, several emerging market countries raised rates early (beginning in the middle of last year) but still experienced an acceleration of inflation. It obviously begs the unanswerable question about the impact on US inflation if the Fed had taken its foot off...

(On vacation for the rest of the month.  Going to Portugal.  Commentary will resume on June 1.   Good luck to us all.)The market is a fickle mistress. The major central banks were judged to be behind the inflation curve. Much teeth-gashing, finger-pointing. Federal Reserve Chair Powell was blamed for denying that a 75 bp hike was under consideration. Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda was blamed for keeping the 0.25% cap on the 10-year Japanese Government Bond yield....

US President Trump recently bemoaned the fact that the euro is undervalued. While his critics complain that he is prone to exaggeration, in this case, the euro is undervalued. This Great Graphic a 30-year chart of the euro has moved around its purchasing power parity as measured by the OECD. Currently, the euro is about 22% undervalued, and it has been cheap to PPP since for the past five years. The OECD’s model...

Summary: Part of the US Republican tax reforms call for a border adjustment. It will tax imports fully and not exports. This will likely be challenged at the WTO. Many economists say the dollar will automatically appreciate by 20%. WE are bullish the dollar but skeptical of the logic here. While hearings on US President-elect Trump’s nominees will begin this week, the Republicans are preparing dramatic changes...