Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, May 17(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ). GBP/CHF Inflation data weakens Sterling. Yesterday saw the release of Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. CPI is a measure of inflation and yesterday we saw a rise from 2.3% to 2.7% month on month. Usually a rise in inflation is deemed as good for an economy, but on this occasion it is a worrying sign. The rapid rise is a direct result of the...
Read More »FX Daily, May 16: Greenback and Dollar Bloc Lose Ground to Europe and Yen
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, May 16(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates Dollar selling pressure emerged at the end of last week, partly in response to disappointing US economic data. This selling pressure carried over into yesterday’s activity. It appeared to have been trying to stabilize yesterday in the North American session. News that President Trump may have shared...
Read More »Yen is the Weakest Currency in the World over the Past Month
Summary: Yen was the strongest currency in the world from mid-March to mid-April. Yen has been the weakest currency over the past month. US rates have risen relative to Japan. Japan has shifted away from QE and toward targeting interest rate. USD/JPY From March 10 through April 11, the Japanese yen was the strongest currency in the world. It appreciated 4.7% against the dollar. Among the majors, sterling...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: Two Known Unknowns
Summary: The Trump Administration seems to be trying to cast the US as a revisionist power. Or perhaps it is like Roman emperors long ago trying to draw greater tribute from others. The outlook of US interest rates is critical to the outlook of the dollar. The main risk to investors in the week ahead comes from two unknowns. On the international stage, the biggest change in the last six months is not China or...
Read More »FX Daily, May 09: Dollar Firms amid Position Adjustments
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, May 09(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates The election of Macron as French President has set off a bout of position adjustment that has seen the euro push back into the $1.0850-$1.0950 range that had confined activity for the two weeks between the first and second rounds of the French presidential election. The euro fell a cent yesterday after...
Read More »FX Daily, May 04: Greenback Struggles to Sustain Upticks, Though Odds of June Hike Rise
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, May 04(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar is struggling to maintain even modest upticks against the euro and sterling despite the recognition of the increased likelihood of a June Fed hike. Bloomberg sees current pricing in the Fed funds as making a hike in June a near certainty (97.5%), while the CME and our own calculation...
Read More »FX Daily, April 24: Dramatic Response to French Election
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, April 24(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates The results of the first round of the French election spurred a dramatic response in the capital markets. Our thesisthat there is no populist-nationalist wave sweeping the world is supported by the previous results in Austria, the Netherlands, and now France. The AfD in Germany is wilting in the polls, and...
Read More »FX Daily, April 17: Markets Trying to Stabilize in Holiday-Thin Activity
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, April 17(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates Financial centers in Europe are closed for the extended Easter holiday. Australian and New Zealand markets were also closed. The drop in US 10-year Treasury yields in early Asia, with a brief push below 2.20%, appears to have kept the dollar under pressure. As the North American market prepares to...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: What to Watch in the Week Ahead
Many observers misunderstood US President Trump’s “American First” rhetoric. Trump’s earlier writings show that this is not a reference to the 1940s effort to keep the US out of WWII, with its isolationist tint. Rather, Trump’s use goes back to the original use by President Harding in the 1920s. It was a rejection of the Wilsonian multilateralism (e.g. League of Nations) and a robust defense of unilateralism. That...
Read More »Euro’s Record Losing Streak Against the Yen
Summary: The euro has fallen for 11 consecutive sessions against the yen. Interest rates, US and German in particular, seem to be the main driver. Technicals are stretched, but have not signaled a reversal yet. Looking for a trend in the foreign exchange market? The euro is weaker against the yen for the 11th consecutive session today, which is the longest streak in the euro’s natural life. Since March 17, the...
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