When William Gibson would say that “the future is already here-it is just not evenly distributed,” he was referring to how wealth and location determine one’s access to technological advances (the future). Yet it equally can apply to the US-Chinese relationship. In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, former Treasury Secretary Paulson seemed to express the views of many. If neither the US nor China changes its...
Read More »Fed Sticks To Script, Enjoys the Sweet Spot
The Federal Reserve kept policy on hold, and its sparse statement gave little clue as to what it makes of the pressures in the money markets or the weakness in the housing market. The effective Fed funds rate is bumping against the cap provided by the interest rate on reserves. Some repo rates, like SOFR (the intended replacement for LIBOR), have on occasion poked above what should be the ceiling. The housing market is...
Read More »FX Daily, November 09: Greenback Stabilizes at Higher Levels
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.13% at 1.1415 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, November 09(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The US dollar’s gains scored in the wake of the Fed’s signal that will continue on course to gradually hike rates have been extended. Most emerging market currencies are lower as well. Equity markets are heavy. Bond yields in Europe...
Read More »FX Daily, November 07: Equities and Bonds Jump While the Dollar Slumps
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.03% at 1.1455 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, November 07(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The dollar has fallen against nearly every currency. It had been moving lower at the start of the week, but what seems like a correction broadened and deepened following the US midterm election. The outcome was largely in line with...
Read More »Euro and Yen Outlook
Broadly speaking, the risk is that the dollar’s cyclical advance is not complete. The drivers will likely remain in place through at least the middle of next year. Additional gradual interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and a favorable policy mix underpin the dollar. The Federal Reserve projects four rate hikes between now and the end of next year. Quarterly rate hikes through the middle of next year are the...
Read More »FX Daily, November 6: US Goes to the Polls
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.04% at 1.1452 Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: The US dollar is narrowly mixed against the major currencies today, largely consolidating its recent losses. Equities are mixed. In Asia, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong equities gained around 1%, while most other bourses were softer. In Europe, the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 is little changed in late morning...
Read More »Talking Turkey
Turkey’s economic challenges arise from the imbalances created during the economic boom that saw poverty halved between 2002 and 2011, extensive urbanization, and integration in the world economy through trade and capital flows. The dramatic economic changes saw the rise of Erdogan, who was re-elected as President for a second term in June. His party (AKP) is joined by the Nationalists (MHP). The imbalances, amidst a...
Read More »Cheat Sheet
High-level distillation of the drivers of selected currencies. - Click to enlarge US Dollar Jobs data ahead of the weekend should recover after a storm depressed the September jobs growth. The base effect will allow earnings to show a strong year-over-year gain. The FOMC meets next week. A 25 bp rate hike in December remains the most likely scenario despite the heightened volatility in the stock market. With the...
Read More »FX Daily, October 31: No Fright on This Halloween
Swiss Franc The Euro has fallen by 0.19% at 1.1378 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 31(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: After sliding hard this month, equities continue to stabilize into month-end. All of the equity markets in Asia-Pacific rallied with the help of a solid close in the US. European bourses are higher too as the Dow Jones Stoxx 600...
Read More »FX Daily, October 30: Another Attempt to Put a Bottom in Stocks
Swiss Franc The Euro has risen by 0.09% at 1.1401 EUR/CHF and USD/CHF, October 30(see more posts on EUR/CHF, USD/CHF, ) Source: markets.ft.com - Click to enlarge FX Rates Overview: First, reports suggested that if China refused to make any trade concessions, the Trump-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the G20 meeting next month would not take the issue up. Fair enough. Then, new reports indicated that the White was...
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