foreign exchange
British Inflation Marching to a Faster Beat
September 12, 2017
The U.K. is not displaying the subdued inflation found in most other developed economies. The August batch of British price data revealed a 0.6% monthly advance in total consumer prices and an acceleration of its 12-month increase to 2.9% from 2.6% in both June and July. Core CPI inflation rose 0.3 percentage points (ppts) to […] More
August in Figures
August 31, 2017
Ten-year sovereign debt yields feel pretty much in tandem during August except in Japan where the drop was less sizable but consistent with the Bank of Japan’s target. Short-term interest rates remained low and well anchored by ultra-loose monetary policy stances. The dropped significantly against the Chinese yuan and marginally against traditional “hard currencies” like […] More
Dollar Possibly on Course for a Perfect Storm of Uncertain Timing
July 10, 2017
A term often mentioned today in assessments of the Hamburg Summit has been the G19. With the United States delegation marching to its own drumbeat, the other nineteen governments agreed to coordinate on a host of policies for their mutual benefit and to proceed in effect as a Group of Nineteen. If the U.S. renounces […] More
June and the Second Quarter in Figures
July 1, 2017
As in the previous quarter, a slide in the price of oil was a key development during the second quarter, and half of this move occurred in June. Gold also lost value both in June and the whole quarter. A second theme of the period was a shifting view about future monetary policies in the […] More
April in Figures
April 29, 2017
In April, ten-year sovereign debt yields fell a little more sharply in the United States than other economies, but the dollar was mixed, falling against the euro, sterling, and Swiss franc but not the yen. The dollar advanced solidly against commodity-sensitive currencies, and West Texas Intermediate crude oil slipped back below the $50 per barrel […] More
Fed Policy Still a Huge Influence on Dollar
February 21, 2017
The dollar appreciated broadly after the three-day U.S. holiday weekend despite ongoing worries about U.S. policies and strong preliminary February purchasing manager survey results for Euroland and Japan. The prime dollar mover came from remarks by Philadelphia Fed President Harker that a rate increase is possible as soon as the FOMC’s March meeting. Dollar overnight gains […] More
Stronger Dollar and a Few Central Bank Policy Meetings
February 7, 2017
The theme of tightening Fed policy and looser U.S. fiscal policy returned to the fore, lifting the dollar overnight by 1.1% against the euro, 0.8% versus the Swiss franc, loonie and sterling, 0.6% relative to the yen, 0.5% against the Australian dollar, 0.4% versus the Mexican peso and 0.3% vis-a-vis the New Zealand dollar and […] More
January in Figures
January 31, 2017
The slumping dollar was the fulcrum of financial market activity in January. Dollar lows for the month were hit on January 31 against the euro, yen, Swiss franc, Australian dollar and kiwi, and the monthly highs occurred on either the third of second day of the months. From their lows to their highs, the Aussie […] More
Markets Calmer than Yesterday
January 13, 2017
After slumping Thursday, the dollar is unchanged today against the yen, Australian dollar, loonie and sterling. The greenback slipped a mere 0.2% against the euro, Swissie and peso since Thursday’s close and is down 0.1% vis-a-vis the yuan and kiwi. The Japanese Nikkei recovered 0.8%. Elsewhere in the Pacific Rim, equities have fallen 0.8% in […] More
Sinking Dollar
January 12, 2017
President-Elect Trump’s press conference yesterday was contentious and uninformative with regard to coming policy specifics, leaving investors confused, disillusioned and scared. The dollar, which had rallied since the U.S. election, suffered significant overnight losses against advanced and emerging market currencies alike. The greenback lost 1.2% against the yen and peso, 1.0% relative to the kiwi, […] More
