German industrial orders
Sterling Slide Extended
August 6, 2018
The pound ended last week on a weak note after Bank of England Governor Carney flagged “an uncomfortably high” risk that Britain leaves the EU without any negotiated deal. That message was reinforced over the weekend by Trade Minister Fox’s perception of 60-40 odds in favor of no deal, and sterling slipped a bit below […] More
Stocks Up in U.S. and Europe After Dropping Overnight in Asia
July 5, 2018
Asian equities fell to 8-9 month lows overnight, including losses of 1.0% in Taiwan, 0.9% in China and 0.8% in Japan. The Trump Administration is set to impose more than $30 billion of additional tariffs on Chinese imports, and China plans to match that raise immediately. The weakness of Asian markets did not carry over […] More
Dollar Loses Ground
June 7, 2018
The dollar fell overnight by 0.9% against the euro, 0.5% versus the Swiss franc, 0.2% relative to the yen, and nearly 2% vis-a-vis the Turkish lira. The lira had been slumping this year on rising inflation, increasingly autocratic politics, and the central bank’s pressured neglect of its currency. A 75-basis point interest rate hike in […] More
WTI Oil Above $70 Per Barrel for First Time Since Thanksgiving 2014
May 7, 2018
Compared to closing levels before the weekend, the dollar has climbed 0.8% against the peso, 0.4% relative to the euro, 0.2% vis-a-vis the yen, Swiss franc and Australian dollar, and 0.1% vis-a-vis the yuan. Sterling and the Canadian dollar are 0.3% and 0.1% firmer, and the kiwi is unchanged. The Indonesian rupiah weakened through the […] More
The Fickle Nature of Investor Anxiety about a Trade War
April 5, 2018
Flip-flopping attitudes about the likelihood of a full-fledged intensifying trade war between China and the United States continues to be a big source of day-to-day changes in market behavior. There was panic earlier this week. Today, investors believe Trump and Jinping will negotiate a truce and forestall a trade meltdown. One problem with such optimism […] More
More Evidence of Strong Growth in the Euro Area
January 8, 2018
Economic sentiment in the euro area leaped 1.6 points to a December reading of 116.0, best since October 2000. Sentiment improved across the board — industry, households, services, retail, and construction. A separate measure, the business climate index, rose 1.7 points to the best score ever in this data series dating back to 1985. The […] More
Stocks Continue Week’s Retreat
December 6, 2017
Equities sold off 2.9% in Hong Kong, 2.0% in Japan, 1.6% in Taiwan, 1.4% in South Korea 1.2% in Singapore and 0.7% in New Zealand. Losses today in Europe so far amount to 1.0% in Germany, 0.5% in France and Spain, 0.4% in Italy and 0.3% in Switzerland. Technology has been hit hardest. With no […] More
Waiting for U.S. and Canadian Labor Market Statistical Releases
October 6, 2017
Investors await the U.S. Labor Department jobs report for September at 08:30 EDT, knowing that it will be badly distorted by the hurricanes that hit Texas and Florida. Canadian labor market figures are due also. Concern over Spain’s uncertain political tension continues to fester, tempering enthusiasm that otherwise would arise from upbeat data like today’s […] More
Markets Less Fearful
June 7, 2017
The troubled Banco Popular in Spain is being acquired by Banco Santander, easing concerns about the banking system in Euroland’s fourth largest economy. Donald Trump announced the nomination of a former assistant attorney general from the Bush43 administration, Christopher Wray, to be FBI Director. The timing of this revelation one day before the highly awaited […] More
Euro and Ezone Stocks Fall Despite Big Win for Macron
May 8, 2017
The centrist candidate for president of France, Macron, beat Le Pen by a rough margin of two to one. Stock markets in Asia closed higher, but European markets are down 1.0% in France, 0.9% in Spain, 0.5% in Italy, and 0.3% in Germany. The dollar, moreover, rose 0.5% against the euro, 0.7% relative to the […] More
