German ZEW expectations index
Stocks Rebound Somewhat but Situation Still Unstable
November 13, 2018
With the G20 summit in Argentina on November 30 – December 1 fast approaching, U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong discussed trade issues in a phone conversation, the first high-level U.S.-Sino talks of any sort on this explosive issue. A breakthrough was not reported, but some equity markets bounced higher after […] More
Stock Prices Heading South
September 11, 2018
Fears that the Sino-U.S. trade war is about to escalate sharply weighed on global stock markets. Another concern is Hurricane Florence, a category 4 storm in the Atlantic that’s headed for landfall in the Carolinas sometime around Friday. Over 1 million people are fleeing their homes. Today is the 17th anniversary of the Al Qaeda […] More
Weak European Data Out but Little Fresh News on the Trade War Front
July 10, 2018
The dollar overnight gained 0.4% against the yen, 0.3% relative to the euro, Swiss franc and yuan, 0.2% versus the kiwi and 0.1% relative to the Australian currencies and the loonie. The Trump Administration has flipped the U.S. political theme from tariffs, which rattled markets last week, to the president’s supreme court justice choice announced […] More
Broad Commitment to a Process Signed by Trump and Kim but Lacking Many Details
June 12, 2018
There’s been little market reaction to the Trump-Kim talks in Singapore. The dollar is up 0.2% versus the yen and loonie, unchanged against the yuan and Aussie dollar, and down 0.1% vis-a-vis the euro, Swiss franc, kiwi, and sterling. Equities advanced 0.9% in China, 0.6% in India and Hong Kong, and 0.4% in Japan. Stocks […] More
Deepening Trade War Concerns
March 20, 2018
The Fed’s two-day policy review starts today. The first post-meeting press conference of the Jay Powell era and a likely 25-basis point interest rate hike are tomorrow, and investors are anxious to see if there is a signal that four increases this year are more likely than two or three. But all this has been overshadowed […] More
Eye on The Fed, Alabama, and Some Data Releases
December 12, 2017
The Federal Open Market Committee begins a 2-day policy review that almost surely will lead to the third interest rate hike of 2017. The first two moves were enacted in March and June. This will be the final FOMC meeting presided over by Janet Yellen. A press conference is scheduled tomorrow, and new forecasts will […] More
