German ZEW expectations index
Covid Concerns, U.S. Political Tensions, Disinflation, and Weak Demand
November 10, 2020
Yesterday’s vaccine news spurred a stock market rally, but pandemic prospects remain poor until vaccines and therapeutic treatments are widely available. The public is being warned of a grim winter just ahead. New global Covid cases topped half a million yesterday, including a fresh record U.S. number exceeding 130k. U.S. hospitalizations are hovering near 60k. […] More
Covid-Related Setbacks in European Confidence, a Smaller Chinese Trade Surplus, and Another Day for Barrett Confirmation Hearings
October 13, 2020
Some risk aversion has returned to Europe. In many countries there, lockdown restrictions against Covid-19 have had to be tightened. And data reports out today reflect rising concern. For example, the ZEW expectations index of financial investor confidence toward Germany suffered a big setback this month, dropping to a five-month low of 56.1 from September’s […] More
Further Erosion of Dollar’s Value
September 15, 2020
The dollar dropped 0.6% to a 16-month low against the Chinese yuan overnight and also lost 0.5% relative to the Australian dollar, 0.4% vis-a-vis the Mexican peso, 0.3% versus the kiwi, Swiss franc, loonie, euro and sterling, as well as 0.1% against Japan’s yen. The latest declines bring the dollar’s trade-weighted depreciation over the past […] More
Some Sizable Financial Market Moves Overnight
August 11, 2020
The dollar lost 0.4% against the euro, Swiss franc, Australian dollar and Mexican peso. The U.S. currency also fell 0.5% versus the Canadian dollar, 0.3% relative to sterling, 0.2% vis-a-vis the Chinese yuan, and 0.1% against the kiwi but ticked 0.1% higher versus the yen. This time, dollar depreciation wasn’t correlated with a strengthening price […] More
Continuing Interplay of Covid and Economic Data
July 14, 2020
Covid-19 infestations in Texas, Florida, and California cast a big cloud on U.S. economic recovery prospects. The global Covid case and death counts climbed 204k and 4.1k in the past 24 hours. The dollar rose overnight by 0.3% versus the Chinese yuan, 0.2% against sterling and the kiwi, and by 0.1% relative to the yen […] More
Monday’s Equity Rally Not Sustained Amid Both Upbeat and Worrisome Developments
May 19, 2020
Pacific Rim stock markets extended Monday’s stock market rally, but share prices subsequently turned lower in Europe and U.S. stock futures. Markets closed up 2.3% in South Korea, 1.8% in Australia, 1.9% in Hong Kong, 1.7% in Singapore, 1.5% in Japan and 0.8% in China. But there are losses of 2.1% in Spain, 1.6% in […] More
Several Big Developments
April 21, 2020
Although well above Monday’s lows, the price of WTI oil (-$4.00 per barrel) remains negative. This development continues to ripple well beyond other commodity markets, including the exertion of a drag commodity-sensitive currencies. The dollar overnight advanced 2.5% against the Russian ruble, 1.3% relative to the New Zealand dollar and Mexican peso, 1.5% versus the […] More
Picking Apart the Pieces of Monday’s Rout
March 17, 2020
Stocks overnight did not fall as steeply as such had Monday in the United States. In the Pacific Rim, share prices fell 2.5% in South Korea, 2.9% in Taiwan, 5.0% in Indonesia, 2.3% in India, 1.7% in Singapore but just 0.3% in China. Equities rebounded 5.8% in Australia and 0.1% in Japan. European markets show […] More
Dollar Draws Strength from Coronavirus and Lower Financial Market Confidence in Euroland Economic Outlook
February 18, 2020
Share prices fell today by 1.5% in Hong Kong and South Korea, 1.4% in Japan and 1.0% in Taiwan. Equity markets are down in Europe by 0.9% in the U.K., 0.7% in Germany, 0.5% in France and 0.4% in Switzerland. Risk aversion is also reflected in fixed income markets, where 10-year sovereign debt yields have […] More
Little Overnight Change in the Dollar
December 10, 2019
The dollar rose 0.3% against sterling and the Australian dollar but shows nil overnight change otherwise. Stocks were narrowly mixed in the Pacific Rim and are down slightly in Europe. There been little share price movement in the U.S. thus far today. Ten-year sovereign debt yields firmed three basis points in Great Britain as the […] More