November 11, 2026
The armistice that ended World War I was signed 108 years ago at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. This anniversary of the end of the “war to end all wars” is commemorated as a holiday in France and Serbia. Today is a federal holiday in the United […] Read Article
November 6, 2026
Central Banks: Interest rate policies will be reviewed in Peru and Romania. Governor Bailey and chief economist Pill of the Bank of England and Goolsbee, Hammack, Williams and Daly of the Federal Reserve will be speaking publicly. Holiday and Events: France will be observing Armistice Day on November 11, the 108th anniversary of the end […] Read Article
November 11, 2026
The Bank of Mauritius repo rate was increased today to 5.0% from 4.75%. This was the the second such hike in 2026 and followed a single 50 basis point advance engineered in February 2025 that ended a 10-month stretch when the rate had bottomed at 4.0%. A statement released by this central bank from an […] Read Article
October 31, 2026
In October, peace in West Asia’s two wars proved elusive, sending oil prices sharply higher. West Texas Intermediate crude oil went up about 15%, for instance. The month will be also remembered for a rout of AI-related tech stocks and for the rising suspense surrounding the U.S. midterm elections, with President Trump sowing doubt about […] Read Article
November 11, 2026
While generally associated with attempted domestic policy initiatives that have exacted existential risk to sitting presidents such as reforming social security, medicare or immigration, two other factors have emerged in the post-WW2 era as even more suicidal to sitting U.S. administrations: inflation and forever wars. Last week’s midterm elections had elements of both. Excessive inflation […] More
November 10, 2026
In response to a higher-than-anticipated U.S. consumer price inflation in October, U.S. share prices resumed a downward trajectory. The 10-year Treasury yield jumped to six basis points above Monday’s closing level, and the dollar strengthened as financial markets adjusted to a perceived 99% likelihood that the federal funds rate target will be lifted next month. […] More
November 9, 2026
(114) In weekend interviews aired on CNN and 60 Minutes, U.S. President confirmed that peace negotiations are continuing and that so long as that’s the case, a resumption of air strikes on Iran is “highly unlikely.” In response, the prices and West Intermediate and Brent crude oil are down so far today by 3.0% and […] More
November 6, 2026
Other central bank interest rate announcements since Tuesday had revealed increases in the U.K., Sweden, Australia, Armenia, Czech Republic and Moldova, as well as decisions to leave rates steady in Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Norway and Brazil. However, from the Bank of Mexico late yesterday came unexpected and contrary news of a 25-basis point reduction in the […] More
November 6, 2026
Investors are groping to make sense of how the Republican Party’s broad and deep election losses might actually impact U.S. macro-economic, regulatory and foreign policies in the remaining two years of President Trump second term. It would be totally out of character for the president to capitulate, and it’s not clear that Democratic lawmakers will […] More
November 5, 2026
The CNB 2-week repo rate had been at a cyclical low of 3.5% for 13 months until an initial 25-basis point hike this past June, and a second 25-basis point increase was authorized today, bringing the rate up to 4.0% and matching its end-2024 level. The National Bank Moldova‘s policy interest rate bottomed briefly at […] More
November 5, 2026
By a vote of 8-1, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England authorized a 25-basis point increase of the policy Bank Rate to 4.0%, marking the first hike August 2023. The rate had thereafter remained at 5.75% until an easing cycle that began in August 2024 and culminated at 3.75% after a 25-basis […] More
November 5, 2026
Aside from a further 0.4% advance against the Israeli Shekel, net dollar movement overnight was minimal. Israel’s currency has dropped 4.1% against the U.S. currency since October 27. The Democratic congressional sweep and concerns about AI regulation depressed the South Korean Kospi index by 5.3% and Japanese Nikkei by 1.8%. Playing catch-up to Wednesday’s rallies […] More
November 4, 2026
The Executive Board of the Swedish Riksbank engineered its first interest rate hike since September 2023 in a move that had been telegraphed earlier as likely. the rate was lifted to 25 basis points to 2.0% from a low of 1.75% maintained for the past 14 months. A released statement considers Sweden’s monetary stance accommodative […] More
November 4, 2026
In 2027 and 2028, Democrats will hold majorities in the Senate, the House of Representatives and state governorships. With a gain of seven senate seats that flipped from Republican to Democrat, the senate ratio becomes 54 Dems to 44 Reps and 2 independents who tend to caucus with the Democrats. Among declared House races, the […] More
Currency Thoughts has evolved from a blog to a full-functioning website. This new design provides easier access to your favorite features and new capabilities to accept ads. In the future, it will be possible to register to accept emailed updates.
Posts