April 10, 2026
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains minimal, and Iran is insisting that Israel’s continuing assault on Lebanon must be part of the discussion as a condition of Iranian participating in resumed peace talks with a U.S. delegation to be headed by VP Vance in Islamabad, Pakistan beginning tomorrow. The behavior of world financial […] Read Article
April 10, 2026
Central Banks: Monetary stances will be reviewed in Singapore and Turkey. Williams, Goolsbee and Barkin are some of the Federal Reserve officials speaking publicly during the period. So will Governor Bailey and MPC members Greene and Taylor of the Bank of England, Deputy Governor Hauser and Assistant Governor Hunter of the Reserve Bank of Australia […] Read Article
April 1, 2026
A split decision at the Central Bank of Colombia produced a majority of four votes for a full percentage point interest rate hike to 11.25%, set against two votes for a 50-basis point increase and one vote cast for keeping the rate unchanged at 10.25%. Colombian CPI inflation had decelerated from 18.3% in March 2023 […] Read Article
March 31, 2026
March was dominated by wild daily and intra-daily swings in financial vital signs as sentiment about the outcome and duration of the Middle Eastern war swung with each news flash, and investors tried to figure out the implications for the path of energy prices, general inflation, and the shape of Middle East oil facilities when […] Read Article
April 9, 2026
The U.S./Iranian ceasefire got off to a very shaky start. Amazingly, Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon was left out of the deal at least if the American narrative is to be believed. Iran is recounting a different story and frankly a more credible rendition of what was agreed. Not only did Israel’s assault of southern Lebanon […] More
April 8, 2026
Although the evolution of the Middle East war beyond April 22 remains very uncertain, world financial markets sharply reversed prior trends, choosing to disregard the remaining hurdles that must be overcome to secure peace beyond the two-week ceasefire as well as immense supply disruptions that will be difficult to untangle. The extent of the major […] More
April 7, 2026
The deadline for Iran to meet all of Trump’s demands is now just twelve hours away. Four hours of unprecedentedly massive destruction to the country’s power and bridge infrastructure will ensue. ….Or the U.S. president might move the goal posts and reset the clock, as he’s done before. In the meantime as this state of […] More
April 6, 2026
(145) Most of Europe and many other markets (for example, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Portugal and the Netherlands) remain closed for Easter Monday. These closures and a very thin data release menu have muted trading volume. The United States is not one of the countries still closed […] More
April 3, 2026
Central Banks: Monetary policies will be reviewed in South Korea, India, New Zealand, Serbia, Poland, Romania and Peru. FOMC minutes get published, and Chicago Fed President Goolsbee speaks publicly. Easter Monday Holiday: will be observed in several countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Great Britain. Purchasing Manager Surveys: Manufacturing, […] More
April 3, 2026
Most markets in Europe and many in the Pacific Rim including Australia, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and Singapore are closed today for the observance of Good Friday. The U.S. Treasury market and banks will have a shortened day to allow some reaction to U.S. March labor market data due within the half […] More
April 2, 2026
The highly anticipated update from President Trump in prime time last evening failed to clarify the big questions of when the Middle East war might end, when or exactly how shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz might resume, what Iranian government would be in place after military fighting ends, and what kind of U.S. […] More
April 1, 2026
President Trump’s forever-shifting latest comments on the Middle East war project another likely 2-3 weeks to the conflict. Opening the Strait of Hormuz in such a way that shipping flow is secure and at a normal volume is his principal demand. This can be done either voluntarily by Iran or will be accomplished by a […] More
March 31, 2026
Equity markets in the Pacific Rim, a region particularly dependent on Middle Eastern energy, plunged in March by 14.4% in Indonesia, 11.8% in South Korea, 11.5% in India, 11.2% in Japan, 10.4% in Taiwan, 7.8% in Australia, 6.5% in China and 6.0% in Hong Kong. Although the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to most traffic, […] More
March 30, 2026
(146) Financial news headlines on Sunday evening (when news feeds were reporting 4% plus plunges in Japanese and South Korean share price value, yen depreciation through 160/$ to 160.47, and further sharp jumps in 10-year sovereign debt yields) had pointed to a grim Monday session that hasn’t been the case. Instead as of 8 AM […] More
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