August 25, 2026
The dollar has lost ground in August but has not significantly broken out of the narrow corridor traveled so far during 2026. At 100.5 on July 28, it was 0.3% shy of its 52-week peak, and at 98.56 last Friday, it was only 1.2% above a low touched six months ago. Today has been another […] Read Article
August 21, 2026
Central Banks: Monetary policies will be reviewed in the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Hungary and Kyrgyzstan. Some of the officials with speaking engagements will be Fed Chairman Warsh, Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Himino and Richmond Fed President Barkin. Special Events: The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress will be in session, and the […] Read Article
August 25, 2026
As was expected, officials at the National Bank of Hungary cut the central bank base rate by another 25 basis points. This is the fourth such reduction so far in 2026. At 5.5%, the base rate is down from 6.5% prevailing from September 2025 until this past February and a peak of 13.0% maintained from […] Read Article
July 31, 2026
The net July changes in the table below for the most part understates the extreme financial market turbulence caused by the re-escalating Middle East war, resulting sharp rise in the price of oil, rollout of a new U.S. tariff plan, extreme fires ravaging Europe and other parts of the world, and new regime at the […] Read Article
August 24, 2026
(125) Even for a Monday, today’s session has very few scheduled releases of economic data around the world. Financial market participants are focused on what lies ahead. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz failed to exceed a measly ten vessels yesterday. With a shift from military to economic warfare, President Trump has called today […] More
August 21, 2026
After Thursday’s difficult session for equities, Friday has seen a bounce. Stock markets closed up 1.2% in Hong Kong, 0.9% in India, and 0.7% in Taiwan and Indonesia. European bourses show gains but of less than 1.0%, and the DOW, SPX and Nasdaq just opened slightly higher. Today’s biggest winner has been crypto. Bitcoin’s price […] More
August 20, 2026
The Trump administration is stirring the uncertainty pot in multiple ways, adding new dimensions of the phenomenon on a daily basis. To name just a few of the initiatives, there’s the shift from a half century-old alliance with South Korea to a blossoming friendship with North Korea; the constantly new accusations about U.S. election fraud […] More
August 19, 2026
Officials at the Central Bank of Iceland lifted their 7-day deposit rate by 25 basis points to 8.0%. This marks the third such tightening since March. Today’s 4-1 vote in favor of a higher interest rate comes amid elevated inflation caused by the world energy price shock. Icelandic CPI inflation was at 5.3% in July […] More
August 19, 2026
President Trump claims the Strait of Hormuz is cleared of mines and back to normal. Other reports suggest that little shipping traffic is passing through that crucial channel. A U.S.-threatened 50% tariff on many Canadian goods that was to go into effect today was paused last night at least for 3 days as President Trump […] More
August 18, 2026
In this mid-August season of vacationing, this Tuesday saw few releases of economic data and no central bank rate announcements. In this vacuum, market attention turned to politics for guidance and and the musings of U.S. President Trump. He indicated no interest in extending the expired interim peace with Iran. Tomorrow is D-day for U.S./Canadian […] More
August 17, 2026
(126) The 60-day window allowing Iran and the United States to work out a mutually acceptable modification of Iran’s nuclear program expired today with nil progress. The cease-fire was plagued from the get-go by differing interpretations of language meant to restore normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Hardly any ships are currently going through […] More
August 14, 2026
Central Banks: Interest rate decisions will be announced Egypt, China, Indonesia, Sweden, Iceland and Jamaica. FOMC minutes get released on Wednesday, and central bankers with public speaking engagements in the period include Lagarde and Lane of the European Central Bank, Hauser of the Reserve Bank of Australia, and Sleijpen of the Swiss National Bank. State […] More
August 14, 2026
Two weeks shy of half-year since the Middle East war’s start, the sides have hunkered down for a game of economic and political attrition. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil is slightly up on the day and around 6% higher than a week ago. The dollar fell overnight by 0.7% against its New […] More
August 13, 2026
Major U.S. equity indices strengthened 0.4-0.9%. The 10-year Treasury yield’s slide of six basis points leads reductions of 4 bps in France and Spain, 3 bps in Germany, Italy and the U.K., and 2 bps in Switzerland. The weighted DXY dollar index edged 0.1% lower. Perceived chances that the Fed tightens at its September review […] More
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