British retail sales
Trump Fans Political Chaos but Dollar Slippage Stays Orderly
November 20, 2020
The Trump campaign is continuing to try to discredit election results in several states. If it can persuade some key states not to certify Biden’s win, the President-Elect could fall short of the needed 270 electoral votes, throwing the election decision back to state legislatures, the House of Representatives, and perhaps the Supreme Court. The […] More
Dollar Down but Stocks Up After U.S. Presidential Debate and First Glimpse at October PMI Surveys
October 23, 2020
The dollar slipped by 0.4% overnight against the Australian and Canadian dollar, 0.3% relative to the Swiss franc, 0.2% vis-a-vis the peso, kiwi, and euro, and 0.1% versus the yen and yuan. Contrary to the softer trend, the dollar has edged up 0.1% against sterling, and sovereign debt yields and share prices are each firmer. […] More
Mixed Signals this Friday
September 18, 2020
China’s Shanghai Composite equity index jumped 2.1%, but share prices fell 1.4% in New Zealand and 0.3% in Australia and India. Japan’s Nikkei rose only 0.2%, and Spanish stocks have so far dropped 1.2% on the day. The dollar climbed to another record high against the Turkish lira and shows a year-to-date advance of more […] More
Dollar Ending Down Week on an Up Note
August 21, 2020
Former VP Joseph Biden’s presidential nomination acceptance speech capping the Democratic Party National Convention was well-received, inspirational and with no major gaffes. The Republican Party National Convention next week runs from Monday through Thursday. Preliminary purchasing manager August surveys reveal a loss of growth momentum in Euroland, stalled progress in Japan, a return to sub-50 […] More
Confidence Hit by Concerns Over China, Coronavirus, and Economic Outlook
July 24, 2020
The last thing the world needs in the middle of a recession is an escalation of Sino-U.S. trade and foreign policy strains, but that became an even likelier prospect as Beijing officials closed down the U.S. consulate in Chengdu. The day’s coronavirus data have been again alarming, although not quite to the extent of the […] More
Good Trade News but Unsettling Covid Developments
June 19, 2020
Share prices got a boost from an overnight report that China will step up purchases of U.S. agricultural goods. This comes after Thursday’s revelation in the Bolton tell-all book that Trump had solicited a boost in Chinese purchases to voter reelection support from the mid-west. Several populous U.S. states like California, Florida, and Texas continue […] More
Provocations by Chinese National People’s Congress and Special Central Bank Meetings in Japan and India
May 22, 2020
China’s government has decided to crack down on Hong Kong dissonance with a series of new security laws. Protesters will have fewer liberties and will be punished more severely. Hong Kong’s stock market plunged 5.6% in response. At China’s National People’s Congress, the tradition of setting an annual growth target was abandoned in a sign […] More
Better-than-Expected Batch of Chinese Data Lifts Renminbi
January 17, 2020
The dollar fell 0.3% against China’s renminbi but advanced 0.2% versus the euro, kiwi and Swiss franc and by 0.1% relative to the loonie. The dollar remained steady against the yen, sterling, and Australian dollar. The recent upturn in share prices was extended in the Pacific Basin and Europe, with gains of 0.6% in New […] More
Thursday Rundown of Overnight News, Data Reports, and Central Bank Decisions
December 19, 2019
President Trump has been impeached by a House of Representatives partisan vote of 229-197. He will get a trial in the senate. Market movements today are mostly unremarkable. Sovereign debt yields are up. Equities are down a bit in Europe but started on an up note in the United States. New Zealand’s stock market rallied […] More
Brexit Deal Reached, Congressman Cummings Dead, and Beige Book Reflects Slowdown
October 17, 2019
Several big stories hit the wires this morning. First, Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee and a leading figure in the investigation of President Trump, has died at age 68. He’d had several health problems, but exact details of cause of death were not provided. Second, British Prime […] More
