Canadian CPI
Tenser Middle East Situation Belies Trump’s Belief that a Deal Maybe Near
April 20, 2026
(143) Weekends have been full of surprises in the Middle East war, and this past one was no exception. Late last week had experienced a large drop in oil prices and renewed interest in riskier assets. Israel had stopped bombing southern Lebanon, paving the way for resumed peace talks between Iran and the United States […] More
Iran War and Central Bank Interest Rate Decisions to Dominate This Week’s Financial Market News
March 16, 2026
(148) But right now, markets have responded positively to stronger-than-projected Chinese data while awaiting today’s release of U.S. industrial production. The Iran War narrative is meanwhile focused on whether President Trump will declare America’s main goals accomplished and pull out or decided to prolong the fight until there is a major downward break in oil […] More
Concerns Over Artificial Intelligence and Geopolitical Strains Rattle Equities But Dollar and Yen Rise
February 17, 2026
In pre-open futures trading, all four major U.S. stock market indices after the three-day weekend holiday have lost ground. Japan’s Nikkei closed down 0.4%, and the German DAX and Paris CAC stock market indices are flat in contrast to slight equity gains so far in the U.K., Spain and Italy. Central bank interest rate prospects […] More
Not Much Has Been Clarified
August 19, 2025
Yesterday’s talks between Trump, Zelensky and European leaders left the future path in the war between Russia and Ukraine murky. A scarcity of data releases today has also deprived investors of new momentum on which to trade. In financial markets so far today, the dollar has strengthened 0.3% against the Canadian and Australian currencies, stayed […] More
Producer Price Disinflation and Chinese and Australian Interest Rate Cuts
May 20, 2025
The U.S. dollar’s biggest overnight move was a 0.9% advance against the Australian dollar that followed an as-expected cut in the Reserve Bank of Australia Official Cash Rate but also a more dovish-than-expected statement and press conference explaining the action. The weighted DXY dollar index ticked only 0.1% higher. Whereas U.S. stock futures are slightly […] More
Middle East Tensions and Central Bank Official Comments Sour Market Sentiment
May 21, 2024
Minutes from this month’s Reserve Bank of Australia interest rate-setting meeting in early May did consider a rate hike, citing risks such as rising inflation expectations and weaker productivity growth. The 4.35% Official Cash Rate since a 25-basis point hike last November was left unchanged but the minutes suggest that a future hike is more […] More
Seemingly Contradictory Themes
February 20, 2024
Contradictory financial news headlines this Tuesday do not paint a consistent story. For a couple of months, Fed watchers with encouragement from top FRS officials have been trying to discern when and how quickly interest rates will be lowered. Out of the blue today, there’s a headline that the highly credentialed economist and former Treasury […] More
A Somewhat Better Market Tone as Northern Hemisphere Observes Winter Solstice
December 21, 2022
Data reported this Wednesday took a turn for the better, and investors were cheered also by recent earnings and other corporate news like Elon Musk’s announcement that he will step down as Twitter’s CEO. The U.S. current account deficit narrowed to $217.1 billion last quarter from $238.7 billion in 2Q and $282.5 billion in 1Q. […] More
Market Reaction Muted to Missile Strike in Poland
November 16, 2022
A Russian-made missile struck a grain facility inside Poland, but it remains unclear who fired that round or from where such came. World leaders were fortunately already assembled in Bali, Indonesia, for the Group of Twenty annual summit, and an emergency meeting to forestall a direct Nato-Russian military conflict has so far prevented an outsized […] More
Superdollar Rises Again but This Week’s Bear Market Rally in Stocks Appears Out of Steam
October 19, 2022
The dollar climbed overnight by 0.9% against the euro and Swiss franc, 0.8% relative to sterling, 0.5% versus the Australian dollar, and 0.4% vis-a-vis the offshore Chinese yuan and the Canadian and New Zealand dollars. The weighted DXY dollar index is 0.8% higher. Treasury-compiled capital flow data reported late Tuesday revealed that a net $275.6 […] More
