Central Bank of Armenia
Oil’s Price Floats Back Above $80/Barrel Level
August 4, 2026
Monday’s U.S. stock market rally had been triggered by another last-minute pull-back in President Trump’s threat to annihilate Iran militarily. Yet again, his willingness to give diplomatic talks one more chance was quickly met with a different narrative with Iran that direct talks between the two countries have not resumed. They are only speaking to […] More
Imploded Investor Confidence in Euroland, Some Central Bank Decisions, and the Alleged Death of Another Top Iranian Official
March 17, 2026
In overnight financial market action, The dollar has dipped 0.3% against the Australian dollar following a rise in Australia’s Officials Cash Rate. The dollar is also down 0.2% versus the Mexican peso, and by 0.1% relative to the euro, Swissy and sterling but flat against the yen following more hints from Japan’s finance minister of […] More
Softer Dollar, Stronger Equities, and an Australian Central Bank Interest Rate Hike that Was Generally Anticipated
February 3, 2026
The dollar fell most sharply overnight against the Australian dollar (-0.8%) and kiwi (-0.5%) but also dipped 0.1% relative to the Swiss franc and Canadian dollar. There’s been no net change relative to sterling or the euro and a 0.2% rise against the yen. Favorable corporate news played a big role in yesterday’s U.S. stock […] More
Softer Dollar Again
September 16, 2025
The dollar was nudged lower as the Federal Open Market Committee prepared to begin a 2-day policy review that is likely to cut the federal funds rate target for the first time since last December. President Trump’s newest governor-appointee Stephen Miran and Lisa Cook, whom he tried to prevent from participating in the decision, will […] More
Monday’s Equity Rebound Extended Into Asia and Europe but Has Stalled in the United States
August 5, 2025
Concepts like democracy, rule of law and autocracy get thrown around so much these days that there is a risk that the comparison loses significance. When assessing a developed economy’s future potential, past experience strongly suggests that democracy is the preferable political framework for creating a conducive environment for achieving price stability, faster sustainable economic […] More
Tariff Fears Back in Ascendance
May 6, 2025
If enduring dollar hegemony could be assumed, big shocks like a global tariff war would correlate with an appreciating trend driven by safety-seeking capital flows. However, America’s tariff-centric trade policy represents a revolution away from the whole dynamic of the post-WW2 international monetary system. Contrary to the previous conventional wisdom, the more investors worry about […] More
Other Economies Attracting Interest as U.S. Steers an Isolationist Course
March 18, 2025
Once again, stock markets in Europe are flashing green, with overnight advances of at least 1.0% in Germany, Italy and Spain. In the Pacific Rim, the Hang Seng of Hong Kong, Sensex of India and Japanese Nikkei closed up 2.5%, 1.5% and 1.2% while markets in Singapore, Taiwan and New Zealand recorded gains of 0.9%, […] More
Armenian Interest Rate-Cutting Cycle Extended
February 4, 2025
The Central Bank of Armenia’s policy interest rate was cut today by 25 basis points to a 3-1/2-year low of 6.75%. From a peak of 10.5% maintained from December 2022 until June 2023, the Armenian refinancing rate had been cut without interruption by 150 basis points in what remained of 2023 and a further 225 […] More
Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em
February 4, 2025
Trade warriors took a step back from the brink late yesterday. President Trump temporarily halted plans to impose 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico, claiming negotiating progress in efforts to stop border crossings into the U.S. from those countries of Fentanyl and undocumented immigrants. In turn Canadian PM Trudeau halted its planned retaliatory levy of […] More
Armenian Central Bank Interest Rate Cut
December 10, 2024
The Central Bank of Armenia’s refinancing rate was cut another 25 basis points to 7.0%, its lowest level since September 2021 and 350 basis points below the peak of 10.5% maintained from December 2022 until an initial reduction in August 2023. Although CPI inflation had risen from 0.6% in October to 1.4% in November, that […] More
