Dollar
Broad Decline in Equities and Strengthening Moves in the Yen and Dollar
September 21, 2020
Japanese markets were closed today for Respect for the Aged Day and will remain so Tuesday for the Autumnal Equinox holiday. Elsewhere in the Pacific Rim, stock markets have dropped 2.3% in India, 2.1% in Hong Kong, 1.2% in Indonesia, and 0.7% in Australia and New Zealand. Selling intensified in Europe, where equities so far […] More
December and 2017 in Figures
January 1, 2019
Ten-year sovereign debt yields fell last month, resulting in end-2017 to end-2018 declines in Germany, Switzerland, Canada and Japan but end of year to end of year increases in both the United States and Great Britain. The Fed tightened its fed funds target rate four times by a total of one full percentage point last […] More
Circumstantial Evidence Suggests Trump Wants Dollar to Weaken
March 14, 2018
As private citizen, presidential candidate, and president of the United States, Donald Trump has embraced the usefulness of commercial protectionism, that is the imposition of tariffs and other barriers to benefit strategic industries deemed at risk because of unfair foreign competition. He’s unafraid of trade wars and believes that America would win such disputes. Victory […] More
Known Unknowns
March 1, 2018
When you think about the number of meaningful changes with imprecise consequences, it’s no wonder that world financial markets are more volatile in 2018 and why investors remain very jittery. Four of the changes involve U.S. economic policies. The earliest to be undertaken was broad government deregulation including but not limited to the activities of […] More
January 2018 in Figures
January 31, 2018
The euro ranged from a low of $1.1914 to a high of $1.2583 in January, averaging $1.2195 in the month and closing 3.4% stronger than its end-2017 level. Against the yen, the dollar ranged between JPY 113.41 and JPY 108.28 during the month, with a mean value of JPY 110.92 and a 3.1% net drop […] More
2017 and December in Figures
January 1, 2018
2017 was a stellar year for equity and commodity prices. The dollar declined broadly, consistent with President Trump’s intent to trim the U.S. trade deficit and despite three tightenings of Fed policy implemented in March, June and December. The ten-year Treasury yield rose less sharply than 3-month rates, which flattened the yield curve. The dollar […] More
July in Figures
July 31, 2017
On the final day of July, the Dow hit a record high, and the dollar touched its weakest level against the euro since January 14, 2015 and softest yen value since mid-June. July was a difficult month for the U.S. presidency, even by Trump standards. Also, the future path of Fed policy became less certain, […] More
Markets Just Can’t Get Beyond Trump Administration Uncertainty and Contradictions
July 12, 2017
As the tenth anniversary of the start of the financial crisis nears to less than two months, the conventional wisdom is that a normalization of monetary policies will be kicking into a faster gear. The Fed leads in this process but is not the only monetary authority involved. In fact, the Bank of Japan has […] More
Populism Not a Good Recipe for Currency Strength
June 28, 2017
Among highly developed countries, the United States and Great Britain are some of the best examples in which the politics of populism has made the greatest inroads. Sterling is roughly 14% weaker now against the dollar than when the Brexit referendum was approved a little over a year ago, but even the pound has appreciated […] More
May in Figures
June 1, 2017
U.S. and European sovereign debt yields fell during May. Short-term European interest rates also fell in contrast to a rise of the 3-month U.S. deposit rate. In Japan, rates rose at the long end but fell in short maturities. Stock markets improved in all markets examined here except Canada’s. The dollar climbed against sterling and […] More
