Japanese CPI
Middle Eastern War Chugs Onward and So Do Wide Day-to-Day Swings in Financial Markets
March 24, 2026
The Middle Eastern war continues to play out on many different planes. The actual conflict has been fierce and continues to suck in a widening range of countries in the region. Considerable property damage is occurring, some that may take extended time to repair. Claimed casualties are running heavily in favor of the U.S. and […] More
Powell’s Highly Awaited Speech Today Lifts Likelihood of Resumed Cycle of U.S. Interest Rate Reduction
August 22, 2025
Speaking at the Jackson Hole Monetary Symposium this morning Federal Reserve Chairman Powell acknowledged that the U.S. baseline outlook and balance of risks between higher inflation and lessening employment growth are shifting. Major points that were expressed include Broad agreement among policymakers exists that recent and ongoing tariff hikes will lift inflation in the short […] More
Price Data and U.S. Policy Opacity
June 20, 2025
U.S. policies in a variety of areas have become less clear. The Trump administration is keeping the numbers on immigrant round-ups and deportations close to the vest. Business owners have become more vocal about the havoc to business operations that ICE activity is producing. Whether or not the U.S. assists Israel in destroying Iran’s nuclear […] More
Dollar, U.S. Stock Futures, 10-Year Treasury Yield and Prices of Oil and Bitcoin Down Marginally as Another Frenzied Week Winds Down
March 21, 2025
Market Movements Overnight: The weighted DXY dollar index edged 0.1% lower overnight, with dips of 0.2% against the Swiss franc but no change versus the yen or euro. In pre-open futures stock trading, major U.S. indices softened 0.3-0.4%. A three-basis point additional drop in the 10-year Treasury yield has been matched by the movement in […] More
Trump and Ueda Comments and Early February PMI Findings
February 21, 2025
After weeks of confrontational trade talk and action, President Trump switched to a good cop approach on trade with China, expressing eagerness to hold talks soon with Xi Jinping and hope that a deal can be struck to lessen tensions over trade and other stuff. Following data showing an acceleration in Japanese inflation, Bank of […] More
A Few More Central Bank Decisions, A Lot More Price Data, and A Possible U.S. Government Shutdown Is Looking More Likely
December 20, 2024
The U.S. dollar fell overnight by 0.4% against the Japanese yen, Swiss franc, and British pound. Smaller dips of 0.2% and 0.1% happened versus the euro and Canadian dollar, while bigger slides occurred against the Mexican peso of 0.8% and Brazilian Real of 2.2%. The Bank of Mexico’s policy interest rate has been reduced by another […] More
Japanese and Chinese Central Banks Show Some Hesitation
September 20, 2024
The dollar recouped some ground overnight, most notably in rising 1.1% against the Japanese yen. Smaller gains were made of 0.2% versus the Swiss franc and Turkish lira and of 0.1% relative to the Canadian, Australian and New Zealand dollar, but the euro and sterling held steady. In some Asian stock markets, further sizable gain […] More
Market Heebie Jeebies from Chinese Military Exercises and Restrictive Monetary Policies
May 24, 2024
Stock markets in the Pacific Rim ended a difficult week with a difficult session, dropping today by 1.4% in Hong Kong, 1.3% in South Korea, 1.2% in Japan, and 1.1% in Australia. European share prices are down 0.4% in the U.K., France, and Germany, and Nasdaq futures point to a further loss of around 1% […] More
Spotlight on Middle East Tensions and Fed Policy Intentions
April 19, 2024
As promised, Israel responded to Iran’s prior missile attack, but the retaliation thus far has been tempered — just a few drone attacks against an Iranian military base near Isfahan that were shot down. Damages were light, and neither Israeli nor Iranian media are fanning the incident, which provoked initial financial confusion that helped depress […] More
Growing Confidence that Central Bank Interest Rates Are Coming
March 22, 2024
Fed Chairman’s reassuring press conference, central bank rate cuts in Switzerland, Brazil, Mexico, and the Czech Republic, and a hint from the German Bundesbank president that the ECB Governing Council might consider easing by early summer have lifted the mood of investors. The dollar has withstood this shift in sentiment. The weighted DXY dollar index […] More
