Japanese GDP
Equities Depressed by Unsettling Monday News on Several Fronts
August 16, 2021
Afghanistan’s government fell to the Taliban in three days, not three months as the U.S. intelligence community had presumed. Washington’s lame attempt to differentiate the fall of Kabul from that of Saigon 46 years earlier is hardly persuading anyone, even among supporters of the Biden Administration. Covid developments over the weekend continued to spiral backwards, […] More
Narrowly Mixed Dollar… Tuesday Data Menu Features GDP
June 8, 2021
The dollar slipped overnight by 0.4% against the Mexican peso, 0.3% relative to the Turkish lira and 0.2% versus the Swiss franc but rose but 0.2% versus the kiwi and sterling and 0.1% relative to the euro, yen, and Australian dollar. There’s been no net change in the Chinese yuan or Canadian dollar. Ten-year sovereign […] More
Dollar Slides to Lowest Level Since Early January
May 18, 2021
The weighted DXY dollar index fell 0.4%, penetrating the key 90.00 threshold and touching an intra-day low of 89.75 versus a 52-week trough of 89.21. Bilateral dollar losses overnight totaled 0.6% against the Swiss franc and kiwi, 0.5% relative to the euro and sterling, 0.4% versus the Australian dollar, 0.3% vis-a-vis the loonie and yuan, […] More
Japanese GDP Reported and Many Holiday Closures
February 15, 2021
It’s President’s Day in the United States, Carnival in Brazil, Family Day in Canada, and the continuing Lunar New Year holiday break in China and several other Asian markets. The dollar is narrowly mixed and down 0.1% on a trade-weighted basis. Ice-cold temperatures in much of the United States have lifted West Texas Intermediate crude […] More
Equities Down and Dollar Weak but Little Changed Overnight
December 8, 2020
Senate Majority Leader McConnell has not yet lent his support to the bipartisan U.S. fiscal stimulus plan. Opinion polls suggest the all-important senate races in Georgia are both close, and unprecedented funds are being poured into both contests. The EU summit begins in two days, with fiscal stimulus and trade relations with the U.K. high […] More
Modestly Softer Dollar
August 17, 2020
The dollar is 0.2% weaker against the yen, Swiss franc and Australian dollar and has also edged 0.1% lower versus the euro, yuan, and sterling. The price of gold rebounded 0.6%, while that of oil changed little as investors await this week’s OPEC meeting. Markets are shut in India for Independence Day and South Korea […] More
Equities and Commodities Open Week on a Rising Note
May 18, 2020
Share prices in Europe are thus far up 2.4% in the U.K. and France, 2.0% in Spain, 1.4% in Germany and Switzerland, and 1.3% in Italy, and U.S. stock futures also point to a higher open. Earlier today, markets in the Pacific Rim closed down 3.4% in India and 0.7% in Taiwan but up by […] More
Pandemonium on Many Fronts
March 9, 2020
The Covid-19 coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, with cases of about 111,500 so far, deaths of 3,833, and 13% of currently infected patients in serious or critical condition. Restrictions on movement have been tightened, many schools are shut, and riots have broken out in some prisons. The price of oil has plummeted. Brent dropped over […] More
Japanese Sales Tax Hike Hammered Economic Growth Last Quarter
February 17, 2020
The Japanese economy again contracted sharply after a hike in the national sales tax. This is a phenomenon with lots of history. A 3% sales tax was introduced initially in April 1989. Back then, Japan was viewed like China is currently — an up-and-coming economic rival that could soon overtake the United States. The sales […] More
A Dismal Japanese GDP Report, Coronavirus Concerns, and Holidays in the U.S. and Canada
February 17, 2020
The Japanese economy again contracted sharply after a hike in the national sales tax. This is a phenomenon with lots of history. A 3% sales tax was introduced initially in April 1989. Back then, Japan was viewed like China is currently — an up-and-coming economic rival that could soon overtake the United States. The sales […] More
