RBA minutes
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
Currencies Marking Time and Scant Progress Reported on Trade Deal-Making Front
July 22, 2025
The clock is winding down to the August 1st imposition of higher U.S. tariffs, and hopes for a slew of last-minute trade deals to modify the planned levy amounts are slipping away. In any case, four potentially important events are lined up ahead of month-end, the first of which is this Thursday’s review of Euroland […] More
Mixed Central Banking Signals
August 20, 2024
The Executive Board of the Swedish Riksbank cut their policy interest rate by 25 basis points for the second time since March and released a statement that points to somewhat greater easing over the rest of 2024. Officials proclaim in it that “the policy rate can be cut somewhat faster than was assessed in June. […] 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
Wait and See
July 18, 2023
Investors this Tuesday await the continuing parade of second-quarter corporate results, several U.S. economic data due shortly, and possible news from G20 finance ministers and central bankers meeting in India. Hardly any data were released in Asia or Europe overnight. The dollar slipped 0.4% and 0.2% against sterling and the euro, which touched 15-month and […] More
Central Bank Interest Rates Back in the Spotlight
June 20, 2023
Tuesday has been a more active day in financial markets than Monday, with the return of U.S. leadership after yesterday’s Juneteenth holiday. The dollar has been mixed, dropping 0.3% against the yen and 0.1% versus the euro but advancing 1.0% relative to the Australian currency, 0.5% vis-a-vis the kiwi, 0.4% against the Turkish lira, 0.3% […] More
Corrective Dollar Move Extended
July 19, 2022
The weighted DXY dollar index slid another 0.8% overnight to a 2-week low and is 2.6% below its recent multi-decade peak. Dollar losses since Monday’s close equal or exceed 1.0% relative to the euro, Swiss franc, Australian dollar, New Zealand dollar and especially the Russian ruble (-5.8%). The dollar also lost 0.6% versus sterling and […] More
Investors Seeking a Floor
June 21, 2022
Bottom-fishing lifted share prices by 1.8% in Japan, Pakistan and India, 1.9% in Hong Kong, 2.4% in Taiwan, and 1.4% in Australia this Tuesday. Equities currently are up 1.2% in France and show a 0.7% rise in Italy, Germany, and Great Britain. U.S. stock futures have climbed around 1.7%. Mixed movement in the dollar saw […] More
Counting Down the Days
October 20, 2020
It’s T-minus two weeks to the U.S. presidential and congressional election. In national polls, Biden leads by just under 10 percentage points, but suspense continues because of Trump’s refusal to say he will honor the result, the electoral college distortion that necessitates a Democrat to secure a 5% or greater popular vote plurality in order […] More
Confidence Rising that Central Banks Will Counter Deteriorating Global Economic Outlook
June 18, 2019
Today could have been an ugly day in world financial markets. The Japanese Nikkei lost 0.6% overnight. Ten-year sovereign debt yields show big declines of 17 basis points in Italy, 10 bps in France and Spain, 7 bps in the United States and Germany, and six bps in the U.K.. The German ZEW Institute’s June […] More
