U.S. retail sales and import prices
Much U.S. Data, An Unclear Truce Between Israel & Hamas, ECB Minutes and Much More
January 16, 2025
U.S. data reported this Thursday revealed The biggest weekly total of new jobless insurance claims (217k) in three weeks but their lowest 4-week average in 42 weeks. A healthy labor market, all in all. A 0.4% rise in retail sales last month, somewhat less than forecast but following an upwardly revised 0.8% advance in November. […] More
Time to Buckle Up
November 15, 2024
Trump supporters and opponents agree on little, but one exception is they both accept that his leadership style creates a bumpy news feed that can prove exhausting. Just over a week since the election, and the president-elect has made several controversial appointments that point to multiple fights against the Fed, China, and scientists for starters. […] More
Market Reaction Muted to Missile Strike in Poland
November 16, 2022
A Russian-made missile struck a grain facility inside Poland, but it remains unclear who fired that round or from where such came. World leaders were fortunately already assembled in Bali, Indonesia, for the Group of Twenty annual summit, and an emergency meeting to forestall a direct Nato-Russian military conflict has so far prevented an outsized […] More
Amid Rising Inflation, Some Central Banks React and Others Do Not
April 14, 2022
The weighted DXY dollar index slid 0.3% so far today and is 0.9% below its year-to-date high hit in intraday trading yesterday. Losses of 0.2-0.3% today have occurred against the euro, yen, kiwi, loonie and sterling, while marginal upticks have occurred versus the Swiss franc and Australian dollar. Stock markets closed up 1.2% in Japan […] More
An Historic FOMC Meeting on Tap Amid High Inflation and Some Cautious Optimism about the Pandemic and Diplomatic Efforts for a Russian Cease-Fire
March 16, 2022
The size of today’s initial federal funds rate hike is expected to be 25 basis points. I personally would prefer to see a bolder opening move of 50 basis points, as a symbolic gesture that Fed officials recognize that interest rate lift-off is starting late. But the credibility of forward guidance lies in not whip-sawing […] More
Financial Markets Comparatively Steady after Signing of Phase I U.S.-China Trade Deal
January 16, 2020
The dollar rose 0.1% overnight against the yen but slipped by 0.3% versus sterling and the Australian dollar, 0.2% relative to the Chinese Renminbi and Swiss franc, and 0.1% versus the euro and loonie. Share prices in the Pacific Rim advanced 0.7% in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, 0.8% in South Korea, 0.1% in Japan, […] More
British Election Lifts Sterling… U.S.-Sino Phase I Progress Boosts Stocks
December 13, 2019
Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party won 365 parliamentary seats, clearing the majority threshold by 39 seats. The Conservatives won 43.6% of the votes to Labour’s 32.2% share. Sterling in response catapulted to an 18-month high of $1.3515 but has settled back to a still impressive 1.3% net overnight advance against the dollar. The greenback also touched […] More
