U.S. retail sales
Equities and Dollar Unmoved by Fast-Approaching War Deadline
April 21, 2026
The dollar rose 0.1-0.2% overnight. Equities in Asia closed up 2.7% in South Korea, 1.8% in Taiwan, 1.0% in India, and 0.9% in Japan and Singapore. In Indonesia where a 2-day monetary policy review began amid concerns about depleted international reserves, share prices bucked the upward trend and closed 0.5% lower. Stock markets are up […] More
Chinese Data, Big Week for Central Banks, and U.S. Share Prices Fall Further Behind Other Stock Markets
March 17, 2025
(200) The dollar lost fractional ground overnight, losing 0.6% against the kiwi, 0.4% against the Swissy and Australian dollar, 0.3% relative to sterling and the euro and 0.1% versus the yen, peso and loonie. Equities in most markets around the Pacific Rim responded positively to the Chinese government’s consumption-promoting plans, which are intended to mitigate […] More
Little Doubt that ECB Will Be Cutting its Interest Rate Today. Also Awaiting Turkish Central Bank Decision and Several U.S. Data Releases
October 17, 2024
Consumer price inflation in the euro area last month was just revised downward by a tenth of a percentage point to a 41-month low of 1.7%. That’s below target and down from the October 2022 peak of 10.6%. Between June and September, consumer prices were unchanged on balance. With today’s revision, service sector revision has […] More
Monday’s U.S. Equity Rally Extended Abroad Overnight
June 18, 2024
Share prices in the Pacific Rim today closed with gains of 1.0% in Japan and Australia, 1.2% in Taiwan, 0.6% in New Zealand, 0.5% in China and 0.7% in South Korea. Major stock markets so far in Europe’s day have experienced rises of 1.0% in Italy, 0.4% in France and Spain, 0.3% in the U.K. […] More
Competing Market Forces
April 15, 2024
The dominant theme of the first half of April has been the retreat in hopes that a cycle of Fed interest rate cuts might commence as early as June. This shift is being driven by data pointing to stalled U.S. disinflation and stronger-than-assumed economic growth. Monday’s menu of U.S. data includes Stronger-than-expected retail sales that […] More
Several Significant Developments for Investors to Process
August 15, 2023
Chinese July data have deepened concerns about the world’s second largest economy. Weaker-than-anticipated on-year growth in China’s retail sales of 2.5% was down from 8.2% in the first half of 2023. Industrial production growth of 3.7% year-on-year also undershot expectations. The unemployment rate edged up to a 4-month high of 5.3%, and fixed asset investment […] More
Investors Spooked Ahead of Today’s FOMC Minutes, Not Reacting Immediately to Other Data
August 17, 2022
FOMC Minutes due at 14:00 EDT are expected to accentuate the primacy of restoring price stability even if that means a continuing rapid rise of interest rates amid a slowing economy. The dollar, which has done well in times when the mood has turned risk averse, advanced overnight by 1.2% against the Australian dollar, 0.9% […] More
Few Rays of Hope
May 17, 2022
Euroland GDP growth last quarter was revised marginally higher. British labor market data showed greater resilience than imagined, and Chinese officials indicated progress against Covid and plans to reopen Shanghai. Recent U.S. earnings reports from retailers have exceeded expectations. Share prices rallied Tuesday, closing up 3.3% in Hong Kong, 2.6% in India, 1.0% in Taiwan, […] More
U.S. Retail Sales, New BOJ Forecasts, and Some Euroland Data
July 16, 2021
Among today’s awaited events, U.S. retail sales will be reported within the half hour. Meantime, the Bank of Japan Board left policy settings unchanged and released new macro-economic forecasts. BOJ Governor Kuroda said economic activity will remain low for the time being as a result of the need for enhanced Covid restrictions. Revised Euroland CPI […] More
Awaiting U.S. Data and Wednesday’s FOMC Developments
March 16, 2021
Data releases in Asia and Europe were light this Tuesday, but U.S. retail sales, industrial production, import prices, capacity utilization, and NAHB housing index are due shortly. Today is also the first of a two-day FOMC policy review that will include the quarterly update of macroeconomic and interest rate forecasts as well as Chairman Powell’s […] More
