currencies

Highlights The US dollar is broadly lower in anticipation of a joint aid package for Ireland but experienced a quick jolt on the back of the China reserve hike news.  But as the markets digested the news, the hike in reserves is…

US Economic data continues to be mixed, with positive ticks in the jobless claims but weak-than-expected inflation and a surge in November’s Philly Fed.  In fact, Wednesday’s core inflation measures were the weakest print since 1958,…

Highlights The US dollar is broadly lower in anticipation of a joint EU-IMF rescue for Ireland, reigniting risk appetite and demand for higher yielding currencies, along with commodities.  The euro continued to gain on the dollar,…

I think this trio of videos from Latvia really puts the whole Irish crisis in perspective. After a spectacular property bubble, Latvia imploded in 2008. I was calling the Baltics the next Argentina. Indeed, by early 2009 we eventually saw…

China reported higher than expected CPI figures (4.4%) last week and many suspect that the official measure understates actual inflation.  There is much concern about the policies that China may implement to contain inflation in…

Highlights The US dollar is little changed as markets start to muse the impact of a possible bailout of Ireland but remain cautious over China’s intended tightening, which continues to weigh on commodities and overall risk…

by David Galland As I write, the markets are taking a drubbing – and by “markets,” I mean pretty much all of them. Given the lack of time and our only tangential interest in the broader equity markets, I’ll comment only on the precious…

“The issue of the renminbi is one that is an irritant not just to the United States, but is an irritant to a lot of China’s trading partners and those who are competing with China to sell goods around the world. It is undervalued. And…

I caught this at the bottom of Andy Lees' morning note: China – To limit inflation China will impose price controls on food according to the NDRC, and will severely punish anyone found speculating on corn or cotton. “The policies that…

Highlights The US dollar is trading with a firm tone against nearly all the majors as weakness across equity markets and commodities drive risk appetite and markets await the outcome from today’s EuroGroup meeting, where hopes for aid…