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  • Jobless recovery?? Not going to happen....

    In This Issue..

    * Leading indicators up, but employment down...
    * 11 million new jobs in China...
    * Pound sterling gets pounded...
    * A Great Day for EverBank...

    Good day...and happy Friday! It has been a fairly busy week here at EverBank, with the issuance of another big BRIC MarketSafe CD, the maturity of another MarketSafe, and a big acquisition (more on that later). While things were a bit crazy at EverBank, the currency markets were fairly uneventful. The dollar started the day off with a move up after a positive report on US leading indicators, but it gave back most of the gains as the trading day wore on. At the end of the day, only one currency moved more than 1% vs. the greenback, with the pound sterling dropping almost 1.5%.

    ...
  • Dow hits 10,000 and the dollar is down...

    In This Issue..

    * Dow hits 10,000 and the dollar is down...
    * Return of the carry trade?...
    * Global Power Shift Index...
    * Goldman predicts a further fall for the dollar...

    Good day... It is a Thunderin Thursday here as the rain continues for another day. We have had a very wet two weeks here in the midwest, but the cold rain is finally supposed to stop later today. The currencies continued to their thunderin stampede over the US$ yesterday with several reaching fresh highs. The Dow Jones average moved above 10,000 again, so everything must be alright in the world economy now, right?? This morning the dollar bounced back up, but it looks like profit taking and not a more permanent trend. Lots to talk about today, so I'll get right to it....
  • GDP Does Not Compute, Will Robinson!

    In This Issue..

    * Currencies trade in a tight range
    * Pound Sterling, the star performer?
    * Something smells fishy...
    * Do you see trend with Gov. Reports?

    Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! We had a very tight range trading day yesterday in the currencies, which have left them trading in about the same clothes they were wearing when I signed off yesterday! We've got that to talk about, and... Another $2 Billion for the CARS program has been allocated... What a crock! OK, Chuck, slow down, you don't need to get your blood boiling this quickly, this morning!

    I'm writing from home this morning, as I have a meeting close to our old office, which means its not far from where I live, which is completely different from our current office location, which is, I'll say... Quite a distance... But, hey! I'm not complaining, just giving you the details......
  • Dollar rally peters out...

    In This Issue..

    * Dollar rally peters out...
    * Obama defends his policies...
    * Commodity currencies should outperform...
    * Global Power Shift Index...

    Good day... And happy Thursday to everyone! Hope everyone made it through the 'hump day' with no worries. We started the morning here with rainshowers, but it ended up being a beautiful afternoon and evening. Currency markets were similar to the weather here, as most currencies started Wednesday in the loss column vs. the US$, but rallied as the day progressed. The dollar had strengthened over the past couple of days due to 'safe haven' demand; but a surprisingly strong durable goods number (ex autos) combined with an 'all clear' signal from President Barack Obama had investors moving back into riskier assets. The commodity based currencies also got a boost as China signaled it would maintain an accommodative policy, easing speculation that the Bank of China would try to rein in bank lending. Lots to cover today, so lets get right to it....
  • Bernanke sticks to his script...

    In This Issue..

    * Bernanke sticks to the script...
    * Pound sterling comes under pressure...
    * China starts shopping for assets...
    * BRIC MarketSafe lights up the phones...

    Good day... We had a very busy day on the desk yesterday, as our newest MarketSafe offering, based on the BRIC currencies, is making the phones ring off the hook. But while we were busy, the currency traders had another slow day as the dollar just drifted throughout the day. The return chart for the last 24 hours shows only one currency made more than a .5% move vs. the US$; and that was the South African Rand which increased .75%.

    The markets were watching Ben Bernanke's congressional testimony through most of the day, but those waiting for a surprise were disappointed. Bernanke stuck to the script which he had laid out the day before in the Wall Street Journal, and the members of the House Financial Services Committee couldn't get him to commit to any 'new' stimulus programs. Bernanke said the economy is showing 'tentative signs of stabilization' but the central bank intends to continue to maintain its 'highly accommodative' monetary policy for 'an extended period'. He indicated that the Fed stands ready to tighten policy, but only after the economic recovery takes hold and pressures holding down inflation diminish....
  • Game On!

    In This Issue..

    * Risk Assets soar!
    * What's behind this stock rally?
    * Charts and fundamentals...
    * Aussie Consumer Confidence drops...

    Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! A total reversal of Friday's risk assets sell off was the soup du jour for Tuesday... This is beginning to remind me of a Wayne and Garth street hockey game... Here comes a car... Game off... Game on...

    So, as I just said, Tuesday saw the currencies trade right back to the levels they enjoyed VS the dollar last Thursday, before risk assets began to sell off on Friday. These are the types of trading patterns you normally see when the assets involved are getting ready for a break out... A jail break... Tonight there's going to be a jail break!

    OK, I'm not saying that the jail break takes place tonight, I just broke out in a song from the 70's... That's all... Seriously though, I hope we're seeing a return to fundamentals....
  • Today is Tax Day!

    In This Issue..

    * Currencies trade in a tight range...
    * All Risk takers... Out of the pool!
    * Retail Sales really disappoint!
    * A plethora of data reports today...

    Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! Well... It's Tax Day, and to keep with tradition in the Pfennig... Here are the Beatles...

    (if you drive a car, car;) - I'll tax the street;
    (if you try to sit, sit;) - I'll tax your seat;
    (if you get too cold, cold;) - I'll tax the heat;
    (if you take a walk, walk;) - I'll tax your feet.

    Taxman!

    'Cause I'm the taxman,
    Yeah, I'm the taxman.

    OK... Every year, I bring you a different part of that song, which was so prevalent in my mind as I wrote out my check last night to mail my taxes......
  • Gold Ends The Week Strong!

    * The dollar continues to rally... * No risk takers to be found... * Simply awful data yesterday... * Gold continues its rally... ** Gold Ends The Week Strong! Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! A Fantastico Friday for me, as it was a Tub Thumpin' Thursday as well! You see, I got the results of my latest scans yesterday afternoon, and my oncologist is thrilled! (as I too am!) This marks 1 year of clean scans, and if it weren't for this rogue metastasis in my left eye, it would be all seashells and balloons! I go on Monday to see if the blood clot that has made things difficult for me for 15 months now, has finally dissolved. If so, there's another biggie off my list! I have to personally thank God, who has chosen to cure me, and it's probably a result of all you wonderful readers that have sent along good wishes and prayers... I also thank my family for their support, and my doctors who have never once not taken the aggressive course to getting me well......
  • Inauguration Day 2009...

    * Rogers and Roach... * Dollar gaps higher! * Ireland's problems... * Bad data... ** Inauguration Day 2009... Good day... Well... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! I got to enjoy a nice restful 3-day weekend. I realize not everyone got yesterday off, so I won't carry on about it. Can you believe it? The St. Louis Cardinals Football Team A.K.A. The Big Red, no wait, Chuck, they left town 20 years ago... OK, the Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl? When they were here, I never thought I would live to see the day... Front and Center this morning, I have two quotes from people I truly respect... first from Jimmy Rogers... second from Stephen Roach... If I were you, I would be worried about the U.S. dollar,' said Rogers, 66, in a speech at the Asia Financial Forum in Hong Kong today. 'The Americans are printing U.S. dollars. The Americans are going to do whatever they can to revive their economy, even if it means destroying the U.S. dollar.'...
  • A Trading Pattern For Gold...

    * The currencies rally back! * The risk takers are back! * Mixed bag of economic reports... * A 'cross thing' for sterling... ** A Trading Pattern For Gold... Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! No ice this morning, thank goodness! Winter, in my mind, is bad enough without the slip-sliding away! Snow is one thing, ice is another and it's not high on my Hit Parade! Well, front and center this morning is a rally in the currencies that began yesterday mid-morning, and has carried through the Asian and European markets. I'd tell you why the euro is 2.5 figures above yesterday morning's level, but you'd laugh at me... No wait! That's what you're supposed to do, Chuck, tell the people what's going on! HA! Seriously though... I don't think you'd laugh at me, maybe the dolts that run trading floors around the world, or the pundits that write stories about the markets, but not me!...
  • Nothing comes out of the G20 meeting...

    * G20 largely a non-event... * Pound moves up... * Brazil falls on sell off of emerging markets... * Japan enters recession... ** Nothing comes out of the G20 meeting... Good day...and welcome back to another work week. I driving into work this morning and started thinking about the growing number of people who no longer have jobs to report to. And the problems are no longer just concentrated on the manufacturing sector. I was shocked at the long list of retail stores which are planning to shut down after the holiday season. The situation in the US economy continues to deteriorate, and unfortunately things are going to get much worse here in the US before they turn around. On that cheery note, I'll get started....
  • Rescue plan not an instant fix...

    * Rescue plan to take time... * Pound sterling rallies (for now)... * Brazil supports the real... * Iceland cuts rates... ** Rescue plan not an instant fix... Good day...Another roller coaster of a day, as the dollar continued to slide through lunch but then rallied back up in the afternoon. As I walked out the door last night, most of the major currencies were trading right about where they were when I turned the screens on. The dollar has started to fall again in overnight trading, so the up and down of the past few weeks looks to continue. The news stories coming across the wires this morning seem to be as volatile as the currencies. I have now counted three different stories which state the markets are moving back into higher yielding currencies and riskier investments after the coordinated bank bailout plan which was announced yesterday. But several other stories are talking about how investors are moving out of the higher yielding assets because of concern that the bank rescue will take too much time to unfreeze global credit markets. I tend to agree with the latter of these....
  • Fed floods the markets with US$...

    * Bernanke gets help opening the spigot... * Euro and Pound rally... * Yen to continue to benefit from carry reversals...* Aussie $ rallies... ** Fed floods the markets with US$... Good day...and happy Columbus day! This is an official bank holiday here in the states, so all of the banks are closed, but the stock markets are open. We will have a half day here on the desk to try and catch up with all of the work which has been piling up the past few weeks. The phones are turned off, since it is an official bank holiday, but we will be checking messages and try to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. It is a very unusual holiday, as the banks are all closed with no funds transfers possible, but the stock markets are open. Currency desks are lightly staffed, so we will have to really work to get the trades done this morning. These strange holidays usually can lead to some real market volatility, and with today will probably be another rollercoaster. In an all out effort to ease the credit freeze, the Federal Reserve recruited help from the ECB, Bank of England, and the Swiss central bank to flood the market with US$. These central banks will auction unlimited dollar funds with maturities of seven days, 28 days, and 84 days at a fixed interest rate. This move is unprecedented, as all previous dollar swaps were capped at a maximum amount while these auctions will be for unlimited funds....
  • A week of interest rate decisions...

    * A week of interest rate decisions... * Pound Sterling drops again... * Brazil and Mexico continue to dominate... * Gold and Silver fall... ** A week of interest rate decisions... Good day...The dollar stayed in the pretty tight range it has established over the weekend, gaining some strength over the weekend after losing some ground on Friday. Should be an exciting week as it is 'Interest Rate Decision' week as a number of central banks will be announcing their new rates. I think the rate announcements will reinforce my feelings that the world's economies are heading down divergent paths, with some economies heading down a recessionary path while others maintaining good growth rates. As expected, the US unemployment rose to the highest level in more than four years as employers cut jobs again in July. But the decrease in payrolls was slightly less than forecast, so some were saying 'it isn't as bad as we thought'....
  • Aussie Job Creation Soars!

    * A$ goes to 96-cents! * Foreclosures at 53% * Loonies rise? * A new way to bail out? ** Aussie Job Creation Soars! Good day... And a Tub Thumpin' Thursday to you! I just realized yesterday that July was slip-slidin' away from me just like June did, and I had better get to work on my two presentations for the Vancouver Show coming up in two weeks... I've talked about this Conference for months now, but in case you missed the info... Here is the link... http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/400SCONF/E400J307/ OK... The currencies, for the most part, remain in a trading range that's tight... The euro pops up to 1.5750, and then falls back to 1.5665, and with the euro in a trading range the other currencies are experiencing the same treatment... That is, except for... Drum roll please... The Aussie dollar!...