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  • Dollar drifts lower....

    In This Issue...

    * Dollar drifts lower...
    * Looking for silver linings...
    * NOK to increase rates...
    * Aussie dollar continues to move up...

    Good day... And good morning to everyone. I wanted to start out this morning's Pfennig by saying my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families of the fallen soldiers and civilian at the tragedy down at Ft. Hood. It is tough enough when we here about losses of our soldiers overseas in the 'combat zones'; but such a large loss of life right here in the US is deeply saddening.

    The dollar moved lower throughout the trading day on Thursday as investors felt more confident with the global recovery and the US stock market climbed back above 10,000. Yesterday's weekly jobs numbers were slightly better than expected, and set the market up for this mornings monthly jobs report which will probably show fewer job losses in October compared to September. But there will still be job losses, not gains; and the 'official' unemployment number will inch closer to double digits. We all know if you count those individuals who are underemployed (part time workers who would like full time jobs) and those that have given up on their job search, the actual unemployment number is more like 16%....
  • Rates To Remain Near Zero...

    In This Issue..

    * Dollar reverses sell-off...
    * BOE & ECB meet today...
    * New Zealand is not Australia...
    * Funny accounting...

    Good day... And a Tub Thumpin' Thursday to you! It's Tub Thumpin' because it's a Thursday and it's not raining! Yay for us! Well... Not only was I wrong, but the Bloomberg Economic Calendar was wrong too... The FOMC was not a 2-day meeting after all! Just one day, so no time to pull out the board games and cards...

    I nailed that FOMC statement yesterday... WOW! You might begin to think that I have some inside info on the Fed Heads, the way I've been able to basically call every move they've made since the beginning of this whole meltdown in August of 2007! But that's not important here... The important thing is that the Fed said that economic growth is not enough to hike rates, and therefore they will keep interest rates at near zero for an 'extended period'...

    ...
  • Another New Record Level For Gold!

    In This Issue..

    * Risk players come back out to play...
    * Waiting on the Fed's statement...
    * Yield differentials come into focus...
    * Lisbon Treaty gets signed / ratified...

    Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! Well... Did you see the strong performance that Gold put in yesterday? And it didn't stop yesterday, overnight Gold is up another $7 on top of the +$20 gain it had yesterday... I've got some info on that, we can talk about later...

    Oh Shoot Rudy! Let's talk about it right here, right now! It's not every day that Gold not only goes past its previous all-time record high, but obliterates the previous figure! I know you're wanting to take a peek at the price of Gold in the currency round-up portion of the Big Finish, so go ahead, and then come on back... How'd that $1,090 and change price look to you? Pretty sweet, eh? That is as long as you are a Gold holder!...
  • Consumer Spending Drives GDP?

    In This Issue..

    * Dollar rebounds after spending fades...
    * Chinese Manufacturing rises...
    * Eurozone Manufacturing rises...
    * Australia as the proxy for global growth...

    Good day... And a Marvelous Monday to you! And Welcome to November! My least liked month! But that's a story for another time! I hope your Halloween was fun! The rain stopped here, there was a near full moon shining in the sky, and the little kids had a blast! And Hey! The Rams won a football game! WOW!

    OK... Well... Friday was a blur to me, as I went to the doctor's office for a test, and then on my way to work, they called my cell and asked me to turn around and go to a lab for more tests... UGH! So, by the time I got to work, Jennifer had set everything up and begun trading for me... Then it was time to go home! So, I'm sitting here this morning, scratching my bald head trying to recall the currency prices on Friday... And Oh yeah! Now I remember! Do you recall the Thursday action after the GDP report showed such strength (whether you believe it or not) and the dollar got sold like pet rocks?...
  • 3rd QTR GDP Is Strong!

    In This Issue..

    * Dollar gets sold after GDP report
    * High yielders get bought!
    * German Retail Sales decline...
    * Real has wild swings!

    Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! I can't believe how hard it rained here yesterday... Unbelievable! And me, with my cane, and not able to run, was stuck in it going from the car... Absolutely soaked! If I were a kid, I would have thought that to be fun! But, I'm not... It's still raining this morning too! UGH! Let's hope it stops in time for the Trick-or-Treaters!

    OK... Well the rain fell on the dollar's parade yesterday too! And, just like I thought it would do... The dollar got sold like funnel cakes at a state fair, once the U.S. 3rd QTR GDP report printed... The dollar rally was stopped in its tracks, which meant that the "trading theme" that rewards the dollar when things look bad in the U.S. and punishes it when things look good, which is completely opposite of what it should do fundamental wise, was still in place!...
  • Consumer Confidence Drops!

    In This Issue..

    * The dollar continues to hammer!
    * Jim Rogers on the dollar rally...
    * C. Fred Bergsten talks of a dollar alternative...
    * Lord Monckton's thoughts...

    Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! It's still raining here... Quite frankly, I don't know how people that live in rainy areas do it! I don't mind rainy days, as long as they are sprinkled in with the days of sunshine!

    Well... The dollar rally that began for a number of rumored reasons continued on yesterday... Remember when I said on Monday that the data this week should show us that the economy is healing somewhat, which would be bad for the dollar? Well, that thought got cold water thrown on it yesterday when Consumer Confidence surprisingly declined last month...

    You know how I like to question just what people that were surveyed for this Consumer Confidence report are so confident about? Well, apparently, the Conference Board surveyed the wrong people this month! Consumer confidence in the U.S. declined in October to 47.7 versus expectations of a 53.5 reading. Both consumers' perceptions of current conditions and their expectations for the future declined. Hmmm......
  • The Dollar Bounces Back!

    In This Issue..

    * Rumors kill the currency rally...
    * Risk Aversion campers return...
    * Dr. Faber with some thoughts...
    * Big Mac and the real...

    Good day... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! The rain is back... First we had the coldest / rainiest spring I can ever recall, and then a very mild summer, now this... Cold and rain in the fall... I'd say that's climate change for you!

    Good news from the scans! By the grace of God, I sailed through the scans and tests, cancer wise... I would like to thank everyone that had me in their thoughts, and prayers... Those are powerful things, don't forget that one minute!

    OK... Well, the non-dollar currencies didn't enjoy such good news yesterday, as they got whacked a good one! After signing off yesterday, the non-dollar currencies continued to rally VS the dollar, and then the rug got pulled out from underneath them in a NY Minute! What happened? The risk assets were dropping like the Cardinals' batting averages at the end of the season... Well... Remember yesterday when I said that the data for the week looked like it might show some healing in the economy which would be bad for the dollar?...
  • 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%.

    ...
  • RBA's Stevens Turns On The Green Light!

    In This Issue..

    * The dollar bounces back a bit...
    * Euro retreats from highs...
    * Is the economic recovery for real?
    * Ignored data...

    Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! I believe it will be a Fantastico Friday as well, because when I go in my car this morning to come to work, the radio was playing, 'It's a Beautiful Morning'... It had to be a sign, right? I certainly hope so any way!

    Well, I'm back! I have to say that I've never been to the mountains of North Georgia before, and they are beautiful... Well, most of the parts of this great country are, when I come to think of it! Well, it was nice to walk in the door yesterday and sit down, close my eyes, and get work off my brain!...
  • Dollar continues to fall...

    In This Issue..

    * Dollar moves lower...
    * China to take a role at IMF...
    * US Borrow and spend policies continue...
    * Gold sets a new record...

    Good day...and what a day it was in the currency markets on Tuesday! The rout on the dollar continued, and was broad based with gains in every currency we trade. The commodity based currencies led the pack, as the weaker dollar fueled a big run up in raw material prices. Reports out of both Asia and Europe signaled the global economy is recovering, and bolstered investors looking for a way out of the falling dollar.

    European industrial output rose for a fourth month in August, increasing just below 1 percent from July. From a year earlier, August output fell 15.4%, a big drop but still the smallest YOY decline in 8 months. The Euro area continues to recover 'at a gradual pace' according to ECB President Trichet. The positive news coming from the manufacturing sector is a good sign the European economic recovery will be sustainable....
  • The dollar drifts lower in thin trading..

    In This Issue..

    * US$ drifts lower in light trading...                    
    * Euro/Yen benefit from reserve diversification...                      
    * Pound sterling continues to drop...                                    
    * New Zealand retail sales pick up.....
                                                                                 
    Good day... and happy Tuesday morning to everyone.  As Chuck told everyone yesterday, he is heading down south to a corporate meeting, so you will be stuck with me for the remainder of the week.  Yesterday was an official 'bank holiday' but apparently most of the WorldMarkets customers were unaware, as our phones were surprisingly busy.  Trading in the currency markets was substantially lighter than usual, and with no data releases in the US, the dollar drifted sideways throughout the day.  The European currencies were slightly higher vs. the US$, the Asian currencies were lower vs. the US$, and the commodity based currencies were mixed.

    ...
  • Central Banks Diversify Out Of The Dollar!

    In This Issue..

    * Currencies rally VS the dollar...
    * Reasons why the U.S. wants a cheaper dollar...
    * Interest rate differentials...
    * Trade Deficit narrows...

    Good day... And a Marvelous Monday to you! An absolutely awful weekend for our professional sports teams, as the Cardinals, Blues, and Rams all lost! The Cardinals were swept out of the playoffs! UGH! Talk about a downer for yours truly... I sat there, at the game, with my little buddy, and beautiful bride, and saw the writing on the wall early in the game... No life from those redbirds... And so, another baseball season comes to an end here in St. Louis...

    Friday morning, after drying out from Thursday nights drenching, no wait, super soaking at Faurot Field in Columbia, I sat down to breakfast, and read the Pfennig... I noticed that Chris was on a roll about Geithner... I thought that it was a good finish to the things I said about him the previous day! Chris will have the conn on the Pfennig Tuesday through Friday this week......
  • Gold Soars To Another All-Time High!

    In This Issue..

    * $1,055 for Gold!
    * Global recovery prospects fuel run on the dollar...
    * Trichet to defend the dollar today?
    * Central Banks are diversifying...

    Good day... And a Thunderin' Thursday to you! It's raining here in St. Louis, so, it must be Thursday! It's a big night for yours truly, but I'll talk about that at the end... We've got some big moves going on in the currencies and metals, so we had better get to it, and save the chit-chat for later, eh? But first, today is the funding deadline on our latest BRIC MarketSafe CD... We'll have one more in November and then that's it!

    OK, front and center this morning, Gold has soared to another all-time high! When I turned on the screen this morning, Gold was flashing a great big $1,055 figure... WOW! But wait! OK, now that sounded like an infomercial... But wait! If you act now, you can get double the Ginsu knives! HA! OK, getting back to the original, but wait... Gold and Silver for that matter, aren't the only risk assets moving higher this morning... All 16 of the countries that are deemed to be the biggest U.S. trading partners, have currencies that are taking liberties VS the dollar this morning......
  • RBA Raises Rates!

    In This Issue..

    * Pandora's Box of rate hikes is opened!
    * Is the dollar being removed from oil trades?
    * Deficits do matter, eh?
    * Gold heads toward its all-time high...

    Good day... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! A Tuesday morning that is seeing a HUGE currency rally VS the dollar on the news that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) opted to go ahead and hike rates now, and not wait for November's meeting, as I had thought they would do! WOW!

    The first hike... It has opened Pandora's Box of interest rate hikes around the world... For, if the RBA went this soon, then we can expect Norway's Norges Bank to push their rate hike earlier on the calendar, maybe even later this month! And they won't be the only ones! Look for New Zealand to hike rates this year, and who knows what other country (Brazil?) will follow after that... But I see them coming, and they're marching the death march of the dollar!...
  • A Jobs Jamboree for Friday 10/02/2009!

    In This Issue..

    * The dollar remains well bid...
    * G-7 to hand currencies off to G-20?
    * Car Sales collapse...
    * Auditing the Lehman cash movements...

    Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! Yesterday, I welcomed you to October. I had been prepared to tell you about a famous radio station here in St. Louis, that has long called October... Rocktober... But forgot, as usual! But anyway... It's the first Fantastico Friday of Rocktober!

    Today is a Jobs Jamboree Friday too! And... I'm not getting a good feeling about today's labor report at the Jobs Jamboree. The forecast is for jobs losses to fall from -216,000 to -175,000, but the unemployment rate to tick up to 9.8% from 9.7%... I got the feeling, baby, baby, I got the feeling... Oops, a little James Brown on Fantastico Friday never hurts! But what I was saying was I'm getting the feeling that there are risks to this forecast... And that the job losses could come in higher, which would really be a BAD thing for the recovery flag wavers and risk takers, I'm sorry to say...

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