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* Dollar rally is stopped! * FOMC meeting minutes... * Housing data you won't see on TV! * Sweden to sell Gold... ** Currencies Rally On Bad U.S. Data... Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! I'm back. I just couldn't answer the bell yesterday morning, as the night before was simply rough on your old Pfennig writer. I'm in my last week of treatment and it has been a tough row to hoe, and I feel bad that I was not able to stiffen the back and make it through the day. But, no biggie, I've got great people here to take care of things when I'm gone... When I finally dragged myself out of bed yesterday, I saw that the dollar was taking liberties with the euro and other currencies once again. It was another game of "your economy is worse than mine", as German Business Confidence took a ride on the slippery slope down. You should have seen the "bandwagon jumpers" falling all over themselves to write about how cool it was to own the dollar. I chuckled, no big laugh as that might upset my stomach! But, their claim to be cool, was quickly squashed like a bug, when the housing numbers printed, and then later in the day, with the latest FOMC meeting minutes... More on this in a minute.......

* Euro rebounds! * Forecasting a severe recession... * Commodities rebound! * Canadian inflation problems... ** Leading Indicators Fall! Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! Yesterday did indeed turn into a Tub Thumpin' Thursday for the euro, so let's hope today ends up being a Fantastico Friday! Well... The game of "your economy is worse than mine" backfired on the dollar bulls yesterday, as the Leading Indicators printed an awful number. I said yesterday that it was too bad that the markets normally ignored this data... But they didn't yesterday, as the number was so bad, they couldn't ignore it... Sort of like that spoiled rotten bratty kid throwing themselves to the floor of the grocery store, and throwing a temper tantrum because you said they couldn't have a candy bar! If you're next in line to check out at the grocery store, and you want to ignore the child, but you just can't because it's so obnoxious! Well, that's how it was with Leading Indicators yesterday... Here's the skinny......

* Euro rally ends quickly! * Housing Data continues to be bad... * OECD wants Norway's rates increased... * The Aden Sisters on a Wednesday! ** A Downward Revision of Eurozone Growth... Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! I'm sitting here wondering what to write about this morning, and on the radio is a classic song by Led Zeppelin, Dazed and Confused... Seems quite apropos, eh? I say this because that's what I've been for the last month, as the dollar got up from its death bed, and there's not a sign of any medicine that was prescribed had been taken! Oh well, why would I think that things would change for me at this stage of my life, I've been dazed and confused for a long time! HA! I'm sure that's what a lot of people are saying right now anyway... The euro rebounded over 1-cent yesterday, but that rebound has been wiped out completely in the overnight markets... There's just no lasting power in any currency rally VS the dollar right now. And as I keep going saying, this is reminding me so much of 2005 when the dollar covered up its pimples and posed for GQ, only to see the pimples pop through the makeup by year-end....

* Dollar wages war on euro! * TICs comes up short... * An Oil discussion... * Mexico raises interest rates... ** Falling Short On Financing... Good day... And a Marvelous Monday to you! This week is shaping up to be much like a college fraternity pledge "hell week", as we will be as thin as a razor swim suit, with many people out... All I can ask of World Markets customers is that they be patient when calling this week, the wait could be long. OK... Friday saw some ups and downs but all-in-all a range bound day for the currencies. I'm not going to stick my foot in my mouth again and say that it looks like the euro has applied a tourniquet to the bleeding, like I did last week! I'll simply say that it held 1.47, and has added to that in the overnight trading....

* Dollar rally continues... * U.S. data continues to be weak... * Gold and the A$... * Sterling melts away... ** Retail Sales Disappoint... Good day... And a Thunderin' Thursday to you! Michael Phelps didn't swim in any finals yesterday, so no Gold for the U.S! I'm just floored by this kid! My oldest son, Andrew, was a pretty good swimmer in his day, but my goodness, this kid is on a different planet! OK... Well, front and center this morning, we have a report that just printed that shows U.S. Home Foreclosures rose 55% in July. Bank seizures almost tripled according to RealtyTrac Inc. That's sad folks, simply sad... I look at this report and shake my head in disgust for Alan Greenspan. Yes, Big Al Greenspan is the root of all evil in the housing meltdown... Sure there were the greedy folks that booked loans that shouldn't have happened and all that, but down at the root of the meltdown you'll find Big Al's picture!...

* Euro trading pattern... * Sterling backs off... * Data cupboard gets restocked... * Rupees disappoint... **What's Up With The Loonie? Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! I hit all my traffic lights on green this morning, so it's going to be a "good day"! Funny how little things like that put a smile on my face... OK... Another day of watching the euro rise up to 1.5815 and then see it get sold back below the 1.58 figure when the NY boys arrive at their desks. The pattern for the first two days this week has seen that selling in the morning, and then a slow rise in the afternoon, and then back over 1.58 in the overnight markets. That's where we are again this morning......

* Stocks fall 358 points! * Japan's inflation problem... * Profit taking in reals... * Buffett warns of stagflation... ** Fundamentals Rule! Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! Hopefully a Fantastico Friday too! It's the last Friday of June... Where did the month go? WOW! Next Friday, we'll be celebrating our nation's birthday... Can you believe that? The 4th of July? It just finally warmed up here in St. Louis, and it's already the going to be the 4th! Amazing... How the time flies when you're having fun! And Fun is what I'm having... With every day that passes, I get a little stronger, and another day further from the pain and problems of last summer... How could I not be having fun? OK... Well... Recall yesterday when I told you a Big Bank's chartist said the euro would top out at 1.5726, and that I hoped it would fly right by that? It did! It did! It did fly right past that! I love it when fundamentals rule! The euro has climbed to 1.5765 this morning as I write after spending most of the day yesterday taking liberties with the dollar. Another chartist said yesterday that the euro would re-visit the 1.60 level if it breached 1.5785... So, we've got that going for us, eh?...

* Record iron ore price! * Ben Stein in the Pfennig! * Top 11 currency returns... * Mogambo on Gold... ** Dollar's Mini-rally ends... Good day... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! The dollar's mini-rally yesterday stalled overnight, and once again the dollar bulls are having to cover euro shorts they put on. Yes, they NOW believe the Fed will not come through on it's claim to be an inflation fighter, and leave rates unchanged. That will keep the positive yield differential in the euro's favor (well, it would have anyway, but it keeps it unchanged). Remember though, who called out Fed Chairman Big Ben Bernanke when he said early this month that the "falling dollar had caused an unwelcome increase in inflation, and that he was "attentive" to the problem." Hogwash, said I!...