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  • Silence Is Always Golden...

    In This Issue..

    * It's a Risk On day!
    * Commodity Currencies have the "stuff"!
    * Gold's one-day window slams shut!
    * RBA to not wait 2 months to hike rates!

    Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! We're stuck in the mud with the rain again, but according to the weather people it should end tomorrow... Geez Louise, I guess it could be snow, which would have crippled this city by now!

    Well... The currencies gave back all that ground they gained the day before on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, yesterday... But, have turned around this morning in the European session as Eurozone stocks are up, and whenever equities trade with some zip in their step, it has been good for the Big Dog, euro......
  • We Won't Get Fooled Again!

    In This Issue..

    * Bernanke digs out some old words...
    * Risk on, Risk off...
    * Brazil to have a different meeting outcome?
    * Winter Olympics are in Canada...

    Good day... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! What a ride on Mr. Toad (Bernanke's) Wild Ride yesterday for the currencies! Gold? Well, at one point in the day, Gold had shot up $24 on the day! It topped out at $1,142... The shiny metal then gave some back on profit taking, but Whew! Gold holders have got to love it! Those that keep waiting for a pull-back... Well, they might be still waiting when the cows come home...

    Yesterday, we had a couple of Fed Heads talking, but the Big Kahuna, stood out, and moved the markets with his statements... Here's the skinny......
  • Japan Posts a 4.8% GDP!

    In This Issue..

    * Risk Aversion goes away mad...
    * China just says 'no' to currency flexibility...
    * Maybe a return to fundamentals?
    * Gold continues to soar!

    Good day... And a Marvelous Monday to you! It's raining here, so it's one of those Rainy Days and Mondays... But I won't let it get me down, as opposed to the song! I got a chance to check out our new digs in the building next door to us here... Very nice! And... A long way from that small office I sat in on Olive St. a decade ago, when we started EverBank... To think back 10 years ago, and where we are today... Simply amazing!

    OK... As I told you Friday, the President was in China this past weekend, trying his best to get the Chinese to agree to a greater flexibility for the renminbi... Well... There were a few stories this past weekend that hinted about the Chinese agreeing to do such... But I prefer to go with this story that appeared on Reuters last night... 'The Chinese government has sought to distance itself from speculation surrounding a central bank statement earlier this week that was interpreted as a shift in currency policy towards a stronger yuan. However, a report on Saturday by Xinhua, the state-controlled Chinese news agency said that the government would not allow the currency to gain against the dollar in the short term.'

    ...
  • Germany & France Post 3rd QTR Growth...

    In This Issue..

    * Risk Aversion fuels dollar rally yesterday...
    * Eurozone growth may stop the Risk Aversion...
    * Budget Deficit is a record $176.4 Billion!
    * Euro, Swiss, Aussie, Norway, all cheaper today!

    Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! Let's try to make this a Fantastico Friday as well! The Risk Aversion that was creeping into the currency markets yesterday really took hold in the U.S. trading session, which meant the dollar was being bought once more, along with Japanese yen...

    It just makes me laugh out loud, when I write that the 'safe haven currencies' during Risk Aversion trading are the dollar and yen... These two countries have debt up to their eyeballs, pay no interest on their deposits, and have a leadership deficiency... (ok, before every begins to think that I'm ripping the president again, I'm not... I'm talking about the Central Bank, and lawmakers of each country)...
  • Risk Aversion Creeps Back Into The Currencies...

    In This Issue..

    * Comments spook currency traders...
    * A$ hits 15-month high, this time going up!
    * Geithner as the "joker"?
    * China changes statement about the renminbi...

    Good day... And a Tub Thumpin' Thursday to you! It's a Thursday, and it's not raining here! YAHOO! After a week of Indian Summer weather, we're slowly creeping back to the colder weather, but still, better than most Novembers of the past, so far!

    That was a strange feeling yesterday, having a holiday in the middle of the week, but the day was nice, and I got to spend the day with my granddaughter, Delaney Grace, who sang me songs all day long!

    So... Last night, I'm doing some writing, and before I put the laptop to bed for the night, I checked the currencies, and while they had drifted in the early Asian session, the Big Dog, euro was still trading above 1.50, and the Aussie dollar (A$) had set a 15 month high of .9368... But when I turned the currency screens on this morning after arriving to a pitch black office, which is the way I like it this early in the morning, the euro had given back about 1/2 cent, and so had the A$... So, it was my mission to find out what caused this slippage......
  • German Business Confidence Slides...

    In This Issue..

    * Currencies trade in a tight range...
    * $81 Billion in Treasury auctions this week!
    * Fitch fans the flames of a fire in the U.K....
    * Aussie Business Confidence rises...

    Good day... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! I didn't start out this Tuesday on the right foot, and now I'm really running late! Oh well...

    The non-dollar currencies didn't move much yesterday, the euro bumped up and down against the 1.50 figure, while the A$ did the same against 93-cents, and Swiss against parity... So the currencies are trading in the same clothes they went to bed in last night!

    The Big Dog, euro, did attempt to move stronger into the 1.50 level, but that move was thwarted by a poor reading of German Investor Confidence this morning. German Investor Confidence as measured by the think tank ZEW, reported that their index had fallen to 51.1 this month VS the 56 in October. Most of those Germans surveyed said that they expect the economic recovery to be slow once the Gov't removes the stimulus in the economy. So... Previous euphoria is being replaced by realism... But that's OK... Better to have a reality grip on things than to go around thinking that everything is seashells and balloons......
  • Silence Is Golden...

    In This Issue..

    * A HUGE dollar sell off overnight...
    * BLS admits the Birth/Death model was wrong...
    * The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall...
    * Kiwi is best performer overnight...

    Good day... And a Marvelous Monday to you! A Spectacular weekend, weather wise, here in the Midwest... And Indian Summer, is what my dad would have called it. The news from the Sports teams wasn't so spectacular, but we had the weather going for us!

    Welcome to Monday's edition of A Pfennig For Your Thoughts... I'll start off today with a note about the currencies, then do a recap of Friday, and then a look ahead to the rest of the week... So... Strap yourself in, and make sure to keep your arms and legs inside at all times during the ride!...
  • 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!...
  • RBA Raises Rates Again!

    In This Issue..

    * Risk Aversion boosts dollar...
    * U.S. manufacturing is strong...
    * More stimulus? Please say it ain't so Joe!
    * Thoughts from the Big Boss!

    Good day... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! Well, I'm here! Just when you thought I would be gone for the week, and you would get away from my rants, and get the calm Chris Gaffney, the rug gets pulled out from you! I am so bummed! I was told that I could not travel to Cabo for the Sovereign Society's Offshore Advantage Conference, and I was to remain at home, with my leg up, blah, blah, blah... What a crock!

    OK, now that we've got that out of the way... Front and Center this morning, we have a very strong dollar rally going on... It began yesterday mid-morning, when things turned on one thin dime. First, we had the U.S. Manufacturing Index rise in September and the Trading Theme kicked in with the dollar getting sold on the good news for the economy... But then a strange thing happened on the way to the forum. Everyone began to fear what's been going on in Banking... Friday, the 115th bank failed this year, and suddenly, traders, investors, hedge fund dudes, and everyone else, got a case of the flu... Not the 'pandemic' H1N1 flu... This is the 'chicken flu'... Chicken to continue to takes risks in the face of a banking problems... Well, to think of it, maybe, just maybe, it's not the 'chicken flu' but the 'prudent flu'!...
  • 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......
  • China Grows at +8.9%!

    In This Issue..

    * Currency rally is reversed overnight!
    * Pay Czar dreams...
    * Brazil may reverse capital inflow tax...
    * An Asian Union?

    Good day... And a Thunderin' Thursday to you! It's raining outside, so... It must be a Thursday! Amazing how many Thursdays have seen rain this fall! The ground isn't the only thing that's getting watered down this morning...

    Front and Center this morning, the euro traded well past 1.50 yesterday afternoon, and drug all the other non-dollar currencies higher as the day went on. But overnight, all that giddiness with seeing the euro over 1.50 for the first time since August of 2008 (and then it was on the way down, instead of this time on the way up!), has been watered down......
  • Will History Repeat Itself?

    In This Issue..

    * Non-dollar currencies rally...
    * A$'s and C$'s to parity?
    * Reaching 40% of expenditures...
    * Gold & Oil on the rise once again...


    Good day... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! A long day on the desk for me yesterday, left me draggin' the line... But I'm rested and refreshed again this morning, so let's get to the Pfennig for today! The Finance Ministers of the Eurozone met yesterday, as I told you, and they've tried to stem the euro's rise... But, they'll need more than words to get the job done! And so, we begin a new day...

    Front and Center this morning, the currencies, which had given back ground overnight to the dollar, are back in rally mode, and are taking liberties with the dollar once more. For most of the night that was not the case, though. The dollar had rallied back and sent the euro, for instance, to the 1.48 handle, after the single unit spent yesterday at 1.49 and change... There seemed to be a move to the dollar, but that didn't last long, and the currencies are once again rallying VS the dollar this morning, and the euro has pushed to 1.4970 as I write......
  • 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....
  • ECB & BOE leave rates unchanged...

    In This Issue..

    * ECB & BOE leave rates unchanged...
    * Trichet makes a mistake in judgment...
    * Asian central banks defend the $..
    * Gold pauses...

    Good day...Had a horrible night here in St. Louis, as every one of our teams let victory slip away. As you all know, Chuck drove to Columbia to watch his MIZZOU Tigers take on one of their arch rivals in a rare Thursday night matchup. The game went well into the night, as it was delayed due to problems with the lights at the stadium, so Chuck probably didn't get home until early this morning. I'll have the con on the Pfennig today, but Chuck will be back in the saddle again on Monday.

    As predicted, both European central banks kept interest rates unchanged. The European Central Bank and the Bank of England kept their benchmark interest rates at record lows in an effort to keep stimulating their economies. Trichet signaled that the ECB has no plans to raise rates in the near future, stating that the current level is 'appropriate' for the current economic environment. 'The recovery is expected to be rather uneven,' Trichet said. 'It will be supported in the short term by temporary factors but will be hampered in the medium term by balance sheet issues at financial and non-financial institutions.'...
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