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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'...

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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.

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In This Issue..

* Currencies rebound VS the dollar...
* Aussie and kiwi lead the currencies higher...
* Data and Central Bank speeches today...
* Gold rebounds back to $1,000!

Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you... Instead of a 'turn around Tuesday', we're seeing a whiplash Wednesday! And for once in a month of Sundays, the Big Dog, euro didn't lead the other little dogs (currencies) off the porch to chase the dollar down the street!

No... This time it was the currencies of Australia and New Zealand that led the charge VS the dollar... The euro has taken up the charge since opening the doors to a new day of trading in Europe, so... It looks like it's a 'take the dollar to the woodshed day'......

In This Issue..

* Non-dollar currencies give back very little...
* The Unemployed are remaining unemployed...
* FOMC puts away the board games today...
* China invokes a 'Public Morals' defense...

Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! Well, the Fed Head put away the board games today, and make an announcement this afternoon... Yawn... Norway's Norges Bank will also make an announcement with theirs coming this morning. I still contend that the Norges Bank will keep rates unchanged and give a hint as to when their rate hike cycle will begin. If that were to happen as I think, then it would be very bullish for the krone......

In This Issue..

* Risk aversion has left the building...
* CIT survives without Fed help...
* SNB tries to fight the markets...
* Light week for US data...

Good day... We had just an amazing weekend of weather here in St. Louis, and this morning is shaping up to be another beautiful day. Friday turned out to be a beautiful day for those who have taken our advice and diversified their holdings out of the dollar. Risk aversion was placed on the back burner again, and investors moved money back out of the dollar into higher yielding currencies. The dollar and yen got sold but all other currencies rallied, and investors also turned back toward gold pushing the metal above $950 for the first time in over a month.

So what caused all of this confidence? First, the housing data released Friday morning in the US showed a slight pick up in both building permits and housing starts. While the housing markets have a long way to go, the data have given investors an indication that construction may have found a bottom. Not to throw cold water on investors confidence in the building numbers, but while the residential market may be bottoming out, the commercial market continues to tumble. I spoke to a good friend over the weekend who is a commercial real estate developer down in Memphis. He told me that his development pipeline has completely dried up, and even the brokerage side of his business has slowed. The only part of his business which has picked up is the marketing of foreclosed properties. He has shifted his concentration to helping banks and lenders 'work out' of commercial projects which they have taken back onto their books. The economy has kept most companies from opening new stores, and many continue to shut down under performing ones. My good friend tells me most of the people he talks to don't believe the commercial real estate market will turn around until the end of next year. Not good news for the banks who are still reeling from the residential real estate bust....

In This Issue..

* A 4-day rally gets stopped at the border...
* Home Prices fall at a -18.12% pace...
* Alice Rivlin gives her 2-cents...
* Kiwi bond maturities galore next month...

Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! As tradition with the Pfennig would have it, here's my introduction to July... There I was... On a July morning... Looking for love... With the strength of a new day dawning, and... The beautiful sun...

Yes, for those 'old rockers' from the 70's like me... That's Uriah Heep, at their best!

OK... So, welcome to July! The last day of June was quite the volatile one to say the least! There we were waiting for the S&P/CaseShiller Home Price Index to print, and show that home prices were still down by quite a bit, when it did, it did, it printed at -18.12%... But! The media was all over that like a cheap suit, clamoring that the spiral down in Home Prices had come to and end! Which, may be true... But wouldn't you want to wait to see if next month's report confirms it? And... By the way... Since when does -18.12% fall in home prices beckon a rally? Yesterday, would be that answer!...

In This Issue..

* Euro leads currencies higher...
* Commodities rally back on FOMC thoughts...
* FOMC meeting today...
* NZ Consumer Confidence on the rise...

Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! Well... Yesterday, the title of The Pfennig was: So Far... It's A Turn Around Tuesday! And... That theme played well throughout the day, and by day's end, it had been quite the Turn Around Tuesday! Now, we have to see what's in store for us today, as the last couple of weeks have seen the Wednesday trading quite the opposite of Tuesday's trading! Strange trading pattern don't you agree?

Overnight, the euro climbed as high as 1.4140, only to sit at the cusp of 1.41 as I begin to write this morning. Of course 1.41 certainly looks a lot different from the 1.35-1.40 range we've seen in recent days. But then, we've seen these probes above 1.40 before only end with the euro falling back to the 1.35-1.40 range again......

In This Issue..

* dollar rallies on N. Korea warning...
* Emerging Markets decouple...
* A debt upgrade for New Zealand...
* Swiss francs rise despite SNB warnings...

Good day... And a Thunderin' Thursday to you! Yes, the rain continues here in St. Louis, but that's normal for this time of year. But the rain brings the thunder... And so it is a Thunderin' Thursday!

Well... The dollar came back with some vengeance yesterday pushing the Big Dog, euro, back well within the 1.38 handle, and all the other little dogs, other currencies, followed. There wasn't data to speak of yesterday to push the dollar higher, it was simply a case of fright, as safe haven flows went the dollar's way after the news of a N. Korea attack warning spread throughout the markets....