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In This Issue..

* Currencies rally on Retail Sales!
* China likes investments in Canada...
* Big Ben the 'inflation fighter'...
* Gold climbs to $1,018!

Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! Good news for me this morning, the pain in my left knee has subsided... Now, If I could just get that swelling to go down, I'd be in tall cotton! This has been quite the ordeal on the old Pfennig writer, and one that I will be glad to put in the rear view mirror!

Well... When I turned on the currency screens this morning, the euro was trading with a 1.47 handle! WOW! It just skipped to my Lou right through the 1.46 handle, eh? It began yesterday afternoon, the dollar was getting sold on the news of a strong Retail Sales figure, more on that in a minute, and the euro was edging up the 1.46 ladder... The move to get it past 1.47 came in the overnight markets... Now, having gotten you all lathered up about 1.47, I have to say that since I turned on the currency screens, the euro has lost ground back to 1.4688, but still... That's quite an impressive move from yesterday morning, eh?

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In This Issue..

* Currencies trade in a tight range again...
* U.S. Retail Sales are a clunker!
* RBA's Stevens is upbeat!
* Thoughts on Brazil...

Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! The end of the week... It's been a tough week for yours truly, as I've hobble around in pain all week. But, as I recall, I promised 2 years ago that I would not complain about these things in the future... So! I carry on!

Well... Front and center this morning... The currencies are trading near levels they were when I signed off yesterday morning. They did have a brief rally, after the U.S. Retail Sales data showed some real rot on the 'recover is here' vine... But that rally was snuffed out, as the risk aversion campers came back to the markets......

In This Issue..

* Currency rally gets wiped out...
* Geithner to talk about a strong dollar?
* Brazil cuts rates!
* The Fed to control everything? YIKES!

Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! Another seemingly long week for yours truly... Where's a 3-day Holiday weekend when you need one? Have you been following the goings on with the investigation into the Bank of America (BOA) purchase of Merrill Lynch? Whoa, there partner! I thought for sure this would get all swept under the rug, but it's all coming out, every dirty deed! Dirty deeds done dirt cheap!

Before we get into the goings on there... Let's talk about the currencies and their huge jump yesterday, only to see chicken traders come out of the woodwork overnight to support the dollar going into the G-8 meeting....

In This Issue..

* Foreclosures rise...
* Green Shoots, no so green!
* getting on a bus...
* Losing a triple A rating?

Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! Not wanting to start the day off with bad news... But I just saw a flash on the TV that said, 'foreclosures jumped 32% last month'... More Blood in the Streets, eh? That just happens to be the title of my presentation today... Blood in the Street: Bargain time or just a cease fire? Hey! I don't make these things up...

OK... Another day here in Sin City... This city is packed with people, everywhere we go, it's simply amazing... There's been no sign of a recession here... Of course, if you got out of the casinos, and shows, you would see some of the greatest devastation any where in the housing market here... So.. It's not a seashells and balloons in Vegas... I guess with the economy so rotten, people are hoping to strike it rich in the casinos though... Hmmm, have they not figured out that these ginormous buildings are here to make money?...

In This Issue..

* Currencies rebound
* Singapore's big announcement...
* China's currency gets back on rally tracks...
* BHI says to expect a rebound in sales...

Good day... And a Terrific Tuesday to you! I'm feeling marginally better today, so I've got that going for me! You should have seen the currency screens lighting up yesterday... WOW! A lot of pent up trading from a Friday that saw thin volume due to the Holiday. This type of volume, even with a few countries still on Holiday too!

The volume... Was all good for the currencies, as that bias to sell dollars I talked about really came shining through on the day. As I signed off yesterday, I told you that the euro had rallied since I had come in, and that rally took off in the early morning trading. The single unit climbed to near 1.34 before giving back ground in the afternoon....

* Currencies have a mini-rally... * Only to see profit taking overnight... * Gold rebounds too! * Retail Sales on board today... ** A Day Of Healing... Good day... And a Thunderin' Thursday to you! It was a Tub Thumpin' Wednesday yesterday for the currencies and Gold, after seeing them back off earlier this week! I'm in Jacksonville for a company event, and then on Friday morning, I head south to start my spring vacation! But first, some work to do here, and then on to the south! It was 29 degrees when I got in the car to leave for the airport yesterday morning... And it was 77 degrees when I finally arrived in Jacksonville! YAHOO! But even as loud as I can say YAHOO for the warm weather, which I've said over and over again, I've got to go where it's warm, it wasn't as loud as a the YAHOO yelped by currency owners as the euro led the currencies higher and higher all day long!...

* Retail sales disappoint.... * Chuck's views on the Lone Prop... * Waiting on the ECB... * Emerging market currencies sell off... ** Retail sales disappoint... Good day... The big news yesterday was the retail sales numbers, which fell twice as much as expected. Chuck predicted a tough Christmas season, and the BHI was right again. Sales dropped 2.7 percent according to yesterday's report from the Commerce Department. The falling home prices, rising job losses, and tighter credit have all combined to finally force US consumers to adjust their spending habits. No matter how low retailers slashed prices during the recent Christmas season, US consumers just weren't buying. The economy is forcing consumers to wean themselves off of the dangerous drug of easy credit. In spite of Bernanke and Paulson's attempts to get consumers borrowing and spending again, the economic slowdown is forcing the US consumers to reign in their spending. But while this change in consumer habits is good for the longer term economic health of the US, it only serves to drive the economy even further into recession over the short term. And the bad economic data just keeps rolling in. U.S. foreclosure filings spiked by more than 81% in 2008, a record, according to a report released Thursday, and they're up 225% compared with 2006. The total foreclosure filings in 2008 topped 3 million and showed no signs of slowing down in spite of the efforts of both the government and banking industry to slow them down. Foreclosure filings actually accelerated in the 2nd half of the year, increasing 17% in December over November of 2008....