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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!...

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.'...

In This Issue..

* Currencies trade in a tight range...
* G-20 to shun an exit from stimulus?
* Gold and Silver and Oil... A new trend?
* Loonies follow the commodities higher...

Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! Well... Once again, my day didn't turn out exactly as planned, but as they say... A bad day at the ballpark is better than a good day and then you plug in the place... It could be work... It could be cutting the grass... Etc..

OK... I heard a great song on the radio this morning on my way to work... And I said to myself... Chuck, now that's a great song to start a day with, that everyone should hear each day! It's a song from the 60's (of course!), by the Rascals, called... It's a Beautiful Morning... Here's the first verse, and if you know the song, I'm sure you'll want to sing along, but if not... Look it up, I'm sure, you'll agree that it's a great way to start a day!

...

In This Issue..

* Currencies get whacked by Geithner!
* Big Ben wants the budget deficit cut!
* BOE and ECB meetings today...
* I told you this was going to get ugly...

Good day... And a Tub Thumpin' Thursday to you! Yes... Tub Thumpin' because I said so! Yesterday was absolutely a 10 on the crazy meter, and We the People, just continue to sit and take whatever the Government and media tell us is 'best for us in these uncommon times'... I've got some interesting words on this later in the letter... It's time for me to get on my soap box once again, so... At least I've prepared you! But first... Some currency news!

Well... Yesterday, I left you with the thought that the currencies were selling off, after the Asian Central Banks all made statements regarding their support of the dollar as the world's reserve currency... Here are some further thoughts on that......

In This Issue..

* A split among ECB ministers...
* Trichet walks a fine line...
* China and gold and copper...
* Canada's economy has a pulse...

Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! A Fantastico Friday as well, as all our prayers were answered once again, and my scans were clean! YAHOO! They did see something in my lung... It's called pneumonia! I knew this "thing" I had was more potent than anything I had ever had before... So... The proper medicine was dispatched, and hopefully in about 4 days I'll have this whipped! I've got the whole weekend to rest, and drink plenty of fluids! Now if I wasn't sick, that last sentence would take on a whole new meaning, if you get my drift!

OK... Now that we have that housecleaning out of the way, it's time to go to work! Well, the currencies traded in a very tight range yesterday, only to see the euro lose ground in the European session, this morning, as ECB President Trichet, deep sixed the currency this time!...

* 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....

* A Santa Rally for the currencies?... * Waiting for the FOMC... * AUD and NZD rally... * China to try and keep growth above 8%... ** Santa rally for the currencies... Good day...It was actually a Great day for the currencies yesterday as the dollar index dropped another full point. The Euro moved past $1.35 and then blew through $1.36 to end the day over $1.37. And the Euro wasn't even the best performer, as the New Zealand dollar rallied over 2.1% vs. the US$ to take the title of best performing currency against the greenback. The South African rand was the only currency turning in a negative performance yesterday with the other commodity driven currencies of Norway and Brazil just barely holding their ground vs. the US$....

* Credit fears ease... * Chuck's thoughts from the road... * India cuts rates... * China growth slows, but is still 9%... ** Credit fears ease... Good day...And welcome to what should be another volatile week in the markets. Credit worries eased somewhat over the weekend, which helped push money back into the higher yielding currencies. Today Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will head to Congress to share his view on the economy. Should make for a pretty interesting day of trading. Hope you are sitting down and holding on, it looks like we are going to take another lap on the currency roller coaster! The yen fell over the weekend as investors began moving funds back into the higher yielding currencies of Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. I won't go into the whole explanation of the carry trade again, but suffice it to say that these moves haven't proven to have much staying power. But I do like the news that the credit markets may be calming down a bit after the government moves to shore up the big international banks....