Economic Conditions

March may begin as a lion and end as lamb, but the US dollar is finishing the month as it began, with underlying strength. The main exception is the Japanese yen, against which the dollar is flat, perhaps a reflection...

The calendar impacts the investment climate.  March 31 ends the month, quarter, and for several countries and companies, the fiscal year.  The Easter holiday is typically among the quietest in the capital markets, with many financial centers closed.  After April...

The US dollar trended higher in Asia and early Europe, but the gains pared as the European session got under way, and the underlying trends remain intact.  Global equities are also winding down the month and quarter with upticks as...

It’s frequently claimed that copyright law should be made more restrictive and copyright terms extended in order to provide an incentive for content creators. But with growing use of works put into the public domain or released under free and...

The US dollar has been on the rise every day setting new records. With the upward pressure on dollar, stronger dollar could tighten financial conditions across the globe. Further, the rising dollar could be offsetting the benefit of low cost...

The US dollar's bull advance, spurred by the divergence in the monetary policy, is continuing in earnest today after briefly consolidating yesterday.  The greenback traded at new multi-year highs against the euro, yen and Australian dollar.  But, it is stronger against...

There are two main forces at work as the week winds down. The first is the ECB's confirmation of its asset purchases. This has renewed the rally in European peripheral bond markets and re-accelerated the euro's slide. The second is...

The US dollar is broadly firmer though the antipodean currencies continue to enjoy residual strength.  The Canadian dollar is not moving higher with them because of Bank of Canada meeting today.   The US dollar is broadly firmer though the...

The Reserve Bank of Australia defied expectations and left rates on hold earlier today. This has lifted the Australian dollar back to yesterday's highs near $0.7845 were it stalled. The derivatives market had discounted nearly a 2/3 chance of a...

The US dollar is firmer to start the week against most of the major currencies.  The Eurozone reported less deflation than expected, and Germany and Italy reported better manufacturing PMIs.  This helped the euro recover from the initial slide in...

March is said to come in like a lion and leave like a lamb.  It does indeed appear to be coming in like a lion for investors.  There are four major central bank meetings and the US employment report.  Although...

The US dollar caught a strong bid to start the week.  The prospects that Yellen will keep the June rate hike in play after the FOMC minutes are diminishing it may be lending the dollar support, though US rates are...

The capital markets are particularly difficult to navigate at the moment.  The news stream is noisy.  There are three confusing issues: the Fed, Greece and Australia.  What should one think about the FOMC minutes?  The market clearly saw the minutes...

Strong employment and earnings data in the UK lifted sterling to the upper end of its recent range near $1.5450.  A break would quickly target the $1.5500-$1.5600 area.  The claimant count fell by 38.6k, which is about 50% more than...

David Cameron has told company bosses that firms should give their staff a pay rise. Certainly a raise in wages would be long overdue. The small average wage increase over the past year or so (1.8% between September and November...