Author : Marc Chandler

China's Central Economic Work Conference is responsible for setting the annual GDP target. Although it was not formally announced, President Xi previously indicated that the goal for the economy...

The election in Spain did not lift the uncertainty but re-redoubled it.  Given the outcome, it is difficult envision a majority government.  Purely looking at the numbers, a coalition...

Inflation or indeed its opposite has driven monetary policy among the largest high-income economies. With nominal rates thought to be bounded by zero, the US, UK, and Japan engaged in...

The broad interpretative framework we developed since late 2014, one that centers the de-synchronization of the major economies, will retain its usefulness into the New Year and beyond. The...

Speculative position adjustments in the currency futures were minimal in the immediate aftermath of the ECB's December 3 meeting and US employment data the following day. However, activity dramatically...

The dollar rose against all the major currencies over the past week.  The divergence meme we have emphasized has continued to unfold.  The ECB eased policy at the start...

1) Argentina eliminated capital controls and allowed the peso to float, 2) Argentina also eliminated export taxes on agricultural goods that include beef, wheat, and corn, 3) Fitch joined...

The Bank of Japan was the fourth major central bank to meet this week.  Sweden and Norway kept policy unchanged.  The Fed hiked.  There was no expectation that the...

The refusal of the US Congress to accept a new and higher quota (money) to the IMF stymied governance reforms for five years.  This has frustrated efforts to integrate...

Asia extended the US dollar's post-Fed gains while Europe has seemed content to consolidate the move, perhaps waiting for US leadership. Asia extended the US dollar's post-Fed gains while...