The markets are an incredible aggregator of information. However, because of a tsunami of information, sometimes investors have difficulty in distinguishing the signal from noise. Let us try to help. Here we look at three...
As the year winds down, a Gordian knot tying Russia, oil prices and China together is receiving a great deal of attention. Let’s see if we can unravel some of the confusing twists and turns....
Many observers have proclaimed the death of OPEC. This seems to be a premature judgment, and may reflect a misunderstanding of oligopolistic practices. The decision not to cut production is not a sign of the...
The run on the yen continues.The US dollar and euro are at new multi-year highs against the yen. The BOJ confirmed its JPY80 trillion monetary base target unexpectedly adopted at the end of last month....
The US dollar’s upside momentum has faded, but oil prices remain depressed. Many observers try, too hard perhaps, to link the decline in commodity prices in general, and oil in particular, to the appreciation of...
The posts for the new EU Commission under Juncker have been announced. Over the last several years, its role and institutional capacity increased since the onset of the crisis. It has been an equal partner with...
Many Brazilians are loath to see their rival Argentina win the World Cup at the Maracana on Sunday. However, as this Great Graphic from the Financial Times beyondbrics blog, shows, Brazil is falling behind another regional rival, Mexico, in...
What ultimately led US President Nixon to close the gold window was not its Cold War rival Russia. Rather it was US European allies who wanted to exchange their dollars for gold beyond levels that...
The global capital markets have been feeling the effect for several months and now the cause is at hand. The Federal Reserve is set to decide whether to continue at the same pace the purchases of...
Switzerland reported earlier today that Q2 GDP expanded by 0.5%, which was sufficient to lift the year-over-year rate to 2.5% from 1.2% in Q1. This is the strongest year-over-year pace since Q1 2011.The market had...
The BOK is sounding pro-active again about the risks to KRW weakness, even though the currency is strengthening. We just hope these concerns don’t spill over into macroprudential-type regulation that will harm market functioning. The Finance...
The US dollar is little changed against most of the major currencies as summer market awaits the week’s key events that begin in earnest tomorrow. The Australian dollar is the biggest mover, dropping about 1.5%...