Canadian Inflation Will Be Higher for Longer

The Bank of Canada (BoC) not only ended its quantitative easing (QE) program, but also the Bank refreshingly acknowledged the inflation issue in Canada. In his opening statement, Governor Tiff Macklem pointed out that higher energy prices and supply chain constraints are worse than previously assumed and are driving hotter inflation levels. Canadian inflation will … Read more

Bank of Japan Further Diverges from the U.S. Fed – Risk Trades In Focus

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 31, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) It seems somehow appropriate in these extraordinary times for central banking that less than two days after the U.S. Federal Reserve officially ends quantitative easing (QE) through its bond purchasing program, … Read more

A Hypothesis for the Connection Between the Australian Dollar and the S&P 500

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 20, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) A reader recently asked the following questions in response to my last piece on the relationship between the Australian dollar and the S&P 500 (“A Bearish Divergence As Australian Dollar Stalls … Read more

The Dollar’s Tumble Accompanies A Host of Critical Currency and Commodity Trades

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 1, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Thanks largely to the surging euro, the U.S. dollar index (UUP) took one of its nastiest one-day tumbles since last October, falling 1.3%. I believe this drop all but confirms staunch … Read more

Bank of England’s Inflation Report Provides No Cheer for the British Pound

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 4, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) I have followed the Bank of England’s quarterly Inflation Report since November, 2009 as a way to gain insight into the UK economy and the prospects for the British pound (FXB). … Read more

Dollar Index Stops Cold At Its “QE2 Reference Price”

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 1, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} …U.S. nonfarm payrolls greatly disappointed markets and quickly put the dollar into general disfavor the rest of the day. Even the oversold euro rallied against the U.S. dollar (FXE). Interestingly, … Read more

No QE3, But Federal Reserve Statement Green Lights Commodity Currencies and Gold

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 26, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In its latest monetary policy proclamation, the Federal Reserve announced that it will likely extend the window for near-zero interest rates until at least late 2014. There was no hint of … Read more

T2108 Update – January 13, 2011 (Dealing with the QE3 Wildcard)

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades are posted on twitter using the #120trade hashtag) T2108 Status: 77% (overbought day #9) … Read more

Flowserve Loses All Its QE2-Inspired Gains

Late August has become a benchmark for the success of the Federal Reserve’s last money-printing campaign given at that time Chairman Ben Bernanke first floated the suggestion that another round of quantitative easing (QE2) was on its way (see speech at Jackson Hole, WY, August 27, 2010). I am also using this date as a … Read more

British Business Secretary Cable Supports More QE If Consumer Demand Remains Weak

On July 24, British Business Secretary Vince Cable was interviewed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. During this interview, Cable made the case for further quantitative easing (QE) if consumer demand in the UK continues to weaken. While he was quick to point out that the Bank of England runs independently, he provided a ringing … Read more