Above the 40 (January 2, 2019) – A Fighting Start for Stocks Gets Apple Pie in the Yen

AT40 = 11.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (oversold day #12)AT200 = 12.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 23.2Short-term Trading Call: bullish (with caveats all over again) Commentary $AUDJPY $AUDUSD $GBPJPY flash crashed. Could this ALL be #forex fallout from $AAPL revenue warning!?! pic.twitter.com/WZS10wj7D9 — … Read more

Above the 40 (December 7, 2018) – Right Back Where the Stock Market Started, But Worse

AT40 = 25.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 23.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (just off a 32-month low)VIX = 23.2 (as high as 24.7)Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish CommentaryI am surprised the stock market has yet to close in oversold conditions. AT40 (T2108), the … Read more

Australian Dollar: Another Strong Jobs Report Paints A Bullish Hue

It has been a while since I took note of the impact of economic numbers on the Australian dollar (FXA). For most of this year, I have instead been a lot more focused on what the Australian dollar, combined with the Japanese yen (FXY), might be saying about risk attitudes in financial markets. Today, I … Read more

Australian Dollar: A Monetary Policy Statement Made for A Currency Rebound

In recent weeks, I have seen calls for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to cut interest rates. It's important to remember when the RBA moves to cut interest rates, there will probably be two (or more) 25bp moves. As my mate Saul Eslake once noted, interest rate changes are like cockroaches, when you get … Read more

Forex Critical: Australian Dollar – Speculators Quickly Flip Bearish

Speculators have remained overwhelming bullish on the Australian dollar (FXA) for almost two years. Last week, they made a quick switch to net bearish positioning. Net contracts went from 40,720 net long to 12,660 net short. Open interest fell from 157,029 to 105,270, so it appears that bullish speculators made a hasty retreat rather than … Read more

The Australian Dollar Flips the Script After Strong Jobs Report

Less than a week ago, a disappointing GDP report helped to dampen enthusiasm for the Australian dollar (FXA) following a policy statement from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Now, the script has flipped after the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a strong employment report for November, 2017. While the unemployment rate stayed at 5.4%, … Read more

GDP Helps Confirm Australian Dollar Breakdown After Brief Post-RBA Optimism

The currency market painted a bullish interpretation of the latest monetary policy decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). By the time of the September quarter GDP report, that incremental bullishness disappeared and setup a bearish interpretation of the Australian economy. Source: FreeStockCharts.com The net result, which includes a U.S. jobs report, is an … Read more

With Inflation Low, the Reserve Bank of Australia Pushes on the Australian Dollar

In mid-July, the Australian dollar (FXA) surged higher after a hawkish interpretation of the RBA minutes. Guy Debelle, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), tried to walk the market off its enthusiasm. The pause was temporary. By the early September RBA meeting, AUD/USD hit a 2+ year high, albeit partially because of … Read more

Iron Ore Pairs Trade Lags Commodity’s Plunge

The market must be expecting an imminent rebound in the price of iron ore. Almost two weeks ago, I proposed a pairs trade going short Rio Tinto (RIO) versus long BHP Billiton Limited (BHP) as a way to play the top in the price of iron ore predicted by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). … Read more