Demographics and Labor Flows Drive the Implications of the Labor Participation Rate

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 22, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) In his opening statement for his press conference following the latest meeting of the Federal Reserve, Chairman Ben Bernanke once again called out the influence of lower participation rates on unemployment… … Read more

The Dollar’s Underwhelming Week Was Consistent With On-Going Trading Range

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 9, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week was supposed to be a dramatic week with a whole host of pronouncements from the world’s major central banks, the aftermath of the Jackson Hole confab, and major economic … Read more

Employment Numbers Bring Australian Dollar’s Rally to A Halt

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 12, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Financial markets must have had extremely optimistic expectations for Australia’s August employment numbers. Right after the release of the employment statistics on September 12th (Australian time), the Australian dollar (FXA) pulled … Read more

The Australian Dollar Strengthens In the Absence Of A New Catalyst for Rate Cuts

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 19, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Time to swivel heads around on the Australian dollar (FXA) yet again. In “Australian Dollar’s Relief Rally Ends With The Latest RBA Meeting Minutes,” I concluded that the Reserve Bank of … Read more

The British Pound Is A Bargain

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 19, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Traders have gotten quite bullish on the U.S. dollar. Reuters reported that bullish bets on the U.S. dollar have reached an 11-month high: {snip} This critical juncture for the dollar … Read more

A “Non-Dovish” Mark Carney Sets A Floor for the Pound

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 30, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Before Mark Carney took over as governor of the Bank of England (BoE), the main question buzzing in financial media seemed to focus on figuring out just how dovish Carney … Read more

Mind Over Yen – The Monetary Psychology Of Reflating Japan’s Economy

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 18, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) “There is something you should know about me, about inception. An idea is alike a virus, resilient. Highly contagious. The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can further define … Read more

Mixed Signals Surround the Steady Creep Higher In Interest Rates

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 7, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Tuesday’s trading (August 6, 2013) brought out the taper tantrum jitters again. Officials from the Federal Reserve are once again reminding financial markets about the potential for September to bring the … Read more

Word from Lancaster, CA: This Recovery Is For Real

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 25, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Something special must be happening in Lancaster, California, a small town of 155,000 people about 70 miles north of Los Angeles. After finding a thriving land development project in Lancaster, American … Read more