economy

Time to Pare Back Bullish Positions In the Australian Dollar

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 16, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Almost two weeks ago, I noted that as long as the Australian dollar (FXA) maintained its stubborn strength, it made sense to play the currency long versus the weakening Japanese yen … Read more

Stubborn Australian Dollar Becomes Attractive Way to Play Yen Weakness

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 5, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) After the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut interest rates on Monday night, the Australian dollar (FXA) bounced down, up, drifted lower, and then rallied. It is too easy to call … Read more

Soft Australian Retail Sales Reawakens Anticipation of Rate Cut

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 3, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Analyst consensus anticipates a rate cut at the next meeting of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). I forgive you for being surprised if you have been keeping your eye on … Read more

With Housing Demand Rebounding, Negative Equity Now Supports Housing Values

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 17, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Zillow’s Q3 negative home equity report helps to shed more light on the underlying factors supporting the housing recovery. According to Zillow (Z): “…high negative equity rates have contributed to appreciation, … Read more

The Bottoming In Private Residential Fixed Investment Continues

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 31, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week’s U.S. GDP print (advance estimate, revisions to come) came in slightly stronger than expected with an annualized growth rate of 2.0%. Financial markets had relatively muted reactions. The S&P … Read more

Australian Officials Further Signal Lower Rates to Come

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 2, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) This week featured two interesting speeches by Australian officials. On October 30, Philip Lowe, Deputy Governor for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), gave a speech at the Commonwealth Bank Australasian … Read more

Surprisingly Strong UK GDP Tests British Pound’s Downtrend

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 28, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The British pound (FXB) was falling fast going into last week’s GDP number. The pound even broke through support at its 50-day moving average (DMA). It seemed like momentum was setting … Read more

Austere Trouble Brewing for the British Pound

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 10, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Just a few days after writing that the U.S. dollar’s post-QE3 rally was giving way to meandering, the U.S. dollar (UUP) surged back to the top of the recent relief rally … Read more

Reserve Bank of Australia Downgrades Economic Conditions, Eyes Lower Currency

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 2, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) I expected the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to stand pat on rates in its latest statement on monetary policy. Instead, the RBA cut rates by 25 basis points to 3.25% … Read more

Reserve Bank of Australia Emphasizes Overall Resilience Of the Australian Economy

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 25, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) After the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released its monetary policy statement on September 4th, I noted how the loudest part of the statement was left unsaid. The RBA raised no … Read more