A Policy Island for the Fed: The Bank of England and U.S. Economic Data Isolate the Fed

This past week was an important one for monetary policy. The Bank of England (BoE) made clear it is willing to put off rate hikes as long as necessary. Despite its words that suggest otherwise, the Bank is NOT biased for action. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen made it clear that, all else being … Read more

The Turkish Lira Approaches All-Time Lows As the Central Bank Fails to End the Selling

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 31, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) A month ago, I pointed out how the Turkish lira had reversed all its post-election losses. I argued that the lira was due to resume its weakness as the Central Bank … Read more

Australia’s Q4 2014 Inflation Enough to Erase Momentum for February Rate Cut

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 25, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) Perhaps the market was really expecting a much lower inflation reading in Australia. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Australia for the fourth quarter of … Read more

Gold Is Unloved But Still Not Cheap

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on March 8, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) Friday’s U.S. employment report delivered strong results yet again. It helped increase expectations of a Fed rate hike by June as iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) and SPDR Gold Shares … Read more

Australia’s Central Bank Is Not Overly Concerned With Having One of the Most Expensive Housing Markets In the World

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 6, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) The IMF recently established an informative web site called “Global Housing Watch” that promises to provide quarterly updates on housing conditions around the world. The update for Q4 of 2013 shows … Read more