The Dollar Is Bad – Bad Meaning Good

“Tricks are for kids he plays much gigs He’s a big bad wolf and you’re the three pigs He’s a big bad wolf in your neighborhood Not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good“ “Peter Piper” – Run D.M.C., 1986 from the album “Raising Hell” What was once bad is now good. Or maybe what … Read more

As Unemployment Finally Appears to Crest, Monetary Policy Reaches A Critical Juncture

Good (or not as bad as expected) economic news has typically garnered selling in the U.S. dollar and buying in the stock market. On Friday, the good news that November’s monthly change in U.S. non-farm payrolls came in essentially flat sent the S&P 500 soaring as high as 1.7%. However, the dollar index also soared, … Read more

Goldman Sachs (Stock) Breaks Down

While Friday’s Dubai-related selling left the S&P 500 flat for the last two weeks, Goldman Sachs (GS) dropped almost 3% and punched a new low for November (see chart below). This new low now places GS in its first short-term downtrend since February/March, and it marks a serious failure from the 50DMA resistance. This downturn … Read more

Officials Continue to TALK Up A Strong Dollar As the WEAK Dollar Continues to Hurt U.S. Trade Partners

Probably one of the longest running jokes in the financial markets is the amount of time U.S. officials spend talking about their support for a strong dollar while taking no action to actually support a stronger currency. On Monday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made a rare contribution to the bluster by stating his own … Read more

More Voices for a Stronger Dollar

The Wall Street Journal printed a trifecta of articles to day that seem to cry out for the dollar to lift its head out of the sludge. Coincidentally (or not), the dollar rallied for its biggest one-day gain in almost three weeks. In “Uncertainty May Help Dollar“, analysts remind us that the economic recovery remains … Read more