Can the Dollar Rally On A “Cautious QE” and Strong Denials of A Dollar Devaluation Strategy?

Since peaking in June, the dollar has arguably experienced a near freefall. These moves reflect the near certainty felt amongst investors and traders about the Federal Reserve’s intention to print more currency to forestall the threat of deflation. However, with dollar shorts at their highest levels in three years and the dollar index stalling at … Read more

Gold Is Bernanke’s Conundrum

In December, 2009, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke insisted that gold’s surge was not signaling increased inflation expectations because it was simply following along with the general rise in commodities. Now that gold stands head and shoulders above the commodity pack, Bernanke is expressing his bewilderment at gold’s strength. Gold is still not a signal … Read more

Bernanke Absolves Monetary Policy During the Housing Bubble

(repost from January 4, 2010) Yesterday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association in Atlanta, Georgia. In his speech titled “Monetary Policy and the Housing Bubble,” Bernanke presented statistical (econometric) analyses to demonstrate that monetary policy contributed very little to the recent housing bubble in the U.S. … Read more

Bernanke On Gold: Higher Prices Reflect Commodity Fundamentals, Not Higher Inflation Expectations

During recent re-confirmation hearings for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, U.S. Senator Jim Bunning – a frequent critic of the Federal Reserve – asked Bernanke several questions about gold prices. Bunning’s questions appear targeted at prodding Bernanke into acknowledging that inflation expectations are much higher than the Federal Reserve’s current estimation. Bunning also uses high … 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