Take A Pause From Your Deflation Fears and Consider Some Counter-Evidence

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 25, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Swiss franc (FXF) has started another weakening phase, putting an exclamation point on the currency market’s refusal to go along with the shrill, recent headlines claiming another deflation cycle has … Read more

Week of Major Currency Shifts Flips Me Bullish Australian and British Currencies

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 7, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} The market seemed to convulse on the notion that the Fed could actually end asset purchases but seemed to ignore the conditional of a much improved labor market and improving … Read more

Australian Dollar, British Pound and Siemens Emerge Stronger Post-Cyprus

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on March 24, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} The reaction to the Cyprus news was swift in financial markets starting with currency markets on that Sunday. By the end of the week, the S&P 500 (SPY) remained down … Read more

Cash Is Trash When Denoted In Francs

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 6, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) On Monday, November 3, Bloomberg reported that Credit Suisse Group AG (CS) will soon charge negative interest rates on cash balances denoted in Swiss francs (FXF). Francs are increasingly becoming trash … Read more

Euro Positioned to Bounce Ahead of Fed and Swiss National Bank Monetary Policy Decisions

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 12, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week I discussed trading in the Swiss franc (FXF) in the wake of Credit Suisse’s implementation of negative interest rates for large cash balances denoted in Swiss Francs (see “Cash … Read more

How to Trade “Euro Fatigue”

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 6, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) It seems that the U.S. market has grown weary of worrying about the euro. The euro has lost 4.5% versus the U.S. dollar (EUR/USD)(FXE) since December 9, 2011 while the S&P … Read more

How to Play the Devaluation of the Swiss Franc

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 5, 2011. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Swiss are getting impatient with their stubbornly strong currency. Ever since establishing a peg to the euro and a floor at 1.20 for EUR/CHF two months ago, the euro has … Read more

T2108 Update – September 2, 2011 (Setback)

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag.) T2108 Status: 24% VIX Status: 34 General (Short-term) Trading Call: Start closing out bearish positions. Otherwise hold. (See below … Read more

T2108 Update – September 1, 2011 (Return of the franc)

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag.) T2108 Status: 31% VIX Status: 32 General (Short-term) Trading Call: Hold (see below for more details). Commentary The weight … Read more

No Currency Peg Yet for the Swiss Franc As SNB Escalates

Today, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced it is taking additional measures to try to weaken its currency and wave off the franc’s many adoring fans. The SNB’s latest statement gets an “A” in rhetoric for amplifying its fighting words and claiming victory in one battle even as the bank warns it is prepared to … Read more