“A Considerable Risk” for the Australian Dollar

Australia’s Department of Industry, Innovation and Science recently released its latest Resources and Energy Quarterly. As usual, I was most interested in the projections for iron ore and the Australian dollar. The Department has been over-optimistic in the past about iron ore. This time around, the Department slashed forecasts in what sounds like another disappointing … Read more

Alternatives to Fortescue Metal’s Nationalistic Fervor Over Iron Ore

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 14, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) Now that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has cleared Andrew Forrest of violating laws against anti-competitive business practices, the CEO of Fortescue Metals Group (FSUGY) (FSUMY) wasted no time … Read more

Speculators Abandon Their Bearish Posts Against the Australian Dollar

Policy divergence has officially begun, yet markets face the interesting possibility of an Australian dollar (FXA) that refuses to weaken further against the U.S. dollar for now. Source: FreeStockCharts.com The above chart shows that the Australian dollar weakened for just one full day in the wake of the rate hike from the Federal Reserve. AUD/USD … Read more

A Bottom For Commodities – The Reserve Bank of Australia Says No; Fortescue Says Yes

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 19, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) “…the changing nature of China’s development implies that the potential for commodity prices to rise from here is somewhat limited.” – Christopher Kent, Assistant Governor, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) at … Read more

Another Look At the Reinforcing Dynamics of the Iron Ore Industry

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 16, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) Clyde Russell is a columnist who often writes about iron ore for Reuters. His latest piece, “Who’s behaving rationally in iron ore, steel? Everybody and nobody,” discusses some common themes and … Read more

Little Cliffs Natural Resources Still Talks Like the 900-Pound Gorilla

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 3, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) reported earnings last week on the morning of October 29, 2015. {snip} Source: FreeStockCharts.com From my perspective, the always colorful commentary from Chairman, President, and CEO Lourenco … Read more

Glencore’s Correlation With Market Sentiment and An End to the Collapse In Commodities

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 14, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} This quote is the entirety of a terse and pointed press release that commodity giant Glencore (GLCNF) (GLNCY) delivered to calm market fears about the company’s business. This release came … Read more

There Goes the Rio Tinto “Exit Strategy”

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 8, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) Under pressure from investors, Glenore Plc (GLNCY), the world’s largest corporate player in the commodities market, recently announced a plan to slash as much as $10.2B in debt by offering additional … Read more

The Australian Dollar Weathers Another Test

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 12, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) I was just getting ready to think through my latest piece on the Australian dollar (FXA) as a story about the currency’s resiliency likely thanks to an on-going rebound in price … Read more

The Shrinking Australian Dollar

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 8, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) Against my previous expectations, the Australian dollar (FXA) continues to shrink. First the Chinese government panicked with successive rate cuts and next direct manipulation in its stock markets. Now it seems … Read more