T2108 Update (November 14, 2012) – Broken and Oversold, Yet Little Fear So Far

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are highly likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades … Read more

Currencies Are Signaling Potential Bullish Divergences For The Stock Market

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 25, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) This week, the S&P 500 (SPY) has broken down, providing an early warning that QE3 is not working as expected. The S&P 500 is resting precariously at support formed by the … Read more

Now that Bernanke Has Made His Move, It Is Azumi’s Turn

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 14, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In the Federal Reserve’s latest statement on monetary policy, Chairman Ben Bernanke basically announced that the Fed is giving the economy a blank check: {snip} This forceful action is likely much … Read more

Another Fiscal Cliff For Japan Coincides With Another Visit to Historic Yen Levels

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 11, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In August, 2011, Prime Minister Naoto Kan stepped down from power to resolve gridlock over the budget of the Japanese government. On September, 7, 2012, current Finance Minister Jan Azumi made … Read more

The British Pound Is Back In Fashion

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 2, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The currency markets have gone through waves and cycles of themes thanks to the constant tinkering and interventions by the world’s central banks. With the big news headlines for the United … Read more

Fed Minutes Revive Pressure On the Japanese Yen

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 23, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The minutes from the last Federal Reserve meeting seem to suggest that members are starting to coalesce around Janet Yellen’s analysis that monetary policy should be more accomodative (see “Yellen’s Case … Read more

Another Important Breakout for the Australian Dollar

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 5, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Japanese yen was the last remaining currency to “hold out” against the Australian dollar’s recent advances. On Friday, the AUD/JPY currency pair jumped again off its 200-day moving average (DMA) … Read more

Watching for Intervention As U.S. Dollar Falls Toward Five-Month Lows Versus Yen

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 23, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi has formed a habit of warning currency markets about the strength in the Japanese yen (FXY). For example, on May 31st, with USD/JPY slightly above 78 … Read more

The Japanese Yen Is Reasserting Itself

The U.S. dollar’s jagged rally from last year’s lows has finally brought it back to its “QE2 reference price.” At the same time, a carry trade seems to be lifting the Australian dollar in “risk-on” fashion. In the background, the Japanese yen is slowly but surely reasserting itself as the strongest of the major currencies … Read more

Japanese Yen Confirms Returning Risk Aversion

I earlier argued that the Japanese yen held a critical piece of the puzzle to determining what’s next for risk attitudes (see “The Japanese Yen And Volatility Sit At The Cusp Of Renewed Risk Aversion”). On Monday, the yen seemed to confirm that risk aversion is indeed returning and likely to stay with us for … Read more