Rate Cut Expectations Increase After Reserve Bank of Australia October Policy Decision

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 2, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Financial markets expected no rate cut from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), and they got no rate cut. However, for whatever reason, expectations for a rate cut for the November … Read more

Time to Watch the Forex Action Unfold: React, Not Anticipate

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 26, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) It has been a week since the Federal Reserve surprised the globe when it backed off from its earlier tough talk about bond tapering. The U.S. dollar index (UUP) plunged in … Read more

The Plunge in Housing Affordability Raises the Stakes for the Federal Reserve

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 15, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) As markets worldwide await the Federal Reserve’s meeting September 17-18th, I imagine that housing will play a major role in the decision-making for monetary policy. Interest rates have risen sharply in … Read more

Mixed Bets On Emerging Markets Add to Divergent Responses to Higher Rates

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 16, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) As markets head into a much anticipated Federal Reserve decision that should feature some resolution on the tapering question, I found it interesting to rewind the tape back to the recent … Read more

Market Mood Swings Toward An End to the U.S. Dollar’s Latest Rally

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 11, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Ordinarily, I would have called Wednesday’s (July 10, 2013) close on the S&P 500 (SPY) a stalemate that potentially signals a reversal in fortunes for the index. The flat close occurred … Read more

Forex Falllout From the Fed’s Latest Decision On Monetary Policy

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 20, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} The Federal Reserve announcement sounded a bit like something former governor Mervyn King might say about the prospects for the Bank of England’s bond purchase program: {snip} I imagine believers … Read more

The Australian Dollar Strengthens In the Absence Of A New Catalyst for Rate Cuts

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 19, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Time to swivel heads around on the Australian dollar (FXA) yet again. In “Australian Dollar’s Relief Rally Ends With The Latest RBA Meeting Minutes,” I concluded that the Reserve Bank of … Read more

The British Pound Is A Bargain

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 19, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Traders have gotten quite bullish on the U.S. dollar. Reuters reported that bullish bets on the U.S. dollar have reached an 11-month high: {snip} This critical juncture for the dollar … Read more

A “Non-Dovish” Mark Carney Sets A Floor for the Pound

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 30, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Before Mark Carney took over as governor of the Bank of England (BoE), the main question buzzing in financial media seemed to focus on figuring out just how dovish Carney … Read more

The Federal Reserve’s Wariness Toward Housing

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 26, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) The release of the minutes for the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting caused a lot of churn in financial markets, especially in currencies. I read contradicting headlines with one interpreting the … Read more