The Yen, the Nikkei, and the S&P 500: Watch the Trends and Correlations

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 2, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) Starting November, 2012, Japan’s longstanding efforts to devalue its currency finally began experiencing sustained success. Since the massive devaluation process started, both the Nikkei (EWJ) (NKY) AND the S&P 500 (SPY) … Read more

Mind Over Yen – The Monetary Psychology Of Reflating Japan’s Economy

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 18, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) “There is something you should know about me, about inception. An idea is alike a virus, resilient. Highly contagious. The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can further define … Read more

The Yen Trend Moves On Past Its Initial Disappointment With the Bank of Japan

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 28, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) When the Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced its latest statement on monetary policy in conjunction with the Japanese government, the yen (FXY) strengthened counter to the trend over the past several … Read more

Amari Hits the Pause Button on the Yen

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 15, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Japanese yen (FXY) experienced a quick plunge after Akira Amari, Japanese economic and fiscal policy minister, expressed concern about the yen getting too weak. According to The Japan Times Online, … Read more

U.S. Dollar Reaches For Escape Velocity Against the Japanese Yen

Last week, I expected that heightened Fiscal Cliff fears would lead to renewed interest in buying the Japanese yen (see “Peering Over The Fiscal Cliff, The Yen Gets ‘Cheap’, Australian Dollar ‘Expensive’“). That interest turned out to be VERY temporary. As post-Christmas trading opened, the U.S. dollar surged yet again against the yen (FXY). It … Read more

This Time SHOULD Be Different – Fade the Japanese Yen

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Japanese yen (FXY) traders have been here before. Earlier this year, the U.S. dollar (UUP) ripped from historic lows against the yen around 76 to a peak just above 84 in just … 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 Japanese Yen Flashes Another Warning Even As the Australian Dollar and S&P 500 Resynch

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 19, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} I was looking for confirmation of the increasingly bullish outlook, but I did not get it. In “Bearish Implications of A Rare Convergence of Extremes in Yen vs S&P 500 … Read more

Still Bearish the Yen Even As U.S. Dollar Drops to Lowest Point Since October’s Intervention

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 31, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The path for a peak in the Japanese yen is turning into a much more arduous one that I had hoped. Last week, I pointed to an imminent acceleration in purchases … Read more

The Yen Holds Steady Against the Dollar As This Intervention Looks Different

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 30, 2011. Click here to read the entire piece.) Call it a minor victory for Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi who declared his country is in “a war of nerves” with markets over the value of its currency given the … Read more