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Inflation & Jobless Rate Soars!

* Dollar wages war on euro! * Pulling the wool over our eyes... * A Gold discussion... * 4-weeks of selling renminbi... ** Inflation & Jobless Rate Soars! Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! It's been 3 weeks since I last started a Friday with that note. I hit every red light this morning on my way to work, which led me to think aloud in the parking lot, that this isn't going to be a Fantastico Friday... And when I turned on the currency screens, after reaching my desk, I could see why I thought those negative thoughts... It's getting ugly... Yesterday, I was busy with my head down working on something, when Chris Gaffney yelled across the trading desk, "Hey, Chuck, what happened to the euro?" I looked up to see the euro had lost 1-cent in a matter of 20 minutes... But that's not the end... This morning, the euro has given up another 1-cent, and now trades with a 1.47 handle. Just what the heck is going on here?...

Published Fri, Aug 08 2008 9:34 AM by Chuck Butler

Filed under: Dollar, Inflation, China, Gold, Jobs, Renminbi

Nowhere to hide...

* Nowhere to hide... * Trichet sounds dovish... * US fundamentals haven't changed... * Olympics open up in China.. ** Nowhere to hide... Good day...The dollar continued to take no prisoners in its move higher. The newly strong greenback was up vs. every currency we track yesterday, and has rallied over 3% vs. the major currencies over the past week. It has been a pretty tough week for yours truly, as I have tried to make sense of this dollar rebound. Chuck can't get back to St. Louis quick enough! The dollar started its big move just after the Trichet gave his statement on his views of the European economy. The ECB left rates unchanged, but Trichet said economic growth will be 'particularly weak' through the third quarter, suggesting policy makers will be wary of raising interest rates again to curb inflation. While the ECB's decision to raise borrowing costs last month was justified by the inflation threat, risks to growth 'are materializing,' Trichet told reporters. 'Overall, downside risks prevail.'...

Published Fri, Aug 08 2008 9:02 AM by Chuck Butler

Filed under: China, European Central Bank, Trichet, Jobs, Renminbi, Olympics

RBNZ Cuts Rates...

* The dollar swings it mighty hammer! * Weekly Jobless Claims spike! * Exposing the debt in N.Z.... * The Fed's Beige Book is grim... ** RBNZ Cuts Rates... Good day... And a Thunderin' Thursday to you! It's not so Thunderin' for me this morning, as I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me last night... Therefore I was up most the night sick... This will be ever so short-n-sweet, and then I'm going back to bed, I've got a presentation this afternoon with Addison Wiggin, I've got to be in tip-top shape for that! The dollar swung its mighty hammer again yesterday, bringing the euro to the 1.56 handle, with all the other usual suspects falling in line behind the euro. The markets are ga-ga with news that leads them to believe the "worst is over" in the credit crunch... I beg to differ on that, but then, I'm just one guy, one voice, one letter......

Published Thu, Jul 07 2008 10:43 AM by Chuck Butler

Filed under: Dollar, Oil, Home Sales, Euro, New Zealand, The Fed, Jobs

Are Freddie and Fannie Insolvent?

* Poole slams Freddie and Fannie... * The dollar gets sold again... * Bad data for the dollar today... * Renminbi matches '07 performance! ** Are Freddie and Fannie Insolvent? Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! A Fabulous Friday indeed! The euro broke out of that tight trading range yesterday, we had a distorted Weekly Jobless Claims number, and the un-dynamic duo of Ben and Hank got taken to the woodshed by Ron Paul... All this and more as we head into the 2nd Friday of July! OK... First on this Fabulous Friday, I forgot to talk about ex-St. Louis Fed President William Poole's comments about Freddie and Fannie yesterday... These comments were responsible for bringing the mortgage meltdown front and center to the markets once again... So... What did Poole say? Well... Poole flatly stated that, "Freddie and Fannie Mae are insolvent"... Uh-Oh! As I thought earlier this week that this meltdown of Freddie and Fannie Mae could be the risk event I've been talking about... Well... If Poole is correct... We're here......

Published Fri, Jul 07 2008 9:13 AM by Chuck Butler

Filed under: Dollar, Consumer Confidence, Ben Bernanke, Trichet, Carry Trade, Eurozone, Jobs, Renminbi, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

Trichet "Gets The Memo"

* ECB raises interest rates... * More jobs losses in June! * An embarrassment for the Fed... * Buying opportunities? ** Trichet "Gets The Memo" Good day... And a Marvelous Monday to you! What a fabuloso 3-day Holiday weekend! WOW! The weather was great, I relaxed max time, and shot off some fireworks just to keep the tradition going... The weekend was working hard to make me forget the happenings of Thursday... The Perfect Storm that was possible for the dollar turned out to see the tables turned and it was the euro that went into a tailspin on Thursday... Here's the skinny......

Published Mon, Jul 07 2008 9:10 AM by Chuck Butler

Filed under: Employment, European Central Bank, Trichet, The Fed, Economy, Jobs, G8

Beware The Thin Markets...

* ADP prints a huge downside surprise! * Euros get past 1.58... * A Perfect Storm? * Gold continues its move higher! ** Beware The Thin Markets... Good day... And a Happy pseudo-Friday to one and all! It is actually Thursday of course, but it's our Friday, as tomorrow is the 4th of July holiday here in the U.S. I think a lot about the Declaration of Independence these days, as I feel there is a faction of people here in the U.S. that would like to tear up the constitution... So, as we come to the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence let's stop and remember that it's WE THE PEOPLE that make a difference in this country, certainly not anything that comes out of Washington D.C.! OK, I'm down from my soapbox... This could really be a Tub Thumpin' Thursday as it has the potential to really kick some rear and take names later. Here's what I'm talking about......

Published Thu, Jul 07 2008 8:08 AM by Chuck Butler

Filed under: Dollar, Gold, Euro, European Central Bank, The Fed, Jobs, Renminbi

What's Up With The Loonie?

* Euro trading pattern... * Sterling backs off... * Data cupboard gets restocked... * Rupees disappoint... **What's Up With The Loonie? Good day... And a Wonderful Wednesday to you! I hit all my traffic lights on green this morning, so it's going to be a "good day"! Funny how little things like that put a smile on my face... OK... Another day of watching the euro rise up to 1.5815 and then see it get sold back below the 1.58 figure when the NY boys arrive at their desks. The pattern for the first two days this week has seen that selling in the morning, and then a slow rise in the afternoon, and then back over 1.58 in the overnight markets. That's where we are again this morning......

Published Wed, Jul 07 2008 8:25 AM by Chuck Butler

Filed under: Australia, Dollar, British Pound, Gold, Euro, Canada, Jobs