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  • 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.'...
  • Losses Keep Piling On!

    * Range bound currencies... * Stocks rebound... * So, you think Oil is expensive? * Gold prices back off... ** Losses Keep Piling On! Good day... And a Happy Friday to one and all! I'm running late today, was up most of the night with stomach problems, and overslept this morning. This is my last day on my 4-weeks treatment, so maybe by this time next week, I'll be able to feel normal again. But, it's a Friday! And... I'll be gone the next 3-weeks! First to Vancouver, where I'll still write the Pfennig each day, but then on vacation, and on to San Francisco... I'll be back in the saddle on August 11th... Well... We had a range bound day in the currencies yesterday, with a bias to buy dollars, as the markets breathed a sigh of relief at JP Morgan's 2nd QTR earnings... JP Morgan beat the estimates, but the thing I don't get is why there was dancing in the streets when those earnings were 53% below those a year ago. So, good for them for beating the estimates, but 53% below last year, I would certainly think it would have raised a few eyebrows... In fact, JP Morgan head man, Jamie Dimon said, "Our expectation is for the economic environment to continue to be weak -- and to likely get weaker -- and for the capital markets to remain under stress. We remain conscious that since substantial risks still remain on our balance sheet, these factors will likely affect our business for the remainder of the year or longer."...
  • 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......
  • 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......
  • FOMC Meeting Day!

    * What will the Fed do? * Going into the fryer? * Trichet tries to cool the jets... * India raises rates 50 BPS! ** FOMC Day! Good day... And a what should be "Wild" Wednesday to you! This is the day the Fed's "true" colors come through in my opinion. The markets were all fired up a couple of weeks ago, and the air in their balloon has been slowly let out up to now. But today, we'll see if their balloon get re-inflated or goes "pop"! You see, today is the day the Fed's FOMC meeting adjourns and a rate announcement along with a new bias will be the order of business at the end of the meeting. The Fed Heads normally eat their lunch, which was probably packed in brown bag consisting of a baloney sandwich (since that's what they normally spew is baloney!), some chips and ho-ho's... HAHAHAHAHA!...
  • Jobs Jamboree Friday!

    * Trichet talks tough! * Kohn sends warnings... * The currencies bounce back! * Will the BLS create ghost jobs?...
  • Let's Pick Up From Where We Left Off...

    * Consumer confidence falls... * Recession fears... * Norwegian krone leads the way... * Trichet speaks......
  • Euro tracks toward $1.55...

    * Euro tracks toward $1.55... * Japanese Yen hits 8 year high... * Update on Indian Rupee... * Buffet continues to invest into currencies......
  • Trichet Dashes Hopes of ECB Rate Cut...

    * Trichet dashes hope of rate cut... * Monster payroll numbers... * Japan leaves rates and appoints a new central bank head... * Game off for carry trade......