Currencies

The ISM Conundrum

By |2019-09-03T12:48:05-04:00September 3rd, 2019|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

Bond yields have tumbled this morning, bringing the 10-year US Treasury rate within sight of its record low level. The catalyst appears to have been the ISM’s Manufacturing PMI. Falling below 50, this widely followed economic indicator continues its rapid unwinding. Back in November 2018, at just about 59 the overall index had still been close to its multi-decade high. [...]

Gold: Big Difference Which Kind of Hedge It Truly Is

By |2019-08-30T16:33:17-04:00August 30th, 2019|Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

It isn’t inflation which is driving gold higher, at least not the current levels of inflation. According to the latest update from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation calculation, the PCE Deflator, continues to significantly undershoot. Monetary policy explicitly calls for that rate to be consistent around 2%, an outcome policymakers keep saying they expect but [...]

GDP Profits Hold The Answers To All Questions

By |2019-08-29T20:58:05-04:00August 29th, 2019|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets, Stocks|

Revisions to second quarter GDP were exceedingly small. The BEA reduced the estimate by a little less than $800 million out of nearly $20 trillion (seasonally-adjusted annual rate). The growth rate therefore declined from 2.03502% (continuously compounded annual rate) to 2.01824%. The release also gave us the first look at second quarter corporate profits. Like the headline GDP revisions, there [...]

Monthly Macro Monitor: Market Indicators Review

By |2019-10-23T15:08:22-04:00August 29th, 2019|Alhambra Research, Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Markets|

This is a companion piece to last week's Monthly Macro report found here. The Treasury market continues to price in lower nominal and real growth. The stress, the urgency, I see in some of these markets is certainly concerning and consistent with what we have seen in the past at the onset of recession. The move in Treasuries is by [...]

Drawing The Line (while we can)

By |2019-08-28T17:13:16-04:00August 28th, 2019|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

What is the economy? It seems as if the word has been turned inside out in the modern world. The Greeks who supplied us with its basis simply put together two others of their own; oikos, meaning house, and nemein, meaning manage. Therefore, oikonomia was the management of one’s own household. Today, “the” economy is far less personal and tangible. [...]

The Shock, The Squeeze, and The Downside

By |2019-08-28T11:47:20-04:00August 28th, 2019|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

Yesterday, Eurostat confirmed that German GDP in Q2 2019 had contracted. Also issuing benchmark revisions, the European government agency found that GDP growth had been slightly better than previously thought at the top of Reflation #3. The last two quarters of 2017 saw the biggest upward revisions. But if Europe’s “boom” really was a little closer to having been a [...]

The Corroboration and Costs of Fear Gold

By |2019-08-27T17:02:18-04:00August 27th, 2019|Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

Gold is the ultimate hedge, but it is far from perfect. Unlike, say, sovereign bonds there should be no expectation for a negatively correlated price. You can buy a UST or German bund even at negative yields and at least expect the price to rise when things are at their worst. Flight to safety or flight to liquidity. You can’t [...]

China Throws More ‘Stimulus’ At The Wall

By |2019-08-27T12:31:19-04:00August 27th, 2019|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

Earlier this year, Chinese authorities reduced the VAT tax the government charges auto manufacturers. Intended to boost consumption, the levy was reduced from 16% to 13% in the hope automakers would pass along the savings to consumers. Many if not most manufacturers did. The results were immediate, and fleeting. In the month of March 2019, total car sales fell “only” [...]

Definitely A Downturn, But What’s Its Rate of Change?

By |2019-08-26T18:39:46-04:00August 26th, 2019|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

The Chicago Fed’s National Activity Index (NAI) fell to -0.36 in July. That’s down from a +0.10 in June. By itself, the change from positive to negative tells us very little, as does the absolute level below zero. What’s interesting to note about this one measure is the average but more so its rate of change. The index itself is [...]

Japan: Fall Like Germany, Or Give Hope To The Rest of the World?

By |2019-08-26T16:42:01-04:00August 26th, 2019|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

After trading overnight in Asia, Japan’s government bond market is within a hair’s breadth of setting new record lows. The 10-year JGB is within a basis point and a fraction of one while the 5-year JGB has only 2 bps to reach. It otherwise seems at odds with the mainstream narrative at least where Japan’s economy is concerned. Record lows [...]

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