Australian Dollar

By Chris Becker  The Jackson Hole conference on Friday shook up risk markets, sending the USD lower, bonds higher and kept stock markets on their toes.

by Chris Becker Its thin and choppy trading across Asia as risk markets await the central bank gabfest in Wyoming tonight.

A couple of takes.

By Chris Becker   Trading volumes are really getting thin now as all eyes, ears and algo bots await the Jackson Hole central bank conference today.

by Chris Becker Asian markets are in a flux as traders wait for more staid and stable speeches from Jackson Hole later in the week.

By Chris Becker   Impatience and uncertainty are creeping into markets with a volatile reaction to Trump’s NAFTA and government shutdown statements over is ridiculous Mexican wall  last night.

by Chris Becker What was supposed to be a risk-on day was spoiled somewhat by a Trump speech which included equal amounts of rhetoric and “I can’t believe he just said that”, sending the USD higher on concerns about trade.

By Chris Becker   Risk on as tensions ease both in the US and Korea’s, with the Trump administrations embiggened war in Afghanistan plus hope for a tax reform legislative agenda help prop up US stocks.

by Chris Becker Outside Japan its been a fairly positive day here in Asia with most stock markets advancing following the tepid mood overnight on Wall Street and Europe.

By Chris Becker   Overnight markets wobbled into the first session of the week with European shares selling off, the US dollar also retreating while US bourses barely recovered to make scratch sessions.

by Chris Becker The week begins meekly with a mixed reaction to Wall Street’s sombre Friday session.

by Chris Becker Reporting and analysing the demise of the Trump Presidency is not hard work, but it bears well in protecting your portfolio.

By Chris Becker  Volatility continues across risk markets, this time shifting from the North Korean tensions to the Trump tensions, namely the realisation that the Republican Congress ability to enact any meaningful legislation is evaporating.

by Chris Becker Definitely risk off here in Asia today to finish the week on a low as stocks follow the poor overnight lead coming from the Spanish terrorist attack and the derailed Trump administration.

Via NAB forex: The positive outlook that we have identified in the recent months has shifted to a new level upon the July breakout close above key resistance levels.

By Chris Becker   Markets ran for safe havens overnight in the wake of an awful terrorist attack in Spain and the realisation that yes, the US president is nuts and he’s not going anywhere or will get anything substantive done by a now impotent Republican Congress.

by Chris Becker A very mixed day in Asia after what looked like a good lead overnight from risk markets, with response to the dovish Fed minutes muted by resumed Korean tensions and a burgeoning Yen.

By Chris Becker   Coo coo catchoo.

by Chris Becker Following last night’s tepid lead from overnight markets Asian traders are looking at each other and wondering if they should continue on with the bounce from Monday, given the seemingly reduced risk over the Korean peninsula.

Via AFR: Currency experts have had to overcome their pride, and their persistently wayward Australian dollar forecasts, and instead develop a different model for charting the direction of the local currency, as it moves against the US dollar.

Via Morgan Stanley: ‘…so you’re a commodity analyst, and you don’t track bitcoin? Should I be worried about that?’ – bitcoin enthusiast Latest fiat money: Bitcoin’s value has lifted about 5x since a period of relative stability pre-Nov-16, to over $4,000/bitcoin (Exhibit 1,2), on mainly rising geopolitical tensions.

By Chris Becker   The USD led the charge overnight as advanced retail sales surprised to the upside, sending bond yields higher on even firmer expectations of another rate hike from the Federal Reserve before the year is out.

DXY poured it on last night: Whether that is a double bottom I know not but the post-2014 support level has held.