The news of Steve Bannon’s departure on Friday came too late for Asia and so cash markets readjusted in this mornings session. We did see a little move back into the JPY again, but much of that move was Friday evening and so today was a combination of the remnants of this and the concerns […]

The biggest conversational topic today was the recent USD bounce, as well as the oil price decline. Japans Nikkei held-in as the nervousness returned, but it was the JPY trading back close to 111 that had people talking. Given the US Retail Sales number was so above expectation the market now assumes the FED are […]

Although Asian core all closed lower it really wasn’t that bad – at least in the Asian cash time zone. The JPY traded above the 110 level as cash rebounded at the close but then saw the late safety rally (US time zone). It was the large cap Hang Seng that appeared nervous in late […]

Asia opened still with the buzz of Fridays surprizing good payrolls number. There were some concerns surrounding the sanctions the United Nations imposed on North Korea but these were quickly dismissed as the day wore-on. In Japan the Nikkei was not to sure in which direction to move and suffered a little ahead of lunch […]

Markets in Asia were looking like they have been on borrowed time a few days this week and so a small retracement ahead of todays US numbers is no real surprise. Most indices were lower but saw a deserved bounce in the KOPSI after yesterdays drumming and also a small gain for the Hang Seng […]

  Asia found renewed support from the surprise Apple result with a beat of both numbers and units. A worth note here was the size of options traded upon the results – looks like market-makers were running short into the release! This released just after the US close yesterday but is a great way to start […]

The Nikkei managed to reverse the majority of the days trend with an eventual positive close. It was not that great (+0.15%) but a positive close none the less and as the yen played just under the 112 handle, this helped the move at the close. The FED played its part initially but as the […]

A clear distinction was drawn between Shanghai (+0.4%), Hang Seng (+0.5%) and SENSEX (+0.7%) exchanges and the ASX (-0.6%) and Nikkei (-0.6%) as they both suffered declines. Some Chinese industrial profits have been encouraging, possible regulatory changes and improving economic data continue to support momentum. The yen trades comfortably with a 110 handle – a […]

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; Trump appoint another ex-Goldman Sachs guy as the head of the SEC. Some say he is not draining the swamp but filling it. Care to comment? ANSWER: Walter J. “Jay” Clayton III firm where he worked represented Goldman but he did not work for Goldman. He comes from Sullivan & Cromwell, which represents just […]

It was US news again that drove market direction for Asia after we heard late in the US time zone that two additional Republican’s opposed the healthcare bill. The DXY and US index futures were weaker on the news dragging much of Asian equities with them. In China the data for Home Prices released lower […]