As many expected the BOJ kept rates unchanged as they continue to encourage a move away from bonds and into equities. Still the policy approach continues as slow but steady. This caused the JPY to trade above the 111 level even as the BOJ talks of 2% inflation (currently 0.5%). Hang Seng and Shanghai saw […]

China’s Industrial Data release marginally above expectation but Investments let them down and tended to quell afternoon anticipation and we closed only small positive. It may also have been the weakness of other core markets that also had an impact as both Hang Seng and ASX closed over 1.2% down the pair. It was energy yet […]

It’s looking like a hung Parliament and the polls got it wrong again in Britain. The Conservatives appear to be 12 seats short of the 326 to rule with a majority vote after a 20 point lead back in April. Theresa May is facing a serious backlash over her shocking election campaign gamble following an exit […]

Spain’s Banco Santander is paying €1 to take over troubled rival Banco Popular, in a deal that illustrates Europe’s new system to rescue failing banks without burdening taxpayers or stressing markets. This is being cheered around the world because the shareholders lost absolutely everything. The bank which was valued in the collapse at €1.6 billion was […]

It was no surprise that we saw quiet markets for most of Asia’s core market, given we have so much due tomorrow (Thursday). Shanghai was the exception as it rallied +1.25% as market players took the recent increase of US Treasuries as a sign of domestic strength. This is the largest increase since 2013, but […]

QUESTION: Any comments on the Deutsche Bank trader admitting to manipulating the metals markets? JK ANSWER: The way these people claim the metals are manipulated make it sound as if gold would be $10,000 but for the market manipulations. That is total and complete nonsense. The former Deutsche Bank trader David Liew has confessed to a […]

It was only last week that the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) was rumoured to be competing in the currency market, which was coincidentally followed by a Moody’s downgrade. The action demonstrated signs that positions have been cut at a loss for anyone who attempted to short the Yuan. The O/N (overnight) and T/N (Tom-next) rates ballooned today which makes […]

Welcome to the 2017 World Economic Conference Hong Kong. This Conference was selected by our computer to pick the “interesting” times in the markets to ensure this is an interesting conference for everyone. The attendance for this session as always is a mini-UN gathering from around the World. We have a good diverse group from […]

The correction has begun with the uneasiness of the two political scandals surrounding Trump – Russian meeting and now a Comey memo saying Trump asked him to kill the investigation into Flyn. The first is not really an issue legally, but the second could fuel the quest to impeach Trump which is really led by […]

COMMENT: Mr. Armstrong, I have been on Socrates for about one year now on what you now call your standard edition. I have to say, you have done an amazing job of programming. To have a computer simply provide a comment that is short and to the point that you can look at the whole […]