<Click on chart for larger image> <Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Russian, Ukrainian Currencies Slide as Tension in Region Intensifies The persistent intensification of tensions in the former Soviet Union continued to weigh heavily on Ukraine’s hryvnia and the Russian ruble Thursday. The dollar rushed to 36.20 against the… Continue reading Russia & Ukraine
Real Time Economics (WSJ Blog) – Jon Hilsenrath: Fed Warms to Notion of Using Rates to Fight Bubbles Yesterday’s commentary addressed the relationship between the Fed’s interest rate policies and the regulations it employs to prevent financial bubbles. The question at hand: Can the Fed rely on regulatory policies known as “macroprudential” tools to prevent… Continue reading Macroprudential Policy vs. Monetary Policy
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – China’s Central Bank Engineered Yuan’s Decline PBOC Prepares for a Wider Currency Trading Range China’s central bank engineered the recent decline in the country’s currency to shake out speculators as it prepares to allow a wider trading range for the tightly tethered yuan, according… Continue reading The Yuan
The Wall Street Journal – Hope on Horizon for Home-Supply Crunch: Builder Borrowing Picks Up Bank lending for land development and construction is turning up after hitting a 14-year low early last year, a sign that the supply crunch for new homes could ease in coming months. Data released Wednesday by the Federal Deposit Insurance… Continue reading Housing
The Wall Street Journal – Corporate Economists Are Hot Again With more data available than ever before and markets increasingly unpredictable, U.S. companies—from manufacturers to banks and pharmaceutical companies—are expanding their corporate economist staffs. The number of private-sector economists surged 57% to 8,680 in 2012 from 5,510 in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor… Continue reading Economists
Conference Call Presentation/Charts of the Week Audio [audio:https://www.biancoresearch.com/bianco/SubscriberArea/022714.mp3|titles=Conference Call ] Topics Covered This Week Include: Focus On Weather Surprises Despite Weather GDP Forecasts Why Did The Fed Taper? The Fed And The Stock Market Earnings Revenues And Guidance Problems In China Thoughts On Gold Abenomics Update
<Click on chart for larger image> The Financial Times – China dismisses concern over sudden renminbi fall It was only over the past two days that the market-traded exchange rate fell below the daily rate set by the central bank – a sign that Beijing has, for now, succeeded in breaking at least some of… Continue reading Concerns Over China
<Click on chart for larger image> The New York Federal Reserve – Statement to Revise Terms of Overnight Fixed-Rate Reverse Repurchase Agreement Operational Exercise As noted in the September 20, 2013, Statement Regarding Overnight Fixed-Rate Reverse Repurchase Agreement Operational Exercise, the Open Market Trading Desk at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has been… Continue reading Changes To The Fed’s Fixed Rate Repo Facility
CNBC – Tighter policy a tool to handle systemic risk: Fed’s Tarullo The Federal Reserve’s top regulator waded into the debate over whether monetary policy should be tightened in the face of financial stability risks, saying on Tuesday that such a move cannot be “taken off the table.” Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo, the U.S. central… Continue reading Federal Reserve Governor Tarullo Discusses Tighter Policy
<Click on chart for larger image> Bloomberg – Ukraine Pledges to Protect Deposits as Kiev Rally Called Ukraine is weighing measures to stem cash withdrawals after as much as 7 percent of deposits were taken from banks during last week’s bloody uprising, underscoring the need for action to fend off a default. Withdrawals peaked with… Continue reading Ukraine Takes A Turn For The Worst
<Click on chart for larger image> Forbes – S&P/Case-Shiller Home Prices Dip For 2nd Straight Month In December Home prices across the country fell for the second month in a row in December, according to S&P/Case-Shiller data released today. The 20-City Composite, which tracks single-family home prices in major metro areas, dipped by 1/10th of… Continue reading Home Prices Fall