Another Australian Central Bank Interest Rate Hike March 17, 2026 By a narrow 5-4 vote, the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia pulled the trigger a a second consecutive 25-basis point hike of the Official Cash Rate, which at 4.10% will now represent its greatest elevation in ten months. Australian CPI inflation last month…
Imploded Investor Confidence in Euroland, Some Central Bank Decisions, and the Alleged Death of Another Top Iranian Official March 17, 2026 In overnight financial market action, The dollar has dipped 0.3% against the Australian dollar following a rise in Australia’s Officials Cash Rate. The dollar is also down 0.2% versus the Mexican peso, and by…
Post-Covid Inflation Heavily Influenced by Global Factors March 16, 2026 National inflationary trends this decade have by and large followed a similar pattern. Consumer price inflation peaked in June 2022 at 9.1% in the United States, at 8.1% in Canada and at 10.6% in Euroland. The British and Turkish CPI peaks of 11.1% and 85.5%…
Iran War and Central Bank Interest Rate Decisions to Dominate This Week’s Financial Market News March 16, 2026 (148) But right now, markets have responded positively to stronger-than-projected Chinese data while awaiting today’s release of U.S. industrial production. The Iran War narrative is meanwhile focused on whether President Trump will declare America’s main goals accomplished…
Next Week’s Menu: March 14-20, 2026 March 13, 2026 Central Banks: Numerous central banks have scheduled monetary policy reviews this coming week, led by the Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Swiss National Bank and Bank of England and also including central banks in Australia, Armenia, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Canada, Russia, Sweden,…
Dollar Continues Rising But Stocks and Sovereign Debt Yields Pause Ahead of U.S. Data Reports March 13, 2026 The weighted dollar index climbed another 0.4% overnight, moving above 100.0 for first time since November 25. The Korean won briefly touched 1500, its weakest level since March 31, 2009 when the global financial crisis was still…
Coping with a Massive Oil Price Shock March 12, 2026 Tomorrow will mark just two weeks since the start of the latest Middle Eastern war. At $94.10, the current price of West Texas Intermediate oil is 7.8% higher than yesterday, 45% above its pre-conflict level, and 71% greater than the recent low in December. This…
Investors Wait Uneasily for U.S. February CPI on Otherwise Light Day for Data Releases March 11, 2026 Despite Trump’s prediction that the war in Iran is nearly done, Iran still shows no inclination to negotiate. Ships aren’t going through the Strait of Hormuz, and the price of oil has rebounded over 3% to remain well…
Trump Speaks and Markets Follow March 10, 2026 In these weeks of incredible geopolitical uncertainty, U.S. President Trump’s verbal sound track has emerged as the the dominant short-term determinant of financial market movements. One can only imagine the massive personal wealth that could be amassed from such powerful influence. With fierce Middle East bombing broadening…
Surging Oil Price Takes Command of Everything Else March 9, 2026 (149) At today’s high, the $119.48 peak in West Texas Intermediate oil had leaped by a total 117% in less than three months and was 84% above its closing level on February 27 just before the start of Operation Epic Fury. The price has…