2019 in a Nutshell and the Transition to a New Decade

If we could describe the year 2019 in one word, we believe uncertainty says it all. The world entered 2019 with a high level of ambiguity and is poised to finish the year with the same extent of uncertainties. The Global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index which is a GDP-weighted average of national EPU indices for 20 countries has remained in ele...

December 20, 2019
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Fed in Focus – US Repo and Funds Rate

Fed in Focus - US Repo and Funds Rate  During the week, it was all about the Repo market. A Repurchase Agreement known as Repo is a form of short-term borrowing for dealers in government securities. The Repo market plays a key role in supporting liquidity in the financial markets. It facilitates the flow of cash and securities around the financi...

September 18, 2019
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ECB: Draghi’s Last Call for A Significant Degree of Monetary Stimulus

Central banks of major economies like the US, UK and Japan turned to quantitative easing (QE) at a time where they were unable to push interest rates any lower. The European Central Bank (ECB) launched its first large scale of asset purchases in 2015 and was among the latest central bank to join the QE bandwagon. How QE works The ECB adopted the...

September 11, 2019
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All Eyes on Jackson Hole Economic Symposium

All Eyes on Jackson Hole Economic Symposium The annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium is sponsored by the Federal Reserve of Kansas City and is annually held in Wyoming. It is an exclusive central bank conference which fosters open discussions on global policy matters. The event is closely watched by market participants and has the potential to af...

August 22, 2019
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RBA August Statement

The Main Headlines of the RBA August Statement By Philip Lowe, Governor: Monetary Policy Decision The Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.00 per cent. The outlook for the global economy remains reasonable. The persistent downside risks to the global economy combined with subdued inflation have led a number of central ban...

August 6, 2019
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Dissecting the FOMC Statement

Dissecting the FOMC Statement The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates overnight by 25 basis points, taking the US Federal Funds rate to 2.25%. The rate cut was mostly seen as a hawkish one. In the press conference, Chair Powell said that the central bank’s rate cut was a “mid-cycle adjustment to policy” rather than “the beginning of a ...

August 1, 2019
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Fundamental Analysis: Macro Factors

Fundamental Analysis: Macro Factors The rapidly growing global interconnectedness means that the health of one country's economy can impact the world markets. As a result, traders generally follow the economic calendar to ensure that they do not miss out on any relevant indicators that may signal a move in the financial markets. In this article, ...

July 18, 2019
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Deutsche Bank Revives The Failure of Lehman Brothers

Deutsche Bank Revives The Failure of Lehman Brothers Deutsche Bank’s woes dominated headlines this week. On Sunday, the multinational investment bank announced 18,000 job cuts around the globe by 2022 and shut down its global stock trading business as part of a sweeping overhaul. It was reported that the cuts had been anticipated for weeks. We...

July 12, 2019
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Preview: The Bank of Canada Rate Decision

One of the must-watch economic events this week will be the Bank of Canada interest rate decision. The decision is scheduled to be announced on Wednesday 29th May at 15:00 PM London time. Why Is The Announcement Important? A bank interest rate is a rate at which a countries central bank lends money to local banks. The interest rate is charged by ...

May 28, 2019
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“Will China Dump US Treasuries?”

“Will China Dump US Treasuries?” A tweet from Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times grasped attention on Tuesday morning,  and even Bloomberg reported that it had triggered a readership surge on its Terminal. It came at a time when China responded to the additional tariffs by increasing duties on $60 billion worth of US goods. T...

May 15, 2019
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Preview: Bank of England Rate Decision

Brexit has been dominating the news flow in the United Kingdom for a long time, but on Thursday all eyes will be on the latest Bank of England rate decision. The decision is set to be announced at 12 PM London time. About Interest Rates Interest rates are set by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee which is made of nine members �...

May 1, 2019
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Central Bank Interest Rates

Today, the Bank of Canada announced its decision to leave interest rates unchanged at 1.75% and with other major central bank policy meetings due to take place in the coming weeks, there is no better time to look at the current interest rates of some of the major central banks from around the world. About Interest Rates A bank interest rate is a ...

April 24, 2019
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Up Next: The Bank of Canada Rate Decision

One of the must-watch economic events this week will be the Bank of Canada interest rate decision. The decision is scheduled to be announced on Wednesday 24th April at 15:00 PM London time. Why Is The Announcement Important? A bank interest rate is a rate at which a countries central bank lends money to local banks. The interest rate is charged b...

April 23, 2019
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Federal Budget – “Back in the Black”

Federal Budget - "Back in the Black" "Returning the budget to surplus, delivering more jobs, providing lower taxes, guaranteeing essential services." We are in the election year, and the government needed a budget that will please voters. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered his first federal budget and conveyed his plans for a stronger economy....

April 3, 2019
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Hawkish & Dovish Explained!

Hawkish and Dovish are two crucial words widely used in our industry whenever there are central bank speeches or talks about monetary policies. But what does it mean? Central banks are more transparent than ever and forex analysts or traders try to dissect the overall tone and language used when central bankers speak to see: How the economy...

March 28, 2019
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