Tag Archives: U.S. dollar strength

We’re in the middle of earnings season, and the profits of many U.S. companies are being killed by the strong U.S. dollar - up 15% since mid-2014 against a basket of trade-weighted foreign currencies and up 12% in 2015 alone which was the biggest one-year gain since the 1970s. That's bad, bad news for American companies with significant international business and 6 of them are identified in this article.

Commodities as an asset class look like a great bet for 2016, especially with so many dangers lurking in both the stock and bond markets, and an allocation of 20-35% as part of a broader portfolio may be sensible.

Virtually everyone has become convinced that the dollar is going to 110, 120 or even 160. Folks when everyone is thinking the same thing … then no one is thinking. Here’s the thing. Almost no one is prepared for the dollar to drop. Everyone is convinced the dollar is going higher, and everyone is positioned long. Everyone is on the same side of the boat. When that happens invariably the boat tips over so here’s what I think is going to happen.

Gold has been mired in a descending triangle over the past year or so. From a technical perspective, such triangles are likely to be continuation patterns. Gold fundamentals have recently worsened a bit with the most obvious headwind being the continued strength in the U.S. dollar, but this isn’t the only indicator that has turned more bearish lately. This article is an update of the indicators we follow.

Lately, the dollar has been making a comeback and, as usual, gold is tanking...[That being said,] however, the timing of the dollar’s resurgence is a bit curious. Perhaps not coincidentally, gold began tanking just as the dollar was advancing against the yen. [Why do I say "Perhaps not coincidentally"? Read on.]

What is underpinning current dollar strength is a shift in market focus toward some of the headwinds facing the global economic environment. That’s swinging the risk appetite pendulum back toward safety, which is positive for the dollar. Words: 692