Confusion over the Sino/US trade agreement remains the primary concern for investors. China expressed its interest to secure the trade agreement, inviting US negotiators back to the table in Beijing. The US President is expected to sign the two new bills supporting HK protestors, which could anger t...

The US Senate unanimously approved legislation that requires re-qualification of the city-states special status on an annual basis. The Senate decision is a show of support for the HK protesters & will put additional pressure on the trade talks. The US President appears unwilling to rollback/can...

The pendulum from optimism to pessimism for the signing of the Sino/US trade phase one deal continues to swing. A CNBC report yesterday caused the pendulum to swing back to pessimism as the rollback in tariffs remained as sticking point for signing. The US$ and CNY both weakened on the change in tra...

US & China held further high-level talks over the weekend and the first reports hailed them as “constructive”. Trade related currencies rallied on the news, but the markets remain cautious as the US President has yet to comment. In other news, HK protests continue and the 2nd week of...

Currency markets responded positively to the WH economic advisor Larry Kudlow’s comment say a trade deal is “getting closer”. Safe-haven currencies sold off on the comment and trade-exposed currencies strengthened modestly vs US$. The Fed Chair and his colleges sent a clear message yesterd...

Weak Chinese data, Hong Kong tensions and the unresolved Sino/US trade deal saw investors turn back to safe-haven buying. Yen & Chf both rallied, with Aud and CNY coming back under selling pressure. German data showed that the country narrowly avoided recession which was a minor positive for EUR...

The outcome for the US/Sino trade deal remains uncertain after the US President said that a trade deal was close, but at the same time threatened more tariffs if the trade deal fails. Markets responded cautiously with US$ gaining slightly vs the major currencies. The NZ Central bank kept rates on ho...

The US President is scheduled to speak at the Economic Club of New York today, with markets hoping to hear the status of the phase one trade agreement with China. The US$ continues to the strengthen against all major currencies,  rising 0.1% on the US$ index.  Hong Kong protests continues, with Ch...

The escalation in protests in Hong Kong caused investor’s concern resulting in “safe-haven” buying, with JPY strengthening and Chines Yuan selling off. Markets remain optimistic that the phase one trade agreement can be signed, but US Presidents comments Friday raised some concerns...

The trade negotiations continue to dominate market sentiments, but conflicting trade-related headlines raised some skepticism about on trade deal negotiations. The markets are waiting for the US to confirm their agreement to the rolling back of tariffs, which appears to be the last hurdle to signing...