Stocks brace for jobs report
Investors were on edge Friday as they awaited a key reading of the nation's economy, the December employment report.
Did job losses finally halt?
A two-year string of job losses appears to be near an end, if it hasn't ended already.
MBS CLOSE: 3 Days Later, Back To The Start
Posted To: MBS Commentary
Narrowing Ranges... That's been a bit of a theme leading up to NFP. The end of December through Tuesday was a pretty good run in which the 4.5 made it from the mid 99's all the way to trade in the mid 100's for more than just a split second. Similarly, tsy's dropped 10bps from around 3.85 to 3.75. But in the last 2 days, we've… Continue readingMBS CLOSE: 3 Days Later, Back To The Start
Posted To: MBS Commentary
Narrowing Ranges... That's been a bit of a theme leading up to NFP. The end of December through Tuesday was a pretty good run in which the 4.5 made it from the mid 99's all the way to trade in the mid 100's for more than just a split second. Similarly, tsy's dropped 10bps from around 3.85 to 3.75. But in the last 2 days, we've… Continue readingU.S. Dollar: How To Trade Non-Farm Payrolls
Foreign exchange traders bid up U.S. dollars ahead of Friday’s non-farm payrolls report. Given last month’s reaction to the surprisingly strong NFP number and the market’s expectations for another monthly improvement in the labor market, it is not entirely surprising to see the dollar strengthen against every major currency. Demand for dollars was so strong today that the greenback reached a 4 month high against the Japanese Yen on… Continue reading
The End of Cash? New iPhone Apps Take Credit Cards
By Eva Norlyk Smith, Ph.D.
The race is on, or so it seems, to come up with the best mobile phone device for swiping and processing credit cards. Mophie, a manufacturer of accessories for the iPhone and iTouch, has announced that it will introduce a new add-on credit card reader, which enables small businesses to swipe and process credit cards on the spot.
The Mophie reader works through a small device attached… Continue reading
Stocks end with little change
The Nasdaq slid and the broader market churned Wednesday as investors mulled weakness in tech and telecom along with signs of stabilization in the job market and services sector of the economy.
Taking another whack at stimulus
When the Senate returns on Jan. 19, jolting the economy will be high on the to-do list.
Yemen and Your Portfolio (On the Street)
A new focal point in the war on terrorism could have implications for these investment vehicles.
MBS CLOSE: FOMC Minutes Leave Bonds Neither Higher Or Lower
Posted To: MBS Commentary
Here's a look at the week so far: Note the narrowing ranges in both MBS and Tsy's... FOMC minutes didn't pack much of a punch today, at least not as far as one might be able to infer from the chart. If you tried hard, you might chalk up as much as a quarter point of MBS improvement to post-minutes trading, but you'd be ignoring the… Continue readingMBS CLOSE: FOMC Minutes Leave Bonds Neither Higher Or Lower
Posted To: MBS Commentary
Here's a look at the week so far: Note the narrowing ranges in both MBS and Tsy's... FOMC minutes didn't pack much of a punch today, at least not as far as one might be able to infer from the chart. If you tried hard, you might chalk up as much as a quarter point of MBS improvement to post-minutes trading, but you'd be ignoring the… Continue readingU.S. Dollar: Fundamentals vs. Risk
On a day when bond yields increased, U.S. stocks ended mildly positive and the dollar strengthened against the Japanese Yen, the greenback’s weakness against other major currencies reflects the positive risk appetite in the financial markets. For example, the Australian dollar’s ability to climb to the highest level against the buck in more than a month indicates that demand for high yielding currencies remain strong. Considering the possibility… Continue reading