Daily market commentary gets a little dry for me.
With Wednesday’s Fed announcement looming, it makes little sense delving into too much else – short of suggesting patience, patience, and oh yes…….a little more patience.
The news of Larry Summers dropping out of the running for the “New Fed Chairman” has hit news headlines across the globe, yet I’ll bet you 50 bucks you had absolutely no clue “who he was” – or would have cared much anyways. Me neither frankly.
When we step back and consider that Ben Bernanke has pretty much filled the role as ” the most important and influential man on planet Earth” for some time now – would you want that job?
Kong appointed Chairman of the U.S Federal Reserve – could you even imagine?
Forex trading is stressful enough at times, and I’m always up for a new challenge – but could you actually imagine walking into the office on your first day as Fed Chairman and just picking up the ball and running with it? No thanks.
As it stands, the word on the street is that this “Janet Yellen” is all for the printing presses ( surprise , surprise right?) so obviously she fit’s the bill quite nicely. After all – why on Earth would the Fed ever jeopardize loosing their biggest client ( the U.S Government) to some “half cocked Obama boy” like Summers. NEVER GONNA HAPPEN.
This gal is deep , deep , deep in someone else’s pockets – and I don’t mean that in a good way ( could that be in a good way? ).
Personally, I’m not particularly “thrilled” with things being on hold here any longer. The gap in USD action has provided a couple of scalp opportunities but has also done a great job of further “blurring” further USD direction. Most charts / asset classes I follow suggest “some kind of USD bounce” but this tempered with the fundamental fact that Yellen is 100% on board with money printing.
The market’s reaction on Wednesday is really only a small part of the puzzle, as debt ceiling / default issues come next.
When does it end?
It doesn’t.
Trading Through the Fed Circus: What Really Matters for Your Bottom Line
The Yellen Put: Why Money Printing Means Everything for Currency Pairs
Let’s cut through the noise here. Yellen’s appointment isn’t just Fed politics – it’s a roadmap for every major currency pair for the next four years. When someone is “100% on board with money printing,” that’s not some abstract policy discussion. That’s your EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and AUD/USD setups for months ahead. The dollar weakness we’ve been dancing around? It just got a green light with a Federal Reserve stamp on it.
Think about it logically. Every time the printing presses fire up, dollar debasement accelerates. The carry trade currencies – your Aussie, Kiwi, even the beaten-down Loonie – suddenly look attractive again. We’re not talking about some subtle policy shift here. This is monetary policy on steroids, and smart traders position accordingly. The question isn’t whether dollar weakness continues, it’s how violent and sustained the move becomes.
Debt Ceiling Theater: The Real Market Mover Nobody’s Pricing In
Here’s what drives me absolutely nuts about current market commentary – everyone’s obsessing over Fed meeting minutiae while completely ignoring the debt ceiling train wreck bearing down on us. You want to talk about USD direction? Forget the Fed speak for a minute. Washington’s fiscal dysfunction is the real currency catalyst nobody wants to acknowledge.
Every time we approach these artificial deadlines, the same pattern emerges. Initial USD strength as safe haven flows dominate, followed by brutal selling once the political reality sets in. The politicians will cave – they always do – but not before maximum market disruption. That’s your trading opportunity right there. The debt ceiling resolution trade is worth more than ten Fed announcements combined, yet traders keep staring at the wrong ball.
Smart money isn’t waiting for congressional drama. They’re positioning now for the inevitable cave-in and subsequent dollar selloff. When political theater meets monetary accommodation, guess which currency gets crushed? Every. Single. Time.
Cross Currency Opportunities: Where the Real Money Hides
While everyone’s fixated on major USD pairs, the real opportunities are hiding in cross rates. Think EUR/GBP, AUD/JPY, even CAD/CHF. These pairs move on relative monetary policy expectations, not absolute Fed positioning. When global central bank divergence accelerates – and Yellen’s appointment guarantees it will – cross rates become volatility gold mines.
The Bank of England’s tapering timeline looks completely different against Yellen’s endless accommodation backdrop. That EUR/GBP setup becomes crystal clear when you factor in ECB desperation versus Fed printing priorities. Same logic applies across the board. Australia’s resource economy strength against Japanese monetary insanity? That’s not a trade, that’s a mathematical certainty.
Cross trading requires more homework, but the reward-to-risk ratios are infinitely better than trying to time USD reversals in this policy fog. Let the amateurs fight over EUR/USD direction while you’re banking consistent profits on cleaner, more predictable cross rate moves.
Positioning for the Inevitable: Beyond Wednesday’s Noise
Wednesday’s announcement matters for about forty-eight hours. What matters for the next forty-eight weeks is positioning for structural dollar weakness under guaranteed Yellen accommodation. This isn’t about timing perfect entries on Fed day volatility – that’s amateur hour thinking. Professional positioning means building systematic exposure to dollar weakness themes that compound over time.
Commodity currencies benefit from both dollar debasement and global liquidity expansion. Emerging market currencies become viable again when Fed tightening fears disappear. Even beaten-down European currencies find footing when relative monetary policy shifts in their favor. The key is building these positions gradually, not gambling on single-day Fed reactions.
The bigger picture remains unchanged regardless of Wednesday’s market theater. Structural fiscal deficits plus accommodative monetary policy equals systematic currency debasement. Yellen’s appointment removes any lingering doubt about Fed commitment to that path. Trade accordingly, ignore the noise, and focus on the mathematical certainty of where these policies lead. The market will eventually catch up to the obvious – make sure you’re positioned before it does.
Ya I am tired of being patient. I have been squeezing some money out here and there but I want to get on with it. Judging by some of the candles out there I’d say its looking like slight taper announcement….dollar farts around a bit at the previous lows due to longs tiny bit of disappointment, stocks fart around at the highs and then things start to get interesting. I’m not anticipating that much volatility. Judging by the relative positioning of stocks and currencies I’d say the market kind of knows what is up.
OR I am a moron and just used the word fart too much in the previous paragraph. Good luck!
Kong, are you getting hurricane’d?
Hurricane is a bit north of me…and has more or less passed – windy here but nothin big.
Ya tell me about – I’m tired too man – sideways/flat is a bad place to be for any length of time, and this is about the longest , worst , drawn out , POS market I’ve seen in a long time. LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO!
So much indecision, so many questions , so many variables.
As it stands here tonight..this minute…..I expect things sell off “into” and possiblely “past” the Fed speak Wed….but as we’ve discussed here a number of times – the printing presses CANNOT BE SHUT DOWN so…….
As bizarre as it sounds “fundamentally” – the inflation of equities prices may just as well continue until it just can’t go any more.
Where that is? In a market as manipulated as this…..its “where they say it is”.
Glad to hear all is safe.
Ya I think stocks in a month or so, maybe even less, will probably continue their trajectory upward for the exact reasons you just stated. But, we have already seen substantial corrections over the past few years amidst QE. I’m in the correction and then stocks back up camp…probably dollar down depending on other central banks.
Got a letter from my commercial lender today stating that commercial debt to income ratio’s are at 163.4% which is a hair shy of previous levels preceding our lovely recession. So, you would think this will lead to more softening…..and then more easing…rough on the dollar….where do you hide?…Gold again, stocks, bonds blah blah……back to the beginning! haha I need a drink
USD/CAD 4hrs squeeze in the chopping block now… has been running now for some 48hr or so….. we have the 8hr moving into a se-up…… on a shorter TF the 30min is looking like a positive fire for the pair should fire off soon…. should close the GAP left from this morning & then it’s on to the 4hr action….