Forex Gump

Looks like the economic horizon isn’t looking too sunny for the US. Based on the recent report from the Conference Board, consumer sentiment unexpectedly fell to its 10-month low of 46.0 this month. Where did this wave of pessimism come from?

Two Japanese samurais, I mean officials, Finance Minister Naoto Kan and the Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa were seen taunting each other yesterday, throwing verbal jabs and ninja stars!

Last week, the US Federal Reserve dropped a bombshell on the markets by deciding to implement a discount rate hike, the first one since June 2006. Is this the end of the Fed’s aggressive monetary easing policies?

Hiding under the shadow of Greece’s infamous debt situation is Italy, another contender set to pull the rug from beneath the euro zone. Let’s look at Greece’s and Italy’s stats, shall we?

After nights and nights of reading up on economic reports, I have come to the conclusion that I hate the pound. Okay, okay, so I might be exaggerating a little but I think these are important things that every trader should know.

Lost in all the preparation for the Chinese New Year was news that the People’s Bank of China raised its reserve requirement for the second time this year. It’s time for an update on what’s happening in the Far East!

Earlier today, Japan released very… well, confusing GDP figures. It revealed that, while the economy grew 1.1% during the final quarter of 2009, the country’s expansion between August and October was revised to show no growth from 1.2%.

Yesterday, a downcast King admitted that the United Kingdom’s economic recovery will take longer and tougher than he hoped. The BOE hinted that they could end up singing “Hello, Goodbye” to economic expansion.

Brrrr! Looks like it was a very cold winter in Germany as experts predict that its GDP grew by a measly 0.1%. With the prospect of euro zone’s biggest economy freezing, what could this mean for euro zone as a whole?

Risk aversion has been on a roll lately, causing higher-yielding currencies to bow down to the safe-havens. The culprit? All fingers point to Greece. Here’s an update on the current Greek debt situation.