Blogs & Comment May 17/2013

Americans are spending, but where’s the money coming from? – Erica Alini

Not saving for a rainy day.

Risk:

LOW

Obama’s decision to extend the Bush tax cuts bodes ill for a strong greenback in the long term. As noted by Camilla Sutton, a Scotia Capital currency strategist, the dollar is likely to resume a depreciatory trend because “its fiscal position is weak and, worse, there is only a limited plan in place to improve it.” That said, there is a good chance the greenback will rise this year due to European debt issues. After all, the euro’s days as a contender for global reserve currency are now on hold at best. And despite America’s spending habits, the greenback is still seen as a safe haven whenever financial crises — including ones caused by Americans — hit because most major countries want to maintain the value of their national reserves, which include dollar-denominated assets. As a result, the risk of a run on America’s currency has declined in recent months.

Blogs & Comment May 15/2013

U.S. shrugging off the sequester? – Erica Alini

Return of the American consumer.

Blogs & Comment Apr 26/2013

So how bad could this U.S. Spring slowdown get?

Four things you should keep an eye on

Blogs & Comment Apr 25/2013

U.S. states have a big revenue volatility problem, too

Alberta and Newfoundland take note.

Blogs & Comment Mar 21/2013

Expect the Fed to keep the pedal to the metal, even if there’s a bubble brewing

As universally expected, the Federal Reserve left things as they were after yesterday’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting: the target for the Fed funds rate stays between 0 and 0.25…

(Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke ponders his next move (Photo: Bloomberg/Getty)

Blogs & Comment Mar 21/2013

News headlines: the U.S. economic indicator you need track next month

The sequester kicks in.

Blogs & Comment Mar 1/2013

As sequester cuts kick in, Washington might reconsider meat cleaver approach

In the end, no one blinked. After two months of partisan bickering in Washington, $85 billion in across-the-board spending, known as the sequester, are set to kick on March 1…