Most U.S. stock indices were weaker WoW, except for the small/mid cap Russell 2000 which has strung together some amazing gains YtD (+7.9%). Other global equity indices were generally positive. USTs lost ground, and both gold and Bitcoin pushed higher. This all happened in a backdrop in which the U.S. president introduced a series of populist and interventionist proposals that are drifting wider and wider from Republican principals.

Markets largely slid sideways in the usually quiet end of the month of August. There was news though, including the last of Mag 7earnings (NVDA), political turmoil in France, PCE for July, and th usual list of Trump matters.

After drifting lower much of the week, US stocks and bonds got a significant uplift on Friday from Fed Chairman Powell's comments at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium.

Silicon Valley Bank went from fine to dead in less than 48 hours. Why and how? Could it have been prevented? What now?

The Federal Reserve is in the early stages of reducing its balance sheet, or quantitative tightening ("QT").

FOREX is in the news, especially as many think the USD has reached its peak and is at an inflection point. What drives FOREX? Read on.

The decade 2010-20 involved a very hands-on approach by the Fed to steer the US economy out of a deep recession. What lessons can be learnt

It is fashionable to espouse the end of the US dollar as the leading global reserve currency, but this will not occur anytime soon.

The bond market looks to be doing the Fed's dirty work, sending short term yields to post-pandemic highs. Is the Fed being too methodical?