Jun 18, 2015 11:41 am UTC| Commentary
In stark contrast to Germany, the US agricultural sector is battling with heavy rainfall. Although wind speeds fall quickly once a storm has made landfall and now total only between 40 km/h and 60 km/h, the tropical storm...
DRV expects drought-related crop losses for wheat and rapeseed in Germany
Jun 18, 2015 11:33 am UTC| Commentary
The latest forecasts of the German Farmers Cooperative (DRV) confirm the negative impact that the ongoing dry conditions in most parts of Germany are having on the wheat and rapeseed crops.The wheat crop could decrease by...
Rise in euro money market rate expectations difficult to square
Jun 18, 2015 11:30 am UTC| Commentary
Since a rout took hold in eurozone bond markets, expectations of future money market rates have also moved higher, albeit of course in a much less dramatic fashion. Nevertheless, steepening of money market curves is...
Weak US dollar prompts gold to rise to almost $1,200 per troy ounce
Jun 18, 2015 11:17 am UTC| Commentary
Gold rates rose overnight to nearly $1,200 per troy ounce due to weak US dollar. In euro terms, the yellow precious metal is failing to profit because of the depreciating US currency and actually fell for a time to a good...
US's long-awaited acceleration of wages
Jun 18, 2015 10:53 am UTC| Commentary
The labour market is the key to the US economy. Full employment is not only one of the statutory objectives of US monetary policy (along with price stability), its statistical base provides insights into the tendencies for...
Record-high Iraqi oil exports in June
Jun 18, 2015 10:23 am UTC| Commentary
Oil prices closed virtually unchanged yesterday after a highly volatile day of trading. Brent initially climbed to $65.5 per barrel, then slumped to $62.6 but recovered to just shy of $64 per barrel again in the...
Jun 18, 2015 10:08 am UTC| Commentary
CPI is falling, import prices have collapsed, growth in Switzerland has eased notably.The Swiss National Bank (SNB) should not seem surprised by any of this in its quarterly Monetary Policy Assessment today. It was no...