Hi Everybody,
Of all the big brand names that have reinvented themselves in the last few years, perhaps the most successful has not been a company at all but a pop singer.
According to an article in Forbes magazine, there’s a lot we can learn from Taylor Swift’s groundbreaking release of her new hit single Look What You Made Me Do
Though the music is not my favorite, you can’t help but admire the way Swift handles everything from the Music to Social Media, and right down to the way her CDs (apparently people are still using them) are distributed.
Every leader in business should read the above-linked article and take a few lessons from the pop diva.
@MatiGreenspan
eToro, Senior Market Analyst
Today’s Highlights
- Fed in Focus
- Carney at the IMF
- What will happen to crypto in China
Please note: All data, figures & graphs are valid as of September 18th. All trading carries risk. Only risk capital you can afford to lose.
Market Overview
As the missiles fly towards Japan and the Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un vows to reduce the United States to ashes and darkness, CNN gets an excellent glimpse into the minds of the citizens of the DPRK.
When you have a moment, check out: Secret State
Understanding the conflict of North Korea might be able to give us a good insight into what’s taking place in the global markets and how to position yourself.
Of course, understanding what’s happening with the US Dollar will give us a better insight. This morning, the markets are all googly eyed about the upcoming FOMC meeting on Wednesday that will likely decide the fate of the greenback and could determine its course going forward.
The US Dollar has been losing against all the major currencies big league for the past few months. Here we can see the relative performance since the beginning of the year.
The FOMC has the power to reverse this trend or to plunge the Dollar further. The Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s time as the head may be coming to a close in February, possibly depending on what she does this week.
More Immediately
As we’ve discussed at length in previous updates, the central banks are the ones who control the markets. Since 2009 they have been the biggest buyers of bonds, ETFs and other financial assets and their appetite is one of the only things that determine the direction of stocks, commodities, and currencies.
Today we’ll hear from the Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney who will be addressing the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC. Mark is generally considered a leader of central bankers and what he says can actually influence other countries as well.
Carney moved the British Pound last week and pushed it to the highest level since the night of the Brexit Referendum. Today’s speech is expected to be more global in focus and could give us a clue as to what strategy all of the central banks may adopt going forward.
China Ban Hammer
More cryptocurrency exchanges closed down in China. It’s been a steady decline since the People’s Bank decided to ban all ICOs. They never expressly came out and ruled that all cryptocurrencies should cease. However, by the fact that many exchanges are voluntarily closing their doors we can probably deduce that the Chinese government had some part in these decisions.
The feeling from Chinese Crypto Enthusiasts is that the government may be able to wound Bitcoin but does not have the power to kill it. Bitcoins can easily be bought in Hong Kong, and even more easily in Japan. Two countries that Chinese citizens visit often. So what’s to stop people from bringing them back and trading them peer to peer?
The Crypto Market is on a rampage this morning as it seeks to regain the losses from the past two weeks.
Bitcoin itself spent about 20 minutes below $3000 a coin on Friday but today is testing the $4000 level. Other cryptocurrencies are moving even faster than that with Ethereum and Litecoin gaining 18% and 13% respectively over the last 24 hours.
Let’s have an amazing week ahead!
