Newspaper icon
The latest issue of Financial Standard now available as an e-newspaper
READ NOW

General

Oil slip

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 8 DEC 2015
Would the removal of OPEC's production ceiling also take away the floor from the price of oil? The equilibrium price of crude - or any commodity for that matter - after all, is driven by the fundamental law of supply and demand.

US Fed cleared for lift-off

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 7 DEC 2015
As fate or coincidence would have it, 16 December marks the beginning and now the coming end of the US Federal Reserve's near zero interest rate policy - precisely seven years.

Did ECB under-deliver or markets over-expect?

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 4 DEC 2015
Just imagine a world where central bank actions are dictated by their whims and tantrums and not the other way around.

Fairy tales may come true

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 3 DEC 2015
Did I just type stupid? Oh yeah, the same ones who day in day out, month in month out, quarter in quarter out, warn about the coming Australian recession.

ASX jumps "despite" naughty news

BENJAMIN ONG  |  WEDNESDAY, 2 DEC 2015
The S&P/ASX 200 index started the day strong and finished stronger - up 1.9% from its 30 November close. So did the All Ordinaries index - up 1.8%.

And then there's gonna be five

BENJAMIN ONG  |  TUESDAY, 1 DEC 2015
China may well let "market forces" dictate the yuan's exchange rate... but only if it's consistent with the Politburo's diktat.

Swiss franc surprise

BENJAMIN ONG  |  MONDAY, 30 NOV 2015
Speculations are that the Swiss National Bank (SNB) could follow up its recent verbal interventions with actual ones ahead of the near certainty that the European Central Bank (ECB) would boost its stimulus programme come 3 December.

December moves

BENJAMIN ONG  |  FRIDAY, 27 NOV 2015
The Japanese central bank had been expected to expand its QQE measures as early last month. It hasn't.

Chill

BENJAMIN ONG  |  THURSDAY, 26 NOV 2015
Despite the gloomy domestic headlines, indications from which the RBA is directly in charge of - employment and inflation - are not on red alert levels.

Road of no return

BENJAMIN ONG  |  WEDNESDAY, 25 NOV 2015
Wouldn't "the Committee's credibility" be shot if it goes ahead in December and it later turns out to be a policy mistake?