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Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Relationship Between Stocks and Forex

    One issue with using global equity markets to make forex trading decisions is figuring out which leads which. It’s like answering that age-old question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” or “Who’s yo daddy?!” Are the equity markets calling the shots? Or is it the forex market that wears the pants in the relationship? The…

  • Forex and Global Equity Markets

    Did you know that equity markets can also be used to help gauge currency movement? In a way, you can use the equity indices as some kind of a forex crystal ball. Based on what you see on the television, what you hear on the radio, and what you read in the newspaper, it seems that the…

  • How Fixed Income Securities Affect Currency Movements

    A quick recap: So far, we’ve discussed how differences in rates of return can serve as an indicator of currency price movement. As the bond spread or interest rate differential between two economies increases, the currency with the higher bond yield or interest rate generally appreciates against the other. Fixed income securities (including bonds) are investments…

  • How Bond Spreads Between Two Countries Affect Their Exchange Rate

    The bond spread represents the difference between two countries’ bond yields. These differences give rise to carry trade, which we discussed in a previous lesson. By monitoring bond spreads and expectations for interest rate changes, you will have an idea of where currency pairs are headed. Here’s what we mean: As the bond spread between two economies widens, the currency…

  • How Bond Yields Affect Currency Movements

    A bond is an “IOU” issued by an entity when it needs to borrow money. These entities, such as governments, municipalities, or multinational companies, need a lot of funds in order to operate so they often need to borrow from banks or individuals like you. When you own a government bond, in effect, the government has borrowed…

  • The U.S. Dollar And Oil Relationship Is Changing

    Historically, the price of oil is inversely related to the price of the U.S. dollar. The explanation for this relationship is based on two well-known premises. A barrel of oil is priced in U.S. dollars across the world. When the U.S. dollar is strong, you need fewer U.S. dollars to buy a barrel of oil. When the U.S.…

  • How Oil Moves with USD/CAD

    Let’s talk about the other kind of gold… the black one. As you may know, crude oil is often referred to as the “black gold” or as we here at BabyPips.com like to call it, “black crack.” One can live without gold, but if you’re a crack addict, you can’t live without crack. Oil is…

  • How Gold Affects AUD/USD and USD/CHF

    Before we detail the relationship between the comdolls and gold, let’s first note that the U.S. dollar and gold don’t quite mesh very well. Usually, when the dollar moves up, the gold falls and vice-versa. The traditional logic here is that during times of economic unrest, investors tend to dump the greenback in favor of gold. Unlike…

  • The Dollar Smile Theory

    Ever wonder why the U.S. dollar strengthens both in times of tough luck and when the economy is booming like a Taylor Swift single? Currencies tend to fall when their country’s domestic economic outlook worsens, but the U.S. dollar’s unique global role makes it special so when the U.S. economy isn’t doing great, the currency may still…

  • Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index

    The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index (BBDXY) tracks the performance of a basket of 10 global currencies against the U.S. dollar. Its composition is updated annually and represents a diverse set of currencies that are important from a global trade and liquidity perspective. Since other dollar indices (ahem…DXY) do not update their composition and are comprised of only…

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