AUD and NZD range trading at best

The AUD and NZD are likely to range trade for the next month, as the focus is on the EUR trade. There is still some play in the Yen, as it falls to the Y83-85 on weaker economic news out of the USA. We are going to see a weaker USD, and that I don't see adding either weakness or strength to the AUD or NZD. I would nevertheless expect a volatile AUD trading between 58c and 70c.

The NZD is likely to trade between 50c and 60c. I don't see any reason for a fall at this point to its historical level of 40c in the short term, though I can see that as a possibility in the longer term. The John Keys government is shaping up as a disappointment. A swear the guy is the illegitimate child of John Howard the way he is running policy at the moment. He must have been stillborn for the last 2 decades because he has learnt nothing, and he is fully against the trend. Counter-cyclical or just stupid? You be the judge.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The USD set to plummet!

The USD is set to plummet against a number of currencies. You might be thus wondering where to place your money. Against the gain currencies I would suggest the EURO offers the better opportunity. Some months ago I forecast the Yen falling to Y85. As you can see that move is almost complete, with the USD currently trading around Y90. At the time I attracted considerable criticism for this forecast. I would however expect the EUR-USD to offer far better trading however in the next 6 months.
The question is - Can we expect the USD to break Y83? I think if this were to occur we could be looking at the end of the USD as the international base currency. The question is - what would replace it? Clearly its not going to be the dysfunctional EUR, the distrusted Yuan, the disenfranchised Yen, and what of the worthless USD? Well, the implication is clear, its the USD or its a new global currency. Is it possible that the US debt profligacy was nothing more than a political statement by the US government. Was the US government thumbing its noses at mercantilist Japan and China and saying, SCREW YOU. By all means hold our USD debts as we are going to dilute the value of them. This is interesting times because we are looking at a global emergency, which can provide the justification for a strong USD (higher interest rates) or a new international currency. I would expect Obama to support higher interest rates in the spirit of former President Clinton. But then maybe he wants to distinguish himself by taken the road rarely taken. The implications for gold and the USD are clear.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

NZD-USD set for rally to 57c

The NZD has fallen to the USD50c support as expected. The current does however remain in a downtrend. There is no hope of a reprieve from commodity prices in the short term, but it is evident from the short term chart that there is scope for a rally to 57c before the currency resumes its downtrend (and short term traders can take profits). If you are buying NZ property, which can be very cheap outside the cities, then I would suggest you take the opportunity to exchange currency on this future weakness. NZ has one of the most flexible foreign investment regulations in the world. There are 3 ways you can make money from property:

1. Capital growth - through market price fluctuations
2. Rental income - long term or holiday rentals, perhaps whilst using it in the off-season
3. Foreign exchange exposure - by trading volatile movements in the NZD
4. Value-add through improvements - whether DIY or outsourced
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com