Jack Crooks



My Easy Guide to Understanding Currency Pairs

By Sean Hyman

All currency pairs are listed exactly the same way. For example, if you want to trade the U.S. dollar vs. the euro, you always use the EUR/USD symbol, whether you’re betting on the dollar or the euro.

There are a couple of important factors that helped to determine the order for each currency pair.

Let’s start with the pound.

The Final Crisis Currency to Buy on the Cheap While Credit Markets Are Still Clogged

By Chuck Butler

As I said, until these credit markets unlock, the markets will focus on the crisis and not the awful fundamentals in the U.S. economy. These awful fundamentals need to rise to the top again for risk takers to return to the markets.

Until we get risk takers back again, the dollar will continue to put all currencies and commodities like gold in a corner.

But that also means that right now is the best time to buy gold ahead of the next recovery. Buy cheap now, and hold it until Paulson and his boys can get credit moving again.

The Ultimate Crisis Currency to Own As Bailouts Continue

By Chuck Butler

As I said above, most of the major currencies got whacked yesterday. But not Japanese yen! When things get really dark in the U.S., that's when the dollar and Japanese yen shine.

To me, that is still a strange phenomenon. The dollar can be strong vs. almost every currency on the face of the earth, but losing ground to yen. You would think that the other currencies would get some love just based on the dollar / yen cross!

The Next “Crisis Savvy” Currency to Own Through this Market Massacre

By Chuck Butler

Hidden conspiracies, liquidity-starved central banks, another bailout for Fannie Mae, and now even American Express wants a piece of that US$700 billion bailout (hence their new “banking” status)…

Shoot, I know I’m ready for a little good news. How about you?

Well, that’s the nice thing about trading currencies. There’s always a profit story hiding somewhere, even in a disastrous market like this. Yesterday, I gave you the low-down on one my favorite currencies to own ahead of the market recovery: The Norwegian krone.

My News of the Weird: Fed Hires Chief Risk Officer for Bear Stearns

By Chuck Butler

We used to have a local newspaper that carried a weekly article called, "news of the weird." As you can imagine the articles would be quite entertaining. The reason I bring this up, is, I was reading an article on Friday, and it reminded me of "news of the weird."

Here goes…Michael Alix, formerly chief risk officer at Bear Stearns from 2006 until its demise in March, was named senior vice president in the Bank Supervision Group of the New York Fed on Oct. 31.

Policies Aside, President Obama Will Start with a Natural Edge

By Sean Hyman

If the current recession started in March roughly, we should be pulling out of this in the stock market next year in the first two quarters. As this happens, carry trading should start coming back.

Know what this means? When President Obama takes over the White House in January, he’ll have a natural advantage. Just as he’s starting his presidency, the natural course of the business cycle will pick up and businesses will flourish again.

Could Rate Cuts Actually Help a Currency?

By Chuck Butler

There are two camps screaming their theories about today’s rate cuts in the U.K. and Eurozone. In one camp we have the old stick in the mud, "a rate cut debases the currency" crowd. (By the way, I’m on board with that crowd about 90% of the time.)

In the other camp we have the risk-taking "a rate cut will allow the Eurozone to shorten the recession and will be good for the euro" crowd.

Lower, Hike, Peg, De-Peg! What is Iceland Doing?!

By Sean Hyman

Iceland has weathered the worst of this credit crunch storm. Recently, three of Iceland’s biggest banks failed. The Iceland financial regulator had to take them over because the banks couldn’t secure the short-term funding they needed to stay open.

The recent mayhem has sent Iceland central bank scratching for anything they can. They’ve thrown just about everything at this problem in two weeks time. They’ve tried to peg their currency from free floating.

Why a Dollar Correction? Why Now?

By John Ross Crooks III

Since July, a few days of indecision strung together have been the only reprieve from this powerful U.S. dollar rally. So what’s going on today that might signal the start of something bigger?

No Commissions, No Currency Restrictions – Forex Traders Come Aboard!

By Sean Hyman

The spot Forex market does have a few advantages over options trading.