Global equities are on a tear.

From China to Europe to Latin America, they're outperforming the U.S. so far this year.

However, while they look strong, many key indexes are approaching critical inflection points.

These three charts illustrate exactly where things stand and highlight the potential for what might come next.

If the global growth narrative is going to play out, we need to see these international indexes break higher.

Even more importantly, EEM needs to follow suit.

Under that scenario, I want to be buying a lot of these...

When it comes to Canada, it's not about tariffs or political headlines making the rounds these days.

The real focus is the Canadian Dollar.

With nearly a 10% weighting in the Dollar Index $DXY, CAD is a crucial piece of the broader currency puzzle.

CAD/USD is pressing against a decade-long support zone, hovering around a key level that triggered strong reversals in 2016 and 2020.

What makes this even more significant is CAD’s close correlation with commodities—especially oil and metals—due to Canada’s heavy exposure to natural resources.

Just look at how the Canadian Dollar has historically traded alongside Crude Oil over the past years.

They look almost identical.

They say history doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. If CAD/USD rips higher from here and buyers defend support around 0.68, we can expect energy stocks, metals, and...

We’re at a huge pivot point for the US Dollar. 

It’s in make or break territory—either the dollar cracks here, just like it did after Trump’s last inauguration, or it holds strong and puts pressure on stocks, commodities and the global economy. 

I’m betting the greenback is heading south, and if I’m right, it’ll be a game changer for risk on assets.

Remember what happened to Bitcoin the last time the dollar fell back in 2017?

Historically, a weakening dollar has fueled massive moves across commodities, currencies, cryptocurrencies, and real economy stocks. 

This isn’t just a short term trend—it’s the kind of shift that can set the tone for the next major macro cycle.

The dollar’s next move holds the key to what’s ahead for global markets. 

Thanks for reading.

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Click here for our Weekly Currency Report.

While most uptrends have come under pressure in December, the rally in US Dollars has remained strong.

The US Dollar Index $DXY has been climbing in a near-vertical line since it bottomed at the lower bounds of its range three months ago.

Today, DXY is attempting to break out of a base as it trades at its highest level in over two years.

A decisive breakout in the dollar could shift the tide and put significant pressure on risk assets.

As long as the DXY holds above the critical 107.50 level, stock market bulls are on high alert.

Dollar headwinds are the last obstacle stocks want to face heading into the holidays.

The US Dollar Index $DXY is sitting at the top end of the range it’s been stuck in for the past two years, and the stage is set for a move lower. 

This has significant implications for a variety of asset classes, including precious metals, equities, and Bitcoin, all of which stand to benefit from a weaker dollar environment.

Back in October, Steve highlighted the divergence in the dollar and the potential for a bounce higher. 

In a matter of days, the dollar ripped in a nearly vertical line toward the upper bounds of its range.

Today, the picture is very different than it was back in October. 

With a tough seasonal period setting in, along with resistance overhead and a bearish momentum divergence, our tactical outlook for the dollar is lower from here.

A few weeks ago, the dollar briefly broke out of its...

You're overthinking the whole dollar and oil connection. 

As a trader, I love finding intermarket relationships to guide the way I look at markets. While those links matter, I have to remember that they aren’t set in stone. They change as the world changes. 

War and energy production can really shake up these correlations.

In early 2022, the correlation between the dollar and oil hit a 20-year high.

That year, the Russia-Ukraine war had just begun, and there was a rush into the US dollar. I like to call the dollar a "panic currency" because when things get tough, people flock to it for safety. 

In 2022, the war caused a huge spike in energy prices, and the dollar rose along with it.

Right now, with so much uncertainty in the world—between wars and an unclear future with the election right around the corner—it makes sense that the dollar would move alongside oil. 

But it won’t last forever.

Notice the strong and consistent negative correlation from 2002 until recently.

And then notice how it pinged...

With stock market investors looking every which way at different market-moving headlines today, let's take a step back and talk about what's really important.

We just got monthly candles. It's time to zoom out. 

And when we do, is there a chart more important than the US Dollar Index $DXY right now?

The dollar has had a very strong inverse correlation with stocks and other risk assets for several years now.

Equities have done well for the past two years while the dollar has been rangebound. 

Just imagine how they'll do if DXY breaks down from its current range:

This is the question investors should be asking themselves right now.
 
Instead of worrying about the war in the Middle East or the longshoremen and dockworkers striking…
 
The real question that matters for all our portfolios, not just today but over longer timeframes, is whether DXY digs in at this support level or breaks down.

If it's the former, look for today's corrective action to have some legs.

If it's the latter, we should be buying this dip aggressively.

Last week, we suggested...

The dollar is weaker than you think. 

This is a major development in the forex market. And when we look under the hood, things are even worse than they appear for the greenback.

With more and more global currencies showing relative strength each day, it’s time to take a look at US dollar internals and see what’s moving. 

Relative strength is not just the cheat code for stocks, it also works for the currency market and everything else in between. 

We also learn a lot about the breadth of a given market through analyzing internals. This helps us determine how we want to position ourselves to make money. 

And right now, it looks like we should position ourselves for a lower dollar over longer time frames. 

The following table shows the US dollar is in, or moving toward, a bearish trend regime against most other major currencies.

As you can see, over 60% of currencies are in uptrends against the dollar… and this is now true on every timeframe we analyze. 

This is...

The question we're asking ourselves today is a big one.

Is the US Dollar breaking down from a multi-year consolidation?

With the dollar rangebound all year, we haven’t experienced a trending currency market. 

When the dollar is trending higher or lower, we have a good idea of the impact it is likely to have on other markets.

However, when it is trendless, the dollar is neither a headwind nor a tailwind for risk assets.

We think that could be changing.

Here's a weekly line chart showing the U.S. Dollar Index making new year-to-date lows:

As you can see, the US dollar bears have taken control and resolved this multi-year consolidation to the downside.

Here's another way to look at it.

The index is trading at the lower bounds of a well-tested range. Notice the flat 200-day moving average, illustrating the sideways nature of the primary trend.

And notice momentum, hitting its lowest level...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US Dollar Index $DXY is finishing the day relatively unchanged.

Today’s much anticipated CPI print failed to move the needle for the greenback.

On the flip side, $DXY’s most significant component – the euro – is ripping toward a new year-to-date high.

Check out the EUR/USD pair completing a seven-month bullish reversal pattern, retesting its January high:

The path of least resistance now leads higher.

I like buying the euro against the 1.0958 breakout level, targeting 1.1250. But I'm out if the EUR/USD slips into its prior range.

A pop in the euro tends to weaken DXY since it makes up 56.7% of the index, acting as a bullish catalyst for stocks. 

Yet the dollar continues to hold above last Monday’s low.

Plus, the buck moved in tandem with today's stock market averages – a throwback to early last week when everything plunged hand in hand except the yen and US Treasuries.

Markets continue to digest the recent spike in volatility. I expect a good...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Let everyone grumble over the Japanese yen.

I get it. The yen was cast as the villain decades ago, and something or someone must take the blame for the VIX hitting 65 earlier this week.

While I prefer to point my finger at the preceding low-volatility environment, the November election, and potential rate cuts, the yen certainly played a part. 

But the real question isn’t who, what, when, where, or why. 

Instead, every investor wants to know…Was that it? 

Is the selloff over?

I think the worst is behind us. 

Here’s why…

Check out the USD/JPY chart with a 200-day simple moving average in bright blue (with the percentage above or below the long-term average in the lower pane):

In many ways the yen carry trade is a play on interest rates.

Notice the USD/JPY rocketed higher as the current hiking cycle began, rising with the widening spread between the Japan and US overnight rates. Powell’s war on inflation and Japan’s Yield Curve...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Remember when anything priced in yen was trending higher?

It wasn’t too long ago that if you were looking for an uptrend, all you had to do was throw the yen in the denominator, and voila.

Just last month, the dollar hit a new 34-year high against the yen—levels not seen since the 1980s.

But the tables are turning in favor of the Japanese currency.  

While most central banks are either cutting interest rates or considering future rate cuts, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is hiking—a policy shift that puts a bid beneath the yen…

A couple of months ago, I highlighted buying yen futures above .6500.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve adjusted the entry-level to the former 2022 and 2023 lows at approximately .6625:

The shelf of...