ALL THINGS BIG AND SMALL 2.0

 Nasi Lemak (Malay translation: Coconut rice) is a popular food in Singapore. My photo shows 2 Fried chicken wings, eggplant with dried shrimp, cabbage, fried egg, chili paste.It's origin is humble - cheap but stomach-filling meal which as recently as 10 years ago, could be bought at Malay coffee stalls for S$1.00. At that time a packet of Nasi Lemak consisted of a small fish fried whole, a slice of cucumber, and a dollop of sweet and spicy chili paste   Since then, it has progressed up the social ranking, devoured by both the rich and poor. And Nasi Lemak can now be served with many types of ingredients. Prices have risen considerably and it now sells for $3.00-$5.00 at the hawker centers. But it's fashionable for the rich to like poor man's food. And so there are now high class nasi Lemak restaurants serving pretty much what you see in my photo. Except that I paid S$5.10 for my plate and they would be paying S$25.00 for their Nasi Lemak at the Coconut Club.

  Next week’s 2,10,30-year Treasury yields may determine whether we will see the straw that will break the camel’s back, the snowflake that will trigger the avalanche, the spark that will set off the powder keg. Refer to image above for my 8 July post for a checklist of what will happen.   This week's models were run against a backdrop of extraordinary macro turbulence compressed into the final two trading sessions of July. On July 29, the Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate at 3.5–3.75% in a divided 9-3 vote — three members dissented in favour of an immediate hike — sending a hawkish signal that drove the 30-year nominal Treasury yield to 5.28%, its highest level in 19 years. The following day, the Japanese Ministry of Finance conducted stealth yen-buying intervention (estimated at $74bn YTD), sending USD/JPY down almost 3% to 158 before a partial recovery. The combined effect: the DXY briefly fell below 100 — its lowest since mid-June — while nominal Treasury yields...