After years of economic crisis and hyperinflation, it seems that Zimbabwe may finally be taking their first steps toward stabilization.
For more than a decade the African nation has been relying on a multi-currency system that relies heavily on the U.S. dollar. However, in a country of 16 million people, there aren’t always enough dollar bills to go around. Talk about a liquidity issue.
So most Zimbabweans receive their monthly paycheck by electronic transfer to their bank account, which they then need to figure out how to spend in the grocery store.
In 2016 the government issued a new currency called a bond note, the exchange rate of which has been controlled by the government.
In a recent update, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has ditched capital controls and is now allowing bond notes to trade according to the free market.
In a country that has full mobile penetration, it’s really a wonder to me how cryptocurrencies are not playing a larger role.
Hint hint, wink wink, to Dash, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin.
Today’s Highlights
U.S.-China trade deadline: 7 days | Days to Brexit: 35
Crypto Changing Landscape
Ethereum’s Rate of Inflation
Please note: All data, figures & graphs are valid as of February 22nd. All trading carries risk. Only risk capital you can afford to lose.
Traditional Markets
Stocks pulled back a bit yesterday but this morning investors are looking to reverse the losses. We’ve been counting down on geopolitical timers for so long that many market participants are already dreaming of a day when those counters get to zero and all is resolved.
The tricky one remains Brexit. At this point, analysts have identified three possible yet unlikely outcomes.
1. No deal Brexit
2. Theresa May’s deal, or some variation
3. A time extension
Each of the above seems to be extremely unlikely yet we know that one of them has to happen. Should option one materialize, it’s very likely that the British pound will fall, and in the event of option two, the pound should rise.
The pound has been falling pretty steadily since May. Here we can see the GBPJPY kissing her 200-day moving average (blue line).
