There's Only One Currency That's Still Doing Better Than The Dollar

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With everything getting smashed today, the dollar is on a complete tear against everything.

The commodity currencies (Aussie, Canadian dollar) are getting hit. Gold is getting hiw. The SWISS FRANC is getting hit.

The one currency that keeps chugging away to new highs?

The Japanese yen, the country that the US is currently trying to model itself after.

Here's a look at the dollar vs. the yen going back a little bit. You can see the dollar keeps grinding lower against it.

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AN AMERICAN ABROAD: These Super-American Movies Did Even Better Overseas

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Here's a movie twist no one saw coming.

The summer box-office hit "Captain America: The First Avenger" is doing even better overseas -- despite having overt themes of American patriotism.

Fearing anti-American foreign sentiment, Paramount had pondered marketing the film as just "The First Avenger."

But every foreign distributor -- save for Russia, Ukraine, and South Korea -- went with the original title because of the character's brand-name recognition.

Looks like the studio had nothing to worry about. The word America didn't keep theatergoers away -- and it isn't the first time a stars-and-stripes bonanza has charmed the worldwide box office.

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Perry Tells Time Magazine: "I'll Be Better Every Day"

The Gov is on the cov.

Rick Perry comes out swinging in an exclusive interview in the new issue of Time magazine, which hits newsstands tomorrow. Perry sat down with the magazine's editor, Rick Stengel, and Mark Halperin, its editor at large and senior political analyst; he was photographed for the cover by Platon in a tight close-up.

Portions of the interview are now online, but we've culled a few choice excerpts:

On the Obama administration:

"I still believe they are socialist."

On the "provocative language" of his campaign thus far:

"There may be someone who is an established Republican who circulates in the cocktail circuit that would find some of my rhetoric to be inflammatory or what have you, but I’m really talking to the American citizen out there. I think American citizens are just tired of this political correctness and politicians who are tiptoeing around important issues."

On Social Security:

"I don’t get particularly concerned that I need to back off from my factual statement that Social Security, as it is structured today, is broken. If you want to call it a Ponzi scheme, if you want to say it’s a criminal enterprise, if you just want to say it’s broken –they all get to the same point."

On the prospect of a border fence:

"I do not agree that building a 1,800-mile barrier is thoughtful. It’s an easy answer. I think it’s a cop out for anyone who’s actually been on the border. It’s like building a wall from Bangor, Maine to Miami, Florida."

On how he's faring as a first-time national candidate:

"I suspect I’ll be better everyday."

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MONEY GAME TIP OF THE DAY: Corporate Bonds Can Be Safer And Better Than Sovereigns

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Now that the U.S. has been downgraded by Standard and Poors, are U.S. AAA-rated companies better bets than than U.S. AA plus-rated Treasuries?

There are 70 U.S. companies whose debt is cheaper than U.S. Treasuries Automatic Data Processing, ExxonMobil, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft. So it's reasonable to think that they deserve more of your attention.

FT's Gillian Tett seems to think so, and he gives two simple, specific reasons:

Companies are no subject to whims of political fervor-- which is not always rational per se. Mobility. These companies can move operations ands funds overseas whenever they like.

Part of what this boils down to is that investors need to think of who understands their balance sheets, is more transparent, and is more rational -- AAA-rated American companies, or its AA-rated government?

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Analyst Shares 4 Reasons Why Citigroup Is Better Than Bank of America

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Citigroup(C_) and Bank of America(BAC_) have both been pummeled equally in the stock market in the past month, but analysts say Citigroup is the better opportunity.

Last week, UBS analyst William Tanona said the stock of Citigroup deserved a premium over Bank of America as it faces "less dramatic uncertainties" from large, mortgage-related liabilities and stronger earnings power.

On Wednesday, Glenn Schorr at Nomura released a report, making similar arguments. While the analyst thinks the selloff in both the stocks are overdone, he still prefers Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase(JPM_) over Bank of America. "..given similar valuations, we think Citi is the more attractive opportunity, based on its edge in capital, reserves, exposure to the growth markets and smaller mortgage-related risks. We also see attractive value in JPM at 1.0x tangible book."

Schorr lists four reasons why Citigroup is not Bank of America.

First, Citi is better capitalized. The analyst estimates that Citi's Basel III Tier 1 Common Ratio at the end of the second quarter was at 6.7% versus 5.1% for Bank of America.Citi also has less mortgage-related tail risk. "Citi's mortgage servicing portfolio is about one-quarter the size of Bank of America's, so the headaches surrounding servicing issues are a much smaller thorn in Citi's side. In addition, the two banks' rep and warranty risks are meaningfully different, with Bank of America's outstanding repurchase claims totaling about 11x the amount of Citi's claims pipeline." He also notes that Citi will likely pay less in any State AG foreclosure settlement, given its lower mortgage exposure.Three, Citi has a lower consumer banking presence in the U.S. relative to Bank of America and would be less affected by regulations affecting consumer banking such as new overdraft rules and the Durbin Amendment that restricts fees charged by banks to merchants for debit card transactions.Finally, Citi has greater exposure to faster-growing emerging markets, with 60% of net revenue coming from outside the U.S., compared to 20% in the case of Bank of America. But its exposure to the troubled European nations is not any more than Bank of America.

This post originally appeared on The Street.

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