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On Tuesday, the demand for the pound was significantly higher than that for the euro. As soon as this happened, many analysts began to pay attention to the report on prices in UK stores, as shop price inflation accelerated to 9% this month. This indicates that UK inflation is decreasing slowly or not decreasing at all, despite the benchmark interest rate being raised to 4.5%.   The consensus forecast for the Bank of England's rate currently suggests two more quarter point rate hikes in June and August.   This would bring the rate to 5%. Any further tightening without alternatives would push the British economy into a recession, and even the current rate could potentially cause it, despite the BoE's optimistic forecasts. But how can inflation be combated if it hardly responds to the actions of the central bank?     I believe there can only be one disheartening answer: it cannot. If further rate hikes lead to a recession, the Brits, clearly dissatisfied with recent events within the country, may start a new wave of mass strikes. Take note that in the past year, many Brits have openly criticized the British government for the sharp decline in real incomes and high inflation.   If the rate increases further, the economy will contract, leading to an increase in unemployment. If the rate is kept as it is, it might take years for inflation to return to the target level. The BoE is in a deadlock. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey expects inflation to start decreasing rapidly from April. He noted the decline in energy prices, which will somewhat dampen inflationary pressure on all categories of goods and services. However, the April inflation report was unusually contradictory. While headline inflation showed a significant slowdown, core inflation continues to rise.   Therefore, it is not possible to conclude that inflation is slowing down in the general sense. We can only wait and observe. If Bailey turns out to be right, then the BoE will not need to raise the rate to 5.5% or 6%, which currently seems like a fantasy.   However, if inflation continues to hover around 10%, the BoE will need to devise new measures to address it without exerting serious pressure on the economy. It might require patience for several years. It is entirely unclear which option the central bank will choose.   The demand for the British pound may increase as market expectations of a hawkish stance grow. But will these expectations be justified? The pound may rise based on this, but fall even harder when it becomes clear that the BoE is not ready to raise the rate above 5%. I believe that wave analysis should be the primary tool for forecasting at the moment.     Based on the analysis conducted, I conclude that the uptrend phase has ended. Therefore, I would recommend selling at this point, as the instrument has enough room to fall. I believe that targets around 1.0500-1.0600 are quite realistic.   A corrective wave may start from the 1.0678 level, so you can consider short positions if the pair surpasses this level. The wave pattern of the GBP/USD pair has long indicated the formation of a new downtrend wave. Wave b could be very deep, as all waves have recently been equal.   A successful attempt to break through 1.2445, which equates to 100.0% Fibonacci, indicates that the market is ready to sell. I recommend selling the pound with targets around 23 and 22 figures. But most likely, the decline will be stronger.    

In the wake of the recent Federal Reserve (Fed) decision and its implications for the financial markets, we reached out to experts, analysts, and economists from HF markets to gain their insights on the current situation. Our focus revolves around two key areas: the Fed's decision and its impact on the gold market. With these topics in mind, we explore the potential outlook for gold prices in the coming weeks and discuss the market's response to the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) decision.   Gold Market Analysis When considering the trajectory of gold prices in the near future, experts express skepticism regarding the likelihood of reaching a new all-time high for XAU. While certain central banks, including Turkey, China, and India (which added 2 tonnes to its reserves in May), have increased their gold purchases to diversify their reserves away from the US dollar, investors, speculators, and hedge funds focus on other factors. Notably, gold is currently trading at a premium compared to its valuation against the US 10-year real interest rate. Recent price movements indicate a potential further decline, with a possible target range of $1860 or even lower to $1785. FXMAG.COM: Could you give as your point of view about how the gold prices would behave in next weeks? Is there a chance that there will be new ATH? Marco Turatti – HFM Market Analyst: It seems unlikely that we will see a new all-time high for XAU soon. Its price has so far been supported by increased purchases by certain central banks, such as Turkey, China and others (India added 2 tonnes to its reserves in May). The aim is to differentiate its reserves from the USD.  But investors, speculators and hedge funds look at other fundamentals and gold is very expensive compared to where it should trade against, for example, the US 10-year real interest rate. Just today it broke $1940, and could continue to the $1860 zone, if not lower to $1785.    Fed's Decision and Market Reaction Regarding the FOMC decision, experts highlight the surprise factor. Many anticipated that the Fed would approach the peak and initiate rate cuts in the coming months. However, the Fed's stance indicates that the official rate could reach 5.75% in 2023, with Chairman Jerome Powell stating that no cuts are expected for approximately two years. This stands in contrast to the Dot Plot projections. The Fed also expressed optimism regarding the new growth and job outlook.     FXMAG.COM: Could you please comment on the FOMC decision? Marco Turatti – HFM Market Analyst: The Fed really surprised: a lot of people thought we were close to the peak and ready to cut rates this year, but this is not the case. The official rate will probably reach 5.75% in 2023 and Jerome Powell says there will be no cuts for about 2 years (which is different from what the Dot Plot says).  They were also quite optimistic about the new growth/jobs outlook. The market didn't really go anywhere: yes, there was a lot of up and down movement in both indices and the USD, but at the end the day it ended with the US500 flat and the USDIndex having recovered 103.  Now there will be time in the coming hours to better process the central bank's message. Today (15/06) we are seeing declines in the stock market futures and this makes sense for equities (also given the emphasis on labour market monitoring, the Fed wants it weaker).  One direct and clear reaction we are noticing, however, has obviously been the rise in rates along the whole curve, which is weighing on gold.

Analysts at Freedom Finance Europe have highlighted several companies that investors should look out for in the second half of this year. One of them is Amazon (AMZN), which continues to grow revenues in key segments. "The company has too many positive catalysts to ignore, and the recent weakness provides an opportunity to enter into an attractive asset", says the speaker. In addition, despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, AMZN's revenues in the latest quarter exceeded the forecast range to $127.4 billion and operating profit was $4.8 billion. These results are due to growth in e-commerce. North American region, for example, saw double-digit sales increases and a return to profitability, while the international segment also saw strong growth. On top of that, company's cloud business revenues, Amazon Web Services were up 16% year-on-year.  "Management forecasts sales growth of 10%, to $133 billion in the next quarter, with operating profit expected to remain stable, at between $2 billion and $5.5 billion. These results and forecasts look quite compelling. The company has also built an unrivalled logistics network for parcel delivery, sometimes with same-day delivery", said the speaker. These factors take Amazon’s potential to a maximum target price of $220.  Next up is the well-known coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX). As the speaker explained, the company is considered an attractive and long-term investment due to its commitment to shareholder value, revenue growth and higher earnings per stock. SBUX had a solid quarter. In Q2 2023, Starbucks had revenue of $8.7 billion, up 14% year-on-year. EPS increased by 36% compared to the same period in 2022. Even more impressively, Starbucks quarterly sales and EPS were 38% and 49% higher than the same period in 2019 (before the pandemic). The company also has a rewards programme that rewards customers for repeat purchases. For example, there are currently 30.8 million active loyalty programme members in the US. That's an increase of 15% over last year.   "Coffee is an integral part of society and it is hard to imagine a scenario where Starbucks ever disappears. The company has almost 37,000 shops and the goal is to have 55,000 outlets worldwide by 2030", the speaker added. The fundamental potential for an average target price is at $114. Another company that may be worth taking a closer look at is Booking Holdings (BKNG), which operates in the online travel industry. In particular, it offers services through its Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com and OpenTable brands. Data from the Economist Intelligence Unit shows that the segment is expected to grow by 30% in 2023 as the number of Chinese tourists abroad may increase. "In previous years, the 'zero COVID' policy has held back tourism from China, which has recently been a major source of growth. As the situation changes this year, Booking Holdings could benefit from this. In addition, the number of trips remains below 2019 levels, which leaves room for growth and continues a solid recovery", explained the speaker. BKNG's revenue increased by $4 billion in the last quarter, and it continues to benefit from a network advantage that has allowed it to maintain its agency model rather than move to a vendor model where the online travel agency would be responsible for paying the fees. Fundamental potential for an average target price of $2800.  

ING’s July Monthly: The economic twilight zone. Following an action-packed first half of the year, the remainder of 2023 will see a further weakening of the global economy, a rapid fall in headline inflation, and a dearth of central bank rate cuts.   Executive summary For the global economy, the first half of the year was packed with enough action for an entire year. An energy crisis in Europe that was avoided thanks to a mild winter and fiscal stimulus. A reopening of China that is more sluggish and wobblier than hoped for. A banking crisis in the US and Switzerland which hasn’t ended in a global financial crisis as feared. Unprecedented central bank tightening and gradually retreating inflation, with the latter not necessarily the result of the former. Against this backdrop, the age-old question of whether the glass is half-empty or half-full comes to mind. Should we cherish the current resilience of many economies and the financial system as things could have become much worse? Or should we moan about the missed opportunities, lacklustre growth and a still very long list of potential risks? As is so often the case, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Looking ahead, the risk for every forecaster is the temptation to spread optimism and predict an upturn of almost everything towards the end of the year (or the end of the forecast horizon as many traditional macro models do). We are more cautious. The fact that things didn’t get as bad as feared does not automatically lead to a return of optimism or a surge of economic activity. We have three major calls for the remainder of the year: Further weakening and not strengthening of the global economy. Headline inflation will retreat faster than central banks currently think. Rate cuts are a 2024 but not a 2023 story. Catch all of the details from our global team of economists and analysts in our latest Monthly Economic Update for an insight into what could be next for the global economy over the second half of the year.  

Soft US CPI is not enough.    The US dollar extended losses after breaking a long-term ascending channel base yesterday. The British pound rallied on yet another stronger than expected wages growth data released yesterday morning. Average weekly earnings excluding bonuses increased 7.3% in the three months to May. And although the unemployment rate ticked up to 4%, it was because more Brits started looking for jobs, and not because people lost the jobs they had.   But don't be jealous of Brits that get such a good jump in their pay because UK inflation is still too hot. The average mortgage rate rose to 6.6%, the highest since 2008, inflation in Britain is sitting at 8.7%, and according to truflation, prices grow at a speed that's faster than 11%. The thing is, the robust wages growth partly explains why the Bank of England (BoE) is having so much pain fighting inflation, and that's why yesterday's data fueled the expectation of another 50bp hike from the BoE at its next meeting. The BoE's policy rate is seen peaking at the 6.5/7% range by the Q1 of next year as predicted by many analysts. Cable hit 1.2970 level, the highest since last April, but whether this really could continue will depend on 1. where the US dollar will be headed after today's CPI data in the short run, and 2. where the UK economy is headed if the BoE hikes rates to 6.5/7% range in the long run. Because the BoE hikes will continue pressuring the British housing market, and growth, and that could limit Cable's topside potential following a kneejerk positive reaction.     Lower US CPI won't be enough to soften the Fed hawks' hand.  The consumer price index in the US is expected to have fallen to 3.1% from 4% printed a month earlier. But unfortunately, it won't be enough to prevent the Fed from further rate hikes, because the further fall in headline inflation to 3% is due to a favourable base effect on energy prices, while core inflation is expected to remain sticky at around the 5% mark - still more than twice the Federal Reserve's (Fed) 2% policy target.   Plus, the rebound in oil prices hints that the risk of an uptick in headline inflation is building stronger for the coming months. The barrel of American crude rallied past the 100-DMA yesterday and is flirting with the $75pb level this morning. Trend and momentum indicators remain positive, and we are not in overbought territory just yet, meaning that this rally could further develop. The next natural target for the oil bulls stands at the 200-DMA, at $77pb level. In percentage terms, we are talking about a 12% rally since the start of the month, and the rebound is a response to the further production restriction from Riyadh and Moscow that are determined to push oil prices to at least $80pb level, and also Beijing's stepping up efforts to boost the Chinese economy by fresh monetary and fiscal stimulus.   But despite the lower OPEC supply and news of fresh monetary and fiscal stimulus from China, US crude should see a solid resistance into $77/80 range as, yes, in one hand, OPEC+ is cutting supply to boost prices, and their supply cuts will dampen the global oil glut in H2 - even more so if China finally achieves a healthier recovery. But on the other hand, the Chinese recovery is not a won game just yet, while increased oil output outside the cartel helps keeping price pressure contained. American crude production is on track for a record year this year, and half of the new crude is coming from the US where companies like Devon Energy that deliver strong output thanks to improved efficiencies.     RBNZ stays pat, BoC to deliver a final 25bp hike  The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept its policy rate unchanged at 5.5%. Later today, the Bank of Canada (BoC) is expected to announce a final 25bp hike in this tightening cycle. The Fed however is seen hiking two more times as the strength of the US jobs data, combined with solid economic data, and little pain on US housing market thanks to life-long mortgages.   Therefore, it's interesting that the US dollar depreciates while there is nothing that hints at softening in the Fed's hawkish policy stance. That, and the fact that we will soon be flirting with oversold market conditions in the US dollar hint at a rebound in the greenback, if backed with robust core inflation and strong economic data.     By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank  

The demand for the US currency is falling almost every day, based on which many analysts and economists make various guesses and assumptions about the possible reasons. I must say that personally, it makes me cautious. If the problem lies in inflation or monetary policy, then why did we see such a sharp decline in demand for the US currency just last week? If the market factors in certain future events into current prices, then why did the dollar experience such a significant decline this week?     The US inflation report only partially answers this question. As I mentioned before, the demand for the dollar began to decline on Monday, two days before the report was released, and continued to fall on Thursday. On Friday, we didn't even see a bearish correction. Thus, inflation could only have had a slight impact on the overall weakening of the US currency.   A more likely reason is market expectations. If inflation in the US falls to 3%, it not only implies a possible end to tightening measures as early as this month but also a faster transition to a more accommodative policy. At the same time, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England may raise rates several more times and maintain them at peak levels much longer than the Federal Reserve, as inflation is significantly higher in the eurozone and the UK. Perhaps this factor is what is causing the dollar's decline. But then another question remains open. How much does the market intend to play out this factor? It is unlikely that the demand for the US currency will decline until inflation in the EU and the UK drops to 3%. I would like to remind you that the US currency has been declining for almost a year.   If inflation had been rising in the EU and Britain throughout this year while falling in the US, it would have made sense. However, the Federal Reserve raised rates just like the ECB and the Bank of England, while inflation has been slowing down worldwide over the past six months. I mean to say that the dollar may be in a less favorable position compared to the euro or the pound, but not to the extent that it is declining. It seems to me that the market, as it loves to do, is preemptively playing out its assumptions.   This means that we can expect new difficulties in interpreting the news background in the future. When the FOMC starts lowering rates, thedollar may unexpectedly begin to rise, as by that time, the ECB and the BoE may have finished tightening. The dollar cannot keep falling in response to any actions by central banks!         Based on the analysis conducted, I conclude that the uptrend build-up is still in progress, but it can end at any moment. I believe that targets around 1.0500-1.0600 are quite realistic, and I advise selling the instrument with these targets. However, now we need to wait for the completion of the a-b-c structure, and afterwards we can expect the pair to fall into this area. Buying is quite risky. It is risky to buy. The euro takes any opportunity to rise, but the news background for the dollar is not as weak as it may seem.   The wave pattern of the GBP/USD pair suggests the formation of an upward set of waves. However, the wave structure has already taken on a five-wave appearance, which means it may be completed. If the attempt to break the level of 1.3084 (from top to bottom) proves unsuccessful, the instrument may continue to rise with targets located around 1.3478 (261.8% Fibonacci extension). A successful breakthrough attempt will initiate a more expected and logical process of building a descending Wave 4 or a new downward segment of the trend with initial targets around the 1.2840 level.    

In the FX   The US dollar index consolidates at the lowest levels since April 2022, as the oversold market conditions certainly encourage short-term traders to pause and take a breather. Also helping are some dovish comments from European Central Bank's (ECB) Knot yesterday, who said that monetary tightening beyond next week's meeting is not guaranteed, while at least two 25bp hikes were seen as almost a done deal by markets until yesterday. Ignazio Visco also hinted that inflation could ease more quickly than the ECB's latest projections. So the comments sent the German 2-year yield to a 3-week low. The EURUSD bounced lower after hitting 1.1275, and rising dovish voiced from the ECB could keep the EURUSD within the 1.10/1.12 range into the next policy decision.   Across the Channel, inflation numbers freshly came in this morning, revealing that inflation in Britain eased to 7.9% in June versus 8.2% expected by analysts and 8.7% printed a month earlier. Core inflation on the other hand fell below the 7% mark last month. Cable slipped below 1.30 as a kneejerk reaction as softer inflation tempered Bank of England (BoE) hawks. But even with a softer-than-expected figure, inflation in Britain remains high and stickier than in other Western economies, and that keeps odds for further BoE action sensibly more hawkish than for other major central banks. The BoE raised its policy rate to 5% at its latest meeting, and is expected to continue toward 6.5 to 7% range in the next few months. If inflation slows, the peak rate will be pulled to 6-6.5% range, but not lower. And rising rates, that weigh on mortgages in Britain where Brits must renew mortgages every 2-5 years, pressure housing market and fuels the worst living crisis in decades, combined with political shakes into next year's elections are all factors that could stall the rally in sterling against major peers. Cable benefited from a broad-based weakness in the US dollar since last September dip, but gaining field above the 1.30 mark could prove difficult.    

Analysts are betting Sunrun to return to high growth This year has been a disaster for renewable energy stocks, as we have written about multiple times, and recently the collapse in Orsted shares has put questions around the viability of offshore wind power amid high material costs and high interest rates. Despite a negative narrative in financial markets the with a jump by a third in 2023 compared to last year making it the largest absolute increase ever at 440 GW taking the total installed capacity of renewable electricity production to 4,500 GW (equal to the total power output of China). Two thirds of the increase in capacity this year is coming from solar. It looks increasingly like solar will be the dominant renewable energy source in the future. Sunrun is the leading US home solar panel and battery storage company which has grown from a $859mn revenue business in 2019 to estimated $2.35bn in 2023. The company is still not profitable with an expected negative EBITDA of $263mn in 2023. From high growth rates during the pandemic (75% in 2021) revenue growth has slowed to just 1% in 2023 and the debt has ballooned to around $11.5bn. As a result, the default probability has risen dramatically since 2020 with Bloomberg’s default model score sitting just one notch above default. Sunrun shares are down 44% this year and the company has to quickly prove a path to profitability to avoid a potential restructure. The residential solar market is tough in the US with financing rates at much higher levels compared to the high growth years of 2020 and 2021. On a positive note, Sunrun is growing faster than its peers and its virtual power plant strategy is beginning to bear fruit compared with good uptake in its battery business. Sunrun expects to generate $200-500mn y/y cash generation over the coming quarters and has said that it needs no recourse financing. The investment thesis relies heavily on the path to positive cash generation and revenue growth rates hitting 15% in 2025.      

Adyen has put Block and the entire payments industry into trouble The payments industry was one of the big winning themes of the pandemic and growth looked sure for decades to come inflating valuations to insane levels in late 2021. Since then, as a function of lower growth and higher interest rates, valuations have come down hard. Investors have gone from valuing Block at 5.6x enterprise value to sales in 2019 to 1.6x in 2023 reflecting lower expectations for growth but also operating margin as the industry has matured and technology advantages have converged among industry players. Adyen latest big miss on volume and operating margin was a big hit to the industry and has raised questions about whether payment companies outside American Express, Mastercard and Visa will ever be as profitable as the big three. Block, formerly Square, generated revenue of $19.7bn in the last 12 months with EBITDA of $225mn (1.1% operating margin) and thus it is quite clear that investors want to see the operating margin expand. The industry narrative has changed to that of profitability instead of high revenue growth at all costs. Analysts remain bullish on Block with an upside of 55% to their price target. Nvidia remains center of attention for analysts and investors The AI hype and outrageous growth that Nvidia is experiencing have caught everyone’s attention in equity markets this year. 12-month forward revenue estimates are up 42% over the past three months which is something we have never observed before for a $1.1trn market value company. Not only is Nvidia growing fast it is also highly profitable (33% operating margin and expanding). Analysts are also maintaining their positive outlook with a price target 43% above the current price despite the strong performance already this year. As we have noted in a recent equity note, the key risk for Nvidia shareholders is that the huge demand increase is driven a lot by the long tail of VC-backed AI startups that have gone all in on the gold rush. For Nvidia’s growth to continue over the coming year it is important that this gold rush into AI turns into commercial ideas that can be monetized on a grand scale. Adobe earnings Thursday after the US market close might give a clue of whether this is possible.