fixed income

Historical tightly inverse correlation between gold (XAU/USD) and US Treasury 10-year real yield (TIPS) has started to wane in the past four weeks. An uptick in geopolitical risk may be the factor that is supporting a resilient movement in gold despite higher 10-year TIPS. Watch the US$1,940 key intermediate resistance on gold (XAU/USD) for a potential bullish breakout. In the past week, a higher momentum movement is seen in longer-term sovereign yields over their shorter-term durations where the US Treasury 10-year yield recorded a weekly gain of 23 basis points (bps) over a meager return of + 5 bps seen on the US Treasury 2-year yield. If we stripped out inflation expectations, the US Treasury 10-year real yield, derived from the 10-year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) yield has a higher momentum intensity over the US Treasury 10-year nominal yield.     US Treasury 10-year real yield has broken above its Oct 2022 major swing high     Fig 1: US Treasury 10-year real & nominal yields major trends of 11 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) Based on last Friday, 7 July closing prices, the US Treasury 10-year real yield increased to 1.79% and broke above its prior October 2022 key major swing high of 1.69% while the 10-year nominal yield rose to 4.07% but still below its October 2022 key major swing high of 4.22%. Thus, given the higher positive momentum factor seen in the longer-term real risk-free interest rate; US Treasury 10-year real yield, the opportunity costs of holding other long-duration riskier assets in fixed income and equities have increased which reinforced their weak performances seen last week; iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (-2.40%), iShares High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (-1.63%), and iShares PHLX Semiconductor ETF (-2.54%). Interestingly, another “competing” asset, gold priced in US dollars (XAU/USD) did not record a similar magnitude of loss last week. In contrast, spot gold (XAU/USD) recorded a gain of +0.31% for the week ending 7 July.   The prior high degree of inverse correlation between gold and 10-year TIPS has waned   Fig 2: US Treasury 10-year real yield correlation trend with Gold (XAU/USD) as of 11 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) The correlation between gold (XAU/USD) and US Treasury 10-yield real yield (TIPS) tends to be tightly inversely correlated in the past ten years; when 10-year TIPS rose, the price of gold (XAU/USD) staged a decline and vice versus due to zero interest income earned from holding gold and as a hedge on US government bonds, as gold has no counterparty risk. The 20-period rolling correlation coefficient between gold and the 10-year TIPS has been reduced to -0.60 from a recent high level of -0.84 recorded in early May 2023. What causes the current breakdown in the historical long-term tightly inverse correlation between gold and 10-year TIPS? It is likely due to the geopolitical risk factor where the price of gold, acting as a safe haven asset tends to increase when geopolitical risk increases. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine that occurred on 24 February 2022, in the prior two months, the high degree of indirect correlation between gold and 10-year TIPS have dissipated as both started to move in direct correlation.   Geopolitical risk has ticked up to an eight-month high     Fig 3: Geopolitical Risk Index as of 30 Jun 2023 (Source: MacroMicro, click to enlarge chart) Based on quantified measures of geopolitical risk, the latest reading of the Geopolitical Risk Index (GPR) for the month of June 2023 compiled by US Federal Reserve economists Dario Caldara and Matteo lacoviello has started to tick up above the 100 level to 103.10, its highest level in eight months. The GPR measures the social mood of impactful geopolitical events, threats, and conflicts since 1985 by counting the keywords used in the press.     Watch the US$1,940 key intermediate resistance on gold (XAU/USD) for potential bullish breakout   Fig 4: Gold (XAU/USD) medium-term trend of 11 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) Thus, the recent resilient price movement of gold (XAU/USD) that has managed to hold at the US$1,913/1,896 key medium-term support despite the steep up move seen in the 10-year TIPS is likely attributed to an uptick in geopolitical risk. Based on technical analysis, clearance above the US$1,940 key intermediate resistance sees the next resistance coming in at US$1,990 in the first step supported by a positive momentum reading seen in the daily RSI oscillator. On the flip side, a break below the US$1,896 key medium-term pivotal support invalidates the bullish tone to expose the next support at US$1,856 (also the 200-day moving average).

Current up moves in long-duration equities and fixed income came at the expense of a weaker US dollar. A persistent weak US dollar may lead to an upside revival in commodities prices. Inflationary expectations may creep up again due to higher oil/commodities prices. Disinflationary narrative seems premature and may be mispriced.   Market participants have taken a “disinflation ecstasy pill”, bidding up long-duration equities and fixed income in the past two sessions after the latest June US CPI data came in below expectations with the headline print dipped to 3% year-on-year, its slowest rate of growth seen in two years. The core consumer inflation rate (excluding food & energy) also slowed to 4.8% year-on-year from 5.3% recorded in May and dipped below the current Fed Funds rate of 5% to 5.25%. In terms of week-to-date performances as of 13 July, higher beta and long-duration equities outperformed, and the Nasdaq 100 rallied by +3.56%, just 7.7% away from its November 2022 all-time high. Over in the fixed income space, last week’s losses were almost recouped; iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF) recorded a week-to-date gain of 2.84%, iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (+2.61%), and iShares High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (+2.44%). This latest bout of “disinflationary optimism” has revived the “Fed Pivot” narrative where participants are now anticipating that the upcoming July FOMC meeting will likely see the last interest rate hike of 25 basis points (bps) to end this current cycle of monetary policy tightening in the US and negate the current “higher interest rates for a longer period” guidance advocated by Fed officials.   US Dollar Index’s major downtrend was reinforced via a break below 100.95 key support   Fig 1:  US Dollar Index medium-term and major trend as of 14 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) The current disinflationary theme play has come at the expense of a weaker US dollar that sank to a 15-month low, the US Dollar Index has tumbled by -2.52% for this week, set for its worst weekly performance since the week of 7 November 2022 as it broke below the key medium-term support of 100.95. Right now, there are second-order effects at play where significant global financial market movements are likely to spiral into the real economy in the months ahead. A weaker US dollar may translate to higher commodities prices as most commodities; physical and paper (futures contracts) are priced in US dollars. This above-mentioned linkage of a weaker US dollar to higher commodities prices seems to be emerging in the financial markets; the week-to-date performance of WTI crude oil futures is up by +4.1% and a broader basket of commodities as measured by the Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund has rallied by 3.6% for this week.     Inflationary expectations may start to creep up     Fig 2:  WTI crude oil correlation with US 5-YR & 10-YR breakeven inflation rates as of 13 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) Commodity prices such as oil have a high degree of direct correlation with forward-looking inflationary expectations. In the past three years, the price actions of WTI crude oil have moved in lock-step with the US Treasury’s 5-year and 10-year breakeven inflation rates (a measurement of inflationary expectations). If WTI crude oil can maintain its current upward trajectory, inflationary expectations may creep higher from this juncture.   Potential upside momentum in commodities may spark another ascend in US CPI       Fig 3: Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund major trend with US CPI as of 13 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) In addition, from a momentum perspective, an imminent trend change may start to take shape for commodities prices after close to one year of downtrend since June 2022 using Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC) as a commodities benchmark. The current weekly MACD trend indicator of the DBC has just flashed a bullish crossover signal below its centreline that suggested that the major downtrend of DBC in place since the June 2022 high may have ended which in turn increases the odds of a bullish reversal for commodities prices. A similar MACD bullish crossover observation on the DBC occurred in early June 2020 that spiralled into the real economy where inflationary pressures; headline and core US CPI started their ascend. Therefore, a potential uptick in inflationary expectations coupled with the current positive momentum in commodities prices may put a halt to the current inflationary slowdown trajectory seen in the latest US CPI prints. The ongoing disinflationary narrative may be premature and mispriced at this juncture.

Current up moves in long-duration equities and fixed income came at the expense of a weaker US dollar. A persistent weak US dollar may lead to an upside revival in commodities prices. Inflationary expectations may creep up again due to higher oil/commodities prices. Disinflationary narrative seems premature and may be mispriced.   Market participants have taken a “disinflation ecstasy pill”, bidding up long-duration equities and fixed income in the past two sessions after the latest June US CPI data came in below expectations with the headline print dipped to 3% year-on-year, its slowest rate of growth seen in two years. The core consumer inflation rate (excluding food & energy) also slowed to 4.8% year-on-year from 5.3% recorded in May and dipped below the current Fed Funds rate of 5% to 5.25%. In terms of week-to-date performances as of 13 July, higher beta and long-duration equities outperformed, and the Nasdaq 100 rallied by +3.56%, just 7.7% away from its November 2022 all-time high. Over in the fixed income space, last week’s losses were almost recouped; iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF) recorded a week-to-date gain of 2.84%, iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (+2.61%), and iShares High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (+2.44%). This latest bout of “disinflationary optimism” has revived the “Fed Pivot” narrative where participants are now anticipating that the upcoming July FOMC meeting will likely see the last interest rate hike of 25 basis points (bps) to end this current cycle of monetary policy tightening in the US and negate the current “higher interest rates for a longer period” guidance advocated by Fed officials.     US Dollar Index’s major downtrend was reinforced via a break below 100.95 key support   Fig 1:  US Dollar Index medium-term and major trend as of 14 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) The current disinflationary theme play has come at the expense of a weaker US dollar that sank to a 15-month low, the US Dollar Index has tumbled by -2.52% for this week, set for its worst weekly performance since the week of 7 November 2022 as it broke below the key medium-term support of 100.95. Right now, there are second-order effects at play where significant global financial market movements are likely to spiral into the real economy in the months ahead. A weaker US dollar may translate to higher commodities prices as most commodities; physical and paper (futures contracts) are priced in US dollars. This above-mentioned linkage of a weaker US dollar to higher commodities prices seems to be emerging in the financial markets; the week-to-date performance of WTI crude oil futures is up by +4.1% and a broader basket of commodities as measured by the Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund has rallied by 3.6% for this week.   Inflationary expectations may start to creep up   Fig 2:  WTI crude oil correlation with US 5-YR & 10-YR breakeven inflation rates as of 13 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) Commodity prices such as oil have a high degree of direct correlation with forward-looking inflationary expectations. In the past three years, the price actions of WTI crude oil have moved in lock-step with the US Treasury’s 5-year and 10-year breakeven inflation rates (a measurement of inflationary expectations). If WTI crude oil can maintain its current upward trajectory, inflationary expectations may creep higher from this juncture.   Potential upside momentum in commodities may spark another ascend in US CPI   Fig 3: Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund major trend with US CPI as of 13 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) In addition, from a momentum perspective, an imminent trend change may start to take shape for commodities prices after close to one year of downtrend since June 2022 using Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC) as a commodities benchmark. The current weekly MACD trend indicator of the DBC has just flashed a bullish crossover signal below its centreline that suggested that the major downtrend of DBC in place since the June 2022 high may have ended which in turn increases the odds of a bullish reversal for commodities prices. A similar MACD bullish crossover observation on the DBC occurred in early June 2020 that spiralled into the real economy where inflationary pressures; headline and core US CPI started their ascend. Therefore, a potential uptick in inflationary expectations coupled with the current positive momentum in commodities prices may put a halt to the current inflationary slowdown trajectory seen in the latest US CPI prints. The ongoing disinflationary narrative may be premature and mispriced at this juncture.      

China increased gold holdings for a ninth straight month in July Oil unfazed as Ukraine sea attack Russian oil tanker didn’t lead to a major disruption Dollar supported amidst bond supply concerns; 10-year Treasury yield rises 3.8bps to 4.074%   Oil Crude prices are lower following a surge in the US dollar and as Saudi Arabia anticipates a bumpy road for the crude demand.  The Saudis are raising prices across most of Asia and Europe, with the Arab light crude only being boosted by 30 cents, which was less than the 50-cent rise expected by traders. The initial rally from news that a Russian oil tanker was damaged  only provided a brief rally on Sunday night.  Unless we see a meaningful disruption to crude supplies, prices will remain  Also dragging oil prices down is the rising expectations that the US will see a recession by the end of 2024.  A Bloomberg investor poll showed two-thirds of 410 respondents expect a recession by the end of next year and 20% see one by the end of this year.    Gold Gold prices are struggling here on a strong dollar and as global bond yields rise and after an early round of Fed speak are still supporting the case for one more hike by the Fed. Wall Street is playing close attention to fixed income at the start of the trading week, which saw the bond market selloff cool at the end of last week after a mixed nonfarm payrolls report. If Treasury yields rally above last week’s high, that could trigger some technical buying and that could be very negative for gold prices.  For many traders, this week is all about inflation data and any hot surprises could prove to be short-term bearish for gold.  As earnings season wraps up, stocks have mostly posted better-than-expected results (excluding Apple) and that has hurt the gold’s safe-haven appeal.  At some point over the next few weeks, if the stock market rally can’t recapture the summer highs, a decent pullback could help trigger a big move back into gold.     

In this Outlook, our chief focus is on the current market impact of the AI theme across markets and around the world. But Steen’s introductory piece also argues that market participants are making a mistake in believing that the current market cycle will play out like previous ones, as inflation is set to stay higher for longer than the market anticipates, which will eventually register as an enormous surprise, given that yield curves in most markets are pricing significant eventual policy easing starting early next year and a glide path to a soft landing. The complacency surrounding that disinflationary and soft-landing scenario have kept long yield anchored and allowed equity markets, and particularly AI-linked names, to inflate perilously. Also on the AI theme that has dominated focus over the last quarter: Equity strategist Peter Garnry argues that the emergence of advanced AI systems such as GPT-4 from OpenAI is by far the most surprising event this year, a phenomenon that has turned everything on its head. Further, he writes that the AI-hyped rally has pushed the US equity market to new extremes, even as the benefits and risks of this new technology are hotly debated. He predicts that we risk seeing US and China engaging in an AI arms race. Our Greater China strategist, Redmond Wong, points to the challenges China faces in the field of generative AI as it navigates a global order of fragmentation. The success of generative AI breakthroughs in the US, coupled with limited computing power and geopolitical tensions, has threatened to break down China’s virtuous cycle of technology application, productivity enhancement and growth. Macro strategist Charu Chanana highlights Japan’s expertise in semiconductor manufacturing and robotic integration, suggesting these could be the foundation of a very strong presence in AI. She notes that Japanese equities and artificial intelligence combine the two most powerful market themes of this year. Cryptocurrency analyst Mads Eberhardt notes that AI fever has stolen the spotlight from blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency market generally, pushing the space further into speculative no man’s land. Despite the contrasting performance between crypto and AI-linked assets, there are striking similarities, especially the risk of bubble-like dynamics. Investment Coach Hans Oudshoorn outlines in his piece how investors can gain exposure to AI via ETFs that provide considerable diversification, but still noting the risks from valuations that have become very elevated in places. In addition to the AI focus, this report also delves into the outlook across major asset classes: In currencies, FX strategist John Hardy notes that USD shorts could be set for a vicious reality check if the US economy remains resilient and core inflation remains sticky, possibly engaging both sides of the "USD smile" that drive USD strength: the Fed remaining on the warpath and market turmoil.  John notes that the stakes are even higher for the Japanese yen if the longer yields of the major sovereign yield curves have to price in a new economic acceleration, as the BoJ will have to eventually capitulate on its yield-curve-control policy. In commodities, commodity strategist Ole Hansen suggests that the commodity sector looks set to start the third quarter on a firmer footing after months of weakness saw a partial reversal during June. Ole notes that strong gains were at times driven by a weaker US dollar, but specific developments in each sector also weighed. Most concerning for is the risk of higher food prices into the autumn, as several key growing regions battle with hot and dry weather conditions sparked by the first El Niño weather pattern in years. Fixed income strategist Althea Spinozzi argues that central banks face a troubling dilemma: if they really want to get ahead of inflation, they will need to burst asset bubbles created by a decade of quantitative easing (QE) and trigger a recession. But she asks whether they are willing to take policy tightening that far and ever win the inflation fight.

In this Outlook, our chief focus is on the current market impact of the AI theme across markets and around the world. But Steen’s introductory piece also argues that market participants are making a mistake in believing that the current market cycle will play out like previous ones, as inflation is set to stay higher for longer than the market anticipates, which will eventually register as an enormous surprise, given that yield curves in most markets are pricing significant eventual policy easing starting early next year and a glide path to a soft landing. The complacency surrounding that disinflationary and soft-landing scenario have kept long yield anchored and allowed equity markets, and particularly AI-linked names, to inflate perilously. Also on the AI theme that has dominated focus over the last quarter: Equity strategist Peter Garnry argues that the emergence of advanced AI systems such as GPT-4 from OpenAI is by far the most surprising event this year, a phenomenon that has turned everything on its head. Further, he writes that the AI-hyped rally has pushed the US equity market to new extremes, even as the benefits and risks of this new technology are hotly debated. He predicts that we risk seeing US and China engaging in an AI arms race. Our Greater China strategist, Redmond Wong, points to the challenges China faces in the field of generative AI as it navigates a global order of fragmentation. The success of generative AI breakthroughs in the US, coupled with limited computing power and geopolitical tensions, has threatened to break down China’s virtuous cycle of technology application, productivity enhancement and growth. Macro strategist Charu Chanana highlights Japan’s expertise in semiconductor manufacturing and robotic integration, suggesting these could be the foundation of a very strong presence in AI. She notes that Japanese equities and artificial intelligence combine the two most powerful market themes of this year. Cryptocurrency analyst Mads Eberhardt notes that AI fever has stolen the spotlight from blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency market generally, pushing the space further into speculative no man’s land. Despite the contrasting performance between crypto and AI-linked assets, there are striking similarities, especially the risk of bubble-like dynamics. Investment Coach Hans Oudshoorn outlines in his piece how investors can gain exposure to AI via ETFs that provide considerable diversification, but still noting the risks from valuations that have become very elevated in places. In addition to the AI focus, this report also delves into the outlook across major asset classes: In currencies, FX strategist John Hardy notes that USD shorts could be set for a vicious reality check if the US economy remains resilient and core inflation remains sticky, possibly engaging both sides of the "USD smile" that drive USD strength: the Fed remaining on the warpath and market turmoil.  John notes that the stakes are even higher for the Japanese yen if the longer yields of the major sovereign yield curves have to price in a new economic acceleration, as the BoJ will have to eventually capitulate on its yield-curve-control policy. In commodities, commodity strategist Ole Hansen suggests that the commodity sector looks set to start the third quarter on a firmer footing after months of weakness saw a partial reversal during June. Ole notes that strong gains were at times driven by a weaker US dollar, but specific developments in each sector also weighed. Most concerning for is the risk of higher food prices into the autumn, as several key growing regions battle with hot and dry weather conditions sparked by the first El Niño weather pattern in years. Fixed income strategist Althea Spinozzi argues that central banks face a troubling dilemma: if they really want to get ahead of inflation, they will need to burst asset bubbles created by a decade of quantitative easing (QE) and trigger a recession. But she asks whether they are willing to take policy tightening that far and ever win the inflation fight.

Tesla surged 10.2% post a major investment bank's upgrade, while Meta gained 3.3% on its powerful AI system news. Oracle, however, tumbled 9% in after-hours trading due to sluggish cloud sales growth. Strong loan and financing data spurred an intraday Hang Seng Index recovery after a morning dip, alongside gains in iron ore and copper. The weaker US dollar boosted G10 currencies, particularly AUD and JPY. The Yuan strengthened against the dollar, influenced by positive credit data and government support. Additionally, the EU Commission lowered the euro zone growth forecast.       US Equities: Tesla surged 10.2% after a major US investment bank upgrading the stock, assigning an additional USD500 billon to the valuation for a supercomputer that Tesla is developing. Meta gained 3.3% on news that the company is developing a powerful AI system (WSJ). The Nasdaq 100 added 1.2% to 15,461 while the S&P 500 climbed 0.7% to 4,487. Fixed income: The 3-year auction tailed by 1bp (i.e. awarded yield 1bp higher than the level at the auction deadline) and kept traders cautious ahead upcoming hefty supply in 10 and 30-year auctions and corporate issuance and CPI data on Wednesday. The 2-year ended unchanged while the 10-year closed at 4.29%, 2bps cheaper from Friday. China/HK Equities: The Hang Seng Index pared much of the sharp loss in the morning and recovered to end the day 0.6% lower at 18,096. The initial nearly 2% decline was driven by an earnings miss by Sun Hung Kai Properties and departure of the head of the cloud division and former CEO Daniel Zhang from Alibaba. The stronger-than-expected bounce in China’s loans and aggregate social financing data, released during the lunch break, triggered a sharp recovery. Southbound flows however registered a large net sale of HKD10.3 billion by mainland investors. In A-shares, the CSI300 added 0.7%. FX: The retreat of the US dollar brought strong gains across the G10 board, led by AUD and JPY. AUDUSD broke above 0.64 to highs of 0.6449 before settling around 0.6430, while Japanese yen saw strong gains on the back of weekend Ueda comments that brought forward expectations of policy normalization. USDJPY dropped to lows of 145.91, coinciding with fresh recent peaks in JGB yields, before a rebound back to 146.50+ levels as US CPI is awaited. Yuan also strengthened with USDCNH taking a look below 7.30 from highs of 7.36 amid verbal warnings from authorities, better-than-expected credit data as well as the continued appreciation bias in PBoC’s daily fixings.   Commodities: Crude oil held onto its gains near the recent highs with Brent still close to $90/barrel despite a small sell-off in Monday’s session. However, Monday’s price action came despite a weaker USD. With focus still on supply tightness concerns, today’s OPEC and EIA monthly reports will be on watch. Strong performance in metals led by iron ore up 3.5% and copper up close to 2.5% with China credit data boosting sentiment and a strong move in the yuan as well. Gold finding is hard to clear $1930 hurdle and the move in yields remains key with hefty corporate supply and US CPI ahead. Macro: China’s new Yuan loans in August surged more than expected to RMB 1,360 billion. This increase is attributed to greater regulatory encouragement for banks to lend and favorable seasonal factors. This, together with the front-loading of local government bond issuance, brought aggregate social financing to RMB 3,120 billion in August, up from July's RMB 528.5 billion. US NY Fed inflation expectations rose higher for one-year to 3.6% from 3.5%, while the long-term five-year also rose 0.1ppt to 3.0% from 2.9%. However, the three-year expectations dipped to 3.8% from 3.9%. Macro events: US NFIB small business survey (Aug), US 10-year T-note auction ($35 billion), UK payrolls (Aug), Germany ZEW survey (Sep) Company Events: Apple's iPhone 15 launch In the news: China’s PBoC asks banks to get approval for dollar purchases over USD50 million (Reuters) EU Commission cuts euro zone growth forecast as Germany in recession (Reuters) Representatives from eight core member institutions of the China National Forex Market Self-regulatory Mechanism met on Monday to discuss about maintaining the stability of the renminbi (Xinhua). Strong demand pushes Arm to close IPO order book early (FT) Qualcomm strikes new Apple deal on 5G chips (FT) US and Vietnam unveil billions in semiconductor and AI deals (FT)    

Investors were not impressed by the iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 reveal, causing Apple's shares to drop 1.8% and affecting the Nasdaq 100, which fell 1.1%. Adobe's stock also declined by 4% ahead of its upcoming earnings report. Meanwhile, OPEC's forecast of a tight oil market led to crude oil prices surging to 10-month highs. OPEC anticipates a significant 3.3mb/d supply deficit in Q4, one of the largest in over a decade. CAD outperformed in the G-10, while EUR made gains following an ECB leak about potential inflation forecast increases. Today's focus is on the US CPI report.     US Equities: Investors were not impressed by the iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 unveiled on Tuesday, seeing the shares of Apple drop by 1.8%. The Apple decline weighed on the Nasdaq 100 which slid 1.1%. Adding to the selling was a 4% decline in Adobe ahead of reporting on Thursday. Another focus in the tech space was Oracle, which plummeted 13.5% on weak cloud sales. The S&P500 shed 0.6%. Fixed income: The curve flattened as the 2-year yield rose 3bps to 5.02% while the 10-year yield slid 1bp to 4.28%. The short end was under some pressure ahead of today’s CPI data while the long ends held firm and absorbed the USD35 billion 10-year auction and around USD20 billion corporate bond issuance well. China/HK Equities: The Hang Seng Index ended a lackluster session with a thin trading volume session, down 0.4%. Energy and pharmaceutical names weighed on the benchmark. The Hang Seng Tech Index shed 0.5% as gains in Xiaomi and EV makers were offset by losses in Internet stocks. FX: Higher crude oil prices made CAD the G-10 outperformer with USDCAD down to 1.3550 from 1.3590 but EUR attempted to catch up in late NY/early Asian hours on ECB leak that inflation forecasts may be raised higher which are seen to be raising the prospect of a hike this week. EURUSD jumped higher to 1.0760 with EURGBP above the 0.86 hurdle as GBPUSD dipped below 1.25 on not-so-hawkish labor market. USDCNH sticking close to 7.30 and AUDUSD around 0.6425. Commodities: Crude oil prices rallied to fresh 10-month highs after OPEC forecast a significantly tight market. In its latest monthly outlook, the oil group said the market may experience a shortfall of 3.3mb/d in the fourth quarter of the year. This would make it one of the largest deficits in more than a decade. OPEC’s estimate was at odds with EIA’s predicted deficit of 230kb/d, and the IEA’s monthly report will be on watch today. Prices eased from the peaks as API reported a crude inventory build after four straight weekly draws although Cushing hub stockpiles declined, and official data will be reported today. Gold dropped below 200DMA as inflation concerns returned, bringing more fear of rate hikes and US CPI will be on watch today.    

Our latest calls on the National Bank of Hungary Based on the latest information, we're revising our previous forecasts for the National Bank of Hungary's upcoming rate-setting meeting.   The annual congress of the Hungarian Economic Association took place on 21-22 September, where members of the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) made important comments on the monetary policy outlook. The information that came to light contradicts our calls in our previous NBH note (published before the congress). As a result, we are now revising our call. What remains unchanged is that at the September rate-setting meeting the effective interest rate and the key interest rate will be merged at 13%, and that monetary policy will thus enter the second phase of normalisation. The National Bank of Hungary announced that, as a result of the simplification of the monetary policy toolkit in September, the effective interest rate will become a "deposit-like" instrument. At the same time, the central bank made it clear that it will pay the base rate on excess reserves as of 1 October. These signals suggest that the overnight deposit tender will be lowered to 13% as the effective rate at the rate-setting meeting, but will be phased out from 30 September. From October, the effective rate will become the policy rate, as most of the excess liquidity will flow into reserve accounts. This effect is the result of the other important announcement: that the central bank sees the symmetry of the interest rate corridor as part of the normalisation, with the corridor being plus/minus 100bp around the key rate. In this context, we expect the Monetary Council to lower the overnight deposit rate (the floor of the corridor) to 12%, and the overnight lending rate (the ceiling of the corridor) to 14%. With these changes, excess liquidity is expected to flow into reserve accounts as excess reserves after the quick deposit tender is phased out, making the base rate the effective interest rate again. The biggest challenge in this major overhaul of the monetary policy framework is communication. The central bank needs to make it crystal clear that the effective interest rate will remain at 13% after the quick deposit facility is withdrawn. With this new setup, we also change our forecast for the interest rate path in such a way that we still see the year-end base (and effective) rate at 12%, but the path to getting there will be different. Rising volatility and market uncertainty in the coming months (changing monetary policy set-up, EU funds and fiscal policy uncertainties) could lead the NBH to be overly cautious, resulting in only 25-25bp of rate cuts in October - November. After that, the expected positive outcome of the EU debate and the possible avoidance of rating downgrades in December set the stage for a series of 50bp rate cuts.   Our market views The National Bank of Hungary's monetary policy is approaching a turning point, and the Hungarian forint will continue to be a key variable. The central bank seems committed to maintaining positive interest rates and a high carry for Hungarian assets, which should sustain market demand. Implied FX yields remain almost double in Hungary compared to the rest of the CEE region. Given the dovish market expectations, we see room for upward repricing here when the market realises that NBH is not going to continue the set pace of rate cuts in previous months. Overall, we remain positive on the HUF despite higher volatility and lower EUR/USD. In fixed income, we see that the market has fully switched into dovish mode, and the coming months may be disappointing for the market. With the IRS curve almost fully normalised and the 2s10s close to CEE peers for the first time since the middle of last year, we see a chance for some upward correction, especially at the short end of the curve. Moreover, the massive carry for payers at the short end of the curve could attract market attention if this is the case. On the Hungarian government bond (HGBs) side, we have heard a lot of noise in recent weeks due to the fiscal risk, as in other countries throughout the region. On the positive side, we believe that the increase in borrowing needs should cover at least most of the state budget problem. After the increase in needs, we estimate that the debt management agency has already covered around 77% of the planned issuance of HGBs. The supply side should therefore remain under control. On the other hand, excessive dovish expectations, the EU money issue expected to return to the table in the coming weeks, and the uncertain fiscal picture all create an uncomfortable mix of risks. Most of this year's positive Hungary story has already been played out in our view, and with current valuations with 10y trading at ROMGBs level, HGBs do not have too much to offer at the moment.

Asian stocks fell with US futures as yields on 10-year Treasuries reach a 16-year high above 4.54% while China Evergrande Group missed a debt payment adding to fears about the sectors massive debt pile. Broad dollar strength continues with the greenback trading at its highest level since December as another Fed member said another rate hike this year will be needed. Crude oil trades softer amid macroeconomic concerns and a stretched speculative long while gold holds support despite multiple headwinds. The Saxo Quick Take is a short, distilled opinion on financial markets with references to key news and events. Equities: S&P 500 futures are under pressure this morning with the US 10-year yield hitting 4.55% extending its relentless move higher. If the US 10-year yield moves to 4.75% we will most likely begin seeing widening cracks in equities as the prevailing narrative of falling inflation collapses. Yesterday’s session saw no meaningful rotation between defensive and cyclical sectors. Today’s key events are US consumer confidence figures and Costco earnings tonight after the market close. FX: Higher Treasury yields, particularly in the long end, pushed the dollar higher to extend its gains. USDCHF rose to near 4-month highs of 0.9136 with immediate target at 0.9162 which is 0.382 retracement level. EURUSD broke below 1.06 support despite better-than-expected German Ifo. USDJPY attempted a move towards 149 with verbal intervention remaining lacklustre. AUD slipped on China woes while NZD and CAD were relative gainers, and the outperformer was SEK with the Riksbank starting its FX hedging today. Commodities: Crude trades lower for a second day with macroeconomic concerns, a stronger dollar and a stretched speculative long and easing refinery margin weighing on prices. Gold prices continue to defy gravity, holding above $1900 support with demand for stagflation protection offsetting the current yield and dollar surge. LME copper is trading at the widest contango (oversupply) since at least 1994 as inventories expand and China demand concerns persist. Wheat continues to face downward pressure from huge Russian harvest despite weather related downgrades in Australia. Fixed Income. The Federal Reserve’s higher-for-longer message reverberates through higher long-term US Treasury yields. Unless there is a sign that the job market is weakening significantly or that the economy is slowing down quickly, long-term yields will continue to soar. With 10-year yields breaking above 4.5% and selling pressure continuing to mount through an increase in coupon supply, quantitative tightening, and waning foreign investors demand, it’s likely to see yields continue to rise until something breaks. This week, our attention turns to US PCE numbers and Europe CPI data while the US Treasury will sell 2-, 5- and 7-year notes. It will be interesting to see if investors buy the belly of the yield curve as a sign that they are preparing for a bull rather than a bear-steepening. Overall, we continue to favour short-term maturities and quality. Volatility: VIX Index still sits at around the 17 level, but the downward pressure in equity futures this morning could push the VIX much higher. This could be a cycle where the market tests the 20 level. Macro: Fed’s Goolsbee (voter) kept the door open for more rate hikes while emphasizing higher-for-longer. Moody’s warned of a protracted government shutdown saying that it could weigh on consumer confidence and markets. Meanwhile, after PMIs, Germany’s Ifo also showed a slight improvement in business outlook to 85.7 vs. 85.2 expected, while the previous was revised higher to 85.8. There were several ECB speakers once again. Lagarde largely repeated what was said at the ECB Press Conference, noting policy rates have reached levels that, maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation to target. Schnabel said there is not yet an all-clear for the inflation problem. In the news: Interest rates will stay high 'as long as necessary,' the European Central Bank's leader says (Quartz), Teetering China Property Giants Undercut Xi’s Revival Push (Bloomberg), Russia dodges G7 price cap sanctions on most of its oil exports (FT), Global trade falls at fastest pace since pandemic (FT), Dimon Warns World Not Ready for 7% Fed Rate: Times of India via Bloomberg Technical analysis: S&P500 downtrend support at 4,328 & 4,200. Nasdaq 100 support at 14,687 &14,254. DAX downtrend support at 14,933. EURUSD below strong support, resuming downtrend to 1.05. GBPUSD downtrend strong support at 1.2175. Gold rangebound 1,900-1,950. Crude oil correction: WTI expect to 87.58. Brent to 80.62. US 10-year T-yields 4.55, uptrend but expect minor correction Macro events: US New Home Sales (Aug) exp 699k vs 714k prior (1400 GMT), US Consumer Confidence (Sep) exp 105.5 vs 106.1 prior. Speeches from Fed’s Bowman (voter) as well as ECB’s Lane, Simkus and Muller. Earnings events: Costco reports FY23 Q4 earnings (aft-mkt) today with estimated revenue growth of 8% y/y and EPS growth of 14% y/y. H&M reports FY23 Q3 earnings (bef-mkt) with estimated revenue growth of 7% y/y and EPS growth of 47% y/y. Micron Technology reports FY23 Q4 earnings (aft-mkt) with estimated revenue growth of -41% y/y and EPS of $-1.18 vs $1.37 a year ago. Accenture reports FY23 Q4 earnings (bef-mkt) with estimated revenue growth of 4% y/y and EPS unchanged from a year ago. Nike reports FY24 Q1 earnings (aft-mkt) with estimated revenue growth of 3% y/y and EPS growth of –20% y/y.

US and European equity futures trade mixed following Tuesday's US technology stocks led weakness after consumer confidence dropped to a four-month low and the expectations index fell below a level that in the past has signaled an incoming recession. The S&P 500 dropped to a June low as the Fed’s higher for long message drove US 10-year yields to a fresh 16-year high while the Dollar index reached a fresh year-to-date high. Overnight equities in Hong Kong gained with those on the mainland cooling after sharp gains earlier as China reported improved industrial profits Crude oil prices remain elevated adding to inflation concerns while gold trades soft near $1900. The Saxo Quick Take is a short, distilled opinion on financial markets with references to key news and events. Equities: The relentless rise in long-end US Treasury yields saw selling accelerate across US stocks on Tuesday with the S&P 500 dropping 1.5% to hit the lowest level since June 7. Technology stocks, which led the rally earlier this year, has been challenged all month on concerns the Fed’s higher for longer message is starting to hurt consumer confidence. A message that was strengthened after the Consumer Expectations Index declined below 80, the level that historically signals a recession within the next year. The S&P 500 will be looking for support around 4,200, the 50% correction of the March to July rally and the 200-day moving average. FX: The DXY dollar index broke higher to fresh YTD highs, having taken out the 105.80 resistance, as long-end Treasury yields continued to rise. Data remained soft, helping keep the short-end yields capped but Fed member Kashkari, who is usually a dove, noted he puts a 40% probability on a scenario where Fed will have to raise rates significantly higher to beat inflation and a 60% probability of a soft landing. USDCAD rose to 1.3528 while GBPUSD slid below 1.2150 and next target at 1.20. EURUSD plunged further to lows of 1.0556 while USDJPY is hovering close to the 150-mark as verbal jawboning continues to have little effect. Commodities: Crude oil remains rangebound with tight market conditions, as seen through the highest premium for near-term barrels in more than a year, being offset by a stronger dollar and the general risk-off tone. API inventory data showed a crude build of 1.6m barrels vs expectations of a 1.7m drop. Gold trades below $1900 on continued dollar and yield strength with focus on $1885 support while China property market concerns sees copper traded near a four-month low. Meanwhile in agriculture, El Nino has been confirmed, and it could be a strong one, potentially impacting food inflation from rising risks of droughts in Southeast Asia, Australia and Brazil-Columbia. Fixed Income. The Federal Reserve’s higher-for-longer message reverberates through higher long-term US Treasury yields. Unless there is a sign that the job market is weakening significantly, or that the economy is slowing down quickly, long-term yields will continue to soar. With 10-year yields breaking above 4.5% and selling pressure continuing to mount through an increase in coupon supply, quantitative tightening and less foreign investors demand, it’s not unlikely to see yields to continue to rise towards 5% until something breaks. This week, our attention turns to US PCE numbers and Europe CPI data and US Treasury auctions. Yesterday’s 2-year notes auction received good demand while offering the highest auction yield for that tenor since 2006. Yet, our focus is on the belly of the yield curve with the Treasury selling 5- and 7-year notes today and tomorrow. If demand is poor, it might mean that the yield curve is poised to bear-steepen further. Overall, we continue to favour short-term maturities and quality. Volatility: The CBOE Volatility Index jumped 2 on Tuesday to close at 18.94%, a four-month high after the underlying SPX index lost 1.5% to settle at the lowest level since June Macro: US consumer confidence fell for a second consecutive month to 103.0 from 108.7 (upwardly revised from 106.1) and beneath the expected 105.5. Present Situation Index marginally rose to 147.1 (prev. 146.7), while the Expectations Index declined further to 73.7 (prev. 83.3), falling back below 80 - the level that historically signals a recession within the next year. Inflation expectations for the 12 months ahead were unchanged at 5.7% in September. New home sales in the US fell 8.7% to 675k from 739k (upwardly revised from 714k), shy of the consensus 700k. Fed's Kashkari has published an essay where he says there is a 60% chance of a soft landing with a 40% chance the Fed will have to hike 'significantly higher'. In the news: FTC Sues Amazon, Alleging Illegal Online-Marketplace Monopoly (WSJ), Foreign brands including Tesla to face scrutiny as part of EU probe into China car subsidies (FT), Senate leaders agree on a short-term spending bill, aiming to avert a shutdown, extending government funding until November 17, pending House approval (CNN). What ‘peak oil’ will mean for China (FT), Americans finally start to feel the sting from the Fed’s rate hikes (WSJ), Exclusive: German economic institutes forecast 0.6% GDP contraction this year – sources (Reuters) Technical analysis: S&P 500 downtrend support at 4,200. Nasdaq 100 support at 14,254. DAX downtrend support at 14,933. EURUSD downtrend support at 1.05. GBPUSD below support at 1.2175, oversold, next support 1.2012. USDJPY uptrend stretched but could reach 150. Gold bearish could drop to 1,870. Brent and WTI Crude oil resuming uptrend. US 10-year T-yields uptrend expect minor correction Macro events: US Durable Goods Orders (Aug) est –0.5% vs –5.2% prior (1230 GMT), Feds Kashkari Speaks on CNBC (1200 GMT), EIA’s Weekly Crude and Fuel Stock Report (1430 GMT)

Today's core PCE the next key signpost ahead of next weeks Fed meeting By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   European markets managed to eke out a small gain yesterday after the ECB kept rates unchanged but left the door ajar to the prospect of a rate cut before the summer. ECB President Christine Lagarde did push back strongly on speculation that policymakers had discussed anything like that insisting that such talk was premature, echoing her comments made earlier this month. It was noteworthy however that the possibility of a cut before June wasn't ruled out completely, and it was that markets reacted to yesterday as yields declined sharply, which does keep the prospect of an earlier move on the table given how poor this week's economic data has been.   US markets also managed to finish the day higher with the S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 putting in new record closes, after US Q4 GDP came in well above expectations at 3.3%. The core PCE price index also remained steady at 2% for the second quarter in succession, and in line with the Federal Reserve's inflation target, thus keeping faint hopes of a US rate cut in March alive. It also places much greater importance on today's December core PCE deflator inflation numbers which aren't expected to vary much from what we saw in the November numbers. At the moment markets seem convinced that the Fed might spring a surprise in March and slip in an early rate cut if inflation shows further signs of slowing. That might make sense if the US economy was struggling but this week's economic numbers clearly suggest it isn't, and if anything is still growing at a decent clip. There is a danger that in cutting rates in March they drive market expectations of further cuts into overdrive, something they have been keen to push back on with recent commentary.   In any case with the Federal Reserve due to meet next week markets are continuing to try and finesses the timing of when the first rate cut is likely to occur, after Powell's surprisingly dovish shift when the central bank last met just before Christmas. That means today PCE numbers are likely to be a key waypoint for markets and the central bank, after the PCE core deflator slowed to 3.2% in November, slipping from 3.4% in October, and the lowest level since April 2021. A further slowdown to 3% or even lower, which appears to be the consensus could see markets continue to build on the prospect of a rate cut in March, which took hold back in December. The bigger concern for some Fed officials is that headline CPI appears to be ticking higher again, which may make the last yards to 2% much trickier. This will be the Fed's key concern over an early cut as it could reignite the inflationary pressures that have taken so long to get under control. This caution would suggest that March is too early for a US rate cut, and that the market is getting ahead of itself, with policymakers also likely to pay attention to consumer demand. This means personal spending is also likely to be a key indicator for the FOMC and here we are expecting to see a pickup to 0.5% from 0.2%. With the US consumer still looking resilient the Fed is likely to be extra cautious if inflation starts ticking higher again as it already has with headline CPI.   It was also interesting to note that while yields fell sharply yesterday, the US dollar didn't, it actually finished the day higher and well off the lows of the week.       EUR/USD – slipped back towards the 200-day SMA at 1.0820/30 yesterday, with a break below 1.0800 targeting a potential move towards 1.0720. Resistance at the highs this week at 1.0930 and behind that at 1.1000.  GBP/USD – while the pound has struggled to push higher this week, we've managed to consistently hold above the support at the 50-day SMA as well as the 1.2590 area. We need to get above 1.2800 to maintain upside momentum. EUR/GBP – finally slipped to support at the 0.8520 area, which needs to hold to prevent a move towards the August lows at 0.8490. Resistance at the 0.8620/25 area and the highs last week. USD/JPY – currently finding resistance at the 148.80 area which has held over the last week or so which could see a move back towards the 146.25 area. A fall through 146.00 could delay a move towards 150 and argue for a move towards 144.00. FTSE100 is expected to open 30 points higher at 7,559 DAX is expected to open 50 points lower at 16,857 CAC40 is expected to open 28 points higher at 7,492.